Barbara's Blog of Randomness
Life is "trying things to see if they work." - Ray Bradbury
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Why I don't call her cute
Shortly there after, I looked over and there was Lilly, playing with her ducky. And that's why I don't call her "cute".
The Quilt I 'won'
Here it is exactly 1 month after I received the blocks, and I finished. I know that many people could have done MUCH better than this, and I toyed with going more complex, but in the end I really liked the simplicity of this design. I added about three of my own squares to even it out, but the rest are from Ariane's great blocks.
While I was sewing, someone laid claim to the quilt as his own. He would seriously get mad at me when I went to work on it. He preferred it to just be his snuggle blanket. As soon as it was finished, he no longer wanted anything to do with it.
As you can see it fits on the couch perfectly and looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! I can see my quilting and sewing skills improving each time I make something.**Sorry picture is inside with camera phone, will take a better picture when the sun is out.
Monday, August 17, 2009
A canning we will go...
Since this canning fiesta, I have also made batches of tomato sauce, but chose to freeze them instead.
Summer Reading
1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
3. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
4. Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
10. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
11. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
12. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
13. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
14. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
15. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
16. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
17. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
18. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
19. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
20. Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
21. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
22. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
23. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
24. The World According to Garp, by John Irving
25. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
26. The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy
27. Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel
28. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
29. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
30. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
31. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
32. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
33. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
34. Beach Music, by Pat Conroy
35. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
36. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
37. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
38. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
39. The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough
40. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon
41. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
42. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
43. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice
44. Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier
45. Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
46. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
47. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
48. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, by Tom Robbins
49. I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb
50. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
51. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
52. The Stand, by Stephen King
53. She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
54. Dune, by Frank Herbert
55. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
56. Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
57. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
58. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
59. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo
60. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
61. Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver
62. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
63. Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner
64. Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
65. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
66. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
67. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
68. Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut
69. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
70. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler
71. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
72. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy
73. Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns
74. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
74. Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe
76. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
77. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
78. The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher
79. Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
80. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
81. Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck
81. The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve
83. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy
84. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
85. The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
86. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
87. One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich
88. Shogun, by James Clavell
89. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
90. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera
91. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow
92. Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
93. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
94. Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
95. Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume
96. The Shining, by Stephen King
97. How Stella Got Her Groove Back, by Terry McMillan
98. Lamb, by Christopher Moore
99. Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaasen
100. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
I have only read about 13 of these books,not very impressive. the funny thing is that I read at least one book a week...every week...for as long as I can remember. I am the most well-read person in my family. In grade school I used to look forward to summer vacation - so I could read. I think part of problem is a lot of these are romances and I don't like romances. Still, makes me think I need to get reading outside of my comfort zone and try some new books. Ho did you do on this list?Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wow, a week already
Meanwhile, this week I helped the older Nephew make "squiggly wigglies". This was something I have seen on the internet, but of course can't remember where. (EDIT - Found the post I saw it on - here). The nephew had great fun making and eating them, I am even told he had to have them again for dinner the next night. I love being the cool aunt. **If your interested the above food is cut up hotdogs with raw spaghetti in it. Then boil until the spag is done. The nice thing about this is Nephew was able to make it himself. He was pleased to eat a dinner he made!
Then we took the boys to the beach later inthe week. The older nephew loved it, but the younger one was not too sure. He had been once last year, but at just over a year old now, I doubt he remembered it. He hated the feel of the sand and it took him a while to decide he liked it. Once he did, he went full hog into the sand and was soon covered from head to toe. Isn't he styling in his suit and hat?
Lastly, wanted to remind everyone about the contest over at SewMeow's. Today is the last day to eneter, I am giving it one more shot....you knows, maybe a birthday gift for me!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
This Weekend
So, as I stated on Friday, no sewing or crafting this past weekend. But lots of fun with family and friends. We had a great time on Saturday, celebrating my brother-in-laws birthday. He actually came down and spent with my family, I do have the cutest nephew ever! They spent some time fishing. My nephew couldn't understand why he didn't catch anything...could it be that he was putting down into 4 inches of water, where he could still see the hook? No matter, they had fun!
Friday, July 10, 2009
...As You Would Do Unto Others
And the day I gave my aunt the gift, she brought this down for me. Isn't it great!?!?! They were cleaning out their garage and came across this. My Aunt had gotten it from a widower whose wife sewed. She was very good and even wrote articles in the local paper. My Aunt had gotten it to give to her mother-in-law, but she passed away and so it sat in their garage. She called me earlier in the week to ask me if I might be interested...heck yeah! She knew I was enjoying sewing, but had no idea I was working on something for her. My current sewing machine - a bottom of the line White. I love her, but she was as nice as I could afford. I am/was still learning things on this one, so the Singer will be a whole new world for me.
Look at all of these great things!
The desk is full of all kinds of goodies, from more feet, to piping to needles!
Look at all the options for stitches. How will I choose? ...And all those feet.
The manuals A fancy button holer...
I am super excited about the monogrammer...we are going to have EVERYTHING monogrammed, down to our undies! Plus there was this extra sewing bin. Look inside...
Threads galore! Many of them are brand new. And lots more feet and needles and bias tape. Soo much stuff! I will have a lot of fun.
Now the sad news....We are having huge amounts of company this weekend (I am supposed to be cooking now), and the machine is relegated to the garage until after everyone leaves. I hear it calling me, cruel fate. Watch out Monday!