Is there anybody out there?  It has been a long time - a rather unintended blogging break, for sure. A heartfelt thanks to those that have emailed to check on my whereabouts and health. Truth be told, I have felt for a while that I may well be running out of things to say.  What!?  Me!? That can't be true, but it seems that may well be the case. 
A quick check with the calendar shows that what seemed like a few days absence has, in fact, been five weeks.  FIVE!  Wowza.  But those weeks have been full ones for sure. I had a delightful field trip to The Getty with some of The Pals.

 

Added a great new ABC book to my collection that day.

Hubby and I spent an afternoon in Balboa Park.  At the Museum of Photographic Arts where we caught the Charles Phoenix Retro Slide Show.  Charles is always delightful.  I urge you to check out his show if he comes to your area.  And last weekend we caught Roger Waters performance of The Wall.

 

The tickets were Hubby's birthday gift.  An interesting evening because it was a performance and not simply a concert.  I didn't understand half of what was happening, but let me tell you - there was PRODUCTION and plenty of it.  Hubby enjoyed it immensely and that's what matters here. 

We even fit in a couple of days at The Happiest Place on Earth.

We have also been on a weeks long journey to paint our bedroom and bathroom.  Had we buckled down, kept our noses to the grindstone - we could have finished in a couple of days.  Instead we chose to only work on weekends (which have been filled with all manner of other fun)  So by the time we got started, it was usually time to clean up.  Closing in on the big finish, I am to paint the doors to the bathroom vanity today.  Even more exciting though is the purchase of some new pieces of furniture.

 

Nightstands and a cabinet for things like quilts and books.  That the pieces are totally mismatched appeals to me in every way.  This is a FAR cry from the decidedly 70's look of our former pieces.  Next we take on the guest room.  With our first summer guest arriving in early June, we will have to be on our game to get it finished or Dear Guest may well be handed a paintbrush when she arrives.

The garden is flourishing (no pics) And we have started up our worm concern again.  These worms are direct descendants of my original herd.  When we left California, they joined up with the worms of a friend who gifted me with a wonderful boxful of their progeny. 

 

Daisy just loves the worms and thinks they are hers.  She fairly skips along side of me when we go out to add scraps to their bin.  And I laugh all the way.

 

Speaking of darling Daisy, she reminds me to keep at quilting, too.

 

I am making this quilt as a gift for our real estate agent.  Everyone in their office has been so helpful to us in our dealings of selling and buying homes, but one agent in the office in particular has really been there walking us through all the steps.  I saw this kit at Fat Quarters and just couldn't resist.  Hoping to be stitching binding tonight while watching tv.

So there you have it -  five weeks in a nutshell.  I make no promises, but I'll try to be around a little more often.  Now to get those doors painted and buy a gallon of guest room paint.

According to Grandma's dishtowels, Wednesday is Mending Day. Merriam Webster says - mend - verb: to free from faults or defects as to set right, correct. In today's world, we don't do much in the way of mending. Oh the occasional button is sewn back on, but how many of us would honestly bother to darn a sock? Or even know where to begin when it came to darning a sock? Heck, on most days I don't even wear socks. But I digress, even in the 21st century there are times when mending is THE only answer.
Not too long ago, Hubby came home and told me that his boss (hereafter referred to as Quilt Owner) has a quilt and was wondering if I could repair it. "Yeah, probably," I said with a shrug. Then Hubby gave me the rest of the story.
Quilt Owner's mother was piecing the quilt for him but passed away before it was done. So in stepped his aunt who finished it. And now the quilt has a tear in it that Quilt Owner would like to have repaired. Uh-oh, I'm such a sucker for an heirloom - but do I have what it takes to do the job and do it right? *yikes* So I said, "Sure, I'll at least have a look and see what I can do.'
Some time passed because of a hectic schedule at work and I sort of forgot about it. Then one day I got some email photos of 'the damage.'
One small tear in the middle of the piecing. Okay, I can do that. I asked if any of the leftover fabric was still available thinking if not, I could put out the Blogger Call. But original fabrics were secured and I started thinking about just what to do.
I started out planning to take out stitches and replace the torn piece. But the more I thought about it, the more I just didn't want to disturb the work that Quilt Owner's mom and aunt had done. When the quilt arrived, I just let it sit in the quilting space for about a week while I mulled over my options and skill. Then it came to me: just make a patch!
That is exactly what I would do if it were my own quilt. Now if it were my own quilt, I would probably just haul out some mismatched chunk of fabric, stitch it down, call it primitive and get on with my day. But that is not every one's cuppa.
So I fussy cut an exact match that would cover the tear and not interfere with the quilting.
Tried it on for size and then appliqued it in place.
A beautifully mended quilt, with all the precious stitches still intact. Quilt Owner is pleased and I am relieved.
We are living in a disposable time. Technology moves so rapidly that it is often more beneficial to replace rather than repair an item . . . . most of the time. Every now and again, it's better to look back to Grandma and her dishtowels for the answer.

