This week

Our week began at the aquarium. We went with our friends the Snows. It is by no means a great oceanic site but the kids had fun, so that is good. Eli starting throwing up at 10:30 that night. He threw up every hour until 7am. He was a champ, wake up, go to the toilet, throw up, then back to bed. Poor kid.

Then by Wednesday he was up and ready to play (I don't think he was fully recovered, he just can't stand to be out of the play date field for long). We went up to the pool, he didn't like the rapid rate that his Spiderman popsicle was melting (or Caroline taking bites of it, not licks).

Thursday I was downstairs editing a pattern for my mom's new quilt that she designed. And then I had to photo edit - so out of my league. So obviously I was at the computer for a long time. We had one of great thunderstorms while I was down there, I came upstairs to see how things were going (my husband is extraordinarily capable, more so than me, when it comes to parenting). I walked into our front yard to find the two oldest kids in the gutter, sitting, soaked. Caroline saw me and came to me looking like she had just been dunked. She had grit all over her, on her face, in her hair, in her chattering teeth.... Eli considered this his bath.

Friday day I went to lunch with an old friend and got to see her in a new role, new for me to see. It was fun, the kids had a great time. It was great to be able to talk with her.

Friday night we went to my in-laws family's home in Deer Valley with some friends. It was fun, the kids squabbled and laughed. Our newborns ate, spit up, slept. It was fun had by all. Caroline had her most favorite breakfast yet - a popsicle, cookies and popcorn. Yes, Dave was in charge of breakfast.

Joey is becoming Mr. Entertainment. He loves to be talked to, tickled. The new spot is just barely tickling his cheeks with your fingernails. He loves it.

This is Dave relaxing, and looking quite handsome up at the condo. Yes, people say that my kids look like him, but I'm holding out - he is from my gene pool.

Eli took this picture of me, one for posterity.

All in all, a fun week, minus the throw up. Now I am off to make waffle batter for my friends get-together tomorrow. Then maybe sleep.

Flashback Friday

I am trying to start at my youngest and work my way up in years. This is me at age one (or there abouts). I think because I was the only girl I had a lot of pics taken on my own. Or my brothers didn't want to claim me (which is true at other times). Looking at this picture, I never knew my nose was so small! I wish I still had the dress I am wearing in this photo. I think I kept wearing it until it was too small to wear as a shirt when I was 3. The bracelet that you can barely see on my chubby little wrist is upstairs in my jewelry box, I still love it.

Another Etsy Treasury

This is kind of fun to do. On Etsy you can create a collage of some of the things that are for sale. Some have themes, others don't. This is my latest Treasury. This is one that I included mandaholden .

Boasting

My mom has talent. She is one of those gals that when I was growing up, would make matching pajamas for me and my best friend, just whip it up for the sleepover that night. She has knitted since she was 3, she can paint, draw or mold anything. It comes so easily. Ask her to draw a hippo for my son, 5 minutes later an amazing hippo that is book-worthy.

Anyway, she has published a couple of books. This one in particular, I love. It is called Surface Applique for Quilting even though it isn't so much about quilting (for some reason this is what the publishers chose to call it), it is more about making things with wool felt. I don't even think that there is a quilt in there.

There is this ottoman, kind of a garden of felt flowers for your living room or study.

This is actually a recreation of my brother's house. It is pretty fantastic, especially in person.

Another project is entitled Three Birds Panel. My brother has always had a thing for ravens, so my mom did this for him.





There are about 26 projects in her book. I have this one hanging in my family room. It also had a fish-mobile to go with it, that is great for my baby.








I just like to look at all the things in this book. Great ideas for paper and mixed media projects. It shows you how to do it by hand, machine or trusty adhesive, so a good mix for all skill levels. Applique for quilts could be used from this book. It is a fun book to get ideas from, to learn from and to just stare at. Yes, I am a little biased, but I wouldn't associate with it if it wasn't good (mostly kidding there).

Things I am eyeing this week

Think knitting, crocheting, needlework for this week.

These bloomers by Sheepy Time are so cute, or as Caroline calls them "bwoomers".

I really do believe a world exists that there are knitting bunny-like creatures that work with a lamb and create like this, Elsita just illustrated it for us.>

I can knit, sort of, but cannot count the stitches. Once Upon a Hook has solved the problem for me (Hook can knit, I can enjoy it).

