Goofin' Off With Friends and Toy Story

I had a fantastic weekend this past weekend. As I have been working on my newest project of three Toy Story-themed quilts, I have been pondering a lot the theme of the Toy Story movies...which is one of friendship. Blogging has brought so many new and wonderful friends into my life and enriched it. As we share tips, tutorials, recipes, patterns, and stories about our families with each other I find myself among a very supportive group. Thank you for that, my friends!

Block A Finishes

On Saturday, I finished the first set of blocks for the first Toy Story quilt.  How can you not smile seeing Woody's happy face smiling up at you?

Block B Finishes

Sunday afternoon I finished up the second set of blocks. I hadn't expected to get them all done, so I was happily surprised when I put those last triangles on the corners. Now I just need to trim them all up. The pattern I am using for this quilt comes from the book Modern View 3-Yard Quilts by Donna Robertson. The Woody Toy Story fabric is from Camelot Fabrics.

I got a small section started on my page 2 of Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch picture. It felt quite good to actually be starting a new page on this piece...even if it will take years to complete it. 

Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 09/26/2017

Sunday morning, I woke up to an email from Chooky over at chookyblue.blogspot.com. When I opened it, she had said she had seen something in a window display, thought of me, and took a picture of it. Here is the picture she shared with me. 

Chooky Thought of Me When She Saw This! Happy me!

I am so tickled that she saw Disney and thought of me. We are on opposite sides of the world. It is only through the blogging world that we have even met. It was one of several reminders this past week of how much my blogging friends have become a part of my life. I wonder how they are doing if they are feeling ill. I wonder if that granddaughter they've been waiting for has been born yet. I look forward to seeing their vacation pictures and project updates. Online friends are every bit as special as any other friends I have.

Mr. Goofin' Off and I decided to head out to brunch later on Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous morning, so we chose a place right on the water. Mr. Goofin' Off encouraged me to have a hot chocolate with my brunch. It was perfect for a fall morning. Mmm...rich, chocolatey goodness. 

Rich, Delicious Hot Chocolate with Brunch

After we stuffed ourselves with brunch, we headed out for a nice walk along the beach. The sun was out shining, boats were out fishing, families were out walking and playing together. I didn't want to leave and came home the most relaxed I've been in a while.

Walking Down at Edmonds Beach

A quote about friendship:

"Friendship...is born at the moment when one man says to another, 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself...'"
--C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Have your online friends left an impact on your life? I'd love to hear your experiences.

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Goofin' Off With the Winds of Change

I can't believe it has been almost three weeks since my last post. The past three weeks have been crazy, but it all came out great in the end. If you have been following me for some time, you'll know that we have had five weddings of nieces and nephews this summer. Well, the final wedding was a destination wedding...to the Caribbean...on a cruise ship. Well, Hurricane Irma changed those plans a few days before we were to leave. But more about that later...

Because things have been so crazy, I haven't been at my sewing machine much the past few weeks. I did manage, however, to put those last borders on my Gingerbread Square Dance quilt. You can see the finish below. 

Gingerbread Square Dance Completed Top

Now it's time to work on the Toy Story quilts for the happy couple that got married in July with the Toy Story themed wedding. They will be two lap size quilts to keep them warm while studying (or watching TV or playing video games) this winter. 

Here is the first set of fabrics that I've put together. I hope to be cutting into them in the next 24 hours. My rotary cutter is just itching to get picked up and slice through some fabrics. 

Fabrics for Woody/Toy Story Quilt

I did manage to get a bit of stitching on Mickey and Pirate Friends. It seemed an easier project to pick up and put down while all the travel changes were going down. Page 1 of ??? has been completed. I can see all of Goofy's eyes now.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 09/20/2017

As I mentioned above, Hurricane Irma decided to make herself known a few days before we were to leave for our Caribbean cruise. We were given the choice of taking a shortened cruise leaving four days late or canceling and getting our money back in the form of a cruise credit. The entire group that was going on the cruise decided to just cancel as there was no way we would be able to make it into Fort Lauderdale to catch our cruise ship. The flights were all booked up.

That gave us just a few days to make alternative plans. The wedding party was able to come up with an entire new plan in less than 48 hours. We would still be "cruising", only it wouldn't be on a cruise ship, and it wouldn't be to the Caribbean. It was decided that the wedding would be held in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. 

Victoria from the Front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel

We all boarded the Victoria Clipper in Seattle on Monday, September 11th, at way too early of a time in the morning. It was a beautiful three-hour trip up to Victoria and a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. 

