doubleplusgood - top complete!

Well, it only took me two months, but the last 2 rows of the doubleplusgood quilt are done and attached and I can officially call this top complete!



I can't remember exactly, but I think it's roughly 70" square. A generous lap quilt. While at Ikea on a massive fabric binge (more on that later) I found a fabulous blue and orange fabric that will eventually become the backing for this baby. Now I just need to get around to finishing it up.

Blue Diamond Baby Quilt - Complete!

After a long silence around these parts I am back and I've got some fun stuff to share! I'll start with what I consider to be the most exciting. A new baby quilt for a sweet new baby!

Nope. Not my baby. But really, this little man is the next best thing. One of the two families that I nanny for welcomed a brand new member of their little family last week. I got to meet him at just 7 days old and we snuggled for quite awhile!

In honor of the little man's arrival I whipped up a quilt. I had been playing with a little stack of fabric for some time trying to perfect it, and it wasn't until the new baby appeared (10 days earlier than expected!) that inspiration hit.

I used this incredible tutorial by the lovely Jess of Urban Patchwork to create what I have named the "Blue Diamond Baby Quilt." Original, I know.



Here's the stats:
Fabrics: 4 pieces of Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt, 3 men's dress shirts (thank you brother!), grey Bubbles and Blooms, and a bit of white (somewhat like Kona Snow) from Ikea. Backing has pieced strips from the fabrics on the top and some blue, also from Ikea. Bound in Bubbles and Blooms with a small piece of Big Dot Little Dot from the KJR line.
Dimensions: 36 x 52.
Quilting: Straight lines 1/4" on either side of all the seams.



What is left over of my stash of Katie Jump Rope has been really hard to part with. The only other place I have used a significant piece is in the little denim jacket I made for a baby shower gift. The fabrics are near impossible to find anymore, and I truly love the entire line, so it's been difficult to find the right project to use them in. When the new baby was born I knew they were destined for him. Not only because they fit in his nursery, but also because I know without a doubt that this quilt will be treasured. I am a big supporter of using beloved fabrics and not hoarding, but I want to be careful to use them in projects I know will be cherished and not ones that I plan to sell.



When it was all finished, I decided to use the button placket from one of the shirts I cannibalized for the project to wrap it up. Super easy! All I did was take a button and add it to the placket where the ends overlapped. I thought it was a cute way to present it to the new mommy.



I am beyond excited to have met this newest addition to the family and am looking forward to seeing him grow up. Welcome to the world Baby M!

Pretty {Little} Pouch Swap - Complete!

Well, another swap has finished. I can now say that I have both sent and received my Pretty {little} Pouch Swap packages. Here's how it went:



I made my partner two pouches, one on the medium/large side and one small one. She had added a few items including applique to her inspiration mosaic so I ran with it. The grey for the cloud pouch came from an old pair of linen/cotton pants I had. The other pouch you may recognize from the wedding gift I made for some friends in May. I had created an extra panel of green and brown patchwork so I decided to put it to good use in a bonus pouch. Both items came together without a problem which is totally remarkable considering my limited experience with pouches.

My partner sent me this little goody:



The little box pouch she made me was a cream canvas(?) with a sweet little puppy in a tea cup on the side. He looks all wriggly! I don't know for sure, but I'm going to claim this as a Heather Ross print. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

Inside was a pile of surprises!



Not only did she line it with some of the blue and green dots of the DQ Quilts collection (which I can't get in Canada because there are no Joann's) but she added some goodies from Cath Kidston and some green tea mints from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is yet another brand we don't have in Canada so it was a real treat!

I am thorougly impress with my partner and how hard she worked on my little pouch. It was really sweet of her to include extra goodies as well! Overall I would call the swap a success.

All that being said, I feel like I should add something to this post. While I am so happy that my pouches were well received, and love the package I got, I actually didn't really enjoy this swap. This has nothing to do with the organization, the talent in the group or anything outside of myself. In fact, this swap is fabulous! It is well organized by two very sweet and hard working swap mama's, the group is full of incredible talents and there is eye candy galore.

I didn't enjoy the swap because I realized that I would rather drool over the eye candy than fret about what to make for someone else. I've taken part in several mini quilt swaps including two rounds of Doll Quilt Swap, and I think those might be more up my alley. Designing and creating mini quilts comes more naturally to me and I am more likely to be satisfied with what I have made. The pouches are not as much fun for me and I feel like that really held me back.

