DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . .

I have BIG NEWS. It's taken a year but finally my website is LIVE:  Lizziealone.com

Woohoo!  Yes! All you have to do it click on LizzieAlone.com in the upper left hand corner of my blog (what, you never noticed that before?) or just click on the figure to your right. I am super excited to finally be up and running and maybe I will make a little money too. (btw, I didn't have a proofreader so let me know . . . ) My affirmation for today, and I swear I am not making this up, is "I now do work I love, and I am paid well for it." How amazing is that? And, while I'm at it, here is what Louise Hay says for June:


This is a good month to give to others. I offer patience, encouragement, support, a cheerful word, the gift of a smile, forgiveness, and most of all, appreciation. Whatever I put out always comes back to me. I have the opportunity to bless those around me every day. 


Words to live by.



Today would have been my 27th wedding anniversary. So, I'm up in the wee hours and wrote this long diatribe against that psychopath I was married to, and how I realize that I am better off now without him and how some day soon I will go more than 24 hours without thinking about him . . . and be able to (choke) forgive him . . . yadda yadda yadda  Seriously, it was like three pages long. So, instead, I'm making today about ME: LizzieAlone. 

Marilyn's Quilt

I think I told you about this consignment quilt I've been working on. It is for a woman who lost her husband about 10 years ago (to death, not madness). I've used his shirts for this quilt. She wanted something "swirly" so I hope this will fit the bill. I just need to finish up the binding and complete four pillow covers. 

We've been having days of rain here in Maine so the girls have been a bit stir crazy lately. Then, yesterday I worked all day, so they were ready to GO when I got home. I love this first picture - all four front legs are off the ground.

Miss Lucy is still a speed freak, even in her dotage. She's running so fast, her ears are blowing back. 

 Unlike, slowpoke Sophie, having a little salad here before her entree.

A few of my favorite things this morning (other than quilting and the girls):
-Listening to Pavorotti singing the aria, None Shall Sleep, by Puccini
-Using the rose soap my mom gave me; smells so good
-A second cup of rain forest nut coffee-yum
-Email from two of my bestest friends, Glo and Lu
-The wind ruffling the lake as the fog burns off
My affirmation today says, I am at home in the universe.  Indeed.

My friend Sue came over for a sewing day and lunch. We both needed to get some bindings on and it is nice to have a diversion, this so not being my favorite quilting activity.

smiling or gritting her teeth? you be the judge-ha

I spotted this little family paddling past

And, let me tell you, it was AGONY cutting in to my first batik from Bali! Oh, I didn't want to do it. Just four strips for binding but I'm telling you, it hurt! I hope I don't have this much trouble with every one of the 171 meters (!) I brought home. Zoiks! Sue even said, Don't Do It! Big help she is.

So awesome to look at the pattern and know how it was done.

Memorial Day

So, remember how I told you what a great kid my nephew is? Well, check this out. Will (age 13) decided he wanted to sew a vest for himself and, except for a little help from Auntie with the shoulders and the buttons, ta da!

 Kind of a perfect day today because I spent the morning sewing with Will, then took my mower in to be sharpened and the man said, well before you spend the money, why don't you go home and tighten this screw and loosen this one, and see how it goes. So I took it home and found a giant screwdriver and did as he advised and it worked! It's the little things, you know?

So, I spent the afternoon outside, got the lawn mowed and the beds cleaned up. Moved the woodpile and threw down some grass seed. My shady perennials are all coming in nicely as you can see.

 Chris is working on my new dock - so excited about that.

 Life is beautiful, n'est pas?

My sister and her husband and my beloved newphew, Will, are visiting me from Massachusetts. I met them at the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder where the alewives are running. Such an amazing sight always. (Track star Will is on crutches with a fractured tibia.)

climbing up the fish ladder

Happy gulls dining on sushi

 I used my new Fiore sesame oil and honey-ginger balsamic to make a fabulous (if I do say so myself) chicken and veggie stir-fry for dinner. It's nice to cook for more than just me for a change.

I gave Will his udeng brought back from Bali - he looks the part, doesn't he? (well, except for the braces) He is such a great kid.

And, not to bore you but I have to show you my newest oil cloth - came in the mail yesterday. Can't wait to get busy with it. oooooh, loving the color.

I had so much fun with my friend, Sue, yesterday. We went to Rockland for some errands, had lunch at Rustica - fabu as always - and then went for a tasting at Fiore, right on the harbor. First time going there after meaning to for a year or more.

recognize the Bali bag?

 First of all, the shop is beautiful and clean. The containers on this wall are all balsamic vinegars. (The olive oils are on the opposite wall. And, oh the olive oils . . . )We tasted a 12-year old balsamic, an 18-year old (my fave), and a 35-year old! That one was a little overpowering, I thought. We got quite an education and tasted 4 or 5. This is not your grocery store bought balsamic- you will not believe the difference. Sue bought an 18-year old and a vanilla balsamic and we both bought a fig balsamic, which I will use on my salad from now on. It paired beautifully with the medium flavored olive oil from Portugal that we both bought. I also bought some sesame oil which, when paired with the honey ginger balsamic was to die for - think stir fry or thai food. yum!

35-year old balsamic - cost a bloody fortune

The ladies working in the shop were so knowledgable and obviously enjoyed sharing their knowledge. Did you know that extra virgin olive oil contains the antioxidants beta-carotene and Vit E as well as phenolic compounds? And that the EVOO you buy in the grocery store is usually only 3% EVOO! And, is way past the normal life expectancy, which on average is 12 months? In contrast, the stuff we were tasting was pure and fresh, no more than 3 months old. And, what a difference in taste! Not to mention so much better for you. Also, we found out that when the balsamic in the grocery store says it's from Modena, it is NOT. Who knew?? Anyhoo, you have got to go - you won't be sorry.

 We stopped at Beth's farmstand on the way home while the rain held off, but only briefly. Look at that sky.

 The girls got new beds today. Coordinated to Mummy's quilt, of course, and as I write this morning, the usual doggie heads aren't in my lap or nudging my elbow, but in the bedroom in their new beds. Everybody likes something new now and then, right?