UPDATE Fifteen New Tiny Tiny Tiny Houses From Tickfaw

Cat window

Here are the 15 new houses that were under construction at the Retreat in Tickfaw.  I got two additional blocks put together.

Check out the cute, cute windows

What an idiot I am sometimes.  I randomly decided to trim a set of houses and trees to 3 inches.  I even commented to Ann and Charlene that I had made the houses so big, it was weird.  And never once did I think to consider I was trimming them incorrectly.

Fish in the windwo

Another cat

So I had to add a strip to the bottom and the side of several of the blocks.  Now they all look like they are sitting on a cliff ready to fall over at the slightest wind storm.  I will scatter them around and hopefully you wont' really notice them much at all.  I was not going to let all that work go into the trash can in the wilderness for some chipmunk to find.  I still need to trim the outside of the blocks with sashing and maybe straighten out that 30's kitty house.

Duh............they FINISH at 3 inches!  Geez.






glen

Working on the Paint Chip Challenge

The quilt for the Paint Chip Challenge is due this Thursday.  I have the center complete and need to put the borders on and get them quilted.  Actually I am doing a Quilt As You Go so I need to do just the opposite......quilt the borders and get them on!

I can't show you the quilt.....STILL!

But I will have the whole show to show you soon!  That will be worth waiting for!

glen:  now off to work.....or it won't be ready!

Plaid Bargello From Retreat

Here is one piece I completed on the retreat.  It is the plaid bargello from Bonnie Hunter's stuff.

I have been collecting shirts from everywhere.  Some are Frank's, some are my mom's from when we moved her to the nursing home.  A lot are from the 99 cent rack at Purple Cow.  You know I love that place!

I had collected so many that my pull out drawer in the closet would no longer close.  So I chose this pattern, thinking it would make a nice dent in the pile............HA!

And this thing is huge.  I cut 2 1/2 inch strips 18 inches long from the shirts.

Then I sewed them together into 6 long strips of 37 each.

Then I bargelloed them and sewed them back together.  I did have a problem with one panel.  It went up rather than the necessary down.  So I just turned it around.  You would think it would go down at that point?  It does not.  I don't understand the physics in that.

So I had to use the one I was saving for the back and bargello it CAREFULLY so I would have a down panel in that place to continue the pattern.

I ended up with 1512 squares in this quilt not counting the ones that will be on the back.   I counted them all!  Not really, I did math.

I was not really sure I was going to like it, but I love it.  And it looks like DiNozzo likes it too!

I need to find a suitable backing for it and I think I will use the flannel as batting rather than a heavy bat.

glen:  PS a quick stash report from last week back in the red.  But look at what I have used!



used this week -7.250
used in july -16.25
added this week 14
Add in July 14
Used YTD -120.5
Added YTD 122.18
Stash reduction ++++1.68

glen

Hot work

Whew! We went to the rent house and cut the grass, edged the sidewalks and driveway and weed whacked the house and bushes. Hot? It was darn hot! And why does the tenant not do it? She is a welfare recipient who has never worked a day in her life, has two children and is single. But she needs a roof over her head, a safe place to raise the boys and the government pays for it all. glen: but you would think the six ans seventh grad boys could cut the grass with the lawn mower I bought for the house......just saying

Retreat House in Tickfaw

The  Tickfaw Retreat was for 5 wonderful days.  Some stayed until today but the quarterly GSQA meeting was this weekend.  Gulf States Quilting Association which encompasses guilds in the four gulf states.  They brought in Lynn Roddy Brown this time and I love her classes.  She did a fabulous job in presenting her "new" technique for making tons of HSTs very easily and quickly.  You think there is nothing new you can learn?  This is something new!  It is amazing.  So fast and totally accurate.

The food at the retreat was chosen and mostly cooked by Pat.  She is an amazing whiz in the kitchen.  And this was an amazing kitchen!  The group camp holds like 50 people and has a huge industrial kitchen.  The Vulcan Stove is lust-worthy!

The meals were simple yet delicious!  We never wanted for anything.  The snack table was the absolute worst!  Full of cakes, cookies, chips, candy, interesting things we want to try and CHEESEBALLS!  An brought me a container of Cheeseballs that was as big as a moose!