Do any of you participate in swaps or online quilting bees? Do you feel like it encourages your creativity? Or, like me, do you prefer to let inspiration come when it comes and stick to your strong suits?

365 June 2011

1. 365.157, 2. 365.158, 3. 365.159, 4. 365.160, 5. 365.161, 6. 365.162, 7. 365.163, 8. 365.164, 9. 365.165, 10. 365.166, 11. 365.167, 12. 365.168, 13. 365.169, 14. 365.170, 15. 365.171, 16. 365.172, 17. 365.173, 18. 365.174, 19. 365.175, 20. 365.176, 21. 365.177, 22. 365.178, 23. 365.179, 24. 365.180, 25. 365.181, 26. 365.182, 27. 365.183, 28. 365.184, 29. 365.185, 30. 365.186

the week in review

Well, the week (at least the "work" part of the week) has come to an end and I have a status report for you. It's not as stellar as I would have liked, but here goes:

Tuesday, Wednesday and a good part of Thursday was spend doing....not much. I pushed some laundry through and managed to make the bed each day and keep the kitchen tidy. That is about all. Oh and on Thursday I had a little workout. Clearly I was relaxing a bit. A lot of time was spent on Pinterest. Do you Pinterest?

It brought me such gems as:

source

That's right. It's a serious time waster.

Thursday and Friday became cooking days though. Here is the run down:

37 individually portioned freezer lunches including:

-butter chicken (from scratch - seriously the best recipe ever - email/comment if you want me to share) with rice, and homemade naan bread.
- vegetable risotto
- chicken noodle soup
- cheesy shell pasta with broccoli
- shepherds pie
and
- penne with meat and vegetable sauce

Seriously. I was about ready to fall over by 9pm on Friday when I finally finished all that cooking.

***

It's now been a few weeks since I did that cooking and I can tell you it has made a huge difference in our house! Both Joel and our roommate make use of them regularly and have told me how much they appreciate not having to think about lunches.

My favourite recipe has to be the butter chicken with rice and naan. It is as good if not better than the butter chicken you can get from local Indian take out places and it's SO MUCH cheaper. Joel had purchased a 4L (1 GALLON!) tub of plain yogurt and it was put to good use with this recipe. In fact, last week when it was about to expire I made up a huge batch of butter chicken sauce and stored it in portions so we could just poor it over some rice and chicken if we want a quick dinner.

All of this cooking really got me excited to cook more and since then I have tried out a few new recipes including pizza monkey bread. It does make me want to facepalm (yes. I said it.) because I never get pictures of my delicious food. I just eat it or freeze it. Oops.

a week for productivity

**Warning: the post is really wordy!**

I have a week off from work and I don't want to waste it. Since I am lucky enough to regularly get time off to relax, I feel like this week should be a productivity week. I have set some really lofty goals for myself and I hope that if I post them here I will feel more pressure to be accountable. Want to see the lists? Yes. LISTS.

Cleaning
Clean Upstairs Bathroom
Clean Downstairs Bathroom
Clean Kitchen
Wash Sheets
Make Bed
Wash Guest Sheets
Make Guest Bed Upstairs
Make Guest Bed Downstairs
Tidy Sewing Area
Vacuum Upstairs
Vacuum Downstairs
Cat Box
Wash Floors
Finish All Laundry
Dust
Garbage & Recycling

This list is purely my regular cleaning list. I usually neglect it, but it would be good to get the house really clean before we have 4 different guest over the next 10 days.

Extra Cleaning & Organizing
Organize Linen Closet
Organize Under the Stairs Closet
Organize Pantry
Organize Kitchen Corner Cupboards
Clean Out Laundry Room
Clean Out Bedroom Closet
Clean Out Front Hall Closet
Sort Winter & Summer Clothes
Find Joel’s Sandals
Clean Out Car
Weed Gardens
Cut Lawn
Edge Trim Lawn

This list is the list of things that bother me but I never get around to. For instance, the cat box is in the laundry room, and the cats tend to spread litter all over the floor around their box. I would love to pull up the foam mats on the floor and sweep really well, but I never do it. Or how about Joel's sandals have been missing for weeks and I can't get enough floor space in the downstairs storage room to actually stand there and look through boxes. The mowing the grass and weeding I may farm out to our roommate.

