The Irina and Sasha Quilts

These quilts were finished the same week, a week that the rest of the house went to shambles. I am in recovery mode now.

The Irina Quilt

The Sasha Quilt

The Irina quilt is named after my over-the-top friend who got married this spring. She is full of life and laughter, and when this quilt came together with bright colors and pizazz, I had to name it after her. Irina hits life head-on, she was a full out blond for her wedding and then colored her hair jet black the next week.

This quilt was a joy to make, and it came together super easy, thanks to a lot of great fabric from Kathy, a skirt that annoyed me (see below) plus a Hawaiian shirt from Linda that pulled it all together. This was rag quilting at its best, I only had to rip out and resew two corners.

The Sasha quilt is named after Irina's husband, short for Aleksandr. He is cute and sweet and a good match for her over-the-top-ness. I picked up a huge amount of adorable Noah's Ark print at the thrift store, it was fun to sew with. I did this one without the X in the middle, just a layer of flannel in the middle of each square. A different way to put it together, but I do prefer the "traditional" method, if you can call a rag quilt traditional.

Organized for about a week

Nice while it lasts

I am in Spring Cleaning mode this week. I cleaned out my closets, trying to be ruthless. I have so many cool separates that I have acquired. Those pieces that, with the right thing, would be perfect. Those clothes that came from someone with such good taste, I know they are worth hanging on to. The outfits that, if liposuction would just get cheaper and risk free, would look so good on me. I brought some items to Crossroads and got cash, others to Renaissance for consignment. If I look at my closet as not What can I wear, but as What can I sell, it makes the decision that much easier. This summer, if I try it on and hate it, it goes. If I wear it and hate it, it goes. If it shifts, droops, twists, rides up, bunches, or otherwise annoys me, it goes. Note to my clothes - be good, or else. You may go the way of this shoe.

A shoe in a former life

Molly loves "sole food"

Spanx Makes Swimwear!

Let me clarify that. Spanx makes swimwear for Target! Play the singing bird Disney music, there is hope for poolside happiness. It is the Love Your Assets line.  

I went to Target on Friday to do the dreaded swimsuit shopping. I have had a few rag tag combos for the last few years, and I have to wear a little crop top over mine if there are men around. I've never been much of a pool person, but we have neighbors with a pool, they have parties a lot, and it was about time I had something decent to wear.

There were no screams of disgust coming from my dressing room. I actually exited with a little smirk on my face, carrying not one but two new swim outfits! I'll call them outfits because they have a lot going on under wraps. Spanx swimwear takes a bit of jumping and shoving to get into, but the results are amazing.

Now that I am all ready for my public, the weather turned cold and our swim party today will be more of a jeans and long sleeves affair. But I am ready for summer now! Come on you hundred degree days, I've got my Spanx and a crow bar and I'm ready to start shoving myself into submission.
SPANX Line of Swimwear

The Lemonade Diet is Over!

I did it. I lasted the whole ten days of the Master Cleanse, AKA The Lemonade Diet.

The results? To wake up for a whole week and not have my back hurt? Amazing and wonderful. What in the world am I eating that makes my back hurt? It's not like I chow down KFC Double Downs. I eat really well for an American, but maybe that isn't a good yardstick.

I re-read the directions, I'm not supposed to go ape over bananas just yet. I'm supposed to drink orange juice for a day, then a day of vegetable broth (wow I can't wait) and then fruits and vegetables for a few day. So the deprivation continues a tad longer than expected.

The worst day was the second Monday, Day 8. I woke up feeling just awful. Dizzy, kind of sick to my stomach. I had a big day ahead, including a talk that night in Romanian, in the front hall, that included the crucial part of two really young boys running up and bothering their mom, my assistant. It was the talk on patience and mildness. How crazy am I to write such a talk when I still need major translation help. It went great, but rather than come up and be annoying like they practiced, they were adorable!!! It was worth the stress.

Other than that I did OK. Sometimes I was really hungry, but that is nothing new. Somehow the combination of the lemon, maple syrup and cayenne got me through the day. I didn't do the salt water flush as recommended. That just sounds really bad to ingest all that sodium. I think my innards were in good shape to deal with this fast without any outside help.

The burning question? How much weight did I lose? Drum roll please.
Seven Pounds.
Yeah, yeah half of that is water and muscle and the other half was tooth enamel from all the lemons. But my back is happy.

