~ Tis THE phone call, prom, and crafts!

Yes, I received a phone call from Elder Lindsay last night about 6pm. My, how he has matured! I only have about 4 1/2 months before he comes home, and it was very 'bittersweet' to hear his voice. 'Bitter' as that was technically my last phone call while he is out in the mission field before his return home, but 'Sweet' as I miss him so and it is so good to hear his voice. He will be sending some photos home this week, so hopefully I can get them posted.

Also, it was Prom for my daughter, also 'bittersweet' - This is her last high school dance as she is my baby and a senior this year. Again - where does the time go? As a mother, I still can't answer that properly! This was her 'silly' pose from the group she went with:



And what do we have here? I helped our own missionaries, Elder Watson and Elder Martinez create something for their Mother's Day gifts to be mailed this afternoon. They worked diligently on them...... tiles with vinyl sayings. Elder Martinez said they were 'stressful' while Elder Watson said 'this is gonna kill me.' Guess missionaries are not cut out for crafts!!!!


The missionaries worked on these early during my 'Finish It Friday Night'. For those of you who don't know, I have a finish it project night on the first Friday of every month. It is potluck, from 6 'til midnight, and you bring something to work on. We have everything from cards, scrapbooking, quilting, painting, coupon clipping, knitting, punchneedle, cross stitching, sewing, and the list goes on and on. I have held this faithfully in my home for nigh unto 2 years now, and if I miss a month, my friends faithfully hold me to having it twice the next month to get 'caught up'! Here is the group hard at work:

I couldn't even get the missionaries to look up for the camera - they were dead serious at their 'craft'. It is all really fun!

Gotta dash - time to get these 'crafts' in the mail. Mom Martinez and Mom Watson - look for something coming to a mailbox near you!


Blessings on your day - Shanda

~'Tis a sweet cover for a WONDERFUL magazine!~

Don't you think this is just the sweetest cover? This is one of my favorite magazines. Love it, love it, love it! And I have such a fettish for early lighting, so naturally, when this appeared in my mailbox, I was captivated. She is just the sweetest thing.........

AND

What is it with me? I found this listed on our local Craigslist. Spotty photo, sorry.....



I have always wanted a colonial four poster bed and an antique rope bed, and my patient shopping has acquired both within a year. This is not placed where it is going to be, my husband just put it up so we could look at it while deciding where to put it. (My log cabin quilt is laying out on the floor in the back ground.) I have only seen one other rope bed in person and that was in Illinois antiquing with my aunt one beautiful Fall day. I have loved them ever since. Then I stumble onto this one, complete with a newly manufactured 3/4 mattress. Me and my hair brain ideas! Rest assured, it wasn't $17 like my pencil post bed was, but still, compared to what I see on eBay and what these go for back East, I got a bargain. Maybe living in an 'antique desert' is a blessing for finding the real good antiques that make their way out West. Most people don't shop much for these kinds of things out here. Even though I am LUCKY to find this way out here in Idaho and I am grateful that it is now residing in our home, I am banned from shopping at thrift stores or Craigslist for awhile. My husband is afraid of what I will come home with next!

True Statements and Quilting for the Shop Hop......

A good friend bought me this several years ago and I have enjoyed this sign many times over! I laugh at and curse this statement both at the same time. I am so blessed to LOVE to know how to use a thread and needle, whether it be quilting, cross-stitching, embroidery, punch needle, sewing, mending, and the list goes on. I inherited this from my ancestors, and am so grateful to be able to sew on a button, which some women (and men) pay big dollars for at the local dry cleaners. But at other times, I get frustrated with either the materials I am working with or my limited patience. 'Quilting' and 'mending' are two totally different arts, but I am glad that I can do both, and everything in between.

This past weekend was our local shop hop for us 'quilty' people. One of my local shops asked me to quilt their shop's version of the quilt that all the blocks are given out for at each shop. It reminded me of Christmas, and I loved quilting a Christmas quilt when I wasn't rushed to do it, as I am around the holidays. So, without further delay, Ta Da...........

Christmas in April.... who knew! Could be a new trend.......

Blessings on your work, and find something to mend today, or better yet, learn how!

Shanda

~I'm an Early Weekend Warrior at the Thrift Store~

Sometimes you find things at the thrift store, and sometimes you don't. Wednesday, I did. I found two WONDERFUL things. This quilt was $8. Fairly good condition. Even if I cut it up for projects, it is a great find. I sure wish these thrift store finds could talk. Who wrapped up in this? Who made it? It was quilted by hand, so who is lacking a quilt stitched by their grandmother? Was it made out of the families old shirts, dresses, or other household odds and ends? Where did it originate from? See, all these questions need to be answered! While I was looking around, there was a BEAUTIFUL old photograph, at least 10x12, of a small child dressed in what I would guess was baptismal clothes. Who in the world let that out of the family possessions? Family heirlooms need to be treated with respect and handed down to those who can be trusted. My heart breaks for these family items that are reduced to the level of being sold in a thrift store.

