Friday, January 31, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday





"There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly becomes any of us
To talk about the rest of us."

~ Edward Wallis Hoch

PS: Avoid gossip. xo

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Olivia's Quilt

Now that my sister-in-law's baby shower has passed, I can show you the quilt that I made for baby Olivia. I loved making this quilt and thinking about my new baby niece in the process. What a lucky little girl she is to be loved so much already! She's due to arrive on February 22, 2014.

I'm not sure what this pattern is called, but it was super easy to construct. I cut 2.5" strips and sewed two together, then cut 4.5" squares from the sewn together strips. Strip cutting/sewing is a big time saver for completing a quilt top! I did have to line up the pieces on a table top, then I pinned and sewed a few at a time to keep the pieces all going in the right direction. I love the way this pattern mimics a Chevron design.
 
I used a light weight cotton batting, and a smooth minky fabric for the back. I wish I could blog the way this quilt feels - SO soft and snuggly. I can't wait to hold Olivia while she's wrapped in this quilt, and you can bet there will be photos when that happens!


I really liked the looks of a quilt Abi had made where she used a contrasting colored thread to hold her layers together. I took a chance and quilted mine with some dark gray thread and I loved the way it turned out!


Olivia's quilt is held together with machine stitching, but I did hand stitch the binding on.








I had meant to photograph this quilt at Ryann's baby shower with her holding it up but I got busy and completely forgot, so I don't have a photo of the entire quilt top but I think you get the idea. We have plans to travel to California in March to meet our new baby niece, and I'm planning to take a photo of sweet baby Olivia wrapped up in it.

Oooh I can't wait for that!!!
Plans for my next quilting project are swirling around in my head...

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The time our sister ate green tuna

One of the perks of being me is that I have very witty siblings. When the four of us are together there is guaranteed to be laughter, no matter what the situation or setting. In fact, if you ever want to have some fun in a hospital waiting room, invite my brother Ron!
The back of the photo reads:
Timmy, Valerie, Ronnie & Debbie - 1984

It never fails when we are all together that the subject of our sister Valerie and her childhood follies come up. Oh, we have some really funny Valerie stories, and bless her heart, she’s a really good sport about it.

One story that always comes up is about the time Valerie ate green tuna. Now, the fact that she ate green tuna isn’t really funny at all. She had opened the can and grabbed a little piece of tuna off the top – chewed and swallowed it before realizing that it was spoiled and potentially harmful.

I remember at the time we were all pretty freaked out that she might die. Sibling rivalry and the normal fussing and fighting totally went out the door, and we clamored around and hung onto Mom’s reassurance that she’d be alright. Although, I remember Mom being really concerned too, so that made the whole thing even more scary!

It was a Wednesday evening when it happened, and my mom worked for the local drug store at the time. She called her boss, Mr. Wong, and he met her at the store so she could get some ipecac syrup to induce vomiting. I stayed home with Valerie, and our brothers both headed off to church to attend our regular Wednesday evening Bible study.

The funny part of this story is how our brother, Ron recalls {and embellishes} it. It always starts with, “Remember that time Val ate green tuna?” and we burst into laughter because we know what’s coming. He claims that during the church service the minister said, in a very solemn voice, “Please pray for Valerie N. She ate green tuna tonight…” and that he and our brother Tim sank down in the pews because they were so embarrassed.

Maybe it’s Ron’s delivery that makes the story so funny.
Maybe it’s the relief that Valerie didn’t die from eating green tuna that adds relief to our laughter.
Maybe just saying, "Valerie ate green tuna" is funny.
Or perhaps it’s just part of the bigger picture that shows how resilient
we are, and how we rely on laughter as a coping mechanism.
I’m going to credit our amazing mother for that.
PS: Every time I open a can of tuna I think of my sister, and I always check to make sure it’s not green!

