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! =)

Gifts

One of my husband's many, many cousins is having a baby soon and yesterday was her baby shower. I wasn't able to go because we took my nephew Logan to the zoo while his parents are still out of town (that's a post for another day), but I did send my gift with another of my husband's cousins. She will be having a little girl, in November I think, so I gave her a package of diapers and this baby quilt that I made out of warm, snuggly flannel fabrics.

It has the raggy edges...here's a close up.

The back is completely smooth, though...no edges sticking out. I love making these quilts because they go together so quickly and you don't have to send them to the quilter, so when it's done, it's done. The only time consuming part is making the little cuts in all of the edges so that it will fray when it's washed. I think it turned out pretty cute though. My husband said I should keep it because it turned out so nice...isn't he sweet! =)

Yesterday was my husband's youngest sister's birthday...she turned 24. We'll all be getting together this evening to celebrate her birthday. Last night, as I was getting her gift together, I realized I didn't have a gift bag to put it in, so I made one using the tutorial at Pink Penguin.

I've been wanting to make one of these cute baskets for a while, so I thought that this was a great opportunity! It went together very quickly, and I just used fabric scraps and pieces that I had lying around. However, I did make some alterations to mine. My bag is a little larger than the instructions call for...I used 2.5" squares for the patchwork instead of 2". I also made the 'linen' piece (the white piece along the bottom) a little longer and wider (obviously to accomodate the larger patchwork pieces). I also made the handles longer and placed them in the front and back, instead of the sides, to make it easier to carry things in. So, this bag will hold her gift now, but it will hold whatever she wants later...what a fun gift bag! Thanks for the tutorial ayumills! =)

I'm a Winner!!!

Guess what! I won a giveaway! I'm so excited...I never win anything! Debbie was holding a 100th post Mad Hatter Tea Party and I won...yahoo! I'm so excited to get my prize. Debbie is so creative and crafty...you should check out all of her great creations on her blog!


Also, my swap partner in Linda's Bag/Bucket Swap has received her package, so now I can show you the bag that I made for her, as well as everything else I sent her. I made this bag for Nancy in Norway...she said that her favorite colors are blue and red...I really hope that she likes the bag. She does lots of quilting and stitchery, so I made it a little bigger to be able to hold everything.

I also sent her some fat quarters, chocolate, a quilting magazine, and a body wash from Bath & Body Works.
This was such a fun swap. It was fun way to get to know people from all over the world. Thanks again, Linda!


I signed up for another swap/challenge...the Spare a Square Scrap Challenge on Jennifer's blog. We each send in a 12" x 12" piece of fabric and she organizes them into groups of ten...then cuts up each piece so that everyone in that group gets a piece of everyone's fabric, then sends the pieces in that group back to us. We then make something out of those pieces of fabric. I'm excited to see the fabric pieces that I get back. I haven't decided what I'm going to make with my pieces, but I'm leaning toward making a basket that I saw a tutorial for on Pink Penguin. The baskets are really cute and I have been seeing them pop up on a lot of blogs that I visit...really makes me want one! Besides, I need a place to store the million or so yo-yo's that I need to finish for my vintage yo-yo quilt.


Thanks to everyone for being so creative and for coming up with such fun giveaways, swaps, challenges, and tutorials...you all inspire me every day! =)

You're Invited!

I'm so excited!

A quilting group that I belong to is having a quilt trunk show on the 27th! We will each be displaying some of the quilts we've finished and there will be raffles & prizes, yummy treats, and you can even try your hand at long arm machine quilting. So, if you happen to live in the area, or just want to come and join in the fun, please stop by. I'd love to see you! =)

A Day at the Farm

While Erik & Cheryl are out of town, we are lucky enough to help my parents take care of my cute little nephew, Logan! Yesterday, we all went to the Farm at Thanksgiving Point to see the animals. As we walked in, Logan told Farfar (grandpa in Swedish - my mom is from Sweden) that he was going to be brave...and he was so brave. He fed the animals, rode on the pony ride, played around the Discovery Gardens, and pretty much had a great day, or as he put it "Me having fun!". (Erik and Cheryl...this post is for you.)

