It's a Wonderful Life

Seriously?

2012-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ragan and I had a nice discussion while driving the other day....

(R) "Mom?"

(me) "Uh huh?"

(R) "Danielle's mom asked me if you like to party."

(me) [chuckle] "Oh ya? What did you tell her?"

(R) [eye roll] "I told her you didn't. Duh."

(me) "That's good."

(R) [overly concerned] "Mom...you'd like her. Miss Debra is really fun."

(me) "I'm sure she is.....apparently she likes to party." [laughing]

(R) "SERIOUSLY......Mom. I think you need to find some friends."

(me) [confused] "I have plenty of friends. Why do you think need more?"

(R) "You never do anything! What are you going to do when I move out in a few months???"

(me) "Well......anything I want. I don't know yet. I'm certainly not going to start partying. Unless it's a party at the Goodwill store!" [laughing]

(R) "I'm just worried that you're going to be [pause] all.alone."

(me) [sigh]"I don't mind being alone. Really. I have a lot of things that I enjoy doing. Maybe I can go on some track trips with Daddy. Or....something."

(R) "Mom. I'm serious. You need to do something with yourself. You just can't spend all your extra time at the Goodwill store. 'Cuz seriously, I don't want to see you on an episode of Hoarders."

Busted.

Apparently, Ragan feels I am one Goodwill trip from going bat.crap.crazy.

Especially without the positive influence of her company and loving attention.

For all I know, she is planning an intervention as I type.

I suppose I better start thinking of some things I can do with myself once she's flown the coop.

Just in case she ever brings it up again.

But I'll start by jumping back on the crazy train.
Evidently, Ragan thinks I never jumped off.

Seriously.

So much to be thankful for.

2011-11-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

It really has been a month since my last post.

I didn't think it was that long,

but hopefully these next photos will help everyone forget all about my generally incompetent blogging.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of our sweet grandson,

Cooper Matthew Carter.

He graced the world with his presence in the early morning of September 22nd.

He was (and still is) the epitome of perfection.

He is such a good baby.

He hardly cries and sleeps very well.

Here he is today.

2 months have flown by.

Love isn't a big enough word to describe what we feel for him.

With this being the month of Thanksgiving celebrations around the country, I have been pondering the many things that I am thankful for. I have made an extra effort lately to thank my Heavenly Father for all of my blessings.....those that I recognize and also those I miss.

I am blessed with.....

a wonderful family that just increased by one-

and that it is eternal.

a husband that loves and supports his family.

wonderful, smart, kind and healthy children.

a job that lets me love other peoples children.

friends that give way more than they receive.

extended family that care for and love my children.

the knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father and my Savior.

our comfortable home.

my life.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Halloween fun.

2011-10-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween, but since moving to Arizona, I have a hard time dragging out all of my things.

It's because the temperature is still pushing 100* and it feels like summer, not fall.

But, they're finally out and I got a little excited. ;)

I remembered that I sold a lot of my decorations at a yard sale this past spring so a bit of crafting was in order to fill in some empty spaces.

This is a little thrifted frame that I covered in wiggly eyes. So cute and FAST to make!

And, yes.....I saw a version of this on Pinterest.

Don't judge me.

The picture of the owls is from some scrapbook paper that my precious son, Mark gave me.

He works in a plant that manufactures scrapbook paper.....

he gets $50 worth of free stuff a year! Hello freebies!

This is another quick decoration idea.

Another thrifted frame, spray painted and distressed, with a jack 'o lantern sticker on the glass. I put a piece of scrapbook paper behind it.

This is not a decoration but a new addition to our family.....

Meet Cody.

(Named by Ragan)

He is a tarantula that lives outside our front door.

He's a big'un.

We were wondering what kind of a critter was making holes and burrowing in the dirt.

Now we know.

He can stay as long as he takes care of all the other bugs that lurk around the front door.

But he can't come inside.

Ever.

cake plate love....

2011-10-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been loitering on the Pinterest sight far longer than necessary.

I'm sure some might say it's unnatural and unhealthy for someone to sit and ~~covet~~ admire all the pretty things on there, but I think I will take my chances with it all!

Well.......on Pinterest, I learned a valuable skill. And that skill is.....cake plate making! Yay me! :)

All you need to make your own cake plate is;

1. some sort of pedestal.

2. a plate

3. Spray paint, if desired.

4. some special glue

So, off to the thrift store I went, in search of a plate and a pedestal.

I found this candle holder for the pedestal......

And this plate........

I loved the green and black so I knew I wasn't going to paint the plate, but the candle holder definitely needed paint. Flat black to be exact.......

With a pencil, I traced around the candle holder on the bottom of the plate.

I eyeballed the center, but a more perfectionist type might want to measure.

I put a thin bead of silicone adhesive around my pencil mark.

Less is more when it comes to this kind of glue.....learn from my error here, folks. :)

I let it dry for a few hours and then flipped it right side up.

Easy, Peasy.

For now, this cake plate will hold Mr. Jack.

On account of I won't be baking any cakes in the near future.....on account of my unattractive mid-section girth.......on account of my emotional eating.

But a girl never knows when a cake may be needed....like for a decoration or something.

(or an emotional break down! haha!)

With the silicone adhesive, it is safe to hand wash these babies.

If you opt to spray paint the plate, put a paper doilie or other barrier between the cake and plate.

Have fun!

I've been junking again!

2011-10-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

I am not a Craigslist fanatic, but I do get on to check things out from time to time. I always check the free stuff first and then I go to the furniture section, and then finally to the antique section. I have rarely called on or purchased anything because it has to be something specific that I am looking for, and priced within a limit that I've set for myself. With those parameters, the pickin's are slim.

I happened upon a free listing one morning that I just had to be the first to get!

One of the items up for grabs was this cute little deacons bench.

Truth be told, I didn't even notice the bench in the picture on the add. It was all the other stuff that I was interested in. (I will show that later!) It wasn't until we got to the house to pick it all up that I spotted it!

Although it appeared to have been sitting outside for the last several years, it was solid.

It was also super dirty.

So I cleaned it up and went to work.

I sanded it lightly and spray painted it a lovely buttery yellow.

Then I sanded it again to distress it, and wiped Old English scratch cover all over it. (I opted for the Old English because it doesn't have an offensive smell like stain does and I didn't want to wait to bring it in the house.)

I put it in the hallway that leads to the preschool room, next to the guest bathroom.

(Picture taken from laundry room doorway)

Then I made this little pinwheel wall quilt to hang over it.

Oh. I love things like this. Especially with the very affordable and agreeable price of free. ;)

A night of fun!!

2011-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to attend a bloggers night at our local DownEast store.

It is located in the Tucson Mall.

The store is trying to drum up some business and since I have been a long time customer of DownEast clothing, I was more than happy to attend.

DownEast offers many selections of modest clothing for not only women but teenagers as well.

If you like to layer like I do, then this is the place for you!

The clothes are relatively inexpensive and, in my experience, last a good long time. :)

DownEast also carries a big variety of accessories and jewelery....

OOOoooo! I love the lacey T! I have it in pink! :):):)

This is my friend, Rainey, (L) and the "big boss" (R) who came from Phoenix to attend this fun night.

They gave us a $25 gift card to spend too!

Here's Ragan finding things for me to buy for her with it! haha!

If you ever get a chance to shop at DownEast, you will not be disappointed!

another makeover

2011-09-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have an old file cabinet in my preschool room that holds all of my lesson plans

and other important things that I need to keep at hands reach.

Well, this summer as we painted the preschool room,

I got to thinking that this old guy needed some paint too!

So...... I emptied it, and dragged it out to the garage.

I removed the hardware and sanded it quickly with a very fine sandpaper, then wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust or dirt that might be on it.

I picked this "oh my gorgeous!" color to spray it with.....

A couple of cans of spray paint later and, WALLLL-AAAA! It was transformed.

I looooove how it turned out!

It looks so happy in the preschool room!

(Incidentally, I turn the file cabinet like this so the kids can play with magnets on the side of it.

It's like an extra magnet board in the room!)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find something else I can paint with this fabulous color! :):):)

a DIY chalkboard table

2011-09-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is write on chalk boards.

I know, I know, that's a strange admission.

But, I just like the feel of the chalk and the fun of being able to erase and re-write.

Here in preschool we use small chalk boards to practice our writing of letters and drawing of shapes.

The chalk is easy for their little hands to manipulate and the erasing helps in building the muscles

that will help them write with pencils later on.

Well, the time came that I needed another preschool table.

I had a rather brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) to have the mister build me one....

BUT instead of having a "normal" top, I wanted to paint it with chalkboard paint.

It works so well that we use it exclusively as a chalkboard table.

I let the kiddos stand around it and doodle to their hearts content!

AND....it was so easy to make!

Craig cut out a regular old piece of plywood the length and width that I requested.

He framed it and supported it with cut 1"x4"s.

He attached the legs, which we picked up at Lowe's, and I painted the top with chalkboard paint.

I masked off the edges when I painted, and then after it had dried for 24 hrs.,

I masked off the top and painted the edges.

Every couple of years, I touch up the paint using the same technique.

Chalkboard paint comes in a spray paint option, as well as by the quart or gallon.

You can use the chalkboard paint on anything.....

walls, doors, cookie sheets (for a cute magnet board!), etc.

It's so fun!

Hello!

2011-09-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Pardon my ever so long absence.

I have been toying with a little change up with the ol' blog here, wondering if I should make another one for just my projects and keep this one separate for family. But, I decided to leave everything like it is, and keep on keepin' on---if you know what I mean! :)

Things have not slowed down here and I have so many projects and make overs that I can't wait to share with you.

PLUS, I have been doing some frequent loitering, on and about the Pinterest sight. If you feel like following me there, click here! It's so fun!

Talk to you all again soon~

What a busy couple of weeks!

2011-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

I've been absent because of several factors, but I will blame most of it on the fact that we

have been painting the whole house.

I am now of the opinion that huge painting jobs are better left to the professionals.

We have two more rooms to finish before we pronounce it finished, but at least now we can see the end. We came to a good "stopping point" and I set out to do some other things that required my attention.

During this time, I ordered a case of apricots from Bountiful Baskets.

When I got home and opened the box, I discovered that about a third of them were moldy.

I was pretty disappointed. However, I was determined not to waste the rest and I knew they wouldn't wait for me too much longer. I hurried and made up a few batches of apricot-pineapple jam.

MMmmmm! It's yummy.

I also loaded up my dehydrator, thinking about how much I looooove dried apricots.

I put the dehydrator in the preschool room so as to not be disturbed by the sound,

shut the door and forgot about them.

For TWO days.

There was no happy ending for these apricots.

I also have been using the "you know what" out of my new toy....

It's an Accuquilt GO! fabric cutter! :)

I was given a very generous gift card to JoAnn's from my preschool mommies this year for Teacher Appreciation Day. (I was so surprised and touched! :):):) Thanks again!!!)

Craig also subsidized this purchase.......in the name of Mothers Day, of course! haha!

I have cut out so many shapes that I should have enough to have quilt top going until the end of time!