At least now I'm ready to get ready for summer. We're going to a swim party on Sunday. Ugh, Ernst just sprung this on me. Swim parties should not come til the middle of July, earliest. I have to go swimwear shopping. I don't care how much it costs, I'm not leaving Target until I find one I like. I may be there awhile. I'll bring some broth.

Our White Trash Garden

The expanded 2011 White House Garden

The 2010 crop

Last year Michelle Obama helped create the White House Garden. With help from local school kids, they planted a huge variety of veggies in a really cool layout. Here were the results.

Yesterday I got my garden in. I don't think it will be making the cover of Sunset Magazine.







Surrounded by logs and cement blocks, with string going up the fence for the peas and the green beans, it is a garden no less. I used some tomato cages we found in someone's trash and we surrounded it with fencing to keep Molly out.

I planted 3 tomatoes-Early Girl, a cherry tomato and an heirloom I couldn't resist, German Queen. I added pole beans, sugar snap peas in pots, cilantro, a basil, and a red pepper. Already planted were some radishes that don't seem to be doing much. I hope to squeeze in a dill plant today.

Last year I planted an heirloom called Hillbilly, which fit in real well with the looks. It grew taller than me, and put out one huge tomato that was half rotten! What a disappointment. So I planted 2 tried and trues this time, and will watch the German Queen to see what it does.

This one sits on the garage side of the house, close to the kitchen. We also have the Kodie Garden, given the name because he used to love to steal melons and zucchinis, which he did eat. This is where I put the spreading plants that go crazy. So far we have 2 zucchinis, 2 cucumbers, a watermelon and a honeydew. I need to put in one more zucchini, the bush kind I like best (come August, I'm sure I'll regret it) and a cantaloupe. This is far from the house, it can go crazy and look awful and I don't care. Ernst is great about keeping this watered for me. I hope Molly isn't a melon thief too.

The White Trash Garden

A more flattering view

Survived a Quick Build on the Master Cleanse

We did a Quick Build in Placerville yesterday, right in the middle of this Master Cleanse thing. I got through it! I usually pack us a healthy lunch and snacks, but then cave and eat terrible. Well, what we consider terrible, which would be cookies and goodies and lots of soft white carbs. I end up looking like the Pillsbury Doughgirl on Monday morning, minus the happy giggles.

I packed a ton of healthy stuff for Ernst, including the bread pudding I make for him with whole grain bread, Rice Dream, raisins and agave syrup. It actually sticks together as if it had eggs. It looks pretty bad, but he just loves it. He loves anything that remotely tastes like the way he used to eat. And I brought my juice concoction. I just went and sat in our friend's van and slurpped my juice, trying not to smell the good scents drifting from the kitchen.

OK, "lunch" was over, time to go chat with some friends. They were finishing up their ribs, which now look really gross to me, so no food envy. Then someone walked by with a tray of strawberry shortcake! And if that wasn't enough, someone was following with whipped cream. I just wanted to open my mouth baby bird style and see what happened. I survived, no treats, life went on.

It amazed me that I got through the strenous day on no food. I am usually famished at QBs, but even after crawling under the hall to run four mic lines to the stage, I didn't feel the need for a brownie! And again, no back pain this morning. Four days to go, and then I hit the bananas! It will be the YUM heard around the world.

Halfway through a 10 day Master Cleanse

First of all let me say this: I don't even "believe" in fasting or juicing. I think the best way to eat food is naturally, close to its original form, organically and mostly stuff that was once alive, but didn't have a heart. (Artichokes with hearts are OK.)

I have been trying to eat this way for quite a while, and I feel pretty good. But not great. I have woke up every morning for a long time now with really bad lower back pain. Like my lower back wanted to be in another person's body, a younger person's body.  I was convinced we needed a new mattress.

Last Friday I met a mom and daughter at our RBC work that were doing the Master Cleanse. Thought they were crazy, but they said they felt great and were not even hungry. For 10 days they were drinking a concoction of lemon juice, water, Grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper. OKAAAY, sounded simply awful.

I went from that to, it can't hurt, might help, it would save us some food $$!

Started Monday, woke up Wednesday morning with no back pain. None. So is it all in my head? Might be, but for now I'll take it.

Here is the plan. I'll do it for the 10 days, I feel great and I'm amazingly not hungry. Then I'll start eating like a baby newly on solids. Try something for a few days, see what happens and then try something else. I think I'll start with bananas. No one is allergic to bananas, right? Then apples, then maybe some salmon so I don't turn into a lump of powder. (Do fish have hearts?)

