Friday, February 28, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday


"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men."
~ Martin Farquhar Tupper

Thursday, February 27, 2014

A new little person to love

Late last night our family grew by one tiny person.
My new niece, Olivia made her debut, weighing in at 8 lbs. 7 oz.
Mama and baby are awesome.


I have been a bundle of emotions over the arrival of this new niece - my brother’s newest daughter, a new baby sister for Cris, Britny and Tyler, a new cousin for Carrie, and a sweet little granddaughter my mom will never know. So bittersweet, that one, but it’s in the mix of my thoughts, for sure.

And I’ve been thinking about Olivia and the life she’s entered into - how she’ll one day call me Aunt Deb and how I will love her with the same deep adoration that I love my other nieces. She joins the ranks of some amazing young women who also call me Aunt Deb, and I can’t wait to see how her presence changes and shapes and enhances our family.

How lucky is this little girl, to enter a family that loves and celebrates with such passion. We started loving her the day we heard she was a tiny little bean in her mama’s tummy, and we will love her forever and ever now that she has made her appearance into this world and our family.

I’ll be heading to California in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to get my hands on sweet Miss Olivia. You can bet there will be lots of photos to share once that happens!

Hooray for new babies in the world,
especially for those who call me Aunt Deb.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

My grandma, her new phone, and some blood orange marmalade


My 93-year old grandma {Gertrude} recently got a new cell phone with texting capabilities. My aunt and uncle thought it would be a great way for us to keep in touch with her, and she was willing to learn how to operate this new phone of hers. She texted me that first day and said, "Hi Debbie. Imagine this, I'm learning something new. Love, Grandma." Oh, I was SO proud of her!!!


Sunday morning I noticed I had missed a call from Grandma on my cell phone so I rang her back. She was surprised when I said, "I noticed I missed a call from you..." because, according to her, she hadn't called me. She finally did admit that she and Uncle Ken had been "trying to figure out how to make a call" and they must have accidentally called me. Apparently there's still a bit of a learning curve with the new phone.

We talked for a little while and I told her I was in the middle of trying another batch of blood orange marmalade. She was quick to say, "Use some pectin this time!" and I explained that the new recipe I'd found called for tying the orange membranes and seeds in a cheesecloth bundle to cook with the mixture and that was supposed to be a natural pectin.


She was skeptical - never heard of such a thing - and then she told me stories of jelly making with my mom. She said Mom bought a gallon jug of pomegranate juice from a local fruit stand one year, and the two of them made the best batch of pomegranate jelly. And they used a powdered pectin and "it set up real nice."

"Ok, Grandma, but I'm going to follow the recipe and use the tied-up-bundle of orange membranes and seeds this time," I told her.



Well, thank goodness the recipe worked this time, and the orange marmalade "set up real nice" for me. The other thing that was different about this recipe was the temperature and cooking times. I had to use a thermometer and heat it to a certain temp, then hold it there for five minutes - like candy making. I might have cooked it a little too long though, because once this marmalade is opened and refrigerated the mixture becomes very thick and sticky.



Oh well! It still tastes great and I was finally able to package it up like I've had in my mind for a couple of years now. One of these little jars is on it's way via United States Postal Service to my sweet grandma in California.

I wonder if she'll text me to say she likes it when it arrives on her doorstep.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

What this blogger reads

Something a little different today ~ I'm sharing a list of some of my favorite blogs.
 

I follow a lot of blogs that I enjoy reading, but here are some that I'm quick to click on when they show up in my reader. I wonder if you follow any of them too.

Memory Keeping and Photography Inspiration
{The Big Girls}
Elise Blaha - enJOY it - Elise's authentic journaling really inspires me, and I've loved reading her letters to her baby girl. I also love Elise's ability to make her surroundings beautiful with simple touches, and she rocks the Project Life gig. And she's probably the only one I know that competes with my Carrie's selfie-taking talent!

Ashley Ann Photography - Under the Sycamore - I love Ashley's photography style and seeing the photos she captures of her kids just being kids.

Cathy Zielske - I can relate to Cathy on so many levels - parenting, keeping fit, personal struggles, and I love her dry sense of humor. I rarely visit Cathy's blog without smiling/laughing part way through. She's been "Taking the Crap out of Scrapbooking since 2001." Ha!

Because New York is Cool
66 Square Feet - A really cool blog I stumbled upon - awesome photography and well written words. It's always a treat to see what she's cooking, and also what she has growing on her small New York terrace.

Made in Brooklyn - My blog friend Robyn inspires me with her mad photography skillz, her yummy looking baked goods and her thoughtful words on parenting. I love reading about her family's awesome weekend adventures and her boy's silly antics. Plus, her piece of the planet is so different from mine, it's just cool to have a look around.