Am I seeming crazy yet?

Cooking
Butter Chicken
Pea & Bacon Pasta
Chickpea Korma
Falafel
Soup
Spaghetti Bolognese
Basil Pesto & Chicken
Pork Chops

The cooking list is a new one for me. A couple of days ago I was inspired to cook a pile of single serving meals for freezing. My hubby and our roommate both work in office buildings and both spend long days there. They each take different approaches to lunches. Joel just doesn't bring one which drives me crazy because I picture him starving all day. Our roommate always packs a good healthy lunch, but it's always whatever is convenient which is usually very expensive and ends up with us having to make more trips to the grocery store than we want. So I've come up with a plan to make (hopefully) a month to six weeks worth of healthy, yummy and interesting lunches that they can grab out of the freezer in the morning.

And finally...becuase I need to do something for myself in all of this or I might go crazy from the stress:

Just for Me
Finish Cosmo Bag
Finish DoublePlusGood Quilt
Cut Pieces for Christmas Stars
DQS11 draft
PLPS draft
Workout
Pillow Covers?
Dr.’s Appointment
Blog

Most of the things on that list are probably not going to happen, but oh well. At the very least I can take a trip to the fabric store on my way back from the Dr.'s office.

Please feel free to call me crazy. Do you ever get in moods like this? You've had enough and you just force yourself to push through all the annoying tedious things you don't usually find time for. Or are you more like the realistic me who knows that 1/2 of this won't get done but the 1/2 that does will make you feel really good anyway?

My plan is to update as I go through the week. Maybe if I get it all done (or at least a respectable amount of it) I will host a giveaway over the weekend. Stay tuned.

doubleplusgood - a new quilt

On Wednesday of last week I stopped by Traditional Pastimes after dropping my hubby off at work. I probably shouldn't have gone in. I was 1/2 in my pyjamas (read: pyjama top covered by cardigan and some denim shorts) and I hadn't showered or brushed my hair. Oh well. I needed some fabric yumminess to brighten what was a really dreary and rainy day.

Let me say, I love this store! The owner is a really sweet lady who does a fabulous job of balancing the needs and tastes of traditional and modern quilters alike. The staff are all very helpful and friendly and always willing to give an honest opinion.

I went in looking for some inspiration for an orange and aqua quilt for some friends. I wasn't sure what I would find, but after some chatting and wandering, we had managed to pull an amazing collection of fabrics that I knew would be just right.



Once I got home I worked feverishly. I neglected everything else that needed to be done. Including eating. After about 5 hours, I had all the blocks sewn together. The next day I took another hour or so and completed most of the quilt top.

Here it is so far:



Actually, since that picture was taken, I've completed the partial crosses on the left and right edges, and sewn up another row to be added to the top. I need to go and buy a bit more white since I have used up every bit in my stash - even the scraps. Once I have that, I will be able to add one more row to the bottom and start working on the back.

My plan is to create a pieced back out of 3 left over blocks and some larger pieces of the fabric from the front. I want to try and man it up a bit since it's for a couple. I feel like it might be a bit of the girly side right now.

I hope to have this baby completed by the end of the week, but we will see how that goes. I have the whole week off work except for a few hours today, and I have big plans for productivity. Lots of cleaning, organizing and cooking needs to be done this week so I can feel stress and guilt free and spend the rest of my time sewing.

I've also started slowly working on another new quilt top, but more on that later.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and a warm and relaxing summer so far. What projects are you working on right now? **Also, bonus points to anyone who can tell me where the name of this quilt comes from without having to Google it.**

Pretty Pink Baby Quilt

It's been quite a while since I complete a quilt. A few weeks ago, I got the sudden urge to start stitching up a quilt and I had a pile of pink fabrics left from my Hope Valley collection bundle and a small stack of Kona White scraps.

I wanted something quick and easy to sew up, and have been wanting to make another quilt in the style of Hop, Skip & Jump from Denyse Schmidt's Quilts book.

In a matter of just a few hours I went from nothing to a quilt top.



Little Cheddar helped me hold the quilt down so I could take a picture.

I managed to get the top complete, and the quilt basted and 1/2 quilted in a matter of just a day, but then, life got in the way, and the quilt went by the wayside. Then, just a week ago, I was struck with the same urge to just sew, and I finished it up and got it washed that morning.

