va voom!

after two days of ~70 degree weather, the leaves are here! Just like that!!

*pictures of Mark's trip coming up next

seamstress status

After I redid my star squares (because the old ones were cut too small in the beginning!! - such a lousy, timely mistake) last Thursday, I started this week off by sewing all my squares together to get them into strips. please ignore the cheesey-grin! I had just woken up and was a little loopy still:

Now, with my quilt top complete, I am just about to sew and baste the backing to the batting and top. Then begins the hand-quilting! 

Mark has the better camera with him on his trip (which I get to see all the pictures tonight when I pick him up!), but here is the quilt-top anyway: 

Here is the backing I chose. I have been crazy in love with this color for about 3-4 weeks now (rare for me, since every day I have a different favorite color). It matches pretty well with the satin stitch-thread I did around the stars, too. 

The gold is me comparing a possible binding fabric to the backing fabric. I thought I had more of the green shown in the star above, but I don't have NEARLY enough for binding with that. I'm thinking of just doing the gold sparkly stuff as binding... 

And that is how I have spent a huge part of my week! It feels good to have gotten so much of it done, though. 

still waiting

for Spring to come...

but these little buds mean it's getting closer!

bring on the green, please. 

Is it Spring everywhere else but here? Let me know if it's green and pink and pretty.

films

With all this quilting going on at my house, I have been running the tv thin with movies. Here are the ones I've watched in the last few weeks: 

1. King Kong, 1976: I can only watch the movie up until they get King Kong on the boat. Then it just gets sad. It was on AMC. 

2. 17 Again, 2009: This one I saw last Wednesday night. It was really good!! This picture shows my favorite part. I always wanted that 'so cool' moment when I was in high school. Didn't we all?! 
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008: Borrowed from a friend in my ward. I haven't seen the original, but this one was interesting. I know a lot of people think Keanu Reeves is a hokey actor, and he might be, but I still really like him. Must be the Ted Logan that's still inside. He plays a dull alien really well, though. 
4. V for Vendetta, 2005: I saw the last 20 minutes of this movie about a month ago, and finally got to see the first 3/4 of it a couple of nights ago. I cried SO hard. Natalie Portman is excellent in this film. When she was scared, I was scared for her, when she was infuriated, I felt it too. Gory, but thank goodness for edited TV movies!
5. Bye Bye Birdie, 1963: It was on just a moment ago while I was doing dishes and laundry. It was okay. But I'm excited to look towards the new one about to begin production with oo-la-la John Stamos. He will be doing the same character Dick Van Dyke played. 
6. Cold Mountain, 2003: This was a very good, very sad, very inspiring movie. I'm glad it was edited; I'm sure it was very gory, and very hard to watch in its original format. ANY movie dealing with war times is a generally going to be a hard movie, and this was no exception. Renee Zellweger's character, Ruby, was sensational. She motivated, encouraged, and pushed Nicole Kidman's stereotypical female-character into action to save herself and her property. This movie gets 5 stars from me. 
7. Sabrina, 1995: A friend of mine has been trying to get me to watch this one for a long time. And I finally just got to! I've only ever seen the old one with Audrey Hepburn from 1954. I appreciated this one because the better looking character was Linus. In the 1954 version, I hated that she wound up with Humphrey Bogart (sounds like a weird Harry Potter creature) when William Holden was there. 

*I keep a page in the front of my journal for the movies I see, and another one for the movies I'd like to see that weren't out at the time of the list compilation. I star each of them with how much I liked it, the price I paid to see it, and also the location (a theatre, tv, or rental). 

Does anyone else do that? ha! I'd love to hear a yes!!

buds

I didn't want to be reminded of weird baby-dreams every time I opened my internet page, so here is a pretty picture of some budding trees. This was on our sunset/dall sheep drive from Friday. 

Well.. the sun just appeared as the clouds finally broke apart, so I am off to hit the pavement with Buckwheat. 

baby mechanics

A while back, in all of the baby-talk I have ever heard, I listened in to a couple of dream recounts where mothers get to 'take out their baby and play with them, then put the baby back.'

