Finish #2

My second finish for the year is my baby girl jelly roll quilt. 

I really like the back, not as excited about the front as I wish I were -- but it's cute and hopefully will be loved, or at least used.

I am mailing it off to its new owner tomorrow morning.  I wanted to label it, but haven't done that yet.  Probably won't. and of course I don't have a name.

I've been working on the Grinch quilt, albeit slowly.  I have some used t-shirts and boxers that I've cut up to add to it, but I'm thinkining that I might want to put them on the back and just have a reversible quilt.  We'll see.  I have to add stabilizer to those pieces and then I'm thinking I'll applique some of them to larger pieces of fabric -- is that what you do for a t-shirt quilt?  Anyway, it'll be different and I'll have to see how it goes.

Winter Wine Tasting

So yesterday, I completed #33 on my list, wine tasting.  The first stop (after McDonald's) was Mumm Napa for sparkling wine (aka champagne).  I didn't take any pictures at Mumm because I took some on the previous wine tasting trip.  Interestingly, February in California is winter, so there were no flowers and no grapes on the vines.

Next we went to Vine Cliff winery.  It was a beautiful setting.  The wine tasting was by appointment only which was a first for me.  After the first tasting, we got a brief tour of the caves and the grounds.  

 

Our next stop was Raymond.  This is a super quirky place. This is the creepy wall in the tasting room.

and the roosters and sheep outside ...

 

After Raymond, we went to Grgrich Hills Estate.  Another new one.  Here are a few pics.  Nice place.  I love the barrels.

 

Our final stop was Merryvale.  Merryvale doesn't look like much from the outside but the inside is great .. the smell, the feel.  Here are a few pics, even though we went here last time too.

There's a weird dot on my camera that shows up in these pictures.

 

After our final stop, we walked around the corner to Tra Vigne.  The food was delicious -- excellent.  A great finish to a great day!!

Cocktail Wednesday - Moose Milk

This is a little late but I actually had the Wednesday Cocktail on Wednesday.  This week's cocktail was Moose Milk, recipe from here.

The ingredients are:

• ice cream
• rum
• irish cream
• kahlua

I substituted frozen yogurt for the ice cream, a Costa Rican coffee liqueur for the Kahlua and Chocolate vodka for the rum (so basically I didn't even get the right ingredients).

I used about 2 cups of yogurt, 1.5 oz of vodka, 1.5 oz of the coffee liqueur, and 1.5 oz of the Bailey's.

No pictures of the drinks but they were quite yummy, even if I didn't follow the recipe.  This is a 4/5.  I would definitely drink it if offered.  I might not make it again, but mostly because I love regular milkshakes and for the calories, I like that better.

So make sure you join Shay and Marg and me again later this week .. for our next cocktail this Wednesday ...

Week 7 - Feb 15 - 21

Saturday - clouds on the freeway

Saturday - at the library

 Sunday - bikes in Mountain View

Monday - Pillow cases (belated Christmas present)

 
Tuesday - the quilt ready for basting

 

Wednesday - getting ready to make the Moose Milk

 

Thursday - at the quilt show -- isn't this the cutest stool?? 

Friday - new Grinch fabric

New Beginnings - February ... a linky party

February is half over.  I hadn't started anything new, so, I did today.  This month's new beginning is something I've been planning for a couple of years now, the Grinch quilt.  I've had the fabric for a while and was waiting until I found just the right pattern.  Earlier this month, I was looking through one of the books my OD had gotten me and found this one that I think will work well.  

it is from this book

Interestingly, the first (and only) quilt along in which I participated was by the author of this book, Rachel Griffith.  Here's a link to her blog, ps i quilt, if you want to check it out.

Anyway, I pulled out the Grinch fabrics ...

and got to cutting ...

I cut twenty 10 x 10 blocks.  I need 42.  So, I will need to get more Grinch fabric tomorrow at my LQS and cut some more.  There was some Grinch fabric on sale at the Fat Quarter Shop that I may end up ordering as well.

So, if you've started something new, please link up, and share your new project for this month.
(Next month I plan to have the linky party up and running by the 10th of the month.)

Week 6 - Feb 8 - 14

Saturday - pre-Valentine's Day at the grocery store

 Sunday - What does the fox say??

Monday - driving behind a Tesla

license plate NO ENG

 Tuesday - a heart at work

Wednesday - the floor

Thursday - Chinese take out

Friday - the back

Wednesday Cocktail

This week's cocktail was one of the Disney themed cocktails (link to facebook page found here).

The one chosen by our group this week was the Evil Stepmother.

So I went out to get the ingredients -- there are only three (chocolate vodka, chocolate liqueur, and pomegranate juice) but none that we had in our cupboards (although we are amassing quite a collection).

I went out and got the chocolate vodka* and the pomegranate juice. Although Shay is right that Creme de Cacao isn't actually a chocolate liqueur, I used it anyway because I had that on hand.

·         Chocolate vodka - 3 oz

·         Pomegranate juice - 3 oz

·         Creme de Cacao - 1.5 oz



I actually thought it was very good.  A nice chocolatey treat.  For me, this was a 4.5.  My second favorite so far.

*when at the liquor store I had trouble finding the chocolate vodka because there were so many different flavored vodkas. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cookie dough, cotton candy, raspberry, raspberry chocolate, orange, peach, potato.  You name it, they had it.

It was 50 years ago today ..

I didn't watch the Beatles that night 50 years ago (at least not that I remember) but the Beatles were a part of my life.  I can remember listening to their albums over and over again. Watching their movies. Reading everything I could find about them.  I never got to see them live, but I've been to three McCartney concerts.  One in 1976, one in 2005, and one last year (or was it the year before).

I don't actually have a favorite Beatles song.  I love so many of the songs from Help and a Hard Day's Night.  I'll share "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." 

 

Week 5 - Feb 1-7

Feb 1 - Alum Rock Park

Feb 2 - Super Bowl Sunday

Feb 3 - a tree in bloom

 Feb 4 - on my desk

(not sure what it means -- it's probably upside down or sideways)

Feb 5 - Cocktail Wednesday

Feb 6 - going to Starbucks

I tried to get a good shot of my nails. 

Should have had someone else take it.

 Feb 7 - Under my desk