Here are the stats:

Size: 42" square
Fabric: Kona White, Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley, Kona Cerise for the binding and Kona Blush for the Backing
Quilted in concentric circles, bound by machine.



I had been seeing concentric circle quilting for a bit and kept thinking it would be so much fun to use...but on what? And then, once I had finished the quilt top I couldn't think of any quilting that would go better than the circles. I love the juxtaposition of the straight(ish) lines of the top and the soft, circular quilting.

I didn't end up using the pattern from the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, but rather, got my inspiration from Kate Conklin Designs and her Stack and Slash Tute for Chasing Cottons. I followed the basic instructions, but instead of 2 groups of 4 fabrics, I used 1 group of 5 fabrics and also cut my blocks a little smaller. All in the name of using only what I had.



I have come to the decision that I need to start creating and giving away more or selling more if I want to replenish my stash. I have a sizable bin of fat quarters and some 1/2 yard cuts and also a small amount of yardage and it's starting to be boring to me. Not that it's not all totally fabulous fabric, but a lot of it is small pieces that I don't often have a use for. So in order to facilitate a re-stocking of my stash in larger cuts, I have listed this quilt for sale. If you are interested in this quilt or would like to talk about a custom order, please email me.

Pretty {Little} Pouch Swap - Inspiration

I'm very excited to say I have made it into the second round of the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap! I have made a few pouches previously, and am really looking forward to creating something for my partner.

Here is the inspiration mosaic I created to help in her creating:



I can't wait to get started!

DQS11 - I'm In!

Well, I am over the top happy to say I got into DQS11! I had such a great time in the last Doll Quilt Swap and I am really looking forward to participating again. This time around they have decided to go back to their roots and have asked that people create tiny versions of bed quilts as opposed to art quilts.

I think I will find that both challenging and extremely fun!

So, to start things off, here is the inspiration mosaic I created for my partner:



I've already had a chance to peruse my partner's mosaic and favourites and I can't wait to start coming up with some ideas!

Noodlehead gathered clutch

I finally got a chance to make a Noodlehead Gathered Clutch the other day! I can't believe I waited this long to try it out. It is so fun and easy and so satisfying. It is definitely going to become another go to gift for friends and family.



Anna of Noodlehead is a creative wonder. She is constantly churning out fabulously cute items and the gathered clutch is no exception. The instructions were simple, concise and easy to follow. I know that there is the option to download a more detailed pattern for a small fee (it is really reasonable and comes with a license to sell.) But I did not find a need for the more detailed instructions. I may decide later on to sell some of these so I will buy the pattern at that point but for now I'm happy to just make them for myself and as gifts.

I chose a cute grey and pink fabric I picked up at Bolt last summer. Once again, this is a remnant piece without a selvedge so if anyone has the details on it, please let me know. The pattern uses less than a fat quarter of the main fabric and basically a few scraps of the contrast and lining. I think the whole thing went together in less than an hour, easy peasy.



I picked up a bunch of zippers at Fabricland a couple of weeks ago. They have been having a big sale since the beginning of June so I grabbed 3 zippered for .99 cents, then I grabbed 3 more. Then yesterday I went back and grabbed 6 more when I was picking up some thread. As much as I hate stepping foot in that place, when they have a massive sale it's almost worth the soul sucking madness of going there. Yesterday I got 2 spools of guterman thread and 6 zippers for only $4.01. Not too shabby.

I made a few adjustments to my little clutch. The first was the zipper. My cheap zippers are 7 inches instead of 8 as the tutorial calls for so when I was making the zipper tabs I chose to sew them on the other size of the zipper stops (you know, those little metal bits?) I was able to lengthen the overall zipper piece enough to make it work, and I really don't mind the metal bits showing. I choose to add the internal divider and card pockets which I might just leave out next time. I felt it made the final product a teensy bit bulky. I also added a loop and O ring to the outside just for some flare. It gives it a bit of detail and makes it seem even a bit more finished. Also, when I'm running around, I have a tendency to leave my keys places so this way I can hook it all together.



I see many more of these babies in my future. Especially with my new surplus of zippers. I suggest you go check out the pattern and make one immediately.

bags, bags, bags!

