City Camping....

Saturday night, we had such a fun night!   We went to the house of my best friends, Karol and Tom.  They invite us over often and we always accept because they feel like family to us!  Unfortunately, either Rene or I have to be the designated driver so that we can be sure that we get our precious cargo home safely.  Well, Tom came up with a great idea for us to be able to stay as late as we always want, and both of us be able to enjoy some wine.  He suggested we bring the tent and camp in the backyard.  The newly renovated LawnJockey was definitely the hit of the night!  The only downside was that Jakey couldn't go with us because he went to Legoland with his best friend. 

The LawnJockey supervises the girls on the trampoline.

Look into his hypnotic eyes!

The kids showered the LawnJockey with LOTS of attention!

Cuteness to the third power!

The menfolk enjoyed the Lakers win!

Ready for action! (Sidenote:  Rene and I were married in almost this exact spot in Karol's backyard.)  *grin*

Cristina waking me up to tell me that she had peeked outside and that it was the most beautiful morning she had EVER seen!

  The boys sleeping in, a bit!
On Sunday, we came home and spent pretty much the rest of the day out in the pool.  Even Barbie caught some rays. 

Hangin' by a thread.....

That phrase makes me smile, but I digress.

I finally finished my spool blocks!   Woohooo!  My friendship group is meeting tomorrow night to exchange our quilt blocks to make a spool quilt similar to the one pictured.   I can't wait to see everyone else's spools!   :)  The simple things!

Uh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

After Gabriela and Cristina watched "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel" at Del Rio's Family Movie Night, they decided to put on a little show. 
Someone please rescue me from this inane song.  Please.  Anyone. 
However, in the interest of full disclosure, I do have to admit that I adore the laughing and giggling of my girls!

Charmed Star of Avignon

For this quilt, I used A Breath of Avignon by Moda Fabrics.  I just love the colors in this fabric line.  Fun!  I used a pattern called Charmed Star by Love Quilt Patterns.  It was super-easy to make because it is almost entirely half-square triangles made from a charm pack.  I did omit the top and bottom row of half-square triangles because I thought it was overkill.  It just didn't seem to fit the pattern, in my opinion. 
This is the second quilt that I will be donating to the raffle that will be held at the crop to raise funds for the Kaitlyn Vallery Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Kaitlyn's Promise.  It will be donated along with my Twinkling Tessellations quilt. 
I had such fun making this one, that I may have to make one to keep around the house. :)

Ides of May

I know, I know.  It was Ides of March in Julius Caesar.  I also am aware that it is only the 14th; however, I dread hearing about the May Revise to the California budget today.  :(

Beware the Ides of May.

A Dream Come True.

How did I get so lucky?  Why have I been so unbelievably blessed with this family of mine? 
I am unable to give an answer because it is certain that I am not a perfect person.  I have wronged people in my life and made many decisions that I regret.  I have acted poorly and behaved selfishly.  For those actions and times, I am full of shame.
Despite all of my shortcomings, I must have done something right along the way.  I appreciate my life so completely these days, especially on days like today.  On a day like today, I get to take a minute to take a mental picture of my babies.  I am amazed at how they have grown and how different they each are.  I cannot believe the kindness and love that my children show for others.   I cherish the love they show for me and one another.
They are just the best!   Truly.  Being their mom is the best thing that has EVER happened to me, as cliche as it sounds.  I am so thankful that they enrich my life every single day and give me so much happiness in the simplest of things.  *sigh*  All right.  Enough with the sappy.  Bring on the booty!
My family spoiled me terribly today.  I was treated to breakfast!  I got a goodie bag from my favorite quilting store, some handmade goodies from the kiddos, and some super-sweet cards.  Also, not pictured are the hugs, kisses, and smiles that were showered upon me.   (What is pictured is the quilt that I pin-basted today.)

    I am a lucky girl.  :)

Here we go, again.

*sigh*
My sweet Gabriela was diagnosed with intermittent Strabismus exotropia when she was almost a year old. Strabismus is an eye-alignment disorder. Thankfully, we were referred to one of the foremost authorities on strabismus Dr. David Granet, a pediatric ophthamologist at UCSD's Shiley Eye Center in La Jolla.
Initially, we tried patch therapy to preserve the vision in the drifting eye.

After about six months of patching, it was suggested that it was prudent to have bilateral strabismus surgery on the outside muscles of her eyes. We thought long and hard about the surgery because it is a serious surgery.  There is no guarantee that it will help and it could possibly make things worse.  However, it was the only option that would maintain her eyesight.  The surgery was a success!  Here are some shots from before and after her surgery. 