Just a Good Read
Small but Charming - This blog belongs to Flower Jane and I'm always happy to see a new post from her in my reader. I love her sense of humor and clever storytelling. And even though she might not always think so, I think she has a really interesting life! She works in a flower shop - how cool is that?!

One Day - I'm pretty sure that I found Sarah's blog through Flower Jane's during one of her "Flowers in the House" party. Anyway, gorgeous photography with such thoughtful and beautiful words with every post. She reminds me a bit of Alexa...

Simply Alexa - Alexa's posts inspire me to be a better writer. Her poignant storytelling and photography are something to admire, and her artistic talent just blows me away. It's always a treat when she blogs!

Inspires Me with Fabric
Bee in my Bonnet - I'm kind of obsessed with Bee in my Bonnet blog right now, and I really need to get with it and just order her book already. I love the bright and happy colors Lori chooses for her quilting projects, and the way she begins each post with "Hello cute people." Just makes me smile.

Waterpenny Quilts and Little Sewn Things - I can't remember how I found Dana's blog, but she always has some great sewing projects going on, and I love that she offers links to tutorials that have come in handy for me.

Inspires me with Words and Art
Color My Bliss - A recent find on Facebook, then I went to her blog, and she came to mine, and the rest is blog-friend-history. I love Debbie's bright-color-style and her ability to find some really great quotes and inspirational phrases. A quote I recently used for Just a Quote for Friday was inspired by her.

I wonder how many of these blogs you might be familiar with, and how many you might visit as a result of seeing their links here. If you pay them a visit be sure to leave a comment. And tell them that Deb @ PaperTurtle sent you. ;o)
 
Do you have any favorites you'd like to share?

Monday, February 24, 2014

Around here this weekend.

Good morning, blog friends.
Is it just me, or did this weekend recap roll around super quick?
It's the same show/different Monday:
busy weekend, lots of sunshine, wish I had one more day...

Let's start with Saturday: I was on the go from start to finish. I spent a couple of hours in my craft room cleaning up crafting messes. When it gets to the point that all of my work spaces are covered with this-that-and-the-other-thing, it's time to stop everything and put some stuff away! It needed it badly. I always set the alarm on my phone to remind me when it's time to stop and get ready for yoga, otherwise I am so distracted I'd just keep plugging right along.
 
Then yoga class and straight home afterwards where I switched gears and got myself ready to go to a wedding. The bride and groom are friends of Carrie's and she landed the gig as their wedding photographer and brought me along for the ride. I thought I'd done well at the end of the night with 642 photos, but Carrie ended with well over 2,000. Awesome.
 

Yesterday morning I got up and began my time in the kitchen - for pretty much the entire day. I made biscuits for breakfast - we ate them with butter and honey and some hard-boiled eggs out on the patio. Then I mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies - baked a batch and froze the rest for later.
 
And then I started with the blood oranges. Again. Remember when I tried making orange marmalade last month and it didn't turn out quite right? Well, I was determined to give it another try and I really didn't want to mess with it this weekend but the fruit remaining on the tree was starting to fall off and/or become sweet treats for our local bird pests friends. My window of opportunity was closing and I needed to seize the moment. So yesterday Doug picked some fruit for me and I stuck myself in the kitchen for several hours and made another batch of orange jam with a different recipe.
 
I think this batch turned out much better but I won't know until tonight as it has to sit for 24 hours before we pop one of the jars open. Either way, I am totally over blood orange marmalade. Over. It. I was determined to try my hand at it while we still had access to this blood orange tree and I've accomplished that feat and am ready to move on!
 
Oh, one thing I missed on Saturday was Lucky's one-year anniversary. Can you believe he's been our pup for a whole year now? I had plans to make a big deal, take some photos of him in a birthday hat or something, but the day was so full of other stuff that it just didn't happen. Shhh...I don't think he noticed. Instead he just got a few extra treats over the course of the weekend.


I think everything that could possibly bloom is blooming in Arizona right now. The poppies in our front yard are starting to open, and the orange trees are covered in blossoms. Oh my gosh, I love the smell of orange blossoms! These on our blood orange trees will make some awesome jam for the next owner of this house come next January/February. Haha - have fun with that, new owner!

And now it's time to work our way through the final week of February. There's going to be a new baby in our family this week ♥!!! and I have all kinds of craft projects to finalize and wrap up. There are a few things I'm working on that are surprises for a couple of people who just might read my blog, and you know it's killing me to not be able to share them here. Or on Instagram. Eeeeeep!!! So exciting!!!
 
