Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas! I love the lights, the family parties, the food, the presents, but most importantly, I love what Christmas represents...the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I also love this quote by Spencer W. Kimball...I have had this quote for several years...I think it's a condensed version of his 7-page book entitled The Wondrous Gift:

Like the wise men who opened their treasury and presented to Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we present to our loved ones things to eat and wear and enjoy. Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift-giving, sometimes our program becomes an exchange – gift given for gift expected.

Never did the Savior give in expectation. I know of no case in His life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient. His gifts were of such a nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value.

His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless. His gifts were opportunity to the downtrodden, freedom to the oppressed, light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing.

His friends gave Him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of Himself, His love, His service, His life. The wise men brought Him gold and frankincense. He gave them and their fellow mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life.

We should strive to give as He gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift…the most wondrous gift of all is the selfless gift given to us by our Savior. We can do nothing more to show our love for Him than to give of ourselves in a silent, quiet, loving way. This, the gift of self, is the highest gift of all.

I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas...don't forget to show everyone you love how much you care about them! =)

The Iron Dilemma Continues...

Thank you to everyone that left a comment about the problem I've been having with my iron...I received a lot of really great suggestions...thanks so much!

I purchased some iron cleaner from Bed, Bath and Beyond. In case you're wondering...Wal-Mart doesn't carry iron cleaner...at least the one by my house doesn't. I used the entire bottle and really cleaned out the inside and the outside of the iron...it looked so great! While at Wal-Mart looking for cleaner, I noticed an ironing board cover on sale for super cheap, and since mine was looking pretty gross with all of the starch stuck on it, I decided to buy it...now my ironing board looked so great! I was sure my problems would be over....and they seemed to be. I decided to iron on a piece of scrap fabric...no marks, Hooray! Then I decided to iron on another scrap...no marks again, Hooray Hooray! So, thinking that all was well and my problems solved, I grabbed my triangle units to get them pressed. First triangle unit, so far so good. Second triangle unit...brown marks!!!! What! I grabbed my scraps again...no marks! What! Then I thought that maybe it was the fabric...that would be weird, so I grabbed a couple of pieces of the white fabric and green fabric that haven't been stitched yet...no marks! So, now I'm thinking it just got the last of whatever problem my iron was having out of it's system, so I start ironing my triangle units again, and what do I get...marks! Maybe this is a sign that I'm not supposed to finish this quilt, or maybe my iron is on the fritz and it just 'happens' to do it when I press the triangle units. I think I'll take a couple to my mom's house and try her iron...just to make sure it's not the fabric, but I don't know why it would be the fabric. I have also asked Santa to bring me a new iron for Christmas...that should solve the problem...if not, I may have to give up sewing and quilting all together! No, not really. =)

I also received some comments about using the all fabric bleach to remove the marks and I still need to try that. I only have bleach for whites and I keep forgetting to buy the all fabric kind when I'm at the store. I have placed a sticky note on my checkbook so that I don't forget the next time I'm out. I'll let you know how that goes.

Thanks for 'listening'! Have a super great day!

HELP!!!

Hello to all my friends out in Blogland...hope you're having a great weekend, but I have a favor to ask...can you help me? Since last spring, I've been working on my green-and-white quilt in between other projects. I'm almost done with the triangle units, but within the past week when I went to press them I ran into a problem. I like to use starch...and normally use Best Press...but in an effort to save some money just bought the cheap stuff from the grocery store. It's been working fine, but then....

The squares on the top are what they are supposed to look like and the ones on the bottom are ruined with marks on the white, but no marks on the green. Has this ever happened to you? I stopped using the starch to see if that would get rid of the problem, but no such luck, so the starch must not be the problem. I tried turning the iron down from the cotton setting to the lowest setting, but that didn't work either, so I don't think it's a heat/burn issue. I also tried pressing on the opposite side than I normally do (thinking that maybe just one side of the iron had a problem)...still just the marks on the edges of the white fabric. I really like my iron and ironing board...well, up until now...and I don't really want to replace them, but I will if I have to. I just wish I new if it was the iron or the ironing board...I guess I could try pressing them on a mini board that I have...that would probably be a good idea. I've been afraid to iron any 'real' clothes for fear that this will ruin them, so they just go into the dryer on high heat to remove wrinkles...usually works okay.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions I can try? Any help or advice you can give me would be wonderful and I would love you forever!!! Thanks so much and have a wonderful day! =)

