Kars Down Home Bliss

13...

2012-01-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

A bit of a milestone happened around here this week.

Someone turned 13!

We had a great get-together over the weekend so we could celebrate this milestone with family and close family friends. A special homemade dinner, homemade cheesecake and then alot of hanging out and enjoying everyones company. It was a blast.

Then on the big day itself, family alone time with the birthday girl was had. A special lunch, a box of special treats and a trip to the quilt shop. Whatever she wanted to do.

She's already got everything figured out for her next quilt. This one is all hers.

I've had mixed emotions about this milestone. Sad to see my little one get bigger with each day that passes. But so very happy to see the beautiful person she has and will continue to become.

It is so true what everyone tells you.

Enjoy every moment you can with you little ones.

Time certainly passes way too fast!

I remember like it was yesterday, bringing her home all bundled up on that snowy day in January not so long ago.

Sniff!

~*~

Finally...

2012-01-18T14:33:00.001-07:00

We were beginning to think that we would never get any of the wonderful white stuff this winter. Whenever the word SNOW would get mentioned it would make us pout for a bit. Especially the girls.

Once we heard a storm was coming in, preparations started.

Trips to the store so very important homebody activities could be accomplished.

Making soups, baking cookies, sipping hot chocolate, etc.

Essential outdoor wear were strategically placed for a quick dress and escape outside.

The snow started early this morning and by mid morning everything was covered with lovely white fluffiness.

This is what winter is suppose to look like.

Love it!

After a quick shoveling of the necessary places, I sat on the front porch and just listened to the snow fall. It's amazing how quiet things get when snow covers everything. It's even more amazing to hear those teeny tiny flakes hitting the ground. Close your eyes and it sounds deafening.

The girls of course went straight to working on their most important snow creations.

Not snowmen.

Creations.

I wondered around the yard looking at the snow where ever it landed. Trying to see individual flakes if possible.

And trying not to muck up the beauty of the snow by walking in specific places. And telling little people that some places were off limits so to enjoy the beautiful white blanket.

Yeah. The off limit ruling didn't last long. But at least I enjoyed myself before I bailed all the wonderfulness and went back inside to get soup ready for lunch.

After lunch I found myself working on some squares that I have started for a blanket for my dearest. Don't faint. It was a shock to Glenn also when he asked what I was doing last night. I'm sure he started to think that he would never get his very own blanket that he wouldn't have to share with anyone. I think he may still be a little nervous that something will come along a delay this long awaited blanket of comfiness for himself.

For now the only thing delaying work on these squares is the occasional refill of the hot chocolate mug. And making the girls come in for a bit to warm up.

Hope you are having a wonderful fantastic day like we are.

~*~

Diversions...

2012-01-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

I had decided that I would unplug from everything during the week between Christmas and New Years and get back into the swing of things the very next week. It didn't happen. To tell the truth, I'm glad that I took the extra week to stay unplugged. I had definitely put too much on my plate this past holiday season and it stressed me out. I 'finished' the second quilt on the 23rd for crying out loud. That was just way too close for my liking. In all honesty, there are a few more stitchy bits that I want to add to both quilts. I will wait for tah-dah pics until that is completed. Christmas cookies didn't get made until the 22nd! So when the 26th came about, I did absolutely nothing the whole entire day. Unless you count laying on the couch watching a few movies with the girls something. There were no plans and no expectations made during this 'time off'. Just take things as they come. And with some things no attention was paid to them at all. There wasn't even any resolutions made. I don't do that. Too much undo pressure added to myself. Not doing it. I would just break them anyway. Waste of time.

So sometime during that first week I started getting back to myself. I even started enjoying the lovely little gifts that were given to me by my wonderful family. Wonderful little diversions during this me time.

My sister gave me this awesome blank recipe book so that I can start writing down treasured family recipes. She bought herself and my brother on so that we can continue to share and pass on some of our favorites. When I opened it up the first time I noticed that she had already started filling it up for me with some of our Mom's wonderful recipes. This is an absolute treasure! It's going to be fun to keep adding to this book.

Glenn bought another bundle of fabric for me. It's very handy to have a quilt shop on his route to go to during his lunch break. Not sure what will become of this lovely pack of bright fabrics. But never fear, I'm searching for ideas already.

A dear friend bought this cute book for me. Full of patchy, quilty goodness. Surely it can help me with the scrap pile that is growing each time the girls and I get the sewing bug.

Em was able to find time make a wonderfully warm scarf for me in the prettiest light green colors. The two colors look great together. This picture doesn't do it justice. It's very warm on those windy days we have had. With no snow. It's a bummer.

Santa was very kind in giving me this most awesome Go Baby fabric cutter. He really shouldn't have, but I'm not complaining. It's going to be so much easier cutting fabric out of all the scraps now. Glenn's hoping it will help him get his own quilt a little faster now. He's first on the list. Poor guy always waits behind everyone else. I've got to do better with that issue.

Speaking of Glenn, and the girls. They gave me one of my presents a few days early. I have been reluctant in getting one of these wonderful bits of kitchen handiness. Glenn would want to go get one but I would always say "It costs too much. Not right now." And now would never come by again. I would always have an excuse. Let's just say that I'm sooooo very happy that he decided not to listen to me finally. I don't know what the heck I was thinking when I would always say I can do without one for now. Really!!! Let's just say that I'm eating my own words now. I'm just worried that I'm going to burn this baby out with how much I'm using it the past two weeks. Tomorrow I'm going to give it a whirl at mixing bread dough and making homemade butter! I'm so excited it's so ridiculous! I can't live without this glorious piece of machinery. Thanks Kitchenaid! I'm sorry I put you off for so long. I'm a doofus. Enough said.

During this two weeks of being unplugged, I picked up the needles for a quick little project. I had two skeins of yarn and thought they will be perfect for this. I will use up one skein for the first half of the pattern and the second for the next half. Perfect! Not. You can tell by the picture that the second skein had less yarn than the first and a trip had to be made to get a third skein to finish this 'quick' project. Frustrating to say the least. But all is good now and the project is complete.

I've got more plans of just puttering around this weekend and letting things happen when they happen. Maybe even longer than that. I'll just have to see how it goes. But I'll be back more often to share the puttering with you.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

~*~

Bunny 24...

2011-12-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here we have the final addition to the Bunny Advent.

A lot of thought went into this one. Just enough holiday spirit but not so much that he can't sit around all year if someone wanted.

So here is Rudy the red nose and red tail Bunny. I'm finding him to be my favorite one out of the bunch.

Here's all 24 bunnies hanging out, getting ready for tonights get together where I'm sure they will have lots of fun. Hopefully they won't eat too many of the snacks that will be out all over the kitchen.

Thanks for stopping by each day to check out the progress of the Bunny Advent. It's been fun seeing the creation of each one. We'll have to see if another advent comes about next year. You never know around here.

I'm wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas.

~*~

Bunny #23...

2011-12-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today's bunny is definitely different from all the others. Em created him with the raggedy edges on the outside. He turned out great for her first ever attempt at this technique.

Here you have Frosty.

Perfect with his pale blue and sprinkles all over.

One more bunny to go.

I hope you check back in tomorrow to see the final addition to Em's advent 'madness'. She's done a great job so far.

On the quilting front, I just finished sewing the binding on to the back of the quilt. I didn't ever think I was going to get the second one completed. I will have pics for you after Christmas. Both of the quilts are getting wrapped as soon as I finish up here.

See you tomorrow!

~*~

Bunny 22...

2011-12-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

So did you guess where Em came up with the name Calvin for her bunny yesterday? Libby got it.

Todays bunny is the best pal of Calvin.

Hobbes.

You know how those two get into trouble all the time. Maybe I should keep my eye on these two bunnies.

Just to show how big a fan Em is to "Calvin and Hobbes" here is one of her snowmen last year. There were many more twisted little creations. I'm just glad they were all in the back yard so the neighbors didn't get any weird ideas about us. Not that they don't have a few already. LOL!!!!

~*~

Bunny 21...

2011-12-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Calvin is the bunny for the day.

The trick for all of you is to see if you can figure out why he is called Calvin.

Leave a comment to see if you guess it right.

On a another note,

I finished the hand quilting of the second quilt last night. I jumped up from the couch and squealed and scared the stuffins out of everyone. I know they think I have lost my mind now. But you don't know how great it is to get that part finished.

After I cleaned up my pile of quilt stuff I quietly stole away to sit in front of our big tree and just sat in all of its colorful glory. It was so peaceful. I nearly fell asleep staring at it.

Now I'm off to finish the binding of the quilt. I have to be finished with it all by tomorrow. There are still tons of cookies to make.

~*~

Bunny #20...

2011-12-20T13:16:00.003-07:00

Today's bunny needed to be 'patched' together. The fabric that inspired was all in tiny little squares. But he turned out fine even with all the pieces.

Cocoa is so sweet. Very fitting for the season I think.

There's only four more to go.

I'm wondering if Em will do something special for the last day.

I'm not even sure what she is going to come up with.

I can't wait.

~*~

Bunny 19...

2011-12-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

There has been a huge debate going on today about this bunny's name. That is why the post has been delayed. I finally demanded a decision be made in 5 mins. No more going back and forth, I'm not sure, etc.

So I now introduce you to...

Jaden.

You don't even want to know some of the suggestions that were being decided on. Just know they were off the wall and I was shaking my head and at times saying "no way".

I'm hoping the next one will be easier to decide upon. It's hard trying to put all my concentration into getting this 2nd quilt finished and also having to think about bunny names for hours and hours.

~*~

Bunny 18...

2011-12-18T09:09:00.004-07:00

Blueberry is the bunny of the day.

He is rather special.

He is the fraternal twin of Bubblegum!

Where does Em come up with these ideas?

She's so cute with all the things she comes up with.

~*~

bunny advent 17...

2011-12-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Bunny #17 was kept quite simple.

Em has the whole weekend scheduled for working on a handmade gift and didn't want anything slowing her down. Tomorrows bunny has already been made also. Planning. I wish I was all over that right now.

So here we have Bubblegum bunny.

Can you believe only 7 more bunnies to go!

Room is definitely getting scarce in the bed with all these little bunnies.

~*~

Bunny #16...

2011-12-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today's bunny wasn't too labor intensive. Just a couple of long strips of fabric sewn together to make a piece wide enough for the pattern. The best thing about this whole venture is watching the gears of creativity kick in and see how things turn out for Em.

So without any more delay we have...

Lilypad.

I'm still not sure about the whole process of how the names come about.

~*~

Bunny advent Day 15...

2011-12-15T11:31:00.002-07:00

Today's bunny is a bit different than the others. There was no piecing, no patching or anything like that. It was made with just one piece of fabric that had brightly colored trees printed on it. Something simple. Something quick. All because we were getting an unexpected visit from little Connor and Em didn't want to miss a minute with him.

Today's bunny was named Bambi. Thumper would have been too easy and expected. Change things up a bit I always say. Not alot just a little. That's just how we operate around here. The name was influenced by dear Dad. Not one to blend in with the crowd. Always daring to be different. That is why we love him so.

For those who commented about how nice and tidy Em's bed always looks each day, it's not hers. It is mine. It's the only room in the house with decent light throughout the day. Plus it has the Christmas quilt on it that I made last year. Although Em's bed is nice and neat, the foot of her bed is covered with all kinds of lovies that she can't do without. I'm surprised she can stretch out at night.

~*~

Day 14...

2011-12-14T09:56:00.003-07:00

Today we have...

Flopsy.

Her ear is a little off. But no matter because she is just as cute as the others.

Adds a little character you know.

Ten more to go.

The bag the bunnies are residing in is getting a bit cramped.

Extra snuggly always makes things better.

~*~

Day 13...

2011-12-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

It seems the patchiness of bunnies could not be stopped as another was created after Em's digging through the scrap bin.

Meet Sweetpea.

It's getting so hard to pick a favorite.

I'm not sure I'm going to even try.