We unpacked in the parking lot and lugged our vast amounts of stuff up the ramp and into the camp.  I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the whole camp......hmmm.  This is a corner of the dorm, the girl's side.  Both the boy's and girl's side had a bath with two showers.  There were lockers for clothes and stuff.  And the beds were actually not too bad.  The AC was working and the place froze us out at night.  But that is good, we had lots of quilts!  What a way to use them!

Somewhere in there is the rabbit.  I can't find him now but he is in there.  A better picture is over here: 

 The sewing area was well lit and open.  There were 11 of us and we all had two tables and a window.  The deck on my side had a fire pit in the middle of some wonderful benches.   Here is my bargello on the railing of the deck.  But more on that later!

 This is one of the room corners where we would discuss a technique or share a finish.  Or just talk.

We laughed and laughed and sewed and sewed and some of us even slept!

It was a wonderful time with my wonderful friends Charlene and Ann.  We all had a blast.   And we want to come back.

But one thing I wanted was a nice HOT tub bath when I got home!  But we are already talking about next time!

glen

Retreat -Day 5

What a treat! Attended a Lynn Roddy Brown class where she displayed quilts from her newest book Scraped to Perfection, or something like that.

And did a fabulous class on how to EASILY make and use half square triangles. They were so easy to make it was incredible.

I am so tired, let me get some sleep and I will set up some retreat pictures and some class pictures for you.

This was the best week a girl could have!

PS the book is actually called Patchwork Play ----- How did I get THAT????

glen

Retreat - Day 4

Hello, my pretties! Did you see that I figured out how to do line breaks????

Here

I

Am

Doing

Them

Just

Because

I

Can

!!!!!!!!!

Retreat - day 3. Chocolate wine breaks out

I finished the scrappy Bargello to the top stage. It looks far better then I thought it would! Everyone loved it!

Then I worked on my churn dash 6.5 blocks for a while and got 15 done.

Then I worked on houses with different things in the windows. Everyone got int finding me things to piece into the tiny windows. So I have 15 new tiny tiny tiny houses! Lots of kitties and pumpkins, some hearts, a pair of fishes that I put in upside down, a giraffe and some spiders tomorrow.

I have so many Halloween things because Harriet is working on a million Halloween aprons for sale at the knights of Columbus sale.

And I cracked open a nice bottle of the chocolate wine that PattyA got me turned on to. Yes, you know you did it! And I suspect that next time I will have to double my order!!! I carefully kept the origin of purchase so they HAVE to invite me if they want more!!!!!

glen

Retreat -Day 2

Whew!!

Got a lot of stuff done today!! Wow! Amazing what I can accomplish uninterrupted!

1. Finished a duffle bag of New Orlans Saints fabrics for Frank to use as a gym bag
2. Assisted in prep,serving and clean up of dinner for the humanity of quilting multitudes.
3. Sashed the tree of life blocks and decided not go any further at this time.
4. worked on the scrappy bargello from Bonnie Hunter. LOOKING GOOD!!!!!

A ton of work done, and I am not finished yet!

I thought that I would be able to add some pictures but I either left it at home or it is in the bedroom that holds three exhausted quilters zzzzzing out!!


glen

I Am Thinking......

And that could be very very dangerous!

I am thinking that I want to see how many quilts I can get quilted in one month.  And I may have to wait until September.  I may slip a couple in before then, and acually see how many I can get done before then.  Oh, heck.....I don't know what I am doing yet!  LOL.

I have that Quilt From Hell on the frame at the present time.  I still need to rip out one and a half rows of lizards and see if I can get the tension back to normal.  Then the rest of August is full, our 40th Anniversary and the fun we will have celebrating with friends and Carrie.  Forty years is a long time, I think, now a days when so many people are working on their second marriages, and quite a few are working on their thirds even.

Carrie gave us a weekend in one of the plantations in Natchez MS.  We are excited to be heading there to celebrate and have it scheduled for one of the August weekends.  More on that later.

And this week Frank is taking care of the babies while I am off at that 4 or 5 day retreat.  So I won't reply to messages unless I have a decent signal, which, I am not sure will happen.  Boondocks are closer to civilization than I will be!

