Christmas Fun

Well I'm sure you can believe I didn't take a single picture for Christmas. We have had snow, snow, snow! I need to get a picture of Terry out plowing everyones driveway. After the last couple big storms he has spent half the day plowing. I went out one day and snowblowed(?) the sidewalks and helped a few people but my thumb got cold after a couple hours. I'm a whimp huh!

We have loved the snow so far. This week we have gone to the movies with two different sets of friends and on Christmas day saw Valkyre with son Greg. Had nice Christmas Eve with Jasons, Kaisa and Grandkids. Funny story: The kids get PJs for Christmas eve and Matthew wouldn't eat his dinner so they told him he couldn't open his PJs unless he ate. Well he finally got mad and pointed his finger at his dad and said "You're WRONG DAD and I'M RIGHT! It was so cute.....

Hope everyone else had a great Christmas.

Quilts

I thought I might share a few quilts now that I've figured out how to use camera and upload pictures. Here's a Christmas quilt that will be given to our past Relief Society President for all her efforts and work in Relief Society. The other is my Dear Jane in progress, at least another year in the making, but my goal is to finish it by quilt fest 2009.

Grandkids

Here's Jamie & Hannah & Spencer, having fun and saying goodbye. I think they had fun renewing their counsinship at Thanksgiving.

Andy & kids

This is Andy and his two kids at Thanksgiving.

Fun at Uncle Gregs

Thanksgiving

So we did the big thanksgiving etc. Boy it's a lot of work, but so nice to have family around. My son Andy and his two kids, a friend and his daughter came for a few days. We enjoyed having two more grandchildren around, but wished we could have spent more time with them and that all the grand kids could have spent more time together. But you get what you get right. We went to see the dog movie, Blast? Can't remember it now. It is a really cute movie. We took up half the back row, then two people we didn't know with their little children sat down in my son's & friends seats. We were wondering where they were and thought they were in the hall texting, seems that was all they did most of the time. Well they came to find their seats and found those people sitting there, so went and sat somewhere else. We didn't see them come. It was funny, but a little irritating. Then the kids went shooting, girls and all on Sat. they really had fun with that.

I GOT MUSIC

How cool, thanks Kathy, but when I went to add it it didn't give blogspot as a ch0ice from the one I went to. But I went to blogspot went to the help section. Wow, it helps to get help and read directions!!!

I can't sleep so I'm up screwing around on my computer. Talking to the Lord about my idiocy and generally trying to get tired. I'd better leave before I start sewing, then I'll never get any sleep.

Aspen Grove

Ok, I don't have fancy pictures yet, but what a fabulous 4 days of sewing and sorry guys, reading. I guess I needed more to veg than to sew. I got a lot done, laughed an awful lot, someone needs to be told about the Wart game, I've never heard of anything so funny. I've got to share that one with my Bishop so he'll know what people are doing during Sac meeting, he he. My kids probably would have loved church if I could have been so inventive. Anyway, thanks guys, for including me It was the funnest retreat ever!!

Ciongrats Kathy, just read your blog and I need to get music on mine too. How proud you must be of your son. That is way cooll. Guess I've been in the dark lately, don't seem to know what's going on. I need to get out more huh.

I'm stressed

Ok, I had a training meeting with the Stake RS Pres & counselors and mine, I spent all day from 9-6 at somebodies meeting yesterday and I'm feeling like I'm not sure who I am and where I am at. Seems like I have way too much on my plate and I'm thinking everyone is right, I'm going to have to cut some things out. Don't want it to be quilting, but guess I'll just have to pick what I can based on each week. Hope as I learn more it smooths out a little. I know I'm worrying way too much about sisters that are sick or having problems. But guess that goes with the job HUH!

On the bright side I almost have the top for the Utah State donation to Holiday quilt show pieced together. Just have to figure out some borders. It is pretty. Thanks for everyones support.