Catch Up

Hello! Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving! I've been out of blogworld for a bit, but I'm back now and hope to be posting on a regular basis again. Sometimes life gets a little busy and keeps me from doing all the things I'd really like to be doing...I'm sure you can all relate! Anyway, here is what I've been up to:


We had a great Thanksgiving! We are lucky enough to live close to both my parents and my husband's parents, so we get to have two Thanksgivings...sometimes it makes for a long day, but we feel really blessed to have family so close.


We also saw Twilight the weekend that it came out. I LOVE the books, so I was really excited when they announced that they'd be making a movie. I wasn't too sure about the casting of Edward, but as I watched the movie, he started to grow on me and now I do see him as Edward. However, all in all, I was a little disappointed in the movie. To me, it just seemed to be different from the book...and the way that I imagined it to be in reading the book....but, that's the way it always is...books are always better than the movie. My husband and I rate the movies we see on a 1-10 scale...I gave it a 6. My husband thought that the scenery in the movie was really beautiful, as did I...I think I'd like to visit Forks one day.
Back in October, I signed up to participate in the We The People Swap III. I sent my package (forgot to take a picture before I went to the post office) to ****** the beginning of last week and look what I found in the mailbox today: Carolyn sent me these for the swap. A great table runner pattern (I've been wanting to make some runners for my table that I can switch out for the seasons) and this fun Dinosaur Uproar charm pack by Moda. I can't wait to use them! Thanks again, Carolyn!


I also received my Spare Change fabric squares during the last couple of weeks. I love scrap quilts, so I'm excited to sew these squares into a fun quilt:

I have had a little time to do some shopping, especially fabric shopping:
I bought this blue fabric for a blue and cream quilt block exchange my quilting group is doing. We'll all be doing the same block pattern, but we can choose our own fabrics...they just need to be blue and cream.


Now, I just need to finish my Christmas shopping and getting everything else ready for the holidays. This Friday, we're having our older nieces and nephews over for a sleepover...they're really excited! It should be a lot of fun....and nice for their parents too! =)

Remember These?

Remember these scraps that I received as part of JCasa :: Handmade's Spare a Square Scrap Challenge?

Well, I turned them into this fabric flower bowl using the tutorial at Poppy Lane. I originally saw this through Penny's blog at sewtakeahike...thanks for posting the link, Penny! When I saw the tutorial, I immediately knew I HAD to make one! This is the inside of the bowl:

This is the back of the bowl: It's the perfect place to store my bobbins!Thanks for the tutorial, Kali! I'll definitely be making more of these fabric flower bowls!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!! =)

VOTE!

Election day has finally arrived...today we find out who the next President of the United States will be. Have you voted yet? If you have...hooray! If you haven't...go vote.....................now! =)

Well, I'm off to vote!

Have a great day!

Halloween Spooks

Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

We really get into Halloween at our house. My husband takes the day off from work...and I try to take it off or else leave early, too. We don't decorate our yard or anything until the day of Halloween so it's a surprise for all of the trick-or-treaters. Every year we make it a little different and add a few new things.

This year, we did a graveyard theme with lots of tombstones, bones, skeletons coming out of their graves, fog, bubbling cauldrons, rats, spiders, cobwebs, ghosts, pumpkins, bats, etc. Some of the things are motion-activated - that seems to be fun for the kids. Rick and I dress up in spooky costumes too.

Here are some pictures of our house before it got dark.Here is what it looked like at night.

You had to get the candy from Rick and I think he might have scared a few kids...some of them wanted to come to me to get their candy. We also had a table with all sorts of goodies - cupcakes, rice krispies treats, donut holes, cookies - and hot cider and wassail. The adults seemed to like that, and of course the kids did too. We went through about 100 cups of cider and wassail and about 150 treats...not to mention all of the candy that we gave away! We did have some repeat guests that came back for more treats on their way home. Some people even requested pictures with Rick. It was fun!

It was a great Halloween this year and we are already planning for next year. But, we are really looking forward to the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays coming up!

