The Talent Show

Today started out with Gamma & Gampa attending the Talent Show at Redwood Christian School here in Eureka. That is where Sydney has nearly finished up her Kindergarten year. She has learned so much this year: how to tell time, to count to 500 & beyond by 1's, 2's, 5's, & 10's. She has learned to read and write and play nice with other children. She's learned about the world and who created it. She knows that Lincoln was the 16th president and freed the slaves, all about George Washington & Martin Luther King and more. She knows the seasons, what month it is and so very much more.

Today was the Talent Show. Early last week Syd announced she was going to sing a song. She planned to make it up as she went along on stage. Hmmm.................. Liz suggested that she sing a song she already knew. Well, Sydney decided if Gampa would play his accordion she would sing for the Talent Show. Here's a YouTube of Sydney singing at the show. Enjoy! Watch for the high five near the end. It's priceless.

Going to the Doc

This morning I went to the doctor for my annual check-up. In 2007 my normally low blood pressure began to soar. And it stayed up. I had some blood work and my cholesterol was pretty high also. After a trip to the doc I began to take some meds for lowering my blood pressure and lowering my cholesterol. Dr. Larry also suggested I begin to adhere to the South Beach Diet.

I made some radical changes to my diet and found a great blog. Kalyn Denny post wonderfully tasty (and easy) recipes that follow the South Beach Diet. Thanks to Kalyn I was not only able to find a new way of eating, but was able to understand how to make it all work.

Over the last 3 1/2 years I've brought my blood pressure down to normal/low and my cholesterol numbers into the low range too! Dr. Larry is happy with my numbers. He was happy to hear I've found a fondness for Aqua Aerobics. As I am ending my check-up he tells me I need a mammogram. There's a lot of breast cancer in my family and I try make sure I get regular mammograms. There's a lot of squishing, squashing and smashing. Poking, pressing and pinching. Mammograms can make a woman feel violated....almost like this:

What was pretty amazing was that Dr. Larry handed me a mammogram order and suggested we take it next door to the Imaging Center. Surprise, surprise! I could have it done in 10 minutes. Usually you have to wait for them to call you (often several weeks go by) and then you get to make an appt. It could take another month or more before you can get in. So this morning I got it all done.

Then Mr. Scottie Dog and I were off to our bank to get several documents notarized. We had our new wills witnessed and notarized as well as the new Revocable Trust we've set up. We had the deeds to our properties put into the trust and registered with the County Clerk. Interestingly the bank branch manager's mother-in-law is one of our regular customers and so it the county clerk. You find quilters every where.

Mr. Scottie Dog and I went out to lunch and then I had to go to work. We don't often get to do that. Then it was time to go to work. Wednesdays are my late day. I go in after lunch and stay for the evening Sit & Sew class. A lot crammed into one day.

I'm a winner!

Don't you just love those words: "I'm a winner!" Not, of course to be confused with "I'm a whiner," although to be truthful, I suppose I am a whiner once in a great while. In any event, I AM A WINNER of a fantastic Civil War panel of Grant and the Generals of the Army of the Potomac from Bonnie Hunter and her Quiltville blogs' giveaway. Thanks Bonnie! This panel will be included in the quilt I will be making of my blocks from my Civil War Diary Quilt Block Exchange. You can't believe the squeal I let out when I learned I was the winner.

Today was Sit & Sew at Redwood Sewing Center (formerly Scottie Dog Quilts). We have Sit & Sew classes Tues. & Thurs. mornings and Wed. evenings. You come, bring your sewing machine and do whatever you want. There's always a teacher there to help you out (she said modestly since Tues. & Wed. I am the teacher!). The Tues. class has been meeting for about 15 years....note that we've only been open for 10 years. But I taught the Tuesday morning class for 5 years at another, now defunct Quilt Shop. There are a few who come regularly who have been there since the beginning. It is fondly referred to as "The Tuesday Class."

Show and tell happens quite frequently. Today we saw Margie's newest "Martinique." She'll be teaching a class on this quilt from "Baker's Dozen." If you are local, be sure to come see it in person. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Katie showed us a quilt for her granddaughter Cera who is 4. I love the whimsical ladybugs.
Then Judy showed us her Asian masterpieced French Braid. Every time I see it I marvel at the story it tells. Judy confesses that this quilt grew so big they had to buy a new King Sized bed as it was too large for her Queen. I bound another quilt this afternoon and prepared backings for four more. Busy as a bee! I heard the weatherman say it's rain for the rest of the week. Bummer! But guess what? I'm a winner!!!!!

