Picking Fabric and Apples

Wow! I took a little mini "vacate" to enjoy everything and re-grasp my mind, but I thought it was only for one week... Let's see... where to begin...

Thursday, after the tacos, I picked up my Step-Mom, Laureen (in photo with my daughters) from the airport. We went to Anaheim and Cerritos (she's a fellow crafter and sewer). FYI - for those of you who only shop at Jo-Ann's, Walmart, or Michael's... there is a whole 'nother world out there... M&L Fabrics in Anaheim has some really great deals. We found tons of fabric (flat-fold) for $1.69 a yard. Great deals! Also, we found fabric that was really hard to find... a little more expensive, but worth the price.

Stacy loves pigs. But "pig" fabric has been extremely hard to find. I guess nobody printed it this year (or last). At M&L, we found 2 types of pig fabric. I'm still looking for fleece with pigs on it, but found the fabric. (She wants a denim tote with "pig" lining.)

Laureen loves penguins. We found that there, too! Yay! Two birds with one warehouse! She wants a denim purse.

Then off to Cerritos to The Tall Mouse - one of the greatest craft stores ever made. Check it out! You can even order online from them! They are in the process of putting up their Christmas stuff, but they have some really cool autumn items for Halloween and Thanksgiving. On their website... they have free project sheets, as well. The Tall Mouse is also in Yorba Linda (tiny store) and Laguna Hills (never been there), but I'm much more familiar with the Cerritos store, as I have been going there since it first opened.
There, we encountered lots of "Dollar Deals" for the kids to make. Such a great find. Marissa has loves crafts, especially painting, so I spent a little there.

The following day (you all know I can't miss a sale...) we went to Redlands, where we arrived at the Hancock Fabrics sale...

Butterick Patterns are almost never on sale, and they were only $.99 that day. So, we went with a list. (I've found that going to the website [pattern manufacturer] the night before and looking at there catalog online, writing down the numbers and making my list, helps keep me more focused and Marissa less fussy.) Lucky us, Marissa fell asleep on the way there and stayed asleep for most of our visit!

The store itself is kind of cramped, but it was good news! They had added extra CLEARANCE BINS!!! Good going! Cone thread (3,000 yards) was in the bins at $.25 each! Hello! I stocked up. I got about $56 (minimum value) for $7... not bad... Then we found all kinds of other little deals... iron-on "butt" patches, jean glamour iron-ons, all at 80% off! We walked out of there with the excitement still bubbling.

Saturday was a couch potato day. It was fun. We ate good food and watched movies... Have you ever seen "The Lake House?" I cried. It was that good. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have such a wonderful chemistry together. It was hard to follow if you missed some of it, so we stayed glued. Also, if you are not "open-minded" to supernatural happenings, you might not like it. But if you like a good story, that is definitely different, check it out!

Next up, one of the Jason Bourne movies. Gotta love them! So action-packed and full of excitement, you stay on the edge of your seat throughout. My heart was still racing when the movie ended. Who says watching TV isn't aerobic exercise? Huh!

After our Saturday of rest, we trekked up the hill to go apple picking in Oak Glen. Riley's Apple Farm is one of my faves! We had our choice of Red Delicious, Macintosh, Glen Seedling, Spartan, and Jonathan. Some were tart, others were sweet. Some were for cooking, other were for eating. Unfortunately, the girls did not remember which ones they picked, so we had a grab bag and sometimes got the lucky bite!

Here is the Smilebox (interactive digital scrapbook) version of our excursion...

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Oak Glen is up the hill from Yucaipa and offers a wide range of things to do. It is beautiful! At this time of year, they have apple and berry picking on some of the orchards. After picking apples, we came down the hill a little to Oak Glen Village, which has a bunch of little shops offering crafts, novelty items, food, music, etc. First we checked out the animal museum.

Inside, you find a Disney-style entrance (rock formations) and set-up with many exhibits. There were both stuffed and live animals. Some were quite ugly (not all animals are cute); some were awesome (the endangered timber wolf was a sight!), and some were just plain creepy (crawly, too! They had bugs!).

Then we found the bakery! Of course! FOOD! We each enjoyed a slice of Mile-high Apple Pie a la Mode. It was quite the tasty way! Yum! The wait was long, but even that was worth it.

We checked out a couple of the craft stores... a little too pricey for my taste, but things we could make on our own for much less. Afterall, we knew where to get the fabric...

Then we went back to the museum for their "Exotic Cat Show". We were a couple of minutes late, so we sat in the back. Showing upon entry was a millipede who releases cyanide in minute amounts on contact. Just what I wanted to see... and touch... Next there was some kind of dragon (I forgot what kind...) who was very good at staying still. And so... I politely asked if we were in the right spot for the "Exotic Cat Show." I was told, "This is it." OK.... after more joking about the abilities of the dragon, it went away and we were brought to behold the attention of an African Serval (Cat). Beautiful and dangerous (this one was trained), the cat was awe-inspiring. It's eyes really do glow like that (just kidding!)! I still think "WOW!" And that was the show!

At the bottom of the hill, we hit an American icon... ye old favorite... an A&W Restaurant. It was so good. I haven't had it in so long. So I asked how much a gallon or root beer was... uh, what! "You don't sell it anymore... You are closing in a week!" Ugh! I guess we got there just in time. For those of you who travel to Yucaipa, the A&W Restaurant on Yucaipa Blvd. is no longer... it will be the "Fat Greek", probably as you are reading this...

And so, ends the first amount of time lost for my friends, family and blog readers. I'll finish the catch up a little later. Toodles for now! lisa