PPS for Valerie: Thanks for letting me tell this story, and I'm super glad you didn't die from eating green tuna! xo

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

From my mom's kitchen

For as long as I can remember, my mom used these blue Pyrex bowls. She measured and mixed in them, stirred in them, and served meals in them. The fact that they survived two teenaged girls taking turns washing dishes, many house moves, and then a recent journey to Arizona is something just short of a miracle. 
 
And I hadn't noticed until I uploaded these photos that the smaller bowl appears to be stained. My mother would either be mortified, or she'd blame it on the fact that two teenaged girls were responsible for washing them. Or maybe both. ;o)
 
I brought these home with me last year and have yet to actually use them. It seems silly that I'm afraid to use them for fear of breaking them, as I suppose they are rather indestructible given their history.



Gosh, I love these bowls - love the color and the history they hold. And now that they belong to me, I have this crazy notion to redecorate our next kitchen around this color scheme.* Funny they happen to be light teal...
* Don't worry, Doug, I won't.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Around here this weekend

And the next thing you know, it's Monday morning.
Hey there, blog friends! I hope you all had wonderful weekends and are ready to take on a new week. Doug and I were super busy this weekend preparing our house to go on the market. We've pushed our list date back a couple of weeks {mid-February} so all of a sudden it feels like we have a little breathing room. ~sigh~

Wanna' see some random photos from our weekend? Come on in...


I find myself feeling sentimental about the silliest little things around this house that we'll soon be leaving. Like this fence that Doug made to keep our digging dog out of my garden. I wonder if the new owners will appreciate and/or need it.


I added a little bit of Valentine décor - like this bunting that I made last year, and some pink and white carnations for our kitchen table. It's only a matter of time before Whiskers Jay discovers the baby's breath in this bouquet. It's one of his favorite snacks.


I tidied up the plant shelf in the atrium and gave everything a good watering out there. That woke the sleeping giant and we saw Rexy out and about for a while. He was slow and thirsty and back in his hut before we knew it, but it was good to see that he's alive and well.


Lucky the dog enjoyed some sunshine with a side of digging.


And Doug insisted on holding a garage sale. Man I hate those things - lots of work to set up and tear down, and there wasn't a lot of yard/garage sale traffic this weekend. Now that we've pushed the sale date back a couple of weeks we'll have more time to gather more items to sell, plus Carrie has some things to contribute. So, yeah, garage sale at our house again next weekend...

Here's hoping the poppies in our front yard are blooming by the time the "for sale" sign goes up.


Yesterday morning I was in the mood for baking so I whipped up a batch of my mom's yeast rolls. I don't know why I keep trying to embellish her basic tried-and-true recipe. This time I used half of the dough and made some apple cinnamon rolls that were just ok - nothing to write home about! I made dinner rolls with the other half and topped them with a bit of kosher salt and fresh rosemary and those were yummy!


I love that my mom took the extra couple of seconds to sign her recipe card. Who does that? I love that she did.


Of course, not everyone around here was all that productive...


There was also a bit of sewing in the mix, yoga class on Saturday, breakfast eaten outside, burgers cooked on the grill, and some knitting too. And there was no time spent on the computer so I have a bit of catching up to do in that arena, but the sunshine and productivity of our weekend did us both a world of good.
 
Here's wishing us all a whole lot of blessings during this last week of January.
Go get 'em, tigers!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday

"Two things to remember in life:
Take care of your thoughts when you are alone,
and take care of your words when you are with people."
~ author unknown

Thursday, January 23, 2014

One more time for "30 Days of Thankful"

If you've been hanging out here for a while, you might remember the "30 Days of Thankful" project that I participated in during the month of November 2013. The project is the brainchild of Cathy Zielske, and I used her templates and posted my thankful thoughts and photos during that month.




This was the first time I'd used Photoshop files for printing a book so there was a little learning curve. I wasn't thrilled with the layout of the cover, but oh well! Next time I'll take more time to preview the product before rushing through the review of my cart and hurry-up-and-order.