After lessons were completed and dinner was put in the oven I found myself in the family room taking a break for just a couple of minutes. During this brief moment of doing nothing I noticed that a little pony has taken up residence in one of the gingerbread houses that the girls made a few years ago. How nice that a sweet little pony has found a sweet little home for the Christmas season. You never know what you may find amongst all the decor that is about the house. Little ones are always adding their own special touch to things.

I also couldn't help notice all the Santa's that have been made be each of the kids at particular years of their lives. Brendon made his with all the outlines done in marker. Brenna's was every so carefully colored, which surprised a few family members due to her impatience with projects sometimes. And then there is Em's two Santa's. One has stripey pj's and the other is in a Christmasey green. The story is that when she was in public school she got finished with assignments way ahead of the other students that she was given another to keep her busy. Apparently a third was also made and given to her teacher as a gift.

Now with my break at its end, it is now time to get back to the quilt while I wait for dinner to get finished. It's so yummy. Go to the link and check it out. If you decide to try it you won't be disappointed. I used thick boneless pork chops instead of the beef and added onions to the recipe. I used my mandoline slicer to make sure the potatoes, onions and pork chops were a nice even slice through out the dish. I can't wait for it to be done.

~*~

Day 12...

2011-12-12T12:17:00.002-07:00

Today we have Bunny #12.

Tweety.

Em went a little more simple with this one. No piecing, patching or anything like that. Violet Bunny stressed her because it didn't turn out how she envisioned. So simple was this one. We will see what she comes up with for tomorrow's bunny.

~*~

Day 11...

2011-12-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

Meet Violet.

There was a lot of creativity and work put into her.

But worth it as Em said.

On to the next one.

~*~

Day 10...

2011-12-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Today we have...

Bandit!

Not only am I starting to worry about the number of bunnies that are hanging out around here but the names are making me wonder also. We'll see how that all works out.

~*~

Day 9...

2011-12-09T10:09:00.001-07:00

Meet Huckleberry Patch.

Bunny #9.

You should have seen the scraps flying just to get this one finished so it could join the rest of the gang.

It was hilarious!

~*~

Bunny advent...

2011-12-08T10:47:00.001-07:00

Em has been working on this crazy little project since the beginning of the month. She is making a bunny a day for the countdown to Christmas. I think she is crazy. But she is having a blast with this endeavor. It's kind of fun seeing her going through all the fabric scraps to see what she comes up with. I'm just worried about being over run with all these bunnies after this is all done.

I will post daily from now on about each new one she makes.

So for day 8, here is the collection so far.

~*~

Crunch time...

2011-12-06T16:18:00.001-07:00

One would think that with the days till Christmas continuously dwindling away that I would have myself completely engulfed with as much quilt working time as I could possibly get my hands on to.

Yeah.

Quilt #1 is basically called finished. I just haven't decided if I should do more hand quilting on it or not. I'm still debating. I debate alot with myself. No real winner when this happens. So I folded it up and placed it to the side of the craft room for now until I decide. While quilt #1 is sitting patiently for me to end my debate, one would think that I would have started right away on quilt #2.

Yeah, right.

I got a request the other day for another hat for the certain little wee people in the family for another festive/holiday hat. Just try to imagine little ones batting their eyes at me while twisting my arm to do this for them. I had to imagine it also being they live not so close nearby. To be honest, that bit of imagination is the only thing that convinced me to steer off the quilt path and conquer another hat making marathon so that the hats could get mailed off quickly.

With the hook flying and me looking and acting like a crazy woman, the hats were finished and mailed out today.

So now all the focus is on quilt #2.

No more distractions.

I'm serious.

I better not say that too loud.

It will come back to bite me.

~*~

Sneak peek...

2011-12-02T15:38:00.001-07:00

I finally put the binding on this afternoon. Now tonight will be marathon attempt at getting the binding hand sewn onto the back.

Wish me luck.

I'm going to need it.

~*~

Today...

2011-11-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to slow down just a bit so I don't make myself crazy with everything that I think needs to be accomplished.

I'm trying to forget about how long it took to get the tree up on Friday.

(I had to run to the store to get a new star because I forgot that our old one was tossed last year because it quit working. Then when we all got home and put that up, half of the lights decided they were not going to work and we made another run to the store just to get lights for the tree. You don't want to know about the hissy I was having over making another run to the store. I even asked members of the family if they were creating these issues just so they didn't have to help with the tree. I did get very funny looks with that question.)

I was smiling when I walked by and took notice of my favorite little snowmen sitting in their sleigh next to the gingerbread house.

I love my homemade decorations.

I love my glass ornaments so much that I have to stop and look at them when I walk by the tree.

I'm now enjoying Christmas music for the season. I was a bit put off by the local radio station who started playing the Christmas music before Thanksgiving. The girls were sneaking up to their room and shutting the door just so they could listen without me saying "it's not even Thanksgiving yet for Pete's sake!".

I'm getting really close at finishing the first gift quilt for the girls. Hopefully the hand quilting will be finished tonight so that binding can begin tomorrow.

I also updated the baked oatmeal recipe with a new addition that we tried from a suggestion by Glenn. It makes the oatmeal even better!

I'm very giddy over how much sewing and crafting the girls are doing the last few days. It makes my heart sing to see them digging around in the craft room and doing such a great job on all their creations.

I'm just glad today is continuing to be a great day!

~*~

Thankful...

2011-11-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

There is always so much going on around here day after day. Some days are just a blur when it comes time to crawl into bed at night and rest for a bit. I do from time to time actually stop and look around me to see all the blessings that have been given to me. Then again there are days when I'm sure I don't pause to give any of it a thought. Life, it happens.

That is why I am so very glad that there is a day set aside every year that makes us really and truly stop to put deep thought into what really makes our lives wonderful. We make the kids sit and list all the things they are and should be thankful for in their lives. It's pretty awesome to see some of the things they put on their list. Hugs, a wonderful Mommy and Daddy, nice home, etc. Makes your heart melt to read over their list.

I myself am truly thankful for my most wonderful family because I wouldn't be who I am without them. Life would be pretty boring without them adding all their 'stuff' to every day. I am thankful that we have food on the table, a comfy home to live in. I even have wonderful friends that add happiness to each and every one of my days. That includes my dearest bloggy friends. What else do I need or even need to ask for?

Nothing.

For the next 5 days it's going to be all about this little family and our small little slice of the world. Some one was able to get time off from work for the first time in many years during this holiday week and we are going to make the most of it. Eating, laughing, reflecting, decorating and just enjoying each others company. That's all that will be happening here. Perfect if you ask me. I couldn't think of anything else better to do other than snuggling on the couch, enjoying what we each like to do and just being together.

I wish everyone who visits this little blog a very Happy and Wonderful Thanksgiving. Be thankful for all the blessings that have been given to you. Don't lose sight of them.

~*~

Progress...

2011-11-16T10:21:00.001-07:00

Thirty bright, colorful, pretty squares.

All waiting for the next step.

Are you working on any Christmas projects/gifts?

Here's hoping you are finding time for them.

~*~

Chilly day...

2011-11-12T13:00:00.001-07:00

Em's latest creation is now finished and on it's way to it's new owner.

I'm not quite sure which side I like best.

So hard to choose.

The front is awesome.

The back turned out super.

I can't pick.

I did happen to notice that all of our hard work with raking the other day was totally destroyed after that 40mph winds came through last night. The leaves were hanging on for dear life to the limbs that they call home. But in the end they found it hard to resist the urge to rest in our yard. I resisted the urge to start packing them into bags.

I took a moment to search out some of the pretty red leaves that found their way to the ground.

Glorious bursts of color among all the leaves who are losing their color fast.

After a short stroll around the back I noticed it was time to go inside and warm up just a bit when I went to brush my hair out of my face and it was frozen.

Note to self, do not go outside when you have wet hair from your shower a short time before.

Not the smartest thing to do.

So back inside I went to pack up boxes to send out to the little people of the family. A run to the post office was made. Christmas packages are now gone and finished for the year. I'm doing a dance.

No other trips outside are planned for the day.

Hot chocolate and sewing are all that I have planned for the rest of the day.

There's a huge smile on my face.

~*~

At last...

2011-11-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have now declared all hat making in this house finished as of yesterday. At least until I get two important 'projects' completed. I might make a teeny tiny exception if little Connor needs something appropriate for the holiday. That won't be so bad because his only takes an afternoon to whip up. All others must wait.

After completing the 'last' hat, I was a bit lost on what to busy myself with. So I sat down and paged through a few books that I found at the library. What wonderful books they are! Not every project grabs me, but there were quite a few that got me to saying "I should make that". You know that's not good. Just more adding to my wish list of things to do. Like I need to add to that monster of a list.

And after letting the brain relax a bit I went right to work on figuring out what to do with these wonderful bundles of fabric. Making quilts had already been decided a while back. But how to make them has really been giving me a brain block.

I finally decided. Got all the measurements figured out, I hope. Drew a picture of how it should look. At least how I would like it to look. I bought some extra fabric from Dana for one of them and had to get a bit extra ordered online today for the other. Just wanting to make sure that they are big enough for the girls and that they can be used for awhile.

Now the trick is to get a certain someone finished on the quilt she is making so I can get her out of the craft room so hopefully both of the girls won't figure out what they are getting for Christmas. I know, what in the world was I thinking when I kept putting these two projects off until now. I obviously I wan't thinking.

I wonder if I can start laying down the law about bedtimes being changed to 7pm? I'm just brainstorming here. Not sure that would go over to well.

~*~

Soup...

2011-11-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I was telling you about before. The day when Jodi was going to do a Soup Bowl recipe exchange of sorts. I've been going round and round about which recipe I was going to share today. It's so hard because I do believe that soup is one of my favorite things to make and eat. Especially when the weather changes and there is a chill in the air. It just makes you all warm inside and fills the tummy like nothing else can.

So after much debating amongst myself, I finally had to put all my recipes in a pile on front of me, mix them up and pick one. I was rather pleased when I saw which recipe was in my little hand. Not that I would have been disappointed with any of the ones that were in the pile to choose from. So the choice was...

Sausage Potato Soup!

Here's how you make it.

1 Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage, cut to bite size pieces

1 large onion, diced

1 can Cream of Potato soup

6 cups of milk

1 big Yukon Gold potato, cut to about 1/2" pieces

Salt

Pepper

Cheddar cheese, at least 1 cup

1 stalk celery

1 cup sliced carrot

2 tblsp butter

In a 4qt pot melt the butter and then add the onion, celery and carrot and cook till they are slightly soft. Stir in the smoked sausage and let that cook until the sausage is browned slightly. Add the milk, cream of potato soup and the yukon gold potato. Stir occasionaly. Simmer slowly until the yukon gold potatoes are fork tender. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add the cheese and stir until all the cheese is melted. Served with any kind of crusty bread you like.

I do hope you like this if you decide to try it.

Here's to warm and full bellies on chilly, windy days!

~*~

25...

2011-11-03T10:01:00.000-06:00

25 years ago today I said I do to this handsome fellow.

Some thought it wouldn't last 6 months.

We only knew each other barely a month when we said those sacred vows to each other.

Something in my heart and my soul told me he was the one.

He was special.

He was different.

We've had our ups and downs.

More ups than downs.

I have three wonderful, loving children because of him.

We've been on many an adventure together.

He's not one to let life pass him by.

I've seen and done many things because of this adventurous soul.

Things I would probably have never seen or tried because of him.

Last minute stops to see some of nature's most beautiful places all because he said "you never know when" as we were racing down the road to get home from a long, tiring trip.

Spur of the moment trips planned in less than 24 hours.

Waiting patiently for hours with the kids just to see something they may never get to see again.

Welcoming our first grandchild into the world with all the pride and joy one could imagine.

I can't wait to see what many more years to come will bring me with the love of my life next to me.

I only know it will be exciting and full of love and laughter as long as he is by my side.

Love you always and forever Glenn!

Halloween moments...

2011-10-31T22:49:00.000-06:00

We had the most wonderful time this Halloween with the newest member of our family.

