In With The Old...

Now most of you, especially my children, are shaking their heads and saying, "Mom! It's OUT with the old! Not IN with the old!"  But I really do mean what I say... this time...



The new year frequently finds me reflecting back... call me silly, but there you are. I've spent many a January organizing my journals or working on photo albums. This year it is the latter. (I suppose it's been that for the last few years with my POTD projects)

Perhaps it is because I've hungered for many years for more details about my parent's lives. I wish I had THEIR journals (which as far as I know are non-existent) and I am grateful that my mom was a dedicated photographer with photos to look at and wonder about.  I want there to be a tangible record of who I am for my family, and, yes, for me too.

The year we moved to Utah I felt a great need to connect with my roots... and to keep myself busy with Stuart off on his mission.  That summer of 2005 I got all of my photo albums completed from (I'm embarrassed to say) 1988-2003 completed!  Since then I've done different *spot* projects, focusing in on a particular event, I've made a couple of dozen digital pages, and even printed them... but as far as getting all of those little photo-ducks-in-a-row I've been very lax. 

HA!  but that's all changed.  Yesterday I put up my extra table right here in my office, pulled out a fraction of my scrapbooking supplies, incomplete albums, printed photos and poured myself a nice cold Dr Pepper!  Yes! now that's the life!

So far I've completed Stuart's soccer album, FINALLY!  Caught up a few stray 2003 photos and have moved on, in earnest, to 2004!  Yeah Little Joanie!

I'm in for a long winter scrap... visiting with my OLD friends!

Christmas Apples

Back in the day... we always got an apple and an orange along with nuts in our Christmas stocking. (Random fact... it has nothing to do with this post, but I thought about it just now as I titled this post.)

Now for the real post-

I suppose phenomenon of apple-ornaments has occurred other years and I just haven't noticed it but this year I'm noticing all of the apples still hanging, just like festive ornaments, on the trees (which is interesting, since if I don't spray my apple tree I don't have ANY apples on it by the time they should be ripe... am I babbling?)

I think they look so beautiful...



Yesterday and today have been wonderful sunshiny days, for which I am very grateful after a couple of weeks of fog.  I was able to capture these natural ornaments with a beautiful cerulean background.



The thing I want to know is this-

• Why don't the birds eat these? 
• Are they fermented? 
• Are they frozen? 
• Just not tasty enough? (The birds always want to eat MY apples!)

This is a different tree... a crab apple.  It lives across the street from the other apple trees.



These two trees are in my neighborhood, but I've seen these apple-ornaments on apple trees all over town.  Do you have any apple-ornaments where you live?

Party Skirt

(This is another one of those posts that I thought I'd already written. Oh well!)

Does anybody recognize this fabric? Oh yeah! I just happened to have some leftovers from Spencer and Deborah's quilt.

JOANIE'S SKIRT

Several months ago my friend Margee showed up at church in the cutest skirt I've ever seen! I NEEDED THAT SKIRT! She told me that her friend made it for her. We talked about me getting the pattern from her friend, but that never seemed to happen.

MARGEE'S SKIRT

When I became aware that I was going to have some leftover fabric in fabulous green and brown I knew just what I wanted to do with it. I asked Margee if I could borrow her skirt. She kindly delivered it... the other good news... we wear about the same size skirt! I tried hers on. HA! Just right! So I set to work making a pattern. It's not as hard as you would think, especially when you're dealing with small pieces like this.  I traced the pieces and then added the seam allowances.



Margee told me they'd gotten the Chenille-It at Gracie Lou's (that is what I was looking for when we saw the Moose quilt!)  Don't let that $14 price tag scare you... I got 40 yards in that package.



The directions on the Chenille-It suggested one line of stitching down the center but Margee's friend made two stitching lines a scant quarter inch apart... I like her method best.  When I was finished all the sewing I just laundered the skirt and like magic I had chenille!



Now... look at this... I still have fabric leftovers... whatever shall I do??

S & D's Wedding Quilt

* (I went looking for this post, and several others... omsh... apparently I never wrote them! At least I did blog about this project when it was in the construction phase... but come-on!  The #1 purpose of my blog is for me.  That's right ME, ME, ME!  IT'S ALL ABOUT ME! OK... well, I got that out of my system!)

When Spencer and Deb were planning their wedding I asked *the questions*- what colors do you want in your quilt?  what size?  They wanted green and brown!  Oh, dang, that will be torture!  Green and brown just happens to be one of my current favorites. 



