Our Wildlife Adventure

Every once in a while, I get a little silly, so if you don't do "silly" you might want to skip this post.


With my two trusty sidekicks, Hannah and Blue, we set out paddling one day in our sturdy little canoe, ready for a big adventure.

Bon Voyage!

As we began our journey, we paddled out and were soon joined by playful dolphins who led us to a strange new land.  As we paddled to shore, we were greeted by seals!

What a beautiful place!  As we made our way along the path, it was clear we had arrived in an area rich in wildlife!  The lizards where everywhere, and quite large, too.  "Wow, is that an ALLIGATOR?  Watch out!!!"

Whew!  We almost met our fate in an encounter with the lurking 'gator.  Luckily, our Guardian Angel was on duty and definitely watching over us.  "Thanks, Angel!"

"Aahh, I got your back, guys."

This new land had an abundance of winged creatures, from the small to the wise, and regal!

Of course, where so many birds gather, there are bound to be predators.  Sure enough, we soon spied them lurking about, just waiting for their chance to pounce and grab a quick meal.  Watch out birdies!

Truth be known, since Hannah and Blue ARE dogs, they were naturally inclined to want to chase these lovely CATS, but as they started to approach, they heard a thundering of hooves, and narrowly escaped being trampled by this fierce, runaway stallion and dangerous, charging moose!

The dogs scurried back to my side, and were quite shaken. We then heard uncontrollable laughter coming from a near by tree when something suddenly went whizzing by our heads!  A rather large monkey was hurling bananas at us!  "Quick, run!"

Off we ran, putting distance between us and that crazed monkey, when I stumbled over a rather large rock.
"Hey, wait a minute, wasn't that rock just moving???"

"Sorry dude, I hope you're ok!  Wow, we need to get back to our canoe right away.  Come on Hannah, come on Blue, let's get out of here!"


We were quite happy to spy our canoe, but it had drifted out to sea a bit.  Thinking we may be stranded, we were just about to give up all hope when along came this friendly giant sea turtle who said to hop on his back and he would carry us out.

What a relief!  We were going home.  As we approached our canoe, we were startled when up popped this dangerous, sword-wielding pirate, yelling  "AARGH!  Give me your dog cookies!"

He was so fierce and dangerous looking!  Just when we thought he'd make us walk the plank, a silver bullet-like flash whizzed through the air, hooked the pirate, and pulled him down into the depths of the sea.  It was our friend, the barracuda, who'd heard from our Guardian Angel to be on the look-out for us and help us safely return home.  "Thanks, Barry!"

Finally, safely back in our trusty canoe, we were ready to head home.  "Hmmm, which way do we go? Is it that way, or the other way?"

"Follow me," said the mail dolphin, who suddenly appeared next to us.  "Through rain, snow, sleet, and ice, the mail must get through, and so will you!"

Whew.....it sure helps to have friends!


(Thanks for going on my crazy journey.  Until next time.  ♥  J)

Oh Blue....

Tonight I came in my room and picked up my laptop to check my favorite sites and blogs.  As I laid back on the bed, I was joined soon by the dogs, Blue and Hannah.

Blue

Hannah

The soft, cool night breeze gently flowed into the room, and I noticed Blue lift his head and drink in the smells of the night.  All of a sudden, he LEAPED onto the bay window in the room and I thought he was about to charge through the stained glass window to get outside!  Now this would not be quite so worrisome if we were on the ground floor, but we were in my 2nd story bedroom!

I could, by now, hear something creeping about on the fence below the window, rustling through the plants and vines that grow along the fence between our house and the neighbors.  About this time, Blue had exited the bedroom and timed it so that he was planted by the front door when our son walked by and, thinking he simply needed to out to potty, opened it up, letting Blue charge out like a bullet!

"Oh No,"  I thought, as I heard it all unfold....."he is going to catch whatever is out there, poor unsuspecting critter!"  Well, I heard Blue take a flying leap and hit the fence, but whatever it was must have heard him charging and slipped down the other side, just in time!  Whew!

I scolded out the window, "Blue, you leave it!  You give kisses, be a good boy!"  (Yeah right, I'm SURE he really listened to me!!  Hmm, what would Cesar do?)  Although soon enough, I heard Blue out by the front door, so in he came and reclaimed his space next to me.  But that nose is still twitching, searching for those sweet smells, as he lifts his head and turns toward the window.

