Stitching Through Life

Fall Means Holiday Prep

2011-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

I am visiting Ric in Maryland. While here I am busy making things for a holiday bazaar that I joined. It is fantastic I can devote so much time to this challenge. Pictures will come when I am home.

October's TUSAL

2011-09-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

This should fill up in the next month. I am spending time with my DH in Maryland. I have committed to have items for a Holiday Bazaar. Lots of work to do before the Holidays.

A Busy September!

2011-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

I am finially posting my finishes that I have been working on these last few weeks. They are both gifts for a couple of special friends. First was for the wedding of Vanessa and Justin.

I finished another one of the Lizzie Kate's "Friends For All Seasons" for Sally who has a birthday on the 30th. We have both been through a lot of storms and have been a great support for one another.

Payton invited me to his preschool for Grandparent's Day. We enjoyed the activity of making our Family Tree. Loved the chance to send time with this precious little boy.

Payton celebrated his 4th Birthday on Saturday. He did like us singing to him. :)

August ORTS and a Finish

2011-09-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

August New Moon slipped past me and I am finally posting my ORTS for the TUSAL. It has been a busy stitching month. I will post more on this later. I did finish the "Come Unto Christ" for a friend. I really like the colors. I found that Hobby Lobby sales mat board and it was even 50% off. Love that school started and I am tackling many projects that have been on my list all summer. Some will hold until it cools down though.

Another July TUSAL and a Month of Family

2011-07-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

July has another new moon and time to post my progress to the TUSAL. I am making another "Come Unto Christ" and working on the Lizzie Kate's "Time for God". I love this piece and can't wait to finish it. After Sevrine does her school work and chores, her reward is to go swimming. I have been adding to my dish cloth pile sense it is an easy project to do while sitting by the pool.

The colors are chocolate and blue. I just need to add the beads and then it will be ready to frame and wrap.

Our July Activities

We were lucky enough to have Ric here for the 4th of July. The family gathered for a BBQ and swimming. This picture is Payton getting his back rub from Grandpa. It seems that he is just like his father. All of my kids loved having their backs scratched and especially Kelvin. Now we can add our grandkids to this routine.

Kelvin, Payton, Hailee and Sevrine waiting for the fireworks at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Payton accommpied grandpa to the movie, Cars 2.

We celebrated Kaitlyn's baptism while Ric was home. We all had a part on the program. We are so very proud of her and she looked like an angel all in white sitting with her dad.

Kristen, David, William, Kaitlyn, Elizabeth and David's mom, Nancy

Our family, minus Marissa who is in Virginia, and Sevrine who was with her dad this weekend.

We sure enjoyed getting together and especially having grandpa here.

July's TUSAL

2011-07-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

A little progress on "O Jerusalem" to add to my ORT jar.

Beating the Heat

2011-06-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

The perfect way to beat this heat is keeping busy with all my projects that I have on my to-do list. I framed this piece for a friend's birthday. She is battling cancer and such an example to all of her friends. She is so positive even when she is not feeling well. This represents of the kind of person she is.

More baby presents....

Sevrine loves to swim. After chores and school work she earns swimming time. Knitting is the perfect project to do by the pool.... Now I have replenished my stock of dishcloths.

It has been a busy month. I got a chance to visit with my nephew and his family while they made a brief trip to the valley to register for school. After his discharge from the Navy, he will start school in January. We will get much more time to see them next winter and meet the rest of the family.

Colleen, Sevrine, April, Gayle, Allison, and Michael

Summer Time

2011-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

There is a song that I sang when I was a child. It seems to be running through my head as I take care of Sevrine. The yard work gets done early and we try and find things to do to stay cool on these long hot summer days.

“Oh what do you do in the summer time when all the world is green?

Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by?

Is that what you do? So do I!”

“Oh what do you do in the summer time when all the world is green?

Do you swim in a pool to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high?

Is that what you do? So do I!”

“Oh what do you do in the summer time when all the world is green?

Do you march in parades or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky?

Is that what you do? So do I!”

It seems that summer just screams reading, so Sevrine and I signed up for the summer reading program at the local library. We have attended a story time and a juggler program to get her excited about reading. She earns prizes for the books she reads and for the time we read to her. For book club we just finished a prequel to the “Anne of Green Gables” series. I just loved how the book told the story of Anne before arriving to Avonlea. The Book is entitled, "Before Green Gables" and it is by Budge Wilson.

It isn’t summer unless I can watch the NCAA College Women’s World Series. I enjoyed following the teams through the Super Regional’s and on to the World Series in Oklahoma. For the second time in as many years, ASU made it through and were National Champions. So very proud of the team work the girls displayed.

While watching the softball games, I made this for a friend. (I had a hard time getting a picture without the glare.) This is a Lizzie Kate design that worked up quick and it was a perfect sentiment to say Thank You for all that she has done for me.

Now I am on to other books that are stacked on my end table and other WIP's. Summer is such a perfect time to get a lot accomplished.

The ORT jar and the TUSAL

2011-06-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

You might not be able to tell but there are a few more threads added to the ORT jar. I continue working on "O Jerusalem" along with my various knitting/crochet projects. With the College World Series in Softball starting this week, I am motivated to get my housework and yard work out of the way so I can get some stitching done. I'm itching to start something new and have gone through some of my 'to do' pile. I will keep you posted on anything new that I find interesting.

Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

In honor to those who have served this country! I am so very blessed to live in a country that respects freedom. Thank you to my family who have served and are serving: Dad,Vernon-Navy, Michael Snodgrass-Navy, Bob Pugmire-Army, Lamar Breshears-Marines, and Steven Sifuentes-Marines

End of Year and a Gift

2011-05-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school for my grand daughter. She had her celebration and said good bye to her teacher, Mrs. Nelson. Sevrine has enjoyed the year and loved having Rayden in her class. She also attends church with her so this has made for a great friendship. I started the lace on Friday and finished the piece on Tuesday. We have a fun summer ahead with swimming, crafts, and lots of reading so she will be ready for first grade.

Catching Up and a TUSAL

2011-05-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the new moon and time to post my ORT jar. I was fortunate to be able to stitch quite a bit earlier this month while visiting DH in Maryland. I made some head way on "O Jerusalem" which has motivated me to keep at it.

I finished this to give to my SIL, Regina while I was visiting DH. I have appreciated Steve and Regina including Ric in many of their families activities. It helps knowing there is family for him to be with while I am still in Arizona.

The first weekend we traveled south to Richmond to pick up Marissa. We then went to Colonial Williamsburg to visit the town. I enjoyed the reinactments, palace and capital with all the history that was covered. Even though we spent the day, we didn't see everything that was offered. I was disappointed with the weaving and dyeing exhibit. The woman didn't have much information and kept making excuses to what she was really showing.

While we were visiting Marissa, she gave us a private tour of the VA Capital. She has 24 hour access because of her job with the Lt. Governor. It was nice to see all of the artwork and the model of Thomas Jefferson's original capital building. We loved the history that is so apart of the beginning of this country there in Richmond.

The last weekend we went into DC to catch the Cherry Blossom festival. We had a big storm blow through on Thursday so it wasn't as nice as it could have been. It was pretty, non the less, and a nice walk around the Tidal Basin. The 16 days went way too fast and it was hard to leave. I did enjoy the time with Ric and I put my Kindle to good use.

Spring Stitching and April TUSAL

2011-04-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Spring around here. I have been working on booties for all the new babies that are due this month and the next. The little ducks will go to Sevrine's Kindergarten class. You can't look at the brite little ducks and not think that it is almost Easter.

With April's new moon, it is time to post my progress on the TUSAL. I have made progress on the "Come Unto Christ" and a finish to the "Irish Blessing" have added a little color to the jar. I should get a lot of time to stitch in the next few weeks sense I am taking a much needed break to visit my DH. (the Bunny pair are Lizzie Kate's and were done last year)

An Irish Blessing and Family Recipe

2011-03-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

I finished this piece this week for Saint Patricks day. The pattern can be found on the Leisure Arts blog. I can always use a blessing and shamrocks for luck. It was done with the required DMC threads and Linen.

I am not a big fan of corn beef. My mother in law fixed this casserole for St. Patricks day and I liked the combination of flavors. (Bacon makes a lot of things taste better) The left overs are even better.