I thoroughly enjoyed myself through the whole process: choose the fabric, cut the fabric, arrange on the design wall (which now lives permanently on sewing room wall, I was tired of taking it down), sew the block, rows, top and then one of my favorite things nowadays... the quilting. I decided to use that same wonderful paisley pattern I learned when I made Holly's quilt (but did I get any close-ups of S&D's quilt? No, not me! I'm sensing a problem here!)

I love being able to make these beautiful quilts for my loved ones... what a blessing.

Moose Fetish

For as far back as I can remember Spencer has had a moose fetish... the good kind, mind you! When he was a teenager I made him his first moosey-quilt and one Christmas Auntie P made him a moosey-throw. He's been the recipient of moosey-gifts. Sadly, some of those have gotten away from him in his years of moving around... but I told him, "No matter, new life... new mooses!" That's the background...

When Gordon and I were at Gracie-Lou's looking for chenille bias for my skirt (see that post separately) we saw... well, let's let my Facebook Thanksgiving post tell it:

Thanksgiving post #3- Today I'm very grateful I took my husband with me to the quilt shop (Gracie Lou's)! He spotted a quilt I just HAD to make! That means I needed to buy more fabric... and fold it... and pet it... and lick it? (No! don't be silly! If I lick flannel it will get fuzz all over my tongue!)

I bought the *prescribed* amount of flannel on the quilt pattern but, come on, you know my rule: If it's worth making... MAKE IT BIG!  (Hey, even Gordon agrees with me! "That quilt looks a little small, doesn't it need to be larger?")

So, of course, that meant another trip to another quilt shoppe, dang!! This time Corn Wagon where we found some wonderful MOOSE PRINTS! It was meant to be.  I whipped up some more quilt-wiches and then played that game of cards I love so well- deal 'em out, shuffle 'em around (My friend Ann taught me that one), then sew them together (mixed them up even WITH the photo!).

Here is Spencer's (and Deborah's) newest moosey-quilt on the design wall. 



Since this is a raggy quilt, all of the seams are on the front and then clipped.  Ahh... what a blessing to have hands that work again!  I took it easy but didn't have any of that old numbness I used to be plagued with before surgery.

A quick wash and not-so-quick-dry (I have to empty the lint trap numerous times with these raggy quilts), wrapped up and in the mail off to Spenny's house...

Do I have a photo of it finished? Are you kidding me? Again? Not to worry... Spencer is sending me a photo of the completed quilt...  I'll update the post when I get it!  Shesh... I truly have a problem here!

*As promised... moosey-cuteness!

Grammie (&Grampy) Christmas

AGAIN-WITH-THE-SPOILER-ALERT!

IF YOU ARE ONE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN-

DON'T SPOIL THE SURPRISE!

A bunch of years ago I became aware that I was out of touch with what our grandchildren would like for Christmas. So I decided to give the gift that fits everyone- cash, check or gift-card! I know I always liked receiving cash when I was a child (hmm... I still do)!

In past years I've done different versions of the cash, check or gift-card. Most recently I was caught up with the Target gift-card coins.

Christmas 2010 I made photo greeting cards using photos I'd taken throughout the year (you can see the gift coins stacked in the background)



Christmas 2009 I made these darling origami containers (dang, I sure do have fun!)



This year I thought about a more universal gift-card but I hadn't found exactly what I wanted when I ran into my neighbor... he had rolls of coins in his hand, but they didn't look quite right for quarters. When I asked him about them he told me they were $1 US President coins!

HA!!! That rang my bell!! I envisioned coin purses... a Google search turned up lots of free ideas and patterns (Have I mentioned how much I love the internet? What a wonderful wealth of information and sharing!)

My hands-down-favorite is this dumpling coin purse.



OMSH... were they ever fun to make! I dug around in my stash of old zippers, courtesy of Edna and DI and found some good ones to use.



But since we have more than one girl in some families, I had to use some variety. I found a great pattern using felted wool. Then I carefully got out MY mom's, the original Grammy, embroidery thread organizer, which I totally love, and did some embellishments. The round coin purse hails back to my childhood when I had a darling little turquoise round coin purse.

But now I needed some zipper pulls.  I stopped at Hobby Lobby (love that store!) and found all I needed to put these zipper pulls together.  I just love doing things like this. I love using my tiny tools.  Several times since making these I've thought... hmm, wonder what else I could make! (Yep, it's an addiction!)