I think I'll just hold that thought and do my best to maintain that level of excitement as I make my way through Monday. I hope each of you have something fun to focus on this week! If not, promise me you'll do your best to find something to be excited about! :o)
 
Happy thoughts make happy days...

Friday, February 21, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday



"If we can just let go and trust that things will work out the way they're supposed to, without trying to control the outcome, then we can begin to enjoy the moment more fully. The joy of the freedom it brings becomes more pleasurable than the experience itself.”
~ Goldie Hawn

2014 One Little Word: Trust

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Sunshine and Sunflowers

~ ~  




Sunshine and sunflowers, and a bee.
Have a lovely Thursday, dear ones.
~ ~

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

"I wanna' hear you say it."

Carrie and I spent a week in New York City back in 2006 to celebrate our graduations - hers from high school and mine from college. As with any trip we’ve ever taken together, we came back with a few stories.


Waiting to see The Today Show

While we were in New York we had dinner one night at a lovely Italian restaurant where we were served by a strikingly handsome young Italian waiter.

The menu was one of those complicated ones. You know the kind? Instead of reading “spaghetti and meatballs” the names of the dishes were in Italian, requiring a read through the dish’s description so we’d know what we were ordering.
When our handsome waiter came back to take our order, I pointed to the item I wanted on the menu, not wanting to mispronounce it.
Maybe it was the giddiness of my vacation state of mind, or maybe it was the wine {eh-hm}, but when Mr. Handsome nodded and began writing on his note pad I leaned forward, my hand propped under my chin, and said, “I wanna’ hear you say it.”
He smiled slightly as the name of the dish I'd ordered rolled off his tongue like an Italian lullaby, and the look on Carrie’s face was priceless. Once he’d left, Carrie stared accusingly from across the table.
"What?!?!” I pleaded.
"I wanna’ hear YOU say it,” she cooed and we both laughed. Of course, I denied I had said it that way, but, well, I suppose she did have reason to tease.
And she has continued to tease to this day whenever the opportunity presents itself. “I wanna’ hear YOU say it” she mocks. ~sigh~ Daughters.
Doug and I recently dined at a similar Italian restaurant with our once-a-month dining buddies, Tim and Bev. The menu was much like the one in New York, but our server was nowhere nearly as easy on the eyes. I did tell him that I wanted to hear him pronounce the name of my dish, and later I shared my NYC story with our dining mates and we laughed about it then.
And I thought at that time that this might make a fun blog post.
You wanted to hear me say it, didn’t you?

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Simply a Moment in Coffee Town







I stumble to the kitchen before the sun comes up and feel my way to the stove hood where I’m able to turn a small light on. As my eyes adjust to the light, I fumble for two coffee cups, the sugar and creamer. And now a spoon. The coffee pot is still bubbling – squeezing out those last few drops to make a full pot, but I’m in no mood to wait this morning. I yank the coffee pot out of its resting place and fill cups for Doug and me as the remaining drops of coffee drip and sputter onto the burner.

As I lift my cup off the counter I hear the sound of Doug's house slippers shuffling in the hallway so I wait for him. He joins me and we clink our cups together in an early morning toast to us. "Good morning," we softly mumble to each other.

And with that first sip of the day, all is well in Coffee Town.
Joining with Alexa today for her monthly Simply a Moment.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Dishwashing Winner!

Thanks so much for all of your comments related to washing dishes last week, and for the entries to win my knitted dishcloth giveaway. It was fun to hear who does the dishwashing in your homes.


At our house I would say that I am the main dishwasher, but Doug is really great about helping out! Here's where my readers fall in the mix:


I also wanted to note that my local friend Judy is the one who graciously taught me how to knit these dishcloths, and in the event that any of you would like to make your own, I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing the pattern. Plus, my original piece of paper is starting to wear, so this way I'll have the pattern documented if I ever need to refer back:

Basic Knit Dishcloth 
* Use size 8 needles and cotton yarn
* Cast on 4 stitches
* To increase: knit 2, yarn over, knit to end of the row. Follow this pattern every row until you have 41 stitches.
*To decrease: knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of the row. Follow this pattern until you are down to 4 stitches.
*Bind off

These dishcloths can be washed and dried many times over - I just throw them in the wash with my dishtowels and they come out just fine.

And now for the giveaway part of this post!
 
I wrote everyone's name on a slip of paper and randomly drew...
 


Congratulations Mary Ann!
You are the winner of my dishcloth giveaway.
And I'm throwing in a hand-stamped tea towel too. Surprise! 