Well, I had my first 'play with the baby dream' early this morning and I was sort of disturbed. 

In the dream, my whole middle section was plastic, and when I took out the baby to hold him, he had no face! Just like my stomach had no front! Just a big open plastic-y hole!! But then inside the baby's head was all this clock-like mechanical-metal-clinky stuff. I remember thinking, "aww what a precious baby!" Then oogling over him with Mark. Metal face and all. ...maybe this kid will need extreme braces or something...

Then when my 'time' was up, I tried to put the metal and plastic baby back inside my stomach cavity (which is PLASTIC by the way, remember; nothing gruesome here). As I tried this, the baby started screaming and crying and all the sudden was a REAL BOY. ha ha (I hope you heard that like the Pinocchio-boy in Shrek)

When I woke up, I was really amazed (for lack of better word) that I just had such an absurd dream. 

Now I want to hear some of your dreams, mothers! Post anonymously if you must. ha!

oh, bah

Yesterday night (around 9:00) Mark and I took a drive up the side of the mountains behind our house. My idea was to try to see some dall sheep that our friends could see from their window + binoculars, of course. 

We set out up the mountains, took some turns Mark thought looked fun and ended up at the popular trail head of Baldy. I had no idea it was that close! But when we flipped a u-ie to go find these dall sheep, Mark hit the brakes. He said, "take a picture!!" ... mmm sunset at 9:30 and it's only April. It's fantastic!

After a few more shots, we made it up the streets I had hoped for. Annnnd... TA DA!! You see them?! There's three of them: Here's a zoomed and cropped shot of two of them. The third was far to the left. 

In my Alaska's Wolf-Man book (which is SPECTACULAR, by the way), the dall sheep is supposedly the most tasty game in all of Alaska. Don't look at the cute pictures when you think about that! Actually, these sheep are about 120 pounds... so they're quite large and non-cuddly. But still really neat looking, especially on the rock face!

From the same road, here's the other side of the valley (the side our living room faces). You can see the windy Eagle River, and the remaining snow on the mountains. Melt snow, melt!

side note: 

the baby is still tickling me, and today it's happened twice. The last time I laughed out 

loud was last Sunday in Sacrament Meeting. It was embarrassing!! 

Mark was laughing at me, but I don't think anyone noticed... AH! BABY.

happy Earth Day

photo via

I saw this photo and loved that this piece of old wood had a nail through it. Probably from being used as a fence. Maybe for a pasture. But even after being a used piece of wood, Mother Nature took it back by letting a little weed sprout through. 

What a fun and wonderful world we have!

24 weeks

getting rounder...

I thought I was still sorta small... but looking at these pictures I think I am looking lots bigger. Mixed feelings about this. 

Mark took this yesterday before church.... but AFTER breakfast. There. That's why it looks so dang big. Dang Mini-Wheats! 

I think we've decided on a name... but it's one that my dad doesn't like!! Dad, I wonder if you can guess it? And no... it's not a gay name. :o) Go Miss California.

greek irish dancers

The code to embed this wouldn't work.. so please just go watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHvATmUsSg 

Dad, you especially. Have a good laugh. Here's a little preview picture:

my mother

My mom turns a day older today. Or a year, however you want to think of it. I'll choose just a day. 

family picture in Paris, France, 1986

My mom can BARELY be seen clearly. 

She must have moved 

right as this was taken,

because both those blurry people 

on the right of my dad and I, are her. 

I have been saving these photos since our New Year's trip back to Utah. While visiting her parents' condo in downtown Salt Lake, I realized just how many pieces of her artwork they showcase. It was like a little gallery! So, in her honor, I present to you.... 

My blurry photographs of her beautiful paintings:

above: small, nearly the size of a bookmark

a lot of these are oils, but the medium 

I've seen her use most is watercolor

...like below: watercolor 

(hanging in my Uncle Brett & Aunt Ruth's home)

below: this is the 3rd screen I've seen of hers.

