a special gift

We are back home and getting sorted out again to resume a partial routine. The holidays were festive and fun and fattening and tiring! We had mild weather and no storms, unlike last Christmas, so driving to visit family was not life-threatening. Surviving the delicious meals and treats was more of a threat! I managed to bring home 2 more pounds than I left with, so will need to focus on that along with getting back on the treadmill.

Lest you think that all of my Christmas decor is totally tacky and gorilla-laden, I want to show you this very special hardanger tabletop piece on my Christmas tablecloth--

This was made by my friend, LeAnne, and it is a treasure. This example of needlecraft shows the intricate nature of the stitching, the little open squares shown in the picture on the left are shown in detail on the other picture so you can get some sense of what goes into this work of art. Since this needlecraft is connected to Scandinavia, it is not unusual to see it in this area of the country full of Johnsons, Olsons, Larsons, etc. But of all the people I know who do many kinds of handcrafts, I know of only 2 women who still know how to do hardanger.

Our Christmas Eve kick-off was a fabulous sleigh ride with our North Carolina visitors. Steve Wood (the fellow in the red jacket at the reins) was our host at Wildwood Sleigh and Carriage near Elk River (actually closer to Nowthen, one of the best named towns ever). Steve raises and trains horses to pull people around, much to our delight. Steve also doubles as an excellent vocalist and choir director at our own little church, Cedar United Methodist. We had a fun excursion around the woods and fields, and even learned interesting facts about the area and its history.

After the ride Brita and Ben took a moment to thank our team for the trip!

One of the fun things that were given to me this year is perhaps one of the simplest, again proving that it doesn't require a lot to make an impression! Not everyone might think this is so special, but one of my necessities and favorite things is ziplock bags--they are my go-to storage system for my sewing, quilting, knitting, etc. So when Nancy gifted me 2 boxes of these bags I was in my happy place!

These are the Istad bags from IKEA, in 4 sizes and colors and designs. A sampling of them is traveling back to CA with Dan to go to Katy, who is a fellow appreciator of special bags. I have not yet met Katy, but I feel we must be kindred souls because we both like the same bags and Marimeko fabric!

I leave you today with a snapshot of my 2 little kids, happy to be together.

merry christmas to all

I am so looking forward to the next few days--family, food and fun! Having son, daughter, son-in-law, son-in-law's parents from N. Carolina all here tomorrow will be one of my most special experiences. And shouldn't there be a term for that relationship between parents of a married couple? There are steps and halfs and in-laws galore, but nothing to identify that unique relationship between my son-in-law's parents and us. "Extended family" just doesn't cut it in my book! "Friends" could be applied, but that is too general to describe the affiliation that I am thinking of. Two sets of parents both involved in the lives of a couple with different backgrounds and histories, but a mutual love. Maybe we need to invent a new word!!

So I will be absent from my posts for the next few days, and made this little holiday video just for you--

important video

Just in the nick of time, I found this video on another blog. It is important for every man to see this and study it carefully. The world would be a better place if this was required viewing when boys reach puberty. It could make Christmas and birthdays and Mother's Day into a whole new level of holiday. Just watch it and see if you agree!

ornaments, part deux

It was too hard to limit the pictures of my favorite ornaments on my last posting, so here is the sequel!

This is actually my newest ornament, a gift from Laurel on Sunday.

In case you can't make out the contents of the glass ball, there are some little yarn balls with miniature knitting needles. Got a chuckle out of me! In the background you can see one of the funniest ornaments we have, I think Danny made it in Cub Scouts out of a Brazil nut and pipe cleaners for Rudolph's antlers. It is precious!

This is one of the ornaments that always gives me pause when it comes out of the box. It is so simple, yet makes such a statement. I'm pretty sure that we all recognize that little red ribbon loop as a symbol of the fight against AIDS. I not only remember Rick when I hang this on the tree, but also the challenge of riding my bicycle from Minneapolis to Chicago to raise money and awareness. The fun and excitement trumped the sore butt by tenfold!

I have been busy making some Christmas gifts so I don't have many pictures of sewing and knitting to share until after those gifts are delivered. But here is one that is safe to show, I think! It is my second making of the Primitive Pinwheels, and this time made from Japanese fabrics. Several of these fabrics were in a bundle of little squares that was gifted to me. In addition, I scavenged enough to complete the project from old fabric sample cards that were heading to the dumpster at the store. I peeled the fabrics off the cards, washed the glue out and trimmed them up. Voila!