PS: Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments. They made me want to knit a dishcloth for each and every one of you!
PPS: Mary Ann ~ Since you read my blog through Facebook, please message me with your address, ok? Congratulations! :o)

A Partial Weekend Recap

Good morning, blog friends.
If I'm not the luckiest girl on the planet, I'm at least the luckiest girl in my family because I have today off and Doug and Carrie both have to work. Happy President's Day to me! :o]

It was a busy weekend {sheesh, as usual!} and it's not over yet for me. But I do have a few photos for you this morning. I'll be publishing another post later this afternoon to announce the winner of the knitted dishcloth giveaway. Time slipped away from me these past couple of days and I need to figure out how to draw a winner. Tune in later today for that.

Seriously, the weather in Arizona during February just can't be beat. If you ever plan a trip here, shoot for February. Or March or April. Just so awesome. My mom and step-dad {Rod} always made a road trip to Arizona in March and my mom always loved to sit out on our patio and visit. She always really appreciated whatever I had blooming and I think I will miss her so much every spring. For forever.

Our little dog had a busy weekend. He dug a deep hole at the end of last week and chewed a drip line in half - first time in a while. Doug and I were both really mad and we scolded Lucky appropriately. Oh my gosh, his feelings were so hurt and it just about broke my heart. I've never loved a dog before, and this one owns my heart and soul. Here he is on Saturday, after he totally forgot about being in trouble over digging:

Again with the sunshine...

Yesterday morning we had Doug's family over for breakfast. I love when that happens! The sisters-in-law bring food and we enjoy each others company for the morning. I made baked French toast {recipe here, add blueberries for the win} and my SIL Meta brought two egg breakfast casseroles. Janet brought a big fruit salad, and Laurie supplied juice and rolls...and a toddler-granddaughter:

I love seeing our niece Kaycee with her niece, Roo. They have such a sweet connection and that makes me so happy. Kaycee rocks the aunt gig!

I had my good camera out because I promised myself I'd scoot around and take a bunch of photos yesterday while our house was full of family. Turns out my lens was only focused on this little peach. Baby Roo just turned two, and she is the star of the show at family get togethers these days.


Isn't she awesome?

As I formulated the next paragraph in my mind I was going to list all the things on my agenda for today but I started overwhelming myself. Ha! It's all a bunch of crafty and fun things though, so no sense getting worked up over it. What gets done gets done today and I'll love every minute of it.

And with that I'm off to fit a whole lot of awesome into one little day off.
See you later, alligators.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday


"But love, I've come to understand, is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day."
~ Nicholas Sparks

{Happy Valentine's Day, sweet ones.}

Thursday, February 13, 2014

A Margarita in the Sun ~ Alison's Quilt Block

I have been so excited to share the quilt block I made
Now that it's arrived in Spain I can let this post fly.
 


When Carrie and I traveled to England last year, our blog friend Alison flew from Spain and met us there for the weekend. It was the first time we'd met in real life, but having known each other through our blogs for a few years made us feel like we'd already known each other for the longest time.

Alison and I had planned and looked forward to drinking margaritas together in London, and even though it was freeeeeezing cold at the time, we drank them anyway. Then we vowed to have more margaritas in the future, only under warmer circumstances, and we did that last month while she was here in Arizona.







The other little tidbit for this post is that my mom loved herself a good margarita! In fact, it was the only alcoholic beverage she ever drank {that I know of!}. And since Alison was a sweet member of Team Teal, I wanted the quilt block I made for her to be in the shape of a margarita glass, and I even used some fabric scraps I inherited from my mom's craft room! I loved being able to include a little piece of my mom in the mix with this quilt square.

I used an iron-on fusible product to adhere the margarita glass shape and the lime, then I stitched around it with a zig-zag stitch. This one turned out way better than my first attempt where my patch-work design resembled a chunky goblet rather than a margarita glass.

I'm so happy that I signed up to participate in Fiona's Friendship Quilt project!
It's been so much fun to come up with a different design every month, and I
have a few more ideas up my sleeve for future blocks.


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Your Presence Matters



I’ve mentioned that I take a yoga class at our local community college on Saturday mornings. I love it and look forward to it every week! This past weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had a substitute teacher for the day. Susan had been our sub one time before and I loved her teaching style. Plus, she smiles a lot and I think that adds such a nice touch.

While some of my classmates may not have embraced the fact that we had a substitute that day (although I'm sure some of them loved it too…), I really enjoyed my time on the mat that morning. Susan is chatty compared to our regular teacher, and I enjoyed hearing her talk about yoga. And at the end she said something that really struck me – it stayed with me all weekend, and I’m still thinking about it part way through this week.



