I guess this day had to come eventually

I have realized today that I have started to sound like my mother. And, no matter how many times I told myself that I would NEVER sound like her "when I grow up", it still happened.

How do I know I sound like my mother, you ask? Well I will tell you.

Example 1:
Mike and his brother and some guys they knew went scuba diving in the pond. While Marshy and I waited and fed the ducks, I noticed some young kids, about 8-10 years old, playing under the bridge. Then they started climbing on the bridge. Then they started jumping off of the bridge! Now, there are signs posted all over saying "DO NOT JUMP OFF BRIDGE". And of course, me being the rule-following killjoy that I am, decided that I had to do something. Yes, there were plenty of other adults sitting around the area, but were any of them paying attention to these 4 children who apparently didn't belong to them? NO! What did I do? I got up and pushed the stroller over the bridge. As I passed two of the boys who were making their way to the middle of the bridge, I said "You aren't jumping off the bridge are you?" They said they were. To which I replied "Well it's against the law, and you could get really hurt. My friend almost died jumping off this bridge." (the following picture is an actual picture of the bridge...they were jumping off of the bottom part, not the part you walk on.)


No, my friend didn't almost die....but she did know someone who got seriously hurt, so I bent the truth a little to make a point. Did it work? Yes. It apparently scared them enough that they stopped playing on and under the bridge immediately, and swam back toward the sandy beach at the other end.



Example 2:

We were at Mike's parents for a family function. Most of the kids were in the basement playing and watching a movie. All of a sudden, there were loud screams coming from the basement. I ran down to see what was wrong. Nothing was wrong. They were screaming for fun. Not cool! What did I say? Well, exactly what my mom would've said to us:

DO NOT SCREAM UNLESS YOU ARE BLEEDING, MISSING AN ARM OR A LEG, OR DYING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME??

Yes, that is proof right there that I have become my mother. Not to mention the countless times I have told Marshy to "eat your vegetables" or "go to sleep" or "sit still!" I guess it just comes with the territory. I just wish that someone would have told me back when I was younger that no matter what I say, I will sound exactly like my mother someday.

I've been sick

When I say I've been sick, I mean it. Have you ever had one of those days when your husband says "Guess what honey? We have a nasty virus on our computer, which means I might or might not be able to fix it, and if I wipe the harddrive clean and reinstall Windows, HOPEFULLY our new LG USB DVD drive will work and allow us to install everything again." YOU HAVE?!

So then you know exactly how I felt today!! The worst part was when he said it "might" work. When I questioned him about it, he said "well, I'm pretty sure it will." And then, after further questioning: "Well, I think it will....maybe."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

That was really comforting. Thankfully he was able to clear the annoying virus completely, and we are now virus free. Hopefully this will never happen again. I hate it when he tells me that the computer might be broken, and we can't afford to get a new one if it is unfixable. Not only will I be lost to Blog-world for a really, really, REALLY long time....but I won't be able to ebay or etsy (not like I've started etsy yet....but I have some projects in the works for it). But again, "we are all fine here....How are you?"

Why are there mean people in this world that want to destroy people's computers? Mainly mine? What did I ever do to them??? If anyone has the answer to these questions, please let me know so that I can take appropriate measures to make these people stop giving me VIRUSES!! How rude!

Apparently I am dead meat!

So what the quiz results here don't show you is the percentage against a human. Mine was 0%. So basically, I'm pretty much dead if I ever have to fend off something or someone. What I love is that I have a 45% chance of surviving a coyote attack, but only 19% for a large dog? What the heck?!

Thanks to Melanie for posting her results on her blog!

Little known facts about Busty LaRue

Thanks a lot Lola! She tagged me with this lovely. I have honestly been trying all day to come up with 6 things that are insignificant. Well, here goes!



Fact 1: I have many names. Busty LaRue (not really my name) and Laura Jo (not really my name), are just a few of them. My REAL name, is actually from the BIBLE. She was a woman who followed Christ in the New Testament, and went to visit the tomb after the Crucifixion.

Fact 2: Back when I was young (and might I add: STUPID) I once switched colleges for a boy.....and then withdrew 3 weeks into the semester because he was dating someone else. I went from being a :

to a:

(Not quite sure what their mascot was.....Now they are Utah Valley University, and I think they are the wolverines.....but again, I only went there for 3 weeks!)

Fact 3: For the most part, I am a really shy person. I know! I can't believe it either!! When Mike and I first got married, his parents told me I didn't talk enough. Now, I'm sure they regret saying that to me! But I still am pretty shy at times.

Fact 4: It is really easy to make me laugh. For example: When I worked in the mall, I worked at a place that I like to call "hell" (and I imagine that this is really what Hell is really like). I was the store manager. I put up with WAY too much crap because I am a very nice person, and don't like confrontations. Also, I didn't want to get fired.

