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Mamacita, Mere, Mutter, Mommy, Mana, Mater, Makuahine......to ALL you nurturers out there

40 Earth Days

I actually do remember the very first Earth Day, April 22nd, 1970.    I was teaching at a small elementary school and my dear, dear friend (who passed away in 1989 from breast cancer) was the catalyst for a big celebration at our school.   We planted a tree and did a lot of ecology-related projects with our students.   We drew pictures of ways we could help the earth.   We sang songs about the earth and read poems exalting our planet.   It was such a hopeful joyous day.   I wish we had come farther in taking care of our environment since 1970.

I try every year to add one more thing to the list of ways to live "green" and purchased the book  Do One Green Thing by Mindy Pennybacker  It is a wonderful book chock full of practices that are better for your health, better for the planet, and better for social justice.   This year's "one more thing" will be to strive to eat more locally grown organic produce and to support local sustainable farming.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Easter!

May your Easter be full of promise and lots of chocolate bunnies.

Guess Who Came To Dinner

And this is no April Fool's joke!!    Yesterday evening DH and I were sitting in the living room when all of a sudden, he jumped up and ran for the binoculars.   "There's a great horned owl sitting in the tree out there!" he exclaimed.   Hmmm...I was skeptical.   Even though we do hear hooting from the woods that lie behind our house, I always assumed they were smallish guys.   But, no.   I immediately shagged this photo off the internet from a nature site so we could verify his coloring and habitat range.   Sure enough, he is our neighbor!   Isn't he gorgeous?   Soon three crows flew onto nearby branches.   We really didn't want to see a war between these feathered friends and luckily, they just engaged in a staredown for about 20 minutes.  Of course, I then began to worry about what he would choose for his prey.   The fish in our pond?   The frisky rabbits that are hopping down the bunny trail?   My croakity frog buddy?   I think I am better off not knowing.    After all, an owl has to eat too.   And Rocky and Natasha were reminded, once again, that they are forever house cats!

Happy First Day of Spring?????

Well, didn’t the Vernal Equinox just dump a load of stuff on Kansas City!!!!

We went from mid 60s and gorgeous yesterday to 30 degrees and THIS this morning. Guess I won’t be hosting any luncheons on the deck today. Bummer! (No, I wasn’t really going to do that.) Looks like we got between 3 to 4 inches of the white—with possibly more on the way. Hmmm…just when you thought it was safe to come out in the weather.

Oh, well, a perfect day to stay inside in the comfy sweats and read the new book:

A Borders coupon was “burning a hole in my pocket” (as my mom used to say) and I found so many great uses for it, but settled on this one. So glad I did! A bonus one-year subscription to Country Living magazine was included in the price of the book!!! I have followed these gals (Serena and Teri) on their blog for a while now and love all their homey touches and great recipes. It’s good to see bloggers “make it big”!!! Apparently, Teri has now retired and Serena is writing the blog on her own.

A coupla cutesy ideas from the book:

Off to the couch with my cuppa and new book! Hope your 1st Day of Spring looks a little better…

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Loneliest Sewing Room In Town

If the Maytag repairman took care of my sewing room instead of washing machines, believe me, he’d be plenty busy!!!

I just don’t get in there like I used to. However, this morning I braved the elements and tiptoed in. Nothing fell on me so maybe it is still habitable!

Or NOT!!!!

A few items needing my—ahem—attention:

materials for the last Tisket Tasket block (yes, it was the 2009 BOM from Bunny Hill!!!)

fabric for

a baby quilt…baby due April 22nd (no idea what I’m going to do with this piece!!!) But isn’t it adorable?

fabric to make a drawstring bag for new baby’s big brother who is two and a half and LOVES matchbox cars. This should make a handy grab-and-go holder for the cars.

towels and potholders to make hanging kitchen towels. These will be thank-you gifts for the friends who treated us so well in Mesa. Before I can stitch them up, I need to embroider something on the hotpads.

Yes, I do have my work cut out for me. And you’d think I’d be upstairs chained to the sewing machine right now. But you’d be wrong! I’m on the computer getting ready to order yet another project pattern:

This just rocked my world when I saw it on a wonderful blog (new to me) Notforgotten Farm .

