The last of the easy ones

Another satisfactory line drawn through an item on a to-do list: I finished the last of the quilts that were already almost finished. Now all the projects I have left have either never even been started, or have only a few blocks made and have a substantial amount left to make.

This quilt I started in Washington. In fact I took a class with my mom to make it. My mom has not only finished hers, but made an additional very, very large one (it is beautiful) that is also completed.

The print fabric I used I have had for years, and love so much that I have hesitated to use it. After all, once it is used, it is no longer available to choose from. (This is one dilemma that quilters frequently face.)I still have more of the fabric, but not that much.

It took me (literally) less than five minutes to finish the top. Is that embarrassing, or what? The pinning and quilting took me as long as the movie When Harry Met Sally. The binding took me as long as the special features on When Harry Met Sally. So I had the satisfaction of finishing another quilt as well as watching one of my favorite movies. (Such snappy dialogue!)

Quilt: Winding Ways
Size: 37 X 37 inches
Completed: June 6, 2008

Game Widow by Wendy Kays

I know Wendy, and was interested to read her book. It will actually be available on shelves in August or September. If you go to her website, (gamewidow.org), you can order it now.

The book is her insight and practical strategies for reclaiming relationships with video-gaming spouses, friends, or family members.

Wendy breaks down the video game industry into regular language for those of us who are not as familiar with it, and proposes ways to deal with problems stemming from addictive video game behaviors.

I discussed the book with my son, who is an avid gamer - we had a great conversation, and he further clarified a few things for me. Although I don't agree in entirety with some of Wendy's projections in Chapter 4, the rest of the book is pretty informative. If you are not familiar with the world of video games, it's worth a read to get yourself up to speed. It's a quick read, only about 120 pages long.

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Today is Audrey's birthday. She is my first born, and a delight in my life. Audrey is the communication glue that holds our family together. She is always encouraging me in my endeavors, cheering me on when things seem too hard.

When Audrey was a baby she was so pretty that people would stop me on the street and comment on it. One man gave me a dollar to give her, but said not to mention it to anyone or his own grandchildren would be jealous. (I had no idea who he was). We lived in Provo, and at the time they had a beauty contest for babies around the 4th of July or Pioneer Day, I can't remember which. Ray said in all serousness that we would never enter Audrey (not that I wanted to), but I asked why. "Because she is so beautiful that the judges wouldn't even consider the other contestants." There was never a father so enamored with his little girl.

Yes, she is beautiful, yes, she is smart as a whip, but most of all she is GOOD. I love and admire her.

Happy birthday Girlie!

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I loved this book. At 749 pages, it is a daunting read, but well worth it.

Goodwin is a master of portraying history in a most engaging way. It's a true story - all the facts are already available to us, yet she still manages to make it a page turner.

I have a fascination for Lincoln and the Civil War. I thought I knew a lot of the basic facts. It turns out most of what I knew before reading this would have filled perhaps 25 pages of this book. It was wonderful to discover so much more. I knew Lincoln was elected president, and I knew he was assassinated, yet the pathways leading to these facts kept me completely engrossed. This book is much more than just about Lincoln. It is also about the men he surrounded himself with to help ensure the success of the Union. Most of those men had been his political rivals. How he built and sustained a strong presidential cabinet with them is the crux of the book.

I enjoy most of what I read; I no longer feel driven to finish a book I don't like. There are too many wonderful things to read to waste my time on bad stuff. Still, lots of what I read is just enjoyable. This was more than just enjoyable, it was fulfilling. I feel I am a more knowledgeable person for having read it, and in addition, if I could incorporate just a few of Lincoln's qualities into my own life, I would be a better person.

I also highly recommend Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time (about FDR's time in the White House).

Now I've got to shake off this sense of living in the 1860's, and get back into the real world.

Ray, in the kitchen, with the knife

Last year for his birthday Ray ordered a custom made chef's knife. He finally got it, and it's beautiful. It's also VERY sharp. he keeps it up high, with a protective sheath on it.

Today he told me he was excited to make dinner for tomorrow (beef stroganoff), because he could use his new knife. I thought to myself - I hope we don't end up at the hospital because he cuts off the end of his finger. I mentioned that he might want to be careful. He assured me he would be.

You can tell where this is going, can't you? When I was happily blogging away about my quilts, I heard a blood-curdling scream come from the kitchen. I got upstairs faster than I believed possible to see Ray holding his finger under running water. Not willing to examine the wound myself, I asked him if we needed to go to the hospital. He said he didn't think so. I didn't believe him for a second. I rapidly did an inventory in my mind: book, shoes, sweatshirt (it's always cold in a hospital). Yup, I could be ready to go in 30 seconds or less.