I have framed it in a picture frame for display, it was a nice way to finish it. I am going to be teaching this for a class at the store sometime this winter. Since these are such little guys, it is a quick and easy project.

My mission for today is to finish the presents so I had better get a move on....

pomp and circumstance

We had a quick but fun trip to Ames, IA, on Saturday to attend the graduation of my nephew, Spencer, from Iowa State University. It was fun to watch all the red and black robes march into the auditorium and then proceed with the ceremony. Afterward we had a good dinner together and we took numerous pictures, since it not only was a greatday for Spencer but for the rest of his family, too. Here are the proud parents and sister--

Turns out there are 16 cousins on both sides of Spencer's family, and he is the final of the 16 to graduate from college--wow!

This also was one of the few times that my parents have their 3 kids together--

That's me on the left, next to little sis, Jan, from San Francisco. On the right is brother Jarry, with mom and dad in the middle. Not a bad bunch, except it looks like Jan is growing a poinsettia on top of her head!

I am counting down the days till Christmas, we have a bunch of fun things to look forward to! I went out this morning for my one and only shopping excursion to the mall, and got in and out without any problems. Got everything on my list plus a few more surprises! Spent the rest of the day wrapping and admiring our Christmas decor with snowflakes coming down outside. It's hard to choose favorites, but these are some of the ornaments that I especially like--

I made our stockings a few years ago from a Thimbleberries pattern (now out of print) and I was able to find the directions and enough similar fabrics to make a matching one for Ben this year. I even uncovered some of the same fabrics that I used in the first 4 stockings! Well aged!

The next picture has me a little worried--this is son, Dan's, pickup out in Mammoth Lakes, CA. The worry is that he won't get it shoveled out in time to get on his flight home on Thursday!

They have had many feet of snow in December, it just keeps piling deeper and deeper. They report that it is the snowiest December on their records, which is what they are saying about MN right now, too! Although our snow bonanza is peanuts compared to the mountains, it still causes some problems for folks around here. And makes the snowmobilers and snow removal companies happy! Once again, we have proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder--lots of snow can mean lots of fun, a boost in income, a hassle and a mess!

Sometimes we worry about whether we will have a white Christmas. Not so much this winter! This was last Sunday after we got a good little snowstorm on Saturday. The roof of the Metrodome collapsed under the weight of the snow because it was too windy to get the crew up there to move enough of the snow. Wouldn't you think there would be a better way to clear the snow? Poor guys who have to risk their lives for the sake of athletes, maybe the athletes should be required to help with the snow to earn some of their millions.

Bob and I are very glad that we (he) had the presence of mind to buy a little lawn tractor for mowing and snowblowing soon after we built this house. It has held up pretty well, needing some repairs and maintenance over the years, but still "runs like a Deere"!

so much excitement!

I'm sorry. I've been holding out on you.

I have found my new love. In the world of fabulous machines, anyway! Definitely still keeping Bob since he is very handy with a snow shovel and indispensable around here. But I think even he understands (at least partially) my new infatuation with my beautiful Bernina 730 from Bear Patch Sewing Center. I have waited a long time for this upgrade, happy to use my Viking Lily for the last ~10 years. We have had many adventures together and plenty of face time. But now I have moved on to the next chapter, and I'm lovin' it!

I have adjusted my little SewEzi table to fit the Bernina, still needing a plexiglass bed to fit exactly around the shape of the arm, but the plexiglass that fit my Viking comes very close to matching so I can use it for now. I'm finding my way around the touchscreen using the manual on my own until I get into a class at Bear Patch. Looking forward to happy hours bonding with my new friend!

