Impromptu Party

This year, February was about a whole lot more of a long hard winter. We'd been stuck in the house for weeks. This was the cold, gray view out our living room window...ugh...

We were all getting a little weary of the jigsaw-puzzle-a-thon...

There was always a new snow fall to deal with...

To get Lilly out of the house, one day I picked her up for a ride-a-long to the grocery store. HEY -- how exciting is it that Little Debbie makes heart shaped cupcakes for Valentine's Day??

Hummm...they would be good for a party, don't you think??  All we need is a few little kids...

AS RITALUCK WOULD HAVE IT -- it was a Wednesday, and I happen to know where there is a room full of beautiful friendly little kids...(here's the best part -- when I walk into the room -- they all run to give me a hug!  Yep -- this is the PERFECT crowd!)

My sister Deena has a "family supper" Wednesday night.  Lilly and I packed up our party bag, and put on our Valentine outfits....

We had gifts, snacks, and even a CRAFT activity!!  (Yes, I do have some Grandma game!)

Although, Grandma Deena and Mommy Brenda took the gluing of sparkle a little too seriously...

Lilly tried to line everybody up on the sofa -- so she could give them each a party gift...

A Valentine stuffed animal for everybody!

Parties can be a real pain. Sending invitations, cleaning, planning, cooking, shopping. Then, of course -- it can go up in smoke, depending on the weather or the road conditions. An impromptu party is NONE OF THAT. I had been collecting the various Valentine stuff for awhile...the heart shaped foam picture frames, some Valentine cards, many Valentine stuffed animals...it was a Party In A Bag just waiting to happen.

When I called Deena (at 4:00 PM) -- we decided the party would happen right after they they ate supper.  The kids all had a GREAT TIME. The "Party" was over in about an hour. PERFECT for all of us!! 

Button/String Game

On this day, Lilly was playing with her button box when we got a visitor. As it turned out, KATHY remembered exactly how to set up the button-on-a-string game. Can you see the magic??

First, choose a large button with only two holes.  Then, put the string in both holes. 48"inches of string makes a loop about 2 feet long...

Then, holding each end, you swing it around and around (like jump rope) with the button in the middle...

After it's all wound up, when you move your hands in and out, the button will humm...and you could go on FOR A VERY LONG TIME this way....

Lillian doesn't quite have it figured out yet. But, hey, IF IT WAS EASY -- anybody could do it, eh? Perfecting this skill could take some time. Of course, the time you invest in any skill or accomplishment is what makes it worthwhile, don't you think?

Mary Mulari's Ponytail Holders

Thanks to my friend Mary Mulari -- my life has been changed by the modest little ponytail holder. And I am always amazed at how frequently they come in handy. Recently, I used a ponytail holder to add a closure to a cellphone pocket on my remodeled purse (blog post to follow).

Around the holidays, I used many ponytail holders to create closures for my carseat blankets..and I took some pictures to explain  a few techniques...

The first step is to pick the right kind of button.  You want one with a SHANK on the back.

Then, pull the ponytail holder through the shank -- then, loop it back into itself.  See?

This is what it will look like from the front side

When I sew the button in place -- I put a plain white button on the BACK side...

Finished -- it is very secure...

In this case, the blue ponytail holder (on the back of the button) will be pulled through the white ponytail holder (doubled) ...and then BACK onto itself...

See how it works?  Genius...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

YES, I know -- after last year's Expo -- the Hey Rita tote had a VERY EXCITING YEAR. Thanks for your emails and comments about her travels. It was a really fun adventure to read about -- and I'll be writing the REST of the story one day soon. I told her foster-mother (Liz) that my new goal is to travel to all the places my totebag has visited!! And Jan (Hey-Rita's birth-mother) was completely thrilled to read about Hey Rita's fabulous trip.

Today -- it's ALL ABOUT THE IRISH...

I don't really know if I'm Irish - but John's grandma Lucy was 100% -- so what I do know for sure is that I gave birth to two boys who have Irish blood in their veins.  And I LOVE them both very much...

Since I got married, we always eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day...

You've got to love the Irish wit and wisdom...

One of the BEST TRIPS I ever went on was with my sisters to Ireland. WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME WE HAD...

You know what a big fan I am of books on tape. And, if you are Irish -- THIS IS ONE YOU SHOULD GET...

