This Evening's Sunset

The View From Apt 6

The enjoyment of this evening's sunset was heightened by:

:A double long chat with Mamacat (with a surprise chime in from HH)

:A spritzer

:A good mini-run

:The last of the bolognese

:A satisfyingly successful day at the office

:A brainstorm about a new hanging that will be sewn, soon

:Savoring last piece of chocolate sent via UPS from the Universe

:Anticipation for things to come

:Thankfulness for the way things are in this very moment

XO TEREZ

Herbertpalooza 2011

The Menu

Sing A Song With Uncle John
(Baby Marching Band)

Get Some Candy With Uncle Andy

Have A Ball With Uncle Paul

Toss A Hat On Uncle Matt

Poppi "Dunk Tank"

Swedish Fish Toss

Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing Reel Big View

The Zoo

Sea-Faring With Mamacat and HH

HH On The Lookout

All Roads Lead To Mamacat

Extra High Low-Tide

Dino-Sized Driftwood

Shorter Days/Longer Shadows

Hard to believe that two weeks have already sped by since Mamacat, HH and I took a trip to the Oregon Coast. We stopped at our favorite agate-hounding spot, which I can't give away, only to find that the low-tide was a really high one. The waves were tremendous--low shelves, quick sputters and falls, and the usually exposed agate field was about 30 feet out. Aw well. We still found time to hit Dorey Cove for Sea-Farers (giant Crab Louis) and the Tilamook Cheese Factory (I'll have you know their cheddar was rated the best medium cheddar in the world in 2010, and you can buy it for $3.29 at Trader Joe's, nationally) for ice cream and squeaky cheese. I ate too much for dinner at Camp 18 on Highway 26, but I did leave room for Tilamook Beef Jerky. I ate the whole bag in the back seat, which explains my lack of appetite.

Next episode: Herbertpalooza!

XO Terez

Hoctober

Porch Pumpkin Planter

Summer Sneaks In

Saturate-Sun

From the Heart and Hands

If you stumbled upon this post you might think it was mid summer with the blooms and saturated color...but it's the second week in October. Somehow we got lucky and after a brief cool spell last week Columbus Day Weekend has been sunny, clear and in the 80s, all three days. Unbelievable. We're all enjoying it, but can't help but wonder if this is Mother Nature's way of saying she's going to wallop us this winter. 

XO Terez

What's the Stitchy?

With Sprinkles On Top

Any idea what's going on in this photo? I'll give you the sitchy on the stitchy in my next post.

XO Terez

There Is Only One HH

HH channeling Harrison Ford

I'm going to let you in on a not-so-secret-secret: my father is a hot ticket.

Not only has he:

Romanced the woman of his dreams, Mamacat, with trips to the beach, Friday night dates, ballroom dance lessons, piano lessons and long drives around Mt. Hood, he has...

Become the number one "Poppi" for his nine grandkids with an endless supply of animal crackers, giant pumpkin patches, a double decker built-from-scratch play house, his endless patience and his pure joy at being a grandfather. But that's not all...

For us five kids, he's been a living example of a person who is living his best life. He's the kind of guy people call on to help them move during all seasons, he stays after gatherings until everything is washed, dried and put away, he gives away his best agates and seashells to the families he meets at the beach, he shows us the value of an honest day's work and has taught us to do an excellent job and try our best all of the time--not just when other people are watching--because it's the right way to live. Because of my father I have watched three of my four brothers become exceptional fathers in their own right and I know that my baby brother will some day follow in their footsteps.

So: to the ladies, the kids, the grandkids of the world: I know HH is a hot ticket. And it doesn't hurt that he has a square jaw and a cleft chin and can channel Harrison Ford. But he's our HH, so you'll have to find your own.

Happy Father's Day, Dad--I love you!

XO Sis

There is Only One Mamacat

Mamacat and "My Angel" 1978

My mom was an original hipster in Portland before all the yahoos started moving there and has the hipster glasses, cute baby girl, trendy dress, hand crocheted afghan and cute renaissance man (taking the photo) love story to prove it.

{How did this happen?}

In 1976 my father ended up on a sight-seeing tour in Salt Lake City with two older Mormon missionary ladies on a whim to see the Salt Lake Temple. He joined one of the said ladies at a family friend's barbecue. He put together a plate of food started sauntering across the lawn, saw the most beautiful woman in the world and wouldn't you know it, tripped on a garden hose and dropped his food into her lap.

That renaissance man was my father. And the most beautiful woman in the world? My mother. It was her dad's barbecue.

HH asked Mamacat out for a date (remember, he was only in town for a few days!) and she said yes.

Three days later HH told Mamacat she should marry him and she told him he was crazy.

He went back to Portland, but guess what?