I don't know if there are any more. 

mooomm?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

sun rise

Somewhere over the continental US. 

Mark flew to Florida overnight last week, flying towards the sun the entire time. He had taken our nicer camera with him, and he snapped a bunch of sunrise pictures, but it wouldn't focus on the sun. Instead it would focus on the glass; resulting in this nice bit of modern art/photography. Go Mark and his happy photo accidents!

gone native

People say that when you open your doors and windows when it's in the high 30's here, you've become a true Alaskan; I did that last week. Well today I sat outside in the 40s!! It was glorious!

The sun was strong and high, there were no clouds, and the only snow is in the shade or on the mountain tops. I even had an Alaskan book to read: 
A friend (who is also a hunter) said that this book will cure my fear of wolves. I doubt it, but I told him I'd give it a try. He said that this man, Frank Glaser hunted wolves only for control (there were TONS of them back then) and he developed a huge respect and reverence for the animal. I already have that... along with the fear. 

Here's to hoping!

happy spring

Last Friday there was a 'Scrap for a Cause' at a friend's house; a little friendly fundraiser for our town's library. Because all of my pictures are in a bin under our house, smashed into our crawl space, under more bins, I decided to take something else... I can't lift more than a certain weight, Mark tells me. 

So I packed up my little 'mistake strip' from my quilt. I spent last quilting class, and that night, unpicking an entire strip from my 'middle-eastern-inspired quilt.' Remember that one? Waaaay back from last summer? Yes. That one! In the beginning, I made a huge error; cutting squares of my 2nd fabric 1/2" too small on every side. I cut, adhered, silk stitched stars to these 12 square babies without realizing it. So I'm getting back on track, slowly getting back on track. 

After taking apart the strip, I made this card cutie!! It was nearly Easter, so I decided it will do for a happy spring card for my Grandma. I told her to keep an eye out for it when I talked to her on Saturday. I better get it in the mail TODAY. 

HAPPY SPRING!

morning clouds

Mark loves clouds: 

flying through them

hiking through them

ogling at them

listening to them 

(the thunderous, or raining ones)

watching them 

(fast, or lightening ones)

And when he gets up, one of the first things he does is look out our bedroom window. A couple of days ago, on Saturday (I think), this is what he saw: 

*sort of looks like a volcano 'of sunshine' on the right - glad it's only light!

We love Alaska!

Easter

Happy Easter, everyone! I love, love, love this holiday. Everything from the spiritual messages in the scriptures about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to the little child-like celebrations of new birth and new beginnings of Spring. Since I can't take pictures of how wonderful the story of the resurrection makes me feel, I will share some pictures of cute Easter-inspired things... like: 

shopping displays in stores:

The bright colors, signifying bunnies and chicks:
Nesting birds that are finally making their chirps heard around our house. Welcome, Spring!:
Easter Egg Hunts, even in the Home Depot today while buying paints:
And just the beautiful, fresh, and bright colors that Spring brings. It just makes you glow with happiness:

gifts

For the two birthday girls yesterday: 

1. Tessa J. - my sister 

2. Jodi C. - my friend and quilt extraordinaire! 

I made two bracelets. Tessa's has not yet been sent, but here is a picture of the one I made for Jodi: 

The trick is, instead of buying all the bead kits and tools, you walk into the bead store, say, "I have $10, I'd like to make a bracelet." Then they pull out little containers of all sorts of colored-beads, give you the clasps, the tools, the mat, the space, and the help when you need it! It is the greatest thing. And lots of fun. Try it at a local bead shop, if you're curious. 

20 years in the making

*Tessa's classic happy-sad face

My one and only sister, Tessa is turned 20 today. She's no longer a teenager, yet I can only think of her as my young, little sister. 

I'm really bad at these birthday posts, but she demanded one in a nice way, of course. So for her birthday wish, I'm supplying. 