Here is a picture of him at the start of the day with Rick...he's so excited to be around the animals!
Here he is feeding the goats...at first he only threw the food into their pen, but he got braver and let them eat of his hand, but then went back to throwing the food to them. Logan riding the pony with Rick...he said that this pony's name was 'Donkey Horsey' and he kept yelling out that he was a cowboy! Logan behind bars in 'Jail'.

Logan climbing out of the bear den.
Logan, Rick, and I petting all of the pretty horses...they had such soft noses!

This next picture is my favorite from the day. We ate lunch at the Deli at Thanksgiving point and I ordered a piece of chocolate mousse cake with a chocolate-covered strawberry on top (soooooooo delicious, by the way). Well, I gave Logan a fork and told him he could have a bite (thinking he would use his fork), and he said 'okay', picked up the plate and put the whole thing to his face...trying to take a bite out of the strawberry on top while it was still attached to the cake...he had chocolate mousse frosting all over his face! He said it was yummy, though...and it made for a cute picture! =)

He is too cute! Hope you are having fun, Erik and Cheryl...before you know it, you'll be home...thanks for sharing your cute little boy with us - we're having so much fun! =)

Did You Know?

One of my coworkers gave me this list of handy things (not sure where he got it from), but I thought I'd share them...some of them seem like really great ideas, but I haven't had a chance to try all of them yet.

* Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

* Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold.

* For a brownie treat, make browines as directed. Melt Andes mints in double boiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

* Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the story, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

* Newspaper Weeds Away: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, but they will not get through wet newspapers.

* No More Mosquitos: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitos away. (This one I am definetely going to try - we live by the lake and have LOTS of mosquitos! I'll let you know how it works.)

* Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and...ta da...static is gone. (For me, personally, I rub lotion on my legs or even on my stockings, and that seems to get rid of the static too.)

* Measuring Cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (I'm trying this the next time I make cookies)

* Foogy Windshield?: Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser. Supposed to work better than a cloth.

* Reopening Envelope: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. (If I'm giving money or a gift card, I always forget to put it in the envelope with the card before I seal it, so I'll have to try this the next time I do that and see if it works.)

* Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home', can't digest it so it kills them. It make take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed.

Like I said, I haven't tried these, but they sound like good ideas, so I think I'll give them a try. If you have tried some of them, please let me know how they worked, or if you have other great ideas I'd love to hear those too!

Thanks! Have a great day! =)

Bag Swap

I am all finished with my bag for Linda's Bag/Bucket Swap, and it is in the mail on its way to.....................................someone in another country!

This is a sneek peak at the bag - I'll show the full bag after I know that she's received it. When I signed up for the swap, I had never made a bag before, but really wanted to try it. I made one bag, since I figured I should have a practice run, and Sherri won that bag in my birthday giveaway. So, this was only the second bag I've made and I had so much fun making it for my swap friend on the other side of the world! I really hope that she likes it. Thanks to Linda for putting together the swap - it was a blast! =)

Pay It Forward

Hello...hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

In browsing all of the blogs from everyone that left me comments for my birthday giveaway, I came across Sonia's blog. She was doing a Pay It Forward, so I signed up and I will be receiving a handmade gift from her within the next 6 months...lucky me! So, in return I will be 'Paying it Forward'. The whole concept is based on the movie, Pay It Forward...you've probably all seen it, but if not, rent it - it's good. The movie is all about one person doing something good for three other people, with no expectation in return, but with the hope that those three people do something good for three other people...and so on...it just grows exponentially. Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone lived by Pay It Forward?

So, the first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me, made especially for you, within the next 6 months! Not sure what it will be...I'll have to browse through your blog to see what kinds of things you like before I make something for you, but it'll be fun! Then, you post the Pay It Forward on your blog to make something handmade for three other people...I'm sure you get the idea. I think this will be a lot of fun...hope to be sending you something soon! =)

Presidential Cookies

Last night was the Republican National Convention and we watched it. We also watched the Democratic National Convention last week. We'd like to be able to make an informed decision when election time comes in November. After all, the right to vote is a great gift we all have as citizens of the United States of America.


I always find that I listen better and pay better attention when I am busy doing something, so I made some more yo-yo's for my yo-yo quilt, and I made these cookies:
They are Peanut Butter Blossoms. I got the recipe from the bag of Hershey's kisses (but you can click on the link for the recipe on Hershey's site). I love the chocolate & peanut butter combo...it's one of my favorites!


