The Wedding Journey has Begun ....

August 4, 1978 I gave birth to my only daughter ... even at 34 years old she still seems like my baby girl. So when she asked me to join her to try on wedding gowns Saturday I was so excited. This is something I've dreamt of for many years and now it was finally here! We met with two of her bridesmaids at 4 pm for her scheduled appointment at the bridal shop.

Ironically they seated us by the wall of shoes ... they must have known her love for shoes!

Sorority pals Jean, left and Erica right and I are ready for the show! Let the gowns begin!!

Oh my gosh! When she walked out that dressing room door I just wanted to cry, my baby girl is all grown up  and soon to be a bride. This dress is from the Disney Princess Collection, Rapunzel ....

Jean is messing with the train while Erica is busy with her camera capturing all the angles of the dress.

A happy girl ....

Dress #2 .... This one reminds me of fresh miragne on a pie ... very fluffy at the bottom, especially in the back!

Dress #3 ... more fluffy stuff in the back, can you see it back there?? And a veil is added this time!

This was a riot .... when the dress is to big they bring out these giant clips! She began to look like she had an external spine!

Dress #4 and Dolce our bridal gown assistant getting things fixed up! Can you see all the clips under the veil??

Dress #5 this one has a lot of sparkle! When she came out of the dressing room in this dress I cried, she looked so beautiful and like such a grown up woman, my baby girl has gone ....

#4 again before the outside trek! And before all the clipping!

Meet Dicky .... yep, he is the shops muscle. When they lace up the corsets and put on the clips they call in Dicky! He was an absolute riot!! 

Erica trying on a beautiful grey dress ....

And here's Jean in a coral one ....

After all was said and done she tried on a total of 6 dresses  .... a few of them more then once! The hours ticked by and before we knew it the clock said 8:00 pm! We had been there for 4 hours! When I was married to Tiffany's dad I ordered my dress from a bridal magazine. I wore my own bra and they shipped a slip liner and veil with the dress. Now it's much, much more complicated. You need a special bra, slip, corset, and who knows what else! I'm beginning to understand why weddings cost so much today. I'm not going to tell you which one she selected, you will need to wait for the wedding!!

Such a Beautiful Day ....

Saturday I was invited to a women's tea at a friend of mines church. The topic was "Walk the Walk" and the speaker was Nancy Stafford. Nancy is an actress, author and speaker. For many years Nancy co-stared along side Andy Griffith as his sidekick in the hit TV program Matlock. Nancy is a wonderful speaker and such a pleasure to listen to.

Nancy Stafford, such a lovely presence.

Prior to her speaking we enjoyed a lovely lunch of turkey sandwiches, salad, quiche and a darling little shoe cupcake!

Our plate chargers were darling coiled grapevine wreaths, so cute!

 

Longaberger Latte' mugs and other table accessories were used .... 

Each guest received a sachet packet that we can place in our drawers, so darn cute!

Marty's really cute shoe, love the black and white design of this one!!  

My pink shoe cupcake! So clever!!

Debbie, Marty and myself, all smiles.

Thanks Debbie for a great day!
 

 



They are Finally Here!!

I can here all of you out there asking .... "What, What is finally here? We can hardly wait, the anticipation is killing us." ell you don't have to wait any longer! The new "TOM" is finally here, yep, the Origami Owl Take Out Menu filled with all sorts of beautiful new charms, lockets, tags, chains and much, much more!

 

 

I was so excited to see this box on my front porch!!

I'm in .... ready to slit open the package!

Ta Da! New Menu in my hot little hands! If you would like one of your own just send me an email to baskets4anita@aol.com 



The Mystery is Solved ....

Today our weather was grey, chilly and a bit breezy. A perfect day to stay in and sew, so that is exactly what I did. Last week I began working on a mystery quilt that I was going to do at a Spring retreat, I was unable to attend this year so I made my own retreat in my home! I completed all the blocks last week and today I put the blocks together in nice rows ....

First step, sew the blocks alternately into strips ...

Step 2, sew all the strips together ...

