Unfinished Projects

Do you have any of those - unfinished projects? Maybe like me you have a pile of pictures waiting to be hung on the wall, a pile of photos waiting to go into the scrapbook, or maybe it's an unfinished craft project from an Enrichment meeting a year ago (mine is an apron). Well - actually I have all of those unfinished projects at my house in addition to 6 quilts (that either the girls or I made over the last 4 years) that needed to be bound.

So what got me into my "Finish the Unfinished Project" Mood? Well - since I was already in the sewing mood from all that costume sewing last week I decided to just keep at it.

Our Relief Society was doing a darling flip and stitch baby quilt as a mid-week activity and I decided I knew a few people having babies in the next few months and I was going to need some baby presents so - why not. The girls and I had a fun time picking out the cute baby flannel.

The class is next week but I was so excited about it I decided to go ahead and cut mine out so I would be ready to go, well... I got even more excited and decided I would just sew one of them up since I was doing two, well...it was so quick and easy and fun I couldn't stop there so I did the next one too. They turned out darling and I love them and I hope the receviers will too! Guess I don't have to go to the mid-week activity any more.

Since I was in the "quilt mode" I decided to tackle some of those "unfinished projects' and I pulled out the 4 quilts I had stored away in the back of my closet that were all finished except for the binding.

Last summer Tessa made a darling quilt for a value project, it was sewn, quilted and finished except for the binding which I was suppose to do.

Four summers ago Cali and one of her friends had spent the summer piecing together and sewing a darling flannel quilt. This quilt was finished also - except for the binding and waiting in my closet.

Also, in the closet were two other quilts I had pieced and had quilted (by a longarm quilter) 3 years ago. They too were also waiting for - guess what - the binding!

After binding and finishing the two baby quilts this weekend I also finished Tessa's value quilt project - yeah!! The other three are now out of the closet and they WILL be done by the end of the week!

The rest of the week:

The girls and I enjoyed a youth baptism temple trip on Wednesday - Jim was out of town in Spokane. I love being in Young Women's with my girls.


I enjoyed a fun get away beach weekend with my Beach Babe friends. We headed out Friday morning and enjoyed the beautiful, perfect weather (sixty degrees and sunny) at the beach. Our house was rented so we rented another beach house at Arch Cape, just 5 miles north of our house in Manzanita. We had fun talking, walking on the beach, eating, shopping and watching movies. We have been friends for the last 14 years and love getting away together a few times a year. It is a very special group of friends.

We watched the movie The Jane Austen Book Club which I loved - I especially recommend it to all Jane Austen fans.

Cali is in for a couple of busy weeks. With opening night only about 12 days away rehearsals are running later and later and work parties on the weekends are busy. She also had Solo/Ensemble this weekend and sang with Cantores and also in the solo division. She was also part of a quartet that sang the National Anthem at the last basketball game of the season at the high school.

Boy Update:
Jim made a quick trip to Spokane this week. With the beautiful "spring like" weather we have been enjoying Jim has spent ALOT of time out in the yard - all the roses - all 37 of them are now pruned and several trailer loads of debris has gone to the dump! He has also been helping work on the set for the musical over at the high school. I bought the slug bait this weekend so spreading that will be his next job.

Logan and the Young Ambassadors left this week for their 10 day tour with the first stop in Las Vegas and then onto Southern California.

Clark and a group of kids from his ward went sledding on Friday and Clark is keeping busy with work, homework and dating Brooke.

I am a sewing MACHINE!

O.K. - not literally a machine but my sewing machine and I did some major "bonding" this week - here is what my week looked like -

Monday - Sew

Tuesday - Sew

Wednesday - Sew

Thursday - Sew

Friday - Sew

Saturday - Sew some more!

It's costume time and they were due on Saturday! So I have spent the entire last week sewing two ballgowns for Cali to wear in the high school musical "Into the Woods''. She is one of Cinderella's Step Sisters.

