I got my class list!

I got my class list for the Utah Quilt Guild Annual Quilt Festival! It is being held in Ogden (Utah) this next month. Though I am not taking any classes from them, the National teachers are:

Jane Sassaman

Laura Wasilowski

Karen Stone, and

Louisa Smith (I couldn't find a photo of her, so here's her book)

The festival is being held at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, that is connected to the Hampton Inn Hotel Center (pictured below).

I have the following classes:

Tuesday-Opening Social to meet the teachers and hear a little about them

Wednesday-all day fabric dyeing class with the Festival luncheon with Jane Sassaman speaking

Thursday-Orphan block class....I may or may not go to it...see how I feel

Friday-Lecture about scrappy quilts and how to use up your fabric stash

The festival runs through Saturday, but I couldn't decide on any classes I really felt the need to take that day. The luncheon that day is the business meeting for the festival...auction of table centerpieces and other fundraisers. I am really excited about the fabric dyeing class. We are suppose to wear old clothes and bring a 5 gallon bucket, sponge brushes/stamps and any other small containers to practise dyeing techniques. I have a couple (okay, a few!)landscape plans in my brain, but I always stop because I can't find the correct fabrics to do what I want to do. Maybe dyeing my own fabric will change that!

In Closing:Any quilt teacher, local or well known, that you've especially enjoyed taking a class from? Me-it would be a local teacher Carol Johnson, who does amazing journal sized landscape quilts. She's a great teacher too...very easy to understand and very helpful, if you are slow, like me!

Guess where I'm going...

on a cruise to Alaska! Yes! Yipe!!!!!

My dad is taking my siblings and I, along with our spouses, on a cruise of the inside passage of Alaska next June (2009). I am SO excited, I can't stand it!

As soon as we found out, I jumped on the Holland America Cruise site and started looking at the route and some of the port activities. We are going to see Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord (pictured below), and Ketchikan. There is so much to do, it can't possibly all be fitted into just 7 days! I definitely want to go whale watching. I've seen the whales by boat in California and Hawaii, and now I can add Alaska. I think they are beautiful creatures!
Hubby wants to fly in a float plane. He use to live in Alaska in the late 1970's and is really excited to be going back again. He has family that still live in Fairbanks....too far away for us to see though
I am already imagining all the fantastic photos that I can take that can turn into great journal quilts. I love working on the smaller scale of journal quilts.

I think I have decided on my pattern for the September journal challenge...I am going to do a picture based on the photo of Antelope Island I posted earlier this week. I still really like the Arrow Lake photo too, but will save it for a later project.

In Closing:Now that Summer is coming to an end here in the USA, what Fall activity are you looking forward too? Me, I love Fall cooking...pumpkin and squash recipes, hot chocolate with marshmallows and apple juice. How about you...please share!

I still have a back-to-school tradition

My last post, I was a little sad about not having my first day of school breakfast tradition anymore. Well, we also have another tradition, which Hubby and I did do...we always go out on a nice long date the weekend before he starts back to school

This year, we went to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi (Utah). Thanksgiving Point is a fun place to go.....there is a dinosaur museum, play house, animal petting zoo, shops, restaurants, golf course, and lots of gardens. He went to a car show, while I went to a quilt show. I know, not a very personal, close date, but we still had fun. I hiked through the multiple gardens and viewed all types of quilts. I especially enjoyed the display of quilts by Jodi Warner. She's a local quilter who does amazing quilts. I got to visit with her for a couple of minutes. She's a really nice lady! I took lots of photos, but, of course, I can't get them to post. My favorite garden was the Secret Garden. You walked through a vine tunnel to a wooden door and entered this sweet little walled garden. The quilts in there were nice, but I liked the garden better. I enjoyed the show, though did not like the walking....I figure about 5-7 miles total. We had planned to stop at IKEA (neither of us have been there)but we were both tired. We stopped by daughter V's work and picked up some school stuff for Hubby, plus we went and got dinner. Not really romantic, but after 26 years, just being together without kids for a few hours is really nice too.

In Closing:What was your most fun date(s).....something beyond the movie and dinner thing? Share, please.......

A tradition is about to end!

For 19 years, on the first day of school, I have had a tradition. Myself, and anyone too young to go to school yet, went out to breakfast after my Hubby (a school teacher) and the older kids all went to school. I finally have hit the age where I don't have anyone to walk over to school or give up my car to so they can be cool and drive the first day of High School. I've gone to different restaurants over the years, but McDonald's (vintage picture below) has been a mainstay over the years T is going to the DATC for a nail tech class, starting tomorrow, and Hubby reports to seven classes of tech students at West Point Jr High (pictured below) tomorrow. Grandbaby T and I will just have to hang out in the sewing room, or something!
I have narrowed down (I think) my journal quilt pattern for September to one of the two nature views shown below. The first one is Antelope Island, which I live just off shore of, and the second photo is Arrow Lake....I just can't decide! I better hurry though, because the challenge starts soon!

