Snippets of CAT Fun in sao’s World

Posted By on August 29, 2010

I love my cats – yes – and I REFRAIN from posting their pictures too much – but JUST THIS ONCE I have to share our trip to the vet this week with three of them!  Two of them complained endlessly – but it was still lots of fun!  🙂  It always AMAZES me how loud those little critters can be when they have an opinion to share!

Midnight SHEDS when she gets distressed!!!!

 Oreo Cookie (Yes that is really her name – don’t all of your pets have middle names too?)  did not complain even once  – in fact she had fun!  I think we should change her name to KITTY PERRY – her first hit could be “I KISSED A DOG….”  Ok – I just did that to make my DD roll her eyes.  (I didn’t REALLY think it was that funny – REALLY!)

I kissed a dog!

Grandangel Sarah comforts Hannah Fay

Hannah Fay thinks that she can HIDE from the vet!

Grandangel Leanna helped too!

 Hannah Fay weighed 8 pounds, Midnight weighed 14 and Oreo weighed 12 – and next time I will make sure that they all travel in SEPARATE CRATES – that was a heavy party for sure!

And while we are speaking about parties – I just had to share the cast of the movie party (and in case you must MIGHT be wondering why I took a picture of the girls in the shower – I will tell you…..it was REALLY THE ONLY PLACE where the LIGHT WAS JUST RIGHT……and ANOTHER THING – it was NOT my idea to take the picture – I am just saying………)

Leanna, Sarah, Kenzie and Kailey

sao’s Crafty Report – Summer 2010

Posted By on August 27, 2010

Do you remember the OLDEN days when you returned to school and the teacher asked you what you did on your summer vacation?  I guess you didn’t have to live in the OLDEN DAYS to remember this!!!

Well, I spent almost two months in Kansas and Missouri – and since I stayed indoors in fancy resorts (University of Kansas Hospital and Lakeview Village – Rehab Center)  I had lots of time to read and do hand work. 

 Here are some of the fruits of my labors….

First – my hand knitted socks – I have decided that my NEXT strategy will be to FIND A TEACHER!  After trying a MULTITUDE of different knitting needles and at least 4 different patterns, I have decided to take a class (hey I am GOING to do this!  I am more determined than ever!)

sao Practiced Knitting and Unraveled SOCKS - 4 times

 Now don’t laugh – but I crocheted a rug out of the plastic newspaper bags that they use in KC, MO.  I figured it would be a good thing to RECYCLE those orange bags and it would be great to put snowy shoes or boots on!  I am not sure which is really side one and side two so I guess that means it is reversible!!!  My mother would have liked this – her favorite color was orange and I had asked that she and Daddy save those bags for me (and they have been saving them since December!)

Newspaper Bag Rug - Side Two

 

 
 
 
 
 

Newspaper Bag Rug - Side One

I FOUND this small beginnings of a quilt top in a stack of fabric that used to belong to my sister-in-law’s mom and sister-in-law and  I decided it would be the PERFECT thing for me to practice my hand quilting on.  SO HERE YOU HAVE IT – my first hand quilted quilt that I gave to Abby!  Abby is SMALL and I figured that she wouldn’t mind my awkward FIRST ATTEMPT at hand quilting a quilt!  And you will notice I took a FARAWAY PICTURE…….for obvious reasons…..LOL

 

Abby's Hand Quilted Quilt

 
 

 

Daddy and Abby

 

 OK – here is a PEEK at my MODA Pumpkins Gone Wild Hand Quilted Wall hanging – close up.  I decided to go with FOLK ART large hand stitches (well, they aren’t that large, really!)…..and I will post a picture of the whole thing when I finish putting the binding on.  (Speaking of BINDING, since I have been home I have sewn the binding on “several” quilts – so my binding chair is full.  I am going to post a picture when the chair is EMPTY!  YEAH!)