Anyway.....I had to tell a customer (who actually works there in management now!!!) that I couldn't allow her to return her pants because she had just pulled them out of her washing machine, and they were dripping all over my counter.....and it was the middle of DECEMBER (they would freeze in my back room) and that really it was her fault they ruined her other jeans because she didn't follow the washing instructions that were written in BOLD on a sticker on the pocket of the jeans (wash separately for first time as they used a special dye that could stain other clothing items).....all with a straight face. And I accomplished it! I had a good laugh about it afterwards, but that was one of the few times I have ever been able to keep my composure in a situation like that!

Fact 5: I am terrified of heights.....and ladders. In fact, I have a small panic attack everytime I have to climb up past the third rung on a ladder. Gosh I sure did pick the wrong industry to work in before I had Marshy-marsh, didn't I? Apparently standing on a ladder is a requirement when you work retail in the mall....whether you are pregnant or not.

Fact 6: I didn't think my blog name through completely when I made it. Apparently people Google things like "busty glam" and "busty moms" and "busty Africans" (see my post: Our Trip to Africa) ALL THE TIME! However, it does make me feel good to know that people are actually visitng my blog, and that I am usually within the top 5 results of the first page for many of these google searches! To those of you who are actually reading my blog because you want to, not because you were looking for something nasty.... THANK YOU!

Again, thanks to Lola for tagging me! In turn, I would like to tag the following people:

My Frister Jenny: because if she didn't live at the circus, I'm sure her life would just be too boring and she always makes me laugh!

Dana: because she makes me laugh every day! I just love her blog, and the comments she leaves on Kathi's blog too!

Amber: because she needs an excuse to update her blog once in a few million years! j/k we love you!

And Diana: because her stories about her hubby Bob (not really his name) are too funny. Also, her stories of her "battles" with her kids are Hi-larious! (I picked the two posts that I thought were funniest, but there are many many more over on her blog!)

Happy tagging!!

Quilt 2 progress: Part 2

So, what do you think? This looks like progress, right?! Yes! I have finally finished quilt top #2. Now I need to purchase backing fabric and quilt this baby up! I have decided to go with a solid black and do the quilting in a bright red. Now I'm just hoping I don't screw the quilting up! haha That's what seam rippers are for, so I'm not too worried!

As you can see, this quilt is HUGE!! I am not quite sure why I thought it would not be as big as it is. Maybe I didn't read the quilt dimensions on the pattern correctly. Maybe I just thought it would be a nice twin size quilt. Maybe I think that a twin size bed is slightly larger than my baby's crib. Maybe I'm just losing it!! One thing I am sure of though, is that Marshy won't be able to use this on his bed until he graduates out of the crib/daybed and into a normal twin size bed. In the meantime, it can be his fun "wrap up in on his Cars-themed couch" quilt.

At any rate, I have definitely made some progress. And any progress is good progress and that makes me HAPPY ! ! ! ! :D

Eating out

Today we went to Las Tarascas for dinner. It was really tasty. However, the waiter should have shut his mouth a lot sooner than he did.

We walked in. No one was in the restaurant. For somewhere that has been voted "Best of Mexican" in Utah for 2006 and 2007, it sure was dead. We were starting to question our choice. There we stood in the middle of the restaurant trying to figure out if we should seat ourselves, or wait to be seated. The waiter walked up to us with menus.

"Hi, how many? 4? Or 3 almost 4?" and he smiled at me. Now, I can only deduce that he was implying that I was pregnant. Now, I am most definitely NOT pregnant. And hopefully I don't look it, either! Yes, I have gained a few pounds recently, but most certainly not because of Baby #2. Baby #2 is a long way off of even entering the picture. I immediately began questioning our decision to dine at this place.

The waiter seated us, and then walked away. Mike was holding Marshy-marsh. We sat down and Mike had to put baby on his lap. We started looking around to see if there was any sign of a high chair or booster seat. None were to be found. Five minutes later, the waiter came back over to see if we wanted something to drink. When we asked him if they had a baby seat, he looked surprised by our request, but went to get one.

When we finally did order, Mike ordered his food in the best Spanish he could muster. This was a mistake, as the waiter began speaking to him rapidly in Spanish, assuming that Mike was fluent. The waiter noticed Mike's being slightly flustered by this, and apologized saying that because of Mike's accent, he thought he was fluent.

Fortunately the dining experience got a little better. The food was really really good. It is the best Mexican I have ever had. I'm not a huge chile relleno fan, but I ordered a combo that came with one and it was surprisingly delicious! I found myself wishing I had just ordered the chile relleno meal instead! Mmmmm....tasty! Mike said that their refried beans were among the best he had ever had. Even Marshy actually ate his food, and liked it!

All in all, it was pretty yummy. Although I'm sure if the waiter had been a Brian Regan fan, he would have definitely been replaying the "When's that Ba-aby due?" bit over and over again in his head!

For my Frister

see more pwn and owned pictures

3 years!

Today was our anniversary. We have been married for 3 years. I know! I can't believe it either!!

