Cirque Du Meow

Meow Meow's current extracurricular activity is pacing the wooden railing that borders the steps to our basement. The soundtrack to this Acrobat Cat show would be "Tootsee Roll" a la 69 Boyz:

To the left, to the left!


To the right, to the right!

Patriotic project ... times two

During the October meeting of the Prairie Quilt Guild, I was the lucky recipient of a fat quarter of patriotic fabric. Or maybe that's unlucky. Because with the prize came the challenge to make a quilt block that I would in turn donate to the Quilts of Valor Foundation, which makes quilts for wounded American veterans.

A year or so ago, I had started working on a patriotic quilt and then lost interest in it and stopped. (This is called a UFO, or unfinished object.) But those blocks that I never sewed into a quilt were the same size as the ones the guild is collecting for the veterans. So, at Tuesday's guild meeting, I donated seven of my previously made blocks in addition to the challenge block pictured above.


I was feeling very pleased with my donation and relieved that I had fulfilled my duty when it came time to do the November challenge drawing. And they drew my name again. Out of more than a hundred members' names. Guess it's time to get out my rotary cutter and spend some more quality time with my favorite Singer.

Bizarre coincidence and extra work aside, it's really a neat project. I spent a couple of hours on Veteran's Day earlier this week working on my block. And I consider my donations in honor of my relatives who are vets, specifically my late grandfather, who crossed the Pacific on a Liberty Ship in WWII; my uncle, a Korean war medic; and my late cousin, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq before he was killed in a car accident last year.

Walk to remember

It was 65 degrees, sunny and gorgeous out at lunchtime, so I grabbed a sandwich and headed out to beautiful Riverside Park, where I admired the trees and wildlife.






I love the cool design of the lights at Celebration Plaza:


Same goes for the Lily Pond, where a dozen or so Canadian geese looked like they were having such a nice swim, I considered joining them ...


But then thought better of it:


Is it just me, or do you think this little guy eyeing my lunch has got to be Wichita's fattest squirrel?

How you doin'?

Thought I'd post a nice photo of Brian now that our shed paint is put away (at least for now) and our painting duds are in the wash. He looks rather smashing in his '70s-style leather coat, which he found for an impressive bargain on eBay last year. That's my boy ...


It was a beautiful fall day today, with leaves falling and trees glowing in vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. And the evening was chilly, which made the perfect setting for our Mushroom Barley Soup dinner. Mmm!

One tail of a good weekend

After a fun weekend painting and cheering (Brian and I met friends and family at Players Saturday night to watch KU beat OSU and keep its perfect season), today was a little more mellow, with singing at church and a family lunch at my in-laws. And I spent the last bit of daylight watching the pups play in the fallen leaves in our yard.

Guess Lilly's tail pretty much sums up the weekend fun. Who needs scrapbooks when you've got her around?!

For the lil' feller

My friends Mary Beth and Clinton, who live in Derby and are expecting their first child soon, had a cowboy-themed baby shower this afternoon. They're big OSU fans (hey -- we can't all be perfect, right?), so the Cowboy decor fits in well. I'm so glad I took a cue from the shower invitation and made this cowboy quilt:




I started this little project on Sunday and had to scramble to complete it in time, putting the finishing touches on it mere minutes before my friend Nicole picked me up this morning for our Turbokick class at the Y. It also helped that I didn't waste time answering the door when the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Boy Scouts (not together) came a knockin' while I was completing the quilt. (Speaking of Turbokick, if you've never tried it, you should. It's a calorie-burning blast.)

Anyway, not only does this quilt inject some KU-inspired crimson and blue into little C.J.'s young life, it also coordinated perfectly with their western nursery, which I'd never seen before. I love it when that happens! The highlight of the guy/girl shower? When Mary Beth got to feed a blindfolded Clinton six different kinds of baby food. He gagged when he tasted the veggie beef stew, said the mac & cheese variety tasted like cardboard and didn't mind the mangoes so much. I was laughing so hard, I didn't get a photo. Clinton is a former KWCH, Channel 12 news reporter, which is how I first met him. Now he and his wife attend Aldersgate and are members of Connect, the young adult group there.

Chronology of a vacation day

I'm wearing my painting camo pants today, and Brian and I have taken a day off work to complete a mission: painting our backyard shed. And so I document our day using military time. Can you handle it, soldier?!?!

1030 hours: Enjoy a grande no-fat no whip Cinnamon Dolce Latte









1035 hours: Hunt wild golden beasts in the pampas grass wilderness









1138 hours: Tear it up with the caulk gun to prepare our shed for painting









1156 hours: Eww










1157 hours: Convince Lilly & Dakota that it's not time to play catch (and that they don't want to lick the yet-to-dry caulk)







1210 hours: Project manager Meow Meow, directing from the kitchen window, informs that it's time for a lunch (and blogging) break







1612 hours: After Lilly wagged her tail into wet paint, the puppies are grounded inside.









1614 hours: It's time for the second coat!








1720 hours: Time for the trim work. Then it was off to Old Chi to meet Eric and cheer the Jayhawks on for their first non-exhibition game of the season. It's a good time to be a Jayhawk!