and a good time was had by all

Last night was the Christmas party for my quilt group, the Ham Lake Piecemakers. By the way, who names a lake like that? Maybe there are just too many lakes to think up something more lovely than a chunk of hog. Sunset. Flower. Whisper. Rosebud. Those would all work better in my naming system. Anyway, back to the party, which was held at the home of Carol C. We have our regular meetings on the second, fourth and fifth Thursdays at Cedar United Methodist Church because it is sort of centrally located for our members and it is FREE! That made a big difference when we were informed that our previous meeting place (Ham Lake City Hall) could no longer accommodate our group. Since I was a member at Cedar UMC (and still am!) I hooked us up with the powers that govern the building. It's a small church, basically just the sanctuary, 2 offices, and one large multi-use space with a kitchen thrown in. But it has turned out to be a great place for the quilters on Thursday nights because we pretty much have the place to ourselves. And like I said, it's FREE! So to compensate for the utilities and wear-and-tear on the place, we have a tradition of collecting a Christmas donation of cash and cookies. And I got to bring the cookies home before delivering them to the church today so they can be used on Sunday. They are amazing!

Since they spent the night at myhouse, I had the chance to look at them a little more closely, and picked these out as my favorites:

What a generous group, it makes me happy to take these boxes of cookies along with an envelope stuffed with cash to the church office. Thank you Piecemakers!

We had a great potluck meal last night and Carol nearly ran out of counter space for all the goodies! I do have to say that her punch was yummy, and considering she confessed that she had never made punch before, I would say she should be our Punch Person from now on! Her home was great for our group of 25 (or so), roomy enough to enjoy our meal and then all sit together for the rest of the festivities. We play a little dice game for doorprizes, then we have an exchange of gifts. We draw names early in theyear, and then make something for each other. What a range of gifts and talents in our group! Everything from whole quilts to flannel slippers to pincushions to tablerunners, each gift a treasure.

I drew Jenny's name, and since I knew she loved Moda fabrics I wanted to do something with that. Here's what happened:

I sorted through my selvedges and used the ones that had come from Moda fabrics to make this little sewing caddy from a pattern by Graham Cracker Collection. I opted not to add the pockets on the outside of the pouch because that would have spoiled all those pretty selvedges! The pincushion on top is detachable from the tile base and the pouch is detachable to make emptying easy.

The edge of the pouch is made firm by a ring of plastic tubing sewn inside, which makes it flexible but resilient. The secret about this particular tubing is that it was scavenged from my nursing past (not used, I promise) and finally found a useful place. Pretty good re-purposing, don't you think?!

Sharon had drawn my name this year, and look at the cool spools she made for me! These will be perfect to hang on the wall by my thread rack.

Sharon found the pattern on a trip to Washington state at the Lavender Rabbit, if you look at this link you can see the neat idea for a hanger that I think I can contrive from some of my old wooden spools. What a great gift!

Today brings more sunshine and another party tonight, this time at a further distance (2 hours) so I hope the weather holds out, I don't want to miss Nancy's fest. I am cleaning, sewing, knitting, quilting and keeping the home fires burning (literally)!

this and that

I have a couple of "relics" to share with you again! I have been doing some rearranging of storage and closets,thanks to spaces opened up by the transfer of Brita boxes from here to her own home. During that process, I have come across some things that I made in years past.

This rug was my own design, it was made with a latchhook and hundreds (thousands?) of pieces of yarn cut about 3" long. I used to buy the canvas and yarn packs from the Lee Wards store that was in Columbia Heights in the late 70's. That was the first store I remember going to that would qualify as a "craft" store, and I thought it was heaven! Michael's bought out Lee Wards back in the mid- 90's, so it is no more. :-(

This next little gem is a reflection of my period of counted cross stitch obsession. This particular project must have been an omen of my cross-over to quilting! I learned to do counted cross stitch in the summer of 1976 when we lived in Tom's Place, CA. Bob's cousin, Sandy, showed me the way when we visited a little shop in Bishop to buy supplies for her needlepoint project. That got me hooked for a good long time, I liked the fact that it was relatively inexpensive and very portable, which fit well with our lifestyle at the time.

When I pulled this picture out of the storage box, I had to sit down and think for a bit about the memories that it brought back. This was done in 1986 during a very rough time, and completing it felt like I was finally pulling out of the crap and was able to create something pretty again. Do you have memories like that tied to things you made? To the casual observer, it probably looks like any old stitchery, definitely 80's (would look good with the harvest gold and avocado green appliances!), not very remarkable. I actually remember thinking that putting these stylized quilt blocks together was symbolic of putting the pieces of my life back together. It's good to have this reminder of the past.

Last weekend we visited my parents and I found our bed made up with this pretty antique quilt.