There has to be something that is causing this and I am determined to find out. And the answer cannot be age, there must be something else! I'm out of lemons, must go on a citrus run.

My Toxic Relationships with Sewing Machines

There is a reason some people give their sewing machines girl names. It is due to PMS, Pesky Mending Syndrome.

My machine doesn't have a name, but I have called her lots of things. This is machine #2, definitely an improvement over #1, but that's not saying much. I bought both of them on Craigslist, which is great for many things, but apparently not for buying sewing machines. Ernst told me to take my time, but I just had to start sewing. They acted all nice and sweet during the sale, and then turned into evil brats.

I don't mean to make light of abusive relationships here, but there are some similarities when one hates one's machine:

I wonder, if I were a better seamstress would this be happening?

Why didn't I see the signs before I committed to this relationship? No, I had to look for fancy stitches, I couldn't just be content with a nice simple workhorse with metal gearing. Did I really think plastic parts would get through 4 layers of denim?

Why did I have to buy the first machine I saw? Why, oh why did I not wait for a nice Pfaff or a Janome to come along? And then to make the same mistake twice? Learn from me girls, that is all I can say.

My mother had a good relationship with her machine, so this can't be something from my childhood.

Am I too far along to quit, or is there some counseling available to make this work? Would a clean break be good, or should I stay with what I know?

How is it that my friends love their machines, what is wrong with me?

Will I ever be happy?

Would I be better off without her?

Is "sewicide" a capital offense? Could I claim self-defense?

Oh, but there have been some good times. There was that one baby quilt that went together so easily. Maybe it is me. Maybe I'm the problem. If I used better thread, not thrift store fabric...Who knows, maybe a nice machine wouldn't even want ME.


I'm ready to give it another shot, things will change, it will get better....

My first quilt - good times - how naive I was

The Nellya Quilt

A few months ago I bought a huge piece of green corduroy from the Goodwill fabric section. Someone was planning on covering something really big and never used it. I think this is the 3rd or 4th quilt to use that green fabric. It really is a great color, I'm calling it asparagus green.

I think this uses the last of that pretty peachy fabric from Kathy, the last of the white with brown polka dots from Carmen and the last of the brown checks from I don't remember where. But I have lots more of the green, it'll be in a few more projects.

It is a cool pretty day, and I hauled the quilt out with the quilt rack to take photos in front of our peach roses. I took some other shots on our bed, put everything back in order, but the SD card was not all the way shoved into the camera. EERRGGHH! So I just slammed these together to put on Etsy. Oh the photos that got away.

Kodie the Wonder Quilt

The Kodie Quilt sold yesterday while we were busy at the hall. Wow, this is really getting fun.

I get bummed when my items don't get a lot of views, but I just don't want to renew them all the time. There is a trick to renewing, what time of day is best, when the most people are on Etsy. Like day trading for the crafter! I look at some shops on Etsy and I can't understand how someone can get a thousand views for one item. But really, that means that 1000 people saw it and didn't buy it. The one that counts is the person that viewed and decided to buy. I'll keep plugging away at my little shop. It's still a thrill to see that transaction show up.

Um Jess?

We had an RBC group come today to install an alarm system in our hall. A few days ago, Ernst said "Um Jess, could you arrange the food for the workers?"  We did a family style serving in the office - tablecloth and flowers and yummy homemade Moldovan food. They prepared a salad, veggies, potatoes, chicken, meatballs in sauce, brown rice and pasta. It was really nice food, prepared with thought and care by people who love to cook.

OK, that went well, clean up lunch and keep on working...and working and working. Soon it was 5:30 with no end in sight. Ernst says, "Um Jess, can you put together some dinner somehow?" I was really tempted to go over to Zinaida's house and beg for the lunch leftovers. But I went home, and pulled a dinner for 12 out of nowhere. We had some frozen sausages from a party (saved for the dog), frozen corn, a salad from lunch, sliced oranges, a not so pretty or fresh cabbage salad that I would have never made for anyone but Ernst (way too McDougall) and bread. I raced back to the hall, microwaved it all and dinner was served at six sharp. It was food, prepared with speed by someone who knows how to use a microwave. Whew, that was a rush.

Ernst again, "Um Jess, can Ryan from Reno spend the night? Is the guest room clean?" Yeah, the guest room is clean, the rest of the house is not! I grabbed the dirty bowls from dinner, ran back home and tidied up the house. OK, presentable enough for a guy.

We have no good food for our houseguest's breakfast, not even any coffee. Someone needs to go to the store. "Um Ernst?"