I know, I know, this is a sickness. SEND HELP!!!

Bunnies In Stitches

Wow, would you look at that speeding calendar!!

March 14…..Daylight Savings Time begins

March 17…..St. Paddy’s Day

March 20…..First Day of Spring

and…..

April 4…..Easter!!!!!

Is it just me or is time getting away?

Starting to pull out spring/Easter decor. First out were the bunnies in stitches:

Today’s task will be to dig through boxes for more.

Here’s a wonderful recipe for brussels sprouts for people who don’t like brussels sprouts—even DH liked this one!

Of course, as he would say, “Everything’s better with bacon in it!”

5 pieces bacon, cut up and fried. Drain on paper towels and reserve drippings in the skillet.

1 pound brussels sprouts (cut in half) Saute the sprouts in the hot bacon grease, till crisp—about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and cook till broth boils. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Uncover and cook till broth is gone, then add 1/2 cup cream. Stir till cream covers sprouts on medium heat. Remove from heat and mix in 1 t. black pepper and the bacon. Mmmmmm…mmmm!

Ain’t It Great To Be Back Home Again…

A wonderful trip was had to Arizona to visit with dear friends. As much fun as it was, it’s always great to be back home to pamper your pets and sleep in your own bed.

Love, love, love those Southwest cacti and succulents. Just a few…

…and of course, my ole’ pal Saguaro

Side trips abounded. Saw the new (and scary-looking) bridge at Hoover Dam.

A quick stop at White Sands National Monument…

with lots of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets to boot.

This little vacation was just what we needed!

A Sea of “C’s”

It seems that I have been hanging out with a lot of “C” things lately!

…Candy

Russell Stover chocolates. Mmmmm….a Kansas City legend.

…Chickens In The Road

A new (to me) blog that is just wonderful! Go here and see for yourself. But, be warned…you’ll spend lots of time there with recipes, farm life, goats and chickens, craft projects, and just plain fun!!

…Crochet

There’s very little that relaxes me more than a repetitive crochet project, especially if it’s Cheap and Cheerful!! Little dishcloths are a good way to try out edge stitches and pattern repeats for larger projects. And they work up so-o-o fast!

…Competition

We’ve been overdosing on the Olympics. Vancouver is so beautiful and I especially enjoy Apolo Ohno. Oh, and the polar bears at Churchill!

…Color

Beautiful flowers from a son. There’s a story but it can’t be told here!

…Cats

Rocky seems to be thinking, “She can have the flowers. Just let me have the paper!”

…Cold

Kansas City temperatures…enough said!

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

February Arrives

No, I didn't make this wonderful quilt but it has always been a favorite of mine.    Thank you, Google Image Search!!!!    It has just the right flavor for February.   Not too bright, not too mushy.   Maybe someday I'll get around to making it.

February....what is there to say about February?   Here in KC  we're still having lots of gray.    The good news is that we're taking off in a couple of weeks for Arizona---the epitome of "not gray"!    Can't wait.   Tomorrow the ground hog makes his official proclamation about gray.    Six more weeks of it or spring just around the corner?   Fingers crossed.   Although, my son who is a meteorologist says, "doesn't matter what the ground hog says, we're having six more weeks of winter!"    Hmmmmm....we'll see who is right LOL!   Happy February!

It’s Here! 2010 KC Star BOM!!!

This morning’s paper brought a delightful surprise!   A folk-arty, primitive style of quilt for the annual block-of-the-month, Across the Wide Missouri.   And the bonus—it is a quilt reflecting life on the frontier!   What could be better?  It is a charming quilt with lots of history of my native state thrown in.   The first installment features a short story of Luzena Stanley Wilson whose husband had caught “gold fever” and packed up his family in 1849 to head west for Sacramento, California.  The treacherous trip took three months and Luzena discovered much more than gold…..

The designers of this wonderful quilt are Edie McGinnis and Jan Patek, two area favorites.   Here is the first very prim block, with the one on the left by Edie and the one on the right by Jan.