Corn Beef Noodle Casserole

1 tin of corn beef
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into pieces
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
16 oz. bag of egg noodles.
1 cup cheddar cheese
Cook egg noodles and set aside. (I used about 4 cups cooked)

Fry bacon until crisp-tender. Remove from pan. Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat. Add chopped vegetables. Cook until tender. In a casserole dish, combine corn beef, cream of mushroom soup, bacon, and vegetables. Add egg noodles. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

February Stitching and March TUSAL

2011-03-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time again to post progress for the Month. The TUSAL is slowly filling with this month's orts. I"ve added to the browns and golds from "O Jerusalem" with reds and greens from this months stitching. I worked up hearts and gave them away before I got a picture. The Sampler is a freebie I had on file from the Leisure Arts page and I have wanted to add to my Saint Patrick's day decorations. I am also working on a "Come Unto Christ" for a gift to a family member and need to have it done by the end of the month.

I got invited to a surprise baby shower earlier in the month and put these together for the new mother. I need to get more done sense there are a few more babies due in April.

This month's book club book, "Girl in Blue Dress", by Gaynor Arnold, is a story based loosely on the wife of Charles Dickens. So far it has been a great story. The events of his life are true and it is interesting to see how this influenced his writing. Now I am eager to read and re-read some of his books. I do feel a bit sad for his wife and how she was treated through the years.

A Little Celebration

2011-02-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

I had a Birthday this week. I had a full day with my DUP Convention (Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers), my stitch group, a trip to Mesa and dinner with Colleen and Sevrine. I had so many comments on Facebook that kept my phone pinging all day. I sure appreciate all the goodies and flowers that I found on my doorstep when I got home.

I got a Kindle for my Birthday. This has been on my wish list for a while. Kristen has been raving about her's and answered many questions I had about the e-reader. I immediately made a cover for it. I liked how it turned out and made a matching bag to put my knitting in for when I am on the go.

February'sTUSAL

2011-02-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

It is time to post my progress for February's TUSAL. The details are on Daffycat's blog. I have been working on "O Jerusalem" and it is a slow process. I have a couple of small hearts I am doing and will post them when they are finished. The snow people is a pre-blog piece. I have the companion to it in my WIP's.

Today Sevrine came home with her Groundhog. This is a so cute. It will grow hair like a Chia Pet.

Lose Ends and TLSAL

2011-01-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very good at blogging. I have had a few things I wanted to blog about so this is the posting of a few things that I wanted to start the year off with.
Usually the time between Christmas and New Years I try and put together a jig saw puzzle. This habit started when I was a little girl. I would set up my little table in our bedroom and spend the break putting together a puzzle. The puzzle this year took a little longer but it eventually got done.

Before putting the Christmas decorations away, I took a pattern from a set of towels I got to make a set of towels for my daughter in law. Her kitchen is decorated in Coca Cola memorabilia and these will fit perfectly with her decore.

For the last few years I have picked a word that defines where I am and what I want to focus my attention on. I got this idea from the novel by Debbie Macomber called Thursdays At Eight. This years word is; per·se·vere /ˌpɜrsəˈvɪər/ Show Spelled
1. to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.

I like to think that I can maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, steadfast and immovable. We will see what this year brings.

As for stitching, I have the goal to finish this piece. It has been a WIP for several years and I am determined to finish it this year. I love this picture by Greg Olsen. It is entitled, "O Jerusalem". Wish me luck!

With my goal of finishing my WIP's, I joined Daffycat's TLSAL. As I post my progress I will be eligible for some fantastic prizes. Who doesn't like that for an insentive to stitch.

Coconut Crisp Cookies

2011-01-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

If you like coconut you need to try this recipe. It is my all time favorite and I had a craving for these sense I have been fighting a cold.

Coconut Crisp Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. nutmeg

¾ tsp. salt
2 cups coconut
Cream butter with sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir in oats and coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degree oven until golden (12-15 minutes).

Silent Night

2010-12-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

This is another December finish. I like stitching this and it makes for a nice gift to special friends. I also can reveal the gift I made for Marissa. She loves it and the Washington Temple will be a nice reminder of our visit in June.

These are the nightgowns and pajamas that I made for my grand children. They have become a traditon and and the kids look forward to having them.

Our family's traditional Christmas breakfast is Eggs Benedict. Years ago Ric would get a ham from the Honda dealership. Sense we always had Christmas day at his parents house, we would have the ham on Christmas Eve. Ric would then make the family Eggs Benedict for breckfast with the left over ham. Even though we don't have Christmas day with his family any more, we still do the ham on Christmas eve so we can have the left overs for breakfast.

A Christmas Tradition

2010-12-14T04:38:00.000-08:00

Every year for the last 35 years I make peanut brittle. Starting the weekend after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve I make batches of this yummy candy. I go through 25 pounds of sugar, 35-50 pounds of raw Spanish peanuts, 3 gallons of Karo syrup, and 5 pounds of butter. It has become such a tradition that it is hard to cut back or stop when you have so many requests each year.

These are ready for delivery. I have already sent some to Ric to hand out to friends, family and co-workers.
I got the recipe from Ric's mom. After we were married and living with his parents, I ended up helping her make this candy. After the many batches with her as my teacher, the tradition lives on through me.

Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup Karo light syrup
2 cups raw Spanish peanuts
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup water
Bring water to a boil on med/high heat. Remove and add sugar and karo syrup.

Bring to a boil. Add peanuts. Stir constantly. Put in candy thermometer and cook to 295 degrees on medium to medium/high heat. When 295 degrees remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Quickly stir in soda. Pour out onto two buttered cookie sheets. Break into pieces when cooled.

Some Stitching--Overdue Post

2010-12-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things that I have worked on these past few weeks. I haven't spent much time on the computer sense I have my blackberry. There is not much time for Blogging when the Holidays are around the corner.

Last year I saw this tutorial and wanted to make the ornaments for the holidays. I pulled my holiday fabric and went through my buttons to make these easy decorations.

This pin pillow was stitched while I was visiting Ric in Maryland. The pattern is a freebie from gazette94's blog.

I made another Felix sweater. I really like this pattern. It works up quick and easy for a gift to a new baby.
Still stitching away for Christmas. I am hoping everything gets done on time. Half day kindergarten makes it hard to start anything time consuming and I am running out of weekends.

Coral Reef

2010-11-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

While on vacation I saw the usual sites in Washington. The first week I spent viewing the monuments and museums. I took the train into town and looked through the exhibits at a leisurely pace. One of the displays was in the ocean exhibit in the Museum of Natural History. They had created an example of a coral reef all done in crochet. The different fibers in the reef were amazing and realistic. I met several ladies who were contributors to this display. My pictures don’t do it justice. Some of the artists were from the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery.

A Tease

2010-11-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

I returned from my 16 day trip to the east coast to see my DH. Along with all the sites, I visited family, stitched and basicly was spoiled. Here are a few pictures that sum up the beginning of my trip to the end. More to come in the next few days.

It Came!!!

2010-10-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway on Hazel’s blog. Well it came today and look what awesome goodies I got.

The patterns and thread are fabulous and I will need to get a couple of them kitted up so I can start on my Holiday stitching.

The soap is wonderful and the cloths perfect to throw in my almost packed suitcase.
The chocolate won’t last long on my 5 ½ hour flight east. Maybe I will get a little stitching done.
Thank You, Hazel for the wonderful giveaway!!!

A Week in Review

2010-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last week has been interesting. I have whined that we did not get much of a monsoon and then we had a storm that even the natives said they hadn’t seen before. Most of the Valley got hit with wind, rain and hail. This is a picture of some of the hail we got. Some areas got tennis ball size hail. Four tornadoes touch down east of Flagstaff that caused extensive damage. We didn’t receive much damage thankfully but others had their skylights broken out and damage to cars. My kids at a local body shop were swamped with work from all the repair orders.

The other excitement is winning a giveaway from this blog. I don’t enter all the giveaways so this was an awesome chance to win some charts and goodies from Hazel. She has posted them from the UK and I will post pictures when they arrive.

I made 2 more hats to put on Kristen’s Etsy store. Here is the link to see some of the things we are offering.

The pumpkin Hat is an adult size and the Christmas hat is for infants.

The rest of my week I volunteered at the Mesa Cannery helping can salsa for the Bishop's Storehouse and worked in Sevrine's Kindergarten class. Now I am prepping for my trip next week to see my sweetheart... So excited to see DH!!!

Pumpkin Hat

2010-10-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Hat

Crafting Traditions

Sept/Oct 1996

page 18-19

Good Advice

2010-09-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I got this in an email this week from a friend. I needed the reminder about priorities and what is most important.

