Still Playing Catch Up

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends I still can not believe how much there is to do - you would think that things would have just taken care of themselves while I was away - but no such luck.  I had a pile of mail that I am working through at home.   I found in that heap of mail two really wonderful exchanges - I will post them tomorrow.

I did love the comments from yesterdays post - they make me feel all warm and fuzzy with all that cyber love out there!!  I do have to laugh about my mom and her car.  I really never think about her zooming all over the place in that car - with the top down and her hair blowing in the breeze - she seems to have always driven some sort of sports car - I think the sportiest car was the bright yellow Camero she drove for years.  The current car/convertible looks like this....

(this is a snap I lifted from the web - not her car, but it is what her car looks like - green with camel interior) ..... and it is because of this fun/fast car that I am now as brown as a nut - the magnolia pallor I was sporting before I left has disappeared after a couple of weeks of bright sunny weather.

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I did get the Partner Info caught up with the HOE PS Exchange.  It is getting late again and I must get to work - I do promise to have snaps and stories about my trip.

Thanks again for stopping by - do come again!!

Take care,

edgar

It's Monday Morning and I'm Back!!

Gentle Readers and Dear Sweet friends!!! How I missed you all!!  I so enjoy this daily Blogging and getting little bits of myself into print - that I really didn't think I would have such bad withdrawals.  Like some sort of cyber crack - I thought about different posts I could have written while away.  Daily little journals of things happening I wanted to share, but without a computer - no posting   :(

Heading East on SR 40 outside of Ocala - 

 It's crooked because I was holding the camera above my head while driving my mom's convertible - 

I did get in a couple of side trips - visited only a single "Stitichery" Store - and ate way too many bad things that I can't get here in San Francisco.  Visited lots with my Mom - fixed a couple of problems she was having - and I will now be much more involved with her life.  With here reaching the mile stone of 85 and still getting around pretty good she is just amazing - BUT - stubborn as a "Georgia Mule" as my grandfather would have so eloquently put it!!

Today's post will have to be super short - I have a ton of snaps to go through - and piles of crapity work to get through today!!  

Let's just say - it was sweltering the entire time - I was damp from dawn to dusk and then some, but it was bright and sunny every single day - we have one rainy day and quite a bit of smoke from all the fires - but over all - lovely sunny weather..... if that's what you like.

I am playing catch up with my emails also - please take no offence if I haven't written back, I will get them all answered int he next few days!!

Thanks again for all your kind words and thoughts!!  Check back over the next few days to read and see some snaps from my trip.

Take care,

edgar

A Weekend Treat

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends I do thank you so much for all the kind words about my little stitching wall. I really enjoy seeing the completed pieces out on the wall and not wrapped up in the completed box.  It was still very windy yesterday and still on the cool side.  I have been keeping track of the weather in Florida and it is in the upper 80's there - so going from the mid to upper 50's here to that heat will be an adjustment... to say the least.  I can feel the sweat already starting to pop out!!  Elisa mentioned in her comment about yesterdays post about needing a "cherry stone spittoon"  now imagine me just popping the fresh cherries into my mouth one after another next to the kitchen trash can - so that I can just spit the stones out. - pop and spit - its a real picture.  Not very glamorous, but it works and those cherries are so very good!!

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I wanted to mention a little cake I baked up this weekend - simple and tasty - I posted the information on Blacksheep Bakes so you can click HERE to see that.  

It is called Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake....

The recipe makes a single cake - and works up really fast....

It went really well with a cup of coffee yesterday - and with all my weekend treats this was enjoyed by Rico's work buddies.

Yes, Melody ... I would love to have the Spritz cookie recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!

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Not much else going on - I did some laundry last night and have packed up a small baglette to take.  I am getting picked up tonight at around 8 Pm for my Red Eye to Florida - so this time tomorrow I'll be enjoy all that heat and sunshine.

There you go sports fans - I'll be back in a couple of weeks!!

Take care,

edgar

Some Weekend Stuff

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends it was a windy, cool and sunny weekend here in the city.  No fog, but lots of cool/cold breezes!!  They are still blowing, but the weather guy on Channel 7 says they are blowing a bit slower this morning - I certainly can't tell any difference.

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On the stitching front I spent it finishing up the stitching on my upcoming Exchanges - I actually finished up my HOE PS Seasonal piece and it goes into the mail this morning - I also finished all the stitching on the Snowman Ornament, but I will wait to finish it up.  On Saturday I got busy framing up a completed piece - One of the frames I picked up last weekend fit a sampler (Garden Path, by Sheepish Designs) from the completed box - so I thought it needed to be out and up on the wall -  here is a snap - 

I really love the old fashioned look of this frame - a little worn but so nice - I had a request a while back to show my stitching wall - it is a bit difficult to get a snap of, but here is one looking down from the upstairs landing....

The newly framed sampler - is the last one on the lower left.  I hang all my stitching along the stair wall.

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On Sunday we went to early Mass and then on to breakfast at Eddies (sounds familiar don't it) and then on to the big Farmers market down at Civic Center - Rico wanted an orchid for his office and there are a couple of plant dealers there. I had the camera and got a few snaps....

The summer fruits are just flowing in abundance and the cherries are simply delicious!!!  

We got some and they are juicy bright lovelies!!!!

I thought these cauliflowers looked great piled up with those beats.....

...and this row of cabbages was bright and cheery and shows a pretty big vegetable stand -typical for this market.  Rico did find his orchid - the flowers are big and tawny coloured with violet centres - I forgot to get snap of that - whoops.

