Happy Birthday Ragan!

I just don't know where the time went! I keep asking myself how my baby girl is suddenly 16!!!

Makenzie wanted to give Ragan her present on the night we went to dinner with Craig's parents. I am so glad because we all got a good laugh at Ragan's reaction to her gift! :) YAY! Footy pajamas!!! Ragan really wanted some! Modeling for us..... She is so funny! We were laughing so hard!!

Sadly, these pj's were too small....I guess that's what happens when you have long arms and legs! (an exchange is currently in the works)

It went WAY too fast!

Craig's parents came to Tucson for a visit. They got here the day before Thanksgiving and left this morning. We had SO much fun!! I think we pooped them right out, dragging them all over Tucson! We had some other things to go and do but in the end, it was nice to just visit. It was so nice to have some family here....we miss everyone so much. I hope they had as much fun as we did! So, let this be an invitation to anyone that wants to come and visit. We will make you very welcome! Last night we went to Chili's to celebrate Ragan's 16th birthday (it's on Saturday). And, as is usually the case, the camera's were out and snapping away. Here are Craig's parents..... Craig with his Dad......

Here is the other side of the table...haha! It was a fun night with good food and great company. We will miss them!

While they were here, I made some hanging dish towels for Craig's mom. I made some for her a couple years ago and I asked if she wanted some more. She says she loves them, but I think this is over kill.....

Don't ya think?!?!

Fun, fun, fun!

I hope everyone is enjoying the season and all the joy it brings!

With a Thankful Heart

I tend to be an early riser most days. As I lay in bed this morning, I pondered over the many, many things that I am thankful for. As I thought of one thing, another thing immediately popped into my head. While I try to live a thankful life and truly recognize my blessings, I was still overwhelmed by the number of things that so easily came to mind. With a thankful heart, I jotted down this short list.... My family, which is eternal. My siblings, all of whom I miss very much. My parents, who love and support. My children, who are so good and kind and true. My husband, who loves me despite all my imperfections. Missionaries and their willingness to serve. My Savior and his atoning sacrifice for me. My Heavenly Father, who continues to give me trials so that I can grow. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, that allows me to know where I came from, why I am here and where I am going. The peace I receive from this knowledge. Everyday that I have in this life to learn and grow. The written word of the prophets that guides me everyday. Friends, old and new. Our sweet animals that teach us of unconditional love. The perfect knowledge I have of our Heavenly Fathers love for us. My ability to do so many things and recognize where that comes from. Health of body and mind. The example of others, both good and bad. Our comfortable home. Employment, and the fact that I really want for nothing. Opposition, that I may appreciate and recognize the "good things" when they happen. My free agency. The Freedom of living in a country that I can live/worship how I please. The people who fought for those freedoms, in the past, today and in the future. ***************************************************************************** My list is endless, but today this is what is foremost in my mind. May all who read this know how thankful I am for you. Enjoy your day with family and friends. Be thankful--- Jo-Anne

Hanging dishtowel tutorial

I have recently been asked about these little hanging dish towels that I make and thought that a tutorial might be in order. This is my first tutorial....so be patient with me if it isn't the most informative....;) This is not an original idea, but the ones I made in the past have had a pot holder for the hanger, and they were just so bulky to sew. I decided to try making one with a fabric hanger instead of the pot holder and I like it so much more. Anyway...here goes!!! First, pick a coordinating fabric that goes with the dishtowel you would like to use. Next, cut two 8" squares from the fabric and one 8" square from a piece of batting. I use the Warm and Natural batting for these but any low loft batting will do.

Make a little sandwich with the fabric squares right sides together and the batting on the bottom.

Cut a matching piece of ribbon approx. 4" long. Pin the ribbon in a loop between the two layers of fabric.

Sew with 1/4" seams all the way around, leaving a 2" opening for turning.

Turn square right side out. Your batting should now be on the inside and your ribbon loop should be on the outside. Pin 2" opening shut and top stitch all the way around.

Are you still with me? Are you confused?

Place your ruler on the inside of your square matching the side corners. (the loop corner being the top) Mark a line from corner to corner. This will be your sewing line as you sew the towel on.