I was a little concerned about the grandsons... would they want a cutesy-grammie-made-coin-purse? But my worries were solved when I was wandering-aimlessly (one of my favorite things to do) at Wal-Mart and just happened to spot these darling rubber coin purses. (Do you remember the old simple rubber coin purses like this?)  You can see that they are bulging with coins!



What a fun project... I'm all finished now... made the last two last night... the far-away grandchildren should have already received their Christmas packages... hmm, what shall I do next year?

texture info-
kk_annabelle- blending mode overlay @ 48%; duplicate layer- blending mode darken @ 48%

Paperwhites for Christmas

About six weeks ago when I was shopping for a de-thatching blade for my lawnmower I saw some paperwhite bulbs (Narcissus papyraceus). They had various quantities, some even already planted in a glitzy-silver pot. But I'm not too much of a silver-pot-kind-of-girl so I opted to buy my own pot... a beautiful pearly black square pot that would look *just so* in my kitchen!

I brought the bag of 10 bulbs and new pot home, immediately read the directions and set about potting my bulbs. I've never *forced* a bulb before, but there were clear instructions about planting the bulb with the top showing and putting it in a cold place (under 50 degrees... hmmm wonder if I could find somewhere like that in November! HA! The garage! It's a second refrigerator in the winter) for two weeks and then bring it inside to a sunny spot (aforementioned kitchen window) and watch it grow.

Boy they weren't kidding! I could literally watch it grow! It sprouted up a couple of inches each day. Then last week the blossom heads started to appear. Now, just in time for Christmas, here they are in full bloom! What a beautiful treat!



I love their delicate fragrance. It tickles my nose each time I walk into the kitchen.  They remind me so much of their cousins in the Narcissus family.

texture info-
kk_wonderfulmagic_scripted- blending mode screen 100% with selective reduction.

French Toast Heaven

Last night was our neighborhood Christmas Party.  Instead of the normal ham and funeral potatoes fare the organizers opted to do "breakfast for dinner".  I happened to be one of the people who LOVE breakfast for dinner.  (Probably because at breakfast time I only want oatmeal!)

The ward provided pan-cake-ree-uses, french toast sticks and the beverages. The we all brought a breakfast casserole: most of those were different forms of quiche but, BUT Carol Gadd brought the most heavenly-French-toast-casserole-stuffed-with-blueberries-and-cream-cheese AND fresh blueberry syrup!  I could have eaten half of that ALL BY MYSELF... but I was considerate and only took a small corner.  BUT I have been craving it ever since... guess what we will be having for Sunday dinner?

** as promised... the photo 12/18/11


I tracked Carol down for the recipe- which she told me right then and there!  When I called back this morning after my trip to Wal-Mart to get the ingredients for said yummy stuffed French toast we got to talking about WHY I love French toast so much.  I thought it would be fun to share those reminiscences here.

I was the baby of the family by 8 years so that meant lots of years with just Mom and I at home.  I had the best, most dedicated mother!  She was all about her children, even though she worked full-time and single was raising us alone.  I didn't care for breakfast cereal, always an easy option for working moms, so my mom would get up early enough to make me french toast EVERY MORNING!  Then she would put it on the Copper Kraft warming tray*, covered, and when I got up for school there would be my yummy, hot breakfast!

It is interesting how we only come to appreciate the depth of our parent's dedication to us only as we get older.  I though everybody's mom was just like my mom!  What a lucky girl I am!!

*(My mom loved cooper cookware.  We had Revere Ware copper bottom pans that hung on the wall and always had to be cleaned with Twinkle copper cleaner to make them sparkle after each use.  In the 1960s there was a company doing business as Copper K(c)raft that sold wonderful copper cooking items.  Mom got this warming tray especially for this purpose.  I realize now that this was an extravagant purchase to accommodate her little Joanie!  This tray was made of corrugated copper and plugged into the wall similar to a grill... but only for warming-duh! A Google search didn't bring up anything like this, but I did find another company who sells copper cookware for anywhere from $298 to 1675!  Yikes!! And those are the sale prices!)

I will share the recipe here with you.  Thank you Carol for this wonderful trip down memory lane.  I'll come back tomorrow and add the photo.

Baked Berry/Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast w/berry syrup

Casserole
12-14 slices white bread
2 8oz packages cream cheese, cut into cubes
12 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk
1 cup berries- blueberries or berry mix (fresh or frozen)

Remove crusts from bread and cut into 1” cubes. Arrange half of the bread in a buttered 9 x 13 pan. Top with cream cheese cubes and half the berries. Add remaining bread cubes and berries.

