Lunch In The Car

Posted on March 30, 2020 by The Village Granny

With the current situation in play and all the cancellations of activities, I have come to realize how often I went out to lunch. Quilters, I now know, are a noshing group.

Every meeting I went to was followed by lunch. Every sewing group involved a meal or some snacks. Every gathering of our Bee included breakfast AND lunch.

And then there was the occasional social event which was always centered around food. Eating was a big part of all my activities. How did I not know this before?

I guess I knew it but just took it for granted. It was always there, available, easy, reliable, comforting. Adding a bit of spice and good taste to every occasion. Giving every event a time for us to bond and be relaxed.

But two weeks ago everything changed. Eating establishments began to close or sort of close. Gathering places weren’t available.

Then my friend Lynn called. She already had cabin fever and wanted out of the house. “Let’s go to lunch!” I suggested. She was excited to go.

We met at a Mexican food place. As soon as we entered, it was obvious no one was eating inside. We could do take out. But go where?

“Let’s eat in my car,” Lynn said. So we did. We sat in the front seat of her car eating tacos and quesadillas. We talked. We laughed. We cried. (Lynn had lost a relative recently). We made plans. We shared sewing projects. We spilled salsa on ourselves.

All the things we would normally have done at any lunch, we did in the front seat of her car. It was wonderful. Magical even.

I think when this virus quarantine is all over, Lynn and I will go out to lunch again. And we’ll eat in the car, for old time’s sake.

A Full House

Posted on April 26, 2016 by The Village Granny

It’s quilting time again and off to retreat I went! The retreat center was packed to the rafters with wonderful women who love to quilt as I do. Thirty-five ladies went on the retreat and thirty-five beds were available at the center. Like I said, packed to the rafters.

It’s not just the retreaters that come to the center, but all the equipment, supplies, projects, notions, clothes, and miscellaneous that comes with them. I mean to tell you, we were packed in there.

Sewing machines were practically touching each other, to say nothing about chairs colliding with one another. A person could hardly walk down an aisle without turning sideways to fit through. It’s a good thing we all love each other!

Day One and the quilts were already going up on the design walls.

This quilt appeared in about three different versions. Turn the blocks around and you have a whole new quilt.

What a sweetie!

A similar pattern but different colors. Very nice!

The first quilt turned in a different way. Amazing!

Love those primary colors!

These blocks were done by several people in the Bee and given to one special person. How lucky is she!

How did this one get done so fast? Most have done some work at home before the retreat.

Love the drama of this one. Contrast makes all the difference, doesn’t it?

This illusion quilt is beyond description. Playing with value and hue makes everything look three-dimensional. The background fabric has printed words. Look carefully and don’t miss a thing!

Done by same quilter as previous. Again there are no words!

This one reminds me of the front of an office building. Again the three dimensional look. Aren’t these quilts spectacular?

Day Two was equally great. More quilts on the design walls. More projects, more humming of machines, more talking and laughter. How could it be any better? But it was!

Simple but dramatic!

Very interesting! Each elk head was cut exactly the same. Amazing!

Some people made astounding progress on their quilt by making many many blocks.

Some people made less progress and made only one block. They were busy doing other things. . .talking, texting, messaging, talking, blogging, talking, visiting, talking, and talking.

P.S. This block was joined by many other blocks and became a full quilt by Day Three and a half.

How about this beauty?

Can’t take my eyes off these colors. Very striking!

Don’t you just love this quilt? So much to see!

Very interesting version of Log Cabin. Love the colors.

Now here is a real scrap user! Every block is different.

Don’t the windows make all the difference?

Who doesn’t love stars? The black background really makes it pop.

This is some wonderful fabric I found at retreat. I love the philosophy! The rules of life as revealed in fabric. Bee-utiful!

Now here is a commitment to making squares! Rock on!

Day Three – more of the same and some different. Quilts were being produced faster than I could keep up with. My camera was smoking! Thirty-five women and three days – I would expect no less.

Squares galore! Can you believe it?! And the Bargello effect is stunning!

More squares and some really interesting fabric.

Love the chains! Very nice effect.

I feel like I’m at the beach, don’t you?

I feel like I’m in Paris, don’t you?

Interesting use of color and tones.

Closeup of an interesting border to one of the quilts. I don’t believe you can have too much color in any one quilt, as evidenced by this one.