Cookie Monster

Do you ever just have one of those days where you get 'obsessed' (I don't know if that's the right word, but I couldn't think of another one) with doing something? Some days I just really need to clean the house...all day (my husband probably wishes that day came along more often), or work on sewing/quilting projects...all day (that's most days, but with work and life, time just doesn't allow)...you know what I mean? Well, on Saturday, I really, really felt like making cookies...a lot of cookies!

I made four, well really five because I changed one up a bit after it was made, different kinds of cookies.

Clockwise from left: Prudy's Spicy and Soft Ginger Cookies...these are so good...the little bit of pepper really adds a nice kick...and they are soft! Prudy's Pecan Praline Cookies...these were quite tasty, but I think I let my topping cool too long...it just doesn't look as beautiful as her's, but it tastes good! The next cookies are the same cookie as the pecan praline, but without the topping...I made a chocolate ganache and made cookie sandwiches out of them with the ganache as the filling. Finally, right in front are one of my ultimate favorite cookies - Peanut Butter Blossoms by Hershey's...chocolate and peanut butter - what more could you want!

I also saw this neat little gadget on Thimbleanna's blog and I instantly knew I had to have one! I ordered it from Ebay because the only other place I found it online was Amazon Germany and they wouldn't ship it to the US...I think that's what it said...it was in German, but I recognized a form of the word problem on the address page.

So, I also made these shortbread cookies to celebrate Halloween! Using my fun new tool, I stamped Halloween on them. I love shortbread...my grandmother always used to make it during the holidays and I have missed it during the years since she passed away. Now I can make my own! Using the leftover ganache I dipped the bottoms in the ganache and then some of them in some sugar I colored orange...I think it looks a little festive. I also made some that say Be Thankful, too.

Well, I think I have enough cookies to last for quite a while...I think I'll stick some in the freezer. If you happen to come across the Cookie Monster...send him my way! =)

Thanks!!! Have a great week!

What to do with my Scraps?

A few days ago I received my scraps in the mail from JCHandmade's Spare a Square swap (sorry about the bad photo...it was hard to get them all in the picture).

I'm part of group 6 and I am excited to get started on my project. The rules are that I need to use all 10 of the scraps and I need to finish it within the next week or two. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. I'm thinking of making a table runner, or maybe a mini doll quilt, or maybe a wall hanging with some stitchery mixed in. Some of the people participating are already done...and they have made some amazing items! If you want to check out their work, please click HERE to see the flickr group photos. The applique pillow that looks like a flower is particularly gorgeous and amazing! I wish I had that creativity and genius...well, I'll post my finished project when I'm done! =)

Body Worlds

Can I just tell you how amazing the human body is!!! Last Saturday, my cute husband and I went to the Body Worlds exhibit at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City. If you live in the area, I would recomend that you go! For those of you that might be a little squimish, please know that it isn't gross at all...but rather educational, instructive, and inspiring. It was interesting to watch people moving their hands or other parts of their bodies while looking at the exhibit...learning about what makes their body such an awesome machine.

Even though I'm a nurse, and I also student-taught human anatomy (in the cadaver lab) for three years, I still learned a lot at the exhibit. It was really nice to put some things in perspective. For example, we know that the average human heart pumps about 18,000 gallons of blood A DAY, which sounds like a lot...and is a lot...but, when you see a room full of huge oil drums as representing a day's work of the heart, you really begin to see what an amazing organ that is. The lungs were another really neat thing to look at. Also, how migraines affect the brain...I get migraines so this was something I really wanted to see.

One of the areas that I was really touched by was the area on babies and human development. They had varying stages of embryonic and fetal growth. For those of you that have read my 'Little Baby Feet' post, you can probably understand why I was so touched by this. And, I think anyone that has experienced a miscarriage would feel the same way. When you experience a miscarriage it feels like a bad dream...you have no proof...nothing that you saw (besides the pregnancy test) or felt to prove that you were pregnant. I have lost babies at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 11-12 weeks. It was further proof to me that there really was a baby in there. The one at the exhibit that I was most interested in was the one at nine weeks. At nine weeks, the baby has arms, hands, and fingers...it has legs, feet, and toes...it looks like a very miniature person. Even though I never saw that or felt that when I was pregnant, it doesn't mean that it didn't exist. I was so touched, and surprisingly comforted, as I saw these babies and had to blink back the tears. I think it was nice for my husband to see too...as he squeezed my hand and gave me a hug as we walked through.