Seeing our son continue to be a great Dad to his precious little man is the absolute best.

Hope you had a fun and memorable Halloween as we did with our girly skeleton, butterfly fairy and our very own little dragon.

~ * ~

The weekend...

2011-10-30T18:04:00.000-06:00

I'm completely surprised at this moment that I have accomplished all the things that I had on my 'to do list' for the weekend. Normally I would be looking at the clock and it would be 10pm because for whatever reason I just couldn't get my act together and finish the things I wanted.

I suppose it did help when I shut the craft room door so I could work on things with out being interrupted.

Like sprucing up someone's headband for her costume. Because how it looked out of the bag from the store was horrid. So some ribbon was added

and then some flowers.

Now it's a bit more tolerable.

Three turkeys were made. More are on the way.

And in between the craft room adventures, there were yummy things made through out the weekend.

Pumpkin pancakes for an early Sunday morning breakfast.

Yummy, cheesy Rotel dip with chips and lots of homemade chicken soup to eat on all weekend. The soup was not so I didn't have to cook that much but because we were taking care of Glenn was knocked down due to a cold. Poor guy. At least he had 3 nurses to look after him. I think he's ready to go back to work tomorrow.

Loving this

2011-10-28T10:38:00.000-06:00

Moments like this are surely on the very tippy top of my favorite things list. Everyone doing their own thing while hanging out in the craft room all afternoon with the Ipod jamming.

I'm hoping for a repeat today after the all important pumpkin run is completed.

~*~

Baked Oatmeal

2011-10-26T07:49:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love apples. Especially in the Fall. Mix that with oatmeal and I'm in heaven. I've not always been a total fan of oatmeal. There was a time when I despised it. I don't care for the flavored instant stuff you get at the store. Too sweet and it's really not good for you with all the additive stuff that is put in it. So when I found a recipe for some oatmeal where I knew what was actually in it and I controlled the sugar, I was hooked. I did a little tweaking of my own and made it even better. At least to my liking. I now make Baked Oatmeal at least twice a week. Everyone around here loves it for breakfast of course. But there are a few times when I have caught some of the crew heating it up for a snack. No complaining here with that choice of snack.

So I decided to share this baked appley, oatmeal goodness with you. I hope you like it.

Baked Oatmeal

by kar

3 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup melted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries

3 apples, peeled and chopped small

12 oz. bag of frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except for the blueberries together well. Make sure everything is incorporated together well. Then fold the blueberries into the mixture while still frozen. You don't want to mix them in because they will break up to little pieces. They add a perfect amount of moisture to the finished product. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with baking spray and spread the oatmeal mixture into it.

Bake for 35 mins. and remove from the oven.

You can enjoy it right out of the oven or let it cool just a bit and store it in a container with a lid and place into the fridge until you are ready to eat it.

It's not too bad with a dab of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on the top either!

Let me know what you think if you try it.

Vigilant...

2011-10-24T20:23:00.003-06:00

Tonight we will be visited by our first cold temps this Fall season. A big part of me is doing a happy dance because it means that finally the Fall colors will soon been gracing us with all their glory. Oh how that makes me happy. Just knowing that you can probably tell that a Fall stroll down by the river wasn't accomplished over the weekend because of all the green that was still gracing the trees. Then there is a teeny tiny, itsy bitsy party of me that is sitting there going "great, the heater must be turned on". That grump of an inner voice is trying to be ignored while we enjoy cuddling on the couch while watching movies and enjoying hot chocolate.

While waiting for this most wonderful season to finally make it's appearance, I've been trying to wrap up odd and end little projects so that I can get to a couple of really important ones. One of the little projects are placemats for a friends Mum in England. All that's left is sewing the binding to the back and give them a good wash so that they can start on their journey across the pond.

I just love this little charm pack with all it's country, farmish charm.

I've been also trying to figure out which soup recipe to share on Jodi's blog. On the 7th of November she will be hosting a soup recipe sharing event so that you can have new soups to try this wonderfully, chilly season. I can't wait to see all the different kinds everyone will share. Hop over and join in. Mark the date on your calendar! You just can't go wrong with a ton of soup recipes.

Speaking of important projects, this brown yarn sits patiently waiting for me to start on a few little things for a few little people in the family. It's so important that the little people in the family look their absolute best during the changing seasons. Especially chilly, breezy ones. More on this by the end of the week. Cross your fingers.

And hopefully by the end of the week I will be enjoying a colorful walk amongst all the Fall color glory that I'm hoping this cold snap will bring tonight. That way I don't have to keep looking at the photos taken last year just so I get my fix of Fall color. Enough with the delay already. Get here now!

Finding time...

2011-10-20T09:59:00.002-06:00

Things have felt a little scattered around here this past week. I've been putting too much on my plate again and it frustrates me.

So back to making lists so that I can actually see what needs to be done, what I would like to get accomplished and what actually was completed. I'm a visual person when it comes to things like that. So along with all the Fall chores that were completed around here the past few days (there are a few more to do) I was able to find time to do my own thing.

A few scrappy Halloween colored dishclothes were made from scraps leftover from solid colored ones that were made while on our trip last week.

Two more table quilts were made. They have only been waiting on me for a week to finish them. So sad.

Favorite Fall recipes have been pulled out of hiding so that we can enjoy them again. Em made dinner last night while I played 'supervising chef'. She did an awesome job! You must try this soup. So yummy. I'm surprised we have any leftover.

Then after the hustle and bustle of the day, I finally made time to work on my granny blanket. Even if it was just to weave in ends on squares that I just threw together last time. Tails drive me crazy so I had to remedy that. Poor blanket was probably wondering if I would ever work on it again. Hopefully I can start adding more squares to it so that it will be finished one day, soon.

Some where on the list to do a Fall walk must be added on the list so that we can go enjoy all the glorious colors that are finally started to show themselves.

Hopefully this weekend will be filled with a bit more slowing down so that things don't feel so out of whack around here. One can always hope.

Long awaited trip...

2011-10-14T21:26:00.003-06:00

Since spring I have been delaying the planning for a particular trip that everyone else has been wanting to go on. My two bits of concern were extreme heat and too many people to deal with.

So finally after the heat has now departed for the year and the masses of tourists have made their way back home, I made reservations for a place to stay a few days. I was a little nervous when the clouds turned darker after we made our way off the interstate and down the state highway towards our destination.

Can you believe snow in the mountains already. We found out after checking in that there was at least 2ft. of snow that had fell in some parts of the mountains just days before we came to the area.

After getting checked into our cabin we gathered our things and started out on our awesome exploration. The City of Rocks!

It takes your breath away when you first see it. I just can't explain it.

We found Camp Rock where all the settlers that would come through the area write their names on the rock with axle grease from the wagon wheels. Certainly something to see. Absolutely amazing how some of the writings have lasted since the late 1800's.

After looking over the Reserve map for a bit, a trail was decided upon and down we went.

Through aspen groves,

up and around Flaming Rock to wonderful vantage points to see beautiful views around us,

the girls were most impressed to find holes in the rocks that they could climb to and sit in.

After an exciting few hours exploring we made our way back to the cabin to wash up and go get some dinner. After that we all realized that it was time to call it a day and get rested for a very long day starting the next morning.

After breakfast we were back to the Reserve eager to start finding lots of new and exciting things within this awesome landscape.

Near the entrance of the Reserve are the remnants of an old stone house on the old Circle Creek Ranch. We found out later that day that the house was built by an early settler around 1901 and stayed in tact until a fire gutted it in 1957. All I kept thinking was how awesome it would be to have a house made out of all that beautiful stone. And then to have The City of Rocks for a view right out your back door. That would be just too much! I wouldn't know how to act.

A few more stops were made to see other parts of the Reserve and then we made it to the trail where we wanted to hike for the day. There are just too many breath taking views to show here. Every where you turn to look it amazes you that all this beauty is here for us to enjoy.

Stops were made every so often to have a snack and look around. Lizards were found. Lots of crickets, chipmunks and birds. Thank goodness no mountain lions were spotted nor heard while out on the trails. It is always a concern that we are always reminding the girls about when we go out hiking.

Little explorers were allowed to read the map the see where we were and where we needed to go. They are getting better and better at reading maps and finding their way around places.

Strolling through numerous aspen groves had me stopping to listen to their little leaves rustling in the wind. They are my favorite trees to listen to when the wind blows.

Soon after making our way to the end of our nearly 5 mile hike, it was back to the cabin for lunch and then out for more exploring at Castle Rock State Park. A few hours were spent in this awesome bit of landscape looking for wildlife. We were on the look out for moose, who were suppose to frequent this area quite a bit. But during our visit we were not graced with any presence of them. But Em sure was happy to see what she came on the trip to see.

A mountain cottontail!

Good thing Brenna is still short enough to see under the ridge of a rock and spotted one for Em to see. The rest of us walked right on by without any notice of it.

To say that we all were tired at the end of this day would be an understatement. The girls and I were happy with our decision to just go back to the cabin and eat Cup of Noodles for dinner and call it a day. But Glenn wouldn't hear of it and it was back to the restaurant to fill tummies with good food. Later that night we watched the full moon come up and light up the entire valley. Everything glowed with such beautiful bright light. There were yips from coyotes that could be heard from the cabin and few moo's every now and then from the cows on the ranches nearby. The peacefulness of this area is just beyond words. We stood out on the porch of our cabin and literally listened to nothing. No humming of cars and the goings on of everything near where we live. It's surely something that must be experienced once in your life just so you know how wonderfully quiet nature is. The only thing to be heard was the occasional breeze that passed by. I've never slept better in my life.

The morning we were leaving we were seen off by 6 deer that were out in the field right behind our cabin. The sunrise was gorgeous! Golden light thrown across everything.

The girls said goodbye to our stunning view of Castle Rock from our cabin.

And then one last goodbye to our cozy little cabin that everyone hopes to see again.

Off we went into the sunrise, headed back home.

Sniff.

To say that we had an absolute blast those short few days on this adventure would be a severe understatement. Why it took us this long to make our way down to these parts I will never understand. It's only 3 hours away! We truly live in a most beautiful state!

We love you Idaho!

Thanks for another spectacular trip for us to enjoy.

Still here...

2011-10-04T13:33:00.001-06:00

Ever had a time when you went through a bit of bloggers block? That is what happened here within the last week or so. You know, do I share this or that. Is this interesting or not. And by the time you have debated the situation thoroughly it's late and you just go to bed. Something like that.

I have to say that today is a wonderful day though. A day that I have waited a while for. Cool, damp, breezy. Fall has finally decided to show it's face around these parts. It's about time in my opinion. I mean really, get on with it already.

The oven has been going all day. Roasting squashes, baking a little of this, a little of that. Chomping at the bit at standing over a good pot of soup tomorrow when it's suppose to rain all day and only get into the 50's. I'll be comfy, cozy here dabbling around in the kitchen while it's suppose to be snowing in the mountains.

Awesome!

I have been waiting for this season.

Bring it on Fall.

I'm ready for you!

The end of the day...

2011-09-25T20:44:00.000-06:00

Breath-takingly perfect.

Autumn flair...

2011-09-19T15:39:00.001-06:00

Finally getting around to adding some Autumn flair to the inside surroundings of this place.

Back to more sewing! :)

Look WHOOOOO is finished...

2011-09-14T14:17:00.000-06:00

Weekend happiness...

2011-09-12T15:29:00.001-06:00

I woke up with a bit of a pep in my step yesterday. Strange really because the last few days before I really had no ambition at all for anything. So I kept positive and kept saying it's going to be a fabulous day. The other members of the house did not share my enthusiasm especially since I was up, opening windows, and zooming around with my peppiness at 6:30am. I finally made the decision around 8am that I was going to the store so that the rest of the day could be spent doing whatever I wanted. No one else moved. Then 8:15ish I heard the sound coming through the windows that I knew would get the peeps out of bed in a flash.

Hot air balloons!!!