Written by Regina Brett, 90

years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older,

I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a
special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Count Your Pumpkins

2010-09-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Count Your Pumpkins

from

Better Homes and Garden

Holiday Crafts, issue 2000

16 count Aida

DMC threads

This is another Pumpkin sampler I did this weekend. (Note to self-buy a non reflective glass frame.)

Pumpkin Challenge

2010-09-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Work up on 28 count Linen and DMC Thread substitutions.

Piece was started on September 15th. Finished on September 16th.

One of my favorite cross stitch blogs started a pumpkin challenge. Go here to see about the details. http://beckysc.blogspot.com/

I have several fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving charts that I have put on my to-do list. This little piece had been kitted and was just waiting for the perfect time to work up. This was the right incentive to get it done. The chart is a freebie from San Man Originals found here. http://www.sanmanoriginals.com/

Football, Finishes, and a Flag

2010-09-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday I woke up and put up the flag in remembrance of the tragedy of 9-11. I had Sevrine take this picture of the Flag in front of our house. Colleen cropped out her thumb and brightened the color. I thought it was a nice photo to remember this day.

Saturday we celebrated Payton's 3rd. Birthday. He loves the Movie "Toy Story" and this was his theme. He is totally attached to Buzz Lightyear.

With Sevrine in Kindergarden, I am now fighting the traffic to pick her up. They release the kids 5 minutes ahead of the rest of the school so I need to get in line early. I bring my current dish cloth and get a bit done from the wait.

Now that college football and the NFL is in full swing, my ability to work on projects has increased. This has been great for getting Christmas projects done and some of my WIP pile completed.

35 Years

2010-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

How do you sum up 35 years of you life? Today I celebrate being married to my eternal companion, best friend, and sweetheart. I am truly grateful that it started in the Manti Temple where we united our family for eternity. It is my prayer and wish for the coming year to be filled with peace, love and happiness.

Easy Baby Booties

2010-08-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

I cannot count the number of times I have made these booties. These work up in about an hour and a half. I have made others but still come back to this pattern: (Make 2)

I use Bernat Baby Softy sport weight yarn and size 7 needles

Cast On 40 stitches.
Knit 12 rows.

Toe shaping:
Knit 18, knit 2 together, twice, knit 18. (38 stitches)
Knit 17, knit 2 together, twice, knit 17. (36 stitches)
Knit 16, knit 2 together, twice, knit 16. (34 stitches)
Knit 15, knit 2 together, twice, knit 15. (32 stitches)
Knit 14, knit 2 together, twice, knit 14. (30 stitches)

Knit 2 together, knit across row, last 2 stitches knit together. (28 stitches)
Eyelet Row: knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together across row.
Next row knit across, knitting the yarn over’s for the eyelets.
Continue the cuff in either garter stitch or stockinet stitch for 9 rows.
Bind off.

Sew up back and across bottom.
With a crochet hook, make a chain stitch tie to weave in through the eyelets of the bootie

Life and Little Stitching

2010-08-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there isn't enough time in the day to sit down and work on all my projects. Some days are better than others, but I try and do something that is creative because it helps me think, plan, organize and de-stress. It is nice to to see what I have accomplished so far this year. Stitching makes Life a little easier.

Last Christmas I picked up this chart from my LNS, The Attic. This is Lizzy Kate's "Time For God". I thought that this was appropriate for all the trials and events that we have experienced so far this year. Trying to keep the perspective of Gratitude is helping us face the future.

This is a little sweater I started last week. It is called the One Skein Hooded Baby Sweater. I like the yoke treatment and changed the hem to garter rows from what the pattern called for. If I do this one again, I will add button holes instead of the ribbon ties. This was a quick knit and it took just one skein of my designer sport yarn. The pattern can be found on ravelry along with the corrections.

I am trying to stay caught up on my baby gifts. Between family and friends I am always making something for these little ones.

Starting to work on my Christmas list.

With school is session I have been adjusting my schedule to fit the drop off and pick up times for Sevrine. It has been a rough start for her but hopefully she can pay attention and have some success in her class.
While Ric is back to work, I am handling the yard work and other honey-dos that need attention. When I was out taking Sevrine to school I saw this amazing desert sage bush. This is in my neighbor’s yard. I had to take this picture. I was surprised that it smell really nice too. The next picture is the same bush in my yard. We have regularly trimmed it so we miss the blossoms.

It is that time of year that the smoke detectors needed new batteries so I hauled the 14 foot ladder around trying to find the one that was chirping. This is life!

That Time of Year!

2010-08-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

This has been a fun past time for the month of August. I don’t remember when I started following Little League but I think it was about the time when our son played ball. I was fortunate enough to go to Williamsport and catch a couple of games. This is on my list of things to do with the grandkids once they are old enough.

The Phoenix Temple

2010-08-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

The redesign for the Phoenix Temple has just been announced. Yesterday in church they let us know they were having an open house for the neighborhood to unveil the plans for the building. The first design was withdrawn because of complaints for exceeding the height requirements. I am so excited that this is going to be built just a few miles from my house and I will be in it's shadow each Sunday when I go to Church. It is the one place I can go to get away from the world for a few hours and feel a peace that I cannot describe. More information can be found at this web site.
http://www.phoenixmormontemple.com/

Last days of Summer

2010-08-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

As summer is coming to a close I am looking forward to a cooler fall, football, and projects that are geered for the holidays. I am starting to look for ideas that translate into gifts that can be done with minimal cost and time. We are in the middle of our Monsoon season so these dark wet days make me long for cooler weather. I am still waiting for a good electrical storm to light up the sky that I can watch from my balcony. We did get these dark clouds and good amount of rain.

Curried Rice Salad
I made this salad for dinner today. I added chicken so I could serve it as an entre. The recipe came from this site. (http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/2010/08/curried-rice-salad.html) Definitely one I will make again.

ABECEDAIRE from http://gazette94.blogspot.com/search/label/GRAND%20ABECEDAIRE

Booties and Leg Warmers
The WIP’s that I have been working on have all needed some frogging. The perfectionist in me has made it difficult in letting mistakes slide. If it isn’t a dye lot change in floss, a slip-up in seed stitch to garter stitch or skipped stitches on the baby blanket I would be much further along with these projects. All in all I have enjoyed them and got a lot accomplished when I was relegated to the downstairs. This is what I have done for the last couple of weeks along with reading the last two novels by Daniel Silva.

Sevrine's First Day of School
I have felt like I have blinders on these last few weeks. Problems and stress have made it harder to look beyond the day to day survival. I have been watching Sevrine sense she is back from Utah. Last week she started school and I get a bit of a break during the day. Another problem that blindsided us was the upstairs AC going out. This took a few days to get repaired so in the mean time I lived downstairs. I was relieved to have the cool house back and to sleep in my own bed. Ric is doing well with work and settling into a routine. Much like Marissa did to her dad, Ric calls me on his commute home from work and I here the details of his day.

A Summer Dress for my Girls

2010-07-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sevrine posing!

Hailee's

Kaitlyn's--2009
This last week I finished this little dress for Sevrine. I had made one for Hailee a few weeks ago and already gave it to her before I could get a picture. This is the same dress I made for Kaitlyn last year for her birthday. These are a quick knit and the pattern can be found on the Kathryn Ivy's blog called Summerlin. (http://kathrynivy.com/patterns/free/summerlin/)
I also finished one of the WIP’s that is a gift and will post later when it is framed and delivered. I am making progress on other projects and enjoying the stitching while staying cool.

WIP's and Jam

2010-07-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

After the batch of baby boys that came in the spring, it seems that the girls are making and entrance this fall. I have several projects for these babies as well as some gifts that I am working on. This has been great sense it is a 115 and to hot to even be in the pool. The water was 94 degrees and that is even to warm for me.

I got into the habit of making jam at the end of the school year so I could give jars to my children’s teachers with a little note that said, “Thank-you Berry Much”. Well I don’t have kids in school but I try and make jam to replenish my shelves and in the process I give some to my neighbors. This last week I set about making raspberry jam and was able to give a jar with the DVD “Between Heaven and Earth” that answers questions that the community might have with the Temple being built in our area.

