A Table Full of Limes?

Is there a tequila party in the works? Well, actually, how about a cutting board full of Key limes. Very small Key limes. Dozens of them. Two pounds, to be exact. You see fewer than half of them here...

And by the time I got done rolling, slicing and hand juicing all of them I was tuckered out. Note to self, when the recipe calls for 1/3 cup Key lime juice, you do NOT need two pounds of limes. 1# Key limes = 1 cup juice. So, I made a double batch of Key Lime Bars and still had four containers with 1/3 cup each to put in the freezer for future treats. And they sure are tasty!

It's a Rainbow World

I'm taking a "Baltimore Album" Quilt class. It's a lot of fun so far. There are seemingly endless patterns to choose from, rich with meaning. Here is a sample of a Baltimore Album style quilte. Not mine. They are typically done on white or cream backgrounds and the originals had two main colors - Victoria Green and Turkey Red. Victoria Green was a pea green so named because it was Queen Victoria's favorite color. And Turkey Red? No, it has nothing to do with turkeys or feathers. It was called that because there was a time when fabric dyed red came from Turkey.

There's just one thing. I love color. I love bright colors. I'm likely going to put hundreds of hours into my quilt. You see, each square and the borders are hand-appliqued. With tiny needles and tinier stitches. So I figure I'd better really love the fabric I'm working with. And it turns out that batik is a great fabric to use because it is very tightly woven. So here is my selection of fabrics for my "Baltimore Album" quilt. I'll post pics of the squares as I complete them. I'm working on one right now that is a repeating fleur de lis type design in the bright gold on the red/black background.

And while Valerie was here she gave me a lesson in foundation piecing, which I was quite taken with after seeing the Christmas stocking she made for Sam. I incorporated the technique into a scissor case that Val and I designed for me to use when I go to my quilting classes. Turns out I need at least four different pair of scissors on me... small fabric, large fabric, small paper, large paper, might as well throw the rotary cutter and spare blades in for good measure...

Here's the front up close:

And here it is with the inside liner for organizing and protecting my shears:

I hope my classmates aren't jealous!

Welcome Visitors

Around here we like to encourage visitors to drop by. We do that with seeds, nuts, suet and bread crusts. Here we have a bird feeder with... a squirrel. Lucky for them they are so cute. Actually I don't mind if he eats out of this feeder which is mostly filled with black sunflower seeds and the occasional bit of corn or peanut.

One day last week I had just cleaned the kitchen window when I decided to set up my camera to catch some of our visitors. I put the camera on a tripod just inside the window. The only problem with a clean window is that you can see in as easily as you can see out. So every time I stepped up to the camera to get a picture, the visitors hurried away. I ended up putting up a blind of houseplants, a poinsettia, and a dishtowel in order to take my photographs. It might have been easier to dress up like a very large bird...


It also attracts the very large, colorful and extremely shy Stellar's Jays. Who sometimes brave the scary finches and other, similar large predators. Really, you'd think a jay would be obnoxious and pushy. These guys are the most timid ones in our yard. I love their fraggle action with the bobbing feathers on top of their heads and the rich blue of their tails. They are among my favorites. I try to make sure there's plenty of peanuts on the ground for them to snag, away from the bustling crowds.

Oh yes, there are also lots of other birds... Pine Siskin, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Mountain Chickadee, Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpeckers... everyone loves to come hang out at our house!

And what, you may ask, is that large item in the middle of the feeder. You might ask that if you didn't live in the mountains of Colorado. That, my friends, is a brick to help keep the feeder from blowing away on a daily basis.

When I go out to fill the feeders, I make a certain call and I'm quite convinced that the chickadees, at least, know what it means. They land around me and wait for the feeder to fill. Sometimes they are landing on the feeder as I'm still hanging it back up. I like that they trust me.

Family Traditions

I had to include this shot of Grandma Kathy bathing Sammy in the kitchen sink. I have a great shot of Grandma Ginger giving Steph a bath in the kitchen sink. Somewhere there is probably a picture of Grandma Erma giving Kristine a bath in the kitchen sink. I'm sure that we can trace this tradition back to as long as there have been kitchen sinks...

Where to start?

Let's begin with Sammy, my favorite nephew in the whole world. I cannot express how much it meant to me to get to hold him and see him. To get to know him a little bit while he is still so young.

Here I am sacked out with him while Val was packing. I loved feeling his warm weight against me and his deep, even breathing. It nearly put me to sleep to. And it was the middle of the morning.
I got Val to take a photo of me in the mei tai wearing Sam. I so wish I'd had one of these when Steph was little. How comforting for them and how freeing for mom. Good job, Val!

Sam is quite the little camera ham... Here he is standing in his PlayYard. He really preferred to be standing up and one evening he made about 6 laps around the kitchen island while Perla held his hands. Then he walked on into the bedroom where his mom was. He's going to be into everything in no time at all!

And here I am with him on my lap. You'll notice the table is empty in front of us. He has quite a long reach and insatiable curiousity.

Since there is so much catching up to do, I'll try and break it into several posts with individual themes.

BRB

A couple more

Thanks to Shannon and Perla, we have family photos to treasure from our time together. Above, Counter-clockwise: Perla, Kristine, Karen, Shannon, Kathy, Brian, Stephanie, Kent, Valerie, Sam and Ken.

And the siblings - we sure miss you Kevin!

Family Photos

Here we are behaving... Back row: Stephanie, Kathy, Kristine, Karen; Front row: Shannon and Valerie


And here we are being silly...


Karen, Shannon and Brian

Kristine, Stepanie and Kent

The cousins... Shannon, Stephanie and Valerie (we miss you Sarah)

My beautiful daughter...