I nearly got knocked down as the peeps were stampeding for the door. Better yet, this one was landing in our neighborhood! I have never seen people move so fast to get dressed in all my life, except for when I was in basic training. I was mighty impressed. There may be hope for these people after all.

So around the corner from the house it landed in an empty lot. Pretty awesome. We haven't had one this close to the house in years. They sat for a few minutes so all the neighborhood peeps could get a look at the basket, etc.

Then it was decided that due to the number of goat head weeds on the lot that it was not the best place to deflate and fold the balloon up.

So off they went to find a better spot to land. After talking to the chase crew we found out that the owners of this balloon also own our other favorite balloon, the BSU balloon. Awesome!

After everyone was wrangled back into the car, I made an executive decision that we were going to the store right then and there. Being I was the one driving, no one was changing my mind. Almost like the balloon was sent to us on purpose. :) That is what I'm going with.

Once home the ever popular water the garden plants was tackled. Not like there is alot. I wouldn't even call it a garden. This year sucked in the vegetable producing area. But at least I got some teeny tiny carrots to nibble on. With a bit more to come.

Glenn picked some of his jalapenos and made homemade stuffed peppers. I have to admit that they were pretty good even if I'm not a huge pepper fan. How can you go wrong with cheese, bacon, etc. He now has plans to pick up bags of them at the store next time. :}

After all the picking and snacking was finished I finally completed a hat for little man and started another for the other little people of the family. I'm not going to recommend the pattern because it was poorly written and worst off I wasted $3.99 on it. I ended up having to improvise through out the whole pattern. How do you have 9 stitches then the next row you are suppose to double your stitches and end up with 20 stitches? Little things like that eventually had me winging it. Drives me insane!

But at least Little Man looked fabulous in it when he came over in the afternoon.

After all that modeling and then eating, etc. he was tuckered out and had to take a nap. He is just the cutest when he sleeps.

So now it is back to working on the other hats that must be completed. Good things there are left overs galore for dinner today. Funny how that works out, huh!

Sundown...

2011-09-10T20:58:00.000-06:00

Another wonderful evening to go to our favorite spot to watch the sunset.

Listening to all the bugs singing their songs.

Hearing yips from coyotes on nearby hills.

Feeling the wind gently passing by you.

Even smelling the slightest bit of smoke in the air from a fire north of us had me remembering all the smells I love to be around when hiking in the mountains.

Pine and juniper.

Wonderful smells.

A most wonderful way to end the day.

Anticipation...

2011-09-07T16:46:00.002-06:00

Wow, two weeks since the last post. I just don't know where the time went. There's been alot going on around these parts to say the least.

*Getting things in order to start lessons with the girls.

*Many talks about our yearly Fall hikes and where we should go this year.

*Plans for trips to the orchard for yummy apples.

*Watching little ones crane their necks out the car window just to see how the pumpkin patches are coming along.

*Waiting for the perfect night to camp out in the back yard.

*Star watching and spotting the Milky Way while laying in the front yard.

*Little people waking up extra early the day after the fair closed so their treasured ribbons and items could be picked up and brought home. One person took all her blankets off her bed just so she could sleep with her most loved blanket.

*Waking up very early one morning to head to the park downtown with Little Man so we could get

our yearly fix of the balloons.

*Enjoying a night at home with family and friends while watching our favorite football team win their first game of the season. Then needing a sore throat drop afterwards because there was a little too much yelling going on during the game. :)

Alot going on while anticipating the first signs of Fall to come our way. I've even broke down and made fresh, yummy cinnamon rolls several times already because I just couldn't wait anymore to have that smell filling the entire house early in the morning. The anticipation of the new season to come leaves a smile on my face every morning while I go through the house and open up all the windows so that the cool breezes can find their way into the house.

Now if I could get a handle on that every growing "To Create" list there would be a bigger smile on my face. Will that ever really happen?

Doubtful.

Ready for Fall...

2011-08-24T17:50:00.000-06:00

I finished the all important pumpkin hat for Connor. It was such a pleasure to sit at the end of the night and work on such a cute knitting project. The girls are going to bed earlier so they can get ready for early morning wake up's when our school schedule starts. Love them dearly but it is so nice to have an hour or two of quiet time at the end of the day.

As I was finishing the leaf of the hat, the flood gates opened with tons of ideas of Fall projects flooding into my head. It was a bit overwhelming. So after the last stitch was weaved into the hat and snipped I started digging out all the fall fabric that I have stuffed away for the last few years. Now I just have to figure out what fabric will be used for specific ideas running around my head.

I don't know about you but I'm so ready to bid farewell to the heat of summer and welcome with open arms the cooler, crisp air of Fall. With all the warm temps lately I've not been so yippy skippy about cooking every night. Quite pathetic really. There have been alot of crock pot recipes lately. To be very honest I'll be glad to get into all that warm and comfy cooking that Fall brings out. Things will feel normal again.

So heat be gone so that our beloved Fall can arrive in open arms.

I'll be more than happy to welcome it.

What about you?

Weekend happenings...

2011-08-21T16:57:00.001-06:00

The quilt was finally finished on Friday. Washed, crinkly and ready to go to its new home.

The remainder of the day was filled with yard work and a last minute change of plans of which date we were going to the fair. There was hours of rides that were accomplished by the girls and big brother. I kept my feet on the ground. Someone had to stay with Connor when others were squealing while hanging upside down. They swear they will never do that again. We shall see. Brenna was not on this ride.

Ribbons were won.

Glenn and the girls talked me into entering my big granny blanket.

It won 2nd!!!

Brenna got ribbons for her two pics she worked hard on.

She did the biggest happy dance I've ever seen when she turned the corner and saw them.

Em got 1st place on her first blanket ever made.

We are all very proud of her.

Stops had to be made at the farm yard picture boards.

Even Connor got in on the fun. :)

It was a late arrival back home that night. Everyone was beat. It didn't take long for everyone to fall of to sleep. Good thing because Saturday was filled with a big to do list and then meeting Glenn after work downtown so we could walk over to BSU stadium and watch the free fall scrimmage game.

After all the years of living here, this was the first time we had been in the stadium. Sad I know. We were all hyped up about seeing the blue turf in person and seeing our wonderful team out on the field.

It was a quick couple of hours but a wonderful way to finish off a hot summer day. You can't help but get excited when watching the home team play. Even if it was just practice. Can't wait for the season to start in two weeks.

Today has been quiet. Full of naps, catching up on laundry and just staying at home. Much needed.

After dinner there will be some casting on for a special pumpkin hat so that a certain little someone will be properly dressed for the fall season ahead.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend also.

Shameless...

2011-08-16T10:51:00.000-06:00

Seriously.

Can anyone be any cuter?

Right now I'm thinking...

No.

I know I'm biased when it come to this little guy but oh well.

He just puts the biggest smile on my face.

I had to share.

Hugs!!!

Wonderful...

2011-08-12T17:35:00.003-06:00

There have been lots of simple enjoyable moments around here during the last week.

The a/c was fixed after a whole day and a half of doing with out it. It was a very long day and a half for me. It was like hearing angels singing when the door bell rang and the a/c guy was standing there with the fan motor that would soon fix things and make everything better. I nearly felt like throwing a teeny tiny celebration when the power was flipped on for the a/c and that wonderful new fan went spinning away like nothing ever went wrong. I made sure that the a/c guy had the biggest glass of ice cold lemonade that was ever poured in this house. He deserved it. To me it still wasn't thanks enough.

The rest of the crew went through that time like little troopers never fussing once. Not I. I made sure at least once that my opinion about the whole situation was heard. Soon after I came to the realization that I would have never made it through the "days of the Pioneers". I know for sure I would have been thrown off the wagon train and left for the wild animals because I would be the biggest whiner of them all when it comes to dealing with the heat. I'm a sissy and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm just glad that I live in an area where I don't have to suffer through the horrible heat and humidity 9 months of the year.

Things have warmed up here during the dog days of summer. Nothing like the south but still hot for these parts. The girls finally broke down and drug out the 'baby pool' so that they would be able to cool off and have fun outside during these dog days. It seems that the heat made them stop protesting the whole 'baby' thing and they just gave in to it. The little pool is filled daily with all the Ponies that are in their possession. The Ponies just keep partying from mid morning until evening every day.

What ever makes them happy I say. I'm just waiting for the girls to grow fins or something due to the time that is spent out in the 'baby' pool.

Em's blanket is finally finished. She is so proud of her accomplishment. Heck, we all are. I couldn't be prouder. She drew her design out on paper, asked how she should do certain stitches and stitched away everyday for a month. Now she just has to wait until Monday to turn it in at the fair and see what happens. The anticipation is getting to us all.

I've been plugging away at the quilt. The top was finished. The quilt sandwich was made.

Now I am hand quilting it. Let's just say that I probably won't be hand quilting another for a very long time. What was I thinking? I obviously wasn't.

Then there have been a few bits of wonderfulness a few times this week when this little guy decided that he needed to spend some time with Mema. I was not complaining one bit. His poor mom and dad were practically left standing at the door as the car seat was ripped out of their hands so little man could get in the house as fast as possible. You just can't get enough of him. When it is time for him to head back home, I get sad. All the wonderful little smiles and coo's just don't get old, ever. Can't wait for the next time he needs to spend time over here.

So what kind of wonderfulness has been going on in your neck of the woods?

I would love to hear about it.

Keeping busy...

2011-08-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

Things have been slow around here the last week. No complaints here. Just plugging through day to day things and offering helpful advice to someone working on a crochet blanket for the fair. Pics of that coming very soon.

Then there is dealing with the a/c not working during our hottest time of the year. Wonderful. Not. It always happens when you need it most. I'm just hoping it's a easy fix today so it can get running again. I don't deal with issues like this very well when it starts costing lots of money.

So to keep my mind off of sweating to death and dishing out more money than I would care for, I have been busy working on a quilt.

Lots of 1 1/4" squares

matched with a bunch of 2 1/2" squares

have now turned into 42 big coordinating colored squares

so that they can soon be turned into something like this.

I really, really, really like working on projects from this book by Camille.

Awesome!

Now I must go place myself in front of the fan before I get too cranky from all this 'wonderful' heat.

Wonderful my foot.

Bring back spring!!!!

lovely moments...

2011-07-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

Adventurous hiking...

2011-07-26T10:19:00.001-06:00

On our first day of exploring with Glenn a new quiet little place in the mountains was found.

There was a few wonderful moments spent examining the creek around this new trailhead before we continued on down the road to areas not seen before for us. After the long day of exploring, stopping every so often to check out cool places along the river, we headed off to our most favorite chinese restaurant ever. Because it is 40 miles away from home we always stop when we are right down the road from it. It was there we decided that we would be coming back to the newly found trailhead in a day or two.

So two days later, that is where we were to be found.

Stopping at every cool thing that was to be seen.

Crossing the creek several times while trying to keep our shoes dry.

Walking into a cute little aspen grove because it's always too cool to be in the middle of one and listen to the wind rustle their leaves around.

Awesome!

One of the best sounds ever.

Then came a part on the trail where we had to cross the creek again. There was no way out of getting our shoes wet. It just had to be done. One little person was upset because she rode on Glenn's back so she wouldn't get wet. That didn't go over well.

Then nearly 2 miles from our starting point we get to what we wanted to see.

Right where the creek pours into the secluded area of the reservoir. The only way to see it was by boat or hike in. For me there was only one 'bad' thing about this part. It was well over 60ft. down on a steep slope.

Yea.

So while the other three just went merrily down like little mountain goats, I slid down the hill on my back end (on purpose) so not to kill myself. Heights and steep slopes are not my friends nor my favorite things in life.

When everyone was safely down to the beach there was lots of exploring to be done.

A steep beach but wonderful none the less.

Big rocks to hop around on right at the edge of the beach. It was the perfect spot to watch the biggest trouts we've ever seen. They would come up to check us out and then disappear back into the deep water of the reservoir. The sand just dropped off to 'nothing' on the other side of those rocks. Too deep for my liking.

