Baby in the house

I am officially babysitting! It seems weird, but fun, but tiring, by amazing to have a 3 month old around the house again. His mommy has done really well about going back to work, even if she didn't want too. Now my schedule is built around bottles, diaper changes and nap time. V holding her nephew T!

Oh, there is baby right now...so much for posting...talk to you later!

Just call me the BAG lady

I have been sewing bags like crazy. Some were for a bag swap at Swap-bot.com....some were for service projects...some were just for me! Left to right:

Pink geometric print
Brown with multi-colored ribbon
Under the sea fish print
Earth tone dyed fabric (dyed by me)
Pink Hawaiian flower print

I need to get a better way to download photos...the bags look much better in person!

In Closing: My previous post talked about goodies from thank yous and swaps. What the nicest thing you've received in the post lately?

Goodies in the mail

I've gotten some goodies in the mail the last few weeks, and seem to be able to finally post a good photo. The bag in the photo below is from the Summer Beach Bag swap at Swap-bot.com. Isn't it wonderful! The girl who sewed it did it from memory without a pattern. It was filled with surprises like, beach toys, nail files, and a thermos for a cold drink. The beautiful fabric card on top of the bag is a thank you from Summerset over at Pins and Needles.com. I sent her a vintage clothing pattern I had from a estate sale that I knew I could never figure out(no instructions in the envelope), but I figured she could. If you've never been over to her blog, go check it out...she is an amazing seamstress. This little fabric card (wish the photo was better) is in yellow, purple and white (colors of my front flowerbeds) and is beaded daisy flowers that are just perfect.

Thanks again ladies....I love getting mail!

In closing:Yesterday was one of my service days for the month, so I sewed some more bags for the shelter. I originally planned to go to the Family History Center in Salt Lake and teach for today, but health issues and the gas prices changed those plans.

Since the gas prices around the World are rising, have you changed your plans, habits, or goals because of the travel and/or expense? Share.....

Cyd is gone

Cyd Charisse died today in Los Angeles, California (USA)

Who is Cyd, you ask?

She was a ballet dancer from Texas, who's given name was Tula

She wasn't very tall, but knew how to make her legs look like they were a mile long....

She could dance almost every dance...ballet, jazz, tap, swing.......

She was a wonderful woman, who fulfilled her dreams of family, service and dance

Cyd Charisse was one of my hero's as a young girl in California. I wanted to dance like her. I wanted to have her long legs. I wanted to be her. I will miss her. Though we never meet face-to-face, I feel like we shared something special when I watched her on that big ol' Theater screen.

I hope she is having a blast dancing with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire up in Heaven!

Love to her sons and family!

Everyone is home

My honey bunny and daughter are home....I am SO happy. I missed them and they missed me too. Hubby wasn't too happy about the garage incident, but then, neither was I! He said if anything ever happened like that again, to let Mustang out the front door and the bad guys are on their own with 100 pounds of angry puppy!

I went to JoAnne's Fabrics today. I think nearly everything was on sale in the store. I got there about 20 minutes after the store open and the carts were nearly gone. I got fabric for me (skirt and jacket), 4 FQ's for an exchange ("going green" theme), some scrap booking supplies (trying to catch up on the pile in the office), fabric/thread for another FQ exchange (stars, food and cold themed) muslin, and some interesting pink with gold border trimmed fabric (portrait quilt I have running in my thoughts) plus stuff for an envelope scavenger hunt (read the In Closing at the end of this post) Oh, I also got 3 new bandannas to wear-I am losing my hair with the new medications, so I want bandannas to cover up. Ring , ring, ring went the cash register. Thank goodness my hubby missed me a whole bunch this last week, huh!

I start babysitting grandson T tomorrow. His mommy is NOT happy about going back to work. Financially, she has too, but emotional, that doesn't matter to a brand new mommy. I only have him half a day, and not every day, the first while. I went shopping with E today so she could find some business clothes. She found 2 really nice dresses and some other things.

In closing: Did you go on scavenger hunts when you were a kid. You had a list of completely unrelated items and went house to house and gathered the items. Whoever got everything in the shortest amount of time won. I am doing a mail scavenger hunt thru Swap-bot.com. Everything must fit in a 6 inch by 9 inch mail envelope that is not padded. Below is the list with a brief description of what I am putting in my envelope.