I can cut up to TEN layers of fabric at a time! Cutting out a quilt top takes just minutes! There isn't a lot of measuring...just layer the fabric on the die, put the cutting mat on top and crank it through the machine.

I love it so much.....

I could marry it!

hahaha! :)

Multi-tasking.

2011-06-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

There used to be a time when I could have several projects going and

be able to finish them all in a timely manner.

That ability has somehow, strangely and inexplicably, left me.

It must be my advanced age of 40-something...(yes, it's finally time to stop pretending I am 29),

or the fact that I am in the throws of dealing with my fourth teenager,

or I have developed some sort of "project ADHD".

Since deciding to stay in Arizona, we thought it might be "fun" to paint the inside of our house. We had previously painted the bedrooms but the monumental job of painting

the rest of the house has been procrastinated.

We have VERY high ceilings, and it just seemed like too big of a task

for our resident princess and yours truly.

Craig generously offered up his services and we dug in. We did get most of it done before he left for his latest track meet, but there is still so much to do. The trouble is, now I want to do other things instead of painting, but I HAVE to get this project finished now, or it just might stay in its present state forever.

And, that is a prospect that makes me feel just a liiittttlllle but crazy.

So yesterday, I was doing some touch up when I happened to walk past a mirror and saw this.....

A big ol' smudge of paint in my hair.

Then I remembered a conversation that Ragan and I had

a few months ago while coming home from school.

Enjoy....

(Ragan) "Mom.....have you been painting today?"

(Me) "No, Why?"

(Ragan) "You have something white all in your hair."

(Me) "What? Where is it?! Can you get it out?"

(Ragan) "It's on the underside of your ponytail. OOoooo, I don't know if I can get it....It's a lot."

Ragan reaches over to touch my hair

(Ragan) "OH.MY.GOSH!!!"

(Me) "What?!? What is it?!?"

(Ragan) "Mom. You have a HUGE chunk of gray hair! Actually, it's WHITE. Here, let me pull one out so you can see."

She, (not so gently) plucked a hair and handed to me. Sure enough, it was white. Actually, "translucent" was probably a better word. Miss Clairol and I had an early morning meeting the very next day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I just walked past the mirror again. This time, it looks like I have a little "crazy" in my teeth. As soon as I get that out, I start painting again. ;)

A new lamp....for under $10!

2011-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

I spotted this cool looking lamp at the GW store a few months ago.

I was dying to get at the make over, but we have been so busy wrapping up

the end of the school year that I just barely was able to do it.

Now be patient with me as I explain what I did......

I seem to have lost all the pics that went along with the explanation.

I unscrewed the top where the bulb goes. It just unscrews. No tools needed. Once that was done, everything just kind of slides apart....but I left it all connected since I knew I probably couldn't re-connect all the wires if I wanted it in all separate pieces. (make sense??)

I masked off the plug, bulb holder and cord.

Then I painted it with spray paint. It is a Krylon color called Watermelon.

I got a little bit of over spray on the glass, but it came right off with a little W-D 40.

(Sprayed it on a rag then wiped the paint off.)

After it was dry, I slid it all back together and screwed the top back on.

Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.

I bought a new shade with a 40% off coupon.

While the cellophane covering was still on the shade,

I traced around the inside of the small part where the fabric is now.

I carefully took the cellophane off the shade and taped it down on a piece of paper to give it more stability. Then I cut it out. I pinned it on some fabric, and cut 4 pieces.

Then, I used clear craft glue to adhere it to the shade.

Using a tooth pick, I smoothed the edges down,

making sure to clip any threads that may have come loose.

Finally, I glued some fancy ric-rac around the top and bottom.

I love how it turned out.

It's going in our guest room.

The guest room that we will put together after we're done painting our whole downstairs....

which is taking far longer than I want it to.

Right now, it just looks like we turned our house upside down and shook it real good.

Clutter and mess.

The very two things that make me really cranky.

Oh. And it's getting hot.

Make that the THREE things that make me really cranky! ;)

My pin keep has arrived!

2011-05-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

I sincerely loves swaps!

I joined a pin keep swap that Wendy at Ravenwood Whimsies put together.

Patti from Raspberry Lane Primitives was my partner.

Patti sent me this wonderful bee skep pin keep! Isn't it awesome?!

Just look at the bee. Adorable!

She also included a little bag of buttons in the package.

I wonder how she knew buttons were one of my favorite things?!

OOooo! Aren't they pretty?

Thanks so much Patti! I love it! :)

Here is the pin keep that I sent to her.

I don't think I'm done making pin keeps! They are just so fun.

What do you do in the summertime?

2011-05-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

There is a song that I learned as a child that began with the question,

"What do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?"

Well, I don't believe the person who composed that song ever came to Arizona in the summer. Ha ha! There sure isn't anything green once summer hits here.

We have been enjoying cooler temps these last few weeks, though. It's technically spring all over the rest of the United States, but it seems Arizona skips right over spring and jumps right into summer.

We just finished up with preschool so my summer has officially started. I sure am going to miss all of these cute little people coming to my my house 3 times a week!

We always take a silly face picture when we have our class pictures. It seems to get all those funny faces "out of the way" before we take our serious one.

With the warmer weather approaching, the bugs start appearing.

A huge grasshopper came to visit recently.

Rusty had some fun with it before I set it free.

I also managed a finish last week.

I found a small shelf at a thrift store right about 3 years ago. It looked like it had been out in a garage or something because it was dirty and stained. But that was a bonus for me as it was only $5!

I painted it tan and stuck it in our master bathroom toilet room, affectionately referred to as "The Library".

Since there isn't a place to store TP in there and to avoid one having to fetch some from another place causing one to potentially be caught with their pants down (literally), this shelf served its purpose well.

But, it wasn't that attractive. Soooo, I had the mister cut a top for it and I gave it a little face lift.

Now that's much better to look at while one is......er....."brainstorming". ;)

Oh....I almost forgot.

I have a little secret.......

I found another chair!

Isn't it awesome?!?! I can't wait to get started on the make over!

good news and bad news.

2011-05-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Bad news:

I haven't accomplished much lately except for a few little projects here and there.

I did do a lovely job devouring a half of a bag of tootsie rolls though.

Here's the thing.....I don't really even like tootsie rolls.

How's that for some epic emotional eating?! :)

Seems like I have lost most of my gumption.

I think a lot of it has to do with thinking we were going to be moving for the last 9 months and then suddenly we weren't. I even had a few boxes packed.

That'll teach me to not "count my chickens" wont it?! Haha!

We are truly happy about our choice, but the complete turn around in our thinking

kind of messed me up a little.

I haven't felt like doing much of anything

except letting my poor old brain rest from all of its decision making.

But I did participate in a fun pin keep swap. I gave a little teaser to my partner in my last post.

This is one that I originally made for her, but I after I made it,

I thought it might be a little too "cutsie" for her tastes.

It's made from an egg cup that I picked up at Easter time.

I don't mind a bit keeping it for myself. :)

As some of you have read, we are expecting our first grandbaby in October. We are so excited!!!

I reconnected with an old high school friend on facebook

and she was so sweet to send me some cute gifts for Cameron and Crystal.

She told me about these "monsters" that she made with her Young Women's church group and asked if she could send us some. Since we didn't know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, she sent one for both! She also included a burp rag for each! Aren't they so fun?!?

I think they are so cute! Thanks so much Angie! Angie has a set of boy/girl twins too.Her son is getting ready to leave on a church mission, so for her to do that for us just means so much.

Here's the GOOD NEWS!!!

We found out today that Cam and Crystal are having a.........

BOY!!!

We couldn't be more thrilled.

If you need me, I will be at the fabric store buying blue fabric.

i can't find the off switch.

2011-05-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

For my tired old brain that is.

Craig and I have been in quite a bit of turmoil about the recent job offer he's been given.

We haven't stopped talking about the possiblity of this job for about 9 months.

This job opportunity has been something that we have been hoping for and praying for.

We have been wanting to get back to Utah since we moved to Arizona 5 years ago.

Now that the choice was ours to make......

......we felt it was finanlly going to happen.

At least that's what we thought.

We wanted this.

We prayed for this.

Seriously, I felt like I might die if I couldn't get back to Utah.

I missed our kids.

And for reasons beyond our control, the new job just.wouldn't.fit.

And, suddenly, Craig's present job seemed to fit perfectly.

Now, although I will continue to miss our families, especially our grown children,

I feel a peace that I know, comes from my Heavenly Father.

I feel he is letting me know that he is aware of our feelings.

He knows me.

He knows my family.

And more importantly,

He knows what we need.

All of us.....

What you need.

What I need.

What everyone needs.

For that perfect knowledge, I am exceptionally thankful.

So, we begin our journey anew here is sunny (and decidedly hotter than I prefer)

Tucson, Arizona.

With all of this decision making, I haven't felt much like creating.

There isn't anything that sucks the creativity out of me more than a stressful situation.

It seems like I've had my hands in several different projects but haven't completed hardly any of them.

Sooooooo, I decided I would show some of the things I am almost done with! :)

Here are two quilt tops waiting for me to finished up.

I sure hope they don't have to wait too long!

I joined a pinkeep swap over at Ravenwood Whimsies.
My swap partner is Patti from Raspberry Lane Primitives. This is a little sneak peek for her.
I am sending this off to you tomorrow Patti.
I hope you like it! :):):)

And here is a finish that I just got done today.

This is my "sewing chair" It is also the "hair cut chair" and the "extra guest at dinner" chair.

A long time ago, I started painting it red, but I didn't like it so I cleaned it all off.

But, it seemed that it was meant to be red, because this is how the old gal looks now.

I believe she's much too pretty to have her "after" picture taken in the garage,

but, due to her smelly stain smell, that's where she'll stay for a little while longer.

I have big plans for all of these chairs I have been making over.

Now that I know we are staying put, I have to get busy filling up these empty bedrooms.

I'm thinking a guest room........and a sewing room........and a master bedroom re-do..........and a whole house paint job........and a......................

A Love Affair.

2011-05-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

You may remember me mentioning my fondness for chairs.

Some might call it a borderline obsession.

But for the sake of argument, let's just call it a love affair.

My dad gave me a box of chair pieces several years ago. There were the makings of four matching chairs. The backs were in tact, but the seat and legs were all in pieces.

We brought them back from England in the late 70's.

They are so old that they were previously put together with dowel.

Craig and I (mostly me) got a wild hair to put one of them together. It has just gotten to the point that we had to do something with them or toss the whole bunch. This was the third house I had personally moved the box of parts to and I know my parents had moved them that many times or more.

So we cut some dowel pieces and started wood gluing and clamping one of them back together.

It was a bit of a puzzle but we did it.

There were bits of the old upholstery, nails and tacks on the pieces.

We pulled them all out and filled the holes in and sanded it really good.

I love the detail of the top piece.

Isn't it pretty??

The open part in the back is supposed to be upholstered

but the chair back is curved we didn't have any
"bendy" wood. ;)

My very handy hubby cut me a seat bottom for it. I sprayed the whole thing with a gloss black. I bought

some foam at Jo Ann's using my 40% off coupon. It ended up costing about $3.50. The fabric I used for the seat was a remnant of upholstery fabric. It was around $4.