After stressing out over who was going to fall in the deep part first, I managed to get everyone back on the creek side to explore around the rocks there. Safer. And I was able to find a big rock to sit on and listen to the creek run by next to me.

Much better.

After about 2hrs of splashing and exploring it was decided that it what time to go back and eat lunch at the trailhead.

You know what that meant.

I had to go back up the steep slope to get to the trail. See the two trees in the middle? That is where the trail is located.

Yea.

Not one of my happiest moments of the trip but I did it.

Without killing myself.

Back down the trail our little cubs found the wild blackberry bushes again and had another tasty snack.

Then it was to the most anticipated part of the return trip on the trail. Purposely getting our shoes and clothes wet. The girls had to walk back and forth a few times just because it was so neat to trudge through the creek. Further down the trail where the creek wasn't so deep lots of little baby trout were spotted and had to be watched. Tons of those little guys.

After getting back to the truck and eating lunch, this trip was deemed the absolute best hike ever by all of us. Especially the girls who thought that walking through the creek was the best part.

Love it!

xxxx

Relaxing now...

2011-07-24T12:58:00.000-06:00

Whenever Glenn takes a few days off when the weather is beautiful things get busy around here.

Day trips were taken to places never explored before,

and to a few places brand new for the girls.

It's been ages since the last time we had been to a favorite spot of long ago. 20 years to be exact.

Too long. Brendon was itty bitty the last time we were here.

Between all the exploring that was accomplished for the past 4 days, there was some well deserved quiet times. Most of it happened up in my room with everyone finding their own comfy spot to enjoy their quiet time.

After all that, I was able to finish my blanket that I had been working on.

Yes, another one.

This one inspired by all the beautiful colors that I saw in a mountain meadow last year.

All the gorgeous colors from perfect little blooms, wonderful shades of green grass, the gorgeous blue skies and puffy white clouds.

It is hands down my favorite so far.

Now I must go searching and exploring for what will be my next project to keep my hands busy.

xxxx

simple & wonderful...

2011-07-20T09:11:00.000-06:00

Summer in charge...

2011-07-18T08:03:00.003-06:00

Summer was in full swing around these parts the last couple of weeks.

Which explains the absence from the blog.

Mom came for her visit, which was absolutely wonderful. The girls couldn't get enough of her. Mom and Dad were put on the back burner and everything was about Oma. Just seeing the girls enjoying every minute with Mom was a real treat.

There were 5 birthdays that had to be celebrated from June.

All the years totaled 188. Precautions were taken where the candles were concerned and the number candles were used on the birthday pie. No sense in trying to burn the house down with that many single candles going all at once.

There was time spent at the cherry orchard picking pie cherries and bings.

20 lbs of pie cherries and 10 lbs of bings

plus a bit of rhubarb

were soon made into

lots of little jars of all this yumminess.

Strawberries had to be included also because there was no sense in leaving them out of all the fun going on in the kitchen.

Just a little note, pie cherries are now my absolute favorite summer fruit.

Next to strawberries of course.

But the cherries have taken first place in my book.

They girls found a new 'yard' pet.

His name changes daily.

There was some backyard roasting going on.

Try telling a 7yr old that you aren't suppose to purposely set the marshmallows on fire just so you can see it engulfed in flames. It was pointless.

A few hours of fun was spent at the mini golf course.

At the end of the course there was a tiki totem. If you were able to get the ball right down the middle into the pipe it started to smoke and a huge burst of fire came out of it's head. Guess who got that to happen. Yeah, Glenn. The rest of us were squirted because of our lack of skill.

We had to hear about that the rest of the day.

Joy.

And some good ole' river time was had. Trying to find little fishes if possible, splashing around to cool off and of course (you know what's coming) trying to find just the right rock to throw to see how big of a splash could be made.

What else do you expect.

Mom is back home now, but trust me when I say that the girls have lots more on the list of summer time things to do. The fun isn't over yet.

xxxx

A wonderful weekend...

2011-06-27T09:58:00.000-06:00

The past weekend was absolutely wonderful around here.

No complaints at all.

The windows were open the whole time. Love that!

I enjoyed the last of the peonies.

It was so great that they finally bloomed this year.

On my birthday Saturday I got to spend the entire day with little Connor.

I didn't need anything else for presents. He was enough.

I finally finished off some of my jeans so I could enjoy some summery apparel.

Totally loving them!

Even the part about them being loose from my on and off exercising.

Must get back to that this week.

Then there was the crazy goofiness by a little one who decided that her moose rug would be a great hat.

We weren't sure if a meeting was going to be called together by the Grand Poobah of our in house Moose Lodge.

You never know around here.

Now it's back to normal (if you can call the goings on around here normal) so that we can get ready for a visit from Mom. Seriously can't wait for the end of the week till she gets here. We all have ants in our pants over it.

Note to self, start straightening up the house a wee bit so Mom won't have anything to do except relax and veg out.

xxxx

Summer is here...

2011-06-23T13:11:00.000-06:00

Summer definitely arrived yesterday, as far as the heat is concerned.

Big shock for the system going from 60's & 70's and then to a whooping 94!

There were lots of Popsicles to be eaten and the whole afternoon spent running through the sprinklers.

And alot of yelling "shut the door, the air is on".

Then there was the loudest and flashiest thunderstorm last night I've ever seen here.

The whole house shook it was so loud. I thought I was back in the south there for a minute.

It was very awesome watching the lightning on the front porch. Way too cool!

Once the mosquitoes came out we retreated up to my room to watch the rest of the show.

So with the heat on now, there were a few things that had to be accomplished right away.

A little one needed a big trim to keep cool in the heat.

All of the main colors have been made of the new blanket idea.

All 99 of them.

Now it's all about adding the border and them connecting.

Good thing they are small and can be worked on while sitting in the shade so one does not roast to death in the heat.

Then there was some trimming to be done on worn out jeans,

so they could be turned into "new" summer shorts.

I've already trimmed up 3 pair of my own so I can have some 'new' summery things.

I can't wait to try them on!

Here's hoping that everyone's summer has started off great!

Our new addition...

2011-06-19T09:30:00.000-06:00

Sorry for being absent lately.

Things have been a bit busy trying to get ready for the new bundle of joy in the family.

Meet little Connor.

He's just so darn cute.

The spittin' image of Brendon when he was born.

He got so many little kisses last night.

There's no way he can ever say that he isn't loved.

We thought there was going to be a bit of a 'problem' last night because Brendon wouldn't let him go. He said that it's his turn to hold him because Deidra has had 9mths of her turn and she shouldn't be stingy. :) We will let them work that one out for themselves.

Glenn is one proud Grandpa I tell you. Not everyday you share a birthday with your first grandson. We all told him that next year he has to remember to share the birthday cake with Connor. I don't think he will have a problem with that at all.

More pics later. We will be making a trip up after lunch so the new little family will have some time to themselves. I can't be stingy either you know.

xxxx

Relaxing...

2011-06-15T15:38:00.000-06:00

The past week has been near perfect around here.

Not too busy. Not too noisy.

Just taking things one day, one moment at a time.

Perfect.

A trip to a couple of the local green houses/nurseries have us enjoying a few new plants and blooms.

I am doing my best to keep my maidenhair fern going.

So far so good.

I just love it's dainty little leaves.

Glenn had to have some pretty clover.

He checks on them every afternoon when he comes home just to make sure they are still hanging in there.

Too funny!

There are plenty of colorful blooms from our plants of many years.

More yarn time has been happening as I have been enjoying the absolute gorgeous weather we have been having,

while sitting in full view of the gorgeous baskets that were acquired at Julie's shop again this year.

The girls are loving the brightly colored blooms they have picked out this year to take care of.

And then there was a fun day today spent with sweet friends as they came over for some help with altering a thrift store find

into a very pretty dress for a local renaissance fair.

There are leftovers in the fridge and there is nothing else on the to-do list but work on more granny squares.

It's rough but someone has to deal with all this torture.

Ta-dah!!!

2011-06-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

The stripe blanket is finished!

It's really wonderful with all it's colorful stripeyness.

You can kind of tell how the colored stripes are dominate on one side

and then the white shows a bit more on the other.

I made the blanket a bit longer than usual so that Glenn could use it without having to curl up in a ball just to get totally covered. One must accommodate everyone in the house from time to time. Glenn had to help with the pictures because of the blanket's size. He's so nice.

I decided to go with a simple all white border and picot edging to finish to whole thing off. Just plain and simple so not to compete with all the colorful stripes.

Now I'm off to enjoy the day's sunshine and breezes, before the rain and thunder show this evening.

xxxx

2011-06-04T07:31:00.000-06:00

There's only one thing that can get us to stand out on the front porch in our pj's first thing in the morning.

Early summer hot air balloons!

You pretty much know that it's going to be a pretty darn good day when you see the balloons flying over your house.

So happy to see them back again.

Satisfaction...

2011-06-01T13:53:00.000-06:00

Satisfaction is...

~Watching your daughter take a fancy to cooking and baking.

She made us all lunch the other day, all by herself.

Then she made cookies just because.

~Finishing the 'table doily' that I was making up as I went along.

~ Contemplating the border of the stripey blanket.

Something simple.

No need for competition with the stripes.

Now we are just waiting for the weekend to get here so that we can experience slightly warmer temps.

50's and 60's are getting a little boring.

And aggravating.

Low 70's would be exemplary.

Little Man's quilt...

2011-05-24T08:07:00.000-06:00

With 3 weeks to go, Em finished the quilt she was working on for Connor.

She did an awesome job on it. Her first quilt from following a pattern.

She's definitely hooked now.

Connor now has a HUGE supply of blankets to keep him warm.

At least for his first year. :)

There are more plans for some more quilts from her, but she's got a couple of other little gifts she has on her to-do list that are priority.

Then she is talking about making a quilt to display at the fair!

Can't wait for that to be finished.

Weekend in a flash...

2011-05-22T10:27:00.000-06:00

I have suffered with allergies all weekend. This is the first spring in many years that I have had to stay indoors just so I wouldn't have to dope up on medicine in order to see or breathe.

So here is what I did...

I finished a few bibs for little Connor just in time for the baby shower.

sorry for the bad pic.

I ventured out long enough to go get my hair cut.

About 5 inches.

Yeah, it's been a long time.

Some banana chocolate chip bread was made.

There's one slice left, I think.

I didn't scarf it all down.

I had help.

The girls and I have been watching Jane Austen movies we checked out from the library.

Love them!

I was thinking I needed something new for the table.

So I got the hook and yarn out.

It's a complete work in progress.

Decisions are made row by row.

I'm just trying to remember to write down what I did just in case I want to make another one.

When I can't decide what to do on the next row, I go back to the stripey blanket.

I'm nearly finished with main part of it.

Now I'm just enjoying some quiet time because the rest of the crew decided that they needed to go hiking before the rain came in.

I didn't want to have any more sneezing attacks.

So I'm vegging out.

It's safe at home with hooks and yarn.

And M&M's.

The only bad thing about the whole weekend,

the windows have to stay shut.

Oh well, that will soon pass.

I hope.

Relaxing...

2011-05-17T20:39:00.000-06:00

Even though we have been back home for a couple of weeks now, things just haven't felt like all has returned to a relaxed state of being around here. It usually takes about a good week to unwind after getting back to our own things. You know that wonderful feeling that you get when you walk back into your house and smell your smells, sit on your own furniture, sleep in your own bed. But after this last trip it has taken longer to get to that relaxed state. Much longer than what I would want and like.

But something happened over the weekend when my lilacs started to show off around here. Their scent is everywhere. I especially love smelling them after a rain shower. It was as if they were putting on a show just for me. A show that I needed. A show that I was worried that I would miss while on our trip. A show that I desperately needed.

There are three different lilacs in my yard. Their colors are so wonderful. I can't pick a favorite.

There is the dark purple one in the back yard.

The Sensation Lilac on one side of the front yard

And a wonderful white Primrose Lilac on the other side of the front yard. I'm waiting for this one to make it's big show.