The only page I didn't post on my blog was the 30th day - just because I didn't have it ready to fly by the time I posted my final pages in November. So I thought I would share that page today, and also a peek at the book I ordered from Shutterfly to document my thankfulness in hard copy.








A cool thing about uploading these pages to Shutterfly was that I was able to order an extra copy of this book to send to my grandma. I know she won't totally get the pages that relate to blogging, and she may raise her eyebrows when she reads about my love of red wine, but I know that she loved the book. It is beyond her to figure out how my typed words and photos ended up in a book. :o)



I loved participating in this project during the month of November, and I found it super easy to come up with 30 things to be thankful for! It's definitely a project worth repeating in a year or two.

{You can see all of my posts documenting 30 Days of Thankful by clicking here.}

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Thai Spices on Instagram



There's a Thai restaurant close to my workplace and I go there a couple times a month for lunch. The food is oh-so-yummy, and I crave it if it's been too long since my last visit! And with the exception of one time when my friend Barbara joined me for lunch, I dine there alone.

I love that the sweet server knows my regular order and doesn't even bother to bring me a menu. It's a shame that I've dined there so many times and not asked what her name is! I'll remedy that next time.*

Anyway! When I go to Thai Spices I always take a photo and Instagram it. It's become a semi-regular feature in my Instagram feed, and many times I'll tag Barbara saying I wish she was there with me. And I joke about it myself as I post yet another photo from that same restaurant, while my blog friend Ginger plays it up like she misses it if I don't Instagram Thai Spices for a while.

I love that my nieces and nephews follow my Instagram feed, and I laughed last weekend while we were in California when my 17-year old nephew randomly mentioned it. He put his arm around me and lifted his chin up a bit as he mockingly said, "You at Thai Spices, Aunt Deb?" Haha. I love that kid.

And I love Thai Spices Restaurant and the little gal who serves me there.
I order Pad Kee Mow every time. Mild. And a glass of water.
Mmmmm, I'm in the mood for some Thai food now.
Thai Spices, coming soon to Instagram...
* Her name is Anna. :o)

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Simply a Moment ~ As We Were

My blog friend, Flower Jane had a great idea to share an old photo and tell a story about it, so I went digging. The old cigar box I keep on a shelf was brought down and I foraged through its contents until I found this black and white photo from 1961.
 
Grandma, 41 ~ Marti, 19 ~ Deb, 3 days  
I'm in a funk these days, still nursing some broken heartstrings after the dismissal of some dear co-workers, and my mind follows suit by thinking up a list of all the sad things that have happened in the lives of my grandmother, mom, and me since this photo was taken. I play the list in my mind like a broken record: my grandfather's passing, my uncle being drafted and going to Vietnam, my dad leaving several times, and my mom's battle with ovarian cancer. "We had no idea in that moment what challenges were ahead of us," I think to myself.

"But wait!" says happy me. "There have been all sorts of good things in the mix as well," and I have to dig deep into the corners of my mind to list them. Why, I wonder, is it sometimes difficult to focus on the positive when the negative just comes so easy? Of course there were good times - the birth of my grandmother's first grandchild, yours truly, for one!

We had no way of knowing, way back in 1961 what the future held, but in hindsight it's clear that we could handle whatever came our way. How fortunate am I to come from a strong line of resilient women, captured in a black and white photograph at the beginning of our journey together.

I'm linking to Alexa for Simply a Moment
And to Flower Jane for As We Were

Monday, January 20, 2014

A bit about my weekend...

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day.
Monday, Monday, sometimes it just works out that way.
This Monday morning begins in a jumbled mix of emotions for me as last week ended with some work drama that sort of followed me throughout my weekend. We had a "workforce reduction" on Friday and let four people go, and I hated having to be involved in that. I work in a small office where I wear many hats, and much to my chagrin "Human Resources" is one of them. I know that those who lost their jobs will be just fine in the long run, but it was awful to have to bear witness to someone being forced to change directions. Did.Not.Like.That. At all.

