* spark - the event *

Wow, two weeks have flown by and I haven't posted my pics of the "creativity event" called Spark that I went to the 6th and 7th of November. I think I'm worried about doing justice to everything the Spark organizers did - even these photos can't recapture the magic of those two days. Spark was a workshop for anyone who wanted to "spark their creativity." It was organized by four neat women who are designers and teachers in the scrapbook world. It was two days of classes and workshops. I had never been a participant in a scrapbook event before, so I signed up as soon as I heard about it. It was fabulous. So much thought and energy went into every aspect of it - I was impressed. You'll see from my photos that the decorations were amazing - they're just a taste of what went on.


It was held at the historic village that is next to This Is the Place Monument in Salt Lake City. It was very fun to be "in the village" for two days and to have classes and meals in the historical buildings like the chapel above. The village has over 40 historically-preserved buildings on the site with big rooms where the classes took place. The weather was quintessential fall weather - perfect temp and, as you can see from my photos, beautiful blue skies. Add to that, the amazing vintage-chic Spark decorations hanging on buildings, lining the pathways, and decking the halls. They added a playful party atmosphere...along with a great playlist of music on the speakers through the whole village. I can't even begin to describe how much work they went to to add charm to everything.





Above, a poster with classic Rhonna Farrer design - her touch was everywhere. Spark girls were Rhonna Farrer, Elizabeth Kartchner, Margie Romney Aslett, and Jefra Linn.

Day One was an afternoon of make-and-take mini classes. There were over a dozen to choose from - I decided to enjoy myself and just browse and take lots of photos rather than kill myself trying to finish everything. So I spent a lot of time just watching and visiting rather than madly rushing through every project. Thus, I did enjoy myself, but came home with a load of unfinished stuff. I did take the time to make a cupcake at a table sponsored by The Sweettooth Fairy cupcake bakery. The cupcakes were yummm, and the frosting was to die for. I could have just squeezed that whole container directly into my mouth. I also made a little hand-sewn booklet in a glassine envelope and a couple of 'junk bows' which are big bows for decorating made of paper sacks, tissue, buttons and wire. Will I decorate my whole house with them for Christmas? I'd like to, but I doubt I'll get around to making them.

The presentation of everything was just beautiful. The projects were packaged in darling little bags, containers and boxes. The centerpieces at dinner were large tissue flowers that you can see silhouetted in the photo above. The food was good - I ended up sitting at a table with the creative team from a company called Die Cuts with a View for all our meals. They make scrapbook product and those vinyl sayings in tubes that you see in stores everywhere. The DCWV ladies were very nice to me, but I was definitely an 'outsider.' (It was good for me.) That's the only thing I would have changed - to be with a group of friends would have been more fun. Next time I'll drag someone along with me. It was OK to be alone, but it would be better with a friend or two. If this sounds fun to you, let me know! We'll start saving our $$ now.

{ kicked-up baked apples }

I love Cook's Illustrated Magazine - and editor Christopher Kimball, besides being a chef and food scientist, is also a wonderful writer. I get his newsletter and visit his blog just for the entertainment of it.

There is a bit of controversy going on over there because he smacked the world of "wiki recipes" - these are places where people share recipes just like wikipedia shares content. Kimball doesn't think that recipes that internet folks (like food bloggers) exchange with each other are as reliable as his type of "test kitchen" recipes. Here's what he said, "In terms of recipes, no, I do not believe in a Wiki website, with a community opining on recipes as a means of creating a valuable database. Making a recipe 75 times in a test kitchen under controlled circumstances (yes, this is deeply self-serving) is vastly better than the voices of millions under less the ideal circumstances, with kitchens with a host of different problems/equipment/etc. Go ahead and make that broccoli casserole off your Google search and see how you like it! In cooking, as in all things, there is a right way and a wrong way. Very little in life is truly relative."

Back to the subject of Baked Apples... I found this recipe on Kimball's blog and thought of my daughter Suzie. She loves baked apples. (Me, I'm not a fan.) Suz used to come home from school and cook a baked apple in the microwave. Chistopher Kimball would probably not recommend that! But THIS recipe really sounds good. A bit more complicated that the micro, but good. You stuff the apples with a filling and drench with a maple/apple cider syrup. Tell me how you like it, Suzie!

The Best Baked Apples

If you prefer sweeter apples Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Fuji apples can be substituted for the Granny Smith. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the browned apples to a 13- by 9- inch baking dish and bake as directed. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

7 large (about 6 ounces each) Granny Smith apples

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

½ teaspoon finely grated zest from 1 orange

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch table salt

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and cut 1 apple into ¼-inch dice. Combine 5 tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, cranberries, pecans, oats, orange zest, cinnamon, diced apple, and salt in large bowl; set aside.

2. Shave thin slice off bottom (blossom end) of remaining 6 apples to allow them to sit flat. Cut top ½-inch off stem end of apples and reserve. Peel apples and use melon baller or small measuring spoon to remove 1 ½-inch diameter core, being careful not to cut through bottom of apple.

3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Once foaming subsides, add apples, stem side down, and cook until cut surface is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip apples, reduce heat to low and spoon filling inside, mounding excess filling over cavity; top with reserved apple caps. Add maple syrup and 1/3 cup of cider to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until skewer inserted into apples meets little resistance, 35 to 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with maple syrup mixture in skillet.

4. Transfer apples to serving platter. Stir remaining 2 tablespoons cider into sauce in skillet as necessary to adjust consistency. Pour sauce over apples and serve.

Adornit 'make it merry' BLoG paRty

Adornit had a little blog party this past week to show Christmas products and projects. Now the blog party is almost over - you can click on Georgana's blog to see what we did. I created a lot of the projects - and wrote most of the wording for all the blog posts. It was fun and Christmasey. We had a blog hop on 'Day 3' with 60 bloggers participating, showing Christmas projects on their blogs. I really enjoyed clicking from blog to blog and seeing the wonderful (mostly papercraft) projects they shared. The photos are some of my projects - all the supplies - patterened paper, stickers, ribbon, tags, except the kraft and solid colored cardstock, are made by Adornit. And I can guarantee the words are spelled correctly! Oh, except for one big glaring mistake that I don't want to talk or think about.

Aren't I lucky to work with such enthusiastic girls? In the photos we're celebrating the beginning of our Make It Merry Blog Part. Now the blog party is over and, well, we're glad about that too. Jumping for joy actually!

Adornit BLoG HoP

Hi all you blog hoppers - welcome to Burnt Cookies! I hope you're enjoying this Hop as much as I am! I think it's amazing that so many of us have linked our blogs together - to create one big virtual Christmas chain!

If this blog is your first stop, you need to go to the beginning of the HOP so you won't miss anything. The link to the beginning is here: www.adornitscrapbook.com/bloghop

I work for Georgana at Adornit (big applause for her huh!), and I helped make some of the projects you'll see on Georgana's blog for the next few days. Please be sure to return to her blog over the weekend and early next week because we have a BUNCH of stuff to show you - advent ideas, decorating ideas, cute cute neighbor gifts. I don't know about you, but it sure helps me - jumpstarts me - to see finished projects that I can scraplift.

Now, about my projects. I love Kraft cardstock. (It's cardboard colored.). For my Blog Hop post, I decided to use Kraft cardstock on every item I could. I made cards, a layout, a little candy cone, some cookie boxes and the banner you see above. It's so easy to mix and match the Kraft color with any Christmas colors. It has an old-fashioned look that feels good in our high-tech world. Try it - you'll like it!

Oh, and the little green notebook in the photo is my "pocket Christmas planner." It's a fabulous Moleskine notebook (available at Borders etc.). I altered it with a clear vinyl sticker from Adornit, ribbon and rickrack. I'll carry it with me through the holidays with lists, reminders, sizes, thoughts and notes. It supplements my big Cut the Crazy out of Christmas planner and helps keep me sane during December. My Cut the Crazy blog is on this blog hop too, so check it out!
EDIT - I guess the next blogger didn't get her post ready - but the next blog has a very cute post - here's the link http://www.itsjennytime.blogspot.com/

3 cards in 30 minutes (give or take a few)

Today is the first day of Adornit's Christmas Blog Party. Since I came up with the idea and wrote the words for today's post which is a card making challenge, I thought I'd better participate. (For those who don't know, I'm the editor at Adornit scrapbook company.) So at 10:50, I set my timer for 30 minutes. Then I pulled out some samples of cards by other people that I like ( to get the creative juices flowing. I love all you great scrappers out there that I copy - in scrapper lingo, scraplift). So I made 3 cards - the first two in the thirty minutes, then, since I had everything out and I was having fun, I made a third card. I like them. For the words I used favorite Christmas cardstock stickers from Adornit. Just slapping that already-cute sticker on my cards helped me stay within my 30 minutes.


It took another hour to take the photos, download the photos, crop the photos, upload the photos to my blog, write the blog post, and listen to Scott talk about riding the stationary bike at the gym and getting his heart rate up to 160 and it feeling good. You can imagine how happy I am to hear that kind of talk - especially since I haven't been to the gym for a month.

~ the last best day ~

Check out these fabulous autumn photos that Scott took yesterday - I had to share them because a storm is coming, and I'm SO AFRAID that this is the end of our wonderful fall weather.

Soon I'll get my photos from last weekend on the blog. I had a grand time at a little workshop called SPARK. I spent two solid days surrounded by creative inspiration and fabulous women. And then, to top off the weekend, I got to go to two Primary children's church programs. Talk about wonderful! I HAVE to tell you all about them. When, I don't know.

"The heart of autumn must have broken here and poured its treasure out among the leaves." Charlotte Fiske Bates

[ sweet baby boy ]

This little guy has stolen the hearts of both his mama and his grandma. I got to spend some time with little Emmett over the weekend cuddling and loving him. He's a little cutie and a little wiggle worm. He can't seem to keep his hands away from his face - one of his best tricks is to hit himself on the face and then cry and cry because it hurt or startled him. His Mom and Dad laugh and laugh at him. (When you're sleep deprived and crazy about your kid, you do that.)

- join the Adornit BLoG HoP -

Blog Hop Details:

Hey everyone!! I'm INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE in the Adornit Blog Hop - you just need to create one little "Christmasey" post showing a handmade holiday creation. That can even include cookies! Here’s how:

1. Add the BLog Party to the sidebar of your blog, so all your blog visitors will know they’re invited too. (For this week, your blog has to be an open blog, not private.)

2. RSVP to georgana@adornit.com with your blog address and contact information asap so that we can arrange the Adornit Blog Hop schedule. Georgana will send you additional details and instructions after she receives your email.

3. Create your Make It Merry handmade project – it can be a layout, card, album, home décor project, gift, or even a recipe – whatever you want to share! Get going! Make something this weekend...you'll love it in December when it's done.

Anyone around the world is invited to participate – the more the merrier!

{ handing out happiness }

Mary Englebreit combines wonderful quotes and charming art to make posters, cards and calendars that I've bought and admired for years. I found these on her blog. About them she says, "These are some drawings I’m working on for the 2011 calendar, called “All The Happiness You Can Handle.”

Love the quotes. Love the artwork too. Always have.

no HaLLoween ZEN here last night

So today I saw my friend JoLynn at church and she mentioned that she read my blog last night and I sounded so calm sitting by the door reading my magazine and waiting for trick or treaters. Well, I hope you read this post JoLynn, because I'm going to tell the real story.

In all honesty, I'm a poser. I'm not calm at all, and I never even found my Southern Living magazine. (I was honest about cleaning my porch, windows and door.) This is how last night really was. The trick or treaters started coming at about 4:30. I love opening my door to bunches of little kids in their darling costumes. The costumes nowadays are so so so cute. As the kiddies gathered on my porch with their cute hip mommies, I realized my porch was clean, but boring, so I hauled myself up to the attic and got out two big wooden pumpkins and three wire ones...set them out...and it looked a little better. Answering the door became tricky and panicky because our dog Max runs to the front door and freaks out barking when the doorbell rings. As I'd charge to the door, I'd realize that Max was there - so had to open the door slowly while pushing Max back behind me with my foot, then squeeze out the door and close it. Then I could give the candy without Max barking at the kids. I kept forgetting to tie him up, so this happened over and over until Scott got home to help me.

Then it started to get dark and one neighbor said, "Where's the strobe light you always have?" I realized that the strobe light is a must-have tradition - it makes the house look kind of scary as the light flashes out of the high windows. So in between doorbell rings I started searching our horribly disorganized over-stuffed storage room in the basement. I thought the strobe light was in one of FIVE Halloween boxes (only one of which I even opened this year). I was stumbling over four old violin cases, ugly framed pictures of airplanes that I made Scott take down when we redid the game room, boxes of old Kiwanis award plaques that Scott's dad got forty years ago and we inherited, and loose posters of Aaron and Michael's Eagle Scout projects that should have been scrapbooked years ago. Scott finally came home and pointed to the strobe light - sitting on the workbench with a piece of sandpaper over it. Arghh.

Set up the strobe light and kept answering the door. After an hour I realized that the candy was running low. What - I thought I bought plenty?!? (Maybe the nice weather was a factor.) I talked Scott into tending the door while I ran to get more candy. There were about 40 pieces in the basket when I left. I actually had a secret mission to go to Kohl's and pick up a print that was on sale and then to Kmart for the candy - which I did very efficiently. I hurried home and there were still about ten candy bars left, so all was well. Answered the door a few more times, noticing that the trick or treaters were getting significantly bigger. Still had cute costumes though, so I was happy to treat them.

Mike was at home waiting for his friends to get off work. We were talking about the good old days when it was our tradition to go to grandpa and grandma's house (my parents) to trick or treat every year.


We decided to put on masks and go ring their doorbell. Scott begrudgingly consented to take care of the trick or treaters here. Mike and I didn't fool cousin Michelle who answered the door at grandpa's house, but we were entertained. We visited with them for about an hour, then headed back home. At that point the doorbell had stopped ringing, and Scott had turned off the porch light.

I then started thinking about Sunday dinner and poked through the freezer. So sick of chicken. So back down the hill I went to the grocery store to get a roast, potatoes and veggies. By the time I got the groceries put away and kitchen cleaned up, I was pooped, but still had one more project. So I turned on the TV in the kitchen and found the show Australia, which kept me going for another hour. At 1:00 a.m. I was finishing making sugar cookie dough (another story) and moaning to Scott at how harried the evening had been. He didn't give me a bit of sympathy, just pointed out that it was really midnight (daylight savings time change) and that's not late for me.

Note to self - eight bags of candy - with 22 pieces per bag - is not enough. Needed five more bags. The Mounds are in the freezer behind the year-old hamburger buns. Don't tell Scott.

haPpy haLLoweeN

Scott's sister Mary in her Halloween get-up at work.

Except for a bit too much breeze, it’s pretty good Halloween weather today in Cache Valley! There's a little warmth from the sunshine - enough to propel me to the front porch this afternoon to sweep up the dead bugs and crinkled leaves and windex the side windows. I have a "thing" about having a clean front porch (with a doorbell that's not smudged and a door that 's not dirty and steps that are swept and clean). I learned this from a "home-keeping" expert many years ago - your front door and porch are where the first impressions about your home are made. Now I know the kiddies won't be noticing my front door tonight, but I will - and I'll be happy that it's all so tidy.

