a cool breeze

A very welcome change in our weather brought back the pleasure of open windows!  I do like to be able to enjoy the outdoor sounds, the birds calling, the leaves rustling, the trucks on the highway 1 mile away!  At least there is no hum of the A/C!

We did have the hum of a blender a couple of days ago.  We wanted to make some frozen fruit drinks with our new Zoku cups--

This picture makes it look much bigger than it really is, those are a child's hands there.  And I think they used the same photography technique that I use when getting pictures of the fish we catch, extending the fish out to the camera to make it seem appropriate for a big fish tale.

Anyway, Debbie introduced me to this fun kitchen accessory and I spotted a booth at the State Fair and couldn't wait to get my own!  I asked the booth guy for 2 of them, one to give to Brita and one to keep.  And as a surprise, since I was the first customer of the day and so enthusiastic about Zoku, he gave me another cup for free!

Back at the ranch, I unearthed my old blender to whirl up some fresh fruit to use in our slushie, and it was a sorry sight.  

That was 1975.

It was a wedding gift, avocado green Osterizer, front panel peeling off, rubber gasket as stiff as cardboard!  The motor was really straining to get moving when I turned it on, but it did slowly get the job done and the slushies were a success!  But we decided we could qualify for an upgrade, so now we are the proud owners of a shiny new blender!  This one should last us until se are done needing a blender!

This is 2013.

 I have been trying to kick the feeling of lassitude that has been plaguing me lately, not feeling like I have accomplished much, and then I remember why I don't care if my projects are reaching completion.  This little guy--

He just soaks up the world and everything in it, and spending time with him is a reward of its own!  Just look at the way he can slurp up a pasta noodle!  Have you ever seen anything so wonderful?!  He just passed the 18 month mark, another milestone reached.  By the end of this meal, during which he devoured his linguine, there was pasta and garlic and olive oil all over him and his surroundings.  A great way to experience a meal!

I wanted to share a couple things that I have finished (or nearly)--
Here's a little baby quilt that I put together from a bundle of sports themed fabrics that I had collected.  I used a tumbler ruler from Creative Grids.  I used the ruler before for a class that I taught at Bear Patch on a much larger scale.  This little one was much quicker, and the size was dictated by the amount of that blue fabric that I had on hand!  It has a little black and white striped binding that still needs to be hand stitched in place.

 I tried to put in quite a few different sports, this has basketball, golf, soccer, football and baseball represented.

 This doesn't have a recipient yet, but will be ready for some sweet little guy.

I did a spell of handwork putting together this little clamshell piece using English Paper Piecing techniques.  These are 2" pieces, measured from side-to-side.  I started it 2 years ago when I attended Quilt Market in Houston and took a class from Sue Daley to learn how to do it.

I used this nice little acrylic template to help cut the shapes that I glue-basted to paper pieces, then hand stitched row upon row.

And, I did a real easy knitting project, too!  This slouchy hat, which was really hard to get a good picture of without a head handy!  I think you get the idea, but the picture of the guy on the cover of the pattern booklet shows it off much better.  Notice the title, Celebrity Slouchy Beanies, which must mean that this is hip and cool, right?!

I used this really nice yarn, which was a pleasure to work with but has only one drawback--it's not machine washable!  I think this one has been claimed by Bob, so I can make sure it doesn't get tossed in the wash accidentally!

Oh, one other thing I got done--

lawn mowing!  Bob is not allowed on our riding mower until his back is better healed, so the task has fallen to me.  I did mow the lawn occasionally back when we first moved here, but it has been a job for the kids and Bob for a long time.  I had to have a little refresher on the proper mowing techniques, but now I am back on track.  Luckily, our lawn is far from pristine, I would call it more of a rustic style, which fits well with my style of mowing!  Let's just say I will be happy to have Bob back on the mower in the future!