Let's Talk About Snowballs, Dean, and Blue & Green Color

NOT Snowcones.  NOT a slurpee.  Not a Utah-western snow cone.  SNOWBALL texture is different.  Smaller.  Finer.  Not grainy.  More like melt in your mouth, cold but not hard pellets or too tiny, it has a nice wet-heft-bulk to it, and is soft-like real snow.  Not that it snows here.  Only in the summertime!

They do this thing, adding marshmallow topping for extra 50 cents.  This is a photo after I have waited to cross the street and licked half of it off in the 91 degree sunny weather.  This was one of the specials:  "Ocean Wave" which was skylight (I don't know what flavor that is, but it is blue and really yummy--maybe raspberry based?) and green apple with marshmallow on top.  I ordered the smallest size so I could get additional marshmallow in the middle.  I cannot explain how good this summer treat is.  Emma would understand.  She used to work at a snowball shack.  She tried all the flavors, and made up her own combos.

 

To get to the post office every day I drove by this most unusual-colored brick old home:

 

And found a restaurant that shares a name with son-by-marriage:

 

Kind of a strange, old-timey town, snowballs and old buildings.

And on the way home, back in Harford Co. there is a remodeled home that used to look horrible.  They have redone it with gorgeous blue stained siding.  Green grass/trees & Blue home w/ white trim looks stunning, hard to capture in this drive-by.

I've never thought about a blue home before, but this looks great in our east coast lighting.  Not really navy, more like a dark peacock, but with enough gray to keep it neutral and pleasant, not a neighborhood eye sore.

 

 

Snowflakes in Zion

Each seminary student cut out a snowflake, as we talked about the lines we are not supposed to cross. Stay safely within the commandments. Be obedient. Be clean, and pure. Monday I will ask them if they can remember which snowflake is theirs. And apply it to the lesson.



No snow on the ground. Frozen puddles. I drove by the Bush River yesterday and it is frozen along the edges.

I have a growing appreciation for the home teaching program in the Church. I know it isn't an easy assignment, to correlate schedules, find everyone home. We have missed visits since we've been here in this home. Until recently, we got a new assignmnet. Once a month, an assigned man from the Church comes and checks on us, in our home. Gives us a lesson. Sometimes brings treats his wife made. Makes sure we are doing okay spiritually and physically. THIS MONTH HE FIXED OUR VAN HEATER! Every time I get in the van and feel the warmth, I am thankful. We would have gone much longer waiting to go get it fixed. My warm toes are thankful!

I know sometimes we do things for free-service/donations/gifts--but it makes it really easy to offer to barter/trade/reciprocate in these situations. This hometeacher is super talented and handy. Mechanically and tear-down-walls kind of guy. In return one of his sons is going to get a fantastic bedroom redo, mural of his choosing. That, to me, is what creating a Zion community is all about. No poor among you because you are sharing your talents and means with one another, united in faith and service, pure in heart=loving and free from the vices and selfishness that ruins neighborhoods.

Strawberry, Blueberry Blast, Grape

More Snow, But I Don't Mind

I really like the snow! I think it is beautiful, and I'm ready to paint some snow for fun. I saw a store clerance sign spray-painted on a 10 foot bank of snow along route 40, bright neon orange paint, hard to miss.

Kool-Aid, or spray paint? Make it bird edible? Juice? Abstract or representational?

Becky's Quilt Reveal...

(The extreme amounts of snow has cancelled many events. Our stake conference broadcast has been postponed. Stake temple trip TBA. Delivery of Becky's quilt tomorrow? It was going to be a smooth hand-off at the visitor's center, rather than mailing this quilt. Phone call and how much we can dig out will determine that, so stay tuned here...Meanwhile, being snowed in means cooking together!)


Becky's quilt reveal...WILL BE TOMORROW!

After she sees it first. Maybe.

Again, snow piles, extreme ones, have changed the pace of life on the east coast.

More teasing glimpses.
Yes, I could have done this all by hand, the long way. Is this cheating?

No, and yes.

Remember my Bi-Polar altered quilt with appliqued Baltimore album style one side and two white bears and polka dots painted on the reverse?

Think of this as using my resources, with the time restraints and the power of layering, and recycling and the excitement of altering something okay into something spectacular!

Becky grew up in an artsy, groovy, nature-loving home (parents met in the Peace Corps, and she was born in Ethiopia!) and she wanted a conversation piece for her living room. We talked about an inspiration piece, something else I've made that she really liked and wanted one for her home (wink, wink, JenB!).

I started with a good condition thrift store quilt, a "Coming Home" Land's End double wedding ring queen-size quilt, for $14.50. Right price, too big (I was hoping for a twin-size). I've been looking for weeks, wanting something light in background so the colors would work for this project. This was light enough, and the florals were perfect. And the pattern had meaning. WEDDING in the title is a good-mood-feeling in this piece. Rings intertwined and bound together is important in the meaning.
Cut down to 12 circles, edges sewn. Painted. First using watercolors to establish color boundaries, then fabric dyes, and finally, pens for details and acrylic gold paint. I also used super opaque white by Jacquard.

When people ask "How long did it take to make that?" the answer is complicated. Factor in thinking about it time. Shopping for the right base quilt. Changing the orientation from vertical to horizontal decision time. Sketching. Taking photos. It took days of inconvenient kitchen manuevering, big tarp on the floor, people eating tip-toe-ing. It took drying time. Hanging it up and looking at it across the room days. Adding more. Sewing more stuff. More paint, meaning more kitchen floor time. Once it was draped across the kitchen island, getting details. Ironing to set dyes time. More looking across the room time.

I got the commission and first-half of payment in November. Working deadline was delivery before Valentine's Day. Worth every earned penny. Hopefully it will now be a family-treasured heirloom. I know it is going to a good home, so it is easy to let this baby go!

Quilters labor and sweat and push out quilts that we love like children. (I think I love my kids more, but we still have to let them go. It's been hard lately.)

You love whom you serve. So celebrate Valentine's Day by serving someone!

BACK side of quilt, where colors have bled through, shown here before I added the hanging sleeve and one more paint wash of colors.

Snowed-in Mornings are for Oatmeal

Photo credit: Emmalyn. Family breakfast, thanks to John.