Preparing for liftoff

Mr. Gadget and I will be leaving the land of sunshine and sushi early tomorrow morning to return to the the land of snow and water in the basement. Tech Guy, who was at the house last weekend to do his laundry, said it wasn't too bad.....just a little soggy around the edges. I'm sure it will smell rather unpleasant, but a few hours of airing out with the windows open in 30-degree weather should do the trick. Hmmmmm.....maybe we can change our tickets.....

I've been very productive during my stay on the west coast. I finished this:

I crocheted it to very precise specifications: wide enough for me and long enough for Mr. G.

I made 100 tissue paper flowers, 52 felt ladybugs, and a cute little ladybug apron. I even found time to retype my Christmas card list. And just this morning I drove by the former house of my friend, Arizona Barbara. To be more accurate I should say the house that used to be. It recently met up with the wrecking ball and is now just a vacant lot with a pile of lumber on it. Soon it will become a McMansion, as will two other demolished houses on her street. This is the term used around here for the humungous structures that are replacing many small beach-area houses. Barbara requested a photo. It wasn't my idea to heap sadness on her. I'm sure she'll have a good cry. I felt a twinge of sadness myself as I recalled many pleasant times we spent there. Not far from Barbara's ghost-of-a-house is the house I grew up in. It, too, has morphed into a big monster with nary a patch of dirt for a child to make a mudpie.

I even made time for some reading and managed not to break my nose.

And now, having finished the afghan, my hands have nothing to do. Lest they start baking brownies or getting into other sorts of trouble, I pulled out this fabric and contemplated another embroidery project:Roosters. How novel.

It will be a good project for the trip home. Here's hoping it's a smooth flight and thereby embroidery-enabling....

Soup 101

I learned to make soup in my Italian mother-in-law's kitchen in Queens. She and I didn't always communicate easily, what with her being conservative and old school and one of those attend-church-everyday Catholics, and me being from California with all that sunshine and sin, and my occasional jaunts to the beach on Sundays. But we finally learned to enjoy each other's company and appreciate our differences. We did have one thing in common, besides a special place in our hearts for Mr. Gadget, and that was we both loved to sew. She liked nothing more than to come visit us in Connecticut and have me drive her to the local discount fabric store where, in the early days, we could find fabric for $1/yard. When she passed away a few years ago, I inherited her button collection.

But back to the soup. She made great soup. One day I asked her for her lentil soup recipe. She gave me a very puzzled look and didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then she began to hem and haw. I had expected her to just write it down on a piece of scratch paper and that would be that. But that didn't happen.....because...she didn't have a recipe. She'd been making soup for so long, it was all in her head. I finally realized I'd just have to stand beside her in the kitchen and take notes. Now, thanks to her allowing me to snoop, I can make pretty good soup myself. But I'd be hard-pressed to write down my recipe. And even though it's tasty, it still falls a little short of hers. She'll always be the Soup Queen.

So today I made one last visit to my good friend Joann's, where I purchased a couple of yards of this. I'm warning you though.....put on some eye protection before you look!

You may remember this fabric from the apron I made Tech Guy for Christmas.

When he opened the package he was so excited about this real man fabric that he mentioned he might like even more stuff made out of it. Luckily, Joann still had plenty on the bolt.. I plan to make a couch pillow and maybe some placemats. And I'll just keep making stuff till I run out of fabric. There might be enough for a tissue box cover and maybe even that extra toilet paper roll. I'll call the whole collection a belated birthday medley. Check back later, and be sure to bring some sunglasses. Oh, and try to control the revving.....

No mooing allowed

As Mr. Gadget and I were leaving the condo earlier today, we happened to meet up with our neighbor, Dolly, who was making her way to the trash dumpster.

"Hi, Dolly, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I'm having 17 ladies over soon for an Oscars party."

I can only imagine the cackling we'll be hearing shortly. I will not tolerate mooing though. I'll be rapping on the wall if I hear any of that....

Yesterday morning, after pouring myself a cup of coffee, I did a little blog-reading...as is my usual morning ritual. And imagine my surprise when I read my friend's (the other Marcia....we call each other that in the blog world) blog and found that she had showcased a few of my dolls. Check out her D is for dolls post. It's right after the one about her trek through the yard on snowshoes. Oh that Marcia.....such an adventurous one!

So yesterday Mr. G offered to chauffeur me to the big discount fabric store in Anaheim, even after our conversation in which he determined that I didn't actually need any fabric. He took along a couple of his scientific magazines (maybe there was a car one too) and waited patiently while I spent exactly one hour on my shopping spree.

"One hour is all I need," I assured him. "If I stay in there longer than that, I end up thinking too much and buying stuff I won't use."

"Yeah, right," he said.

Here's my loot. I bought one yard each. I have no idea what I'll do with any of it, but each piece somehow had my name on it, so I'll add it to my stash.