I know that every presidential election, they do a bake off of cookies from the potential first ladies...does anyone know where I can find those recipes?

**EDIT: I did some searching on the Internet and found the recipes for Cindy McCain's Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies, Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies, and Bill Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies by clicking here. At the time they posted the recipes, and held the vote, Hillary was still in the running, so they included her 'First Man's' cookies...is that what he would be called? Judging by the votes, Cindy McCain's cookies won at 4,123 votes, with Michelle Obama's cookies in a close second at 3,440 votes, but poor Bill Clinton's cookies only got 164 votes. Either way, I love cookies, so I think I'd like to try them all! =)

Also, I found a good website with information on the candidates - where they stand on the issues and their voting record - it is On the Issues. If you want info, just click on the candidate name on the top header...so far it looks pretty interesting, but I'll be checking out other sites too.

Have a great day! =)

Yum, Yum, Good!

Well, now that Rick is no longer doing the mountain bike races on Wednesday evenings, I found myself with some free time last night! I decided to take full advantage and make a couple of the yummy recipes I find on other blogs. For dinner, I made Prudy's Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cumin Lime Viniagrette, and boy, was it delicious!

I did the meal option by adding the brown rice and meat. We also added some yellow pear tomatoes from our garden because we have lots and are trying to get them eaten before they go bad. For the meat, I just bought a rotisserie chicken on the way home from work, shredded some, and threw it in. It was so quick and easy...only took a few minutes to make...the longest being cooking the rice (I used the quick 'minute' kind). My husband loved it too...having seconds and thirds! I loved it so much that I had it as a midnight snack last night, for breakfast this morning, and I'm taking it to work for lunch. =)

I also made Penny's Coconut Ice recipe that she got from Naomi.

As soon as I read her blog and saw this recipe, I was reminded of those Brach's candies that I loved as a little girl, but rarely see anymore (or maybe I'm looking in the wrong place). I knew instantly that these would be a favorite...and only 4 ingredients (plus some food coloring)...that's my kind of recipe!

I also wrapped up some in waxed paper like little candies...can't wait to add some to my lunch bag...if they last that long! I think the only thing I'd do different next time is either add more coconut or less sugar...I'd like them to be a little firmer, but either way they are still delicious!

Thanks to everyone out there for providing me with such yummy recipes! You're the best!

Have a wonderful day! =)

AND THE WINNER IS.......

Before I tell you the winners, I want to thank you all for your sweet comments and your birthday wishes...I wish I had a prize for each of you! It was so fun visiting everyone's blogs...you are all so creative and talented...I look forward to visiting your blogs often to see all of your crafts and adventures. Thank you for making this giveaway so fun for me.


Okay...on to the winners. I decided to give away three prizes. Three prizes, you say, instead of just the one that was originally offered? It is true...everyone was so gracious and kind...so I decided to add two smaller prizes to the mix! I put everyone's entries (some of you got 4...thank's for posting about my giveaway on your blog) into a basket, mixed it up, closed my eyes, and pulled out three winners!


This was the first place prize:



And the winner is.........


Sherri at A Quilting Life. Sherri is an amazing quilter...I was blown away by the quilts she has on her blog. I hope to some day be as good as she is.


The second place prize is this pincushion I made (it will come with some chocolate too):


And the winner is...........


Sonia at {me} and my thoughts. Sonia does all sorts of wonderful things...quilting, stitchery, scrapbooking, etc. She is doing a pay it forward right now, so if you want to get a handmade gift (sure to be beautiful, judging from the items on her blog) from her then stop over and sign up.



The third place prize is this pack of charm squares (it will come with some chocolate too):


And the winner is............


Anna at Thimbleanna. I don't think there is anything that she can't do...if you can think of a craft, I'm sure she's done it. She has a fun blog...projects, a list of great books to read, links to other amazing sites, and yummy recipes. Of course, she has my same name...so that's always fun!


Congratulations to all the winners! I will be sending you an email to get your mailing address. Thank you to everyone who entered...this was so much fun and something I'll wan to do again! Hope you have a wonderful day! =)