Tessie, do you remember when: 

::: we would close all the hallway doors and throw all our bouncy balls around? Mom was always worried about the glass lights, but we loved the way the balls sounded when they hit the wooden doors! 

::: I wrote all our names with inedible cherries on the sidewalk? Dad came out to see me when I was scrubbing it to ask if we should go get Slurpees and got mad instead. Could have been a great night!! Instead I scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed!

::: you went with mom to pick up Tapper II and I came home and you were playing with her in the courtyard?

::: dad would cook us big breakfasts? I think you liked the sausage and I liked the bacon... mmm... now I just like them both. 

::: mom would wrap us up in material and give us pots to hold? Then she'd take pictures so she could paint us like we lived in old Israeli times... I think...

::: we would eat crackers in the red bowls under the dining room table?

::: we played Aladdin under the piano?

::: we tried to play all the weird instruments in the cabinet?

::: we would 'ride the waves in' with Dad? 

::: when mom got pummeled by the wave? That was a little scary... 

::: you and I had a lot of fun at the office with Vernadine? 

::: we would fawn over Benny the Jet Rodriguez?? What a stud. 

::: you would go to the hospital all the time and I would cry?

::: remember birthday parties and you would be so sweet to not blow out my candles, but the pictures always caught you thinking about it? You were such a cute little kid!

I remember when: 

::: we would pick the peas off their stems in the garden and eat them right then and there. 

::: we would play in the bushes 

::: I taught you the rain dance on the trampoline and it actually started to rain. 

::: we went to the adoption agency and you were brought in. It was sisterly-love at first sight. 

::: you came close to beating dad at tennis... but I don't think you ever beat me... 

::: we'd fight and I'd push your door open and force you to hug me and hear me say sorry. ha! 

::: our bedtime was 8:00... it was torture.

::: you would sleep longer then me at nap time and I had to wait and wait!! I hated to wait. I wanted to play!

::: you had a bigger room than me so I got my revenge.. shhhh!

::: we would play Jurassic Park in the back yard with the cousins and the Red-Ryder Wagon. 

::: Easy Dinners were amaaaazing. cheese, crackers, and carrots... C's. Oh, and grape juice. mmm

::: I told you the baby was a boy. You said something to the effect of, "what are you going to do?!" I was thinking the saaaame thing, dear sister!! :)

I hope this post was up to your hopeful standards. I love you so much, little seester! You are a brave soul, and I admire everything about you. Your strength, wisdom, humor, intuition, green eyes, and perfect teeth! :) You are lovely. 

Don't you miss the good ole days? 

Look how HAPPY mom and dad look!! This was 1990 after they now had their two little girls. 

*and no, that's not a shadowed mullet my dad has! He was 'all-business' front and back. ha!

we got it!

With Mark having the morning off (he just got back from a trip to Florida last night), we were able to go into the furniture store this morning. The square table was still there! 

We got the square table for even less then we thought we would, and we ended up getting a higher base for it (same square table top as in the picture below, just higher legs). The marble just sort of drops onto the four legs, so we went with a higher one... not very kid friendly, but Mark had an idea about it: 

We'll just hold our little kiddo hostage up on the high doom-chair until he finishes all his vegetables! ha ha Just kidding, of course, but it put a funny picture in my head. 

Chairs are still an issue. We didn't get any from the furniture store since we went with the higher table. Otherwise, Mark was going to 'give in' to the white leather chairs (that were actually CHEAPER than the Pier 1 chairs!! Get that!). 

So the hunt continues... 

stop it! stop it!

I am being TICKLED by our baby!! Enough-so, that I laugh out loud, in fact. I hope it doesn't happen in stores... that would be a little embarrassing. 

So I'm past the frogs-in-a-lilly-pond stage, and not yet to the horse-in-a-bathtub stage. 

And yes, I have ALWAYS been ticklish. This is nothing new... except in the way of being tickled; that is certainly very new.