We can shower again!

3 weeks ago we discovered a problem in our shower which entailed removing a bunch of tiles, replacing some of the backing board and then retiling. Jerry finally finished the project tonight & we should be able to use the shower tomorrow!

The shower head in the guest bathroom doesn't work like the one we have in the master bath, and I've been having problems getting all the shampoo out of my hair. I'll be glad to get back to the real shower.

Making Cake

Noah likes to bake cakes and cupcakes. We made a red velvet cake the other day. I'd never made one from a mix before and was surprised that the mix turns red upon adding the liquid. Noah thought it was magic! Obviously his favorite part of the process is licking the beaters.

Do not try this at home

As I was emptying the dishwasher this morning, I noticed that the rinse agent dispenser needed refilling. I grabbed the bottle from under the sink and filled it to the brim. Then I realized that I grabbed the WRONG bottle. I filled it with Dawn instead of Jet Dry. If you've ever made this type of mistake you know what we encountered - lots and lots of suds! In comparing the two bottles I think it was an honest mistake - but I can assure you I will never make it again!

Magic Number is 12

When we lived in San Jose we were Oakland A's season ticket holders. The couple that had seats behind us convinced us one year to join them in dressing up for an important series near the end of the season. I thought we were very fetching in our green wigs. It worked, because we made the playoffs that year.

We're watching closely and hoping that the A's make it again this year. A combination of 12 A's wins and/or Angels' losses puts them in the postseason. LET'S GO A'S.

Not five years but sixty

While the nation is observing the 5th anniversary of the terror attacks on NY and DC, I'm also thinking about my sister-in-law Rosemary as she celebrates her 60th birthday.

Rosemary isn't technically my sister-in-law any more. She was married to my brother Ed but they divorced some time ago and he has since remarried. She has been a part of my life almost as long as I can remember so even though we're not officially related, I still consider her part of my family.

It's nice to have something positive to observe on a date connected with sorrow.

A week of anniversaries

We picked a popular week in which to get married. Craig & Chrystal were married on September 2nd. Our friends John & June on the 3rd. My nephew Eric & Melissa and my cousin Donovan & Lori were married on September 8th. Chrystal's mom & stepdad, Pam and Randy and Jerry & I all celebrate today, September 9th.

John & June are the longest married, but only have us beat by one year. They celebrated 35 years and today we celebrate 34.



I can't believe how young we look here, but after all we were both only 20 years old.




Our ceremony was in the garden of the Botsford Inn in Farmington, MI. I thought I was so classy with the flowers in my hair. My mother and I had an argument the morning of the ceremony because I refused to wear a veil. She even borrowed a co-worker's veil for me to use, but I insisted on the flowers. I should have spent more time fighting for a decent band for the reception. The band she picked out included a banjo and an accordion!

My dress only cost $20. I bought it at the store sample sale. I had to have a few alterations, and it needed to be cleaned, so it probably ended up costing about $50.

Our honeymoon was spent in Frankenmuth, Michigan We only spent a couple of days there. Four days after the wedding Jerry left for duty on a submarine tender in Dunoon, Scotland. I didn't get to join him there until Thanksgiving.

Thus far our celebration today has included more work on the master bathroom shower disaster. We are going out to dinner tonight. Any excuse for a good meal!

Oh oh.

We decided the shower in our bathroom needed recaulking. What was supposed to be a quick cheap job has turned into a real problem. While caulking, Jerry discovered a loose tile and by the time he finished investigating, half the wall was gone. Turns out they used green board instead of cement board and then didn't even run the green board all the way to the floor. The last 4 inches or so was just joint compound and the water has been soaking into the wall. UCK. Ever since we moved in Jerry has talked about changing that shower. Guess now is the time!

Looks like we'll be using the guest bathroom for showers for some time.

Like Father, Like Son

Craig, Chrystal & Noah stopped by today & I was snapping a bunch of photos. Although the quality of this one of Jerry & Craig isn't great, I still like it. Can you tell they're related?


We all went over to the driving range & putting green. Noah is still enjoying hitting the ball. I took this photo of Chrystal on the putting green.

It's always fun when the kids come by.

This one will be mine!

I just received photos of the quilt made for me in the Grab Bag challenge and I have to say I really love it! It was made for me by Patti Boston.

Here's a detail shot

I found it ironic that Patti put a hole in my quilt and I put a hole in the quilt I made for this challenge too.









I'm glad that she put a punch of color in the quilt. I'd been thinking all along that some red should go with those black & white fabrics, and Patti must have read my mind!

I can't wait to see the quilt in person.

Grab Bag Quilt II

The leader of our grab bag quilt challenge posted a photo of the quilt I made on the challenge web site so now I can post a photo of it here. The bag of fabrics & embellishments I received was mostly the greens and purples - with a few pieces of red fabric thrown in. I really had a hard time with this quilt because my first two designs were big failures and I ended up ripping out what I'd done. I ended up with the simple twisted log cabin design which I don't think was very original. I did want to make a hole in the quilt like I learned to do recently in a class with Vikki Pignatelli and thought it worked out as an interesting center for the log cabin. It wasn't until I saw the photo posted that I realized I made a major mistake. The green 'log' second from the bottom is cut off too short. It should have reached over the blue fabric all the way to the purple fabric.

I'm anxious to see a photo of the quilt made for me from my materials. The day I threw the fabrics together to send off I was in a black/white mood and I only sent black & white fabrics and embellishments. I hope the person who got my bag was able to work with it.