New Westminster Breeds

Shoot off the fireworks and break out the band! The Westminster Dog Show in New York highlighted six new breeds. Two of them ...TWO of the six... were hound dogs! What makes this so exciting for me...Jonathan's dad raised and hunted hound dogs! During his coon huntin' days, Ron had Treeing Walkers (I do not like them!), Black and Tans (I like them), and Redbones (I love them!!) He even had a bloodhound once...but he did not make a good coon huntin' dog. We had several good dogs. The majority of them were UKC (United Kennel Club) registered. They did not have a long enough pedigree to be registered with the AKC (American Kennel Club).

But now...NOW!!!! After 100 years of breeding and proving themselves. The Redbone Hound (along with the Blue Tick) are AKC registered and this week. THIS WEEK!!! They were featured along with four other "new" breeds at the Westminster Dog Show in New York. HOUND DOGS!!!

Joe was one of Ron's favorites. We also had two of his sons, Clem and Roy. Clem followed in his dad's 'paw prints' and was a really good dog. Roy was gorgeous!!!...but not very good at hunting what he was supposed to be hunting.Yep. That's me. Back in December 1973. With Joe.

Let me tell you a story about Clem. The hounds were Ron's dogs. Not mine. The only time I had anything to do with them was when Ron was gone on the truck and I fed and watered them. And gave 'em a pat on the head. And maybe turned one out every so often while I was working in the yard. Anyway...

Whenever we were out in the yard, we turned one or two of the dogs out to play with us. Once while Ron and I were horsing around - I screamed. Clem ran between us, faced Ron and GROWLED AT HIM! Ron and I stood there with our mouths hanging open. I got rather smug. Ron's dog. Uh-huh. Riiiight......

'Bout time this breed got their due!

LOOK at This!

2fer

I've got my arms full of loving!

Austin Highlights

No interesting photos. So sorry. I thought I would get a photo of the building where the training took place. Brick was an ugly pink, but the top floor had some gorgeous arched windows. Problem was...the weather was just so blasted cold!

So...first photo is of hairspray and cologne?? What's with this? Monday night I set the alarm on the hotel furnished alarm clock. Everything looked right. My first night out, I never sleep very well at all. I read. Turned out the light. Turned over. Turned the light on. Read. Repeat. Sometime over in the wee hours of the morning I went to sleep. I woke and checked the clock. The clock with the alarm set for 6:30. The red LED readout stated: 7:19. WHAT?! I jumped up, ran around the bed and grabbed the clock. The time was set 12 hours off!!! I had the alarm set for 6:30 in the morning...but the stupid clock was set on PM. Thank goodness I had showered the night before. I ran to the bathroom and did the makeup. Back to the bedroom and got dressed. Back to the bathroom, ran a brush through my hair and sprayed it...with the prettiest smelling hair spray I'd ever...I looked in the mirror and I had a yellow can in my hand.

I smelled like one of those little old ladies that when they walk past you in church loaded down with the L'Air De Temps it about knocks your head off. (Glad my deodorant was a stick...don't know what the hairspray would've done under the arms...)

I know...I haven't learned not to park beside/under trees. But I pretty well figured out that this one would be safe.

Tuesday night I really regretted not getting a dessert to take back to my room. I took care of that Wednesday. It was huge! I ate half Wednesday night and had the rest for breakfast. LOL Yes, breakfast. I still went down and got some milk and an apple to finish up.

Got my bags packed and in the Tahoe...then went to the last morning session of training. Received my certificate...was dismissed...headed north. I found a H.E.B. at the interstate exit for Pflugerville. They had ChocoVine! I was so excited!!! I thought I better get two bottles. And if two bottles were good, then THREE was BETTER! This may become habit forming... :-)

This is Austin

I haven't even taken any photos! Of course the only thing outside my window is another big hotel and Interstate 35.

I'm here on job training with the State. This is my first solo trip to Austin. Wish I knew more about what's here. I did find out that there's a HEB south of the hotel. I need to go there for some ChocoVine. From Holland. Red wine with chocolate in it. Had some at the quilt retreat in Houston (where the 4-Runner got smashed by the tree limb).

Training has been boring, interesting, and a learning experience...all three. Tomorrow evening a couple/three of us are going to Pappadeaux to eat. Don't know what else we'll do, but it will be pretty tame...I'm not parking under any trees. :-)

This Morning

I LOVE IT!! Sam said he thought it started snowing about midnight. Temperatures began below freezing and remained there. I left the house a bit early and made it down the driveway to the blacktop county road. Soft, soft snow with no undercoat of ice. No slipping and sliding for me. I stopped for photos every fraction of a mile. Just took my time. I don't know if you remember this old stump and fence...but my boss, Da Judge, wants two more photos of this scene...Another in the spring...and one in the summer. To go along with this one I took in the fall. She wants prints of them to mat and frame and hang in our office! :-)

We had a small turnout at the courthouse. Some offices didn't open at all. Others closed before lunch. We called around and found that the BBQ place was open so Da Judge went out for chopped beef sandwiches for us. We sat around the desk eating and talking. Did a bit more work. Next thing I knew my red blazer and scarf were tossed on a chair as she said, "We're going home." About mid-afternoon.

