The Olde World Quilt Shoppe

You know you are approaching Phoenix when you start to see the big Saguaro Cactus everywhere.

Some Saguaro's live to be 150 years old. It takes around 75 years just to grow an arm.

The flowers appear from April to May and open up at night.

A few days ago a reader on my blog saw that I was in the Phoenix area visiting my daughters.

Merumo of Pleasentree blog left me a comment and told me about a quilt store that is in Scottsdale called "The Olde World Quilt Shoppe".

After helping my daughter move this morning, I drove over for a quick visit to the store.

The Olde World Quilt Shoppe just celebrated their first anniversary and is owned by sisters Dee Grantham and Whitney Erickson.

Whitney showed me some of the new projects featured in her store.

They really have done an amazing job decorating.

With a wonderful selection of fabrics. This wall had a lot of Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry.

They also had a section with Civil War and wools.

You can view their web site at http://www.theoldeworldquiltshoppe.com/

This is their current block of the month taught by Cheryl Miller. You can order the kit from them also.
Look at the beautiful detail of the applique.

As I was talking to Whitney, a beautiful woman approached me. To both of our surprise it was Merumo (in the orange top), who had left a comment on my blog! She introduced herself and we marveled that we both happened to be at the store at the very same moment.

Such a small world!

I thanked her for letting me know about this wonderful store. I will definitely be coming back.

They even had some wrapped bags that I am currently so interested in making.

If you are ever in the Scottsdale area, I highly recommend stopping by The Olde World Quilt Shoppe.

Splash Pad

One of the main reasons I've made this trip to Phoenix is to help daughter #1 move. But there still has been plenty of time for fun.

Daughter #2 and I took the boys to the splash pad at Santan Village Shopping Center. This is a beautiful place to shop. And the splash pad is designed around a wonderful play area for small children.

Noah is 16 months old and this was his first experience here. We watched him closely to see if he would be afraid of the sudden bursts of water spraying out of the holes.

Look at that expression. I wish I had a video camera because he was squealing with delight.

This is a "go for it" kind of kid.

Isaak (age 3) has been here before and knew what to expect. He liked to karate chop the water.

Meanwhile, Noah ran back and forth and continued to squeal at the top of his lungs.

This place has great energy. There is a wonderful crowd of parents all sitting around on the perimeter watching their children play. Everyone is smiling and happy.

Even though the splash pad is out side, they have placed a canopies around the area to provide welcome shade from that hot Arizona sun.

Noah kept sticking his head right into the stream of water, and then he would look up so surprised.

What a delight it is to be with these two happy little boys. Being a grandma is the best.

Phoenix Day 2

It's been a wonderful day here in Phoenix. My favorite part, of course, has been just being with my daughters and grandbabies.

This morning I went to my grandson's first set of swimming lessons.

Isaak is 3 and he goes to the lesson with his cousin Sophia.

They are best friends.

Fortunately Isaak loves water. He was excited to learn how to do the back float.

I remember the relief I felt when my children became "water safe". I'm glad to see my daughter is working towards the same goal.

My son-in-law Dano just opened his 2nd Costa Vida restaurant last week in Queen Creek, Arizona . He is a very hard worker for such a young man.

We headed over there today for lunch because I wanted to see the finished store.

The sign just went up yesterday.

The location is 21152 E. Rittenhouse Rd. Queen Creek, AZ

If you are in the area, make sure to stop by.

Costa Vida is a fresh-Mex restaurant, and all the ingredients are natural. There isn't even a microwave on the premise. The chili's for the salsa are fresh roasted and not out of a can. They make their own tortillas and grill their own chicken, etc.

I love their food!

The opening was last week and already the place was packed. We were there a little after the normal lunch hour and just about every table was full.

Queen Creek is quite a distance from their other location in Mesa, but the word is out about the quality and affordability at Costa Vida.

As you order your food they make it fresh right in front of you.

Amy had a pork burrito.

I had a mango chicken salad with a wonderful cilantro lime dressing. Yum, Yum!

I sure wish there was a Costa Vida in St. George!

The other Costa Vida is at 1744 So. Val Vista in Mesa

My daughter Amy is a busy mom with two little boys and #3 on the way.

Aren't they a beautiful family?

I did have a few minutes today to run into another quilt store in the area.

Zoe's Trunk is in Chandler, AZ

They don't allow any pictures to be taken inside the store, so this is all I can show you.

I picked up a few small things and they had a nice selection.

Phoenix Day 1

Our two oldest daughters live in the Phoenix area, so we drive their way often.
I left St.George early this morning and drove the 7 hours listening to a good book on tape that I checked out from the library.
Several friends had suggested "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. The set contains 32 CD's with 41 hours of listening. Hmmm... I don't think I'll get through them all this trip!

As I approached Phoenix I stopped by a quilt store I had never been to before.
Quilter's Bee is located in Peoria, Arizona. http://www.quiltersbeeaz.com/

They have a very friendly staff.

Since I have an interest in making baskets lately, this pattern caught my eye.

Next I went to one of my favorite quilt stores in the area. 35th Ave Sew & Vac is not a fancy place, but they offer an amazing selection of fabrics and patterns.

I loved this "Trip around the Star" in reds.

Their patterns were 25% off so I purchased The American Jane "Triple Crown Quilt".

There are bolts and bolts of fabric everywhere.

The store is laid out with entire sections designated to a theme. This is just part of the section containing Asian fabric.

One side of the book case.

The other rack of books. Patterns are in another section. So many choices!

They offer pre-made kits for most of the hanging quilts.

Now that I work for Superior Threads I had to check out their thread section. This was just one row. Yes, they carry a good selection of Superior Threads. I talked to one of the managers and she said as a longarmer her favorite thread is King Tut.

I also made a stop by Trader Joe's in Surprize, Arizona. My son works for Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, New York and it's one of my all time favorite stores. I sure wish they had Trader Joe's in Utah.

Then the most important part of the visit is to kiss on these faces.

Oh how I've missed them!

Look at how curly Noah's hair is. Tonight I've been continually running my fingers through his hair. (that is, when I haven't been kissing his little cheeks off).

I brought the boys a little bowling game that they can play in the hall. They found a perfect spot on the tile.

It kept them happy and busy the whole evening. Already Isaak's bowling score is way better than grandma's.