Then this morning, as I was going through some mail, I noticed this:

It expires today. I'd feel terrible letting a 50% coupon go to waste, so I headed off to Michael's with the intention of buying more instant paper mache. But they were sold out, so I bought some new scissors instead. Scissors are like reading glasses. Even though you possess dozens of pairs, they are rarely where you need them. Maybe I'll have to start wearing one of those necklace thingies with my glasses and my scissors. And maybe my car keys too.

So now I'm off to make some veggie soup. It's not too early to start mentally preparing for the shock that awaits me next weekend. The weather in SoCal will be warming up through the week to the high 70's. On Saturday Mr. G and I will be heading back to Connecticut where, according to Tech Guy, the snow plow guy is doing a nice job on our driveway....

Construction zone

Today I was in the mood for a project, so I entered the construction zone.....without a hard hat I might add. I wasn't wearing steel-toed shoes either, and I totally forgot my tool belt. But I slogged on anyway. I mean, how hazardous can it be in a sewing room?


I had all the materials on hand, having recently visited the lumberyard, I mean the fabric store.

I had the plans too, although no rulers, calculators, protractors or slide rules were used in their preparation. Just a quick snip-snip here and there, being extra careful to avoid crossword puzzles that I usually save for Big City Girl.

In no time at all....well, I did visit the lunch wagon for coffee and a donut.... I ended up with this:

Next, I called in the heavy machinery.....you know, the kind you can't operate if you're taking certain prescription medications.

And finally, the finished project.....coming in well under budget and slightly ahead of schedule. I think I've got this construction business down to a science.

On Monday I'll be having lunch with my friend whose granddaughter has the new play kitchen. I hope she likes her new apron. I can only imagine what gourmet delights will be coming out of her kitchen. Maybe she could whip up one of these....

Californian cursed by cartoon character

"You idiot!" screamed Homer when Mr. Gadget and I returned to the condo after our road trip up north. "You call yourself a native Californian?! Only a birdbrain would expect to see tomato trucks this time of year!"
"Well, I didn't know," I replied sheepishly as I cowered in the corner with no place to hide now that the mountains of flowers and ladybugs are gone.
"You'd better get your produce straight, missy, if you ever want to come back here and feel proud of your roots," he yelled.

And then, thankfully, his battery ran out and he shut the heck up.

So now I stand corrected. This time of year it's the Orange Highway, not the Tomato Highway.The flowers and ladybugs were delivered in good order, much to the delight of my cousin and her daughter. We had a small committee meeting around the kitchen table during which we decided that the dragonflies, yet to be constructed, will have either pins or magnets attached. And then I mentioned that maybe I could come up with a pattern for an ant. A few might look cute crawling around the cake....heh...heh.....just kidding cuz! I'm leaning toward fabric, but also considering clay. Mr. Gadget has always suspected it, but now he's totally convinced that I've gone completely buggy.....


And speaking of sheep, we saw lots of them along the way, including some wood cut-out ones on a hillside. Good-for-nothing yarnless sheep...heh. Up in the wine country we saw some of these cows. I'd never seen one before, but then I don't mosey around farms much. Mr. G. thought maybe they were wearing coats of some sort until I reminded him this is the sunshine state, not northern Maine.


We stopped at a winery where Mr. G decided I should take a photo of him petting this wild boar.

But he didn't bother to read the plaque in front of the boar, so he didn't realize that stroking the snout would have brought him good luck. This meant that he was forced to suffer a hangover, followed a day later by the onset of cold symptoms--both of which could have easily been avoided had he just followed the directions.


So now we're back and I guess I should do some laundry. Then I need to figure out why, after a thorough cleaning and blessing by the kitchen gods, my refrigerator smells. But I figure I've got a couple of days to address that issue since it'll be that long before Mr. G's nose is back up to speed....

Happy 26th Tech Guy!

Today is Tech Guy's 26th birthday. We'll be traveling up the Tomato Highway before too long, so he'll have to celebrate without us this year. But he's used to that, what with our winter treks out west. We're not as cool as his friends, though, so I'm sure he'll find a way to party it up without us, and then he'll come by the house in a few weeks for a homecooked meal, some cake, a present and a couple of birthday hugs. He'll probably even bring his dirty laundry. And if I'm any kind of a mother, I'll offer to do it for him in honor of his birthday.
Here's a cute picture of Tech Guy with his grandpa. The two of them were quite the hams when they got together. There's nothing like a nice apple pie to bring that quality out in a guy. I can only imagine what merriment followed when the ice cream was added.


So here's to you Tech Guy!


Dad and I will look forward to seeing you and your laundry in a couple of weeks! Bring quarters...heh...heh....

I heart chocolates!