It's a wonderful read -- and it makes you PROUD to be Irish. (even those of us who are not)

The Mystery Within a Mystery...!!

On the last day of the 2013 Sewing and Stitchery Expo -- the Hey Rita Tote was kidnapped by a nefarious quilter who then swept her away to Europe for an adventure before she was ransomed back to her owner.

Rita, enjoying a sunny evening in Rapallo, Italy. Good food, good wine, good kidnappers. (Vroom, vroom in the background)

Ransom note to the owner of Rita. Pay up or she goes into the Grand Canal. (Just kidding).

Rita, being shown the sights in Warnemunde, Germany.

Rita, outside of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

Rita “I’m ready for my close-up.”

Apparently, it’s all she needed to sleep.

Rita, getting ready for a shower in Copenhagen.

Rita, fully clothed, in the shower.

Rita, enjoying glasnost in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Keeping dry on a double decker bus during the rain in Helsinki, Finland.

Rita, chilling with her new best buddie (until it morphs into a new animal after dinner).

Rita, enjoying the culture in Stockholm.

Rita, paying the driving fine we received during the trip. After all she was the one driving.

After a year of around-the-world traveling -- the Hey Rita tote made it back to the 2013 Sew Expo...and she will soon be reunited with her owner...

Home Improvement

The thing I really love about life is that you NEVER know what's going to happen next.

After college, Ross worked as a cameraman for several network affiliates...then, he took a job working for an outdoor channel doing hunting and fishing shows. He visited every state (Alaska several times). He even got to go to South Africa and Hungary...

As you can imagine -- we thought he had the PERFECT job. Except for the fact that he was only able to come home once or twice a year because he was traveling all the time and he lived in Northern Minnesota (12 hours away).

So -- it was quite a surprise when Ross announced he was moving back to Iowa to attend nursing school. After being long gone for 15 years -- he moved back in with his parents.  And there have been some adjustments.

For one thing, he brought his brand new queen size bed with him.  That's okay -- but what am I going to do with our perfectly good double bed?

We have a small house.  Which is JAM PACKED FULL....He was able to line his bedroom walls with our double mattress and box spring (think of it not so much as decor -- but, rather -- additional insulation...

The now-extra bed frame was leaning against a wall in the basement....

Then, one day, I saw the bed frame and thought, since it's there anyway -- it might as well serve a purpose...

Do you see the vision??

YES -- that's right!!  It's Lillian's new two-tiered clothing rack...

So it won't tip over on her -- I had to secure it to the wall.  Like any resourceful woman who sews -- I did it with cup hooks and fabric strips.  Yes, I AM WOMAN -- HEAR ME ROAR...

I used more fabric strips to secure the lower rod....seriously...this is a GREAT idea...

It is very secure...now, all I have to do is fill it up...

And, hey, while I'm at it -- I decided to hang up some art...THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN...

Grandma Entertainment

One night, Lilly was spending the night  -- and taking her "Grandma bath" (she calls it that because I don't wash her hair)...she called our bar of soap "old school". I took that as a compliment.

Everybody's Grandma should be considered "old school". THAT'S PART OF THE JOB. To show them where they came from...to explain how things used to be. When they grow up -- times with Grandma should be remembered as the "good old days"

In this day and age of non-stop entertainment/video games/I-pads, etc. -- it's very hard to get kids off that digital/lightening bolt ride. Lilly is no different. She has a video player in the backseat of her van, her own I-Pad, and loves Angry Birds on her Mom's I-phone.  When she is watching a Disney Princess movie, she gets into "the zone"...

But when she comes to my house -- that stuff just isn't available. We do quiet things together. Ordinary chores, a little cooking, a little sewing, maybe some cards or a puzzle. She helps to set the table, folds the napkins, calls the boys to dinner. If we do watch a movie, it's "something we'd both enjoy".  As you can imagine, there is always a TREASURE HUNT in the basement...Recently, she discovered a long forgotten Mason jar full of buttons...

First, she dumped the buttons into a pan so she could see what she had...

Then, she sorted he buttons into cupcake cups.

She was trying to get a count...

With a large needle, she started stringing the groups of buttons together.

Lilly played with those buttons for hours. And the next time she comes, I'm pretty sure she'll be looking for her new button collection. Thanks to my friend Kathy, we even figured out the old one button on a string game...

You never know what a child will remember. But I'll put a box of buttons up against Angry Birds anytime...