By the end of Day Three we were all starting to pack up for the trip home. So much was accomplished by so many. Not just the quilts, but the friendships, the relationships, the bonding we made in such a short time. When that many women eat together, sleep together, and work together, magic can happen. And it did! Wonderful, magical things happened at the full house!

Witty Wednesday

Image

Music, Music, Music!

Posted on September 26, 2015 by The Village Granny

Another September, another week at Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas. What a delightful, wonderful way to get saturated in bluegrass, folk, country, gospel, celtic and every other kind of acoustic music you can imagine. Camping in the 5th wheel at the Fair Grounds and listening to instrumental and vocal tunes all day is my kind of vacation.

Gramps and I have been coming for about five years now and love it more each time we are here. The music comes from all parts of the world, yet needs no translation. We understand each rhythm and beat. It’s truly magical, even if we don’t know the words.

Music is like that – it speaks to each heart if its own language. Even children and infants understand the seeming foreign tongue of a lyrical tune they have never heard before. People who can’t understand each other’s spoken language, can read and share music, providing a bridge across every barrier.

Instruments are played, songs are sung, toes are tapped and fingers are snapped. It’s the beginnings of dance and we all have it in us – the response to music.

Simple words and notes can make us cry or laugh, pause or become excited. They can make us feel every emotion or stun us as though we have been slapped. They can stir rebellion or quiet the raging soul. Nothing affects us quite like music.

Music can do things like nothing else in the world. It can change a child’s brain who learns to play an instrument. It can enrich a child’s life who sings in a chorus. It can enlarge a child’s world who plays in an orchestra or band. Nothing affects a child the way music does.

Gramps and I have done it all – we have sung in choirs, played instruments, taught songs to our children and grandchildren, provided music lessons to younger family members and probably sung “Happy Birthday” at least once to everyone we know.

Walnut Valley Festival is one of the places we visit to learn, understand and share that mystical language we call music.

A Too Cute Tutu

Posted on September 26, 2014 by The Village Granny

How much fun is a pouffy, fluffy tutu! You can spin, twirl, dance, leap and sing in a tutu. It brings out all the make believe fairies and pretend princesses hidden within. Tutus are beautiful and magical and special. Nothing forces oohs and aahs from little girls like a tutu.

So, of course, I made a tutu for granddaughter Mary and great-granddaughter Kay. (They are only two years apart in age!). It was lots of fun and very very easy.

To make one: cut a 2″ wide ribbon the length of the child’s waist plus enough to make a bow (about 30″). Tie a double knot 15″ in from each end.

Decide how long you want the tutu to be (mine is 12″) and cut 6″ wide tulle into lengths twice that long i.e.. 24″ for mine. Then fold the tulle and tie over the ribbon. Do this from knot to knot until the area is full. Voila! You have a tie-on tutu!

Use any color combination you can imagination and it will look spectacular. I used three different pinks plus one glitter tulle. Add a crown and you have an instant costume.

I can hardly wait to get the photos of my two too precious girls in their too cute tutus!

New Camera, New View

Posted on April 29, 2014 by The Village Granny

I recently got a new camera and have had more fun playing with it! Aren’t new toys so enjoyable?

Right after receiving the new camera, Gramps and I went on a short camping trip to Lake Tawakoni. There was the most interesting tree right outside our window that I just had to share with all of you.

Yes, that is all one tree! Five trunks from the same spot in the ground. I’ve never seen such – ever!

This is one trunk that went back into the ground and took root to form another trunk.

And here is the best part of all – a gnome house. How cute is that? You don’t find one of these in the trunk of every tree. Just special ones, like this one.

The Joy Of A True Wish

Posted on March 28, 2014 by The Village Granny

Have you ever thrown a coin in a fountain or a well and made a wish? Sure, everyone has. But did it ever come true? No, never!
Have you ever bought a lottery ticket or bet on a horse? Again, most everyone has. But did you ever win? No, hardly ever.
How about wishing on a star? Did that ever work? Really?
So, why do we keep making so many empty wishes? Why do we keep thinking magic will make everything better? And why do we keep hoping our lives will change with no effort on our part?

It’s the pull of the fairytale life. The life where all is well and happy with the wave of a wand or a twitch of a nose or the intervention of another person.
We make wishes all the time – I wish I could . . . . .I wish I was . . . . . I wish I had . . . . . I

wish I might . . . . . But what if, instead of just empty wishes, we combined them with planning, effort, commitment, endurance, strength, willpower and fortitude? What could be accomplished if our wants were not just empty pleas but were true desires for change and improvement? True wishes would look more like: I know I can . . . . . I’m sure I will . . . . . I promise to . . . . . They would produce change. Lives would improve. Work would get done.