In Closing:Do you have a back to school tradition with your children or grandchildren? New haircuts, book bags, book you read....what?...share, please

Journal Quilt Challenge

I am sending out a e-mail to all who signed up for the Nature Journal Quilt Challenge, but I decided I better post here too. Anyone who still wants to join, even for just one of the months, please e-mail so I can include you in the group mailings.

lej619....you can join too, but I do not have an e-mail for you....please e-mail me!

The challenge begins on September 1st.

The first month theme is "Your view of Nature"

Please complete a 8.5 X 11 inch journal block representing your view of nature. The quilt can be pieced and/or appliqued and/or embellished any way you like. Maybe you can try a new technique. It would be nice if your journal quilt was quilted and bond, but it is not part of the challenge guidelines.

Before the last day of the month, I will set up something here at minou's minute where you can post a photo and thoughts on your project.

Good luck Lorraine, Gina, Kris, Ann & Wil(and me)...I am looking forward to some great creations!

Maybe I have figured out the posting problem...

....maybe I haven't!

I read on blogger to clear the cache and/or cookies, if you are having a hard time posting photos. I did that, and I was able to post this bird photo...but this is a photo I have posted in the past....so maybe the problem is the new photos I downloaded using the card reader....who knows! I love seagulls...they are the official state bird of Utah. I use to watch them when I was at the beach as a kid in California. I have a whole file of just seagull photos I would like to do for a quilting project....one of these days. Maybe I could do a whole year of journal quilts. I probably have enough photos.

In closing:I am going to a church party tomorrow, where I have to put 3 items in a small paper bag that tell about me. Another women gets the bag, tries to guess who it is, and keeps one item. If you had the paper bag, what would you put in it? Please share....(especially you TLC.....now that I know you read my blog!)

I have a new toy

My daughter V's boyfriend is a computer smart boy, and got me a MobileLite USB Card reader. Before, when I've taken photos, I had to

a.Use a disposible camera and get the photos put on a CD

b.Use my memory card camera and ask Daughter E to download everything

c.Ask Daughter V to take a photo with her phone camera & send it to my e-mail

I tried it out yesterday, and it instantly downloaded my photos....yeah!

Unfortunately, now I can't get blogger to load any photos to my post......argh!

I am going to figure out this problem....hopefully the computer will not be damaged!

In Closing: What technical device or service do you really love? Camera, microwave, alarm clock...what? Share, please.....

Davis County Fair

Hubby and I went to the Davis County Fair, where I had entered two quilts. I won first place for my "Devils Gate, Wyoming" journal quilt (pictured below) I got a second place for my "Tree of Paradise" wallhanging (I can't find a photo of it....maybe I don't have one). The quilter who won first place in the wallhanging group did an amazing landscape quilt. I was definitely a distant 2nd place. I had one beef teriyaki kabob and skipped all the other fair food. I really wanted a funnel cake, but forced myself to be a good girl, and that doesn't happen too often, folks! We also saw the lumberjack show. It was okay, but not spectacular. Too many corny jokes and not enough action for me. We had baby Tayge with us. If we ever go to something like that with a baby/small child again, we'll have ear/hearing protection for the baby. My daughter E came by and said the photographer had sent her the photos from their Temple sealing. This photographer was fantastic, and not really costly. When E had her wedding photos done 3 years ago, the photos were okay and very expensive. Even better, this photographer gave her the CD and all copyrights to the photo. If you get a chance, her photo blog is

www.anniemationsphotography.blogspot.com/

Check it out...E, her hubby and baby Tayge are the current post. I love the black n' white of Tayge (I think it's the 2nd photo) Once E gets thru the photos, I am going to post some here too

In Closing: Weird question this time...if you had to run out of the house, and never return, beside your family members, what 3 things would you grab......me, (1)my memory stick bag with the 3 memory sticks containing 15 years of Family History on them, (2)my photo CD box with all our photos on them and (3)my sewing machine, so I could sew new clothes and quilts for us. How about you?

Quiltathon results

I tried to take some photos of the process of cutting and re-sewing the 100 Nine-Patch blocks (50 with the print in the corner/50 with the muslin in the corner), but they did not turn out, so you get to see the top, minus the borders. I haven't quite decided what to do for the borders, yet!

I hope everyone else had a great quiltathon weekend!

Quiltathon reminder

To those of you who join in with Judy, or would like to, Judy's Quiltathon in August 9 & 10 (this Saturday & Sunday) at Patchwork Times. Pick a project you would like to work on/finish, and take some time this weekend to do it.