Crochet and Cookies

2010-07-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

I make these bookmarks to stick in birthday cards for friends and VT. A friend wanted to know how to make them so I recently showed her how. This is a simple pattern that I came up with to use my scraps of thread from other projects.
Shell Bookmark

Crochet cotton
No. 6 – 7 size hook

Chain 10
Row 1: DC in 3rd chain from hook. DC twice more. Chain 1 in same space and do 3 more DC. Chain 3. DC in 2nd space from end. DC twice more in same space, Chain 1, 3 DC to make shell. Chain 2 and turn.
Row 2: Work 3 DC in the Chain 1 space, Chain 1 and work 3 more DC in space. Chain 1, SC around the chain 3, Chain 1. Work 3 DC in the Chain 1 of the shell, Chain 1, 3 DC in same space. Chain 2, Turn.

Repeat these 2 rows for 21 rows. (Ending with row 1.) Fasten off and tie in ends. Weave ribbon through the eyelets in the center.

Today I made these yummy cookies for a funeral. I love that they are crisp but chewy and are one of my favorites.

Coconut Crisp Cookies

½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup rolled oats/quick oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup coconut

Cream butter. Add sugars gradually. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir in oats and coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cooking sheet. Bake at 350 degree oven for 12 – 15 minutes.

Vacation--Part 2 and a Little Stitching

2010-07-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

World War II Momorial

Mount Vernon

My sister Sharon.

Ric and I took a quick trip to Washington DC to visit Marissa. The purpose was to accompany her to the Temple. We got to see family and meet some of her friends while she has been living in Virginia. Even though it was brief, we will schedule a return trip to see more of the sites.

Fortunately while traveling I had a lot of time to knit or read. I worked on the dish cloths because they were transportable. I noticed that my gauge changed with the circular needles I used on the plane or I was more relaxed. LOL

Vacation--Part 1 Big Lake

2010-06-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Ric and I were invited to go camping with Kel and Ash on Saturday the 19th to the 22nd. Ric has been camping but this is my first trip sense living here in Arizona. We used to camp a lot while we lived in Washington. We would take the kids and tent camp and then we worked up to our tent trailer, then on to our cabin on Lake Kachess. Thanks to their great care we had a great time at Big Lake. Kel and the kids caught fish, hiked, and generally had a great time in the mountains. Peach Cobbler in a dutch oven, s'mores, and dinners cooked on the fire were yummy. We brought Rusty and he loved all the attention. I enjoyed the drive and the scenery coming down the Beeline Highway. Now that I remember what camping is like, we are looking forward to more trips with the kids.

Another Recipe and A Little Knitting

2010-06-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Another Recipe
Yesterday I wanted to bring cookies to RS to share with the ladies. It needed to be something that I could promote food storage. This recipe is one of my favorites because it is quick, doesn’t need an oven to heat up the house and it has chocolate as one of the ingredients.

Mountain Bar Cookies
½ cup butter/margarine
½ cup cocoa
½ cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix above ingredients into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in ½ cup peanut butter, ½ coconut (optional), and 3 cups quick oats. Drop on wax paper to cool.
(I usually double this recipe.)

A Little Knitting
While watching the FIFA World Cup soccer matches I have been doing a little knitting. These are a fun and easy knit that I can do will watching some great soccer. The Patterns include, my Southwest Rib stitch, the Basket weave stitch, the Waffle stitch, the Interrupted Rib stitch from my perpetual calendar and Anita's Broken Rib pattern.

Ashley called and asked me to make another “I Spy” for Payton. It seems that Hailee doesn’t want to share the one I had made for the family.

English Muffins

2010-06-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

At our house we like English Muffins. They are great for snacks, breakfast and our favorite is to make English Muffin Pizzas. Many years ago when I was first married I got a recipe from a friend and made them up. I could not find that recipe but found this one on the All recipe site. They turned out great and were not very hard to do. I think this will be a new favorite.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/English-Muffins/Detail.aspx

English Muffins
By: Linda Pinda

Original Recipe Yield 18 muffins (approximately)

Ingredients
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup melted shortening
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
4. Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast. Great with orange butter, or cream cheese and jam.
(They didn't take all of the 10 minutes on each side so watch them as they might burn.)

A Productive Weekend

2010-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Thursday Ric and I attended Hailee's Kindergarten promotion. We enjoyed seeing Hailee and her classmates as they received their certificates. Hailee wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up. Ashley brought the canopies so we were saved from being in the sun for part of the morning.

On Saturday, Sevrine and Colleen wanted to climb Thunderbird Mountain. We tagged along. I hadn’t hiked this for about 8 years. I wasn’t as sore or stiff as I thought I would be. It was nice to see out over the valley and see all the changes in the landscape.

With the NCAA super regional softball tournament on and NASCAR, I got a lot of stitching done. I completed the two projects from the earlier post. I also did some frogging on the “Williams” lace. After looking at the picture I posted on Thursday, I noticed that the second “I” looked odd. I realized I had added a couple of stitches and I needed to fix the mistake. I got the lace redone and in the mail on schedule. So here are the finished projects for the Month of May.

Meeting Deadlines

2010-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Next weekend is Carolyn's wedding. She is my dd best friend. I wanted to make something for her sense she is so special. Carolyn is a recent graduate of Parson's School of Design in NY. (Project Runway fame) This is my design and I think she will appreciate this Table Lace. This took only a week and just needs to be washed and blocked.

Starts

2010-05-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

The weather forecast says we are going to have our first 100 degree day. I am ready for the heat with projects to keep me inside in the air conditioning and a pool that looks inviting when it is too hot.

The Merry Month of May

2010-05-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

The month of May has brought activities that affirm that Spring is here. I am starting to see results of our little garden. I am so glad that we planted so many tomato plants because after tasting the few that have ripened I could eat the little cherry tomatoes like candy.

Last night we went to watch Colleen run her first 5K. She came in at 37:04. She is happy with the results and now has a bench mark for the other races she is planning to do. This race was sponsored by Shade the skin cancer organization that Shonda Shilling started. We thought this was fitting sense Colleen had a cancerous mole removed from her back a few years ago. Colleen had matching shirts made that said " Run Like A Girl" with wings on the back. They looked really cute.

Mother’s Day we had the kids over and we had Spaghetti (my favorite). It was a great day and I loved seeing all the grand kids. Sevrine was here for the weekend and again this weekend for Colleen’s 5K. I got this perpetual calendar from Kristen and I am so excited to try the different patterns in my dish cloth knitting.

On the stitching front, I have been working on a couple of samplers that I will be giving to friends at the end of the month. One is a birthday gift and another a graduation present to a awesome lady who finished her nursing program. Along with the normal baby gifts, I work on dish cloths to keep my gift pile stocked. I tried working from a chart with the tulip cloth. I wanted to try chart reading before I started a bigger project on my to-do list.

Loose Ends

2010-04-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

In the blogging world I have not felt like posting an update. My mind has been on other things. I have enjoyed looking at all the blogs that are so inspiring and have some things on my to-do list for later this spring and summer. I took some time to read a couple of books that I had on hold at the Library and this gave me a break from the marathon knitting of the baby blanket from the last post. I still found time to work on a couple of dish cloths and booties for a friend who had twins this month. I also got caught up on some burp cloths that needed to be mailed to friends with new babies. I am putting together a list of items I can use in a sewing class for kids and will explain more later when plans are finalized.

I attended the Court of Honor for Joseph and presented him with his Eagle. It was perfect and I was pleased that I could do this for him.

Ric and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the NASCAR race while they were here in Arizona. The Subway 600 was run on Saturday evening. Kel got the tickets through work and we accompanied him and Hailee to the race.

A Knitting Finish

2010-04-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Monday my DIL called and asked me if I could make a baby blanket and burp cloths for her to take to a family in Texas. I had this blanket on my needles and finished it on Wednesday in time for her to leave on Friday. I got the pattern here. (http://home.howstuffworks.com/free-knitting-patterns-for-baby-blankets2.htm) I will probably make this again. After rushing to finish this my hands are a bit sore so I am trying to decide what to make next.
As I make burp cloths, I have noticed that I am making a lot for little boys that are being born. About a 5 to 1 ratio. Has anyone else seen this where they live? I wonder what the future holds.

Easter Treat!

2010-04-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

I finished the companion piece, Bernie Bunny in time for Easter. This went along with Bridget Bunnie from The Sweetheart Tree.

I woke up early and made the cinnamon rolls so we would have a nice treat while watching General Conference on TV. This is a favorite recipe and always turns out.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 1/2 cups warm water +
2 T. or 2 pkg yeast

Add 3/4 cup sugar and set aside for 5 minutes

1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs--beaten
1 tsp. salt

Gradually add 7 1/2 cups flour. (Or enough to make a slightly sticky dough)

Turn out onto a flour surface and knead. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size.