I've been known to brake (with the left foot) for chocolate. These aren't my chocolates though. I gave them to Mr. Gadget. He's been known to brake for chocolate too, but always with his right foot. He says I tricked him because I begged him not to give me candy for the big day. In fact, I pleaded with him not to give me anything, because he buys me thoughtful gifts all through the year. Have I mentioned my new mini vacuum? But of course I had no plans to not give him a little something, so this morning he was quite surprised to find this box of chocolates on the little slide-out keyboard shelf as he prepared to check his email. And Mr. Gadget has never been known not to share....The ladybugs are finished. I made 51, but decided to keep one in case more are requested and I need a reminder of how they were constructed. They've been packed up ready for travel, in alternating rows so their antennas won't get tangled. Mr. G was quite worried about that. I assured him that because they are pipe cleaners they could easily be bent back into shape, but still he worried......so now he needn't.

And the flowers are finished too.These will be transported in big plastic garbage bags with no need for worrying about smushing or crinkling. The more the better. We'll probably look like we're headed to the dump as we drive along the Tomato Highway enroute to my cousin's house. She has assured me she has a whole back closet designated as the wedding parphernalia holding area, so this should eliminate any need for her to rent one of those storage lockers.

Now I'm going to get on to other things, like this for instance:

It's a pattern I made on-the-quick for a child's version of this:

A west coast friend gave her granddaughter a little play kitchen for Christmas just to use at Grandma's house, and she might as well have a designer apron, don't ya think? I'm going to put pockets on the front for some little utensils. And you'll never guess what's printed on the fabric I've chosen. Ladybugs. The pesky little things follow me everywhere.....

Cruise Control

My friend Kathy W. commented on my last post that she thinks I should try a little cruise control. Well I've tried it, Kathy, and I don't really like it much. I prefer to have both my hands on the wheel and my foot on the gas pedal all the while I drive. Having both feet on the floor makes me feel out of control. Also, I'm a left-footed braker. It's dear ol' dad's fault I'm pretty sure. He was a left-footed braker too and probably suggested, while I had my learner's permit, that it was an efficient way to brake. My friend Barbara (the one who went to Arizona for a man) is also a LFB. We used to discuss this on our expeditions to the discount fabric store and wonder how it could be.

Mr. Gadget, on the other hand, loves cruise control and lists it as his second favorite gadget.... right after the remote control. In fact, he's always trying to sway me over to more modern ways of doing things. But I guess Kathy wasn't talking about that kind of cruise control. So I want to assure her and others that I'll be practicing some of the other kind, and I won't be going on any more cruises....at least not until September....

So Mr. G. and I were out for a stroll along the beach yesterday and crossed paths with a lady walking her little dog in a dog stroller. Mr. G. was quite amazed to see such a gadget and asked politely if he could take a picture. The dog owner graciously agreed to pose for his camera.

Seems she loves to take walks (the lady, that is) and the dog is getting up in years and not able to keep up. She loves to ride in her stroller (the dog, that is), and has apparently learned not to piddle in it. I didn't see any evidence of Doggie Depends, but you never know what could be hiding under that fur. I sent the picture to Big City Girl, who responded that this is the same kind of dog she used to walk for her boss during her college internship in NYC. I think it was referred to as administrative duties and she somehow earned college credit for it.

So today I finished the ladybugs......all 51 of them....and I decided to take a little crochet break before making the last 20 tissue paper flowers. I made a little progress on the ripple afghan. I wanted to make sure my fingers hadn't forgotten how to crochet....what with all the recent insect activity.

It will be my car project this weekend when Mr. G. and I set off on a road trip to northern California....up the Tomato Highway.....a/k/a Interstate 5. On an earlier trip along this route I noticed big red patches on the pavement and was horrified to think it might be evidence of numerous unfortunate accidents. But then I noticed all the tomato trucks. And now I'm thinking about the price of tomatoes in the local grocery store and I'm wondering if I should ask Mr. G. to follow one of those trucks closely while I try to catch a few in a butterfly net.

Oh, and that pink-haired lady at the grocery store who's so chipper all the time? Well, the other day it was particularly warm in the store and she was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt that revealed two huge multi-colored tattoos. And if that wasn't exciting enough, tonight Mr. G. and I went out to the local Mexican restaurant. Sitting nearby was a woman having dinner with her two young granddaughters. She was wearing a nice v-necked blouse, and just before she got up to leave, she slipped her wallet in the left side of her bra, and her cell phone in the right. Cheaper than breast enhancement surgery I'm pretty sure.....

My Mexican cruise in 10 pictures

The sky as we sailed out of Los Angeles harbor.
Dressed for chess.....

One to keep and two to share.

Mr. Gadget fetching me a latte. What a guy!

More ladybugs.

I'll be back as soon as the boat stops rocking....

I don't know how to tell you this.....

......but Mr. Gadget and I are leaving later today on another cruise.

We've had enough of that cold breeze coming in through the mail slot, so we're heading off for a week in Mexico.

Not to worry though. I've hired a security guard to keep an eye on the mail slot, and just to be extra careful, I've tied the rebellious ones up in a big bag. I'm feeling confident they'll still be here when I get home, unless they decide to head for the dryer vent....

Until next weekend then, "Hasta la vista!"