Arrangements for a Block Party

Every August, my sister's neighborhood has a block party.  This year they are serving homemade pizzas baked in one of the neighbor's pizza ovens, so the party has taken on an Italian theme.  Martha has been busy making Italian colored streamers,signs in Italian, and  setting up a Italian soda bar. I always help her make the flower arrangements and this year is no exception.

Between the two of us, we have quite a few copper containers. Are you wondering why one needs so many watering cans?  Well, we just can't help ourselves when we come across such fun and cool looking copper at estate sales and flea markets.  I love the copper patina.

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I purchased two bunches of yellow and white flowers at the farmer's market but the rest of the foilage was snipped from our gardens..(.love using what I have) including one of my favorites...succulents.  I like to make wild looking arrangements.  Ones that look like you've just picked the flowers and plopped them in your vessel .

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The arrangement in the metal watering can on the right is for the "sign in table.  The hydrangeas were harvested from my front yard...love that lime green

Here is a sample of an arrangement using just succulents and greenery.....love this look.

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Three of the arrangements on one of the tables.

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More pics can be found here.

A Cozy Felted Wool Sweater for a Laptop

This a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. girl  is headed to Utah to attend her  first year of college.  I've known K since she was little girl (used to teach her in Primary when she was 7)... and her mother is a very good friend of mine. She is very smart, plays the organ/piano in church..and is the oldest in her family. 

Beautiful... is all I can say.

She has been working hard all summer earning $ so she could buy an Apple laptop. 

I decided to make a "cozy" to protect her 13 inch gem from the jostling and bumping in her backpack as she travels to and from school

I started with an extra large mens sweater.  After felting (by washing it in the washing machine in hot soapy water and throwing it in the dryer on high setting), the XL shrank to a fourth the size.  I cut out the front and the back, using the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater as a flap for the top of the cozy.  I added velcro to keep the flap closed.

I used the bottom of one sleeve as a pocket on the back for placing the power cord.

If you were a computer...wouldn't you  love to live inside of this soft little cozy?

Peltzer Cousin Gathering

DZ's mother (Ilse) had two sisters and two brothers.

Art, Erna, Al, Ann and Ilse as children

The Peltzer sisters were close.  They got married and ended up raising their families in San Francisco and Palo Alto.

Peltzer sisters l to r : Erna, Ilse and Ann

They each had boys.


Over the years, the families would get together often...for holidays, for birthdays, and for Sunday dinner.  Since they passed on ... we still get together...just not as often.

On Sunday, four cousins came to our house.

DZ, Tom, Eben (notice how he is folding his arms just like his brother in the previous picture) and Bob

To add some zing to the festivities, I picked up some flowers from the farmers market and put together these centerpieces:

Set up an Italian soda bar...

Picked up some fresh picked sweet corn...oh was that good.

Had Matt do the BBQ-ing  and boy did he do a mighty fine job.

Had some deelish food...

Raspberry and Tiramisu cakes from Satura, grilled gigantic mushrooms and tri tip....yum

But most important of all was being together as family.

I have a wonderful family.

Over Half My Life

Ilse (DZ's mother), DZ, Lia Thomas, me, and Natalie

Been married to this dude over half my life
Three decades strong...but who's counting?

Wow...time flies when you are having fun.. doesn't it?