Punch down and roll out into a rectangle. (I split the dough in half)

Melt 1/2 cup of butter
Mix 1 cup of brown sugar with 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle sugar/cinnamon on top. (You may add raisens or nuts if your family likes.)
Roll up and cut into about 1 1/2 slices. Put on a greased baking sheet. Let double in size. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Frost with a butter cream frosting of Cream Cheese if that is your preference.

March Odds and Ends

2010-03-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

For March Madness I started the girl bunny last week. It is by The Sweetheart Tree. The companion piece I started this week. Hopefully I can get this done before Easter.

Last week we finished putting in our garden. Ric made the grow boxes and we picked up the soil and starts on Saturday when we took Kristen her boxes. We will add more as $ allows and see how these do for this season. I am hoping that we get lots of tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers along with other vegetables we planted.

Last week we waited in line to get our book signed by Marissa's former boss and hopefully the next POTUS. We even got to meet Spenser who Marissa worked with in Boston and some of her politcal friends. We enjoyed visiting with Governor Mitt Romney and having him sign his book and pictures. (Some of the pictures were blurry)

I thought I would catch up on my activities before March ends. The rest of the story on the Pinewood Derby. Will's car was not the slowest. At the beginning we thought it would be. Will had been prepped by his parents to be a good sport if he lost. He was doing pretty good. After several races he wasn't very happy that he wasn't winning and then his Den Mother told him there was a special prize of twizzlers for the car that didn't win a race. Now he was cheering to lose. At the race off he started to win and that spoiled the chance for the bag of twizzlers. Well grandpa bought him a bag of twizzlers and we celebrated the night with ice cream.

The Eagle Has Landed

2010-03-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

I finished my eagle yesterday (March 14th)in plenty of time before Joseph's Court of Honor. I really enjoyed this project and will probably do it again if the need arises. I started it on January 28th. The chart is "Standing Proud" by Benjamin D. Evans
Now to go through my WIP basket for another project to finish or do I start something new to celebrate spring and the nice weather we are having. Come back to see what I am working on during March Madness.

Values

2010-03-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

This came up on Facebook this morning. Alan Osmond posted this on his site in regards to losing a family member. I liked this message. A good question for me to ponder. Where do I spend my time and what do I value.

REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF VALUES

To realize the VALUE of a sister/brother,
Ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the VALUE of ten years,
Ask a divorced couple.
To realize the VALUE of four years,
Ask a graduate.
To realize the VALUE of one year,
Ask a student who has failed a
final exam.
To realize the VALUE of nine months,
Ask a Mother who has given birth
to a still born.
To realize the VALUE of one month,
Ask a Mother who has given birth to a
premature baby.
To realize the VALUE of one week,
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the VALUE of one minute,
Ask a person who has missed the
train, bus or plane.
To realize the VALUE of one second,
Ask a person who has survived an accident.
TIME waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you can share
it with someone special.
To realize the VALUE of a friend or family
Member,
LOSE ONE.

February Finishes and March Madness

2010-03-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

I made this for a little girl who was baptized on Saturday. Even though it was a quick stitch I had to do some frogging because I didn't have spell check until DH looked at it in the nick of time.

Saturday we celebrated Sevrine's 5th birthday. The cousins loved playing together and we love seeing all the grandkids. Payton needed a timeout so he put himself in the corner for it.

Ric was asked by William if he could help him with his pinewood derby car. Ric spent the day with him on design and carving the shape of the car. It turned out really nice and now we will see if it is fast on Wednesday. More pictures later when we attend the race.

This is a Lizzy Kate design that I made for a special friend that is moving to Florida. Thankfully she has a blog so I can stay in touch with her and see her sweet family.

February brought a Baby Shower, Birthdays, Lunch with friends and favors for VT. It seems I am on the home stretch for the eagle and will post later this week when I am done.

Making Headway

2010-02-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

I have been a little slow at updating this blog. My DH has had computer problems and that meant he needed mine. His came back today and now I can get back to my routine.

This is the progress for the last 10 days of my Eagle. I have the blocks of color for the flag and some backstitching. This has been such a fun project. This might sound a little weird but I even dream about stitching this and can't wait to work on it each day.

Monday I celebrated my birthday. My grand daughter came home last night with a card and a little bear. She insisted on the card even when Colleen tried to steer her to another one. She was so proud to pick out this birthday cake for me. She got the Grand right. She really liked the cake and candles. LOL
We also had a storm blow through today and I caught this full rainbow looking north off our balcony. The rainbow was so bright even though the picture doesn't show it.

Last week was the Westminster Dog show and it reminded me that it was this program that led us to picking our dogs. Border Terriers are the smallest breed in North America and we fell in love with these dogs after we visited a local dog show. Kelvin got Sassy from a breeder in Chino Valley. We liked Sassy so much that we got Marissa her dog about a year later. This is Marissa's dog, Rusty. He is 13 years old and getting a bit slow. He looks so nice with his coat stripped.

Ravelympics

2010-02-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Now that the 2010 Olympics has started I can start the February Lady Sweater. (The pattern can be found on Ravelry.) The challenge is to knit something start to finish during the Winter Games. I have several WIP's to work on too but will see how this project will come together. It took me a while to work the button hole and hopefully the lace part of the sweater will be easy. This will be a fun couple of weeks to follow the Games and get a sweater done too. Go Team USA!

Framed and Eagle Progress

2010-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

I had this Lizzy Kate piece done and finally framed it for Marissa. She is in her new apartment and this would be a little reminder of how special she is to me. (I already made this for Kristen and Colleen but hadn't done one for Marissa.) Now I can add this to the box with the rest of her birthday surprises.

I decided that cross stitching is a lot like working a jig saw puzzle. The picture comes into focus piece by piece just as you work stitch by stitch. This is the week's progress on my eagle. I love seeing the eagle take shape the more I work on it.

Addicted

2010-02-01T11:53:00.001-08:00

Well motivated might be a better word. I started the “Weather Wise” a few weeks a go and I finished it on Sunday the 31st. I also completed the leg warmers for my niece’s baby. I started the Eagle for my friend’s son who is getting his Eagle. His board of review is this week and I have a dead line before his court of honor.

I can’t believe February is already here. With Birthdays to celebrate, the Olympics starting on the 12th and NASCAR the same weekend, I have lots of projects to keep me busy.

Here is a recipe I tried and thought it was good. It came from the site "Everyday Food Storage" the link is on the right. Check out all the great ideas for Food Storage.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
8 boneless chicken breasts
8 thin slices of ham
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. water
1 box Stove Top for Chicken Stuffing
Layer chicken, cheese, and ham in a baking dish. Mix soup with water and pour over chicken. Melt 1 cube of butter in saucepan. Add stove top stuffing with seasoning. Sprinkle over top. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

January Progress

2010-01-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Sense this is a blog to document my stitching accomplishments I have some progress for January 2010. I made mittens for my daughter's best friend who lives in NY. She complimented Marissa's and thought they would be handy when she road the subway.

I also finished this sweater for my nephew whose wife had a baby in Decemeber. This is the Felix sweater pattern I had done last year.

I had started this cross stitch from Prairie Schooler that I picked up at Christmas. I had done quite a bit on it and then realized I was off two. This meant that I had to frog about half of what I had done. This weekend I caught up to where I was and now can proceed with the "Weather Wise" sampler.

FAITHFUL for 2010

2010-01-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

For the last few years I have tried to think of a word that defines me and something that I can focus my thoughts on. I have had words such as ENOUGH, GRATEFUL, and SIMPLIFY. As I look at events that have transpired over the course of the year I realize that my actions and feeling usually can be summed up in the word. So with 2010 here I think that I want to be FAITHFUL. So this year I will center my actions and goals on being faithful. Faithful in living the values and principles I hold dear. I want to be faithful in my relationships with family and friends. I want to be faithful to myself and most importantly to my Heavenly Father. Here's to a productive, possitive, and faithful 2010.
First Finish of the year.

I went through the Knitting 2010 calender and saw the pattern for the neckwarmer/cowl. While watching the Fiesta Bowl I made this for my DD. It is so soft and it came together in just a couple of hours. I think I will make a few more for gifts.

Friday Ric and I went to Hailee's school to watch her receive an award of excellence. We are so very proud of all our grand children when they are recognized for their hard work.

As I put the last of the decorations away, I wanted to post about one other tradition that started when I was little. During the break between Christmas and New Years I would always put together a jig saw puzzle. It gave me something to do as well as a pass time while watching the Bowl games. This year was no exception to this long standing habit. I finished just as the last football game ended and in time for Sevrine to be home from Utah.