One bush in particular, my Sensation Lilac, needed a teeny bit of trimming. I took full advantage of making sure all the gorgeous blooms at the ends of the trimmings made their way into the house.

They are over flowing every where.

I finally felt my self take a huge deep breath today.

As if all is okay because I did not miss my wonderful lilacs.

I was asked earlier today if I thought I had enough flowers in the yard.

NO.

One can never have too many flowers when they bring you so much happiness and peace to your day.

They make it possible for me to 'breathe' each day.

I love my yard and home.

Spring time friends...

2011-05-10T08:23:00.000-06:00

My Mother's Day ended up being quite enjoyable.

Breakfast was made for me, though I did not eat it in bed. I don't do the eating in bed thing. Ick.

Dinner was also made for me. Homemade spaghetti. YUM!!

And while all of this was going on I was camping out in the craft room cutting lots of little squares for a new project. It was quite nice to be doing my own little thing since I wasn't allowed in the kitchen that day. So very nice I must say.

A few moments were taken to go see our spring time friends that come a visit for a few weeks each year. The girls really look forward to seeing them and making sure there are plenty of snacks to eat.

The little friends would come up near the craft room window and just sit amongst the flowers.

I kept checking on them to see how their accommodations were. One must be a gracious hostess and make sure they have enough bread, water and quiet places to nap. Every once in a while there would be little pecks on the window just to let us know they were still there. A few times there were even knocks on the front door, almost as if they just wanted us to come out to say hi. They would only take a few steps back when we opened the door and sit back down. Too cute.

After all the bird watching that was going on, I was able to manage a couple of little gifts for Connor. Too many distractions going on that day. Sweet distractions at least.

Maybe today I can get many more made.

If I'm not distracted by our spring time friends.

Mother's Day...

2011-05-07T09:17:00.000-06:00

I was asked what I wanted for Mother's Day while we were on our trip. It didn't take but a second to answer.

All I wanted was

1. to be able to see all the pretty flowers that the girls and I planted last fall, before they faded for the season and

2. a quiet, simple day with my family, who makes Mother's Day possible for me.

As you can tell, my #1 request was answered already.

Now I'm just waiting for the second request tomorrow.

We were also surprised with the returning beauties that always greet us each year.

You can't imagine how happy I was to see we hadn't missed our most wonderful lilacs.

Here's hoping that all of you have a fabulous Mother's Day also.

xxxx

Back home...

2011-05-06T09:15:00.000-06:00

A quick trip back to Minnesota was made due to a medical condition with Glenn's father. After things were quickly planned and packed we were headed down the road. Early start you know because that's just how it happens with us you know. By mid morning we were near coming up to Targhee Pass and I was getting a little nervous about seeing all those clouds covering up the Grand Tetons off on the side.

But as quick as you blink, the clouds started to clear and the dear ole' sun showed it's self.

All the roads were dry and clear thankfully. But we were quite surprised to see how much snow was covering things in West Yellowstone. There wasn't much parking to be had in town at all.

After a quick fill-up we were headed toward the Gallatin River Valley until to be stopped by some wonderful creatures that were munching on anything they could find thanks to the melting snow. It was hard not to miss them being there were signs every where telling of their presence ahead.

After a few minutes of watching, we were back on track down through the valley heading for Bozeman.

Then near the end of the valley, brakes were being hit and a quick turn around was made just so we could see a mommy and baby moose sitting in the snow. I'm beginning to think Glenn has this thing with spotting moose because no one else saw them sitting there. Good thing we have Glenn.

After a nights stop in Billings we started early again so that we could make Fargo the next afternoon to stay at one of Glenn's brothers place. Then a couple of days spent with Grandpa before his surgery. Then down to another uncles house in Alexandria so we could be closer to the hospital where Grandpa would be in St. Cloud. Things went tremendously well for him and he was out of the hospital sooner than the doctors thought. I must make mention that this has been the one and only time in this man's life that he has ever been in the hospital for anything. Amazing.

So after we made sure all was well with Glenn's father, we started getting things ready to head home. Little would we know that we would go through an earthquake in Alexandria before heading home. Nothing serious, 3.1 is all. But an earthquake none the less. And then after only 5 hours into the trip back home, we were forced off the interstate because of a BLIZZARD!!!! Didn't see that coming. Especially since we had been checking and re-checking all the forecasts for all the areas along the way back home. A little snow in the northern part of North Dakota. Yeah right. Little snow my eye. So after getting one of the few remaining rooms in Bismarck, we went out for food, snacks, etc. and hunkered down for the night.

The next morning we started out when the interstate was opened. It was a slow go with all the compacted snow and ice all over the roads. Lots of people were off the road in the deep snow banks. There was even one big rig who thought it would be a good idea to pass us by going over all the compacted snow and ice and nearly lost control. When I saw the truck bouncing and swerving next to us it was all I could do just to close my eyes, hold my breath and not make things worse for Glenn. What a bunch of morons. Yeah, that's the idiot in front of us.

There were lots of big rigs that had slid of the road on the off ramps and were blocking the ramp completely because each end of the truck was stuck in the snow banks. It was quite a welcome sight to cross the state line into Montana and to have dry, clear roads to drive on after 3 hours of stressful driving.

The decision was made not the stop at another hotel for the night. Mid afternoon found us back near West Yellowstone.

There were a few jaywalkers cutting across the highway. But of course we didn't mind. Brenna was concerned that they should be taught that roads are dangerous though.

Past the east end of town a baby bison was spotted by the road so we had to stop and watch for a few minutes since there was no traffic coming.

Then down the road a few miles we crossed the state line into Idaho. Lots of squeals and cheering was going on even with the realization that we had about 6 more hours till home. No one cared because just being back in Idaho, we were home. So just after 11pm, we pull up in the drive way. I opened the door to the house only to go running out to the front yard to check on all the blooms that I thought I would miss while gone. I was so glad to see that they waited for me to get home to enjoy them.

I was up early the next morning just so I could see all the brightly colored blooms in the morning light.

It's good to be back home.

Creative delays...

2011-04-17T03:57:00.000-06:00

The girls and I finally started to get our crafty, creative groove going again.

A little one trying hand sewing for the very first time.

The Christmas quilt was completed!

Nearly hurt myself dancing all around the house.

A big thanks to Glenn for help with the photo shoot.

What would I do without him. Don't want to know. :)

Em completed a wee little quilt which she is very proud of.

I must say she did a very fine job for the very first one.

The cutest mushroom fabric on the back.

And lots of squares of her favorite scraps that were just lying around.

Then there was a wee break taken so we could celebrate someones 7th a wee bit early.

The birthday candles magically disappeared and some desperate improvising took place.

Big sis made the birthday cake all by herself. She is becoming quite the little baker around here.

So after all of that, an unexpected blogging break will be taken as we will be whisked away to a family member who needs us to be by their side.

So until then, take care and keep finding happiness around you.

Pics will be shared when I return.

xxxx

Awesome weekend...

2011-04-11T14:34:00.000-06:00

Where do I begin when telling about how great of a weekend I had.

Saturday morning the girls woke up to find all the seeds sprouting like mad. I made an executive decision that we were not starting the second tray of seeds until next week. That way we can have harvest times staggered a bit. That way I get tomatoes all summer long, hopefully. One can hope that there advantages to being in charge and making these kind of decisions.

There was a new 'cafe' to try out upstairs in the spare bedroom of all places. The service was superb and the food outstanding. Loved my salad along side my steak and potatoes.

Compliments to the chef!

She was wondering if she would ever get on the show "Diners, Drive-in's and Dives". I told her not right away. Maybe with a little work. :)

On Friday the most wonderful of wonderful things happened!

The quilting foot for my new sewing machine came in the mail!

I really think I snatched the box out of our mail carriers hands.

I'm just glad she knows us pretty well and didn't take any offense to the snatching.

She had been well informed of the weeks of frustration that I had been suffering and I don't think it phased her. She even told me who the package was from, so I think she kind of prepared herself for what ever was to come.

You don't know how freakin' awesome it was to get back to quilting and getting the Christmas quilt finished on the machine.

Angels were singing for me.

Now I'm enjoying finishing the binding on the back.

Two more sides to go!!!

You know I'm jigging while trying not to stab myself with the needle.

I must depart from all this happiness for a short bit so that dinner can be made.

But rest assured that I will be back at the quilt very quickly so that I can do an even bigger jig to celebrate the completion of this quilt.

Pics will be coming soon!

xxxx

Honestly...

2011-04-07T11:58:00.000-06:00

I must be absolutely honest when it comes to this whole sewing machine 'fiasco'. I've not handled it well. I let it drag me completely down for the simple fact that I can't stand starting something and not being able to finish it. You don't know how it bugs me to see the Christmas quilt just sitting there waiting to be completed so that I can move on to others. I have been making calls every where trying to find the part I need, which has been a very frustrating 'adventure' to say the least. From "we have it in stock." and then get a call hours later stating that "oh we were wrong." to "we can order it but it's on back order from the company until the end of May.". Seriously! Do these people not understand the dire situation that is happening around here. I need it NOW! Yesterday I finally get a call back from someone saying that they have found the part and it will be shipped out to me on Monday. I'm not holding my breath at this point. I will just hang in there and see what happens on Monday. I had begun to wonder if all this trouble and disappointment was really worth it for a machine that was over 10yrs old.

Then steps in Glenn. My sweet dear husband. He had a day off during the week the other day and made up this plan to get me out of the house and do some running around for the day. I should have known something was up because he is not one to go shopping unless there is something he absolutely has to have and can't live without. But I suspected nothing due to the fact that he and the girls planned on stopping at their favorite old bookstore while we were out. Then after lunch, looking at books, a little window shopping, we headed in the direction of home. But a detour happened after he exclaimed "Hey, you needed a few things from the store didn't you?". So to the store we went. Yes, Walmart. Not my favorite place but I wasn't protesting that day. So through the store we went just looking at your normal things you need at home stuff. But as we were walking by the craft area Glenn stopped and asked the lady if they had sewing machines. I obviously gave him a curious little look. Around the corner we went following the lady to where the machines were sitting. Glenn asked her if any of the models had the drop feed feature on them and after she gave him a look like "what do you know about that?" he looked over the display model, the box and then exclaimed "this is the one!" and put it in the cart. Yeah, I was shocked. After asking why we were getting it he told me because he could not stand to see me so down about the whole machine issue and he wanted to see me happy again. I just about melted.

As I have said before, he is going nowhere.

All mine and a definite keeper.

Even after 24 yrs.

So here is my new machine. I diligently went through the manual yesterday because I did not want to screw anything up with this one. I know it's not "top of the line". You know over $1000. But it's mine and it can do the free motion quilting. I did have to order the optional foot in order to do that but that is okay. I know it's coming. I've been watching the package online, moving quickly my way. Don't you just love those tracking numbers! I tried out the straight stitching at least and WOW is it quiet! Dreamy you know. It's not fancy. But as long as it let's me do what I want to do, I'm happy. And Glenn went out of his way to get it for me which makes it even better.

So if the above mentioned part for the older machine makes it's way here, all the better I guess. Mixed feeling at this point. According to the ladies at the quilt shop that is on Glenn's route, every quilter needs a few machines at their disposal just in case situations like this happen. I think they were a little disappointed when Glenn didn't buy one of the fancy schmancy ones from them. I think he would have been in big trouble from me if he would have spent that much on a machine. There would have to be some serious explaining for that.

SO...

As I most patiently wait for my new quilting foot to make it here, I am giving verbal advice to Em as she works on a quilt for a special little person in the family. I must say I'm quite pleased with her taking on a pattern (Little Man) in the book I bought a few months ago. She is excited, I'm excited for her. It's just going great.

She just keeps plugging along, happily piecing everything together. As of this moment she is finished with the block pieces and needs to place the border strips on the top.

Someone asked me "why don't you just use the machine Em is using?". Two reasons.

1. That machine doesn't have the drop feed feature to be able to do free motion quilting.

and

2. I could not even think about tossing Em off that machine while she is working so diligently on her special quilt.

What kind of Mom would I be to do that to her?