Another area I found touching was on organ donation...I am an organ donor, and I would be honored to know that in my death I gave someone another chance at life...althougth I hope I don't die for a really, really long time! =) They had a letter that someone had written after receiving a new heart...so heartfelt and moving.

I know that there is a lot of controversy over the Body Worlds in general throughout the country, as it is a traveling exhibit. But, all that aside, it was an amazing exhibit...very educational and inspiring. Both my husband and I left with a greater appreciation of our bodies and how to treat them...we want to be healthy and happy. How grateful I am for my body, even with its limitations, and for the amazing things that it does every day for me without my even thinking about it! Our bodies truly are an amazing gift!

I'm Addicted!

Hello...my name is Anna...and I am addicted to making bags! =)


It all started with Linda's Bag/Bucket swap, and with all of the inspiration I see on other blogs...not to mention all of the really great tutorials out there...I just couldn't help myself! I really like making things and giving them away as gifts, so I've been giving away some bags lately as birthday presents. I used the tutorial at Pink Penguin as my starting point for all of the bags, but of course had to change things up a bit!


I posted about one of the bags that I made for Rick's youngest sister's brithday a few weeks ago...you can read about it HERE. A couple of weeks ago, another of Rick's sisters (he has six sisters) had a birthday, and I decided to make her a bag to hold her present. I chose more warm colors, not only because we are going into fall, but also because I think they fit her better. Here is the bag that I made her:

Last Friday, was my mom's birthday...you can read about her in my previous post. For her birthday gift, she requested that I make one of my bags for her in blue colors...she wants to wear it with jeans. She also requested it be a little bigger than the others I have made, and also that it have longer handles. I still used the Pink Penguin tutorial...just changed the dimensions to fit what I wanted. Here is the bag that I made for my mom:

I also put a pocket inside (and probably should have smoothed out the lining before taking the picture---oh well):

Now....I think I need to make a bag for myself! =)


Hope you have a great day!!!

It's Your Birthday - Shout Hooray!

Today is my mom's birthday!!! Happy Birthday, Mom! So, in honor of her, I thought I'd tell you all what makes my mom so amazing and special:

First, a little about my mom. Her name is Christina and she was born and raised in Sweden.
After finishing schooling Sweden, she came to the USA to attend BYU for a couple of years and then returned to Europe. She joined the LDS church when she was 18. She speaks several languages, has traveled all over, served a mission for the LDS church, and has led a pretty interesting life, which she writes about on her blog, My Swede Life (go visit her blog and leave her birthday wishes!). She is the only one from her family that doesn't still live in Sweden...at times, I think she really misses them.


She met my dad, Gary, in Frankfurt, Germany...she was working for the LDS church and he was in the US Army stationed there. They were married August 21, 1975 civily and then sealed in the Bern, Switzerland LDS temple the next day. Here is their engagement picture:
In 1976, they moved to San Diego, California, where my dad was from, and on August 25, 1976, I was born. Here are some pictures of me and my mom...doesn't she look amazing for having just had a baby!!!!Three years later, my brother, Erik, was born October 2, 1979...and no, that's not him in the picture above - still me. But, I was a big sister! =) My parents only had two children so now it was on to raising us and enjoying life. Now, many, many years later, we all live in Utah, and my mom is a Farmor (grandmother in Swedish...means father's mother because it's my brother's child, Logan, so my mom would be his father's mother) and she is a wonderful grandmother! Here she is playing with Logan: Some of the things that I admire most about my mother:


* She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, both inside and out...she is sweet, kind, and loving.

* She is always happy...I remember growing up that she would bring us breakfast in bed during the school year and always wake us up with a cheerful greeting.

* She has a lot of patience and I don't think I've ever seen her really angry.

* She is SUPER smart and loves to learn. I remember many a long night in school when she would stay up with me helping me to memorize and learn things for school, even though she had to work the next day. Thinking back, I'm sure there were many nights where she got little sleep, but she was always willing to help me when I asked.