I bought (only) eight bags of candy for this year’s trick or treaters and I plan to save the Mounds bars for last, then I'll probably get to eat them. I say only eight, because in the years that our children were small and all the children on our street and in the surrounding neighborhoods were of trick or treating age, I had to purchase, like 24 bags of candy. Now we're all old and youngest kids are in college, and we have grandchildren. I hope I get to see some of my neighbors' grandkids tonight. We'll get out our big strobe light that flashes light out of the high windows in our house and we'll be set for whomever rings our bell. I'll find my November Southern Living magazine (always the best) and sit by the front door, waiting for kids to come by. I wish little Emmett could come trick or treating!

Edit add-on - here's a photo of Scott and his office helpers at the office on Friday. Scott wore a costume to work, which shocked everyone. His patients apparently got a real kick out of his pirate costume. All the girls look cute, but Mary (Scott's sister) in her "Queen Bee" costume won the prize. (She always does, Mary's so creative - plus she's a seamstress - she made her bee costume.)

pumpkin image from Martha Stewart of course

handMade pUmpKins

Urban Paisley Etsy Shop

Martha Stewart - candy buffet

Scraplovers blog

antique collectible

rachaelrabbit.blogspot.com

Kelly McCaleb blog

workingwomansguidetodomesticsuccess.blogspot.com

Decadent Fibers Yarn Shop

kayemoore.com

Martha Stewart.com

I love all of these versions of fall pumpkins - I have made a few pumpkins myself over the years - but back when we put big black eyes and smiles on them. Since they are buried in my storage room in the Halloween boxes that I chose not to open this year, I thought I'd do a little virtual decorating and check out what everyone else is decorating with. Very fun stuff!

Oh, and last but not least - here is my new little grandson Emmett in the Halloween cap that he got - on his BIRTH day. The cap was crocheted by the nurses in Labor and Delivery. who make them during their down-time for all the babies that are born in their hospital. It's special that he was born on Oct. 21st, so he could get the extra-cute pumpkin hat.

{ "the world needs more happy pictures }

I don't even remember how I stumbled onto this artist - you know how it is when you click, click, click. But I really enjoy looking at his artwork - I want to go to all the places in his paintings. The artist is Doug Bird and his website is http://holyroodstudios.com/ - he's located in Newfoundland.

Here is what he wrote on his website about this painting - which is titled 'Saturday Afternoon.'

"I owe a lot to this fun painting as it was my first step towards making art for a living. It has been a very successful print. I guess the world needs more colourful happy pictures."

Open edition mini print, image 4.5 x 10 inches, $14.95

ten little fingers...

Really it's hard to describe the happiness and relief at the arrival of a little grandchild. It's one of those life moments that's rare and beautiful.

Little Emmett Scott Grewe was born to Becky and Pitt last evening at 8:01 p.m. He weighed exactly 8 lbs. He is the cutest little guy - bringing constant, beautiful smiles to both his mommy and daddy. All four grandparents and Aunt Aimee were pacing the hall together waiting for his arrival. It didn't take long before we got to welcome him to the world with loves and a barrage of camera flashes. Because of flu precautions we had to space out our visits - only one of us at a time in the room.

One word - precious.

cookbooks make great gifts!

Here are two COOKBOOKS that I can personally recommend! Either one is a great gift idea. Maya Angelou's book is part recipes and part memoir. I love her writing, so I enjoyed her essays at the beginning of each chapter. The recipes are probably good, however I haven't felt a need to cook from this book. But to sink into my favorite reading chair and read about Maya cooking - now, that's pure pleasure. Non-fattening too. This book is on clearance everywhere right now.

Here's what a reviewer said about the book: "Maya Angelou is renowned in her wide and generous circle of friends as a marvelous chef. Her kitchen is a social center. From fried meat pies, chicken livers, and beef Wellington to caramel cake, bread pudding, and chocolate éclairs, the one hundred-plus recipes included here are all tried and true, and come from Angelou’s heart and her home. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a stunning collaboration between the two things Angelou loves best: writing and cooking."

The best thing about this book is the pictures! Every recipe has a great photo. Of course the recipes are great too. With Paula Deen as their mom, these boys couldn't help but have a collection of recipes for hearty, everyone-loves food.

Just order a book or two - right now, for Christmas - they'll come in handy as a gift for someone special. Maybe you can even slip one into your own Christmas stocking.

++ quick cookies ++

I made cookies today - and nearly, but not quite, burned the first batch. Wait a minute - it's usually the last batch that I forget and leave in the oven too long. Anyway, putting cookie sheets in and out of the oven for an hour made me remember some very good advice I picked up this past summer.
Scott and I were riding our bikes (something we really loved doing this summer) - it was in July - and we stopped at his brother's house for a quick visit. It was a Sunday evening and Melanie was just pulling some Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies out of the oven. Talk about timing! Oh yummm - I still remember how good they were, hot and buttery/chocolatey sweet.
I love being around Melanie because she's always full of good ideas that I take as advice from a very wise person. She told me that she gave up making chocolate chip cookies in favor of making 'blondies.' She figured out that the bar cookies taste very similar to regular cookies and for much less effort you get the same effect - hot, yummy cookies.
I think she's right - the only problem is the 'all or nothing' factor. If you're going to burn them, you burn the whole bunch. (My photos are from July when I went right home and practiced. I sat by the oven so I'd take them out right on time. (yummmmmmm)

scott's VEGAS photos

I just have to share the photos Scott took of "Vegas scenes." We had two free hours before our plane departed. I chose to run through the Fashion Show mall, stopping briefly at my favorite "looking" stores - Bloomingdales Home, Talbots, The Body Shop, and of course the pause to refresh with a Magic Bar and Diet Coke at the Nordstrom cafe. Meanwhile, Scott had been wanting to ride the monorail, so he took off to do that - I'm so glad he had his camera with him. I love Scott's eye for the beautiful and unique.

While I reported that the department stores and chain stores in the big mall were busy and people seemed to be buying lots of stuff, Scott said that the designer boutiques where he went were virtually empty. And he took several photos to prove it.

my kind of pumpkin walk - lol

There are pumpkin walks and then THERE ARE PUMPKIN WALKS. And walking through the fabulous fall displays at the Venetian and Bellagio hotels in Las Vegas gave new meaning to the word pumpkin walk! (I have to add that I also love our local pumpkin walk.) Of course, these photos don't do justice to the sheer size of these hotel displays - just think BIG - like as tall as people and as round as Cinderella's coach!

[ October in Vegas ]

October in Las Vegas is absolutely beautiful. We're here visiting our daughter Suzie and her husband Winston - and there's no question, this is THE time to come to Vegas. Perfect temperature, beautiful fall decorations in the hotels and stores, and delicious dinner choices everywhere - but that's not just an October thing, I know. We're not "gourmet foodies," so we enjoy more affordable eateries, like the fabulous, but not over-the-top Grand Luc Cafe in the new Palazzo wing of the Venetian. Oh, that WAS good.

It's always fun to be at Suzie's house. She is inspiring in her organization and lack of clutter...and her house is always decorated cute for the season.


I love how Suzie combined a berry wreath with a wood painted decoration to make an extra-cute wreath on her door.


I pulled her away from pancake cooking to get a pic of her with her pretty table runner and matching decorations.


I'm grabbing a minute of computer time to check my email and download my photos.


Meanwhile Scott and Winston are happy to surf today's many football games on TV.


Last night we had the fabulous chance to go to the Cirque de Soleil production of the Beatles LOVE at the Mirage. I can't begin to describe how wondrous it was. The theater-in-the-round with 2000 people watching from every side had incredible sets for each song - aerial swings, trampolines, skate half-pipes, flying trapezes, rolling ladders, I can't remember everything because it was just one scene after another. Also incredible were the big-screen graphics and videos, the choreography (blew Suzie away), the costumes, symbolism, movement, variety, the classic Cirque format - exquisite and eye popping, and, of course, the music. I can't even begin to describe it. We walked out of the 7 p.m. show and wanted to go right back in at 9.


There was the usual post-show frenzy in the gift shop - including a Beatles Guitar Hero all set up for anyone to join. Winston played guitar while Suzie rocked out to All You Need is Love.

::: six things I love and one I hate :::

One thing I love (of course) is my son Mike - and the help that he gives us. It's a beautiful fall afternoon and he's outside cleaning up the yard from all the debris that covered our lawn in a wind storm last week. Meanwhile I'm inside cleaning up my messy house after a big scrapbooking binge. Oh, and I'm posting those pics - but don't tell him.

I love Scott's far-away photos of the sky and sunsets. He likes to take pictures of clouds - I think it's the artist in him.

And he likes to zoom in to get pictures of everyday beauty - close-up. These little berries filling the cracks of the sidewalk are just sweet. Sweet little nature.

I love my Warren Kimble Folkart Landscapes calendar from Lang. I'm so relieved because I just Googled it, and there is a similar calendar for 2010. Each month has a folkart barn or schoolhouse - big and graphic, not cutesy. I like that. And Kimble uses a lot of blue so the pictures look good on my wall.


Yup - here's the 2010 version. I need to order it today. Right now, the calendar companies are offering things like free shipping and 20% off. Believe me, I've studied this for years as I've taught Cut the Crazy out of Christmas, and the deals (on most everything) are better in October and early November. If you think you'll save money by waiting until the the last few weeks of December, you won't. The stores creep the prices back up the closer they get to Christmas. And in December it will be snowing and you'll wish you could be home watching Project Runway or baking cookies or reading Christmas stories like Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. GO SHOP NOW. Oops, that's off the subject.

I love my plate that combines my favorite blue colors with the beautiful oranges and greens of fall. This plate belonged to Scott's mother, and it is a treasure.

I HATE this cover of the Sept. Country Living Magazine. I mean, come on editors. This is SO NOT CLASSY. You can do better than this. There are beautiful autumn images everywhere. I know, spiders are part of Halloween now, but this is a woman's magazine, not a horror show. I hate spiders, and if you know me, you know why I hate them - it was passed on to me from my mother who literally gets sick when she sees one. I just feel for her that she even has to look at these images all through October. The spider on this cake is particularly tasteless in my humble opinion.

iN AWE of QuiLteRs

This first increcible picture is a photo of the original civil-war era Dear Jane quilt which I will talk about below. It's in a museum in Vermont.

I'm doing a little catch-up blogging. This was last week - or was it the week before??? Doesn't matter - I loved the day I spent at the Utah Quilt Guild Convention. The one-hour drive to Layton couldn't have been more beautiful. The sky was the bluest I've ever seen, the leaves were starting to turn, and the sun was shining. It took me extra time to make the drive because I kept pulling over to take photos and write notes about everything I was thinking about. (I don't allow myself to write while driving anymore - I used to do that sometimes, but I'm trying really hard to not be a distracted driver.


I went to the quilt show because I love quilting and quilts, but mainly because my dear next-door-neighbor Carol Armstrong was in charge of the quilt contest and exhibit and was teaching a class. Carol, impressively, puts her heart into anything she does. The quilt contest had all sorts of quilts, but it featured about 10 quilts that are called Baby Jane quilts. In honor of the featured quilt, Carol made her own version and donated it to the quilt show raffle.

This is a quilt that Carol made. Yes, she made every bit of it - from designing to cutting to piecing to appliqueing to machine quilting to sewing. And then she gave the quilt away. Can you believe it?? She is amazing and amazingly generous.

The quilt is called a Baby Jane quilt. It is a replica of the original quilt which is called the Dear Jane quilt. The original was by a woman named Jane Stickle who made this quilt during the CIVIL WAR out of the tiniest scraps of material imaginable. The finished quilt has over 5,000 pieces.

Here is Carol presenting her lecture about the ways that quilting has grown and changed in the past 25 years. It was a fascinating lecture with great pictures and definitely a walk down memory lane....gingham tied quilts, polyester quilts, the first rotary cutters and mats, the quilt as you go blocks with puffy batting, the revolution that machine quilting brought to the quilt world. Carol made it interesting with photos and little stories

This last photo is a quilting teacher named Cody Mazuran. She was in Carol's class.

- my column for Adornit Scrapbooking -

9 - 09 Beginner Basics

Hi, it's Debbie here with September's Beginner Basics. This month I want to talk to beginning scrapbookers about a big problem that plagues scrapbookers at every level – that feeling of “never being done.”

Sometimes beginners get caught up in the mindset that they have to scrapbook EVERYTHING. If you have that attitude, I guarantee you’ll always feel panicked and stressed. When you let go of the idea that you have to scrap every photo and every memory, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the creative process of scrapbooking.

I challenge you to let go of scrapbooking your photos from last Easter - lol - and instead find two or three photos that represent a special moment and use them to create a one or two page layout.

For my layout, I started with my story – because it was important for me to write my feelings about my son’s music talent.

Here is what my journaling says:

"One of the best surprises in my life has been that Mike LOVES to play music. He is actually obsessed with it! I don't remember hime especially loving music as a kid - he took piano, trumpet, and guitar lessons, but he didn't like to practice and didn't play very much. After his mission, he started playing the piano and guitar all the time. I was so surprised at how good he was. He developed a taste for vintage guitars and music from the 70's. Friends would come to our house for loud jam sessions and to make music videos to post on YouTube. Mike and Tom Williams would sing together for hours. He performed at the university and at Why Sound. He and Tom played at a little yogurt shop that has music on the weekends. They sounded great!"

I typed up what I wanted to say and printed it onto the RAE BRACKET paper. (I cut the paper to 8 ½ x 11 first so it would fit into my printer.) Then I trimmed it to fit the photos I wanted to use.

This bracket look is trendy right now – Adornit makes it easy with already-made brackets. You can use the whole sheet or cut it up.

I wanted to find the perfect background paper. I tried several choices, then I remembered how much I LOVE love love Alison’s SONG BIRD patterned paper and decided that it was 'masculine' enough for my layout.

These papers are from Adornit's Rae Collection; you’ll notice that the colors are perfect for my photos and will be great for your summer and fall photos. Go get scrapping!

::: creative blogger :::

For me, blogs by inspiring, creative women are like all the toys in the biggest toy store I've ever been to - like the Toys "R" Us on Times Square in New York City. I'll never be able to explore all the blogs out there (duh). Sometimes I take a minute to go to one blog, and there on that blogger's 'favorites list' I see a dozen MORE blogs that would be fun to visit. And those blogs would lead to more and more and more blogs.

So, like you, I limit myself and enjoy the journey through just a few blogs. One of the most inspiring (probably because I love quotes), is Rhonna Farrer's blog. She is an amazing graphic artist and creativity guru. She runs a 21-Day Creativity Challenge that I never participate in, but love to visit. She is friendly and open and generous - she actually encourages you to print her designs. Here are two of my favorite quote posters that Rhonna designed:

Harry Connick, Jr. - Your Songs

It's a new CD for Harry Connick, Jr. Sit back and relax for four minutes and watch this clip. It begins with Harry talking about the CD (does he have kind of a southern accent?), then he performs a classic Sinatra song All the Way. Nice.

