Sister Stacie's daughter, my niece Kristen Valerie (get the connection?), flew in from NYC for a pre-Christmas holiday. Stacie and I picked her up and we went directly over to Boulder, which is quite charming. Our plan was to shop, have lunch at a restaurant I'd been wanting to try and then get a pedicure at a place Kristen had heard of.
Here we are at the center of town:
After some great shopping, we headed over to The Kitchen, a very cool restaurant and bistro known for its social conscience and its emphasis on green and sustainable products and practices. This is us eating our delicious lunch outside in 20 degree weather - the sun was out and the air was fresh, so we chose that over a pretty loud and overly warm table inside. It was great!
Kristen had a pumpkin ragout, I had a burger from a very special cow they had purchased, and Stacie had tomato soup and hummus with flatbread. Everything was very tasty!
Stacie took this silly pic of me trying not to smile and show my teeth!
Nicely fortified, we were off to more shopping and then hurried over to Ten20 Salon for our pedicures. We had wisely left this until last, since we didn't relish the idea of running the streets of Boulder in flip flops and bare feet in the cold and snow. As it was, we had a 4 block hike back to the car and our tootsies were freezing! Ten20 is known for its cool ambience, its giant screen TV with non-stop chick flicks, and complimentary M & Ms and sodas.
Stacie and I opted for red polish with silver glitter as a nod to Christmas and Kristen, being a tried and true New York girl, chose grey.
Sophisticated grey for Kristen
Festive glittery red for Stacie above and Valerie below
We hit the road with the heater blasting and made good time back to Fort Collins. It was a wonderful treat to spend the day with these girlies!
It's December 22 and a snow storm dumped 5+ inches everywhere last night, adding even more to the north facing snow patches left from our previous "weather event." It's the third major snow I've experienced since srriving here and I have to say I'm still very excited when it happens. Last night I was checking the back yard and then running to see what was happening in the front. Here's the back this morning:
I went out to take a photo of the front of my house and everything was all tidied up so nicely. I have four wonderful guy-type neighbors who take care of my sidewalk, driveway and front porch when it snows. Walt, Dave, Curt and Marty work as a team with snow shovels and a blower on their own houses and for several of us single ladies. I appreciate them so much!
Ready to go out later to a Christmas get together!
It's a week before Christmas and we're expecting some snow tomorrow to add to what's left on the ground from two weeks ago. Snow that falls tends to stay put because it's cold here in winter. It's not unusual to have many days of sunshine with snow everywhere, which is great except for those pesky ice patches.
I put up the Christmas tree, relying solely on lights and silver bows to decorate it. This was in anticipation of youngster cat Aidan Patrick and his mischief making. He ignored the tree decorations, such as they were, while he concentrated on burrowing under the tree skirt. After a long afternoon of wrapping gifts, I arranged the whole batch and was so pleased with how everything looked! As it turned out, I should have snapped a photo then. Later when I realized he hadn't come to bed, I crept out to the living room to find most of the ribbons and tags chewed on the gifts. Aidan was sleeping amidst the mess! Here is the tree now, bereft of gifts:
One ornament I did hang was a special glass one custom made in 2010 by my friend and high school classmate Don Merrell of Glass Art by Don. (Click on the link to see his beautiful work.) It's a memorial ornament for Holly Berry, my little white cat who died of breast cancer surgery complications on June 22, 2010. He inscribed her name on the glass in gold and the tiny cat has crystal blue eyes. It's just beautiful - this photo doesn't do it justice.
The other night there was the hugest, lowest, yellowest moon hanging over the prairie and I stopped alongside the road and shot an altogether inadequate series of photos with my little point and shoot camera. It was really cold and there was snow everywhere. We always seem to look west from here to see the majesty of the mountains, but the view to the east toward the prairie has its own beauty.
When I moved into this house in late August, I set a deadline of December 31, 2011 to get it all together. I got most everything done pretty quickly, but used the master bedroom and its big walk-in closet as the "staging area," a euphemism for dumping ground. One thing led to another and I avoided even looking in that closet and I sort of got used to all the lamps and extra things in the bedroom. Yesterday was closet day and as with the tree gifts, I only wish I had taken a photo of its (horrific) "before" condition. I tried on every single thing and any item that didn't fit perfectly or in any way wasn't ready to wear went into the donation pile. I have four big boxes, two 40-gallon trash bags and a suitcase full of shoes and purses and socks and hundred of items of clothing and this morning they are all going to The Arc, an organization that supports developmentally disabled citizens of the northern Colorado area. Here's the ultimate result of my ruthless approach to divesting of excess:
This project took about nine hours and one more run is needed, because it's still too much. I'm hell bent on lightening the load caused by unused, redundant possessions. How many pairs of black pants does one person need, anyway? I feel great about my progress!