Tomorrow we are going out to dinner.

See, I kind of forgot it was our anniversary until 5:30 tonight. Mike was going diving with his brother, Scott, and some of their new friends from the Dive Shop they frequent: Scuba Ted's. They were going to go diving in the local "pond" and while they waited for the rest of the group to arrive, they started comparing dates. One guy had to teach a class later. It was another's wife's birthday. Mike chimed in "It's our anniversary." And that is when I remembered.

I know, I know, I'm awful!! I remembered yesterday! It just was so busy what with the wedding and the funeral and everything else going on at work that I guess it just kind of slipped my mind.

Anyway, we are going to dinner at the 2006 and 2007 voted Best of "mexican" restaurant in Utah. We are pretty excited. It isn't too far away, and we looked at the menu online and it looks really tasty!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MIKE! I LOVE YOU!

The Dentist said so!

This morning I was flossing my teeth and my wire popped off. I have one of those permanent wire retainers cemented to my 4 front bottom teeth. Major pain in my butt is what it is! Anyway, who would've thought that it would pop off from FLOSS??

It's popped off before, so I guess I should be used to going to the dentist to get it re-cemented.

Time 1: It was Christmas Eve. I bit into one of those delicious caramel rice balls, and POP! The right side of my retainer popped off. My dentist was out of town, and his "in case of emergency" dentist wasn't answering his phone. This was a major emergency! It was a major food eating holiday, and I had a piece of wire hanging off of my tooth! Luckily, my mom had my old ortho's phone number (he was the one who put it in) and he was willing to go in to the office to re-cement my wire for me. So nice of him.

Time 2: Last year I went in for a cleaning, and the hygenist chipped most of the glue off of the right side. Duh! What a dummy! How can you confuse dental cement with plaque and tartar? Seriously, it is a totally different color. I had to go in a week later to get it re-cemented, and I had to pay for it!

Time 3: This morning at around 9:30. Flossing. Who'da thunk? I called my dentist's office. He's out of town until next week. They had the nerve to ask me "Does it hurt?" My reply? "I have to hold it down to talk." Them: "Oh yeah, that is bad." Ya think?! Fortunately they were able to squeeze me in with the other dentist in the office at 11. I got there and had to wait 45 minutes before they got to me. It took them 5 minutes to re-cement it. Grrr. While I was there though, Dr. Ball said that I don't have to floss anymore! YAY! I told him that if the hygenist gives me any crap next month when I go in, I'm telling her he gave me permission.

Oh! And another thing I was told by Dr. Ball: once your retainer comes off, you'll always have problems with it staying cemented to your tooth. Seems like the only reasonable solution would be to just take the darn thing out, right?

Quilt 2 Progress

So I spent some time today sewing. It was so much fun! I made a few mistakes in my cutting, but fortunately I was able to save them.

Mistake 1: Instead of cutting 24 of my red half square triangles into a 2 inch wide piece, I cut all 48. I didn't realize I would need the other 24 half square triangles to finish the wheel center. Luckily, I had just enough red fabric left to recover!

Mistake 2: I cut the black tire pieces too far apart on the black fabric, plus I cut my binding at 2 1/2 inches instead of 2 1/4 inches, so I ran out of black solid!! Fortunately, I had a black with grey circles print that looked good, and I had just enough to do the last 2 tires, so I was able to save myself again.

You can kind of see the grey circles in this one....
And here are the black solid tires. The instructions called for paper-backed fusible web, but never said anything about how you were supposed to use it. So, I decided that I would use 4 strips on the edge of each tire center to hold it onto the black wheel itself. The directions said to stitch the centers onto the tire with a small zig-zag stitch in a matching color. Since my new sewing machine has a circular sewing attachment, I was really excited to use this. Oh how well it worked! It was fabulous!
This is the progress I made today. Except for the black side sashing, the quilt center is complete! Yay! Now I just have to finish the sashing and then attach the three borders, and I'll be done.
This is a close up of the completed wheels. You can't really tell, but they are zig-zag stitched onto the blue background. It was really quick and easy with my machine.

I'm hoping to finish it within the next few days. Then I just have to buy backing fabric. A few people have suggested solid red, but I'm leaning more towards solid black, and then quilting it in a bright red so it will show up on the back, and be reversible without losing the design. I have a lot of ideas for how to quilt this, so hopefully it all works out!

Quilt 3

I have had this little number started for several years. But now I have a reason to finish it! I hadn't really done anything except for the appliques of the witch and bird on the broom, so I figured I should hurry and get it finished. It didn't take too long. I don't have the finishing on the rest of the appliques done, but I'm hoping to get it done tonight or tomorrow. Then I get to quilt it on my new sewing machine! I am so excited!! If only I knew what all of my sewing feet did...well, guess I'd better get researching that, huh?