I've been working on a lot of bags recently. A bunch of gifts for friends, and I thought it would be fun to share. The first 3 are all buttercup bags made using the free pattern/tutorial by the fabulously talented Rae Hoekstra of Made by Rae.



I've made these a bunch of times before, and they are fun and quick and have become a go-to gift for friends. The girls at least. I can't seem to tire of them.

It feels good to use of some of my stash that has been sitting for a while. The Amy Butler print has been in my bin for 2.5 years! Since a lot of my stash is made up of fat quarters (because it took me a while to learn that I actually wanted bigger cuts), the buttercup bag is a great project to use up the piles of fat quarters.

Here's the details:

Buttercup Bag One:





Exterior - Amy Butler, Tree Peony in Sky from the Lotus Collection
Lining - Lyndhurst Studios, Bubbles and Blooms in Grey

Buttercup Bag Two:





Exterior - Kaffe Fasset Shot Cotton in Cassis
Lining - Denyse Schmidt, Canyon Stripe in Fiesta from the Hope Valley Collection

Buttercup Bag Three:





Exterior - Denyse Schmidt Bouquet in Porch from Country Fair
Lining - Kona Cotton in Camel

For each of the bags I made a few modifications. I added an interior zipper pocket and an "S" tag, and I left off the decorative butt flap.

These three were finished in two afternoon assembly line sessions. I made the mistake of trying a new way of putting in a zipper pocket and it was (at first) a disaster, so it took a bit longer than usual to complete them.

There are two more bags I'd like to show you, but you'll have to wait for another day, because one isn't finished, and I don't feel like writing about the other one for now.

365 May 2011

1. 365.126, 2. 365.127, 3. 365.128, 4. 365.129, 5. 365.130, 6. 365.131, 7. 365.132, 8. 365.133, 9. 365.134, 10. 365.135, 11. 365.136, 12. 365.137, 13. 365.138, 14. 365.139, 15. 365.140, 16. 365.141, 17. 365.142, 18. 365.143, 19. 365.144, 20. 365.145, 21. 365.146, 22. 365.147, 23. 365.148, 24. 365.149, 25. 365.150, 26. 365.151, 27. 365.152, 28. 365.153, 29. 365.154, 30. 365.155, 31. 365.156

the aprons

As you know, I gave away an apron for Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. And then I gave away another.

What you don't know, is I made a third apron! While I was stitching up the giveaway apron, my mom was admiring it, so I decided to make one for her too. I guess I've started making sure she doesn't leave for home without something handmade by me. Two Christmas's ago there was a quilt, which for some reason I don't have pictures of. Then there was the pillow, which I also don't have pictures of. Now there is the apron.



Yup! It's Neptune again! I ripped apart a housecoat I was making and had given up on so I could find a piece of Neptune big enough for the apron.



Like the giveaway apron, this one has pintucks at the top and extra long ties so you can make a bow in the front.

I wasn't sure what fabric to use for the contrast, but it was my ever so stylish brother who picked it out.



I'm not sure who makes it because it was a remnant from a local shop and it didn't have a selvege.

I love this apron, and I am glad it's gone to live at my mom's house.



Here are the two together!

I had meant to get some better photos of the second giveaway apron before I mailed it off, but I forgot.

An interesting (if not aggravating) sidenote: We are currently experiencing a "disruption" in mail service here in Canada. It started as a rotating strike by the union members, now they have been locked out. I won't share my opinions on the whole matter here, but I'm not happy. We already pay a lot for our postal service here and it's often unreliable. When I did finally get around to mailing the aprons, it was only 12 hours later that the lockout happened. So far it has been more than 2 weeks of disruptions and it looks like it could be at least a week more. Needless to say, the aprons and a few other letters that I sent out are now sitting in limbo. Wish them luck.

be friends with my friends

So, I have this lovely friend Esther, who really is something of a kindred spirit. We share a love of cats (okay, more of an obsession) and crafty endeavors. Esther definitely has one up on me since she crochets as well as sewing.

The point being, Esther recently decided to spend some time putting her work up on her blog and I love it! We may live in the same city and therefore have regular access to each others work in person, but it's super fun to see her work right when it's done instead of having to wait until the next time I see her.

Esther is currently hosting a giveaway on her blog and I want it so bad. Since I just made 3 different aprons and gave them all away, I am feeling the need for one myself.

