The Quilt Shop Quilt at the Quilt show- Quite a Quilt!!

Well, I promised you a quilt and I must deliver. I think I was misleading yesterday, when I said I did not have pictures of any redwork. This quilt is redwork. I liked it because there was so much to look at. I got a shot of every room. I am not a Sunbonnet Sue fan, and these characters do resemble that style, but I was impressed with the work and the different rooms.
It reminded me of a doll house.









Hope you enjoyed!! It really is so much more vibrant and detailed in person. As you can see, it won a ribbon.

The quilt show

My friend Katie and I went to the quilt show again this year. It is an annual tradition that we have created and we had a great time once again. Unfortunately we missed our third wheel, Peggy; but I am sure she will be back with us next year. We usually go on Thursday of the quilt show, but I was unable to get the day off, so we ended up going on Saturday instead. We were afraid it would be really busy, but it wasn't too bad. We got a parking place right in front of the convention center. I did have to run out and feed the meter a couple of times, but the space was so awesome that it was well worth it and I certainly didn't have to go far.

I am always so blown away by the beauty of the quilts and the variety of styles, from traditional to picture quilts, to art quilts to mini quilts and on and on. The focus this year was quilts with red work on them. Basically it is just red embroidery on a red focused quilt. They are pretty awesome. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car and didn't get it until I went back to feed the meter, so my pictures are limited. I didn't get any of the redwork quilts, but do have a few others to share with you. Aren't they amazing!?!?

I must include a winter quilt every year. They are one of my favorites.

Another favorite quilt will be on my blog tomorrow. It is one that has lots of parts that I took separate pictures off. See you tomorrow!!!

The Secret Life of Bees

I was feeling a bit under the weather this afternoon, nothing serious, just a little headache. But my point is that even not feeling good can have its pleasures. I decided to go out and sit out on the steps for some fresh air. The front of the house is cooler in the evening, because the sun sets behind the house. I took a book with me, thinking that I might read a bit. Well, if you get headaches, you know that reading and headaches just don't go together, so I just sat on the step and enjoyed the peace. Right beside the steps and along the short little walk, we have lavendar growing and it really is quite beautiful. The fragrance is wonderful and when it gets stepped on or driven over, it really wafts into the air. Lavendar attracts bees and I noticed that there were probably around 15 bees buzzing around the lavendar. It occurred to me that, being so close, I may be able to get pictures of them. So into the house I went for my camera. I got some shots, but those little stinkers move fast and my camera takes forever to process a shot (3 seconds). They really are amazing little creatures and I wanted to share my shots with you.

An entrpreneur making flip flops

Who doesn't love flip flops!?!?!?!?!? Everyone must surely love flip flops (especially my Carrie). I was browsing my favorite blogs (one of my favorite things to do) and I happened across a blog that I regularly visit that was showcasing a lady who made a business out of the manufacture of flip flops. The secret of her success is that there are interchangeable straps. I went to her site to check them out and they are really pretty cool; and reasonably priced too (around $12).

Her name is Lindsay Phillips and her story is on the Felicia Sullivan blog. You can go to her site from that blog or from here straight to Switchflops. Her variety is extensive and there is bound to be at least one design that appeals to everyone. Be sure to drag the scroll bar to see them all.

I know the last two posts have been on footwear. It is totally coincidence. OR....... I'm totally into shoes lately. I can't decide!

Yee Haw - New Shoes

I haven't gotten a new pair of shoes in several years. I needed some work shoes/sandals that were comfortable, casual (as in business casual) and of course, cool looking. Now dress codes have loosened significantly in the last few years. We can wear capri's and sandals anytime and jeans on Friday. We can wear jeans every day if we pay for it (benefitting charity). I am all about charity, but I have other pants I can wear four days a week and enjoy jeans more on Friday.

I can remember (and this will certainly date me) when socks (preferably hose) were required, even if you were wearing long pants. Never any jeans, no cleavage, and a host of other rules. But honey, you should see these girls today. I love the casual atmosphere and would hate to go back to business attire, but these girls absolutely push it past all common sense. I swear you would not believe some of the girls walking around our building at work. I sound like an old lady don't I?

Anyhow, I found the greatest shoes. They are made by Skecher and they have tennis shoe bottoms. They have been around for several years and I am sure you have seen similar ones, but I just loved these. I had to buy them because I had a really crummy day at work, so my therapy was going shopping. Leon is playing golf, so I came home, fed the cats, emptied the dishwasher and took off again. It was great. I just strolled around and finally found these shoes. I love them and they really feel pretty much like tennis shoes.

Now we'll see if they can last all day tomorrow (you know how the first day with new shoes is!).

Fresh Raspberries - Before and After

***BEFORE


Leon got such a deal at the grocery store the other day. Raspberries for $1 a pint. What a deal!! They are usually $3-$4 a pint. So of course he grabbed 4 pints. Now the responsibility falls to me. What to do with them? We could eat them plain and raw - that would certainly be the healthiest; but what fun is that? So I googled raspberry recipes and came up with a crumble that had apples in it. Now Leon loves apples and loves raspberries, so I knew this was the one. Here is the recipe in case you find a deal on raspberries too. By the way, the raspberries we got were from Kroger. I don't know if all of their specials are the same everywhere, but you never know.

Apple Raspberry Crumble
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 10 oz. package frozen raspberries (obviously I used fresh and it turned out fine)
1 C all purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter (ouch!)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Arrange apples in buttered 8x8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Sprinkle raspberries over apples. Mix flour and sugar in bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit. Bake at 375 degreens for 25 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream (we just ate ours plain)

***AFTER