Eight days after she told him he was crazy, she decided he was right.

34 years, five kids, six grandkids and three cats later they are still the most happily married couple I know.

Six months after she said yes they were married. Mamacat packed it all up in the 'blue honey moon pickup' and they drove to Montana (to meet the new in-laws) and after vehicle trouble (Grandpa D said, "you're going to break down if you haul all of those books!"--and he was right!), meeting the in-laws (rumor is Grandma and Grandpa H picked them up in their pickup and Mamacat rode with them--next to Grandma H smoking cigarillos with a  beehive hairdo up to the roof) repairing the honey moon pick up, honey mooning on the Oregon Coast and settling into a teey tiny house off SE Duke street, they decided they were going to need a bigger house. Then I was born.

Mamacat and Terez's First Thanksgiving with Cousin

It's hard to put into words how much my mother means to me. Instead I'll treat her to a list of reasons why I love her so. Because really, this post is for her:

10. Because she went face to face with Mrs. Edner who gave me a B+ in 6th grade study hall because I didn't make 100% attendance due to chicken pox.

9. Because she had hipster glasses way before I did.

8. Because she got on the carousel with me at Jantzen Beach to just cheer me up after I graduated from University of Oregon and the job prospects weren't looking great.

7. Because she gave me my love of reading: "Teresa, my eyes just aren't happy unless they are reading a book."

6. Because she gave me my love of libraries. We both worked at one through college.

5. Because she's not just Mamacat to us kids but to our friends and in-laws, too.

4. Because she loves each of my brothers and I just the way we each individually need to be loved.

3. Because she didn't get mad when I told her I was going to move to Boston. Instead she made me a polar bear quilt to keep me warm here.

2. Because we talk on the phone nearly every single day, even though we live on opposite coasts and three time zones apart. She never gets mad when I call at 5 or 6 a.m.

1. Because she has always said, "Teresa, no one will ever love you as much as your mother [except your father]" and she has proved it.

I love you Mamacat!

XOXO Your Angel

Mamacat Today

A Quilt for Grandpa-Grandpa on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday

One More Row to Go

Yesterday I spent some quality time stitching in the studio with the Norwegian Knitter. Now that the new window treats are up it is so much cooler and enjoyable to be back there this time of year and it's really hard to pull myself away.  For all of the hours I spend in there,  I can never seem to finish anything because I am too distracted/discouraged by the Black Hole Craft Closet.

This abyss holds all of my fabric...and most of my beads...and most of my carving materials...and all of my holiday decorations...and all of my empty shoe boxes I might need someday...and three unused yoga mats...and a broken Hello Kitty sewing machine...you get the idea.

At 7:30 a.m., after an hour of birding, I was fed up with the looming closet.  I was getting sucked in by the magnetic-color-wheel-explosion-pull and order needed to be returned.

I pulled everything out of the closet and was determined to regoranize so I could actually get to my fabric stash. That left me facing this:

Reality

What a mess! I post this to show you I am not Martha by a long shot.


And then I unearthed a real treasure.  Something I had started last summer.  Something that I had been meaning to finish and never got to after Hello Kitty gave out:  A Kaffe Fasset charm quilt.  I had five nine-patch blocks finished and just needed to complete four more to have a finished top. I dusted off and oiled the Singer 301 and got to work.

One More Row II

I kept sewing and sewing...and guess what? I came to the conclusion I am not a great sewer...yet.  My seams are crooked and I have no idea how to nest properly when I iron, but once I got the top up in the window to take a look, I was thrilled (big reveal in a moment).

I love how the colors and the prints play, and the way the rows trickle down like the seasons--pale winter/spring bursts at the top, failling into bright spring/summer patches and finally the saturated summer/autumn tiles complete the cycle.

I was pretty happy with my 81 patches. And then I got to thinking...Grandpa Grandpa is going to be 90 years old next Saturday. If I added one more row of nine patches, I'd have 90 squares. And I have been wanting to make him a lap quilt.

Bam! Brilliant! Of course--this will be a lap quilt for Grandpa-Grandpa on the occasion of his 90th birthday!

I got to back to work. Brewed a pitcher of Passion iced-tea for sustenance. Ate some yellow and chocolate cake. Got back on the sewing machine (oh how I have missed her!)

Passion Tea

A few more pins, seams, tucks and 'oh shoot' s later, I finished this:

Grandpa Grandpa's Quilt

Now: I have to beg Mamacat and HH to back and bind the thing, because I have no idea how to do that...yet. I've got to get to the Post Office and Priority Mail this sucker! I'll keep you posted. And for the record, I hauled down about 20 cubic feet of junk to curb-cycle, and it's all gone. But the studio is still trashed, and that's ok.