Let me just say here that when the Fairmont Empress in Victoria heard the story of the wedding plans being spoiled by Hurricane Irma, they were extremely accommodating. They allowed the wedding to take place in one of their flower gardens for no charge. They upgraded the room of the happy couple and made room for our large group to enjoy lunch together after the wedding. 

The Fairmont Empress is extremely beautiful and exquisite. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the lobby area. 

Mr. Goofin' Off on the Lobby Balcony in His Caribbean Wedding Atire

Lobby of the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC

The picture doesn't do this chandelier justice. It had to have been one of the most elegant chandeliers I've ever seen. And those fresh flowers just smelled so wonderful. 

After the wedding and lunch, Mr. Goofin' Off wanted to check out the miniature museum which was behind the hotel. We spent about an hour there. I think Mr. Goofin' Off probably could have spent another two hours there, but we had my mom with us, and I don't think her feet and legs would have held out as there was nowhere to sit down. We walked the waterfront for a while, and then went to catch the Victoria Clipper back to Seattle. 

After we got back home, we now had some airline miles that had been refunded back into our account and five days left of vacation that Mr. Goofin' Off had taken off of work. So what do you think the Goofin' Offs did?  I'll give you a hint...

Our Change in Vacation Plans Thanks to Hurricane Irma

You can look forward to a few pictures from our trip over the next couple of posts. As always, thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment or question below. 

*As a side note here, I just want to mention how much my heart hurts for those recovering from all the hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes. The Goofin' Offs send our prayers and good thoughts to anyone suffering from the devastation.*

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Goofin' Off at the Hydro Races

We had a fantastic day yesterday. One of Mr. Goofin' Off's vendors offered him VIP tickets to the Seattle hydroplane races. VIP tickets you ask? We'll be happy to take a few tickets off your hands.

But first, I desperately wanted to finish off the second set of blocks for my Chef Freddie's Favorites quilt. Yay! I finished them up! I am hoping to have the quilt assembled by my next post. I'm crossing my fingers that I have clear calendar this week so I can get it assembled.

Second Set of Quilt Blocks - Chef Freddie's Favorites

I am still in love with the adorable frog in a chef's hat print that was the center of the blocks. This was my third quilt using this fabrics, and I had assumed I would use it all up. But, alas, I still have one 3-inch strip and one 4-inch strip of the fabric left. Why do scraps seem to multiply like tribbles when I make a quilt meant to use up scraps and stash?

I've made some slight progress on my Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch piece.  

Seafair Pirates Invade Our Skybox at the Hydros

Hey, that isn't Goofy. And those certainly aren't the Pirates in the Caribbean (sorry, friends, no surprise visit from Johnny Depp). Them thar are Seafair Pirates. They invaded our Skybox for a few minutes and tossed out some Seafair pieces of eight and some stickers to the kids. It was fun to have them drop by.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 08/06/2017

Now there is Goofy. And he's really keeping an eye on me now.  Those pupils are starting to show up.

The hydro races were so much fun!  I really want to thank the folks at Oracle for hosting us for such a fantastic VIP experience. From the moment we arrived, we were given drinks, snacks, and views that just couldn't have been better for the races. 

The Boys Getting Settled In For The Day

The covered tent area behind where the boys are sitting is where the food and swag was. There was food of some sort available almost the entire day. They also had some fun swag including hats and sunglasses. 

We chose seats in the shade. The sun was just slightly behind us the entire day, so we were very comfortable on a warm day. 

Crane Placing the Hydros in the Water

Since our seats were on an elevated platform, we could see all the action. Above you can see them placing the hydros into the water for the races. 

A little after noon, the hydros took a break, and we were treated to an air show over the water. One of the highlights of the air show was the Blue Angels flying in formation. I apologize that the picture isn't a close up, but I was having too much fun watching them. 

Blue Angels Flying in Formation Over Lake Washington

My favorite hydro of the day was the Oh Boy! Oberto. Maybe I like it because its sponsorship has been around for as long as I can remember. Maybe I like the colors. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because I love the Oberto Beef Jerky. Does it really matter? We got to see her race twice yesterday. 

Oh Boy! Oberto Hydro in Action

Now, should any of you think that the Goofin' Off family has such fantastic adventures every weekend as we have the past few weekends, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The next few weekends should be pretty mellow around here. But that should give me plenty of time to cook up some fun new projects and posts for you.

Hope you all have had a great weekend. Does your local community have any fun festivals or fairs? What's your favorite to take part in? I'd love to know. 