Esther is not only a talented crafter but a super thriftier, so her cute little apron is made from some of her recent thrifting finds.

Go check it out and see if you can win!

a wedding present

On May 21, Joel and I had the privilege of attending the wedding of our dear friend Lorraine.  She married the sweet and kind Darryl in a beautiful ceremony on a warm ans sunny Saturday and it couldn't have been more perfect.  Except that it was!

There was a candy buffet.

Seriously.

I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face but it was delicious.  Everything you could think of was there.



Lorraine wore an amazing green iridescent dress with a sparkly, lacy bolero and a stunning beaded headband made by a friend.  She was radiant!

Since Lorraine wouldn't tell me what she wanted for her wedding, I took matters into my own hands.  She had mentioned kitchen things as favourite wants and I knew she loved green and brown, so voila:



 A double oven mitt and potholder set.  I made the oven mitt using this tutorial, sort of.  The potholder I just threw together without instructions.



Do you ever have one of those moments while you are sewing for someone else where you feel totally inspired by the fabric or colour combo and wish you were making something for yourself instead?

I totally had that moment with the potholder, but alas, the majority of the fabrics were just tiny pieces of scrap that I used up.  I did manage to make an extra patchwork square for myself, but I don't know what I'll use it for yet.

Lorraine and Darryl - congratulations on your wedding, may you be endless happy!

mom's annual visit: part 2

**Warning: This post is extremely picture heavy!**

Well, mom's visit has come to an end. We put her on an airplane back to Ontario bright and early on Wednesday morning and it was sad to say goodbye.

What did we get up to for the rest of her visit? Lots! Here are the highlights:

Saturday and 1/2 of Sunday she spent with my brother, road tripping to Banff. They rented a Mustang convertible and whipped through the Rocky Mountains snapping photos and exploring Bison pastures....really?

Sunday we checked out Cross Iron Mills. I guess this is the first mall built in Western Canada in over 20 years which seems crazy to me but whatever. It's gigantic. And busy. but full of cool stores. We were on a mission to find mom a great professional outfit to wear for an upcoming event she is speaking at and let me say - mission accomplished! I don't think I have any pictures of that, sorry.



Sunday evening we went to Boxwood. A friend of ours is the GM there and it is really fantastic. A tiny casual restaurant in the middle of a city park, and it serves all fresh and local food that is positively scrumptious. The building is quite stunning as well.



If you look past my adorable hubby you can see how pretty it is with all that cedar and those pendants and glass water bottles.

With all that warm natural light and the beautiful surroundings, we took the opportunity to take a family portrait.



Monday and Tuesday it rained. Monday we hung around the house, sewed, watched some 30 Rock, and then I went to work for a couple of hours in the evening and Joel and Mom played board games and ate pizza with Rob.



Tuesday started out as another lazy day, but we ended up taking a short trip into Inglewood again. Most of the shops were closed still from the long weekend but we went to a crazy chocolate shop and several antique and collectible shops. No pictures, but one of them had a pile of war memorabilia including creepy things like Nazi uniforms and knives. It gave me the willies.



Also, my brother seems to think they found the Arc of the Covenant. All these years and it's been sitting in an antique store in Calgary. Who would have guessed?



After Inglewood we went to Chinook Centre, the other very large mall in the city which has recently finished a giant addition that now holds some awesome American stores. Anthropology and Urban Outfitters make me drool and lust. I got a wicked 10 dollar dress thanks to mommy dearest and snapped a picture of some really cool displays in Anthro. How can I get a bed that's on 15 foot stilts??



Also, there was this:



Oh yes, and there was Phil & Sebastien. Awesome coffee shop with the best latte I have ever had, and some equal awesome decor.





Tuesday for dinner we hit up one of my favourite restaurants in the city - Pulcinella. There is really nothing like authentic Napolitana pizza to end a day of shopping. Wash it down with a yummy Moretti beer and some great conversation and you've got a fabulous day.



There is really nothing like authentic Napolitana pizza to end a day of shopping. Wash it down with a yummy Moretti beer and some great conversation and you've got a fabulous day.



It's always sad to say goodbye to my mom, but I am excited that I already know when she is coming back. This year her and my step dad will be making the trip out to our place for Christmas - yay! I love you mom, thanks for a great visit!