To Be Fair

I think we all put up pictures of things that look nice, so to be fair, here is my latest project. It is without a doubt a stash-buster. This is a queen size quilt made totally out of scraps. I followed my general rules for scrap quilts, which are, light, dark and accent fabric. When I was making it, all I could think is "Scrapping gone Wrong!"

No worries, this is for camping, instead of sleeping bag, and will only be used 1 maybe 2 times a year and only seen by me.

Bags, Bags, Bags

I made two more bags. They are sure fun to do. I keep trying to find one that Callie likes because I would like to make one for her. So far, she hasn't wanted any of them, but I have quite a few other requests.

Father's Day

Well, I took this picture last Fathers Day. I think the only thing he has added is another year and surgery scar. Happy Fathers Day!

Camping

I like to go camping. I like to go tent camping and I don't mind cooking or cleaning up. My idea of camping is eating, going on a hike, taking a nap, reading a book under a pine tree or down at the beach and repeating this process. The one thing I have to have for a successful camping trip is an air mattress because I do not sleep on the ground. So when the the air mattress lost all it's air the first night, we almost had a disaster. We couldn't decide between going to Stanley and buying a new one or putting Callie and mattress in the lake (it was so cold) and finding the hole. We opted with a trip to Stanley, Idaho, population 100. Had a fun little trip, meet some of the people Scott told us about and got a good nights sleep that night.







Wes really likes the napping part of camping.

Rich is showing us the lake. He loves to go here. Spends a lot of time throwing rocks in the lake, which isn't necessary, because the bottom of the lake is covered with rocks.

Playing on the raft.

Yes, I was there.

My lovely children.

This is where Scott goes to church every week. This is also the only place he has cell service, so he calls us once a week and always says, "You should see the view from here."

Here is the view and it is spectacular. You can see it from inside the church also. Amazing. If you click on the image, you can get a bigger clearer view.

More of the view.


The rest of these are just pictures around the Lake. It is a beautiful place. If you are more of lodge camper you should check out the website for lodge http://www.redfishlake.com/

Rhubarb

This year I learned something new. If you water your rhubarb it grows, really big. With all the rain and having the rhubarb in the garden it has grown. I am trying to think of ways to use it.

We did muffins today. I am a fan of muffins. It has introduced my children, namely Richard, to many veggies he would never have otherwise known. To this day when he sees a zucchini, he says, "muffins".

Here is the recipe I used today.

Low-Fat Rhubarb Muffins
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
Combine and mix well
Stir in:
2 Cups finely diced rhubarb
1 cup buttermilk (You can add a Tbsp of vinegar to milk)
Add combined dry ingredients:
2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Fill muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes at 375. Makes about 18 muffins

Going Batty

I am trying to make a warm quilt and wondered what you all thought about batting. Cotton, Warm and Natural, Bamboo, Polyester? What would your choice be if you were looking for warmth?

What is a trek?

Well, a trek is an reenactment event. Everyone dresses up like a pioneer and walks around the mountains for a few days acting like pioneers. This is teach sacrifice and appreciation for what our forefathers did. This was a huge event, with 100' s of kids and leaders. They loaded up in a few dozen vehicles and car pooled to the South Hills. I go pick them up tomorrow. Treks are very popular in Utah and Idaho.

I am not a fan of the trek. If God wanted me to be a pioneer, I would have been a pioneer. Some of the supplies on the list made my jaw drop, i.e. Gatorade sticks, so they would be hydrated, or Gold Bond Powder. Whatever, I am sure they are having a lovely time.

Now that I have said this, you should know that I made my family walk to Martins Cove in the middle of Wyoming. We were not dressed up. The walk was hot and the Wyoming wind blew at our faces. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We watched antelope cross the trail in front of us. We crossed the Sweetwater River and we felt a reverence when we sat near the field where so many pioneers were buried because of an early winter storm.

So, I am not sure what to think, but I am interested to hear the stories when I get the kids tomorrow.

Scrappy Summer Projects

This was supposed to be a throw, but it is too big, so I am going to take it apart and make two throws. This was very easy and once I make it smaller, I can machine quilt them.

