Make and Takes and more

First, I'll take a step back before I show you the Make and Takes from Redwood Sewing Center. Last week our good friend, Karen Snyder of Anna Lena's came to visit. Karen likes all things 30's....as in Vintage 1930's fabrics. And butterflies and orange and aqua and....well, Karen is just fantastic. We have known each other for about 11 years, met at a Trade Show for Quilt Shop Owners and belong to a sort of secret sisterhood of quilt shop owners. A bunch of us went on a cruise to Eastern Mexico and she and I were roomies. Such fun!

Karen and Bob her delightful husband came to Eureka, explored some of the redwood coast, Ferndale and she fit in a trunk show and book signing for us. We still have a few copies of her 4 books. Bundles of Fun, Fat Quarter Fun, Big Print Quilts and Quilts From My Garden and all of them are autographed . Here's Carolyn getting her book signed. Ok, back to today.............Redwood Sewing Center celebrated Small Business Saturday with the first of our three Make & Take Saturdays before Christmas. They are great. You sign up, pay your $10 and come to the store. You don't have to bring anything. Really. Nothing. And you leave with a really cool gift you can give...or keep! It's up to you. Today the gals made Little Wallets with a Valori Wells pattern. Just perfect to give a gift card.Then they made a cute tote bag, Christmas Tree Napkins and Chicken Pincushions.
Here's Terri ironing her tote bag handles.Here's Liz explaining the next step.Over the next two Saturdays some of these projects will be repeated and new ones are on the calendar. One gal said, "So I just bring my machine and I can make this." No, you don't have to bring your machine. "So how much fabric do I bring for clutch bag?" No, you don't have to bring fabric. "So I bring my pins and my scissors and rotary cutter." No, you don't have to bring a thing! There is still room in most of the classes, but call Redwood Sewing Center to register. Just $10 per class.

A few weeks ago I had two eager students in a sewing class. My Daughter Beka had a birthday on Nov. 18 and Jakob and Mercedes asked if I would teach them to use the sewing machine. We made hot pads for Mama's birthday. They chose the fabrics and Grammy cut them out and some padding. They layered and ironed the squares and pinned them. They sat on my lap and guided their fabrics through the machine. Each was quite particular and careful about sewing. They turned their pot holders right side out and then we top stitched and quilted the squares. Then they posed with their holders.Jakob stitched a spiderweb design on his.Sades tried the abstract approach.Here they are showing the opposite sides of their pads. We wrapped them in paper with bows and they made cards for Mama's Birthday. I have it on good authority that Beka used them on Thanksgiving!

Lots of "making" going on! What are YOU making this holiday season?

My Grandkids are cuter than your Grandkids!

Tonight my son-in-law Jason posted some pictures on FaceBook of my Minnesota Grandchildren. They were great pictures. I made a comment on his pictures: My Grandkids are cuter than your grandkids! And it's true! At least to me and that's all that counts.

Here's some of the latest pictures and you can judge for yourself.

Sydney, age 5 1/2

Pumpkin Patch, October 2010

Jakob, age 4 1/2

School Picture, October 2010

Mercedes age 2 1/3

modeling at home, October 2010

(I included this one so you could see her face)

Mercedes, I LOVE this photo

Indian Summer fun day, October 2010 Shiloh 8 months

October 2010

Now...don't you agree that I have the cutest grandkids ever?

Grandma's gone to Minnesota!

On Wednesday I said goodbye to Mr. Scottie Dog quite early at the Eureka/Arcata Airport and walked through security. I was questioned by the TSA concerning a bottle in my carry-on. "Oh," I said, "that's full of seeds and seasonings." "Like.....drugs?" he said. "Nooo, like....Los Bagels' Slug Slime." This is full of toasted sesame seeds, garlic, onions, coarse salt and so much more. It is the topping Los Bagels puts on it's Slugs...they're sort of straight bagels....no holes...just, well, just like slugs! Sooo good. If you have never had a Los Bagels bagel you haven't had the best! I was taking a bottle of seasoning to Beka. One of the many things you can't get in Minnesota.

My flight was pretty much uneventful. We even got in to Minneapolis 20 minutes early! On Friday Jakob and I had to make cookies....that's all he's talked about for weeks...making cookies with Grandma. I made him a special apron per his instructions. Dinosaurs on one side, trains on the other.

Grandma decided we'd make Snickerdoodles....fun to roll into balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar. We had a good time and made some cookies too!
Beka is ready to have her Baby. NOW! We went to the midwife yesterday morning and she was told that it would probably be this weekend. An induction has been scheduled for next Thursday but we're hoping for NOW! After the appointment Beka decided to try to help the baby along. 30 minutes of step exercise on the Wii. We bowled, juggled and played "chicken" on the Wii. Then Beka ran up and down their 3 level's worth of stairs for 15 minutes. She vacuumed the stairs, basement and living room. Then she mopped the kitchen. During this time the kids played outside on their deck.
Aren't my grandbabies the cutest? Jakob will turn 4 the end of March and Mercedes had her 2nd birthday last week. Jakob had hand trowels and cars out there to play in the snow. Mercedes just wanted to eat snow. Even with chattering teeth, they protested coming in.

