Back to blogging and starting quilting!

So, I have been off of my blog for SO LONG!!!!! However, while I may have lost the few people who followed me, I am still going to give this another go. This spring I took a sewing class (made pillowcases table runner and a bag) and found that I am in love with it...more specifically, quilting! My class wasn't on quilting, although my teacher is a fantastic quilter. I bought a book "Quilting for Dummies" and started watching quilting videos on Youtube. My first quilt was using my leftover material from making a rag quilt comforter. I just kind of tried to make a pattern...with the help of my lovely husband. It was so much fun! Lots of errors and a great learning experience. I love it! 

I have now started working on my second quilt. It has taken me a lot less time than the previous one. I guess I did learn something! lol If I could spend all of my time quilting, I certainly would. However, my  little squirts and life dictate that I don't do that. I will be blogging about my quilting experiences in addition to my life as well. I can't wait to see any progress that I make!

This is the front of my first quilt. I LOVE the colors!

This is the back!

I did diagonal lines around the borders and stippling in the middle.

My sweet mutt, breaking it in!

Folded up and ready to go!

My second quilt top, pieced, pinned and ready to quilt!

The quilting pattern is squares and lines

My Grandma

Last night my sweet and wonderful grandma left this earth to go on to the next to see her mom, dad and sisters. I do not have words enough to express the sorrow and loss that I feel at her passing. The only thing that makes this a little easier is my knowledge that her spirit still lives and I will see her again. She was such an amazing woman. Every part of my life is filled with memories of her. When I was four I moved across the street from her and I grew up running back and forth from her house to mine. I always knew that she loved me unconditionally and it only increased my love for her. She was always positive and had something good to say about everyone. She always tried to get me to look at the positive in each situation. She had such an amazing view on life.

She was the love of my grandpa's life and they were childhood sweethearts. During high school they were cheerleaders together. How great is that!?! I have heard about how when raising their children they would push the furniture against the wall and cut the rug dancing. For any sentence you said she seemed to be able to come up with a line in a song that pretty much said the same thing. She exercised almost every day of her life which ended up saving her life later on by giving her a strong enough heart to withstand the blood clot that went to it.

She taught her kids and grandkids how to take care of their elderly family members. Both of my great-grandmothers lived with her while she took care of them. What a great legacy she left us and my uncle, aunt and mother were all able to reciprocate in kind.

I have so many memories of her. Camping, sitting by her at church while she played with my hair and back. talking about books that we had read, discussing dates, walking through Hinckley and hearing about what she did growing up and seeing where it took place, talking about joys and sorrows. The list is too numerous to write even a small part of it. She was one of my best friends in addition to being my grandma.

I also remember how much everyone felt loved by her. My friends all absolutely adored both her and my grandpa. They didn't call them by their first names or even Mr. and Mrs. Warner. It was always 'grandma and grandpa'. I remember always feeling sorry for anyone that didn't actually have them as their grandparents. haha

I think that the thing that I learned most from her was about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I knew, by how she lived and things she talked about, that she had a deep and abiding love for the Savior. There was never a doubt in my mind about how she felt. She not only believed in the Savior but believed that you needed to live those beliefs and she did. She was and still is a wonderful example of how to live a Christ like life. I am grateful that she taught that love to her children and that my mom and dad in turn helped me to gain my own love for Him.

She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I will miss her so much and wish that she could be here with me always. I am so grateful for all of the many years that she was in my life and will treasure the 40 years of time and memories that I had with her. I hope that one day I can be half the woman that she is.

I love you, grandma!

New Year!

It has been way too long since I have been on here. This year I plan on writing on here much more.

So, I was running this morning with James and had the plan to run to a particular street out in the country. I was excited. I knew I could make it. As we were running and about 1/2 of a mile from said road a stupid German Sheppard came charging towards us. He sounded totally ready to defend his territory! I let out a blood curdling scream (big dogs make me extremely nervous since Chancho's two dog attacks). James shoved me behind him and we started back the way we came. Luckily there was a small lateral (water to flood the fields) that he did not want to get in. I personally think he could have jumped it, but James didn't seem worried about that. However, if we had gone a few more yards we would have been at the drive way crossing and he would have had no barrier between us to worry about. My poor heart was pounding and I had a lot more adrenaline coursing through my body. We headed back the way we came, just short of my goal. Stupid dog.

It's For You

The other night at around 3:00 a.m. James' phone started ringing. I shook him awake to let him know. He got out of bed to answer it and said "It's your phone." I figured he was still sleeping and I knew it wasn't my phone ringing because it was on the bed next to me. I said "It is your phone so just answer it" and he did and said "Hello? Temaire?". Hahaha!!! In my sleep I had rolled over my phone and dialed his phone! hehehe Really, it would have been a lot funnier if I hadn't missed out on some sleep because of it. So, if I accidentally call you in the wee hours of the morning......sorry!

The Vests Have It

This week has been bad for running. By that I mean that I haven't done it. Poor Parker has been so disappointed, so I made sure to get up early enough this morning to go. Last Saturday he got new running shoes and I bought us both some reflector vests so we wouldn't get hit by a car. Today while we were running out by the fields I could see some lights coming up behind us. Five bicyclists came up behind us yelling "Great reflector vests!" and "We can totally see you because of your vests! Way to go!". Parker was over the moon about it. I was glad to know that they worked. On our way home as we turned on to the last street I let Parker go in front of me (instead of by my side) and he lit up like a Roman Candle. So glad that they work!

Pounding Feet

Darkness all around. A plethora of stars in the sky while farm fields surround me. Music sounding in my ears and my feet pound the pavement. Cool air caresses my skin as the dark shadows of my husband and son move in front of me. My new love.

That Is Just Wrong

I am in my room. Sliding door open. Front door open. Listening to the dog bark at the lawn care workers laying down our winter grass seed. All of a sudden I start gagging. The stench that was coming through the sliding door in my room was overwhelming. Turns out that in addition to the seed that was being spread was Steer Blend Manure! YUCK!!!! If you have not had the joy of smelling that smell you are so lucky. You can bet the doors were all quickly closed! As James and the kids walked out to the car to go to school and work everyone was plugging their noses and the kids were making gaging sounds. The workers laughed and said "It will only last a day". I am hoping that they are correct in their statement! It is so bad that the dog won't even go near it! We better have beautiful green grass this winter!