Never ever.

So I wait and contemplate over what to do with this wonderful jelly roll of 'Oh Cherry Oh' that Brenna picked out a couple of months ago. I have some ideas from which to pick from. And it will be completed as soon as I finish the Christmas quilt.

A little one is working on her masterpiece.

The other is creating a quilt.

I will go and sit myself down with the springy yarn stash and keep myself busy now that I'm starting to get out of the "funk".

Which I must say takes a bit of effort while seeing the skies all grey out, the rain falling and them temps barely in the 40's today. Does anyone know where Spring is? It definitely isn't around here. There are record snows falling in the mountains, avalanches happening up there. I'm not calling for roasty tempsby any means, just a tad warmer, 60's with a little sun. That's all.

Spring has sprung...

2011-04-04T12:13:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to keep my focus on happy things around here lately. All of the brightly colored tulips are helping as much as possible with that task. We had absolutely gorgeous weather a few days ago and the girls and I just could not resist going out in the yard to spruce things up a bit and throw out more seeds for our enjoyment later in the season.

The bright red miniature tulips have to be my favorite blooms every year to see after the crocuses. There is just something about those blooms who are no bigger than your thumb that just make me smile. I'm so glad I have them in front of my craft room so I can see them every time I walk in there.

I'm a bit excited to see how the new blooms turn out from planting them last fall in the new flower bed. I was very deliberate in picking out late spring bloomers so that I would have more color in the yard for just a bit longer than usual. I'm not rushing them to bloom but it's hard to see how they all turn out. I'm just glad to see that they are actually growing. I even got excited to see that the peonies were sprouting. Crossing my fingers for blooms on those this year.

More bulbs and seeds were planted in the backyard. Why should the front yard get all the glory? I love ranunculus, so there were boxes of those bulbs planted. I'm so glad that Julie introduced me to them. The girls picked out the rest. It's their yard also so they must have some say when it comes to what grows in the yard. I do coax just a wee bit. Not much.

Then there was a trip made to the store to get seeds and a starter kit. I thought 72 little peat pots would be enough. Apparently not with my gang. I'm starting to wonder how big this year garden is really going to be now that my three "gardeners" are talking about getting at least 2 or 3 more kits! I don't recall living on acreage the last time I stepped outside.

So besides trying to keep busy with all the springy, growing wonderfulness I have been working here and there on a new blanket. It's made up of stash yarn that was sitting in the craft room patiently waiting on me to decide what to do with it. So out came all the springy colors that remind me of all the blooms that will be in the yard soon.

At least when I'm working on this I'm not thinking about the darn sewing machine. Which by the way I'm still waiting on a part that I was told on the phone was in stock but by some chance now it's backordered maybe until the end of April or middle of May. I'm waiting a few more days to see if a couple of other places may have the part I'm looking for. If that doesn't work out I'm seriously thinking about getting a new machine and taking the other to the scrap yard and seeing if I can at least get anything from the metal that is in it. It's that heavy. The Christmas quilt sits quietly crumpled up in a corner waiting to see what it's outcome will be. With it being 3/4 of the way quilted it's just so darn frustrating just seeing it lay there. I've made a firm deadline for the end of the week to decide on a new machine or not. A girl has got to put her foot down and draw a line in the sand over these kind of issues you know. Otherwise things could just get a little ugly. :)

I'm thinking some more crochet time is in order for the day after I get homemade pot pies going for dinner. Nothing like comfort food, yarn and spring blooms to make one feel better about a frustrating situation.

Still waiting...

2011-03-26T15:56:00.000-06:00

I must say this has been a really off week for me to say the least. Quilting plans have not gone as planned. Which has really set back my whole accomplishment goal that I had in mind. I'm still waiting for the sewing machine to be completely fixed. The main thing was the timing. Now that is perfect again, the bobbin case decided it was going on strike and not hold it's tension anymore. So now I wait for a new one to be delivered to the house. But that won't be until Monday.

Yea.

So while I wait, again, I started to work on my little idea with all the colorful yarn at my disposal. Yes I have some serious stash hanging around the craft room. But you know how that is all going to work. I'm not going to put this down until finished which means the quilt will not get finished until probably the end of next week "again".

During that time I will help Em out on a smallish sized quilt that she decided that she just absolutely had to make for someone special. It's just waiting for her to get finished cutting out the binding strips from scraps from what seems to be a never ending supply around here. There are two other little projects just waiting on the sidelines patiently as she gets this one finished.

Wee one decides that she also needs to create something since everyone else seems to be busy with whatever catches their fancy. It seems everyone will be getting new melty bead creations soon.

I'm thinking the yarn project will be just perfect this weekend being that the weather just can't seem to make up it's mind. Within five minutes it will snow, hail, rain and sunshine all for our enjoyment. I'm thinking I'm going to throw something ooey-gooey and chocolatey into the oven to along with all the yarn time that will be happening this evening and the rest of the weekend. Let's just hope the chocolatey goodness lasts that long.

I'm not so sure.

xxxx

A happy place...

2011-03-21T19:54:00.000-06:00

Today started out just like a crummy Monday should.

Dark, gloomy, rainy and me not feeling 'tip top'.

Yea.

I made it an official 'sick day'. To say the least the girls were happy about no lessons for the day.

About mid-day I felt good enough to attempt working on the quilt. So I obliged. I was in my happy place! I was plugging along rather happily until the darn machine just didn't want to stitch anymore. I tried and tried to figure out what was up but with no luck. After a few choice words and nearly throwing a hissy (the reason why the quilt is laying on the floor), I called the repair shop to see if they could take the beast in for a look. Tomorrow I will be getting up bright and early to drop it off in hopes of getting it back by Wednesday.

So until then I have been trying to decide if I should find something else to work on along the lines of something yarny or do I wait patiently for the beast to be returned. While I debate on that I've been gathering some colors together to see if something inspirational comes to mind.

Nothing yet.

I might have to go browsing through Ravelry to see if anything grabs me.

With a bowl of ice cream sitting next to me.

That might make me feel better.

Maybe.

Just for Em...

2011-03-17T18:38:00.000-06:00

Testing is finished for another year for Em. She feels pretty darn confident about the entire test. Not that we expected anything less. She is so bright and makes homeschooling almost too easy. We had fun seeing lots of friends and those acquaintances we don't see often.

It took me awhile to finally find something to keep me busy while I sat patiently during Em's tests. I thought I had the perfect one picked out. I started working on it Monday night so I could get a feel for it. Let's just say it's very hard to get a feel for something when there is an error in the pattern to begin with. And the most frustrating thing is that the pattern is from a very well known company that offers free patterns. This has not been the first time I have had issues with their patterns. It may be the last time I go looking on their site to find something.

Anyhoo, after the frustration of all that and searching for another hour or so, I finally found this wonderful little pattern. So easy and quick. A breeze to work up. I even finished it during the last test of the day today. Perfect timing. Em didn't know that it was going to end up in her possession. So she was very surprised. Just a little something for all the hard work she always puts into her lessons and her tests.

Tonight there is going to be a movie marathon and some serious lounging around.

I guess I better get off this thing so that can get started.

xxxx

Another cuddly...

2011-03-13T13:26:00.000-06:00

Busy little week here.

Good busy you know.

Little of this.

Little of that.

Trying not to put too much on my list all at once.

Day by day is basically how I let the last week pass.

As you can tell I never got started with my quilt.

I was consumed with another idea for a baby blanket.

This time for our dear friends daughter who is due with her first child a few weeks after our grandson.

I ended up using the same colors as I did for Connor's blanket.

She's having a boy as you can tell.

A quick wash and it should be good to go and ready to send off.

I'll probably have to wait to work on my quilt till the end of the week as I am going to have to find a small project to work on during Em's testing that will be going on this week. I've got an idea as to what to do. It has to be something small and "quiet" as to not bother all those smart little testers you know. I just have to get everything gathered together for it. I'll share pics of that later.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

xxxx

Mom's quilt...

2011-03-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

The sun came out, so bright and shiny, so I could finally take pics of Mom's quilt.

Never mind the fact that it happened as we were going into the store to get a few necessities and I rushed everyone through there just so we could get home before the dark gray clouds decided to move in again.

It will be on it's way tomorrow Mom!

Love ya!

xxxx

Warm and crinkly...

2011-03-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a rather productive day in the ole' craft room. With it wet and drizzly outside there was no other choice than to work on the quilt and get the binding finished off. I had great company from a little artist that just had to work on her Spring watercolor masterpiece. I'm sure that the pile of M&M's sitting on the desk helped bring her into the room also. With great conversation and questions from a 6yr. old time passed quickly and before I knew it the binding was complete.

Then it was off for a quick wash and dry...

so it could be finally be complete.

All warm and crinkly, just waiting to see if there is a wee bit of a break in the weather tomorrow so that a pic can be taken before it is packed up and shipped off to Mom on Monday.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Now I am going to treat myself to a warm bowl of apple cranberry crisp.

It's the least I can do for myself after all the hard work put into the quilt.

Then I have to figure out what to do to keep myself busy the rest of the night.

Decisions.

Puzzles...

2011-03-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

What does a Mom do when one of her wee ones comes up and asks her to help open a new puzzle for them? You help of course. Then you try not to help too much because the little one wants to try to do it all by herself because she is a big girl. But of course. So Mom just sits for however long it takes for her sweet pea to finish the puzzle. Not very long but long enough to enjoy seeing the little gears in their mind working.

And long enough to see the puzzle completed with the biggest smile on their face. And then hear her exclaim that she really needs some pet bunnies running around the yard.

Sorry, not doing that.

Then the Mom notices that her other wee one (not so little anymore you know) has decided that she also needs to work on a 1000 piece puzzle and would like to accomplish that all by herself.

Not in one night though you know. One must pace themselves.

Little sis comes by to check things out.

And quickly leaves once she realizes how much 1000 pieces really is.

It makes me happy inside to see them pick something else to do in the evening besides staring at the boob tube and turning into complete vegetables. Makes me stop and think that I'm doing something right when it comes to their decision making part of their brain. At least it looks like I haven't totally messed them up yet.

Lovely stripes...

2011-02-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

The blanket is finished!

I woke up early this morning just so I could finished the edging.

I wasn't sure about all the different colors of stripes at first.

But it did turn out pretty darn wonderful.

And of course I couldn't let little Connor forget who made him the really warm and snuggly fabulous blanket.

xxxx

Irresistible...

2011-02-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when the cutest little freckle face you know comes up to you and asks you to sit next to her while she reads her most favorite books ever?

All eight of them.

Well, you oblige without any hesitation for a chance to sit and cuddle while listening to her sweet little voice reading words that she no longer needs help with.

Sniff.

I welcomed the chance to get away from the sewing machine and grabbed everything I needed to work on the little piece of wonderfulness for little Connor. The perfect quiet project to keep the hands busy while listening to great literary works, according to a 6 yr. old.

I don't think there is anything better than a quiet evening, free of any electronic gadgets, and having the most wonderful time with a little one who is really loving reading lately.

Plugging along...

2011-02-23T15:38:00.001-07:00

Another few days break from the bloggy world.

A mixed bag of happenings around these parts.

One just doesn't know how things will turn out from one hour to the next much less one day to the next.

I just try to go with the flow as much as I can so that I don't end up a stressed out mess.

Even though there are lists that are made so that some kind of order can be at least attempted around here, it doesn't always work out that way.

Case in point:

Saturday the girls and I get a move on bright and early so that we could get to Joann's as soon as they open so that we would not be standing at the cutting tables forever. And so we wouldn't get caught in the nasty weather that was 'forecasted' for mid day. What joy to see we were to first ones at the tables. The girls did a little jig as we walked through the store towards the tables after picking the fabric that was needed. Then searching for the much needed batting followed, only to find out that the exact one we were looking for can only be found on-line.

*fabulous*

While heading towards the front of the store my little eyes caught sight of a wonderful sounding gadget. A bobbin winder. It was on sale and I said "hey, why not". It could be a time saver.