Beat together eggs, milk and syrup. Pour over bread mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bake at 350° covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for another 30-40 minutes until golden brown and center is set.

Berry syrup
1 c sugar
2T corn syrup
1 c water
1 cup berries
1 T butter
Bring water, sugar and syrup to boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Add berries and simmer 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Vein Repetition

IF YOU ARE THE LEAST BIT SQUEAMISH YOU MIGHT WANT TO BYPASS THIS POST

(just sayin')

I guess that when I had my varicose veins stripped in 2004 I thought that would be the last I had to worry about them. Sadly, not true... having a hereditary predisposition for them means they will reoccur! (poo)

So ages ago (October) friend-Holly, who works for a fine doctor, told me about vein ablation- a less invasive treatment. I had my ultrasound screening (almost continuous reflux) and consult, then set up a surgery date... which was rescheduled not once, twice, thrice but quadice bwahahahaha!! (This doctor just moved to a new facility and equipment wasn't up and running, a conference in Chicago, the nurse wasn't there that day...)

Last Tuesday I had the right leg done (they can't do both legs at once) and yesterday I had the left leg done. I told the doctor, "I don't know why I came back- all you did was hurt me last time!"

The "procedure" begins with yet another ultrasound so the tech could mark up my legs. Looks like she's getting ready to play dot to dot!



The purple marker denotes the greater saphenous and lesser saphenous veins, which will be ablated. The black marks denote phlebectomies. If you have a really strong constitution go to YouTube and check those procedures out... I can't do it... I tried... it gives me the jibbles! (say- hee-bell-aas... you know, the Spanish pronunciations!)



Then tech-girl rubs on a lidocaine cream and wraps my leg with good-ol-Costco-plastic-wrap! That keeps the numbing meds in contact with the skin better (this is also why they can't do both legs the same day. It would be too much for the body to handle all that lidocaine.)



After consent forms I finally got into the "procedure" room with friend-Holly. I've known for ages that she works for this doctor. I had no idea she was the surgical assistant: gown, gloves, mask, cap, the whole bit. No wonder she is exhausted at the end of the day!! When the doctor came in he mildly scolded Holly for talking too much. We told him it was ok... we were best buds!

This is two days post procedure... I look like someone has beaten me with a rubber hose!  Yikes!  But at least this time I don't have staples-aka-Frankenstein legs!  I get to wear "fashion hose" for the next three weeks.  But this time I picked the right time of year.  Last time I did it in July (what was I thinking?)



I'm looking forward to pain-free days after the healing and without bulging veins. But today... not so much with the pain-free!

Ickle-Firsties

(What would I do without all of my Harry Potterisms?)

As tradition dictates it was time to go to Miss Camille's 1st grade class and help her ickle-firsties make their hand-print-snowman ornaments. Camille and I were trying to figure it out... how many years has it been? (A quick blog search revealed that the first year was 2008, Miss Camille's second year of teaching. Click on the 1st grade label if you want to read more about how we did this.)

This year the only day we could both work it into our schedules was Monday morning, EARLY. I arrived shortly after her early-birds and thought I'd gone to the library instead of her classroom... it was so quiet with each ickle-firsty staying on task. I pulled them out of their stations one by one to paint hands and have them grip the ornament just-so.



By the time I'd finished with the last of the early-bird's hand-prints the first globes (we always called them globes when I was a girl) ornaments were dry and ready to turn into five darling little snowmen.

I'd tell you who this darling firsty is... but, not only should I not divulge that infomation... I don't remember! Bwahahahahahahaha



It wasn't long before the later-gators arrived and things in Miss Camiile's classroom weren't quite so library-like but still very manageable!

Until... FLASH! FLASH! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!!!!! 

FIRE DRILL!! 

(Luckily Miss Camille had warned me this would be happening. But with that first flash I thought, "Who's taking a photo of me? bwahahahahaha).  Just as well-taught ickle-firsties should, they lined up ready to exit the building.  I sent a few of them back for coats, baby, it's cold outside!  I'm always amazed at how orderly these drills are.  Speedy-quick and we were back inside in the warm classroom.  The principal announced that they'd set a new record at 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

I hand-printed the last of the later-gators and we finished up the ornaments with help from Miss Camille's aide. We were finished before 10:30.  I love these times when I get to go back to 1st grade!

Won't this be a wonderful keepsake for all of these darling ickle-firsties?

TEXTURE INFO:
kk_annabelle- blending mode multiply 74%

Beatrix and Anita

(Where to start the story?)