He lay on the couch, applying pressure and elevating his hand (I didn't take first aid 33 years ago for nothing). Then he moved onto our bed. After quite a bit of time he determined that steri-strips would do the job, and he didn't need to go to the hospital. So that's where it stands right now. Disaster averted. I hope.

4 more done

I finally got the bindings on the other 4 quilts I quilted during General Conference. Yippee! Oh, and I found my list (even better), so I had the great satisfaction of crossing each of them off said list. If you double click on the pictures you can see them bigger.

Here's a baby quilt I bought the fabric for when Audrey was pregnant with Austin (yes, the one that just turned three) I bought it so that it could be a quilt I just have on hand at my house for the babies. Now I have three babies. I guess I finished it just in the nick of time!

Here's another baby quilt. I saw this in a magazine, ran out and got fabric to make it right away, (which I actually did). Then I waited a couple of years to finish it. I completely forgot I even made it. It was packed away before the move, and I just found it again when I did my little quilt project inventory in January.

Here's actually the first scrap quilt I made with the Moda fabrics - the second one is the one I finished a couple of weeks ago. Now we are twins, Jeanie, and share more than a granddaughter - we also share a quilt!
A detail shot of the quilt:
Finally, here is a fun quilt that I actually bought and made in a timely manner. I found the pattern and fabric last October when I was in Kirkland. My sister and I were cruising the quilt shops when I found this. It is so bright and cheery I just couldn't pass it up.
Happy quilting!

Girlfriends

I just can't put my finger on it. I've been trying for a week to get just the right word for it, but have come up short.

So here's the long version: last week I flew back to Seattle for a getaway with my friends. These women started out as my book club, but have evolved into my close friends. We do more than talk about books (lots more, in fact). We eat well, we play well, and we like to travel together. We don't travel far; just far enough to get away from it all. (Sometimes it's to each other's homes). We've gone to Victoria BC, and to Leavenworth Washington. We've also gotten away to Lake Cavanaugh, and took a detour through the tulip fields on our way there one time.

This time we went to Leavenworth. Leavenworth is an alpine-themed tourist city on Highway 2 in Washington, about 2 hours out of Kirkland. One of our group has a time share type property that she generously lets us share with her. We started out eating breakfast close to home at Maltby Cafe. Mm, mm they have good breakfasts. Then we drove to Leavenworth - the drive was beautiful, and dogwoods were everywhere. I almost got carsick from my head swiveling back and forth quickly so as not to miss a single tree.

The great conversations start in the car, and don't stop until we're back home.

Once we get to Leavenworth we poke our heads into a couple of shops, but mostly walk around and talk. Then when the condo is ready, we go there. We unload all the food, the games, our suitcases, and the fun really begins. We play games, we eat, we watch the occasional movie, we eat, but most of all, we talk, talk, talk. That is what I love. My husband is my best friend, and I wouldn't trade him for anything, but there is something about women understanding women that is different. We look at the world differently, and we face crises differently. These women have had their fair share of crises - unemployment, death, cancer, tumors, illnesses, trying children - you name it, they've faced it. And together we are all stronger because of it. It's why I keep going back so I can travel with them . Not just to fun places, but through our joint experiences in life.

Here's the word I was looking for: Replenish. In the thesaurus you will find these synonyms: fill, freshen, refill, refresh, reload, renew, restock, restore, supply.

Thanks, Crazy Ladies, for replenishing me last week.

The boys were here

This afternoon I was watching the boys while Audrey and Joseph went to the temple. I use the term "watching" loosely. A more acurate description would be I chased the renegade Houdini (aka Matthew) all over the house, usually one step behind whatever shenanigans he was starting to get into. Finally Ray put the gate at the bottom of the stairs, which confined Matthew minimally. That boy is fast. At least he is never furious!

At one point Austin said, "Grandma, shall we go outside on the hammock?" Matthew chimed in with "owside", and thus they lured me outside. The hammock "rest" lasted all of 30 seconds, and they were both off to the races to see which could heft the bigger stick, and climb the bigger rocks. I think we have a backyard built for boys.

Then Austin piped up and said, "Grandma, go get your [insert word resembling 'camera' here]. Let's take a picture!" Ever compliant, I got the camera, and a few pictures were taken.

This is the initial picture Austin wanted taken: (he chose the pose as well as setting)
Here is Matthew with his ever-present "bi". The rest of us know it as a "blankie":

And Matthew coming down from climbing on the rocks:
Finally, a great picture of the two hooligans:I can't wait until they come again!