Country Cow, City Cow

We went to Blairsville for Thanksgiving this year.  Loaded up the car with all the necessities, the dog, the toddler, took off and didn’t look back. I don’t mind the drive up when we take the “easy” route up 575/515. This time we went through Dawsonville – yeah, decided to hit the outlets for a little early shopping  – which means we have to go over Blood Mountain to get to my parents. I tend to get a bit woozy going over the mountain and so does Sean. Actually, he gets a lot woozy so we find the easy route better for everyone because it doesn’t result in him puking all over the back seat. Nice.  Plus the easy route means there are lots of little towns to stop in if we need a bite to eat, a bathroom break or have a stinky diaper to change.

The ride over the mountain does, however, give us the opportunity to enjoy more of the “country” scenery.  Think abandoned double wides, yard art* , tractors with Christmas lights*, barns, horses and cows. Yep, lots and lots of cows.

Sean finds cows particularly interesting. I don’t know if it’s because he loves the Chick-Fil-A cows, if he likes to say “moo” or if it’s just because he’s a toddler and right now cows strike his fancy.  Or maybe it’s because he likes it when I roll the windows down and we yell “moo” at the cows.  Whatever sparks his imagination is fine with me.

As we were making our way through extreme rural White County, Michael spotted a pasture with many cows. He told Sean it was a cow party, which we explained was not to be confused with a cow patty. hehehe.  Every time from then on Sean calls a herd of cows a cow party. It’s quite adorable.

We all had a bit of cabin fever on Friday so we went looking for trouble. First we went to the new Dollar General***, then we had lunch at the new deli, Steve’s ****, followed by a quick trip to the TrackRock Stables to look at horses where one horse seemed particularly eager to eat Sean, then to Alexander’s General Store. Alexander’s is in all sense of the word a general store. They sell men and women’s wear,  appliances, furniture and guns. They have some candy and other random things too. I’ve only been there a handful of times and it’s a fun diversion for a bit. The clientele is unique and often backwards.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a small space with as many interesting mountain folk. Ever. And I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in the North Georgia and North Carolina mountains.

We walked out of Alexander’s and Sean stopped DEAD in his tracks. Across the street was a cow party. He proceeded to yell “COWS!” at the top of his lungs, followed by “MOO” at the top of his lungs. We found it tremendously entertaining and once all the local flavor realized what he was yelling at they chuckled as well. Yep, we’re not from around here, folks!  The closest thing Sean has been to a cow is the Chick-Fil-A cow and even then he hasn’t been all that close. But he likes them.

* old, rusty cars that have died in someones front yard

** usually out year round though I am not certain why. Really, are you that busy?

*** yep. we know how to party. We did find Sean some mittens and the joy of purchasing them at the Dollar General is that I won’t care when he loses them.

**** great place for sandwiches and my reuben was outstanding! It’s new in town and all the meats are from Amish Country in Ohio. yum!

Hooray for China!

Not the country, but china. As in dinner china….

My grandmother recently sold her house and moved into an assisted living facility. And she loves it! She always has visitors, and plans, and is impossible to reach now.  It’s a good thing and I really enjoy hearing how happy she is when we chat on the phone. Well, when she’s actually around and can talk!

My Aunt Betsy and Aunt Nancy cleared out Gam’s house, more or less. Divided up all the goods amongst the kids and grand kids. It’s a lot of work to pack up a house, especially when it’s not yours.  Then they were kind enough to deliver said items to the new owners.  How fabulous!

I am the proud new owner of my Gam’s fine china. It’s her wedding china. It’s German porcelain. I can’t get over how light it is, either! My guess is it’s about fifty years old, maybe a little older.  Several years ago my Mother told Gam that she wanted to make sure I received the china. The fact that it actually happened is amazing (there are a lot kids and grand kids). The fact that Mom was right and I’d like it isn’t amazing, but shows how much she knows me and my tastes.  It really is gorgeous.  My china is made by Tirschenreuth. Yeah, say that fast three or four times.