Christmas and Stash for 2010

2009-12-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a window of time to get a family picture. Marissa flew in from DC on Thursday night and Sevrine was leaving for Utah Friday evening. These are a couple of snap shots with my camera. I will post the others later when we get them back from the photographer. It has been several years sense we got a family shot and have all of the grandkids together.

I got some sock yarn so I can work on some of the sock patterns that I have had my eye on. I also got a sampler kit from Kristen which I really like.

Last Saturday I got to go to my LNS, The Attic, in Mesa, AZ and get a few patterns that were on my wish list. I had seen the Prairie Schooler chart on another blog and really wanted to get this because this is what my dad said all the time. Being that he was in the Navy and would always greet the day with this "weather wise". I also love the Lizzie Kate designs and will enjoy stitching these next year.

Christmas end up being a good day. I always stress about the day and worry if all the things I made fit or every liked what the got. All in all everyone liked their presents and the PJ's fit (some have growing room).

Christmas Theme and Stitching

2009-12-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Several years ago this cartoon was passed around our stitch group. At the time we all laughed but with these tough econmic times there is some truth in it's sentiment. This has become more of a Theme this Christmas as I look at the list of the things that I still need to work on. As I try to simplify Christmas and center on the reason we celebrate this holiday, I can focus more on the gift of Jesus Christ as my Savior.

Last evening I was fortunate to attend "A Christmas Carol" at the Hale Theater. My friend Lisa and her mother invited me to see Mattie perform in the play. The picture will be a special reminder of friends I made while living in Chandler. With this opportunity I got to give them a present that I had made for them before they moved to China. As it gets closer to Christmas I can now post some of the things that I have been working on for the past few months. With the internet and magic jack I will still get to visit even though they are half a world away. Next week I will be adding more things from my work basket that I have finished and deliver the peanut brittle that is packaged.

Family Tradition

2009-11-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas for the past 34 years I have been making peanut brittle for friends and family. It started while I was visiting my in laws right after Ric and I were married. This was my mother-in-laws recipe and she put me to work helping with this labor of love. I can not imagine the amount of nuts, sugar, syrup and butter I have used but to suffice to say that it is in the hundreds of pounds.
This project starts after Thanksgiving and continues up until Christmas Eve. We usually get requests from friends and co-workers when the holiday approaches. The question is if they are on the list to get this wonderful candy. As we have moved around, the list grows and the tradition continues.

The recipe:
Peanut Brittle
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup Kero light syrup
2 cups raw spanish peanuts
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring water to boil on medium high heat. Add sugar and kero syrup. Bring to a boil and add peanuts. Stir constantly and cook to 295 degrees. When temperture is reached, turn off heat and add butter and vanilla. Continue stirring and add soda. Pour out onto two generously buttered cookie sheets. When cooled, break into pieces with the handle of a butter knife.

Thanksgiving Birthday

2009-11-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

Twenty eight years ago I gave birth to a rather special little boy. This was before the ultrasounds that could tell me I was having a boy after having two little girls. I had the planned C-section on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and this meant that the holiday dinner was clear broth and jell-o. Ric did bring up a thermos of Wassil so I could have a little bit of the Holiday in my hospital room. I had mixed emotions on this day,(some of which I will not go into here) but I can say that I have been very blessed to have Kelvin as my son. He is kind, tender-hearted and compassionate young man. He is genereous and responsible father and friend. He now has a little boy of his own.

When Kelvin left on his mission he gave me the book, Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. The message he wrote inside still makes me cry and reminds me of what a remarkable son I have.

So on this Thanksgiving Day I will give thanks for many blessings that include my children, husband and especially the "Turkey" that came 28 years ago today.

Anticipation

2009-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

With Christmas around the corner, I am looking forward to this bounty during the holiday. This variety of citrus is called Arizona Sweet. They are very sweet and will make for some nice juice and tasty snacks.

My sister Diane came through town on her way home to Oklahoma. Enjoyed the brief visit and catching up on her family while she was in town.

Holiday Prep

2009-11-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

I did find some time to make hats for Warming Families. You can read more about this charity on Bev Qualheim's site. http://bevscountrycottage.com/warming-families.html

These are some of the things I have been working on for Christmas, Birthdays and a new baby. I still have a few more items in my WIP basket and will post as they are finished.

Shortbread Cookies

2 cups butter
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. Take dough and spread out onto a cookie sheet 1/4 inch thick. Poke with a fork. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar on cookies.
Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Cute into squares and then let cool.

Saturdays

2009-11-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

For the last few Saturdays Ric and I have been able to spend time with our grand children. We attended the Gymnastics meet for Will and Kaitlyn and Halloween parties with Hailee and Sevrine. (My picture of Hailee didn't turn out and I need to get a copy of her and Payton's Halloween costumes from Ashley.) We are very fortunate to have all of the kids close enough to get to have these experiences.
This Saturday (today) we head over to Gilbert to celebrate Elizabeth's third birthday.

Post Season

2009-10-23T11:59:00.001-07:00

Every summer my dad would watch baseball on our television. We only could get one station and until we got 'rabbit ears' did we pick up the network feed from Salt Lake. October would come and there would be play offs. This meant my dad could watch baseball on whatever station carried that night's game. Out of boredom I joined him in the living room watching the post season and world series. I liked the Cincinnati Reds with Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, and Hank Aaron. I don't remember who my dad liked but it was usually a different team. He would make bets on who would win and the loser would pay up with Tootsie Rolls. These were not the bite size but the rolls that cost a nickle. I looked forward to the games and took a special interest in who was playing when a tootsie roll was on the line. We equally got our share of Tootsie rolls during the different games each fall.

Now it is October and the post season. I still watch baseball hoping for my teams to get to the world series. There are still Tootsie Rolls to snack on and a special memory of the time spent with my dad.

Back to the Blogging World

2009-10-11T17:46:00.001-07:00

This past month has been very hectic to say the least. I am still going through boxes and will probably be working on this for a while longer. I am de-junking and deciding on what I really want to keep here in the house.
September we celebrated Payton's 2nd birthday and a week later we got together for Ric's.
Yesterday was our Stake's Preparedness Fair and I taught the class on Water storage. (Ric forgot to take a picture of my display/class.) Ric attend the classes on Gardening and checked out the Dutch Oven cooking. There were some great handouts as well as recipes for us to try. With our new calling we are super excited to incorporate many aspects of preparedness in our own lives and teach it to our ward family.
I have been working on a little stitching and will post my finishes later this week. I am in the process of putting together the list of things I hope to make for Christmas and need to get down to work if I expect to finish on time.

Marissa's Famous!

2009-09-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know my youngest daughter Marissa works in Republican politics. She's working in Virginia with the statewide elections that are just a couple months away in November. This is the newest TV ad that Bob McDonnell is running all across Virginia for the next couple of weeks - take a look at the attractive 20-something at about the 13 second mark.

It's great to see her in the ad and all grown up as a young professional. It's only a few second shot, but still exciting to see her with the future Governor of Virginia.

Too Busy to Blog!

2009-08-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

It seems that I have neglected my Blog. I have a good reason. I have been busy setting up my craft room and Kitchen. I love having my pan rack up. This should open up some much need cupboard space. See you in a couple of weeks.

Life and Little More Stitching

2009-08-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

I can always tell when life gets stressful. I all I want to do is stitch. With that being said, I am putting the projects asside to get ready for the transition at the end of the month. The burp cloths and bibs are for several friends who have had babies recently. I have added to the wash cloths as these have become the mindless knitting I do at night. I worked up a pattern that I saw for a baby blanket and adapted it for the wash cloths. It is super easy and I like the look of the rib.

Southwest Horizontal Rib Stitch:

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: *K1,P1* repeat across row

Row 4: Purl

This is the pattern along with the Garter Borders.

My WIP is the picture "O Jersalem" by Greg Olson. I had the opportunity to meet the artist earlier this year and set the goal of finishing it. This has been a long process and hopefully I can get it done.

FHE with the Bromleys

2009-08-07T09:56:00.001-07:00

Monday Ric and I had the opportunity to go to see his cousin's performing group who were in town for concerts and sight seeing. They have been running the Showbiz group for many years and pattern it after the Young Ambassadors from BYU that they once belonged. It was a great preformance and we got to see their family as well as Diana's girls. Some of the songs were from Wicked, High School Musical, and other movie tunes. Jacob did a solo from Newies that was very good. He had just returned a week ago from his mission to South Carolina. Part of their activities included a service project to an orphanage, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Grand Canyon. All in all it was a great evening in spite of the heat.

