Spirit dolls and surgery

I just made my last spirit dolls of the year and took them to the gallery. They're slowly getting bigger -- about 7 inches wide and 14 or so inches high. The blue one is "Starlight," the purple is "Full Moon," and the one with the Australian fabric is "Desert Paths." I wanted to call it "Walkabout" or "Dream Time," but I'm wary of being accused of cultural appropriation. (In my mind it's honoring another culture, but ...)

I know they're the last dolls of the year because my redo shoulder surgery is tomorrow morning and it will be awhile after that before I can sew.

After I delivered the dolls, I rewarded myself with lunch at Mosaic Cafe II -- chicken enchiladas with a spicy green sauce. 

On Christmas Day I made this tree of pizza dough and a cheesy spinach filling. You sandwich the filling between two triangles of pizza dough (the kind you get in a tube at the grocery store, but I'm sure homemade would be even better). Then you slice and twist the branches and bake it until golden. The final delicious step is to brush it with melted butter and herbs. I've seen recipes for all kinds of fillings, including Nutella.

I also hiked Christmas Day, so I felt justified eating the tree for lunch and breakfast the next day. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate!

Have a colorful day

Merry and hike!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah -- may your holiday be bright if not hiked!

Yesterday I took myself on a Christmas Eve Day hike under glorious blue skies. I went to Catalina State Park where the parking lot was full of license plates from all over the country and Canada and the trails were full of families gathering for the holidays.

Today I'm going on another hike with Tom, then we'll come back and make some Christmas goodies in the kitchen.

Happy Holiday!

Winter solstice lights

Last night for the Winter Solstice I surrounded myself with lights at the Tucson Botanical Gardens!

More than a million lights and hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of luminarias turned the longest night of the year magical.

Mexican tin star lights are popular in Tucson. The tin is punched to let light shine out. 

The blue "dancing" trees were synched to music from The Nutcracker. Magical!

Foam cups protect the cactus tips from frost, and the Santa hat makes it fun. A lot of yards in Tucson have Santa hats on their cactus tops.

As I strolled through the gardens in comfortable temperatures under a clear starry night, I thought of those of you facing the big winter storm that's rolling across the country. I hope you stay safe and warm!

Have a colorful night

Spokane Christmas trip canceled

I was supposed to be visiting my daughter in her cozy house in Spokane right now, but I had to cancel because she got sick with what sounds like the flu (even though she was vaccinated). I'm super bummed because the last time I tried to visit her, in June, I had to cancel because she had Covid! (The only two times she's been sick all year.) So I haven't seen her in 1 1/2 years. And her fiancé graduates today from nursing school and I promised a year ago that I would be there to help celebrate.

The day before I was to leave I baked sugar cookies for them, something I haven't done since my kids were little. I was so bummed that I dug them out of my suitcase and started eating them. Then I got a grip and packed all their presents up and took them to the post office.

Then I was looking at an empty calendar for the next week, so I sewed three spirit dolls for a friend who ordered them for Christmas.

The first one is for a woman who helps immigrants and refugees who arrive in Tacoma, which is why I used an ethnic print and "helping hand" charm.

The flowery one is for a watercolor artist with a whimsical style.

The last one is for a hiker and nature lover, so of course I had to make her green!

If you want to order any, they're $25 plus $5 for shipping. Email me: sherriequilt@yahoo.com

Then I made a set of four bowl cozies because the other day a friend was over for soup and I only had one bowl cozy. Now I'll be prepared.

(To see what other fabric artists have been doing this past week, hop over to: /)

It's been too nippy to go hiking -- look at the snow on Mt. Lemmon! We didn't have snow at my elevation, but I've had to cover my potted flowers the last two nights because we had a hard freeze. Which brings me to the next picture ...

Since I'm saving $900 by not having to stay at a hotel in Spokane for a week (I can't sleep at my daughter's because I'm terribly allergic to her cat), I decided to finally get one of those puff jackets that stuffs into a little pouch on the inside. It will be great for hiking. I got this Patagonia one at REI for half off yesterday, which is the cost of one night at the hotel. And I love the color!

And my daughter's advent chest that she gave me revealed this little disco ball ornament the other day -- plus chocolates, of course.

This would be my dream house in Tucson. I've always wanted an adobe with a turquoise door and soft curves. But for now I'm happy where I am.

Have a colorful day

Lighting up the night at Tohono Chul

 

Tohono Chul Park spends most of the year putting up lights for the holidays, and I went last week with friends to take it all in. Besides the lights, there was music, free hot chocolate and sugar cookies, and holiday vendors.

It was a magical night under a full moon and not nearly as cold as last year.

It was spectacular, but my very favorite was the eyeglasses they give you that create rainbow multiples of every single light!

I brought mine home to entertain myself! The top photo is my living room looking through the glasses and the bottom photo is without. Perfect for parties!

 

And a toast ended the evening with eggnog, whipped cream and cherries on top!

Have a colorful night

"Book" club

We call it Book Club, but it's really an Eating/Drinking Club. About four hours of eating, drinking and socializing and maybe 10 minutes of the month's book discussion!

 

Barb (right) and her sister, Karen, who was visiting from Montana.

And Barb's adorable elderly dog, Boo, who shuffled around to always be close to us.

Beth always bakes a cake for whoever has a birthday that month and the birthday girl gets to pick the flavor. But there are three of us born in December and we asked for carrot cake, chocolate and lemon. So Beth made a carrot cake, lemon meringue pie and brownies!!!

Here are the birthday girls. I'm chocolate, in the middle, born on Dec. 20.

I made my sweet potato salad, which has pecans, dried cranberries and an orange-maple-ginger dressing. And there was so much more that we could hardly move when we finished.

Oh, the book was The Rosie Effect by Australian Graeme Simsion, the second of three hilarious but touching books about Don and Rosie and how Don's autism affects life. We all loved it. The blurb on the back cover sums it up: 

"Until recently, genetics professor Don Tillman had never had a second date. Then he got serious about finding a life partner, creating a sixteen-page questionnaire (see The Rosie Project) to identify the perfect match. Instead, he fell in love with Rosie Jarman ("the world's most incompatible woman"). Now they have survived ten months and ten days of marriage. 

"Though the fiery Rosie has taught him the joys of unscheduled sex and spontaneous meal planning, Don is still learning the principles of optimal cohabitation. He is certainly not prepared for the mother of all surprises: Rosie is unexpectedly expecting!"

Have a colorful day