Latest Quilt

My Latest Quilt for Leila is another from the BeAttitudes pattern by Nancy Halvorsen.
When I made the first one, I cut out all the little pieces for six future quilts and put them in envelopes. Then sewed the quilt.



















I had to redesign some of the blocks because the original pattern was for only six  BE's in President Hinckley's talk.
Later he published a book with nine BE's.

Nancy's patterns were so much simpler, and easier to do. I don't know why my work gets so much more complicated. I love her owl.







Here is some of the quilting I did. I learned from the best on the internet. I love Lori Kennedy's blog, the Inbox Jaunt. 

I love the way she teaches.






When I made the second one for Calise, I sewed all of the blocks and ironed on all the appliques, so for this quilt, I had a head start. I had to blanket stitch around all the pieces, while I was at it, I stitched two sets of blocks, because I must make another BeAttitudes quilt before September 3rd of this year. I have 4 (FOUR) quilts I have to complete this summer.

I traced all the letters for two quilts as well.

I've just completed the second quilt this summer for Mat. His is a Christus statue with the planets surrounding him. I titled it "Christ is Watching Over You."

Pictures will be forthcoming.

My latest quilt

My latest quilt is one made for Seth, who just got baptized in July. I am trying to make quilts for every grandchild who gets baptized at the age of 8. I have 18 grandchildren right now.  I wanted these quilts to remind my sweet grandchildren how important the Gospel is and how important their choice is to enter into baptism. The words on the quilt say: "I'm trying to be like Jesus. Read your Scriptures, Say your Prayers, Go to Church"
These are the three answers to almost any question asked in Primary. I hope my grandchildren enjoy the quilts I make for them. A lot of love has gone into these quilts.
Enjoy your day.
~a

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas anyone?

The much anticipated birthday gift day finally arrived Thursday. Sailor took half the day off and came home around noon. We packed our suitcases with overnight things, loaded the car and headed to Salt Lake. When we arrived, we had the brilliant idea to park in the hotel parking lot and unload our luggage before the concert.
We stayed at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel.

The room assignment had some significance. I don't know if my DIL2 asked for this room, or if it was a coincidence. But I thought it was fun.

This room was a beautiful luxury room, with a king sized bed and a couch. I loved the arch in between.

It had a view of Abravanal Hall.

We had plenty of time before the concert, so we walked 5 blocks and had dinner at P.F. Changs.
After we had finished eating, I was sad that I hadn't remembered to take a picture of our delicious food.

Sailor chose the Sweet and Sour Pork
A perfect balance of sweet and sour. Tender pork stir-fried with pineapple, bell peppers and onions.
and I chose Shrimp with Candied Walnuts
Tossed in a creamy sauce with honeydew melon. Pair it with a spicy dish for a fabulous combination. YUM

The concert was amazing. Chip Davis, the founder usually plays with the group, but because of a recent neck surgery, he was unable to play this year.
I quote from the playbill:

"Chip recently made some changes to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Tour
after being unable to join his famous band of merrymakers following surgery. He created two troupes composed of both original band members and several terrific young musicians. Between the two bands, Mannheim Steamroller will bring their renowned holiday tradition to 58 cities this season."


Our seats were on the second tier, middle of the row, so we had an excellent view!

As we were seated the stage was covered with a large screen. Projected on the screen was an image of a living room with a burning log in a fireplace and a Christmas tree. As the lights dimmed, Chip came through the door, took off his coat and hung it on a hook, then came to the camera. He introduced himself as Chip Davis and was explaining about his recent neck surgery and that he wouldn't be able to be here. In the middle of this explanation, the video paused and Chip's image froze. It was like getting bad reception on the television, where they become a bit pixulated and freeze for a moment.

The audience groaned, but from stage right came a tiny man, dwarfed by the large image of frozen Chip. He had on the same coat and came to center stage. When he pulled back his hood, the audience recognized Chip himself.

He went on to explain that because of his surgery, he wouldn't play tonight, but Salt Lake is like his second home. He loves it here. Mannheim has performed all 25 years here and has given him a wonderful reception, so he smuggled himself along to at least say hello to us.

At the end, he came out on stage to be with the troupe and bowed. After a long standing ovation, he nodded to stage left and everyone got back into their places and he sat on the edge of the stage with a microphone. That is Chip in the middle in Black.

They played Silent Night. If you are familiar with their version, it has male voices humming the first stanza. Chip was one of the vocals.

Again we gave them a second standing ovation and they again resumed their places and played "Hark the Harold Trumpets Sing."