Recipes

2009-07-31T18:17:00.001-07:00

I have had these recipes that I wanted to post. I tried the chicken recipe from the Honeysuckle Tree . Tanya shared this recipe and I couldn't resist trying it out. It was yummy and I will put it on the menu.

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut into thirds (12 pieces)
Bacon slices
salt and pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece. Roll in brown sugar and place in a shallow baking dish that has been seasoned with olive oil.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the bacon is brown and crispy.
Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetable.

Marissa shared the cookie recipe and I loved the sweetness of the sugar cookies but not the work of rolling them out and decorating. Go to her blog and she has a link to the Pastry Queen's book.

Giant Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies (from the Pastry Queen)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil.
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for topping
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that is ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low. The dough will be soft and a little sticky.
Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it is easier to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or foil, or greased generously with butter or cooking spray.
For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4 thickness. Generously sprinkle with sugar on top of the cookie dough.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies, or 8 to 10 for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

The Hamburger Roll-Up recipe is Ric's. This has been an old family stand by and a great recipe to use with your food storage.

Hamburger Roll-Ups

1 lb. hamburger
Salt and Pepper
Minced Garlic and Onion Flakes
Bisquick mix or Biscuit recipe if making from scratch
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Milk

In frying pan, brown hamburger meat. Season with salt and pepper, and onion flakes and garlic according to taste. Add 2 Tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup water to make gravy. Set aside.
Make up biscuit recipe following directions on bisquick box. Roll out into a 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
Spread hamburger mixer on top of biscuit dough. Roll up like you would cinnamon rolls. Cut every 1 1/2 inch and place in a greased muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
Sauce: 1 can cream of mushroom soup diluted with 1/2 to 3/4 of a can of milk. Heat through and serve on top of hamburger roll-ups.

A Little Stitching

2009-07-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks I have been working on a few things in my WIP basket. Besides making a little progress on the ABECEDAIRE I worked on a few Dishcloths and made the new Christmas ornament that is on the Blue Ribbon Design site. I realized that I am not a big fan of linen and will only pick small projects if they require it. I would much rather work on aida cloth but sometimes the design is a 1 over 1 like the cannaries and aida cloth would not look as nice. I have been eyeing the Mary Wigham sampler. This is a Quaker sampler done by one of the girls at the Ackworth school in 1790. It has an interesting history around the motifs and the school itself. I am still deciding whether to use the threads suggested or change the palette to suit more of my taste.

Service

2009-07-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to help theYW work on service for the LDS Humanitarian Center. We worked on tying a quilt, making school bags and making hats. It was a very productive evening and the help was much appreciated.

I also made a pie for a friend who needed a pick-me-up. She is eight month's pregnant and trying to keep it together in this Arizona heat. (Sorry I don't have a picture.) It was yummy and the recipe is super easy.

Banana Cream Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust

3-4 bananas

cool whip

1 box vanilla instant pudding

Slice bananas into the pie shell. Following the directions on the pudding box replace 1/2 the milk with cool whip. (Box calls for 2 cups milk, then use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cool whip.) Mix together and pour over bananas. Chill and serve with remaining cool whip.

I also made a lemon bundt cake that I got from this blog. Loved the refeashing dessert.

4 and the 4th

2009-07-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Four Generations of the Pugmire Family.

Kelvin's Family

Kristen and Family

Ric, Dad and I

We celebrated the 4th with Ric's dad. He came down from Seattle to visit and see all the grand kids and great grand kids. This gave us the opportunity to take a 4 generation picture. Payton is the first Pugmire great grandson. There are other grand kids but Payton is the first in a direct line. We had a nice BBQ and we ate the first watermelon from the garden.

Birthday's

2009-06-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

This evening we went to Kristen and David's to celebrate Will's(6/27) and Kaitlyn's(7/9) birthday. They have friend parties but this was a chance for family to get together. I had been working on a dress for Kaitlyn and had put the finishing touches on it in time for the party. I got the pattern here and thought these would be great for all of my grand daughters. Now that I finished this one I can better size the others. I thought it looked great and she loved it too. Will liked the Transformer and the leggos and Kaitlyn loved all the Hello Kitty stuff. In a few weeks we will get to see William get Baptized. This will be the first grandchild to be Baptized and we are all pretty excited.

A Life That Matters

2009-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

I got this in my email this morning. Thanks to my SIL for some timely thoughts that are relevant to my life right now.

A Life That Matters

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
I will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you
gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that MATTERS.

A Week's Work

2009-06-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

This week Sevrine went to Utah to visit her dad and I get a break from watching her. On my list of things I wanted to get done during this break was to make jam. I usually make jam this time a year and we were getting low on my raspberry. (Ric's favorite.) I made enough batches to replenish my pantry and some to give away to friends.

While watching the College World Series, I started the baby blanket. This was born out of a mistake I made in a scarf pattern I was working on. I had miss counted and the lace pattern did not look like the pattern, but I liked this result instead and thought it made for a nice blanket pattern. I interchanged the cross stitch to give my wrists a break. Both projects are fun to work on and I am getting more done than I expected because ASU is still in the tournament and I get a little excited when the home team is on. LOL

Progress

2009-06-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

I finished the sweater this week. This is the Felix, Seamless baby cardigan. The pattern can be found here. I liked this pattern and will probably make this again. I have been working on the ABECEDAIRE sampler from Claire's blog. I like working on this so I hope it doesn't take too long to get it finished.

Fruits from our Labors

2009-06-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is the Lizzie Kate Double Flip-It I finished this week. I hoped to get it done for May but had to Frog it and add the charms. I call this "words to live by". I really like working on this and it will go with the Lizzie Kate ABC's. Now to find the right frame and mat so I can hang in a place of prominence in my home.

The garden that Kristen and I planted is starting to produce. I already picked a couple of zuchinni. This made a great salad that I had for lunch. I have enjoyed the process of this garden. I noticed a softball size watermellow and pumpkin. Looking forward to more yummy produce.

Weekend Visit

2009-06-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got to see my nephew Alex who just returned from his two year mission to Southern California. Hailee and Sevrine loved seeing their second cousin and giving him lots of love and attention. This last picture I took from his aunt. Alex enjoyed his dinner appointment with Jon Heder (Napoleon Dyamite). He said he talks just like Napoleon. It is always nice to get together and have fun and laugh.

Memorial Day! + (More-scroll down)

2009-05-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post a tribute to the men and women who have served or who are currently serving in the armed forces who have given me the freedom of living in this great land. I saw this on a political blog this morning and it is fitting for the sacrifice these people give so we can live in this Country.

Their Courage
Their courage deems utmost respect

Their mission clear, our way protect
It’s sure to each what they must do

No give or take, keep freedom true
With the grand old flag, they’ll unite

Whenever they must, march to fight
A life we know counts hard on them

Without their ranks, hellish problem
If our Armed Forces ceased to be

How long could we survive as free
Let’s well realize the truthful score

We need our troops just like before
Boils down to this, words to engrave

Land of The Free, Due to The Brave
God Bless each one for being there

Their loved ones too, unending care
Hope born from love touches the will

Do back them strong, means to fulfill
Americans – Who Serve

To GiveOne Nation – Under God

We Live
by Roger Robicheau

Flowers, Finish and a Start

2009-05-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

These past few days and weeks have been tough. Not feeling well is only the half of it. I took some pictures of the yard as the flowers were blooming. Everything looks so nice in full color and foliage. In our entryway we have a gardenia bush that I planted. My friend Carol has gardenia bushes and she gave me some pointers on how to keep them alive in the Arizona climate. I lost two but this one seems to be thriving. Ric’s grandma, Sevrine Bromley loved gardenias and it seems that our Sevrine likes them too.

There are several friends at church that are expecting babies this fall. The pink outfit is made from designer sport from my stash and the pattern is from the book pictured. The booties are for gifts and the LDS Humanitarian Center.

The green sweater is from here and worked up on a sport weight yarn.

Blog Update

2009-05-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have been sick these last few weeks. I'm feeling better but still need a CT scan. Ric posted pictures on his blog of our Mother's Day at the park. We had lots of fun seeing the kids play even though it was hot. I did steal this Picture from Kristen sense it was a good one of her kids together. I will post more pictures later this week of the garden and some of my projects that I have been working on this month.

