Happy Halloween!!

I came home from the Parent's Weekend and all that fun and was SICK!!! Yep! and we had all the kids coming over for dinner and pumpkin carving. I sucked it up (like moms do when they are sick and the show must go on!) and made dinner. Amanda made the scrumptious Pumpkin Pie Cake and we made it through the night. Here are some carving picks, Grandpa changing the poopers cuz everyone was up to their elbows in pumpkin guts, and the finished Jack-o-Lanterns!
Trick or Treat!!!

From Drop Box

BYU Parents Weekend

So, I was supposed to get a quilt done for Tiffany by Thursday (10/23) evening to deliver on Saturday when we would meet them in Salt Lake City for Witchapalooza! We were heading out on Friday morning to Parent's Weekend at BYU! See below for pictures of our weekend, and see tomorrow's post for what happend to Tiffany's quilt!!!

From Collages

We had a great time. We went on a expanded golf cart thing for a campus tour. The 2 boys were so embarrassed and hoped no one they knew would see them. Then we went bowling for free at the Wilkensen Center. Most importantly we FED them every chance they could get. Then Saturday morning Bob and I hiked to the Y on the mountain (I didn't get a picture from the valley!) Let me just tell you moderately strenuous means heart-palpitatingly HARD!!! Then we went to a tail-gate party at the Alumni Center and then the Football game. We had FUN!! We left the game early so we could meet friends at the Witchapalooza at Gardner Village.

From Collages

I quilted, I sewed, therefore I am

So I did break down last week and I quilted the background of Lara's quilt. I really like how the McTavishing turned out. I hope she will too.

Then I had to twist my arm to get myself to sew the coat. Every time I sat down at the sewing machine the 2.75 year old comes and says "See me, mommy." What can a mommy do?, but hold the boy!!

The 21 year old is working 2 jobs and trying to make big bucks, but he's frustrated because the "new" restaurant isn't filling w/customers and the other job isn't paying commission yet for the big sales he's already making! Ahhh! What can a goal-oriented post-mission kid do???

Our soon to be HS graduate daughter is getting bogged down by tons of homework and trying to keep up when she's so ready to be done. Her leadership scholarship got doubled, which means tuition will be PAID!! Yipppeee! We're pretty excited about that.

15 and 13 yo are starting soccer and getting anxious for the weather to get warm and stay warm. Actually all of us are anxious for this!

So life is pretty much wild and crazy as always!

It's Raining!

So there isn’t a vehicle at home and I decided to walk 2.5 yr old to play group this morning and then I’d go for a walk as my exercise today. It was a really great plan until it started sprinkling!!! Well, I decided that it wasn’t bad enough to not walk him up. Besides that I had no choice if he was going to go to play group. So we walked up. We were a bit sprinkled on, but I was rethinking the walking for exercise part. I mean I'm all for exercise, as long as it isn't too uncomfortable!

As, I head down the hill ready to go home, I decide that it feels pretty good and so I decided I’d walk down to View Dr and around like I had walked the other evening. Yep, you guessed it the rain picked up. But it wasn’t too bad and the rain was encouraging me to walk faster, so I was thinking this is a good thing. Because of the increased rain I decided not to walk down View Dr, but just turn and come back up. That’s when the uncomfortable part began! I had been walking w/the rain and breeze at my back. But on the way home, now the rain was blowing towards me. Let’s just say I was pretty soaked by the time I got home.

Still working on the quilt. Will post pictures if I get to quilt today. I have to go pick up 15 yo at the JHS that is 20 minutes away and take her to the Orthodontist today. Let's just say the whole experience will probably take 2 1/2 hours!!!

Happy Quilting!

I'm Back in the Studio!!

I took my MIL Rosy to the airport this morning. We had fun with her. She's such a character. She came for her winter visit, so she could see Joshua when he got home.

So maybe I'll get back to real life and get some quilting done! The return missionary and son #2 are sharing the room I cleared out of a month ago, and they cleared out all the miscellaneous leftovers and where did it all get dumped? Yep in Mom's studio! So I've got to work on organizing and clearing that stuff off my table and floor.

Niquie is coming over this afternoon and we're going to actually get sewing on the Going To Pieces quilt! YEA! It's been a process gathering the fabric for this quilt, but we're pretty sure we have all the pieces we need to get started. Then we can get the ladies in the club started on their first blocks for the quilt. We're using Holly Holderman's LakeHouse Dry Goods fabric La Belle Rose. We love it, and it's been tought getting it, but we can't wait to see the finished project. Here's what one of the blocks looks like.


