NancyNoBlogBlogs

Beginning of a New Year

Today marks the beginning of the last year in my 40s.  Yikes!  It started out pretty great.  My friends at work had a wonderful breakfast -

Calorie central - maple cake, pumpkin bread, breakfast casserole, buttermilk pie, coffee cake muffins.  My co-workers can definitely put on a great spread.

Then at about 10 these arrived from the attorney that I work for Lisa.  She is incredibly smart and I really admire her.  Are these not gorgeous?

 

Jeff picked me up at the train station and took me to dinner.  He's such a wonderful husband and I am a lucky woman. 

So to end my birthday I came home to two boxes of gifties from Missouri.  They actually arrived on Friday but they sat in the other room unopened.  Sharon of Redgeraniumcottage fame sent me some great gifties -

 A couple of books I don't have.  How cool is this.  I love doing stitcheries but hate drawing them out.  So she drew out a cute stitchery for me.  I could cry:)

 

The thing I love to do next to quilting is cross-stitching.  She sent me some of the cutest things.  Look at this tiny little kit -

It was hard to get a good picture but its a cute little witch cross stitch with a tiny little moon button. 

There was a bracelet, necklace charm, wool bag

An adorable bag that she made, a tea cup and another cross-stitch kit complete with baby scissors.

 
  
and then at the very bottom a Wizard of Oz book mark.  The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie.

And then in the second box (I know she's out of control) - food from Missouri.  What no road kill?  She knows what I'm talking about.

Thank you Sharon so much for all the birthday gifties!  I had a great birthday.
 

Birthdays Birthdays

Well its that time again - tomorrow Tammy and are going to be 29.  We were at Country Loft taking the Halloween Cat class.  Tammy's is finished and mine - has no tail, shoes or hair so no mine isn't done.

Yesterday I met Deb for my birthday lunch at P.F. Changs.  I love P.F. Chang's desert shots.  Perfect little treats.

 
 Awesome birthday gifts from the grandma-to-be  

 
 
Deb also was at Martha Stewart's book signing and picked up a autographed copy for me. That's Deb behind the book - not Martha. 

Here she is again with my other new cookbook.

 

Yup the Pioneer Woman's cookbook.  I knew that her cookbook was coming out but didn't realize it was already out.  I opened the book and I couldn't believe that the first recipe was

Oh no - not the dreaded jalepeno poppers.  I made these for the 4th of July without gloves on.  My hands were in major pain for hours and I mean hours.  The poppers were delicious but next time I make them, and yes I will make them again, I am going to double glove my hands! 

Today I decided to make one of the dishes in the Pioneer Woman's new book.  So I decided on the chicken pasta.  Here is mine out of the oven.  Looks like the picture in book.  Delish! 

I was going to try a desert but when I was at the store I found these instead

 
OMG - not only is everything better on a Ritz but if it is completely dipped in chocolate - need I say more.  I've had five and why are they a limited edition?  I'm going back by the store to pick up a few more boxes.

I also went by the local quilt shop and picked up a new book.

 Cute, cute!  I want to make almost everything in this book. 

Well that's it for me.  I'm exhausted.  Afer all, a woman my age should be throwing her teeth in a glass and going to sleep at 8 not 9. 

Happy Birthday Tammy:)

 
 

   

I LOVE PARIS

No not Paris Hilton or Paris, Texas but THE PARIS as in Paris, France.  On August 28 Jeff and I left Ontario, California for Dallas.  We left Dallas in the afternoon and when I woke up August 29 we were in Paris, France.  We arrived at Charles DeGalle airport and after finding our luggage we took the train into Paris.  We had rented an apartment on Ille St. Louise.  We had to walk by Notre Dame to get there. Jeff took 3,300 pictures.  That's right your read it right THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED.  We were in France for 14 days but that's still alot of pictures.  No you don't have to suffer through them.  I'll just pick out the best. 

 

 
For the most part we had very nice weather.  This is the street for our apartment.   

 

There is a bakery on the bottom floor of our apartment building.  Every morning I would wake up to the smell of amazing pasteries and breads.  Good thing we had to walk up six flights of stairs every day.  No lift (elevator) in this building.   

