Happy Valley Quilter

I'm Back!

2011-06-24T14:34:00.001-06:00

Let's catch up…

you can find me at my new blog

LIFE: with sprinkles on top

Happy Birthday, Eileen!

2008-07-15T15:40:00.003-06:00

Make sure to stop by and wish our

dear friend, Eileen,

a very happy day!!!

(This is a picture of Eileen and her daughter.)

Chicago -- Part One

2008-07-08T10:02:00.011-06:00

***We interrupt this regularly scheduled lack of blogging to bring the the previously promised picture of our vacation to Chicago. Between wedding plans, family reunions and a long series of unexpected medical tests for Cabana Boy, consistent blogging has reached a new low!***
Goodbye, Happy Valley. We'll be back soon!!!
The Ballerina and Blondie get set for the plane ride. Blondie has a real talent for taking pictures of herself. :-) Remember...I left my camera at home, so I'm at the mercy of my girls.
Here's our humble abode that Cabana Boy found on Craig's List. Although it may look like a prison from the outside, the place was pretty nice inside. Just don't ask about the rats in the alley!!! We really enjoyed the neighborhood and all of the shops withing walking distance.
After we got settled into our condo we made a quick trip into the city. Of course, the first stop was the American Girl Place. The Ballerina emptied her piggy bank before we left in preparation for an AG shopping spree!
This place is little girl heaven. Big girls enjoy it, too! I think we were there for at least two hours and completely missed the downpour outside.

Mission complete!
Blondie must have taken this shot of the Ballerina and me as we walked across the square toward the water tower. Not my best side...oh, well.
Dream Girl and Blondie flashing gang signs (and pulling funny faces) in the Hershey's store.
Blondie loved the candy and the stuffed animals.
Me? I loved the cupcakes!

Oh, my goodness! The gal in the shop gave me and the Ballerina instructions on how to decorate cupcakes to look like theirs. We haven't yet had a chance to give it a try, but I'll be sure to post pictures when we do.
After an evening of shopping we made a stop at Giordano's for their famous stuffed pizza.We weren't three steps outside the restaurant door when Soccer Guy gets taken for an $8 shoe shine. You know, everyone needs their sports shoes shined. A sucker is born every minute!!! I'm pretty certain that this guy's magic polish was nothing more than Mop n' Glo in a water bottle. Welcome to the big city, son.
On Thursday we went to Navy Pier...
...and the girls headed straight to the stretched mirrors.

The kids enjoyed our spin on the swings...it just made me feel sick.
Later, we sat back and enjoyed an architectural cruise up the river. I posted one of the pictures from the boat ride on my last post, but decided not to bore you with more pictures of buildings. Instead you get to see a picture that Blondie took of herself on the boat. See, I told you she has talent.
Cabana Boy, Blondie, the Ballerina and Dream Girl playing in the fountain near Navy Pier.
That night we went to a ball game at historic Wrigley Field.
The Cubs took on the Atlanta Braves and won. It was a perfect evening for baseball.
Soccer Guy and Dream Girl are huge baseball fans. I'm sure Soccer Guy feels lucky to have found someone who enjoys and understands the game.
On Wednesday we spent a few hours at the Field Museum. That wasn't nearly enough time for College Girl, who went back for more later in the week.
That evening we went and saw Wicked, the musical, at the Oriental Theater. Our family saw Wicked in Los Angeles last year, but this was Dream Girl's first time.
The performance was fabulous and we all had a great time!

Thanks for stopping by. Just think...this post was nothing more than watching your neighbor's vacation slide show and you didn't even get up and leave. I feel flattered!!!

I'm going to have a special give away later this week, so be sure to stop back and get your name in the drawing!

Chicago Trip -- Part Two

2008-06-20T10:51:00.008-06:00

Hey! Long time, no post! Have you been wondering where I've been? Of course you have! LOL! The fam and I took a wild and wonderful trip to Chicago. Being the good blogger that I am, I loaded my camera into the docking station to charge the battery before leaving. A blogger's camera always has to be ready, you know. Well, guess where my camera was when I arrived in Chicago. Yep! At home in the docking station!!! No matter, though...everyone else in the family had their cameras, so I just use those.

I'm actually starting this travelogue with the second part the trip, since the pictures from the first part are on Cabana Boy's laptop.
What's a trip to Chicago without an elevator ride to the top of Sears Tower?
What a view! We were very fascinated by the spider outside the window of the observation deck. What the heck was he doing way up there?
It's much better to be safe and sound inside like Blondie.
Our future DIL, Dream Girl, is a humanities major and enjoyed going to the museums. Soccer Guy did a great job acting as though he really loved going too. We made a quick stop at the Chicago Institute of Art and then Blondie and I hit the Magnificent Mile for a little window shopping (no one can actually afford that stuff, can they?) while Cabana Boy and the Ballerina hit the beach of Lake Michigan. College Girl was at the Field Museum.
Gotta love the Hershey's store! The smell is heavenly!!! I think I got some pictures of their amazing looking cupcakes that I'll share next time.
Here we are in front of the Chicago LDS temple.
Dream Girl and Soccer Guy on the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

Last Friday we enjoyed a Chicago White Sox vs. Colorado Rockies game at U.S. Cellular Field. For Soccer Guy, this trip was all about the ball games. You'll see pictures of the Cubs game in my next post. Typically, we would have cheered for the Rockies, but decided to root for the home team this time around. Safer that way, ya know?
This is the Ballerina ten minutes into the game. Yep. Sound asleep.Here she is later with me and Cabana Boy. You can see that she woke up after a home run was hit three row above us. Boy, that sure gets the blood flowing!!! I was afraid it was coming right to me and the only thing I could think of is that a ball flying that fast would certainly ruin my nails. So ya know what I did? Crouched down and covered my head. That's what I did. Good thing it didn't hit me! lol! Another home run was hit three rows below us.

You won't see pictures of Soccer Boy and Dream Girl at this game. They had the sweet seats 18 rows behind home plate. How does that work? We pay for the tickets and they get the good seats. Hmmm..... I need to talk to the management.
Blondie and College Girl contemplate the finer points of baseball. Or they're thinking about boys. You decide.
On Saturday we took a walk down to Bleeding Heart Bakery. Now I see why they get so much love from Cupcakes Take the Cake blog! I think it took us nearly 20 minutes to decide what we were going to order. Dream Girl and Blondie are "modeling" the Chocolate Slut cupcake and Raspberry Lemon tart. College Girl, Blondie, Dream Girl and I split them both four ways and took a HUGE lemon bar back for the other three to share. BTW, it was a mile each way to and from the bakery, so I'm pretty certain that we walked off all of those calories. Don't ya think? Yes, I think so, too.
We had a great time at the Museum of Science and Industry. The Ballerina and Blondie both made personalized toys that they brought home with them.
On our final night we stumbled across a fabulous Italian restaurant called Mario's. I ordered my favorite Margherita pizza and was not disappointed! The Ballerina ordered angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce. It, without a doubt, was the best Alfredo sauce that I have EVER tasted. I think I'd go back to Chicago for no other reason that to eat at Mario's!
This is the end of our stay in Chicago. Cabana Boy got held up in security screening and the Ballerina and Blondie found these pint sized animal chairs where they sat and waited.

After a week away, it sure was nice to finally arrive home. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed, right?

More to come.....

Better Late Than Never?

2008-06-03T08:46:00.004-06:00

It took me long enough, but I finally finished this little bag. It's about time! I started it at the end of March as a birthday gift for someone special, but it's taken me until now to finally get it completed. It was those blasted little handles that hung me up. I've used this pattern before, so I knew that the process of making the handles would be tedius and time consuming. I guess that's why I put off finishing the bag until now.

I really like the way that it turned out. I used the Country Tote pattern by Indygo Junction. The little rectangles were cut from a Chocolat charm pack and since I was able to cut two pieces from each charm, I have enough to make another bag. With a different type of handle, of course. lol!!! My friend, Amy, made me a bag using this pattern a couple of Christmases ago and I use it all the time! It's the prefect size for those days when you're on the go.

So, now it's time to fess up...
Do you have a project that you've put off finishing for way too long?

Field Day!

2008-06-02T11:27:00.002-06:00

Friday was the last day of school for Blondie and the Ballerina. On Wednesday I went and spent the day with the Ballerina's class during field day. Does this take you back?

Now on to summer vacation!!!

A Sweet Tale

2008-05-30T08:37:00.006-06:00

Did you remember that I was going to tell you a story about two little girls and two batches of cupcakes? Well, here goes... Once upon a time there were two little girls who were assigned by their fifth grade teacher to do a demonstration in front of their class. Let's call the first little girl "The Chef" and the second little girl "Her Friend". Well, The Chef and Her Friend decided to demonstrate how to decorate cupcakes. After all, that is one of The Chef's favorite things to do. The Chef and Her Friend went through my pantry and decided that they would decorate lemon cupcakes.
While The Chef and Her Friend were at school, I baked the cupcakes.
The secret to this recipe is to add a 3 oz. package of lemon Jell-o to the cake mix and then follow the rest of the directions on the box. This makes a very moist lemon-y cupcake.
The Chef suggested that I add a bit of lemon zest to the frosting. How many eleven year olds do you know that would suggest a bit of lemon zest? That girl certainly knows her stuff! LOL!

Here are The Chef and Her Friend decorating some of the cupcakes for their classmates. They used both a star tip and a round tip.
They left a few of the cupcakes undecorated so that they would have something to demo in class the next day.
Ahhh...look how cute! Little Lemon Heads on top of the lemon cupcakes. Don't they look tempting? Trust me, they were GREAT!!!

But wait! Something's missing!!!

"Mom...would you make aprons for us to wear when we do our demonstration?" "Please?"

Now who could resist a request like that? Not me! So off to Broadbent's I went.

I worked up this pattern as I went along. Yes, I took the easy road and used grosgrain ribbon for the ties. This is The Chef's apron. Her Friend's apron had orange trim with yellow rick rack on the pockets and yellow ribbon ties.
How sweet! Don't you think the pearls add the finishing touch to this delicious tale?!

Heart Break in Happy Valley

2008-05-22T08:16:00.004-06:00

What kind of a mother would drag her children all the way to Salt Lake City just to have their sweet little hearts ripped out? This kind of mother, I guess (finger pointing at me). Blondie (left) and her friends are HUGE David Archuleta fans. Let face it...so are all the other teenage girls in Utah. Apparently, those other girls don't know that David A. is my future son-in-law. Blondie may need to inform her future husband about the plans, but first she actually needs to meet him! LOL!!!

When they announced that they would be broadcasting American Idol (and shooting crowd pictures) live at the Energy Solutions Arena the girls were all over that! I sent Blondie a text yesterday during school (yes, I know that's against the rules) telling her that I would take her and her friends to SLC. That immediately caused Blondie to have bladder issues, which meant she "needed to take a trip to the bathroom". (That's code for: she had to go to her friend's class and tell her that I had already gotten her mother's permission to take her to the live broadcast.) Her other friend was in gym class, so she didn't find out until after school. I sure hope her principal doesn't read my blog!
I brought the Ballerina along with me for company. I'm comfortable enough with myself to admit that I probably don't fit in with a trio of screaming teenage girls. But I can drive and they can't!
Obviously, this picture was taken before the announcement that David Cook is the new American Idol. Let's just say that it was a long, sad drive home.

There's a story behind these fabrics....

2008-05-20T16:48:00.002-06:00

.....which should come as no surprise! This is a story about two little girls and two batches of cupcakes.

Stay tuned!

Long Time, No Post

2008-05-17T08:27:00.008-06:00

Boy, it's been a long time since I've posted. So much to say, but so little time! Here's a quick over view of what's been happening during the past month.

This is a picture of Jan, my SIL Cheryl and me. This is the second year that Cheryl and I have helped at BYU Women's Conference. This year we were on hand to assist women who wanted to crochet around flannel receiving blankets while listening to motivational speakers. The baby blankets will be given to new mothers in need. You can see Cheryl working one on of the blankets on my brother's blog.
The Ballerina and I planted some pansies in pots for the front yard and also got a good start on the vegetable garden.

The Ballerina also performed in her school chorus concert and her ballet recital. (Ballet pictures to come.)

I made cupcakes for the Ballerina's 5th grade class. It was her day for "snack bar." The Ballerina was pleased to tell me that she overheard two kids on the playground saying, "[The Ballerina's] mom always brings the best treats!" I wanna kiss those kids! Smooch!!!

I spent a great amount of time trying to coax Blondie into cleaning her room. The problem is that she can't hear me while taking a nap after school. I don't think she could have gotten up to clean her room anyway with Mia holding her down!
We went kite flying at the local park...
while Blondie rolled along on her longboard. [May I insert here that Blondie has flip flops in almost every color. They are her footwear of choice!]

Blondie sang in her last jr. high school choir concert. Now it's on to high school!

We celebrated College Girl's 19th birthday...
...which was a good excuse to make more cupcakes!
And, last but not least, Cabana Boy and I celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss!!! Who are those youngins?!

That's it in a nutshell. Thanks to all of you who sent me emails to make sure I was still alive. With wedding plans and all of the "end of school" activities, we have a lot going on here in Happy Valley. Hugs to you all!!!

Happy Birthday, Susie!

2008-04-21T10:38:00.005-06:00

Saturday was the birthday of my bagel breakfast buddy, Susie. We go to Einstein Bros. Bagels twice a week for breakfast, with two more friends, after we take our kids to school. I wanted to make something fun for Susie's special day since on the day before her birthday she underwent a little foot surgery. Don't you think this pattern is cute? I made veiw "E" pictured in the lower right hand corner. I've gotta admit that the fabric is pretty darn bright, but I thought that Susie would look down right adorable wearing this apron in her bright yellow kitchen. Not to mention that it matches her hot pink cast!!!
Wow! It's been a long time since I've actually cut out a tissue pattern. I definitely prefer using my rotary cutter and mat.
Ahhh...look how sweet! (Blondie was a little bugged that I made her model it around her actual waist and not around her hips.) Didn't that turn out cute? I think I'll make one for myself!

My Ears are Burning

2008-04-15T17:08:00.002-06:00

I guess I'd better be careful regarding what I say about my siblings. I never know what my sister might say about me. And to think that she was questioning my integrity!

If you haven't seen my Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom pictures...check out her blog!

And the winner is.....

2008-04-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

If you are the holder of ticket #4791812, then you are the lucky winner of my log cabin raffle quilt!!! Congratulations to Nann O. of Orem, Utah.
Thanks to all who participated in the raffle to help raise money for the Ballerina's school. We raised several hundred dollars, but not quite as much as I had hoped. There was definitely a lesson learned in this whole experience and that is that not everyone truly understands the value of a quilt. I think that the principal was really excited about the whole idea, but didn't really catch the vision of the amount of money that could have been raised if she would have been more on board with the whole concept of raffling a quilt.

Fortunately, I think that the quilt is going to a good home. Nann O. belongs to the small quilt group to which I belong and purchased 12 tickets a month or so ago. Although I don't know Nann very well, I'm sure that she'll care for this quilt and use it for many years to come.

Congratulations, Nann O.!!!

It's Official!

2008-04-10T14:04:00.003-06:00

Soccer Guy and Girlfriend are officially engaged!!! They're getting married on August 2nd and we couldn't be happier!

Of course, we've known for several weeks but have tired to keep things hush, hush until she actually had a ring on her finger. Well, the ring was finished last week and Soccer Guy sealed the deal on Friday!

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

Cabana Boy Turns Another Year Older

2008-04-05T08:33:00.003-06:00

Last Monday my Cabana Boy celebrated his forty-seventh birthday!

On Sunday we had a family gathering to celebrate his and my wonderful sister-in-law's birthday. Their birthdays are less than a week apart and we often get together to celebrate. Here they are blowing out candles on some of the coconut cupcakes that I made.
On Monday we were invited to enjoy Cabana Boy's birthday while watching the Utah Jazz stomp on the Washington Wizards from the comforts of one of the corporate suites. What a fun night!!!Happy birthday, Cabana Boy!!!

Go, Jazz, go!!!

Just Can't Cut It!

