MAGS VISITS NOVEMBER 9-14 PART 2

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!



MY VIRTUAL FIREPLACE

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!

MAGS VISITS NOVEMBER 9-14 PART 1

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!