15-minute challenge - July 12, 2011

So this week I did do a little better.  I didn't keep track like I like to so I may not have the days right, sorry about that.  I'll try and keep track this week. promise.

Tuesday, July 5 - finished white borders on spiderman blocks
Wednesday, July 6 - started red borders
Thursday, July 7 - nada
Friday, July 8 - finished shirt, mended pillow case for #1 son
Saturday, July 9 - worked on red borders
Sunday, July 10 - finished red borders
Monday, July 11 - started next borders (got distracted by the devil cat)

To see what others accomplished this week, check out Kate's blog.

I need to start working on my Christmas stockings this week, so hopefully next week I'll be able to show you something.

#1 grandson turns three this week.  The spiderman quilt won't be done .. but he probably won't care.

A Story about a Snake

So, last week I posted a picture of a snake that came to visit for about 6 months.  My older daughter and her friend had decided to go to France to live for a while (ended up being 7 months).  Her friend had a five-foot long boa constrictor, named Lulu* and Lulu needed a place to stay.  My #3 son said that he would watch her.  I said it would be okay.  WHAT WAS I THINKING??

So after the daughter and her friend went to France, Lulu came to live with us.  My son built her a cage.  My son bought her animals to eat and fed her in the bathtub.  Lulu stayed in her cage.  The son was very popular with his friends.

The cats were also fascinated.  They used to sit on top of the cage watching her.  However, the cage top was not well built -- at least not for heavy kitties, and they damaged the cage top so that there was a gaping hole.

One day, Lulu found that hole and left her cage to explore.  We searched high and low but couldn't find her.  We were worried about the cats (the devil cat was a teeny tiny kitten at the time).  We worried about our lives.  We worried about the neighbors.  But worry didn't find Lulu.  Time passed and I stopped worrying so much and just figured that Lulu had slithered away and would never be seen again.

Fast forward four months, there I am getting ready to do laundry ... I walked into the laundry room and looked at the water heater and screamed.  I have no idea where "she" was for those 4 months, but there was Lulu wrapped around the base of the water heater.  #3 son was not at home so we called one of his buddies to come and get that thing from the water heater and put her back in her cage.   She escaped again the next day, and again I found her, this time sitting on top of the DVD player (not mine, the one in the garage where #3 son lived).

I realized then that I HATE snakes (me and Indiana Jones).  (How did I not know this before??)  I don't know what possessed me to say it was okay for that thing to live here.   I didn't want to even be in the same room with it.  I don't think I will ever willingly be in the same house with a snake again.

The end of the story is that shortly thereafter, the daughter's friend came back from France and Lulu left our house for good.  I sleep much better now.


*Her name has been changed for her protection.

$1 Challenge

So this week, I made some purchases in my "buy 52 - $1 items" from my 2011 list of 52 things to do this year (specifically #21).  I bought the following:

Five suitcases - $5

Blockhead game - $1

Three pyrex dishes - $1

I've been a little slow at this, but I'm working on it.

I also finished up item #16 by reading a third book - A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters.

If  you like light mysteries, I find Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody mysteries to be quite entertaining.  There are many of them, I don't know how many.  In my future life of leisure, I wouldn't mind going back and re-reading them in order. 

Some pictures

I've been negligent the last couple of weeks, no 15 minute challenge, no FTF.  I am finally doing some more sewing.  I have all the white borders on the spiderman blocks.  This week, maybe today, I'm going to add the next layer, the red.

I also made a shirt -- simple but I seemed to make it harder.  I don't like the way it turned out enough to run out and buy some more fabric.  I may try it again, a little smaller and in some fabric I bought for that purpose.  We'll see.

I also mended a pillow case for my son.  A simple job, I know, but it was something.

Anyway, one of my favorite things is taking pictures.  (I know, I know, I don't do it all the time.)  I like when I take a picture and it turns out really neat.  One day, I'd like to get an SLR camera and take a class and learn how to take pictures.  The following are a few of my favorite shots.

This is my youngest son standing in front of a waterfall.  Would have been better to show his feet on the rocks where he was standing but I didn't know how cool the picture was going to turn out.

This is a picture of the sun with a ring around it.  very cool.

My first grandson standing in front of a window.

Okay, this one is not so cool but this was a visitor at our house for about 6 months.  I'll write about that some point.

I posted this last week, and remembered how nice I thought it was.

Same tree, different lighting.

Life is short

I just learned that one of my dearest friend's granddaughter died.  She was a week shy of one year.  Life is short and you never know what tomorrow holds.

My heart is breaking for my friend and her family.  I wish I could be there to help her, but I can't.  It's too far away.  So I pray for her.

Just after I posted this, I ran across another blog with this Longfellow poem, "The Rainy Day."  It seemed appropriate ..

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
  Some days must be dark and dreary.

Happy 4th of July!

Just wanted to wish all my friends and family out there a happy 4th!  Here's a picture from New York that I waited to post.

Happy Birthday Leslie!

I know she doesn't read my blog, now, but maybe someday in the future she will and I don't want her to think she's forgotten.  Today is my niece, Leslie's birthday .. so this is for you Leslie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

(picture from here)

Visiting .. and Pumpkin

After all of our walking around New York, the husband and I spent the afternoon with his brother and his brother's wife in their apartment in NY.  The BIL works in Battery Park selling T-shirts to tourists (like me); but was off for the weekend.

 

This was my test picture with the timer .. It turned out okay ..

Here are the four of us .. not a particularly flattering picture.  In 10 years I might like it .. :)

The brothers..

and here's Pumpkin!

Favorite Things Friday

My favorite thing this week is the place we vacationed when I was a kid, from when I was about 3 until I graduated from high school.  I've been back several times in the last few years.

Eagle Harbor, Michigan .. about as far away from civilization you can get.   Check out this map showing how far it is from our house in California.

The Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.

The dock in front of the Lake Breeze Resort.

The tree in front of the Lake Breeze Resort.

Kelly & Robin at the stamp sands in Gay, Michigan.

Me, my mother, and my oldest sister, Anna.

Another picture of the tree.

A picnic on the beach in Eagle Harbor ..

In the winter, from November through April, there is snow on the ground.  I've never been there during winter, but I hope to some day.  This is a really old picture of the lighthouse above, in the winter ...

For more favorites, check out QIMP.

United Nations ...

So on Saturday morning, a week ago, we walked over to the United Nations to see what we could see ...

Is that the Empire State Building?

The Trump WorldTower at United Nations Plaza

 A dragon slayer

The United Nations.

Outside the UN 

On the UN Grounds ..

Next, the visit with my BIL and SIL .. and a few random pictures.

Happy Birthdays!!

I wanted to wish Katie and Jay a very Happy Birthday today!  I am thinking of you both!

image from here