 
It looks like I have never been in a bakery before.  Actually, I think I am trying to figure out how to ask for a pastery.  I speak no french and here I am where they speak very little English. 

Up to the apartment.  The stairs were narrow and not very well lit but who is going to complain.  Here is our little table in the living room.  Yes we had to drag that luggage up those stairs. 

 After we unloaded all the luggage and took a nap we were back out on the streets.  This is the crowd at Notre Dame.  No matter what time we walked by there was a crowd.  It was such a nice day.  

    This was a slushy thing that was very good. 
 
 

This is the outside cafe where we decided to have dinner.  Its on the corner of our street.
 

Notre Dame at night is just spectacular!

 

See look at all those people but who can blame them.  
 

Well only 3,287 pictures to look through - just kidding.  I'll do it and find some more good ones.  Aren't these just great though.  Au Revoir for tonight.   

  
  

The Witch is Back

 I think she was on my blog last year at Halloween.  What did you think?  The fact that I haven't blogged in months.  That I am a witch?  Well my knees probably look like this little witches but I would never let my toenails go black - ick! 

I felt that I needed to start blogging so I could show the cute little Halloween treats from Sharon and Deb.

When I got home from my vacation there was a box on my desk at work.  Here is what was inside - all the way from Missouri. 

I love Lori Mitchell -

 
Aren't they cute and this cute little candle dish -

And she knows how much I love little kitties -

Not the best picture but such a sweet gift and speaking of kitties -

Isn't she adorable she even has little toes.  Deb made her for me.  She has a friend that Deb made Sharon and me last Halloween. 

 
Aren't they hilarious!  Deb is so talented.  She has all three of her dogs in Halloween costumes.  Go check out her blog. 

Happy Halloween.  Don't eat all your left over candy!

 

Long Beach Part Deux

Here is what is inside that cute little bag from American Jane.

 

I know you can't see everything.  Here are some better pictures.  I love snowmen quilts.  Both are kits that I bought from Primitive Gatherings.  They had a great booth.

 

The name of this little wool pic is called Rudolph's Express by Karen Lamp. 

 

A couple of stitcheries -

 

 

You need to sit down in order to look at the next pictures.  It was my big purchase of the show.  In fact, I should probably save it for tomorrow but I won't.  Ready -

Is this not a thing of beauty!  Valdani varigated threads.  When I opened the lid I am pretty sure I heard angels sing. 

That's all from that store.  I still have more pictures.  There were a bunch of great shops.

Long Beach Quilt Show

Last year, I worked for my friend at her booth at the Long Beach Quilt Show.  Never again will I do that.  I have a full time job so working all week then working all weekend with crazy quilters and then working the following week was just too much.  This year I opted to only go on Saturday and be one of the crazy quilters. 

 

What is this guy doing with a megaphone?  I would have a heart attack if he shouted into that thing.

 

Here are the masses waiting to get in.

 

Here in a crowd of women waiting for the quilt convention to open is a man sitting in the middle.  What a very brave man.  I couldn't even get a good picture for all the women standing around.

Here we are waiting. Open Open Open.

 

These women have been sewing so much that spools are popping out of their heads.  That's some major sewing.

 

Finally down the stairs and we are off.  The first booth we stopped at had this magnet.  I meant to go back and get it as these are some of the words I live by.

 

Cute shop. 

 

I love the Crazy Eight and the polka dots from Sandy Gervais.

That's it for tonight.  I have more pictures for tomorrow.  In fact, here is my bag with all of my purchases. 

Refreshing Summer Cake

I remember my mom baking this yummy cake during the summer.  The picture doen't really show the color but it is a lemon lime color hence the name of the cake.  Lemon Lime cake.  The recipe is down at the bottom.  I thought about putting a picture of a piece of the cake on a pretty plate but I decided to just show the two little pieces that are left.  When I took the lid off the pan, the lemony smell was just amazing so I of course had to have a few bites.

In 1987 my mom put together a recipe book for me.  I always thought she had the prettiest handwriting and she painstakenly put her recipes in this book for me.  It is one of my dearest treasures.

