Strolling or Hiking

Whew! A lot has been going on between my 12 hour sleeps and adjusting. Some rainy weather brought a pretty double rainbow into view just outside our sewing room/livingroom/kitchen/dining room. (one room sure does become a lot when you have a studio esqe apartment.)



I've really been on top of taking my honey as a preventative measure for allergies. Since Christa told me about it's service as a cough suppressant I've been all over that too.
Aaand we ran out of local honey.
So Cami and I tromped our coughy little bee-hinds to Honey Cottage, a shop in old town that knows all about the bees-ness of honey, bees wax, pollen, and everything to do with bees. I couldn't resist my childhood friends flavored honey sticks (now residing in my purse in case I need a safety snack.)


The most local honey for my Colorado Springs location. Go away allergies!


Of course we couldn't go to Old Town without some French onion soup.


This is a project I'm currently working on. Tooootally my colors right?
 Not so much. It's a gift so even thought the top is done you won't see it til the gift has been given.


May 22 was our anniversary. Luke took a half day off and we went strolling on some trails nearby. Luke would have preferred a more lively pace but I'm too out of shape still getting used to the altitude.

The red rock. Maybe it'll grow on me.

All the spring green that is coming to be is kind of toning the red/orange down. I appreciate it.


The next day we drove up to the Donut Mill, a shop reputed to have the most to die for maple bar. They were out. We ran into Cami and Rob there, fitting because they have given said mill said reputation. They told us about a place nearby to go hiking strolling. We went to this place and didn't want to pay $7 to get in. (Luke is saving for a TV) The ranger sent us uproar for some rocking views.

We took Crags Trail.

Pikes Peak is behind me, the snow was blending with the clouds.


Husband Photography Inc.



We were at a much higher elevation. Stuff is still budding.


The creek was running under the ice. It made the sound of the water bigger which was nice.


Halfway there! Can you see the crags?
So I was huffin and puffin along and Luke finally yells out,"were here!" I'll be the first to admit I said a thank you Jesus prayer in my head as this hike was steep! Thing was... "here" didnt mean right where Luke stood. "Here," I  found out as soon as I rounded the corner, was at the top of this charming little incline.


I think I only yelled liar loudly 3 or 4 times. The rest of my energy was needed for panting...


...since the view was breathtaking.
This kind of mountain-ness is right up my alley. Fewer red rocks, creeks, lot of coniferous trees. And Luke! He had the whole day off! (Though Monday night is knitting group at the library so I did pardon my self to that while he went to go in to play a round of golf.)


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MIA

I am in Colorado Springs finally and in spite of delays due to car, a professor who is certifiable, illness, and snow. It'll just take me a couple days to get rid of this cough, a couple more to get used to the altitude and I'll be up and running full force! Until then I might just be MIA.

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Owl Love You Forever

I have successfully stippled my first quilt.





And free motion quilted my first quilt!






Then I bound them and washed them! I'm pleased as punch with how they turned out!








Aunt Maggie came up with the best name for these two quilts: Owl Love You Forever
So sweet!

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Call Me a Sucker

but my mom raised me a candy snob. Our Easter baskets had See's bordeaux eggs and their traditional lolly pops were one of her choice driving treats. (She also taught us how to snap our gum real loud on the many trips to visit Grandpa in SanDiego too. My students are constantly impressed by my mad skill.) Any way. Root beer was one of her favorite flavors(nostalgia she said) and therefore ours too(no way we'd turn down sweets as a kid.) We, Mom, me and Val, were all so excited when Sees came out with root beer suckers! And so disappointed when they were gone. But I have good news...


They're baaaa-aaaack!
Now on my drive to CO this weekend I can SPLIT my time between See's suckers and gum snapping. (Yep it's a solo drive.)


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One In Every Color-Geometry

My mom gave this toy/game to me one year for Christmas or birthday or something. I loooooved it. I don't think it was because I liked making shapes fit...(tangrams were my nightmare)


I think I made the shapes fit because they came in every color!!!! This fun toy went to a family with a farm today (dog speak for the church rummage sale on Saturday) but I'll always remember it with fondness.

A Drink By Any Other Name

would taste just as delicious and might be out there...but we think we made it up. And we call it:

The Jolly Quilter

because it tastes like a Jolly Rancher...and we drink it on quilting nights when we have something to celebrate...or would like to celebrate our work....or we're really not that thrilled with our work.... or we wish to celebrate each other.