Have a magical day!

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Goofin' Off With a Mystery...or Possibly Two

Do you like a good mystery?  I love a good mystery...however, I'm not so good at things where the end result is a mystery.  I have never participated in a mystery quilt before because I don't like working on something when I don't know what the final quilt will look like. I've had a couple of mystery quilt opportunities come up recently and am taking the plunge as they both really piqued my interest. Both mysteries are currently in the choosing fabrics stage. I'll be asking for your help on that a little further down.

As for progress pictures on Captain America, I've got the first set of borders attached now. Just the last set of borders after this, and the flimsy will be complete.

Captain America Quilt with First Set of Side Borders

Captain America Quilt Complete First Set of Borders Attached

I only got to do about 200 stitches in to my Pirate Mickey stitching project since my last update. But any progress is still progress...at least that's what I always tell myself.

Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 07/06/2017

As I mentioned earlier, I am going to be participating in at least one and possibly two mystery quilts this summer. The first mystery quilt is being offered on the QTMysteryQuilts Yahoo group. Fabric requirements came out on July 3rd along with cutting instructions.The finished quilt will make a great size for a Project Linus quilt.

Below are the fabric choices that I've pulled from my stash for this first mystery. I noticed afterwards that each of the fabric choices I pulled have a summer or travel theme to them. Apparently, I am getting the itch for some travel. 

Option 1:  The main focus fabric you may recognize as the Cars fabric I ordered a couple of weeks ago. The white will be the background with the black as the accent and the dark gray with silver circles the border fabric. Aside from the Cars fabric, the other fabrics are all left over from Captain America. 

Option 1 - Cars Theme

Option 2:  A sweets and baked goods theme.  The focus fabric has lots of tasty sweets on it and has me drooling just looking at it. The white will be the background with the brown as the accent and pink as the border.

Option 2 - Sweets Theme

Of course, this fabric reminds me of all the fun sweet treats you can find at Disney.  When we were there last March, I took a picture of some of the fun sweets we found at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Elephant Caramel Apple - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Monkey Caramel Apple - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Hippo Marshmallow Pops - Disney's Animal Kingdom

This is what Mr. Goofin' Off decided to get for his mid-morning snack. Everything else looked almost too sweet that early in the day.

Mr. Goofin' Off with His Spotted Leopard Mickey Cookie - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Sorry that I got sidetracked there for a moment. Sweets will do that to me.

Option 3:  The last option I have chosen is fabric I've had in my stash for years.  It's from a line of fabrics by Teresa Kogut. The focus fabric will be the bears all dressed up to enjoy their vacations. The white will be the background fabric. The blue (which is a bit darker than it appears in the picture) will be the accent fabric.  The vacation accessories fabric (cameras, swim shorts, etc.) will be the border fabric.

Option 3 - Vacationing Bears

From what I understand a larger print will be just fine and recommended for the focus fabric, so all of these options should be good options for the quilt.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Do you have a favorite fabric option you'd like to see come to life in the mystery?  I've got a few weeks to get the pieces cut out before the actual mystery begins.  

The second mystery I will keep a mystery a bit longer. I'll pull some options for it later in the month. 

As always, thanks for dropping by. Feel free to leave comments or send me a message.  Mr. Goofin' Off and I love to hear from you!

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Goofin' Off Around Leavenworth and Found a Hidden Mickey

I mentioned in my last post that I didn't think I would be able to get much done on my projects because we had a busy weekend last weekend.  Well, I was right (of course).  But we had such a great time, so it was well worth it.  I'll get around to all of that in a minute.  But first, the promised project updates for all my quilting and stitching friends.

I did manage to get the first borders cut out for the Captain America quilt.  I went ahead and attached the first border to the right side of the quilt to see if I was going to like it, and I do.  It's a little difficult to see in the picture but should be much more visible once I've attached all the borders.

First Set of Borders Cut Out

Border Added to Right Side of Captain America Quilt 

I finished another section on the Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch.  You can see the edge of Goofy's face beginning to appear.

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/28/2017

I promised a number of my readers a picture of what the finished Mickey and Pirate Friends would look like.  You can see the artwork it is based off of down below.  I bought the pattern on Etsy.  Mr. Goofin' Off picked out the piece he wanted me to work on after I finished my Tinkerbell piece.  It will go very well in our family room when it is finished (in about 10 years).

