We're Here For You, Kids.

We spent four hours at the Magic Kingdom Sunday afternoon and really managed to squeeze in quite a lot.  We had heard that the afternoon parade was all new, so we snagged a couple of rocking chairs in the shade outside of the Hall of Presidents and just waited for it to parade on by.  We weren't all that close, but I took lots of pictures so that our grandkiddies could have a little preview for the next time they roll into town.

 

The princesses all have newly designed floats.

The money shot:

And if you don't know all about Anna and Elsa by now, then I just don't know what to say. 

All the floats have lots of moving parts.

Rapunzel's dudes were swinging back and forth on these things.

The tick-tock-croc -- one of Marcus and Ruthie's favorites.

Merida rates her own float these days.

These bird things and the stilt guys were the guards for a very cool, steampunk-style Maleficent that is supposed to breathe fire, I heard, but we didn't see it do that.

Maleficent!

Dumbo, my favorite.

 

I know there are much better photos and videos on YouTube, but I thought I'd post all these here for the girlies to see.  --cds

Splendid Spring

It has indeed been a pretty splendid Spring.  Weather-wise, at least here in Central Florida, it's been on the cool side, more rain than usual, but that heavy humidity after the showers pass hasn't set in yet.

And kids were here! 

 

 

Josh and Steph came to visit for ten days or so of swimming, playing, golfing, Disney stuff, etc.



So much fun.

Just wanted to get a few pictures up for now because after our Vermonters left, Jim and I packed up and drove to Salt Lake City for a Spring visit with our Utah-ers. 

Also much fun, lovely scenery, lilacs and snow.  And on the way home, there was this:

We've checked the Grand Canyon off the bucket list.  Much more later - right now I have (more) laundry to do.  --cds

Blue Flowers

Some basic blue flower shapes.

I intend to embroider and embellish the heck out of these flowers. Love the handstitching.

It is raining so hard right now with 50 mph wind gusts - rather frightening, actually.  Our street is a river.  I'm thinking about shooting Noah a text - Raining like hell (sorry) all-get-out here. Toss the monkeys and armadillos o/b and pick us up on your way to Ararat. Love, C, J and LoLo

What do you think about the new Noah movie? I love a good disaster flick and Russell Crowe does make a mighty fine seafarer.  Speaking of Crowe, I  read all those Patrick O'Brien books a long, long time ago and when Master and Commander was being made into a movie I remember thinking - yikes! who knew that Russell Crowe was Capt. Jack Aubrey?  I reread, of course.  Don't judge me! I couldn't care less if an actor is a douche in real life, long as they look nice on screen (or in boats).

Speaking of movies,  I must be seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel, if only to watch Tilda Swinton as Madame D. in full-on old lady make-up.  Looks like my kind of movie, madcap and crazy.  I mean how can you pass up a movie with such scenes as prisoners carefully dividing up a delicious pastry with a throat-slitter.  --cds

Yellow Wednesday

Yeah, so it was a yellow sort of day.  This started out as four 9-patch blocks that I quartered and twisted and put back together again.

I have plans for this yellow background involving blue-ish batik flower appliqueing.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, in the Salt Lake City suburbs, six-year old Evie was having a bit of a tiff with her friend, the long-suffering Owen.  She apparently left this sticky-note message on the door for him:

 Oh, she's tough.  --cds

Baby Quilt

I am breezing through the unfinished project basket like nobody's business.  Here is another baby-size quilt all done.

These are crappy pictures, my apologies.  I took 'em with my phone outdoors in the really really bright sunshine and the colors are really off.  The background is straight-up white, but the backing is a cute duck pattern in beige.  It is machine-pieced and machine-appliqued, but I hand-quilted it because sometimes I just need to hand-quilt.

I had no particular baby in mind when I started this (a number of years ago), I just had a collection of very cute repro-vintage baby fabrics.  So, how about this.  I will give this quilt to the first family member who has a baby in the next nine months.  Not a baby puppy.  A real baby.  Okay?  So, get ready, get set, GO!  NO!!!  Wait, wait, WAIT!!!  At least let me sign off first.  Sheesh.  Okay, go.
xo--Claudia