Buck-a-Block

Starting to really see how this will look.  All the blocks are put together with the sashing.  Now just to add the small border and the larger border.  Oh - yeah - I really like it

Some sewing and a church retreat

Our CTA group does several different charity projects.  And Janet and a few other were so organized, at our last meeting they distributed, to all the members, a Christmas stocking to sew, as well as a polar fleece hat.  Working on my stocking (waaaaay easy - may have to make some more for myself)

Add some decorations to the top and sew 'er up.  [Working on the hat.  Again, really easy.]  When these are done they will be filled and donated to a local youth shelter.  A nice project.

Another project we participate in is making quilts for the NICU at Providence Hospital, Everett.  We have made bereavement quilts for babies who die.  The nurses have asked for small quilts in which to bury the babies - if the parents wish for one.  We have made enough of those to meet the needs for a while.  We are now working on quilts for premies.  One is for the baby's use and one for the mom.  And then they are swapped, so each has the smell of the other.  Kits are assembled by CTA and from time to time we have a "sew thoughtful" day.  Friday we made easy, four patch quilts.  (approx. 30 inches square)

I brought home two extra kits to work on, as well. 

Did a bit of grandma duty on Friday,

And then, Monday we were off to a church retreat.  It is such a beautiful facility - Rainbow Lodge.  It is located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, on 40 acres of lovely grounds.  So a bit of what that looks like - enjoy

View out our window,

In the meeting room

Saturday afternoon, during freetime, we went on a hike at a nearby park

Old Growth trees

Snoqualmie River

An Intrepid hiker

Out for Dinner

Out for dinner with friends Guy, Christian, Isaac and Elaine to a new place (to me).  We went to Din Tai Fung Dumpling House.  Guy had visited one of these restaurants in Shanghai several years ago and discovered that there was one in Bellevue.

Behind the large window outside the restaurant you watch the dumplings being made.  Very fun and they work REALLY fast.  But then we sat down and understood why.  We ordered a steamer of 10 juicy Pork Dumplings (pork dumplings sealed with soup inside).  Oh yummy.  Also ordered a round of vegetable & pork dumplings and of chicken dumplings.  We shared some pork buns (not exactly like Hum Bow, but very tasty).  But the absolute highlight of the meal was the sauteed broccoli with garlic and sauteed string beans with garlic.  I cannot explain exactly why they were so fabulous, but they were so fresh, al dente, bright colored and so tasty.  They are sauteed using Soybean oil (we asked the waitress) - just extraordinary.  You could get kids to eat vegetables if they were fixed like this.  And for dessert we had sesame dumplings - wonderfully rich and just a bit sweet.

Oh what a delightful evening and such a tasty meal.  Maybe for someone's upcoming birthday????   Hmmmmmmm.

The sun continues to shine

I'm not sure that the evironmentalists would agree, but having the sunshine continue is so blissful.  Makes each day so cheering. 

Around Casa Nana we have been doing several household type chores.  E got these planted for us, for next year's enjoyment (we hope)

Won't that be so nice.  Not sure if they are early or late or ????  Guess I'll have to check the garden book for these varieties.

Yesterday was a day of working on my buck-a-block blocks (say that a few times fast).  Mostly Ronda and I did cutting and we did have to make a very fast "emergency" store run to get the right size of Thangles, but those are now in hand, so here's one down and 23 to go.

Hope I can spend some time today working more on this little project.

Tonight Dutch classes begin again.  I haven't really looked at that for just months (literally) so it is sure to be a bit slow tonight.  Hope Doug isn't too far ahead of me (there are only 2 of us in the class).  I have read a few recipes in Dutch, but that doesn't really help my conversational skills.  Jammer.

Tot ziens.

More of the Fair

It's always such fun to see what is on display this year.  Gives me lots and lots and lots of ideas.  And finally - my favorite poster of the Fair,

:-)

Visiting the Western Washington Fair

This was the week for our annual visit to the Puyallup Fair.  I know that most kids just love it, but so do some of us oldsters, too.  We began with the requisite scone and coffee - yum.  And then lots and lots of walking around to see things.  We went looking for two paintings our friend Patty Anne had entered in the Fair.  She didn't win any ribbons, but they were nicely displayed for all to enjoy.

