Happy belated Utah Pioneer Day

Yesterday was Pioneer Day, a state holiday here in Utah. In 1847, Brigham Young stood at the top of Immigration Canyon, said "This is the Place", and Utah was established. (It was many years until it became a actual state)The pioneers, who had walked 1000's of miles, spent that first 24th of July, settling in and being happy they had finally made it through their trek. The next day, they immediately started planting crops, laying out land plots, and getting organized. The symbol of Utah-the Beehive, standing for Industry and Hard Work.

I am in a regional food recipe exchange thru Swap-bot.com. We are to include one meat, one vegetarian and one dessert recipe, which we send to each of our two assigned partners. I also included two famous Utah recipes........Fry Sauce...... Utah Fry Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Mix together and dip in french fries (pictured above)

and......Green Jello....there was even a pin made for trading during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah

Green Jello

serves 12

1 cup water

1 (6oz) package Lime Jell-O

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbl lemon juice

1 cup crushed pineapple-undrained

2 cups whipping cream

Bring water to a boil. Put dry jell-o & sugar in a mixing bowl-pour boiling water over mix, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Add lemon juice. Stir in pineapple. Refrigerate until syrupy. Whip cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream into jell-o mixture. Put mix into 9 X 13 pan. Refrigerate for several hours until firm.

I hope I get some unusual recipes in the exchange!

In Closing:Favorite regional recipe....what do you like making.....share, please!

Needed a change.....

.........so I changed my blog site look. Like it?

I went to my last planning meeting for my Syracuse Quilt chapter for 2008. Our plans:

August:Stack and Whack pumpkin block

September:Halloween redwork quilt blocks

October:Quick and easy Christmas gifts-needle case & paper pieced blocks

November:Trunk Show

December:Holiday Luncheon and gift exchange

It has been nice to be on the planning committee for this group. We have women anywhere from beginners to the expert level, so it has been a challenge to keep everyone involved and happy.
I also found out how to cut my 100 9-patch blocks....you cut each block in half top to bottom and side to side, so you end up with four equal sized squares. You sort through and re-sew the blocks together so you have a very scrappy look. I'll post photos in a couple weeks when I can get to it.

I have the 4th row of the Row quilt finished...paper pieced crazy log cabins. I am know working on the 5th row-half fan blocks. The 6th row is a pieced grandmothers flower, which I do not like, so I am going to substitute a row of basket blocks. The final row is a appliqued daisy flower. This has been fun to do, because I do not piece traditional blocks to often anymore.

In Closing:When you need a change in your life, what do you do for a quick pick-me-up? Hair dye, chocolate, shopping, new project? Share, please.......

Quiltathon Day

I participated in Judy's (patchworktimes.com) quiltathon this weekend....and this is what I finished! My 100 9-patch blocks for my Guild's September project. The group is doing their blocks in cream and Thimbleberry fabrics, but I decided to use up my scraps and did mine in muslin and reds. We will learn how to cut the blocks and sew everything back together at the September Meeting...it's a really pretty, scrappy quilt when you are done.

I have four quilters signed up for the Fall (Sept-Nov) Journal quilt challenge....any other quilters want to join Gina, Lorraine, Kris and me? Info is in my Jul 16th post...check it out!



In Closing:I sent my registration in for the Utah Quilt Fest. I am hoping to get a all day class on fabric dyeing and a all day class on strip piecing with curves. I also signed up for a nighttime lecture on using up your scraps and the Opening Night get together to meet the teachers.



Do you have a State or favorite Quilt Fest you routinely attend....please share!

Remembering my Grandma

Yesterday was a day of nice memories of my Grandmother S. She and I didn't always get along, so it was nice to remember the good times instead of thinking about the negative issues.

I went to the Ogden Temple with my friend Teri, followed by lunch at Dee's restaurant (a famous Utah food chain). I had not been to Dee's for years....on the menu, they had a Monte Cristo Sandwich. What is a Monte Cristo....basically, a meat sandwich, usually ham, with cheese, that is dipped in batter, fried, and served with jam or jelly. The yummy, heart blocking sandwich is pictured below. When I was a kid in California, my Grandparents would visit from Utah once or twice a year. Every time they came, my Grandmother, a little bit of a drama queen, would say, "I am going to die soon, so one last time, I would like to go to Disneyland". She said this for about 20 years! We would drive the few miles to Disneyland, put Grandma in a wheelchair and head for the It's a Small World ride (the only ride she went on). On the way to the ride, someone would go get lunch reservations at the New Orleans restaurant at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. At the appointed time, we would all meet at the restaurant and Grandma would have her Monte Cristo sandwich, "one last time"
It must have been a "food" memory day, because I followed the sandwich with a dilly bar from Dairy Queen (pictured above) while I was waiting for Hubby at the cemetery. There was a Dairy Queen at the corner of 13th South and 13th East in Salt Lake within walking distance of my Grandparent S house. When I was a little one, I would take my quarter, buy a dilly bar and sit on their front porch to eat it. Afterwards, Grandpa would wash my hands in the hose outside, then Grandma would wash my hands again at the sink in the kitchen

Weird memories, huh! Thought I would just share....

In Closing:Do you have a childhood memory that deals with food or a smell or a photo? Please share........

Journal Challenge-want to join me?

I want to do a journal quilt (8.5 X 11 inch block) challenge, and I want you to join me!

The Theme will be nature...tree's, plants, bugs...whatever is you vision of nature.

The challenge will run September 1st to November 30th...one block per month for 3 months

(Above-vacation journals by Marilyn Rose)

(Below-another inspiring journal quilt...do not know who made it though)

Each month, the sub-theme will be:

September:Nature-your view

October-Nature-your favorite seasonal view

November-Nature-up close view

Okay quilters, who's with me? I have done journal quilts in the past and really like them because:

1.They are small and manageable to do

2.They can be as simple or elaborate as you want

3.They are your own design, so no one can say you did something incorrect...how do they know you didn't plan it that way?

