It's time for STRAWBERRIES..!!

So many of the best traditions in life revolve around food. Every special occasion has it's own food reward, y'know? Birthday cake, Christmas cookies..  But maybe the BEST FOOD TRADITIONS are those that come with the seasons.

It started here about a month ago.  SPRING means morel mushrooms and fresh asparagus from the garden....

And -- one of my favorites?? STRAWBERRIES. Who doesn't love FRESH PICKED STRAWBERRIES..??!!

On this day, we had the strawberries, but no time to bake shortcake. NO WORRIES...I am prepared for just such an occasion...

Homemade waffles out of the freezer!!

We toasted the waffles...added a scoop of ice cream, and the fresh berries.

Lilly did the assembly of our DELICIOUS, but simple dessert.

Cool whip (DUH!).

Lilly's final touch was a few berries on top...

It's a very good thing to have an emergency dessert in your culinary filebox...

The Ya Ya Sisters Do Portland

It's Spring Quilt Market..I'm in Portland, Oregon, working the show for Schmetz Sewing Machine Needles. I've been to classes...walked the show floor, met with vendors, interviewed fabric designers, and visited with many, many friends.

OH MY GOD...I AM HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME..!!

So, picture this.   It's Saturday.   Mary and I decided to sneak off for a couple of hours to see what the Portland Saturday Market is all about!!

We tried to get Rhonda to join us -- but she had MEETINGS, of course!!

Hey -- it's all about getting some Ya Ya inspiration, right??

There were hundreds of booths.

Lots of artists are selling their wares...

I especially loved this booth.

Another great time, Mary.  YOU ROCK!!

Frankensew-ed Blue Jeans

This is not going to be a surprise -- but I buy WAY TOO MANY THINGS at thrift stores. I simply cannot resist a good bargain. And when I found a pair of designer jeans (Jones of New York) for only $2....I grabbed them. Five years ago. lol...

Guess what? THEY FINALLY FIT ME...!!

And -- hey -- because they've been hanging around in my basement for the last five years -- I can afford to experiment....

I cut some holes and slits...and washed the jeans several times to get the fabric to fray...

 I LOVE these little sewing themed charm squares...

But, of course, to sew those pieces on the inside, I have to open the leg seam...

There is no future in trying to pick that seam with a ripper -- so I just cut it away.

The trouble is, when I sewed the inner seam back together -- the pants were TOO TIGHT. Darnit...Well, I could wait until I lose another 10 pounds...

OR -- I could just cut open the side seams and add 1" of contrasting fabric...

NO SURPRISE THAT I CHOSE THE FRANKENSEW SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, EH, PEOPLE??

This part had slits instead of an open square...but another cute little sewing motif fabric...

I'd been fringing a pair of knee high shorts for Lilly.

I decided to rob Lilly's fringe and put it on the bottom of my Frankensewed jeans...Maybe I'll just do the fringe on ONE leg...

Summer Road Trips

Here's the thing. If you're doing it right -- life is about finding things you enjoy. And then, doing those things whenever possible. Sex might be a good example of that. Or, come to think of it, I should go with the I-love-to-sew example instead.
 
Some people enjoy camping -- and they look forward to summer so they can do it every weekend. That's not my thing...(I'd rather light my hair on fire and put it out with a hammer).

Recently, a reader sent me an email and said she believes I've spent more time BLOGGING about New York City than I actually spent being there. She could be right. Obviously, I love taking new people to New York, and I go there every chance I get.

But -- here's the thing -- PEOPLE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. What brings joy to one person would be another person's nightmare.

It seems to me there are two simple steps that make life worth living. First -- FIGURE OUT WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY. Second -- MAKE THAT THING A REGULAR PART OF YOUR LIFE.

I've been giving this a lot of thought because of Grandma Camp. Lilly is 9 and Warren is 5. And part of my mission this summer is to expose them to different things. They both love swimming...and that's great. But who knows? Maybe classical music will be Warren's thing. (although, right now, it's all about Katy Perry).

Lilly loves music, that's for sure. But she's also very artistic...and she's always working on some crafty/artistic project. This weekend, we bought a frame for the zentangle she made (starting with tracing her hand)...we plan to paint the roller shades in their room.

Hey -- Grandma Camp is a good time for ME TO DO SOMETHING I ENJOY...and maybe expose the kids to something that could become a joyful element of their life..and -- many years from now...when they DO IT -- they think of me.

ROAD TRIP..!!

We live in Iowa -- there are so many places for me to daytrip with the kids. I'm going to put together a list, we'll look at some maps, pick a location, make our plans.

I think two hours in the car is my goal.  (unless we spend the night -- and hey -- they LOVE hotels)...

I-80 has WONDERFUL rest areas.

This one is just 30 miles away -- it's on my way to Iowa City

The rest rooms are SPOTLESS. Really...we're sooo lucky...

AND -- of course, since Lilly is interested in art -- it might be time for her to learn about Iowa's favorite son...

This incredible Grant Wood stained glass window is in Cedar Rapids

Several years ago, my friend Anne gave me (and Sue) a tour of all things Grand Wood (Cedar Rapids is his home town).

He lived and worked in Cedar Rapids -- and there's a museum there...