Here’s a snapshot:

The china was a perfect reward for my hard work last Monday. My cousin, Julie, is on bed rest. Her mother, my Aunt Betsy, has been living with Julie for about a month now. But, she also wants to keep a little bit of her life, so goes home or visits her other children on the weekends.  To give Aunt Betsy a rest Sean and I have gone over to Julie’s  the past two Mondays so Aunt Betsy doesn’t have to rush back. The extra day off gives Aunt Betsy a much needed break so she can do things like visit other grandchildren or pack up Gam’s house. Some break!  This past Monday Sean and I got over to Jules’ around 10 am. We didn’t leave until just before 8pm. Sean and his cousin, Cade, spent most of the day playing and wearing each other out. Julie and I spend most of the day laughing. That’s what she and I do best together. I must admit that by the time we arrived home I was pretty pooped.  Chasing around two 2 1/2 year old boys was tough work.  Additionally I had to continually discipline Julie to get off her feet since she’s on bed rest and all.  After dinner was over we packed up my car with Gam’s china and sewing paraphernalia. I got home and put Sean to bed. Exhausted, I unloaded my car. It seemed silly to drive around town with china in my trunk. I didn’t do much with the sewing stuff but managed to get it into my sewing room. The china came upstairs to get unpacked.  I sat down and had some water. Then I debated if I should open the boxes or not. Okay, I have to open the boxes to check out the loot. That was the best idea I’d had all day! Unpacking Gam’s china was the perfect reward for my hard work. I admired it for a while then pondered where to put it. I do have a small house after all.

My new china found a home yesterday.  Some glass vases were relocated and Gam’s china is happily stored next to my china. I’m grateful they go together and I can mix and match.

Now, I just need an occasion to use it. Hrm….maybe once I have a bigger table in my dining room.

25 hours in a Day

I need more time in my days. I’m pretty darn efficient, and focus on the task at hand, but I always have more I wish I could have accomplished by the end of the day.  I am grateful that Sean still naps for two to three hours a day and goes to school two days a week.  That’s handy and allows me an opportunity to do my chores buutttt…..

I’ve been wanting to post some new photos up here for, oh, I don’t know, eight months?  Seriously. It hasn’t been a priority. So now I’m home, and I’m sick and Sean is with his grandmother. Seems like a fine time to work. Maybe.

I need to add photos of my newer quilts, but found some of these while going through all my files.

I made this quilt for Sean when he was born. It sits on the end of his bed. He doesn’t use it a lot, which makes me sad, but maybe one day.

This was the 2008 paper pieced block of the month at Intown Quilters. Original design.

My friend, Elizabeth, emailed frantically one day. She was a month or two away from having Eliot, and the person that was going to make her a baby quilt fell through. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that I wouldn’t help. So she sent me some swatches and the cool giraffe minkee for the back of the quilt and Voila! I bought some cotton prints that coordinated with what she sent me and magically a quilt appeared.

This quilt is the 2009 Block of the Month at Intown Quilters. Original design.

Dresses I made for Izzy

This quilt is a masterpiece! It’s Jacqueline de Jonge’s pattern Be Colourful. It took several months for me to piece, and I had Regina Carter to the quilting. She did a superb job! I love this quilt and am proud that it was accepted into the East Cobb Quilt Show this fall. It’s a judged and juried show. Wish me luck!

And last but not least, I designed this quilt and it was published on the cover of Better Homes and Garden Quilt Sampler. The shop was a feature shop in spring 2007 – just before Sean was born, though the quilt was made the previous autumn.

We’re going bananas!

My sister-in-law came in town this weekend with her kids. We took them to Zoo Atlanta (www.zooatlanta.org) on Sunday morning. It was chilly, but the animals were active, making the experience much better for the kids.

First stop: Simba, the lion.

He was perfectly perched on the rocks and roaring up a storm. Everyone in the zoo dashed over to see him. Beth and Sean were particularly enamored with Simba, or, maybe with each other.

Next stop: Gorillas.

Nate was his cute, charming self and Caleb, self-proclaimed picture hater, even let his dear Aunt get a photo of him.

We ran around the zoo for a while longer and saw the leopard and tiger. On our way out, the zoo was flying an owl. We had to stand back – the owl was looking a bit irritate – but we were able to see him fly. It was pretty cool.

We checked out the Naked Mole Rats, then the kids played on the playground for a bit.

Pandas

petting zoo

carousels

then the highlight of the day: the TRAIN!!! Or, as they are known in my house. CHOOOOOO!!!

Lunch out at Six Feet Under was the perfect ending to our day.  The kids were exhausted, and exhilarated. We all had a blast!

Peek-a-boo…where are you?

Or more to the point….where have I been? December and January were busy for us. December was full of birthdays, Christmas, then ringing in the New Year, which we happily did at home after whirlwind trips to Blairsville and Pigeon Forge.

I love Christmas with my parents. It’s filled with traditions from my childhood. Every Christmas Eve. Mom, Laura and I would make a pull apart cake for Christmas morning then we’d sit down for a nice dinner. After dinner we’d all get ready for Midnight Mass then we each got to open one present. Usually we’d hang out for a bit, then drive around to look at Christmas lights, eventually ending at church so we could get a seat and enjoy the candlelight caroling.  I loved church on Christmas Eve.  The overhead lights were off and the church had a perfect amber glow from the candles.  Everyone was always smiling, and singing. I love Christmas carols – Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful…they’re beautiful and I often get teary singing them. I’m such a sucker!

