A Little More . . . .

Oh, about 18 years ago--or something like that--I was working a freelance temp job at a law firm here in town, and I was typing some documents concerning the case of a woman who had been involved in a hot air balloon accident which resulted in a nasty knee injury--I think she even needed surgery to repair the knee. She sued the balloon company for causing her injuries, and her deposition had just been taken by the attorney I was temping for.

The funny thing was that the injured woman worked for another local law firm--a law firm I had recently heard about. In fact, I was looking for a full time position at the time, and I had already sent that law firm my resume. As it turned out, I was hired not too long afterward, and here it is, many years later, and I'm still with the same firm.

And the balloon accident the woman was involved in? It was on the occasion of another of our firm's annual mystery events. Odd, isn't it?

Would you like to hear a little bit more about our firm's annual events? Two of the more outrageous events occurred before I joined the firm. One involved hot air ballooning in the Napa Valley. I'm kind of glad I didn't work there at the time, since I'm not too excited about heights--and, of course, there WAS the fact that one of the balloons went down and landed in some power lines, balanced on a fence. Yeah, I don't think I would have had fun at that one. I think that event also involved wine tasting. Wine tasting seems to be a recurring theme!

The other outrageous event? Helicopters landed somewhere and picked everyone up and whisked them away to a winery. From what I've heard, it looked a little like a scene out of Apocalypse Now. An epic firm legend revolves around that event and one of the female attorneys--who was no longer with the firm by the time I started--who wore absolutely NOTHING but the event T-shirt that day--and there was something about climbing some kind of open metal staircases. Quite memorable, apparently!

One of the best events I DID get to attend? We were given directions to an old hotel in the Delta area--one that had been in existence at the time of Prohibition and mobsters and had some kind of involvement with both, according to the old stories. That afternoon, we played team golf on the hotel's 9-hole course and each team had to share one golf club. We didn't much care, though, because there was a fully-stocked golf cart/bar that made its way from team to team all afternoon long. That night, we all dressed up in formal gowns and tuxes for dinner and dancing, and then we spent the night at the hotel. We gathered for brunch in the morning before leaving to go our separate ways.

Every now and then, there's a family event. One year we met at the local railroad museum. From there, we boarded a train for a short ride--we were held up by Wild West outlaws, and the kids loved it. Afterward, we had lunch in the courtyard of a lovely restaurant and there were games and prizes for the kids and tarot card reading for the adults.

One event I would have LIKED to attend but couldn't--I think it was one of the years when I was working the quilt show--was a bus trip to San Francisco, followed by a scavenger hunt at one of the shopping areas along the wharf. Afterward, everyone boarded a ship for a dinner cruise on the Bay before returning back to Sacramento by bus.

Yep, each year it's something different and you're right--it's a great place to work! Over the years, our office, like most offices, has cut back on some of the benefits offered, but despite changes in the economy, they have always maintained some of the traditions that make it a unique and special place to work. Seriously, I think I'd be happier if I'd been born rich or won the lottery and could just play with fabric all day long, but if I have to work? Well, I think I'm at the right place!

The "Event"

Have you been anxiously waiting to hear about Saturday's "event"? I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long with all my lazy laying about yesterday--I needed a day to recover!

We started off at the office with a light breakfast of pastries, fruit, and juice--and I stopped at Starbucks on the way there, because all the best journeys begin at Starbucks! By 9 a.m. our bus had arrived and we'd all loaded up for the mystery trip. First stop? R.P.M. Indoor Kart Racing here in Sacramento!

OMG, I can't remember the last time I had so much fun! The only drawback? It was awfully HOT and we had to suit up in racing gear, including a heavy-weight suit, head sock, neck brace, and helmet. I thought I was going to die, especially once I was strapped in and racing around the track! Before that, though, we had to watch an instructional video and divide up into teams; afterward, we each got a five-lap practice run, which also determined qualifying time. Next, the racers with the best time from each team raced to determine pole position, and finally there was a 45-minute endurance relay, in which each member of the team had to participate. Our most aggressive team ended up being disqualified for causing too many accidents! My team came in fourth place out of nine teams--pretty respectable, I think.

After the races, we stayed at R.P.M. for a lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookes. Before loading back onto the bus, we had time for a group photo, and ice chests filled with soft drinks, wine, and beer were brought out, as were VATS of mojitos and margaritas for the next leg of the ride. After all, we wouldn't want to get too thirsty!

