Vacations and More Quilts

So, in February, I took a little Vacation with FarmerBoy, S. Q. and Da.  First, we went to Universal Studios and Harry Potter world in Florida.  We bought matching sweatshirts because we are dorks like that.  FarmerBoy got Slytherin, I got Hufflepuff, Da got Ravenclaw, and S. Q. got Gryffindor.  Yes, that's one from each house.  S. Q. has a photo somewhere of it.

Next we took a 6 day cruise on Royal Caribbean and went to Haiti and also to Jamaica.  The first photo is of Da and I on the beach in Haiti.  Pretend that it is more flattering than it is and that I am skinnier than I am and we'll all be happy.

After Haiti was Jamaica.  Here FarmerBoy, S.Q. and I went parasailing.  It was very relaxing just floating in air.  Here is a photo of that.  Wow, that's one of the most flattering pictures of me that I've had in a while.

 In quilt news, Ma & I have been busy making for all the many babies coming in the ward.  There will be like 15 in a year's timespan--and that's just in the ward.  There are also a few cousins, friends, etc.

                                     This quilt is for baby boy Hansen. (by Ma)

                                    This was for my friend M. Kolste (by me)

                                           This is for baby girl Lake. (by Ma)

                                            This is for baby boy Palmer (by Ma)

                                   This will be for baby girl Gilgan (by Ma)

                                This will be for baby boy McPherson (by Ma)


You'll notice that Ma made most of the quilts.  I have a couple that are finished, but I still need to get photos of them.  I lost one of the binder clips that I used to hang the quilts from the Christmas gutter clips.


And of course a few puppy pictures, as I'm sure that you really care about these, but what can I say, my life isn't that exciting. 

May is on the left and June is on the right with her cone.  She had to have stitches and wouldn't leave them alone, hence the cone of shame.

June, with cone, who once joined Ma in the shower.  She had been outside, but opened the front door and then the bathroom door.  The Bathroom no longer has a lever handle and we usually remember to lock the front door.  Apparently, Ma prefers to take her showers without the dog.

May, without cone, loves to be out at the stackyard with the cows.  She also loves to ride the 4 wheeler with FarmerBoy and Pa. 

Have a great summer!

Quilts 2013

Here are some of the quilts that Ma and I made in 2013.  I started making quilts for all of the new babies in the ward.  I started this when there were like 2 babies a year.  We have one every month of September 2013 through June or July of 2014, so Ma has started to help.  Anyway, here are pictures of the ones that I can find.  I made the ones, except the ones that it says Ma made.

I made two very similar to this one, same colors, etc.--One for Alice, and one for Baby Boy Pruitt.

Ma's fancy quilting of a frog.

For baby boy Proctor.  I also made a girl version of this that went to baby girl Dutson.

Ma's "Tanzanite Delight" that she started at the Panguitch quilt walk.

Coo & YooCoo's Christmas quilt, made by me

Quilt I made for Ma, "Arizona Trails"

The back of the table runner Ma made.

The front of the table runner Ma made.

Quilt Ma made for Baby Girl Pruitt

Roo's Wedding Quilt, made by me, quilted by Ma.

Pa's Christmas quilt.  It only took me 3 or 4 years to finish.  Have I mentioned that I hate block of the month quilts?

Anyway, there you have it.  A summary of some of the quilts we made in 2013.  Have a great year!

Year's catchup--2013

So, per Loo's and Roo's request, I have decided to catchup on my blog.  I will separate it into two posts.  2013 happenings and Quilts.

This blog is what happened in 2013. 

Roo got married!  Wahoo!  Here is a photo.  Ma made her dress!

And here are the kiddy poos:

And E looking shocked that the bouquet is broken after she systematically snapped off each rose.

And the whole family.  Thanks to Eliza B. for the photos.

So, that was very exciting.  We had everybody around for a few days of craziness & fun!  Fun fact, Roo's husband has the same name as Loo's husband, who has the same name as Pa.











While here all the nieces & nephews got rides on the 4 wheeler with Gramps, aka Pa.

 

They also did things with Gran, but the photos aren't as fun.

And here is a photo of newlyweds, with an awesome lamp that FarmerBoy made them.

After Roo's wedding in August things settle back down, kind of.  We got two new puppies just before the wedding.  They are mutts (Previous dog, Maggie, sadly met her death by car in February.)  We were all very sad.  Anyway, the two new puppies are sisters, May & June.  Pa and I each have an undivided 1/2 interest in each dog.  Though he chooses the one who causes the least problems for his dog (this changes based on the day).  O.k.  here are the photos taken today:

June on the left front and May behind

And here is a photo of Zephyr on New Year's eve sharing my new blanket that Ma made me.

Our cat Tabby also died this year.  She was 20 years old.  In cat years that is really old.

In October I went to visit my sister Da in Montana for her birthday.  On her birthday, we ventured into South Dakota and went to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Sturgis.

Me and Da at Mt. Rushmore

Me at Crazy Horse

Da at Crazy Horse

We had a lot of fun being together.  Also in October, Ma, Pa, Uncle D and Aunt C went to visit Aunt C in Texas.  I thought that some of the relatives would enjoy seeing a photo.  For some reason, Uncle D is out of focus in all of the pictures.

L to R:  Ma, Pa, Aunt V, Uncle D, Aunt C

That pretty much finishes out the year for me.  I'm just getting into my busy time at work again, but will be vacationing with all of the Single Greathouses next month.

Loo's Visit

Here I am again.  I just thought that I'd upload some photos of Loo's visit out in February with the Jr.s.

 Don't trust this innocent face.  I get into lots of trouble.  I love Minnie Mouse, Kittyyyy!!!! and V-8

 I'm not too innocent myself.  I like sweeping and vacuuming and visiting Aunt Moo at work.

                                            Cheesin' Out

                                             Chillin' w/Papa

Chillin' w/PaPa and telling kitty to run from Sissy, who is Elmyra reincarnated.

And here is a recent quilt I finished.

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.