Christmas in the Country!

We are so excited for a wonderful Christmas at the lodge. Jim has been waiting impatiently for everyone to arrive. I am posting a menu for the days that we will be there so you can decide what you would like to bring for the meals. I think most of you will be arriving the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Those of us who are here will have food ready for your arrival. We have some snow and it has been quite cold, bring your winter wear.

Christmas Eve Lunch

Soups and Bread

If you want to bring anything to go along with this meal, you are welcome.

Christmas Eve

We want to have finger foods at this party, we won't have a sit down meal so anything you want to bring will be great. Here are some ideas. Liz and I have already decided what we want to make.

Vegetable Tray

Cheese and Crackers -Jennifer

Chips and Dips-Liz

Cookies

Candy

Baklava-Leslie

Nuts

Christmas Breakfast

Egg Souffle-Jim and Jennifer

Hash Browns-Sara

Bacon and Sausage-Liz and Dennis

Pancakes and Syrup

Juice and Milk

You are welcome to bring anything else you would like for breakfast.

Christmas Dinner

Prime Rib-Liz and Dennis

Potatoes and Gravy

Yorkshire Pudding-Tennyson

Rolls-Jennifer

Green Salad

Sweet Salad

Vegetables

Red Cabbage-Liz

Dessert-Sara

Dec. 26 Breakfast

Pancakes

French Toast

Juice

We will need milk and bread for the days we are out there. If you wnat to bring Hot Chocolate or Wassail or other drinks, please do. Just bring the things that you would have at home for Christmas time.

Tennyson's Birthday!

Tennyson wanted to open her presents in the morning, if they were clothes.

She loves the faux wolf vest because she is on team Jacob.

Chocolate peanut butter cup cake.

17 candles.

One breath and they're all out.

Modeling some of her gifts.

I just want to say Happy Anniversary to Miranda and Brooks. One year down, eternity to go.

Snowy Day and Birthday Party!

We woke up to this beautiful sight this morning. This picture was taken at 7:00 am.

A foot of snow fell overnight.

The girls couldn't resist playing in it even though it was sunday. Tennyson thought she was so tough.


Banner did a body slam.

and white washed her face.

Poor Tennyson.

Banner, triumphant.

Trash talk.

She's had enough.

Jim's birthday was last wednesday and Tennyson's is in a couple of days so we had a combined party with the Fauver side of the family. Tennyson had to help her dad blow out his 50 candles.

Picture a Christmas!

The tree has been up for a few days now. I even have a head start on my gift-wrapping.

Do you notice something unusual under the tree?



Here's a close-up. Lucy considers this her personal napping spot. I made the mistake of putting a gift there last night and when I came downstairs this morning, the gift looked like this.

Tennyson's gift will probably have to be re-wrapped. I have moved it out of Lucy's way and I won't mess with her special spot again.

Hello Dolly, I Mean Ernestina!

All of us waiting impatiently for the big show to start.

Hannah and Banner are so excited.

Whitney can hardly wait.

Tennyson as Ernestina Money.

She was a very funny Ernestina.

Tennyson and Kelsie before the cast party.

Thanks to all of you for coming and supporting Tennyson in her musical debut.

First Ever Emery High Swim Meet!

Emery High School hosted it's first ever swim meet yesterday at our new Aquatic center in Castle Dale.

They invited Carbon High for this first home meet. Since Carbon is no longer in our region this is just a practice.

Here is Tennyson swimming her leg of the freestyle relay.

The breastroke.

What fine form.

Two years ago, Whitney gave me this quilt kit for an early Christmas present. If I remember correctly, we pulled it out of the bag and looked at it and found that it didn't have good instructions. I put it away and did nothing with it. When Whitney was home recently, she mentioned that I had never done anything with her gift. She then left it out for me to find. I got the hint and finally put it together. We were right initially, the instructions were horrible.
After a few problems, I finally finished it yesterday. I put it in the washer before I went to Tennyson's swim meet and when we came home the washer had a flashing OE on the front. I didn't bother to pull out the owner's manual but just tried running the washer again. It stopped again so I got out the manual and found that OE means a clog in the hose or the filter. After Jim drained the washer through a little hose, he pulled out the filter and it was totally clogged with thread from my Christmas rag quilt. He removed the clog and we tried again. This time it made it through a whole wash cycle and then the dryer.