The lights projected all over the audience and ceiling. Abravanal Hall is a beautiful venue as the chandeliers sparkle and reflect the light


Afterward, they went to the front of the venue and signed the CDs we purchased.

Aren't these towels so neat? I felt like Bette Midler on Big Business in the Plaza Hotel when she screams and comes out saying, "They have itty bitty soaps in the shape of swans!!!"

A view from our room of the Salt Palace with a Giant Christmas tree.

What a lovely day!

We were able to go to Salt Lake today to celebrate a very special occasion with my sister and most of her children today. (We missed you Sam.) Two of my children were there as well, plus a darling little grand daughter. <3

Families are so precious, and days like today where we get to see each other, eat together, visit, laugh and love are the most memorable. It is amazing to watch all these wonderful children, now all grown up, married and having families of their own and see how fabulous they have all turned out.

I am constantly astonished at my own children and wonder how they were able to become such amazing people, in spite of my raising. I had no idea what I was doing while they were growing up, and I had no idea how very fast they would grow and leave home. They will understand in about 20 years what I am talking about.

I made my sister some homemade sea foam candy today as a late birthday present. I had no idea you can make this at home and I have been searching for it every time I go to a candy shop. Some have never heard of it. Whenever I do find it, they charge anywhere from $10 to $18 a pound!

I looked up on the internet for a recipe, and when I found out what the ingredients were, I about choked. That is highway robbery! When you consider the ingredients:

line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil that has been sprayed with a no stick spray
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo Syrup
in heavy pan on medium heat, combine and bring to boil, stirring until it reaches 300 degrees F.
remove from heat
immediately add 4 tsp baking soda, stir thoroughly and dump into pan.
allow to cool
once cool, cut into squares and dip in chocolate.
The whole family was thrilled and all are big fans of Seafoam Candy. Fun to be a hit with everyone.

Remember this wonky star I sewed? Well it is in this picture in the upper left-hand corner- 3 across, 3 down. How fun is that?

Since it takes us almost 3 hours to drive one way, including fueling car, bathroom breaks, errands, etc. that makes it around 1 am before we get home. So I am writing this at a late hour, and I am going to sleep.

I hope everyone's weekend is fabulous.

~a

McGuckin Hardware

Whenever I go to Boulder Colorado, I have to include a trip or two to McGuckin Hardware. It is the neatest hardware store in the World. And I am not a person who likes to loiter in a hardware store.

If it isn't found in McGuckin, then you don't need it.

It doesn't matter what you need, they have it. Their isles are filled with people in green vests just waiting to help you. Every single isle has at least two people waiting to help.

I hear they treat their employees very well and their benefits are great. You can tell, because every time you go there, you can see the same people working in their same isles. And they are always happy. Some have made this their life-time job.



All of the employees treat you as though you are their only customer. They will personally walk you to the item you are looking for. I am not good with square feet, the website says it has a 60,000+ square foot sales floor. I think that is at least a city block. It is at least as big as a WalMart. Maybe not one that has the groceries. But it seems that large. The isles labeled in green numbers or letters on the floor 1,2,3, etc and A,B,C for longitude and latitude.

I usually try to come up with an excuse to run over to McGuckins on about the first day I am there.

They have an excellent help center with wonderful workers who are willing to do anything from changing batteries to fixing things and supplying the screws or what ever item is needed in the store, then only charging for the item they replaced.

It has over 200,000 items and 18 departments.
The workers have much knowledge in their field. In the garden center, the worker who helped me had full knowledge about all the plants and gave instructions on how to plant it and care for it.

I have found every section has the same knowledgeable people. They are very helpful and care about every person who walks through their doors. When I get frustrated about not finding something in my town, or sometimes in my state, I get online and see if McGuckin has it.

The last time I was there, I found an environment shopping bag that said: "I usually leave this bag in my car." I thought it was so funny and decided to buy it, and asked a worker how much it was. He searched for another one to compare prices and having found none, he went to the computer. I waited and looked around and waited. Finally he came out and said, I didn't find the price, but I will give you the "I-made-you-wait-too-long discount" then he quoted me a price that was about a dollar cheaper than any other environment bag available.

This last picture shows the perspective of how large this business is. And I am only taking this from about the middle of the store, not from one end to the other.

It has an interesting history, I quote from the website:

"In The Beginning

It all began in 1955 when our company’s namesake, a rugged, avid fisherman named Bill McGuckin, opened the doors of McGuckin Hardware. Employing four people in four departments, his success was based on his belief in personalized service, selection and first-hand experience. . .

