Sewing

I love to sew. My passion truly lies in making period costumes...especially Renaissance and pioneer styles. I also love making all types of clothing. I don't like alterations, replacing zippers or tying quilts. Currently I have made a queen size quilt as a Christmas gift for someone close to me. It is very simple, all pieced 5 inch squares and one large piece for the back. I top stitched the top layer for decorative purposes but will tie the whole thing to quilt it. It is hard on my fingers which is why I don't like to do it. It is for someone who really likes the look of a tied quilt which is the only reason I am doing it this way. I hope this person likes it. The part I love most about sewing anything is the end outcome and nearly always what I make is for someone else. That is the most satisfying part for me, giving it away and seeing someone smile and feeling the love with which it was made.

Autumn leaves...

Ahhhh, Autumn. Such a lovely smell of change is in the air. I love this time of year when the weather cools and the color of the leaves change to all the various hues of gold, red, pale green and shades of brown. My shoulders are getting back in shape from all the raking I have been doing for the past two weeks. The kids are having so much fun in the piles. I thought I would try to capture their joy by bringing out the camera. They were on to me and began making serious faces and side glances as if to say, "Yeah right, keep trying, hahaha!" At least they let me position them in the leaves. It was fun for me and for them until it was time to click. Oh well.

Time Flies when your busy...

I just realized I hadn't written a word for over a year. Such a shame too because so much life has transpired. I discovered facebook and my goals of blogging regularly fell to the wayside... far, far to the wayside. Se la vie!

My new cousin, Carolanne is an inspiration. She not only writes regularly but is clever and witty. A bit intimidating but then I thought to myself, we are all blessed with different talents. She is an amazing writer and my talents lay elsewhere. I am satisfied with that...most of the time. My friend Melissa now blogs too and she has such a way with words that I can't stop giggling at the antics of her kids she chooses to share. Then there is Candy, she started a blog writing her opinions of movies. I am still amazed at how much we think alike yet I am never able to articulate my own thoughts so well as she. I am humbled and grateful to be surrounded by such talent.

Camping

We left to go camping on Friday evening. We headed to the Pioneer campgrounds near Logan. Never made it there because the sun was setting and we had to set up before dark. After going towards our intended camp, we drove over new pavement, old pavement, and then an ancient gravel/rocky road. There were many RV's camped out there, people with horses, and tons of four wheelers. It seemed we wouldn't find anything but finally, just before the sun slipped behind the mountain, we found an exposed area by a river. There was a nice little area perfect for the tent and we saw an odd plastic bag hanging from a branch that gave off a disgusting aroma. Luckily we brought a camp shovel and Jason buried the leavings. How can anyone go to a lovely area to camp and leave such filth and trash everywhere? We were so grossed out. After the clean up, we set up the tent and then started gathering kindling and wood. Rachel was very helpful carrying the kindling. I had prepared hobo dinners (ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and spices wrapped in foil). Dinner wasn't ready until nearly 10pm. While waiting for dinner to roast, Rachel and I walked around our campsite and along a little trail by the river to explore. Rachel loved the river. Jason stayed near the fire to make sure it didn't stray. Poor Rachel was so tired and cranky. Although very tired, she was thrilled to finally eat. While Jason put out the fire I went to the tent to get Rachel ready for bed. We unrolled the sleeping bags and put on jammies. She was intrigued by the novelty of it all. Rachel's favorite part of the evening was her new pink flashlight. For a 22 month old, she was taking it all in very well. Jason was thoughtful to bring the 2 inch thick, king size memory foam pad. It certainly made the rocky ground more comfy but we realized we had to sleep on a slant. We hadn't noticed the slant until trying to fall asleep. The rush of the river was nice, like white noise, but the cars driving by through out the night was annoying and made for an uneasy sleep. The last car drove by around 3am. It was crazy. Then the four wheelers were up and moving around at about 7:30 am. We had had great plans for the day of hiking and fishing and such but we had slept so little all of those plans seemed too much. So, we broke camp,picked up more trash from the former campers that daylight exposed and went to IHOP in Logan for breakfast. Then a quick stop at the new D.I. Then home to crash for nearly three hours of solid, blissful, uninterrupted sleep. We have now decided that since we live within close driving distance of the great outdoors, a lovely day trip will be enough and home that night for some comfy, quiet sleeping.

My first blog...

Well, I just learned the hard way that I must save before making changes. DARN!

I had written so much and it was great. I will not try to recreate it all but I will write the highlights. Sorry. I have little patience for re-writes. I guess that's why I hated college (essays)so much.

It is so strange to think that anything I write strangers will also have access to reading. I never thought much of blogging until I began to have difficulty finding enough time to write a response to all my dearest loved ones in email form. I certainly don't have time to call everyone either. Bummer. Please forgive any grammer, punctuation, and spelling errors. I don't plan to fix anything, just write. I am still planning on using email. This will just be an avenue where friends and family can turn to for more in depth details of my life. I plan to write in journal format.
Here's something irritating, this just auto saved. Why didn't it do that with the first draft! AARGH! Life!
Nap time is nearly up so I need to end this and check on the kids. I will write more later perhaps.