More...On The Dead Coyote Tavern....

Well, things move slowly around my neck o' the woods. Things such as the decomposition of The Dead Coyote. I didn't want to show pictures of The Dead Coyote when he (or she) was still somewhat intact. But now that it's just bleached bones....I feel like I can broadcast the images. If you scroll down a bit you will find a long post about the "Dead Coyote Tavern." I purposely didn't post pictures of the coyote at that time because...well...they...were...."ICKY!" But now they are like pictures that I remember from "Wagon Train"....ok - I know, I am dating myself here...most of you have NO FREAKING IDEA what I'm talking about. But that was a show back in the Dark Ages (1957) that had Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams, and Frank McGrath as Charlie Wooster. They encountered LOTS of bones of "stuff and things" along the way on their trek from post-Civil War Missouri to California through the Plains. Something that we mostly can't even imagine these days! Missouri to California? Hop on a plane! A few hours! But I remember those TV days....and so as an Ode to Wagon Train...here is a picture of the bleached bones of The Dead Coyote!!!

And just a bit of a more close-up.....if you didn't quite get enough the first go-around.....here's some teeth and stuff, LOL!

I Received my Fiesta Apron Swap Package!

My Hot Mamas Fiesta Apron Swap package arrived today. Thanks, Val, for hosting this fun swap! This lovely apron came from Angela. I LOVE the fabrics and colors! Aren't they fun? And the big, green buttons are sooo cute! She made the ties extra long so I can bring them around to the front to tie, although I made the effort to tie them in back for the picture. Angela also made a matching potholder - the kind that you can put your fingers in either side so your hand is protected - how thoughtful! And she sent four Margarita glasses - each one has a different colored rim. She also included some dip mixes - yumm! And two Margarita recipes, and one for a Layered Taco Dip - can't wait to try those, Angela! Thanks again for the great swap package! And yes, I know my flower bed is full of weeds, LOL!

Fiesta Apron Swap!

Here's my Fiesta Apron Swap! I had a lot of fun making this for my partner. I had this crazy idea that I wanted to sew a jar of Spicy Fiesta Salsa - one of my favorite foods, by the way, but more on that later. At the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup in February, I found the perfect fat quarters of tomatoes, peppers, limes, and garlic, as well as a sparkly fabric for the jar ring, and a wood-grain print to make a little cupboard for the jar.

After a trip to our local quilt store, I doubled my efforts by making a jar of Tropical Fiesta Fruit for the reverse side. Twice the work, but twice the fun, and I found some wonderful banana fabric for the other half of the apron.

I also used the banana fabric to make a tote bag with another jar of the Spicy Fiesta Salsa on one side...

And a jar of the Tropical Fiesta Fruit on the other side. I used 2 1/2" squares of all the fabrics for the handles.

I took the selvedges from the fabric and made a little zip bag to go with the tote. Here's the back of the zip bag - I used some leftover 2 1/2" squares for it.

A few of my favorite recipes completed the package! Hope she likes it!

Now, I mentioned earlier that salsa is one of my favorite foods - and here's why! My favorite eatery in the whole world is "Los Tulenos," a taco stand at our wonderful Olympia Farmer's Market. Owners Roberto and Saul make THE BEST Mexican food and it's the authentic kind! I always have the Spicy Pork Tacos (with rice and beans), and their Hot Red Salsa is the best I've ever tasted. Let me tell you, better not let anything get between me and my Spicy Pork Tacos, or there'll be heck to pay!

"Old Biddies Beading"

Today was a lot of fun! I got together with four friends who had begged me to "teach" them to make my Weads necklaces. Hah! Like I can teach ANYone unless they've had the requisite two (or more) glasses of wine! But, armed with sparkling cider and ice tea, we tried anyways. We met at Linda's house and she made a lovely spinach salad, vegetable soup, and buttery toasts. Sue brought strawberry shortcake. Penny and I rounded out the foursome. We had a wonderful "lady's lunch" and then got cracking...or, I should say, beading! It was painfully slow going. They wanted step-by-step instructions and "rules." Yikes! I am quite the law-abiding citizen...but when it comes to crafty stuff...THERE ARE NO RULES FOR ME! Here are Linda and Sue: And this is Penny:

Linda had set a beautiful Easter-y table for us to have our lunch:

Here we are after choosing our beads and getting started:

Threading the first wires with beads wasn't too bad. But I was dreading the next step which was "mooshing" the lengths of beaded wires together into some kind of shape. But they all did a great job! Linda finished hers:

Penny got the main part done and started on the chain portion: Here's mine!We have set May 16 as the next day for getting together at Penny's house and completing what we started, and making more! They all said now they know more what they are doing (we'll see, haha!) so they will be picking up a "few more beads"....yup - that's how it starts! If they get hooked like I did, they will be buying beads wherever they go :-) But heck, it keeps us off the streets :-) Stay tuned for the next installment of "Old Biddies Beading."