See ya, soon.

glen

Day 1 - Retreat

I was so excited to find I could get internet here! But posting on this iPad has a drawback....no line beaks. So bear with me. <> Franks AC was playing games on him and he got half way to Norco when it went out again. So he decided to tune around and take it to the dealer shop. he calls me to pick him up. I am now going to have to rearrange meeting the girls to drive up to the retreat. I also have to rearrange getting my new brake tag for the CRV since I realized the car was expired from June. A $100 ticket if they catch you. So I grumble a bit E, but go get frank, and we go to my favorite hippie brake tag place. He can't get the vehicle to read on his computer! Aughhhhh! Finally, he changes his cable out and it works and i get a new tag I meet the girls at VooDoo BBQ and we head out to the retreat. I m just exiting when I get a call from frank saying his lifeline to his business was left in the SUV. His schedule, phone numbers, meeting notes, etc. so he says Whenhe gets his van back, he will drive out and get his folder from me. He got carsick riding with Carrie on the way home from picking up his van so hewill come in the morning... Me? Well I have already completed one baby quilt, quilted it and even put the binding on. And I have put borders on the tree of life blocks I won last month and will put them together in the morning. I am having a good time, havent forgotten anything, so far....... glen

Retreat

I have been packing for this retreat for a week now.  And consequently, I have essentially moved my sewing room into the SUV.

I guess I am a bit overzealous here, but I do remember a trip to the retreat center in Clinton, The Feliciana Center.  I arrived there after an hour and a half drive.  The place was so serene and wonderful.  The sewing space was large and open and bright.  The people were so happy and the food was fabulous!

But......and you know the BUT is coming......but I had left the box with all my utensils in it.  My scissors, threads, bobbins, clippers, cutters, rippers, tweezers, pins, needles.  You name it, it was in that box.

So this time, things have gone into the box AND into the SUV the minute I decide I want them.  And, I have loaded more projects into that vehicle than Carter has pills.

I have so many wonderful things to accomplish, if I get half of them done it will be such a productive retreat.

The only thing I can't load is the dogs!

The nose job is healing well, and she walked with us for the first time this morning.  She is bounding around the yard and house and feeling much better.

Planning a New Quilt

I read a post from landscapelady today that really hit home.  It made me think of exactly me!  If you click on her name you will find the post.  But to paraphrase it, keep reading.  


She says she read a post from a blog she follows about this lady who was so bogged down the the thought of her 26+ UFOs sitting there, that she did not feel she could begin something new.  So she became stifled in her creative process.

Looking For Nemo

That post spoke to me, it made me think of exactly me!  I have this big pile of quilt tops I keep talking about.  I finished 6 of them and did clear some space in that box a bit.  And Carrie came yesterday and collected some really cute quilts for her girlfriends who are having babies.  So about 4 or 5 moved out with her.  But there are still a lot left.  And a big pile of those left to quilt, some left to be finished and even some that I want to do and are just in the fabric and pattern stage.  Whew!  That is way more than enough to stifle anyone's creativity!

So landscapelady jumped out of her current project that was bogging her down and created a new piece with sun prints and seta colors!  She instantly felt rejuvenated!  Yes.

I have been long wanting to make a quilt of words. By that I mean a quilt with words on it much like Tonya Riccuci's fabulous word quilts.  So I think I will do that.  I do need to complete the quilting on Dan's quilt currently sitting on my long arm, but that will need some ripping out of the last three rows since the tension really @#$%*! ........you don't want to hear that word I used there.


So when I get back from the retreat, I will finish that up.  And I can move some more quilts out of my UFO pile and begin to create some to replace it.  I have a week of opportunity to finish up some things I have started, like Bonnie Hunter's Plaid Bargello from my shirt stash and her Playing With Jacks from the time she was here what, two years ago?  I love that one and do want to finish it soon.  


But when I do finish it, I am sure I won't want to give it away (did you think otherwise?!)   So if you are in line for a quilt gift from me, you may want to start lobbying for it NOW!  By Christmas I may just give in and send it to you!



glen

Chloe the Smelly is Home

I worked on putting the top together for my Paint Chip Challenge and got that done.  Now for the borders.  And it will be finished.  It is looking good!

Blue ribbon material here.  You betcha!

Chloe came home today along with Cali who had her fluid dialysis and is pissed at me for taking her to the vet in the first place.  But tomorrow she will feel better.

I vant to be left alone.....

Paparazzi look at the celebrity's
new nose job!

Chloe has some heavy drugs, an antibiotic, and two, count them TWO painkillers.  Must be painful.  Her nose job is obvious in the swelling on the side of her muzzle.  And the inside of her nose is bloody red. I imagine this is fine and will improve daily.  She goes back in two weeks.