All the rows are sewn together, the flying geese are added to the borders .....

TaDa!!! The blue inner border and the large print border are added and it's Done!! The mystery is solved! Now I have a beautiful lap size quilt all ready to go see Susie, my long arm quilter!!

 

Thanks for sewing along with me!

The Joys of Childhood ....

Yesterday was just a beautiful day to be out in the world. A friend of mine and I decided to visit a local outlet mall and see what's new for Spring! About mid way through the mall we took a little break and sat on a bench right in front of the Michael Kors store. I'm watching the shoppers hustle from shop to shop, loaded with bags, strollers and even a spouse or two! What caught my eye was a little toddler boy. He was maybe a year old, still not real steady on his tiny feet walking with his very pregnant mom. They stop in the shade to rest and I'm watching the little guy giggle as he tosses something in he air and chases it. He plays this game for several minutes before I really look at what he is tossing in the air. The toy that has captured his imagination is a very small piece of polyester cotton. As it blows and swirls around he chases after it, catches it, stuffs it in his pocket and back to mommy he goes. Then he tosses it in the air and the cycle starts again. This tiny piece of cotton, didn't cost a penny and it kept him giggling and entertained until we left.

In a "stuff" filled world, where we are always searching for more a tiny child reminded me that sometimes the best, most entertaining things are FREE. 

I'm Getting There .....

I awoke to the TV blaring the news in Boston ... one bomber was dead and the police were in pursuit of the other. Amazing how they can find a needle in a haystack these days. I knew my husband would be locked in all day, eyes glued to the screen so it was a perfect opportunity for me to continue working on my mystery quilt. And boy did I work on it today!!

 

 

So I sewed numerous squares in squares ....

Made a stack of flying geese ....

And I trimmed and I trimmed and I trimmed ....

See my stack of shreds! Now, my friend Rita would probably save this and use it for stuffing a pillow. This gal throws very little fabric away, unlike me!
 



Now I have stacks and stacks of nice neat blocks all ready to assemble. Love these colors together!

I made some popcorn and put it in my new Welcome Home Longaberger bowl, fixed a Coke Zero with ice, I love ice! And now I'm all set to blog!

Throughout the course of the day I watched as Boston was put on lock down, how scary was that! The FBI, State Police and local police departments scoured the city and the burbs, leaving no stone unturned and by 7 PM with the help of a homeowner they had found their final bomber. A 19 year old Russian from an immigrant family, a Muslim, a hater of the US.

As Rodney King once said .... "Why can't we all just get along?"
 

Getting my Groove Back ...

If you follow my blog you know by now that March is a very hard month for me ... the hardest in the calendar. So much sadness and bittersweet memories, I for one am glad to see it move and and enjoy the coming buds of Spring.

It seemed like I had forgotten where my sewing room was and how to operate my machine. Well, I'm happy to report that I have found my fabric, machine and my sewing room and I'm getting back in the groove!

My long arm quilter returned a couple of small items ...

This little runner is complete and ready to go. I have sold it so it's going to a new home on Saturday!

And this little cutie is almost done and ready to jump into the wash to get "old" looking. This is a kit from my friend Penny and it's so very much me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had planned on attending a quilt retreat in early March and it was a Mystery Quilt retreat. I had the fabric requirements prior to the retreat (orange paper!) I bought the necessary fabrics and was ready to go. However, life interrupted my plans and I couldn't go. Last eek I pulled out the fabrics and decided it was time to see what the mystery was all about! My friend Rita, the creator of this retreat had provided me with the actual pattern so I'm set to go. Here are my fabric choices, love the colors, they are so not me but very Autumn looking! This is part of Judy Rothermel's new line. I got it all cut out on Monday.

Sewed the strips together on Tuesday ....

  And Wednesday and today I started the piecing process ... as I make additional headway I'll keep you posted! It feels good to have a new project under construction!!

Growing Up in the 50's ......