Yeah.

After making it home and being quite proud of ourselves on beating the Saturday rush at the fabric store and the yucky weather to come, I sat down to try out the wonderful little gadget that I thought was a great score. Well, not so great. I fought with that piece of junk for the longest time and it never worked. Tried it with batteries, then with the optional power cord. Nothing. I was beginning to think that I was missing something from the instructions. Read them over and over for about 4 times. Got really aggravated. Nearly chucked the piece of junk across the room. Could I be that dense that I was missing something from "plug the power cord into the back of the winder. plug the other end of the power cord into the wall and push the green power button". No, I can't be. Then I did what you should always do when even thinking of buying a contraption such as this. Go on-line and read all the reviews you can about a particular object. Let's just say I would have never went near the thing if I would have done the research before. Even with this set back and the lack of batting still, Saturday ended up being productive for all three of us girls. I finished my quilt backing, Em started and completed a bag for a friends birthday present and Brenna of course was just happy as a clam with all her animals, coloring books and markers.

Of course we didn't get any yucky weather like what was expected on Saturday. And none of the 'forecasted' 6" of snow showed up Sunday morning. Just a light dusting. So with that in mind I patiently waited for the quilt shop to open after lunch so that I could acquire the much needed batting. Should have gone there to begin with. Before leaving the house, a quick peek at the new quilt book was taken just in case a few little special fabrics were seen while at the shop.

Well, a few precise pieces were acquired at the shop, that went along with a jelly roll I already had. Soon these will all come together as a wonderful quilt that I'm sure I will adore.

More later on this.

Then a quick trip to Joann's to return the piece of junk that was nearly broke to pieces the day before. Then I was informed by Glenn that a quick trip to the mall was needed (hate the mall) so that he could buy something at the Apple store for the computer. I was sidetracked into the "Build a Bear" shop just to see if there was a little something, something for little Connor to cuddle with after he makes his appearance in June. Glenn, I and the girls just couldn't walk out without a little wolfie for Connor to hug on. Perfect for a little Idahoan. Something wild for a little one that will definitely have a bit of the wilderness in him. At least if I have anything to say about it. :) The girl at the stuffing machine even let us put a heart in the wolf from each of us. So he is a pretty special little wolf with four hearts full of love and wishes for little Connor.

Monday had all kinds of plans lined up on the list to do.

Glenn and all three kids were going to the used book store for the afternoon.

And I was going to enjoy getting a few things cleaned up around here without anyone stopping me every 5 minutes. I was stoked! (I know some are thinking that I am sick in the head.) Early spring cleaning was looking pretty darn awesome in my book.

A good scrubbing of the floors, a bit of dusting, etc.

Let's just say it did not work out that way I had planned.

While in the kitchen, happily scrubbing away on my hands and knees with the radio jamming, the base board on one of the corners sticking out decided to attack me and put a HUGE piece of LUMBER in my pinky finger.

pinky is sore and the side of my nail will take a bit to grow back. You don't know how much you use a part of your body until something traumatic happens and it hurts like something awful. I have smacked the poor pinky on just about everything in the house since then. I even shut the closet door on it when putting clothes up the other day. It wasn't even hard but man did I notice it. There is a friend of ours that once said he would rather have bamboo shoved up under his nails than to listen to his two kids fight and bicker like cats and dogs.

Oh no you don't sir. Just trust me.

So not as much sewing has been going on like I would have liked. I'm hoping later when things settle down for the day I can find my way into the craft room and slowly but surely get some more work done on Mom's quilt back.

Until then I have been doing some pre-planning for some other soft and cuddly for Connor. I'm really trying my best at using yarn I already have for this project. There may still be some tweaking before the final plans are concrete. Hopefully I can get through the quilts fast so I can get moving on this little piece of wonderfulness.

Hopefully the rest of the week will be calm and quiet.

I'm not sure if I could handle any more excitement.

xxxx

Crackin' up!

2011-02-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've tried not to get sucked into the whole boob tube thing this week.

About the only time I sit in front of it is late at night just to catch the weather.

I probably don't even need to have it on for that because I could just go to the computer do a little peek for the information and be done with it all.

But then I would have missed out on what I think is quite possibly my most favorite commercial of all time. I was laughing so hard that I woke the girls up.

Absolutely hilarious! I've seen just two of the commercials but had no idea that there were lots more. You've got to check them out. It's definitely started my weekend out right with smiles and laughing so hard my stomach hurts.

Here's hoping you have a great weekend!

xxxx

All smiles...

2011-02-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Lots of smiles going on around here today.

All from simple but wonderful little things.

I'll share it all with you. :)

The planning and tweaking of the 2 quilt tops have been made.

They have been sewn together and now patiently wait for the planning and tweaking of the backing now.

I'm trying to be good and use what I have left of the collection instead of ordering more online. I must save my money for more fabric from a new collection that will be coming out soon, I hope. :) It surely put a smile on my face when I saw it.

Another smile presented itself when I peeked out my craft room window and saw little spring sprouts starting to show them selves.

(excuse the blurry view. I snapped a pic through the window. little lazy I am.)

And a quick trip to the mailbox produced a another smile when I saw the book I ordered had arrived. Absolutely cute I tell you. You must go and take a look at Alessandra's work. You won't be disappointed with all the cuteness she creates. The book is wonderful!

You know there will be lots of little hats made for all the wee ones in the family. Gotta keep the wee ones looking good.

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

As I was typing away minding my own business, trying to share all the smiley stuff with you, the clouds rolled in fast making everything miserably dark. Didn't think anything of it until there were a few claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. So off I went, with the camera, to see a freak snow storm roar through making everything white in less than a minute. It only lasted for about 20 minutes but man was it wild. The girls thought we were getting a blizzard. All is quiet now.

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

Good thing because I want to get back to cutting some more fabric and put the whole "Pooh bear" thought process in motion on how to create the backing for the quilts. It's alot of work doing the "Pooh bear" thing you know.

I hope there was something for you to smile about today.

Maybe?

Hopefully.

Do tell.

xxxx

Simpleness...

2011-02-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

To say things have been challenging around here that last week or so is a complete understatement. Most of the challenge has been coming from our son, who for whatever reason seems to keep choosing to live life the hard way and not ever listen to any advice that Glenn and I give him on anything. It always leads to me being completely stressed out because I just can't figure out why someone would keep making the same 'mistakes' over and over. Especially when that someone has a little one the way. The only thing I can figure is that one day he is hoping that he will prove us wrong. Not sure if that will ever happen because of past history. You know history repeats itself, over and over. I'm just hoping and praying that one day it will all change, for the better.

So instead of getting on this little blog to gripe, complain and vent, I completely submerged myself into simpleness of life around this humble little abode. School work, baking, cooking, crafting and anything else that had anything to do with being simple.

During such time my wonderful patchy blanket was created. Inspiration can be found here. I made mine bigger so that there would be plenty of snuggly, curling up room with it. I'm thinking of making more in the future, even some little people sized ones. Hopefully before June and July. I must make sure that our little "grand bundle" is kept cuddly along with our dear friends Gary and Chris's "grand bundle" that is due in July.

After all the yarny hook work was completed, down came the Christmas quilt. It's been patiently waiting for me to come back to it. I'm nearly finished with the blocks and then it will be on to the border for the top. I'm not following any certain design. Just letting it come together as I go and keeping it simple. I'm all over that you know.

A trip to the quilt shop, for a late birthday purchase for a certain little one, had us coming home with a wonderful assorted jelly roll of fabrics. It is now being used to create a striped skirt after a certain someone saw her inspiration piece. Another little person could not be left out and picked a very special jelly roll for herself also. Everyone must look smashing for spring when it finally comes around.

There are other collections of fabric that patiently wait for me to finish the present quilt so that they can be made, along with Mom's Christmas quilt. Can't wait for that to come about. I just have to decide if I'm going to use a pattern or just wing it. Not sure yet. The fabrics haven't spoken to me yet.

Otherwise we have embraced the simpleness of each day with open arms. No tv, no computer when possible, not anything electronic that would turn our minds to mush and cause us not to get anything accomplished for the day.

Just creativity galore

and lots of reading of course.

One can't complain about the Miniature Library of Beatrix Potter and Poppleton Pig.

(I have been told by a certain little person that I really need to paint a moose in the library being there is a certain little bunny that was painted in there at the time the library was being created. I might have to get right on that soon. We can not leave Moosey out you know.)

Enjoy the simpleness of things around you.

It is really worth it.

Time out...

2011-01-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

With the new table runner finished

I'm having a bit of a struggle just trying to decided what I want to do next.

Do I make something else with all the red, pink and white that I still have

do I work on my Christmas quilt so I can get it finished and then be able to move on to another project inspired by new book that was acquired at the quilt shop?

I can't make up my mind. I think I'm going to have to go hang out in the kitchen with my Ipod while I make lasagna for dinner. Kind of like a time out thing for me from the craft room because making a decision is too much for me right now.

There's just too many ideas running around my head again. And to make matters worse, the girls and I found the new location of a quilt shop that I thought had closed for good. Let's just say that Glenn was not all yippy skippy upon hearing that yesterday.

xxxx

Happy dance...

2011-01-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon you may have heard a huge sigh of relief as I finished stitching the pocket onto Glenn's sweater. I jumped up from where I was sitting, nearly throwing the thing across the room, doing a happy dance because this most irritating project was over. Glenn says he likes it. I'm glad because I don't. I'm not recommending it all.

Now on to happier, cheerier things that will find it's way on the table soon. A little mix of Valentine inspired colors along with others to make a quilty, patchy looking piece that will make me smile.

p.s. Em says thank you to all who wished her a very happy birthday. She had the biggest smile on her face when she was reading all the warm wishes. And she sends BIG HUGS to you Libby for the wonderful, happy e-card you sent her. She only watched it over and over and over...

And there is cheesecake still hanging around. I'm trying so hard to be good and not root through it like a pig at a trough. It's taking alot of control on my part.

xxxx

12...

2011-01-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's a mixed emotion day here today.

Hard to believe that someone is turning 12 when it seems like just yesterday we were holding her for the first time. Sniff.

Em is definitely growing to fast for my liking. :)

We celebrated yesterday so that we could have a entire, quiet day with Dad.

Birthday dinner was made.

Chicken Parmesan, ranchy noodles and peas.

Don't know how that ever got to be everyones favorite birthday meal.

I'm not complaining. At least it is well liked.

Then afterwards there was yummy purple swirled cheesecake

with yummy, juicy strawberries on top.

The birthday girl was quite pleased with how it turned out. Especially with the swirl going all through the cheesecake.

I might have to take another taste today just to make sure it's still good for everyone else.

It's the least I could do. :)

Off to spend more time with the birthday girl today. It's a free for all day after lessons.

xxxx

Creating...

2011-01-22T16:08:00.001-07:00

After a quick trip to the library to get books that were being held for us, all three of us girls found ourselves back in the craft room just doing whatever came to us. As you can see the sweater is not finished. Close though. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow.

One girl, who has really been into sewing and stitching lately, was complaining that she didn't have a pin cushion of her own. Apparently she didn't want to wait until the next time we went to the fabric store or make one herself, so she improvised. It looks like a voodoo doll. Some poor little bear, hibernating in the woods somewhere, minding his own business is suffering a major headache right now when all he was doing was snoozing the winter away. Poor guy.

Em is creating things way ahead of time so she will be sporting some bright colorful apparel come spring and summer. They are going to be some pretty nice capris when finished. No sense in getting rid of jeans when the only thing that doesn't fit is the length.

The other miss crafty is busily working on her masterpiece, making sure she is mixing colors just right so it looks fabulous.

While I'm heading for the kitchen to make a cheesecake for someone's 12th birthday on Monday. We are celebrating it tomorrow since Dad doesn't have to work. Maybe we can finagle going out to eat tomorrow so Mom doesn't have to cook. I love it when birthdays come around. I'm just not so keen on the little ones getting older and bigger.

xxxx