. . .McGuckin Hardware currently employs around an average of 250 people on its 60,000+ square foot sales floor. We also have a Design Center just to the north of the Hardware Store to service our designer hardware and kitchen and bath design customers. Our 55,000 square foot Distribution Center is located in far north Boulder. We average about 315 employees for all operations. Indeed, McGuckin Hardware has grown to service all of our customers' needs."

What a legacy. If you are ever in Boulder Colorado, make sure you stop by.

PS I am not getting paid for this endorsement, rather I wanted to share the experience.

~a

Gulp, here I go. . .I'm so scared

This is my first attempt to quilt on my machine. Well, I have done individual squares. The middle squares of this quilt was quilted individually then I added the edges.

This quilt has been a work in progress since 2006. I started it thinking I would sell it to one of the members of my choir, the Choral Arts Society of Utah, to raise money for our trip to Austria, but when I found out the CASU garage sale money was going to the general choir fund, I decided I couldn't part with it.


Besides when you do something like this, you fall in love. There is no way I was going to part with it. Everyone's signatures in the choir are on it.

I made this whole thing up. I had no idea how to quilt as you go, so I just faked it. After quilting each set of four hearts, I sewed the front squares together, the batting just butting up to one another and overcast. I hand stitched the back together. I'm sure it is not the best way, but it was all I could come up with.

Then came the trial. Put it on the bed. . . It needed many, many, many more hearts. . . or to be made wider. I decided on making borders rather than more hearts, after all, that just hangs down the side. But I was at a loss as to how to add them to the back with the batting.

So it just sat there, in a box. All the coordinating fabrics and batting sat in a roll-away suitcase. I tripped over it all the time.

Finally this month when I decided to join yet another couple of quilt-alongs, I realized I had better just face the music and finish all the ones I had started. There are at least 3 quilts, that I know of.

I sewed the borders on each side of the quilt, inserting batting and butting it up against the center and whip stitching it. 

Now I have finally gotten the borders sewn on and the batting butted up and stitched, I have stretched it onto a frame and pin-basted ready to quilt on my machine. I have been studying how to do this on many blogs and YouTube, but I am still really scared. I guess that is why I have put it off for so long. . .

wish me luck.

On a a different topic, nothing to do with quilting is my latest acquisition. This is a set of dolls my aunt made. The original picture of her and my dad sits beside the porcelain replica. When my step uncle died and the house was cleaned out by my cousin, they called my mom to see if she wanted this set of dolls.

OHMYGOSH! Mom called me and asked me if I wanted them. OF COURSE! I have been fairly green with covetousness ever since I saw them for the first time in her house after she died. I hinted to my step uncle that I would LOVE to own those some day, but he ignored me. I just settled for the fact that I would never see them again. Now they sit on my table with two beautiful doilies given to me yesterday from a friend. Don't they go so well?

I'm a happy camper.

have a nice day, and send good machine quilting thoughts my way. . . gulp

~a

My Version of a 9 Patch Quilt

Well, not really. I joined the second round of Crazy Mom Quilts Nine Patch challenge. the challenge is to sew one block a day.

I loved the idea of taking out a little part of my day and just sit down and sew. I admire all these people in the blog world who accomplish so very much. It is because of several traits they have that I don't. One, they are tenacious. They sit down and work on their projects. Two, they spend less time on the computer than I do. I decided that I have to get myself a laptop and only allow myself to surf the web while I am on the treadmill walking or something like that.

I know a habit is formed in about 21 days. If you make time for the habit you are trying to form, whether it be exercise, reading scriptures, saying prayers, cleaning the kitchen (making that sink shine) , or any other improvement in your life, it takes commitment. Baby steps. Start with something small. Just make sure your sink is clean before bed. Just read ONE verse in your scriptures. Just one nine patch a day.

As I thought about which fabrics I would use for my nine patch quilt, I thought about my own Tumbling Blocks quilt that is all cut out and awaiting me to piece them together.

So, Amanda Jean, at crazymomquilts.com, this is MY Version of the nine-patch quilt. I am committed to cleaning out my UnFinished Objects (UFO's) before I commit myself to yet another thing.

I will do more than 9 patches, mine requires 12 to make one block. I LOVE this fabric and the Tumbling Block pattern.

My goal, eventually is to outfit each guest room with a queen-sized memory foam mattress, new soft sheets and two quilts. I want a soft wintery/Christmasy one and a light weight summer one.

I've ordered the sheets, Sailor built one bed so far, and this is my effort to make a beautiful quilt to put on one of those beds. We have three guest rooms that I have to redo.

One baby step at a time. Wish me luck.
Oh and by the way, I am trying to improve myself with all the habits I have listed above. Not only do I need you to wish me luck, but I need encouragement and probably all your prayers.