Really quite nicely stitched, but I don't know who made it. It was so soft and comfy. I'm glad I had the chance to sleep under it!

Just finished listening to Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, quite the story! Very long and detailed, describing life in medieval England. There is a TV mini-series that would be fun to watch now, after spending all this time (32 CD's about 1 hr each) absorbed in that world and the characters. Now I have no recorded book to listen to in the car so I will have to get to the library!

walking in a winter wonderland

Woke up this morning to a transformed scene outside. Yesterday it was dark and rainy all day, melting away any of last week's snow. The rain changed to snow overnight, and left several inches of heavy wet white stuff on everything. I have really expected to have a power outage or fallen branches with all the weight of the snow, but so far nothing bad has happened. I did wander outside to take some pictures of the prettiness before it blows off--

The pine tree in the picture on the left was a little baby seedling that Brita brought home from school when she was in grade school, and we planted it and have watched it grow into a substantial tree. It is in the back yard, next to a flower bed and wooden fence. That flower bed holds some special memories, my BIL, Rick, had a part in making it happen. He was visiting, and quite ill, but well enough to sit in the lawn chair and give me direction on where to put things. Rick died that year, but I always think of him when I am out there pulling weeds or digging. It also has been the final resting place for several beloved family pets, so there is a special feeling about the place.

This beautiful red cardinal was looking for a bit of shelter under the grape vines on the patio arbor. The only speck of color in the black and white world. Looking at this makes it clear why a quilt made of black and whites and a little splash of red is always so striking.

I haven't had much actual sewing time lately, I've been spending more time on quilting and knitting so things are done for Christmas. One thing that I did get to make was this little zipper bag while at the Stitchin' Trips retreat--

The directions are a freebie from Linda Lum deBono. Another good little zippered bag, this one is lined and finished with no raw edges so makes a very nice pouch, maybe good for a Christmas gift? I do try to make as many gifts as is practical and possible each year, without stressing myself out too much. I try to keep my ambitions in check, and always have a back-up plan in case the handmade effort peters out! The 2 fabrics I used in this project seemed to be made for each other, even though they came from 2 totally different sources at 2 different times!

Now here's a very special quilt! Doesn't this just scream 1969 to you!?

I think that was the year it was made, or near that time, and was the quilt in the room that I shared with my sister during high school. It wasn't pieced, just printed fabric that we hand quilted around the blocks. It reminds me of happy days in that little bedroom under the eaves in the old farmhouse. It was definitely mod, don't you think? This was also about the same time that I fancied myself becoming an interior designer, I have no idea where that came from because I was far, far removed from ever knowing an interior designer! Looking back at my choice for this fabric, I think we can all feel relieved that I wasn't turned loose to design for other people!

Had a fabulous night at the movies last night, watching the conclusion of the "Millenium" series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. And enjoying another refresher class in Swedish, too. Multi-tasking is what it's all about!

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. --Oscar Wilde

turkey day approaching

I had a chance to work with my cameraman (Bob) last night while I was quilting and thought I would post it here for you--

We are still learning!

I did finish up this quilt last night, and started on the next one. This one is for myself and I wrote about it already here. I think I will be doing a freehand design over the entire piece, which isn't really large but will be perfect for sitting on the couch. I don't think it has any chance of being ready for tomorrow's couch time so I will have to use a substitute. One thing I am not short of is choices for a quilt to curl up in!

What are you doing for Thanksgiving! We will be having fun just enjoying a day off, but the best part will be spending time with Brita and Ben, celebrating the first big holiday in their new home! Ben will be doing a lot of the cooking since Brita will be working at the hospital (we are very used to this necessary evil since it has happened many times during our nursing careers) and his preliminary menu has me drooling! We will be traveling to visit other family on the weekend, providing the roads are OK. There is snow forecasted for today, but hopefully it will be minimal. On the other end of that minimal snowfall is our son, Dan, enjoying multiple feet of fresh snow in Mammoth Lakes, CA. That's feet, not inches! Luckily, he will be able to spend the holiday with his CA family in San Francisco--thank you Jan and Dennis! However, his drive over the mountains will likely be extended due to road closures. Let's hope he makes it safe and sound and in time for turkey!

