Hollywood...Here I Come

DGD2  is Miss Personality.  She cracks me up.  She loves her sunglasses, sometimes they are on upside down, her baby (she takes this baby everywhere, it has no clothes and no name) and she is usually carrying not 1, not 2 but multiple bags filled with all her little treasures.    She spent a week with us the beginning of July.  Every moment was precious.    Now I'll have to remember to take my camera with me everywhere.  I missed the photo of a lifetime. 

Picture this......my little 2 year old DGD2 , in her nightie, hair do.......I'll just say it was a BAD HAIR MORNING........with her rain boots on the wrong feet ....... her sunglasses on upside down .....sitting in her miniature arm chair with bags/purses on both arms ..... hugging her bare baby .......  her doll stroller is parked beside her arm chair with more bags/purses hung on the stroller handles........and she has a mesmerized look on her face while she is watching Dora.  She was totally focused on Dora.

I'll have to try to recreate this picture next time we go back to Canada.  It was hilarious.

This is a quilt I made for a friend's SIL who came to visit us in June for the Brooklyn MI NASCAR weekend.  It is a string quilt and I made a red, white and blue pillow case too.   I'm short and he is tall.  He is on leave until October and it is the second time the SIL has been able to come.  Since 2004 we've had a NASCAR weekend with family and friends in June.  They come from Canada on Friday and leave Sunday around 7 p.mish.  This year 8 arrived for a weekend of NASCAR, shopping, and quilting. If the Brooklyn race is on Fathers Day weekend we have a fantastic fireworks display.   Canton Michigan's Liberty Fest is always on Fathers Day and they feature the best fireworks display.  We've hosted anywhere from 8 to 13 family/friends for the weekend .   I really enjoy the weekend and look forward to it every year.  I've never gone to the races..... I prefer the shopping and quilting.  I'm so glad I was able to get the quilt done and loved how it turned out.   I asked him if he would be taking it to Afganistan and he said "O yes".  He was thrilled totally surprised.  He immediately called his wife in New York.  He is American and married a Canadian girl. 

That something special I wanted to share with you will have to wait until my next post.  Sorry.  I'll have to wait until TAP returns from Grand Rapids.  I want to link to this special someones blog and for some reason it just isn't working for me.   If I get it to work before TAP returns  I'll do another post before Monday.   I am amazed I've completed another post, I thought it would be way way way over my head.  I'm loving it but have to find a way to get 36 hours in my day. 

Hugs

Lesson # 2 - inserting pictures

This is a picture of my DGD2 at the farm.  She is feeding Sunny the goat.  The goats suck sooooo hard she is holding the bottle for dear life. Now I have to remember how to do another picture and TAP has gone to get herself a rum and diet coke. 

It is hot in here.  I'm sure it is because I've turned off the AC.  It was to be cooler today.  Maybe it is all the concentration. 

Here goes picture #2 and TAP has returned.  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!I did pretty good but tomorrow will be another story.  This is DGD1 collecting eggs.  She collected 10 eggs.  She was sooooo excited.

These eggs were laid clean.  No chicken poo.  I was waiting for DGD1 to freak out but no freaking. They were all clean eggs.  Next day she wanted pancakes for breakfast so I added a fresh egg.......yum and she wanted pancakes the next day too.  It had to have been the egg.
  

Check back again tomorrow as I will attempt to insert a picture solo.  Tomorrow TAP is heading to Grand Rapids to meet AmandaJean from Crazy Mom Quilts.  Lucky girl. 

If I don't forget everything I learned tonight I'll have something exciting to share with you tomorrow.

till tomorrow.
Pauline

Plans Changed

I'm back but haven't had a second lesson yet soooooooo there are still no pictures.  Not sure if I remember how to do this.

Last week was busy.   On Fri. July 16th my granddaughter, Leah, arrived from Canada to spend a week with us.  She is 7 almost 8 and growing up too fast.  We shopped, we sewed, we shopped again, we did our nails, she played with our neighbours daughter, we went to the water park.........shopped again, went to the movies, we went to LTW's farm.......she loved it.  Thank you LTW and Becky , you are awesome.  Our original plans were to take her back to Canada on the 23rd .............. she wanted to stay until Sunday.  My DH has meetings in Toronto this week and wasn't sure how long they would last......he said it could be Wed., Thurs. even Friday before they wrap up.  So at the last minute I decided to stay home as I had to finish binding a king size quilt by Wednesday.  I still have to sew down the hanging sleeve.  It will be hanging at the GAAQG quilt show at the end of the month.  It is a raffle quilt to be drawn in November.  So it was only DH who took Leah back to Canada, he spent the night at our DS2 and DDIL's and continued to Toronto Monday morning. 