Quilt 2

A few months ago I purchased some fabric to make a quilt for Marshy. Not just any quilt, but a Cars quilt. I've been putting it off for a while, but now that I'm participating in the Finish Five by July challenge, I figured I finally had an excuse to work on it. Tonight I cut out all of the pieces, so that tomorrow I can start piecing it together. I don't have the backing fabric for it yet, so hopefully I can get that soon. I really wanted to use the red Lightning McQueen all-over pattern fabric for the back, but no one carries it anymore. So, I guess I'll just buy some solid red or something and use that. Maybe even a solid black. I don't know. We'll see what happens. This is a picture of all of the pieces. Sorry it's so dark. I had all the lights turned on, but between the navy blue carpet, the dark green card table, and all of the black bits, it kind of makes it hard to see.

I'm hoping to make a lot of progress tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have more pictures to post!

Summer Stash Challenge Update!

So, I joined the Summer Stash Challenge a little bit ago, and I was so excited to get started. Then I looked at my machine and got all sad and depressed. BUT! Now that I have my NEW machine, sewing is fun again! Instead of making an awful noise that went something like:

RaunRaunRaunRaunRaun

when I sewed, this new one hums so nicely, just like it should. It makes sewing easy, too. I had done some sewing on my Stash quilt, but tonight I decided to really buckle down and sew until I either couldn't sew anymore or the neighbors complained of the noise. (I really don't think it's that noisy, but what do I know?)

Anyway, I sewed and sewed and sewed and then, I finished my quilt top. I'm really excited about this, because I also joined the Finish 5 by end of July Challenge, so that I would motivate myself to finish all of the other quilt projects I have going, which are MANY. So, I have one down, at least four more to go. What do you think? Can I do it? I think maybe I can.

This is the quilt top. I was originally going to applique on some different flowers and leaves, but the fabric I chose from my stash were too cute to cover up, so I decided to just keep it as a simple nine-patch quilt.

This is Block A.

This is Block B.

Now all I have to do is get fabric for the backing. I was thinking of maybe using minky for the back, but then I thought maybe I could also use a sheet. I don't know, we'll see what I end up with. Well, I guess I'd better get started on my next quilt! YAY!

Refrigerator??

I got a phone call today at work. I was trying to take a lady's order, but the phone kept ringing. She told me to answer it. This is the conversation:

me: Flower shop, this is LaRue.
him: Hi honey! Why didn't you answer my phone call when I called you on your cell?
me: Because I'm working...
Mike: Oh okay. Well, I need pre-authorization.
me: For why?
Mike: Umm, you know how I was going to buy a car refrigerator for when I drive out of state for work so I can keep milk and fruit and stuff?
me: Yeah.
Mike: Can I buy it now instead?
me: Why?
Mike: Because we don't like having hot water when we get back to camp. We'd rather have cold water.
me: Fine.
Mike: Thanks! I love you!
*click*

I was baffled. As I finished helping the lady, I thought about how in the world he was going to plug in the refrigerator while they were CAMPING. So, I called him:

Mike: hello?
me: Hi! Why do you need a fridge?
Mike: I told you already. To keep our drinks cold.
me: Yes, I understand. But how are you plugging it in?
Mike: We have power!
me: You're camping
Mike: I know!
me: How do you have power if you're camping?
Mike: I don't know, we just do. Cool huh?
me: Yeah, cool. So much for high adventure.
Mike: More like low adventure. K, gotta go! Love you!
me: Love you too!
*click*

Who has electricity at a Boy Scout High Adventure campsite?? I mean, I know that the buildings need to, but why do the camp sites need electricity? And do the scouts have to pay for what they use? How weird is that? I'm still totally baffled. At least now they have a refrigerator to keep their drinks cold!

Nuh-thing!

We didn't have ravioli for dinner tonight. I don't know what you're talking about!

Uh-oh! It's all over everything! Help me mommy!

Don't look at me....I'm trying to watch TV. Besides, I'm covered in spaghetti sauce!

Mommy! I'm so sticky!

Okay mom, stop tormenting me with the camera and GET ME IN THE BATHTUB!

It's been one of those days....

Where you just jump up and down for JOY! We have been on an online ordering spree lately. Okay, really only on Friday, but still, we've ordered a lot of stuff. Mike and I are bzzagents, and Mike just got invited to join a campaign about a Phillips-Norelco razor. He was hoping it would get here before he left for scout camp. Unfortunately, it came 3 hours after he left. Then, we had also ordered my sewing machine from HSN, and I had ordered some really cute shoes and some bras from Fredericks. I was told to expect my machine on the 23rd, and my shoes etc on the 26th. Well, everything came today! I was in package heaven!! Mike was jealous that I got to be home for all the fun things, but he got to go shopping today, so I think that makes us even.

This is my machine. Isn't she a beaut?! I love her. She is really heavy and sturdy, and pretty easy to use. It's a different kind of machine than I'm used to. My Janome had a non top-loading bobbin, and this beaut has a top loading bobbin. It is WAY easier!