Close up of PUMPKINS GONE WILD hand quilting

And now for some HAPPY ENDINGS.  I gave Jan, my CA daughter, her lap quilt – MAIN STREET HOUSES!  I hope she enjoys snuggling under it – if she EVER HAS TIME TO SIT DOWN!!!  🙂

Main Street Houses for Jan

 

I also gave Jan her BIRTH OF A SAMPLER QUILT.  I made it for her originally but then figured it was presumptious of me to give someone a LARGE QUILT like that without asking if they WANTED it or without giving them a choice in colors or patterns.  So I gave her the small lap quilt instead and SHOWED HER the Birth of a Sampler.  She LIKED IT and so both quilts found a good home with Jan in Newport Beach, CA!  Sherry Whitford – designer of the quilt – has yet another fan!  (Oreo, the cat, had to have one last cuddle on the quilt before it went away!)  I told Jan that this was a very special quilt because I would probably never choose to have that much fun again – hence this could be my ONLY quilt with a bargello border.  AND YES, IT WAS FUN – the first time!  :):)

Jan with Birth of a Sampler Quilt

 

And finally, Grandangel Brennan graduated from USC this spring and he got my MODA SELVAGES QUILT for a graduation present!

Brennan with Moda Selvages Quilt

Happy Graduation Brennan – I am proud of you!

Happy USC Graduation Brennan

HAPPILY EVER AFTER…

Finally – I decided that with 17 grandangels that I should start making baby afghans for my great grandangels……….hey, Brennan is 23 and I probably don’t have that many years before this generation starts to multiply.  I order the Pineapple Afghan booklet (the one that Subee used) and started making my first one – blue.    I think I made Jan a bit NERVOUS but I assured her that I didn’t know anything that she didn’t know…….but if I get a BOY GREAT GRANDANGEL soon no one will ever believe my innocence.

Stay tuned for a picture………….

 

OH YES – I did do one more thing – I was actually going to set up a little sewing center while I was in KC  – but this potholder is all that I made.

sao's Potholder

I  made this wonky potholder with a borrowed sewing machine – it hadn’t been used for a number of years and I think it needed some lubrication – or something…..oh what a difference a great sewing machine makes!  So this potholder ended my machine work while I was out of VA!  I was all ready to work on Marge’s summer mystery quilt too but decided to wait until I got home to my beloved BROTHER SEWING MACHINE  (the mystery quilt is now on my to do list!)   
In case you might be wondering the potholder is one of the blocks from Bonnie Hunter’s Carolina Crossroads Mystery quilt.  I was making my SECOND one when I left for Missouri so the pattern was FRESH in my mind and I used it to TRY OUT the sewing machine!

Visitors From Far and Wide – JBA – Summer 2010

Posted By on August 27, 2010

Today is a BIG DAY – my daddy is returning home after ALMOST TWO MONTHS at the University of Kansas Hospital and Lakeview Village where he spent time HEALING from a total hip replacement.

As a welcome home surprise I decided to post  pictures of SOME of the visitors that my Daddy had while he was recuperating! 

 

 

Long In Coming SAO Report

Posted By on August 27, 2010

I have returned to VA  after an unexpected EXTENDED journey.   While visiting in Kansas City, my daddy fell and broke his hip – he had a full hip replacement and the outcome has been miraculous – to say the least.

But let me start at the beginning.  Catherine went to Independence to visit her mom and sister on the same flight that I went on  – so the trip started out with a “gourmet airport breakfast.”  So far so good…..

Breakfast at the airport

We even managed a few giggles (sorry the camera was shaking hence the blurry picture) as we enjoyed the fashion parade.  Don’t you just love to people watch.  I actually admire people who are creative and who are not afraid to do their own thing – fashionwise.  If you combine a sport jacket with summer wear – you are halfway ready for a multitude of actitivities!

