Saintpaulia-cide

Let me distract you with some pretty pictures of one of my African Violets before I tell you about how I think I may have killed two this afternoon.

Last year I bought an African Violet from one of my favorite big box hardware stores.  In the last year, as it matured, I discovered it was actually two plants.  After re-potting a root bound violet this afternoon I thought I would take the chance, while I had my planting stuff out, to separate the two plants and re-pot them.

I've re-potted plenty of African Violets in my time, so I'm not sure what I did.  Maybe I was over thinking having to try to separate the two plants?  Whatever it was I ended up losing the entire root ball for both.  Eeek!  So, I dipped both plant's necks in rooting hormone and potted them in a fresh pot.  African Violets are surprisingly resilient, but I think my life saving attempts may not be enough.  Is there CPR for plants?

More Quilting

Have you been on the edge of your seat wondering how far along with the Double Wedding Ring quilt I am?  Well wonder no longer...

I've been using Free Spirit's paper piecing templates to make my arcs.  However, true to form, I'm not making the quilt as per the directions.  First of all, their finished quilt is just 54x54.  I (personally) feel that a quilt that is too short to cover me is too short to bother making.  I'm making more arcs so that my finished quilt will be closer to 66x78.  I'm also not going to make my four patches all the same; they're going be as scrappy as my rings.

So far I've got 104 of 142 arcs completed.  Soon I'll have to decide if I want the background to be khaki (leading towards), grey (a possibility), or white (not excited about).

Meanwhile - spring keeps knocking at my door.  Oh winter, what happened to you? 

I started trying to propagate one of my African Violets back in November because my mom had expressed an interest in my variegated leaf plant.  According to the instructions I found on-line the little leaves of a new plant should have been visible after about six weeks.  12 weeks later and it's finally showing signs of life.

 

 

Aren't those tiny little leaves adorable?

Groundhog Day

Puxatony Phil saw his shadow today. 

If you're a regular around here you know that I LOVE fall and winter.  Not so much this year.  It's been too warm.  I know I live in The Deep South and all, but really?  It's been far, far, far to warm for my taste this year.

My indoor garden is loving it though.  It almost makes me long for spring.  Almost.

Monday Night

Most of my Monday nights are spent this way:

2.5 hours in the car (driving to/from New Orleans with a stop for coffee)
2.0 hours at rehearsal
2.0 hours boozing and whoring laughing, talking, and eating with a good friend

The drive gives me time to listen to audio books or talk to myself.  (Daddy always says that's the best way to have an intelligent conversation). 

Rehearsals keep my mind and fingers nimble.

Visiting with Marika restores my sanity.

Double Wedding Ring

A year and a half or so ago I started work on a scrappy Double Wedding Ring quilt.  I made a couple of arcs then stalled.  Last year my friend Kaelin hosted a Double Wedding Ring quilt along on her blog.  I thought, at the time, "Perfect!  This will get me going again with my work."  But, that didn't happen either.  While mom was working on her quilt top here after Christmas, I took the time I had to do a little more work.  The scrappiness and paper piecing made it easier to put down and pick-up as needed while I worked with my mom.  Besides the scrap bin was finally so full I couldn't get the lid on any longer!

Now I'm hooked.  I spent time Saturday piecing, sewing, cutting, and ironing.  I just love busywork.  There's something about it that makes me feel like I both have time for my (constant) inner dialog and that I'm accomplishing something.  I'd have gotten more completed, but I ran out of paper arcs.  Bummer. 

So do you think I spent the time I had after I ran out of paper arcs to get the laundry done this weekend? 

No.

So, I made it home from San Francisco

lol

It was a great trip.  I was home, saw my brother, his fiancee, and a ton of friends that I dearly miss.  A trip to Napa, plenty of good meals, a visit with the Wade/Davis family, and Brad and Jim's annual Wine and Cheese Party were all highlights of the 10 days I spent in the Bay Area. 

I feel so bad that I didn't take any photos when I visited my friends Doug and Elisabeth; but fun, conversation, wine, and great smoked ribs won over my brain cells for that evening.  Next fall we're traveling to the Bay Area for my brother's Halloween wedding.  That should be a trip to remember!

