Favorite Quilt Ever!

Made using this tutorial. Love everything on Cluck Cluck Sew!

Handmade Christmas

I made Carson and Gentry's cute bags using this tutorial. Angry birds (or "chickens" according to G) were made by Grandma.

Sledding and Cocoa

It really doesn't take much snow to have fun.

Christmas Goodies

This year's Christmas treats (assembled with B) included fudge, gingersnaps, lime cranberry bars, candy canes, and instant potato soup mix. Cute and yummy, though mine went to the nice people who helped us get our van out of the ice cavern we plummeted into while out trying to deliver to our friends. It was awesome!

The Gift of Wonder

I love having a baby around!

Cub scout awards display

This is how we ended up displaying Ethan's cub scout awards. I cut up his shirt and wrapped the back around the cardboard back that came with the frame from Hobby Lobby. Then I cut out all of this patches that had been sewn on and hot glued them and all his belt loops on the board. I took off the backs of all his pins and just stuck them into the cardboard. It worked great and it now hangs on his wall to inspire his little brother who is about to enter cub scouts and encourage him to keep advancing in regular scouts.

Our new FHE board

Since we have added 2 new children since I made our last FHE (family home evening) board, I finally made a new one. I wanted it to be a little different and fun. I painted our "Super" family on metal sheeting that I had been given. The assignments will be made from clear glass beads glued to magnets. I'll post them when they are finished. The kids love it, and I'm pretty fond of it as well...

A Literary Diversion

The following was written by my 11-yr-old son.
A bad dude in a cowboy hat walks into a saloon in a bad western movie. He's looking dangerous and mad. His name was Jose Noshusura and he ordered 6 jugs of whiskey and 4 jugs of beer. He spat on someones boots on the way in. and chewed his tobacco and jerky as he waited for his drinks. As soon as he got the drinks, Jose mixed them and left, spitting on the same guy's boots again. He hopped onto his steed and took a swig of his mixture as he left in a cloud of dust.
Farther up the road, a small dust devil clouded his sight as his horse tripped and Jose Noshusura landed face first in a patch of cactus. His face, now covered in sharp cactus spines, scowled angrily as he saw his steed dead, his drink jugs empty, and his tobacco gone "censored!" he cried and he instantly wished he hadn't. A sheriff appeared with a big gun in his hand. Suddenly a thief came along and hit the sheriff with a makeshift mace, made from a cactus, skewered by a big stick. He took the gun and gave it to Jose and they snuck off into some tribal Indian burial ground where they were instantly skewered by an Indian with a spear and shield, he was Chief Sitting Bull! The thief and Jose were burned in South Dakota and the wind carried the ashes away. Then the Indians, the sheriff, and the guy with spit on his boot were all very happy.

Quilting Kick

I have been on a quilting kick lately. Here are a couple of recent finishes. I used a tutorial on the circle quilt, though I couldn't find it to reference it here. Anyway, the idea was not mine, but if you wanted to do it, cut 6-1/2 inch squares from muslin. For the circles, trace an old cd and cut them out. Eyeball to center the circle on the square, pin, and zigzag the edges. Easy peasy.
I made up the baby girl quilt on the fly, ripping different widths and then sewing it all together again. My fabric selection is not the best (for me, fabric selection is much harder than actually sewing the quilt), but I'm learning.
I didn't sew the windmill quilt, my rockin' mom made it for little Max. It is snuggle-y and bright, a perfect combo for a new little boy.

Summer

One of my kids favorite things this summer was the Snowcone Shack in Ten Sleep. Yummy! Wish we could find one around here.

My First Marzipan Effort

A cute and VERY SIMPLE bday cake for my little Gentry's 2nd. The bunny is marzipan, I let the kids have a go at it as well, edible playdough.

Fast Max

Here is itty-bitty Max on day 1 after a crazy labor that lasted less than 1 hr, only 10-15 minutes were actually intense. He was born with only my husband and me in the room, which earned him the above nickname from the nurses. My first completely all-natural childbirth. Yeah for me. We were discharged from the hospital about 12 hours after he was born.

Gentry Bean's Quilt

For Gentry's 2nd birthday (waaaaay back in April) I made her a quilt using a tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew (here). I love all of her tutorials, they are fun and easy to follow. It is great that quilting is no longer just for old-er ladies.
Speaking of quilting, I found the coolest (maybe too cool for me) quilt shop in Denver, . A small store packed with the neatest fabrics, just don't confuse it with the Fancy Tiger clothing store across the street. I went a little crazy there, and don't regret it a bit.

What I've been up to...

Yup, now there are 8 of us. That alone should explain the 10 month absence. But now I have many projects to catch up on. More to follow...