I stopped at the grocery store for milk and a few other things. Called girlfriend Earlene and told her the roads were wet but clear and the parking lot at the grocery store was slushy so she wouldn't have any trouble. I think I woke her from her nap! LOL

Tomorrow's Saturday! CARTOON day! ;-)

True Grit

Okay. Now I've seen them both. Which is best?

John Wayne was a fantastic actor. This is one of the few movies he starred in that I did not like. I think that the lack of acting ability of the other two affected his acting as in "Who gives a care?" Glen Campbell could not act - PERIOD. How he ever got the part in the first place is beyond me. And poor Kim Darby just flat overacted her part. The blame, I guess, has to be placed on the director...Sam and I watched the new version this evening. I liked it. Jeff Bridges is definitely NOT John Wayne, but he did a decent job and had I never seen John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn, I would've liked Bridges' in the role much better. Matt Damon has already proven himself. LOL When he (as LaBeouf) nearly bit his tongue off then lisped throughout the remainder of the movie. And that little girl! Hailee Steinfeld. Double thumbs up! And just as an aside...Barry Pepper compared to Robert Duvall...so sorry. Robert Duvall wins that comparison hands down!My complaint...the 'cadence' of the speech. It was more like they were on stage instead of on film. It was really a bit disconcerting to watch because of that.

But...I still enjoyed the 2010 version much, much better than the 1969 movie.

Adults Could Take a Lesson

This is what you are supposed to do when the flag of your country comes by. Stand up and take your cowboy hat off. My niece said, "We didn't even have to ask him. He rose out of his seat when they rode by with the flag and took his hat off..."

See the adults in the background. Harumphf!

Bit Part

I was watching "It's All About Me" last night. It's a Billy Crystal movie. Guess who had a "bit" part on the movie? SEAN CONNERY!!! When Sean Connery walks on stage, there's no such thing as a BIT part. OH MY...I'm still fanning myself. Sigh...

Sewing Tool Caddy Tutorial

On occasion, on the HGTV quilting forum, we have Friday night PJ parties. I think this is the second year (could be the third). Whoever has a project that others want to learn how to do...she is the teacher. In 2009, I was involved in a swap on the HGTV quilting forum - All I Want For Christmas. We shopped and created for 10 months, then mailed to our intended recipient. Jackie/Wenonah, sent me several neat things, including this...
Look closely at the red and white thingy on the left. It is a sewing tool caddy...a sleeve with pockets slipped over an acrylic photo frame! When I attended the Houston's quilter's retreat in August (when the tree limb totaled my 4-Runner), I took my caddy along. Several, "I want one of those" later...it was decided that this would make a great project for the HGTV quilter's forum Friday Night PJ Party. After contacting Wenonah, she gave us permission to create a tutorial and have the party! Jill/WillQuiltForChocolate and I worked on a sample. We took tons of photos! WQFC put it all together and e-mailed it to me. I fine tuned it and hosted the party a couple of weeks ago. And here it is for you!


You need one FQ or three prints from your stash.
And a free standing frame – acrylic or metal. Can be found at dollar stores and Wal-Mart for about $1

Cut fabric pieces as follows:
Main fabric (cubes): 6" x 15"
Deep pocket (stripes): 6 1/2" x 14"
Little pocket (solid): 6 1/2" x 8 1/4"

Fold the two short rectangles in half width-wise and give 'em a press. Then mark the centers. On darker fabrics, I use a sliver of soap.
Lay your unfolded piece (my block fabric) down on your work surface. Top it with your large folded piece (my stripes). Put the small folded piece behind it (orange). Not like the photo. Line up all those short raw edges matching centers. Stitch in 1/4" seam.
Pull the short piece out, press up and over the large pocket. When you press it up, it will look like this...raw seam inside and covered up.

Flip it over. Do you notice how the pockets are just a bit wider? Trim them at an angle from the seam up. You want it even at the bottom seamed edge and wider at the top of the pocket. The pocket needs some fullness or all you'll be able to get in there is a ruler.
After trimming, turn it over. With your favorite marking tool draw the center line through the pockets and enough of the main fabric to center the pockets. Then draw another line each side of the center - halfway between the center and edge of the fabric.

I don't have a photo of this, but if you want the back pocket to be just two large pockets, pull the pockets to one side and stitch the two outside marked lines through the pockets only...not the back. Clear? Then flip the pockets back up over the base fabric.

Otherwise...Sew the center seam through all layers to the top of the back pocket.
Line up the raw edges and stitch each of those with a scant 1/4" seam.
Then stitch the lines on either side of the center line.
On the end opposite the pockets, either finish the edge by serging or zig-zagging or fold up ¼” twice and ‘shirt-tail’ hem it. Now, fold in half right sides together and stitch the side seams with a ¼” seam – no larger.

In this photo, one hem is serged (on the left) and the other turned up and stitched "shirt-tail." Whatever seam finish you want to do on the end opposite the pockets.
Turn it. Poke your corners. Slip over your frame. If it's too large, you can turn it inside out and reseam. Someone mentioned that their 'sleeve' was a tight fit. Taking into account that the frames could be thicker or thinner from different manufacturers, you might want to measure the width and thickness of your frame and add possibly another "ooch" to the width of your fabrics.

Now what could be simpler and more useful? An 8 x 10" caddy? Of course! It should be fairly easy for you to do the math and make a larger caddy.