 

Here is the recipe -

1 Pkg Lemon Cake Mix

1 Pkg Lime Jello (small)

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

3/4 c water

Mix together.  Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean.  Pour lemon glaze over pricked cake before it cools.

Glaze - 2 cups confectioner sugar and juice from 2 1/2 lemons.  Delish! 

I picked up one of my cross-stitch pictures from Michaels.  Thank goodness for 60% off coupons.  Framing is expensive.

 

Isn't that little Annie precious.  Deb made her for me.  I love her Pippie Long Stocking Hair.  I love everything about her. 

That's it for tonight.  Jeff wants to load some software on this computer and I am getting the hurry up look.  Now go bake that cake:)

Empty Nesters

Jeff and I are once again empty nesters.   Last Tuesday, we came home and all three baby birdies were gone.  We tried to entice them to stay.  Jeff put together a quick ground condo for night safety.

 

Isn't that cute.  He even got a couple of the babies into the condo to try it out.

 

They probably couldn't wait until we went to work so they could run for their little lives.  We even were willing to throw in health insurance but they weren't up for it.  We have seen the parents in the free bird bath so I am hoping that we will see their babies at some point.  Animals are welcome here.  Our cat Mia would have probably liked to have left with them.  Last week she had to have five teeth pulled.  I have told her time and time again to floss.  Don't worry - she has 25 teeth left and isn't missing any meals.

In addition to trying to help Mother Nature and nursing a sad toothless cat I have been trying to keep up with my Fatquartershop mystery blocks.  Don't you just love this year's fabrics?

  

I loved last year's mystery quilt.  All it needs is the binding.  Don't tell me that you see a mistake in the third block from the right.  Too late now.

 

Thats it for tonight.

Bird Drama

A family of scrub jays recently adopted us and have been living in our tree.  We didn't know until recently how many babies were up in the nest.  There are three babies. Jeff was sitting outside this morning and looked down on the ground and saw one of the babies on the concrete.  There was another one up on the ground.  We didn't want to touch either of them because we had always heard not to touch wild animals or their mothers would reject them.  We decided to call the only bird expert we know.  Deb has a pet bird and has more than one nest in her back yard.  She told us that we could touch them which is what we did.  Jeff had to chase it a little bit but he picked it up and put it with its sibling.  We have seen both parents feeding both of them.  There is another one that has made its way out of the nest and has been slowly moving down the tree.  They are so darn cute.

 Aren't they cute!

 

 

Here is one of the parents

  

Piper is exhausted from watching us go in and out to check on the family.

 

I want Jeff to build one of these for the next family that decides to adopt us.

 

The Southern California Quilt Run started this weekend and my friends Pat, Maryanne and I hit a couple of shops.  We went here first and along with my bird theme here is a picture of the little kit Cheryl made up.  Cute needle keep.

Here is What I Did

over the 4th of July weekend.  I finished this Figtree quilt.

 

and I finished the monthly mini quilt from the Temecula Quilt Company. 

 

This picture makes it look like a big quilt but it is actually small.  I made it under two hours.

The biggest event of the weekend was having our friends Barbara and Todd and their kids over.  I decided I wanted to make these appetizers that I had seen at Pioneer Woman's site.

 

 

Don't these look delicious.  They were but there was a problem.  I have chopped up jalapenos many times before but never this many.  Apparently, the oil in 20 jalapenos seeped into my skin.  My fingers on both hands were on fire for literally hours.  I tried soaking them in milk, oil, putting on aloe vera lotion but in the end I had to keep my hands in ice baths for most of the night.  It was a nightmare.  I did take my hands out of the ice water to slip on leather gloves for the big Harley ride.  We didn't go very far and yes

 

I had on a helmet

 

We just went down the hill and down the street then back up the hill.  At one point Todd turned around and told me to breathe.  Thank goodness he couldn't hear the internal screaming.  Next time I won't be wearing flip flops.  I completely forgot about my flaming hands and was a little concerned about my feet getting burned.  It was terrifying but kinda fun.  Jeff can have a Harley if he has personalized plates that say "quilter".  Wouldn't that be funny?  I'm thinkin Jeff would probably say no.

We have a pair of scrub jays that have a nest in a tree in our backyard.  They have taken to tormenting Mia.  That bird looks pretty brave.