Pouf! Not made by magic, but by hand.

Made an ottoman pouf today.

Well, I am back.  I have been getting myself settled into my new job duties and empty nest life. Our weather has been so amazing these past weeks that we have had to have more fun outdoor adventures, gardening time and of course some spiffing up the place.

Our girls are off living together a block off campus in a very small room, complete with their own bathroom, hooray!  This here pouf is for them!  I hope they have room for it.

This ottoman was made from things around the house and did not cost me a penny. You would have laughed if you could have seen me shoving a huge down mattress into this thing along with 4 old pillows.  So, all in all, a Saturday well spent being crafty.

The last two days I have spent crafting up fabric pumpkins with bff Cathie. A great segway to making this pouf! More on those pumpkins later....

A Special Day at Ferryland Lighthouse

An absolutely beautiful wedding between 2 beautiful people.  They shared their special day with their close friends and family and how lucky one of those people happens to be me.  In anticipation of this special day I made them an art quilt to remember their day.  I taught myself new techniques, borrowed ideas and supplies and made something quite special.

my first art quilt

Arriving to Ferryland Lighthouse was so exciting to see it in person after creating the quilt from a photo.  Kirstin something along the lines of it is like walking in the quilt, and it was like the quilt came to life in front of our eyes. By the time we left the sky had blued up just like the quilt sky too! What a beautiful place, complete with whales passing by during the ceremony even.  A magical day I will carry around in my heart.

Happy Birthday Eric

Hard to believe this was almost 30 years ago.  Happy Birthday and have many more.  We have had some fun!

My Family

YesVideo: http://share.yesvideo.com/s/XiroDbdjdQY5OECj 

Some old home movies came into my inbox today, I am still trying to figure out how to navigate the sight, but to see my mom's first birthday, and her twin siblings first birthday parties, priceless, ok $100, to awesome for words. I hope this will play for you.

Back online

Thanks to my brother Eric, I am back online. Thank you so so much for fixing the laptop, you are the best! I am excited for the new posts that are coming...

after more repairs, may those be the last of those, blogging can now recommence!   Thanks Eric!

Trailing our daughter's golf match

Yep, she did not like it, but we sure did.  It was great to watch Kirstin play her golf match today.  I am amazed how well she plays for having not played for very long.  I won't go watch and frustrate her again, but one day I might just pick up a set of clubs and join her!

How many kids get to have their Great Grandma watch them play?

Gramma and I enjoyed the setting, the spring trees leafing out amidst the evergreens, sunny and cloudy  sky backdrops and different types of birds about, it was a pleasant walk after we made it up the first steep hill!

Garden Nursery Fun

Winding down spring break with a trip to Woodinville, a quilt shop and a garden nursery with Cathie, which small town will be our next adventure outing?

A few pictures inside and out at Molbak's

Would love to have brought home a rhododendron named Del, probably of the King George family, smelled divine, large pale pink blossoms, loved it!  Saw another named Kristin, no fragrance, but made me think of my father-n-law, Marshall would buy his rhody's and azalea's by name, miss him! 

I have to add I enjoyed this week off spent with family and friends, catching up around the house, errands and appts put off too long, and birthday parties for the mom's.  It is also the last one with Kirstin at home, she will be able to live on campus next year thanks to a generous grant offered by the UW, still in major shock, relief and giddiness! I am so very proud of both my daughters, they are not perfect, but I am perfectly happy with them! (okay most of the time, well often, often enough!)

Easter weekend was hectic and fun.  We had a crafty treat day hosted by Keri on Saturday and we made a mess again too, dyeing eggs, icing cookies, gluing banners! Another great girls gathering, they always go too quickly. New plan, next time, not on a holiday weekend, and maybe at a different venue, will have to see when that time nears huh? Almost forgot to add my teenagers had egg hunts at home and at Grama Carole's house, Luke got a head start for probably the first time ever, or was that cheating? Butter Cookie Monster he is, so I sent the rest fo the cookies home with him, Kristi got her one cookie at least.  I ate the one our cat Oreo was licking on, no biggie, tasted great! This year I iced the chicks a pale yellow and the bunnies purple with a white icing blob for a cotton tail, should have taken a picture of them, next time! I Love that recipe out of the Susan Branch Christimas book and apparently so does Luke, Kristi told me today he ate 3 for breakfast the other day, kid after my own heart!

Michele has an awesome cutting machine, just add a glue stick and wahlah!

Yep, this one's Alaina's, what more can I say?

Baby Lambs at FlowerWorld

I think Kirstin and I were more excited about the animals at FlowerWorld today than all the flowers.  Ok, the baby lambs I read about in their email  is what got us in the car today, I admit it.

Flower World or a Wildlife Sanctuary?

Crazy Chicken Guy was so funny, and the baby lambs were super super cute,  but the best surprise I think was the Turtles in the Koi Pond in the nursery, they have such great colorings and markings when you get to see them up close.  The sign read, don't fill the pond too full or the turtles will escape, hah, they looked really happy there I think. We had a great time on our drive out to the country on a pretty spring day today.