* She is my biggest cheerleader...she has always encouraged me to be the best that I can be...she and my dad have always led me to believe that I can do whatever I put my mind too...they have given me the drive to be the best that I can be.

* Several years before I was married, my mom injured her hip....and we still to this day have no idea how it started or how to fix it, even though she's seen just about every kind of doctor there is....I know that her hip causes her pain a lot of the time, but I never hear her complain...she is such a good example to me.

* She loves to play games...especially Sorry, Boggle, Chinese Checkers, Backgammon, and card games. We always have lots of fun playing games together. I call Boggle 'our game' because we are usually the only ones who want to play that one.

* She is fun and usually up for anything, even if it involves lots of walking or hiking (because of her hip) and she always seems to keep up and be having a good time!

* She is an amazing cook! She loves to try new recipes and we are the lucky recipients!

* Should I have kids someday, she is the kind of mother I hope to be.


Mom, I hope you have a wonderful, happy birthday...you deserve all of the beautiful things in life. Thank you for having me as your daughter...how lucky and blessed I am to be able to call you my mother. I love you! =)

Another Swap!

Yes, I have entered another swap...

I really, really love scrappy quilts...especially scrappy quilts with lots of white, so this swap at Chickpea Sewing Studio is perfect for me! Want to get in on the scrappy fun? There is still time to sign up...the deadline to enter is October 15th, I think. I'm planning to send in my fabric this week and I'll be counting down the days until I receive my fabric back so I can start a new scrappy quilt! Did I ever tell you how much I love quilting!!! =)

Also, I just found out that my scraps from the Spare a Square Scrap Challenge swap are on their way to me. I'm so excited...I can't wait to see it waiting for me in my mailbox! =)

What Popsicle Are You?

You Are a Blueberry Flavored Popsicle

You are a very unusual person. For you, summer is all about adventure and travel. You are brilliant and bright. Your mind is always sharp and working at full capacity. You seek out new and different experiences. You get bored very easily. You are very creative. Of all of the types, you're the most likely to invent a new popsicle.

What Flavor of Popsicle are You?

Our Quilt Show

Loch Lomond Quilters:

I just realized that the group photo in the slideshow cuts off Amy on the right side, so here is shot of all of us...the Loch Lomond Quilters:


From left to right: Back row: Dana, Jackie, Kristin, Elisa, Miranda, me, Amy; Front Row: Meghan, Michelle, Erica, Elizabeth, Jennifer


Yesterday was the Loch Lomond Quilters' Quilt Show and it was such fun! It was so nice to get together with everyone surrounded by all of the beautiful quilts. Loch Lomond Quilters was started when we all lived in a subdivision named Loch Lomond in Saratoga Springs...all but two have since moved away to other parts of Utah and even out of state. It was nice to see people that I hadn't see for quite some time and catch up. The weather was beautiful, the treats delicious, and the quilts...amazing! Everyone does such beautiful work and we all have such individual styles...it's really neat to see. Every year since 2004 we have done a block exchange...this year will be our fifth exchange...and it always amazes me that everyone's quilts can look so unique and individualized, even though they contain the exact same blocks.

I even won an award! It was for the back that I pieced on my Nell's Flower Shop block exchange quilt from 2006. The award was 'The Most Top Worthy Back'. That was fun to win an award! If you look through the slideshow, you can see the award and the quilt that it was for.

I'm so grateful to have such wonderful, talented friends....they have each blessed my life in their own special way. Isn't it great that we get to have hobbies and friends and joy in life! I'm grateful for my love of quilting and for the friendships that it has allowed me to develop. Thanks again to everyone who came to support us at our quilt show...it was greatly appreciated! =)

I'm So Excited for Tomorrow!