01.Something to stick-stickers with funny savings on them
02.Something from your country-Fabric bandanna of American flags
03.Something blue or purple-tiny purple clothespins
04.Something yellow, green or orange-small paper flowers with green stems
05.Something tasty-a couple of my favorite recipes
06.Something made of paper-a couple of blank cards with envelopes
07.Something fun-a little flat wood sailboat-it's fun to sail here
08.Something pretty-a 4 inch fabric wedding dress
09.Something handmade/crafty-a cross stitch kit
10.Something you collect-a flat tiny metal Eiffel Tower

Fun idea, huh! I can't wait to get my envelope to see how someone filled it using the same categories. What fun things did you find on a scavenger hunt?

Still no photos

Still can not post any photos...I will figure this problem out, even if it kills me...or the computer!

I have still stayed busy while everyone has been gone. Went to monthly quilt meeting on Tuesday. It was our annual luncheon and challenge meeting. Of course, the luncheon was yummy, yummy, yummy. Quilters are always good cooks! The challenge competition wasn't as exciting. Usually, we only have one fabric that everyone uses, but this year was different. S, who is on the program committee with me, brought fat quarters (in a bag) that she had got on clearance from Keepsake Quilting. Everyone reached into the bag and pulled out a different fat quarter. Some of fabric was okay and some was very ugly! Only 3 people (not me) finished, so we had a first, second and third place winner and no one was left out.

I've been working on more bags. I had set the goal to do some major, planned service on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month. For the 10th, which was quilt meeting day, I sewed a couple of more bags. I am going to donate them to the women shelter in the city North of us. I don't have a car, so I haven't been able to get the handle material to finish the bags yet. I am going to play on the Internet and get some more ideas for planned service projects for my set days for each month.

Tonight, daughter E is coming to get me to go see the traveling Vietnam exhibit and the presentation of QOV quilts to 40 soldiers. The QOV (Quilts of Valor) director for Utah is in my quilt group, so I've been donating tops to the group for a while. One of my quilts is being presented tonight. I am so proud of these soldiers. For those of you who do not know what QOV is, it is a group, organized by a quilter, who make quilts for wounded soldiers (physically or otherwise). The quilts are usually sent to oversea hospitals or local rehab centers. It's a nice comfortable to our service men and women. I live not to far from a base, so we have many neighbors, friends, church members, and work related people who are members of the military.

In Closing: Maybe you can help me with my service project. Do you have a group or project that touched you heart...share with me, and maybe it can be one of my projects!

I want my family!!!!!

I am grumpy and frustrated and worried and I just want a big of bag of chocolate and my family!

Last night, someone tried to break into the garage. It happened about 1:30am this morning. I was woke up by my German shepherd (thank goodness for him!) going crazy in the laundry room. I thought he needed to go out, but when I opened the laudry room door, he shot for the front door...something he NEVER does. I made him go out the back door. He was barking like crazy and headed for the side of house just going crazy. After a few minutes, both dogs came back to the back door and whined to be let it. Mustang (German shepherd) still was acting crazy and was sticking right next to me and wanted to wander thru out the house. I put them back in the laundry room, and both dogs just started howling.

Knock on the door...it's the police. I'm thinking, "oh great, the neighbors are mad about the noise at 1:30am". Nope! A neighbor, who was up in the middle of the night, across the street, saw something suspicious outside, heard my dogs and called the police. The officer is a friend from Church, so he looked around and found the garage unlocked. I told him I knew it was locked before, so we looked inside. Nothing is missing, but someone tried to take some cement bags...they were moved like they had been picked up then dropped. I'm glad Officer Wilson was the officer who came. He's big and can look mean, but he is the nicest, sweetest marshmallow of a guy. He locked then fixed the garage with some items from my hubby's tool chest, so that garage is NOT opening again.

Did I sleep after that...no. I kept finding myself going and checking locks and looking out the windows. I was even freaked out about letting the cats out at about 5am. Poor kitties!

Well, I don't seem to be able to post photos or anything else much, so this is it!

In Closing: I am thankful for my 100 pound German shepherd. He loves me, he protects me, he's terrified of lightening and thunder and cats, and I wouldn't trade him for anything!

