A Few Things

I'm back.  I was just thinking recently that my pants are only allowed to have two closures of any kind.  I find that after I have used the ladies room, I only do up two fasteners, even if there are more.  This frequently results in me leaving my fly open.  I do up the two buttons, or the button & hook and eye, but somehow forget the zipper.  I'm fine if there is only one button with a zipper.  You would think I was three, but no, I'm just incapable.  Lucky for me, I mostly sit behind a desk, so no one really sees that I'm a moron.  I do eventually notice, and do up the zipper.

I've been very busy making up craft projects for myself.  I still have to finish Loo's Christmas present.  I made two table runners and a reversible child's apron for our Enrichment night auction.  No pictures are available of the runners.

Mom has completed many quilts this year, as we were overwhelmed with babies in the ward and I couldn't keep up with the demand.  She seems to have it under control.  Maybe this weekend, I'll post pictures, but probably not because that's how I am.

I've decided to do all of my shopping on HSN & QVC.  Black Friday shopping will be much more pleasant from a recliner at home.  Everyone get ready for faux fur throws.  They seem to be all the rage in generic gifts this year. Don't worry, I don't really many people to buy for, so I won't waste all of my money.  So far, I have resisted make-up, computers, & clothes.  I don't know how strong I can be with all of those things that I don't really need, but think I do.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, as usual.  It is my favorite meal and leftovers of the year.  Hope you all have a fabulous holiday!

The Latest Quilts & Dog Photos

You are thinking to yourself "Wow! What inspired two posts in one day?" The answer. My main computer at work died, so I am sitting around waiting for it to be fixed and decided to update my blog a bit.


First off, a couple of comparison photos for your viewing pleasure.

Maggie on my shoulder in September:
Maggie sitting on my shoulder in April.


So, I have been busy with quilts this year. In the middle of last year, I decided that I would make a quilt for all the new babies in the ward. Mind you, I decided this when we averaged two births a year in the ward. All of the sudden, there has been a large baby boom and I have made 4 quilts for babies in the ward, with at least 2 more to do. Aaah. Here are pictures of the four I finished:

For Kelsey & Chad's new baby:

For Katie & Andrew's new baby:


This one is for Schmicki & Pason's new baby, but I did one almost like it for Amanda & Aaron's new baby. I've recently decided that I should make all baby blankets in twos, because it is easier. However, I will make them just a little different, so that they are unique.


For Aimee & Jordan's new baby.


Whew! That's 5 blankets this year (well, one was pieced last year and quilted this year). In the works, 2 baby boy quilts and very bright wedding quilt. I tend to be about 2 months late with these because I don't quite get them finished in time.

Be sure to read my post on the Squirrel diet below. I just posted it.

The Squirrel diet

So, I've decided to jump on the health-food bandwagon. O.k., not really. I decided to try some alternative medicine with supplements and a different diet and stuff. First, I had to do a saliva test. Yes, I actually had to collect my spit all day long. I also had to do another similar test that rhymes with spit, but comes out the other end. The instructions for this made my mom laugh so hard she was crying. I may do a separate post on this and their fabulous directions.

Anyway, on to the diet. For the first 3 weeks, I had to drink this nasty supplement shake (which I only threw up once, thank you very much). that looked a lot like the stuff we feed the cows. However, I got both chocolate flavored and blueberry vanilla flavored. Don't be fooled by the flavorings--I have a pet peeve about flavoring nasty things. It doesn't really cover the nasty taste, it just adds a different taste with the nasty taste, so it is still nasty.

I also had to change my diet. I couldn't eat any beef, pork, dairy, wheat products, rice, eggs, corn, tomatoes, potatoes sugar, artificial sweetener, or any other thing that you'd actually want to eat.

The question remains, what do I eat. My normal diet consists of beefy products, combined with tomato sauce or soupy stuff with some noodles or biscuits thrown in. I am also very fond of ham.

Let's break down a few meals that I frequently eat to see if what is left--Sunday dinner: Roast--can't eat. Potatoes--Nope. Corn--No. Gravy--no, it has cornstarch or flour to thicken it. Fruit Salad--At last, something I can eat.

Supper--Strogonoff (sp?): Beef--no. Noodles--No. Milk--No. Flavor Packet/can of soup--No Again. Onion--Yes. Chocolate Milk: No chocolate, no milk. Green Beans--yes.

