Pat's Forwarded Email

I met Pat through Joanne Ross -- they are lifelong friends. We recently spent a day together (I'll write about the Olympia Farmer's Market later!)...and it never fails. Pat ALWAYS makes me smile. She has one of those exuberant personalities and a real ZEST for life...



Pat L., is the best cook I have ever personally met. She teaches cooking classes, always sends me the BEST most original recipes, and brings joy and energy to everything she does. Pat was a 'foodie" -- LONG before it was fashionable -- (Pat attended Julia Child's birthday party!).

I just thought you should meet the woman who sent me this email...


Two Irish nuns have just arrived in USA by boat, and one says to the other, "I hear that the people in this country actually eat dogs."

"Odd," her companion replies, "but if we shall live in America , we might as well do as the Americans do. As they sit, they hear a push cart vendor yelling, "Hot Dogs, get your dogs here," and they both walk towards the hot dog cart.

"Two dogs, please!," says one. The vendor is very pleased to oblige, wraps both hot dogs in foil and hands them over. Excited, the nuns hurry to a bench and begin to unwrap their 'dogs. The mother superior is first to open hers.

She begins to blush, and then staring at it for a moment, leans to the other Nun and in a soft brogue whispers.....

"What part did you get?"
**************

Zebra vibe

Okay -- here's how this blog thing works. Anything that touches me IN ANY WAY is likely to be the subject of a blog post. Sewing, food, kids, travel, food -- you've read about all of it. AND you are probably sick of me and my zebra fascination...

Too bad. Because I'm still not tired of the zebra stripes...

At Mary's wedding reception last year -- here I am with Gail Brown -- wearing my new zebra jacket...

And, of course, Lillian gets some new ZEBRA THING every time I see her...

When I receive a picture from a young Sew Expo zebra enthusiast -- it just MAKES MY DAY!! (NOTE THE t-shirt FRINGE..!!)

Last summer, when I put Val on a plane to Florida to try out her Facebook Fiance -- I wore ZEBRA...(...I mean, what if that guy kidnapped her and held her hostage on a cabin cruiser bound for Cuba? At least I'd have a nice picture of the two of us...Zebra seemed appropriate...)

You may remember that I painted a small zebra rug on the porch....which gives me a little giggle every time I walk out the door...

And -- every time I visit Elliott & Emily -- I get to sleep in the ZEBRA ROOM...


And I know that Lillian is asleep upstairs -- probably wearing one of her smashing zebra outfits!!

The Zebra is still giving me a chuckle...I enjoy my zebra floor mats in my car, and I have a zebra scrub brush in the kitchen sink...apparently, I'm just not getting over it...

Sorry...there really is no point. This is just an Ode to Zebra...

Salt Lake City Library

If you have never visited Salt Lake City -- YOU SHOULD GO!! It is a beautiful city -- and you already know they have FABULOUS restaurants...

When asking some "locals" about finding a good restaurant -- one woman told us about the Copper Onion -- then said be sure to "visit the library". After our fabulous dinner, Rhonda, Soni and I walked over to the Salt Lake City Library.

None of us expected to find this. The building is stunning -- even from a block away...

As we approach the front door -- you can see all the people inside -- on all those levels...

It becomes even more spectacular once you get inside the building. Even the staircase is a work of art...

There are many interesting little shops all around the outside of the core library itself. Now that I know my nephew Parker is interested in becoming an architect -- I wish I could take him to see this stunning building...

Once you get to the top of the building -- you are rewarded with THIS VIEW...

The three of us got our cameras out. It was breath-taking.

If the measure of a city is the quality and variety of it's restaurants -- Salt Lake City is a TEN. And if the measure of a city is the size and uniqueness of it's public library -- Salt Lake City is a TWENTY.

Stunning. Simply stunning...

Parker Day

My sister Ronda has WAY MORE GRANDCHILDREN than I do. When her daughter, Nicole, had her first child, I offered to "watch the baby" one day a week. I called my Tuesdays "Parker Days". That adorable baby has turned into a TALL, bright 13-year-old young man...

Last summer, he missed his turn in the "Aunt Rita Adventures" rotation because his schedule is very hectic.

SO -- I owed him an outing...and he had a RARE free day last Friday...


When I asked Parker what he was interested in, he said, "architecture". Which was a very good answer -- because I had to return some books to my favorite library -- and the most beautiful building in Scott County. The Bettendorf Public Library...

