Third Street Neighborhood

More scrappy houses, this time for a wedding. I found the Third Street Neighborhood quilt pattern on Etsy and though I'm usually not a fan of black and white prints, this particular pattern--with its colorful doors--intrigued me. I originally planned to bind the quilt with the same fabric used for the backing--a pure white with black and gray Queen Anne's lace print--but at the last minute was inspired to use the same solid red as a couple of the doors. I am still undecided if that was a good design choice, although everyone who saw the finished quilt loved the red binding. I am just a pastel sort of person at heart. The quilting is a whimsical design with hearts and spirals, reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, which softens both the bold colors and geometrical shapes and suggests a Home Is Where The Heart Is theme.

We delivered the quilt this weekend to Rob and Courtney's wedding, which was a completely lovely event.

Suburbs

I first saw the Suburbs quilt on display at Fabric Depot and it instantly became a favorite.  Even better, the pattern was in the discounted section of the Outdoor Sale for only a few dollars.  I'm not sure why, but I've found some of my favorite quilt patterns in the Outdoor Sale.  There's something about flipping through a basket of discontinued patterns, looking for a bargain.  Or maybe I'm better at focusing when there are not aisles upon aisles of patterns competing for my attention.  The Suburbs pattern is very fat-quarter-friendly, with little waste.  Each fat quarter makes four houses and four doors.  I used fat quarters from my stash for a scrappy look, a marbled blue for the winter sky, and a spirally quilting pattern that evokes images of snow swirling around houses where everyone is snuggled inside by a fire.  I probably need to live in Connecticut or Vermont or somewhere that actually gets snow; perhaps that would end my purely romantic view of snowy landscapes and winter wonderlands.

The only thing better than a scrappy quilt is a scrappy baby quilt and this one is for Baby R.  A bunting was also made that was oh-so-cute, but for reasons unknown, no picture was taken. 

Latest Obsession

My latest obsession is cake pops.  When Cara announced she will marry in August (in our back yard!), I immediately began my internet search on 'backyard' weddings.  Though the dinner will be catered, Cara wants a dessert table with favorites provided by family and friends.  Cake pops abound in lavish displays of wedding goodies on Pinterest and I decided to give them a try, though  I've never been a fan of the traditional cake pop.  Being a cake connoisseur, the idea of taking light and fluffy cake, reducing it to crumbs, mixing it with frosting then mushing it all together in a ball seems quite disgusting to me.  And I've had one or two that were made that way ... ick.  But I have seen those cute little appliances produced by Babycakes and, as I have never met a kitchen appliance I didn't like, determined that might be the way to go.  Not readily finding a Babycakes cake pop maker on the shelves of local department stores (though Amazon and Ebay are adequately stocked), I picked up a Nordic Ware cake pop pan at Target. 

Prior to testing out the pan, I read many internet reviews, as well as debates on the methods used to create the perfect cake pop.  Who knew cake pops could be a controversial subject?!?  Fans of the mush & smush method routinely criticized the cake balls that the Nordic Ware pan produced, and there were a few pictures of baking disasters where the pan either refused to release the cake or the overfilled/underfilled pan produced shapes that did not resemble a round ball.  Still, there were a few reassuring reviews that led me to believe that this pan could perhaps produce a decent cake pop.

Anna's birthday provided the perfect opportunity to test out the pan.  The recipe that came with the pan produced a fudgy, brownie like cake and I used Ghirardelli chocolate from the Decorette Shop for the coating.  The technique of dipping the stick in a bit of melted chocolate, inserting it into the cake then freezing the pops before dipping--widely recommended by all internet reviewers--is a definite must.  Not only does it keep the cake on the stick, but the chocolate hardens a bit faster, producing a smoother surface. 

The cake pops were a hit at Anna's party and very yummy.  The cake was very moist and the texture was perfect.  Though I underfilled the first batch a bit, by the second batch I had learned the exact amount of batter needed to make the perfect sphere.  Though many recommended using a pastry bag to fill the pan, my tablespoon cookie scoop worked perfectly.  Clean up was a breeze, just a swipe of the sponge with a bit of dish soap was all that was needed.

