A Thanksgiving Holiday

Gary, Evan and I spent the week of Thankgiving at a condo in Island Park Idaho.  It was a very relaxing week.  I spent my time sewing and the men spent their time fishing.  I was able to get three quilt tops finished and several Jane Stickle blocks done.  It felt fabulous!!

We also found time to visit the Bear and Wolf Discovery exhibit in West Yellowstone.  These bears looked so cute, how can they be dangerous?

He has such a cute face - and those ears!! I love 'em.

I think we are boring the bear.

Ahh, a little to the left, now to the right, up, up, Ahhh

The Last Halloween Costume

I've made the last halloween costume for my baby.  No more Ninjas, pirates or vampires.  No more cowboys or football players either.  Kinda makes me feel a little melancholy.  As much as a hassel as halloween was, it really was fun for kids and gave us lots of great memories. 

Tonight we await the spooks.  I love to have the little kids come trick or treating.  They are so cute and so excited about the whole thing.  I guess you could say that one of the best things about getting older is that you learn to appreciate things like halloween, trick or treaters and the joy of childhood.

Lately I have been facinated by vintage beaded purses. On our trip to New England I saw several that were beautiful. This one was at the Bennington Museum. It has little seed pearls and topaz beads on it. I am in awe of the hand work that it took to make it.

This next one is a blue velvet with white beading. Also from the Bennington Museum. So very pretty. Looking at them I couldn't help but wonder who made them and what kind of parties they had been to.

The Textile Museum had this little beauty. The rings look to be crocheted around and then connected. Don't you just think this little bag is the coolest thing! I'd love to have one - not that I go anywhere that would require me to have such a little bag mind you.

I'd love to see some that you may have!

Jane A. Stickle

I just returned from a trip to New England with 88 wonderful women and fellow quilters. Our primary motivation for the trip was to see the quilt created by Ms. Jane A. Stickle and which is housed in Bennington, Vermont. It is displayed only once per year for one month. The quilt is in remarkable condition considering it's age, with the colors still very vibrant.

I felt almost giddy as I got so close to the quilt. It wasn't under glass but rather on an approximate 45 degee angle on a board. We were able to get look very close at the fabrics and the stitching. It was just WONDERFUL. I can' t say enough.


Bennington Vermont is a beautiful quaint little town with wonderful shops. We spent a good part of the day shopping and eating - something we did a lot of 0n this trip.


We stopped at the Bennington Pottery factory where I picked up a few little things. They had some wonderful clay bowls that I just loved but didn't think I could fit in my suitcase. There's always the internet!! Gotta love it.




What I loved in Bennington and most of the other New England towns we went to and through, is that all of them were decorated with big beautiful mums, pumpkins, scarecrows, staw bales. It made thier communities so beautiful.





More to come.

Canning Chicken

These may not be the best pictures! The local supermarket had their boneless chicken breasts on sale over the weekend so I decided to stock up. My Gary doesn't eat much red meat so chicken and turkey are our staples. I canned chicken last year after my sister-in-law told me she had done some. The canned chicken is really good plus it is super easy to do. I just pack the cut up chicken into pint jars, add about 1 tsp. salt and process in my pressure cooker. The chicken tastes excellent and it is so nice to have on the shelf when I'm looking for a quick solution for dinner. I use it in enchiladas, quesadilla, chicken salad, and the list goes on. I have added it to soups too.

Sunrise, Sunset, swiftly flow the years

That song from Fiddler on the Roof has certainly been going through my mind lately. I wish I could go back in time and enjoy her being little again.

What a beautiful baby, and what a beautiful daughter I have been blessed with.

So it's now just a couple of days until my daughters wedding. I think I have everything under control - I THINK!! Tomorrow will be the real stress day as I make my final assessment of all that needs to be taken to the church. I am so very glad that I'm not doing this alone. I have wonderful sisters and sister-in-laws along with my mother who will be there to help me decorate and hold my hand.

Anybody got an extra valium?

My sisters and sister-in-laws with grandma Matthews put a bridal shower together for Karen. It was so much fun. Karen had a great time as did we all and received a lot of wonderful gifts.

The food was great, fresh fruit and muffins.

Grandma Matthews and Aunt Kay

And of course no show would be complete without the divine Ms. Em.

This girl has more singing and dancing personality than anyone I have ever

known!

You go girl, rock-it!!

Thanks to everyone for making this a great day.

My daughter Karen and her fiance Shawn are getting married Sept. 10th. They are pretty excited and we are happy for them. We have been super busy getting things prepared for their big day.