Fashion Statement

 Once I got to Kansas City, I made cookies for my daddy.  They weren’t very good – actually – I think it might have been because I forgot to put in the baking soda – or was it baking powder?  Let’s just say they were DENSE!

sao's CREATIVE COOKIES

 The RED jello, WHITE Cool Whip and BLUE BERRIES that we made for the 4th of July did kind of help my reputation in the kitchen – but then my daddy made the jello and it would have been hard for me to mess up the Cool Whip and the blueberries….LOL (in case you didn’t know, I am not known for my culinary skills!)

 

Fourth of July Dessert

 

The homemade soup was – well – I didn’t eat much – and Daddy made his “BETTER” with my homemade biscuit slathered with JELLY which he put right in the middle of his soup!  TOO FUNNY!

Soup?

Ok – so much for the cooking – I did manage to PAINT a dog with my nail polish after Daddy glued “CLEO” together again.  POP QUIZ:  Does anyone remember the US President who picked his dogs up by their ears?  Well, I picked up this CHINA DOG by his ears and one of the ears came off!  Can you believe that my Mary Kay nail polish was the perfect color for the repair (and btw, Mary Kay nail polish is my favorite!)

Glue - sao's MARY KAY NAIL POLISH - Cleo is ALL BETTER!

Now that I have entertained you with my FIX IT and my COOKING SHOW – I also had an adventure.  A mommy frog fell into the downstairs window well – AND HAD at least four tiny babies…….Daddy and I tried to stage a rescue but they were hopping around so fast that we turned the rescue mission over to my brother, Fred!

Frog on the edge of the mop

 

Tiny Baby Frog

 Rescue mission comes to a close – the frogs were too fast!

Daddy is pretty FRISKY - before the fall!

THEN – Daddy fell and ended up having a total hip replacement.   At age 88 recuperating from THAT was quite an accomplishment.  IN FACT,  I never KNEW how painful and difficult recovery from a broken hip really was.  Daddy has had a LONG JOURNEY – he has endured unimaginable pain and has accomplished HOURS AND HOURS of OT and PT!  He had visits from almost everyone in the family who came from Far and Wide to cheer him up!

Here he is at the University of Kansas Hospital “wearing”  KU pjs delivered by my brother Jim!

Daddy with his KU PJs

My Tomatoes, My Keys and TTFN

Posted By on June 28, 2010

For the longest time I have wanted to grow tomatos…..but something always happens!  Disease….Bugs….Birds…..

So when I saw the TOPSY TURVY Tomato Planter advertised on TV I KNEW that I wanted one.  As luck would have it, my daughter asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day – and I had my answer ready! 

It is hanging from my deck.   Already I have three green tomatos on my vine!  My DH and I have been giving it 3 quarts of water EVERY DAY and  I am so pleased to have a crop….a REAL CROP and not the kind you grow on some of the computer games with farms and frontiers.

 

The second thing that I wanted to share was my KEYCHAIN.  This has grown longer and heavier over the years.  When I taught at the University in CA at night, I carried this keychain as I walked across the dark campus to get to my car  – it was a great weapon (lest you think I USED TO BE WEIRD – let me assure you that it wasn’t always this LONG – and no I didn’t put the key into my ignition with all of these toys on the key chain!)

My grandangels used to play with this when they were riding in my car/ or van.  I kept it  in the back seat of ROSEBUD, DAISY, and even MRS. MISTOPHELES…….the grandangels could be entertained for long periods of time playing with the puzzles, the whistles, and the multitude of interesting “THINGS.”  The KEY CHAIN now hangs in my closet!  Maybe my GREAT GRANDANGELS will play with it one day!  🙂

sao's key chain

 

And now the TTFN part…..I am leaving for Kansas City in the morning to be with my family.

Hannah is napping on my suitcase!

  I will be back mid July.  Until then, my blog is on vacation.  🙂

 

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Fabricaholics Webring

Home/Join| List| Next| Previous|

alt-webring.com


Mystery Quilters

Home/Join | List | Next | Previous | Random

alt-webring.com