By August, I should have this down.  And hopefully I will find a cake pop display rack, although the inside of an orange juice squeezer worked just fine this time around.

A Dream Come True

Shortly before Christmas, I dreamt Michelle had her baby and named her Macy.  At the family Christmas Eve gathering, everyone tried to get Michelle and Greg to reveal the chosen name, without success.  When Terri texted Tuesday morning that the baby had arrived but she had no details, I logged into Facebook, knowing Michelle's proclivity for cute baby posts.  Sure enough, the announcement was there and no one was more surprised than me to see the chosen name.

Welcome, sweet Macy Jane!

Stardate 2014.32

A perfect moment in time is often unanticipated, usually unplanned, and dependent entirely upon random circumstances coalescing to create a memorable experience.  To be sure, its perfection lies in the randomness, in that any conscious effort expended to create a perfect moment will almost certainly detract from the final product.

So it was that the events leading up to my Saturday lunch date with Ben in Santa Cruz did not in any way foreshadow the perfection of the actual event.  Indeed, it was with much sadness that I texted Ben on Friday to let him know I would not make it to dinner that night as planned.  That Ben did not respond to my text deepened my anxiety that the change in plans had saddened him as well.  Logistics of a trip to Santa Cruz from the conference hotel in Santa Clara seemed overly complicated and a bit expensive:  A $25 taxi ride to the San Jose airport to pick up a car, Friday night traffic on Hwy. 17, a return trip from the airport back to the hotel, and just a few hours to pull it off.

Resigned to returning to Portland witout seeing Ben, I attended the College Fair reception on Friday night, somewhat subdued and disconsolate.  As I expressed my frustration with being so close to Ben and yet so far away, my Stanford colleague--obviously more observant than I--remarked that she had noticed a Hertz car rental desk when she had checked into the hotel.  I perked up.  This was opportunity presenting itself.  Walking back to my roon, I sought out the Hertz desk and, though closed for the night, noted that they opened at 9 am.

I fell asleep considering the possibilities.  As a Council Member, I should really attend the 8 am business meeting.  OK, I can do that.  Check out of the hotel prior to 8 am, then go to the business meeting.  Take my luggage so that, when slipping out of the meeting at 9 am, everone will just assume I have an early flight.  Be at the Hertz desk at 9 am.  Paperwork will take a few minutes, so assume arrival in Santa Cruz around 10:30 am.  Back to the hotel by 1:30 pm to get a taxi to the airport for a 3:45 pm flight means leaivng Santa Cruz by 12:30.  Wait.  I'm TSA-Pre.  That status will buy me a few more minutes in Santa Cruz.

The business meeting was interminably long.  At 9 am I slipped out.  No one at the Hertz desk.  Really?  Please don't pick this day to be late.  Only 10 minutes late, no big deal.  Nice guy.  A sudden thought:  Can I drop the car at the San Jose airport instead of the hotel?  A negative shake of the head as fingers tap the keyboard ... but, wait.  Study the screen for a second.  A grin.  Are you by yourself?  (Depends on why you are asking ....)  How would you like a free upgrade?  (Starting to sound good ....)  I've got a car that has to go back to the San Jose airport and you can have it ... but you wanted an economy car ... and this is ... (wait for it) a Ford Mustang convertable.  Bright blue.  An inquiring gaze.  I grinned.  He grinned some more.  Deal sealed.

The drive down was marvelous.  Through Mountain View, where Peter will work this summer.  Through Los Gatos, where the Woz resides.  Up the now familiar High Street and right at the barn.  To the Merrill parking lot.  Then Ben.  Happy boy.  Big hug.  Lots of stories.  Selfies to fot@graysky.  Too much food.  Leftovers packed for Ben.  Chocolate chip skillet cookie with vanilla ice cream.  Back to the Mustang, with Ben's approval to lower the roof.  Back to campus with the sun shining and the air smelling like a redwood forest and the ocean shimmering in the distance.  A happy, full boy going off to study Chinese in the forest.  And for me, a trip back to San Jose, wind in my hair, sun on my neck, the bluest possible sky above, and a free first class upgrade awaiting me.

