On the Go

Remember Ice Cream Boy from my last post?

He turned 2 today.

A couple of weeks ago I found this really great half-yard set of fabrics in a line called Wheels by Riley Blake. Now I have told myself over and over, that I have enough fabric. But really. "Enough" can have such a flexible meaning. It's so, uh....relative. But still, I couldn't really justify the purchase.

Until I talked to my daughter-in-law, Christa, and asked her about the theme for Levi's birthday party.  Here's kind of how that conversation went down.

Me: Have you thought of a theme for Levi's birthday party.
Christa: Cars.
M: Cars. Like the movie "Cars" (which we have watched a gazillion times)?
C: No, cars. You know, just cars. Levi is really into all kinds of cars.
M (lightbulb going off in head, thinking about that line of "Wheels" fabric): Uh, is there anything you need in the way of decorating? You know, like a table runner, bib....?
C: A table runner and a bib would be GREAT.
M (to myself): SCORE!!!

Ordered the half-yard set of Wheels fabric. So cute.

And then it came time to go to Quilt Camp in February. Even though we each pack more projects for the weekend than we could possibly get completed, it is tradition to stop at Bear Paw Fabrics. Just in case we find something completely "necessary." Like "On the Go" by Clothworks. Besides the fun fabric, they also have a playmat-style panel. Remember the flexible definition of "enough"? Uh, yeah....

I machine quilted on the inside of the railroad track, around both sides of the road, and around the airport landing strip. Easy peasy.

I had purchased three half-yard cuts of fabric for the back.

Used the rest for a scrappy binding.

and this is all that was left. I'm pretty pleased with myself. In fact, I probably need more fabric since I used it all up!

And what did I do with all that "Wheels" fabric? Used probably a max of a 1/4 yard and made a bib, of course.

And you may recall the whole sew-in label dilemma, as in "what color should I pick for the base? gray? brown? black?"

Well, now that I'm opening a new etsy shop, the color is all a moot point. Because I now need labels that say
"Sewing on the Edge." So this bib will probably become a collector's item as the only product made by "one in every color." You know...probably something to be handed down from generation to generation.....?

And Levi's car party? Creative decorations and yummy food. (check out the license plate cookies--completely amazing).

Powered by cake, I'm pretty sure Levi will be a boy on the go!

Rules for holiday cooking with Grandpa and Grandma

Rule No. 1: You can never use too many sprinkles (especially if it involves your favorite color, pink...)

Rule No. 2: It is important to clean all your cooking utensils when you are done (some ways are better than others...)

Safari So Good

Our incredibly cute granddaughter, Charlotte, turned 3 today. And she celebrated with a jungle-themed party at the zoo. Lots of yummy food

Safari hats for keeping the hot sun off your head and binoculars for siting all the animals. A cooler day would have been nice, but the weather wanted to play along too, so we had a jungle-like hot and steamy day.Presents...

And more cake than someone knew what to do with.

And then off to the animals (this sign just sizzles).

Hey, check this out...

And I even got a picture of these four, looking surprisingly similar to flamingoes.

Every time we asked Charlotte what she wanted for her birthday, she always said, "chocolate and a yoyo." So a bag full of chocolate kisses and Grandpa's blue yoyo, and then we continued with an art theme. Colored pencils that smelled like root beer, bubble gum, oranges. A great little crayon wallet, complete with crayons and a pad of paper that I got from Sew Fantastic, and an artist's apron that I made from Anna Maria Horner's most wonderful oilcloth. (If you can find some of this fabric, grab it!)

(Side note: In keeping with the whole jungle theme, tonight I sewed bindings on two quilts: a quilt for Levi made from lots of jungle animal prints, and a bright floral quilt where I used black and white zebra print called "party animal," which would have also been a good post title, now that I think about it...)

Happy Birthday, Charlotte. You're getting so big, and we love you so much.

Captured

Anna Maria Horner wrote a post today about her favorite captures of Summer 2009, photographed or remembered, which got me to thinking.

I think my favorites would have to be these. And I know they look like they were taken in winter. Nope. Uh-uh. June 6, 2009. Turns out that June 2009 at Huntington Lake was particularly chilly. So what do you do when it's chilly? Surround yourself with people you love, bundle up, start a campfire, and make s'mores, of course.

It's supposed to be 100 degrees today, so chilly weather and s'mores are looking pretty inviting right about now...

Two new additions to our household

If you thought you were going to find a picture of two little puppies or kittens, I guess you'll have to go blog-searching for another site. Even though our new additions aren't soft and cuddly, they don't require much caretaking, which is a big bonus.

Mark's mother was somewhat of a legend in his home town when it came to cooking and baking. She even had a newspaper article written about her. It was a well-deserved honor. We have some of her recipes and cookbooks with the most fascinating notes written the margins (Make when Leon's home. Don't make for Mark--he doesn't like it). A cooking journal of her life. Priceless.

A couple of weeks ago Mark received an unexpected check in the mail. We thought long and hard about what to do with it. It wasn't huge. Donate it to the 401k? Nah...that seemed like a losing proposition.

Mark has taken over most of the cooking in the last couple of years, which I was more than happy to turn over to him, by the way, and now has also been doing a lot of baking. So it seemed fitting to honor his mother's legacy with the purchase of this:

And he put it right to work.

Today I made this little vignette. I've been on Weight Watchers, spending weeks counting points, so what to do after the picture-taking event? A dilemma for sure. I ended up doing what any reasonable person would do. I ate all the evidence.

Yummy....

Oh, and to remember his father, who had a lot of projects going on his basement, this now also lives at our house, a most fabulous clamping sawhorse. Now Mark can do his own projects around the house and doesn't even need me to assist him.

So not much cooking, baking, or heavy-duty home projects for me anymore....I see more sewing in my horizon, along with a lot of good food to sustain me. Life is good.