I have been experiencing something that I'll call 'quilter's exuberance'. It's really sort of a renewed interest in quilting that I haven't felt for quite some time. You know, that urge to just sit at the sewing machine putting pieces through and garnering great excitement from what comes out the other end.
*ta da* A finished top. The design is from Olde Green Cupboard with a couple of changes in the border by me.
And now for the exuberance part. I cut w-a-y too many pieces for the center. What to do? What to do? I woke up early yesterday, put on the coffee and started making up four patches. *hmmmm* What to do? What to do? I had enough four patches to make 16 - 16 patches.
It measures 36" square and could probably use a border or two. I'll think on it a bit. In the meantime,I've pulled out some fabric and I'm working on some 9 patches.

It's as easy as one, two, three . . . .
One patch, two colors, three times the fun!

X Y and Z

X is for Xeriscaping. This is an idea I have been rolling around in my head for our front yard. We live in a desert region and water is always an issue, we are seemingly always in or quite near in a drought situation. There are lots of beautiful plants that are considered native to our area that will make for a beautiful curb appeal. It may well be time to move from dreaming to some planning.

Y is for Yolks.
Hubby's all-time favorite cake is angel food. A yummy cake that is light, tasty and fat-free! But what to do with all of those yolks? Having recently purchased this book, I decided to try my hand at garlic aioli. I was not successful, but not for lack of trying.
First I used the food processor but with a heavy hand, I added the oil too quickly and the sauce 'broke'. Next I tried whisking by hand. This is NOT for the weak of biceps and triceps (which would be ME!) Having a back-up whisker in the house to take over would be a good plan.
I stopped, consulted the Internet for tips and learned that while you cannot repair a 'broken sauce,' it can be incorporated into a new attempt.
Three isn't always a charm. My third attempt went better but in the end just wouldn't hold. So rather than waste more olive oil, I just quit. . . .for the time being - I shall try again someday. But the rest of those yolks would be pressed to better service in a custard.

Z is for Zillow.
A fun website whether you enjoy keeping up with real estate in your area, want to follow the value of your home, or just look up the house you grew up in to see what the yard look like these days. (I know you can do that on Google maps also - but there is so much more information to be had with Zillow.) It is one of my favorite websites.

Now I've shared my ABC's. Thanks for playing along with me.

W is for Weeds.
Which I am hopeful I will not have in abundance.
Instead I hope for more of these -
which will make a lovely bouquet on the table for our Easter brunch.
On the quilting front, I have been making sure to find time for some sewing every day.
This little ditty came from the scraps left over from my last quilted share. Just proves that there is practically nothing too small to be made into a quilt. Viva scraps!

V is for Vintage
There are three of these switch plates now installed in our home - two singles and this double, making me the third generation of women from my family to use these. I can't get over how happy they make me. Special joy and thanks to Hubby for lining up all the screw slots.
Just had to grab the camera when I passed by the kitchen doorway.
From the corner of my eye, I saw those things left to dry on the counter top and they put a smile on my face. It looked like 'home'. That was a really nice feeling.
Recently I was the lucky winner of a quilt kit from Kathie from Inspired by Antique Quilts.
After my weekly Wednesday lunch date with Hubby, I came home and sat myself down at the machine. In just a couple of hours, I had the top pieced, quilted and the binding ready to stitch down. What a satisfying afternoon!