Califorrnia Burnin

My home state is HOT!! There are over 1000 fires burning!! Two days ago it was 800. Suzie and Austin are going on vacation, just up north (because of our lovely gas situations!!) and now have to consider the fires in all their travels. She lives down in Modesto area and they have horrible air quality, when someone opens the door in her office (she's in a little bldg of the campus of Gallo Wines) she is immedialy inundated with smoke. People are really having a hard time. Poor Micheline over 7 months pregnant with twins and having to deal with all this!! People don't throw cigarettes out!! It's bad enough with all the lightening!!
Well re-dedication #83 in progress! I've been fairly good with my dieting, but my two hours a week at the gym are just not cutting it, so I got a walking pass at our local rec center, and am now walking 3 miles on my off days from the gym!! Plus I'm having to tightly schedule my day, so as not to fall prey to the nap monster!!!
Watched the Bucket List last night, very good, very sad, but very good!!! A real feel good movie, everybody rent it!!
Think happy thoughts for Suzie, she is going up to Novato (our home town, yeah Novato High!!, class of 198*&^) tomorrow for a "life celebration" for a father of a very good friend that she has been estranged from for several years. It's going to be tough on her, but something she should and wants to do!! Hang Tough!!

Ice Machine Cometh

Well, after 3 different repair trips for this *^%$#&()( Ice Machine, including the only Kitchen Aid "certified" tech in the state, it still doesn't work!!!! We bought a new ice machine, (the old brand we had before, Scottsman) and it will be delivered before the 4th!! Ugh, I'm serious people at least 6 repairs on this thing a year, after having it replaced by a brand new one a year after purchase, and we have never had it work correctly!! Three years of fighting with Whirlpool/Kitchen Aid, ugh!!! Bring on the Scottsman!!! Our old Scottsman was 15 years old and we never had a kink in service!! Didn't even know we were supposed to clean it!!! It was a goody and highly recommended by the "certified" tech yesterday!! So, maybe we will have great ice again. I realize this isn't a life and death situation, but darn it we paid a lot of money for that thing, and we can surf the Internet on a little disk that fits in the palm of your hand, why can't somebody as big as Whirlpool make an under the counter ice machine that works!!!???

This calls for a heavy sewing day!! Have to get my mind right with the world again!!
See ya!!

Today's Project

Today it's this one! I'm going to bind it and back it in white and it will have fringe on the uneven end and hang from the straight end. I was inspired by a quilt similar to this that I found a long time ago. Always liked it so I tried it myself!!

Sewing for Fun

You know how when you are supposed to be doing something specific, and you end up doing something entirely different and not important to the original task, well that's what I've been doing. I'm supposed to be a stepford wife today, cleaning, cooking, entertaining, nah!!! I spend half the day sewing. I saw a table runner similar to this on someone else's blog, can't even remember now, and said that's cute I think I'll do something like it!! Well, I've been sewing all morning and this is what I came up with:It's going to go in the middle of my table for 4th of July!!
Happy Baby Shower Day to Micheline and Casey out in California!!! The twins will be here in about 2 months!!! They are doing great, all 4 of them, babies and parents!! Can't wait until my sister takes pictures at the shower today, cause I haven't seen anything of this belly yet!! Micheline is not as into minute to minute updates as I am!! I'm think of them all day today!!

Live while you are Waiting!

I'm quilting!!!

Aunt Julie scrapbooking with a very dirty dog in her lap! This is what we did last Saturday. I'm working furiously on Israel.

I don't know what this might turn into, but half is my dyed fabrics, and store bought. I did machine quilting but the whole back fabric slid, so I'm way off from the front. Ugh!!

My very favorite fabrics, Kaffe - trimmed in black. I did all this one this morning. My poor dog is getting a hair cut, so I have been sewing. I have been listening to podcasts, and in my element!! I love these bright colors with the contrast of the black! While I was cutting fabric, a woman on Opera's blog said "Live while you are waiting!" What a great way to spend your life!!

Thursday, Ice Machine Saga Part 2

Well, I wrote a letter to the Appliance Store (repair people), copied it to Kitchen Aid and Ken's Office, with his Attorney title added. I'm getting results, Kitchen Aid said it should work, Appliance store says it should work, so repairman coming again today, of course, now the machine is working!! I don't know what else they can do, it just picks it's own time to work which usually isn't convenient!! It's like a car, it never does the noise at the shop!!!
Anyhow, I shall see what happens today!!