FMM-5 Favorite Toys From My Childhood

2009-05-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

For Friend Making Monday we are suppose to post our 5 favorite toys. The host for FMM is here at ae filkins. Check out what some of the other favorites are for today. If I had some of these today, I could make some $ on ebay.

1. Yes, I had one of the first Barbies!

2. I Loved Kenner's Spirograph

3. Board game Aggravation

4. My most favorite doll. Penny Brite

(I'm still mad that my sister thru it away.)

5. Jacks and other playground staples.

Weekend

2009-05-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend DH and DS went on our ward's annual Father and Son Campout. (Payton did not go) They had a great time and DH enjoyed spending time with his buddy.

I have had these TV booties sitting on my sewing machine table ready to sew. This weekend seemed like the time to get them done. I love this pattern because they use up scraps of fabric and they also wear well. They will be added to the box of things that will be donated to the LDS Humanitarian Center and gift stash.

I also got to spend the weekend relaxing and finishing the dishcloths for my BFF's mother who flew into town for their daughter's graduation from ASU. They were fininshed in time to go to dinner at their house and have some yummy Tempura.

Catching Up And Blog Award

2009-04-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have several blogs that are on my favorites. I ran across this blog on sugardoodle and really enjoyed her writing. The thing I like most is the fact that whatever Trish writes about, it always makes me smile. She just has a way of finding humor in most situations. Instead of being a blog stocker I actually commented and hence she has come to my blog. The big surprise is I received a blog award.
Here are the rules:
This is my very first blog award from Trish at redefined 2009

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award:

Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude.
Link to your nominees within your post.
Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award.
Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude.

One of my earliest posts was about a book I read by Debbie Macomber. The book, "Thursdays at Eight", tells a story about a group of women who meet Thursdays for breakfast. They are women who have come together from a journal writing class. The assignment that they were given was to come up with a word that defines their year and what they want to accomplish. As I thought about that assignment, I came up with a word. For 2008 it was ENOUGH. For 2009 I thought about a word that I wanted to focus on and it was GRATEFUL. I have been grateful for so many things. The fact that we had enough has topped the list. This has been a stressful few months. With Ric being unemployed and then starting up a new company I have watched the tender mercy’s of Heavenly Father continually. I am grateful that I have had prayers answered and friends that have been a support. When I chose GRATEFUL I put a quote in my journal that helps me focus on the things that matter most. It is by Melody Beattie.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

This pretty much sums up what I have been feeling. By writing down the things I am grateful for helps me focus on what really is important. The more gratitude I feel the less I worry about my present circumstance.

Now…I nominate the following Jennifer, Grace, Chris, Vonna, Marissa, Paula, Melissa, Sarah, Bev, and Kristi (private). These are a few blogs that I am grateful for.

Now for catching up on my Easter finishes:

For preschool I made 11 of these so Sevrine could share them with her class.

We had a busy Easter and wanted to post pictures. I enjoyed having the family over for dinner but I didn't get all the pictures taken. I did get Sevrine coloring eggs and she modeled her new dress. Hopefully when we get together for Mother's Day I will post more pictures.

Food Storage

2009-04-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am a faithful follower of several Food Storage Blogs. Everyday Food Storage is one of my favorites. I like the recipes and ideas that help me incorporate food storage into my menus each week. The cookbook, "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" is being released on Amazon.com and Deseret Bookstores. This will be on my wish list! Check out the web site by going to the button on the right or here.

A Baby Present for a New Niece

2009-04-10T20:01:00.001-07:00

My nephew and his wife had their baby on April 3rd. You can see a picture of baby Margaret here. This is what I did for them along with the standard burp cloths and booties. We will get to meet her when we travel east in July. We also found out that Margaret will get a new cousin this September so I will be working on something for this new baby.

The Young Men's Service Project

2009-04-10T19:50:00.001-07:00

This week we had some of the Young Men in our Ward come and help us clear some of the weeds in our yard. It was a big job and it ended up working great when we got a tracter in to do the hard work. Sevrine even got a ride. When we saw all the sage brush I thought it would take several loads to the landfill but it ended up a small pile after the boys crushed it down. Sage brush is pretty brittle and can be a pile of sticks without much trouble. The pictures are the boys and their leaders getting treats after all the work. We appreciate all that they did for our family.

A Woman after my own Heart

2009-04-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

Another of those rescued today was Maria D’Antuono, 98, who said that she had spent 30 hours knitting as she waited to be freed from her ruined home.
This was a headline on Drudge and I had to click to read more. I feel for all the people who are suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake but this made me laugh. I think it would be something I would do. The article can be found here. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6051410.ece

We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet

2009-04-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy listening to General Conference. I especially like to listen to the hymns. Usually they are the Hymns of the restoration and familiar so you can recite the words as the Choir sings. I look forward to the session when I hear my song. It really isn’t mine but it is my Great-great grandfather’s. Sinse 1863 it has been sung in every General Conference and today was no exception. The closing Hymn for the Sunday Morning session was “We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet”. During the singing there were pictures of President Monson shown at various gatherings throughout the world. I always feel a kinship to my great-great grandfather as I he expresses his love for the prophet in the words of the hymn. I too love our Latter Day Prophet and know he leads and guides this Church in the Latter Days. The second verse is what I recite when I am discourage and the third verse gives me hope in the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. If I am worthy, I will live with Him someday.

31243, Hymns, We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet, no. 19
1. We thank thee, O God, for a prophet To guide us in these latter days. We thank thee for sending the gospel To lighten our minds with its rays. We thank thee for every blessing Bestowed by thy bounteous hand. We feel it a pleasure to serve theeAnd love to obey thy command.
2. When dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us And threaten our peace to destroy, There is hope smiling brightly before us, And we know that deliv’rance is nigh. We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness. We’ve proved him in days that are past. The wicked who fight against Zion Will surely be smitten at last.
3. We’ll sing of his goodness and mercy. We’ll praise him by day and by night, Rejoice in his glorious gospel, And bask in its life-giving light. Thus on to eternal perfection The honest and faithful will go, While they who reject this glad message Shall never such happiness know.
Text: William Fowler, 1830–1865
Music: Caroline Sheridan Norton, 1808–ca. 1877

Project Linus

2009-04-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today Kristen and I went to the Phoenix Southeast chapter of Project Linus. We enjoyed working on blankets for the charity and visiting with other like minded women. We are both excited to have a chapter a little bit closer to home and not have the commute to Fountain Hills. I think word is spreading because the room was full.

Craft It Forward

2009-04-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

Last month my nephew’s wife put a Craft it Forward on her blog. I commented and I got these in the mail. They are wonderful and the card is pretty cute too.
I surprised her and gave her some of my fingerless mitts sense she is a very talented photographer. Even though we have summer like weather in Arizona, Colorado got snow this last week. Check out Melissa’s blog and see her cute family and read some of the tales that surround raising 3 adorable little girls.

Creativity

2009-04-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

This came up on the Daily Gems. When I first heard this talk it really spoke to my soul. This is something that continues to feed me and inspires me.

Creativity
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
"Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. .
". . . Remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.
"But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy (see 2 Nephi 2:25). Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 118–19

Closing out March

2009-03-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

A challenge that Kristen and I took on a few weeks ago was to plant a garden. With preparing, planting and praying we hope to be able to use this.

Thanks to Kristen I got one of the things on my wish list. I had been wanting a pressure canner for the last year and I finally to the plunge when Kristen gave me a gift card for my Birthday. Hopefully one of us will have a green thumb and we can put this to good use.

More Works in Progress

2009-03-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of cleaning up and out I joined this SAL. It can be found on Honey and Ollie's blog. This is for my projects that are on my needles. Now to finish the crochet projects also. As pure the rules:

This is what is on the needles today. (That I could find. LOL)

1. White Sunny baby Afghan
2. Christine’s baby booties
3. Raglan sleeve baby sweater
4. Scarf for Son
5. Sweater for DH
6. Flying triangles afghan
7. Log cabin afghan
8. Two more baby blankets at various stages of completion. Not sure if I want to finish these.

I was being very productive during the first part of this year. I finished a pair of mittens, a couple of blankets and a hat for DD.I have already frogged a couple of things that I knew I would not finish. I have a couple of bags that are in the pile to start. Socks for DD, Lace scarf, and a cable sweater.Baby surprise sweater and a zip up the back sweater are on the to do list also. So much to do, yet so little time to get it all done. This doesn't include the crochet projects to finish or start and all the cross stitch charts that I want to make. Hopefully pictures will be coming soon of my progress.