The challenge only includes completing the top...quilting it is great, but not mandatory.

Please let me know if you would like to join by leaving a comment or e-mailing me at

quiltersr@peoplepc.com

In Closing:Nature...what visuals does that word bring up for you? Me...trees...I love all kinds of trees. In fact, that is going to be the theme for my journal quilts. What about you?

Wonderful Weekend

I had a great Saturday of lots of activities with my Hubby...I love Summer!

We started by dropping off two quilts to our City Quilt show Saturday morning. This is the first year they have done a quilt/handicraft show as part of our city days. I put in my Devils Gate (Wyoming) block pictured above, plus another landscape quilt of a Lighthouse (I don't have a photo of) The group doing doing the quilt show had never done a show before and had planned to drape the quilts over boxes and on the floor. I suggested most quilters would prefer to have them off the floor. They put up long tables in rows, with metal chairs on top of the table, then draped the quilts over the chairs. The quilts were are eye level and not on the floor.
Next we drove to Logan, where my Hubby's cousins (his mom's side) were having a picnic reunion. We had some great salads, played Phase 10(card game) and visited alot. We had the picnic in Willow Park, which is a very nice area of shade trees right next to the Zoo.

Next, we went to downtown Logan. Above is a photo of the Tabernacle on Main Street. It has been beautifully restored inside...the community holds concerts and other functions inside. It turned out Logan was having a city festival of their own, along with a huge sidewalk sale on Main street. Oh, how I wish I had brought more money!

I went to Red Roosters Quilt shop. They have been in business for about 5 years, with about 1 year at their Main Street location. With the sidewalk sale, everything was at least 20% off. I am doing my guilds 100-9 patch quilt in the Fall in muslin and reds...and did I find reds! I bought 10 FQ's ($1 each), plus scrap rolls that were 4-5 inches wide (50 cent each)...best $18 dollars I have spent in a long time. I need 3.5 inch squares for the 9-patch, so the 4-5 inch scrap rolls will work great.

Right next door to the Red Rooster is the Bluebird. It is a old fashioned ice cream parlor, with a lunch/dinner service, and a homemade candy counter. My parents use to meet there for ice cream in the 1940's when my dad was doing his military training in Logan. I planned to go in and get some candies, but they were having a private party and were not open....sad!
Lastly, we stopped at Far West at Smith and Edwards. If you are in the area, and have some pocket change and a couple hours to kill, you should stop by S n E. It is one of those stores you just have to experience at least once. It's a cowboy, grocery, hardware, military surplus, odd leftover kind of place. Saturday is the worst crowded time to go, so if you don't like crowds, pick another day. Our purchases...lemon candies (5 cents each), jerky rope (my hubby), small containers for sewing supplies (12 for $1.98), 400 q-tips(99 cents)and metal cooking tongs ($1.49). We looked at the army surplus clothing, but nothing looked great. Hubby looked in the camping/hunting/fishing section, but again couldn't justify purchasing anything.

We are now going to spend a nice quiet Sabbath laying around, reading, blogging then going to Church. I love Sundays!

In Closing:Favorite Summer activities.... Mine-gardening, farmers markets, reading, picnics, hikes, family reunions, festivals/fairs/city celebrations, watermelon and other seasonal fruit, canning(yes, I really do like canning!) and being with my family....what's yours?

I am back to blogging...finally. This home of mine has been sick...flu of the worst kind. Hubby had it a little, then I got it bad, and now Daughter V is beginning the signs of sickness. It's amazing how much you can not do when you are sick. I started off only sleeping, then to walking around the house between naps, to eating something after 5 days, to finally being able to go to the store. Do not get the flu...it's not fun!

Since being sick, I missed my service day on the 30th of June. I did finish a couple outfits for each of my grand-daughters which have been delivered to them in Idaho. Except for looking at a couple of sewing/quilting books from the Library while sick, that's the extent of my sewing/quilting/creative moments the last week.

In closing:Above is a photo of the LDS Temple at Manti (Utah). It sits on a small hill in a flat valley, so you can see it for miles away. At night, the valley is so dark, the lights on the Temple make it look like it is floating in air. I have been thinking about this Temple, because of friends who live near to it in Wales.

These are dear friends from our old neighborhood. We all grew up as parents together as we built our first homes and had our babies. The mom, Keri, and I took turns being pregnant. She had a girl, then me, she had a boy, then me....she threw in another girl, then we had daughters together.....my V and her Rachael. (I stopped at three, but she went on to having 10 children, plus adopting two of her nephews for a grand total of 12 children.) We moved physically away from one another about 12 years ago, but have been eternal friends always.

This last week, I joined this family to bury their 18 year old daughter, Rachael. She was killed in an ATV accident at her birthday party (the day before her actual 18th birthday) She stayed alive long enough to donate parts of her physical body to help others. With the various donations, the doctor said she helped over 50 people.

Though this was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, I felt such a warm comfort at her viewing. This child, about the enter the adult World, was more accomplished and ready for the next step of her journey than I know I am. She had accomplished the things important to her, and gave of herself even after she was gone. Her family is very blessed to have had this child in their lives, if only for 18 years. They are also blessed with wonderful neighbors and friends to help them weather this temporary separation from Rachael.

I am glad to have know this girl and for my daughter V to have had her for a childhood friend. I am comforted to have a knowledge that we live after this lifetime and that Rachael is safe and happy.

Do you have someone special you haven't seen in a while? Please call, e-mail or drop in on them this week. Tell them why they are special and what they mean to you.

My love to you all!