And our shepherd Hannah?  She has no part in critter chasing.  She is truly a regal lady!   For her, it's much easier to glare at me until I get the hint that she's ready for her evening treat!   Ah the sweet life of dogs.  Gotta love 'em, and yes, we truly do.

Romping at the Toro Canyon dog park

Shark!

I had really intended to use this shark-themed piece of fleece for two baby blankies, but then decided to keep it larger, to use as a soft throw when needed.  The intended recipients are such ocean-faring folk and have a true fascination and respect for the shark, it was the first piece I put in my basket when I was out shopping for fabrics.  This is the kind of fleece  they sell in a set, with a complimentary color for the backing, that you cut strips along the edges and tie the front to the back, but I didn't want knots in it.   If a baby might be rolling around on it one of these days soon, knots would not do, so I opted to sew the right sides together all around the edges, turn it, then a zig-zag top stitch all around the edges. NOT your typical baby blanket, but it is quite comfy and cozy, with, yes, a touch of adventure. 

You can see how soft this is!

A solid blue backing was included with this Shark print.

Very cushy indeed!

Until next time!
♥ Jan

Noah's Ark Baby Quilt

I have been having the best time sewing these simple little baby quilts -- this one especially!  I have a special little someone in mind who just happens to have been named Noah!  He will be here sometime around the middle of October.  This is a Debbie Mumm fabric.  I was on a mission to find a piece with the Noah's Ark theme, and just when I thought it was NOT to be found, there it was, tucked back into the shelf at the store.

As you can see in one of the pics, it is backed with a more solid yet swirly blue fabric, and of course, some soft batting in between layers, and edged with blue satin.  Can't wait to see him all snuggled in this one! 

A Bountiful Garden



Our garden is turning out to be a lot of work, but we are sure enjoying it.  It's our first somewhat organized garden in a number of years.  We've planted tomatoes and cilantro in pots before, but this year, if you've been reading the blog, you know we tore out half of our lawn and made a 10' x 10' space.  We are on the coast in central/southern California, so we don't get a lot of heat.

So far, we've been getting a lot of squash -- both zuchinni, yellow, and crook-neck, and also cucumbers! 

Next season, we'll plant fewer tomatoes, and more beans.  We'll forget about cilantro as it goes to seed too quickly for us to really benefit long term, and perhaps plant one more cucumber plant as we're really enjoying them.  Just made some refrigerator pickles and doubt we'll ever buy pickles again!  We hope to find a great "Pico de Gallo" recipe to help use up the tomatoes and chilies that we are hoping for. Now we need to figure out what to try and grow through the cooler seasons, and plan for it.

Lovin' this gardening, and being able to turn to our own resources for at least a few things we would typically buy at the store.  Thinking about chickens for eggs, but don't think we have enough room or even energy to take that on.  Well, little by little, if we can become a little more sustainable, even on a small scale, that's a good thing, right?



This yellow squash plant really took over the garden!






The squash and cucumber are abundant, and taste fabulous!

 


This is the most tomoatoes we've had yet.  I think we planted too many plants to close together.




Pretty and great tasting cilantro, but it goes to seed too quickly for us to use it.  Could use more beans!!





Really delicious recipe I found for Refrigerator Pickles!




Siamese Squash?  It was wonderful!



How does your garden grow?  Any good tips you'd like to share?  Next up for us in the gardening department is to start composting...reducing waste, and turning that "garbage" into super soil!

Baby Quilts!

Have been side-tracked from stained glass lately, and back into fabric and sewing.  Could be because we have some very dear loved ones expecting babies!

A trip to the fabric store last weekend was tons of fun for me.  I always go alone because I don't want to feel like I have to hurry.  There is nothing like browsing the rows and rows of various fabrics, and believe me, you can find just about anything you're looking for.  

I settled on a few different pieces that would yield about 6-7 different baby sized quilts.  Here are a few pics of my progress so far. 



This reminded me of one of my own kid's blankies back in the day. 




This is the backing -- it is so soft.  I think they call it minky.




So soft and warm, with batting in between the layers.




I was so drawn to the jungle animals!




I had enough to back it with the same fabric, and just added batting in between.



Edged with satin blanket binding, for added comfort.



My son used to love to slip his fingers in the binding, so I left this open.  :)




Two down, so far so good!





I quilted it six-inches apart to hold the batting in place.




Loved this cute piece of fleece!




Had to give this one away, to my very own "baby."  My youngest.



So three down, about three more to go!  Stay tuned.