Press your dishtowel in half.

Along the pressed crease, sew a basting stitch. You can also use a gathering stitch if your machine has one. You can also do this by hand if you want.

Gently pull the loose ends to gather your dish towel in the middle.

Lay your fabric square on top (with marked line up) matching the corners to each side of the gathered towel.

Taking care to make sure the towel is laying straight, sew across your marked line. (don't forget to change your stitch length back to the normal setting)

And, WAH-LAH! There you have it. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy!

These make great neighbor gifts for Christmas. Add a little tag that says, "May the Christmas Spirit 'hang around' all year long!"

**Yes, that is some sort of splatter on my oven door. Funny how I didn't see it until I took the picture!

Happy Sewing!!

Something new

I tried something new with this baby quilt. I needed something for a shower gift and didn't have the time to piece something. There were some fun flannel prints on sale at the fabric store so I thought I would try my hand at quilting just the flannel. I put a piece of low loft batting in between two pieces of flannel and meandered away. I tossed it in the wash so I could enjoy the wrinkly goodness before I sent it on it's way....I know....that's so very selfish of me, but I love the look and feel of the quilts right as they come out of the dryer! Next time I try this, I will experiment with a different quilting technique. I think I need a little change from my meandering ways. ************************************************************************* I also want to share some cute little beaded socks that I have been making. I have made these for years and never tire of their sweetness. I used to make them all the time for my girls. I was a little sad when they got too big for them. These are the sort of things I like to make when we are watching a movie or something. I just hate sitting there without something to do. **(If anyone is interested in purchasing some of these beaded socks for Christmas, contact me for prices and color choices. ) Happy Day to You!!

Done, done and done.

Since being without the suburban, I have been spending a lot of time at home. It's a total bummer to be sort of home bound, but the good thing is I have been able to cross a few projects off my list. Besides our faithful dogs, my little sewing machine has been a constant companion these past few weeks. ;) When we were in Utah this past summer, we went on a camping trip. There is a little quilt shop in Mountain View Wyoming that my sisters-in law, my girls and I always make a trip to. It's called the Valley Fabric Shop. They had this cute little pattern and charm pack there so I bought it right up. It was very easy and quick to sew up. Now that it's done, I want to get the rest of the Christmas decorations out! But, alas, I will wait until the turkey gobbles....but then it is all coming out! I tried my hand at one of these baby tag blankets. Apparently, babies love to pull and play with the little tags around the edges. I wouldn't know since nothing of the sort was available when my kiddos were babies....(that could explain many things!! haha!) This has 5" squares so it's not huge. Since there is never a shortage of babies being born in our church family these days, I thought they might be fun for some shower gifts.

These are some Christmas gifts for my girls. I can't say what they are since there will undoubtedly be some blog snooping going on here. Ragan just informed me, and I quote, "The funnest part of Christmas is the snooping!" What a cheeky little thing!! Santa just might quit coming after that comment! :):):)

I have also been making some of these for some little gifts. They are crayon cozies. I just think they are so adorable and can be made for colored pencils, markers and many other things.

They roll right up into a convenient little bundle. So easy to toss into your bag to take with you to church, the doctors office, or in the car.

I still have so many other projects to finish. You should see my sewing table...it's the biggest mess you have ever layed eyes on!

Happy sewing!

Missionary Monday

Mondays are the day we get an email from Mark. As many of you know, our son, Mark is currently serving a 2-yr. full time mission for our church. He is in Uganda. This morning I got a quick little blurb from him telling me that he had had a very busy day and he only had just a minute to tell me hello and that he would email me more tomorrow. I was a little disappointed (simply because I get SO excited to hear from him that sometimes I can't sleep Sunday nights!) but then I saw this photo of him and a little baby. *I hope if you click on the photo it will be bigger. Is this not the most adorable photo?? Mark has always loved little children. When he was younger we would go places and all of a sudden, Mark would be missing. We would almost always find him playing with a baby. When Ragan was a baby, he would often wake her up so he could play with her. I know he is drawn to the little children of Uganda just the same. Many of them are orphans. He tells us about them all the time. I hope this photo tugs a little at your heart like it did mine. Happy day to you--