Now back to work. I cannot spend too much time on the computer. I am serious about getting a laptop and limiting my time on the computer by only allowing myself to surf the web as I walk on the treadmill. I will have to modify the treadmill so it holds a computer, but I think Sailor would be able to do that. Don't you think, Honey? (love you Friend)

have a happy and productive day
~a

Days of '47 2009 A Smashing Success

Performing a concert in Abravanel Hall is always a thrill. When Sterling changed it to two nights, I was concerned because of the 300 mile round trip drive. Not only for two nights performing, but for the two mandatory rehearsals that week as well. But I made my peace, found a place to stay overnight, with one of my daughters in the area, and enjoyed myself.

Sterling, our conductor, is very talented at picking out the songs, arranging for a good mix of guest performers and making up a very wonderful program that seems to reach every member of the audience and choir in many different levels.

This year we sang to a practically packed house two nights in a row. We had several guest performers, Joshua Creek, Joseph Paur, Jessica Poulson, Jenny Simmons and Dave Beecher.

Joshua Creek is, in their words, "a unique blend of country-esque music and inspirational lyrics of faith." Their harmony is beautiful, and they have a fun sense of humor to add to the mix. Not normally a fan of country music, I really enjoyed their sound and their lyrics. My favorite song was Flying to Freedom. We got to sing along with them in two of their numbers. They orchestrated and arranged it for SATB. It has a John Denver feel to the song, and has me singing it over and over in my head.

Joseph Paur, best known for his role in the Feature Film's musical Rigeletto. His classically trained voice is perfect for the part, and he reprised two of the songs from the movie in the concert.

Singing with Joseph was Jessica Poulson. Jessica sang beautifully in a solo, then a duet with Joseph. Jessica is Sterling's daughter, and you couldn't have seen a prouder look on his face as he directed the orchestra accompaniment.

Another highlight was when two of our choir members sang solos. It was so fun to see them standing up there and sounding so perfect. Jenny Simmons and Dave Beecher sang the solos from Showboat in a medley. Jenny's perfect soprano voice carried us all away, back to that era. And Dave Beecher's wonderful low bass was perfect for Old Man River.

Donny Gilbert wrote a piece especially for this concert, entitled Celebration '47. His work is always amazing, he is a genius.

The main reason I joined this choir was to sing in a four part choir, and because of our weekly practices, I am singing all the time. The music Sterling picks is always beautiful and uplifting. The opportunities we have been given because we are members of this choir are beyond anything I had ever dreamed of.

Saturday's performance went off perfectly. There were no mistakes, well except a tiny part where I totally forgot how my part sounded and I just mouthed it. shhh don't tell Sterling.

The audiences were amazing. They really make a difference. It is such a thrill to look out and see their faces smiling back, hands clapping to the music and responding to us. We end up playing off each other. The more enthused they are, the more responsive we become. I found myself surprised at the intermission and end of each program, thinking, "Already?" The only downer is handing in that music. I sort of want to keep it near me and go over the words again as I sing to myself.

At the end of every single concert, I say to myself, "That was the BEST concert I have EVER been in, there is NO WAY Sterling can top this!" But he does. I am just so thrilled to be a part of it.

Thank you Sterling. You are amazing.

~a

Our Garden

I found two of these solar lights at Target when my sister bought some for Mom. And I had to have more than the only two they had left. She offered to look up in all the Targets in Salt Lake to see if any other store had any left and they didn't.
Then I spent a good deal of time looking for them on the internet. I found some and ordered three. Then decided I wanted another one.
When I put them outside to charge the first day, I realized one rattled. Sure enough, it was broken. The website was so great. I registered that it was broken and they sent me a return label over the internet. I printed it, put it back in the original boxes and shipped it back, applied for a refund and ordered two more.
Now I have six. They glow seven different colors. I had Sailor take some night shots. He fiddled around with the settings on my camera and figured out how to get some great shots.
The first one shows that they are crackle balls, the second shot shows the colors.
I love them. In the middle of the night, when I get up to get a drink, there are my happy solar lights smiling at me. They are so nice.
The other thing I love in our backyard is the wind chimes.

Found this on someone elses blog but I don't want to lose it. . .

This is a fun and imaginative movie with great music.
Now I am singing Beatles tunes. That is happy.
~a

I Left My Heart. . .

We just got back from a most fun trip. Sailor had a class to attend for his work, and he brought me along. We went to this same seminar 3 years ago and stayed at a really nice hotel, so when this came up again, we booked an extra ticket for me. We stayed in the same hotel again in San Jose.