After about an hour on the road, driving through the Sierra Nevada foothills, our bus turned onto a small road and traveled up a hill to the C. G. diArie Winery in El Dorado County, not too far from historic Placerville. The logo for the winery consists of the two Egyptian lions and the calipers with the glass of wine--and that was the logo on our shirts of course! The calipers? The wife of the husband and wife team that owns the winery is also an artist, and her art works line the walls of the public spaces in the winery.

On the grounds of the winery, there's a wonderful tent imported from India, and tables had been set up for us under the tent.

Here's a better look at that view:

Throughout the afternoon, servers mingled among us with wonderful treats to eat. Each of us received a booklet of recipes and the caterer demonstrated several for us, and we were given samples to try.

A little later, our large group split into two smaller groups. While one group stayed for more cooking demonstrations, the other group was taken on a tour of the winery.

Because it's harvest time, these vats were being filled and the wine was fermenting--the heady scent of fermentation filled the air. Here the wine maker told us about the process--he has a patent pending on these vats.

In another room, we tasted some of the younger wines amid the wine barrels. Yum!

Dinner was served buffett style with various dishes set up at different stations. One station had green salad with gorgonzola cheese and fresh fruit, poached salmon, and black rice with mushrooms. Another station had lettuce wraps with a chicken, onion, and pepper filling. The third station had pork loin, au gratin potatoes, and different kinds of bread with butter. All of the food was wonderful! And to end the meal? The table in the center of the tent was filled with trays of bite-sized desserts! Best of all, as we dined, we watched the sun drop below the hills.

As you may imagine, the bus ride back to the office was somewhat subdued, but we were a happy, contented bunch. And as we departed the bus at 10 p.m. that night, we were each given a bottle of wine to commemorate the day. What a great time!

Down Time

I gave myself permission to do absolutely nothing today, including writing a blog post. I slept in, read a book, took a nap, read some more, sent Hubby out for fast food, read some more, watched a little TV, and read some more. I think I'm just about recovered from The Event--or I should be by tomorrow. Just as soon as I read and sleep a little more. See you tomorrow!

I'm Not As Young as I Used To Be!

Saturday night, 10:30 p.m., and I'm dead beat!

Yes, Hubby and I got to go on the mystery trip--I think we're just suffering from allergies. Yes, we went go-kart racing here in town, and yes, we went to a winery up in the Amador/El Dorado foothills. It was a ton of fun and I have stuff to tell you about, but I'm too tired tonight and I haven't even downloaded my photos yet.

First thing I did when I got home was take a nice, cool bath and put my jammies on. Oh, it felt good to wash the day off!

I'll tell you a funny thing before I go to bed. Just before I woke up this a.m., I had a dream that one of our senior partners called me into his office and told me I was going to have to do something about my hair--it was just too messy. He thought I should see a stylist. Right after that, I woke up and saw it was just before my alarm was set to go off. I was a little puzzled about why one of the senior partners would think my hair was too messy, but I DO think about doing something different with it every so often, so I thought maybe THAT's where the idea was coming from.

Now the funny part. Do you have any idea what a head condom (okay, that's not what they're REALLY called but I don't remember the name and that's what they looked like--kind of like a ski mask but lighter weight) and a helmet do to a person's hair? I think my dream was quite prophetic! And I had absolutely NO idea we'd have to wear those things!

Okay, bed time for me--and I'm pretty darn sure I'll go to sleep quite fast tonight. I'll be back tomorrow night to tell you more about the day.

Oh, and by the way--my racing name? "Quilty Speeder"!

It's a Mystery

Each year, usually in the fall, my firm has an "event"--somewhat similar, I suppose, to the more typical "company picnic"--but different. One of the differences is that whatever it is is always a mystery until the day of the event or--for some of us who are pretty good guessers--perhaps the day before.

On the day before the event, we receive shirts bearing some kind of illustration or art work that hints at what the event will involve. Last year, we had a 1960s Monte Carlo night at a local country club, and the T-shirts had cards and dice on them--although on that occasion, wearing those particular shirts wasn't part of the event; instead, we were to dress in 1960s formal attire. Hubby and I didn't make it to that one.

It seems that more often than not, we don't make the event. There have been several years when the event fell on the same weekend as my guild's annual quilt show in October, and I'd already committed to work the show. Other years, when our kids were still at home, we had soccer games and tournaments to attend. And sometimes, we've planned to attend but something happened at the last minute to prevent our going. Every few years, though, we've managed to go, and it's always been a fun but exhausting day!