Please enjoy your holiday in whatever way makes you happy!

playing hooky

I had a last minute opportunity to come to Bridge Creek Cottage with the Stitchin' Trips retreaters, so I loaded up and hit the road! I feel very lucky to get back here, it has been a couple years so I was overdue. And the women here are just as fun and happy as ever! I left the city yesterday afternoon, driving over the river and through the woods and it was a dark and stormy night when I arrived, just in time for supper! It was raining and sleeting, and a little snow on the ground when we woke up this morning. We are warm and cozy inside, so no complaints from me! And this is what I've done so far--

2 quilts done, if you can use a miniature size!

These are the Primitive Pinwheels from Primitive Gatherings.

So I am signing off for now, getting into some more fabric fun and a massage this afternoon!

back to those scarves

Time for another knitting update! Never really thought I would be knitting ruffles, but this is a fact! I am strangely drawn to this scarf even though I'm not a ruffle kind of girl. I saw it displayed at Knitter's Palette and was intrigued by the technique used to make the ruffly edge. So I stepped out on a limb and purchased the pattern and yarn, this is out-of-the-ordinary for me, most of my knitting projects are free from Ravelry or printed in magazines or scavenged in other ways, and I seldom have the exact yarn called for so am constantly making substitution experiments. Not sure what came over me at the time, I think it might have been Debbie's influence since she was with me! And we were embarking on a fun trip together so kind of feeling free and easy. Whatever, I think it's kind of interesting to think about what motivates me to buy something, I find that right now I am motivated to buy very little and I kind of get a kick out of resisting the urge to respond to ads and commercials. Is that normal? Weird? But back to the topic--

pattern is "Molly" and comes from Classic Elite Yarns, maker of the Liberty Wool I am using. The booklet and yarn are available from the above-named yarn shop. I am using the 7898 colorway but there are several options to choose from, both solid and variegated. The yarn is a very nice worsted weight 100% washable wool. The ruffles are created by making some short rows on each side of a ribbed center section. The short rows are not hard to learn, it involves some turning and took me a little practice at first so I had to start over once, but now it's going smoothly. I kept loosing track of where I was in the 4-row repeat, but now I have a little system going and haven't lost my place again!

Now, back to the quilts!

straight and true

In the past week I have encountered a few occurrences of fabrics and seams that have deviated from the straight and narrow. This is always a frustration for me, since I like straight things to be straight. I'm just that way. Are you that way, too? If so, you might be interested in reading how I have learned to get things to go my way!

Here's a little quilt I put together--

It's called Jelly Jive by Pieced Tree Patterns. It is made from a "Jelly Roll", which is a pack of factory-cut strips that are 2 1/2" x 42", composed of the fabrics of a design group. In this case, it is Pure by Sweetwater for Moda. I alternated directions in sewing my long seams to try to minimize the problem of distortion, but that still didn't prevent me from ending up with a parallelogram instead of a rectangle! In order to get this back to somewhat near normal, I had to get down on my hands and knees.

Using my big square ruler, water spray bottle and pins, I staked it out on the carpet. I used the big square to help me make sure my seams were running straight and the corners would be square. I pinned it out as close to true as I could and sprayed the whole thing with water. After drying, I did some more adjustments andsprayed again, and came out with a much better result.

I used these little pins by Bohin, they worked well, but you might have others that you like.

Here's another example of a similar problem, this time it was a print that was a little skewed, but I wanted it straight for my purposes. I cut on the lines of the printed squares, then pinned it to the floor.

This time I had my laser level and square handy, so I made use of that. I put it at a corner and used the projected laser lines to establish where my fabric should be positioned. You can faintly see the little red line on the edge of the fabric and the spot on the black cabinet in the background where the line stopped. This little tool projects 2 lines at right angles, so I could do one corner and then move around to the other corners and adjust as needed. Spray with water, let dry, and voila! No more torqued corners! My tool comes from Stanley, I am sure there are other brands available.

In between all my squaring and shaping up, I have quilted this for a customer--

Not only do I love the colors and design of her blocks, but she supplied a dark brown plush fabric for the backing, which shows the quilting lines as very 3-dimensional and sculpted. She wanted a leafy vine spreading all over the quilt, so I had fun with that. The quilt pattern is Circle Dance, the same as I used for the quilt in the picture at the top of this page. No wonder I like it!

tricks and treats

We had a few more visitors on Halloween this year, but that's not saying much because last year we had ZERO! Our most favorite was this little camo dino that we found wandering on the frontporch--

Cheerfully escorted by Grandpa Jim (in his golfer costume), wearing a fine dinosaur suit crafted by Michelle. Good job!