Two of the co-workers who left were such good work friends to me so that made it even harder. I know they have furry friends at home, so I hope this weekend they found comfort in them the way I did with my Lucky dog.

And I hope Saturday's sunshine was soothing to their souls...


Every other day, every other day of the week is fine...yeah...
But whenever Monday comes... 

And on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, yesterday found me in the sweet company of my blog friend, Alison. Alison is originally from Scotland, but resides in Spain these days, and we first met last year when Carrie and I traveled to England and she joined us in London for the weekend. We drank a margarita in London and the weather was super cold at the time. We vowed to have another margarita in the sun next time, and yesterday we did just that.

I loved having lunch outside with Alison and our guys ~ just so awesome. This was our lunch view...

I'd had plans to show Alison the downtown Phoenix area, but the annual PFChang's Marathon was in full swing and there were lots of road closures around the valley. So instead we spent a little time at my house, I baked a batch of cookies for her to take back to her hotel, and we managed a little shopping in downtown Chandler. A stop at a favorite coffee shop provided a fun surprise when two of my nephews popped in. I love that they sat and visited with Alison and me for a while. ♥ ♥


And now Monday morning brings a clean slate and a chance to make our way through another week. I have to believe there's going to be some good stuff in the mix.

Monday, Monday, so good to me.
Monday, Monday, it was all I hoped it would be...

Friday, January 17, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday


"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you will have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." 
~ Steve Jobs
 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

On growing where you're planted.

I've had a variety pack of sunflower seeds for a while now, and a few months ago I was out poking around in the backyard and decided to put a few of the "Italian White" seeds in the ground. I chose a flowerbed where rosebushes had previously not been successful, and to my delight the seeds sprouted. Then, to my dismay, Doug decided to replace the rosebushes.


"Please don't disturb my little sunflower sprouts!" I pleaded, and he assured me he'd take great care to protect them.


As with any plant that we value in our backyard space, chicken wire was laid at the base of the new rosebushes to keep our Lucky dog from digging there, and Doug was careful to weave the little sunflower sprouts up through the wire.



And now, a few months later, we have both a beautiful rose bush and some Italian white sunflowers growing side-by-side. This isn't how I would have ultimately wanted them to grow, but I can't help smiling when I see them, growing side-by-side like they were meant to be garden neighbors.



The rosebush will outlast the Italian whites, I know it will, but for the time being my sweet little sunflowers will continue to flourish, snuggled up to the roses with their roots embedded under the chicken wire, safe from a digging pup. And when they've lived their final days, I will scoop up the seeds and carry them with us to our new backyard space, where Doug and I will plan ahead when it comes to planting roses and sunflowers.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Carrie's Quilt

I'm so happy about the completion of this quilt for so many reasons. 

a) I actually made something that I pinned on Pinterest;
b) It was a super fun pattern to play with;
c) I loved using scraps from my stash and some from my mom's;
d) I finished it before Christmas; and
e) Carrie loves it! :o)


I needed a photo of the completed quilt before I wrapped it for Christmas, so Doug held it up for me. I fussed about the lighting and took several photos that day, and in the long run I just love the way the sun is shining through the quilt and that Doug's silhouette shows.




The only thing I would change about this quilt is the size. As I progress through my life's quilting lessons, I will now be able to visualize what 56"x 56" looks like. It's the perfect size for a lap quilt, and I think Carrie will keep this on her couch as a throw, but if I had it to do over again I would make it a little longer, that's all.



I used my sewing machine for everything but the binding which I hand stitched. And I washed and dried the quilt before I wrapped it because I love the look of a quilt that's been "worn."

Hooray for handmade!!!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hey, Deb, what's up with the turtles?

So, maybe you've been wondering what our turtles are up to lately.
Or maybe you haven't wondered but now that I mention it, you're curious.
Hm?


If you were around here last winter you might remember that our four-year old box turtle Rexy never really hibernated. It was his first winter with us, and Doug and I were really concerned about him. Our turtle source {hi Dana!} said that all of her turtles had dug themselves under and were down for the count, but we continued to see Rex every couple of weeks throughout the entire winter. And it was cold! Well, by box turtle standards it was cold enough that he should have hibernated.

