Summer's blooms

Well i didn't get to set up my vegetable garden over the long weekend like i wanted but the flowering garden i started last summer is doing pretty good again this year. The rain we've had has really helped. I read somewhere that to get the Hydrangeas to turn blue color it has to do with the acidity of the soil. I'll need to look into that more to get mine to turn blue again. Maybe i can start on the vegetable garden in a couple of weeks. This year the cilantro seems to be doing really well too. It's so nice to be able to just go out and cut some fresh for the guacamole - yum~!

Weekend come and gone.

Well another holiday weekend has come and gone. I was able to get some of the things on my to-do list done – like replacing Mom’s door, getting my daughters’ charm bracelet (her graduation gift), and I finished my first quilt top!! I started another blog for the sewing projects - http://sewit.wordpress.com/. As soon as I can I’ll post a photo, I still need to actually put the batting in, the backing and then bind it all together, I need to take two other additional classes for that. Hope to have it all completed by end of summer along with some other sewing projects. You can check it all out there.
I was hoping to get my garden going this weekend but just didn’t happen. Probably won’t get to that till mid-June and it may be too late for some veggies, but since we are in Texas I think they’ll probably still do good since our summer usually drags on until at least October.
Next week is my youngest daughter’s graduation. She opted to have a charm bracelet instead of the usual class ring. She will get more use out of it. How many people actually wear their class ring past their senior year anyway? I added three charms – 2009, Virgin de Guadalupe and a longhorn (her high school mascot). Her big sis pitched in for a fourth charm – a peace sign – cause the little one is a wanna be hippie. Due to all our family drama we probably will end up not doing anything. Why does everything have to be so complicated? I’d like to do a brunch but we don’t even have a table and chairs for people to sit in and if we take everybody out, well that can get very pricey. So it may just be the five (or four if my son is still ticked) that go out to lunch that day or the next. I can’t wait till I have my empty nest and they are all living out their own family lives. Till then I just take it one day at a time.

Home Depot, Mom time, weekend just started...

Well, the long holiday weekend has just started and am already SO thankful there are still 2 more days left of it. Today was spent traipsing through Home Depot looking for a door for my mom's house. For some reason she decided she wanted to paint the front door. Which overall is not a bad thing as the door is the same one that's been there since we moved so many years ago. So a good coat of paint would have done it good, yet she decided she wanted to paint it green. The green she ended up choosing was not the color she had imagined it would be once dry - a dark dull forest green. Instead it was a very bright emerald green color - kind of like the entry to the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
Anyway she was very unhappy with it and had decided to just go buy a new one. So off she goes to the Home Depot (keep in mind she is 70ish) and picks a door and asks if they could install, etc. Well Home Depot said they had to go out and measure the door for themselves before they could install. So fine she sets up an appointment, they never showed. Sets up another one, stand her up again and on and on until finally she just says forget it give me back my money (she had already paid for the door!).
Now in this day and age what company is so not needing the business (other than an oil company) that they can get away with providing such poor customer service!!
So my husband and i decided to get her a door and he spent the day installing it - looks SO MUCH better! i should have taken some photos (i've got to get my own camera, always have to borrow my daughter's). He did a good job with some help from our son. While they worked mom and i chit chatted about sewing projects, work, and the weather.
Anyway after some rest, (there's no place like home) i'm going to try and finish the Quilt Top this weekend.

Of Church and Priests and such.