We had reached the end of class and were pleasantly relaxed and renewed after our final pose when she thanked us for allowing her to lead our practice. She said she knew that having a substitute was sometimes challenging, but that our presence had made a difference for her. She said, “Your presence mattered to me this morning, and I hope as you work your way through the rest of your day you will remember that your presence matters to everyone you meet. You matter.”

I was so touched by that statement, and I felt my heart lift into my throat. I quickly choked back my immediate reaction to cry. How lovely, I thought, to have a teacher say that! To be reminded that each of us matters felt like the sweetest gift, and I’ve carried it in my heart since Saturday.



I’ve been thinking about the power behind those two little words: You matter. Simplicity and significance all rolled into one beautiful phrase. Two little words with such big impact, and I wonder when is the last time you've been reminded that you matter. Your presence matters wherever you go.

I’m not sure it will have the same impact coming from me via a blog post as it did from my yoga teacher at the end of a lovely practice, but I want you to know that your presence matters. It matters to me that you read my words and share a little time-out when you visit my blog.

I hope you will know this and carry it in your heart today.
Your presence matters to me, and to this world.
You matter.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Washing dishes is fun {a giveaway}

Ok, maybe my post title is a bit of a stretch, but I am serious when I say that if I have to be washing dishes, I'd rather be washing them with a knitted dishcloth.



Have you ever used a knitted or crocheted cloth for washing dishes? A few years ago my friend, Judy, gifted me with a couple of her knitted dishcloths and I was an instant fan! I love the weight and texture of these cloths, and the little ribs on them make for quick work when washing gunk off of dishes.



For the Valentine crop that Carrie and I hosted this past weekend, we did our 5-favorites-gift-exchange again. Everyone brings five of one item they love (with a maximum price limit of $5/item) and we exchange our favorites. Items range from lip balm to candles to frames and notebooks. This year I knitted five dishcloths and bought bottles of my favorite dish detergent to go with them. It was so fun giving them to five of my sweet crafting friends!


And while I was knitting these dish cloths for our Valentine crop favorites exchange, I purposely made an extra one to give away on my blog. I won't be including a bottle of my favorite dish detergent, but I'd love to share a knitted dishcloth with one lucky winner.


A simple little giveaway, true, but I think you'll like washing dishes with this knitted cloth. To enter the drawing, just leave me a comment here on my blog or on Facebook and tell me who washes the dishes at your house.

I'll select a winner by way of a random drawing this weekend and announce the winner next Monday, February 17th, with my weekend recap.
:o)

Monday, February 10, 2014

Weekend Recap and Flowers in the House

It's Valentine's week, friends!
Good Monday morning, blog friends. I hope your weekends were lovely! Mine was packed with all kinds of busy, but it was all fun-busy stuff. Come on in, I'll show you...



I clipped this red rose from our garden on Saturday and snapped a few photos of her knowing I'd be linking up with Jane for "Flowers in the House" this morning. She was beautiful company in the kitchen while I labored over these babies...

Chocolate covered vanilla-cherry cupcakes. Holy smokes these were yummy. I tried new recipes for the cake and the frosting and they are both keepers! You see, Carrie and I hosted our fourth annual Valentine crop yesterday, so my weekend was spent preparing for time with our sweet crafting friends.
 
I realized this weekend that carnations might be one of my favorite scents on the planet. Love.
 
And this next photo has nothing to do with flowers or Valentine party prep - just a photo I snapped of Casper enjoying clean pond water. Isn't she the cutest baby box turtle ever?
 
Anyway, back to the party...
 
Carrie hosted the event at her house this year, and I love that she came up with the idea for a photo booth. I love this photo of all of us together, and that Carrie uploaded it and printed a copy for each of us before the party was over. My girl.
 
Janae, Vee{butterfly}, Michelle, me, Corri D.
Barbara, Carrie, Jenn and Kristi
Gosh, I love these women!
 


We do a little gift exchange every year so I came home from the party with all kinds of little goodies - including these lovely little roses. And that cupcake just may have been my dinner last night. :o] Pretty sweet weekend, eh?

So now we work toward Friday and I love the thought of that. Not only will it be Friday, but also Valentine's Day and the start of a three-day weekend here in the U.S. I'm sure Jane will be happy when Friday evening rolls around - she works in a flower shop and this week will be all kinds of busy as she prepares pretty flowers for others to enjoy. {Catch her Flowers in the House link ups here.}

Wishing each of you a week filled with flowers and hearts and chocolate and looooove.
Go get you some!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday

"Whether you've seen angels floating around your bedroom or just found a ray of hope at a lonely moment, choosing to believe that something unseen is caring for you can be a life-shifting exercise."

~ Martha Beck

PS: You are loved.
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