Beka spent the evening sitting and bouncing on the big exercise ball. But no baby.

Today Beka & Jason went to the Mall of America for some power-walking. Sadies and Jakob are sleeping and Grandma is reading and smiling....after all, she's helping out with the grandbabies, hugging, kissing & spoiling them....that's what Grandama's are for!

Miss you, Mr. Scottie Dog! Miss you Sydney-girl! We got a camera today so be sure to SKYPE us!>

Home Again

I'm home again. Back to Eureka, land of the redwoods, fog, and cool weather year round. While I was in Minnesota we had some hot weather (well into the 90's) and the last day or two were pretty cool with overcast skies and a few raindrops here and there. When I arrived in Eureka who would have thought we'd have a warm sunny day! On Tuesday morning we went down to the photography studio and Grandma had her picture taken with Jakob and Sadies. I'll post them when they come. Sadies wore the dress her Mom Beka made. Bekas first garment. I think it turned out beautifully!

It was so nice to be with Mercedes as she toddled around. She was saying new words every day and such a little mimic.

Jakob kept the garden watered each day...he's all smiles for this picture. I know and admit I'm very prejudiced, but I think I have the cutest grandkids around.

I loved every minute of my visit, but it was time to come home. Mr. Scottie Dog had the house all clean and tidy and he'd done lots of jobs around the house. Liz had worked so many hours to keep the store running. A big thank-you to them both for picking up a lot of my jobs so I could hug and kiss on the grandbabies.

While I was in the Midwest, Mr. Scottie Dog made a planter for the Scottie Dog store. It was made of recycled wood...some of our old floor joists, parts of our girls' tree house that blew down in a past storm and some tongue and groove from somewhere else. I love the "old" look of it. He filled it with dirt and it was waiting for Sydney and I to plant the flowers on Friday. It's going to be Syd's job to keep them watered. We picked fuchias, violas, lobielia, allisym, petunias and more. Come see our flowers grow!

Another Full Day

Wednesday was another full day in Minnesota. We went to Mom's Group at Beka's church. There were about 25 moms (2/3 of them pregnant!) and more babies, toddlers and not-yet-old-enough-for-school aged kids....I couldn't begin to count! The babies have a nursery to go to and the other kids go to "Pre-School." This week Jakob wanted to sit with us so he played quietly for one and a half hours. It's pretty informal, they sit around small round tables and there's coffee, popcorn (both sweet or salty, your choice) and homemade goodies. A few of the gals share a little, there's some general chatter & sharing and then more treats and sharing when the kids are released back to their moms. Then Jakob and all the little boys race and run from one end of the foyer to the other. They love to run.

Bethany College is right next to the church so Beka called Jason and he was able to get away for lunch with us. I offered to treat (big whoop! we were going to Costco!!! Grandma is the last of the big spenders!). They found a freezer they'd been needing so we carted that home too.

Back home, and Beka went to her job at Lifetime Fitness and I got to watch the kids. Sadies took a nap and Jakob and I ate Popsicles on the deck, watered all the flowers, read books and watched "Curious George."















When Daddy came home we got the wagon out and went to McCann Park, only 1 block from their house. I love this old barn that seems a bit out of place in the middle of suburbia.





First off we hit the swings. The wind was a'blowing and Sadies loved it. Jakob wanted always to go higher. Even Grandma swung a bit.




There were slides and so much more.






Jakob loves the climbing wall. Grandpa took him here last winter when the snow was deep. No snow today! Jakob just went right up to the top and tried to go over but Daddy came to the rescue.
It was a fun day...hot again but rain predicted for today (and a bit cooler temps.).

Tuesday was a busy day!

Today, Tuesday was a busy day in Minnesota. We started out with a trip to Golden Valley, a bit north of Minneapolis where Beka was doing a 'taste test' for a consumer testing company. She does it every once in awhile. Today wasn't actually a "taste" test, really a packaging test for granola bars. She had to pick boxes for several brands that she might buy or those she wouldn't buy and tell why. While she was doing that, Jakob and I were playing on the grass and Sadies slept in the car right next to us. Jakob and I poked at an ant hill, whacked a tree with long sticks, chased birds, blew a ton of "ripe" dandelion puffballs, sang songs and generally had a great time.

It was in the 90's today so shorts and flip flops were perfect!






Then we went to Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee. Sadies wanted to show all of you how she now walks! She started walking on Mother's Day and now it's like she's always walked.

This is a great shop so if you are in the area, be sure to stop by. They are located in a refurbished Train Depot in Shakopee and the trains still run right beside the store!