XO Terez

HH: The Original Hipster

HH and Greta, circa 1975

My dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

Sentence structure sound familiar? My friend Richard introduced me to a hilarious website: Dads: The Original Hipster. {Warning--I haven't dug too far back into the photo archives so there may be some NSFW photos or captions in there} After reviewing a few entries I could see that HH, Renaissance Man, was just as, if not hipper than these yahoos.

I remembered seeing this old holiday card from his bachelor days (pre-Mamacat and five kids) and lo and behold, I found it in my photo archive.

I showed it to a few friends and they all had the same response: "Awesome!" and immediately after: "what kind of material is that shirt?"

After the fourth query today I rang up HH on my lunch break.

ME: "Dad!?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?" <----HH has a funny way of drawing out his yesses that just cannot be replicated via the written word

ME: "I have an important question for you."

DAD: "What is it, kiddo?"

ME: "You know that holiday card? The one of you and your German Shepard, Greta?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess..?"

ME: "You know that shirt that you are wearing? With the long pointy collar--the brown one?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?"

ME: "What in the heck is it made out of?"

DAD: "Oh that one? It's pretty bad, I think it is fake leather, like vinyl."

ME: "What? Really?!"

DAD: "Yes. And you know what is even better?"

Wait for it--wait for it:

DAD: "I sewed it myself!"

Bam!

HH wins, hands down. HH, Renaissance Man, was at the sewing machine before it became all trendy and hip.

Like I said, my dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

XO Terez

Chez Terez 101

Good New Bears

Good News! 

I can hardly believe this myself, but we've reached the

~* ~*101st post of *~*~
~* ~* Chez Terez *~*~

{!!}

I wasn't keeping watch for it myself, the milestone sort of snuck up on my when I was reviewing the stats for the LollyCake Ladies write-up. Not only is the LollyCake Ladies my number one most read post of all time, it happened to be post number 100!

Floss Box

For those who have been with me for the splendiferous ride: thank you. For those who are new to the color-wonder-creative-blogspot that is Cherz Terez, I bring you a 101 course, and encourage you to scroll through back posts. As my friend Marielle said, it is a wondrous thing when you come across a new-to-you blog and can spend the day browsing old musings.

Chez Terez is my blog, myself being the one Miss Teresa Marie, a jewelry/embroidery/stitching/knitting/baking/apartment gardening/cooking/hostessing/birding extraordinaire.

Windowsill Horticulturist

I love things green and growing, feathery and flying, colorful and sparkling and I love to make things in my little studio and to see things on my rambling walks and share them.

Spring Wire Work

Writing this blog has blessed me beyond measure. It has helped me to slow down. It has taught me to take the time to take a look at what is around me and see the shapes and color. It has shown me the beauty of taking a detour to explore the insides of buildings so I can see the sun shine through colored glass.

Architectual Detail

This blog has given the opportunity to collaborate cross-country with my dear parents, Mamacat and HH, and to share with dear friends including The Norwegian Knitter, The Singer, The KimKitch, Grandma Rue, The Other Mother Quilter, The Chicken Lady, Angela-Girl, and others.  It helps me stay in touch with my dear creative sisters-in-law and their little flock of my beloved nephews and niece.

Fabric for Fussy Cut

I love a little bit of trivia so here are some fun facts:

The top five most popular Chez Terez posts of all time are:

1. LollyCake Ladies
2. Re-Upholstery
3. Last Day of February
4. High Tea at the Heathman with Mamacat
5. HH: Renaissance Man

Easter Earrings

Chez Terez has welcomed readers from across the U.S. and from the UK, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and France.  Unbelievably, yesterday, I had my 4,000th hit!

Mamacat Cross-Country Collaboration

So welcome, bienvenidos, willkomen, bienvenue, tak! I'm so glad you are here. And thank you.

XO TEREZ

Winter Blooms to the Rescue

Extreme Close-Up

Yes, yes, I should know better. When the New England mercury hit 60 degrees on Friday, I was ready to swap my wool for cotton and ditch the puffy Tootsie-Roll Coat.

Not so fast, my friends. Mother Nature is such a tease sometimes. The 60 degrees did us good: it melted snow piles that were shoulder-high to hip- or knee-high, and I finally, truly, stopped worring about my roof caving in. But in someways it was a cruel break before today's face-numbing-in-the-teens-wind-chill lows.

At least the sun has been making scattered appearances, hurrah! Yesterday's rays gave me the chance to experiment with my new camera and the Extreme Focus mode (as evidenced above by the teeny, tiny flower blown up to mega proportions) with the plant HH and I picked up last week:

Actual Size

Nothing like a pretty pink flower in a pretty pink pot to perk up the dog days of winter.

