MORE Adventures in Quilting

Here is the nearly finished project! All I need is a couple of borders and the back and it's done! Then I'll get it machine quilted and it will be ready to hang on the wall. I am so excited that I had to share!




There are 2 other towels that are not in the quilt. I will be piecing borders around them and then framing them to go on another wall in the room.

I can't wait to start on my next project!

Adventures in Quilting!

My grandmother Wirick was amazing at embroidery. I have been blessed to have a couple of sets of dish towels she embroidered. I have been trying to figure out a way to keep them safe and to honor her legacy. My best friend is an AMAZING quilter and we came up with the idea of using them as quilt blocks. It will be a wall hanging for our nursery and our decor will center around it. (They are bluebirds.)

Let me say that I have NEVER pieced a quilt before. I'm still a little nervous, but it will be worthwhile. I'm so excited to have our family legacy for our baby to see. Yesterday, we went to a quilting store. Oh my! All the fabric! All the colors! I could go crazy trying to figure it all out. But what a great way to go CRAZY!!

I learned how to strip piece today which is super easy and super fun. I pieced together several block then we laid them out with the birds. Unfortunately, they didn't work the way I wanted them to. They were so fun and bright that they detracted from the central focus of the quilt--the birds. So, they will be the back of the quilt and now I have to start at square one for the front. No matter what I do, it will be amazing because my grandmother's work will be on display. It's hard trying to come up with just the right design to honor that. How blessed I am to have this memento of her!

I just have to say--I think I found my new addiction (I mean hobby!!)

Holiday Newsletter

Make a Smilebox greeting

Knit Together With Love

Since this was our first Christmas together for awhile, I was able to get a picture of all our Christmas stockings. Here's the story behind them:

My great aunt started the tradition by knitting the stockings for my dad's generation. So he and all of his siblings have the same design. The same aunt started knitting them for the next generation as well (my mom thinks mine was one of the last ones she made). My Aunt Bev picked up the tradition from there. All 43 grandkids (and their spouses) have them as well as around 30+ great grandkids. What a legacy! Every time I look at my sock, it brings back memories of Christmases together and good times with Aunt Bev. I know she looks down from heaven on us all and enjoys the legacy she left. Now that she has gone, several others from the family have picked up the torch. Thanks to them, this legacy can continue. What a great way to show that we are all connected.

Chinese Food For Christmas

What a holiday break this has been. My parents flew in from Utah on Tuesday the 23rd. They spent time at each of our houses--my brother in Mead, my brother in Castle Rock, and here in Colorado Springs. It was so good to have the family all together. The last time we were all together was June.

What was really fun was our dinner for Christmas. Growing up, we used to go visit my grandma and grandpa Christmas afternoon. By the time we would leave, we would be starving so we went to the only restaurant that's open Christmas Day--Chinese. When my oldest brother called and asked what we should do for dinner, I suggested we keep the tradition alive, only make it homemade. So that's what we did! We had Orange Beef, Sesame Chicken, Egg Drop Soup, Steamed & Fried Rice, crab won tons, and spring rolls. What a feast. It was enjoyed by all. Our family loves food and it was great to catch up with my brothers as we cooked together.

Just call me..."Mrs. Fields!"

A few days ago, Aaron asked me to make some goodies for him to take to work for Christmas. I agreed, thinking that it would be fun. I haven't baked in quite awhile and decided it was time to do some baking (plus, our church choir is going caroling on Sunday and I've been asked to bring cookies, so I can kill 2 birds with one stone...). I have the day off from work today and decided that's how I'd spend my day.


I made chocolate chip cookies, Applesauce Raisin cookies, Chocolate cookies, & snicker doodles (my all-time favorite--and I've only eaten 1!!!). All told, I ended up with about 125 cookies. Plus, right now there are pumpkin cheesecake bars (with gingersnap crust) in the oven for my work Christmas party tomorrow. Wow! I think I might be crazy!!! :-) I don't think I have EVER spent all day in the kitchen! But, even as tired as I am, I feel SO good that I was able to accomplish so much and do something sweet for my hubby.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

BRRRR!!!! Well, winter has set in here in Colorado with a vengeance! Right now it is 7 degrees outside. Yes, I said 7! I don't remember ever being this cold, except when I lived in Minnesota. It makes me so thankful we have a house with new windows (2 new windows anyway) and lots of blankets and each other to keep us warm! Luckily, today was Sunday so we didn't have a lot to do. All we had was church and Choir practice. The rest of the time we have stayed nice and toasted here at home. At least we have been getting snow with this cold. To me, there is nothing worse than it being freezing cold, than to not have snow. I may be weird, but at least the snow adds beauty to the cold. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas Decorating

Aaron and I are decorating our Christmas tree and listening to Christmas music tonight. I just love this time of year! It's so filled with hope and love. I don't necessarily enjoy decorating the tree, but I love it when the decorating is done. I'm taking a break from the tree right now while Aaron keeps at it. He is so good! He will put an ornament on and then stand back to make sure it looks good..then pick up another ornament and stand back to figure out the best place to put it. Then he repeats the whole thing again. He is so amazing! I have trained him well! :)

My decorating "specialty" is our living room. We have 2 nativities and a plethora of other decor to make our main living area festive. (Our tree is in our downstairs family room.) I just love making our home inviting and welcoming. I also like decorating so that all who come to our home will remember why we celebrate Christmas.

It's Official--We are POTENTIAL Adoptive Parents!

Oh my goodness! We received an early Christmas present from our caseworker at LDS Family Services. All of our paperwork has FINALLY gone through and we are approved as an adoptive couple. Jim, our caseworker, emailed us the good news yesterday. I have to confess that I cried when I read it. All I want to do is be a mother and it is just on the horizon. Now our profile can get to the birth mother who is carrying a miracle and the greatest gift we could ever receive. It is hard to imagine that in the near future, I could be holding a child in my arms who would be able to celebrate having 2 moms. My heart is so full right now. What a great blessing to be thinking about bring a baby into our home when we are celebrating the birth of the greatest of all--our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Playing Aunt & Uncle

Yesterday we were so blessed! We were able to have my nieces, Teyghan and Kiari, for the afternoon. Ryan and Laurel (my brother and "sister") went to the BYU vs. Air Force football game while we played with the girls. We had so much fun! I love watching Aaron with them. He is so amazing with kids and they just love their Uncle Aaron. After Teyghan and Aaron romped in the leaves (while Kiari napped and I rested) I took the girls to the library to look at books. We had so much fun. Books are such an amazing imagination builder. We brought several home and read until Ryan and Laurel came home. It was so good to spend time with them and be able to share our love with them. Thanks Ryan & Laurel! (I think us giving you the tickets to the game benefited us all!)