Camping, hiking and chocolate

I tried to post some wonderful photo's of Havasupai, but it's just not happening today. Hubby and Daughter V, along with her best friend C, left for the girls graduation trip to Havasupai (Arizona) It's north of the Grand Canyon. Havasupai means "people of the blue-green water". It's down in a canyon area with lots of waterfalls, red rock, hiking and camping...paradise for my family. I bet the three of them are having a blast. They called to say they were having fun and had stopped for the tour at Hoover Dam on the way thru to Havasupai.

So what about me....I stayed home! This is V's trip with her dad and best friend. I took oldest daughter E on her graduation trip...room at the Marriott at a ski resort, shopping for clothes, and dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant at the resort.

So, what did I do alone, so far. I went to the Family History Center with my friend T yesterday for about 6 hours. She had never been to the Center in Ogden (Utah), where I use to work, so we did a quick tour, lunch, and about 5 hours on the computer. And guess what we found out...we're related! After knowing each other for about 15 years, growing up on opposite US coasts, we found out we are part of the same family tree.
Her KELSEY family and my WILCOXSON/WILCOX family married, back in Vermont, about 400 years ago...we're cousins! Okay, cousins from wwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy back! It was fun to find that out.

In closing:It has been interesting to be all alone here at home. I got to thinking when the last time I was alone. It turned out I was about 18 years old, and my parents had gone away for a few days of alone time as a couple. My entire marriage, I have never been alone. If I went somewhere, hubby or a child cam with me....if they left, I still had a child with me. It's been a different experience to not have to think about or worry or take care of anyone else but me. Of course, I have some major sewing/quilting planned. I stocked up on the videos to watch/listen to as I sew, plus a new Susan Witting Albert book. Suzanne, what do you want for dinner? Chocolate, thank you! Can you let the animals out for a break? Sure! Do you want to go to bed? Nope, gonna stay up and read for a while.

Oh, oh, I'm already talking to myself! Not a good sign....

So what haven't you done for a long time, or ever? What would you like to do away from your usual routine? Please, share with us....

Quick update

V and I have two shirts (one for her/one for best friend) dyed. I used the remaining dye and just randomly poured it over the printed muslin...we shall see what we get tonight! I also made a new fall colors bag for....books....food...whatever.

Hubby and I ran over to Wally World (Wal-Mart) to pick up some things for the Grand Canyon. While there, I wandered over to the fabric section. Found some great buttons, on clearance, that will work as wagon wheels for a history quilt I am planning. I stopped to see if there was a nice summery fabric to make another bag for a swap of summer bags and I discovered....fabric prices are going up. I talked to one of the workers who works at both Wally World and JoAnnes, and she says most of the low to mid priced fabric lines(VIP, Marcus Brothers) are going up about 50 cents to $2 a yard, starting today. ARGH!

Good thing I have about a 5 year supply!!!!

Quiltathon Day

Today and tomorrow are Quiltathon days with Judy at Patchwork Times...thanks for keeping us motivated and organized, Judy. Daughter V & I are going to do some dyeing today. She wants some original shirts to wear on her Grand Canyon trip next week (graduation gift) and I want to try dyeing some muslin. I think I will also try and get a couple of fabric totes made too. I have a super easy McCall's (#8705) pattern for various totes that uses only a couple yards of fabric each. I am trying to use re-usable totes for the store and library so we don't have a bunch of plastic sitting around. I am also gearing up for some major family history work. I've slacked off on the online record translating I was doing for my Church. I am also taking a group from my Church down to the Salt Lake Family History Library (pictured above) on the 21st for a day of research. With the high gas prices ($3.90 a gallon), Hubby and I may just go to the Library for a day of research for our wedding anniversary this month too. My hubby is the greatest guy to do research with....I just give him a county and state I need info from, and he comes back with armloads of books and lists of films that fit my needs. He also doesn't mind doing copies of pages for me.
In closing: Pictured above is the Syracuse (Utah) Cemetery, where my hubby is the caretaker. I have been thinking alot about all that I have. I may not have the newest or biggest or most expensive of alot of things, but I have never "wanted" in my life for much. I have been trying to be more grateful and do for others or give more service. Where does the cemetery come in? I have tried to help my hubby with the cemetery more...clean up the expired flowers, weed, decorate a forgotten grave. Of course, I am going to try and do some kinds of other service, where ever I am needed. I read this week how the pioneers gave every 10th day as a day of service to others...cooking, laundry, building, plowing. etc. I am going to try and set aside the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month (give or take a day) as a service day.

How about you? Where/how/when do you do service?