Borders :: Harry Connick, Jr. - Your Songs

Shared via AddThis

!! YoU GO giRL !!

Aimee (my daughter-in-law) ran her first marathon! It was the Top of Utah Marathon (twenty six point two miles) and she did great! I have to give a huge shout-out to Aimee - for many reasons. First, for her determination and discipline. This girl has three kids - a 16-month-old baby and two active girls - all reasons enough to NOT find time or energy to do the training that it takes to get ready for a marathon. But she set a goal to run and she really stuck to her plan - and it helped that her brother started running too. They ran a 10 K together and then the Top of Utah Half Marathon. Then, all by herself, she ran a whole marathon. All of that since April of this year! What amazed me was the huge smile on her face when she finished.

Here she is coming out of the canyon - the wind was blowing hard - but the sun was shining and overall the weather was perfect.

Brookelyn and Bailee made signs to cheer on their mom. They waited patiently for a long time before she came running by.

Here is Aimee as she ran to the finish line. Look at that smile on her face!



Aaron grabbed her and gave her a big hug.

today's the day!

Today is the first day of my class Cut the Crazy out of Christmas on Big Picture Scrapbooking.com. I'm so excited to interact with all the fabulous ladies who are taking our class!

It's not too late to sign up....registration will close Sept. 20, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. PST.

The four-week class is self-paced, and the handouts and info are there on the website waiting for when you're ready to do the work. The cost of the class is $25.00- but if you want to save $5.00 you can email me and I'll give you the coupon code. (deb84341@yahoo.com). Here is what I wrote for BPS explaining how the class works:

Before we get started, we want to tell you a bit about how our BPS classroom will work. Each Thursday, our classroom will be refreshed with a new week of class materials. Once you have logged into our classroom, you will be able to view our welcome message, audio message, and downloadable handouts. Each week you will receive three different types of handouts. To separate them and for clarity, we have titled them PLANNER, PERSPECTIVE, and PROJECT (listen to the audio for a bit more detail). This will become more clear once you start the process. Now that's out of the way, let's get started!

Georgana (my boss at Adornit) and I are the teachers for the class. It was Georgana's idea to propose Cut the Crazy to BPS - and she did all the work to make the whole thing digital. Plus she helped develop the projects, and she created all the pdf handouts with new artwork. I'm really happy with the transition from hard copies to digital downloads.

We worked SO HARD to have great content and handouts for our class. I have to give credit to Norma Olsen - she originated much of the Cut the Crazy material. She and I developed the class in 1994 and taught it for years to women's groups. She has graciously let me take it to the digital world through Big Picture.

The Cut the Crazy out of Christmas PLANNER is the foundation of the class. Here is what I wrote for BPS as an explanation of the planner:

The Cut the Crazy out of Christmas binder/planner that you will assemble (according to our instructions and using your class downloads) is the FOUNDATION of this workshop. This planner will become your "control central" for Christmas. It is your most important Christmas organization tool. Keep it near your desk or in another accessible place. It's not a book that you pack away with your Christmas decorations! If you make a habit of referring to it all year, you'll be more organized when the holiday season arrives.

Your planner will eliminate all those floating scraps of paper that boggle your mind and clutter your counter. No more addresses jotted on napkins or endless post-it notes on the fridge. Everything will be compiled in one place.

debbie says:

"My binder is my 'right hand man,' especially from September to January. I keep it in my kitchen cupboard right next to my recipe books. I remember, about this time last year, when my daughter commented that she didn't have any pretty salt and pepper shakers. I took out my binder and wrote, "Becky - S&P shakers" on my Christmas gift list - so I'll remember to buy them in November. I'm sure that I wouldn't have remembered that gift idea any other way!"

The magic of this planner is that it can be used year after year. It evolves with your family's needs. For example, you may save magazine pictures of decorating ideas that you like for a few years and then replace them with new pictures when your style changes. You can add ideas, tips, and stories as you find them. Remember to keep your gift lists from year to year to simplify planning and shopping for gifts. Use each page to help you in your effort to cut the crazy out of Christmas.

{ dwell in possibility }

I have been reading about Emily Dickinson - poet and writer. I have a phrase from one of her poems caught in my mind. "The spreading wide my narrow hands, to gather paradise." I keep repeating it over and over.

I think we each find that at times our hands seem so narrow - but the spreading wide can be an act of discipline and self-love. And the reward can be to gather paradise. I've thought about that as I try to get the courage to try new things and go new places.

Emily Dickinson's poems are inspiring - her life, really, is not. She was eccentric and solitary. But the body of poems she produced - not even discovered until after her death, is astounding.

This all started when I found a magnet that I love: "I dwell in possibility." This phrase is from the first line of one of her most famous poems.

I'm surrounded by women who dwell in possibility. I meet them online, I read their words, I work with them, they are my family and my friends. They live lives of possibility and hope. For them my deepest gratitude.

I Dwell in Possibility

by Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise.


graphic image by thehistoryshirt.com

* bAbY SHowEr for Becky *

Becky is due in a month! We had a baby shower for her - a combined Grewe and Stevenson shower. It was so fun to go to Pitt's Aunt Sherrey's house in beautiful North Ogden and get reacquainted with some of his family.

Brookie loved the shower games - which made my efforts to find sophisticated (lol) shower games worth it. (I almost said, "No games.") We played a "name-the-baby" game (since Becky and Pitt haven't decided on a name or at least haven't revealed it to us) and a word game. Aunt Nancy came up with the winning name: Eiger.

The food was wonderful - this fruit salad made by Pitt's cousin, Jenny, was unique and pretty - a big bowl of heaven. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple and kiwi fruit. Fresh, cold, and delicious.

Oh, the baby things they have nowadays! Darling clothes for little boys and creative stuff for everything from bathtime to riding in a stroller. But the handmade things that Becky got for the new baby were extra special.

Grandma Patty took Becky to the fabric store when she was first pregnant and had her pick out her favorite flannels for receiving blankets and burp cloths. Patty has spent the summer crocheting edging around them - the cutest little edges you've ever seen on the cutest fabrics. And not just a few - the picture above doesn't really show the extent of what Patty made.

Patty's sister, Aunt Sherrey, has also been busy - making this adorable quilt for the baby. Again, the photo doesn't do it justice. It is so bright and beautiful - with rickrack and wonderful machine quilting. Lucky Becky and baby!

can I just say....

...that I'm liking my toes right now.

This is a great color for fall and it makes me smile when I look down. I took a photo of my cute nail-polished toes, but when I actually looked at the photo on my blog, I quickly deleted it. No matter how cute your toes are, they're not cute close-up. Not even with OPI "I'm Fondue of You" polish.

** hAppy biRthdAy MiKe

Today is the birthday of our youngest - our awesome son, Mike. We had a little pre-birthday dinner last night at our favorite "local Mexican" restaurant, El Toro Viejo. It was fun to have Grandpa and Grandma with us. Mike especially loved wearing the sombrero while the waiters sang a lively rendition of Happy Birthday.

Mike is a great guitar player and singer. In this picture, he and his friend Tom Williams are practicing for their performance last week at a cool little yogurt shop in town. They sounded really good and the crowd love the music. More performance photos below.




Probably one of my favorite things about Mike is his laugh. He laughs at everything and you can hear his laugh echoing through the house. He's nice and kind and loves his family and friends. He is a good student, is fluent in Japanese, and can do anything on the computer. He's easy-going and calm, and he's very tidy. His room and bathroom are pretty-much clean. He always seems to enjoy what is going on around him at that moment. People tell him he looks like his dad, although we don't see it. He is like Scott in that he forgets to eat - something I have never been able to understand. I'm going to quit now and go bake him a birthday cake!

i love the concept of serendipity

"Serendipity visits all of our lives at some point. You begin by going left, take a sudden right and find yourself someplace unexpected. Sure, some people know almost from childhood the path that they will take and map it out. Most of us, however, are a little softer in the life plan department. You think: This is the thing I will do, then encounter something unexpected and find yourself in a new place altogether." Linda Richards

"Serendipity can be developed, as an attitude of the mind and as a quality of the spirit. It can energize and excite our lives and give us balance between structure and spontaneity, between flat, fixed firmness and free, fun flexibility. It can allow us to “get there” and to “enjoy the journey” at the same time. It can tap us into a higher, clearer reality and
inject joy into what is no longer the routine.

On a more serious note, serendipity of the spirit can be an attitude whereby our lives become divinely guided rather than self structured. Serendipity of the spirit can become the connecting bridge between
our goals and God’s will." Richard Eyre

learn how to Cut the Crazy!

Georgana (my boss at Adornit) and I are teaching Cut the Crazy out of Christmas again this year as on online class on Big Picture Scrapbooking. It starts on Sept. 24 and goes for four weeks. You can take the class at your own computer, on your own time schedule, in your jammies. If you've never taken an online class - you need to try it! It's fun. You download the handouts, do the work, and talk to your fellow class members on the forums (if you want). The class is $25.00 - but I can send you a coupon for $5.00 off if you send me an email with your address.

This is one of our promos:

Is Your Christmas Crazy??

We hear ya: “Don’t talk to me about Christmas right now,” you say. “I don’t want to think about it until after Thanksgiving.” “Don’t remind me of the stress and rush.”

BUT – what if thinking about it NOW made it the BEST Christmas ever. What if you could start December with a smile on your face.

Back by popular demand, Big Picture Scrapbooking brings you Cut the Crazy out of Christmas. Taught by BPS ‘feature teacher’ Georgana Hall and Debbie Raymond, this four-week workshop will help you be ‘in control’ as you look forward to the holiday season. This class will include a holiday planner to help you get organized, along with scrapping and card-making projects.

If you want to start today (and why not!?) you can sign up now and download your pre-class assignments. Just think – you have the power to cut the crazy and look ahead with joy!

Can't wait to see you in the classroom!!

{ tAke FligHt }

The butterfly project started with the butterfly garland that I made for the Adornit Blog Hop last month. It's a fun little decoration celebrating the joy of summer. As I made it, I knew I had to let my little granddaughters in on the fun. Here are some photos of the cute garland I made, then some pictures of the girls' version. I love the Adornit papers and ribbon I used.

My grandaughters are just like me - they love a good project! And they love cute paper! (Just wait 'til they discover fabric.) I spent an overnight with them last weekend, and we had a blast making these chipboard butterfly wall-hangings. Brookelyn, above, and Bailee, below, really got into it. They carefully selected their papers and embellishments. (Everything you see is from Adornit Scrapbook Company - click here and you'll see Brookelyn on the Adornit scrapbooking homepage.)

Back to the project. The girls cut and pasted and embellished and adorned to their hearts' content. And then wanted to make more. Those girls do love stickers, do they ever! We spent a whole afternoon and part of the next morning butterfly-ing. (If you want to order the chipboard shapes - a set of six butterflies, send an email to customercare@adornit.com. I'm thinkin' you could make CUTE little gift sets out of them - little kits for your girls - holidays are coming!)

LaBor dAy at the LaKe

We spent a couple of days at Bear Lake for our anniversary/Labor Day. The weather was perfect except for a bit of blowing wind.

Nothing is more beautiful than the sight of the morning sun rising over the mountains to the east and reflecting on the lake.


This incredible flower garden takes a close second to being the most beautiful sight in the Bear Lake area. I kept watching for someone to be in the yard so I could ask what miracle potion they use to grow flowers like that. These photos don't really show how beautiful they are.

We went on a loonnng bike ride. I am impressed with the little towns in the Bear Lake area for having about ten miles of off-road bike trails.

One of the fun parts of our bike trip was discovering a lovely spot above the marina where you can watch the boats go in and out of the launching area.

My parents and Merilee and Arika came over Saturday (we missed you Val), and we couldn't wait to take them to see our marina discovery. Dad and I watched the boat parade.....

Merilee and Arika took off to walk a few laps and enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine.....

And Scott held down the umbrella (it was windy) so my mom could enjoy the scenery in the shade. Scott didn't mind because he was had his book to read.

The day ended with a beautiful view of the moon shining above the lake. Always quick to grab her camera, Arika took the first moonrise photos, then Scott joined her to capture the beautiful scene on his own camera. Mer's friends, Denise and Morgan, arrived just in time to enjoy the magic too. I have more "people" photos to post - maybe tomorrow!

35 years of mush

It's our anniversary today! 35 years of making Cream of Wheat every morning. I can make it with my eyes closed. I figure I've made about 5,582
bowls of Cream of Wheat since Sept. 4, 1974.



I often ask Scott if he'd like something different for breakfast, like, say, oatmeal. More fiber and more taste I think. But, no, he likes his Cream of Wheat. He goes to work happy every morning.

I want to tell my sons that if they will treat their wives even half as good as Scott has treated me during our marriage, they will have good lives and happy wives. Like me.

= three months, three weeks, three days =

I promise I won't "cross blog" very often, but this is important. Yesterday I re-started the Cut the Crazy Out of Christmas blog - because I had to take advantage of the 3-3-3 novelty. AND, in just three weeks from tomorrow, Georgana and I will begin our Cut the Crazy Out of Christmas class on Big Picture Scrapbooking.com. Click here for all the info. Here's the post:

Today is September 1. The first day of September.

There are three months, three weeks and three days until Christmas!

3 months - 3 weeks - 3 days!

If you REALLY want to cut the crazy out of your holiday season,
you'll jump on the path to Christmas organization right now, today.

You may ask: Where do I start? What do I do?
How can I add Christmas planning to an already-packed schedule?

HERE'S HOW TO START........

Just think for the next few days. Thinking's not hard - you can do it while washing dishes or driving to work. Think about last year.

(You might have to get out some of last year's Christmas photos
to start the memory juices flowing.)

Try to remember what was good about last year and what didn't work.

What stressed you the most?

What would you like to change?

Just think about it. (Write down your thoughts if you get a minute.)

:: good-bye party ::

WE had a fun going-away party for my Aunt Norma and Uncle Skeeter who will be leaving next week for an LDS mission in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was great having their daughter Jami here - she lives in California and doesn't get to enjoy these family get-togethers. Also from their family was Curtis and Wendy and their kids (and even some of Alex's friends) and their granddaughter Allison and her husband Greg. The rest of the party group was my parents and family.

We played a round of "I HAVE NEVER" and it turned out to be very informative, fun and good exercise.

No, Val isn't chasing Jami in this picture - they're racing for the same chair.

Aunt Norma ended up in the middle quite often, so she had to spend some time thinking of things she has never done.

There were only three little kids at our party - our families have just grown up. Now we rely on the kids of our kids to bring the fun to the party. Little Evie decided that we needed to have a game that she could play. Her first choice was freeze TAG - but no one could muster the energy to play tag with her. So she settled on a fast-paced game of DUCK DUCK GOOSE which a few of us joined. The --flash-- in the yellow shirt is Merilee running to get ahead of the kid she tagged.