And a role model might just appear.

The Magic Capes

Posted on January 29, 2012 by The Village Granny

I made capes for my 2 soon-to-be GS for Christmas. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it actually was fairly simple. Let me tell you how.

First, I used a pattern — Simplicity 5927. I wanted a full cape that could be pulled around the body completely. I used the plain view without a stand-up collar. The pattern comes in several sizes, so the cape for the 6yo is 4-5″ longer than the cape for the 3yo.

The pattern calls for the cape to be made from felt but I chose sturdy fabric for better “flow” and wearability. That required altering the width of the cape a bit but not more than an inch or so at the bottom. (Because felt is wider than most fabrics.)

I chose bright blue and purple because they seemed very “royal” to me and because I had the fabric in my stash. No purchase required!

After cutting out the capes, I applied large initials to each one. I just used fusible web and then zigzagged the edges. Pretty simple!

Because the pattern called for felt, there was no allowance for seams. So I applied bias tape along all the raw edges. Around the neck edge, I just extended the bias edging out for ties on each side and put a knot at each end.

These capes were so easy, I made then both in one day. But here is where the real fun started.

Capes, I have found, are magic! They may look simple, may be easy to make, and may be a cinch to use, but trust me, they are magic! Something truly mystical happened when those 2 little boys put those capes on for the first time Christmas morning. To begin with, the 3yo could fly! Then the 6yo became invisible! Then we had visits from Superman, Batman, Count Dracula and Captain Hook. In the following weeks, those capes have covered Knights of the Roundtable, emerging butterflies, magicians, kings, super-heroes of every sort and sometimes just sleepy little boys.

Putting on a cape transports a child to another world — one of imagination, play, and creativity. Nothing is impossible and all thoughts can become real with this magical piece of fabric wrapped around a small body.

With a cape on, a small person is big, a weak person is strong, and a frightened person is safe. It’s empowering, comforting and stimulating all at the same time. I’m not sure what happened to the capes between the sewing machine and the shoulders of those boys, but they somehow became saturated with fairy dust. They became the most wondrous things and had the most profound effect I have ever seen.

Those 2 capes cost me nothing but a few hours of my time to make but have given me more joy than I can say. How great is it to be able to wrap up true magic and give it to your grandchildren? And then be given the utter privilege of watching magic work its wonders? There’s nothing better, my Sweeties. Nothing better.

Kids In The Kitchen

Posted on November 21, 2011 by The Village Granny

Kids in the kitchen? Sounds terrifying doesn’t it? After all, a kitchen is not a playground . . . or is it? A kitchen is not a classroom . . . or is it? A kitchen is not the best place for a quiet conversation . . . or is it?

Really, my Sweeties, a kitchen can be the best of all that and more. Magic can happen in a kitchen! Just be fearless and watch!

So, you say you can’t play in the kitchen? Try making popcorn the old fashioned way and see the little ones’ faces as they watch corn pop in amazement. Fun! Or make rice krispie balls with a bunch of munchkins. Very fun! Or decorate cupcakes with icing amongst a group of teens. Very, very fun!

And as for being a classroom, well, I can’t think of a better place to teach anyone math, measurement, geometry, portion, ratio, percentage, weight, length, time or maybe most importantly, patience. Hard to believe that cooking and baking involves all these things but everyone is having such a good time, no one realizes they are actually in school! Don’t tell!

Now, about those quiet conversations – talking with kids while you are having fun with them is what makes the memory. Everyone is at ease and therefore more open. Children will definitely be more forthcoming when distracted with an activity and when it is a shared activity, you have front-row seats to their inner thoughts. You and your precious ones can have the most interesting, touching and hysterically funny exchanges while making a mess in the kitchen. Be ever so grateful you are the privileged one allowed into their inner thoughts and selves.

Did I say “MESS”? Oh yes, dear Sweeties, there will be a mess – like no other! But rest assured, it will clean up with a little elbow grease. And it is so worth it. In fact, the moment is worth a thousand times more than the mess it makes. Try it and see. Invite some kids into your kitchen. Cook something. Bake something. Make a mess. Talk. You’ll love it!

The Village Granny

It takes a Village Granny to raise a Grand Child

Tag Archives: magic