Christmas morning when I was a child often came at 5 am. Way to early. My grandparents thought it was cute. My parents did not. Eventually my sister and I started to sleep in, and for a few years, our parents actually had to wake us!

We’d go downstairs, put the breakfast casserole we’d made the day before in the oven, eat cake and drink coffee. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there we opened gifts!

This year we we visited my parents for Christmas. My parents gave Sean an Elmo Live for Christmas. It was a hit with him right from the start.

We’re big Elmo fans at the Murphy household, but from time to time,  Elmo can be a bit much. He stays in Sean’s room. We like that. A lot.

Sean was inundated with new toys. Too many, in fact, but it’s alright for grandparents to spoil him.

One of his other favorite games over the holidays was to chase the ball with Uncle Jeremy.

It was really cute watching the two of them run around the house chasing that red ball!  Sean thought it was the greatest game ever, and Uncle Jeremy seemed to get a kick out of it too!

After a few busy days in Blairsvegas, the three of us packed up and headed to Pigeon Forge. We went through National Forest the majority of the way there, and it was beautiful.

Sean slept, well mostly, and I even got to see an old haunt – Cherokee, NC. I spent a good bit of time there while attending camp in Cullowhee, NC. It hadn’t changed much. Brought back memories, like seeing Unto These Hills THREE times.

Our trip to Pigeon Forge was to celebrate Claire’s 60th birthday!  We stayed in a beautiful house way up on a mountain in Wear’s Valley. It was large enough to accommodate all ten of us. We celebrated Christmas with the Murphy’s and took a trip to Dollywood, as well. No trip to Pigeon Forge is complete without it! I’d never been to Pigeon Forge. It is Tennessee’s response to Daytona Beach. Loud. Bright. Neon. It was wild and not at all what I expected.

Dollywood was what I expected. Sean had a blast!  He wasn’t quite big enough to go on a lot of the rides. He did enjoy the carousel and the train was a BIG hit! Pure joy on the train!

A tank of gas to Pigeon Forge: $30

A ticket to Dollywood: $50

Taking Sean for his first ride on a train: Priceless

Out with the old

My dear friend, Ro, was saddened that some quilt photos were missing from my blog. They are older quilts that haven’t quite made it onto my blog – that requires time. I’ve been wanting to add them for eons, but just haven’t found (er, made) the time. So today, while the tot is sleeping, the dog isn’t fussing and my head is on (relatively) straight, I decided to get busy.

Here are pics of some of my favorite quilts:

This quilt won a blue ribbon at the Georgia State Fair in 2006. It is named Firecracker because my husband kept referring to it as such. It’s a favorite of mine. The pattern is Judy Neimeyer’s Fourth of July.

Here is a detail:

Terrible photo of this quilt. Yes Ma’am Damn! Won three blue ribbons at the 2006 Georgia State Fair:  one for best piecing, one for best machine quilting and a blue ribbon because it’s awesome (my words, not those of the judges)!

The quilt was name for my friend, Taffy. Taffy tells me I was “raised right” because I always say ma’am when responding to her. Taffy is in her early sixties, so it seems to me that it’s a polite reply. Taffy is a quilter and got me onto a batik strip pieced kick.  I took all my odds and ends of batik strips and stitched them together, cut the pieces into squares, then triangles, then assembled the parts.

Yes Ma’am is one of my favorites! It is an original design.

Here is a detail:

Ode to Insanity was appropriately named so because I took 10 1/2″ squares of fabric, cut them into four 5  1/4″ squares then cut each of those squares into quarter square triangles. I then matched the quarter square batik with a quarter square of black fabric to make my half square triangles. I stitched, pressed and trimmed each square individually. I’m certain there was an easier way to make the quilt, but I tend to be a glutton for punishment when quilting, so I enjoyed the project. Ode is an original design.

Here is a detail:

and another:

The quilt, Around the World My Way, was based on the book Circle Play by Reynola Pakuisch. The quilt is an original design. I made it to showcase my collection of Oriental fabrics. The quilt is 90 x 110 and adorns the bottom of my bed.

A detail:

and another:

A Gaggle of Geese is an original design used for a block of the month program at Intown Quilters in 2006. It’s a bright, happy quilt that I am now using to teach my Tri, Tri, Tri-angles class at IQ.

