BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN POTTERSVILLE!

I live in "the metroplex,"  as in Dallas/Fort Worth area.  I have lived here for 22 years.  I grew up in a small town in East Texas...we had three corner Drug Stores...all with "soda fountains."   I would order something from the drug store and say "charge it to my Daddy."  We had one movie theatre...The State Theatre.  My parents were certainly not rich but my Dad always worked hard and I can't ever remember needing anything...it was an idyllic life in many ways....

After working in the DFW area for a few years and in the area of the criminal justice system, I began to see the  sordid side of things...and to tire of it too.  One day, as I was taking my young six year-old son (about eleven years ago) to the Doctor, we were stuck in traffic.  My son, looking at a billboard, said "Mom, what does (spelling out)  C-O-N-D-O-M-S to go mean?"  Like a good Mom, I said "I don't know" and turned up Radio Disney.

That is when I realized I was living in Pottersville:

 From the classic, It's A Wonderful Life, Pottersville is the town that George Bailey returns to after he has "never been born."  Pottersville is a town where
Uncle Billy is a lunatic, George's Mom runs a boarding house, his younger brother dies at age 9, Bert and Ernie have failed marriages, Violet is a hooker and Mary is, gasp, a librarian.

Pottersville is a horrible place and that was by 1946 standards!  I don't want to live there...I want to live here:

While I fail miserably on so many levels...I try to adhere to the spirit of Bedford Falls....honesty, decency, helping a neighbor or friend, taking care of my family....Lassoing the Moon....So, in this Advent season, I will work in that spirit....and search for Zuzu's petals!




P.S.  I hear this guy is coming to town!

 Redwork Santa completed over Thanksgiving and soon to be a Christmas gift.

The Underappreciated Crafter

I love vintage things....especially vintage craft things.  Recently, I was in an antique mall (I once had an individual [notice I did not say friend] that said I used the word antique "loosely."  It was "loosely" an antique mall....which does require some digging.  I came across this

It was marked $22.95....of course I bought it.  This is what drew me in:

and this:

and this:

and this:

I got it home and hand washed it...there are no spots or stains and no missing stitches or sequins...it is in really really good shape.  And so, then I looked at it more closely......

For goodness sakes people....DO YOU NOT SEE SANTA AND HIS REINDEER??? Done by satin stitch?

Visions of suger plums dancing in her head??????

Or this?

Look at this sweet patchwork quilt top on her bed??!! and the cat....too cute.


Someone put a lot of time and effort into this sweet little topper.  Obviously this person was an underappreciated crafter in her family.  This goes into my special Christmas "stuff" from now on..... where crafting is appreciated!!!

QUILT RETREAT

It has been a week since I was at the DMQG retreat....it has been blogged about here:

http://tapestrytree.blogspot.com/2010

http://vintagemodernquilts.com/

http://jennygarland.com/

http://www.texasfreckles.com/

http://artsyfartsydesigns.blogspot.com/

http://textilehouse.blogspot.com/

http://settlerspeace.typepad.com/settlers_peace/

This was my first retreat and, while I had been to the last four months of DMQG meetings, I only knew "the girls" from the meetings....so....I was a little apprehensive...."I'm new at this"...."I don't know them very well"...."what if they don't like me?"....."what if they freeze my bra?"......kidding but you know that feeling of going forward on blind faith due to a love of something?!

I'm sooooo glad I did.  It was terrific....it was fun....the food was great....hospitality was wonderful....It was nice to laugh alot...outloud....and if you have ever been around Gina you will laugh....I promise.

Most of the "girls" in this group are younger...much younger than me....but so creative.  As I told one of them, I am humbled and rejuvenated at their creativity.

I am finishing up a few projects that I started while I was there which I will post later.   I think my table mate, April (Artsy Fartsy Designs)  finished fifty quilts while she was there! :)

Sooo....I will definately be at the next Retreat....but I am still hiding my bra.

Halloween

I can blog about Halloween now since the weather finally feels like Halloween here!  Today was a high in the 50's and rainy....

Sooooo....Halloween day was really really warm but I'm glad I made the effort to decorate as we had so many trick or treaters.  They were so cute.

My favorite Halloween was when I was about seven.  A neighbor friend had a party that included bobbing for apples and other Halloween games.  His Dad told a spooky story and held a flashlight under his face....SCARY!  I was  a princess (original, I know).  My costume consisted of my Aunt's pink prom dress (circa 1963).  My Mom made my crown and sceptor out of aluminum foil (remember, no Party City at that time).  Of course we went trick or treating before the party.  My favorite house was Mrs. Wimberly, she made homemade popcorn balls. YUM.

I related that story last year to a client's grandparents after Grandma told me she made homemade popcorn balls each year for Halloween.  And today who showed up at my front door but Grandpa delivering his wife's homemade popcorn balls?!  It seems they didn't forget how much I loved them!  How sweet, wonderful is that?  I popped one in my mouth as soon as I could get it unwrapped! DELISH!

I have also been watching posts of Quilt Market.  My favorite so far is Tula Pink's Parisville

http://tulapink.com/bio/parisville/ 

I can't wait to get my hands on this! 

Finally, election day.  Hubs and I voted this morning...I hope all of you did as well.