Growing up in the 50's was just plain awesome! We had the Fuller Brush man, the Helm's Bakery truck, Foremost would come through the neighborhood and take our pictures which later were adorned on a 1956 Calendar and hung on a wall in the kitchen. Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver were on the TV ... on one of our 13 channels that I was allowed to watch "occasionally." As a child growing up in sunny California I was tossed outside to play till the street lights came on, then it was time to come in ans settle down for bed. Life was so easy, so uncomplicated, we all knew where we fit. I had mentors like Captain Kangaroo, Sheriff John and yes, Mr. Rogers. He would begin his show by taking off and hanging up his sweater (always knitted by his mom) in his soft gentle voice he taught us good manners, how to be a good friend and a good neighbor ...

.... and a good helper ...

As we reflect on the recent bombings in Boston where we were immediately bombarded with media coverage of bloodied bodies,  blood soaked pavement and those beloved helpers ... I am reminded to focus on those helpers and not the blood and the horror of what humans do to other humans.

Yep, the 50's were such an easier time ...

Boston, you're in our prayers

 

It's Time to Play Ball!!!

Baseball season has officially arrived and I for one am so excited! Tuesday the Los Angeles Angels had their series opener and Wednesday my daughter and I were in the stands!

Yep! It's Opening Week ....

We were sitting way out there in the corner of left field, nice an early before all the fans arrived!

And who would I find out here in the ballpark boon docks?? It's Susie, a co-Longaberger consultant! You just never know who you'll find at Angel Stadium!

My adorable grandson Austin also had his "Opening Week" with Little League. This year his team are the Red Sox and he plays the Catcher's position! Love the look of concentration on his face. He's just too cute! Someday I will be watching him at Angel's Stadium!!!

Today I found myself back at Angel Stadium this time to watch the Angels play the Huston Astros, new to the AL West this year! My friend Tanya joined Tiffany and I as well as Tiffany's friend Erica and her hubby Danny. We had so many firsts!

 

It was Tanya's first Angel game, my first game with Erica ...

Tanya caught an Erik Aybar shirt shot up into the stands by the Angels Strike Force ... A First for all of us!

A first time sitting behind home plate! Look at that amazing view towards the mountains!! See the giant Jumbotron off the the right of the picture? Our row was even pictured up on the big screen as our entire section won free tickets for Coconut Water ... hummm, never have had it so that will be another first!

A little breeze was blowing and it was cold for us thin blooded Californians! This was also the first time I have attended two baseball games in one week! Final score .... Astros 1 Angels 6 - Go Angels!

 

 



Autism Awareness ...

Have you ever noticed that you become more aware of something or someone when it touches or enters your life? Something as simple as noticing a different style of a car, or someone carrying a new handbag. All of a sudden you see them everywhere! You become to realize they're not "new" you are just "aware" they exist. 

Apparently Autism awareness has been celebrated since the 1970's .... I only knew this disorder was in existence for maybe the past 10 years. Now, it seems to be on the news, in magazine articles and in social discussions on a regular basis. Autism has touched my life in a personal way making me more personally "aware."

I ask that you take a moment to read the attached article and make yourself more aware of this difficult neurological disorder. When you see a child (usually) a boy out of control, not listening to a parent or maybe screaming take a moment before you judge the parent as being "lazy" and ask yourself, "is he/she Autistic?" These children need our prayers, love and patience.

In honor of National Autism Awareness month the Origami Owl Company has created a special charm ....

 

The tiny puzzle pieced heart has been designed to create the symbol to represent Autism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

         National Autism Awareness Month

In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the Autism Society has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.
Join the Autism Society in getting involved with the autism community this April.
Put on the Puzzle! The Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon is the most recognized symbol of the autism community in the world. Autism prevalence is now one in every 88 children in America. Show your support for people with autism by wearing the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon – as a pin on your shirt, a magnet on your car, a badge on your blog, or even your Facebook profile picture - and educate folks on the potential of people with autism! To learn more about the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon visit http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/puzzle-ribbon.html. To purchase the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon for your shirt, car, locker or refrigerator, click here.

If you are interested in creating your own memory locket please email me at baskets4anita@aol.com