Newest Creations

Look at my cute pincushions. I got the idea from Kim Walus from the Alpine Quilt Group. I have made about four of these now and they are all wonderful. I should be sewing wedding stuff, but ya know, these were more fun.

Bitty Bits and Pieces

Check out this darling bag that Kim Walus created and is now on Moda's website in their Bake Shop. If you haven't checked out their Bake Shop, this is the perfect time to do it. They always have darling projects to download and Kim has added another. You can find it at: Moda Bake Shop

Kim also has an incredible blog where she posts other projects she has created as well as giving tutorials and tips. She has just debuted as the new Sales Representative for Superior Threads in northern Utah and is highlighting their Texture Magic. I can't wait to give it a try. Her blog is bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com

Summer Days

Where has the summer gone? It seems like in the blink of an eye we went from the first of June to the end of July. Somewhere in between was our 24th wedding anniversay, my daughters engagement, YW Girls Camp, and the Matthews Family Reunion. It all seems like a blur. I sure do hope that things slow down a little.





These are my Young Women. Our hike at camp took us to an overlook of Heber Valley Girls Camp. It was gorgeous. Of course, I think my Young Women are pretty top notch too. We had a great time at camp. We took 26 girls and 8 leaders. Our camp cook went home sick the second day. The rest of the ladies all stepped in and helped prepare and serve the food. The ladies I serve with are just awesome.

The Matthews Family reunion was out at Dock Flats near Strawberry reservoir. Sharleen, Lynette, Michelle and Kim all went up the weekend of the 18th and stayed until the 25th. I wish that I had been able to stay for a whole week. I didn't get to visit with them very much.

Gary and I - along with our kids spent one day on the lake fishing. We didn't catch much. Hank enjoys boating. Mostly he like to watch for ducks. Sometimes it's all we can do to keep him in the boat.

Hank was so tired when we came home from Strawberry. He had been on guard duty protecting the camp from squirrels and gophers constantly. He fell asleep the minute we left camp. When I got him home I had to drag him from the jeep, gave him a bath and he immediately fell asleep again.

I think he's glad to be home.

Alpine Quilt Group

Tuesday we had Lori Holt from Bee in My Bonnet Company come and share her many beautiful quilts and wonderful patterns with us. She is so talented. Her patterns are whimsical and wonderful. The detail that she incorporates in them is wonderful. I remember seeing her quilt with all the aprons on it some years ago and bought the pattern. It has sat dormant in my filing cabinet but after her quilt show last night I am inspired to get it started.

Check out her blogspot - you'll find the link under my favorites. She is having a give away that you won't want to miss out on.

Top of the World

An easier jeep trail took us to an amazing overlook.

You could see for miles in all directions. It was awesome

Indian Ruins around Blanding

This is called House of Fire because of the way the rock looks on the ceiling. It is really pretty cool.

We just got back from a vacation to Moab. What a way to start the summer. Gary tried to kill us all on Kane Creek.

Earlier that week they had a flash flood go through and several jeeps were caught in the water. Luckily no one died.

This is one of the jeeps that had yet to be recovered. Notice the rock up under the wheel well.

Sun Hat For Summer

I made this darling sun hat to take to our Young Women's Camp this summer. Kinda need something to cover the hair. It's an Amy Butler pattern and I think it turned out soooo cute. I think I may need to make another couple.

These will be great in the jeep too.

The "Do" Rag

I also made this "do" rag and put the red yo-yo's on it. Our color for YW girls camp this year is orange so I thought I'd make another one out of orange with hot pink polka dots and then put a hot pink gerber daisy on it. I think these will be great for jeeping too. That way I can keep my hair from blowing in my face.

Love it, Love it, Love it

See my new purse

So here is my latest creation. It is a Lila Tueller design that she calls the Retro Groovy Bag. I thought it turned out pretty cute. Check out her blog spot to see more of her bags. I liked this one because it BIG and ROOMY and I can just dump all my stuff in it and yet there are a few pockets for my cell phone etc.

Pretty fun. It only took me a couple of evening to get it put together. I did have a little harder time finding the handles. It called for an 8" round bamboo handle but I could never find one. This one is 9" and is not the bamboo style but I think it actually looks better with these fabrics.

Come and be a Winner

It's Going To Be Fun!!!
Everyone wants to be a winner sometime in their life. :)The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. You have no clue what it's going to be.
3. It may not be complete until after the summer is over!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!