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We also stopped off at one of the thrift stores on the way home and I picked up this....

a really heavy duty cookie press - I had one a long time ago but it was pretty flimsy and completely fell apart - so I never replaced it - this one a $1.25 so how could I go wrong.

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Just wanted to mention that I will be in Florida from this Wednesday, 5/25 through 6/11 - so I will be out of Blog/email/computer touch and there will be no posts until I return - unless I find a willing computer, and I don;t hold out much hope of that.  My Mom's 85 birthday has arrived and Little Sister and I are going down to surprise her - it was very  last minute.

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There you go sports fans.  A nice quiet weekend!!  Thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Take care,

edgar

Taking a Dip

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends wrapping up the week today - not too much going on this weekend.  No good Estate Sales - and probably just some ho-hum thrifty shopping.  I just can't get motivated to even think about it right now.  Usually when Friday rolls around I am pretty jazzed to see Saturday looming in the near future, but not today.  Don't get me wrong I am totally looking forward to two days "off."  But, what to do...  I will finish up my HOE PS Exchange so that I can get that into the mail on Monday - and try and complete the PS ornie piece - or at least the stitching.  I am having some issues with the Designer's floss choices - they just do not seem to be working with the linen I chose - as I stitch along I just do not like some of them, so I frog those bits out and back to the stash for other colours.  I am sure everything will work out just fine.  I also picked back up my stitching on the Mary Beale "Sampler Wreath."  What a super piece, I really want to get this sucked stitched up.  I only have all the bottom grassy area to do and with the slight shifting of green silks I am sure it will be no trouble.

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Yesterday they re-opened the pool where we live.  They were supposed to open it up 2 months ago, but there was all sorts of work that had to get done first.  They replaced the heating system, they pulled out all the tile surrounding and put in new.  They pulled up all the cement decks around the pool and put in new.  The also took down one of the trees so that now there is way more sun light hitting the pool and decks.  Overall it is a way better pool than it was, but the biggest hold up was the City of SF.  They took the longest time coming out to do an inspection to make sure everything was safe for us to start using it again.  Now everything is back to normal so we can start back to our daily dips - and swimming.  I did get a snap yesterday....

It was a beautiful afternoon and not too windy. 

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There you go sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments.  

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Take care,

edgar

A Couple of Treats

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends welcome to Thursday and another beautiful day  - or at least we are told there is supposed to be a beautiful day here in the City by the Bay.  It has been in the mid 70's, bright and breezy for the last couple of days and it is supposed to stay that way for the next couple of days. I do love the change to good weather.

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Yesterday Rico brought home a delicious gift from a co-worker.  We where gifted by Jose (co-worker) some super yummy pupusas.  They where home made by his wife Gloria.  Originating in El Salvador, pupusas are some deliciousness I had never heard of until I moved out here to the wild and woolly west.  To get to enjoy  this treat we will usually have to stop off a a little El Salvadorian restaurant in the Mission and get them for take out, but getting some home made was super delicious!!  We did stop off at and get the cabbage salad, rice and beans that you have to have with them.  Here is a snap.....

It is good to have friends with great culinary skills!!!!  Thank you so much Gloria and Jose!!!!

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Earlier, on the way home after work we had to stop off for Rico's last follow up appointment for his Achilles heal issues.  His Doctor's office is near one of the Thrift Shops we usually stop off at on the weekends.....  well, it was still early, so after the appointment we made a quick stop.  I really didn't think there would be anything but I do like to look....  and low and behold I found a great little piece....

A really wonderful heavy piece of restaurant china.  I knew it was a piece from a restaurant just the way it looked and then I picked it up and it was thick and heavy and it was only $2 - woohoo!!  The mark on the back is this..

... and puts this little thing as being made between 1896 and 1906.  I also found out that Nathan-Dorhmann was a big china and porcelain dealer out here in SF - I had never heard of them and now I have added a little something to my knowledge of china.

Stitching last night was working some more on my HOE ornament exchange piece - so no snap, yet.

There you go sports fans.  Thanks again for stopping by and for your great comments!!  

Do stop by again.

Take care,

edgar

A Couple of Flickers

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends your comments where just super  for yesterday post and I do thank you for them and all the time you spent leaving them.  I am sorry to make mouths water and tummies grumble but I couldn't leave out the food snaps.  I love looking at other folks food snaps to see what is going on in the culinary world - just like I so enjoy seeing all the stitching progress and finishes. 

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Over the weekend I inflicted a few flickeroos on the Baby Sister and so today I will mention a couple.

First up will be "The Children of Huang Shi" - 2008 - starring - Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchel, Yun-Fat Chow and Michelle Yeoh.  In a nutshell the story revolves around a British journalist who with the help of an Australian nurse helps to save a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1938.  A beautifully shot film with some really tough scenes to watch. 

We really enjoyed this film . 

It reminded me of the Ingrid Bergman film "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" - 1958.

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The second film was part of my ongoing Shirley Temple-fest.  What came was a later film called "The Blue Bird" - 1940 - a technicolor fantasy film that is closely related to the Wizard of Oz in theme - there's no place like home or the happiness you chase you can find right in your own back yard.  With a stellar cast that included Spring Byington, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Jessie Ralph and Laura Hope Crews.  The story revolves around two children who are looking for the Bluebird of Happiness and are led through the past , present a future looking for it.  Shirley is a bit on the bratty spoiled side - a break from her earlier films - but even at 12 years old she carries the film.  An interesting piece of film released at the beginning of WWII - if you like Shirley and haven't seen the film I would encourage you to get a copy and watch it.

There you go sports fans - thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Take care,

edgar