A Couple of Old Bags

Finally, the Rumble Bag. It turned out so cute but I couldn't seem to get a good picture so you'll have to take my word for it. This bag is SO roomy. I've got 4 boxes of cereal stuck in it here and it still isn't full. Yeah! Lots of room for those shopping trips. I'm thinking it's going to be a great yard-saling bag this summer. Simple, simple pattern that I managed to screw up. Guess there's something to be said for actually reading the instructions. I don't know why just looking at the pictures is never good enough...


This bird bookbag was made for Yolanda, so that she can pack her books around in-style. It's just not right to go anywhere without some reading material. I had to keep a close eyeball on Shilo before I got this bag mailed off. She was coveting it, so I may have to make up another one to appease the daughter. And maybe one for me. Can you have to many bags? Is there any such thing??

Sunday Stills - Architecture

From old canneries and bridges, to historic downtown buildings and beautiful Victorian and craftsman style homes, Astoria is full of wonderful architecture dating from a by-gone era. I had a fantastic time shooting pictures for this weeks Sunday Stills Challenge. Here are a handful of the fabulous architecture in my town. I hope you enjoy your visit as well as I enjoyed capturing part of it for you.


The Clatsop County Courthouse and our post office across the street are beautiful old buildings, but I didn't seem to get a decent shot. The courthouse sits up high with a big concrete staircase leading to the large front double doors. Inside, it is lined with black, gray and white marble. Marble floors and marble pillars contrast against beautiful turned wood staircase banisters. Buildings just are not made like this anymore and here in Astoria we are very lucky to have quite a few of the grand old buildings left and open for our enjoyment. (I guess there are people who wouldn't say that the courthouse gives them enjoyment. Depends on what you're there for, I suppose!)



If I have my facts straight, than this old building was once the Workers Union hotel, with contrasting cheap rooms available to the working class and a grand lobby and ballroom. A couple of local guys, a contractor and a developer, have recently purchased this run-down remnant of our historic past and have plans to reinvent the splendor of the past, complete with cheap but classic rooms to rent. These guys do beautiful work, so I can't wait to see what they do with this jewel. Don't you just love the spikes on the top of the building? I wonder what that symbolized...



The Flavel House is a gorgeous old Victorian that is open to the public as a museum. Captain Flavel was a bar pilot here in Astoria, helping ships navigate the treacherous waters of the Columbia River bar. He had this house built for his family, where his two daughters lived after his death for many many years. It's a grand, beautiful house, full of the echoes of the past.


I just had to throw this one in. Some of you may recognize this old jail from "The Goonies". It's not a working jail any longer, just used for storage I believe and I hate that the darn old garbage dumpster is sitting right there, but the building itself is old and fun. It's right across the street from the Flavel House.

Come on and visit Astoria. There's so much to see...

Block Of the Month Madness

One day, not long ago, I was going about my day, just minding my own business completely unaware that Monica was taking one small step that would lead me into Block Of The Month Madness. While I was happily oblivious, she clicked that nasty little send button on her email account that shot the BOM virus straight into my in-box. Little did I know that when I checked my email later that evening that this link she sent me would immediately wriggle under my skin, making me itch until I gave in to the block-making illness. I stil had it checked and under control until Robin, who chooses to ((gasp)) remain blogless, sent me THIS link for another one. I'm sure they make medication for this condition, but I think maybe just a good dose of rolling around in my fabric might cure me. Or margarita's... But for now I've gotta run. I'm going to make those A Tiskat A Tasket blocks in applique' as well and I'm behind. March's blocks will be out before we know it.

Oh, and remember that bag we were supposed to make for the rumble? Stay tuned ~ it's on the way...

Sunday Stills - Moon

This weeks Sunday Stills challenge is the moon, and boy is that challenging! Most of mine come out completely blurry and look like just a tiny bright spot in the dark sky. I took the above picture the other morning at about 7 am and really like how it turned out, despite the silly electrical wires that always seem to be in the way. I like the moon hanging around in the February sky.
The picture below is blurry, but it was an incredible sight. I was leaving work and this gigantic moon seemed to be rising from the river and hanging around under the bridge. It was incredible to see.

Nonsense Poems

Do you remember any nonsense poems that you learned when you were a kid? I remember listening to my Mom rattling off a couple of these poems while I giggled over them. I feel like I've always known these poems and taught them to my own kids when they were young.

Early in the morning
in the middle of the night,
two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other,
drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
and shot the two dead boys.
If you don't believe my story is true,
as the blind man
-He saw it too!

Another one is:

An empty truck full of bricks
ran over a dead cat.
They rushed him to the hospital
but when they got there
he was dead.

Until I just typed these, I didn't realize how much "dead" there is in them. It never bothered me when I was little - I just thought they were funny.

Another one that I remember from Grandpa was about a cat, an alive one. This poem isn't really a nonsense poem, but for some reason I always stored it in the same category in my mind.

Listen...
Listen...
There's a cat pissin'.
Where? Where?
Under the chair!
Hurry Hurry
Get the gun.
Ah, hell, he's already done.

Now I know that one's not so nice, but I love it.

Do you have any silly poems floating around in your mind from your childhood?
Who did they come from?

I'm At A Rumble

rum·ble

VERB:
rum·bled , rum·bling , rum·bles

1. To make a deep, long, rolling sound.
2. To move or proceed with a deep, long, rolling sound.
3. Slang To engage in a gang fight.

For some reason, when you answer the phone and tell the caller that you'll need to call them back because you're at a rumble, the caller tends to fall silent. Not so the other rumblers. They break out in gales of laughter.

This all started for me the other day with an email from my Zombie friend. "Hey", it said, "our group's been challenged to a rumble and a couple of the girls aren't able to go. Would you like to substitute?" I was a little taken aback at first, but The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was one of my favorite books as a teenager so I kinda knew the basics of a good rumble. Now where are those nun'chucks? Oh oh oh! I see - a QUILTING rumble. And a sewing challenge. YES! I'm a bit more comfortable now, though I'm not a quilter - yet.

Here is what the perfect kind of rumble looks like. Busy hands. (No faces have been shown in an attempt to protect the identity of the gang members)







This is the mess those gangsters leave behind in the mad dash for lunch.


My accomplishments for the day. Not nearly what I had planned, but I did manage to raise my immunity levels with all the healthy laughter that was going on. The Blockheads won the sewing challenge, since two of them are the only one's who actually finished their bags. Next time, they may want to watch their backs.

A big thank-you goes out to the other two fighters, I mean quilters, who couldn't make it. I know you missed out on heaps of fun girls, but I had an absolute hoot.
And a huge thank-you to Monica and Robin for dragging me along and to the Blockheads for putting up with my presence.

Until next time ~ Fight On!