Here’s a detail of the quilting:

Bohemian Purse Girl is an original design and the quilt was featured in the February 2007 issue of Quick Quilts magazine. The quilt was made using fat quarters from Anna Maria Horner’s line of fabric, Bohemian Line.

Shine on little shoes, shine on

My girlfriend, Marnie, has four year old twins. One of twins, Alex, is a purse girl. She loves shoes, clothes, purses, you name it. Recently she found some bejeweled Converse shoes that were outrageously priced. Marnie called me to see if I could reproduce the shoes.

Of course I’ll do anything for her and her children, so few Swarowski crystals, ribbon and glue did the trick. I took the shoes to Alex on Sunday. The twins’ birthday party was a blast and Alex chose her outfit based on what would go with the shoes. Is that cute or what?!

The shoes are on top of some receiving blankets I made for my cousin. She’s having a baby girl in January. Allison asked me what some of my favorite things were when I had a newborn. I had to say that one of my favorite gifts were some receiving blankets a quilter friend made for me. The blankets were larger than those you get at the baby superstore so swaddling was easier because I could wrap the daylights out of Sean. I called it making him a taco.

Allison is decorating the nursery in bright pink, orange and green so I thought the flannel I chose would work nicely for her. Now if I can just get the darn blankets in the mail!

Halloween in the Hood

I love Halloween in my neighborhood. So many houses really get into the spirit, and it’s fun for children and adults. I was on a walk the other day and able to quickly snap a photo of this house.

Halloween in Little 5 Points is ALWAYS a big deal. There’s a parade, floats and marching bands. It’s quite the event.Every year we walk into L5P to watch. It’s a blast! The people watching is jaw dropping!

We took Sean last year, but he was too young to remember. We didn’t dress him up this year, but did put him in his cute Halloween shirt. Figure he may as well get as much use out of it as he possibly can!

Sean wasn’t so into watching the parade, but did enjoy sitting on the bottom step at the Bass Lofts watching everyone. He was very proud of himself

Not sure what was going by here, but something caught his eye. Maybe the enormous skeletons??

We had a quick dinner at The Albert, then home. Sean was pooped, and we knew he had a big day on Sunday. Izzy’s first birthday party! We did dress him up for Izzy’s party. He was an alligator.

And Iz was a pumpkin! Is she adorable or what?!

The party started at 1, which is Sean’s normal nap time. We took him down for about an hour. He started to get wobbly, and fussy, so we brought him in for his afternoon siesta.

Busy, busy Bee

I’ve been working fast and furiously on gifts lately. Sean has four birthday parties in the next few weeks, and Christmas is around the corner.  Teacher gifts, play group gifts, family…the list gets long.

My friend, Marnie, has twin girls, Taylor and Alex. They turn four next month, so I made them each a little purse. Perfect gift for little girls!

Alex loves frogs, so her bag has a cute frog print as the lining.

Taylor is not as cutesy. Her favorite color is baby blue so her bag has a blue flower print. It’s more sophisticated and I think she’ll like it. At least I hope so!

Sean’s play group now has seven kids in it. Motley crew to say the least. All the mothers are wonderful, and so are the kids. Sean is one of three boys. I’m making all the kids in play group and the kids on our street pillowcases for Christmas. I’ve been really good and mostly used fabric from my stash. Here’s what I have so far.

R.I.P. Green Crayon – Part Deux

It occurred to me that the title of my last post didn’t quite make sense. Well, it does, IF you understand there was a whole point to me naming the post after the crayon and I completely forgot to go into it. DUH!

Previously on “Paco and the Tomato”…. I was watching Cade for the night about a week ago. He is a short napper. I was fully prepared for that, knowing Sean would zonk out for two and a half to three hours and Cade would be McShorty.  I had things prepared to pass the time. We could paint with water, a favorite activity of Sean, color, play ball, etc.  Sean has a gigantic coloring book and crayons. The book is big because, well, let’s face it, toddlers aren’t exactly into fine detail work. The crayons have a triangular shape, making it easier for little hands to hold them.

I put Cade down with the crayons and coloring book. He found that tremendously interesting. And, as it turns out, he found the crayons particularly tasty!  Now, Sean isn’t a crayon eater, so I wasn’t prepared to find Cade and my deck covered in green crayon. There is a reason that the fine people at the Crayola company mark the boxes NON_TOXIC!! Guess there is also a reason they are marked 24+ months!

The crayon must have been a delicious treat because Cade darn near ate the entire thing!  I stripped him down, doused his shirt in Shout, and we went on our merry way. Without a shirt, and sadly, without the ability to color. No crayons for Cade. At least not while he enjoys them as an appetizer. Or until he turns 2.