2008-04-03T09:06:00.003-06:00

Thanks to those of you who sent me emails to make sure that I hadn't been kidnapped once again. Things have been a little wild and crazy here at casa de la Happy Valley Quilter and I have had little time on the computer.

I did want to jump online for a minute and ask for a little input on a burning question that I have.....
See this fabric? Kinda "springy", huh? Don't you just love those little baby chicks and the pussy willow branches? Well, this is a picture of the original fabric from which my grandmother made my baby blanket.

I loved my "chickie blankie" and spent a good portion of my young life hiding under it, rubbing the yarn ties between my fingers, while I sucked my thumb. It was tattered and well worn around the edges at the end of its life. Nothing more than a rag, really. When our fox terrier, Nichols, passed away, he was wrapped in my beloved chickie blankie before he went into the grave. I was a teenager then, and to this day I have never forgotten my chickie blankie.

A few years back my mom and I found this fabric while sorting through some stuff at her home. Can you begin to imagine how excited I was?! I still get a smile on my face every time that I see this blue chickie fabric. My guess is that the fabric was manufactured in the late 1950's or early 1960's, since I was born in 1962. That was back in the day when fabric was 35/36" wide.

Now, I've never been one of "those" quilters who bought fabric and then just couldn't cut into it because it had become a favorite. As a matter of fact, I love cutting into favorite fabrics because then I can enjoy them every time I wrap up in a quilt. So, why is it that I just can't cut into my chickie fabric? The thought literally paralyzes me. On one hand, I don't want the fabric to sit on the shelf until I die, but on the other hand, I can't decide how I should use the remaining four yards of fabric. What's a girl to do?

Now I need your help. How do you think I would/could/should best use my special fabric? The two ideas that I have come up with (so far) is to 1) make a new (bigger) quilt for me OR 2) use the fabric to make four baby quilts to give to each of my children when they have their first child. I'm mostly leaning toward idea #2, as I'm probably a little too old for a baby blanket and I no longer suck my thumb. What do you think? Do you have any great suggestions?

What I Did Last Weekend

2008-03-10T10:26:00.003-06:00

I didn't know if it would ever happen, but I FINALLY finished my Thimbleberries Village quilt top on Saturday. The small guild to which I belong had a sewing day that started at 9:00 a.m. (I got there around 11:30) and finished...well, I left at 9:30 p.m. and there were a few gals that were still in full swing.

I wanted to take a project that was already in the works so that I didn't have to do a lot of cutting or take a lot of tools. I happened to have all the the blocks for this quilt already assembled, just needed to get them all put together in a top. That was the easy part. I was surprised at how long it took me to get those four simple borders on...it was an all day affair. I probably would have thrown in the towel and taken the project home to finish on another day, but my guild members all but bolted the door and wouldn't allow me to leave until it was finished. That was just the encouragement that I needed and I'm glad that it's finally done!

Playing in the Mud

2008-03-03T10:41:00.003-07:00

We interrupt this quilt blog to bring you a new recipe... I used to make these cookies all the time when Soccer Boy and College Girl were much younger. They loved them and so did all of the neighborhood children. I never quite knew what to call them. "You Know...The Peanut Butter Cookies That You Bake In a Mini Muffin Tin and Then Stick a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the Center" just seemed like too long of a name for these kid friendly delights. One day when my friend, Laurel, was making these cookies for her boys, they came up with the perfect name and it stuck...Mud Puddles.

Mud Puddles seemed so appropriate. Especially since they have a brown ooey gooey center. And boys know all about mud puddles, don't they?
College Girl came home over the weekend to visit her friend whose mother passed away from cancer last Monday. When I talked with her in the middle of last week she asked if I would please make her some Mud Puddles when she came home. I knew it had been a long time since I had made them, but I didn't realize just how long it had been until I mentioned them to the Ballerina (a.k.a. the Chef) and she had no idea what I was talking about. Now, not only does she know what they are, but she also knows how to make them!!! And so will you...

MUD PUDDLES
(Approx. 4 dozen cookies)

Cream:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Add:
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Then add:
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. soda
1 1/4 c. flour

Roll dough into a small ball and put into a mini muffin tin. Ball should fill up 3/4 of each cup. Bake at 375 deg. F. for 8-9 minutes, until they just begin to turn brown on top. Remove from oven and press a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup into each cookie. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and gently remove from the tin with the edge of a knife.
Just a note: Laurel and I used to scour the markets after the major holidays when the seasonal candy went on sale. One market would sell the candy for a $1.00 a bag. We'd stash away the peanut butter cups and pull them out when we were ready to make cookies. A cheaper way to make cookies when you're on a budget!

Name That Dish

2008-03-02T06:34:00.007-07:00

My husband's nephew is getting married in a couple of weeks and yesterday I attended a bridal shower for his soon-to-be wife. Lately I've been making personalized Pyrex baking dishes for my nieces and nephews and they seem to be a big hit. I don't know what it is about seeing your name etched in glass, but it makes brides-to-be very happy! So, here's a little tutorial if you would like to give it a try.
First, gather your supplies. You'll need to purchase some glass etching cream and clear contact paper. If you don't have an Xacto knife, an el cheap-o paint brush, rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, you'd better pick those up while you're out. You'll also need to print out the name onto a piece of paper, using a large, cute font. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, keep the font simple.
Of course, you'll also need a glass dish. Lately, I've been buying a double pack of covered Pyrex dishes at Walmart for under $15.
Tape the paper to the window (or a light box, if you have one). Make sure that it is placed so that the back of the paper is facing you. You're going to trace the letters so that they are reversed or backward. I'm sure you get the idea from the picture. Use a Sharpie to trace the letters onto the clear side of the contact paper. I'll admit that I've made the mistake of writing on the paper side of the conact paper. Take it from me, that doesn't work very well. LOL!
Clean the backside of the dish using the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. Once dry, peel and apply the contact paper to the back of the dish. Rub well, making sure that there are no air bubbles. Use extra care in those areas where there is raised lettering on the back of the dish.
Use the Xacto knife to cut and remove the lettering, making your stencil. On a sunny day I do this outside on my porch, making it easier to see where I have cut. Yesterday I did it under the light in my kitchen.
Shake the jar of etching cream well and use the brush to paint the cream onto the stencil. Be generous...this stuff goes a long way. Be careful to not get any of the etching cream on your skin or clothing and make sure that your work surface is covered with paper.

Allow the etching cream to remain on the stencil for 20 minutes or so. I'm kind of the impatient type and don't really enjoy watching etching cream dry, so I "help it along" by continually moving the cream around with the paint brush during the 20 minutes.
Now rinse the etching cream from the dish using lots of warm water. Remove the stencil then wash and dry the dish.
Ta dumm! Wasn't that easy?! But wait...you're not finished yet.
I also included the recipe and most of the ingredients for Grandma's lemon cake. This is a great way to pass down a favorite family recipe!
Put it all together, add a bow and tag and your gift is ready to give!

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to putting names on your dishes. I've seen them done with simple flowers and other designs, too. I'm thinking about doing a quilt block...maybe an Ohio Star. Be creative and have some FUN!!!

Note: You can pick up the etching cream at most craft stores. If you live near a store that gives 40% coupons, make sure you take one. A large jar costs around $20, but unless you're considering going into business, a small jar will do. I bought a large jar and have made well over two dozen dishes. I've probably only used half the of etching cream.

Here's another note: Xina said that her etching didn't show up very well and was wondering why. I honestly don't know, but my friend used my etching cream one time and had the same problem. When I asked her if she shook the contents of the bottle first she said that she had not. I always do and have always had pretty good success. Hope this helps!

Xina...I hope you come back to read this because I could not reply to your email. To get replies to your questions you need to change your profile and check the box that says "show email address" or something like that.

More Fun in the Snow

2008-02-29T19:44:00.002-07:00

Today was a great day. The weather is finally starting to shape up, but of course, this is just "the warm before the storm."

Last night my husband and I attended a work related retreat at a nearby resort, Daniels Summit Lodge. I always enjoy these types of events because we really like the people with whom he works. This morning we all got up, ate breakfast and headed for the hills on snowmobiles. Here we are taking a break at the top of the mountain.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more of my "food blog." College Girl is home for the weekend and I have all of the ingredients for the special cookie that she requested! :-)

Food Blog --- NOT!

2008-02-26T14:21:00.003-07:00

Eileen recently commented that my quilt blog was turning into a food blog. And my sister suggested that I stop posting unflattering childhood pictures of her and stick to quilting. Sooooo.....here's a picture of a little quilt that I finished yesterday.

Now, had I done a little less baking and refrained from posting damaging picture of my sister, I might have had this quilt finished in time to enjoy BEFORE Valentine's Day was past. I like to think "better late than never" and we all know that it's ready for next year!

Wii've been duped!

2008-02-23T17:41:00.004-07:00

"Buy us a Wii," they said.
"We can get exercise while playing games," they said.

Wii were deceived!!!

My Cabana Boy

2008-02-23T07:58:00.006-07:00

This is Cabana Boy. He works from home on Friday's. Most of the time I really like that, especially when he buys me lunch. :-)

Yesterday Cabana Boy was going out to run a couple of errands and to make a stop at the post office. On his way out, Cabana Boy asked me if there was anything that I needed him to pick up. Isn't he a good Cabana Boy? Concerned about my every need.

"Why, of course there's something you could pick up. We have no chocolate in this house!"

Oh, my! Look what Cabana Boy brought home!!! Cadbury Mini Eggs! I love Cadbury Mini Eggs!!! I love this time of year...I love Cadbury Mini Eggs! Wait, did I already say that? Well, I do! I love them! I love their crunchy, chocolately goodness! I love Cabana Boy, too! And look...Cabana Boy keeps my mini fridge stocked with good love. Okay, that may not look "stocked", but you should see the six 12 packs of diet Coke in the walk in fridge (a.k.a. the garage). Maybe I need to tell Cabana Boy that it's time to restock. Heaven forbid that I should have to walk out to the garage to get my own diet Coke! LOL!

Chocolate, diet Coke, and Cabana Boy! Oh, my life is good!!!

Note: I came home from doing some shopping today and guess what? My mini fridge was completely stocked with diet Coke! I think I'm gonna keep that Cabana Boy!!!

Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

2008-02-19T12:12:00.003-07:00

Today is the birthday of the Ballerina's 5th grade teacher. Being the good room mother that I am (hahaha) I made cupcakes for the celebration. I'm really into making cupcakes lately. Have you noticed? lol! I love the idea of a handheld dessert and their compact size is enough to satisfy a sweet tooth without overdoing it.

Here are a couple of my favorite cupcake blogs...

Cupcake Bake Shop by Chockylit

and

52 Cupcakes

Although the second link is my favorite...more realistic, considering my abilities...the link sometimes (okay, usually) locks up my computer.

I also love the ideas and recipes in this cupcake book by the Cake Mix Doctor.

Sliding Down a Slippery Slope

2008-02-19T11:06:00.004-07:00

Soldier Hollow

Yesterday the kids were out of school for Presidents' Day so we got a bunch of friends and family members together and headed for the tubing hill at Soldier Hollow.

Soldier Hollow was the venue for the cross country skiing and biathlon events during the 2002 Winter Olympics. I had the fortunate opportunity to serve as an Olympic volunteer at Soldier Hollow and drove the athletes to and from their training sessions and competitions six year ago. Today, the resort continues to host cross country events and is also open for public use.

For those of us who choose not to exert themselves cross country skiing, there is also a tubing hill extraodinaire. The instructions are simple:
1. grab a tube
2. hook up to the tow rope
3. cruise to the top of the hill
4. speed down the groomed hill
5. repeat!

Although it's fun to race one on one, the most fun that we had was getting a huge group together and bouncing off each others' tubes as we slid down the hill.

You can see from the pictures that the weather was perfect...lots of snow and plenty of sun. You can also tell from the smiles that a great time was had by all!

Who can resist a sale?

2008-02-16T15:24:00.003-07:00

Remember those Thimbleberries FQs that I WON from Julia over at Scrap Happy Quilter? Well they arrived in yesterday's mail. The coolest thing about these FQs is that I don't have any of them in my stash. These will work into something wonderful for spring. I haven't quite made a decision yet, but I've got some ideas floating around in my head. She also included a sweet note and a bookmark that I'm assuming she made on an embroidery machine. Thanks so much Julia. This was the perfect treat for me!!!

And speaking of things that came in the mail (watch out, I'm gonna rant!)...
Yesterday I was sitting in my family room when I heard the mail truck come bumping along our road until it stopped at our mailbox. I immediately got up and went out to the mailbox. I'm always certain that there's going to be an envelope with a $1,000,000 check from Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. To my disappointment, there was no check, but there was a tag from the USPS informing me that "they had missed me" and that there was a certified envelope that I needed to go pick up at the post office. WHAT?! I was home and I certainly didn't hear a knock on my door.

Fortunately, the mail carrier still had to go down the other side of my street so I walked across and waited for her. Without going into all the details, she pretty much told me a bold face lie about how she had probably just knocked too softly for me to hear. I think the truth is something more like she was a temporary carrier in our area, she was sick and not feeling well and didn't want to get out of the truck, run up to the door and wait for someone to answer and sign for the envelope.

As much as I was bugged about the lie, I know that there's a lot of crud going around right now and I truly hope she gets felling better. I was really feeling sorry for her when I passed her in another part of town several hours later and she was still delivering mail. It'll sure be nice when the weather starts to warm up and we can quit recycling all these germs!
Here's some GOOD NEWS! One of my favorite quilt shops, Quilt, Etc., is having a big sale today and Monday. All fabrics are 30% off and all FQs are $1.50. I picked up the six FQs above. No plans for them yet, but I really like the colors.
I've been eyeing this Mother Goose fabric for a while and figured this would be the perfect time to buy. We've raised each of our children on nursery rhymes, starting when our infant son was given a book of Mother Goose poetry by DH's aunt who was a childrens librarian.
I've kind of got a quilt design in mind, but nothing set in stone. I realized when I got home that there was one or two pieces that I didn't get enough of. You know what that means...back to the quilt shop on Monday. Ah, shucks!!!

I <3 U! *

2008-02-14T14:07:00.004-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my blog friends!

This picture is brought to you by the Ballerina (soon to be renamed 'the Chef'). Last night I made the ooey gooey cherry chocolate chip cupcakes and she put on the frosting swirls and sprinkles. We took these to her 5th grade class party this morning. Nothing like a sugar rush before lunch! lol!

I saw these made yesterday on a local TV show. They looked so yummy that I decided to give them a try. If you'd like the super easy recipe, click HERE. (Call me lazy, but I didn't make the roses made from Fruit by the Foot to top our cupcakes...lol!)

My husband and I decided that we'd stay home tonight and avoid the crowded restaurants. I think we'll grab a couple of Philly steak sandwhiches from the shop down the hill. I bought some stuff to make fondue to share with the girls. Nothing says "I Love You" like chocolate fondue!

I hope that you day is filled with lots of love! Hugs to you all!!!

* For those of you who aren't texting savvy, my title says, "I HEART YOU!" One of those important things that you learn from a 14 year old! LOL!

Sappy Birthday, Susan!

2008-02-13T10:04:00.004-07:00

Today is my sister, Susan's, birthday. Isn't she a cutie?! She's the younger, skinny sister in the family. Susan is about 3 1/2 years younger than I am, so that would make her....ummm....26!
Here's Susan and her daugther last summer when we were camping. Suz was making homemade ice cream. Ever the popular aunt!

When I was looking for pictures of my sister, I realized that I didn't have very many recent pictures of her...or of the two of us together...so I took a vow to take pictures of US when we're together this summer.
Okay...being the evil sister that I am, I couldn't resist posting this picture. Do you get the feeling that Susan was unhappy? I don't look too thrilled either (but at least I wasn't bawling...lol!). This pictures was taken in our living room just before our ballet recital. I think it was shortly after that that Susan quit taking ballet lessons. LOL!

You can see some adorable pictures of her when she was younger on her blog.

Happy birthday, Suz!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Zion National Park

2008-02-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Zion National Park

Okay...I'm going to subject you to one more day of vacation slides. LOL!