Tomorrow (Saturday) is this year's annual event. And I think we're going.

That photo at the top is what's on this year's shirts--which, by the way, are polo-type shirts.

See the racing flags? We think those might represent kart racing. We've been told we'll be loaded onto a bus and will be traveling no more than an hour from the office. An internet map program shows that Infineon Raceway in Sonoma is 1 hour and 12 minutes away, and apparently Infineon Raceway has kart lessons and racing this weekend. Someone else, though, thinks we'll go to a local indoor go-cart raceway. Also a possibility.

See the wine glass? Sonoma is a huge wine-producing area. Wineries make great places to visit. Most of us figure a winery is involved. Up to this point in the clues, my money's on Sonoma.

See the Egyptian lions? No idea what those might represent. And the curved calipers (or maybe ice tongs)? Notta clue. And I can't find anything in the Sonoma area that might fit those images. So maybe it's not Sonoma. Hummmmm.

So, tomorrow morning we have to get up earlier than we do on a work day and be at the office by 8:30 a.m. We'll be brought back to the office by 9 p.m. tomorrow night. I don't know if I'll be able to muster the energy to write a blog post tomorrow night, but I'm planning to take my camera and I should have a post about the event for you sometime this weekend--just don't hold me to writing a post tomorrow night when I get home.

Oh, and the one thing that might keep us from going THIS year? Both Hubby and I have been feeling like we're coming down with colds. I'm hoping it's just allergies, but we'll probably know better in the morning. In the meantime, tonight I'm taking a nice bath and going to bed early with a good book. Either way--event or cold--I'm going to need a good night's sleep!

Beauty Routines

Those of you keeping up with my beauty routines will be fascinated and awestruck by the fact that I finally broke out the box of Nice N Easy (or whatever brand was on sale recently) and refreshed my blonde(ish brown) locks tonight. It's something I've been meaning to do for about two weeks now. Sometimes it takes me a little while to work my way up to something that momentous. Now I'm good for about another four months (although it will probably be about six months before I get around to it again).

Now that THAT's done, I'll have to check my calendar to see when I might be able to fit in a good chin plucking. Those who know me in person will be forever grateful.

The week before quilt camp, I got to thinking about all the beauty products I may need to further enhance the happy and well rested look I'd be sporting upon my return, and that's when I picked up the hair color. At the same time, since I'd worn the colored stripe right off my old toothbrush, I figured it was time to get a new one of those too.

I don't know if you remember THIS post, but I had gone to the grocery store for toothpaste, and I was totally dumbfounded and confused by the wide and varied selection of products available. Why would anyone need this many different types of toothpaste? I remember the good old days when the only choice was whether to buy Colgate or Crest.

And that brings me to this. Have you shopped for a toothbrush lately? Here's what I found out: THERE ARE NO "NORMAL" TOOTHBRUSHES ANYMORE. The toothbrushes on the store shelves all seem to do more than just brush teeth. And the colors? Do I really want a neon green and purple toothbrush to jolt me awake each morning? Do I have a choice? This is what came home with me.

It really looked somewhat normal, except for the colors. At least the brush part looked like a brush part, right? But when I took it out of the package and tested it out in my mouth--OMG! It felt like I was brushing my teeth with a French tickler! There's nubby rubber stuff on the back that tickles the inside of my cheeks and the brush feels much larger than it looks!

I think the people in charge of our dental health have WAAAAAAY too much time on their hands. Maybe we should give them something more to do, like solving the world hunger problem. Or finding a cure for facial hair in women of a certain age.

Besides bemoaning the current state of beauty products, I wanted to announce the winner of the pumpkin bag giveaway. The number 13 seemed appropriate for a Halloween giveaway, and the 13th person to comment that they wanted to be entered was Sandy from Thimbleberries. Sandy is a local quilter who I don't see very often but who reads my blog all the time. She's entered many of my giveaways, and I understand she's always convinced she'll win, but she never does--until now! Congrats, Sandy! Email me your snail mail address, and I'll send it off to you!

Okay, now that THAT business has been taken care of, what beauty products most fascinate, puzzle, or mystify you? Oh, and before I forget, did you see they held the Snuggie fashion show this past week?

Yep, seriously. I guess the Christmas season is gearing up!

Nothing Much . . .