Ice Machine Blues

We have this ongoing issue with our under the counter ice machine. Anyhow, after repair call #127 on Friday, I just a sent off a scathing letter to the repair shop and Kitchen Aid. Yes, it's not working again!! This machine has just been awful, after the other one that we had for 15 years and never had a service call. They don't make the size we had (our spot is narrow and we have very limited space) so we went with this machine, Kitchen Aid. Ugh.... I'm sure my neighbors think I'm having an affair with the appliance repair man, he's here so much, but no just service calls. I don't know what else to do, we just want ice without the hassle of noisy machine, hot cabinets, and empty ice trays!!
I have started my diet again today!! F-Factor, now I know what the F stands for!! I just had my yummy lunch, 1 cup of V-8 juice and 1 container (approx 3/4 cup) Dannon Fiber Crap Yogurt, mixed with 1/2 cup Fibre bran crap cereal. I get to have two fibre crackers with peanut butter or 20 peanuts for a snack. Hmmm. decisions, decisions.
Tonight we have a social for all the new SIS members, and I can't have wine!!! UGH!! But I need to lose 25lbs!!! All my pics from Israel reflect my gi-normous size!! So, it's the F-Factor for me. I heard about it on Marth's Radio Channel, so it can't be tooo bad, just lots of protein and fibre and real strict amounts for the first 2 weeks.

I have to get some stuff ready for the social. bye, think about me and all the fibre, hope we have a large stock of toilet paper!!

Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all!!
My Dad is a special Dad, anyone that can be the only man in a house of 4 women deserves cutos!! He never ever got upset about the extra hormone inbalance to his tiny little testosterone!! He did spend a lot of time in the garage when we were little. That was the time of CB radios and his caning chairs hobby. He had a frig and a tv out there too, and even a space heater when necessary. That was his haven!! 4 women (one wife, three daughters) and even a female dog for the last part of our growing up years!! Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

Dad and Bogie

Now my sweet Ken, he's what you call an "enabler father", but it's only cause his heart is bigger than his brain!! He would walk on water (and usually does) for his kids!!! One day they will bend over backwards to thank him for all he has done for them. One day!!!

Happy Father's Day to Casey!! He's the Dad to be out in California to the new twins!! They (the twins) will be here about mid to late August!! So, again, Happy Father's Day Casey!! Keep working on those cribs!!

Micheline, Casey and the three dogs, soon to be joined by a little girl and a little boy!!

Nancy Crow arrives!

My Nancy Crow book arrived, between her and Kaffe, I want to morph into a combination of the two, I would be perfectly happy!! Their talent is to be envied totally!!!

Ithink I'm going to do a Kaffe stripe like Nancy. Have it reminded me of Israel too!!

Hot Sunday!!

The heat index is supposed to be 111 today!!! Insane. We started at the water side eating breakfast, then went for a long jet ski ride, then progressed to floats in the water. It's now 4:00 and we are just coming in. I believe we've had enough, we both look like raisins!! A day spent with some turtles (even they are hiding in this heat) probably 10 different Herons, and 2 Osprey. Last night we had folks for dinner, Carol and Dave and after dinner we went looking at houses and stayed out long enough to see the sun set!! What a lucky life we lead on this lake!!

I"m up to about 25 pages in my scrapbook, haven't even touched the surface!!

Just Stuff!

See if I ever call my sister (the one in SC) again. When she answered the phone I was singing "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi - she said I sounded like a fax machine!!
I just spent $57 dollars on one tank of gas, that is completely out of control, I think I will start walking or at least have 6 errands to run before I leave my driveway!!
I have had "intentional" issues ever since Israel. I finally broke down and went to the dr on Tuesday, they had me do all these incredibly gross tests, but in a few days I should know if I picked up a parasite or some funky thing!! Of course, as soon as I saw the dr I felt better, but my deposits in the toilet are still not the correct color or consistency!! Now that I have grossed everybody out - hee hee, I'm working on page 5 of approx 125 pages of my Israel Scrapbook! If it stays this hot out, that's all I'm doing this summer!! Today should be a heat index of 106!! Mind you last Monday it was 70 here!! Ugh!!! Even the animals aren't moving around!!
What else - well nothing much. I am watching a bunch of religious movies since my trip, the other day Abraham, today Masada. It's so cool to say "been there"!!
We have planned a trip to Glacier - it ought to be cool there, first part of Sept, then I fly straight to Calif for the arrival of the twins!! Ken is flying home!! Can't wait to see those sweet babies!! But remember, I have no diaper experience at I don't intend to start now!!

Sex and that Wonderful City

Just saw the new Sex And The City movie. Let me just say as a great fan of the series and a HUGE fan of the city, the movie does not disappoint. It was awesome, but now I have a major headache, mainly due to the fact that I cried about almost all of the 2-1/2 hours!! The clothes were out there a lot of the time, but it was all believable with these ladies!! I still love Carrie's spirit but adore Charlotte the most!! Probably because she's from SC, greater Columbia to be exact!! Love, Love Charlotte's clothes and her apartment is awesome!! Go see the movie, it's great!!What a Guy!!!!

My Very Own "Mr Big"!!