After the pageant on Saturday evening, we snagged College Girl and her best friend, Jem, and headed back to my aunt's home where we were staying in St. George. It's amazing how many people you can cram into a small, two bedroom vacation home. Eight of us in all. Lots of kids sleeping on couches and on the floor, but everyone had a great time.

On Sunday morning we located a chapel and we all went to church together. Afterward we returned to my aunt's home, loaded up the van and Jeep and headed out. Our plan was to make a trip out to Zion National Park "on our way home." Zion is actually an hour out of the way, which added more than two hours to our drive home. It's been many years since we have been to Zion NP, so we figured it would be a great experience for our kids...and it was!

You'll notice a lot of snow in the pictures. The canyon walls are so high that very little sun hits the canyon floor. With all the snow, we felt like we were right back in Happy Valley...not southern Utah. Good thing I threw a couple of quilts for those who didn't bring coats. LOL!!!

We had a wonderful trip, but it sure was nice to get home. Although our children love each other and love being together, sometimes that much "togetherness" can start to wear on a mother, if you know what I mean. LOL!!! The picture of all of the kids smooshed into the back of the van speaks volumes. We actually had two vehicles, but left College Girl's Jeep outside the park so that we only had to pay one admission fee. lol!

That's it for the vacation photos. Yippee, you say? LOL! Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have some quilt related pictures. :-)

Snow Canyon State Park

2008-02-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

Snow Canyon, UT

On Saturday, between the pageant's family brunch and the actual pageant, we had some free time. My husband and Soccer Guy already had plans to hit the links. There's certainly no golfing going on here in northern Utah, but it's a whole different story in St. George. While the guys were off chasing little white balls, I took Blondie, the Ballerina and Soccer Guy's Girlfriend out to one of my favorite spots in southern Utah...Snow Canyon State Park.

Snow Canyon (named after Lorenzo and Erastus Snow...not the white stuff) is a beautiful mixture of jagged volanic rock and vibrant red and white sandstone mountains. The weather was perfect for hiking and the girls and I enjoyed climbing in and out of volcanic caverns and up and down the petrified sand dunes. Typically we've been there during the spring or summer when the temperatures are quite high, but on Saturday we enjoyed cool temperatures and wore long sleeves and jackets. By the end of the two hours spent there, we had worked up a sweat and were ready for lunch.

It was a wonderful afternoon that we will not soon forget. I'm so grateful to live in a place with such diverse beauty.

Pageant Girl

2008-02-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our family took a quick get away to southern Utah. College Girl has been preparing to compete in the Miss SUU pageant and last Saturday was the big event.

College Girl was amazing and did extremely well. For her talent, CG, a black belt, performed an unforgetable Tae Kwon Do form set to music. She answered her on stage questions completely and without hesitation and looked stunning in her evening wear. Unfortunately, the judges did not take our unbiased opinions into consideration and College Girl did not walk away with the crown. Of course, her brother, Soccer Guy, is certain that the pageant was rigged. LOL!!!

All in all, CG said it was a great experience and is considering taking the things that she learned in her first pageant and applying them to compete again next year.

Way to go, College Girl... we're SO proud of you!!!

Oh, Happy Day!

2008-02-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a winner! Yes, I am!!!

Julia, over at Scrap Happy Quilter, picked ME as the WINNER of her Thimbleberries FQ give away that she was doing in Sharon's honor.

I just gotta say...blogging friends are AWESOME!!!

Thanks so much, Julia!!!

Happy Birthday, Ballerina!

2008-02-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the Ballerina's 11th birthday! You know she's quite the baker, so she insisted on helping make her own cake...AND light the candles!!!

Ironically, when I asked the little chef what she wanted for her birthday dinner she chose chili cheese dogs. Go figure. LOL! I'll admit, though, that they were pretty darn good! :-)Look! She blew out all 11 candles with one large breath.
In our family we have a birthday party with friends every other year...and this wasn't they year! But we did invite a few of her closest friends over for some cake and ice cream. Aren't they a bunch of cuties?!

Happy Birthday, dear daughter!!!

Odd and Ends

2008-02-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished this little Vanetine's Day quilt that I pieced a couple of years ago. I had been a part of a 'quilt of the month' class at one of my local quilt shops and this is from one of the classes. It's nice to have it finished and it fills a blank wall in my living room. I have two or three more little quilts that I hope to have finished up in the next few days.

If you'd like to make a paper version of the these woven hearts for your Valentine, check out this LINK. I remember making these back in fourth grade. Ironically, the woven heart is actually a Danish Christmas decoration.

Love Is In The Air

2008-01-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shot of my fireplace. This is the focal point of our living room and is generally decorated for each holiday or season.
This hurricane lamp sits on our piano. I'm pretty sure that the bottom half had more conversation hearts than that, but whenever I ask Blondie about it she just smiles and says she doesn't know what I'm talking about. For some reason I don't believe her!

A little tip...I actually have a small clear glass bowl that is situated upside down in the bottom of the hurricane lamp so that I don't have to put in so much candy.

The Love Affair Continues

2008-01-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures after dropping the girls off at school. There's something magical about watching the sun creep across Mount Timpanogos each morning.

Puzzling Post

2008-01-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Joan motivated me to finally post a picture of our most recent puzzle. (Check out the puzzle that she posted on her blog.) This puzzle is titled "American Quilt", by local artist Eric Dowdle.

I've been gathering puzzles lately (bought another Eric Dowdle puzzle at the store today...lol!). Soccer Guy and Girlfriend usually come over for dinner on Sunday afternoon and Girlfriend loves to work on puzzles. We finished a couple of puzzles over the Christmas holiday and we did the American Quilt puzzle a couple of Sundays ago. Not only did Soccer Guy and Girlfriend come for dinner, but so did two of Soccer Guy's roommates, as well as two of Girlfriend's roommates. The more the merrier, right?! This puzzle only has 500 pieces so, with many hands, we finished it pretty quickly. I think I prefer the 1000 piece puzzles that sit out on the breakfast nook table for a couple of weeks.

So here's a burning question... What do you do with your puzzles once they're finished? I see that Joan put Save-a-Puzzle on hers and hung it on the wall, but that can't possibly be done with every completed puzzle. Right now mine go into the closet of the extra bedroom, but they're really starting to pile up.

Buzz Saw Block

2008-01-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Many of you guessed correctly. I'm working on a bunch of buzz saw blocks. I'm participating in a swap with some members of the online group to which I belong. You can see that the squares aren't sewn together. That's because we're sending them in groups of four so that they can be sewn together in scrappy fashion once they're returned.

If you interested in trying a buzz saw block yourself, check out the link on my sidebar for a tutorial.

You can see the blocks that Eileen is working on over at her site.

Snow Blowing Sideways

2008-01-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the Ballerina coming out of school at 2:00 p.m. She can't figure out why I'm taking of picture of her. LOL! I think it's funny that the kids are walking backward so that the Arctic wind doesn't blow in their faces. We're not getting a lot of snow in our area, but what we are getting sure is being blown around!

The storm's moving in.....

2008-01-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Blondie running in from the storm. Monday @ 1:00 p.m.

Buzzzzz.....

2008-01-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm working on today. Can you guess what I'm making? I'll post a picture later today when the blocks are finished, but now I've got to get ready to go to a baby shower.

How 'bout you? What project are you working on today?

Raffle Quilt Revealed

2008-01-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a better view of the queen size Log Cabin quilt that I previewed in my last post. Two and a half movies later, the binding is finished. My apologies for the furry feature in the corner. Mia decided to climb on board and give the quilt the "smell test" while I was taking pictures. I hope it passed. LOL!

This quilt is made from 2.5" strips of Thimbleberries fabrics that were swapped with some online friends. When I had this spread out on the living room floor the other day, my DH told me that this was his favorite quilt that I have made. Bummer! This quilt is going away.

I am donating this quilt to the Ballerina's elementary school. The principal is currently raising funds in order to purchase a new mobile computer lab that will include lap top computers that can be moved from classroom to classroom. Our plan is to offer one raffle ticket for each dollar donated and award this quilt to the holder of the lucky ticket. I've never made a raffle quilt before, so I'm hoping that this will be a good way to raise a large sum of money for the school. The Ballerina will draw the winning ticket on April 7th.

If you're interested in donating to our school by purchasing tickets ($1 each OR six tickets for $5), please contact me privately by clicking HERE. The quilt measures 84" x 104" and is made using Thimbleberries fabrics by RJR and Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting.

More Projects

2008-01-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize this morning that this would be a day that would bring more projects my way. I picked up this log cabin quilt from my quilter this morning. Once this queen sized quilt is bound (gotta get on it!) it will be donated to the Ballerina's elementary school to be raffled. The proceeds will go toward purchasing a new mobile computer lab with lap tops that can be moved from classroom to classroom.
I received these four fabrics that I ordered to add to my movie night quilt. I think I have enough fat quarters to get started now. How exciting!
And these fabrics came from my friend, Joan. I was telling her how much I admired THESE blocks that she made. I only had a FQ of the Candy Coated Christmas fabric, so Joan offered to help supplement the fabric that I had. I was expecting the Christmas fabric, but the four green FQs were a total surprise!
She also included this quilt pattern. I have seen a similar quilt done is Civil War fabrics and also in 30's reproductions. Hmmm.....which will it be? Thanks, Joan, you're the greatest!!!

On a sad note, my husband's sister passed away last night. It was really unexpected, so we are reeling with all sorts of emotions today. My SIL was loved by so many and will be missed by all who knew her. I love you, Kris, and I'll miss your smiling face!

Now, She's Got the Right Idea!

2008-01-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Explosive News!

2008-01-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

We're having terrible weather right now...no snow (here), but lots of harsh winds blowing all of the old snow around! See that snow blowing off the top of Mount Timpanogos? I just took that picture a few minutes ago out of my family room window. BRRRRR!!!!!

I've heard about three, make that four (just heard another one!), large explosions during the past hour or so, so it makes me wonder if they are doing avalanche control on the other side of the mountain or in the canyon.

A couple of years ago there was a shell shot from a howitzer artillery cannon to trigger an avalanche in Provo Canyon. The shell overshot the mountain and landed in some one's backyard just a couple miles north of here. How scary would that be? Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. It could have been much worse!

Sundance Ski Resort is on the back side of "my" mountain. Ever heard of the Sundance Film Festival? It's a small event that Robert Redford hosts every year. LOL!!! Starts later this week. Why someone would host a star studded event in the middle of a Utah winter is hard to figure out. Okay, we did host the Olympics back in 2002, but that's different!

The answer to my burning question: Yes, they are doing avalanche control in the canyon. I just checked the state website to verify. I'll be back later...I'm heading down to the bomb shelter. lol!

Poor Shadow

2008-01-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Poor Shadow. That's not really his name. His name is simply Shadow, but rarely do we say his name without prefacing it with the sad condition in which he lives.

Poor Shadow came to live with us about ten or eleven years ago. I can't remember exactly. For well over a month he came and sat outside the sliding glass door to our patio. In spite of the fact that he really wanted to come inside I made him stay out and threatened my children so that they would not feed him or love him. We already had a cat, thank you very much, and Shadow (which wasn't his name at the time) actually belonged to our neighbors across the street. So each day, sometimes several times a day, I would make my children carry him across the street and return him to his rightful home.

Day after day Poor Shadow would show up at our door, until one night the weatherman reminded all pet owners to bring their animals inside because of the dangerously low temperatures. As I was locking up the house there sat Poor Shadow peering in through the sliding glass door. Now, although I didn't want another pet (or a fight with my neighbor) I took pity on Poor Shadow and brought him in for the night so that he wouldn't freeze to death in the cold. As you can imagine, the rest is history.

To say that Poor Shadow is a nervous cat is somewhat of an understatement. We assume that before he came to live with us that he must have been abused by his former owners, because even after living with our family as long as he has, he still gets frightened and runs for cover whenever we happen to pass him in the hallway.

Last week I had to take Poor Shadow to see the vet. He was obviously in a lot of pain and we couldn't figure out why. To make a long story short and a lot less GROSS, Poor Shadow had to be sedated (don't tell your 10 year old that they "put him to sleep" for the procedure...that was terrifying!) and a gloved finger had to go in the direction that things usually come out. Poor Shadow!!!

In spite of the grumpy looking picture above (that was taken moments before I threw Poor Shadow off my bed so that I could make it), Poor Shadow is feeling much better now. As a matter of fact, I might even go so far as to start calling him Happy Shadow. Well, I was going to until Cute Mia, who was pretending to love him, went up and bit him on the neck...twice!

Poor Shadow. Poor, Poor Shadow.

I Feel So Honored

2008-01-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

What a pleasant surprise it was yesterday when I found out that I had been given the "You Make My Day" award by Marcie at Patchalot More. Those of you who know Marcie also know what a kind and generous blogger she is. You'll also agree that she's a talented quilt designer. I'm just hoping that at some point she'll come and visit her son that lives here in Happy Valley so that I'll have the chance to meet her in the flesh! (Hint, hint, Marcie!)

The rules for this award say to choose up to 10 people whose blog brings you happiness & inspiration and makes you feel happy about Blogland. Let them know by posting a note on their blog so they can pass it on.

Let's start with my sister Suz at SoCal Greens. Susan may not be a consistent blogger, but I get so excited every time I pop over there and see those adorable pictures of my sweet nieces. I have to admit that Susan and I don't talk as often as we could, but I definitely keep up to date through my DD, Blondie, who texts, instant messages and talks via cell phone with her cousins in California. It's worth stopping by the SoCal Greens just to watching Jenna score her only goal of the season...and mom was actually able to catch it on video!!! I love you, Suz!

The next award goes to Angela at Quilting in Cornfields. I love reading Angela's blog because it reminds me of my life when I was her age. I'm not exactly sure what "that age" is, but so many of her posts about her sweet little daughter reminds me of when my girls were little. It was such a special time in my life and Angela's blog takes me back to that special place.

I also love to stop by and visit Jodi at This, That and the Other. Jodi is one of those who tells it like it is. Every time I stop by, I always leave with something to ponder. Is my "to do" list too long? Have I spent enough time with my kids today? You get the idea. Jodi also does an outstanding job journaling her life at her A Photo A Day blog.

And last, but certainly not least, on the list today is Joan at Keeping You in Stitches. Joan and I go way back before there was such a thing as blogging. I'm so glad that she recently started her own blog. Joan gets more done than I even have time to think about. In addition to being a busy wife and mother, Joan has an eBay store where she sells wonderful quilt kits.

That's a pretty good start for today. There are so many more to whom I'd love to give this reward, but so many have already been presented with the honor! Way to go girls...you're all SO inspiring!!!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2008-01-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is what we woke up to in Happy Valley. I knew that we would be getting snow this morning so I ran most of my errands yesterday. Still have to make a trip to the post office to mail a camera to College Girl.
With snow packed roads like this, I'm sure you can guess that carpooling the girls to school this morning was a trick. My typical 10 minute round trip to the elementary school took me 30 minutes today. Fortunately, everyone was on their best behavior and I didn't see any accidents. There was one car that slid off the road going up the hill to the junior high school. On the way back down the hill I saw a couple of high school boys trying to push it out of the gutter.
This is the view of the cul de sac that I see from my front window. Hubby spent a couple of hours with the snow blower out helping many of our neighbors. I think he's still trying to decide if he's going to attempt the commute to his office or work from home today.

Does this girl love to bake, or what?! For the past three days the Ballerina has come from school craving ginger snaps. Not sure why, but if it's ginger snaps my baby wants, it's ginger snaps my baby gets! So last night we made cookies!!!
Fresh from the oven. Can't ya just smell 'em?
Okay, okay...here's the recipe...

SPICY GINGER SNAPS

Cream:

1 1/2 c. shortening

2 c. sugar

Add:

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 c. molasses

Combine together and add:

4 c. flour

4 t. soda

1 t. salt

3 T. ground ginger

2 t. cinnamon

Bake at 350 degs. for 7-8 minutes (until they begin to crack on top and turn brown around the edges).

Enjoy!!!