Me, I am working on the 100 9-patch blocks:

a.Cut up the blocks

b.Resew back together in pattern

You can do anything...cut out.....sew.....put on embellishments.....bind.....whatever you need to do to get closer to finishing one of your UFO'S (or starting a new project!)

Have a great weekend!

What are you reading?

I am in a three month reading log challenge at Swap-bot.com. You write down everything you read for July-September (Title, Author, Quick description, Personal Comments) and send it to 2 other people (assigned by the computer). I have been keeping a log, but I thought I better post it here, so if I lose the paper log, I have a backup printout.

"Elizabeth, the Golden Age" by Tasha Alexander
Novelization/Fiction about Queen Elizabeth I and her reign. I enjoyed it for entertainment sake.

"The Life Audit" by Caroline Righton. Self-help book built around using accounting/mathematical forms to record where and how you use your time. Interesting way to evaluate you life, though I thought it was a little too time consuming filling out multiple daily forms.

"Bleeding Hearts" by Susan Witting Albert. Another book in her China Bayles mystery series. Easy read....I usually figure out the killer and motive by half way thru the book.

"Nightshade" by Susan Witting Albert. I enjoyed this China Bayles book too, but it almost like Albert changed her writing style or someone else co-wrote with her....some of the descriptions of locations or action by the characters read like a play or movie script direct ("China turns to her right to look out the kitchen window. She is sad") Earlier books not like this one.

"My Secret War" by Mary Pope Osborne-Dear America Diary Series. This is a series of fictional diaries written about historical USA events. Reading level of a 12-16 year old, but I like them for the quick read and history aspect. "My Secret War" was a 15 year old girls diary during 1942/World War II.

"The Winter of Red Snow" by Kristiana Gregory-Dear America Diary Series. Another fictional diary by a 15 year old girl during the winter that George Washington was at Valley Forge.

I did write down a quote used in the Diary of "My Secret War" that I liked:

"You cannot escape anxiety, you cannot escape the clutch of fear at your heart, and yet, I hope that the certainty of what we have to meet will make you rise above these fears. You are going to have a great opportunity. There will be high moments in which your strength and ability will be tested. I have faith in you.

Eleanor Roosevelt 1942

Good words, even 66 years later!

In Closing: What are you reading....who's your favorite author?

You just can't be everywhere!

Sometimes I wish I had super powers beyond my Earthly body....something like flying. I could be somewhere, then fly quickly to somewhere else and never miss an important moment. Well, I can't, so I guess I better just enjoy where I am at this moment...easier said than done, right!

Over the last month, we have had:
3 funerals-1.Friends 18 year old daughter, Rachael, 2. my bio-half brother (never meet him), and 3. Hubby's SIL.....we made the viewing for Rachael, but missed the other two since they were on the opposite sides of the USA within days of each other

We went to the Temple with our married daughter and her hubby/his family....one of the most spiritual moments in my life, especially as a parent. I almost could have flown home after that because I was SO happy

Same daughter and her hubby blessed their son today in Church. It was wonderful to be with both the sides of the family in sharing such a perfect moment. Baby T did wonderfully thru the whole thing and didn't cry....actually, he was making cute baby sounds. He looked very handsome in his all white little suit. That's one beautiful baby, if I say so myself!(photos in a few days, I hope!)

I have been mulling over my life lately. I have come to the realization that many of the small, seemingly unimportant choices in my life I have a.followed someone else's direction, b.made a quick decision between paths, or c.just followed where the path was going. In some instances, this has been okay, but in others, it hasn't, and I want to change my pathway. Okay, you are saying to yourself, a."is Suzanne dieing of some incurable disease and not telling us?", b. "is she lacking sleep and a good diet, affecting her mental skills?" or c. "when was the last time Suzanne had chocolate?" Answers-a.No, b.maybe a little, c.this afternoon. I am jsut trying to grow and change like I am suppose too.

Some of the changes I am making...writing them down so I am more accountable:
1.Developing deeper friendships and possibly letting some relationships go
2.Developing a stronger spiritual belief by studying and deciding what I truly belief
3.Creating quilts/wall hanging I really want to do, and not because it's easy or convenient
4.Getting healthy for my life sake and not worrying about the numbers on the scale or the size of my pants
5.Looking to serve others and not my wants/demand/ so called needs

Below...an amazing quilt photo sent to me a couple of years ago by a good friend when I was going thru a hard time. I don't know the maker, but she/he is absolutely amazing. I look at this photo when I need a boost of uplifting energy!
In Closing:Most folks set New Years resolutions in January, but I do mine in August/September when everyone goes back to school. What one goal would you like to work on....don't share it if it is very personal,(unless it helps you)