An old school mate of my husband’s came to visit the other day. They/we hadn’t seen each other in at least 20 years. He lives in Mexico and as he “graduated” from their school he is a priest and has been moved a couple of times. So he no longer has his parish close to my husband’s home town. Yes my husband also attended the seminary for many years until one day he decided to try and cross the border to earn some money for books and tuition to continue going to school. He was about 20 years old and once he got over here, he enjoyed the freedom and ease with which one could earn money, how easily he found a job earning minimum wage but living a good life with that small amount. As we have been married over 27 years needless to say he did not return to the Seminary. One other schoolmate (among others I’m sure) also did not finish and is now married with a family and living in Houston. They did not have the commitment and desire of a priestly life and it was well they realized early on. I wonder though if my husband’s family had been able to pay for all his schooling, he wouldn’t have left to earn money, would have he continued and eventually become a priest? And thus have ended up like Father Cutie?
As all the escandalo unfolds with Padre Alberto Cutie [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOcsa9XzcSU] – I wonder again why there is not a better system in place in regards to the education and formation of priests. The Catholic Church can be so strict and has so many guidelines, yet just because someone goes through the studies and agrees to all the rules, it seems these are the main things encouraged for them. I do not necessarily agree that they must be celibate but can certainly see how hard it would be to be married and have a family when you want/agreed to dedicate your life to the church and God’s teachings so for that reason alone it makes sense. Would a wife be able to handle her husband spending all his time at church, visiting hospitals, sick people, etc. I mean they have no other life but the church. Of the priests I’ve known, that is what they do – and out of those very few seem to have that speaking ability that I think is also very essential. And the couple I have ended up finding and loved to listening to - end up leaving the church because they are not able to be celibate anymore. And it is so unfortunate because these are the priests that were encouraging and motivating people to come to church and would use everyday happenings and teach how they relate to God and the bible and how we in turn can become better people. Mass was always super packed when these priests were around.
Just this Sunday I became so frustrated with all the crying and whining of all the children (and so sorry to say it was our raza who once again do not make their kids behave and are rude). The priest did not appear to be in a good mood as he was very somber and did not like how the little altar server girl was helping him (poor thing probably won’t be doing that service anymore). Plus he rushed through the prayers and spoke very monotone and his accent was hard to understand at times. With all the distractions going on the Mass might as well have been in Latin for all the good I got out of it. Surely speech classes are given in the Seminary, this one must have skipped out on a few. I think a passion for the Lord’s work and gospel should definitely be a requirement, plus a love of people and desire to help humanity. I know I’m not the only one whose opinion is to get rid of the celibacy rule and let’s get some priests who love what they do and can inspire our young people (all of us really) to go to church and learn about the bible. I get so sad when my desire to learn and hear God’s word ends up taking me to another church and events because I’m not getting what I need from my own religion/church.

The Old Craft Store

As I learn and grow in my quilting skills and knowledge I’m amazed by how many shops are out there specializing in quilts. I guess until you become involved in something you don’t really “see” some things you know? On my travels I’m going to make sure I find and visit at least one quilt store in the area whether to compare shops, fabric or local customs it should be fun.
Inspiration and creativity come together in this little quilt shop located in the square of the historic Old Downtown area of Carrollton, Texas.
They offer a large variety of 100% cotton fabrics and quilting notions. You can also find an array of classes for the beginner to the most experienced quilter. There are even classes to help you improve your techniques in other areas such as making pants that fit, making patterns that fit and photo quilts among many others.
Wanting to join a quilting club? They have those too – including a book club featuring books with storylines on quilting of course! I recently joined what they call Moda U. One Saturday a month, members get together to see the newest fabrics from Moda, play Quilt-O (Bingo) to win a free pattern, see the latest kits, share tips and show finished Quilts – whether it’s your own or a family heirloom. It was quite fun and I’m looking forward to next month’s meeting.
There is also have a post office located inside the store for fast and easy shipment of purchases to anywhere in the U.S.A.
Whether looking to learn a new skill, ideas for new projects or an opportunity to make new friends – this little shop is a gem. If you are ever in the Dallas, Texas area you’ll want to stop by and peruse the place just off Interstate 35, take Beltline exit.

Helpful quilting sites

Still working on My First Quilt and its coming along nicely. It can be hard to get in sewing time after working all day and then coming home to make dinner, do household chores, etc., etc. - you know! But I think I've made some good progress and am almost done. I've also been browsing around on the internet and have found a few interesting quilting blogs and sites. The Online Quilting Blog even offers online lessons/tutorials, free quilting patterns (including a list of other web sites that offer free patterns, photo gallery, tips and a chat room.
The Moda Bakeshop features their fabric line (Moda) and free patterns and photos of the projects. Both definitely worth checking out.
It's so wonderful to see that sewing and quilting are still alive and well in this day and age when so many of the "old fashioned" type of home projects seem to be waning. I'm not sure if sewing is even taught anymore in high school (I don't think it is). It was back in my day when i took home ec. i made a sundress. I think a quilt would have been easier, especially since the dress included a ZIPPER! Anyway i am learning so much from the blogs and sites i come across. Hope to feature more in future along with my own projects and now that i've learned to work the embroidery part of my machine, i'll be incorporating some of that on my future quilt projects, especially for the labels! Happy quilting!

Inch by Inch

It’s so exciting to see all the bits and pieces coming together. All my classmates have chosen such different fabrics and we are all using the same pattern but each has its own personality. It’s amazing to see how the different colors (some that you wouldn’t even think would look good together) and patterns work to make each and everyone beautiful. I’ve put together all the strips and triangles into one square. Next step will be to put each of these squares together with the sashes and borders to make the large quilt top. What is that saying – yard by yard it’s hard, inch by inch it’s a cinch – and it truly is.