Seeing Spots

2008-01-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished the Dominoes bag for Blondie. I have to admit that I'm pretty pleased with the way that it turned out. Especially since I made up the pattern as I went along. Okay...I really came up with the pattern the night before as I was falling asleep. Do any of you do that...wake up or fall asleep with patterns or quilting ideas dancing around in your head? You can bet that I was eager to get up and get started on the bag yesterday morning.
Just a view of the lining and dominoes. I've still gotta learn how to play Mexican Train. The kids keep telling me that they'll teach me. Maybe tonight?!
Last night was a first for me. I made a batch of HOMEMADE cream of mushroom soup. May I just say that I could eat a gallon of this all by myself? It was delicious!!! Well, at least I thought it was. I got mixed reviews from the rest of the family. The Ballerina ate her obligatory three bites, but confessed that she thinks mushrooms are stinky. Okay, she may have a point. lol! DH and Blondie ate the soup without complaint, but didn't give it the rave reviews which I thought it deserved. If you'd like to give this recipe a try, click HERE for the link.

Lucky, Lucky ME!!!

2008-01-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

I opened the front door on my way to the mail box and nearly tripped over a LARGE package on my porch. For a moment I was trying to remember what I had purchased online, then I remembered that a wonderful gift was on it's way from Sharon's home! Joy, oh, joy!!!
I was the lucky winner of Sharon's blog giveaway last month! Look at that CUTE BOW. Isn't that sweet? I think this is as good, if not better than, Christmas. I mean really...a gift from another quilter...does it get any better than that? lol!

I am so excited about each and every treat inside. All sorts of sewing knick knacks, crafting do-dads (oops...left the cute buttons out of the picture) and a Tide to Go stick. (Don't get any ideas College Girl...this one's for me!) The icing on the cake is the yard of Funky Monkey banana fabric with the red background. When I told Sharon how excited my DD, Blondie, was about the Funky Monkey charm packs, she generously offered to throw in some matching yardage for Blondie to use to make a throw! How fun is that?

Thanks for your kindness, Sharon! I think I'm just going to sit here for a while and oooh and aaah over all my goodies!

This One's for You, College Girl!

2008-01-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

Another quilt finished! Better late than never. Right?

I bought the kit for this kimono quilt almost two years ago when I went to visit Kim during the Quilt Rush shop hop in the Sacramento area. The top has been finished and quilted for well over a year and now it's finally bound! Of course, Kim twisted my arm and made me buy the kit for this quilt, but I'm so glad that she did. College Girl loves all things Japanese and this quilt's for her.

CG studied the Japanese language for two years in high school and spent six weeks in Japan as an exchange student between her junior and senior year. Her bedroom is decorated with a Japanese theme and this wall hanging will go above her bed on her Asian red wall.

I hope you like it CG. I love you and am so proud of all the good things you do! :-)

NOTE: I've had a couple of questions about the pattern for this quilt. Click HERE for a link to the Michael Miller site and you can get the pattern for free. The center panel is called Flower Cart by Michael Miller.

"So, where would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

2008-01-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon my husband asked me if there was somewhere that I would like to go to dinner. Somewhere that serves something "healthy". I think after all of the rich and sweet foods that we've been eating during the holidays, we were both craving something with some redeeming nutritional value.

Did I have any ideas? Well, of course I did! I was thinking about Sweet Tomatoes...an all you can eat salad bar. They also have a great selection of soups, breads, pastas and such. The only drawback to going to Sweet Tomatoes is that it is some distance from our home. Was that a problem? No. Actually, it was part of a well devised plan.

Yesterday (and today) was open house at Quilts, Etc., and all of their novelty fabrics were 30% off. I have been wanting to make a "movie night" quilt using all sorts of yummy foods, snack, and munchies fabrics. I guess I should mention here that Quilts, Etc., is just down the street a ways from Sweet Tomatoes. We'd be killing two birds with one stone. I didn't even have to "trick" my DH into going. I fully disclosed my plan and he went along with it! Oh, happy day!!!
I got a good start on my collection of fabrics. Today I've been searching online for pizza, popcorn and hamburger fabrics and found a great source. I need 12 FQs in all, so I'm well on my way!
They also had all of their pillowcase kits (that were leftover from Christmas) on sale for $4.99. I picked up these two matching flannel kits made from the Thimbleberries Christmas Street line. Kim already suggested I get them made up so I'll have a good start on Christmas gifts for next year. Great idea! LOL!
And last, but not least, I picked up these two fabrics which I'll use to make a drawstring bag for Blondie's dominoes. Santa put a box of double twelves in her Christmas stocking (do any of you like to play Mexican Train?), but we've already decided that it's a big hassle to organize them into the box and figured that a drawstring bag would be just the ticket.

Well, after leaving Kim's house, the first punch of the big storm went around Happy Valley hitting both north and south of us, but we're bracing for rounds two and three. I hope the rest of you reader in the western U.S. are making it through the storm without too much trouble. Hang in there!

Now That Wasn't So Bad

2008-01-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Look at that...one quilt down and I've already started on the binding of quilt number two!

I just love this little quilt! If you're new to my blog, I have a little tutorial for the Buzz Saw block on my sidebar. So quick and easy!

Isn't it appropriate that this quilt made from 1930's reproductions is going to my new niece, Gracie, who was born last month?

Bound and Determined!

2008-01-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned before that I don't necessarily care for the binding part of quilting? Oh, yes...I have...several times! I know it's gotta be done in order to have a finished quilt, but for some reason I put it off until I'm in a crunch.

Some of the above quilts have been sitting around for quite some time. As a matter of fact, I think that the second quilt from the top is the first "real" quilt that I made. Ya know how I can tell? The binding is actually already sewn on, but man, oh man, is it done all wrong! LOL! I'm definitely going to have to take the binding completely off and start over on that one. ROFLOL!!!

So, my goal for the next couple of weeks is to get the above five quilts bound...and labeled, to boot! To keep track of my progress, I'm going to start a column on my side bar which will be a list of quilts that I have completely finished during 2008. Stay tuned!

Adventures in Pretzel Dipping.....

2007-12-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

.....so easy a ten year old can do it! Melt the caramel in a double boiler. A bowl over a pot of simmering water will do. You can buy a 5 lb. block of caramel from your local restaurant supply dealer or online.
Ya gotta do it with a big smile on your face. This IS fun after all!
Set the caramel dipped pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet until caramel has cooled.
Melt your chocolate the same way you did the caramel and dip the pretzels one more time. Don't forget the sprinkles!!!
Put the caramel and chocolate dipped pretzels in a pretty cellophane bag and tie with a bow. Deliver to someone special. The Ballerina and Blondie took these to their teachers.

Thoughful Friends

2007-12-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

The past few days...okay, weeks...have been extremely busy and full of all sorts of Christmastime festivities. Both the Ballerina and Blondie have performed in their school choir concerts and last Friday and Saturday the Ballerina danced as a soldier (wait...do soldiers dance?) in four performances of Utah Regoinal Ballet's The Nutcracker. Now that things have settled down a little, I'm hoping that I can spend some time blogging about what's been going on. Today I want to take a moment to thank a couple of friends for their thoughtfulness. This little quilt is a gift that I received from Eileen. You may remember the little Trip Around the World quilt that I had hanging in this spot from a previous post. Well, I was in a pinch for a quick table center piece and pull the quilt off the wall to use for that purpose. The next day this quilty gift came in the mail and found an immediate home covering the bare spot on my wall. I love red and green and most of my home is decorated in those colors. You can bet that this little quilt will NOT be tucked away to use again next Christmastime. I can display this little beauty all year long! Thanks, Eileen!
I also received a couple of porcelain acorn/oak leaf ornaments from Kim. I had been admiring these particular ornaments in one of the shops that I visited not too long ago, but decided that I'd already spent plenty of $$ on home dec items and decorations. I figured my kids would be less than thrilled if I told them that they weren't getting any presents this year because all my money was gone, but hey...the house sure looks great! LOL!!!
That Kim! She sure knows how to make a gal happy!!! Thanks, Kim!
Here are a couple of other acorn ornaments on my tree. I received this green and red acorn several years back from my Canadian friend, Pat. Looking at this acorn each year reminds me how blessed I am to have such wonderful online friends. I get that same feeling when I look at other items that have come as an exchange or gift.
I bought this trio of gold acorns at Broadbent's several years ago. Actually, I bought a couple of bunches. The six acorns are symbolic of the six members of our family.

I'm off to help at the school for an hour or so. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of our adventures in pretzel dipping!

Bundle Up!

2007-12-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how quilters can save energy, thus saving money with which to buy more fabric?

I stumbled across these nine suggestions today at Energy Boomer's blog and thought that they were worth passing on. If nothing else, they'll give you a good chuckle! :-)

Mini Tree Skirt Swap and Other Stuff

2007-12-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a week now since I found a package on my front door step. I was filled with excitement because I knew there was a special gift inside. An online group to which I belong does a gift exchange each year. Last year we swapped quilted Christmas stocking and this year we decided on tree skirts for small Christmas trees, along with three ornaments and some sort of a treat.

I was a very lucky girl! Kristie (Quilt Harvest) had my name this year and she made the above tree skirt using the Thimbleberries Wild Goose Chase pattern. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that Kristie had actually cut into her all time favorite Thimbleberries fabric to make my gift. It's the red fabric from the Holly Hill line. See the Christmas tin? It's filled with red and green M&Ms. Kristie knows that I love to snack on M&Ms and drink diet Coke while I sew. She told me that she actually had a diet Coke packed inside a plastic bag and had planned to send it too, but her DH told her that was a bad idea. That's okay...I have diet Coke here at home! LOL!

One of the ornaments that Kristie sent was a little frame with a picture of the two of us at our first Main Street Cotton Shop retreat in Hutchinson, MN. That's me on the right and Kristie on the left. I think that was way back in 2002 or 2003, but Kristie will correct me if I'm wrong.

Above is the tree skirt that I made for my friend, Erica, who lives in Alberta, Canada. I shrunk the Buggy Barn tree skirt pattern from the Stir Crazy book. I was able to get two mini tree skirts from the eight FQs that I used. I still need to finish the one for me.

Here's another picture from my home. Look...there's me and Kristie again! The Trip Around the World quilt is one of the first quilts that I made and is the only one that I have hand quilted. The quilt was actually made from scraps that were left over from a log cabin quilt that I made for my brother's family. I used a free pattern from Connecting Threads that is no longer available (although there is a similar one that is throw sized).
Friday was the 9th grade night dance at the junior high. Blondie (left) and her friend got together early to take a few pictures. These two have been best friends since birth...really! Their birthdays are eight days apart. Although they're both very busy, they spend a lot of their spare time together hanging out with friends in the neighborhood and riding their long boards.
On Saturday the Ballerina (center) invited two of her best friends to Clara's Tea Party. They had a great time eating finger sandwiches and cookies and listening to the story of The Nutcracker. This Friday and Saturday the Ballerina will be dancing in four performances of The Nutcracker as a soldier. I'm sure there will be more pictures to come. lol!

Sad Day

2007-12-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling sad today. I got a call at 7:15 this morning to inform me that my friend and neighbor of 17 years passed away at 5:20 a.m. Lynette and her husband found out just 10 weeks ago today that she had colon cancer. As is typically the case, she didn't have any symptoms and only found out when she went to see the doctor about something else.

Please, my dear friends, if you are over 50 years old and you haven't yet had a colonoscopy, make an appointment to have it done now. Those who love you will thank you! Colon cancer is very treatable if caught in the early stages. In Lynette's case the cancer had already spread to her liver and lungs. She was only in her mid 50s and leaves behind her husband, five children and a bunch of grandchildren.

I'll always remember (and will miss) Lynette's gentle smile and shy giggle.

Happy Valley Christmas

2007-12-05T10:13:00.001-07:00

So I'm finally getting around to posting some of the pictures of my home as it is decorated for Christmas. This is the tree in our living room. It has all of the fancier ornaments. We also have a tree in our family room that includes the ornaments that have special meaning to our family.

I thought it was pretty funny when my girls commented about how the tree skirt looks just like our Christmas table cloth. LOL! Now that we have a large square table, the Christmas cloth no longer fits. I thought this was a perfect way to give it new life. And I have to admit that I think it looks great. So do the girls. :-)

Look...Mia wants to play the part of baby Jesus when we do the reenactment of that holy night at our family Christmas party. How do you think she'll feel about being wrapped up tight in swaddling clothes? Our long time friends, the Davis', gave us the little manger (that they made) several years ago. It always has a special place under our tree.
And this is what our living room fireplace looks like this year. It's always pretty much the same, except this year I hung snowflakes instead of stockings. I knew that it would provide all sorts of controversy in my home (and it did), but I was in the mood to shake things up a little bit this year. Don't worry...the stockings are still hung. Just not in the traditional way. I'll show you that picture another day.
This is my all time favorite nativity set. My mother made this porcelain creche years and years ago. During my childhood it always had a special place on the buffet in our living room. A few years back I came across it when we were cleaning up after a flood at my parents' home. Since my parents often travel back and forth to their winter home in southern Utah, my mother doesn't do quite as much decorating for the holidays as she used to. This nativity had been sitting in the same box for several year without use so I asked her if I could display it in my home. After a good cleaning it looks as good as new.
This Countryside Wreath quilt hangs in our living room. Michele (Quilting in the Maritimes) and I each made one last fall (2006) during the Utah quilt retreat that I hosted.

That's all for today, folks!

Welcome to Blogland, Joan!

2007-12-02T22:08:00.001-07:00

Please help me welcome Joan, a longtime Internet friend of mine, to Blogland. (I lifted the above picture from her new blog.) Joan and I first met many years ago when we belonged to the same Yahoo group. Joan leads a very busy life and eventually decided to leave the group, but we have kept in touch occasionally throughout the years. A couple of weeks ago I had a pleasant surprise when Joan contacted me after stumbling across my blog.

Joan, who is a wife and homeschooling mother of eight children, makes amazing quilts for her home and family, and also makes and sells quilts and kits on eBay. Please stop by her blog, Keeping You In Stitches, to say "hi".

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

2007-11-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday morning I went to the mall to pick up a few items from Trade Secret. Immediately upon setting foot inside the mall my senses became overwhelmed with the smell of cinnamon roasted almonds. As I walked down the corridor I passed a little shop that was set up especially for the holiday season. As much as I wanted to stop and buy some sugary cinnamony almonds I resisted and bought only the shampoo, which was my intended purchase.

On the ride home I couldn't shake the though or smell from my mind, so once I got home I came straight to my computer and started searching for a recipe to make my own. After experimenting with a couple of variations I came up with the following recipe. I took these to my quilt guild Christmas party that night where they were a big hit.

I think you'll be surprised to discover just how easy these are to make! Enjoy!!!

CINNAMON ROASTED ALMONDS

1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups almonds

1. Preheat oven to 250 deg. F (120 deg. C). Cover a 13x18" baking sheet with parchment paper (OR grease well).

2. In small bowl combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl slightly beat the egg white. Add vanilla and beat until very frothy, but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir until well coated. Add the cinnamon and sugar mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spread evenly on the prepared pan.

4. Bake for one hour, stirring half way through. Allow to cool then store in an airtight container.

Just a note: I found that it was cheaper to buy a large bag of almonds from Costco than it was to buy them from the local restaurant supply store. Since you'll want to make several batches of this recipe, shop around to find the best deal. You can make two batches from a 48 oz. bag of Kirkland Signature almonds from Costco, which contains approx. 9 cups.

What I've Been Up To

2007-11-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day! Our family enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the home of my brother and sister-in-law. That evening the rest of my extended family joined together at my home for an evening of desserts, games and visiting. We had a small crowd of 32!

Thanks to all who participated in the controversial candied yams poll. It appears that those in favor outweighed those who passed on the side dish. I mean that figuratively, not literally! LOL!

And because we didn't have quite enough to eat on Thanksgiving day, we were invited to dinner and a concert on Friday evening. And not just any dinner... We ate at The Roof atop the Joseph Smith Memorial building in Salt Lake City. It was a real treat not only to dine there, but also to watch as beautiful, historic Temple Square was lighted for Christmas.
Above is the Christmas tree in the lobby of the JSM building.