After the games, Evan and Curtis payed tribute to Aunt Norma and Uncle Skeeter and the legacy of service they pass on to us as they leave for their third mission. They also served in Rochester, New York and Cebu, Phillipines. and Curtis, Nikki, Kimberly and Doug listen to the stories.

Jamie and my mom Jean listening to Evan's talk.


Curtis, Nikki (hiding her head because she is due to have little baby Avrie any day now), Kimberly and Doug laughing.

As the party, ended we were treated to a beautiful Cache Valley sunset photographed by Scott.

my reCipE for bAked ZiTi

Here is my recipe for a delicious (considering it's a convenience food) and nutritious (well, sorta) dinner...

Baked Ziti & Meatballs

Directions:
1. Go to Sam's Club. (Maybe available at Target too.)
2. Find the frozen entrees section and look for the two pack of Michael Angelo's Baked Ziti and Meatballs.
3. Bake it in the oven if you have 50 minutes...in the microwave if you only have 15. I personally like the oven better - the yummy smell fills the house.
4. Serve with salad, veggies and a loaf of good french bread - with unsalted butter.
5. Cheer when you realize that you ate dinner at home, and it only took ten minutes to get it ready.

p.s. I mostly don't like the meat in frozen foods, so I didn't eat the meatballs in this dish, just the pasta. So I hope the meatballs taste OK. I'd buy it again and still not eat the meatballs!

Note: In seaching the internet for a photo of this product, I found a little blog called "The Freezer Dude - Frozen Food Reviews." Click here to access this guy's reviews of entrees, pizza, etc. Yeah, I admit, he's a guy who is used to eating frozen food, but I actually found his reviews to be pretty close to my opinions. One thing I hate is buying a food item that turns out to be really nasty. What a waste of money that is. Maybe his reviews can help steer me in the right direction.

'' ' window washing irony ' '' '

I've waited all summer for the perfect week to have our windows washed. This is not a do-it-yourself project, because we have high windows and lots of them. In June, when I thought all possibility of spring rains had passed, I called our usual window-washing crew. They never returned my call.

Last week, the doorbell rang and it was a college kid asking if we need our windows washed. I said, "As a matter of fact..." So we set up the day and time, and then I realized that I would be out of town tending my cute grandkiddies on the big day. But, WHY NOT just let Scott take over and help with the window washing project. He was willing enough, so we planned on it.

I called him several times yesterday, and he said the guys were doing a great job and the windows had never looked better. Inside and out! I was so excited about my shiny windows.

Well, when I woke up at my son's house this morning, it was raining. I called Scott and he said, yes, it was pouring in Logan, but he reassured me: "I don't think the rain is really hitting the windows much." Yeah, right. It rained all day - you can see from the pictures that it rained hard.

My windows looked good for a half a day - at least that's what they tell me. When I arrived home this evening, it was dark and still raining. Scott maintains that it was a 'clean rain.'

Now if you are a person who watches the weather, you might ask why I didn't just check the forecast. I just don't do that. I hardly watch TV. If I need to know the weather, I ask one of those people I know who can rattle off the forecast for the next six weeks. This time, it didn't occur to me.

If you live in Logan, the window washer calls himself "Seasonal View." Leave a comment if you want his number.

{ virtual shopping at anthropologie }

I like to shop as you may or may not know. LIKE TO SHOP! I consider it one of my core-competencies. To me, shopping is NOT just going and buying things, but going and...hunting for things. And stumbling onto things that are PERFECT - or good deals. Shopping is identifying things you want then searching and finding them. (Bonus: identifying something you want that's expensive, then finding the cheap version.) Shopping is fun when done with friends or family, but REAL shopping is usually accomplished when alone. I love to shop alone.

Usually I like to shop in the real stores in real time better than on the internet. BUT there's one exception for me. I love Anthropologie online. Their website is visually charming. Their selection, while good and big, isn't too big. It's not like shopping at, say, Zappos.com, which is just plain TOO MUCH. Anthropologie has figured out a way to capture the feel of the real store experience and translate it to my little computer screen.

Now if you really want to enjoy Anthropologie online, you HAVE to light the candle called Volcano and set it by your computer while you surf. Do that, and you'll think you're right in the store! Mmmmmm......

[ a sad farewell ]

Leon Badger


Yesterday was the funeral of our good friend, Lee Badger. It's heartbreaking to even write the words. None of us can believe it. One short year ago we were gasping in shock when Shari told us about his ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) diagnosis.

The obituaries and tributes have been well-done and such an honor. But they don't even begin to tell about the Lee we knew and have known since 1982, when they moved to our neighborhood. Lee was always a lot of fun to talk to and be around. He cared about people - and their kids and families. He often asked us about our dog and we asked about his. Lee liked to laugh and tell great stories - and yet he never sought to be the center of attention. We knew him to be generous and tolerant - even of certain teenage boys who were in his Scout troop and probably drove him crazy, but he never mentioned that. Lee knew what was important.

Lee was passionate about his business and career. He was honest and straightforward. He built his three grocery stores with hard work and smart moves - he invested in improvements and expansions when they needed to be done. He (and Shari) kept clean and attractive stores. Lee worked as hard as anyone there, and he never asked any employee to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. Sometimes Lee was the 'people greeter' at the store. In fact, that might have been his favorite job.

When I think of Lee, I think of Shari by his side. Those two were a team. You almost never saw one without the other. Shari was his right-hand man at the store (or maybe he was her right-hand man). They made good decisions together - I'm pretty sure they got multiple requests every day at the office to support some cause, fund-raiser or person in need. They said yes over and over. They were generous and didn't complain. They provided food for who-knows-what-all! They supported every athletic team- especially the Aggies. Most impressive: they did their kind deeds quietly.

Lee and Shari had lots of fun together. They got to go on fun trips and share cool experiences. They worked together and played together. One thing they loved to do was go to other grocery stores - all over the country - and "walk the store." They went four-wheeling and snowmobiling (remember the minus-forty-degree ride into Yellowstone?). Lee and Shari were a classy pair, and everyone wanted to be with them. We were the lucky ones, but didn't appreciate it at the time - took the togetherness for granted. Oh how I wish we could sit at the restaurant table again, laughing at Craig's stories and bragging about our grandkids.

When I attend a funeral I always think of the saying, "Going to the funeral of a good person makes you want to be a better person." I felt that yesterday as I left Lee's funeral. His example will help me, and many others, live a better life.

Adornit BLoG HoP - scroll to 7-31-09

Hi! If you're here on the Adornit Blog Hop, I'm sorry the link didn't take you directly to my Blog Hop post. You'll have to scroll down, down, down to the post that is dated 7-31-09 - the title says Adornit BLoG HoP! Be sure to read the last paragraph - it has the link to the next blog! Thanks for stopping by!

~ a perspective of goodness ~

I got up early to weed my flower garden - it was the one thing I was going to accomplish while Scott is away hiking in the Wind River Mountains with the Scouts. I was going to accomplish a lot of things while he is gone, but weeding was the NOT OPTIONAL one.

I was a little scared, this morning, to go into my backyard - it's been two days since my traumatic encounter with a wasp. I still have mini-daytime-nightmares about that wasp flying into my hair and me frantically trying to brush it away, only to have it sting me on the back of the head. This experience gave me new compassion for wasp and bee stings, and if I have ever acted nonchalantly about your bee sting (Brookie included here on the Fourth of July) I sincerely apologize. It has also opened up a new topic of conversation with everyone I talk to - I have heard some horrendous sting stories in the past few days, including Dr. Wood's story of a bee flying into his ear. The internet is crammed with funny but terrifying stories about bees and wasps.

Well, it started to rain, which is a good thing since it will be easier to pull weeds later if the ground is wet. I retreated to my computer, and found one of my favorite emails in my inbox - SARK's inspirational eLetter.

I love her idea of being a detective of goodness and passing on a perspective of goodness. I just had to share...if you can't read this, click here.


I get automatic emails (she calls them eLetters) from Susan Kennedy aka SARK that change my outlook in a matter of two minutes. She teaches positivity, creativity and 'juicy journaling.' You may remember her books from the nineties, books like Inspiration Sandwich and Living Juicy.

If you need an attitude adjustment or just some creative motivation and journaling inspiration, go visit with SARK.

"Remember to delight yourself first,
then others can be truly delighted."

{ night sky miscellany }

We're having a classic summer storm tonight. Right now I can smell the storm as much as hear or see the storm. Who doesn't love the smell of summer rain. And the way the cool breeze freshens the air when the rain is falling.

It's thundering and lightning quite regularly now, and I can't get my mind off my dear friend. The rumbling sound just seems to magnify my heavy heart. I'll mention more later.

I missed the Perseid meteor showers. Did anyone watch the sky on Wednesday night, and was it spectacular? I think it wasn't because I haven't heard anyone talking about it.

I'm going to go watch the lightning now. Last week in Salt Lake City, on the same night that we flew in from San Diego, there were 7,900 flashes of lightning. I asked Scott, "Who sits and counts all the lightning strikes?" It was an honest question. There are measuring devices, I learned, that measure lightning.

One thing I know for sure. Max, our dog, does not like thunder.

haPpy bIrThday TeResA LeWis

I want to send an ONLINE haPpy bIrThday to my net-savvy, online and offline {good} friend Teresa Lewis.

Teresa does more to CONNECT people than anyone I know. She sends love to her friends and to friends of her friends (and, of course to her relatives) via her blog, Facebook, and the online communities she brightens.

So here is an old-fashioned image that says it all--


The words say: "Be worthy. Love they Neighbor." "Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the seeds, kind words are blossoms, the fruits are kind deeds." (Credit to Kindred Spirits Quilt Shop for image.)

These words actually look like what Teresa would stitch on the darling pillows that she makes and sells. She finds the best quotes and embroiders the words along with flowers or other cute images. And then she adorns the pillows with buttons and then more buttons! Teresa is also a very good writer with a natural and readable voice. And she's a hoot. A conversation with Teresa leaves you smiling. Happy Birthday dear Teresa!

:: perfect bridal or baby shower cookie ::

Tonight I'd like to publicly thank my "cookies-in-the-oven guardian angel." Really, she protects me sometimes from cookie disasters, and this morning she was especially vigilant. Not once, but twice, she nudged me to the oven to get the cookies out. Now you'd think that if it were an important occasion with a tight time schedule, I'd be sitting next to the oven making sure I didn't burn the cookies. But this morning I was extra-distracted and in a bit of a hurry. The cookies were baking, and I was wrapping a gift. And then it hit me...OHHH the cookies. I ran to the oven and, whew, they were just fine.


Why, you ask, don't you just put on the timer? I DO set the timer, in fact I set two timers. But, my oven timer makes one little blip which I never hear over the radio or if I'm in another room. And the second timer has this unnoticeable start button which I always forget to push. So, hats off to the cookie angel.

Below is the recipe for Meltaways - the perfect shower cookie! You can also click here for the Almond Cookie recipe which I also made for the shower and colored pink - so very baby girly.

Oh, and I need to mention that the baby shower was wonderful. It was for my sister's daughter-in-law Nikki who is due to have a little baby girl at the end of this month. My sister put together wonderful refreshments - all pink food! It was so cute - watermelon, red grapes, strawberries. Pink cookies - my almond cookies and the meltaways. Mer made trifle with lots of fat (dark pink) raspberries on top and pink jello cake. There was pink fruity slush and pink animal cookies. Oh, and don't forget the pink ice cream sandwiches and pink creamie popsicles.
(Thanks to jjbd_photo on photobucket for her cookie photo - I didn't even think to take one.)

Meltaways
from Scott's sister, Mary Savage
2 cubes butter
3/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour or a bit more if needed
1/8 tsp. salt
Put it all in the mixer and beat together until well blended, but not too long. (If the dough seems dry and crumbly, the cookies will crumble, so you need to add a bit of warm water. If it's too creamy-thin you need to add a bit of flour. It needs to be a consistency that you can scoop it up with a tablespoon and roll it around on the palms of your hands into a small ball.

Make balls - they look better if small, about the size of walnuts. Press each ball gently with two fingers.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. (Set the timer.)

Cool and frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting - or if you're in a huge hurry and are sick to death of cookies, then use Betty Crocker Soft Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting. This recipe will make about 35 cookies depending on size.

family gathering in san diego

Way way way fun time in San Diego with the whole family. Here are some of my favorite group shots - It's going to take some time to pick, edit, and post individual photos from over 500 photos taken with two cameras by two photo maniacs.

This is the group that decided to sit in the splash zone - center section, row 2 - at Sea World. Mike and Winston got soaked, Scott and the girls bought ponchos that kept them sort of protected. As it turned out, the rest of us (including ME THAT HATES TO BE WET) got splashed too. Lots of splash. We were sitting at the back of the splash zone, on the far right side on about row 15. I didn't dream I would get wet.

This is at the beginning of the day at the ZOO. Pitt had a goal to see every animal on the list in the guidebook. Becky, Scott, Suzie, Winston and Mike hung in there with him, though it was very hot and humid. The rest of us saw MOST of the animals, but enjoyed a little less strenuous day. Through the whole trip Brookelyn and Bailee were so delightful to be with, well behaved and patient. And baby Carter, at 16 months, was wonder baby. He was so good - I don't think I heard him cry more than twice in five days.

Our day at Mission Beach was perfect summer beach weather - HOT - but with a little breeze to cool us off. This photo is funny because Pitt's head is exactly behind Aaron's. You can see his arms but not his head. Scott bought a little umbrella at the grocery store and he and I crowded under it so we could maintain our prize-winning white legs.

scrapbook page for blog party

- AdoRn It BLog ParTy thrills and chills -

The Adornit Summer Blog Party continues. First you have to know that Georgana (my boss) and I (and the rest of our team, Tammy, Alison, guest bloggers) have put our hearts and souls into this Blog Party. I got a headache I tried so hard to write paragraphs that sounded friendly, fun, and party-ish on our Blog Party posts.

I was so excited for the Blog Hop - it happened yesterday, on Day 3 of the week-long Blog Party. (You can still do it if you click on Blog Hop.) We ended up with 80 scrappers who made the Blog Hop happen - they actually created projects using the theme Summer Favorites, posted them on their blogs, and linked to the next scrapper's blog. Georgana spent hours organizing everything. After a few initial snags, (at one point Georgana had to tell me, "Calm down!"), it ended up really great. I couldn't believe the quality and creativity of the projects that our friends showed. Many, many used Adornit product, which just thrilled me. And lots of kind, sweet people left comments at the all different blogs.

It tickled me that my sister, Merilee - who was here visiting (we went to a performance of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and had yummy Chili's Two for Twenty meal before the show and Coldstone ice cream after) - joined the blog hop and got through it in a little over an hour. She's so neat and worth a post of her own, which I'll do soon!

So for today's Blog Party activity, we have lots of ideas for scrapping the outdoor adventures that people have this summer. Oh and you have to see the clever first aid kit, which I very appropriately named, "The Cutest Little First Aid Kit Ever." Now I'm going to type that fast and you'll see the problem I have with capital I's. THe Cuters LIttle FIrst AId KIt Ever. I always have to go back and uncapitalize I's when they are second in a word. And can you believe that that title has I's second in four of the seven words. I'm rambling on and on because I have a ton of things to do that I'm trying to avoid.

