Boy Oh Boy!!

A very dear friend's daughter is having a baby. Lorea has not had the baby yet, but it is a boy. And she already has his name picked out...Jon! We are all excited for her. Lorea will be a wonderful mother, because her mother is a wonderful lady. Actually, my mom was Lorea (and her sister's)nanny of sorts.



So here are the fabrics that I used for the quilt. I bought this as a kit years ago. I don't remember the name of the store but it was somewhere in Utah. I think on State Street, but I'm not sure. Sherri and I were together...she probably remembers!



I added the letter 'J' to personalize the quilt. Boy oh boy, does it stand out in this picture!! Hello!!



I also made a couple of burp rags to go with the quilt. I will add a few other things in a basket just for fun. I hope Lorea likes her gifties!

Piece & love,
Dawn

Practice ...someday Perfect??

Remember I told you that Hubby bought me a stitch regulator for Christmas?? Well over the weekend I made my first project. I bought a "Candy Kisses" charm pack and made "The Everyday Table Topper" from Charmed and Dangerous by Heather Mulder Peterson.


So here is my first attempt at quilting!! I attempted a stipple pattern which I think I should call mine... crooked pattern. You can not see it very well in my pictures...be grateful!! My lines are not very smooth yet. Using the regulator the sewing goes quite fast. It seemed the faster I sewed the smoother the stitches were, but the faster I sewed I could not keep up with the smoothness of moving the fabrics under the needle. It probably makes no sense but I tried to explain it the best I can.



If you read Stephanie's blog, you probably saw she made cute house ornaments from the Sew Simple magazine. I found my magazine (thanks for the hint Stephanie)and made a few myself. I used some of the Christmas fabrics I got on sale last week. I think they are absolutely delightful!! I want to make more...no quilting required!

Piece & love,
Dawn

A Shopping We Will Go

Last week I took a day to go shopping with Dancer. We spent the day together shopping, eating and just laughing. She is quite funny! She received some money for Christmas from her grandparents and she felt the urge to spend it. She said the money was burning a hole in her pocket!! So me being the good parent that I am, said, "Of course I will take you shopping...if..."!! The 'if' condition was I will take Dancer shopping if I can stop at a few quilt shops along the way.



Look at this!!! Mormon Handicraft in St. George had their Christmas fabrics 75% off!! I really wanted to buy more but my budget would not allow me. Hopefully, this will get me started on my Christmas gifts for this year because I am taking Nanette's challenge of a homemade Christmas. Nanette has put together a nice list of great homemade ideas. Go check it out!!



Here are a few giveaway winnings and gifts I received and I wanted to say, "Thankyou...thankyou...thankyou...thankyou"!!

Piece & love,
Dawn

Show and Tell!

When I was in kindergarten I loved "Show and Tell". I especially loved it after Christmas. It was my opportunity to stand in front of the class and 'show' my fellow class mates what I received and then 'tell' about it. So back to kindergarten we go because it is time for "Show and Tell"!!



Dancer made me this for Christmas!! She is taking a ceramics class at school and this is what she made. I set it on my cutting table to hold my rotary cutters and scissors. Is it not the cutest?!! She is so talented!! She also gave me the pink rotary cutter inside. It matches!



Hubby bought me this for my birthday...it is a walking foot for my sewing machine. I really wanted one because I want to make this.



Hubby really loves me...this is what he bought me for Christmas!! I have been practicing and it is soooo much fun. He sold his Precious (4x4 truck) just to get it for me. It is amazing that the price of a truck has the same value as something so small. Eeeek!

Thanks for letting me 'show and tell' you the fun gifts I got.

Piece and love,
Dawn

Happy/Sad New Year!

I have not posted on my blog in a long time because I have been at my mom's bedside these last few weeks. I lost her on New Year's Day. I was at her bedside when she left this earthly life to enter her eternal life on the other side of the veil.



Mom’s favorite pastimes as a child were playing with paper dolls by the hours, loved to read Nancy Drew Mysteries, and going to the movies with her friends whenever they could. She especially liked Betty Grable.

Hanging out with friends at Lake Mead is when she first met my dad. She had a cold. Dad would go out on dates and then come back to “hang out” with Mom. She married her sweet heart of 54 years in 1954.

Having way too much fun camping, fishing, square dancing, bowling and all around playing they decided it was time to start a family. Then the fun really began! Mom loved being a mother...and she was a mother to any child.

Mom took great pleasure in going on vacation! It did not really matter where she went, as long as she went somewhere. Mom took delight in our family trips to Disneyland, San Francisco, Hawaii with sisters and our cabin in Utah with friends. However, I think her greatest enjoyment were her cruise trips with Dad to Alaska.

Mom loved Christmas! As a family, we often cut a live tree. My mom found the biggest, fattest, whopping tree in the forest. My dad would stand next to the tree with his arms spread out and then upward and tell my mom that the tree could only be 'this wide' and 'this tall' but she would just smile and tell my dad she wanted 'that tree'. Our Christmas trees always took up the entire family room and the star would be hung about two feet below the top because the top was bent over from the ceiling.

Time flies, my sister and I grew up, and then miracles happen…8 to be exact! Mom became Grandma. Her life was ever changed now. Sleep-over’s, movies, playing games, lunch dates, combing hair, sharing stories, singing songs, shopping, laughter, secrets, gifts, unconditional love.

Mom’s illness over the past two months has brought our family even closer together. Extra hugs and kisses, patience, understanding, appreciation, sacrifice.

Mom has triumphed over the trials and challenges of this world. She was valiant, strong and courageous. We often called her the “energizer bunny”...she kept going and going.

President Thomas S. Monson said, "Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so."

I love you mom…I will miss you and look forward to seeing you again some day.