Christmas has also come and gone since I blogged last.  Mom and Dad came out for 2 weeks and we were very happy to have them here.  I really love nothing more than doing all the things I love to do at Christmas, like decorate and cook, while my mom and dad putter around me.  Mom and I did some quilting the week after Christmas.  She made a throw quilt for my brother and I did some piecing on my double wedding ring scrap quilt.  Then, we set my mom's new sewing machine up on my quilting frame and she quilted the quilt top she made for my brother!  I'm so proud of her.  It looks good.  I can't wait to see it bound and washed.

We did have a very very sad day over the holidays.  Our 21 year old siamese kitty, Koshka, died on January 2nd.  He's been an old man cat for a while, in fact I'd gone to singing "Old Man Koshka" to him to the tune of "Old Man River".  We weren't really surprised that his time with us was over, based on his age.  Though, he had just been to the vet three weeks earlier for his annual where he was pronounced old but healthy.  So his quick decent from being normal Old Man Kitty to unable to move was a surprise.  It was a quick and quiet death and we miss him dearly but know he's remembered fondly and now free.

The last couple weeks have been completely non-productive.  First I felt sorry for myself and mourned Koshka's death, then I got the flu.  Any, boy did I ever get the flu!  So, I spent a whole week in bed with my little wiener dog and the occasional meal that Bran would bring me hoping it would help make me feel better.  Bran got me a Kindle Touch for Christmas (it was one of those perfect presents that I didn't know I wanted that he's so good at) which got a lot of use a couple of those bed ridden days.

I'm now getting back on with real life, and just in time too.  Rehearsals start for both the Tulane Symphony and the New Orleans Civic Symphony this coming week, I've got work projects to complete, plants that need re-potted, and OMG the Christmas tree to get the down.

Countdown to California

I've been super busy over the last two weeks.  Fall really is one of my favorite times of year.  I get so excited that the weather is cooler and that we're getting closer to Christmas that I start cleaning everything.  I'm not so much a "spring cleaner" as I am a "fall cleaner".  As Bran was dragging down my Halloween decorations out of the attic I started looking around and OMG what a mess.  I started cleaning the windows just to cheer myself up (and let in that late afternoon fall sun) when Bran noticed.  So, after the boxes were brought down he went outside and started cleaning the outsides of the windows.  WTH?  I've only got to wash the insides of the windows?  What a man!  I'll keep him.  :)

 

To thank him for being so wonderful I baked him some Pumpkin Monkey Bread.  Lucky for me he loves it when I cook AND he loves anything pumpkin or spice.

 

 

Fall also means the annual Franklinton Parish Fair with my in-laws and football.  We spent the day with my in-laws at the fair last Wednesday.  The fair is adorable.  Nowhere near the size of the Alameda County Fair I used to go to with my family, but it still has everything you need or want from a fair: quilts, preserves, vendors, garden clubs, student projects, and livestock.

Last Sunday, after Tulane Symphony rehearsal, Bran and I went to the Colts vs Saints game at the Superdome.  Oh, I'm sorry it's now the "Mercedes-Benz Superdome".  We got to the Superdome about an hour and a half before the game started.  I like getting to the games early because we can get into the parking lot easily, get our game hotdogs and eat 'em before I start to be worried that the Jumbo-Tron will somehow catch me stuffing a hotdog down my throat for all to see, stalk TV sports casters without a crowd (I see you Bob Costas), and people watch.  Oh, I love a good people watch.  Our tickets for this game also came with passes to the new club level at the Superdome.  So we took a little walk and checked out the elite club level, where we were impressed by the public areas and not so impressed with the $14.00 Bloody Marys.  However, it was a damn good Bloody Mary.  It wasn't a really exciting game though - we stomped the Colts at 62-7.

What's better than a quilt in the afternoon of a crisp fall day?  Nothing - and Mr. Kitty agrees.

 I love how the quilt looks like stained glass from the backside.

My California trip is coming up fast - only a couple more days before I leave!  I'll be super busy for the 10 days I'm in California and hope to spend some of that time quilting/crafting with Jim.  I've bundled up my vintage sheet hourglass blocks and will take them with me.  If nothing else to show Jim, but if we get a chance to sew I'll work on completing that quilt top.  He mentioned he's got a big heavy quilt he'd like to get tied - so we may have our own little personal quilting bee and tie that baby up for him.  :)