Here are some pictures of Cali trying on the gowns for a fitting - they aren't finished yet and the green one looks a bit frumpy but it really isn't and looks a lot better in person. So they aren't the greatest pics but you can get an idea why I have been a sewing MACHINE!! The green gown was made out of 15 yards of fabric - there are 3 layers to each piece.

The skirt of the red dress is made out of velvet and is two layers and I think it weighs about 10 pounds! I still have some hemming to do and finishing touches but we are almost there!

I did take a break from the sewing machine long enough to celebrate Valentine's Day. We starated the day with heart shaped pancakes and then heart shape sugar cookies for a treat. Cali celebrated by going to a movie and out to dinner with her "friend' and Tessa celebrated at the dance studio

Jim and I enjoyed our annual "Beach Babes and their Boys" valentine dinner at my friend Julie's house. Julie's house is this fun 112 year old house over in the Hawthorne area of Portland. Julie goes all out - and I mean all out. Her Valentine decorations rival most people's Christmas decorations - every corner and surface is decorated with red hearts and all other kinds of Valentine decor - it is amazing. Here is a picture of Jim and I in front of her mantel which is only one of many decorated surfaces. - it was surrounded by a dozen Valentine balloons. Dinner was delicious and the company was even better.

One thing I learned this week is how to embarass your teenage daughter in one easy step - now this would not embarass all teenagers but when you have a teenage daughter who is a "Makeup Maven" this will do the trick....show up at her school with only half your makeup on.

This week I made numerous trips to the high school and the costume shop as I worked on the costumes. Tessa met me there one afternoon to get a ride home - she walked in, looked at me and declared to the entire room "Mom - you only have half your makeup on!!"

You see I have this little routine in the morning. I put all of my make up on except my eye liner and mascara before I blow dry my hair. I do this because sometimes when I blow dry my hair my eyes water and it makes my eyeliner and mascara run. Well I guess I got distracted that morning and never got around to putting the rest on - I had my eye shadow on , just not the rest.

No one else had noticed up to this point (including myself) or at least no one had said anything but after Tessa announced it to all the mom's in the costume shop one of them did say "I thought maybe you just had a cold."

Boy Update:

Both boys had fun Valentine Celebrations this week.

The boys made a trip to Costco together the night before to buy their roses. Logan delivered his to Shayla that morning when Shayla fixed him breakfast - his favorite - french toast from Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip bread. They then enjoyed lunch together at the Chef's Table (now their favorite restaurant in Provo) since Shayla had rehearsal that night. Logan and Shayla are enjoying the holiday weekend visiting Shayla's family in St. George.

Clark delivered his roses in the morning too and was treated to homemade cinnamon rolls made by Brooke. Clark and Brooke went out to dinner that night and then to an art gallery opening.

Friday was Brooke's birthday so they celebrated again with dinner out and then a surprise party hosted by Brooke's roommates.

In addition to the roses the boys also bought their girls a gift - I was impressed by the planning and thought they put into their gift selection - such good boys!

Your Laugh for the Day - On Me!

O.K. so I woke up this morning (Jim was already up and at the gym playing racquetball) and I saw what looked like a long piece of caution tape, about 3 feet off the ground drapped around the footboard of our bed, it then wrapped around the bathroom door and into our masterbath.

My first thought was that Jim was playing some kind of practical joke on me and drapping caution tape throughout the room, my second thought was - oh, how sweet, he has some kind of surprise for me downstairs and doesn't want me to come down yet.

Well, I got out of bed and soon realized that it was not caution tape but it was toilet paper and it was attached to me! I had gotten out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom - it was dark, I didn't turn on any lights and barely opened my eyes and somehow had gotten the roll of toilet paper attached to me and brought it to bed with me!!

Jim thought it was so funny that when he got up at 5:00 a.m. he just left it so I would see it!

So, there you go - your funny story for the day!