This is a picture of all of the super cool accessories that came with it: 13 feet!! Wow! I'm in feet heaven! I don't even know what 5 of them do!! Lola, I will be needing your assistance with identifying these feet and their purpose.
Mike is at scout camp, and he was in dire need of camping supplies. A few years ago we bought a tent set from Wal-mart. It came with 2 crappy sleeping bags, 2 camp chairs, a battery-powered lantern, and some cup cozies. Pretty much everything in the set was garbage except for the tent. After only 2 uses, the chairs are pretty much trashed. And the sleeping bags are uncomfortable and small. So! We went shopping. We went to Big Lots! to see what they had. We had been there a few months ago and noticed they had a really good deal on inflatable mattresses. We bought one that can either be 1 king size, 2 twin size, or 1 couch. Awesome find! Then, Mike saw a camp chair he couldn't live without. It has 2 cupholders, and a bag for drinks and another bag for books or magazines or even garbage. It was a really good price, too.

Then we went shopping for a sleeping bag. We went to Sports Authority to discover that they had mummy-style sleeping bags on sale. Mike couldn't pass it up, so we got him one. We also got a really nice air pump for the new air mattress.

Mike was also in dire need of pants, so we stopped at Aeropostale. Not only did we find a lot of really great stuff for him, it was all on sale! That is my favorite kind of day! We got so many good deals, and we weren't even trying to! Woo! Woo!

When I got home from dropping Mike off at the rendezvous site for the camping trip, I decided to do some more henna tattoos. I did a sun around my ankle bone, and tried to do one on my toe to make it look like a ring....that one didn't turn out too well. Below are pictures of the tattoo Mike did for me yesterday. It has gotten a lot darker by this evening. These pics were taken last night just after I picked the gunk off.

It's kind of a cool chain design. We found it on the web, but I can't remember where.
Well! I'm off to sew! I'm involved in 2 different quilting challenges (see my sidebar) and they are going to be super fun, but challenging. I guess that is why they are called challenges, eh? Anyway, if I'm going to finish 5 by July then I'd better get a move on!

Tattoo

I got a tattoo today. It is really cool. Okay, okay, before you freak out too much, I didn't get a permanent one. Mike made henna, and we gave each other henna tattoos. His is a face on his foot, and mine is a design on my ankle. They are really cool. I'll take pictures when mine finishes oxidizing. Mike wanted to do his before he left for the rest of the week. He is going down south with the Boy Scouts. They will be scuba diving and doing lots of other fun things while they are down there.

So very, very tired

Have you ever been sitting on your couch watching TV, and then what seems like seconds later (really about half an hour) your husband comes and wakes you up because you have apparently been asleep? Yeah, that happened to me a couple times today. It was awful! I'm not sure why I'm so tired lately, but I'm getting tired of being tired. I haven't been feeling particularly chipper lately, so maybe I have some little bug or something. I did muster up enough energy to finish cutting out my fabrics for my Stash Challenge quilt. I even sewed 1/5 of it together. Yes, I did just take the time to figure out how many fifths I had sewn. haha

Speaking of sewing.....my sewing machine has been shipped! It is currently in California. Usually when I order things from Vegas, UPS, they are here in a few days, so I can't wait!! I'm making a diaper bag, and I didn't really think things through, because I now have to sew through at least 6 layers, and my Janome can barely sew through 3...I don't know what I was thinking. Fortunately, this new one is capable of sewing through that many layers. They did a demo with a piece of thick denim folded in half and then in half again, with a piece of leather on top, and it had no problems at all sewing through it. So excited!!

Other than that, it was definitely a "case of the Mondays". I'm going to lunch tomorrow with a "friend" (long story short, we're acquaintances who are trying to get past some differences we've had in our past and be friends), so hopefully tomorrow I'll have something more interesting to post.

Happy Father's Day

Today we spent part of the afternoon at the park with family. It was nice. There was a homeless man there, and we fixed him a plate of food and tried to help him as best we could. It's sad to see people like that alone, especially on such a family-centered holiday. It sure does make us more grateful for the family we have.

So, to all the dads in our lives: Gramps, Dad (Ned) and Dad (Neil), we love you very much! We also have grandpas who have gone on before (H, H, and P) and we miss them very much, but we know we will see them again someday. WE LOVE YOU!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Fabrics and Quilts

After much deliberation, I finally picked out the main fabrics of my stash quilt. I originally selected some really bright colors: hot pinks, neon yellow, lime green, bright orange, and black. I know that black isn't really a bright color, but mixed with the other colors it looked pretty bright. I laid all the fabrics out next to each other and was about ready to start cutting when I decided that I didn't really like the fabrics I had chosen. They were great together, but they didn't seem to mesh with the theme of the quilt. I did some more digging in my stash, and found the perfect fabrics. I would've posted pictures, except that my cutting table is a complete mess and I want to get the top mostly done before I photograph. That way it will be a surprise!