Two Blankies

Joshua arrived earlier this month and we finally got to meet him on Saturday and deliver his recently completed blankie, which, I now realize, is photographically undocumented ... except for pictures of the sleeping boy snuggled up, cozy and warm, which, after all, are the best kind of pictures.  The pattern is BabyDROPS 18-16 and while I don't care for their naming conventions, I sure like the free patterns at the DROPS Design site.

The second blankie for the March baby, who I am currently calling Macy because her parents refuse to reveal the chosen name, is also finished, and two whole months before the due date.  

Also a BabyDROPS pattern, I was intrigued with the asymmetrical design.  My first step prior to starting any project is a Ravelry search for the pattern; I like seeing all of the finished projects and reading the reviews and helpful tips.  I was a bit surprised by the number of knitters who changed this pattern to make it symmetrical. I personally find asymmetry refreshing. The original pattern is a chart--not my favorite--and one lovely Raveler provided a written translation, which I immediately printed out and substituted for the chart.  One section of the pattern is fairly complicated, and by complicated I mean it has lots and lots of yarn overs and of course one of those yarn overs is going to get missed and mess up the whole section.  Which happened more than once, both times while at the beach, a venue not conducive to recovering from a knitting crisis.  The first time the project was stuffed into the bag and abandoned until I returned home; the second time my gracious hostess and fellow crafter Mary produced a much needed crochet hook, the crisis was solved and progress continued.

While a significant number of Ravelers chose to change this pattern, I followed the instructions exactly and am pleased with the results, although I would now make one small change.  There are 14 knit and purl rows (k,p,p,k) between each section; however, after the last section, the bind off is completed after only two knitted rows.  While I don't mind (again) the asymmetry, the edge has a tendency to roll even after blocking.  I think this problem would be solved with a few more knit and purl rows prior to binding off.

NY-DC-NY

Most of the month of October was spent on the East Coast, starting with a Joint Council meeting in New York City at the end of September.  Fortuitously--or, come to think of it, maybe it was actually planned that way--the first ever Campus Need Analysis Roundtable started the day after Joint Council in Baltimore.  Being a bit fuzzy on the actual distance between NYC and Baltimore, I asked Heather for travel advice on how to get from one meeting to the next and she graciously invited me to join her road trip since she also planned to participate in the Roundtable. 

Before hitting the road, however, Heather was the speaker at The Spence School's Financial Aid for Parents night.  After a quick car tour around New York City, we headed to The Spence School and, arriving a bit early, relaxed on the roof, which provided a grand view of Central Park.  The FA Night went well and I made myself useful by advancing the .pptx slides.  The trip to Baltimore was uneventful and very fun and the Roundtable was very worthwhile.

After the Roundtable, I returned home for a few days, then flew to Washington DC for the fall Financial Aid Standards and Services Advisory Committee, which was held in Alexandria this year.  Having never been to DC, Craig decided to accompany me, despite the government shut down. Unlike prior years, it was rainy and cold; Craig had to buy a coat for his Capitol Mall explorations. Flying in a day early, we were able to take the bus to Mt. Vernon and explore President Washington's home on the Potomac. Maintained by private donations, it was not affected by the federal government shut-down.

Returning from Washinton, DC, I was actually at home for a whole week before flying to New York City for the College Board National Forum. Still recovering from a nasty cold I picked up at FASSAC, I spent lots of time in my hotel room.  On the 39th floor. I have concluded that big urban cities are much more appealing from a high floor of a Hyatt or Hilton.

President Obama was speaking in The Bronx, making the afternoon commute to the airport long and tedious. Taking surface streets to JFK, my driver pointed out the different neighborhoods along the way and shared his immigration story and I'll never grow tired of hearing that the United States has offered economic opportunity and freedom from tyranny and poverty.  And, maybe best of all, that educational opportunity is abundant, accessible, treasured and utilized.