So -- we started there. I gave Parker my camera...and he took some great pictures. It really is a beautiful building.
Mostly, we just talked. It was so interesting for me to listen to his opinions about the people in our world. Here he is, with a fruit smoothie in the Library coffee shop...

And he got to see Aunt Rita's taste in books...Stieg Larsson (no surprise)...and he got to hear some of my embarrassing stories...about when my boys were his age. Parker was good enough to laugh in all the right places...and the kid DOES have a smile that lights up a room...

There will be some other posts, with more reporting of our day together. I highly recommend "Aunt Adventures". The secret to success is TO NEVER TELL THEM WHERE YOU ARE GOING OR WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Years ago, I took Parker's Mom to see Sarah Brightman sing in a concert. I once signed up his Uncle Cory for a juggling class...

One-one-one time is what you are going for, and at 13 -- the window is closing. The minute a kid gets their driver's license -- they enter the dark ages -- and for about ten years, they don't want to be in the same room with you.

When I was 13 years old, my Aunt Rozella spent time with me. She was the first adult in my life who listened to me as though my opinion mattered...

Aunt Rita's Adventures is me paying it forward.

Happy Birthday, Jackie!!

This is a picture of my two favorite blondes...my cousin Jackie and my daughter-in-law Emily...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKIE. Once again -- you are now just as old as I am.

We grew up together -- we were girls, then newlyweds, then young Mom's...and with any luck -- we'll grow old together!

And we have lots of new adventures to look forward to. Every time I go to New York City -- I think of our trips there together. The Metropolitan Museum...we could never forget that visit....
Rockefeller Center....


St. Patrick's Cathedral...
Times Square...
The Rose Reading room in the New York City public library...

We had such wonderful times -- visiting all those places. Seeing new things. A couple of farm girls from Iowa...and WE LOVED IT ALL.




One of the core wisdoms of my life came from that day at Penn Station. Remember? We were there on time...we were sure of it..on the right track, we were kinda sure of it. But the train never came. We waited...and waited...our Iowa optimism kept us standing at that place on the track for a very long time...when, finally, an exasperated train porter snarled at us, "That train has left the station. Quit talking about that train."

We laughed so hard -- and I loved those words so much, I painted them on the back of the door in the guest bedroom...and every time I see it, I remember the two of us, standing on the platform at Penn Station...



For me, the wisdom is you've gotta know when it's time to move on. And there is power in that...I like to think neither one of us has spent too much time standing on a platform... waiting for a train that has already left the station....

Even though you ARE JUST LITTLE WOMAN (that's a private joke, people) -- I hope you have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY today, Jackie. I want you to know that we miss you here in Iowa and we are looking forward to your next visit.

We're long overdue for a COUSINS PARTY...

New Etsy Artist

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know Jan Potter, the birth mother of my "Hey Rita' tote...



Well, guess what? Jan has opened a shop on Etsy. Have you ever shopped on Etsy? They only sell hand-made items, or vintage items. Etsy is where I found my fabulous recycled sweater coat last year. And every time I wear it -- I get TONS OF COMMENTS....

Jan, pictured here with Rhonda Pierce and her Inspired2Sew partner, Bonne (in the Schmetz booth) -- is a prolific sewer! SHE SEWS EVERY SINGLE DAY...and it will be interesting to see how the Etsy adventure goes for her. Jan's shop is "Janipotts Dry Goods"

She assures me she will keep her "challenge garments" -- but, hey -- SHE SENT THIS ONE HOME WITH ME..!!


I've asked Jan to keep me posted on her Etsy Experience -- and this might be JUST WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. You can sew and SELL..!!

Hey -- in this "new economy" -- it's nice to have an option for a little extra income stream...

Four Bitchin Babes

This is one of my favorite pictures from Sewing Weekend. Me and Mary with Mike Schuester -- who looks WAY TOO YOUNG to be running a big company. He's in charge of Nancy's Notions -- and this weekend is one of those 'all-hands-on-deck" kind of events!!
Their Thursday evening event was planned months in advance -- but the speaker they hired had to cancel. Mike and his wife had seen the "Four Bitchin Babes' in concert -- and he thought the Sewing Weekend audience would enjoy them...

Mary is saving me a place -- while I'm trying to take some pictures -- which is mostly just annoying people...
The stage was set up. A grand piano...four stools, four microphones, four guitars...
THEY WERE AMAZING. My dream concert would be the Four Bitchin Babes with the Texas Tenors...no -- wait -- there are only three guys...


The whole show was entertaining, upbeat, fun -- we LOVED IT!! One of my favorite songs was "elastic waistbands"...so you can see why I'd be a fan...