I've been working on one of Mike's aunt's quilts at the shop. She dropped off 3 quilts over a year ago. I have just barely been able to get to them. She is very understanding, as she lives in California and usually only visits Utah during the summer, and the BYU football season. She and her husband stopped by the shop about 3 weeks ago, and she remembered she had left some quilts. She had forgotten about one of them, but wanted to know if anyone had done any work on the other 2. I felt really bad that it had taken me so long to start on them. I hurried and finished the quilt that was on the machine (a quilt for a client) and started working on our aunt's quilts. I finished one, and am now halfway through the second one. I'm hoping to finish it and the third one by the end of next week. I'm not sure when she is coming back, but I really would like to have them all done by the time she gets here, so she doesn't have to wait any longer for her quilts.

My next goal after that is to get Lynsey's baby quilt done. It needs to be done and quilted before baby Jax gets here. She doesn't know what it looks like and I want it to be a total surprise, so you won't see any pictures of it on here until I get it done and give it to her...... Or will you? Maybe I'll post pictures of it with all of my other quilt projects, and just not tell you which one it is. Wouldn't that be great? haha Sorry Lyns!

I've also got a quilt for Marshy that I want to get done. I still need to find the backing fabric for it, but it will be cute. It is a Disney's Cars-themed quilt called Victory Lane. You can get the free pattern online here, but you have to be signed in to actually access the quilt pattern. It's free to join, so if you want the pattern, head on over there and sign up for a free account!

Stash challenge progress

So yesterday, after joining the Summer Stash Challenge, I decided to see if I could make my own quilt design. I have a lot of funky prints and fat quarters, so I wanted to do something fun and funky. Well.....not only did I come up with one pattern, I came up with three! I was up so late sketching, that I totally lost track of time, and didn't get very much sleep. Have you ever had that happen to you? For me it's like I get on this creative roll and I know that if I stop I won't be able to start again for a long time. It comes to me in spurts, and totally sporadically. I have to take every opportunity I get, or else I'll lose the design forever. I have already lost several to the deep, dark inner regions of my creative right brain hemisphere. So! My goal now is to get one of these great quilt designs started, and see what happens. I'm so excited, and hopefully it will turn out SUPER CUTE!

I got it!

Last week I posted that I wanted a new sewing machine. Several people have given me suggestions, and I have "mulled" it over. (hahaha....mulled....) Anyway, I decided to stick with my original love. Today my hubby purchased the Singer professional for me. It will be here on or around the 23rd. I am so excited. PLUS! We have a MyPoints account, because we are Bzzagents and that is how we get our points now, and they had a special discount code for 15% off of our first single item purchase. We saved $50! YIPPEE!!! Thanks to everyone who gave me input on their sewing machine models, why they liked them, and what brands they liked or disliked. Sorry if I didn't choose the one you may have recommended, but I am pretty sure I will LOVE the Singer! Can't wait till it gets here!!

Digging for GOLD!

So, we were sitting at our house eating dinner, and Mike and I look over at Marshy, and he has one of his fingers up his nose. I laugh and say "Get your finger out of your nose!" He thinks it's funny. He pulls his finger out, and then sticks his finger back in his nose.

Mike, being the "funny" parent, says "Can you pick both sides at the same time?" and then he demonstrates the technique. I missed the first few opportunities to get really great pictures. I was really sad, but I figured I would get the camera out anyway.

I'm sure I've said before that Marshy loves to ham it up for the camera, but in case I haven't: Marshy LOVES to ham it up for the camera. As soon as he saw the camera, it was double Gold digging HEAVEN!! Here are just a few of the cute shots I got....okay, it's really all of them!

Looking at dad to make sure he has the correct technique.
Clapping because we were clapping for him.

Ham-ing it up for the camera, while looking at dad (who was doing it too!)
Laughing at dad who is alternating between double gold digging and burping loudly.
More double brain-picking....hahaha
This one is of him picking still, but he turned away right before I snapped it. It was still funny though, how he had his hands, so I kept it.
Finally the fun stopped and dinner resumed. Of course, every now and then I'd catch my boys digging for gold, but boys will be boys!

Great new challenge

So, I was reading some of my favorite blogs tonight, and Nanette had posted an adorable quilt that her daughter had done for a friend. Then she referenced a great new challenge that another blog, Eileen's Attic (head on over to her blog if you want to join the challenge), was hosting. I have decided to give it a try. It is the Summer Stash Challenge. There aren't a whole lot of restrictive rules, and it sounds like a GREAT way to use up some of that stash that you have hidden in your cupboards, drawers, closets, under the bed, and maybe even in the trunk of your cars! Since my hubby has said that I can't buy any more fabric until I've used most of mine (my stash isn't the largest at the present), I figured this was perfect for me. Plus, you can never have too many quilts!! I'll definitely keep ya'all posted with my progress. I have so many cute fabrics to choose from, it will definitely be hard, but maybe I'll just do a fun and basic patchwork quilt. We'll see!!