• Beatrix is roomer than you'd think (I've camped in the back)
• I have a tree that has been threatening to die for the last 3 years.
• I've had a fake tree every year since 1990!
• I've always wanted a live Christmas tree.

Hmmmm... maybe that last one is as good as any. The thought of buying a live tree for Christmas and then planting it afterwards has always appealed to me. And since I have a tree that is *mostly dead* (name that movie) I have a good reason to make this year be the year.

Friday was my day to run some errands which included a trip to Home Depot. A couple of weeks ago I'd seen a beautiful little Norfolk Pine that I thought would be wonderful in my yard... until I discovered that it wouldn't survive in my cold-winter climate. I headed outside and looked at the selection: some variety that would grow to 200 feet tall, hmm, maybe not! A Scotch pine, I never cared too much for them and since the recent wind storm that uprooted 1000+ pine trees, that was a definite NO. Then I spotted a Colorado spruce- Fat Albert- Picea pungens: hardiness -40F, mature size 10-15 feet, with the added feature of being deer resistant. But I've decided that this tree is not Albert... but Anita and she can be pleasingly-plump if she wants.

Now for the *how do I get Anita home?*... in Beatrix, of course! I pulled the front passenger seat all the way forward and then inclined the seat toward the dash to create a large space behind... just right for Anita to ride in the back seat (on the floor, of course).



A very nice young man loaded it for me, somewhat skeptical that Anita would fit behind the passenger seat. I will tell you that I thoroughly amused two ladies who were parked by me as we drove away!  When I got home I was able to lever her out using my foot to lift the pot up over the door ledge... but now, ugg... Anita is a bit prickly! (Well, I never!) I ended up putting my jacket around the tree to protect myself, balanced half of the pot on my snow shovel and while holding onto the edge of the pot dragged it into the garage, for safe keeping. I won't bore you with how Gordon and I got her inside- suffice it to say it involved a large blanket and an old bath towel.

It wasn't until I started decorating that I realized just how long it's been since I've had a real tree for Christmas (the aforementioned 1990). I totally enjoyed decorating Anita in her holiday finery all by mine-self while singing Christmas hymns. I carefully unwrapped and sorted through the huge box of Christmas decorations from all those Christmases-past... most of them with a special memory attached. I was even brave enough to open an old beat up box that has lived in the bottom of the big box of ornaments that belonged to Tony and Amanda. I put a few of them on the tree... all without a single tear... what a blessing!



This precious little basket dates clear back to my grandmother, El (short for Elsie), she would put nuts or candy in these little baskets.



Although I have very few ornaments from my mom, Elsie, this is the one that I think of as HERS. She made this for me in the early 70s. It used to have a ribbon to hang it by, but the mice got into the ornament box some 25 years ago and ate it! (How rude!) I also have some precious little porcelain bells that used to hang on Mom's tree.  I love to hear their tinkling song.



And then there is Rudolph... he's been MY ornament for as long as I can remember. You can see that he is much loved and only has two legs left. It is so nice to see him up and about again!



I'm looking forward to a peaceful Christmas AND years of joy with my new, somewhat prickly, friend Anita!

Snow-topped Thistle

Yesterday we took a little jaunt down (or is it up) to Elk Ridge. A friend who lives there had tickets for a BYU Ballet Showcase that I was picking up (which was wonderful!).

We woke up to a sprinkling of snow here in Springville, but as we proceeded up the mountain to Elk Ridge I saw fields of darling little thistles wearing their festive little fluffy caps! There were acres of them!



Aren't they so cute? Yeah, and by the way... I took this with my new iPhone- my newest MPC! (I'm in love!)

texture layers-

 kk_look up- blending mode-color burn 71%
kk_serious magic- blending mode- screen 96%

Converation with my Pocket!

The other night Gordon and I were driving the short distance across town to have dinner at Lenny's (remember that commercial?) I could hear a beeping in my pocket where my iPhone was residing. I didn't recognize the particular alert sound it was making so I dug under the seat belt into my pants pocket, never an easy feat, and found that Siri had come alive in my pocket! What the chicken?

So I said, Siri, are you pocket dialing?
Siri: Joanie, I don't understand you.
Me: Are you trying to call some one?
Siri: Who would you like me to call?
Me: Are you on crack?
Siri: I'm sorry, Joanie. I'm afraid I can't answer that.
Me: Oh, go AWAY!
Siri: I was just trying to help.
Me: Bwahahahahaha!
Siri: Ha ha

By this time I was hysterically laughing... I can always use a good laugh...