Spring blooms are back

Our college kid

Popped in to see the quad while picking up Alaina during her spring break, beautiful and amazing as always, not just the trees but her too!

I really enjoy Spring!  I love how Earth comes back to life and feels new again, and all that extra light!

Spring!

After a day skiing at Mt Baker, we took a detour off I-5 to see if the daffodils were still in bloom, and found them at their peak. The fields of yellow are just amazing. 

 

Daffodils!

Skagit County Daffodils and Me

Further down I-5 we stopped off in Arlington to donate, wanting to help a little with the Oso mudslide tragedy. Community coming together to do whatever they can to help, even selling baked goods, so little, but so big of heart. Oso is a place we have such fun memories, my husband even more than I.  Fishing, hiking and exploring, swimming and jumpin off the train trestle, muddin and off-roading, running down for supplies from the lake, gas for the boat, ice cream, beer, you name it, called for a trip down to Oso.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you.

Finally visited a quilt show

Quilters Anonymous held their quilt show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds this weekend, a wonderful variety of handmade loveliness!   It was great to spend time with my friends outside of work, even if one was volunteering the event, we borrowed her quite a few times, I also got to meet her long time friend, guess what, another quilter!

I am gathering ideas for a few projects I have started in my head and this was the  perfect place to see techniques done up close. Even ideas I could never had thought up, ever.

Big Envelope

A UW Big Envelope came in the mail today!

 How very lucky we are that both our girls can attend a local top notch university!

Paul Sereno - Paleontologist | The University of Chicago

Paul Sereno - Paleontologist | The University of Chicago
Here is the real deal, our family really enjoyed his talk Friday night at Kane Hall.

Family night out fun

Family outing to a lecture on the UW campus tonight. Dinosaurs and more!

My Scientist and Me

Paul Sereno Paleontologist

Sometimes you need a little rest, and then maybe a little more

Paper Pieced Hexagon's Wild

Hand sewing. Paper piecing. Using creativity to find peace.  I miss my dog. Oh, I have a cat in my lap as I type this, and the cats do greet us when we get home, but they are cats, not the same. I yell less, or was that my form of barking back?  I actually have vacuumed up food (and a lot less hair of course). I really still don't like to say his name yet, but he said goodbye and let me know he was happy and okay and he also did help me wake up on time one morning recently too, nice to know he checks in, what a good boy.

Tucker's last bath, with Nini trying to keep him warm

Not only sewing, but sleeping and Pinterest and 3 seasons of Downton Abbey later, I think I am over my bout of bronchitis, check that off my bucket list, I better never have that again, ever! Just waiting to kick the last of this headcold thing, blech. When it is time to rest, life gives you the opportunities you might say. So my heart heals with time to rest.

Valentine paper pieced hexagons coming together.

We've also had to say goodbye to Great Uncle Bill.  What a kind man from another generation. His service has been arranged to include a Naval Tribute, as appropriate for he served over 30 years for our country.

I thought I would cheer my Gramma up, as now she has lost another brother and also the father of her children lately, a visit to her old friend Norma was in order.  Kirstin even got some more freeway driving practice before her driving test, which she passed, no problem! Now a car?

Norma 3 years ago at 104!

So Norma turned 107 last week!  She is also a very kind lady.  I like to think of her as sort of a mother figure for Gramma, and nothing better than a hug from someone special.  Norma was thrilled with the visit and we also brought her a little surprise.

1878

This is her Grandparents marriage license from Lehigh County, Iowa 1878!  We framed it with UV protective glass for her to have out and she can share with her family, there are still quite a few of them left in town. In fact, while visiting Norma, I got to meet cousin Claudia, who knew of me thru another cousin Katy, who I have yet to meet other than thru email, but we have been working on their family tree together.  Again, funny how life works isn't it? Claudia remembered my Gramma from years ago, and was happy to see her again.  My Gramma married into a really neat family, and they are one reason why I enjoy genealogy and family history so much. I really can't wait to see what is in their box of photos!  I do love that life continues to give you things to look forward to.  I end with, Newfoundland...and a Way To Go Hawks!

Oh the Holiday's

Well the 2013 Holiday Season whipped thru quite quickly around our house.  Did I really not mail Christmas Cards? Still very surprised by that.  Thought a nice Welcome 2014 Card would be a nice touch, where might those show up from?  Maybe when this annoying dry cough goes away, okay I will just eat another Lifesaver.

Holiday fun stuff!

This years cousin party for my kiddo's at their Auntie's house yeilded a new craft experience of mini snow globes. Yes glitter everywhere, what else can I say?

Snowglobe Creations

Some of the other crafts that were made at our house have all gone to new homes this year too.

Felt Ribbon Candy Ornaments

Singing elves

I think I will go find the pictures of the singing pinecone elves to add to this post.....