Not too bad for a make over under $10!

Now I'm excited to get the other 3 done! My plan is to paint them all black but cover the seats in similar, but different fabrics. We will use them with the table in our kitchen nook.

Fun stuff!

It's been a while...

2011-05-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ho-leeeeee Smash!

It's been a tough couple of weeks around here. We have been knee deep in some pretty crazy stuff.

Craig has been offered another job in another state. It's our "home" state and all of our family are there....most importantly, our three oldest children and our soon to be grandbaby.

The problem is, that the salary they offered is less than he is making here. As soon as the university he works for now found out, they gave him a raise so he would stay here. It's a very long story.....but suffice it to say that it's been a gut wrenching couple of weeks. The back and forth negotiations are miserable.

But as it stands- at this very minute- we are staying here.

I would like to be 100% certain of that, but there is a small (very small) chance that the other university just might pull a few strings, but I am certainly not holding my breath.

I haven't done too much crafting or make overs because of all of this.

Seems I just can't concentrate.

But I have a couple of things that are juuuuust about done that I will share soon.

I will share a picture of our beautiful daughter Ragan.
This is before her date picked her up for Prom.

Have a happy day! :)

Fast, easy AND delicious!

2011-04-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

We are BIG fans of carrot cake here at the Carter house.

In fact, when Craig I got married, our wedding cake was a carrot cake. :)

I have tried several recipes over the years,

but have never found one that we have loved enough to make again and again.

Now that 3/4 of our children are no longer residing here and with Craig being gone most of

every week to track meets, I haven't been baking a whole lot.

No sense baking when I would be the one eating the majority of the baked goods.

And if you've ever caught a glimpse of my girth,

you'll understand why I should avoid anything that could potentially add to it.

But, I found a recipe from good 'ol Martha Stewart that is fast, easy and delicious!

I would love to pass on the recipe to you!

:):):)

Spiced Carrot Cake

1/4 c vegetable oil (I used butter)

1 c all purpose flour (I used 1/2 c. wheat and 1/2 c. white flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)

2 lg. eggs

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/3 c packed light brown sugar

1/3 c low-fat plain yogurt (I used an orange flavor because I didn't have plain and it was yummy!)

1 c finely chopped carrots

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour an 8-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil until smooth. Gently mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Mix in carrots. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 35-40 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 min. and turn out of pan. Cool completely right side up.

Apply glaze or confectioners sugar on top.

(Glaze- 1/2 c. confectioners sugar with enough liquid (water, milk, apple juice) to make an appropriate texture to drip over cake top. I made mine extra thin.)

This cake is healthier than most! It's light and fluffy and very tasty. If you like nuts, I think they could be easily added as well.

I usually always have shredded carrots in the freezer to use for recipes like this. When we have an over abundance of things like carrots, zucchini, peppers, onions or celery, I chop them in the food processor and freeze them in freezer bags in 1/2c. to 1c. portions. They can be thawed and put in recipes like this, or I even add them to soups and sauces.

I also wanted to share this fun little preschool activity that we did today.

We have been learning about our community helpers this week and today we talked about firefighters.

This was provided by a really great preschool mom. :)

The truck is a piece of bread with a square cut out of the top. It's covered with strawberry jam.

The window is a Cheezit. The ladder is made of pretzels.

The wheels are Oreo cookies with the creme filling removed. The light on top is a cherry.

The kids had a blast making them AND eating them!

Enjoy your day!

Ugh. Cuss word! (Chair make over #2)

2011-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

This was one of THOSE projects.

The kind that makes a person procrastinate projects of this sort in the future.

I had an idea in my head about how I thought this chair would look when I was done with it.

It's a little wire chair that I got from a friend many, many years ago.

Makenzie has had it in her room and it's been fun keeping it the way it was.

Every time she changed the look of her room, we would buy a new toilet seat cover to put on the seat. They always fit perfectly and there are so many choices! :)

Well.....I had an old round pillow that I cut open so I could use the stuffing on the seat. I carefully covered it with batting and stapled the batting down.

Then I added the fabric and stapled it down.

And, if you're wondering,

YES, my hand was really cramping trying to use that big clunky staple gun.

I trimmed it up really nice and neat underneath.

Do you see my markings on the bottom? I was being so careful to make sure that the seat fit perfectly back on the chair once it was completed.

I wanted to make it have a tufted look so I decided to add a covered button to the middle of the seat. I attached it using wire. I brought the wire up through a hole in the bottom of the seat, looped the button on and put it back down through the hole.

I pulled it tight with pliers and stapled the wire down in place.

While I was covering the seat, the chair,

that I had spray painted a glossy black, was drying out in the garage.

I was so excited to bring it in and attach the seat!

And that was when I cussed.

It wasn't a "bad" swear, it was just a little one.

I cussed because I noticed that the stripes weren't centered on the seat.

And, the button wasn't centered either.

Not to mention that it made the seat look like it had a giant belly button.

Ugh!!!

So, I gave myself a 24 hour cooling off period.......

and started over.

Here is the big reveal!

Centered striped and no belly button.

***sigh***

I feel much better.

No more cussing for me.

At least for now. ;}

Speaking of feedsacks......

2011-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have another feed sack project to share!

I've been dragging around some vintage 9-patch blocks forever. I found them on ebay for about $7!

They are all hand stitched.

I decided to use the disappearing 9-patch pattern and make them into a little lap quilt.

Mary @ Gettysburg Homestead just finished up a great tutorial with this pattern. http://gettysburghomestead.blogspot.com/

First, you cut your 9-patch in half down the middle squares, then turn your block and cut it in half again down the middle square. (Sorry-I should have taken a picture of this step)

The thing I like about this pattern is there are several ways to arrange your blocks after they're cut....

You can sew them back together like this-

Or like this-
(I chose this way)

Or like this-

Then you sew them all together!

I quilted in the ditch for this one. It went fast and easy. Two of my favorite things!

This is my favorite block in this quilt. :)

I put a small checked gingham sashing on it and bound it with a small rosebud print. I like how the black anchored it but it has all f the bright colors found in the blocks.

I think I am really warming up to all of these fun colors.

Have a great day!

a vintage finish.

2011-04-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

About 5 years ago, I bought a vintage quilt top on eBay. It was an incomplete top so it was very inexpensive. When I got it, I didn't quite know what to do with it, but what I did know was that I loved the colors. I was made from old feed sacks, which delighted me all the more.

I could see where the seams of the sacks had been picked apart

and there were stamps like this on a few of the blocks.

I loved the "make do" quality of it.....

See here where two of the light blue hexies are the same color but not the same pattern?

I like to think of the thrifty hands that pieced this together using the last bits of fabric they had. :)

Since I couldn't make any sort of a quilt out of the top I decided to take it apart and make a few things with it. First, I unpicked enough blocks to make a portion of the quilt into a table runner.

Then, I took two of the unpicked blocks and framed them. I found these frames at goodwill and spray painted them black. Then I used spray adhesive to attach them to the fabric backing.

I took the largest piece for the runner and machine quilted it.

I used a stippling stitch with a red variegated thread.

When that was finished, I couldn't decide how I would bind the edges.

I finally decided to measure and cut straight edges, because some of the border hexies were so uneven.

Then I bound it with a black pin dot fabric.

It was a ginormous pain in the neck to sew all those corners,

and it took a whole lot longer than I want to talk about,

BUT, I'm so glad it's finished!

I like how it is just the right size for our big table.

And I loooove the red!

I hope that whoever pieced this all those years ago, likes how it ended up.

I am certainly grateful for all the work that went into it before it came into my life!

A fantastic giveaway!

2011-04-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hurry and pop over to Margie's blog, Hungry Hook Primitives and sign up for her giveaway. She is trying to get to 100 followers. She is giving away this beautiful hooked piece! Golly, I wish I knew how to do this!!! I love them but I don't have a hooked piece to my name!

Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

2011-04-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to stop in at our local Savers store. I don't go there often because, for the most part, they just have clothes and shoes.

But every once in a while I find a treasure there.

This was one of those occasions!

In a bag, hanging on the wall, I found 12 sock forms.

Now, they aren't anything vintage, and they were painted in some funky colors,

but I could see these would be pretty easy to make over. :)

Here is the before picture.

I'm not sure why there are so many holes in the smaller ones.

My guess would have to be for some decorative purpose....?

**Thanks to my blog friends, I have been enlightened about the holes in the sock forms...They are ventilation holes for the drying of socks. I let out a great big DUH! when I read their comments.

Leave it to me to completely miss the obvious! ;)

So, I got out some of my trusty spray paint colors and started spraying.

I found a place for one in our guest bathroom.......

A couple more in our family room.........

I got this wall hanging from Kimberly at My Brown Bag Studio.

We did a swap a while back. I loooove it!

And don't mind the dust....I live in the desert, and dust is just a given.

And more in the upstairs hallway.

Boy! I sure do appreciate an easy make over project!

**************************************************************************
Onto some other stuff......

I have a dear friend, whom I have known for years, that is organizing a service project for some of the children of Africa. Her son is serving a mission on the Ivory Coast. Given the fact that our son, Mark recently returned from serving a mission in Uganda, it was easy for me to want to contribute.

It goes without saying that there is such need in Africa....it's hard to even put a finger on one thing that is needed. But, Sindy heard about the teachers who were trying to teach the little children some church songs, but didn't know the tunes. They hadn't heard the songs before, and without a piano, they had no way of knowing the tunes. Sindy immediately went to work organizing a project, collecting children's hymn books and CD's containing the primary songs (in French) to send to Africa.

Then, as most projects go, it got bigger. More people wanted to participate so Sindy decided that she wanted to put together 100 tote bags that included a picture of Jesus, a CTR ring (a popular piece of jewelery in our church that has the CTR emblem on it, reminding the wearer to "Choose The Right") and a Book of Mormon in the French language.

Since I have ~~a hoard of~~ an over abundance of fabric,

I decided to sew up some tote bags to contribute to the cause.

I know I'm not alone in saying that there isn't a better feeling

than knowing you have done something to help someone else.

It sorta just makes you look for the next time you can serve, right?!

:) :) :) :)

One of my favorite sayings......

Give without Remembering,

Receive without Forgetting.

Have a blessed day!

A much anticipated weekend.

2011-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning to get a few things done before I sit myself in front of the television set.

You see, this weekend will be the 181st session of General Conference for our church.

Twice a year, the leaders of our church have a conference that is televised around the world.

In this conference, they give advice, both spiritual and temporal.

It is a time for learning and growth.

I remember once my dad said to me,

"If someone wants to learn about the Mormons, they need to talk to the Mormons."

click the above link if you would like to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

some more make overs

2011-04-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's April 1st, and I hope everyone is playing nice April fools jokes on people.

The mean ones are just not as fun!

My Craig sure was the victim of a mean one this morning.....

One of his athletes came up to him this morning with big tears in her eyes,

asking him to help her tell her parents that she was pregnant.

As he went to give her a consoling hug, telling her that he would do what he could to help her,

she started laughing and said, April Fools!

Needless to say, he didn't think it was funny.

I have always told my kids that playing a joke on someone is only funny if everyone has fun.

Anyway.......I have a couple of new make overs to share.