Mickey and Pirate Friends

Last Saturday, we took my parents to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  I won't give any spoilers (because I was scolded on Facebook when I did), but we really enjoyed a certain cameo appearance.  The movie was a lot of fun the whole way through.  The humor may be a little crude if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.  I especially liked the way this movie brought the story line full circle from the first movie.  It has set things up for a new set of movies or a nice finish to the first set.  We'll see what Disney decides to do.

At the Movie Theater

On Sunday, Mr. Goofin' Off and I decided to head to Leavenworth, Washington.  It's a little Bavarian town nestled in the Cascade Mountains.  It was a warm day, so we tended to stay indoors.  Here is a picture of the main street going through the shopping and restaurant strip.

Main Strip of Leavenworth with the Cascade Mountains in the Background

In good traffic, it's about a two-hour drive to get to Leavenworth from our house.  So our first stop after we parked was to get some lunch as we were hungry from the drive.  We ate lunch at King Ludwig's Restaurant.  It was pretty quiet in there.  Occasionally when we've eaten there, there has been live German entertainment.  It kind of reminds me of the Biergarten at Epcot in Florida. I had the Jaegerschnitzel and Mr. Goofin' Off had the Rouladen.  I'd say my lunch was good but not outstanding.

Jaegerschnitzel at King Ludwig's in Leavenworth

We spent the next two hours browsing through the shops.  Some of the shops are very well themed...such as the Nutcracker store.  Other shops just sell cheap little dollar-store type of items.  You never know what you're going to find.  We see more and more wine shops added every trip.  This particular trip called for a stop at the Taffy Shop where they have dozens of different types of taffy...including flavor options such as chicken and waffles.  You can pick your own assortment and pay by the pound.  Mr. Goofin' Off got himself a pound.  I was more interested in this shop.  

One of the Jim Shore Disney Figurine Displays

Thomas Kinkade Disney Artwork for Sale

I honestly don't remember the name of the shop that sells all of these fun Disney things, but it is a must stop for me every time we go.  Can you guess why?  They have other fun collectibles there, but the Disney things are the ones that always catch my eye.  We have spent some money here over the years...just sayin'.  We did manage to control our pocketbook this time around and didn't spend any money there.

As we were getting ready to leave I noticed this sign hanging up outside the tea shop.  

Cup and Kettle in Leavenworth, Washington

Am I the only one who sees a hidden Mickey here?  It took Mr. Goofin' Off a minute to spot it.  I know I have a few Disney fans among my readers.  I want to know do you see hidden Mickey's all the time, too?  Or is it just me?  And do you see this hidden Mickey?  

Thanks for popping on over.  I hope you've enjoyed this post.  Do you have any favorite day trips you take?  What do you like to day when you get the chance for a quick getaway...the beach, the mountains, shopping?  Let me know down below.

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Goofin' Off With Father's Day and Cars...But Not the Disney/Pixar Kind

We celebrated a great Father's Day this past weekend.  Mr. Goofin' Off insisted I take a picture to show what he got for Father's Day to my blogging friends.  Technically, we're calling it a Father's Day present, but I promise we don't spend this kind of money every Father's Day...seriously, we don't...not even close.

First I'd like to show my few updates.  Captain America is coming along nicely.  The blocks are almost complete, and then we'll just have assembly.

Step 4 - L

Step 4 - M

Step 4 - N

Step 4 - O

Step 4 - P

As for my cross stitch progress, it is coming along nicely as well.  Goofy's pirate hat continues to expand in the picture.  I am still on track for us to catch a peek at Goofy's eyes before the month of June ends.  I am pretty sure once you can see that, you'll be able to see the enormity of the project and the details will be appearing.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch - 06/19/2017

Now back to our Father's Day.  I keep hoping that my last blog post where I showed you the Disney/Pixar Cars fabric I had ordered didn't prompt this whole expensive weekend, or I'll have to re-think my blogging.  It will get too darn expensive if Mr. Goofin' Off uses my blog as an excuse to make big purchases.

Anywho, late last week (hmm...again, probably the same day as my last blog post), Mr. Goofin' Off mentioned to me that he had received an e-mail from the Hyundai dealer.  We've been saving our money for the past three years for an Elantra...the catch being Mr. Goofin' Off really, really, really wanted a sunroof.  Well, the dealership said they had the model available that had the sunroof on a huge sale this last weekend.  

We hadn't quite saved enough in our "new car fund" to pay for it, but we also know the current car was coming up on needing some major maintenance that would probably cost thousands...which would offset the difference in what we needed to buy the new car.  We decided buy...then decided don't...and then late Saturday decided if we could get them to a certain price we'd say go ahead and buy.  