Sydney has adjusted so well to his new home in Elizabeth at The Gabriel Foundation (TGF) and enjoys himself immensely with all the various forms of stimulation he gets every day. On December 4, he participated in a Santa photo shoot at the aviary's guest center. Imagine people lined up, preparing their parrots to be photographed with Santa!
Sydney met many new folks and was particularly taken with a visiting umbrella cockatoo named Daisy. He'd been happily sitting on human Jeannie's lap (she is the "parront" of Daisy) when he saw Daisy in her carrier. He hopped down and trotted right over to introduce himself. You can see in one of the photos below how he puffed himself up to look big and handsome! They then began speaking to one another in English. Here's how the conversation likely went:
Sydney: Hi boo!
Daisy: Hello!
Sydney: Hi good boo!
Daisy: Hello!
Sydney: Hi real good boo! I'm a good boo-boo boy!
Daisy: Hello!
Jeannie chatting with Sydney Eugene
(Sorry for the sideways view, won't cooperate)
Sydney spots Daisy and is captivated
Sydney introduces himself, looking his finest!
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you!
Here's another photo of Sydney, this time with his new friend Dave, who has three mini-macaws. Note Sydney is showing Dave how cockatoos like their heads to be scritched:
Here are some yaks living right down the road from the alpacas just outside of town in Windsor. Who knew? Like the llamas and the alpacas, they seem happy as can be in the snow.
Our sewing group has named itself! The Wednesday Windsor Stitch Witches are on the move. My friend and pattern designer Sandy of Totes By Sandy came over Wednesday to teach five* of us how to make a Buggy Barn quilted Christmas tree skirt. The Buggy Barn Quilt Shop is located in eastern Washington state and the crazy quilt method originated there. Basically, you arrange your fabric in a stack, place the pattern on top of the stack and cut all layers at once. Then you switch your layers around so that different (surprise) combinations emerge.
Here are our results. First up is mine, along with a photo demonstrating the principle that just because the seams match up doesn't mean it works that way! Our next chapter of the project will be to lay out the quilt sandwich (backing, batting, quilt top), quilt through all three layers in a pattern of our choice, make and attach bias cut binding to the inner and outer edges and get it under a Christmas tree!
*Our other member Gail opted to work on the apron pattern we are all loving right now - the French Flea Market Apron.
Valerie tree skirt in front of the "fire experience."
Oopsie! The leg of that star does not belong there!
Sandy's darling tree skirt - she taught the class and still was the first one finished!
Susie's beautiful silver and gold masterpiece
Terri's cool tree skirt - love the black and red!
Stacie's poppin' tree skirt - polka dots and stripes!
These are the last of the photos from Mags' vacation with me this month. We did a lot of visiting, as my family is like her family. I had a big Mexican food fiesta at my house one night and it was loud, crowded and tons of fun. We put the kids in my bedroom with movies. Here's a cute shot of Nicholas, Sara and Steven all lined up on my bed, watching "Hotel for Dogs." Photo courtesy of Nancy.
Mags took lots of animal photos, as we are all dog, cat, and/or bird crazy!
This is Aidan Patrick, my young flame point Siamese mix rescue. He followed Mags around and slept in the hall outside her door, hoping for a chance to get in and "play" with her all night. I advised shutting her door and she wisely agreed.
Here are Aidan Patrick and Bear. Bear is now 12 and despite some chronic health issues, he still likes to play with his younger cat brother and cuddle up sometimes. I am so grateful they have formed a bonded relationship, as Bear was utterly grief-stricken and lost when his real cat sister Holly died in 2010. Me, too.
Mags filmed some cool videos while she was here. First up is live film of Aidan's water obsession and yes, that WAS my drinking glass:
ADVENTURES ON THE PRAIRIE
The next series was shot at my brother and sister-in-law's place in Pierce, which is out on the Colorado prairie and very rural. The three dogs are Max (big spotted guy), Jake (long haired smaller black guy) and Daisy, a young black/tan female coon hound. Max and Jake are senior dog gentlemen and the humans are Mike, Nancy, Val and Mags.
L-R Jake, Daisy, Valerie
Mike seems to be a popular dog dad!
Jake prefers love from Mags over a treat from dad
Nancy and her main man Max with Jake standing by
Daisy is exhausted from being gorgeous
SHEEP STAMPEDE!
On the way out to Pierce, Mags spotted Double J Sheep Ranch and on the way home we stopped for a photo shoot. She is very alert to creatures that can produce fiber to feed her insatiable knitting and spinning addiction... I mean, enjoyable hobby. Goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, yaks - all are of interest. The sheep realized an enemy was near and they feared for their winter coats! As Mags approached, you will see what happened:
After they couldn't go any farther, they stopped and a few brave ones tried to stare her down. I was in the car on the other side of County Road 14, cracking up but also wishing we could get to a less "fragrant" location. Cows to the right, sheep to the left - catch my drift?