And this is one of the shots that I took of the spires of the Salt Lake LDS temple.
More lights. And lots of people!
After checking out the lights we headed across town to the Manheim Steamroller Christmas concert. We had fabulous seats at the tables near the stage! This was the first time that I had gone to one of their concerts. Hubby and I had a great time with all of our friends.

On Saturday the Ballerina and I made a quick trip to southern Utah to return College Girl to her home away from home. We did some shopping, ate dinner at Chili's and spent the night at my parents' winter home in St. George. It was fun to snuggle in bed together as we watch the movie, Elf, on TV. It was so fun to have College girl with us for a few days. We sure miss her when she's gone!
Last night was the Christmas party for the small quilt guild to which I belong. We each took a gift that was $10 or less. I took this little tote that I made from a Teresa Kogut panel from a year or two ago, along with some homemade cinnamon almonds. I'll share the recipe tomorrow. The party was pretty fun and I came home with a little snowman guy (that I put in my kitchen) and a few other holiday favors.
Look...I FINALLY finished binding my Trees on the Table topper. Now I can give it to my mother who's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Better late than never, huh?

Happy Thanksgiving, My Friends!

2007-11-22T07:30:00.001-07:00

No Middle Ground

2007-11-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every year, the day before Thanksgiving, a Salt Lake City radio talk show host discusses those foods that we "just have to have" to make our Thanksgiving meal complete.

Not a year goes by that the controversial candied yams aren't the major focus of the discussion. Over the years one thing has become crystal clear...you either love candied yams or you hate them! Honestly, though, I didn't need to listen to the radio to figure that one out. We go the rounds each and every year at our house! I happen to belong to the LOVE THEM camp, while my husband can't stomach the thought of eating them. That doesn't seem to be a problem, though. We have a great arrangement. I make them and he doesn't eat them. You know what that means...more for me!!!

Now I want to hear from you...

First, please give your answer on the poll to the right.

Then leave a comment about that one item that you must have to make your Thanksgiving dinner complete!

Inflicting More Pain

2007-11-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

If you're sick and tired of listening to me go on and on about all the fun that I had last week shopping for Christmas decorations, then please skip to the bottom of this post where you will see a picture of my youngest daughter, the Ballerina, frosting a cake.

Today I made a trip to Tai Pan Trading to purchase a Christmas wall sign that I had seen there a couple of weeks ago. TPT is the home decorating mecca of Utah. The Sandy story is 100,000 square feet of decorating overload! I won't post pictures of the things I bought today because you've probably seen more than enough Christmas decorations on my blog. I will, however, post some pictures once the house is decorated. If you want to find out more about TPT then click on the link above to go to their site.

This picture was taken earlier this year. Today the parking lot was FILLED with cars belonging to hundreds of my closest friends.
Look at this pumpkin plate that they gave me for free. I must be one of their favorite customers! One thing that I'm bummed about is that I discovered a 20% off coupon AFTER I got home. It would have saved me several dollars on my sign. :-( And I know that Kim is bummed because Tai Pan Trading has the lime green Christmas ornaments that she's looking for. This is the Ballerina (and Soccer Guy's girlfriend) frosting the spice cake that she made for dessert yesterday. She's really becoming quite the good little baker! See DH in the background? He's washing the dishes like a good husband. LOL!

Play Day (Part 2)...as promised

2007-11-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance to all of you who wish you were here, but aren't. LOL!!! Kim, if it was tough looking at yesterday's pictures you'd better read (or look) no farther. Below are the pictures that I took at our second stop yesterday, Scrooge and Marley's. When I asked the shopkeeper if I could take "a few" pictures she told me "yes" and that she was "flattered". Isn't that sweet? The woman at Broadbent's was just as kind. Although this shop has been around for a while, I only first visited it this year. Again, I apologize to all of you who came to Utah last year and didn't get to step foot into this amazing shop. It's just about 1/4 mile down the street from Broadbent's. This little old home is filled to the rafters with everything you need to decorate your home (and all your neighbors') for the holidays.
I love everything about this table. The white dishes, the greenery and berries, and the candy canes...
Oh, the candy canes! They're wonderful, they're real and they're made by Hammond's Candies. There were baskets and baskets full. I just checked out the Hammond's website and discovered that they'll be showing these candy canes on Martha Stewart on Monday, November 26th. You can check out their website to see if there is a location near you that sells these sweet confections. Don't you think that ribbon adds such a nice touch? It was in this room that I bought some garland to send along with my tree skirt swap. I may need to go back and get some more for myself. Seen enough? No?! Well then let's walk out back to the "shed".....

Now this is some porch, wouldn't you say?! See that "It's a Wonderful Life" sign on the tree to the left? I bought two of those. One for myself and one for my brother and sister-in-law, to who's home we are going for Thanksgiving. I think I'll add mine to the wreath that goes on my front door.

Come on now... Let's step inside the shed for a look around.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Play Day (Part 1)

2007-11-16T20:51:00.001-07:00

Most Friday's start out the same. We wake up at 6:30, have breakfast as a family and spend a few minutes reading from the scriptures. After that I get dressed and ready for the day, then the carpools begin...first to the junior high to drop of Blondie and her two friends and then to the elementary school to deliver the Ballerina and her friend.

Today was a special day for the Ballerina. It was her turn to take the "snack bar" for her fifth grade class. Last night we made mini cheese cakes with raspberry topping. She said they were a hit, which I knew they would be! :-)

Each Friday morning (and Monday's too) my three friends and I head to Einstein Bros. Bagels for an hour or two of "therapy" over bagels and diet Coke. We usually head straight home to take care of our "duties" for the day, but today we made a stop a Michael's to pick up a few small decorative Christmas trees. Well, that really got us in the mood for shopping, so one of my friends and I decided to make our way to one of my favorite shops in all of the world...Broadbent's. My friend's 21 year old son (who had the day off from work) asked his mom if she was just going to play all day. Can you guess what her answer was?
Last year when my friends came to Utah for a quilt retreat, we made several stops at Broadbent's in Lehi. Broadbent's is the oldest family run department store in the United States, established in 1882. For such a small store, they carry quite a variety of seasonal decoration, quilt supplies and other odds and ends, including some furniture. Years ago, when I made my first trip to Broadbent's I was in search of RUFFLEY slips to go under the Christmas dresses that I had made for my two (at the time) daughters. That would have been ten years ago, as I remember being big and pregnant with the Ballerina in those Christmas pictures! At that time Broadbent's only had a small (but good) selection of quilting fabrics. Now it seems like the quilting area gets bigger each time I visit!

Anyway, at the time of the retreat, Broadbent's was filled with all sorts of fall decorations. As wonderful as that was, Christmas is my all-time favorite time of the year to visit the store. The place is decorated from head to toe with holiday cheer! Here's a little eye candy for your viewing pleasure.....
These decorations make me feel like I'm in a winter wonderland. I picked up a decoration here to send with my mini tree skirt swap.

Their decorated trees are out of this world! I think there were at least 10-12 decorated trees in the store. And the great part is that if you see something that you like on the tree, you can take it off and take it home...for a "small fee", of course. (I hope the woman in the picture doesn't stumble across my blog and find her fanny on display for the whole world to see!)

And speaking of behinds...I'm really bummed that my pictures from the room with the nativity scenes, didn't turn out. They have the largest selection that I have ever seen in one place; from the fabulous Fontanini creches down to the fun and whimsical sets. I think I've bought at least two or three sets here.
Just a few odds and ends. One of the favorite thing that I saw in this area was a little star shaped decoration (with bells) that read, "Every time a bell rings a woman gets a new pair of shoes."
This room is filled with decorations for cowboys and outdoorsmen. There were three or four different trees in this room, but most of the pictures came out a little blurry.

The above two pictures show the area dedicated to decorating your kitchen. Feels pretty festive, huh?
Oh, yeah...I'd better show you some pictures of the quilt shop. LOL!

That's all for today, but if you'll stop by tomorrow I'll show you some pictures of where we went after we left Broadbent's! The play day continues.....

The Law of the Harvest

2007-11-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

"For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7

I love the Law of the Harvest. I'm a true believer that when you put forth good works that good will be returned to you. That's not to say that bad things never happen to good people, but in general I have found that you truly reap what you sow. I've been thinking a lot about this lately and I'm sure that it has something to do with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. This past week my husband and I had an experience with one of our children, College Girl, that really brought this point home. Without getting too personal or going into a lot of detail, here is a little of what transpired.

Our daughter has a friend who has been going through some personal stuggles, many which stem from her family environment. College Girl really wanted to help her friend, but wasn't sure what she could do. She called and talked to her dad about the situtation and her dad's advice was to be prayerful and to spend some time pondering how she could help. A day or two later they were talking again about the situation and then my husband asked College Girl if she had decided how she could best help her friend. What happened next was one of those "parental pay days". Our daughter told my husband that she knew what she should do because she had watched our example while growing up. She listed several accounts of when we had helped some of her friends over the years, many of which we had forgotten. We truly felt humbled.

It feels so wonderful to watch your children grow up and make good choices. It gives hope in a time when the world is filled with troubles. This was also a good lesson to me that my children are following my example...for good and for bad. Now that's a wake up call!

I heart you, College Girl! You make me so proud.

Along the same line...

I've been wanting to share this with you for a long time, but have never had my camera with me at the right time.

Every morning when I drive Blondie and her friends to school I pass this little stand along side the road. The area is a little more rural and there are several orchards and large gardens. In the summertime the shelves are lined with excess produce that is free for the taking. Last week there were three large pumpkins waiting to be taken home. They're all gone now.

On each side of the stand there are these signs...

Simple rules, don't you think? I don't know who built the stand or who maintains it, but I love the feeling that I get every morning when I drive by. It makes me feel part of a bigger communinty who cares for one another.

And on a completely unrelated subject, except that it has something to do with Thanksgiving...

Don't you just love this turkey? I know, I know...it's totally kitsch, but there it sits on top of the piano for all who enter my home to see. My mom had one just like it when I was growing up and when I saw this in Target last fall I just had to get it for myself. Did you, too, have one in your home when you were growing up?

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T14:16:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make a quick post to wish you all a happy Halloween and to share a picture of the finished pincushion kit that Kim gave me.
I got started on this last night and finished it after coming home from a 5th grade Halloween party this morning. I'm still working on getting my blanket stitches a little more even, but I'm really happy with the way that it turned out. If you check the picture of the kit in yesterday's post, you might be able to see that I changed the shape of the acorns a little and added an oak leaf for a more color. I have to admit that this little project was a lot of fun. I think I see more pincushions in my future! Thanks, Kim...I love it!

BTW, I took Marcie's suggestion to use lizard litter to fill the inside and in the process discovered that lizard litter does NOT come in small packages. Maybe another reason that I'll be making more pincushions. Either that or I'll have to buy myself a lizard. NOT!

Goodies and Gifts

2007-10-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

I'm going to start out with this picture taken by Blondie. I guess she thought it was pretty funny to see her two parents sitting on the couch connecting with others on the World Wide Web. LOL! I have to admit, though, that I'm become quite connected. I may not have mentioned this before, but last month we got an new cell phone plan with unlimited texting. Up until that point I had always been anti-texting. "Why don't you just dial the number and TALK to someone?!" Well, since then I've become converted.

Last Saturday evening I made some corn chowder for dinner. I knew there was no point of yelling down the stairs to call the girls for dinner when the bedroom door was closed, so instead I sent a text message to Blondie and her friend, K. I though K was going to die laughing! She told me that her mom would NEVER text to call her children to dinner...she'd just yell. I guess she was still laughing about it when she got home, because her mom was telling me about it when we met for bagels on Monday morning! Oh, how times change!

I recently got a bunch of gifts and goodies that I want to share with you.....
I think that a lot of you have seen the Wintergreen pattern designed by Marcie over at Patchalot More. She has a lot of amazing quilt patterns on her website, Patchalot Patterns. Go check them out!!!
Kim sent me this birthday goody. It's a kit for a little acorn pin cushion. Of course, I had to tease her a bit about her do-it-yourself gifts. I would have made a bigger issue of it, but I think I pointed out that the platter in yesterday's blog was a gift from Kim. I didn't have to make that! LOL! Stay tuned...I hope to get this finished by the end of the week.
And these FQs were a sweet gesture from Melanie. I didn't have either of these, which makes them that much sweeter!
There's a funny story behind these Thimbleberries fabrics.....

Remember a few weeks ago when we took the girls to the amusement park? Well, on the way there I started thinking about a quilt shop, Thread of Time, in Centerville, that was right on the way. I don't go there very often because it's over an hours drive away and I have a bunch of other shops that are so much closer. I asked DH if there was a possibility of making a stop there on our way to the park. He turned and gave me THE LOOK, so I dropped it and didn't think anything more of it. Until...DH started to get hungry. He made an exit off the freeway just before the amusement park in search of food. Just off the exit there were only a few fast food restaurants, which weren't too appealing, so we drove up the road a little further. LOOK! There was a deli! That sounded good, so DH pulled into the parking lot. It wasn't until the car was in park that I informed him the quilt shop was in the same strip mall. Needless to say, I asked them to order me a turkey avocado sandwich and I headed into the quilt shop where I found this fabric on sale for $3.50/yd. Obviously, the quilt gods were smiling on me that day!!!
These are a couple of great books by Judy Martin that came in the mail last week. I think that both Eileen and Patty are currently working on patterns from her newest book.
And last, but not least, here is a little quilt top that I'm making from the Fall Back in Time charms by Sandy Gervais for Moda. Looks like I might need to make it a little longer if someone wants to use it while sleeping on the air hockey table! ROFLOL!

Christmas Trees, Pumpkin Cakes and Ed

2007-10-29T20:03:00.000-06:00

I finally finished Kim's challenge to make Marcie's Trees on the Table topper. One thing that I learned in the process is that I'm somewhat TriRec ruler challenged! It took several attempts to get everything lined up and sewn correctly so that the tree top came out as a square. Although I used varying sized strips for the tree, I decided to use the 2.5" strips that I already had cut in my green border. I'm really happy with the way this turned out and am eager to get it quilted so that it will be ready to throw on my dining table come December.
Yesterday for dessert I made a batch of mini pumpkin cakes. I got this recipe several years ago at a Main Street Cotton Shop retreat held in Hutchinson, MN. I was so impressed with the delicious treat when I first tasted them and was glad that they handed out the recipe. The ones made for the retreat had a dab of frosting on the top of each cake, but I think it adds an extra touch of something when the frosting is piped on with a large star tip. This recipe makes five dozen mini cakes which, when shared with neighbors, is barely enough to last through the evening! I also discovered that if you send a bunch to the neighbor's home on a pewter plate that I comes back the next night filled with decorated Halloween sugar cookies. How great is that?! BTW, don't you love the acorn and oak leaft platter below? That was a thoughtful gift from Kim which she gave me after I hosted a retreat last fall. MINI PUMPKIN CAKES

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill each 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degs. for 15 to 18 mins., until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

OOPS! Marlene and Eileen brought it to my attention that I forgot to include the pumpkin when I first wrote the recipe. Sure wouldn't be pumpkin cakes without the pumpkin, would they?! LOL!

Also...When I made the mini pumpkin cakes on Sunday, I left the oil out all together and they still turned out very moist. Who needs all the calories from a cup of oil?

FROSTING

8 oz. cream cheese
6 Tbs. butter
2 to 2-3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Top each mini cake with a dollop of frosting.

Add a toasted pecan half to the top.

************

On a bit of a sad note...our friend, Ed, who I blogged about last month, passed away on Friday night. We're all so sad at his passing, but know that he's just as busy elsewhere as he was here in our neighborhood. There will be a memorial service on Saturday. DH and I went to visit Vi last night. Although after 61 years of marriage she'll definitely miss her companion, she seems to be at peace and is glad that he's no longer suffering. She's grateful that all of their friends came to visit while Ed was still alive, rather than waiting till after his death. It's a good reminder to me to take time for the important people in my life.