Well, here is the layout I made for today's Blog Party. It's a picture of me hiking at Jenny Lake in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - a great memory and worthy of some journaling which I didn't put on my layout. Well, gotta go tackle those phone calls.

Adornit BLoG HoP!

Yea it's Blog Hop Day! I hope you're having a good time. I'm especially happy that this day has come, because I'm the editor at Adornit, and I've worked alongside Georgana and everyone else at Adornit for the past few weeks getting ready for the Blog Party. You wouldn't believe the love and hours that have gone into each project and post.

I was thrilled with the theme that Georgana picked, Summer Favorites. I had a hard time choosing my favorite for summer. Then one evening, after pulling about a bushel of morning glory (in Utah it's considered a weed) from my flower garden, and watching the sunset from my back patio, I decided that my favorite place in the summer is really my own backyard!

I used Adornit's new Flutter Flight collection for my layout. The colors are perfect, don't you agree! Adornit is known for hand-drawn art on our scrapbook papers, and this collection shows this perfectly.

Be sure to visit Adornit every day this week for more darling paper crafting ideas - or if there's a hang-up in the Blog Hop just check in at: www.adornitscrapbook.com/bloghop

Well, I won't keep you - I know you have lots of stops on this bloghop! From here you go visit Danette at Heart and Home designs: http://heartandhomedesigns.blogspot.com/

*** It's PaRty TiMe ***

The Adornit Summer Blog Party started today. Click here to go to Georgana's blog and see everything we made for the first day of the party. The theme today is BBQ, and we are showing ideas for outdoor barbecues and for scrapbooking the photos you take at your BBQ. I wrote most of the words that you'll read on the blog posts this week. It's been a fun writing exercise! And if you click on a project title, it takes you to that particular project in the gallery on the Adornit website - and includes a photo, description and list of instructions. I wrote all those words too. I've been writing project instructions all week 'til my head's swimming. Sure does make me want to scrapbook though. (Which is the point of this Adornit Blog Party after all - publicity.)

Above is the scrapbook layout I made for today's blog party. It's a photo from our family Bear Lake reunion two weeks ago. I love the red and black, and I love that my mom and nephew Tyler are dressed to match.

And here is the cute BBQ invitation that my friend and coworker Janet Parker made. I really like the red-checked ribbon at the top - and the ant ribbon at the bottom too. Isn't it clever how she put the ribbon at the top so you can just hang the invite on your neighbor's door knob? The other projects are great too. You're just going to have to go check them out. It'll only take a minute!

:: my column for the Adornit blog ::

Beginner Basics for Scrapbooking: July

It’s time for July's Beginner’s Basics from Adornit editor Debbie Raymond. Debbie writes:

So many pictures, so little time. It’s summer, and that means I have a dilemma. I’m taking lots of photos that would be SO CUTE as scrapbook pages, and yet I don’t want to spend time indoors when I could be outside hiking or riding my awesome old-lady bike.

Sooooo the answer is…make my scrapping simple.

That means giving myself some limits. (That’s hard when you work at Adornit!) I decided that FOR SOME OF MY PHOTOS, I’d limit myself to using only black and white papers and embellishments. That way I can easily use my most colorful photos because summer is COLORful. By using only black and white supplies, I can simplify my choices and help me get my scrapbook pages done.

This is so easy that you can put all your (limited) supplies in a cute basket and take them outside and watch your kids play or enjoy the beauty of your back yard while you scrap. If you’re young like Georgana, you’ll have kids jumping on the tramp and running through the sprinklers in the background as you work. If you’re an empty nester like me, you’ll enjoy the sounds of the birds in the trees or the songs on your Ipod. Whatever your stage of life, scrapbooking outside in the summer is a delicious treat.

Bear Lake photos

{ Beach Bums }

{ So You Think You Can Dance - to Michael Jackson tunes }

{ Dinner including Merilee's yummy cupcake hamburgers }

- scrapping with a little help from my friends -

I'm scrapping tonight and enjoying the cool taste of this drink with a slice of lime and some good ice. Scrapping is a bit stressful for me (I don't know why, AdornIt product makes it so simple), but {Peter Frampton} on my oldies mix CD and a half a (small) bag of M&M's is making it really rather enjoyable.

"I can see the sunset in your eyes
Brown and gray, blue besides
Clouds are stalking islands in the sun
I wish I could buy one
Out of season....
Ooh baby I love your way
Wanna tell you I love your way
Wanna be with you night and day...
I love your way."

getting my groove back

It's been awhile since I posted on my blog - I've been distracted with FUN things. We had a great week visiting with Suzie and Winston, here from Vegas, and we spent a couple of days at Bear Lake for a little family reunion. I will download and post my photos soon.

Meanwhile, I did a little web surfing today and wanted to show you images from quilt designer Sue Spargo. Her work is stunning and her folk-art style really appeals to me.




This is the quilt that first caught my attention. Just LOOK AT THAT! In reading her blog, I found out that she recently taught a class at Material Girls quilt shop in Salt Lake City. I just visited that fun shop for the first time last week with my girls.

This all started because I was surfing for inspiration to make a little pin cushion for fun tonight. And then I saw these quilts, and I've about lost my pincushion-sewing energy. It'll take me three hours to make a four-inch square, very simple pincushion. I'm a sewing pre-schooler. I'm a newborn. And I've been sewing for, oh, forty years, give or take a few months. How depressing.

{ you CAN judge this book by its cover }

Here's a charming little book that I've enjoyed reading in bits this summer. The author writes simple essays that are full of wisdom - especially for women. It's a quick read and each chapter has something that made me pause and think. This book would make a nice little gift - not only for the content but for the pretty cover.

Here's a book review from a blog called Azuki's Book Cafe:

In Creating a Charmed Life, Victoria Moran unveils practical, spiritual secrets for expanding your capacity to love, know, and experience a fuller, richer life. Her insight, humor, and unassailable wisdom shine through each page to illuminate the magic in all our lives.

This book contains 75 small chapters with titles like: *Create miracles * Nurture your dreams * Live your life in chapters * Nourish your spirit.* Each chapter has three pages or so to read that you can fit in a moment’s spare time. It’s best enjoyed in small bites like tidbits of chocolates, rather than in one sitting.

Truth be told, if you have read a few spiritual self-help or woman-feel-good books, you would definitely have heard many of the same things before, but it’s an endearing, charming little book nonetheless.

writing that brings a smile to my face

One of my favorite writers, Garrison Keillor writes some amusing (but true to me) words in his weekly column on his Prairie Home Companion website:

"So let me speak up for an endangered menu item this Fourth of July weekend and that is homemade potato salad.

When the family meets this weekend to hobnob and burn burgers, the family member assigned to bring the potato salad is likely going to walk in with a couple of gallon plastic buckets of yellowish muck bought at a convenience store, the price stickers still on them, and set them down on the table with no apology whatsoever.

Or, if they have more disposable income, they'll bring paper containers full of brownish muck from the natural organic sustainable united empathetic co-op.

If you bring garbage to share with your family, the least you can do is tell a lie and say, "I couldn't make the potato salad myself because I am bipolar and my lover left me and my dog has leukemia and I have an oozing leprous sore on my mixing hand."

It is not that hard to make potato salad, people. Take half an hour away from your Facebook page and do the job right. Boil some eggs, chop the celery and chives and green onions, boil the potatoes, make your mayonnaise, maybe toss in a little sour cream, use plenty of dill, and sprinkle paprika on top. The eerie-yellow store-bought stuff in the tubs was manufactured at Amalgamated Salad in Houston by undocumented 12-year-olds from the hills of Michoacan. Worse, it is teaching our children that accomplishment doesn't matter.

A child served yellow slop from a bucket is being told that it's OK to plagiarize a term paper off the Internet just so long as it's poorly written.

What if Thomas Jefferson had been too busy hobnobbing to write the Declaration of Independence so he just downloaded a bunch of stuff he found Googling "independence" and coming up with stuff about indolence, pendants, incontinence, but hey, close enough, and he pasted it together and they all signed it and went out to a movie? Not good.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the potato salad which has connected them with another, they will do it, believe me, so why insult us? Just because we're polite, do you think we can't tell the difference? Are we demented? Does this not seem self-evident to you?

Attend to the details. Teach your children manners. Write cogent paragraphs. Drive carefully. And make a good potato salad, one with some crunch, maybe accompanied by a fried drumstick with crackly skin — the humble potato and the stupid chicken, ennobled by diligent cooking — and is this not the meaning of our beautiful country, to take what is common and enable it to become beautiful? All our beautiful young people — so diligent and focused and powered by hope — you can't tell me those kids didn't have parents who took time to chop the celery and onions and experiment with the ratio of mayo to mustard to achieve a potato salad that is worthy of our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

© 2009 by Garrison Keillor. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, INC.

oh yes, notebooks in the mail

"Like an ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it." Robbie Gass
I had forgotten that I had ordered some books - it's so easy to hop online, search for an item, and click PLACE ORDER, and then completely forget you did it. So today, when the box appeared on my doorstep, it was a happy surprise. My order was from Chronicle Books and it had something I need and something I really don't need. I need the journaling notebooks - above and below - because if I don't have a bunch of them stored up I feel worried and anxious. I love these notebooks for writing morning pages - they are an ideal size and the paper inside is perfect to write on - smooth and heavy.

I've mentioned morning pages before - from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Morning pages are a couple of pages of longhand writing (actually, I only write one page) that you do first thing in the morning. You write meanderings about the day ahead or the day past. You write whatever comes to mind. Morning pages are not supposed to sound especially smart or even positive. Cameron says, "You get on the page all the whiny stuff that gets between you and your creativity and accomplishments. Or you get on the page your gratitude or your plans or thoughts about what you need today. Morning pages get you to the other side of your fear or your moods or your putting things off."

I don't write every morning - in fact I just finished filling up one of these notebooks, and I started it over a year ago. But it is a full notebook about the past year, and though I may never go back and read it, and I certainly don't hope that anyone else does, it's there if I need it and the process helped me along the way.

The other item I purchased is a book about living a simple life. LIKE I NEED ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE BOOKS. Hello. Actually, it was the very appealing cover that led me down the path to the purchase button. And I have to say, in browsing through the book for a minute this afternoon, that it looks really quite good. I'll report later.

If you go to Chronicle Books you can just enter the titles in the search box and find the books. The notebooks are from Hammerpress so if you type in Hammerpress they'll come up.

== happy bday scott ==

Today is Scott's birthday - I dare not say how OLD he is. I could wax poetic for hours about being married to him (he's the kind that you'd say, "He's a good guy."), but I'll just write a little excerpt from the e-card I sent him. The website is StoryPeople and it's too bad I can't show you the cute illustration - but the words say it so well:

"I read once that the Egyptians had fifty words for sand and the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you care for everyone and everything around you - and there are no words for that."

HaPpy FouRth of JuLy !

Becky & Debbie trying Michelle's Rice Krispie treats with chocolate & caramel on the bottom.
Uncle Spence and Scott enjoying a little break from cooking on the grill.
Kellie with her little Max and Allie - and their cousin Gracie.
Aimee with just 8 hours to go until her NINE MILE run - the Freedom Run in Hyrum.
Doug and Kimberly with Evan and Jean.
Jennifer, Becky and Lesa catching up on their lives in Logan, Salt Lake and Tokyo, Japan.

Landon and Teri on the left and right and Abby in the center holding Landon and Teri's new little baby boy.

David, Tyler and Kyle catching some air on the trampoline.

Bailee and Adria sitting at the princess table and loving the mini cans of Shasta.

Matt and Michelle enjoying the PERFECT July evening temperature.

:: it's what's for dinner ::

A surprisingly quick and easy dinner that I made last night - and Scott and Mike both liked it enough to ask for the leftovers tonight. Now, you know that's good. My photos below aren't so pretty, mainly because Mike doesn't like the veggies, so I serve them separately. But it's a pretty yummy dinner. From the website puffpastry.com.

For the chicken, I baked four chicken breasts (boneless halves) in a foil-lined baking dish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. (Lots of salt and pepper on top.) I tried to not overbake them. The chicken was tender and much better to me than boiled chicken. Here's the recipe:

Savory Herb-Crusted Chicken Pot Pie
1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 pounds diced cooked chicken (about 6 cups)
1 bag (24 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans and lima beans)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme and/or oregano)
Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the egg and water with a fork in a small bowl.

Stir the chicken and vegetables in a 13 x 9-inch (3-quart) shallow baking dish. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir the broth and cream into the saucepan and heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to a low and cook for about 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Pour over the chicken mixture.

Unroll the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the sheet to a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place the pastry over the chicken mixture, gently pressing the pastry to the edge of the dish to seal. Flute the edges if desired. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the herbs. Cut several 2-inch long slits on the top.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and filling is bubbly.

[ how did it get to be July ? ]

July 1. So many things to love about this month. Holidays. The celebrations. Quintessential summer. Scott's birthday. Bear Lake. Hope for hikes and bike rides and picnics. That one book I've been saving for the hammock swing on the back deck. Flowers everywhere. I even love July catalog time at work (easy for me to say, I have the fun job).

Today it was hot in the house. Scott hasn't had time to get the swamp coolers going - this is the year to thoroughly clean them, get new mats, do all the hard stuff up there on that high roof. He knows I won't let him go up there after dark. Two swamp coolers too. So we're cookin'.

I fixed a real dinner tonight for the first time in quite awhile. Watching "So You Think You Can Dance" on the little kitchen TV made the two plus hours of fixing and clean-up more tolerable. But man, it got hot.

I walked outside and was surprised by the hint of cool breeze. Perfect. Summer. Night. I kept going back into the house - tasks of course - downloaded some photos, put away some laundry, then rewarded myself with another walk outside. Back in to check my email, then thought to grab the camera - I wanted a photo of that breeze. You can see the slight movement of my tall perennial in the photo above. Fresh Logan summer night. Heaven.

++ playing in the park ++

 

 

 

 

If this isn't cute, I don't know what is!

 

 

 

 

[ Suzie style ]

 

 

 

 

I spent some time at my daughter Suzie and Winston's house in Las Vegas last week and wanted to show you a bit of Suzie's style. Her house is darling and clean and organized like none I know. I brought home some ideas for organization and great memories of time spent with two nice people in a nice house!

My kid rocks Bob Dylan

My son Michael, plays a great Bob Dylan song for the enjoyment of the masses on U-Tube. Mike is the good-looking, guitar and harmonica-playing one. His friend, Thomas Williams, is singing with him. Have fun:

Would it be bad...

...to go back to IN-N-OUT Burger again tomorrow? It was good, ohhh, it was so good. Was it the Vegas palm trees (just like the picture) that made it so special - I can't figure it out. I just stopped by on a whim - haven't had an IN-N-OUT burger for a long time - I can't remember the last time. But Suzie let me take her car to do a little shopping, and I passed the sign and thought, "Why not?" I drove to the next intersection and turned around and went back. And loved every bite.