Is it just me, or do you feel like September is speeding by? Most years by now, I've at least made a really good start on decorating my home for fall, but so far, there just hasn't been time. You know what else? I haven't been to a thrift shop since June, I think. Where did summer GO?!

Seriously, I'm not a huge fan of summer--not in this part of the world. Not when summer means it's just too hot for anyone to want to go outside. And it's still pretty warm outside now, even in mid-September. Maybe that's one of the reasons I haven't been too anxious about getting ready for fall--it just doesn't seem that close except when I look at the calendar.

And when I DO look at the calendar and think about the last couple weeks, I realize I haven't been home very much. Labor Day weekend I was trying to get ready for quilt camp and the class I'd be teaching when I returned, then there was quilt camp, and then there was the class I taught last weekend. This coming Saturday, Hubby and I will be attending my firm's annual mystery event, so there's another lost weekend. On Sunday--with the Drooling Dog back home again in Tahoe--I plan to do a good job of house cleaning--something I haven't managed to do very thoroughly for a couple weeks.

Speaking of the Drooling Dog--are you tired of hearing about him yet? Yesterday when I came home from work, I glanced out the patio door to see him sprawled out, sleeping on the patio table. I told Hubby to come look, but by the time he got to where he could see, the Drooling Dog wasn't laying down anymore. Nope! Instead, this is what Hubby saw:

It kind of startled me to see the dog on the table. I guess I just haven't had any dogs that climbed much (except for a yellow Lab that was pretty persistent about climbing over the fence). This photo was actually taken this morning--yep, he was back up on the table. Why? Why would he want to be on the table? Is he goofy, or what?! (By the way, in case you noticed Rocky's lopsided appearance--he got out one day a couple months ago and when he came home, part of his left ear was missing.)

I think it was Paulette who commented that even after getting so much finished up in August, her projects were starting to pile up again. I'm experiencing the same thing. I should have another Buggy Barn quilt top to show you soon--I've been working on the Halloween cats and have about half the blocks made. (Coincidentally, Paulette shows a friend's Buggy Barn DOG quilt on one of her recent blog posts.) I'd just love to get the witches and these cats quilted before the month's over!

That's about all that's going on in my life at the moment--nothing huge, but everything seems to be going nicely. I just wish there was more time! I hope you're finding time to do everything you want to do.

Three Things . . .

I say "three things" to help me remember what I want to say--otherwise, I'd probably get to the end of this post and forget I wanted to mention two of them! Getting older means not remembering quite as easily as we did when we were 20, doesn't it?! Sometimes I think that's just as well, though.

Okay, first thing: Those people with asterisks next to their names in my sidebar--the ones who finished three or more projects in August--please privately email me your addresses. I have little "prizes" for you. I was going to do this near the beginning of September, but I didn't want to have to worry about mailing things out before I left for camp. Don't look for BIG prizes--I just have a few little things to give away that I thought you might enjoy.

Second thing: I said I'd give you the directions for making the pumpkin treat bags. Here they are:

CUTTING DIRECTIONS:

From outside (orange) fabric (fat quarter):
Cut two (2) pumpkin shapes using outside template line (*see pattern sheet)

From fusible craft interfacing (quarter yard):
Cut two (2) pumpkin shapes from inner template line

You will also need orange fabric (fat quarter) for the inside of the pumpkin bags, but those pieces will be cut later.

Cut two eyes and a mouth from scraps of black wool–*see shapes on pattern sheet or design your own

Cut a length of ribbon or trim for handle 18" long

MAKING THE BAG:

According to manufacturer’s directions, center and iron each of the pieces of fusible interfacing to the “wrong” or back side of the fabric that will become the inside of the bag (this is that "other" fat quarter you didn't cut), making sure to leave at least 1/2" between the two interfacing shapes. Trim the excess fabric from around the interfacing, leaving at least 1/4" seam allowance between the edge of the interfacing and the edge of the fabric.

Fabric side up/interfacing side down, layer each of the two fused pieces with the outside pumpkin fabric, right sides of the fabric together. Pin to secure layers. Turn over; with interfacing side up, sew around the pumpkin, just to the outside of the interfacing, leaving the bottom of the pumpkin open to turn. Turn and press; press the raw edges of the fabric at the open seam to the inside.

For the next “quilting” step, I prefer to use the free motion foot and settings on my machine, but a regular stitching foot and settings will work also. “Quilt” in the vertical pumpkin definition lines on both pumpkin pieces. On whichever piece will be the front of the bag, layer and pin the wool eyes and mouth. Using black thread, sew near the edges of the wool to secure the eyes and mouth to the pumpkin.

