I got a red pot

Here's my new pot - a gift for my birthday! Isn't this exciting? It's like THE pot - so shiny. Le Creuset - French for expensive really nice pot. I can't wait to use it. Soup maybe... or chili (this is Texas).

(Green sweater people - you know who you are - this blog title was for you)

Her Highness' Birthday

From beginning to end, Reba's 4th birthday. Notice the Princess crown with the jammies (before we even had breakfast), the royal party at school, and the special dinner with friend Benjamin - who cracks me up! Jacob took it like a champ and bowed down for most of the evening. The dolls are a gift from him - note Reba hugging him. He argued that one could never have too many babies. We only had a few tears right before bed when Jacob wished it wasn't so long until his birthday. Hang in there, kid. Reba might allow you to share her throne.

Things we miss (besides people)

A couple of pictures to illustrate what I miss about So Cal (given, of course that these are only things and truly what I really miss are friends and family). The first pic is my choice - the mountains. I took this shot from the Ontario Airport on what must have been the most lovely day So Cal has ever seen (I don't remember it being this smog free). The second picture is Jacob's choice - actually his only request of me last week while I was in CA for two days, "Take a picture of Souplantation for me, Mom." Got it dude, here you go.

The Birthday Post

Another year older... I am actually 29 this year - for real - the real 29. I have had mixed reaction to the "it's my 29th birthday" comment. Either people are floored that I am that old - usually strangers, or I get the nudge nudge wink wink, yeah right response. REALLY I am 29. And you know what? I love it. 29 is a good year.

I was grateful this year to get to spend the days leading up to my birthday with my Mom and Dad (and an evening with Grandma) back in CA. I went back to teach sex ed and health promotion to the elementary children at my mother's new school and had the added benefit of staying with the folks for my quick trip.

Two days there and I was already on a plane back to TX on my birthday where my children had made me a party hat and decorated our entrance with streamers. Gotta love the enthusiasm of kids regarding birthdays. They had made me cards and though the messages were written from right to left the sentiment was lovely (the fact they could both write at all was impressive).

Brian had planned to make me dinner but had forgotten (though reminded several times) that we would be eating with our friends in order to celebrate a combined birthday event. My baby Claire - that I babysat from the time she was just months old - turned 14. Which means we have now known this family for more than half of my lifetime. A blessing I don't take lightly. The dinner was fabulous and the company was even better. I could not have thought of a better way to spend my 29th birthday. (I got the dinner Sunday night instead.)

So, here's to another year passed and many more to share with you down the road. I am embracing 29 for everything it means (whatever that is). And you know what? I am looking forward to 30 with just as much enthusiasm.

She can rock it!

This is why they call her Rock Star Reba at pre-school.

The Quilt Tutor

I finally took advantage of the sage advice of Grandma Dentist (Donna) the "Quilt Tutor". Donna just lives minutes away from me and I consider her a quilting guru. She has a house full of quilts - literally there is a quilt on every wall and every surface. Her kitchen table has a quilt for a table cloth. She has made several quilts for every family member. She makes small quilts for Linus Project. And she has a trunk full of quilts she has made and doesn't use! She even has historical quilts and taught me the value of labeling your quilt with it's history. She has set me straight on several occasions when I needed expert advice. Donna, like me, is a nurse and I think this helps me understand her instruction just a little bit better. I went over last Thursday and learned SO much.

First I took my machine manual over for her to inspect and educate me on what is what. Apparently I got a good deal for a fairly inexpensive machine that was intended as a back up. GREAT! I can even lower the feed dogs and free quilt - I had no idea. This is the kind of good info Donna gives me. I have some great stitch capability and she showed me on her quilts what I might use them for. FANTASTIC!

I also learned to bind my quilts like a pro (instead of the haphazard way I was doing it) and will post a tutorial on that later. First I have to complete a quilt to bind. I have been on hiatus for a while. Feeling a little uninspired by my fabric collection...

Meanwhile check out what I did with my quilting foot... Cool huh?!? I am making an apron for Brian's birthday out of the orange fabric. I was practicing his name to see if I could personalize it a little more. Seems like since we moved to Austin Brian is all about orange. Just getting into the Longhorns spirit, I guess. Hook 'em horns!

**Disclaimer** Blogger's spell checker is not working. If something is grossly misspelled - well, now you know, I can't spell.

Suckers

I was fully preparing an "Ode to Q " post in memory of our lost cat Q. He was a part of our family since Jacob's first birthday. At times we questioned our sanity on inviting this wild eyed white kitten into our home as he manically ran around our then rented duplex. Then as he grew into a cat we again wondered what we were thinking as he was LARGE, hard to keep clean, and completely unpredictable.

I am not a cat person. And yet over the last 7 months he has truly grown on me. Our move to Texas was rough on him. You should have heard the noises he was making from his crate. He was not happy. But he made it. After a near poisoning by fire ant bait not long after we got here we were sure he was a gonner - one life down. Then he disappeared for 5 days and we were about to write him off when we heard a meow at our door - Q had made it back (from Kitty camp is what we told the kids). Then Kudjo moved in next door and although I am 89% sure the dog didn't eat my cat - I am pretty sure Q finally felt like enough was enough. He left right before Christmas and never came back.

Brian and I have posted signs, run ads on Craigslist and put out the word with the local shelters that we were missing our cat. No hits. We would hear phantom meows in the middle of the night and Brian would race to the door in his underwear to open it for... nothing. Sad, very sad.

Then last week the kids were getting into bed and Jacob shouts down that he heard something outside - "like a meow!" I raced outside to find... not Q. A calico little kitty had been hanging out around the house a couple of days ago and I figured her to be a neighbor's cat. But here she was outside - it was dark, surely she would have been brought inside by now. I brought out some food (we kept just in case) and she chowed down like she hadn't eaten in days. I brought her inside knowing it was likely to freeze that night.

Well, that was the end of that. We kept putting her back outside during the day and she kept coming back in. We have placed an ad on Craigslist for a found cat and called local shelters. Nobody is looking for her. Guess she's ours now. She is quickly assuming her feline throne in this household. She looks around from her high perch and I am certain she is thinking, "Suckers!" And I have to admit for not being a cat person, I am smitten.