 Looks like a good way to charge through "the winter that won’t quit" here in Kansas City! 

Another great way to weather out the winter?

 

Build a snowman!!!!  Neighbors across the street constructed this amazing Snoopy Snowman in their front yard.   Isn’t he just the most darling snowman EVER??!!!   Love him!

Or-r-r,  there is still another way to fight the winter blahs around here:

Natasha In Repose

 

Rocky Following Suit

It’s a cat’s life……sigh.

A Little Review of 2009 Book Reading...

Many quilt bloggers are posting photos of their quilting accomplishments at this time of year.   Since I don't have much to brag about along those lines (sniff sniff), I decided to reminisce about something I have done a lot of in 2009!!!   I am an avid reader and really gave into it this year.    Reading, for me, is such escapism.   I didn't keep track of exactly how many books I completed during the year, but did keep a log of the ones I really liked on goodreads. 

These are a few of my favorites (not in any particular order):

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan chronicled various families during the Dust Bowl of the 30s.   Fascinating to read of all that we learned as a country during this trying time.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett was an engrossing read of life in the 60s South and how domestic help was being treated and a plan of one woman to expose it, even though it was a very dangerous idea.

What a walk down memory lane The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan was!  During my childhood days, advertising jingles were all the rage and people all over the country entered contests with their cutesy little ditties.   In the heroine's case in this book, though, it was survival to win money and prizes to keep her family afloat due to an alcoholic husband who tended to drink up his salary!  Very heartwarming. 

A different way to think about history is always fun for me.   In The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, the author posits "what if there really were witches in Salem in the 1600s???"    Very intriguing.

Over the Rainbeau by Schwartz, Hausman and Sabath was just sheer dreaminess for me.   My secret fantasy (I can hear my husband laughing at this one!!!!) is to raise goats and make my own goat cheese.  Lofty, huh?   In this book  Lisa Schwartz recalls her journey of leaving a job as a management consultant and becoming a goat farmer and cheesemaker.  Wonderful read about the trials, tribulations and rewards.

I loved reading about Julia Child's recollections of her life in France during mid-century.   I so want to go to France so this was right up my alley!    Her descriptions of Paris and other regions and her tough ride at the Cordon Bleu were so interesting.   My Life in France which Julia co-wrote with her husband's nephew, Alex Prudhomme, was one of the two books that the movie, "Julie and Julia", was based on.   

Something kinda different, The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett, was a great reminder that life is not always what it seems to be.

While I wasn't as enthralled by Dan Brown's latest, The Lost Symbol as his DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons, I still enjoyed it very much and will anticipate the movie with good ol' Tom Hanks as the symbologist!!

Another depression-era tale (I sorta got obsessed with 'em and even re-read Grapes of Wrath) I adored this book of simpler times and making do.   Recalling her childhood in the harshness of 30s Iowa, the author brought to life what it was like growing up without modern conveniences yet still having a rich life.

The other book that the movie "Julie & Julia" was based on, Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, was just fantastic!  I was attracted to it initially because Powell was a blogger!   She had decided to make all the recipes in Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and then blog about them--all in one year's time.  Ups and downs, marriage problems, career problems...all  a fun peek into someone else's life.

This one, recommended to me by my sis, was so touching.   Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was a reminder of the injustices done to Japanese-Americans during World War II, with a beautiful love story woven in.

A few years ago I read Jeannette Wall's amazing story of overcoming an abusive and neglectful childhood, A Glass Castle, and still to this day haven't quite gotten it out of my mind.   When her new book, Half Broke Horses was released, I couldn't wait to get to Borders with my trusty coupon!   The book did not disappoint.  It chronicles Wall's grandmother who was way ahead of her time and was a pure example of the can-do spirit!

Just for something a little different, I read Freakonomics by Levitt & Dubner.   An entertaining view from an economist on how everything from cheating on tests to crack gangs' business dealings to the inner workings of the Ku Klux Klan are connected--incentives!    A good mind opener.

Looking for that next great book, KC Quilter.