Tuesday, December 11, 2012

New Mexico

Hello there

For Thanksgiving we were able to go and visit our very good friends in Santa Fe.  We try to visit every other or every third year for Thanksgiving.  It is a wonderful and relaxing time.  On Thanksgiving itself, we have a buffet feast and they watch football and I sit and stitch or read.  It is very relaxing.   They make turkey and gravy and we (or actually my DH Greg) make garbanzo loaf and brussel sprout salad (we are vegetarians).  There are several other traditional dishes they all put together.  It is a wonderful day.

This year while we were there we went to a wonderful place called Ojo Caliente, which is  a location for hot springs.  It was wonderful.  There are 6 or so different pools, each a different temperature and a different mineral for healing.  Then there is a wonderful hugh pool which is kept at a constant 84 degrees.  The sun is warm and they have great facilities.  Here is a picture of the area.


This is the Arsenic pool and the big pool in the background.   The big pool again below.

We also went to a lovely old town in northern NM called Chimayo where they do, and have been doing for almost 400 years, weaving rugs.  Chimayo rugs are very famous and were a very important commodity for export along the trading trails many years ago.  My friend works with a woman who has a lovely shop there and we were able to tour the shop and see the weaving in many different stages.  The stage I enjoyed the most was that they had just finished dying their wools for weaving.  They say they are able to do the dying in the spring and fall because there is more water in the river at that time.  Have a look at the wools.



Aren't the color just gorgeous.  The rugs are as well.  I wish I had gotten some pictures of the rugs but I did get a picture of the proprietor and my friend and one of their looms.  I wish I could remember the name of the shop.  If you ever have a chance to see Chimayo rugs, you will see how gorgeous they are.

We always have a wonderful time visiting these friends and I am always looking forward to going back again.  I lived in NM for several years and this last visit really made me remember what it is about the area that is so special.  It really it a very special and almost spiritual place.

Take care!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Bride, the bouquet, and the quilt

Hello there

I know the bride and groom will be married two months tomorrow but I wanted to say some more about the wedding.  It was a beautiful day and very well planned out.

I was 13 years old when my niece Kimberly was born and I have been smittened ever since.  My sister was also 13 when I was born but she had 3 brothers in between she and I.  Kimberly was born when the Berlin wall went up and my sister and Kimberly couldn't go to Germany to join my brother-in-law at that time.  Both my sister and mother were working at the time and I took care of Kimberly.  She was my very own living doll to play with and I am not quite sure how she survived that experience.  When they finally went to Germany, I was crushed.  However, we had a special bond that has lasted all these years especially stronger since my sister passed away.  So her wedding was very important to me and I wanted to be very involved and fortunately, she let me. 

Kimberly did so many creative things for this wedding, some day I might post them.  She made almost everything - birds for wishes, lovely pearl balls for decorating, table decorations, so many things - and all very thought out and implemented.  She kept telling me for each thing that it - "only takes 10 minues".  She got many of her ideas on Pinterest.   Here is a picture of my sweet girl.


Here is the happy couple.  You can see how very tall and handsome her husband is.



And the bridal party.



 And here is our wish for the happy couple . . .

                                        . . . .   it says "Happily ever after"

In addition to all the wonderful things she made for the wedding, she made her beautiful bouquet.  She asked family and friends to send her a brooch or piece of jewelry and she mounted each piece to a stiff wire and made the bouquet.  It was gorgous and very heavy!




I am not sure what possessed me to do it but I decided to make them a quilt for their wedding.  I started out thinking a queen size but then was told they were getting a KING size bed.  I must have lost my mind and decided to make a king size quilt.  Never, I repeat, never again will I loss my mind like this and make a king size quilt.  It is hugh!  I had to have it professionally quilted it was so big.  Fortunately I found a wonderful person to quilt it.  It turned out pretty good.  It was over 400 inches of binding sewn on by hand.  It was all black and white and white and black fabric.  For some reason, I had to have 50 different fabrics.  I bought black and white fabric up and down the east coast.  They seemed to like it.  Here is a picture of the quilt on their bed.  Oh yeah, I decided they needed to have matching pillow cases to go with it, go figure


Well I hope the newlyweds enjoy their two month anniversary and have nothing but happiness the rest of their lives.