AND I FOUND ANOTHER FIRKIN!!!!!


Legs are already screwed off and this one has a real nice 'hinged' lid. Makeover photo forthcoming, but I couldn't stand it, I wanted to show it to you. This is the biggest size firkin in my collection to date, so authentic or not, I am very excited to have it.

Thursday Night I met my friend Pam for dinner, and look at the goodies she had for me!!!!

She bid on these at a silent auction at her workplace. Two geese, the wooden hayfork, and a cool peg board. Not sure where all of these are going yet, but they are going to be finding great homes throughout my house. Thanks, Pam!!!!

I am so very grateful for family and friends. Simple pleasures always rate the highest with me, and I am mindful of the joy that small events bring me. Today I inspected my budding fruit trees, used a new flour sack dishtowel to dry my dishes, and marveled at the beauty of my VERY pregnant friend, Kim. All of these moments in my day, and others, give me true happiness. It is the simple abundance in my life, and that fact that I recognize it, that makes me sleep peacefully at night and feel fulfilled. For this, I recognize my Heavenly Father's hand in everything. May we all recognize from whom our blessings flow!!!

Shanda

The Case of the Missing 'Thrift Store Bed'

Some of you may remember my pencil post bed I found at a thrift store for $17 last May. Many of you have emailed me wondering why I hadn't posted photos of it finished or what the status of the bed 'makeover was. Well, my husband set it up in our bonus room and tinkered with it for a month and got around to making a 'canopy' for it. Now it just needs to be refinished. But the story has a much better ending than I was thinking it was going to have. All this time, almost a year, I thought it was a full size and it was going to go in our spare bedroom, hence my procrastination on getting it done. Come to find out, after getting it all put together, it is a QUEEN! I think I am very quickly changing my mind and it is going in our room. We currently have a sleigh bed.

But it is either going to be sold, or it will go in the spare bedroom. What a joy I had to discover that I had a queen and not a full pencil post bed! Now to get busy refinishing the find of a life time!

I have been busy while away from my Blog for the last two months!!!!! I made some 'bandanna' ties and flag football flags for our missionaries:


Painted a bedroom that DESPERATELY needed it:


And I am vigilantly still trying to keep up with my quilting customers:



But one night I put myself in a much needed 'time-out' and cleaned up this mess in my sewing room:

So now it is a bit better:

My husband also put this up in my sewing room - a bulletin board with all my 'ideas' pinned up and the shelf above it used to reside in my daughters room and was hot pink.

I did mention in my last post - I know it was in January - sorry for that - had some family things that really needed my attention - that I would show you what was in my sewing basket. I have been working on a cross stitch for nigh unto two years now. And I do have it finished, I just can't show you the final project as it is for my mother and I don't want her to see it yet.....


Lastly - have most all of you have seen these cute 'pouting chairs' at Michaels? They are in the unfinished wood section. I bought one last summer with my 40% off coupon and also finally refinished it in blue. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out:


Hope everyone had a nice weekend and wonderful Easter. I know I did. Life is good, and even though I complain at times, I am glad I have the life I have. I am blessed!

Shanda

Quilting in the Mountains!!!!

The Solaas Bed and Breakfast, Salmon, Idaho

Wow!

Have you ever had such a good time that there were no words to describe the event? Yeah.... that is the predicament I am in!!! Quilting in the mountains..... HUGE homemade soup breadbowls........ VERY creative women....... a DIVINE Bed &Breakfast ....... just take a look at the bounty I had last weekend......

My friend Pam ready to go to her first quilting retreat...

The BEAUTIFUL drive into the mountains, but notice the photo of the rest stop.... at 7200 feet altitude there was NO WHERE to go to the bathroom!!! Thank heavens the nearest bathroom was ONLY 28 MILES DOWN THE ROAD! Yikes....





Sawtooth Mountain Range near Stanley, Idaho

A quaint cabin along the way - now that is primitive for you. I could fix it up real cute...

We finally arrived, so let the quilting begin.....

And in the morning, the most sumptuous homecooked country breakfast...



Pause for group identification..... the Salmon Quilt Guild.....
More quilting.......




More eating - lunch of homemade soup in HUGE HOMEMADE breadbowls.....


WOWZERS! What a weekend! I did a Trunk Show Saturday Morning and taught the ladies how to do a quick nine-patch out of 2- 5 inch squares that they enjoyed making, and then sorry to say, it was over. Pam and I got to stay another evening, as the Solaas Bed and Breakfast proprietors are next to my kin, and it was wonderful spending time in their home again. I grew up there, and it was so nice to be in the mountains again. Thank you all, for a well spent weekend. It was worth the five hour drive into the beautiful mountains of Idaho!

Next post - 'What's in your Sewing Box?'

Until then - Happy end of January stitching!

Shanda