I'm so grateful for each of you who take time out of your day to check on me and see what I'm up to. Bloggers are truly a unique people. I feel so blessed to be part of such a large community who (for the most part) have never met, but celebrate the good events in one anothers lives and sorrow in their trials and misfortunes. Thanks for stopping by today!

DIY LASIK

2007-10-26T09:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning I woke up a little apprehensive about my pending LASIK surgery. I arrived at the clinic at 9:30, all set to go. The nurse asked if I wanted a Valium. YES! Of course I did! My husband has had the procedure three times now and definitely recommends the Valium. I mean, really...who wouldn't like a fee Valium every now and again?

I'm happy to report that the surgery went very well and I can now read my computer, cell phone and notes from the teacher without needing to hunt down a pair of glasses. It's wonderful! I really appreciate support, concern and good wishes from my online friends. I only have one complaint.

Have you every gone and purchased something from the store (or quilt shop) only to find out that a couple of days later your girlfriend gets the same thing for a fraction of the price? Well, that's how I felt this morning when I was doing an online search. Look what I found...a do-it-yourself LASIK kit. So what I want to know is why no one bothered to mentioned this to me before? Had I known that I could have purchased LASIK at Home for only $99.95 I never would have wasted two and a half hours of my life and a couple thousand dollars. It's amazing what we find out after the fact, isn't it?

Welcome Back, Fall!

2007-10-23T13:38:00.000-06:00

We made it through that brief winter spell and are once again enjoying beautiful fall weather.
Yesterday I finished up this Pumpkin Picking quilt that has been sitting on the shelf for ages. It's nice to have another UFO completed. I don't know if you noticed or not, but I seem to have an awful lot of fall quilts. I just love making them, but honestly, I don't know if I have another spot in my house to hang this one, so it's being sent off to another home where it will hopefully be loved.

This is a a table runner than I made back in October 2004, long before I started blogging. I love the Thimbleberries focus fabric that is in the border. Just thought I'd share. LOL!

Oh the weather outside is frightful.....

2007-10-22T15:18:00.000-06:00

This is what my home looked like when I woke up Sunday morning.
And this is what one of mountains looked like as we drove to church.
Can you believe how loaded the trees are? Many had branches that were touching the ground due to the weight from the snow. In the lower right hand corner of the picture above you can see that one dead tree didn't make it and crashed down next to the road.
Although snow covered the ground it didn't stick to the roads. That's a good thing!
And here's a picture of Mt. Timpanogos covered in snow and clouds. This picture was taken from the same place that I took the picture from a couple of weeks ago. Today the snow is now melted from our yard, but the top of Timp is still covered.

On Saturday we had a Super Saturday craft day at our church. There were a lot of fun crafting classes, but the best part was the caramel apple dipping demo. That's Blondie giving it a try. She wanted to make sure she knew how dip apples correctly so that we can do it at home. Now that we can make our own caramel apples, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory may go out of business.
Here's College Girl and her friend. They just came for lunch. Smart girls!
And here's Blondie and the Ballerina eating their treats from the chocolate fountain.

After I finished up at the crafting day I headed over to the "Sit and Sew" that my local guild was hosting. It was fun to do a little stitching, as well as mingling with the ladies there. It was a long day, but filled with lots of fun!

It's my birthday!!!

2007-10-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

So now I finally know what it feels like to be 45! LOL! It's a fact that Father Time has slowly been creeping up on me for quite some time now. For several years I've been paying my hair dresser to cover the gray in my hair and for at least five years I've been wearing reading glasses. During the past couple of years my vision has become so bad that I can't even read a price tag or see who's calling me on my cell phone. I'm not taking this "age thing" like a sissy, though. As a matter of fact, I'm fighting back! Next week I'm having LASIK eye surgery to help correct my vision so that I will at least be able to look at fabric and patterns in the quilt shops. I'll still pretend that I can't see the prices on the ends of the bolts as they go higher and higher!!!

So far it's been a pretty nice day. My friends and I went on our twice weekly bagel excursion to Einstein Bros. They gave me nice gifts like jewelry, peanut M&Ms and a gift certificate to a LQS. They're the greatest!!! Afterward, I stopped and had my nails done. They were starting to look pretty shabby, so this was a much needed (and much deserved, I might add) treat.

I just got a text message from College Girl telling me that she's heading home in less than an hour. I'm so excited to see her. She was last here over Labor Day weekend so it's been a while. This is her fall break, so she'll be here through Monday. Since I'm pretty sure that College Girl won't be reading my blog before she leaves it's probably safe to show you the quilt that I've been secretly making for her.

A few weeks back I got a text from her saying that she was freezing and needed a quilt. I guess a good mother would never have sent her DD off to college without a quilt, but what can I say...I'm somewhat of a slacker, I guess. So now when she arrives home this evening she'll have her own quilt to take back to her dorm.

This Turning Twenty quilt is made mostly from Fresh Cut fabrics by Heather Bailey (chek out her blog). I simply love the colors and designs. And I know that College Girl will love her new, very own quilt in which she can snuggle all winter long!!!

Tonight, after all the kids get home, we're heading out to dinner at our favorite tepanyaki steak house. It's been a long time since we've been there so I'm really looking forward to it.

Now I'm off to pick up the girls from school. Have a great day!!!

And the winner is.......

2007-10-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

Congratulations, Nadine!!! I think I still have your address so I'll get your prize in the mail this afternoon! Enjoy! Thanks to all who dropped by and entered.
Our girls are enjoying a few days off from school this weekend for fall break. We decided to be indulgent parents and took them to a nearby amusement park, Lagoon, on Friday night. Each year, during October, the park is open on the weekends for their Frightmares festivities. I haven't been to Lagoon in years, but it appears that the Terroride hasn't changed a bit since I was a kid. Cheesier than ever!!!

DH and I were good sports and went on all of the roller coasters. Of course, DH had to make an appointment with the chiropractor this morning after a night of roller coaster riding, but he seems to be much better this afternoon. That's The Ballerina (aka the Pumpkin Princess) and Blondie in the picture above. They're just finishing up their ride on the Jet Star II.

I have to admit that I really like going on roller coasters of all kinds, but when we went on Wicked I thought I was going to die of fright! I'm glad to report that I didn't wet my pants! lol!
All you can see are the feet of DH and Blondie. There was no way we were going to get the Ballerina on the Rocket.
Hamming it up before one of the rides.
Look...here's proof that DH and I were there!
Here are the girls after a night of adventure. A great time was had by all!!!

Pumpkin Picking Prize

2007-10-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

Look at the pretty princess in the pumpkin patch!
Each morning on the way to school we pass this delightful home. In the springtime the gardens are filled with bright and beautiful flowers and in the fall the yard is filled with pumpkins. You can see that even in the fall that the gardens are lovely. (And did you notice that the snow still hasn't melted off of the mountain?)

In the top picture it looks like the pumpkin princess is standing in the middle of a huge pile of pumpkins, but in reality the pumpkins are in three long piles that reach from the front of the house out toward the sidewalk. The different sections are different prices. The first section that you see (toward the front of the picture) has the $3 pumpkins, the next section back is for the $2 pumpkins, and then the smaller $1 pumpkins. You can't see the $.50 pumpkins 'cause they're too puny. The second picture has the $4 and $5 pumpkins and a deer in the bushes that's not for sale. :-)
Now that's a happy pumpkin picker! Isn't she cute?! We got three of these $3 pumpkins.

I just love this antique truck that is part of the display.
Look...the pumpkin princess is picking puny pumpkins! She picked four of those and then went back for two of the $1 pumpkins.
These are the ghost pumpkins. They were only $3 each so we bought two.
This is a cabbage that is growing in the garden. Like the deer, it's not for sale. Or at least I think it's not. Maybe I should have asked.
This wagon is filled with squash. I bought one of the yellow spaghetti squash for $1. I probably should have bought two since my family loves spaghetti squash so much. I think I may go back for another one next week.

While we were picking pumpkins, one of my daughter's assignments was to figure out the total amount that we were spending. If you can figure out how much money we spent on pumpkins and squash then post your answer in the comments section. If you have the correct answer then your name will go into a drawing for the Perfect Autumn Pumpkin scented anti-bacterial soap by Bath and Body Works. The contest ends on Friday, October 12th at midnight. Good luck...and no fair cheating off your neighbor's paper!!!

Decorating for the Season

2007-10-08T13:22:00.001-06:00

I finished up a couple of quilts this weekend. This first one was pretty simple and very quick to make. The focus fabric and border fabric are both by Alexander Henry. Although it's a small lap quilt, I think the fabrics pack a lot of punch! I actually tea dyed the quilt to help tone down the bright orange figures and to give it more of an old time feel.
I think you've already seen the quilt top for this quilt made from fabrics by Bonnie Sullivan for Maywood Studios.
This is a close up of the quilting.

Below are some picture of the fall and Halloween decorations around our home.

This sign is on the wall of the dining area in our kitchen.
These sit on my kitchen counter top.
More candy in a hurricane lamp. My son thinks this is one of the most stupid ideas ever! I mean, really, what is the point to having candy if you can't eat it?! Can you see that I've rigged it so that they can't get the candy bars without the candy corn dropping down to the bottom of the lamp? I've made serious threats against anyone who might try to eat the candy bars! LOL! The candles in the kitchen come with less of a threat. I've even been caught snitching the malted milk balls.
Obviously, there is no threat associated with the candy corn in the pumpkin jar. We had a houseful of twenty-somethings at our home for dinner yesterday and I told them the candy corn was up for grabs. Those are "boo bells" in the vase.

I hope my sister won't take it personally when I say that my girls have named our little witch Susie. They must have named her that because she's so cute! (Did I cover myself?)

This is my (somewhat) new front door.
We haven't bought REAL pumpkins yet, so these will have to do for another day or so.

The blocks are finally finished!!!

2007-10-08T11:27:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you how happy I am that I finally finished all of the blocks for my Thimbleberries Village quilt! It feels so good to be at the point where I can start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I had really hoped to have the top assembled before the end of the weekend, but my family had other plans for me. It feels good to sneak in a little sewing time here and there.

This first block is called Blossom Time.

And this blocks is called Log Cabin Lane. I put off making this block until the end with the hopes that I could use up little bits and pieces of leftover fabric. That ended up being a great way to use up those small pieces that were otherwise destined to be thrown into the scrap basket.

Oh, how I love a true Utah fall! When it was snowing Saturday afternoon I was almost certain that we had skipped fall altogether and went straight to winter, but upon waking this morning I was thrilled to see the blue sky and feel the crisp air.

I took this top picture of Mount Timpanogos just around the corner from my home so that I could get a good view with fewer rooftops in the picture.
These last two pictures were taken from the driveway of our home. I had to take pictures this morning because the weather man says that the snow will be melted by the end of the day.

My quilts are meant to be USED!!!

2007-10-01T13:15:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned yet that fall has arrived in Happy Valley? I love the crisp morning and warm, sunny afternoons. I have to admit, though (and my girls will back me up on this one), that it's hard to roll out from under those nice comfy covers when the alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m.

Each morning, as part of our family ritual, we gather together for breakfast. The past few mornings I've noticed that Blondie heads straight to the family room and grabs a quilt before she sits down to eat. This morning she also grabbed a quilt for her little sister, Ballerina Girl. This is what I found on the living room floor once breakfast was over... Yes, there are bodies under those lumpy quilts. I get warm fuzzies when I see my children snuggled up in the quilts that I've made. That IS why I make them, you know! Above is a close up of Blondie (14)...
and Ballerina Girl (10.5). I can't believe that she would stick her tongue out at me!
After five minutes of coaxing the girls to get up and get dressed, Shadow is left alone to groom himself. Now who do you suppose will have to fold those quilts back up?
After enjoying bagels with my friends this morning I made a quick dash to Material Girls in South Jordan to buy some backing fabric for a quilt I'm working on. I asked nicely and the owner let me take a picture inside the shop. This is a great little shop that is bursting at the seams. They'll soon be moving the store to a larger location in the same shopping complex.

[Note to you retreaters who came to Happy Valley last fall: No, we did not visit this shop, but I promise to take you there if you'll come back to visit me!!!]

Cats and Cottages

2007-09-29T17:05:00.001-06:00

College Girl asked me to post a picture of her kitty. I think Mia really misses playing out in the backyard with you. Here's the latest funny (or would that be annoying?) cat story...

Two nights ago we were sleeping with the window opened a crack. Around three in the morning I was awakened by a troubled meow coming from outside my window. I figured it was Mia telling me that she wanted to come in. So I got up and went to open the back door. When I opened the door and called for Mia she didn't come running up the stairs like she usually does, but strangely I could hear the bell on her collar jingling. The next thing I heard was a meow coming from above my head. What?! I looked up and there was Mia peering at me from over the rain gutter.

This isn't the first time that Mia has climbed on the roof from the apricot tree that grows next to our home. Usually DH pulls out the extension ladder and goes up to get her, but the last time it happened we weren't home and the girls had to figure out a way to get her down. To Blondie's credit, she came up with a brilliant idea. She took a chair out on the deck and lifted a basket up for Mia to jump in. So that's what DH did two nights ago. Then he locked her down in the mud room! LOL!
Are you getting tired of seeing village blocks yet? I have to admit that I'm getting pretty tired of making them. This block is called Summer Cottage. Only two more to go, and once I get the blocks all put together I'll have another UFO checked off my list. BTW, sorry the picture is so bad. It's stormy outside today and it's hard to get a good picture inside of the house.

Potting Sheds and Potting Tables

2007-09-29T13:24:00.000-06:00

Yep, one more block done! This is the potting shed. I've never had a potting shed, but I love the thought of having one. I love to garden during the spring and summer and would love to have a shed dedicated to growing a garden. One without a lawn mower and weed whacker. It's a romantic thought, but I doubt it'll ever be.

I'm really happy with the way this block turned out, but I did a lot of fiddling with the pattern to make it to my specifications. The original pattern has the green part of the tree constructed with NINE different pieces. That seemed like WAY too many, especially with that particular fabric, so I redesigned the tree so that it was only made with four different green pieces. Much better. Of course, that meant that I also had to redesign the stars, but in the end I'm happier with the overall look of the block. I also did some redesigning of the sunflower block so that it was made with fewer pieces and seams. I already said that I don't have a potting shed, but if I did I'd have a potting table to put inside. To you this table may not look like much, but it's one of my favorite new possessions. This potting table was made by Ed, an elderly man who lives down the street. Ed and his wife, Vi, are the type of people that everyone wants to be like when they grow up. Kind, giving, thoughtful, and a couple who know what it means to endure to the end.

For many years we woke up a couple of times a month to the sound of knocking at the front door. It was Ed with hot bread in hand. My kids called him the Bread Man. The story goes that Ed was sure that Vi would die before him and he would no longer be able to eat her homemade bread. Obviously, the solution was for Ed to learn to make bread. So he did. He made bread once or twice a week and always made extra to take to friends in the neighborhood.

Well, Ed started getting older and developed several different health problems, including Parkinson's disease. Ed was never one to sit idly by, so he replaced bread making with a new hobby. He started making potting tables from the scrap lumber left around the new homes that are being built in our neighborhood. Sadly, a couple of months back Ed had a mishap with his table saw and nearly cut off his thumb. It was a close call and the doctors weren't sure if they could save his thumb. Obviously the doctors didn't know who they were dealing with. Ed and Vi are people with a strong faith in God and they believe that miracles happen. When Ed went in for a follow up appointment the doctors were amazed at how well his thumb had healed. No one else was surprised. We've seen Ed pull through cancer, brain surgery and more.

Vi doesn't let Ed use his table saw anymore, but there are other good men in our neighborhood who cut the wood for Ed so that he can continue to build potting tables. Although Ed puts the Energizer Bunny to shame, I don't know how much longer he'll be around, but I'll always treasure the memories of hot bread in the mornings and my potting table in the backyard.

Sunflower Garden

2007-09-27T20:24:00.000-06:00

Yippee! One more block finished! I'm hoping to get one block finished each day, but I'm sure you know all about the best laid plans. lol! Eight blocks finished, only four more to go.