She felt great coming home and passed out asleep from the effort.  Then she woke for her dinner and I added extra water in her kibble because she needs to get the anesthesia out of her system.  She ate it all and drank some as well.

Then the pills knocked her out again.  She is oozing a bit from her nose, an unpleasant side effect.  Of course she wants to lay on the sofa.  And she must be hurting because she tried to bite DiNozzo's nose off when he smelled at her mouth.  That settled him down pretty quickly.  He is nothing if obedient to his elder women.

Sigh....when will she be home?

He had been so sad, looking and waiting for Chloe to come home, just look at that face.

Looking for Chloe 

We are ALL glad to have her home and safe with us.  Thanks for your thoughts of Chloe in her surgery and I hope you can continue to send her your healing thoughts.  The worst is over, she will only get better!

Blue RibbonFriday Plan for Quilting and the Cats

Cali

I took the cat in early this morning to get a fluid dialysis done.  She was not a happy kitty and once again, cursed like a sailor all the way there, demanding to get let out of the crate and released.  Cali is an interesting kitty.  She will take out her frustrations on a dog when she gets home, otherwise she leaves them pretty much alone.

Whitney Dallas

Whitney Dallas would go hunt up a dog when she wanted a challenge.  All my Swissys had their noses handed back to them on occasion by that tiny cat.  And she was a huntress.  She eliminated all birds in the area of our house in less than a year and kept them gone for the next 16.  She taught all my dogs manners.  I miss that girl.

Chips

Chips was the garrulous old guy who weighed in at 22 pounds of svelte catflesh, but was as timid as a mouse.  He was beaten up by the girls regularly, and any cat who happened to know where the big guy lived.  He was not a friendly guy, but I do miss him.  He was a good guy.

Oh, yes, I am working on my Paint Chip Challenge once again.  I have gotten the blocks quilted and nearly together and now I am looking to have the borders on by this weekend.  I really wish I could show you the fabulousness of this quilt, but it will be judged at the August Meeting and no one can know it is mine.

I know there are some who have their friends keyed in to their pieces so the votes can go that way, but I  think fairness is best.  So no pictures or description until the day after.



Hopefully with a nice blue ribbon!

glen

Chloe's Teefies and Her Nose Job

The dog will speak with a slur for a while, the vet says.

My poor poor baby girl.  She hates to have her collar removed, she feels naked.  She must be wondering where it is and why I am not there to collect her.

I just got a call from the vet, he had to do a more extensive surgery than he originally thought.  The tumor had begun to grow into the bone in her nose so they actually took a part of that bone out.  She essentially had a nose job.

The tumor is an ossifying epulis which is a tumor of the bone and the periodontal ligament.  Not cancerous but into the tooth socket of her canine tooth and the tooth directly behind it.  So he took two teeth out and that bit of nose bone.


He wanted to keep her there to keep her sedated with morphine, just like the movie stars after their own nose jobs.  And i was instructed to pick up all the hard  plastic toys so she cannot rip stitches out when she does come home tomorrow.

DiNozzo has been lost without her this day.  He wanders around the room looking on sofas and in all the beds.  He seems to be surviving his ingestion of the mango.  Stupid stupid dog.


Ossifying epulis definition and what to look for:  Ossifying Epulis includes fibruous tissue and also contains bone cells and these may transform into a cancerous tumors. Ossifying has a greater abundance of hard tissue, osteoid, bone and cementum than fibromatous epulide.  Epulis is the most common type of benign or non-cancerous tumor in dog\'s mouth. A benign tumor is one that does not spread to other parts of the body. However, an epulis can be \"locally invasive,\" which means that it can grow into the tissues surrounding its initial location. This tumor of the periodontal ligament, which is the structure that holds the dog\'s tooth in place. Epulides are the most common benign oral tumors in dogs; cats rarely have benign oral tumors. These tumors occur in dogs of any age, but they are generally found in middle-age dogs over six years old. 


An epulis is usually first noticed as a growth on the gum line of the dog\'s mouth. In rare cases, teeth may be moved from their normal position because of the growth of the epulis. Your pet is initially unaffected by the epulis. However, if the growth becomes large, it could bleed, cause problems with eating, or affect the teeth or jawbone. An epulis is treated by surgically removing it, including a broad margin around the growth. Sometimes, especially with larger tumors, teeth adjacent to the epulis have to be removed. In other cases, portions of the jawbone may need to be removed to cure the condition, for if a portion remains, it will often regrow. Radiation treatment is sometimes used in addition to or instead of surgery for treating large tumors. The prognosis is good if the entire epulis can be removed, so it\'s best to avoid delay of surgery that would allow the epulis to grow. After surgical removal, the prognosis can be very good depending on the type of epulis removed. 




glen

Since DiNozzo Ate My Mango........