We bought some of the Hungry Caterpillar fabrics for Beka. See the cutie pie on the little chair?




















After lunch we hit the nursery.....Beka's townhouse has an awesome deck and we got some cute plants for her pots and planters....red, white & blue flowers and one mini pepper plant. We'll plant them tomorrow.

Errands, errands and more errands. We made it back home in time to blow up the swimming pool for a quick dip by the little ones. While filling the pool, Jakob turned and hit me with the sprinkler right in the face! Tell you what....it felt wonderful. But I had a date with two dear friends from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area at Timber Lodge Steakhouse.







No, these two cuties aren't my quilting friends.....








Here we are: Sally, me and Carol. We belong to the Sunshine Quilting Guild
and make quilts for needy children of the world. I've had the privilege of knowing them for years and we trade visits here in Minn. and they have come to CA to Scottie Dog Quilts Mystery Quilting Retreats.

Thanks again, I had a wonderful time.






Home again, jiggedy jig. Thanks Jason for putting the kids to bed. Beka and I had fun.

Ummm, Chocolates!

On Mother's Day I spent a part of the day sewing with Liz and some friends who thought that hanging out at Scottie Dog Quilts and sewing was the perfect way to spend Mother's Day. I had several projects to work on, but instead I made these Chocolates for our "Lucy and the Chocolate Factory" fabric display. don't they look good enough to eat? No calories, fibre-rich. There are a couple of milk chocolate delights and the rest are dark chocolate! Slice 'o Cake pincushion isn't too bad either.In case you didn't know, I'm in Minnesota now visiting these two cuties! Jakob & Mercedes or Sadies as we call her. Jakob is now 3 years old and very much the big brother. Sadies is 15 months and on Mother's Day started walking. I'm sure she'll be running by next week.

I'll try to keep up posting most days, so watch for more pictures. The one above was taken this morning.

Jakob had a Birthday!

My grandson Jakob turned 3 last week. Oh, my it doesn't seem like only 3 years ago. Here's Beka waiting patiently for Jakob's arrival.
I was there the very early morning he was born. And I cried like a baby. Grandbabies are the BEST!

Here's Jakob at his party. After all that hard construction work with Grandpa last October, Jakob had a Bob the Builder themed party. Five little friends and of course, little sis, Sadies.

I loved the cake! And it seems that Jakob and Sadies did also.

There was a part of me that felt we "whimped out" when it came to the gift part. Mr. Scottie Dog and I sent $$ to Beka since they would know best what he wanted/needed and we'd save on shipping the big box to Minn. Of course a box of little goodies & toys and Easter fun and new Easter outfits was sent from Eureka a few weeks ago, but that was a small box.

Jason and his Mum (Linda is Canadian) had a great time doing the shopping. See what we bought the Birthday Boy: A motorcycle! And he's nice enough to let Sadies ride too! Wish I could have been there, but there's time for more parties in the future.

Disneyland (Finally!)

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of going to Disneyland with daughters Beka & Liz, Beka's hubby, Jason & of course the 3 Grandbabies....Sydney, Jakob & Sadies. It was so much fun. Now, lots of people would say it was a disappointing trip because it rained for part of the day. Actually it poured occasionally! But by 1 pm the rain was gone. we bought rain ponchos. They were great. Kept us (relatively) dry and we ducked under cover when it the heavens opened up and it really poured. Sydney was pretty blaze until she caught sight of the Castle at the end of Main Street...."The Castle, the castle!" She cried. She jumped up and down, screamed and could hardly contain herself as we made our way as fast as we could down Main Street. Of course she was wearing her Cinderella Princess dress over her pants & shirt (as did about every 4th little girl in the park!). Even with a rain poncho over, she looked regal.

You can see by the smiles that riding the Carousel was a big hit with everyone. Beka and Sadies shared a horse, but Jason and Jakob had their own trusty stead. I think the Carousel has been my favorite ride since I was a little girl...let's see, I first went to Disneyland in 1957....ooooh, I don't think I want to figure out how long ago THAT was!

By mid-morning we'd met up with friends from Eureka! Emma & Kaia had brought their parents and Kayla & Hannah brought their folks too. Since Kayla & Hannah are now residing in So. CA they came for the 9th time to Disneyland since Thanksgiving. The Harvey's took this shot of all of us as we entered the newly re-opened, refurbished "It's a Small World."

As I said before, the rains went away by 1:30 or so and we enjoyed the near-empty park. We were able to walk onto any ride or restaurant with ease. We met the Disney Royalty...Mickey & Minnie, of course, Jakob got to pose with Lightening McQueen, the star of his favorite Disney video, "Cars." I have lots more pictures, but these say it all....the smiles of the little ones are so precious. I'm sorry Steve,Grandpa & Great-Grandpa couldn't come, maybe next time.