Happy Birthday Ashley!!!!

 Ashley's cinnamon roll cake.  It was thrown together at the last minute and we thought ourselves so funny! Ashley didn't want a cake I think this idea has potential.  I think we will try this will cake pans next year

 

  A little crafting after a good swim. Fabric bracelets from cut up knits. Great way to upcycle 

old t-shirts and skirts.

My little birthday girl! She is so sweet and bubbly.  I can't believe she can drive next year!

Messing around with Messi

I had so much fun watching the game with the girls.  I don't think I have ever watched a pro soccer match in my life.  Actually I have not watch a soccer game since Ty played goalie for the Kahlsa team in 6th grade :)

But we are hardcore team Argentina fans right now! Thinking of Tyler during every game:)

Thor self-binding baby blanket

So I was a little excited to make this blanket.  When will I ever get the chance to make another Thor anything?
I am learning a lot about embroidery and what looks good and what is only so so.  I used this same monster print  for Marks blanket.  But the backing was an awesome Michael Miller polka dot. I did the embroidery in red because it was one of the dots.  It popped and yet it matched. I loved it. When i made this one I thought to just use red embroidery again because it had looked so nice.  But sadly without the polka dot print it just looks a little off to me.Still love the monsters still available at Joanns.  I think I might have to pick up some more.

End of the weekend.

Last few minutes at the cabin. Sitting on the lounge out on the porch. Back to my sewing roots, hand embroidery.  Heaven.

Santa comes to visit

I have been such a good girl. Look who came to see me at work!

State Track and Field

He made it! Michael's first and least year to compete in state track and field. Not his best night or mine for still shots. But proud of the hard work he did to make it here.

Grey and Yellow Chevron

 I used minky for the back of this self binding baby quilt.  I had wanted to use flannel but I had a hard time

finding some ( update: JoAnns now carries yellow and grey chevron in flannel) The minky was easy to work with and I love the way it turned out.

Yellow and white striped flannel on back. Self binding burp cloth looked a bit wonky so I added the ric-rac.

yo-yos and beads to finish off these sweet booties

Pole Vault

 I am not sure there if there is another high school sport that produces as much anxiety

 for a parentss pole vault.

 Watching your kid get hurt in any sport is scary and stressful.  

We have had broken bones from high school sports.

 But watching your kid run and hurl himself into the air with a big stick is very different.

Especially when it is new.  They make mistakes, crash into the bar or fall on (or off) the mat wrong,  

 And they keep going higher!

This is Michael clearing the bar at 13 feet.  The last kid still going at the invitational.

 All that mom stress worth it for this moment in time.

Baby Booties for Olivia

Our baby obsession continues.

Heather was begging to make a pair of baby booties for her teacher.  Her daughter Olivia was born in October.  I had left over quilted material from the ones I made for Svea.

Heather making her first yo-yo.                                                   Finished!!

Heather did ALL of the sewing.  I pinned, coached and got the centering right on the button/yo-yo flower. I also threaded the needle a few times when she let it come undone.  I think it is important to do the frustrating tasks, like needle threading and the important things that insure success, like careful pinning while teaching kids to sew.  It insures success and keeps enthusiasm high.

But she did all of the actual sewing.  She has a good eye, a steady hand,  an amazing  sewest and only 11!

Easy self binding burp cloth

I came home from the sew, craft, quilt festival dying to try out my new quilt points ruler. But a little too
tired to feel like turning points or starting a big project. At the show I also spent a long time lingering inside the Chenille-It booth. But I wouldn't let myself buy anything because I still had a lot left over from last years show.
I came up with this little burp cloth....

                              I added the Chenille It along the edges of the zig zag.                                 

Not pressed yet but I think you can see the details a bit better. This is self binding like the baby quilt. You can see on the upper left where I turned it.

Self Binding blanket and Burp Cloth, booties also!!

Another fun burp cloth using the receiving blanket self binding method.

 This is how it looks before turning the little triangles have already been snipped off.

 I made the burp cloth using left overs from the blanket.  Unfortunately the print is directional and I ran 

short on fabric.  Pieced it with a leftover piece from the front

 Love how it turned out

My new favorite baby shower gift!

Nametapes

There are days when I feel like this is all I get done. 

Aubrey's Art

Baby Isley

Isn't she beautiful!!!

 Heather loves all babies, especially  Isley.  After we had purchased their gift and were driving to the hospital Heather  said... " I know mom, lets get them a gift certificate to the movies and dinner and tell them they can only use it if they let us babysit." I said, " You want to pay them for babysitting?"  She looked at me with a puzzled look and said "YES!"

My sweet  niece Devy and her husband Randy.  Darling first time
parents.  He was still so nervous about holding her. As he gave
her back to Dev he softly said "I am afriad I will break her."

Weddings

Kristi's bridal shower 6/1

Daniel, Michael and Ashley's cousin 6/2

April Fools!

Dinner was late. Ashley had a track meet (she runs the mile, amazing girl) and we didn't get home until after 7 pm.