We're in TROUBLE NOW!

Marshy has learned how to open doors.

Can you guess what this means for us?

Well, you're right. It means that we now have to go purchase 6 of those hideous plastic door things that cost a bundle of money so that he won't go into a room he's not supposed to go into.....like one of the 3 rooms with locking doorknobs to which we STILL don't have keys.

WHOOPEE!!

Wedding Bells

I got a fun email from my aunt today. Apparently my cousin, Melissa, is getting married in August. We are so excited and happy for her! I've never met her fiance, but my mom says they have been rooting for him all along, and that he is really great.

Congratulations, Melissa!

New Tires!!

One of my tires on my car has been having issues. I think it has a slow leak because I'll fill it up with air and like a week later it is low again! Today it looked like it was almost flat. I went to 6 different gas stations trying to find a place that had air. Not just any air. Free air. There used to be a time when air was free. Now-a-days they charge up to $1.00 for air. How ridiculous is that?

Anyway, I had resigned myself to just go get a new tire. I was almost sure it had had it and needed to be replaced. I went to Wal-mart, and they told me that only 1 of my tires needed to be replaced. And it wasn't even the tire I was having issues with! So, I had a flat repair done on that tire, and replaced my other tire. I also found out that I have really big wheels, which means I need bigger tires, which means that instead of buying $30 tires, I had to buy a $60 tire. Oh well. It is shiny and new and beautiful. And, now I don't have to worry about that tire not having traction anymore! YAY!!

The lesson learned here: make them check the tires and tell you which ones ABSOLUTELY need to be replaced before purchasing tires, since apparently tires are MEGA expensive.

I think it's time for a change

I think it's time for a change of make up. I'm not really the kind of person to stray away from what I know, but I recently saw a commercial for Almay that really made me rethink my make up choices.
I've been using Maybelline Define-a-lash Volume mascara in Very Black, Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Onyx, and Maybelline Expertwear eyeshadow in Lavendar Fields. I've been pretty faithful to the Maybelline brand, as you can see. I even used to use their foundation, until they stopped producing it, forcing me to switch to Cover Girl. It was really hard to switch. Like I said, I'm not the kind of person to switch once I find something that I like.
This is my most recent make up purchase. You've probably seen the commercials for Almay's new product line...the ones where they have an entire color collection for your particular eye color. I bought the play up the brown collection. Of course, as soon as I got home and looked in the mirror, my eyes were more green than brown. It was probably just because I was wearing a green shirt, but oh well. I didn't like the colors in the green collections anyway! I'm a little nervous because the mascara and eyeliner are a really dark purple. I've never used anything but black and brown. I'll let you know how it goes!

Complaining, complaining, complaining!

My aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins came over to visit today. The two youngest are about 2 1/2, so just a little older than Marshy-marsh. My other cousin is my age, and has recently returned from a mission and is moving back here to go to school. They came over just after 6 PM tonight. Marshy had just woken up from his nap, and we were picking up the living room. They only stayed for about half an hour, but it was really fun to see them.

Shortly after they left, like within minutes, there was a knock at our door. I opened it and there stood a woman. I knew immediately she lived downstairs. UGH! Not again!!

ME: hi
HER: hi, umm I'm your downstairs neighbor, and when your child runs it is really loud for us.
ME: well we've actually just had company over.
HER: oh. well it's just that it's like 24/7
MIKE (who was sitting on the couch doing some work): what do you mean 24/7?
ME: yeah, we've been gone all week except at night, so I don't know what you're hearing, but it hasn't been us.
HER: well it's just that it is all the time, and it's really loud and when you do your laundry late at night it really is loud for us too so if you could keep it down. I mean, I don't want to be a bother, but it is really loud.

We closed the door after a few more exchanges. I turned to Mike and asked "When are we supposed to do laundry if we aren't home during the day?" Mike was fuming. Not just because they come up and knock on our door, but because for the last few days they have been pounding on their ceiling at us. At like 11 AM or 2 PM or weird times like that. It's not like we are staying up late stomping around, or even stomping around on purpose. We have a 1 year old who likes to "dance" which involves jumping up and down erratically (but we don't let him do it after 9 PM. We are considerate). We also just go about our daily activities and they start pounding. The pounding isn't like with a broom either. They actually go to the trouble of getting on a chair and pounding with their fists. We know this because the pounding is really close together, consistent with rapid arm movement. DUMB!

We have decided that next time they come up we're going to be not as nice as we have been the last few times. For her to say that we are noisy 24/7 is ridiculous because we really aren't home all that much, especially this last week. We've been chilling at Grandma and Grandpa's! The other stupid thing is for them to say today that we were extra loud, when really we had all been napping until around 6 and they came up at like 6:45.

Now I want to have a big giant family party at my house with all of Lola's kids and everyone else! Wouldn't that be great and teach them to not complain?! HAHAHAHA You think I'm joking, but I am totally serious.