Also, BUMMeR THAT Quik Quilts is closing I will sure miss them. But their life goes on too.

new calling

ok, the last post should be labeled cruise. This is about my new calling. I've been called as Relief Society President in my ward. I got the call the day after we got home from our cruise. I'm sure glad it wasn't before. After the first couple weeks things settled down a bit, but now I've got lots of new assignments so anticipate being a lot busier. I wondered why me. My feeling is that I have experienced a lot of trials in the last 30 years and that I may have something to offer the sisters in these trying times we are heading into. I did a food order for a family that was blending two families and was able to sympathize because I've been there. It helped them to know I understood the challenges of ex-spouse problems, etc. So I'm still quilting and that was a concern of th sisters in my ward that are in our little church group. But we are going strong and they are making cute christmas table runners. I have decided that I would have to cut down some on my quilting, so have narrowed my quilting down to my absolute responsibilities. Then if I have time for something else, I'll be happy.

Well that kind of brings me up to date. I appreciate all my quilting friends who have been so supportive of me and have confidence that I can do this. Thanks you guys are great.

New Calling

Ok, it's been a while and my friends figure I'll never post again, so thought I'd better take some to to update my site.

My husband and I went on a cruise to the Baltic with Cruise Lady. It was a very wonderful experience. I have always wanted to go to Copenhagen because my ancestors are from
Denmark. So that was where the cruise started from. We were
fortunate enough to go first class, we used all our miles we have
been saving for years and boy were we glad. It was such a long
flight and the seats actually recline almost to sleeping and we got
so many meals we ended up skipping some of them. This picture is
Terry standing in front of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

Now if you go to Denmark, take lots of money for food,
etc or your own food. We paid about 15-20 for a
hamburger in McDonalds and you have to pay 25 cents
for ketchup packs every where in europe, and that's each.
No refills either. This picture is looking
from the ship over copenhagen.







Next we went to Sweden, because it was our first stop, I don't remember much about it. Everything was green in all the scandinavian countries.


This is the place in Sweden where
the Nobel gifts are given. The
Nobel Peach Price is given in Norway.










Back on the ship and on to Finland. Finland is very rocky, and as we go north, it is starting to get colder. There are tons of waterways and lakes in all of the scandinavian countries. Here we are looking at the older part of Oslo.








After Finland we go to Russia for two days St. Petersburg. We had lunch with a family, that was very fun, it consisted of the mother a ballet dancer who now taught dancing to young dancers, the daughter who was going to Paris to study and the Grandmother who was celebrating her 85 birthday. We were served borshe first, which was just a very good cabbage and vegetable soup, followed by a rolled chicken, rice, vegetables and bread. Then for dessert was what they call apple pie, but was really a cake with apples in it. Food was very good, but we couldn't eat it all and the Grandmother who had been through the war and gone without food was not too happy we couldn't clean our plates.
A new perscpective. Russia was interesting and I will put more pictures when I figure out a better way to get them where I want them. It doesn't seem that the country has changed much from communism. The people all live in very small apartments which line the streets. Many buildings are not maintained. The people don't get up early and go to work, they go when they want to, work for a while then go drinking and then come home to sleep. The streets at 10 am where almost empty. No work ethic and probably no incentive to better themselves.

The guide was fairly open, but very careful about whqat she said. She did tell us during Kruschef's time if they said anything negative their family would lose their house, job and they would have no place to go. So it was bad then, but they miss all the free stuff they got too. Guess they don't realize nothing is free. It is either paid up front or through their taxes.

Well I will write more about our trips later.

This is Hannah, but a few years ago with a halloween
princess costume I made her.












The dark haired good looking guy is Jensen, Terry's son who committed suicide in 2007. He was in so much pain and just couldn't see his progress. He had a very painful life for the last 8-10 years. We miss him so. He had severe anxiety and mild bi-polar. But was not treated early enough to get the help he needed. If he had gotten proper treatment 4-5 years ago I think he would be alive today. He had much to offer and was a brilliant, loving and fun guy.