What have you gathered from this list? Have you figured out what I can eat? Does my diet consist of Fruit, Onions, and green beans? Only partially. I can have raw nuts, except peanuts. Fresh Fruits & Vegetables (Did you notice the serious lack of vegetables in my proposed meals. I'm not generally a big fan of fruits and vegetables), Almond Milk, Quinoa and Buckwheat, Almond Butter (which is definitely not as good as Peanut Butter) & limited Turkey and Chicken. So, except for the Turkey and chicken, I can eat what a squirrel eats--hooray for me! I eat a lot of nuts, vegetables and fruit, as well as stir fry with quinoa. P.S. Sometimes almonds go bad and taste like almond extract.

Pluses: I'm not as swollen, I've lost ten pounds, My clothes fit better.
Minuses: There is no flavor in my diet, everything is bland, & nothing tastes good. They kept telling me that they were going to add food in, and then didn't because I still didn't feel good. Finally, yesterday, they added beef, tomatoes, and eggs, that I get to try one at a time to see if they make me feel rotten. I had a hamburger for lunch today, so we'll see.

I'm also supposed to eat every two to three hours, which is hard for me to remember, but I've been doing pretty good.

The next question--do I feel better? The last two days I have, but I'm cynical and don't trust that because sometimes I feel good for two days when I'm not on the squirrel diet.

Dippy Land

I recently returned from a lovely time in the cold and rainy California. Coo and his family were nice enough to ask us to go along for the fun. I'll just post some pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

The whole crew, minus me before we scarred J for life at the haunted house. You'll notice that we're wearing badges. They are I.D. badges that have everyone's phone numbers on for lost kids and lost Coos. I chose a Disney Character that we had a resemblance to for the front of the badge. Any guesses who was who?
Ma & Pa on their scooters in Tomorrowland (I rented one, too). What can I say? They were fabulous. They held all of our junk and provided rides for tired legs.

Ma entertaining E with a scooter ride.

J Chillin' with Gramps and eating licorice.


Aunt Roo and her shadow.

A and her Rapunzel doll. Yes, I am a sucker of an aunt that bribes nieces and nephews. It's my job. A few of A's favorite rides--It's a Small World, the roller coaster, and Alice in Wonderland (She had several more, but I can't remember them all.)


J and his "build your own" light saber. He refused to have his picture taken without the light saber across his eyes. I also heard he light-sabered baby sister E and had a bit of a time out. J's favorite rides were the "shoot the bad guys" ride (Buzz Lightyear) and the up-and-down go fast ride (Gadget's go-coaster).


A happy E. She was really good - and is a pro at rolling over. Unfortunately E didn't get bribed. I found there really doesn't seem to be anything souvenir and baby friendly at D land. E didn't tell me what her favorite rides were, but she seemed to enjoy most of them, but found It's a Small World a little long for her attention span.

If you can't tell, a fun time was had by all.

P.S. J & A, we left all the ghosts, pirates, & Bug's Life at D-Land. Hopefully, you'll forget these life scarring events, but I don't have much hope. I'm still recovering from the E.T. & Santa Clause incidents when I was 2 or 3.

P.P.S. Maggie the dog's heritage--50% Australian Shepherd, 25% Border Collie, some terrier, a bit of collie, and smidge of Bull Mastiff and Argentine Dogo. Yup, the test confirmed that she truly is a mutt

Hum Drum

So, I haven't posted in awhile because my life is just humdrum right now. Nothing too exciting--just the day-to-day fun of work. I'm getting lots of tax forms done and mailing lots of meeting notices. This will all be followed by lots and lots of meetings--10 to be exact. I haven't been doing much quilting, but hopefully will get a bit of time this weekend to work on it.

Next month--Dippyland with the Coo Family, Ma, Pa, & Roo. Pa has always called it Dippyland, so most of us do, too. I've been reading up on lots and lots and lots and lots of useless tips for the Magic Kingdom. Did you know that some people buy a computer program to plot out their course at Dippyland. They use a computer program! What happened to having a relaxing time on vacation. I'm sure that Coo will find a reason to create a spreadsheet for the occasion, as he and Loo are in love with spreadsheets.

Well, here is one thing tat I did recently finish--a rail fence quilt for Baby McBaby in the good old U.K. I don't think it is my favorite of my finished quilts--sorry MBC. I'm still working on boy and gender neutral quilts and getting them to be more attractive. I also made 4 pair of little, itty, bitty baby shoes that I did not take a picture of that I can remember. I will never be doing that again because it was a big, fat pain in the patoot.

Sorry that it is blurry, but I can't fix it.

In other news Maggie Mae is growing quickly. The family spent much time debating over her heritage, so I had a doggie DNA test done on her and gave my family the results for Christmas. Yes, I am well aware that I am a dork, but I was a curious dork.

For all of you that don't know what the results were, you have until January 27 to guess what her heritage is. I'd post newer pics of her but my camera is broken.

P.S. Roo posted some new blogs, even thought it doesn't look like it on my sidebar.