Weekend at Gramma's

Today I picked up Sydney for Weekend at Gamma's. Gamma & Gampa are going on a road trip and we'll be gone for 40 days and 40 nights....or so Sydney says. Good thing we've got someone who'll keep the cats fed and occupied! And I suspect Sydney will stop by once in awhile to say hello to the kitties.



First we went to the recycling center...getting rid of the mountain of cardboard and paper a quilt shop generates in just one week. Sydney used to stay in the car and had me the cardboard, but now if it's not too busy she can help dump it into the bins.


Second stop was the grocery store. Red peppers, orange peppers, lettuce....let's see, what else is on the list? Gamma was picking up her produce for the first part of the week and two special items for after dinner.....yum...root beer and vanilla ice cream!

When we arrived home Gramma became second best...."Where's Gampa???" I'm pretty popular unless Gampa is around. Then I'm a far second. So Sydney "helped" Gampa work on his truck, mow the back garden and other outside chores. I got everything ready for the Oatmeal Cookies we were going to bake right about the time Sydney came in to wash her hands. She cracked the eggs and put all the ingredients in the mixer bowl.

All righty....Six dozen oatmeal raisin cookies. Sydney told me she doesn't like raisins. But then she DOES like them in cookies!

Dinner fixed and eaten, then she and Gampa practiced for her upcoming talent show. She is in kindergarten and I'm not sure she really knows what a talent show is but she wants to be in it! She decided she was going to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Gampa would accompany her on his accordion. They practiced (Sydney is a typical kindergartner when it comes to singing!) and practiced and after about 30 minutes I suggested we should make Root Beer Floats! I think they both were ready for a break.
Gampa found a microphone and now they are back at it. And surprisingly....Sydney is getting better, actually singing the notes Mr. Scottie Dog is playing! We'll see how Friday's show goes. I know I will think she's the best there is! Probably Mom & Dad & Gampa will too.

What I've been up to lately

I getting ready for a road trip with Mr. Scottie Dog. We are driving to Minnesota to visit the grandbabies. We plan to hook up the 30' trailer (our house on wheels) and drive. We don't know when we'll get there as we are going to take each day as it comes. I've got a list of places we might want to visit between the Pacific Ocean and the Mississippi but I think we'll just wake up each morning and Google the possibilities.

Meanwhile I've made curtains for the trailer and at the store I've been making a ton of quilt samples for the upcoming REQG Quilt Show. As fast as I make a top, Liz quilts it and then I get to bind it. I like, I mean REALLY LIKE to bind quilts. I sit in my chair and watch TV or listen to music and hand stitch the binding on. I like the feeling of accomplishment it is when that last stitch goes in and VOILA! The quilt is finished. Here's a pic of our Dr. Suess fabric sample quilt.

I've also been working to get a quilt finished to take to MN with us. Can you guess who this quilt is for?I was inspired by Tonya and her new book Word Play Quilts when I was making this row quilt for granddaughter Mercedes. I hope she likes it! Paper dolls & clothes (there will be an envelope on the back for the doll clothes).

Back to binding.....What have YOU been up to?

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Yesterday at Redwood Sewing Center the Tuesday Morning Sit & Sew class had one of their famous birthday pot lucks. Once a month we celebrate birthdays....the birthday girl(s) wear birthday crowns, lots of singing goes on and of course, there is food! We have several "foodies" in the group...Barb takes lots of classes and always brings something good. She also makes sure we have funny cards for the Birthday Girl. Del keeps us all organized...she is the keeper of the master roll call/email list and lets us know when a birthday is imminent. Donna or Del make deviled eggs (oh, and Jan G.'s chickens keep us all in eggs!). Joan is a newcomer to our group...she just retired and sold her interest in Cherry Blossom Bakery and she brought a cake! We had pasta salads and potato salad and by popular demand, I brought my stepmom's Crock Pot Potato Soup.

Willie served this soup once and I knew I had to have the recipe. It's so easy and sooo good. Yesterday I made it with one chicken breast added to the soup before cooking and had green onions & cheese for toppings but forgot to get the toppings out of the fridge. It was still yummy!

Crock Pot Potato Soup

30 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes

two 14 oz chicken broth

1/2 onion diced

1/4 tsp ground pepper

options: 1 cup diced chicken breast, 1/4 cut diced green or red pepper, 2 cans of clams (juice & all), 2 cloves minced garlic

place all in a crock pot on low for 5 hours

then add: 8 oz cream cheese, cubed & cook for 30 mins. Stir before serving.

Optional toppings: bacon bits, green onion, cheese, dollop of sour cream, etc.