The cute little blond girl and boy is my son Andy and his daughter, our granddaughter Jamie. We don't get to see them much anymore since moving to Utah, that is the only downside to moving here. I miss her and Landon so much it makes me cry sometimes.

My Family

This is me and my husband when we looked good. Boy do I need to get back to that size.

A few of my Quilts

Wow, I got a picture on so thought I'd try some more. I'm going to post a few of my quilts I've made. The first one is Vintage Moments and I won two ribbons with this quilt an "Outstanding" at the 2007 Springville museum show and Judges choise at 2007 Utah Quilt Fest. The second one I made for my cousin's son who was on a mission. It is an orriginal design. The third is a quilt made by my great great great grandmother. It is a typical camp quilt used while crossing the plains. It is in the Utah Pioneer quilt museum.

Mission at last

OK, I'm excited. Terry and I are signing up to be missionaries as a help desk for the new familysearch, paf and igi. Terry has to learn a bit, so he will watch me as I do it to learn. Also, I think we will have to go to the family history center to learn some too. But we do it all from home
the training is 2 months then we are on board. So I will definitely not have too much time a Brenda and Denise have!!! We start in November

OK, I quilted my first quilt on my longarm and made just a FEW mistakes. First I rolled the take up the wrong way so not only could I not get close to the last row of quilting, but i quilted the batting onto the back for a bit!! I'm not trying to cut that out. Then of course I thought I had it on the right way, but low and behold when I came to the leader found I was short about 6 inches of back. So now I have it 3/4 quilted and have to fix it. Hope the next one goes on better.

Grandkids

ok, this is too funny, I got home from Utah Quilt Board meeting and Terry told me a funny story about Matthew, the youngest Grandkid (3). He was playing with brother Sam who is 5 and didn't want to stop to go to the bathroom so he pulled down his pants and peed all over his brother. It's the first time I've ever heard of Kaisa spanking one of the kids. But he deserved it for that. He was so sorry that even when dad came home he was opologizing to him for doing it too. Guess he found out he shouldn't do that huh.

Finally Quilting

I finally got my quilting machine going and loaded with a quilt. I'm half-way done and pooped. The beginning isn't so great, but I can see that hopefully as I do more I will get better. Right now i just want to figure out how to make it not look so much like rows and have it interlock better but with a small arm, probably not much luck there. I'm pretty excited that I finally bit the bullet and tried it. I can see I need LOTS of practice though.

If I ever find my camera I will figure out how to post some pictures.

Tryng Again

Well, after many trys and figuring out which email addr to log in with I'm just adding a post to learn. The quilt auction went really well considering the economy. The support form the Bee's was a little lacking, but I think there may be too many pulls on them for different projects. We have had company off and on for the past few weeks so haven't gotten anything done except clean my quilt room. Still can't find my camera so I can take some pictures. Entered the Springville Quilt show with my miniature, not holding too big of hopes.

Don't know how all feel, but I seem to have no desire to do much these days except lay around. Maybe it's the heat, but then in the winter it's too cold. Hope I'm not just slowing down. I'm going to try out my new quilting machine this next week if it kills me. So wish me luck that it works.

Hey, I'm blogging

Well I've wondered if I could do this blogging thing. So I guess I'll give it a try. Mainly for my quilting and maybe to express my thoughts. But this is a start. I'm a 59 year old mother of 2, step mother of 3 and wife, grandma to 7, aunt and hopefully a friend to many. I was born in Salt Lake City and moved to the Bay Area, Calif. when I was 8. I grew up there, went to BYU and married a CA guy so moved back. Was divorced after 15 very difficult years. Remarried a great guy and have been married 20 years this Nov. We are going on a Cruise of the Baltic in September and I am excited to go to my roots, Denmark for one of our stops. I love to quilt and I guess I'm addicted to it and fabric. My anxiety is I won't ever get everything I've started finished, so that is my goal right now, not to start any new projects. Of course, that lasted about 1 week. So I'll keep working on that to alleviate some of the stress I feel with so much hanging around!!!