I'm so excited...I know, I know...I've been excited a lot this week...but, hey, it's been a good week! Tomorrow is our quilt show...and you are all invited to come. I'd love to see you there. We will have yummy food, prizes, and of course...quilts! =)

Kristin of Sadie Bird is hosting the show. She is one of my friends and recently started a long-arm quilting machine business. She is so talented at everything she does...not to mention an excellent mother to her three beautiful children and a wonderful wife for Paul. Her quilts are absolutely beautiful, and so is her shop! She is opening her machine up to the public, so if you want to learn to machine quilt using a long-arm machine, please contact her. This last Wednesday, I was able to go and get some instruction on the machine and it was so fun...I'm hooked! I wish I could say that I'm already very good and fast at it, but that would be a lie...it took me about 2.5 hours to quilt a 2-yd piece of muslin, but I had a lot of fun doing it and I can't wait to take in a 'real' quilt to machine quilt all by myself! I'm hoping to have one ready to go sometime next month. I left with new ideas running through my head of what kinds of quilts I'd like to make and what I'd like to quilt on them...I've been thinking about it ever since. I've even been looking at everyday objects in a new light...you never know where inspiration will strike! I think I'll be doing loops for my first quilt, though...I seemed to have the best success practicing those the other night, but I did pretty good with the stars and a couple of others too.

Thanks again, Kristin...I had a lot of fun, and I love your new machine. Thank you so much for your friendship over the years...I feel blessed to be able to call you my friend. And, I'll be a customer for life, too! =)

The Zoo

Last Saturday, while Logan's parents were still out of town, we took him to Hogle Zoo. This was the first time he had been to the zoo and he had a lot of fun - he loves animals. His favorites were the monkeys, the giraffes, the bird show, the carousel, and the zoofari train ride. Of course, he loves his farfar and farmor (grandpa and grandma in Swedish)! Here he is posing for the camera with them:

When we were waiting in line for the carousel, he kept saying that he wanted to ride the 'yion' (lion), but someone ahead of him took it so he got his second choice...a big black bear.

My favorite thing at the zoo is the bird show...it's really neat and these big, beautiful birds fly right over your head. At the end, you can donate money for conservation efforts...you hold out your money and a bird takes it and drops it into the bin...Logan thought that was fun.

It was a fun day at the zoo! Thanks again, Erik and Cheryl, for sharing Logan with us! We love being able to spend time with him. =)

My Lucky Streak Continues.....

I am a lucky girl two days in a row! Erik and Cheryl (Logan's parents and my brother and sister-in-law) just returned from a trip to Indonesia...and they brought us great gifts! We thought being able to take care of Logan was a treat in itself, so this is just the icing on the cake!

I received a beautiful orange bag...isn't it pretty? I can't wait to switch over the contents of my purse. I also got a bracelet (which I am wearing to work today) and some candy...it took all of my willpower not to eat it before I could take the picture, by the way. Rick got a cool hat from Bali, a bracelet (both are just his style), some candy (no willpower here...eaten almost immediately, so not pictured) and an aloe vera drink, since he loves different drinks (also consumed almost immediately, so not pictured). I tasted the drink too and it was very good...it had little lemon pieces in it. We also got that great hand-carved drum. It felt like Christmas!

They also showed us some really neat pictures that they took. I'm sure they'll be updating their blog with some photos in the next few days, so you'll have to check it out.

Thank you so much Erik and Cheryl for all of our awesome gifts - we love them! We are so glad that you had fun on your trip and that you arrived home safely. Thanks again for letting us help take care of Logan. We love you all! =)

Am I a Lucky Girl or What!!!

Yes!! I AM a Lucky Girl!!! Look what I got in the mail today!!! I was so excited to find this little package waiting for me when I got home from work...I could hardly wait to open it!

It's my bag from Judith in the Netherlands from Linda's Bag/Bucket Swap and some lovely fabrics! Don't you just love it...it's perfect for me. I love the colors...it's so beautifully put together.

It's even been quilted...here's a close up of the lovely stitches.

And...surprise...it's different on the other side... I love that.

It's perfect to hold my projects...and I think it looks pretty cute on me. =)

I also love the fabrics that she gave me...what's not to love about fabric! These are beautiful fabrics. Judith, you read my mind...I've been on the lookout for some mottled fabrics...I'm so lucky!

Thank you so, so, so much Judith for making me such a wonderful bag! I love it and will put it to good use...in fact as I write this post the bag is already holding my yo-yo project that I will taking to my mom's house tonight to work on! Thanks again...I'm sending hugs and warm wishes your way! =)