They're served in darling antique juice glasses. Each person needs a different one. To tell them apart.

The words "Hey! That's my glass!" have been known to be exclaimed from time to time.

They are one part Sparkling Apple-Cranberry and one part peach schnapps.

They must be earned by piecing, stippling, assembling binding, label making, finishing binding...QUILTING!

See I'm hard at work in the background of the photo above doing the final stippling on a VIQ (Very Important Quilt!)

These hooligans are ?binding?

They MUST be enjoyed by JOLLY QUILTERS!

Do we look jolly?

Clockwise from bottom right: Me, Sister Valerie, Cousin Tanya,Cousin Kim, Aunt Maggie.

Cheers! A toast to quilting!

Ps. Don't cha just love Val's every color included Little Miss Matched socks?

Right up my alley!

That'll Do Doggie, That'll Do

Remember how Kaylee the dog has taken over the cat bed?


It seems that the cat has found a sufficient replacement. When went over to Aunt Maggie's this is where she was, completely unbothered by the car we pulled up in!
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7 Joys

I borrowed a prompt from Two Adults given by JohnJennifer. Too good to pass up.


1.)Clean sheets and clean towels. Luke thinks I'm a nut. We're working through it.
2.)A phone call with good timing from the man who thinks I'm a nut.
What this means: a time thats good for both of us, and we're both smiling, you can hear it, usually around bedtime so we're winding down and enjoying each other's company.
Take tonight for example. I was babysitting and kind of bummed because we'd missed each other. He worked late, I was putting kids to bed, then he was in bed so he could get to work at the crack of dawn. I had even had the thought, "Poop, we keep missing each other, it's been a while since we've had a good chat." Then on my way home late late late who would call me but Luke. He had woken up to close the window (cold, can you believe it?) and thought to call me before he headed back to sleep. One of the best 3 minute conversations. Made me smile from the inside out.
3.) When a kid I'm working with has an AHA moment. I live for those, they make my day.
4.) Holding up a finished product. AND showing it off. Yep, I made that.
5.)Reading with Luke. Basking in each other's presence and not even needing our own words.
6.) Sunshine.It makes me glow from the inside out. Ill sit on the floor in the middle of the living room if it means I get in the sun's way. (Whats a word for the inverse of a shadow?)
7.)Fresh of the tree, Fresno flavored fruit (strawberries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, grapes, oranges, the occasional fig, and Bowser Applesauce) as well as fresh off the plant sun warmed tomatoes.

Germs and Dawgs

I've been spending a lot of time in the school computer lab. Apparently so has everyone else because the keyboards are dirty. Gross dirty. I can't afford to get sick right now and I DEF-inately don't want to touch that grossness so I unplugged the keyboard and went to work with a "wet one." Look at what came off on the wipe after cleaning 1/3 of the keyboard!


Ok maybe I'm. Bit much but I'm still not sick. Allergies are a different story.
Last weekend I hung out with "my dawg" (implying he's my homie an not my dog) Priest.


He likes hanging out with his peeps so a car ride makes him happy as long as he is with people.


He wants to be sooo near people that he puts his paws on the center console and sticks his head through as far as he can. Boy was I surprised when he got my shoulder with his tongue. Dude. I'm married.


Priest in fact loves people so much that he denied my aunt and uncles dog Kaylee Waffle any interest in playing. (ok they played a little but not as much as the puppy who runs 6 miles a day on the treadmill would have liked.) Poor Kaylee.


She was still pooped enough to squeeze herself into her stolen cat bed. If that's not funny I don't know what is!

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Professional Knitter

I guess I've been a professional knitter for a while, but this project kind of "made it real."
I was commissioned by a woman in San Francisco, who I'd never met, to make a sweater for a baby who was going to be born. She sent me the yarn she wanted used, and a check, and we talked about what she wanted.
Size: Three Month, Cardigan, Cables would be great, She wanted to ad buttons.
Here's what I came up with!

I'm pleased as punch! I also love this making up patterns with the top down method. The only thing I have to seam is the underside of the sleeve!

One In Every Color- Dorm Room Edition

On our visit to Cal Poly we took a tour of the dorms. These were some girls after my own heart!


They were celebrating all of their April birthdays!


These girls only used one color and I LOVE what they did for Christmas! I can't blame them for not taking it down. I wouldn't have!





And in their rooms:


Can you tell what it's made of?





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