Suzie told me that when Becky was here last she almost missed her flight because of an IN-N-OUT stop. I would not have understood until this afternoon!

{ some random things I like }

This linen cabinet...from Ikea - I want to put one just like this, in black, with baskets, in our game room to hold all of Mike's music stuff. Note: I like Mike's music. Note: it only comes in yellow which probably wouldn't work with the green walls.


This kleenex box...from Puffs Plus. It is the first kleenex box that I have EVER liked. I have often wondered why there isn't one decent graphic designer at any of those tissue companies. Paper towels too. But this box, it's a winner. You have to buy a pack of three and the other two are, of course, ugly.

This notebook...that I GRABBED when I saw it, at a little gift shop in Jackson Hole. I have had a like-affair with Orla Kiely designs (link to Anthropologie) since I discovered them about a year ago. Awesome bags and housewares. Problem is, they're pricey. Now Target, being the marketing whizzes they are, recently came out with a less expensive line of Orla Keily products - but the one thing I really like at Target, a red flowered tray, is always sold out. Good stuff's always gone. Or as the Orla Keily website says, being a proper British company, "Offer available whilst stocks last."

This fabric...classic Orla.

This flower. I'm not a big fan of marigolds, but they do grow well, so it's good to plant them. When I found this version, I liked marigolds again. They are called Disco Yellow Marigold. They look a lot like daisies - which is why I like them. Gotta go - off to Vegas to hang out with Suzie. Have a good week.

** surprise party for one **

Yesterday was my birthday - and it started with a phone call from Brookelyn and Bailee. Brookie said, "I got up and said to myself, 'Today's Grammy's birthday, we have to give her a call.'" After a nice and very grown-up chat, Brookie gave the phone to Bailee - who, at age five, has the cutest little voice ever. Bailee said, "We got you a present. You're going to be so ticked off." I could hear Brookie whispering loudly to her, "no, shocked." "Oh yeah," said Bailee, "You're going to be so shocked." I had to keep from laughing out loud. I'm so glad I had my pen in hand to write that down. The day just got better as I got calls from my parents, Suzie, Merilee and others.

I just have to show you my 'surprise' from Scott. He decorated the dining room and got a cake and flowers - and some gifts from the dollar store. I had told him "no presents," because I got some nice stuff for Mother's Day - so he bought funny little gifts at Honks - and he enjoyed shopping there a lot more than wandering through Dillards.

There's a little lamb that says, "Ewe are special to me," and a ridiculous pair of chimps hugging. The pink plastic necklace says, "It's my birthday." It came in handy when we had dinner at Hamiltons - free dessert. He also got me a Shrek notebook, a trashy romance novel, some glue sticks and a pair of chip bag clips. lol


I looked out the window and saw that our good friend Dewey Forsberg had just pulled up. Bonnie had sent him to deliver some Bluebird chocolates - thanks Bonnie - I've been loving them all day!

I had to get some photos of Dewey's decked-out Jeep - adapted by his own company, Novak. I said, "Dewey, would you have dreamed 20 years ago that you would be doing what you're doing?" He laughed and said, "No way!"

We had a nice dinner to end a wonderful day. Then, Becky came to Logan today and we went to lunch at The Italian Place, fabric shopping and we all (even Grandma Jean) went to the matinee of the movie UP.

My Beginner Basics post for the Adornit blog

It’s time for June’s Beginner’s Basics from Adornit editor Debbie Raymond. Debbie writes: This month I want to give you ideas for scrapping while you travel. I got my inspiration from my friend/scrapper, Robin Karren, who has designed layouts for Adornit and from an article that Ali Edwards wrote for CK Magazine, March 2006. The idea is to make a mini travel scrapbook that you create in your room (or tent!) while you travel. You can use a blank book, a chipboard book, or simply sheets of paper trimmed to 8 x 8 that you’ll add to an album when you get home. Here’s a photo of me in our condo room working on my trip scrapbook.

When I saw Adornit's Busy Women Scrapbook Kit for June, I knew it was perfect for a travel scrapbook. The colors and style of the papers will look great with photos from your journey.

To prepare, before your trip, you need to make a little TRAVEL KIT. Gather patterned papers and matching cardstock, cut them to 8” x 8”, and put them in a one gallon ziplock bag. Add coordinating stickers (I used the Life's a Hoot Cardstock Stickers - cut to fit in the bag) and a set of pre-cut lined journaling spots. (I used a sheet of Adornit’s Red Lined Paper cut to 4”x 4” squares – that gave me nine journaling spots.) You’ll want to take only the most basic scrapbook supplies – scissors, gluestick and/or glue runner, pen, rubber stamp and inkpad. (Robin took a mini-stapler on her trip.)

As you travel, gather your memorabilia to add to your scrapbook. Things like maps, ticket stubs, brochures etc. Be sure to jot down details that you’ll want to remember about the places you go. When you have an hour in the evening, make a quick page about your day. You can leave spaces for your photos and add them later. Most importantly, write what was special or interesting about the place you visited. Ali suggests that on your way home you jot down your 10 favorite memories from your trip. When your journey’s done, your scrapbook will be (almost) done too.

Happy traveling and scrapping from Debbie and Adornit.

"Each word is carefully measured and gently offered."

Yesterday, between downpours, I pulled about a thousand weeds and planted 31 pink geraniums. The ground was perfect for both pulling and planting - wet and soft. I'm behind in my flower-work because of the two trips. In fact, I keep forgetting it's June. It seems like April or May to me. This wet, rainy weather makes me want to curl up with a good book. Which I did yesterday.

I finished the book I started on our last trip. I love author Karen Hesse and her Young Adult literature books. I picked up this book when I was searching for something to read that wasn't an adult bestseller filled with swear words I hate and sicko life situations. That's when I turn to old classics and YA lit. I'm going to enthusiastically recommend "A Time of Angels," but you have to remember something before you read it. You HAVE to go to the end of the book and read the Author's Note and the Glossary first. Then you can start the book. You also have to believe in angels. That's easy for me.

Here is a short review by School Library Journal: A Time of Angels is a warm, personal novel set in Boston during 1918. Hannah Gold, 14, and her two sisters live with their Tanta Rose while their parents are trapped in Russia because of the war. Although life is not easy, Tanta Rose provides for the girls as best she can. When the deadly influenza epidemic ravishes the city, Hannah's world is turned upside-down. Aspects of Jewish culture are nicely incorporated into the story, as are period details. However, some plot elements may cause confusion. The angel, portrayed as a guiding force instead of a fully developed character, interacts with Hannah on an almost subconscious level. Hesse offers readers much to enjoy, analyze, and consider in this piece of historical fiction with a mystical bent.

I just can't mention Karen Hesse without also recommending "Out of the Dust," another YA book that took my breath away. This book is written in free verse - but as you read it it doesn't seem like poetry, just like narrative in short sentences.

Here is a bit about the book from a reviewer: When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring. Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental—and emotional—turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

Karen Hesse must be a person with great compassion because many of her characters are filled with compassion. I loved Uncle Klaus in the first book and Louise in the second. I believe we all have a lot to learn about compassion.

- special day -

Saturday we went to American Fork for Brookelyn's baptism. It was a wonderful day.

Here's a favorite photo of my two cute daughters - it seems to me that they were eight years old not that long ago. Becky (and Pitt) came from SLC and Suzie from Las Vegas. We missed Winston - he had to attend a family wedding.

I made Brookelyn a little 'comforter' to commemorate the day. She is a darling girl and showed proper awe at the wonder of Grammy sewing a blanket for her.

One of the most delightful things about making this quilt was discovering these darling little button pins. They are the cutest sewing notions ever. They are long and lie flat so they're easy to use and the pastel colors make you want to make a pink quilt. Oh, I did that!

{ painting and quilting }

All set up to paint some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. This picture is on Day 2 of Scott's painting workshop. You can see a bunch of logs in the centerof the photo - that's a beaver dam. Below is Jim Wilcox (on Day 3) demonstrating how to paint this Wyoming scenery.

This is Jim's painting - Scott took lots of photos so he could refer to them later. Half of the painters in the class considered themselves "professionals."

I'm hanging out in the motel room making a little quilt for Brookie's eight birthday. It has been a little bit of a challenge to accomplish this, but I've really loved every step. The above picture is proof that you can use a rotary cutter on a tile floor if you forget your Olfa mat and the local quilt shop has none. I haven't made a quilt for awhile, and I'm learning to use a new sewing machine, so the process has been kinda slow. Truth be known, it's mainly because I keep Googling stuff like "how to make a quilt sandwich" or "how to baste with adhesive spray" or "how to machine quilt without using a walking foot." Then, I get distracted reading all the google results and before I know it I'm off on some quilter in Indiana's blog reading about her homeschooling her kids. So I told myself no more computer 'til I updated my blog tonight. Then I had fun focusing on the quilt. It is turning out so cute and will be soft and cuddly - just what I wanted for Brookie.

This photo is to show that you don't need to baste with needle and thread or with big safety pins anymore! Using spray adhesive is awesome - I can't even describe how easy and convenient it is. (And expensive darn it - I need to find a cheaper brand.) You just lay down your layers on the floor, spray the stuff, and smooth it together.

Here is the quilt spread out on the bed. The light pink dots toward the bottom is soft fuzzy minkee fabric. The rest of the quilt is a wonderfully soft flannel. This line of fabric had a brown flowered piece that I wish I had bought, but oh well....

Here's me still sewing. It seems like I've worked on this for three full days, but I actually did a lot in between. I walked downtown today and shopped for awhile then sat at the counter at Billy's Burgers and ate a huge hamburger - probably the first hamburger I've had in six months. Oh, it was delicious. Got acquainted with a kid who is shooting photos for the Wyoming Travel Bureau.

- plenty to do in Jackson Hole -

We're in Jackson Hole for a landscape painting workshop that Scott is taking from Jim Wilcox. Yesterday the class went in to Teton National Park to paint mountain scenes. With 22 people in the class, Scott is surrounded by artists and art talk. Today the class had to paint inside, in the studio area of the Wilcox gallery because of the rain. It poured all day long. Scott painted another scene of the Tetons, this time from a photo.

Meanwhile, back at the motel room, I'm finding plenty to do. I finished a book yesterday that I'll tell about in another post. I also decided to bring my sewing machine to try some quilting - I've been so glad to have it. I set up the motel room iron and ironing board and it's working out great. I forgot to bring a cutting mat, so I went to the cute little Jackson Hole fabric shop this afternoon. Thier selection consists of 30% wildlife fabric, 30% western fabric, 20% juvenile, 10% printed polar fleece, and surprisingly, a small display filled with Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry fabric! I picked out a few pieces that I hope to turn into aprons and tote bags over the summer.

I'm working on a quilt that I started about five years ago. I made four complete blocks and parts of five other blocks back then. I don't remember where I got the pattern or what I was going to do with it, but as I looked at the four finished blocks today, I thought that they looked pretty dull, no pizzazz - see above. So I thought and thought about what to do and decided that the quilt needed a splash of black, and that's when I went to the Jackson Hole fabric shop. I was pretty depressed because of the selection, but found this black dot fabric that I think will work. I finished the rest of my blocks with black centers and I like them a lot. I'm still deciding about how to do the borders - whether to use the black or just a narrow stripe of black (probably that). It doesn't look so great when I just set the fabrics on because there's too much black, but less, and quilted, I think it'll look pretty good. btw - the block pattern is called Twister Sister and the fabrics are by Mary Englebreit.

So tonight while I continued to sew and make this blog post, Scott painted. Since his painting was painted from a photo and not from real-life scenery, he had a chance to actually finish it. The weather forecast is for more rain tomorrow with a chance of clearing by afternoon. We'll hope for that. I'm hoping to walk through the shops on the square in Jackson - and get going on quilt project #2.

Favorite Author

One of my all-time favorite authors passed away last week. I have to mention how much the writings of Truman Madsen influenced me over the years. We received his book Four Essays on Love for a wedding gift - many years ago. Often, I pulled the book out and re-read my favorite passages. Then I discovered that Truman Madsen had articles on Meredian magazine, and I printed them whenever I saw them. I have a binder full of his writings. Hard to believe that there will be no more. Here is a sample of his writing - it's advice anyone can use, any day.

How to Overcome Fear by Truman G. Madsen

One theory of emotion states that "you are afraid because you run," (Not that you run because you are afraid.)

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."—Paul to Timothy (II Tim. 1:7)

Act and You Will Be Unafraid
The fact is that when you take the part of courage, courage flows in to you.

It is Satan who seeks that all men might be miserable like himself and you may see how actively he is about that in your daily labors. You are undoubtedly aware of the facets of your makeup where opposition and your own inner temptations can leave you trembling.

To quake in fear is not of God. Doubt and fear can be absolutely purged. Here are two counsels on becoming rid of fear.

Think through your Fears
Our usual pattern is to think to our fears. We let them stir around like uninvited gremlins and never really look them in the eye. Stare them down!

To illustrate, here is a page from my own missionary days on Prince Edward Island when we were working without purse or scrip. I remember vividly the absolute ache that came every morning when we awoke to a day that was another suspenseful unknown. (Most fear grows out of suspense in the presence of imagined ills). We had a crude map and a suitcase. Three questions always weighed us down: What if we fail to eat? What if we cannot find a place to sleep? What if no one will let us teach them? These anxieties compounded with the clock. Every day it seemed we were walking slowly toward our dom. I cannot describe the oppression and depression of the experience.

Many weeks passed before I began to see through all this. We sat down and talked it over. What could really happen? Suppose we didn't eat for five days. We could live. Suppose we didn't have a bed for the whole summer. We could live. Suppose we were mobbed (we later were). So what? Something to write home about. Suppose we found no one to teach. We were going to keep searching anyway.

Then we prayed. Then we stood up and faced a new world.

I was never troubled again. And the Lord's "Take no thought what ye shall eat..." became a matter of personal testimony. And He blessed us. We did not have all we wanted. But we had all we needed.

Pray for the Protective Armor
I defy you to be full of fear when you are full of the Spirit. "Without me ye can do nothing," (John 15:5), the Lord told his apostles in Jerusalem. "Take no thought," (Matt. 6:31) he said to them. The Lord's surrounding power is all that is needed to make you effective, here and now.

The "armor" does not tell you that every story will have a happy ending. It does not promise you perfection, expansive success without opposition, freedom from ills and stress and sweat. But I testify with all my soul that it does literally insulate you from all disquieting bugaboos. It gives you such reassurance that you take each day as it comes. It brings inspired concentration. You know that all that really matters is perfectly administered in His hands. You do not fear.

Quilt JoY !

It doesn't take many clicks to find wonderful quilts on the web. I've been browsing because I'm off on another little trip with Scott - this time to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He is taking a Landscape Painting workshop from Jim Wilcox - a premiere painter of the Teton Mountains and surrounding area. While Scott paints I'm going to sew something really cute like these quilts here. (Well, maybe not this cute because I can't seem to find this kind of funky fabric here in Logan, but cute enough.) The first quilt (above) is a vibrant quilt I found on the fun blog parkcitygirl. I'm excited about taking my new sewing machine and trying a new challenge of sewing in a hotel room.