Banner decided she liked to snuggle under it and watch T.V. It really is a soft, cute quilt even though it gave me a few frustrating moments.

Storytime Quilt!

Here it is! The finished quilt made with the cute moda Storytime fabric.

When Liz and I and the girls went over the mountain last weekend we stopped in at the quilt shop. They had put the fabric on their sale table so I was able to get some for the back.


My new quilting pattern. It was easy and I think it is perfect for this quilt.

This is a close-up look at the back.

The only question now is, which of my 20 future grandsons will sleep
under this sweet quilt.

Pretty in Pink!

Before Whitney's mission, she had an obsession for fat quarters. For those of you that don't know what a fat quarter is, it is a piece of fabric that measures 18 x 22 inches. She would pick up a few at a time when she went to fabric stores. When Whit was home for Fall Break a few weeks ago she got a couple of bags of fat quarters out of her cedar chest. One of the bags was full of 20 fat quarters in various shades of pink and white. I thought they were all cute fabrics but I didn't really have an idea for them. Last week I was looking at the blog of modern quilts and saw a pattern called a Bento Box. I decided Whit's cute pink pieces of fabric would look great put together in squares.

I asked Whitney if I could make her a quilt top for her bed out of her pink fabrics. Of course she said "yes". I divided the 20 fat quarters in to 4 groups of five. Each block has one of row of each the five fabrics in it. I will eventually have twenty blocks, but for now here are the first ten.

A closer look.


I love the polka dots.

Because these turned out so cute, I decided not to cut them into the Bento Box squares. I like them just the way they are.

Quick and Easy Quilt Top!

This is my quilt top in a day.

I used the Storytime fabrics that I found in Gunnison.


I love this cute quilt. It is 60x60 so it is big enough for a toddler.
I think I will put a minky back on this. The lady that helped us at the quilt store said that if you use minky you don't need to use any batting.

Whit's Christmas baby quilt.

Her first try at the longarm. I think she did very well.

The fabric for the back of Banner's quilt came in the mail today. I will post pictures as soon as I get it quilted and bound. I know it seems like I don't do anything else but make quilt tops but the other things that I do don't show up well in pictures, i.e. laundry, dishes, vacuuming, teaching piano lessons, practicing the organ, reading and cooking.

Easy, Breezy Mitering!

Banner's quilt top just before I sewed the strips together. I have learned so much on each quilt that I have completed. I finally got the triangles on the sides and top to be even on this quilt.

This quilt called for mitered borders, so I thought I would give it another try and see if turned out better than the last time. First, sew all of your border strips together. I had four for this quilt. You will need extra length when you miter the borders.

Mark the center of the border strips.

Mark the center of the quilt top, bottom or side.

Stitch the quilt and the border together leaving 1/4 inch on each side. Back stitch a couple of times to make sure each end is secure.

Fold the body of the quilt in half on the diagonal with right sides together. Lay the borders flat like shown in the picture, raw edges even.

Place a pin to mark where the stitching stops and then use your ruler to mark a 45 degree angle to the edge of the border. Line up the ruler with the quilt center folded diagonally and the pin.

Pin the fabric on the line, especially at each seam of the separate border fabrics.

Sew on the line.

After sewing, open up to see if all the borders line up. If they don't, unpick the seam and try again.

After the corner looks the way you want it, you are ready to cut off the extra fabric.
Use your ruler and rotary cuter and cut 1/4 inch from the seam.

Press seams flat.

It looks quite nice. I think this is an easy method, at least it was for me.

The finished quilt top. As soon as I choose the back for this it will be ready to quilt.