The Sunday before we left, we quietly celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary. So we decided this would be our "trip" to commemorate that day.

I LOVE these jacaranda trees. They were everywhere.

Anyway, three years ago when we were here, I discovered how to travel via the light rail. I explored a few places beyond the train stops and found a fun mall. I entertained myself buying clothes and shoes for the upcoming trip to Austria. This time I had plans to try and find my way to San Francisco via rail. I knew we could connect from the light rail to Cal Train, but that was about as much as I knew.


The first night, the company hosted an introduction luncheon and we met all the participants of the class. They announced that this time the company were providing an excursion on a catamaran in the San Francisco Bay the next evening. So instead of finding my way to San Francisco via rail, the first day when Sailor went to class, I found my way to another place to shop. The name of the town is Campbell.


I found a wonderful little knitting shop called the Green Planet Yarn Store. They had different kinds of yarns, from wool and cotton to sugar cane and bamboo. The latter two are so soft, they feel like silk. I had to purchase some. I will attempt a scarf made from sugar cane and socks made from bamboo. There are no synthetics at this store. I found a cute measuring tape that was covered by a handmade sheep. You pull his tail and that is the measuring tape. I couldn't afford to buy him after I got all the yarn and needles for my two projects, so I took a picture of him instead.



While in the town of Campbell, I saw a bike made of bamboo or something like that and a cat sleeping in a bookstore window. Click on bike picture to enlarge and you tell me what you think it is.





I got back in time to soak my feet a bit in the hot tub, then change and be ready for the bus that left at 4:15. The bus was arranged with two seats facing backwards, a table and two seats facing forward. The hosts provided drinks and snacks. That was anything from water and soft drinks to beer and wine along with all variety of chips, pretzels and nuts. We were glad we didn't have to drive in the traffic. Our first stop was at the top of a hill called Twin Peaks. We were supposed to see the best view from there, but the fog had rolled in and we didn't see as far as they had hoped.


Then we headed to Pier 39 to meet our boat, the Adventure Cat II for a Sunset Cruise on the San Francisco Bay. It left from Pier 39 where the sea lions have taken over the pier.

The Captain was named Hans and he had a great accent. He was an excellent Captain. It was fascinating to watch the crew setting the sails.

As we sailed along, dinner was served below. It was a Mexican feast with an assortment of fruits and a wonderful plate of cookies and other desserts.





We sailed past Alcatraz and around that island, then turned back and rode so close to a restaurant jutting out from Sausalito that we could wave at the diners, and they waved back.






Then we sailed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. We sailed under the bridge and then turned around.







As we turned a huge cargo ship was heading out to sea, and another one coming in had apparently called for a tug boat. We passed it on its way to meet the next boat coming into shore. I made sure we kissed while under the bridge, and we whispered "Happy Anniversary" to one another.

Coincidentally, ten years ago we celebrated our 25th on a boat as well. We were on Lake Powell and were honored by all present on the house boat.


While heading to the Bridge the first time, I was invited to take the wheel. I can now say that I sailed a catamaran in the San Francisco Bay. That is something I never thought I would say about myself. What a wonderful memory.

The people in charge of the conference were the most gracious, generous and kind people. We felt like royalty. I guess they have this seminar every year. I think Sailor had so much fun that he will sign up again next year. wahoo.

Coming back to shore, the sun had set and we got some amazing night shots of the San Francisco sky line. It is all so magical. I LOVE it there.

Living in the middle of a desert makes all this ship and sea stuff quite unique and wonderful. I loved the Bay, I loved the fog, I loved the waves and the sea air. I could have stayed there for a month and never missed a thing at home.
I thought of the movie, Big Business where Sadie says to Rose, "I could live here the rest of my life and be as happy as Beulah the cow." Pretty much, I felt the same way.


I traveled the light rail a few more times the next day, once to go back to the Green Planet Yarn store to purchase things I forgot yesterday and again with Sailor to eat dinner after the light reception they held after the class was over. One more time on the day we left to show Sailor the mall I loved near Oakridge.

The airport is very tiny in San Jose. Our airline was delayed due to a downpour in Salt Lake. The plane coming was delayed taking off from Salt Lake and again from San Jose until the storm had subsided.

We arrived home to find out we had also gotten the downpour here in our tiny desert town. We have had beautiful rains all week and I am loving it. I am singing my Soft Rain song over and over and over.

I hope you had a great week.

~a

ps. it is now Wednesday after I wrote this. We have been enjoying rains all week. In fact tonight it has rained for an hour and a half now. I am loving it.