The three quilts above are by Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms. Her blog is called Simplify. She is a fabric designer, a pattern designer and a quilter. She's high energy like the girls I work with. I just ordered her Cotton Blossom line because it's starting to disappear and I don't want to miss getting it.



The next three are made by the quilter who posts on the blog lovelylittlehandmades.blogspot.com. I love love love her use of aqua and red. And she stipple- quilts her pieces herself on her machine. I can do that with my new machine if I fork out the cash for a walking foot. I'm going to try it without the special foot and probably make a real mess :)
The quilts above and below are made by the owner of Old Red Barn Co. blog. I think the fabric above is the Ginger Blossom line by Sandi Henderson. It's a gorgeous line of fabric...but you must be brave to use it I think. The quilt below is also by Old Red Barn Co. All but one of the fabrics are Amy Butler fabrics.

I'm inspired!

Friday Philosophy :)

I was listening to a parenting expert named Lynn Scoresby on TV as I cleaned my kitchen the other day. His philosophy was so good that I grabbed a pen and paper and started writing. I am posting his suggestions for successful parenting here today, not because I'm trying to send a secret message to anyone, but because this is GOOD STUFF that anyone can use. As summer approaches and kids are out of school, these ideas can help young moms and dads. Additionally, many grandmas & grandpas (including Scott and me) will be enjoying visits from grandchildren and even we can use some of these principles. Here we go:

SIX THINGS SUCCESSFUL PARENTS DO:

1. Prepare more than you punish.

2. Communicate more than you control.

3. Encourage more than you criticize.

4. Involve all of your children and family together AND individualize each child.
This is based on the idea that we belong in groups and we also have individual lives.

5. Love more than you isolate. Don't withdraw your love even when punishing.

6. Love your child enough to set and maintain limits.

Memorial Day 2009

Scott and I went to the Logan Cemetery on Sunday evening to visit the graves of his parents and family. It had rained that afternoon and everything was sparkling. The sun was low on the horizon as we drove down cemetery road, and the way the light shone through the canopy of wet-leafed trees was just breathtaking. Of course the flowers through the cemetery were abundunt and beautiful - I especially loved the arrangement on Scott's mother and father's grave. It's lovely to see the old-fashioned floral shop arrangements with the classic 'funeral' shape and beautiful flowers.

On Memorial Day, for the first time in years, we went to the little town of Portage where my mother grew up and to the Portage cemetery where her grandparents, parents, brother and many other family members are buried. Below is a photo of my mom and her three sisters - Aunt Irene, Aunt Nadine, my mom Jean, and Aunt Norma. Aren't they cute? And they are each as outstanding and faithful as they are beautiful. They also have two brothers; Uncle Roland, who died a few years ago, and Uncle Byron who lives in Washington D.C. Below is my dad - oh how he loves Portage, though it's not his hometown. He took me on many adventures up into the mountains behind the cemetery - I still remember our hikes to Lemon Peak and Big Rock.

a few more Florida photos

- a bird's eye view -

In the photo below, Scott is painting one of three pictures that he painted on the beach in Florida. He is so resouceful - he cobbled together his little painting set-up from things he brought and found. His paintings turned out as good as picture postcards!

It seems like everywhere we went we were surrounded by birds. Sanibel and Captiva Islands are bird refuges, and we saw more birds close-up in the past four days than probably in the past ten years. I mean it was just ridiculous how birds became such a focus. Once when I had made a run for drinks and was slow getting back. I was rushing down the path back to the beach where Scott was painting. I also had the camera in my hand. A man hurried past me and said, "If you're going to get the osprey, follow me down this path." I took me a minute - get the osprey, oh yeah, take a picture. Of course - since the man had a giant camera around his neck with an even bigger telephoto lens hanging off it. Because I was in a hurry, I didn't follow him down the jungle path. But the next day, Scott got the photo (above) that would have made that birdwatcher envious. And the photo below is a flock of seagulls that camped out right next to us as we sat on the beach at Captiva Island. There were NO seagulls anywhere on the beach except this little group - there were ten of them and they insisted on standing right there, 20 feet from our beach towels for a solid hour. Highly entertaining.

[ bike path scenery ]

Sanibel Island is bike-friendly with bike paths that criss-cross the island. Bikes are necessary because parking is limited at places like the beach and even restaurants. We rode bikes for about 2 1/2 hours and it though I loved every minute, I can tell I need to do a little more bike riding to get in better shape - Scott's used to it because of his weekly workouts. In spite of the heat and humidity, we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery - the shops, homes, and neighorhoods around here are fun to look at - especially the close-up views we got on the bikes.

- shelling on Sanibel -

Sanibel Island - southwest Florida - on the Gulf of Mexico. We're here by an interesting twist of events. We had reservations to go to Cabo San Lucas but had to change our plans three weeks ago because of the swine flu scare in Mexico. At the time we didn't know if the epidemic would get better or worse. Our Hilton Vacations Club 'time share' had only one place to offer as an alternative for the exact same dates, and it was this little island in Florida. So here we are - and honestly I'm glad for the switch. This place is wonderful.

Sanibel Island seems to be known for three things - it has a well-preserved natural habitat, it has an old-time lighthouse - built in 1885, and it is famous for being THE place for the hobby of 'shelling.' (Shelling is collecting seashells.) This is why: much of Florida’s southwestern coast is surrounded by a string of barrier islands. While most of these slender islands run in a general north-south direction, the crescent-shaped Sanibel Island is positioned in more of an east-west direction. The Gulf current here sweeps up the coast from the south, and Sanibel Island, positioned sideways to the flow, scoops up an abundant supply of seashells. Collectors flock to the island and comb the beaches, hunched over in what is called the "Sanibel Stoop," looking for the perfect shell. Yeah, I had never heard of such a thing, but apparently shelling is a big deal here. The island shores are literally made of shells and sand.

The people above are all looking for shells. They walk along at water's edge with sieves and strainers and bags for placing the shells. I talked to one lady and asked her why she pursues the hobby. "Are you searching for valuable shells?" I asked. "No," she said, "the shells aren't valuable; they're treasures." Then she enthusiastically sorted through her bucket of shells showing us what was special about each one. It was the color, or the perfectness or the unusualness. Kind of like birdwatchers, shellers have a master list of shells, and they work at finding all the shells on the list. The woman showed me her favorite that day - a miniature conch shell that was perfectly shaped and pure white. She told me that she fills decorative glass with her shells.

There are birds everywhere on Sanibel Island. abundant fish, I think that fish are abundant because there are fisherman on every pier and shoreline. And from the looks of the sign above, there are also alligators. Scott asked the desk clerk at our hotel if we really need to be worried about alligators. "I don't really know," said the young man, "I've only lived here five weeks. But I heard that if one comes after you, you should run in a zig-zag." So Scott and I have been practicing our zig-zag run.

{ cute aprons and handmade things at Jillie Willie }

Tonight I had three delicious hours to relax in a hotel room and surf the net. Somehow I stumbled onto this website - which I most amazingly had never seen before. What a fun collection of aprons and other hand-sewn items. Turns out, the owner of this company is a woman from 'northern Utah' (which could be anywhere from Bountiful to Lewiston). The website is called Jillie Willie. Click to check out her creations. Her fabric selections are unique and interesting. Tomorrow I'll post some photos from this amazing little island we're visiting called Sanibel Island on the Gulf coast of Florida. When we arrived today it was pouring rain and getting dark, so we just took a drive to explore the area. Hopefully (fingers crossed) we'll have some sunshine tomorrow - otherwise I'll have to stay in our room and try to accomplish one of my goals for this trip which is to learn how to use a website called Scrapblog. It's a digital scrapbooking site - I'll tell you what I know about it later!

fLowers for saLe

Took the parents and went to Rudy's Greenhouse - a favorite place to buy flowers for planting in pots and flower beds. There were 18 greenhouses full of color and beauty - I could have spent the day there. My mom and dad bought flowers for pots and I bought the beginnings of my front yard flowers - the darling little petunias you see below. I love these old-fashioned-looking petunias - they remind me of a charming little cottage I once saw near the coast in Oregon.

haPpy bIrThday dear bRooKelyn

I had the best day today - it was Brookelyn's #8 birthday - and to celebrate we went on a fun little shopping trip. Just the two of us. We shopped at Justice - a new store to me, but all the 'tween' girls know all about it and love it. (Marketing genius.) We had lunch at Olive Garden, then we went to the bookstore, because I don't think it's a birthday if you don't get a new book! I forgot to take my camera, so I bought a disposable one at Target and now I remember why I love digital. In a few days I'll take that film to the store and get the photos developed - and get a photo CD. Then I'll be able to post them on my blog. Oh, what an instant world we have gotten used to. I have to tell Brookie that she is a bright light in my life and I love her to pieces.

Now I want to finish up my obsession with my favorite color and show you some fabric samples that make my heart beat a little faster.




Above is a handmade journal made by nicole annette. Check out her etsy shop journal junky.

+ my favorite color - really +

My favorite color is the color of baby leaves - the color of trees in the spring when the leaves first begin to grow. I love that I'm surrounded by this 'new green' right now. If I look out any window, I see that color, and it makes my heart light.
This color is popular in the home decor and fashion worlds too. The next four photos are from a variety of Etsy shops. I realize that I should give credit to where the photos came from, but I forgot that little detail as I was searching etsy and copying images. Next time I do a post like this I will be sure to add names. I was just in a green zone with no thought to attribution and such.




This color is really more yellow than green. What's the name of this color? Some might say chartreuse - but I really don't like the sound of that name! Here's what wikipedia says about chartreuse. Is there a crayon called chartreuse?

Chartreuse (pronounced /ʃɑrˈtruːz/, is a color halfway between yellow and green that was named because of its resemblance to the green color of one of the French liqueurs called green chartreuse, introduced in 1764; whereas chartreuse (the traditional color) is a yellow color mixed with a small amount of green that was named because of its resemblance to the yellow color of one of the French liqueurs called yellow chartreuse, introduced in 1838.^[2]

That is one of the worst definitions I've ever read. I might have to give up and go to bed. Can you tell it's after midnight and I keep falling asleep at the keyboard. Have I ever told you about the time I fell asleep at the wheel going 80 mph? I'll save that for another post.

* It was a happy Mother's Day *

Of course, yesterday, Mother's Day, was good - I was surrounded by some of my favorite people. We were lucky to go to dinner at my brother Doug & Kimberly's house, and it's a fact that whenever you get to have Kimberly's cooking, you know it'll be yummy. In an funny, coincidental way, we had an orange meal yesterday. Kimberly fixed chicken with an orange sauce over rice, I brought a carrot casserole, mom made orange jello and we had orange punch. Even the rolls looked kind of orange to our amused eyes.

I was happy yesterday that I still have my son Mike around. He fills our house with music, pleasantness, lots of friends, and and his very cute laugh. My other kids sent cards and gifts including the beautiful corsage from Aaron and Aimee - their Mother's Day tradition that I love and appreciate. Suzie and Winston called and sang a bit of a song to me, and Becky and Pitt emailed (they're on a trip).

I have a really wonderful mother - she's an example of steadiness, dedication, righteousness, and compassion. And mom is one of the most cheerful people you'll ever meet. She laughs through phone conversations like no one else I know. She also keeps going in spite of not ever feeling well. Mom loves to talk and catch us up on events with the rest of the family. Because of mom we all know what everyone else is up to. She is the glue that holds our family together, and she loves each of her four children and our spouses and her 20 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren equally.

{ possibilities.... }

Friday afternoon - I love it when it's Friday afternoon and the weekend is full of possibilities. That doesn't happen that often because many weekends are filled with obligations, journeys, meetings, etc. (Good things in their own right, but they fill up the days.) This weekend is just a nice stay-at-home time with an abundance of choices. Tonight could be a movie night, but after ten hours at the office, Scott is usually just ready to chill on Friday nights. It seems that lots of patients have urgent eye problems starting at around 4:00 p.m. on Friday. So he's DONE at the end of the day. I don't mind, I have so many at-home projects sometimes I wish I didn't have to go to bed.
So what to do tomorrow....I could work in the yard - there's a truckload of dead leaves amongst the cotoneaster bushes - not to mention the spring dandelions popping up everywhere. Too bad dandelions aren't considered GOOD perennials.
I could wash windows. Oooh, they are so dirty. At the very least, I AM going to wash the inside windows above my kitchen sink and maybe I can get Scott to help me put up the ladder to wash the outside too.

What I'd really like to do is sit in my favorite reading chair and read the book I bought - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. It is supposed to be really good AND the cover is so beautiful.
I'd also like to get started on this stack - just look at those fabrics. They are YUMMY. Many of them are from Moda fabrics, the Aviary Collection by 3 Sisters. I have a project in mind, but I'm nervous to start...to cut into those gorgeous fabrics. I just need to plunge in!

Well, what will probably happen tonight and tomorrow, in typical Debbie style, will be that I will start in the yard and bounce to the sewing room, then decide to make cookies in the middle of it all and burn a batch, because I'll suddenly notice the window over the sink and remember that I meant to wash it. Can't wait.

"you've got to be kidding"

So I got a new sewing machine because my old one is too dang heavy for me to haul anywhere. Recently I had to miss a quilt class I wanted to take because I didn't have a portable sewing machine. My old Bernina (circa 1958) still runs great and I do and have always l-o-v-e-d it, but it weighs a ton and it was time to replace it. I bought a new Bernina, the Patchwork Edition, (because if I'm going to a quilt class I might as well look like a quilter).


Tonight I went to the instructional class for my new sewing machine. I can tell I'm going to love this new machine. The teacher is a dressmaker; she has made over 500 bridal gowns - which totally boggles my mind. She told us that her daughter makes aprons and sells them online. I asked what is the name of her daughter's etsy shop or internet shop and she said, "Well, she just sells them on her blog." "OK, what's the name of her blog?" "It's called Olive Juice and Co." "You HAVE GOT to be kidding me," I said, "That's your daughter? It's one of my favorite blogs ever!" (If you go there click on Past Designs to see the apron collection.)

The teacher's daughter sews THE CUTEST aprons ever. Georgana introduced me to her blog a couple of years ago and I anxiously await each new apron. Total eye candy. You can see by the photos I borrowed from her blog how creative they are. And in addition to the aprons, she uses digital magic to decorate the apron photos. Notice how appealing it makes the pictures. Her mother said that she is always surprised by the fabrics that her daughter puts together, but they're always a hit with her followers and she always sells out of each apron (200 each). So that was my fun little coincidence for today.

thanks Michelle : )

The barn above is in Clackamas County, Oregon.

This one located in Lewis County, Washington.

And here's the famous Cache Valley version.