On a happier note, Mike's parents reported on their mission today. It was a really great meeting. All of the kids wore their cool new African clothes that they got. The men either wore their shirts or their ties, and most of us women wore our dresses. Everyone looked so dang cute! One of these days we'll have to get everyone together in our African garb and take a family picture. I might even have to take Marshy-marsh back to the Penney's studio from he....ck to get his picture taken in it. He looked so cute! I wish I had taken pictures. But maybe I can get him to wear it again tomorrow for a few minutes so I can take one.

My first solo creation

So remember how a few weeks ago I made a baby quilt all by myself? Well today I got it quilted. I'm so happy with it. I was going to do a lot more quilting on it, but when I got it on the machine, I realized that it didn't really need as much quilting as I thought it would. I didn't want to over-quilt and ruin the look. I actually think it turned out brilliantly.

Sorry for the lesser quality in pictures. Apparently my lighting is really bad at my apartment. But! The backing fabric was this really pretty navy blue with splashes of yellow dots. It really looked like a night sky. So I decided to quilt the quilt with a light yellow thread and a star motif throughout.

This is the back side of the bottle block. I outlined the applique and then did a fairly tight meander around it.
This is what I did throughout the outer border. The border fabric looked like galaxies and stars, so I tried to replicate it in my quilting. I think it turned out really nicely. In the sashing borders I connected the stars in the setting blocks with loops and stars.
This is the finished quilt top. Again, sorry for poor quality pictures. I wish you could see the detail, because it really did turn out well.
In the outer setting squares I did a star. I call it the "care bear" star. I used to doodle them on my papers in high school with smiley faces and "shine points" (the lines at the tips and in the corners of the points). People said they looked like Care Bear stars. Hence, the name. I'm sure there is a real name out there somewhere, but that's what I call them. The stars in the smaller setting corners are just normal stars.
Another view of the back. If you look close you can see some of the border detail on the sides and at the bottom.
I quilted the "BABY" block blocks in an echo pattern. I was going to quilt on the actual applique blocks, but decided against it.
The back side of the bear applique. I outlined the bear's head, and then surrounded it with a circle of linked stars.
The back side of the feet applique. I outlined the applique and did a larger loop surrounding.
The backside of the stitched poem block. I quilted around the stitching in a kind of pointy word bubble, like they use in the comic books.

The back side of the hand applique. Outlined the hands and did the larger loop.
Backside of the duck applique. Outlined the duck and surrounded it with a circle of stars. I tried to coordinate the quilting with the fabric used. The fabric for the background of the block had stars on it, so I tried to tie in the stars with the quilting.
The backside of the rattle applique. I oultined the rattle and did the tighter meander.
This is the backside of one of the corners. Imagine a smiley face and shine points and don't you think you get a Care Bear star??
Another view of the outer border and the sashing. Really, just love the outer border. I think it turned out very well. I've decided to try new patterns when it comes to quilting, and not let the new things scare me away. Honestly, I've done the continuous loop/star pattern on so many things recently that this whole new pattern was definitely welcome, even if it was "scary" and new!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. After I bind this baby quilt, I'll probably try and sell it on Etsy. If I do, I'll post a link so it's easy to find.

Pictures of the Wait....as promised

So, I finally found the camera cord and am able to get all of my fun pictures off of the camera and onto my blog! The following are pictures of our wait at the airport on Tuesday night, when Grandpa and Grandma came home from their mission.

Marshy only wanted Angel. This is a new developement. I think he is still mad at me for the whole stairs incident. I don't blame him. I'd be mad at me too, cuz I was standing right there. Anyway, he always wants Angel to hold him. It is like she is Grandma #3. I guess it makes sense, kind of, since he sees her more than he has seen his other two grandmas. What I don't get is why he doesn't think Lola or Diana are Grandmas #4 and #5. Odd that, isn't it?
Marshy eating some chips, I think. As you can tell by his picture, his face is almost completely back to normal. Just a little green and yellow around his eye, and a slight scab where he scraped his forehead and cheek. All-in-all, not too bad looking.
You might be wondering why Marshy is wearing a back-pack. That is his "leash". It is a monkey. He loves it. Not so much the "Mom is keeping me from going where I want to go" part, though. Mostly just the monkey. And the plastic buckles. That is his new favorite toy in the car. Of course, he can only hook them together, not pull them apart, so as soon as he gets one done he starts crying "MoMMY! MOMMY!" until I turn around and unbuckle it. I've gotten quite good at doing this one-handed, without looking, while driving on the freeway in my manual Saturn SC-2 2-door sports coupe. Yes, so fun.

As you can see, Marshy had quite the grand time at the airport with Angel. He didn't much care for all of the screaming "HELLO!" or the crying, or the getting smushed in hugs. But he got over it as soon as he saw the luggage carousel. Which of course he tried many a time to climb up on. And why not? It looks like it would be a fun ride!