XOXO Terez

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

Two Halves of the Same Whole

I'm coming off a few weeks that feel the the movie Groundhog Day.

Work, eat, sleep, entertain, travel, repeat. I don't see the word "craft" or "create" in there. Hmmm.

This weekend I was unexpectedly out of town so the craft studio remained empty over the three-day holiday, boo! It's ok, though, it's still there waiting for me and my long flights left me time to brainstorm a few ideas I want to execute.

First up: those cute little nutshells above. When HH was in town I found unshelled walnuts at Polcari's in the North End for $3.50 a pound. We picked out 15 nuts that looked that they might pop in half with a little coaxing.

One paring knife and 10 minutes later, we lost five shells to the cause and ended up with ten perfect pairs.

I've seen a few ideas for these treasure boxes from nature:

Baby cradle ornament
Pirate ship
Money box
Inspiration box
Hinged treasure box
Secret message container
Tiny candle holder

I'll let you know what I decide on.

XO Terez

Sunset Scarf: Complete!

Sunset Scarf Warding Off 20 Degree Temps

I'm verrry pleased to share that I have been knitting through the six Un-Finished Objects I listed a few weeks ago:


1. Double Basket Weave Scarf (1/4 of the way done)
2. Sunset Scarf (1/3 of the way done)
3. Matt's Christmas Scarf (1/2 of the way done)
4. Candy Apple Red Watch Hat (4/5 of the way done)
5. Seawaves scarf (1/3+ of the way done)
6. Basket Weave Scarf (4/5 of the way done)

Oooh it feels good to use that strikethrough font!

Up above you'll see the most recent piece hot-off-the-needles: the Sunset Scarf. Originally I intended it to have some other shades of pink, as well as yellow and orange but when I was halfway through I just didn't like the way the colors were behaving, so I ripped them out. Four hours of work down the drain but I like the final result.

And no, I didn't make the hat (I wish!). I found that lovely little number on sale at LL Bean this weekend with HH for under $10.

Now I must find innerstrength and not:

1. buy anymore yarn until UFOs 1, 3 and 4 are complete
2. not cast on any more projects until UFOs 1, 3 and 4 are complete

I'll let you know how my resolve holds up.

Stay warm!

XO Terez

HH: Renaissance Man

Valentine Heart tatted by HH

My father is a renaissance man. He gardens. He woodworks. He cooks. He can redo an apartment for less than $1,000. He hunts. He camps. He ballroom dances with my mother. And? He tats lace:

Baby Bonnet Crown for Pending Little Herbert Girl

He taught himself to tat almost 35 years ago. Every couple of years he'd pick up his shuttle and thread and crank out a pair of baby booties for a pending niece or nephew. I think he taught himself from a book and my great-grandmother on Mamacat's side worked with him a bit.

Valentine doily for TH by HH

When retirement came a calling, HH had more time to work on his tatting skills. He started tatting bookmarkers (as he calls them) for many of the friends he's made through the years. He's done all colors, and here is his latest, started on the plane ride here and finished this weekend:

HH's Bookmarker

The first two photos in this post--the Valentine Heart and the Baby Bonnet Crown--he completed during this trip. Ahem, he finished three of those Valentine Hearts and the baby bonnet is much farther along! It is amazing to watch my father work on this dying art.

Mini-Hearts Chained Lace

Three cheers to HH for spending Valentine's with me and three cheers to Mamacat for letting him come ;)

XOXO Terez

Harvard Museum of Natural History Inspiration Sunday

Harvard Museum of Natural History Inspiration Sunday:
Flora, Fauna, Rock, Crystal

All You Need Is Love

OXO I Love You So!

I don't usually feel squashed by the weather but the every-three-day-storm-cycle, ice, snow, dirty snow, slippery walks to work, clouds, snowy-heavy-roof-disasters have got even this Pollyanna down. I haven't wanted to craft. I've only wanted to sleep. My usual tonic, hot cocoa, has been no help.

However, excellent news! HH (my super dad) is coming for a visit. Even better, he's arriving a day earlier than I thought. He'll be here tomorrow. I picked up his favorite beverage (Pepsi--in mini cans, so cute!) and treat (cinnamon candies--Hot Tamales) so he'll feel right at home.

The snow is melting. My roof looks a lot safer than it did yesterday (knock on wood!). I made a fresh batch of Mamacat's Low Fat Bacon and Cheddar Dip (sounds like an oxymoron, no? I'll share the recipe another time) and put out some crudite and Ruffles. I'm giving hot cocoa another shot. I'm going to work on my Sunset Scarf and veg and watch some entertainment news and be thankful I am warm, safe, healthy and think about my beloved family and friends. All you need is love.

XO Terez