Yes. 2018 Grandma Camp Mission: ROAD TRIPS...

DVM in NYC: Our LAST MAGIC Night

It was our last night in New York City -- we had spent most of our money -- and it was really nice to have something FREE to do. I don't think we had high expectations for this event...but I figured we'd at least see a different neighborhood.

But isn't that always the way?? When you are LEAST expecting it...something just a.m.a.z.i.n.g comes along...

We ate our Pommes Frites. The Player's Theater was right across the street. And we are ready for MONDAY NIGHT MAGIC...!!

It's an old-time NYC theater. Small and cramped...

Our seats were up towards the front.  (THIS gets important later)

There were five or six magicians on the bill that night. And most of them ask for a "volunteer" from the audience. If you're like me -- you ALWAYS wonder. Is that person really just a random person from the audience?

This was a FIRST CLASS show. Even the opening acts were terrific...and I had NO IDEA how they did those tricks.

After the first hour, there was an intermission when the magicians did close-up magic with audience members.

Even when they were doing their tricks RIGHT IN FRONT of your nose -- it was really MAGIC...

During the second half, one of the headline performers was Shawn Farquhar from Canada.

His website says:

Shawn has been entertaining audiences around the globe for over two decades. His magic has been seen on Television shows like the X-Files and Highlander, in Motion Pictures like Spooky House and the Fly II, for corporate clients like IBM and Konica, and on the most luxurious cruise vessels such as Norwegian Star and Radiance of the Seas.

Shawn offers a fast paced, audience participation experience that will draw everyone into an evening of entertainment you will not soon forget. As a two-time world champion of magic, Shawn knows the right blend of magic and comedy to make your guests have fun.

The Canadian Association of Magicians awarded Shawn the MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR in 2003 and 2010, the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians awarded him the GRAND PRIX D’HONNEUR, the International Brotherhood of Magicians awarded him both STAGE MAGICIAN and SLEIGHT OF HAND MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR, making him the ONLY magician in history to win BOTH world championships and the Olympics of Magic in Beijing, China awarded him the highest award in magic, the GRAND PRIX WORLD CHAMPION OF MAGIC in 2009!

Shawn Farquar is the only magician who's been on the Penn and Teller show -- and fooled them TWICE.!!

And the answer to that burning question? YES, HE JUST PICKS RANDOM PEOPLE FROM THE AUDIENCE..!!

DVM: NYC: Our Last Night!! Frittes...

AFTER our wonderful concert/appetizers break at Ellen's Stardust DINER -- we walked 5 minutes back to our hotel. We needed to regroup and freshen up. Because, for our last night in New York City -- we were going to venture into complete UNKNOWN territory.

The beautiful Art Deco lobby of the Hotel Edison...sometimes, it was nice just to sit for a minute...

Deena's son, Chad (back in Iowa) had somehow hooked up with a guy who books MAGIC ACTS for corporate event. I have no idea how this happened -- but we were offered FOUR FREE TICKETS to a Magic Show on Monday night.

The only problem was -- it was waaaaay downtown. In a place I'd never been before...and I wasn't quite sure how we were gonna get there. Our Travel Kitty was getting pretty low at this point, and it's raining. A cab would probably cost $40 each way (IF we could even get one)...

Although I look like a subway pro to my Iowa friends -- I avoid the really big stations (42nd Street, Columbus Circle)...I get turned around easily, and I have never been on the Green, yellow or orange trains...really, I'm just a big pretender when it comes right down to it... TRYING to act like I know what I'm doing...

I have the address of the theater...I'm sitting in the lobby, studying my NYC Transit map...

When I realize there is a young woman at that desk...giving tourists ADVICE about how to get around in the city!!

EUREKA..!!  She took a look at my map, and said the subway was the obvious choice. All we had to do was walk over to Rockefeller Center and get on the ORANGE line...and take it all the way down to 4th Street. We'd get off at Washington Park. And our theater should be RIGHT THERE...

GREAT. Back down into the magnificent New York City Subway system!!

Remember -- we all had MTA cards -- with about $7.50 on em...

When we came up out of the subway station -- it was like we'd gone back in time. THIS is what New York looked like at the turn of the century. Narrow streets...lots of four story brick buildings with fire escapes....no neon here. No high rises.

There were lots of small shops...some tattoo parlors, bars, little tiny restaurants...

AND THIS PLACE..!! I saw it on the Food Network!! ALL THEY DO IS MAKE FRENCH FRIES...

I tried to take a picture of the narrow little underground space...you cannot imagine how crowded it was...

THANKS to the internet -- here's a much better picture.  The whole store is about 9'feet wide.  Imagine 30 or 40 people sitting at these three narrow tables...and benches...which were on the left side of the space.  The LONG LINE of people wanting to order fries is standing along the right side of the space...

We worked our way back to the kitchen...

Everything on the menu board is about the sauces...

I ordered a size large...it was $7.75...

The Frites come in paper cones. The sauces we chose? Ketchup and European mayonnaise

The little tables were jam packed...so we had to stand outside to eat.

And, believe it or not -- ONE LARGE order of Pommes Frites was exactly right for the four of us. THEY WERE SO DELICIOUS....piping hot and salty...I almost forgot to take a picture!!