This bowl was a thrift store find that I got a while ago. I really liked it's size and shape.

It was only $1.99 and I knew I could sand the edges to get rid of the few blemishes it had.

After I spray painted it black, I did just that. With a nice coat of stain, it turned out real purdy!

I put some paper grass in it and it made a nice little nesting place for my new grunged eggs.

I got the idea to make these eggs from Linda, over at Parkers Paradise.

Linda is such a sweet blog friend and has the funnest blog.

These eggs are so easy and fun to make and they smell delish!

If you've ever grunged up some candles, then these will be a piece of cake for you.

I keep my wax in an old coffee can and heat it double boiler style.

I put a pan of water on to boil, and set the can inside of the pan.

I use plain old wax that you can buy at the grocery store and colored it with black and brown crayons. I have also put bits of old candles in it (I melt what's left in the jar in the oven (checking often) on about 150* until they're liquid, then pour it in the coffee can) and they help with the yummy smell.

As for the smell, I have added all kinds of spices....cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc.

After all of it is melted, I take the wax off the heat, and start dipping.

I stir the wax often (with an old wooden spoon) to ensure the spices haven't all sunk to the bottom.

I use rubber gloves and just dip the eggs with my hands

and then set it on wax paper until they have cooled.

I also rolled them in more spices that I have in a bowl.

It took about 4 dips and rolls before I got the consistency I liked.

As the wax cools, it sticks a little better.

I used my hands to help mold the wax around the egg.

After I'm done, I peel the drips off of the wax paper and put them back into the wax along with any left over spices. SO fun! :)

The next little make over is for Ragan's bathroom.

I have been looking for a little clock to put in there for a long time,

but couldn't find the right one for just the right price.

BUT----she NEEDS one in there, on account of her chronic lateness.

I remembered this clock that my mom gave me about 100 years ago that I had out in the garage.

I figured I'd see what I could do with it.

I took it all apart......glued some round beads to the bottom for legs and painted it.

And here it is.

I painted it a hot pink first. Then I painted black over the pink. Her bathroom has bit of a shabby chic look to it, so I didn't want to prim it up too much. I spray painted the gold rim around the clock silver. After everything was dry, I lightly sanded the edges to show a tiny bit of pink, then sealed it with a spray sealer.

I think it turned out perfectly for Ragan's bathroom counter.

I have a feeling she will still be late though.

She never has really embraced my 5 minute beauty regimen.

Chair make over #1....and some other stuff!

2011-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I have a "thing" for chairs. Every time I stop at a thrift store or yard sale, chairs are always one of things I'm on the lookout for. I like to have a lot of chairs and fill them with family and friends. I love the idea of sitting down at the table for a meal and having to scoot out to add a chair or two!

Another thing I love about chairs are their differences....There are just SO many kinds of chairs.

When I was younger, my family lived in England.

I believe my ~~obsession with~~ appreciation of all things old began there.

My parents acquired some antiques while we were there.

It seems that over the years, a lot of them have been passed on to me.

I have happily received them. (Craig-not so happy! ha ha!)

Here is the first make over in a series of several chair make overs.

This simple little chair is one that we brought back with us from England.

There were two of them originally, but I used one outside in our garden many years ago

and it had to be thrown out because of weather related issues.

I am sad about that now, but anyway....

At first, I weaved old ties together to form a "seat" and stapled them to the underneath side. It looked super cool, but after a few behinds sat on them, they began to sag.

So, I started over with a new approach.

The whole thing got a coat of black spray paint.

After that, I sanded the edges and rubbed it with a nice gel stain.

While that was drying, I attached a few layers of batting to the piece of wood that my most dear and helpful husband cut for me to use as a seat. (I used spray adhesive to do this)

The chair is kind of a smallish one so I didn't want the seat to be too padded.

Then, I used a $3 remnant of upholstery fabric to cover the batting.

I used the spray adhesive here too, but also used some staples to secure the fabric underneath.

And, here is the big reveal....

I will add a little throw pillow and some other things with color as soon as

I get enough gumption to drag all of my spring/Easter decorations out!

Another thing that I have been working on is re-framing this sampler.

I got it at a thrift store about 10 years ago. I didn't have that many choices as far as framing it back then. To have it professionally framed would have cost me a lot and the sampler is just an odd enough size that it was impossible to find anything already made.

So, here is how it looked before.

I enlisted my husbands expertise in making a frame for it that would be the right size,

but one that would still let me use the glass from the old frame.

He routered the wood a little deeper on the insides of the frame so the glass would fit....

Sides of the frame

And top and bottom of the frame (I have no idea what that fuzzy bit of stuff is there...gross!)

This frame also got a coat of black spray paint and gel stain.

I like it much better now.

I just love making over things that someone else has given away!

I am linking up with Kindra again this week. She is having another Thrifty under $10 Tuesday linky party.

Go on over and see what everyone has been up to.

Blog buddies are the BEST!

2011-03-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, Julie from Country Girl at Heart and I have done another swap.

Again, I was thrilled with what she sent to me!

I just LOOOOOOVE this star wall quilt!

I just stood back and admired this beauty for a while......

She, with her generous heart, also stitched up this sweet little pillow for me.....just in time for Spring!

Receiving this yesterday really made me smile.

My mail man is happy that I will stop stalking him now! ;)

THANKS JULIE! You're the best!

I can't wait for our next swap!

*I am always up for a swap so if anyone is interested, just let me know~

A new look

2011-03-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

I made this table runner many years ago, but I never really liked it enough to put it out. It had a horrible binding that I had it zig-zagged on.....

Ya. It was terrible.

Well, in all my sorting, I came across it. I decided to give it a new look.

I unpicked the hideous binding and added some sashing fabric.

Then I hand stitched around the blocks and added a much more acceptable binding.

I really like all the little bugs that are on it.....

Everything is blanket stitched....When I made it, I used some pretty heavy duty fusible web to attach all the pieces. My fingers definitely paid the price for that! :)

Giving this runner a new look kind of inspires me to get a new look for myself......

But, if I cut my hair, then I would actually have to style it, and we all know how I feel about make-up, right? More importantly, if I changed my wardrobe, then what would I do with all of my stretchy pants? And certain shirts would probably require me to wear a bra and that's pushing it for me....

Phew.
That was close.

Now. Let's just hope those people from "What not to Wear" never find me.

It's official!

2011-03-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Craig and I are so happy to announce that we are going to be grandparents!

Our oldest son, Cameron, and his wife, Crystal, are expecting in the fall.

This is a picture of our little grand baby!

Isn't he/she the cutest thing you've ever seen??

I am going to give this precious little sugar anything he/she wants. And when I say anything, I mean anything. And everything. ;)

Now, for the hard part.....what exactly, should a 29 year old grandma be called?

A swap teaser......

2011-03-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I can't show you the whole surprise,

but Julie over at Country Girl at Heart and I have entered into another swap.

I love swapping with Julie....she is so talented and generous!

I hope she likes what I sent to her. It should arrive today or tomorrow. :)

Well, I have been busy sorting and organizing these past few days. I rarely get the "bug" to do that, so I suppose I need to go with it when I do. I spent the majority of Friday and Saturday working on my craft closet and my preschool closet. It feels so good to get rid of things and be all sorted out again.

Next, I will be working on a couple bedrooms.

More specifically, the half empty bedrooms that Mark and Makenzie recently vacated.

(sad face)

I will be selling anything of value at a yard sale....

That'll teach 'em to leave their mother!

A first try

2011-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

After making the wool eggs that I showed you in my last post, I decided that I would make a penny mat.

I have worked with wool in the past and have found it very fun and easy,

but never have made a penny mat.

I have only admired everyone else's!

I actually bought a little kit for this one so I would have a pattern and the instructions for future reference.

And here it is.....

(I put in on this big wooden charger so it could be seen on my black table)

To be honest, I struggled just a little bit.

It's not that it was difficult.

I think it's because I tried too hard.

Or maybe it's because I don't follow instructions well, or possibly,

because I feel compelled to do my own thing.....

I don't know, but there is probably some medication that helps people with problems such as this.

The instructions had me trace the pattern onto freezer paper (brilliant!). The circle pattern had a large circle with a smaller circle inside it.

The smaller circle was to be cut out from the larger circle......so I had 16 "donuts" and 16 "donut holes".

Make sense??

Then, they were arranged as seen above. The problem I found was that the little circles weren't necessarily the same size as the holes. The wool did stretch as I blanket stitched it into place but they smaller circles appear to be "sunk into" the larger ones.

Is this the way it's supposed to be?

I always assumed that the smaller circles were on top of the large circles.

Mine seems to lack the dimensional look that I have seen before.

Anyway, it is what it is.

I still like it.

And, I will more than likely try making another one.

That is, after all of you professional penny mat makers, impart your wisdom and knowledge unto me.

And since that little black children's chair is showing in the background, I will include a larger picture. This is a re-do of a children's chair I picked up at a consignment shop many years ago. It was spray painted with a very light coat of white. The color was fine when I got it, but I recently decided to wood glue it in a few loose places and give it a new coat of paint.

Ahhhh. Much better.

Happy Saturday. :)

Some thrifty finds.........

2011-03-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't been hanging out at the thrift stores too much lately.

I know......weird.

Explanation....

There is a chance that we might be moving and the mister has been saying words like "downsizing", "thinning out", "getting rid of" and "reducing" in regard to our household belongings.

I suppose he thinks because his children are moving out, one by one,

we don't need so much of everything.

So, in an effort to be a good, and supportive wife,

I have been controlling the urge to stop at every Goodwill and/or thrift store that I drive by.

However,I did make a quick little stop the other day. I was bored and had a little time to kill. (excuses, excuses)

I didn't find much, but I did find some fun things!!!

I picked up this little bag full of star shower curtain hangers.

I needed some for our guest bathroom.

I had some hideous plastic rings on the shower curtain and I knew these little babies were the answer!

AND, they were only $2.99!

Some black spray paint and, TAH DAH!!!

See!? Sooooo much better.

And someone, who shall remain nameless, (but has the initials C.C.), didn't even notice.

Same day.....I found these patterns.

I almost missed them.

Had I not bent down to look at something else, I would have missed them entirely.

99 cents a piece.

Can you believe that!?

The best thing about these patterns

is that some of them came with the fabric, thread and other necessities!

Seriously...when I find stuff like this, I get a little giddy.

See how easy it is to finish up a project when someone else does all the preliminary work! :)

These will be so cute in a little bowl for Easter.

Moral of the story-

Find thrifty treasures that are small so that they can be brought into the house virtually undetected.

A Sampler...or two.

2011-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Recently, I shared a cute little sampler that I found at a thrift store. In that post, I mentioned that I have a fondness for samplers.

I thought I might share some of the ones I have with you.

This first one I also found at a thrift store. I tea dyed it because the colors were very light. I re-framed it to suit my house. The frame was purchased at a Goodwill and then spray painted black.

I found this at a local Goodwill. It's not a sampler, but I love the little house on it! Same story with this frame. It was gold in it's former life. I would like to think it feels so much prettier! ;)

The rest I have made. I never follow a pattern.....I just make it up as I go. (Story of my life.)