Pin the back of the pumpkin to the front of the pumpkin, “wrong” sides together; insert the ribbon/trim handle near the top on each side and pin in place–*see markings on pattern sheet. Top stitch the front of the bag to the back, beginning and ending at the black circles on the pattern sheet. At the bottom of the bag, stitch close enough to the edge to ensure the seam that was left open for turning is secured.

*NOTE: THERE IS NO PATTERN SHEET for purposes of this blog post! Where you see a reference to the pattern sheet in the directions above, you'll need to come up with your own designs/drawings. For the pumpkin shape, I drew a shape that was just a little smaller than an 8-1/2" x 11" piece of paper. The fabric pumpkin shape was about 1/4" larger than the fusible interfacing. I hope this is enough to get you started.

Finally, third thing: If you'd like to WIN a pumpkin treat bag, leave me a comment on this post saying you want to be entered--U.S. addresses only for this one, okay? Besides the obvious cuteness of the bag itself, there are a few treats I gave my students, including a printed pattern for the bags and ribbon and wool to make another bag.

That's three things, right? Okay, then, I'm done! Oh, yeah--you probably want to know when I'm going to draw a winner for the pumpkin bag, don't you? Let's make it Thursday night, and then I'll announce the winner on Friday's post. Good luck!

COMMENTS CLOSED NOW, SO I CAN PICK A WINNER!

Look Who's Visiting!

Although I was up at Lake Tahoe last week--where the Wild Child lives--I never got to see her. Why? She's on a 10-day kayaking trip around the lake; she left last Wednesday morning. And before that? She spent Tuesday driving down to our house to drop off her dog Rocky, shop for her trip, and drive back to Tahoe. So, you guessed it--yep, we're dog sitting!

Rocky's made himself at home and seems quite happy.

Yesterday, Hubby put Rocky out on the patio and the next time he walked by, Rocky was sitting in that same chair, but he was sitting up straight and tall instead of curled up and half laying down. What a funny sight!

While I was at quilt camp, Rocky kept Hubby company except on Thursday night when Soccer Son came over and "borrowed" him for the night. Quite frankly, although Rocky is a sweetheart and just about the best behaved dog I've ever met, I wouldn't be disappointed if Soccer Son wanted to "borrow" him until the Wild Child comes to pick him up on Saturday.

You see, the one flaw Rocky has is that he drools--all the time and quite a lot. It's so bad, in fact, that I call him the Drooling Dog rather than Rocky. When he was younger, he was so spoiled, he'd fuss and cry when we'd try to keep him outside, so we'd have to put up with him drooling all over the house. Now dog sitting him is a little easier--although he still comes inside for awhile, most of the time he's happy enough out in the backyard, and he sleeps in our garage at night. Of course, when he's in the house, we keep a drool rag handy.

This morning when I was getting ready for work, I went out to the garage to get a pair of pants out of the laundry basket. The first pair I pulled out had dried drool on them. So did the second pair, but not as bad--just a little bit on the leg. Good thing I was able to clean them up! Hubby thinks it's pretty funny; he said Rocky was tossing a pig's ear around last night and it landed in the basket; Hubby took a look but I guess the drool wasn't very obvious until it dried.

Saturday can't come too soon.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation . . .

I suppose I should first show you what I made the quilters who took my class on Saturday. I wanted to get everything ready for class before I left for quilt camp, so the weekend before I left, I got all these "treat bags" ready:

At camp, I sewed together the blocks for the Buggy Barn pattern, If The Hat Fits:

Of course, that's one of the patterns in the book I was teaching from on Saturday, and all my students in that class elected to make this quilt. I'm looking forward to getting it quilted before too long! I've decided that I'm not going to add the wool noses--I like it better without them, I think.

Finally, the last project I've been working on is the Blackbird Designs pattern, Hallowe'en 1904. There's a TON of hand applique in this pattern, so it will take me some time and probably won't be done for THIS Halloween, but I really like the way it's turning out so far. There are 16 blocks in the quilt (set four by four), and I'm ALMOST done with half of them--the pumpkin in the bottom left corner needs the half square triangles sewn on and then I can say I'm half way there! (Even at only three blocks across, it's already too large for my design wall and the right hand edges of the blocks are curling forward.)

Back to work in the morning, so it's time for bed. Thanks for stopping in!