Got back from dropping Chloe the Smelly off and went to the grocery store where I bought mangos for 2/.99.  A good deal.  But the idiot child ate one of them.  So I did research on the mango thing.  This is what I found from A Creature Comfort.com.

Take note of the chocolate, a lot of people tell me they give their dogs chocolate with no effects.  And when you cook with onions (which destroy red blood cells), they get onions if you give them table foods.

Also xylitol, According to the ASPCA's Poison Control Center, more dogs than ever are being poisoned by products containing xylitol. Xylitol is in a ton of stuff.  Talk to any vet about trying to save a poor dog after he ate the sugar free gum sitting on the table.  Your heart will hurt.

Known Food Toxins To Dogs Fruits, Vegetables, Food Apple, Almond, Apricot, Peach, Wild Cherries, Plum, Balsam Pear, Prunes and similar fruit: Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, (Stem, Seeds and Leaves) The seeds of most fruits contain cyanide, which is poisonous to dogs as well as humans. Avocados: The fruit, pit and plant are all toxic. They can cause difficulty breathing and fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart Broccoli: reported to be pretty potent gastrointestinal irritant Cherry: rapid breathing, shock, mouth inflammation, heart rate increase Chocolate: seizures, coma, hyperactivity, rapid heart beat, tremors, death. Bakers chocolate is the most dangerous. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated but is still very dangerous. • 1 oz per lb of body weight for (2 oz per kg) of body weight for bakers chocolate • 1 oz per 3 lbs of body weight (1 oz per 1.5 kg body weight) for semi-sweet chocolate • 1 oz per 9lbs of body weight (1 oz per 4 kg) for bakers chocolate • Please keep in mind that these are only guidelines, and if you suspect your pet had ingested chocolate, please keep an eye out for ANY signs of poisoning! Every dog reacts differently to quantity. Coffee/Tea: Drinks/Foods: containing caffeine or sugar may cause many of the same symptoms chocolate causes Cooked Bones: uncooked bones should be safe but if they are cooked you should refrain because they deteriorate and easily splinter. Can cause extensive damage to internal organs and passage ways, may times resulting in death. Mushrooms: acute gastric effects, liver and kidney damage, abdominal pain, nausea, salivation, vomiting Nutmeg: tremors, seizures and death Tobacco: nausea, salivation, vomiting, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) Onion: (cats are more sensitive), gastrointestinal upset, hemolytic anemia, heinz body anemia, hemogloinria, destroys red blood cells Grapes, Raisins, Prunes: kidney failure, as little as a single serving of grapes or raisins can kill a dog. It takes anywhere from 9 oz to 2 lbs of grapes and raisins (between .041 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight), to cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, and possible kidney failure Salt: excessive intake can cause kidney problems Raw Eggs- many people feed raw eggs to their dogs but keep in mind that they can contain salmonella. Dogs do have a higher immunity against salmonella poisoning but are not immune and have been reported to get it from uncooked eggs.

Chloe the Smelly Basset

Chloe the Smelly Basset, who to the delight of her wonderful vet, really doesn't smell per se, but is always smelling like a basset tracking something important.  Well I guess they are tracking something important all the time, aren't they!

Chloe the Smelly, as the vet affectionately calls her, is going in to the vet this morning for her canine tooth extraction.  They will take the entire socket and the connective tissue because of that tumor two weeks ago.

She really doesn't need that canine, he says, only to rip and tear the meat of prey she has tracked down and obtained.

And kibble doesn't run very far or very fast!



glen

A Lot of Southwestern Lagniappe

Lagniappe, for those not of Cajun Culture, is just a little bit extra, over the top.  Like the Baker's Dozen having 13 rolls.

I got some BIG lagniappe today!

Ann visited her great-grands in Phoenix this past week.  While she was there, she took some much needed down time away from the babies to visit several of the area's 17 quilt shops.  Can you imagine having 17 quilt shops to choose from!  Her favorite shop was 3 Dudes Quilting owned by, yep, three men!