I say that so you will understand any uneven bits and counting mistakes that you might notice. :)

I saw this in a magazine and made it to my liking instead of following the pattern.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my samplers.

Happy Day to you! oxox

What a weekend!

2011-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the indoor conference championship for the track and field athletes that Craig coaches. One of his athletes, on both the men's and woman's team won the shot put event. That means that he can add 2 more conference championships to his resume. Julie Labonte, the female shot put champ, is from Canada. In the course of winning the shot put event and being a conference champ, she also broke the Canadian national record. And, if that wasn't enough, she broke the school record as well. That record stood for 28 years!

Craig left Seattle after that meet was over and instead of coming home, he headed over to Albuquerque New Mexico where Jill Camarena-Williams was competing in her indoor championship meet. She was going for her SEVENTH championship. Which she accomplished and in the process BROKE THE AMERICAN SHOT PUT RECORD!!! She is ranked #1 in the United States and currently ranked #2 in the WORLD!

Here is the video with her winning/record breaking throw. (the first guy she hugs is her husband, Dustin...the second guy is Craig) :):):)

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.runnerspace.com%2Fvideo.php%3Fdo%3Dview%26video_id%3D37658&h=40611

Here is another article about Jill if you would like to read it.
We are all about as proud as can be! :)

Wedding photos

2011-02-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

We recently got the CD's with all the wedding pictures on them.

Luckily we have a wonderful photographer in the family. She is my youngest sister. She hooked us up with the "family discount" and told Makenzie and Kyle she would take their wedding photos as a gift to them. We are so grateful and she did an AMAZING job.

We are also grateful that she was patient with our crazy family and our inability to stop messing around in all the pictures.

She took over 1,000 pictures so this is just a small sampling of them.

If you would like to go over to her blog, she has a link to her photography blog there, too.

She doesn't just do weddings, so of you live in Utah and need any kind of baby, graduation, missionary or family pictures taken, let her know! :)

Both sets of proud parents.....

(Those are her REAL eyelashes, by the way....)

Mark and Makenzie. You don't know how many pictures I have with this same pose. :)

And, a couple of my favorite......

L-R-Craig, Kyle, Ragan, Makenzie, Mark, Me, Cameron and Crystal

My beautiful girls.....:)

You've been framed.

2011-02-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I am linking up with Kindra again for her Terrific under $10 Tuesday's.

A few weeks ago, two of my friends and I went thrift store hopping.

None of us found anything that was blowing our skirts up and came away empty handed.

We decided to stop at this little tiny junk store at the last minute.

They have lots of cool stuff, but it's generally expensive for the shape that it's in.

Plus, you really have to dig around in this store.

But, I spotted this little sampler in a broken frame.

I am partial to samplers so I hung on to it, even though I couldn't see a price tag.

I didn't want to pay too much for it as it was dirty and yellowed.

It cost $1.

Bargain.

I figured for a dollar, I wouldn't be too hurt if it didn't end up working out.

But it cleaned up real nice and I put it in a frame I found at Goodwill for $1.99.

I spray painted the mat red, then fine spray of black over it.
Now, I love it!

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

I had been given some "old" things in a box a long time ago. In it were some old sticks of gum.

Well, I thought they were so cool,

but they were always hard to display and a couple of them got broken into tiny bits.

I didn't know what to do with them, until one day, I got the idea to frame the last remaining pieces.

This is a 5x7" frame so you can see that the pieces of gum are much bigger than they are now days! :)

You can see where the bottom piece is broken, so I had to find a way to preserve them.

I got this frame at the dollar store and it was already painted black and had distressed edges. I didn't have to do one thing except cut the paper to fit the frame.

I think it's a fun little conversation piece, don't you?

Go on over to Kindra's blog and see what kind of fun she's having!

Some quilty finishes.....

2011-02-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Before I share my latest finishes, I wanted to let you know that I have linked up with The Prairie Patch for a linky party she is having. She wants us to share a primitive item that we have either made, purchased or made over. Pop on over and you will see some fun things! (I'm number 14!)

So, I have finished up a few projects. It sure has taken me long enough!

I kept giving myself the deadline of Friday, but I guess I should have specified WHICH Friday.

It took me about 4 Fridays to be exact!

I have a friend who was expecting her first little girl after three boys. She told me she was really into purple and orange and not the traditional pink that people thought she might like. So, I took my inspiration from her, and since I had an order for 2 other baby girl quilts, I made them all with the same fabric.

These days, there really isn't any method to my putting together a baby quilt.

I sort of go with what I have and however randomly it turns out.

I also blame my lack of adequate math skills the complete lack of desire to improve them. :)

This is another quilt that I finished right after Makenzie's wedding.

I was going to send it when I sent the baby quilts.

It appears that this quilt is a victim of my ambiguous goal setting.

They all should be on their way to their destinations soon.

I am hoping to get to the post office by Friday.

A Make-over

2011-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, Craig agreed to help an athlete on his track team by letting her store some things in our garage. She was moving back to her home state and couldn't take everything.

Months and months later, we still had it all.

We found out that she was no longer interested in driving all the way back to AZ to fetch her things.

We then got rid of a lot of it, but this old coffee table remained.

Since I needed a project, I decided to give it a make over.

So, I sanded, painted and stained it.

And here it is in our bedroom.

I'm not sure if I like it right there, but I thought we could use it for a bench or something? Or put a few gatherings on it?? I don't know....We'll see what happens.

But I do love the red.

And it was free!-my favorite part!

Our bedroom is such a mis-match of things right now and I just might get rid of all of it one of these days and start over! LOL!

Kindra at At Home with K is having a linky party. It's all about make overs done for under $10!

That's my kind of party! So go take a look!!

(Just click on the link above my picture.)

Happy Love Day

2011-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today, filled with love and happiness!

I found a recipe in a magazine that I just LOVE!

I wanted to share because I think you will love it too!

They are called "White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cranberry Bars", but, on account of this being the LOVE day and all, (and the other name being just plain dumb)

let's call them

"LOVE Bars".

Love Bars

3/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

3/4 C. dried cranberries

2 C. oatmeal

1 C. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. white chocolate chips

3/4 C. softened butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. milk

Preheat oven to 350* F.

Mix all ingredients together until you have a consistent batter. Spread batter evenly into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes. Allow bars to cool in the pan, and then cut into squares.

There you have it.

Easy Peasy. 

And, very delish....promise.

Keep love around you, today and everyday.

Baby, it's cold outside!

2011-02-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Just as it has been all over the world lately, Arizona has experienced unusual weather.
It hasn't been this cold in Tucson in something like 56 years.
There have been several days of freezing temps.
The verbiage the weather people use here is "we are experiencing a hard freeze".

Tucson has basically shut down because of the cold. There are whole subdivisions that are without water and gas. The gas company has literally "run out" of gas. Water mains have cracked and broken leaving hundreds and thousands of people without water. Schools are closed.

I've just been a little peeved that it seems like those in charge are unprepared to deal with it. It's like people don't know what to do with any other weather besides hot or hotter.

I was in Walmart today and I heard someone talking on the phone.
"No sir, I am sorry....we are all out of space heaters. We also don't have anymore electric blankets or mattress warmers. There aren't any in our warehouse, either."
I also noticed that all of the gloves, scarves and coats were just about all gone.

I had a rush of gratitude for the fact that we had water and heat. (Ours is electric heat)
I was also so grateful for the council we are given by our religious leaders to "Prepare every needful thing."

We just never know what tomorrow is going to bring for us.

But, I am warning all you native Arizonans....If you think this is cold, I wouldn't even stick so much as your big toe anywhere in the vicinity of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, or ANYWHERE back east. Just sayin'.... ;)

SO here's the thing.....

2011-02-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

I cannot abide a pity party.

Unless it's mine.

I don't have one very often and I don't stay too long, but sometimes I have one.

Lately, I have had a BAD case of the crankies.

I have hurled myself on the bed and had a good cry. I have put my hands on my hips, made a mad face and stomped my foot. I've made fists and said "Humph! and "Grrrrrr!".

You see, I am not ready to be an "empty-nester". (insert whiny voice)

Three of my babies have left the nest and the fourth is counting the days until it's her turn.

It's just not fair.
My cruel, cruel children.

Come back and I won't care if you mess up the kitchen making cookies.
I won't care if I am in the bathroom and you come in to ask me a question and all your little friends follow you.
I won't care if I give you my very last dollar so you can buy more (fill in the blank).
I won't care that I have to call the neighbor to tell them their child has seen me in my underwear....again....because you forget to knock on the door.
I won't care if you dirty every surface/dish/piece of clothing you own.
I won't make you find what stinks in your room and get rid of it.
I won't make you only pick three books for me to read to you.
I will cook whatever you want for dinner....even if it means I make four different choices....one for each of you.
I won't make you have a bedtime/curfew.
I won't make you practice spelling words.
I won't kiss you in public.

Just. come. back.

I want to be very clear though.

IF you don't come back, I will be forced to find new children.
Then you'll be sorry.

I'll give you until the count of ten.....
ONE......., TWOoooo.......

The boy is home....

2011-01-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

My boy is home.

He has been home for about three weeks now. I couldn't be happier.

There was a moment while we were waiting that I didn't think I was going to make it.

I had waited for his homecoming for so long.....then we found out his plane would be an hour late. That was pretty hard on the 'ol anxiety level!

Very HAPPY parents!

In the Tucson airport there is a TV screen that shows the passengers as they are walking toward an escalator that bring them downstairs to where people are waiting for him. When the girls and I saw him we all screamed like crazy people!!

I think I might have elbowed an elderly lady....I'm not sure.

I feel terrible about it now and wish I could apologize....

but, in my defense, there was no way anything or anyone was going to stop me from getting to the bottom of the escalator!

What I do know for sure is that we certainly caused a scene.....

We had signs, balloons, and a Ugandan flag.

But, ask me if I care about that, though.

Nope.

Not even a little bit!! :)

There was a piece of reflective tape at the bottom of the escalator that the people who were waiting were not allowed to cross.

Probably so crazies like me don't go running up the escalator to their people.

It seemed like FOR.EV.ER until I saw the boy.

And there he was.

And just like he always does, he went for the laugh.

Mark came down the escalator with his hand on one hip, his other elbow resting on his suitcase, and one foot crossed over the other.

And on his face was the biggest smile I'd ever seen!

He walked over to me and said in a little voice, "Hi, Mom."

I was in near hysterics. I cried. I think it's safe to say that I had a little freak out.

It was like all of the emotion that I had held in for the past two years just came flooding out.

I held him and just kept saying, "My baby, my baby."

I couldn't stop touching his face and his hair.

My oldest son, Cameron, told me I held him for one whole minute.

I just couldn't let go.

There is a video documenting said freak out.

However, I will not be showing it, due to my extreme humiliation.

Here's the whole gang just a proud as can be!

Well, we hardly let Mark's feet touch the ground before we started dragging him all over creation.We all went to Utah for a wedding when he had been home about a week. We just got back on the 9th!

I will be blogging about Makenzie and Kyle's wedding very soon!

Mom rantings.

2010-12-16T05:26:00.000-08:00

Did I ever mention how I totally dislike blogger?

