Friends

Without my Sew Expo job -- my life is my own. It is an amazing thing. I can do whatever I want...

My women friends have always been important to me but I've been so busy the last coupla years, I wasn't as good a friend as I could have been.  So my mission this summer was to check the pulse of my friendships.   HEY -- people change. They move on. I get that. The hard part is knowing when you should push the NEXT button...

AND -- IT HAS BEEN SUCH A TREAT.  What a joy it has been to plan a catch-up visit once a week with a friend...old or new...

On this stunning summer day -- my friend-catch-up involved a ROAD TRIP!! BONUS...!! I have a wonderful book on tape (and a back-up). I took this picture of John's Hibiscus plant as I was leaving early that morning...

I left Princeton, Iowa -- drove across the Mississippi River -- two hours East on I-80, surrounded by Illinois cornfields...

Yes, that's a necklace hanging from my mirror...I LOVE IT...

My friend Becky was driving WEST from Chicago for two hours -- and we will hook up in DeKalb, Illinois. She told me to meet her in a parking lot of the Schnuck's grocery store -- but GUESS WHAT STORE IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR?? Yippee...I was 20 minutes early. (Yes, there is a God and I'm pretty sure she is a Goodwill shopper.)

Last year, Becky fought her way through a double bout of cancer....and NOW SHE IS DRIVING A CONVERTIBLE...

Neither one of us knew much about DeKalb -- but it didn't take long to find this beautiful park! It was a stunning summer day...all we wanted was a shade tree, a little breeze and some time together...

Becky is THAT GIRL. A lifetime friend...who really knows me and is interested in my life. And vice-versa. We were 18 years old when we met -- and no matter how long we are apart -- the minute we get into the same room -- we pick right up where we left off. She always makes me feel like I amEXACTLY WHAT SHE WAS WISHING FOR that day. She is a wonderful friend -- well-intentioned and kind....and so damned funny!!

If it's true that laughter is nature's best anti-depressant -- we are both good for a coupla months...

We had SO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON. After THREE hours of non-stop talking -- we were starving. We found a WONDERFUL little Thai restaurant right in the middle of town. The soup was amazing...

My friend Marion always says "why would anybody write fiction -- when the truth is so bizarre."...and Becky's story proves that point...here it is....

Becky was raised on a farm in Iowa. When she left for college (she was the youngest)-- her mother left her father and moved to Chicago. Becky's Mom fell in love with and married a man who was 25 years younger than she was. Oh, yeah -- he was black and he used to be a priest.

See what I mean??

It was a brilliant day and I am blessed to have such a wonderful friend....

And if you are lucky enough to have a Becky in your life -- CALL HER RIGHT NOW...!!

Ross and the Barefoot Contessa

Having Ross living here again is, of course, a mixed blessing. After YEARS OF John and I being the only two people in this house -- there is definitely a different rhythm to having a third person. For one thing, it means no more running around the house naked. You can imagine how much that cramps our style...

At first, Ross was surprised by how LITTLE cooking I do. John is diabetic -- and cooking for two people just wasn't much fun. So we often go out to eat. Nowadays -- I spend more time WATCHING cooking shows on television than I spend actually COOKING...

So, the other day, I was watching Ina Garten -- the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Walking through the living room, Ross said, "She is the most pretentious person on television."
OH MY GOD....he is sooo right....when I tried to find a picture of her for this blog post -- there were a ton of these....

And it was interesting that in some pictures, even with the help of Clairol hair coloring -- Ina looks her age...the neck is a dead giveaway....

But in the recent photos -- she has become a big fan of pretentious scarves...YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYBODY, HON...

Anyway -- watching the show the other day -- she is packing up her pretentious lunch to serve to her pretentious gay guy guests. She had a little cellophane bag of homemade potato chips and said, "How easy is this? Homemade potato chips -- but I didn't have to make them myself. My friend makes them and sells them in these charming little bags."

Ross said..."Really? She has her own cooking show and they let her open up a bag of potato chips? My good friend has been making chips for me for years. Frito Lay sells me a giant bag for $2.59..."

Kids & Pictures

One of the BIG THINGS on my list this summer was to get a picture of Warren wearing John's baptism gown. In old Italian families -- the babies always wore long white dresses when they were baptized. Which generally happened before they were a week old...so these dresses are TINY...At 8 months old, we could barely get Warren buttoned into this delicate frock...

But this MATTERED TO ME. Both Ross and Elliott wore this gown...and I have a beautiful professional photograph of Lillian, wearing this intricate cotton batiste dress...so I was delighted when my wonderful professional photographer niece Kelcy was able to schedule a sitting...(she was 9 months pregnant at the time)...

Yes, Warren is a BEAUTIFUL baby. Both Ross and Elliott tell me he will HATE this picture of himself wearing a dress!

Lillian will start Pre-K next week. Hard to believe!! It seems like just yesterday -- SHE was wearing the Farro Christening Gown...