Happy Quilting! Lauri

It's Packing Day!!!

OK, Who would think I would be posting today!!! I know but I've got to let it out somewhere! We're packing! OK so I have to pack the 2 yr old to go to play w/Niquie, and pack myself and do the laundry and get the kids staying home squared away. But we're almost done!!! Thankfully DH travels and is really good at packing himself!

Don't you hate getting everything packed, but you can't pack the make-up and hair stuff cuz you still have to use it in the morning when you get up???? I hate that! I want to have everything in the suitcase and close it and be done. I guess I need a second of everything, but since I don't travel that much it doesn't make much sense.



We're taking 2 extra suitcases so that Josh can bring home stuff that he's collected for the past 2 years. DH made Platinum Medallion level w/Delta Airlines last year cuz he traveld SO MUCH. He gets certain privileges and one of them is being able to bring extra bags w/o cost. We also get to go through the shorter security lines! I guess you gotta get some benefits from being on their planes so much. He really racked up the miles flying to and from Boston almost every week for several months.



I've been debating whether I want to take any quilty project. So far I've decided to just read!! I purchased two of Jennifer Chiaverini's books (The Quilter's Apprentice and The Runaway Quilt). It has been SO long since I read a novel. I'm looking forward to reading all I want and not worrying that I should be quilting a customer's quilt or looking after the 2 yr old, or running to get a kid from school. I let you know what I think of the books when I'm back.



Now it's back to packing! I doubt I'll post (unless I figure out how to do it from DH's laptop) until we get home! Happy Quilting! Lauri

I Hope We Make It!!!

Ok so things feel like they're all falling apart around here! We leave on Saturday to go to Canada and pick up our Missionary Son! Yea!

We are working on getting the 2 yr old well, and he's doing better. So what happens???? 17 yr old DD and 12 yr old DS wake up w/sore throats and don't want to get out of bed. I have to take the 14 yr old DD to an Ortho appt at 8:00 AM and I'm sitting in the Dr's office when I get a call from 19 yr old DS and he says that the 12 yr old has been bitten on the finger by our dog when he was feeding them. Come home! Well, I can't DD is back in the chair getting worked on. So 45 minutes later she's done and, we race home to find a big ugly purple gash in the son's middle finger. I get on the phone and make the Dr's appt to go have it checked. Appointment is for 10:30. I'm TIRED and it's only 9:40 AM!!!

I put Illene's quilt on the machine last week and I haven't been able to get down there and do any quilting on it yet!! I doubt any quilting will get done til we get home from Canada! Thankfully I have understanding customers! They're the BEST!

Happy Quilting! Lauri

The Verdict

Well, the boy has viral pneumonia. DH and I took him to the after hours on Monday and it took 2 hours to get the verdict. They x-rayed his lungs, and he was such a trooper and was a good boy holding still for the pictures.

SO, we've just been hanging out together ALL DAY long for the past couple of days. Taking Ibuprofen and Tylenol and Mucinex. Keeping the fever down and the coughs at bay.

He took a good nap on Tuesday and I actually finished Christine's Stars.

to Eat or NOT to Eat!

So yes, I am on the January get back on the Health Kick! I've been trying to do my daily exercise and get back on the NO SUGAR!! Yes, I've done it before and I totally know that it's the thing for me. It's like my BIGGEST weakness. My father has Type II Diabetes and I know I'm on the path to the big D also, if I don't get myself under control. I just need to lose 10 - 15 pounds to be at the right digits for me. I've tried to keep myself under control for the last couple years (since the babers was born) and actually before that also. However, this Christmas season was a killer. The babe and I were sick for like 3 weeks before Christmas and I think all my resolve when down the drain, or was blown out in all the tissues I used. But when Christmas came, I didn't care about my eating habits and just let myself eat whatever I wanted and now my bathroom scale is telling the tale.


So I picked up a book (I'm a sucker for self help/especially weight loss books) at WalMart the other day. "YOU; Staying Young" by Drs Oz and Roizen. Since DH and I have had a baby in our 40s we've seriously realized that we've got to work on staying healthy so we can be there when Jr turns 20! So he won't be pushing us in our wheelchair when he graduates from college! I really like this book and it is easy to comprehend and gives specific things to do to stay healthy and vital.

