Collages and Lobsters

I'm kind of late posting about this past weekend, but life gets in the way. And I was waiting for some photos that Keri took, but has yet to send me, so I'm going on without her.

We had a really fun weekend. The weather was pretty gloomy on Saturday, so we didn't play outside much. We visited Nana and Keri fixed a few things for her, including her cordless telephone. She does have a problem keeping her phones working.

We are moving back into spring and my plants are very appreciative. The Solomon's Seals are just exploding and the Lilies of the Valley are jumping for joy.

Keri noticed this little guy checking out the framed garden where Steve's radishes and carrots are growing. Fortunately, the carrot tops aren't up yet. I have often seen him hopping out of the rosemary bush, so maybe he sleeps there. Lord knows it's big enough.

We visited Lynne's shop - "Quilter's Quest" where I had to another thing to make for Sarah. I finally got the baby blanket done for a coworker, but haven't made the Strawberry Shortcake panel blanket for Sarah yet. Lynne had a "Curious George" fabric book panel to make for $2.00. How could I turn that down when Sarah adores the monkey? What kind of Grammy would I be?

We had a lot of spare time Saturday afternoon and Keri decided she wanted to make something. I told her she could choose whatever fabrics she wanted and layout whatever design she liked. She picked out earth-tone fabrics and said she didn't want to make "a picture." She just wanted to lay it out, kind of like a "quilt". I told her basically how to do a collage and she went to town cutting up pieces of beige, brown, green, and orange fabric. We put batting and backing under it and she stitched around the edges of her designs. She wasn't quite comfortable with just free motion stitching, but we'll get her there. Keri really enjoyed making it and took it home to finish the binding. Here she is at my sewing machine. She hasn't sent me a picture of the finished piece.

You can sort of see what she's making. I never cared much for collage because I didn't really understand it. Whenever I tried to make a collage piece, I got confused and didn't know how to put things together in a pleasing way. I was surprised then when I was giving Keri suggestions on what she could do to embellish her wall hanging. "Embellish"? Those words actually came out of my mouth? I don't embellish! Anything. Ever. So maybe I should reevaluate making a collage myself.

Steve and I went to Walmart early Saturday morning before the girls came and got 4 lobsters for my birthday dinner (Peter and Jill were coming, too). When Keri and Sarah got there, Grampa pulled one of the lobsters out of the fridge and put him on the floor. Sarah called it a bug until we told her it was a lobster and then she remembered seeing them "in the cage at Walmark!" She's right. We always stop by to see the lobsters at Walmart when we are in the seafood section. Here's where there's supposed to be a cute photo of Sarah and the lobster, but as I said, Keri hasn't sent it to me.

So Steve decided to grill the lobsters and cornish game hens. We are always having to warn Sarah about getting near the grills, so she had to stay in the house with the "women-folk." Steve got the fire going and when it was ready, pulled out the lobsters. Jill, who is just easing out of being a vegetarian, couldn't bear it and ran around to the front of the house. Sarah saw him and ran onto the back porch, yelling at Grampa not to put the lobsters on the grill because it was HOT! By the time they were done she'd forgotten about them and had no problem with seeing them on the table. She tried a bite, but didn't like the consistency. Okay. More for us!

This is just a cool photo of a rusted old truck near my friend, Lynne's, house. I love this truck and I definitely want to do something with it someday. Not sure what. Maybe use it as a base to collage? Why not?