roni made this

very good words

Obviously, I've not posted in a while. I've been busy. After more than two years of being an American statistic, we're getting back on our feet. Among other things, we've been searching for, and now buying, a house. It's a lovely little mid-century-modern in a lovely little neighborhood. Naturally, we will be making some changes inside and out. Making it ours. Mostly paint, but I'll show before/after shots as we go. On that note, the following photos are not mine. I borrowed them from the realtor's web site.

Next week this will be our kitchen...

Not a very mid-century upgrade, but only five months old and a drastic improvement over the 5'x7' mishmash of a wet bar I've grown accustomed to.

And this will be our backyard...

Just a few feet shy of a 1/3 acre with southern exposure and just begging for fruit trees, berry shrubs, an enormous vegetable and herb garden and eventually a coop full of chickens. And we'll still have more grass than David wants to mow every weekend all spring/summer/autumn. But enough for our girls to have fun with until they're old enough to think running wild outside isn't fun anymore.

We close tomorrow and take possession Monday at 5:00 p.m. There are no words for how we feel right now, but I can tell you they would be very good words.

 

a summer day???

As everyone knows, this has been a nasty weather year. My neck of the woods is no exception. The northwest is trapped in an early spring weather pattern because the rest of the woods (who I wouldn't trade with, for the record) have skipped spring all together and jumped straight into an unseasonably hot late summer and, like us, are stuck.

All of that said, today I am wearing flip-flops OUTSIDE and no sweater over my t-shirt with actual sun (versus the thin clouds we usually have on "partly sunny" days) streaming through the lovely umbrella of many trees in the back yard. I think it may have actually broken 70.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 80's, so we thought we would avoid the "heat wave" and go to the beach where it's going to be in the mid-60's. If you've ever been to the Oregon Coast, you understand why this is no sacrifice.

Happy summer!

Crewel Summer

I forgot just how soothing hand stitching can be.

via www.houseonhillroad.com

I so love the message. She wrote my thoughts and I plan to follow suit. Starting tomorrow.

I feel better already.

not a bad start

Good show, Mama Nature. You out did yourself on this lovely first day of summer.

 

a weekend in walla walla

If you've never been to the Walla Walla wine valley (formerly known for sweet onions), you are truly missing something. A good portion of my childhood was spent in that area and I have nothing but fond memories of the rolling hills, the endless fields, the always gorgeous sunsets and the food. So very much grows well in Walla Walla. Obviously onions and wine grapes, but also asparagus, peas, potatoes and tomatoes, berries, apples, cherries and so on. yum.

We were there for the high school graduation of my sweet Joel. First child (of five) of my dear and very long time friend, Susan. What a glorious weekend. See for yourself...

So, I found my voice again. I guess I just needed to say out loud that I had lost it.

And, go to Walla Walla. Seriously. It's an amazing place. Especially in the spring.

bloggers block

I have lots to tell and lots to show. But I'm afraid I have nothing to say. I've written, inserted photos, deleted and started over many times over the past couple of weeks. sigh. I guess I'll be back in action eventually (hopefully soon). Definitely not tonight.

 

busybusybusy

I love being busy. I love having a long list of projects. Somehow, I'm less overwhelmed by daily tasks if I have many big ones in the back of my mind. Here are just a few sneak peeks of what I have going and a quick pic of the one tiny project I finished and delivered.

I made these little hot pads for my sister-in-law's birthday because she's planning to paint her kitchen cabinets soft aqua with white trim and sand walls. Very nice.

 

Sneak peek.

 

These fabrics will become a throw for my dear friend, Debra. Her living room is the loveliest shade of deep plum and warm taupe with white trim, splashes of yellow tossed around the room and a looong wall of windows that looks out over a beautiful hillside of trees, vines, flowers and a scattering of rustically beautiful (HUGE) old homes. (Okay, you can breathe now. Sorry for the very long sentence.) Her style is classic with a hint of modern. And, although this is a gift, she pre-approved my choices. I want it to be just right for someone I love so much.

I also have two queen-size quits on deck, two more throws, several curtains, pillows, a pad for a fireplace hearth, trim for a couple of sets of towels, many hot pads, three rooms to paint, travel, visitors, veggies to grow then can/preserve/freeze and a myriad of other projects that may or may not happen in 2011.

 

And then there's the potty training. My sweet twin girls decided that it's time to potty train (the week before travel...hhhmmm). We're all happy about that actually. I am so done with diapersx2. This isn't going to be an easy phase, but oh so worthy.

Back to work for me. I have a few things on my plate.

growing up in the northwest

pink and purple

With two little girls in the family the inevitability of at least one loving pink and/or purple is stout. In our case, both love both. Kate is primarily pink oriented and Lily is a fan of purple. Although they both will accept either in a pinch.

All of that said, it's time to make quilts for my two little girls. And just guess what colors those quilts will be. mmmhhmmm.

I've been saving their receiving blankets because I thought it would be sweet to make quilts out of them. I was originally thinking those would be cut/pieced and made into tops with some sweet, simple flannel on the back. But after finding these little stacks of such perfectly perfect colors and patterns for my little girls, I've decided to use these as the tops and the receiving blankets as the backs. A little more versatile (at least on one side) which will contribute to the longevity I'm hoping for. Granted, there will more likely than not be more quilts in their future, but these are the first. The ones I really hope they'll treasure.

1st quarter

This is the Willard throw. They have the loveliest home that began as an underwhelming 70's split level. With four little kids (fortunately, #5 didn't arrive until after the construction mayhem), several reno phases, much head-scratching and stress, they transformed it into a gorgeous modern farm house complete with mother-in-law apartment (converted enormous garage), wrap around porch, and separate garage/shop. Why do you care? Because the result of the renovation was my inspiration for this cozy quarter throw...blue mosaic tile, warm red sofa, silvery grey rug and much coziness. The combination of super modern stripes and dots with updated florals in these colors just screamed Willard living room.

Not being a particularly traditional person, I wanted to do something interesting, still warm, with just a bit of tradition, so I used an old-fashioned red/blue/silver floral strip with a very updated and whimsical floral panel.

You may or may not have noticed that I didn't bind it. I top stiched with silver/grey. simple simple simple. And to tie it all up, I did just that. I tied it rather than quilting. I remember my grandmother telling me about growing up on the prairies of North Dakota that people couldn't always afford enough thread to quilt, so they would tie them instead. I liked the very thrifty, old fashioned sentiment. Honestly, it took longer (many hours longer) to tie it than to quilt it, but this was a labor of love. Love for the process of choosing fabric, arranging, measuring, cutting, sewing, unsewing, resewing and so on. And love of the family for which it was created.

Enjoy Willard family.