On A Roll

2007-09-24T14:59:00.001-06:00

I'm feeling like pretty hot stuff!!! Two village block completed in one day. This is the Washington Ave. House. Have you ever seen a house painted with snowflakes? Neither have I. Still, I kinda like it. With lots of BIG pieces and no half square triangles, this was a quick block to make. I'll admit that I already had the checkerboard section pieced so it went together that much more quickly. Seven down, five more to go!
And here's another one of my fall quilts. I made this in a quilt of the month class a couple years back. It's definitely a knock off of the Thimbleberries Pumpkins for Sale quilt. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a picture of this quilt that was in focus. I really like the colors in this quilt.

Thimbleberries Village Progress

2007-09-24T12:20:00.000-06:00

Now that I've got my Thimbleberries Month by Month quilt top finished and delivered to the quilter, I decided to pull out my Thimbleberries Village quilt and get it finished up.

When I first became interested in Thimbleberries fabrics and patterns I went on a search for all of the original fabrics. After a lot of searching and some help from my friends, Kristie and Patty, I was able to get started. I can't remember exactly how long ago it was that I started this quilt, but up until this weekend I had five blocks completed. This weekend I finally finished one more block...the Apple Orchard. Six down, six more to go!

These are all of the blocks that I have finished so far.....

And here's a picture of my Cranberry Sparkle quilt. I chose this one to hang on my living room wall when I pulled out my fall decorations last week. I finished it in September 2004 after starting it at the annual Main Street Cotton Shop retreat in Hutchinson, MN.

Catching Up

2007-09-19T14:36:00.000-06:00

I only have a few minutes to post some picture before I have to run and pick up the carpool, so here goes...

I finally finished my Thimbleberries Month by Month quilt. It's nice to have this top done. All of the fabric, except for the border, were from my stash. It was fun to choose some of my favorite fabrics for this quilt because, like I mentioned before, this quilt will be for me. I've even got the backing pieced. I just need to buy more batting and send it off to be quilted with a couple others.
This little apple quilt is made from a kit that Kim gave to us at our retreat last fall. I've had the top done, but it wasn't quilted. I still have to add some quilting to the border, but that will have to wait until my stencils come out of hiding. Even after searching high and low, I still can't find where I put my stencils when I was reorganizing my sewing room. Does that say something about me? I'm sure it does! LOL!
And here are the promised pictures of the goodies that I bought while visiting Michele in New Brunswick. The second shop that we went to had a deal that you paid $3.99 for as much fabric as you could fit into the baggie.

And this is what was stuffed into the bag. I would guess that there is well over a yard of fabric scraps...so not too bad! I tried to get pieces that I could cut into 2.5" strips. I also bought a pattern, but forgot to take a picture of it.
These are a pair of earrings that I bought for my daughter, College Girl. I'm having a hard time parting with them and even have them dangling from my ears right now. I guess at some point before the end of the week I need to pack up all of the stuff that I've told her I'd send and put it in the mail. I hope I remember to include the earrings in the package. lol!

[Note to CG: If I forget to include the earrings in the package, it was purely an accident. I promise!]
This is the gift that I brought back for me! Michele's mother has a small collection of these blown glass balls. They come in all sorts of different colors and designs. They look so beautiful with the sun shining through them. I'm still trying to find the perfect window in which to hang this.
And since Kim reminded us that it's Talk Like a Pirate Day, I decided to post a couple of pictures of my favorite pirates! Me matey, Sherry, and I met these scalawags while vacationing in the Bahamas in January 2006.
This was after they had wrapped up a day of filming Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3. What a sight for these landlubber! Arrrrgh!!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety, Jig

2007-09-13T08:28:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a trip! I arrived home yesterday afternoon from a wonderful getaway. I spent four days in Boston with my DH and then I went on to Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada to visit my friend, Michele, for a few more days. It took me 15 hours of travel to arrive back home yesterday, but here I am safe and sound.

I won't go on and on about everything that I saw...still a little too tired to think straight...but here are some pictures of my trip. I guess I should say that DH had a two day conference, so I spent that time sightseeing on my own, so I'm not in the pictures (not saying that's a bad thing...lol!).
Here's a look at downtown Boston. The blocks are small and it's pretty easy to get around. I even figured out the subway system that took me to a lot of different places.
This is the Old State House, site of the Boston Massacre.
Here's Faneuil Hall Marketplace (see the golden grasshopper weather vain?) and
Quincy Market. We did a little bit of shopping and a lot of eating here.
Here are some street performers at Faneuil Hall. They were there every day, so the donations must be pretty good.I had a few different friends recommend that we take the duck tour so the hubby and I did that on Saturday. It was a fun way to see many parts of the city. Toward the end of the tour the truck turns into a boat and takes you for a ride on the Charles river.

This is the New State House, with its 24k gold leaf dome.
Here's a picture of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. It's beautiful from every angle.
This is a picture of the Museum of Science viewed from the duck boat on the Charles river. The tour began and ended in the parking lot on the other side.
Look, a picture of me and my husband! We really were there!!! This picture was taken from inside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. See the Boston skyline in the background?
One more of my hubby.On Sunday morning DH jumped on a big jet and headed back home to Happy Valley. I, on the other hand, climbed aboard this propeller plane that carries a total of 18 passengers, and headed to visit Michele. The above picture is of the plane after it landed in Fredericton. It's an interesting experience to sit in the front seat and watch the pilots through the open cabin door. They must have flipped all of the right switches and turned the right knobs, cause we made there and back without any problem. Here's a word of warning to those of you who might fly on a similar plane...don't drink a lot of diet Coke before boarding, as there are no bathrooms aboard!

Michele and her family were so wonderful to welcome me into their home for a few days. Michele and I have been members of a Yahoo! Group for several years and have met three times previously, twice at the Main Street Cotton Shop retreat in Minnesota and again last year when she came to Happy Valley to attend a retreat that I hosted here.

The day that I arrived, Michele and her children picked me up at the airport and took me to their lakeside cottage, where I met her husband, who was already there, and her mother, who has a lakeside home next door to theirs.

The next day Michele and I drove to Moncton to visit a couple of quilt shops. We also had lunch at a little home style cafe and stopped at Tim Horton's for a last minute treat. We stopped at an antique shop on the way home so that I could purchase a blown glass ball as a souvenir. Both Michele and her mother have them and I figured it would be a great remembrance of my trip.

On the last day Michele and I did a little running around town. The picture above is of us in front of a teeny tiny quilt shop in town. Check out Michele's blog to see a couple more pictures of my trip to Fredericton. Tomorrow I'll post a few pictures of the goodies that found their way home in my suitcase. Right now I'm going to take a nap!

My Sister, Suz

2007-09-03T06:36:00.000-06:00

I come from a large family. Okay, maybe that's an understatement...I come from a VERY large blended family, but in the home in which I was raised there were six kids. For most of our growing up years I shared a bedroom with my sister, Susan. That's a picture of her family that I lifted from her blog.

Suz and I are quite different. She has blond hair, mine is brown. She has blue eyes, mine, again, are brown. She's skinny, I'm...well...not. She's more relaxed and easy going, I'm not so much.

I have to admit, she is definitely the "cool" sister. As a matter of fact, I think my kids would go and live with her if I didn't give them guilt beyond measure. I mean, let's face it...her girls have a Wii. My kids don't have a Wii. They want a Wii...trust me, it has been the topic of many conversations this past week! Aunt Susie's family drives around in a Denali while my kids all jump into a minivan. We're just not cool.

Suz can knit. I can't knit. How come she can knit and I can't?! I want to learn how to knit like my sister. I think knitting is SO cool!

Well, I guess the one thing that I have that Suz doesn't have is a home in Happy Valley. Suz loves Happy Valley, but she doesn't live here. Nope. She has to suffer through life in SoCal. She doesn't get to endure the freezing cold winters and scorching summers. Instead, she lives near Malibu Beach and sometimes buys season passes to Disneyland. Poor, poor, Susie.

At least once each year, usually in the summer, I take pity on poor Suz and let her come to visit. Sometimes I make her family stay with us until they can't stand it anymore and move to a motel. This summer I even made her watch my kids while my husband and I took off for Nashville for a few days. I know how to work the system! Evil, conniving sisters are like that.

Well, my cool sister recently tagged me with some questions and in an effort to be cool like her, here are my answers....

Jobs I have had...

Babysitter (isn't that every one's first job?)
Page at the city library
Drapery maker who was promoted to office manager
Data entry supervisor for a military contractor
Worked for a temporary agency and was eventually hired full time as an
Accounts payable clerk for a steel fabricator
Stay at home mom for the past 17 years

Movies I never get sick of...

You've Got Mail
Pride and Prejudice (all six hours)...hey, my cool sister had this on her list, too!
Emma
Anne of Green Gables series

Places I've called home...

Beacon, NY...was born there
Provo, UT
Rialto, CA
Orem, UT

Favorite TV shows...

Today Show
Perry Mason reruns
the News

Favorite vacation spot...

Four Seasons resort on Great Exuma, Bahamas (my favorite vacation ever!)

Favorite web site...

Although I visit a lot of different sites that I enjoy, I don't think that I have a "favorite".

Would you bungee jump?...

I would have in my younger days, but there's no chance I'd do it now.

Favorite cereal...

I'm not a big cereal eater, but I'll take an Einstein's whole wheat bagel (toasted) with sun dried tomato cream cheese on the side...plus a diet coke

The last thing I ate...

A fresh peach

The last person I talked to on the phone...

That would be my daughter, Blondie

What I am listening to...

the Today Show

Eye color...

Brown

Summer or winter...

Spring!

Scary or happy ending...

Happy

Tag, you are it...

I'm not big on committing someone to do something they may not want to, but if you want to be as cool as my sister, Suz, then it's your turn to answer the questions above.

Once Upon a Time

2007-08-31T20:06:00.001-06:00

Grandpa Jensen was a storyteller. He took me to places that most children only read about. I've climbed the beanstalk with Jack and sat and watched as those elves made shoes in the cobbler's little shop. When the Bremen Town musicians scared the robbers out of the old, vacant house, I was right there with them, screaming and hollering at the top of my lungs. I honestly believe that a little tailor can kill three giants with one blow! And in a canyon not far from Happy Valley lives the creature of Shiny Mountain. I've seen him and so have my brothers and sister. Ask our cousins, they've seen him, too.
Today was the first day of the annual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Each year the fifth graders from our school are invited to attend, so this year I was able to attend with our youngest daughter.
In addition to storytellers, there are jugglers, women spinning yarn, puppeteers and singers.Looks at these kids eagerly awaiting the stories to begin. That's my cutie in the striped shirt. I wish I could have taken pictures of the children while the stories were being told, but no cameras are allowed during the stories. They laughed and giggled the whole way through. We were first treated to a Japanese folktale by Eric, a local youth storyteller, and then were taken to the tops of the Andes by the Storycrafters. The last two stories were told by a stand up comedian turned park ranger, turned storyteller, named Bobby Norfolk. His comedic stories and sound effects had us rolling in the aisles!
Eventually the fun had to come to an end. Here are the kids as they head back to the bus.
This is the view of Mount Timpanogos as seen from the park in which the festival is held. And remember a couple of days ago when I mentioned an artist named James Christensen? The picture at the top of this post, Tales Beneath Timp, was painted by him. It's a cropped version of his painting titled Once Upon a Time. I like to imagine that the storyteller in the picture is my grandfather. He truly lived among faeries, elves, goblins and princesses.

Yesterday's News

2007-08-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a abdominal CT to see what is going on where my gall bladder used to be. This was my Breakfast of Champions before I went to be scanned. I gotta tell ya...it doesn't matter how pretty you try to make it look in a picture, that contrast is pretty nasty stuff to drink.

As I was trying to chug half of the first bottle down at 7:00 in the morning, my 14 year old daughter suggested that I try drinking it with a straw.

Ya, right! This girl is a self described blond. What does she know?!

Well, the awful taste and texture in my mouth made me start to rethink her suggestion. Maybe it just might work. Ya know what? She was right. My daughter, who earlier this week was confused by a bicyclist's turn signal, was right!

Blondie: "Look, he made a "L" shape with his arm which means he's turning left."
Me: "Uh, sweetie, that was a right turn."
Blondie: "Oh [pause as the wheels in her brain start turning], yeah." Giggle, giggle, giggle.

Anyway, drinking the stuff with a straw sends it right over your tongue and straight to the back of your mouth. Great idea, Blondie!

The guy in radiology told me that my doctor should have the results back from my test by the first part of next week, so it's just wait and see till then. May I just say, without getting too graphic, that the contrast is just as nasty coming out as it is going in. Sorry! LOL!

The day did get better, though...
On the way home I made a stop at Tai Pan Trading. This place is a mega store that carries all sorts of decorating do-dads. With a can of paint and a trip to Tai Pan, your house could look like a show home. Mine doesn't...but it could. I guess I need that can of paint first! I've stop at Tai Pan at least once during each decorating season. I resisted the temptation to buy anything until I pull out all of my fall decorations and take inventory of what I already have and what I might need. Of course, I've already got my eye on a few things! Stay tuned...
I made a delicious pesto for dinner, which I served over fettuccine. I've got both sweet and purple basil in my garden, so I used both. I've made this dish once before and it was a real hit.

Pretty cinchy if you've got all of the ingredients on hand. I really prefer freshly grated Parmesan cheese, but I only had the Kraft variety in the fridge, so that's what I used. Note: If you use the pesto recipe on the back of the Kirkland Signature bag of pine nuts, cut WAY back on the salt!
Now this is where you really wish you were able to smell through your monitor! Just imagine the smell of fresh basil, toated pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. I'm starting to slobber just thinking about it!

I didn't get a picture of the finished dish, but I just tossed the pasta with the pesto and served a green salad (with LOTS of tomatoes!) on the side.

Now, I've never claimed to be a genius, but check this out...
I bought this bag of pine nuts at Costco.
Take a look at the allergy warning on the back. Hmmm...now who would have though that you'd have to be warned that the bag contains pine nuts when it's already clearly printed on the front of the package? Honestly, do they really think that if some lame brain can't read "PINE NUTS" on the front that they're going so search to find it in the small print on the back?

A Wedding, A Quilt, and a Gazillion Tomatoes

2007-08-28T08:36:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy and productive weekend. I've had so much going on that I've had little extra time to sit down and blog about it. Here's the past few days in a nutshell..... Friday evening we went to Meggan and Phillip's wedding. For those who don't know, Meggan lived with our family during the last school year due to some unfortunate circumstances in her family. Eighteen is mighty young to get married, but we wish the best for their new life together. Since the family situation is a little bit strained, we opted to cut out after the wedding and not stay for the reception.

Thing 4 (did you ever read The Cat in the Hat?) was the only child at home, so she went to the wedding with us. Afterward we went to the Happy Sumo for dinner. Look at her handle those chop sticks. It was a beautiful evening so we chose to dine on the patio.

Thing 3 was at a Diamond Rio concert with her friend who lives across the street. The father of her friend played in the "warm up" band and got them complimentary tickets. She had a great time!

I love this fountain! It is just outside the Happy Sumo, so we were able to enjoy the baggling water all through dinner. The characters on top of the fountain are James Christensen figures. I've been a big admirer of his work for years. As a matter of fact, we have his Superstitions print hanging in our family room and a couple more pieces that still need to be framed.

I spent most of Saturday working on my Thimbleberries Month by Month quilt. Up until Saturday I only had the March through July blocks finished. That morning I started with the August and January blocks and then realized that I didn't have enough of the background fabric to finish the quilt. I put out a call to all of my Thimbleberries friends hoping that I could find a source for an additional half yard to finish the quilt. My friend, Jackie, who lives in Calgary told me that she had a half yard and was just heading out the door to put it in the mail. WOW! Everyone needs a friend like her! I'm blessed to have many! This quilt has been fun to work on. For the most part I've been able to make the blocks from fabric found in my scrap box.

Occasionally, I've used pieces from my stash and my fat quarter box. Next time you see this quilt the top will be finished and ready to go to the quilter.