I took the test at realage.com and YEA. They said w/all my factors that I'm 37.7. That's about 6 years younger than my chronilogical age! Even though I'm some poundage over, I am in pretty good health and have good habits. So to keep it up I'm cutting out sugar (See Lara's Eatopia and get off sugar) and getting started on the recommended vitamin supplements.

So here's a NQR topic. How many books/magazines do you have sitting on your nightstand or on the floor by your bed waiting to be read? I'm afraid to count how many quilt magazines and books, not to mention self help. I totally don't have time for novels right now. But I do love a good novel. I just don't want to do anything else but read once I start one. My life won't tolerate that right now! Taking the picture of the book on my nightstand is what prompted this line of thinking. I had to clear away stuff so it would look decent!! YIKES!


Good luck to you all in your goals! Lauri

Music, Seams, Family

Bummer this is a day late for Lara's Talk about Tuesday. Oh Well.

So I was reading Seams to An End and Karen mentioned music. Probably not the same music subject I'm going to post about, but it made me think that I've been quilting to music the last couple of days and Loving it!!! I found this cool site Pandora Radio! You can type in an artist or a song that you like and it will find others like it, and you can create your own station. I currently have a Classic Station, a Disco Station (yes I was raised in the 70s!) and a New Age station. These may all be diametrically opposed genres, but Oh Well. I'm loving it! Check it out and let me know what you think.


So the Lemoyne Star quilt is almost done. See how removing the bulk in the seams has allowed me to stitch in the center of the star without problems. It's amazing how every block that has a bulky center always seems to need the stitching to come from the center. And if you intentionally avoid the center, it seems to poke up even more!
So, I've posted about my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I've been piecing by hand. Well, we took down the Christmas Tree (yes it's fake) on Saturday. FINALLY! and the 2.5 year old was helping w/the vacuuming. Yes, he's going to be OC like his Dad. We've decided it's a good thing! OK, so back to the quilting. Well, he's detached the vacuum head and just walking around w/the nozzle, and all of a sudden I hear, "uh oh". Guess what? He vacuumed up the block I was working on. Yep, it was almost finished! SWOOSH!!! Right off the table needle, pin and all GONE! My DH offered to go get it out of the central vac canister in the garage and I said "don't bother." Then I'd have to figure out how to get it clean w/o it getting all distorted. I figure it's easier to just get started on the next block!
This is the little table DH/Santa gave me for Christmas to sit next to my comfy chair and hold my quilty stuff for me. Wasn't that nice of him! Especially since we agreed NOT to get each other anything for Christmas, because our trip to Canada is going to be our Christmas! Yes, That's coming up soon. We leave in less than 3 weeks to pick up our missionary son in Canada!! YEA!!!


Happy Quilting! Lauri

Winter Wonderland!

This blog was supposed to be up yesterday, because the snow fell on Wednesday. But Thursday was too busy, so here it is on Friday. Oh well! I took these pictures Early Thursday morning. I took them through our family room window. I left the flash off, so I wouldn't get a reflection in the window, but I guess the pink spot is the infrared sensor. Oh Well, It's still a pretty picture and if I would have taken a couple hours, I guess I could have figured out how to fix it. But I don't have a couple hours, so here it is w/the pink spot!

It was a crazy day on Wednesday. It took DH an hour to get the girls to High School, and DS made it to College and home despite the fact that they closed the Highway just as he was heading home. He made it through the back routes and we're glad everyone made it to and from their destinations safely on Wednesday. I stayed home and quilted and then used the snowblower on the driveway while the 2.5 year old took a nap. I managed a path to the garage and then DH took over the rest of the driveway and the dreaded digging out the mailbox after the plows go by!

I finally got the "family gift" quilt off the machine!! YEA! Here it is being trimmed so I can bind it and get it sent off. Unlike most of you quilters out there. I sew my binding on both ways by machine. I figure if it's machine pieced and machine quilted, I might as well sew the binding on both ways by machine. In my thinking it will withstand use better. I like to use Superior bottom line thread that matches and you almost can't even see it. A machine quilter that has MANY years of experience taught me her techinique and I think it works fabulous. Maybe I'll post some pics as I do it, so I can show you how I do mine. I also ran across the pics I took of loading this quilt on the machine. Maybe I'll post that tomorrow. Happy Quilting!!!