To save you some time...

Just so you know, tub sealer is NOT a good replacement for hot glue when attaching flannel to cardboard.

Just go find the damn glue gun.

I (almost) finished a project!

I've been working on this little quilt (it's 21" square) for a little over a month now, and except for the binding, it's done!

It's called Five Cent Fairy Garden (because you trace a nickel for all the berries) and it's hand appliqued and made completely out of homespun woven fabrics--from my stash. I didn't buy any new fabric for this one, although Vanessa donated a few of her woven scraps to "the cause".

It really is square, it just looks funny in the picture because it's on the back of my fluffy couch.

Sadly, like all of the quilts I do for myself, I whipped through the quilting as fast as I could so I could get it done between customer quilts. It's not my best work...but, I don't sit around staring at my quilting all day, so it's just not gonna matter.

My visiting teaching partner/quilter extraordinaire says that the "mosquito meander" that I stiched in the borders around the applique is my "signature stitch".

I prefer to think of the swirls in the center pieced section as my "signature stitch" but oh well. Mosquito's seem to be more fitting for my life right now :o)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Bad: Waking up at 3:30 AM to the sound of my six year old gasping for air to breathe.

The Good: Living in a community with a wonderful doctor (who gave a great high-council talk on Sunday) and an on-call nurse (in our ward) who were willing to meet us at the local clinic in the middle of the night, since our hospital is so far away.

The Bad: Nearly hitting four bull elk in the middle of the next town over, while going 80 miles an hour, without contacts, trying to get to the clinic a little faster. (I should add that the speed limit is 65 going into the town, so I wasn't going too far over the speed limit...)

The Good: After a priesthood blessing and breathing the cold night air, Caleb arrived at the clinic still wheezing, but sounding a lot better, and able to talk.

The Bad: Throwing up during his x-ray (that would be Caleb, not me). Yes, the good ol' x-ray machine. I have issues with the x-ray machine at our clinic. I've sworn I'd never have an x-ray done there again because it's so fuzzy, I always have to pay to have it re-done in the hospital, but what do you do at 4:00 AM?

The Good: Finding the problem (Croup and tonsillitis) so it could be treated immediately with steroids and a breathing treatment. His trachea was so swollen it was nearly closed off. We are also very grateful that we don't have to pay for a tonsillectomy right now (and do it in a hospital that requires "permission" from Provo to do the surgery).

The Bad: All those payments I made two years ago on our nebulizer that Dillon used twice.

The Good: We actually HAVE a nebulizer and now we're getting our money's worth.

The Bad: The taste of the steroid medication that poor Caleb has to take for the croup, and the TEN DAY antibiotic for his tonsillitis.

The Good: I got out of making a quadruple batch of frosting for 19 kids to make gingerbread houses at school on Friday, AND I don't have to go to the school to help with the project... :o)

And don't forget The Ugly: Me, and the nurse, at the clinic at 4:00 AM with messy hair, bags under our eyes, and no make-up...it was NOT pretty.

Coming down with something...

In honor of my headache and sore throat, and Caleb's headache and nasty cough, I thought I'd post the "Mancold".



And now I think I'll take a nap.

And I thought I was good...

I thought I had this parenting thing down when I came up with my trick-or-treating FHE lesson. But let me tell you, my friend Vanessa wins the prize for this one:

When daylight savings time ended (or began) or whatever it did a few weeks ago...she set her clocks back so her family could have that extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning...and then, before bedtime, she moved them forward again.

Yup, you heard me. She changed them again. And not just once. My genius friend got a full WEEK of bliss when she put her kids to bed an hour earlier at night, and then secretly switched the clocks back after they were sleeping, so they'd get to school at the right time.

It is brilliant. And I can't believe I haven't thought of it before.

Way to go V!

Quirks

My friend, Trina, tagged me to write 7 or so quirks about myself. Since I already did that (here) I decided to write down a few of TODD'S quirks...with his permission of course :o)

1. He likes peeps, and he likes them a few days after the package has been opened (if they last that long). I think they are perfectly wretched.

2. Todd only reads non-fiction books. He likes therapy journals, textbooks, and doctrine. He says that fiction is a waste of his time. I thought this was just since he was in school for so long, but yesterday he was telling the boys about the books he read and re-read as a child (both of them) and they were about Squanto, and Helen Keller. So, I guess he's been a fan of non-fiction all his life.

3. He cuts his toenails with scissors. It's been over 10 years that we've been married, and I still don't see the benefits from this, but whatever.

4. Todd does not like day old bread. If he ever has to take a sack lunch anywhere, he'll make his sandwich on frozen bread, so that by the time he eats it, it will have thawed and will be as fresh as possible.

5. He hates pants and socks. After work, he wears shorts and has bare feet 365 days of the year. The funny thing is, the first time he asked me out, he was wearing new white socks (with his shirt un-tucked...something you NEVER saw...my roommates used to ask him if he had any "play clothes" because he was never casual) and to this day I still tell him how much I liked him in socks that night :o)

6. Todd has a spot on his back, that works just like the reflex in your knee. If I touch it while giving him a hug, he'll jerk back (completely involuntary). It's kind of fun...

7. He doesn't leave the house without Blistex. If he forgets it, he'll stop at the store and buy some. We even have it in his 72 hour kit.

8. Todd thinks of himself as a "fungus". He says he "has to grow on people". I disagree. I thought he was pretty nice from the first time I met him.

9. He knows what a bias binding is (although he's embarrassed about it). The other day, I bought an apron pattern that called for almost twice as much fabric for the ties, as it needed for the main part of the apron. I could not figure it out, and Todd suggested that the ties/trim must be cut on the bias...he was right. :o)

Thank You!

I am allergic to the post office.

I never go...unless I'm expecting something. So, a few days ago, when Todd emptied our box so that the poor post office lady could fit stuff in it again, I was completely surprised to get TWO packages!

My good friend Cami sent me this calendar (with room for making lists), and this absolutely adorable bottle of Heinz. We share our love of list-making, and the "right" brand of ketchup. She also sent two Idaho spud candy bars...but those are LONG gone, so I didn't get a picture. She will soon be moving from Idaho, to UTAH where she will only be three hours away, instead of nine. Hooray! Thanks Cami, for thinking of me. I miss you.

And then, my sister (who also happens to live in Idaho), sent me this cute little berry wreath to sit on the "shelf" of my lamp. It's perfect! She must've known that there wasn't a store within 200 miles where I could get such a thing.
My sister and I have never really fought. I think it's just because the six years between us didn't allow for us to have enough in common to fight about anything...but that's beside the point. Now she's expecting her second baby, and her husband is almost finished with grad school, so we're in the same boat.
I love you Char, and wish you lived closer so we could "play" together. Thanks for thinking of me.