Yep. Gorgeous. Happiest baby EVER...

Lilly HATES having her hair brushed. Kelcy put in this braid -- and I insisted on a photo!

A very rare shot of the two of them.  YIKES....

THIS IS THE PICTURE Emily will thank me for one day!!

Handyman + Shoes = LOVE

So -- Thanks to Oprah -- I UNDERSTAND how John shows love -- HE FIXES THINGS. God knows, there is never any shortage of things in a house that need fixing. But this summer, John really outdid himself. And he fixed TWO things that put a big smile on my face...

I LOVE SHOES. Holy Cow. I have DOZENS OF PAIRS...but I have never had a good shoe storage situation. Our house is small, and the closet in our bedroom is an ordinary built-in-1980 closet. My shoes ended up in a big pile on the floor -- many of them seldom worn because they got shoved to the back corner of the closet and became buried by other treasure (as you can imagine)....

For several years -- I tried going the "seasonal" route -- taking a bin of winter shoes to the basement in the summer, and vice versa. But last year, I found a cache of shoes in the basement that were like new -- but woefully out of style...

That system sucked....

I've tried the hanging bags -- but there simply wasn't enough room in our small closet.

However...I bought two heavy-duty hanging muslin shoe bags at a thrift store. And there is a corner in my room where shoe bags could theoretically hang...hummm.

IF SOMEBODY HANDY COULD ONLY FIGURE IT OUT...since the bags are designed to hang on a closet rod. I showed the bags to John. Then I waited...

A week later, I came home and found his surprise handyman gift in the corner of my bedroom. He walked around Home Depot for over an hour before he found the right heavy-duty hook (meant for a garden hose). He hung it on the wall so both bags can hang together.

As it happens -- the shoe bag corner is the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning. So the first thing I see when I open my eyes are my two hanging shoe bags....and I get the BIGGEST SMILE ON MY FACE....

Because -- yes -- I feel loved...

P.S. And you won't believe the SECOND thing he did...coming soon...

Jay Ohland Sandwich

Among some of the whining, complaining emails I received last week -- Karen wrote to thank me for her new FAVORITE SANDWICH...lol.    She ate it last summer after reading about it here -- and this year -- she made this sandwich with the first tomatoes from the garden.  Even before her BLT!!  She'd never heard of such a wacko combination -- and she LOVED IT. 

This is the season for the BEST SANDWICH known to man. And maybe the strangest...

Years ago, I worked for a wonderful architect with a great sense of humor who loved to cook -- Jay Ohland.  He and his wife Elsa taught me many things about cooking and canning. Every year, when the tomatoes are ripe, I look forward to eating this sandwich...and I think about Jay and Elsa...



Yes -- that's white bread. I prefer the large cottage loaf...really fresh...

Spread mayo on one piece of bread -- and crunchy peanut butter on the other piece. THEN, all you need is some thick slices of delicious, ripe tomatoes...

THAT'S IT. Heaven. I'm telling you. Absolutely delicious. There's something about the salty peanut butter and the tangy mayonnaise...it is the PERFECT combination.

THIS is the sandwich you'll get hungry for in the middle of a cold Iowa winter...but you can only enjoy this sandwich when the tomatoes are fresh and ripe from your garden.

TRUST ME...and -- hey -- Thanks, Jay!

Joseph O'Hara's gift

HEY -- WHAT A GREAT BREAK!! But, thanks for the emails telling me to GET OFF MY FAT ASS AND GET SOME BLOGGING DONE...You're right. A break was not a bad idea. But enough is enough...

The good news is I am feeling fine. AND more good news -- I've been so busy, I have LOTS TO BLOG ABOUT. But it may take me a little time to get back in the swing of things. Holy Cow -- I ENJOYED that break a little too much, people...

Last month, when John's friend Joseph O'Hara visited here -- he left a note in Lillian's room, thanking her for sharing. AND he left four one-dollar bills for her. SHE WAS SO EXCITED...as you can see from this picture...

I hope the video turned out better than the picture did...

Hey -- I'm no photographer. I AM A WRITER. And I've been working on an exciting new project -- WHICH YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT VERY SOON...

sorry...a short break....

Lilly was spending the night. As I was tucking her in, she told me her throat was scratchy and her ears tingled.

Obviously....that was my cue to run out of the room at warp speed -- spray myself with Lysol and take cover from this adorable little toxic cesspool of germs.....

But, instead -- I leaned in, gave her a big hug and told her I loved her to the moon and back....

Two days later -- I was sick as a dog. And, as it turns out -- Contac gave me hives. Ugh. So much coughing now I have laryngitis.

I'm taking a blog break.

But -- don't worry -- that adorable little germ-bomb LILLIAN IS perfectly FINE...I'll be back...

I know the news about Simon Haskins was a shock. HE IS SO YOUNG...and of course that will work in his favor. I'm going to ask Simon to write about his project -- the Sunshine 4 ALL quilt blocks...stay tuned...