Well, I do.

I can't get my blog looking like I want it to.

Somebody went and changed everything and now I can't do what I want.

I am thinking of changing servers but I don't think I know how to transfer everything over....Grrrr.

Anyway.... I'm not going to let anything ruin my excitement.

You see, it's Elder Carter Eve today.

And to get the festivities underway as soon as possible, I woke up at 4:15 AM.

Okay, so that wasn't by choice, but I am just so excited that I couldn't sleep!

Mark will be returning home tomorrow night (Dec.17th) at 8:52 PM.

I have been waiting for this moment for 2 years!!! :):):)

There is just so many things to do!

Family is coming to stay here as well.....I need to bring my A-game as far as cleaning and cooking goes!

I also think I could be a professional wedding planner.

(insert sarcasm)

We are going to be pulling off a completely planned wedding by one beautiful bride-to-be and yours truly.

We are doing practically everything ourselves....

from the invitation making to the reception decorating to the catering.

We have had some pretty great contributors, though.

Dad, Lenore, Stacey.....our runners and phone callers in Utah.

(it's hard to plan a wedding that will be held in Utah while living in Arizona )

Lisa, Josie and Jalene......photographers that do their thing with professional status....for free. :)

And a momentous event not to be forgotten,

our baby Ragan turned 17 this month.

We had a wonderful day with her doing just what she wanted to do.

Yummy sandwiches at Bisonwiches, a trip to the Hippie Gypsy (a very trendy store where everything ~~stinks~~ smells of incense) and a walk up and down 4th Ave.

Princess Ragan will be done with finals today at noon,

and then it's totally going to be "family time" for about a month!

So, the next few weeks will be busy, busy.

I am sure it will not be without some stress and anxiety.

But, I am one happy momma.

Not much longer......

2010-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Do you remember about 2 years ago when I wrote a post about our son Mark, leaving to go to Uganda to serve a church mission?

Well, he will BE HOME in just 2 short weeks!

I know that the people of Uganda and Ethiopia will be sad to see him go, but we are sooooo excited for him to come home.

We have missed him, but have been so happy about the hard work he has been doing. We are also as proud as we can be of him!

So as the day get closer to his return, I have been staying very busy with a few things.

First of all, we have been PLANNING A WEDDING!

Our oldest daughter will be getting married after the first of the year. Makenzie met a wonderful young man and they have decided to get married. He is so funny and very sweet to her.

He fits in the family perfectly.

They have been engaged since October but I just recently got the green light to blog about it. :):):) However, she has written this post on it!

I have also been doing quite a bit of sewing....mostly Christmas gifts, so I can't really share at the moment.

But, I finished up a few little cute things that I CAN share!

Quite a while ago, I found two sets of brand new receiving blankets at the Goodwill store. I am not really a fan of the store bought receiving blankets as they are so thin and flimsy, but bought them anyway. I thought I would put two of them together with some batting and see how they turned out. I just machine quilted the whole thing and then bound them with some more flannel fabric.

They are so cute and cuddly!

I think they will make cute little tummy time mats.

We sort of pulled out the stops in our Christmas decorating this year.

We have a lot to celebrate with Mark's return and with adding a new member to the family.

Here's a quick photo of my Santa collection.

Funny thing is, I didn't really know I had a Santa collection until this year.

I hadn't ever grouped them all together in one place..... :):):)

Happy December, folks!

Stay warm and be happy!

Stick a fork in it.

2010-11-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

Because it's done! :):)

I haven't had a project in quite a while that I was so anxious to finish.

I had this old denim quilt that was getting a little worn out. The back was thin and ripping and the top was coming apart on many of the seams. I thought I would just throw it away, but then decided against it.

I took it all apart and decided I would re-do it. I saw a "sew as you go" quilt idea at a quilt store on a recent shop hop and thought it might be fun to use the top to try out the idea.

It was one of those projects that sounds good in the preliminary stages.....

I traced a dinner plate 35 times on the quilt top.

(*note to self....permanent marker does not wash off dinner plates.)

Then I traced 35 circles onto flannel.

Made sandwiches.......

Put them all together in rows.......

This is what I ended up with.

There was ~~a lot~~ a little cussing during this project.

I traced a square inside the circle. (I did measure and do some planning before this part)

Then I pressed along the traced lines and sewed along the crease with the wrong sides together.

Then I folded the wrong sides down and sewed them to make the flannel bits look like they were pieced. Then, I snipped the edges to make it a rag quilt.

There were so many seams to sew through and it got very heavy. There was also a lot of pressing and that was difficult to press the denim effectively with the heaviness off it.

Consequently it was hard to get the seams even.

But it'll keep somebody warm.

Obviously Rusty thinks it's comfy.

I think I might try this again....on a smaller scale.....and with NO denim.

Maybe a table runner or something.

Simply to I can see if I can do it without the cussing. ;)

Calling all turkeys!

2010-11-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

Let me be clear....I am not calling any of you a turkey.

It's just that I love the whole "turkey" theme of Thanksgiving.

I love putting my turkey's out to display after storing away all the remnants of Halloween.

This little guy is one of my favorites.

And, this big fabric turkey makes me happy when I bring him out of the storage bin and sit him on the shelf. He is holding a rather large sign, but I think he's doing a great job at it.

I would like to believe that he is personally reminding us to remember to be thankful! :)

I love the turkey theme so much that I dedicate a whole preschool day to turkeys.

I call it.....(wait for it....) TURKEY DAY!

We make our own little turkey puppet to sing with one of my favorite Thanksgiving songs.

Albuquerque the Turkey

sung to "My Darlin, Clementine"

It goes a little something like this.....

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And he's feathered and he's fine.

And he wobbles and he gobbles,

And I'm awfully glad he's mine.

He's the best pet that you'll ever get,

Better than a dog or cat,

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And I'm awfully glad of that.

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

He's so cozy in his bed,

Because for our Thanksgiving dinner,

We had scrambled eggs instead.

I know you will be singing this little ditty all day long now.

But.....just go with it.

:):):)

some finishes.

2010-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have been spending a lot of time with my sewing machine lately.

I think I've run the old girl right into the ground actually.

I am hoping that if I give her a little rest, she will start acting like she should again!

The tension is all wonky and I have unpicked my fair share of tangles threads.

Because, seriously, if she's a goner, I will be really sad....and bored.....

Anyway, tomorrow is the volleyball banquet for the high school. Makenzie coached the freshman team this year and had a total blast. The coaches do a little something for each one of their players. Makenzie wanted to something personal for them. So, she asked if I would help her make a little blanket for each one of them. We went and got a variety of those soft and cuddly fabrics and made blankets.

I did an overcast stitch around 15 of those babies!

Oh, but they are cute. And soft. And cuddly. (I'm thinking I might need one for myself!)

She also put together a little bag full of candy and a lotion for them

and she tied it on with the ribbon that you see in the picture.

Also, thanks to Makenzie, I got another project done.

She is always wanting to do big projects....projects like painting a room.

She suggested we recover a chair that is Ragans room that has been waiting to be recovered for a long time.

Last year, for Christmas, one of Ragans gifts was some fabric to recover it. I got the chair at a thrift store (for $5!) when Ragan was in the 5th grade. At the time, her room was full of bright colors so we covered it with purple fun fur.

But, now that she is all grown up it needed an update to match her new room.

This is how it looked purple!

This is how it looked when I picked it up at the thrift store. (except that it wasn't disassembled!)

And now, here it is......

all

shiny and new!

The legs were really a light colored wood so I spray painted them.

Ragan loves how it looks.

And, that makes me happy. :)

Thanks, Kenz, for your gentle nudging. :):)

let me explain.

2010-10-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask me the reason behind my last post. I thought maybe I should explain, lest there be any confusion.

(Mind you, this explanation will be void of any specific details, as to not further the drama. )

My daughter, Ragan has been the recipient of attention from said mean girls.

It has been difficult, to say the least, for me to not go up to these mean girls

and give them a piece of my mind.

Not that that would do any good.

Even I've had more than a few "looks" (let's just call it stink-eye)from these girls....

Looks that I would like to smack right off their mean little faces,

but again,

probably wouldn't do a bit of good.

The moms of these girls are in on it too.

They give Ragan stink-eye.

Classy, right?

I suppose you're wondering what Ragan did to inflict this upon herself.

I'll be glad to share......

Hope you can follow this.

Ragan spoke to a boy at lunch one day.

Friend#1 confronted Ragan about the conversation.

Ragan was told that (friend#2) likes boy and has been

"trying to get with him" (yep-that's AZ ghetto talk) since the 8th grade.

Ragan acknowledged that fact and assured friend#1 that she and the boy were "just friends".

Friends #1 and #2 find out that friend #3 likes aforementioned boy

and is currently in negotiations for a relationship.

Ragan is best friends with friend #3, thereby incriminating herself.

I know.

I didn't get it either.

And I am not even going to get started about the girl who took pictures of herself and put them on her myspace, got caught and then blamed that all on Ragan.

It was a "Ragan made me do it" kind of thing.

That mom, will not even look my direction.

(Kind of a blessing, though, because then I don't get the "stink-eye".)

In both cases, the other "players" will not talk to Ragan--or me, for that matter.

My first reaction was to vindicate my daughter and proclaim her innocence.

Now, don't get me wrong...if Ragan was culpable in any of this, I would admit it, accept it, and then deal with it appropriately. I am NOT one of those mothers who believe her children can do no wrong. However, in both of these cases, we believe Ragan didn't do anything to provoke the treatment she's had.

Which makes me even more mad.

But since I can't fix it, I make fun of it.

Yep--that's how we roll around here.

But, I have to tell you, as hurt as Ragan was about all of this, she really helped me regain my focus on the things that really matter.

She said,

Mom....I know who I am.

What they think about me doesn't matter.

Bless her sweet little heart.

So, I say this in closing....

I'm rubber, You're glue!

Whatever you say,
Bounces off me,

And sticks to you!!
So there.

Eternal Truths

2010-10-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Okay.

SOOooo I took a little blog break.

(Again.)

And, just like the last one, it was completely unintentional.

Sometimes, life sorta picks you up and takes you on a path that you weren't expecting.

(Happens to me more than I want to admit.)

This time, that path didn't include blog time.

(I really missed all my blog friends!)

However, I did think about blogging.

(A lot, actually.)

I thought about when I first started blogging.

I loved the "big reveal".

The picture taking, the showing of things that I had finished or made or found....

(Go ahead, get all reminiscent.)

Then I thought of all the "other stuff" I do and figured it wasn't really all that "Blog-worthy".

(reality check)

Since I don't have any finished projects to reveal,

I thought I would impart some of my ~~very limited~~ profound wisdom with you.

Here goes....*ahem*.

1. There is nothing meaner or more cruel than a teenage girl.

2. Mean teenage girls have mean moms.

3. This is where the saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." comes from.

4. There comes a time in a woman's life where a tummy tuck seems more practical than doing crunches.

5. Sweating profusely for months on end does not make a person lose weight.

6. One CAN actually live vicariously through their children.

7. Karma is real.

8. Sometimes, it's pretty cool to see Karma in action.

9. In most cases, your own children/grandchildren REALLY ARE cuter than everyone elses.

10. You choose your attitude.

So there you have it, my fine blog friends.