We noticed, about six months ago, that Gabriela's eye was occassionally drifting out of alignment again. Although, she has been able to self-correct her alignment by focusing on a close item, this exercise was becoming a futile effort as her eye was misaligning more and more.  Therefore, we met with Dr. Granet again.  
It is time to do strabismus surgery again; however, this time on the inside muscles.  It will be a much longer recovery time and since the muscles will be disconnected, and reattached tighter, the surgery carries more risk.  :(  I hate this.  Additionally, she will need to do vigorous eye exercises in conjunction with the surgery.  Sweet baby girl.  I remember seeing her leave with the anesthesiologist during her first surgery (one of the pictures above) and it broke my heart. 
Well, here we go again. 
Her surgery will take place in June, after school is out.  On a happier note, here are some cute pictures of her sporting the disposable glasses offered after dilation and my sunglasses which she thought were far cuter.  :)  Love that baby girl!

Oh, really?

While putting laundry away Sunday afternoon, I found the following note on the girls' bedroom door. 

:)  

Later, I learned that this was directed at Daniel. Apparently, Cristina had reached her limit. 

On another note, Rene and I went to see Pavement last Thursday night up in Pomona.  It was a phenomenal show!  Here is some video that someone in the audience shot.  Good times!

Twinkling Tessellations

Here is my newest quilt!   I am calling it Twinkling Tessellations for what I think are obvious reasons.  I used April Cornell's line called Nature's Notebook.   The pattern was from Quiltmaker magazine and I think it was called "Black and White."  In the pattern, they used coordinating black and white fabrics.  It looked nice, but I really wanted to use the jelly roll and make each "star" from the same fabric.  I like the way it turned out.  This quilt is especially meaningful to me, because I am donating it to a good cause.  Kaitlyn's Promise holds an annual crop to raise funds for the Kaitlyn Vallery Memorial Scholarship and I am donating it (along with another yet unfinished quilt) to be raffled at the event. 

The day the refrigerator died....

Saturday morning, when I grabbed the half-n-half from the fridge, I knew we had a problem.  Our refrigerator had given out.  It was still cool in there, but the motor was no longer cooling.   Additionally, the floor was sopping wet because everything in the freezer was thawing. 
We had plans to do a mini-remodel of the kitchen and tear out some cabinets to make room for a commericial-grade Subzero fridge; however, those plans were for later rather than sooner.  That wouldn't work!   Our little family can't do without a refrigerator for long enough for us to get that together.
So, we gathered all of our coolers, packed our goods with ice, and felt like we were camping in our own kitchen.  We even invited Karol and Tom over to enjoy a "mixed-grill" of meats that wouldn't fit into the coolers.  Delicious!

Thankfully, our new refrigerator was delivered Sunday.  Obviously, it wasn't the one that we had planned, but it'll do. 
All's well that chills well.  Sorry, for the lame pun.  :-)

Where the magic happens...*wink*

Sorry, I am having problems uploading pictures on a "social-networking" site, so please ignore.  :)
By the way, I like to say that the theme of my kitchen is "Early American Junk" and my style is "Cluttered." 
Enjoy. 

Just a fun pic of my favorite iron skillets doin' what they do best!   Mmmmmmmm!

For my sister: If you like the color, I can dig around in the garage and find the name of the paint. Let me know. I love you!

Birthday of the Ya-Ya!

Today is a very special day in our house. It is Cristina's birthday! My little Ya-Ya Girl. She is my oldest daughter and I feel so fortunate that her little light brightens my world. She is part bookworm-part artist. She is a dash of spice and a pinch of sugar. Cristina is a little bit prankster and a tiny bit gravitasse. She is the quiet observer of the bunch, but the first to offer analysis. She's my Ya-Ya! I love you, Cristina Reese. Happy birthday, babygirl!

The tooth fairy knows how to stimulate the economy....

Poor Shea-Shea.  He finally lost his first tooth! 

Unfortunately, he lost it when he took a big bite of sushi and he accidentally swallowed it. 

That's right. 

He lost his first lost tooth.  :(   There were many tears because surely this is the worst thing that a six year old can possibly imagine.  Fortunately for him, the tooth fairy recognized his pain and compensated him appropriately.  (I love his goofy smile here.  He is trying so hard to show the tiny space where the tooth once was.)  Sweet thing!

*blush*

This was a fun little quilt to throw together.  I used fabrics from Moda's Blush collection and I used a super-simple pattern from Moda's Bakeshop contributed by CrazyMomQuilts.  I love the way the little trapezoids go together so simply.  This quilt was unbelievably easy (and forgiving.) 

Random 2.0

Truly, I should be working to complete 2nd trimester report cards; however, I'd rather post some random photos. 
Cristina and Gabriela playing around at school on a Friday afternoon.

Daniel and Gabriela measuring some of the blocks that I used for Daniel's Lakers quilt.

Gabs helping me free-motion quilt.  (Don't ya' just love the two left gloves?)

A picture of my daddy, Sarah, and the kids during their visit this last summer. 

Finally, Daniel showing off his mad Guitar Hero skills.  :)