She brought home some fabulous finds for herself and a few goodies for me!  What a lucky girl I am this week!  The one time I didn't have my camera with me was today.  I usually do carry it everywhere too.

Do you think this goes with my Southwestern room?  LOL.  Look at the feathers, I do so love feather and Native American, and those pots are fabulous.  The one with the blue in it is the Arizona Centennial Fabric, 100 Years of Statehood!  This has to be my next project.

All in all I ended up with 11 yards including these fabulous flag dogs and milk bones!

What a great time she had with her great grands and granddaughter and ALL THOSE QUILT SHOPS!

Thanks for all the lagniappe Ann!  When are you traveling again, now?????

glen:  and I was just in the red again in my stash reduction figures.....oh well!  That's Lagniappe!

Tuesday plan

Today I plan on coming home from quilting and hanging around with the dogs after lunch.  I have a Sew-In at Red Stick and some work on my Paint Chip Challenge.

Yeah, yeah, I KNEW it was due in August.......yeah, yeah, I KNEW I had to get to work on it.

But what is my life but deadlines and too little time?

glen:  soon, soon.....I can show it to you soon.

The Statue Of Liberty

Click on this link to take a look at the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor from the camera mounted on her crown.  You can zoom down and see people on the ground.

http://www.ellisisland.org/torchcam/CrownCam.asp#

Then from this camera you can see out to New York in streaming realtime!  Cool. I just watched a ship go by! You can actually hear the waves lapping at her feet!

http://www.ellisisland.org/torchcam/Streaming.asp#

Maybe I should dig out my New York Beauty blocks and start working on them again!

glen

Design Wall Monday 7-16-12

I have a frustrated design wall this week.  I have just under 1/2 left to do on the quilt for Dan with the lizard quilting.  And I did three rows of lizards yesterday when I realized my tension is bad again.  I tested it before I began again and it looked perfect.  But when I got to quilting, and rolled the quilt, it was really loose on the bottom and the top had begun to pull through.

I undid one row fairly quickly but the second row took three CDs on the book I am listening to and I am only half way.  Aughhhhhhh!

This week I NEED to work on the Paint Chip Challenge (which I can't show you!) and get the borders done so I can decided to do a Quilt As You Go in each block or do the whole thing on my domestic head.  I don't' have the space on the quilt frame to do what I want to do with it.  So I am leaning toward QAYG.

However, I have never gotten the back to play nicely on the QAYG stuff.

Stash Report and How the Food Turned Out

used this week	-9
used in july	-9
added this week	0
Add in July	0
Used YTD	-113.25
Added YTD	108.18
Stash reduction	-5.07

YES!!!!!! Finally back in the RED!  It was those duffel bags and the Paint Chip Challenge Quilt that made the difference this week.  Let's see if I can finish that Paint Chip Challenge this week and get the Lizard BQ quilt off the frame and the Paint Chip Challenge Loaded up so I can get that finished for the August meeting.

The dinner last night was an incredible success:


First we started off with a beautiful antipasto tray.  I used black olives wrapped in provolone, calabasso and steamed asparagus with some pearl buffalo mozzarella.




I roasted a green and an orange bell pepper over my fire and lightly sauteed them in a nice olive oil.  The whole kitchen smelled like sweet peppers.  The roasting made the peppers caramelize their sugars and they had none of the bitterness I don't like.  They totally were transformed by the fire.  The peppers joined the rest of the stuff on the antipasto dish for serving.  I also added a portabello mushroom that has been soaking in some nice balsamic vinegar for a couple of hours.  The mushroom head was large and I saved the second one for tomorrow's lunch!








 DiNozzo slept.

I cooked the Marinara Sauce earlier and put it into the ice box to cool.  Cooling the sauce allows the flavors to mix.  The pasta was thick and freshly made.  They look like tiny Lasagna noodles!

 And the wine was a nice blend of 5 different wines.  I don't like dry wines, which is why I don't like most reds.  But this had an incredibly wonderful taste.  I would recommend it.  It was not sweet like an Argentinean Malbec, but it was not dry either.  I really liked it.

The bottle was called Colby Red.  And the cherries were perfect with it as we talked.

The dessert was made by none other than aspiring baker, Margaret.  She spent the week choosing and making the beautiful cupcakes that melted in our mouths as we paired them with Caramel Macchiatos from my expresso machine.

Oh, yes.  Talk about being in high cotton!  Good company, good friends and good food.

glen