Use this information as you see fit.

You can even say you "thunk" it all up yourself.

I don't even care....

Seeing as how I am a giver and all.

(wink face!)

I love to swap!

2010-10-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

I seriously love swapping.

I have some really great and talented blog friends.

Julie, from Country Girl at Heart is one of them, and she does some fabulous work!

We have done several swaps and every time we do, I am never, ever disappointed!

We decided to do a Halloween wall hanging swap and this is what she sent to me!

I am one lucky gal!

It's a good thing I did the swap with her because it sort of forced me to get out my other Halloween decorations.

With the weather here still being SO hot, it almost seemed like sacrilege getting it all put up!

(It has still been 100* or more this last week!!)

As is always the case with Julie, she adds a little something extra in her package.

This time she sent this little heart hanging.

So sweet.

It is hanging on the knob of my step back cupboard.

Thanks, Julie! I can't wait for our Christmas swap!

Maybe someday, we will be able to exchange our swap in person.

Is September really over??

2010-09-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that September is already over. It sure went fast!

But, as far as I'm concerned, the next

2 1/2 months can fly by too, because that's when Elder Carter gets home!

He will be home in roughly 85 days! (give or take a few!)

I cannot wait!

Well, I took a little blog break. Didn't mean to. It just happened.

Life sort of got a busy.

Hmmm....imagine that!?

However, I wanted to share a little love that was sent my way.

My sweet blog friend, Linda, from Parker's Paradise sent me this adorable little pin cushion.

Isn't it just the most precious thing?

She is so clever!

If you haven't ever been to her blog, jump on over. She has a recipe blog, too!

Thank you Linda. You are the sweetest, kindest, and most generous person I have NEVER met. :):):)

I hope that we will be able to meet very soon.

And you know what they say.....what goes around, comes around.

May you experience that same love you so freely give others!

Just wanted to share..........

2010-09-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month?!?

Ya! It really is!!

For a gal whose BFF is her sewing machine, that's a great excuse to do some sewing.

So, do you want to know what I have been doing?

BAKING!

I bet you thought I was going to say sewing....

Sadly, I haven't been doing nearly as much sewing as I would like......

Crazy, isn't it?

You would think that I would have been cranking out the projects on account of there being a whole month dedicated to sewing!

Well, I had a hankering for some of my favorite muffins, so baking was in order.

(Even though it is still over 100* here!)

These are called Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins.

They are so delish that I am quite certain they will become a favorite of yours, too!

They are easy and healthy to make. They freeze really well so go ahead and make a double batch!

CRANBERRY OATMEAL MUFFINS

1 C. Oats (I use old fashioned oats)

1 C. Sour Cream or Yogurt (any flavor)

(I prefer yogurt...it makes the muffins lighter & fluffier)

1 C. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 C. Applesauce

1/2 C. Honey

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

(For the "ultra healthy" version, I cut the honey & sugar in half)

1 Egg

2 tsp. of grated Orange Peel

3/4 C. Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 400*.

Soak oats in yogurt for a few minutes.

Sift dry ingredients and add to oat mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, applesauce, honey and sugar.

Beat until well blended.

Fold into dry ingredients.

Add orange peel and cranberries.

Stir gently to combine.

Cook 20 min. in a greased muffin tin.

So, there you have it!

I promise you will love these....even if you aren't a big cranberry fan.

They would be yummy warmed up with a little hot cocoa.

Especially all of you who are enjoying some cooler weather now that fall has hit just about everywhere but Arizona.

(yes. I am still whining about the heat- and, said whining, will more than likely continue until December.)

I shared this recipe with my friend Sharla. She blogged about these muffins and their yummyness but added a frosting to them!..........Go check it out!

Go Banana's!! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!

2010-09-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Often times I go grocery shopping thinking that I still have 4 growing kids at home.

Call it what you want, but I often refer to it as "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Shopping".

When this disorder decides to rear it's ugly head, for some unexplained reason I feel compelled to buy an item in large quantities.

Only then to take it home to my brood, who were always on a continuous feed.

Well, this time it was bananas.

I don't know if it was the inexpensive price of 49 cents a pound that gave me the flash backs or what,

but I scooped up WAY too much.

My reality of having only ONE banana eating child here

became clear the moment the little brown spots began to appear.

Well, not to waste the bananas, I decided to slice those babies up and put them in the food dehydrator.

If I am anything....it's resourceful....

ya, whatever.

Anyway, after a lemon juice dip, they made their way to the dehydrator trays.

After a whole day and a night, they looked like this.......

MMMmmmm! They are so delicious!

I have to say that these are SO much better than the dried bananas you can buy in the store!

I'm not kidding...If you were here, I would share.....

but since you're not....

I guess I will be eating them all.

Finally.

2010-08-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it's been with me but I have been so slow at getting things done lately.

Preschool has started again (and, by the way, this years class is wonderful!), there is a Youth Conference for our church that I'm on the committee for, and we are trying to pull it all together,

and a WHOLE bunch of kid/family things going on.

All of these things seem to have depleted my energy for getting some UFO's done.

Something that really bugs me is having an unfinished project lying around.

Which is silly because it's not like I am in some kind of race or anything.

But, alas, I am a "finish it tonight" kind of gal...

Not always a good thing.

But FINALLY I was able to finish a couple of them. It's a good thing, too, because if my sewing machine could talk, it would probably have tried to break up with me....for lack of attention! :)

A few months ago, I had an order for a black and white baby quilt. I cut too many squares so I made a couple things out of them.

Here are some baby tag blankets. They are so quick to make up.

I have seen a few little people playing with tag blankets at church.

I also had enough left over black and white squares to sew up this little quilt.

(If only I paid more attention in my math classes....I wouldn't do this to myself!)

I added pink on this one though. I also sewed pink ric-rac around the edges.

And finally, I finished up this wall quilt.

I just love the vintage 30's reproduction prints that are out now.

Craig mom bought me a charm pack of them this summer while we were there.

This is what I made with it.

It will be perfect for summer picnics.

(except in Arizona where we have winter picnics!)

Have a great day!

Can I have your autograph?

2010-08-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

It's not everyday that one can say there was an article about their husband in the local newspaper.

Yesterday, at church, a man came up to me and asked me if I had seen the article about Craig in the paper. We don't take the paper so hadn't seen it. He briefly told me about the article.

I immediately felt a rush of pride swell within me.

He is well known around the track and field coaching circles as a great recruiter. He has been able to recruit some pretty stellar athletes, not only to the UA, but also to Utah State University.

Not only is he a great recruiter, he is very good at what he does.

Just recently, Jill Camerena-Williams (pictured above), threw her all time best in the shot-put event. She currently has the 3rd farthest throw ever in the US.

She is a mere 2 feet off of the world record.

She is ranked 7th in the world.

Since she is a post-collegiate athlete, he has been her private coach for the last 6 years.

I won't go on with his personal athletic and coaching accomplishments....they are quite lengthy.

I will say though, that he is so much more than his athletic accomplishments

Pres. David O McKay once said,

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

This is something he truly believes in.

His family comes before all he has ever done.

Even though it may not appear that way because he is gone so much,

it is clear to us that he loves his family very much.

Now...if you will pardon me, I am going to have Coach Carter scribble his autograph on my copy.

And then I am going to show it to everyone I see. :)

My heart is full.

2010-08-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

There are many things that I have learned in my life that have now become absolute truths to me.

One of the things I've learned is that there are GIVERS and there are TAKERS in the world.
I have learned, that while we all do both at certain times in our lives, there are just some people that are either one or the other.

I have recently been the recipient of such a kind giver.

This sweet person gave to our family without being asked. She gave out of the pure and simple generosity of her heart. The giving of her heart has filled mine to the very brim.

An example of charity has never been so obvious to me.

Although these words do not do justice, I will say them to you in person and also here.

Thank you, kind giver.
May your generosity be returned to you ten fold.

In my last post, I shared with you some quotes from a very special lady, Marjorie Pay Hinckley. I have always found wonderful guidance and comfort in the uplifting words others.

I remember reading a quote many years ago that has always stuck with me.
I would like to share that today with you.

"Give without Remembering,

Receive without Forgetting."

Today I want to be a little better at giving and never forget the times that I have received.

a Wise Woman

2010-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you some words of wisdom from the wife of our former prophet,

Gordon B. Hinckley.

I loved these quotes and hope you do too.

No matter what your religion is, these profound words are applicable to all.

"If you don't think every day is a good day, try missing one."

"Be a Mother who is committed to loving her children into standing on higher ground than the environment surrounding them.

Mother's are endowed with a love that is unlike any other love on the face of the earth."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"The family is eternal. Love must be nurtured. It must be spoken. We must put away our pride, our haughtiness, our shyness, our misunderstandings, and with humility say, "I love you. Is there something I can do to help you?" You can never be completely happy under any other circumstances."

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Think about your particular assignment at this time in your life. It may be to get an education, it may be to rear children, it may be to be a grandparent, it may be to care for an relieve the suffering of someone you love, it may be to do a job in the most excellent way possible, it may be to support someone who has a difficult assignment of their own. Our assignments are varied and they change from time to time. Don't take them lightly. Give them your full heart and energy. Do them with enthusiasm. Do whatever you have to do this week with your whole heart and soul. To do less than this will leave you with an empty feeling."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead"

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"We are all in this together. We need each other. Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young, and hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old...We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance. We need to renew our faith every day. We need to lock arms and help build the kingdom so that it will roll forth and fill the whole earth."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"I know it is hard for you young mothers to believe that almost before you can turn around the children will be gone and you will be alone with your husband. You had better be sure you are developing the kind of love and friendship that will be delightful and enduring. Let the children learn from your attitude that he is important. Encourage him. Be kind. It is a rough world, and he, like everyone else, is fighting to survive. Be cheerful. Don't be a whiner."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"As we got closer to marriage, I felt completely confident that Gordon loved me. But I also knew somehow that I would never come first with him. I knew I was going to be second in his life and that the Lord was going to be first. And that was okay. It seemed to me that if you understood the gospel and the purpose of our being here, you would want a husband who put the Lord first."

-Marjorie Hinckley

"The grand and the simple. They are equally wonderful."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"The thing about growing old is that when you wake up with a new pain, you can just about count on it becoming a permanent part of your life!"

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again. But even these years will pass away, and the lessons learned will be a future blessing."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"With intellectual curiosity the world will always be full of magic and wonder."
-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someones garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Take care, my blog friends.
Have a wonderful day! :)

Don't make me say it.

2010-08-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

There are just some days that I want to fold up my house and shove it into the washing machine.

Especially when Ragan bounces down the stairs this morning and proclaims,

"This house smells like Pets Mart!!"

While on our recent family camping trip, there was a fireside discussion about whether or not we possessed any OCD's.

Upon my introspective evaluation, I concluded that my inability to eat trail mix all together (I have to sort and classify my trial mix) and my occasional tendency to count steps,

I didn't have any OCD's but, quirks, and I didn't have a thing to worry about.