I have been collecting fabric with cherries on it for a couple of years. I made this scrappy quilt. It is queen size and fits on my quilt frames. This is another pattern from the Spring Quilts and More magazine. I still have another project going from the same magazine.

And here is my hand quilting project. It is half done, so if I keep quilting here and there, I will be done in a couple of weeks.

Sewing with Callie

Our Stake is going on a trek. Callie picked out the orange with white dots. She made the skirt. Well, I pinned it, then she sewed. She did put the elastic in. When she finished, she wanted another skirt, so I told her she had to use fabric we already had. She found some old curtains I made for Keith and Todd when they were little boys. Not sure why I kept those curtains all these years. But we sewed, okay, I did it, them together and she now has another skirt. Life is good. I hope she enjoys the trek.

Who Knew

I had no idea that the cast would be so big. He broke 2 bones in his thumb. This is his 5th cast and he is only 12. What next?

FYI

Yes, Dianah, I did take him to the Doctor and he does have a broken thumb. And you know what? They can't do anything with it yet because it is so swollen. It seems to me that I could have waited a couple of days.

This Why We Do It.

Here they are at 10:30 p.m. , the champions. They started at 5:45, lost the first game 24 to 2. Then came the second game, the final game of the season, and they pulled it off 8 to 5. Rich got cleated in the first game and sprained his thumb. Since we had Scott's Eagle Court of Honor, and he was in pain, I took him with us. We fixed him up, Ibuprofen, stabilized the thumb and ice (we will see a doctor today). When the Court of Honor was over, he was feeling better, we went back to the game and he pitched two great innings and help his team to the championship. Some days are like that.
By the way, this is only our 4th winning team. Everyone had one good year, except Callie.

What I have learned from Little League

Some 19 years ago, when Keith was little and cute, Wes talked me into an activity that seemed harmless. The kids were adorable, the grass came up to their knees, they needed help running the bases and they always thought they won, even though, no one kept score. If I knew then, what I knew now, I'm not so sure we should have ever started.
Little history, we started this tradition 19 years ago. The year Rich was born, we had 4 kids in Little League on 3 teams. The next year we had 4 on 4 teams. For the last 5 years, we have only had 1, and we will be done this year. That is around 35 teams.
This is what I have learned.
#1. It is almost impossible to have a good coach. It seems that coaching brings out the worst in men or women. Usually the coach makes his own child cry every game, leaving everyone else with an awkward moment.
The assistant coach is doing this job so his son can play a position that he is not qualified to play. It is best to just grin and bear it.
By the way, we have had 3 good coaches, one was a women, and 2 were men.
#2. People say stupid things at the game.
"Watch the bat hit the ball." "Just play catch." or one I heard last night, "You need to smile."
What does that mean?
#3. It is not fair. The coaches kids do play the infield when they shouldn't and they do not sit the bench. That is just part of Little League.
#4. At least one time every season, your child will not be able to find a sock, hat or belt when it is time for the game. Improvise.
#5. The last year or when they are 12 is the hardest. The kids take this stuff very seriously, and they are very hard on themselves. There is no need to yell during the game when they blow it, they know and they feel bad.
#6. Catching the ball in the outfield is all about confidence. The first time it happens, it is often an accident, but when they see the crowd go wild, they will do it again. Not only that, but as they get older, it is more important to catch those balls.
#7. It really doesn't matter. Although at the time, life is consumed with Little League, in the long run, it really doesn't matter. My goal has always been that they might just enjoy the game. This usually comes about after they graduate from High School.
Kids will grow up to succeed in many other activities regardless of how they did in Little League.

June 1st

Month 5 of the calender quilt is mostly cherries. They are part of a big cherry scrap quilt I am working on.

Here is the bunny hill block

This is a tessellation

And I loaned out this pattern, so I can't remember what it is, but I like it.

Well here we are at the end of the month again. it always seems to sneak up on me. I don't know about the rest of you, but the school years go by faster and faster. Looks like a busy summer and I have a boat load of projects to work on.