Mr. Goofin' Off got up and headed out to the dealership Sunday morning.  Came back home and said they couldn't come to an agreement, but it was so close.  Then we talked some more and...

Mr. Goofin' Off in His New Car

...several hours later, we were able to take this picture. I asked Mr. Goofin' Off if I could take his picture. He insisted that I do, as long as he can poke his head out the roof and wear his Goofy hat. He wants to be sure my blogging friends know that he really is a Goofy guy and proud of it.

I haven't seen the new "Cars 3" movie yet.  But they were showing the original "Cars" movie on cable this weekend.  This quote really hit me and says exactly how I feel about Mr. Goofin' Off...even after 28 years of marriage.

Mater:  I knew it!  I made a good choice!  

Lightening McQueen:  In what?  

Mater:  My bes' friend.  

Love you bunches, Mr. Goofin' Off!!!

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Goofin' Off When Fabric That Slips Into Your Shopping Cart

I may or may not have let some Dixney/Pixar Cars fabric slip into my shopping cart yesterday evening. Just sayin'...  You know you've been there, too (although maybe not with Cars fabric). Admit it! More about that later. (And if Mr. Goofin' Off is reading this post, he's probably doing a little bit of eye rolling as he reads this.)

For progress on the Captain America quilt.  Here are the steps I was able to complete during my sewing session yesterday:

Step 4 - H

Step 4 - I

Step 4 - J

Step 4 - K

The blocks are certainly beginning to build up.  I am still hoping for a complete quilt finish before Independence Day.  Nothing like having some red, white, and blue on the bed...and Captain America protecting us from all the evil villains out there.  The pattern for this quilt comes from the June/July 2014 issue of McCalls Quick Quilts.  I am making a few small changes to the pattern so it fits our bed.

I've got a quick little update on my Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch piece.  I am still working my way through the top of Goofy's pirate hat, so there isn't a whole lot that is recognizable at this point.  But one day soon, you'll be able to see the image slowly begin to appear.  I still haven't seen the new Pirates movie, but I have my fingers crossed for this weekend...maybe...

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/15/2017

Now, as I was mentioning before, some Disney/Pixar Cars fabric may have just happened to slip into my shopping cart last night.  I was catching up on e-mails and read one from Fat Quarter Shop. It's one of my favorite online places to buy fabric.  I am not affiliated or sponsored by them, and they certainly aren't the only shop I buy from, but this deal was too good to pass up.  It was a special that they were running for the day where if you buy $100+ in fabric, you got $25 off.

I've had my eye on some of the Cars fabric since the new movie is coming out.  I donate a lot of my quilts and/or quilt tops to Project Linus and other charities, so I love to pick up fabric with themes that are currently popular.  As luck would have it, the fabric was also on sale.  Here is a picture of it:  

Disney/Pixar Cars Fabric

While I enjoyed the first movie and haven't seen the second movie, the third movie looks quite enjoyable.  We might just have to try to see it...after we see Pirates in the Caribbean, of course.  If you've been to Disneyland in the past couple of years and been able to experience the Cars Land area, you may know why I have a new love for the Cars characters even if I wasn't in love with the movies. That place is amazing.

My favorite ride and/or attraction is Radiator Springs Racers...at least I think that's what it's called. It takes you straight into the heart of the first movie.  You are in a car racing along the old Route 66 highway with another car.  You never know if you'll be in the winning car or not.  All the while, there is all this great music playing providing a nice background and setting the mood for experiencing all of the scenic valleys along the highway.  

Entrance to Radiator Springs Racers

Above is a picture of the entrance.  The sign says there is a 10-minute wait.  That means it must be either right at opening or possibly even before opening.  It's not uncommon for this baby to have a 3+ hour wait later in the day.

And below is a picture taken from one of our favorite spots right outside Flo's V-8 Cafe.  It's a great place to sit and eat a snack, usually pretty quiet, and you can watch the cars race by every 30 seconds or so.  

Taken From Just Behind Flo's V-8 Cafe - The Cars are Racing

Okay, now it's time to get back to reality and off my Cars tangent.  I'll post a picture of the fabric when it arrives...along with all the other pretties that I happened to let slip into my shopping cart. I had to hit that $100 mark, you know, to utilize that full discount...and qualify for the free shopping.

What are the items most likely to "slip" into your shopping cart? Fabric? Patterns? Clothes? Books? Or am I the only one that happens to?  Inquiring minds want to know.

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