Turkey Trot 5K

I have been running since February, run for a minute, walk for 5. I have finally attained the capability if running 2 to 3 miles without stopping!

My husband and I drove to Grand Junction, Colorado, to spend Thanksgiving with our son Addison and his family.

We ran our first 5K together :)

It was a great feeling of accomplishment!

My body was comfortable, but my hands were freezing!!!

I want to run a couple more 5Ks and then a 10K and ultimately a half marathon :)

Another check on my bucket list.

I hope you all had a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

 

Quilty Fun Sew Along, Week Four

This block was perfect for Nanette at Freda's Hive to host.

Vintage baskets remind me of her :)

Here are the fabrics that I chose.

I'm really excited about adding navy blue to my sampler quilt.

Three little baskets all in a row :)

Better Than Grand!

This is a collage of all 9 of my grandchildren.

I began a tradition of making each of them their own heirloom blessing outfit.

I embroider the girls' initials on the back hem of their dress.

The idea is that each child will pass their gown (or outfit) down to their child, and their mother will embroider the baby's initials next to their own.  

Wouldn't it be incredible to see a row of five initials, all embroidered next to each other.

That would be a true heirloom :)

Top row, left to right:

Bridger Alan, May 25, 2005

Kennedy Grace, July 19, 2007

Charlotte Leigh, April 9, 2010

Lucy Jane, August 25, 2013

Bottom row, left to right:

Maisie Louise, July 7, 2010

Benjamin David, September 5, 2012

Neo Kimberley, October 14, 2010

Kylie Violet, January 5, 2013

Reagan Clara, November 17, 2010

I have my adorable little grandchildren on my mind all the time.

It sure is grand being a grandmother!

Each one has their own little personality, and I love each and every one of them more than they will ever know :)

As my friend Joni says, they are the "flowers in my garden".

Paperdoll Quilt, Finished!

It's been almost 5 years, but my Paperdoll Quilt is quilted and bound and finished!!! 

It is so difficult to get a photo of a quilt, have you ever tried?

Do you have any tips for me?

This is a full view of my quilt before it was quilted.

This post will show you how beautiful Cindy Paulson quilted my treasured Paperdoll Quilt!
Here are the paperdolls, in the center of the quilt.
I love the "pebble" quilting on the "paper doll" block.
I also think that the vertical quilting behind the paper dolls really shows them off.

I want to mention that the paper doll quilt is lying on a bed with a quilt on top of it.  
You may notice the quilt underneath at the edge of the paper doll one.  
Do you notice the quilted flower vine on the polka dot border?

Cindy quilted "x's" in every single 1" square!
Don't you love the little pom pom trim added inside the binding?

It just turned out so pretty!

Little dainty swirls, enhancing the hand embroidery.
I love how the quilting makes the suitcase look even more vintage.

The kite looks like it's in motion :)

Cindy is always so careful  not quilt over my embroidery, I completely trust her with my quilts!

She quilted around the embroidered sprays of water from the hose, to complement the embroidery :)

Thank you for letting me share my quilt with you.
I'll take a photo of it hanging on the wall after Thanksgiving.
I think it's sort of Christmasy with the paper dolls on it.
It reminds me of little girl things like "The Nutcracker" and sugar plum fairies dancing in my head.  Lol!

Quilty Fun Sew Along, Week Three

These were my first Courthouse Steps, and they won't be my last!

Just like Lori and everyone says, they are so easy and fun to make.

I reached into my 2 l/2" inch square pile and chose two centers.

I reached into my l l/2" strips container and chose some red, pink, orange, green, yellow, navy, aqua and gray strips, so easy!!!

I'm so glad I reorganized my scraps, you can see the story here.

I love this Quilty Fun Sew Along, have you joined the band wagon yet?

Chalkboard Design

About a year ago, I transformed a framed print into a chalkboard.

You can read about it here.

Since then, I draw on it for each season or holiday.

This is my current design.

I don't come up with the drawing myself, I look at pinterest til I find something I like, and then I draw it.
This is what I had on my chalkboard for July 4 and kept it up until my fall design.

I guess I didn't take a photo of Valentine's and Spring....
This was last Christmas.
Some of our grandchildren will be here for Christmas, so I'll choose something that will spark their interest :)
The scripture at the top (Matthew 25:40) is my son's favorite.
He wrote it on the chalkboard almost 19 months ago.
I'm never erasing it, although one of my daughters pretends that she is going to when I'm not looking!! Ha ha!
He's serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he'll be returning home at the end of April :)

Travel Sewing Kit and tutorial

I love this travel sewing kit tutorial at Lots of Pink Here.

This is the fourth one I've made.

I made a travel sewing kit for Maggie, you can see it here.

I also made an Eagle Scout one for my son Sean, here it is.

The first one I ever made was a tutorial and a giveaway, here.

I made this particular sewing kit for a young man who will be serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Tokyo, Japan.

I don't know if you can zoom in on the fabric, but it tells you how to iron a shirt, in steps 1 to 12.  

I think it is so cute, and perfect for a missionary!

I was able to find some Japanese script fabric, perfect!

I wanted to keep the color scheme of the Japanese flag.

These are all the items I included in the kit, things that a missionary might need in a pant or shirt malfunction!

From left to right, white and black thread wrapped around a card, blue and black iron on patches, 2 hair elastics (may be needed if you have McGiver instincts), a tape measure/leveler, folding scissors, needles, pins and safety pins, iron on silver reflective tape and iron on heat bond, to mend pant hems.

I forgot to include some little white shirt buttons, so I will add them in a teeny ziplock to go in the same pocket as the thread.

Now all the little gadgets are tucked away in their own pockets.

It's a tri fold sewing kit, and is very lightweight.

Now, the missionary is all set for a fashion emergency :)