If we had known that my oldest would wear out three pairs of cowboy boot galoshes by the time he was four, we would have had these on him at birth. Togs4tots >

Isn't this lovely? This shop has some amazing items, all gorgeous. Coccole di Lana

Now, off to bed. My husband and I went to "Live Free or Die Hard". It was so farfetched and completely entertaining. It wore me out. Oh, and look at my Treasury at Etsy. More of my favorites.

Delightful Custom

I had a gal contact me about my nursing aprons, but she doesn't nurse and wanted to know if I could make her a non-nursing apron. This made me so nervous! I make things and then people buy them, but with this there were expectations. What if I didn't meet them? I said yes and asked her to put together a list of fabric options. My mom and I made one, but I decided that we needed to give her more choices. So we made another. I like both but loved one more than the other - but both were good choices. I posted them in my shop so she could see the pictures and descriptions of both aprons, she said when she saw one of them she started crying, good tears luckily. She said that it reminded her of one that her grandma gave her when she was little. That made my day. So now it is in the mail, off to a loving home. Which one do you think she chose?

Flashback Friday!

This might be hard on the ego. I remember that couch, it was the softest couch ever. Then my beloved trike. I wonder where that is? Who knew a 9 month old could handle that kind of vehicle?

Prodigy 2 Year Old

This is me according to Girly. Unfortunately, she is extremely accurate! She has captured my inner self. She says I am smiling.

What is this wet stuff falling from above?

Some have said it is rain. I barely remember it. We had two storms over the last two days. What a relief. I love summer rain storms. Barefooted, running around, standing in the gutters. My kids were inside and heard the rain on the roof. They grabbed their umbrellas and binoculars (to look for more clouds) and headed out front. It was a warm rain.

Eli grabbed his butterfly nets and he and our neighbor were catching debris in the gutter. That would have been cool when I was their age, but now, it was a little gross.

The next day we had another little storm. Eli and Caroline once again grabbed their umbrellas. My neighbor and I stood underneath our garage while his daughter played with my kids in the rain. Dave came out with a large umbrella, to which Eli pronounced "I have a great idea..." and went running back into our house. This was the great idea: An umbrella hut. Emma added to our 4 or five umbrellas with some of her own.

I need to learn to think like a kid again.

My whole life, the story went like this...

I was born July 21st, which is during the Days of '47 Rodeo. My dad was the chairman of this rodeo for two years and on the committee for many others. The story goes that my mom and I had to wait at the hospital until after the 24th of July(Pioneer Day) so my dad could ride in the parade. All this time I thought that it was because he was in charge, the chairman.
Last week, the Pioneer Days Committee was honoring past chairs and queens (yes, lots of big hats and hair) and I went with my dad to the dinner before the rodeo. Each chair has a stone on a wall with the year(s) they were in charge. Imagine my astonishment when the years listed for my dad were NOT the year I was born. I asked him about it, he said he was on the committee that year and HAD to be in the parade. This is going to take years of therapy to work out! My dad is the one not wearing a hat or huge buckle.

We stayed for a bit of the rodeo. It brought back so many memories. I went every year until I was 15 and have gone a couple of times since. I remember being with my little brother and walking around all the pens with animals. Then hearing the clanging of the broncos that were about to get ridden. Watching these cowboys strutting around, watching the rodeo queens with bright pink lipstick on. Yeah, it sounds hokey, but as a child it was so fun to pretend to be the cowgirl, wanting to be one of the little girls that rode around the barrels, never the one in turquoise wranglers and rhinestones though. Dirt, manure, cotton candy. This year I just watched and thought "Why would you ever subject your body to such pain and jerking?" Their brains must be bounced back and forth like a ping pong ball in their skulls. And I have always hated knowing that the reasons the horses were bucking like that was because they are uncomfortable and pissed. My favorite part was always when the parachuters would come flying down from their plane. This time, there were three. The first had a trail of smoke after him. The second one had our state flag attached to his body and right when he landed, grabbed it up so it wouldn't touch the ground. The third jumper had the flag of the United States of America. It was huge and beautiful trailing behind this person. Everyone stood up. I always get choked up when this type of situation happens, especially when we sing the national anthem. In any case, what this flag represents makes me proud to live where I do.