Continuing with the animal theme, on the day Sandy came to teach us the paper pieced quilted place mats, she brought her Golden Retriever Daisy, previously depicted in Part 1. Here is a video Mags took of Daisy doing her tricks, some of which are high 5, crawl, wave, roll over, spin and go around. Presenting the star performance of Daisy Dog!
Not to leave out Miss Thing (Attitude Annie), Mags snagged a picture of her on the couch with her pop, Nick. This photo was shot in Nick and Susie's basement, which we were prepping for our big Holiday Boutique that weekend.
GIFTING
This is a photo of one of the several hand loomed kitchen cloths Mags made for me as a housewarming present. The fiber is linen and cotton and they get better, softer and more absorbent with each washing. The edges are serged and hemmed to ensure no fraying. I got to choose my colors and I really love these.
She also made me a beautiful cowl to keep my neck warm in the chilly northern Colorado winter, but I can't seem to save it in a supportable format. Oh, well.... a wonderful time was had by all and everyone felt sad to see Mags go. Especially me!
Many know that my house came with a fireplace in the patio area, not in the house. Kinda weird, as it gets pretty cold here and an interior fireplace is definitely called for. I set out to remedy this by exploring electric , heat-producing fireplaces that would fit in the entertainment center niche in my living room. I found a beautiful one, very contemporary and clean lined, albeit too expensive. I shopped around online and got the best price I could (still too expensive). Only after it arrived and was fully inspected by my brother Mike and brother-in-law Nick did it become apparent that it could not be inset but had to project out some six inches from a wall for the heat to safely disperse.
The plan was for California Closets to build a custom entertainment center that included the fireplace, along with installing a built-in tiny office in my smallest extra bedroom. After fooling around with the plans for weeks, CC said they wouldn't do it because of the safety factor. Mike and Nick put their heads together and designed something that accommodated the fireplace and the TV and was fully functional and safe.
I call it my fire "experience" because it is strangely virtual but very attractive and warm. I am told the magic consists of orange light bulbs, river rocks, some fans and some strips of fabric. Put some beautiful glass and brushed nickel in front, add a heater with thermostat, click the remote - et voila, a fire experience! Here it is. Many thanks to Mike and Nick!
Best friend Mags just came for a visit and we had so much fun! Most of the snow from our most recent "weather event" had melted but there was still a small amount to be seen, which added to her northern Colorado experience. Here's what was left in my back yard:
After pickup at the airport, we went to Bonefish Grill for dinner. It's a great fish restaurant in Johnstown, a little community adjacent to Loveland, near Fort Collins. This place is wildly popular and famous for its "Bang Bang Shrimp." We soon realized from the huge crowd that it was Wednesday, AKA "Bang Wednesday," and the signature dish was el cheapo! After waiting to be seated for close to an hour, we ordered two different specials and that Bang Bang Shrimp for an appetizer. Worth the wait!!!!
Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer, Bonefish Grill
Mags chose the mahi mahi with lobster
The rest of the visit was full of fun, family, friends and food. We spent a day hitting the fiber and fabric stores, starting with Lambspun in Fort Collins.
Photos of Mags and me at entrance to Backporch Cafe, connected to Lambspun in a parklike setting. Sister Stacie joined us for lunch at this charming eatery.
I"ve given up getting these two pictures to post correctly-sorry for the neck strain!
Next we hit Your Daily Fiber, a great little place in Fort Collins. The owners carry a number of products from local fiber producers, including their own alpacas, llamas and yaks. At the YDF ranch, the herds are guarded by Great Pyrenees dogs and to our surprise, we heard that their llamas also defend the smaller alpacas. Two llamas recently took on a coyote who had his sights set on a young alpaca and (sadly) it was a fight to the death for the poor coyote. Amazing courage from the llamas!
We sewed as well during Mags' visit. Buddy Sandy Lueth, a designer of handmade totes and purses whose patterns are sold nationally, spent the day at my house teaching us a paper piecing technique for making intricate placemats from a design by Judy Niemeyer. The pattern is called Cappuccino:
Mags took to it immediately and chose a similar color scheme because it complemented the granite in her kitchen. I selected a gray, blue and brownish look for oversized mats for my nightstands. Batik is the fabric generally used for these complex pieced designs and it is a joy to work with.
Here are some photos of my house set up for three people to sew. I love my sewing room but it doesn't have enough space for three people, machines and cutting spaces. So we took over the kitchen and dining room and it works great!
Meet Sandy's dog Daisy, who loves to hang out with the girls.
Our small sewing machines in action.
I must give a shout out to Quilter's Stash in Windsor. Mags and I bought our patterns and batik fabrics there and it's the "go-to" fabric shop for local quilters. Owner Patty and her mom as well as Carolyn, Susan, Cheryl, Michelle and Anna Marie make shopping for fabric, patterns and notions a great experience!
