A Small Quilt

I have taken on trying to make a quilt as my next big project. I have been puchasing the fabric on ebay and making a postage stamp quilt, made of lots and lots of small 2 inch squares. That is a big project. Last Thursday I decided to make a smaller one out of some Amy Butler 4 inch squares I had found.
I made most of the top Thursday and finished the last few rows on Friday.


Saturday I went to Jo-Anns and got some brown fabric for the backing and cotton batting.


Today being a holiday and so a day off I completed this little quilt.

No more "slick bomb"

I have my sewing machine out to work on my current big project and my husband recently asked me to sew some new patches on his uniform. You see the Secretary of Defense was planning a visit and they had to get things ready, including updating the uniforms. In December there was a huge test in which he had to convey his previous 4+ years of knowledge to a panel of navy people who asked a ton of questions. Months of studying paid off and he became a senior tech! Therefore on his "crab" he is no longer a slick bomb but he has a star on the bomb.

He also earned is parachute a few months back and that needed to added as well.


Talk about scary sewing...but all went well. His 3.5 minute talk on EOD stuff was shortened to 1.5 minutes but he met the guy (turns out he is pretty short) and he even got a coin.

Dentist Tales

The dentist, the dreaded dentist. Actually I never really dreaded them much, till recently. Last Tuesday I went to the dentist wit my shiny new insurance, I knew I needed some work that had been put off till I got my new coverage. So I showed up expecting a few fillings...and got a root canal! I had never had one and sure was not expecting the pain. So then I went back tonight to get those fillings...I got three fillings in two teeth. How does that happen you may ask. Well when they fill a tooth and the band around the tooth gets attached to the nice little filling and the dentist tries for awhile to pry the thing off (yes that is as uncomfortable as it sounds) and it wont come off they have to just drill out the new filling and start over. Oh the fun! Last week I was in the chair two and a half hours, tonight for one and a half hours and guess what...I get to go back next week for the final filling! So yeah I am beginning to understand those people who hate the dentist.

Southern California Winter

Who knew that you could relax in the sun at the beach in January?


Turns out you can and the weather just may be in the 70's and very very nice.


My parents belong to the Antelope Valley Treasure Hunters Club, a metal detecting group and this month was their trip to Santa Monica and my mom invited us along with my cousin and her two kids and my brother.


We played in the sand, dug holes and tried to bury Mikes feet in sand, of course then they needed a moat to keep him in there.






Here is my Dad in a little competition the group held in the sand.



Overall it was a great day in the sun and we all had fun. I would take this over snow any day!

Top Ten 2007

So here it is my list of the top ten book I read this year (in no particular order)

Harry Potter: Yes everyone knows it came out, it finished the story and did it well. For those of us who have followed it this far it was a sweet ending to the series and ended how it should.

Dairy Queen: The story of DJ and her life on the farm, her decision to play football at her high school and all the trials of being a teenage girl on a dairy farm and trying to hold it all together.

Gingerbread, Shrimp and Cupcake: Three books here, a short little series about Cyd Charisse starting in high school then beyond. She deals with life, her boyfriend and the challenges of her family in an amusing way that was fun and interesting to read.

Larklight A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space: What a great story this was, a space adventure set in Victorian times, I really enjoyed this tale and look forward to the recently released sequel.

Giver, Messenger and Gathering Blue: Another three pack of books here. These stories have stuck with me even though I read them towards the beginning of the year. There is a lot going on in them and I highly recommend them.

Homefront: This is an excellent period book, it takes place at the start of World War II when the main characters brother goes off to was and here Aunt and Cousin come to live with them from England. This story is a little harsh in a mild way at time but also sweet and shows the growth of the characters and the changes that war forces on people.

December reads

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen is a book I felt was similar to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but a gentler version. Annabel is a pretty popular student who has friends and models as well. At the end of the school year something happened and Annabel withdrew from everyone. When she returns to school in the fall she realizes how much her withdrawal has changed things. She meets a new friend, builds some old relationships, learns about her family and in the end the secrets all come out. This was a good book typical of a YA story. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin is about another popular girl who takes a fall down the stairs at school and forgets everything back to sixth grade. Since she has forgotten so much the person she is now is different having not been formed by the events of her teenage years she can not remember. She struggles with all her relationships and learns a lot about herself. I really enjoyed this book and the journey it takes the reader down.

In You, Maybe by Rachel Vail, Josie is a independent strong girl, however once the affections of a popular boy turn to her she changes, suddenly her clothes matter, she worries if her hair is the way he likes, etc... Through the relationship she begins with denial about her feelings then goes for it turning away her friends. Over the week of the relationship very predictable things happen and the ending is figured out very early on. Skybreaker is the sequel to Airborn by Kenneth Opel and picks up the story not too long after we last heard from Matt and Kate. Matt is now at the Academy and Kate presents another adventure, to catch the infamous airship Aurora. This is a great adventure story and was enjoyable to read.

**Forgot one, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This is the autobiographical of Jon Krakauer offered to journey to the top of Mt. Everest for a story, the trip turned out to be one of the deadliest treks in awhile. The author also peppers the book with historical information about the mountain.

Latest Project

It has been awhile since I posted any crafts, this is because I have been working on a massive one for about the last month and a half. Lets take a look...


Here is is with walls and starting to decorate, can you tell what it is going to be yet?


Another shot of the decorating process, the wall are done and these here in the front are for the ground.


Hey look at that there is snow on the ground and more sparkle on it. There in the front is the beginning of the roof.


The roof is ready to decorate! Are you ready to see the end result?


Here it is, a little gingerbread house with removable roof.


A look at the side.

And now the back.

I finished this project tonight and boy are my fingers tired. It was a kit that was fabric, thread, sequins and beads. I had to cut cardboard for the structure and cut all the fabric out. Everything was sewn by my little hands with a needle and thread. There are still a few accessories that can be added, but I think I am ready to put this project aside for now! Next up something big that will involve a sewing machine!!