This is my darling niece Michelle and her husband Matt. They recently moved to "the farm with THE BARN." Yes, they live next to the most famous and most photographed barn in Cache Valley and maybe all of Utah - the barn with the preserved logo of Dr. Pierce's Womans Tonic. Matt takes care of the property - something he's well suited to because he LOVES to be outside and he loves to work. I grabbed the photos from Michelle's blog (Michelle's a good photographer - she has a great camera and has learned how to use it.) Here's a quote from her blog: "You would think my husband had died and gone to heaven. He LOVES it here. He spends so much time outside sometimes I begin to wonder if he's gotten lost."

Following is some historical information about the barn which is located in College Ward, Utah:

This Intermountain style barn was built in 1904 by Lovenus and Mary Olsen, Swiss Mormon farmers. Work horses were sheltered in the west lean-to. The east leanto was added in the 1940s when Ike Olsen began dairying. There is no loft—hay was stacked on the ground in the center part of the barn.

The “Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription” sign was painted sometime during the Great Depression. The landowner was paid $25 at the time of the first painting and $10 per year thereafter for use of the side of the barn as a billboard. Now, because it has become a beloved landmark, the sign has been periodically repainted.

In 1998, a group of neighbors in the area, with the owners and several local
businesses who donated materials, straightened the barn and reinforced it. The farmers of College Ward feel that this barn belongs to the community, and they did not want to see it fall down. Further stabilization work was done in 2002 by the Utah Conservation Corps and the Bear River Association of Governments with extra improvements added by the owners.

Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription was a patent medicine of the time. According to labeling on old packages, the concoction contained no alcohol or opium, but did contain “Lady’s Slipper root (cimicifuga Racemosa), Unicorn root (Helonias Dioica), Blue Cohosh root (Caulophylloum Thalictroides), Oregon Grape root (Berberis Aquifolium), Viburnum.”

ADDED NOTE: My sister Merilee told me about a website that shows barns from all over the USA called OhioBarns.com. Sure enough our Dr. Pierce's barn is registered, as are about eight other Dr. Pierce advertisement barns. (See photos above.) They're mostly in California, Oregon and Washington.

= satisfying sunday =

I spent a good part of today either in church meetings or fixing and cleaning up Sunday dinner for guests. Michael had three friends from his mission staying with us for a couple of days, two of them young men from Japan. We had fun getting acquainted and being impressed with their amazing English language skills. I made a classic American meal - ham, scalloped potatoes (real ones, not the hash brown version), peas and carrots, rolls and homemade strawberry jam, fruit salad, and my mom brought red jello with whipped topping. Our visitors ate enthusiastically - and when I invited them to have seconds they all piled their plates higher than the first time. I don't love cooking, but I do love the time spent sitting around the dining room table talking and enjoying company. It was time well spent. I have to say that Scott was a huge help - from peeling potatoes to cleaning up the last pan. So appreciated. I took a couple of photos but the camera is downstairs and I'm up and I seriously can't go up and down the steps one more time. Come back tomorrow.

ring the doorbell and run - today!

Today is May Day! Here is the article I wrote for the Adornit blog with instructions for making May Day baskets:

A favorite May tradition is to make May Day baskets and hang them on the doorknobs of special friends and neighbors. May Day baskets are part of an old English festival called May Morning or May Day, which is celebrated at dawn every year on the first day of May. Originally a Celtic fest, it celebrated the coming of spring by gathering flowers and branches – “bringing in the May.” Other May Day festivities include dancing around the Maypole and crowning a May Day queen.

The tradition of May Day Baskets is fun for young and old – especially the door ditching part! Using designer patterned paper from Adornit makes them extra easy – and pretty. I made baskets in three sizes; the tiny one is filled with flowers. The middle-sized cone has Hershey’s kisses and the large basket holds three or four cookies. I used my favorite color combination: pink and green.

How to make May Day Baskets:

These little cones are easy to make – kids love seeing the transformation from flat paper to dimensional cone. (You can practice with cheap flat paper plates.) In this project, your stapler will be your best friend – so much easier and studier than gluing. Have fun!

Instructions for May Day Baskets:

1. Cut 12x12 patterned papers into 4” x 12” strips (for small baskets), 5” x 12” (for medium) or 6” x 12” (for large baskets). Using a bowl or plate as a pattern trace a half circle with pencil and cut out. If you want your basket to have a scalloped top edge re-cut the curved edge with scalloped scissors.
2. Grasping the corner tips, bring them together and overlap to make a cone shape. Pull the seam tight – especially at the bottom.
3. Staple with 3 or 4 staples to secure.
4. Decorate as desired – it’s easiest to attach embellishments with staples. I used flowers from Daisy Sweet Pink Cardstock Stickers.
5. Attach a 16” piece of ribbon to each side of cone, using staples. You can knot the ribbon or add bows.
6. Fill cone with flowers or goodies. For extra appeal make a coordinated TAG.
7. Lay on the doorstep or hang on front door handle of someone special. Ring the doorbell and run to announce that spring has come!

{ it's what's for dinner }

If you're on the computer right now, but you should be fixing dinner, I have a solution for you. You have to be able to run to the store though.

It was about this time last night that I looked at the Sunday leftovers in the frig and decided there really wasn't enough chicken to feed the three of us. In desperation I went to my cookbook shelf and pulled out this "Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking" cookbook. The Beefy Stew recipe looked like a good possibility. I ran to the grocery store (for me, only five minutes away - lucky) and picked up the ingredients. This soup-stew only took 20 minutes to make and my boys really liked it. I was happy that fixing and clean-up were easy. Here's the recipe. Make it tomorrow - it'll still be cool outside, so it'll taste great!

Beefy Stew
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut into four inch rounds OR I used 1 package Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Shells
1 1/2 pounds beef cube steak OR I used 1 1/3 lb. petite sirloin steak cut into 1-inch cubes
2 TB flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can (14 ounce) reduced sodium beef broth
1 jar (24 ounce) country vegetable soup
OR I used
(no broth)
3 cans (14 ounce) country vegetable soup

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake pastry rounds or puffs until golden (see package instructions). Set aside.
2. Meanwhile sprinkle beef cubes with salt and pepper. Toss beef with flour in a large bowl to coat. Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef to oil and saute until brown, about five minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.
3. Add soups and bring to a simmer, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom. Return all beef to pan. Simmer, uncovered, until liquid thickens slightly and beef is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Ladle stew into bowls and top each with a warm puff pastry round. (If using shells, pull layers into thirds and place pieces on top of soup. Serves about six.)

I can tell you - leftovers are excellent - we had them about 30 minutes ago!

hAppY biRthdAy dear BeCky

Yesterday, April 25, was Becky's birthday - Happy Birthday daughter! Our celebration started with lunch at "The Grove Deli and Market" where we got the biggest, I mean, hugest sandwiches I have ever seen. Delicious. Go there SOON, but save some money and calories by sharing a sandwich. It's on about 2050 South and 50 West in SLC. Did we get photos of those sandwiches Becky and Pitt??

After lunch, Becky and I headed to Gateway for a little birthday shopping. Went to the Shades store and got her a new swimsuit and a cute gray skirt. Wandered through Barnes and Noble and Sur La Table*. I bought a book I have heard is pretty good. The name of the book is - just a sec, I have to jump over to Amazon because I can never remember the crazy name of that book...oh yea, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I'll tell you if I like it.

Back to Becky's special day. We went back to her house and they ordered yummy pizza. We made a salad and cut the jello jigglers. We had fun seeing old friends of Becky's and meeting new ones. It was a fine day - except for the freezing cold weather, but then, that doesn't even phase us anymore does it?
*Sur La Table has one of the more interesting commercial Facebook sites - check it out here.

nothing's cuter...

...than a little boy on his first birthday. The photo above is not a picture of Carter crying; it's how his face looks when he gets so happy that he can hardly stand it. It's the cutest little face ever. He was a happy boy yesterday because turned one and got a little birthday cake all to himself!

We all thought he'd be up all night after that sugar he consumed. But the little doll slept through the night and woke up with a smile on his face and a hug for grammy. Melted my heart. Hmmmm, maybe feed him cake every night??

avoiding touching onions at all costs

I used my CHOP WIZARD for the first time tonight. There's a story. But first you have to know that my granddaughters Brookelyn and Bailee love to watch infomercials and 'special offer' ads on TV. Once we were watching an ad for the Chop Wizard, and I said something like, "I need that because I don't like to chop onions." (I really don't - I hate the smell of onions on my hands. Usually I cook with minced onion from a jar which is not gourmet at all. If I have to chop an onion, I wear my rubber gloves.)


Brookie was all over the idea of me buying a Chop Wizard. She immediately got out a paper and wrote the 1-800 number so I could call right now and order. I said, putting her off, "Oh, I usually order things like that on the internet." Brookelyn copied the internet address off the TV screen and three minutes later she came into the kitchen and said, "I have it on the computer for you Grammy." Scott had observed everything going on and went right to the computer and ordered the Chop Wizard. (It took two months to get here. In the meantime I saw it cheaper at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but without the free gift of a mini chop wizard). Brookie has also supplied me with the phone number for several other TV products like the Snuggly. Bailee loves this stuff too. The really ironic thing is that Aaron (B & B's dad) is somewhat involved with direct TV sales in his job. Someday his girls will be his competition!

Tonight I made a recipe that I got off the internet at allrecipes.com. It calls for chopped onion, which is why I used the Chop Wizard. It worked well. These pork chops are really delicious; and easy to make. Both Scott and Mike liked them.

Saucy Baked Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS

• 8 (1/2 inch thick) boneless pork chops
  
• 1/2 to 1 onion chopped
• fresh mushrooms
• salt and pepper to taste - also other seasonings like Old Bay or garlic
  
• 1 tablespoon oil
  
• 1 soup can milk
• 1 slosh worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used two cans since I had 8 pork chops)
• mashed potatoes, noodles or rice
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat, add onion and cook until transparent. Add the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes per side. Season to taste with salt and pepper, Old Bay seasoning, garlic or whatever.
   
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the milk and soups. Place the pork chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour the soup mixture over the chops.
4. Bake for 25 minutes (40 minutes if your pork chops are over one-inch thick).
5. Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rice or noodles.
   

women-to-women service day

Today was our Humanitarian Service day. Big sigh of relief - I am so thrilled because it was a great day. We had a good response and finished all of our projects! Above is a picture of the invitations we handed out, designed by my boss, Georgana Hall, and printed at Sam's Club as a 4x6 photo. Great way to produce 800 'cute' invitations quickly. I thought Georgana did a great job.

This is the big poster with our theme, "Live Simply, Give More, Expect Less." We borrowed the theme from my daughter Suzie's stake women's conference in Las Vegas. Thanks LV!


This event started with our desire to have a Saturday of nice Relief Society service projects like quilts and baby bibs - easy things that everyone likes to do. We recruited Patty Grewe (above right with Jeri Anderson) to be the project chairman and she had some fun plans. We went to the Humanitarian Center for materials and they offered us a huge project - not something cute like we had in mind, but a pilot program called Feminine Hygiene Kits. Our job was to make the reusable cloth sanitary pads and holders that would be included in a kit and sent to third world countries where women and teenage girls have no products like we have for their monthly period. We learned that the women end up staying at home and missing work and school during one week of every month. Several international relief agencies are working on ways to help with this problem. This Feminine Hygiene Kit is in a drawstring bag and includes four pair of underpants, 16 cloth sanitary pads, 4 holders for the pads, nail clippers and a ziplock baggie. Our assignment was to sew 800 holders and 1600 pads. At first I was overwhelmed and almost said no. We had a meeting and our food chairman for the event, Karen Wood, encouraged me that there would be no project more satisfying and fulfilling that helping other women in this regard. My counselors and Patty jumped in with enthusiasm and started advertising and recruiting help. Once we explained this project to women in our area, they got excited and eager to be part of it. We also made three quilts and eight 'hugs,' which I can't explain but I'll get a photo sometime soon.

Karen Wood, below, was our food chairman. She - and her committee which included my co-worker/friend Janet Parker - fixed a beautiful brunch of roasted vegetable frittata; green salad with dressing, craisins, and sugared almonds; homemade whole wheat bread; homemade (yesterday by Karen) strawberry jam; and an assortment of cookies and fruit. It was absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it and in between sewing or quilting, they enjoyed sitting and visiting over fabulously-prepared food.

Our centerpieces were pretend cherry blossoms, borrowed from Shelley Dodd. They are darling in real life - she made from from real branches with tissue paper flowers. We placed them on squares of Adornit scrapbook paper and the tables looked cute.

Enjoy the photos, I'll explain more tomorrow!

Forecast: SUNSHINE!

Whew! One down and three to go. Meetings that I'm in charge of, that is. Last night was our Relief Society Stake Leadership Meeting. I was grateful for the rain yesterday, because that made our theme seem very appropriate. The subject of our meeting was the church welfare program and what we're doing locally to prepare for disasters, both natural and economic. We had our area Emergency Preparedness specialist, Virginia Ratliff, talk to the ladies about what is going on in our area - such as CERT training, block captains for disaster relief, first aid updates, and personal and family preparedness (72-hour Kits, etc.). She was great. We decorated with umbrellas and spring flowers, and had cookies and a yummy slush with little umbrellas in it for refreshments. I have great counselors and secretary who help so much. We had 25 women in attendance - what a bunch of amazing women! This was the title on our invitations.

Forecast Showers: with a promise of Sunshine

Tomorrow is our big Stake Enrichment Service Day - I'll be glad to get that one finished. We've been working on all the details for months. Everything is coming together, except the unknown of how many women will come to help with the service project. We are setting up this afternoon and are hoping for 25 sewing machines, 10 sergers, 6 irons and lots of scissors. We are also setting tables for a lovely brunch - with Karen Wood as chair - so you know it'll be gourmet. Tomorrow will bring sunshine in many ways for me. The fourth thing is that we have a ward conference to go to on Sunday with each of us in the presidency speaking in Relief Society. Three different events with three themes; I'm about themed out!

yummy dishes

So I saw these dishes in TJ Maxx last week and had an immediate want-want-want reaction. I filled my shopping cart with plates, bowls, cups, and saucers picturing how cute they'll be for Christmas, Valentines, 4th of July and every other Sunday. As I strolled up to the front of the store, I was struck by the fact that I DO NOT NEED THESE DISHES, no matter how beautiful they are (or what a good price). I had this naggy voice in my head saying, "Is this a want or a need?" So I went back to the dishes aisle and put them all back, except for one dinner plate and one soup bowl. Which I use for my broiled cheese sandwiches at lunch. And I eat with a big smile.

The perfect antidote to depression caused by rain or snow is a take-out bowl of Olive Garden soup - I love the Pasta e Fagioli. I brought it home and placed the take-out bowl inside my pretty red bowl and enjoyed an early dinner. That soup is so good that I thought there must be a recipe on the internet - and yes there are lots. The following recipe sounded good whether you crockpot it or just cook it on the stovetop.

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup in a Crock Pot

(Copycat recipe from recipezaar.com)

The website says: This tastes exactly like the pasta e fagioli soup at the Olive Garden. Wonderful!

SERVES 12 -14 - this is a big recipe, can be halved.

Change to: Servings US Metric

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