After all, I don't think anything bad is going to happen
if I eat a peanut and a dried banana together....

it's simply my taste buds that protest.

( thank goodness for my canny ability to self-diagnose)

However, today I realized something.

I have an OCD regarding smell.

Bad smells.

I scrub, wash, scour and bleach in an effort to abate said smells.

Because BAD THINGS do happen when I smell a bad smell.

The bad thing is...

I make everyone aware of it.

Oh ya. I will call you out.

I have been known to stand in a doorway of a child's bedroom and demand to have the bad smell found and eradicated.

I will crawl on hands and knees, sniffing in an effort to find the where and the what of a bad smell.

And should anyone, and I mean anyone,

need to pass any sort of gaseous wind from their nether regions,

they had just better do it somewhere far away from me.

After all, I am extending you the very same courtesy.

And before I forget...you should also know that I very much enjoy the smell of soap.

And I despise the the smell of "swass". (see definition below)

OK. Are we clear?

Let's move on....

We have 2 dogs and 2 cats that, in what sometimes seems to be in a deliberate and cunning way,

try to thwart my efforts of having a pleasant smelling home.

I try to pretend they don't have an odor.

But they do.

Ragan said so. This morning.

In so many words.

Here's the rub....

I love my animals. I adore them. I would spend my last penny to save and/or heal them.

I would rather spend the day with them than most people.

True story.

BUT THEY STINK.

What's a girl with a bad smell OCD to do??

*sigh*

I guess I will keep doing what I have always done.

Light a candle. Turn on the Scentsy. Pretend like they smell like sunshine.

And, I would appreciate any visitors to also do the same.

Thank you.

But don't anybody crop dust me. Because I will say something.

Seriously.

Swass; noun, a combination of offensive smells regarding sweat and a$$. Can also be used as an adjective; as in; something smells "swassy".

Mine....all.mine.

2010-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how absolutely fantastic my hubby is??

If you haven't grasped the enormity of his fantastic-ness yet, let me show you what he made for me..........

Now can you see how great he is????

I am in looooooove with my new cabinet.

He is seriously the best!

A few years ago, (about 8 or so) my sister found a lady selling old windows on the side of the road for $10 a piece.

My sister bought her out, and then let me have 2 of them.

I have been dragging them around since then with the vision of using the windows for the doors of a cabinet,

that of course, Craig would so ~~begrudgingly~~ willingly and lovingly build for me.

He patiently looked at my sketches and listens to me prattle on with my measurements....

which sound a lot like,

"Oh....about this big", while holding outstretched arms.

During his Christmas break he began building my vision for me.

He got it just about finished when his job took him away for most of the next 6 months.

He worked on it when he could, with only minimal ~~nagging~~ encouragement from me.

And now it's done!

The windows did take a lot of work to prepare. They were covered with many layers of paint.

I stripped and sanded and stripped and sanded.

There was pink, yellow, green and white paint on them.

At each new layer, I couldn't help thinking of all the years this paint had been on these windows.

I kept the original hardware on to use as the cupboard handles.

I really liked how the paint on them was all chipped.

Remember the star that Tisha included in her swap with me? I knew this would be a good spot for it!

It turned out to be just what I wanted.

It's perfect.

And it's mine.....all.mine.

Just like my Craig. :):):)

No Good.

2010-07-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been planning a missionary update for awhile.

Mark has been doing great.

He has been having a wonderful experience in Uganda and doing some pretty fantastic things.

Until yesterday.....

Yesterday we found out that he had been hospitalized because he had contracted Malaria.

Ya.....no good.

Apparently the malaria medication that the missionaries take to prevent them from getting it made Mark really sick. He told me he was going to stop taking that kind and start taking a different kind.

He never started taking it.

Again....no good.

If I were in Uganda right now I would be giving him a really intense Mom Lecture.

Complete with raised voices and a whole lot of finger wagging.

It's hard to know the complete story because, it seems missionaries only touch the high points of what is going on with them.

This is what I got....."DON'T FREAK OUT, but I had Malaria."

Any other details I got were from what he told my daughter Makenzie.

Which, by the way, I'm quite sure are also just a few snippets of the story.

He says he is on the mend.

I hope so.

Mark.....don't MAKE me come and get you! ;)

Love ya, buddy. Get better soon.

If you would like to see some fun pictures of Mark, go check out Makenzie's blog.

Phew!

2010-07-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before we left for our little vacation, I had been doing a lot of sewing. I had to finish up the things that I was making for Tisha at Loafer Mountain Primitives. I was really struggling with some of the things I was making and it took much longer than I wanted it to. Remember, she sent me ALL that fabric?? Well, I felt like I had to do a good job here since she was so generous with me.

Here is one of things that I made for her.

My SIL, Michelle sent me a picture and pattern of a cute rag bag she had made.

I decided to make one and send it to Tisha.

These little bags are so fun and easy. Thanks, Michelle for the pattern!

I didn't take a picture of the other things I made for her so if you want to have a little looky, click here.

Have a great day!

The kind of work that feels good.

2010-07-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

We always seem to schedule a camping trip while we are visiting in Utah. We always go to a place in the Uinta Mountains called Marsh Lake. Craig's family has been camping here for generations.

Last year when we went, we noticed that a lot of the pine trees were dying. We were told that a beetle had infested the trees and they secrete something that makes a mold grow on the bark and causes the trees to die.

Well, this year, it was very evident that the beetles had done some damage.It had become necessary for loggers to come in and start cutting down the dead trees. The camp grounds were bare. We had also been told that the loggers had done such a bad job that they were fired. Supposedly, they had ruined campsites, picnic tables and even leveled an outhouse at another campground. They really had left a mess.

It had now come the responsibility of the camp hosts to clear the sites for campers. And, as you can tell by the picture, it was going to be a daunting task for just the two of them.

So, having quite a large group of people there (and a few youth working on scouting and young women's projects) we asked the camp hosts if we could clean up a bit for them.

They gave us some rakes, a pitch fork and a couple of wheel barrows to use.

We cleared a lot of brush and stacked some of the cut down trees. We worked hard and it felt good. The kids were able to pass of some goals and, in the process, do something for someone else.

We wished we could have done more, but it was one of those jobs that we could work for a straight week and still wouldn't be finished.

Here is a picture of the campground from the other side of Marsh Lake. It's so sad to see all the dead trees.

We were still able to get some fishing in. Here is Ragan and Cameron. (Did I mention that fishing with your kids is so much more fun when they can work their own poles! haha!)

Crystal (Cam's wife) and Makenzie and Craig and Cam enjoying some time together. That was the best part. We don't get to see them very often and we miss them!!

A few days after we got home to Arizona, we got this card in the mail. It was from the camp hosts. Their kind words were so appreciated. :)

P.S. Buff & Francis....save some work for us so we can help out again next year!

I've Been Gone

2010-07-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Soooooo, we've been gone.............to Utah, that is.
I fully intended to have some blog posts written and set to post while I was gone. I started them...but never finished. Geeez--that is the story of my life lately! *sigh*

Anyhow, we had a nice (but far too short) visit. Craig, who LOVES camping and fishing was needing some camping and fishing R&R pretty bad. That was basically all we did while we were there. I want to say it was relaxing and calm, but truthfully, it was a lot of work. There sure is a lot of preparation before the trip and a lot of cleaning up afterward. But, I hope the fishing helps my Mr. Craig get through a few more track meets. The big guy is in Canada right now......I know-LUCKY duck! He left just about 36 hrs after getting home from our little vacation. He certainly is a traveling man.....and I certainly miss him.
Ragan starts school this Friday. (do you sense my lack of enthusiasm?) Year round school begins early around these parts. She is attending a volleyball camp Monday-Thursday. We haven't even bought her a pencil to begin the year with. I am feeling desperately unprepared. But, as with most things, it will all work itself out.
Well, I am off to email my missionary. (I will be doing an update post on him very soon.)

happy mail!

2010-06-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

I really like going out to the mailbox and pulling out something other than bills.

Especially when I get something from a swap partner!

This is what Julie sent to me!!

Isn't it just so patriotically wonderful??

I think so!

Thank you Julie! You"re the best!

What have you been up to?

2010-06-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I will tell you what I've been up to.

Sweating.

That's right. Profuse, full body sweats.

I know.....I know.....That's disgusting and you really didn't need to nor want to read about it, but I am all about sharing, people.

All.about.sharing.

I would also like to share a little sneak peek of a swap that I did with Julie from Country Girl at Heart.

She is so fun to swap with! If you ever get a chance to swap with her it will be well worth your time! :)

We did a patriotic swap this time.....here's just a little snippet of something I made her.

I hope you like it Julie....it should be arriving any day!

I have also sewn together a quilt top made of the layer cake that I won from Nicole over at Our Cozy nest. I haven't finished it up yet because I am working on my end of my swap with Tisha at Loafer Mountain Primitives.....fun fun fun!!

Thank goodness sewing machines don't sweat because I am certainly giving mine a workout.

(HEY. Better it than me......)

I love my blog friends.

2010-06-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

I was recently talking to my blog friend, Tisha, from Loafer Mountain Primitives. She was telling me about all the fabric she had that was given to her by her mother-in-law.

And then she asked me IF I WANTED SOME OF IT.

Can you even stand it?

It was music to my fabric hoarding ears, people!!

Well, I couldn't, in good conscience, just take the fabric so I offered to make her something in return.

A swap, if you will.

Imagine my elation when her box arrived! It was so stuffed full of fabric! And huge pieces! Some of them....like this train print....are like 6 yards!!!

(pardon me for a moment while I sing, "I'm in Heaven" for just a sec!)

And if that wasn't enough, She tucked in ALL sorts of little goodies that just warmed my heart.

See the wall hanging in the above picture. Ya. All hand quilted.

There was also this framed stitching and this little basket.

Take a look at what I found inside....

hang on--I'm clutching my chest.....

Oh, the primness of it all. I loooooove it!

I wish you could smell the potpurrie that is inside this little bag. It is just plain old citrus deliciousness.

I have big plans for that rusty star, too. Just you wait....you will be seeing it in an upcoming post very soon!

Thank you, thank you, Tisha. Your extremely generous gift has not gone unappreciated! I hope you like what I am sending you but I submit that I got the better end of the deal!! ;)

What do you do with a smelly wooden bowl?

2010-06-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

I found this big wooden bowl at a thrift store last year. It really is quite large and heavy. I noticed right away that the bowl had sort of an odd smell to it. Almost like someone oiled it up with motor oil or something. I thought that maybe the smell would go away over time.....but, it didn't. Even after months of being out in the garage. The smell was so bad that I couldn't have it in the house at all. Weird, huh?

Well, I really wanted to use it so I decided that I would paint over it and seal it and see if that would help.

I chose a gray-ish blue color to paint it with.

I seem to recall painting many a thing with this same color around 1987! haha!

Funny how things come back around in style, isn't it?!

Here is a side view.

I almost think this bowl is hand made because of it's uneven sides.

And, here's the good news..... The smell is gone.

Who knew???

The bowl is currently waiting to be filled. I thought I would make some rag balls to put in it. I have made 4 so far.....but, it's such a big bowl, I think I may need about 110 more! :):)

Have a great day!!