I've been working on an adaptation of my Star Light quilt, I decided that I wanted to make a version that is smaller so it could be more like a kid-size quilt. Instead of shrinking all the proportions, I chose to keep the center star the same size and eliminate some borders. I think I like the scale and layout so far. The colors are inspired by a quilt I saw on the Red Pepper blog. It took me a bit to find what I think are the right shades and clear tones to put together. I asked for some help here in finding more of this red and white polkadot, but guess what! I got what I needed from the fat quarter that I had! I had held off sewing this for quite awhile so I could find more of that fabric, but I was really itching to get it started. Then all of a sudden it dawned on me that I really didn't need all that much of the polkadot, and when I calculated it out, it worked! After that point, it all came together nicely.

The lighting here wasn't so good, it was pretty late (around midnight) when I finished sewing and I wanted to grab a quick picture. It helps me to view the overall quilt in a picture like this, sort of like looking at a design wall (which I still haven't created!). So, this is ready for some quilting, but has to wait its turn since I am kind of backed up on the quilting right now for customers who need things done for the holidays. But it really helps to have this out of my head and off the cutting table. I am going to teach the Star Light quilt for a class at Bear Patch and it will be fun to offer the group this variation.

yarn fun

Love love love the feel and look of this scarf I just finished. It's drying after a quick dip, and feels like "buttah"! This is a yarn and pattern I found at Knitter's Palette Yarn Shop. The yarn is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Baby Suri Silk (color 11) and I have not used it before so this is a pleasant result. The pattern was a free handout from the yarn shop when I purchased the yarn, it is called the Chevron Scarf and was displayed in the shop made with Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. This Misti Alpaca is a DK weight yarn, so a little heavier than the sock yarn, but with the right size needles (US 5) it turnedout great. If you area knitter, I highly recommend you give this a try! Now back to my quilts! And the orange brownies I just baked!

distinctly fall

The yummy smell of simmering applesauce is making me very happy right now! Wish I had smell-o-vision to share with you. What is it that makes applesauce such an autumnal cooking tradition? We have apples all year round, yet the fall apple harvest triggers this frenzy of apple cooking. This is my second batch this week, and it is so easy that I thought I owe it to you to divulge my secrets: Secret #1, get yourself one of these apple peeler-corer-slicer thingies. I got mine at Mills Fleet Farm for under $20 a couple years ago, but they are available in many stores and online. It is a miracle. In short order I had 10 big Haralson apples ready for cooking. The apple is speared through the core and then rotated by turning the crank over on the right (out of the picture). The little blade on the front shaves off a thin strip of peel. As the cranking continues the apple runs into a circular blade thatmakes a continuous spiral cut. In the picture on the right the apple is nearly completely sliced.

After the slicing is all done, the good part is easily removed and you are left with the core:

Secret #2, use a crockpot.

For these 10 apples I added 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Cook on high for about 3 hours, or until you reach the consistency that you like. Don't be afraid to load up that crockpot when you start because this really cooks down to a much smaller volume. And you want plenty to savor when it is all done!

Today we (Bob and I) have been in SW Minneapolis helping out at the new home of our daughter and son-in-law. We spent a good chunk of time outside raking and cleaning up the yard, they have a huge maple tree in the backyard that gifted them with many many lovely leaves. Not looking so lovely now in a legion of black trashbags! Then we moved indoors for some little fixit jobs, cleaning floors and washing woodwork. They just moved in 5 days ago so some boxes remain to be unpacked, but progress has been made. Transitioning from their 1 bedroom apartment in San Francisco to 3 stories of house is a pleasure for them. I even took several of Brita's boxes from our basement to her basement--yahoo!!

They have met some nice neighbors and are just in time for all the trick-or-treaters tomorrow! Even though it is a lot of work and a lot to think about, they look like they are enjoying homeownership together! Some parts of the house have had some great updates, and some still reflect the character of a house of the 50's. We are so happy that they can make this house their home. I think they need applesauce!