See this box of tomatoes? This is only half of what I've got. Word got out that my own tomato crop was pretty puny, so once again my friends came to the rescue. Truth be told, I think they were actually just trying to get rid of their tomatoes so that THEY wouldn't have to can them. Not only did my friend, Robyn, give me a box of tomatoes, but she also gave me her chili sauce recipe and told me that I just HAD to make a batch. My house would smell wonderful, she said.

So my plan for yesterday was to meet my girlfriends for bagels in the morning and then head straight home to bottle up those red beauties. It was an 11:00 doctors appointment that really messed up my day. I guess you take what you can get when you call in the morning to ask for an appointment. After 2 1/2 weeks of physical therapy for my shoulder pain I cried "uncle". It seemed that the PT was aggravating my shoulder more than it was helping. Additionally, I've been having a lot of pain where my gall bladder used to be.

Well, the doctor now thinks that I may have a small tear in my rotator cuff, so he referred me to a specialist for that. And tomorrow morning I have an abdominal scan scheduled to see what's going on in the gall bladder area. You know what that means don't you? No food after midnight and for breakfast I'll be enjoying a bottle of contrast solution.I think they try to make you feel better by calling it a "smoothie". NOT!

By the time the doctors appointment was over and I'd made my second stop at the market...forgot the vinegar...it was after 1:00 and I still hadn't made much progress on my chili sauce. It took me almost three hours to cut 8 large onions, 6 bell peppers and 36 tomatoes. Let's not forget to throw in a car pool. lol!

This is what the chili sauce looked like after simmering for an hour or two. To my friend's credit, the house did smell wonderful and I was actually getting pretty excited about having 14 pints of chili sauce on my shelves this winter.

But, look...I still have half a box of tomatoes left...plus two refrigerator drawers full!!! I guess that means today I'll be bottling MORE tomatoes. I usually do a couple of batches of whole tomatoes in quart jars that I use in taco soup during the winter, so that was already in the plans. And who knows...maybe tomorrow I'll be bottling salsa.

And here's the finished product.

Before I forget...if you haven't already, make sure you stop by and visit my friend, Kristie, at her new blog...Quilt Harvest.

Now I've gotta run...the tomatoes are calling me!!!

Update: My friend, Laurel, stopped by for a visit and to see how my drs. appointment went. I'll try not to do an evil laugh when I tell you that she walked out of here with my half box of tomatoes. Wah, ha, ha, ha! That means I can put off the tomatoes in the fridge until tomorrow! Yippee!!! Anyone else wanna stop by for a visit? ;-)

On Her Way...

2007-08-23T21:55:00.000-06:00

Two posts in one day. Wattayaknow?

I couldn't let the day end without posting the picture that I took this morning as our amazing daughter loaded up the Jeep and headed off to her first semester of college.
Honestly, I wasn't sure that her dad was going to let her go. Last night when he came home from work I could tell that something was seriously wrong. I knew that things hadn't started out on the right foot for him that morning, but something just didn't seem right when I walked into the family room last evening and found him sitting in a stupor. After a bit of prodding he finally confessed that he was having a difficult time thinking about his girl leaving the security of our home and heading off into the big, cruel world.

I guess the fact that our son moved out of the house and into an apartment last night didn't help the situation at all. Yes, we knew the day was coming and that it wouldn't be easy, but now that the time has finally arrived we've found it harder than we ever imagined. Not only does the house seem empty, so do our hearts. Let's face it...parenting isn't for sissies!

I know that they're both going to be just fine...it's mom and dad that I'm not so sure about!

Anticipation!!!

2007-08-23T12:23:00.000-06:00

My goodness, the anticipation has been killing me! I received a package from my good friend, Cathy, back on August 14th and she told me that I couldn't open it until today.

I'm part of an amazing online quilt group and this month we're celebrating our 5th anniversary together. Wow! Has it only been five years? It seems like we've been friends forever. Over the years I've had the good fortune of meeting many of my online friends at retreats in MN and last fall I hosted a small retreat here in Happy Valley which seven from the group attended. One kind friend from our group invited me into her home last year so that we could do a shop hop in her area. We hit every store on the list and then some! Next month I'll be visiting (intruding on?) another friend and her family in their home in New Brunswick, Canada. Lucky, lucky me!

I never could have imagined five years ago what a difference these friends would make in my life. We've gone through a lot of ups and downs together. Isn't it amazing what a support an online group of friends can be? We've also lost a dear friend to cancer and shared in the heartache. Diane still continues to touch our lives years later. I'll always be grateful for the life long friendships that come from being a part of such a wonderful group.

Now, back to the package...

We all know that quilters LOVE to celebrate anything and everything by sending each other gifts. This gift exchange was an organized swap that included 29 participants and Cathy was the hostess. An top notch hostess, I might add!

This is my first peek into the package.

Out of the box. Don't you just love the Thimbleberries wrapping paper?

All boxed up in a Sterilite container. It'll stack with the two matching boxes that I already in my sewing room. I currently store 2" squares in the boxes that I have.

Off comes the lid.

Oh, my! Those things that aren't wrapped in paper are wrapped with Thimbleberries fabric!

Look! Look what I got!!! That Cathy, she never forgets a thing! Look at that candle mat...Cathy knows that I collect things with oak leaves and acorns...goes along with my last name. Also in the package is a package of Thimbleberries note cards, an Ohio postcard (Cathy is from Ohio) that has a Buckeye candy recipe on front (looks easy enough for me to make), a kitty cat note pad, a bottle of Fray Check (nice...I can't find the one I had), a "match book" of emery boards, a glue stick, a fruity measuring tape, a watermelon heart pin that was attached to one of the packages, a package of "betweens" needles, a gold pen with an angel attached at the top (one gold item was a requirement for the swap), Burt's Bees lip balm and hand salve and a small container with little charms that read "hand made with love" (how cute are those?!). The cute little card has wildflower seed embedded in the red paper. It can be "planted" in the soil. That'll be fun next spring! I almost forgot to mention that all of the wide "ribbons" are 2.5" worms that I can add to my collection.

Take a closer look at this candle mat. I've got to ask Cathy if she did this on her embroidery machine. This beauty already has a special spot on my kitchen table! My family will love it!

Thanks, thanks, and thanks again! I feel so lucky and I'm so glad that I have one of a kind friends like you, Cathy!!!

These are some of the things that I sent to my special friend, Ellen. The tote is one of the first bags that made. I've been dying to post a picture, but I wasn't sure if Ellen might see it. I also machine appliqued the pumpkin onto the towel and those are lavender eye pillows in the bag on the left that I made for Ellen and her mother (who lives with her). My "gold" item was a Utah honey bear. Yum!

First Day of School

2007-08-22T09:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for our two youngest daughters. It's hard to believe that my baby is entering the 5th grade. She couldn't be happier that several of her close friends are in her classes. That is, after all, the most important factor when considering what kind of a school year it's going to be.

K is entering 9th grade. She's feeling totally cool since she made it into the audition choir AND is one of the editors-in-chief for the yearbook and school newspaper. Hey, do you like her eyebrows? I pay good money for those. She's very self conscience about the fact that her eyebrows are so blonde that you cannot see them so a few years ago I broke down and took her to have them dyed and waxed. I don't think I ever had my eyebrows waxed until I was almost 40. My how times change.

And speaking of changing times...what's the rule for iPods at your kids' schools? During the summer I saw a segment on the Today Show regarding this subject. It seems as though most of the schools across the country are completely banning iPods from their campuses. This year our jr. high falls into that group. Not such a bad idea considering that they are so easily stolen. Since I don't have a high school student, I'm not sure what the rule is there, but last year our oldest daughter's art teacher preferred that they bring their iPods to class. Apparently it helps keep the talking down and also helps the kids stay focused on their work.

Now on to quilty stuff.....

Here's a picture of the Halloween quilt that I finished last night. Other than the green chenille, all of the fabrics are from the Scaredy Cat line by Moda. Sadly, I can't say that I'm totally thrilled with the way it turned out. I knew the fabric was very bright and busy (to say the least), so I wanted to use a pretty simple pattern. I've used the Just Can't Cut It pattern before when I made my husband's pheasant quilt. It's ultra quick and easy and works well with large prints, so I thought it would be just the ticket. This is how it was going to look.....

But once I got the blocks made and laid them on top of the focus fabric it just seemed to be TOO MUCH! I actually sent the above picture to Kim to get her valued opinion, but she left me haning and headed off too work. (No wonder she gets picked on...what kind of a friend would leave another friend stranded in her hour of need?) So off the the quilt shop I went to look for a better option. Maybe I shoulda left it the way it was. Did you notice that I had to unpick and reconfigure all of the original blocks to make the jack-o-lantern fabric work? Thank goodness I had my oldest daughter at home to help me. :-)

And here's our little scaredy cat, Mia, giving the quilt a test run. I think she like it.

Do you smell smoke?

2007-08-20T12:53:00.000-06:00

How is it possible that I could live three houses away from someone and not know that their home is on fire? My friend stopped by my place last night and asked if I had seen the fire at the Nelson's. What?! No. When? Yesterday at 4:30 in the afternoon. Yes, I was home. The only thing that I can figure is that we live about a block (through the field) from a major highway and police, fire and ambulance sirens are pretty much an every day occurrence. Have I become immune? I guess the thing that is most perplexing is that the man who lives there was burning papers in his fireplace. Burning a fire in mid-August?! The good news is that there are a lot of good neighbors who will rally round the family and do what we can to help there family out.

Our two youngest head back to school tomorrow and the two oldest head off to college later this week. Our one last "hurrah" was to take a quick get away over the weekend. We were able to make reservations at a nice resort in Park City, UT. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate like we had hoped, but we did have a nice dinner at Grub Steak (don't you just love the name?) and no amount of rain was going to stop the girls' shopping trip to the nearby outlet mall. I love this barn. We pass it nearly every time we're in Park City. The rain really makes everything look fresh, doesn't it?

Saturday afternoon we went and watched our son play a game of indoor soccer. This is an informal league, but it gives him the chance to get out and use his skills a couple of times a week. It was fun to watch him score four of the nine goals, and even more fun that they won. These are pictures of him playing the goal keeping position. He played keeper during high school, which was so stressful for his mom to watch. Saturday's game wasn't nearly as "cut-throat" as high school, which made it more enjoyable for me. I much prefer watching him play forward where he can score, rather than getting scored on. Look...he saves the ball! That's my boy!!!

And finally, here are some Halloween plates that I picked up last Friday at a (very) little department store. Apparently, Broadbent's is the oldest privately owned department store in the United States. Last September a group of friends came to Happy Valley for a quilt retreat. Broadbent's ended up being the one place that got repeat visits during the few days that everyone was here. Not only do they have a quilt shop inside the store, but they also carry a nice variety of seasonal decorations. So here's my question.....

Is it too early to start decorating for fall? LOL!

Hotter Than Hades

2007-08-14T18:14:00.000-06:00

Sunday evening I took our oldest daughter to her college orientation. We attended orientation all day yesterday (okay, I confess...I actually cut class most of the day) and then made the three hour drive home last evening. We were only gone for a total of 28 hours, but while we were away the rest of the family managed to break the air conditioning unit.

Alright (another confession), they didn't really break it, but I feel like I need to blame someone. I want to point a finger at whoever it is that's responsible for the 84 degree temperature in my home. To my husband's credit, he had made arrangements for a repairman to arrive this afternoon, sometime between 1:00 and 5:00. You know, during the hottest time of the day. Well you can believe that I was overjoyed when the office manager of the a/c repair company called at 10:00 a.m. and asked if it was okay if someone came early to repair the unit! Yes, yes, YES!!! It's taken all afternoon, but the house is finally starting to feel cool again.

Wanna see what I was working on while the repairman was downstairs working away?Kim and I have been collecting this Bonnie Sullivan fabric by Maywood Studios since it came out last year. Kim actually completed one quilt with last year's fabric and made two more quilt tops this past week. It took me a full year to get one designed and stitched together. I still have enough fabric to make a little table runner or some other project. Do ya think it'll take me another full year? Probably. lol!

Calorie Free Dessert

2007-08-09T15:49:00.000-06:00

It's been several weeks since I've been in a quilt shop and last night I started to go into withdrawals. While I was browsing through your blogs I had this unquenchable desire to hop in my car and head north to my favorite shop. Then it hit me..."I'm going that direction tomorrow to meet Sherry and Connie for lunch." So I decided to wait.

I have been friends with Sherry and Connie for nearly three years now. Our husbands work together and we have frequently traveled to different conferences and conventions with one another. We all get along well and enjoy spending time together. We try to meet for lunch every three months or so just to catch up on what's going on in our lives. Today we met at the Citris Grill which is just about 20minutes north of my home and directly en route to the quilt shop.

Now get this.....I had given myself plenty of time to stop for gas on the way, get a car wash and still make it to my lunch date by 11:30. While cruising along the freeway I was listening to a news conference regarding the trapped miners in central Utah. I don't know if I was distracted by what was being said on the radio or if my one track mind was thinking about my trip to the quilt shop after lunch, but whatever the reason I completely passed the freeway exit taking me to the restaurant...then the next exit...and it wasn't until I was within a mile to the exit for the quilt shop that I realized I had gone too far. Has something like that ever happened to you? I sure hope I'm not the only one.

Well, fortunately I still had five minutes to spare so I got myself turned around and made it back to the restaurant in time to meet Sherry and Connie as they arrived.

Instead of getting dessert at the restaurant I decided to go the calorie free (not to be confused with guilt free) route and buy dessert at the quilt shop. That yummy striped fabric is from the Collection of Edelen Wille for Marcus Brothers and the delicious polka dotted fabric is from Simply Spooky by Red Rooster. I also picked up last month's quilt of the month kit since I wasn't able to attend the class. It will be a small patriotic quilt with nine stars in the center.

What Once Was Old is New Again

2007-08-08T14:30:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm having a bit of an obsession with making bag and purses. It seems to be a trend, I guess. This past week I've been playing around with some wool sweaters that I bought at the thrift store. I'm sure they'll be a little more stylish once fall hits. Who wants to think about wool sweaters at this time of the year?!

My family thinks it's kind of funny that I buy nice wool sweaters, take 'em home, cut 'em up, wash 'em, cut 'em up some more and then sew 'em back together. Hmmm.....sounds a little like another hobby of mine. lol!
This blue wallet was the first project that I finished. I've had those pewter buttons for many years and now I've finally found a purpose for them.
My oldest daughter has already staked her claim on this brown bag. It'll be perfect as she heads off to college. I think she was actually the one who picked the sweater out; she really liked the texture. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about the strap, though, because it's several inches too long. The strap is recycled, too; I bought an old purse at the thrift shop and took it apart to use the strap.
I just finished this gray purse today. It'll be a birthday gift for my friend, Robin. Fortunately, the strap on this one isn't quite as long. I think I'll tuck a gift card to Jamba Juice inside the bag. Who couldn't use a smoothie on a hot day like this?

By the way, I was a good girl and went back to physical therapy today. They put me through the ringer again, but since my shoulder is feeling a lot better I won't complain.

A pain in the.....

2007-08-06T16:22:00.000-06:00

The pain started over a month ago. It was the day after DH and I returned from a trip to Nashville. I had slept on his shoulder all the way from Atlanta so I wasn't at all surprised that the next day I had a pain in MY shoulder. I was certain that it was just a little tweak; the result of sleeping in an awkward position. Well, when the pain hadn't gone away in two weeks, or three and or FOUR, I realized it was time to seek some treatment.

Last week I went to see my doctor who asked me a lot of questions and moved my arm from one painful position to another to another. Diagnosis: tendinitis. Recommendation: a couple weeks of physical therapy.

Physical therapy?! Are you kidding me? I've been in those places with their stretching machines and other torture devices. Nope...not for me, thank you! I mean, my shoulder didn't hurt that badly.

That was last week. But after a weekend of pain, this morning I caved in and made the call for an appointment. "Lucky for me", they were able to get me in after lunch. Yippee...more poking and arm twisting.

Okay, I have to admit that it wasn't as bad as I though it would be. Sure, they put me through some moves, but when all is said and done, my shoulder is actually feeling a lot better this afternoon than it was this morning. Who knows? I may even go back for my next appointment on Wednesday.