The Getty

Our trip to the Getty was great! We arrived in the afternoon, however it was a Friday, and they are open late on Fridays, so it worked out perfect! The kids did well at the museum, and i think they all had a wonderful time! There was a mishap with jordyns bottle spilling in one of the galleries, but the Aunts were to blame, and i was in another gallery room, so it was all good! Jordyn really enjoyed the family room, which had activities for the little ones as well as neat displays :) There were a couple of really great exhibits there...but the one i thought most exciting was to view the Manet painting "Bar at the Folies-Bergère" and of course i enjoyed the Illuminated Manuscripts "medieval beasts" exhibit. The kids seemed to like the zoopsia works by Tim Hawkinson and the giant rhinoceros "clara" by Oudry...but can you blame them....the painting was gigantic!!! We splurged and had a very pricey lunch complete with...hot dogs...salads...tortilla wraps...and a meatball sandwich....oh yeah...and beer! (its California...i forget you can get a drink almost anywhere out there!) As we were leaving the museum we had the opportunity to hear the Uberorgan...an installation piece in the main gallery entrance.....i dont think James cared for it much but the rest of the gang thought it was fun. It was sort of like a giant player piano, only it looked like a bunch of paper intestines hanging from the ceiling :) Naturally we had to hit the gift shop, where Justin scored a cool "beasts" t-shirt, Jordyn got a red dragon finger puppet and i got a new illuminated letters book! A wonderful day indeed!
More on our California adventures coming soon!

Goin Back to Cali, Cali, Cali....

Well, Jordyn and i are in California right now visiting family. Here she is with grandma and all of the cousins....together for the first time! She is having a blast....she follows them all around, watches them play video games, and they make her laugh! We had an uneventful plane ride, which she slept most of the trip (whew!). She has turned out to be quite a fun travel companion...and even enjoyed the drive to San Diego for a boat cruise. (photos coming soon). All the kids are out for summer, so the timing was perfect! Each visit, i try to make it out to an art museum and drag all the kids along with me :) This year we went to the Getty and spent an entire day there! I love that museum, though i have one complaint....not enough restrooms, nor are they easy to find...but the gardens are beautiful (designed by Robert Irwin) and it was a gorgeous day! Today we are lounging around the house in PJ's, eating, drinking, and watching the kids play....Goin back to Cali for a fabulous time with family and friends!

Lifes Wonderful Colors ~

Summer has finally arrived up here in the mountains...for a while i thought it would never get here! We were still having below freezing nights up until about a week ago....but its absolutely gorgeous up here now. My garden has splashes of color everywhere, and it really seems to be thriving this year (probably has something to do with Justins cool solar designs that water my garden every 15 minutes....very cool indeed)! I have some black irises that havent bloomed in a few years (ant issues), however, this year they are back, and with many buds. Im heading out of town and was sad that i might miss its bloom, but when i looked outside....there they were...bright and beautiful! My poppies, which are two years old and have yet to bloom, also decided to give me a colorful farewell! (or maybe they know its my birthday) Thats right....the big 39! I am officially PUSHING 40 :) Making a big deal out of my birthday has never been my thing, so i think i will quietly sneak out of town :)
Well, im off to fly to LA with an 11 month old....what was i thinking :) Wish me luck!
As an artist once told me........."Enjoy lifes many Wonderful Colors"!!!!

Jacobs Ladder

Are these blocks gorgeous or what...i just love batik fabrics!!! These came in the mail today...another swap i participated in...sent in two different sets of six blocks and this is what i got back....another wonderful variety! All these blocks should keep me rather busy for a while :)
Im really enjoying this quilting forum! Hope you are enjoying the photos :)

Asian Lantern Block Swap

Well, i finally received the last square in the Oriental Lantern Swap, and this is a photograph of the whole set! Its rather interesting that there wasnt one duplicate print in the bunch...and they all look great together! I look forward to sewing this into a quilt for our bed!!! I need a few more squares to make it into a queen-size...but i dont mind...besides, this will be the first time i make a quilt for myself, so Im kinda excited to get started!
But with Glory just around the corner, i have more garb to sew...so i guess i better finish that up first! :)
Hope your week is filled with creativity!!!

Birthday Block Swap ~

The quilting forum i mentioned in an earlier blog has a fun quilting block exchange going on right now, so i decided to sign up. Its called a Birthday Block Swap. How it works, there are 12 to a group, and each person is assigned a month...not necessarily your birthday month, but it will feel like your birthday because when your month arrives, you rcv 11 blocks from all the other quilters in the group :) You get to choose the size, style and color theme of your birthday month block, so when they arrive, they will match beautifully to make a wonderful quilt!!! Well, thats the idea anyways :) I chose xmas colors of reds and greens in any sort of star-type pattern 12 inches with a cream background :) Ive always wanted a xmas quilt, so i thought this would be a great way to get me started! June is the first month of the exchange, and the woman requested a star in blues with a white bckgrnd. (see photo) Next month is my block month, so im rather excited about that.....i get my goodies early in the swap :) I will post each month with the new quilt squares i make, so if you are interested, feel free to follow along! Ive participated in a couple of other quilt exchanges recently, so when they all arrive, i will take photos and post those too. These Block exchanges are quite inspiring, and they keep me busy trying new things! I am creating more now than i have in a long time....and the deadlines help keep me from procrastinating too :) If you are interested....wander over to about.com and look up the quilting section! Now if i could just get motivated to start painting again!!! :)