Rexy didn't hibernate, but he was definitely not himself for the winter. He ate nothing for a few months, and moved in e x t r e m e S L O W m o t i o n when he did come out - and so we worried. Come spring time last year, he was out and about and back to his ol’ normal self.

But this year he has decided to officially hibernate. And you’d think that’s a good thing, right? Nope! Because there is a possibility that we will be moving from this house at the end of February and what do we do about a turtle that is in the middle of his winter sleep? {Dana, I may have to call you!}


Turtle number two is our baby box turtle, Casper. Now that we're fairly sure she's a female, and if everything goes according to plan, she and Mr. Rex will be really good friends one day, and we’ll change her name to Mama Cas. :o) {Oh my gosh you guys, how cool would that be if I could blog about a brand new baby turtle?!?!}



These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago after Doug constructed a new hut because Cas had outgrown the last one. We’re thinking that she may be big enough to become an outside turtle once we move, but that will depend on what kind of habitat we can come up with in the new house. {Again… Dana?}



Here’s a photo that was taken right after we adopted Casper, back in November 2012. {Little turtle at the top didn’t make it. So sad.} It’s crazy to see how much she’s grown since we brought her home. She's as wide as her turtle pond now.



It’s funny to think about choosing a new home and how we’ll accommodate box turtles – it’s a first for us. But I trust that we’ll figure it out.

And that’s what’s up with our turtle friends.
Thanks for asking. ;o)

Monday, January 13, 2014

Baby Shower Weekend Recap

Hi there, blog friends!
This past weekend Carrie and I traveled to California where my sister and I hosted a baby shower for our sister-in-law, Ryann. We had such a great time celebrating with family, and my weekend recap for today is all about the baby.

My brother Ron and his wife, Ryann are expecting a baby girl at the end of February, and we are so excited to welcome sweet baby Olivia!

We chose a pink and ivory theme, and decorated with little birds and birdcages.

I had seen this fringe banner a while back and just loved it - had to make it myself! I used a Cricut die cutting machine, with Plantin Schoolbook cartridge for the letters, and Songbird cartridge for the birds and birdhouse shapes.


There were no flowers in my house this weekend, but there were certainly some at my sister's house! {I'm linking up with Flower Jane over at Small But Charming for "Flowers in the House!"}






My sister found these cute game cards and pencils online, and it was so much fun to play a few games and award prizes to our guests. We had five games altogether, and our prizes were some cute coffee mugs my sister picked up with a Starbucks gift card tucked inside. We also used the two bouquets of pink and white carnations as prizes too.

I made favor boxes using this tutorial and different shapes cut with the Songbird cartridge. Inside were Hershey's kisses, some heart confetti, and a little note thanking our guests for coming to help us celebrate our sweet Olivia.



We showered Ryann with gifts and well wishes, and I just couldn't resist snapping a photo of her adorable baby bump. Gosh, there's just something so magical about the whole baby-making-experience. Well...not the initial baby-making...I mean the pregnancy itself...well...you know what I mean! I couldn't keep my hands off Ryann's tummy and she was such a good sport about it. Love!!!



I loved that my mom's brother {our Uncle Ken} was able to bring our grandma to my sister's house to celebrate with us. She really enjoyed celebrating with us, playing games, and having cake. It's crazy to think about how much has changed since she was birthing her babies all those years ago.

My sister, Valerie, is such an awesome hostess and party-thrower. She is witty and fun and has a gift for entertaining. Combine her hostess-ing with my decorating and you have a pretty cool party, if I do say so myself!

All in all it was an awesome weekend! We got to spend time with my siblings, our cousins and friends - all for the purpose of celebrating the new addition to our family.
"You know what the great thing about babies is?
They are like little bundles of hope.
Like the future in a basket."
~ Lish McBride
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