I'm hoping to get a few quilting projects and some cleaning done while DH is in Toronto.  I called my friend Pam (TAP) around 4 pm on Sunday to tell her my plans had changed and I didn't go to Canada.  She said  "I'm going back to the farm after I drop DH and DD1 off at home.   I'll pick you up.  We can play."  She had been at the farm Saturday and again on Sunday quilting her first quilt on LTW's Statler.   It was around 5 o'clock the red Mustang convertible........with the top down pulls in the driveway.  Remember the movie Thelma and Louise, well, in the car is Thelma and in jumps Louise (an older Thelma and Louise from the original movie).  With the engine reeving, we are off to play on the Statler.  TAP ........aka Thelma.........says we'll get LTW to take our picture when we get to the farm.  Well.... we forgot and it was dark.......10:15 pm when we left for home so there is no picture.  I watched TAP work the Statler........it is an amazing machine and she did a fabulous job quilting .  She has pictures.  After watching Pam quilt for a while I finished binding her 2nd chenille quilt and then I started cutting tumbling blocks with LTW's Accuquilt.  That too is a cool toy.  The tumbling blocks were for LTW's parents to piece.  It was a fun time and it always is with TAP.

Don't give up on me yet.  Still haven't got the blogging knack.  TAP says it will get better. 

Hugs
Pauline

THANK YOU for visiting

My blog doesn't seem to be co-operating the way I think it should.  I am a newbie so bare with me.  Hope this works. 

Back in September I joined a weight lose challenge at LOA called none other than THE BIGGEST LOSER challenge and to my surprise I succeeded.  I lost 25.2 lbs in 9 weeks and won.  I worked sooooo hard.  I continued to lose another 13.4 lbs. before I went on vacation and since then I haven't been as good with the eating part of weight loss.  I inspired my BF Mama Sparks (TAP) and now she is my inspiration.  On Monday at 6:28 a.m. .......yes 6:28 a.m  my phone rang and it was none other than TAP.  She said what are you doing?..........meet me at the gym....... I relented with OK.......I thought to myself I'd rather be sleeping.   I'm still below my biggest loser weight but have gained a few of those nasty pounds back.  I have to get serious about the food again.  It is sooo easy to go back to your old ways.  I'm meeting TAP at the gym at 5 today.

Just about every year when the fresh fruits and veggies are in season I like to make Hamburg Relish and Raspberry Jelly.  They are two of my family's favorites.  If you like to do home canning you must try this recipe. 

Hamburg Relish from Pauline's Kitchen               Yields 12 - 8 oz jars

4 c. ground cucumbers (approx. 8 lg)
1  1/2 c. ground green peppers (3 lg)
1/2 c. ground red peppers (1 lg)
3 c. ground onion (6 lg)
3 c. ground celery (6 lg stalks)
4 T. salt
3  1/2 c. white sugar
2 c. white vinegar
1 T. celery seed
1 T. mustard seed

Wash and grind all vegetables with the coarse blade in your meat grinder.
In a large bowl/crock mix ground veggies with the 4 T. of salt and let stand at least 2 hours in refrigerator.  I usually double or triple the batch and refrigerate over night. 
Drain all excess liquid.  I use my colander.

Wash and sterilize your jars.

In a large heavy stainless steel pot add sugar, vinegar, celery and mustard seed and bring to a boil.
Stir in the well drained veggies, bring to a boil again and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir often.
Pour into sterilized jars leaving a 1/4-inch head space.  Wipe rims; seal.  Process for canning.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!  Try this relish with a grilled cheese sandwich.......yummy.

This blog has taken me about 3 hours to write.  Needless to say I've not quilted today.  I just realized my spelling sucks and I have to find my dictionary.......Oh just found the spell check.  Thank you Thank you Thank you.  Sorry no pictures........haven't had that lesson yet.

I'll try another post soon.

Hugs

Pam's the Teacher

Hi everyone and thank you for visiting my blog. This is my first post as a newbie blogger. I'm so nervous. The temp is rising faster than I can type this. My BF Pam (The Amazing Pam......TAP) is forcing helping me to do this. I'd rather be embroidering but she has limited day hours to help me. She does have a full time job.

She says this will take only a half hour of my time and then we can play in the basement. That is where you will find me most days ........in my sewing room. I love my basement.....and Pam just said she would love to live in my basement. I thought she would be over for a sleep over on Monday night when her A/C died...........she decided to sweat a few more pounds off instead. After my first blog lesson we are going to the basement to do some sewing and then I am taking her out for supper. Then we will be off to the Canton Area Quilt Guild (CAQG).

DH will be winging it tonight for supper.

Please visit my blog again. Please please please..............