There were 3 of us there and it was only afterwards that we saw the "No Photos" sign.  Oh dear.  I went to "check out" the quilts and will post some photos at the end (in case you don't care.  Is that possible?)  We found some lunch at a Greek outdoor restaurant,

and then walked through the Showplex.  At our house it is called the "Slice and Dice" Building.  It's where all the gadgets are.  We didn't find much, but it is always fun to wander around.  Nancy (pink shirt above) was in need of a new stuffed animal for her dog, so we wandered with her through all the 'game' booths - throwing and tossing and rolling, etc.  She did win a very cute penguin for Ariza.  [Two years ago it was a pink pig.]  We ended the afternoon with a low calorie (?????) 'Elephant Ear' with cinnamon and sugar.  Even sharing, we couldn't finish.  [No rootbeer floats this year, Caro.]

Quilts that caught my eye are here:  (see next blog)

Great weather comes to an end (for a while)

We have gotten so spoiled.  Every day beautiful, beautiful sunshine.  It always makes me feel so cheerful.  [and a bit more energetic]

Found an interesting sounding dessert in a Diabetic Living magazine.  It is called a custard, but I think it is more cakey.  Applesauce, oatmeal, egg, butter, a finely chopped (unpeeled) apple - baked.  When it is done, you top it with toasted pecans and powdered sugar.  Oh yummy.  115 calories.

  Nice little treat.

Saturday was hot and sunny.  After soccer with my 5 yo granddaughter (quite funny to watch - although Miss M scored both of her team's goals!  Yeah!) our friends came over with chainsaw in tow to help remove a tree.  Our yard seems filled with plantings that have out-grown the space they are allotted.  For example - see the tree in the middle.  We are not entirely sure if it is a Juniper or a Spruce.  Do you know from looking?

There is a large pine on the left, a big camelia, our evergreen "thing" and then a Lilac.

Afterwards,

you can hardly tell anything is missing.  After a bit of pruning on the camelia and lilac, you'll never know anything is gone.  It is also fortunate that the neighbors have a vine maple up against their side of the fence, so it just fills in that empty space.  Busy, busy, busy.

Phew!

Today it was gray and cloudy with temperatures 20 degrees less than yesterday.  The TV is even saying maybe rain.  First rain in more than 40 days.  

More of Thursday

Not so very typical, but this afternoon, after our assorted shopping adventures, it was time to wash the windows.  This does NOT happen very often, so I must "crow" a bit.

Woo Hoo!

Thursday bits and pieces

I said I would show you what I found at GeeGee's.  A truly amazing shop and just almost "over the top" for quilters and sewers. 

#1 - I decided to use a background fabric I already had for my (way old) block a month program,
(see blog, Friday, June 8).  Luckily I hadn't run out but it was approaching.  And GeeGee's happened to have more - hurrah,

#2 I also found some of a fun little print.  It would probably have worked if I ran out of the above.

Ronda and I have a date for a complete the blocks for our buck-a-block project.  And I needed something for corner stones and found a great fabric, #3

[All this new fabric mandates that I REALLY get some things finished.]  Also found some funny MahJong fabric - perhaps a little bag or something, #4

Over the week-end, I got a few belated birthday gifts - oh it is such fun to spread your birthday over several weeks (months?)

And what do you know - GeeGee's had something that went perfectly with the fat quarter pack, #5

I should point out that some of this fabric came from the 40% off corner, so I wasn't quite as out-of-control as it might seem.  :-)

September.

Is it true for everyone - September arrives and historically for each of us it has been the month of new beginnings: new clothes, new books, new pens and pencils, new classrooms, new teachers, new friends, etc. etc.?  I am feeling very new "beginning-ish".  Thus a new color on the blog.  We had a great Labor Day week-end.  Among other things, I helped several friends to accessorize an apron.  We really had such fun working on this project.  I had brought along lots of partial blocks that I had in a drawer, just collecting dust, as well as ribbons, crayons and some design ideas.  Another friend had paints and stencils and pens.  Great fun, really.

We ate, giggled, ate and then it was time to eat again.  Oh my gracious so many good cooks.  On Sunday we did visit GeeGee's for a bit of required fabric shopping.  As I only get down to this shop once or twice a year, a visit was mandatory.  I will show you what I bought.  [Not so much.]

And then on our return today, we were invited to a BBQ at a friends' home.  Her mother is here visiting from Kansas and she brought me some quilt blocks for my Dutch friend Caro - if she wants them.  They are Sunbonnet Sue blocks, hand done on old sugar sacks.  They date from approximately 1932.

Caro just needs to come and pick them up.  [hint, hint]

Enjoy this new beginning.