 As we were sitting around the table eating and sharing our day. Aubrey told how she had stood outside the door to choir and got the whole class to go through the forbidden entrance  She has orchestra right before choir and there is a breeze way, used to house the cellos, between the two rooms. Although it is off limits to students she uses it everyday and gets scolded everyday. So she got the whole class to use her special door on this special day.
Mr Yoder locked her out.:)
The kids were surprised I hadn't played a joke. Being Jerry Young's aka... king of all pranks and jokes, daughter, I usually do. Then they started to reminisce about some of there favorites. Once I made grape jello in their cups and put a straw in it. They were still pretty little so the  sucking and sucking went on for a long time before they figured it out. That was my favorite. Another time I had Ron call me from work.  I pretended he was the school calling to say that a water main had broken and school was cancelled for the day. They were so excited. That was probably a bit rotten of me.
So I have had this one brewing in my brain for a while. But I was just a little busy today and still feeling  a bit Eastery, not in a teasing mood I guess,  just thought I would skip it. But how can I not keep up tradition after that dinner chat.

So here is the jar I sent crashing to the floor of the kitchen. I made an exact duplicate of Michael's pet, Rico Suave's home, complete with the paper towel and rubber band lid. But I tore a hole in the paper towel before I "accidentally"  knocked it off the counter. Just in case it didn't break enough to let his pet loose.
It hit the open dishwasher door first and only got that big chip in it so the tear was a good last minute addition.
There was a great deal of excitement and high drama. I got the ENTIRE family in one shot!  So funny.
Michael spent over 30 minutes VERY carefully looking for his beloved pet.  One at a time I let the rest of the family in on my joke. Ron needed to relax and Heather needed to go to bed. Is there anything more awesome for a little kid than to be part of pulling one over on an older sibling. She was smiling from ear to ear as she skipped off to bed.
Finally after gingerly moving things around in the kitchen with the lights off and a black light in hand it dawned on Michael what I had done. He was a great sport.

Here is Rico safe and sound and ohhh sooo creepy!  Can you believe I have put up with that thing in my house for over two months! Seriously gives me the heebie jeebies!

Happy Easter!

I have spent my spare time this week in the garden.  I love digging and planting. It is my time to meditate and ponder. My thoughts have been on Easter. I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the promise of Resurrection.

I always feel grateful and a little special when I have guests in my garden. I was out enjoying the cool and beauty of Easter morning. I found this bright Giant Swallowtail still sleeping on my climbing rose. There were three more in the backyard flitting around. 

A couple shots from the egg hunt. 

Our neighbor sent a treat for us. 

 They are from Romania and she makes the most beautiful pastries. They are very different from anything I have ever eaten. Not as sweet as American cookies. I especially liked the yellow and the round ones on this plate of goodies.

Amber comes to visit

Darren had training in Texas last week. It was doctor training in the field, as in wilderness. So we were lucky enough to get a visit from Amber. She drove from San Diego and then back again alone. It worried me but she was fine.  She is so independent that would have made me very nervous at her age, it still does.

She is so much fun to have around. This is how we show her a good time....

Nothing like ripping out carpet on your vacation.  Actually that is not the worst part. getting the tack strip (what Amber and Heather are doing in the photo) and    nails out of cement is the worst part. I am not a huge fan of millions of staples on the stairs either.

We also put her to work making Michael's boutonniere and his dates corsage for prom. So while I was busy knocking out his vest (because it had to be silver)  Ashley and Amber put the "flowers" together.

It was a bit frantic. We did it all in 3 1/2 hours!

Tyler started making corsages for prom a few years back. Customizing them to the girl. This year one of his former prom dates was at the house and she mentioned how much she had liked her corsage and that she still had hers. This is a girl who is VERY fashion conscience and they were never romantically involved just friends. Hers was made with guitar picks so maybe that helped.

So I volunteered to do it for Michael he had nothing planned and had track practice.

I loved how it turned out. The only things we had to buy were the peacock feathers and the silver material for Michael's vest.  All the aqua fabric was scraps from other events. Felt- poodle skirts for the girls worn to Ma'am and Papa's 50th wedding anniversary party. Satin- Amber's prom dress. Organza- chair ties for Amber's wedding reception. I am not sure how we thought of using peacock feathers.... we did a lot of giggling during the whole process. We decided it was a craft high. 

White Wednesday Spring

I am loving spring.  Truly appreciating the beautiful world God created for us. I have had a cloud of sadness  lurking since October. One sad event after the other. Just life. But today I feel the sad lifting. Spending the morning gardening does that for me. Even if it involved a power trimmer for a very frostbitten Cape Myrtle that looks like a mass of sticks now.

The peach trees are blooming. Yellow breasted finches and humming birds are flitting in the yard. I slapped together the wreath out of grapevines and rose hips from the front of the house. I think that is more of a fall thing other places. But fall and spring are pretty much the same  here and it takes all of our three weeks of "winter" to get the grapevines to go dormant and the roses to grow the hips nice and fat. The chair was a curbside find I painted white.

Blake left for the MTC this morning. So exciting  but bitter sweet. We sure will miss that sweet boy while he is gone.

craft, sew and quilt festival

 I love this Union jack quilt!