Learning to Quilt

Yesterday morning, Yolanda and I decided to get together
to learn how to quilt on our own. We wanted to do some
thing like Hawaiian Quilts, but more on the side of how
the Tongan ladies do it with a more simpler design. She
called me up to meet her at a cheap fabric store with beau
tiful fabrics for less.

I'm pretty excited by all the fabric I see in this place and
for an affordable price. I can definitely see myself coming
here very often! I've never made a quilt before and figured
we'd need batting and all the necessary stuff you'd need
to make a quilt. Yolanda brought one for us to go off of
and it seems pretty easy to make.

We purchased 2 yards of this white quilted fabric and 2 yards
 of velvet fabric (to be cut out with designs) in two different
colors, emerald green and mustard yellow. I'm sure it'll
look nice. We decided to do the sewing at my place. Well
when we got to my place we laid out the quilt and looked
at the pattern and decided that we needed bigger tracing
paper to copy the pattern on the quilt. An hour or two later
and a trip back from Wal-Mart, we have a paper ready to
go, taped and copied. By the time we're done cutting the
entire pattern, it's already time for Yolanda to hurry home
to pick up her kids from school.

I'm really liking this whole quilting thing, it's pretty relaxing
and I'm already thinking up my own patterns for baby
Hawaiian Quilts. I just want to start small. Right now,
I'm drawing up my own before I head out to work today.

Have a great weekend, happy Friday!

 

Check List

Yesterday morning I woke up at 6 am to the alarm
on his cell phone going off, reminding me to arise
and get the kids bathed and ready for school. As I
was sitting up my lower back was aching from extra
weight gained since my return back home.

After seeing the kids get on the bus, I decided to do
something about it, but before that I would get the
house cleaned up and my last two loads of laundry
done before leaving the house.

I was behind in going to the temple for a session,
and was planning to go with Yolanda to the temple
but leave by 9 am. Yolanda texted the night before
to see if we could leave by 11 am since her kids
will be having a late start for school. I said, sure
not knowing that I would find out in the morning
that 11 am wouldn't work for me either as my
children will be getting out of school early at 1 pm.
and sessions are for 2 hours. So that wouldn't
work for me. So it'll be initiatories for me then,
I'll still be able to make it in and help in some way.

After returning from the temple, I decided to put
in the Zumba disc and play it on the Wii. It's been
a while and I need to get some exercise in for today,
I've been slowly watching my arms and derriere get
bigger and decided I need to get back to where I
need to be, a size 10. (I haven't been that size since
my second child, which was 17 years ago.) I did a
full hour workout going through three levels :) by
the time the kids walked in through the door from
school I was on the last part of my cool down
session. They cheered me on and said, "Burn that
fat, mom!" I was too sweaty to give them a hug,
so they got a smile and thank you instead. 

Those were my two biggest things that needed
to get checked off on my to do list. I'll be back
to doing Zumba today again after a good hour
of walking.

What's on your Check Off List today?

 

General Conference Catch Up

On Saturday we watched both sessions of General Conference.
It was wonderful to hear the messages given, I felt renewed
and spiritually fed. Loni my 8 year old actually listened and
told me that he loves the talks that were given. It really made
me happy to hear him say that, Nesi already had her General
Conference booklet in hand from her Sunday school teacher.
So that kept her busy for a while.

I also was contacted by my supervisor asking if I could cover
for a co-contractor on Sunday in Sherwood. I was told that she
is in the hospital, so I agreed and covered for her yesterday.

I really wanted to stay and enjoy General Conference, but knew
that we are struggling and I need to help out Mel with the finances
and figured that I'll catch up,while the kids are in school on Monday
morning.

This morning I did just that. After getting the kids to school, I
turned up the computer so that I could hear the messages from
the kitchen while washing the dishes and cleaning the house.

While listening to our President and Prophet, Thomas S. Monson
and others speak, I thought about the list of things that I was going
to change about myself starting today. These are things that I took
from the messages and talks given Saturday and Sunday.

• Family time is precious and hold our family home evenings every Monday night no matter what. Change our schedules so that nothing else is held on Monday nights but FHE [Family Home Evening]
• Don't Judge Others 
• Spend more time in the service of others
• Preparing my daughters to be prepared as women before reaching Relief Society through self-reliance, making sure they're not spiritually deprived, take them with me on my visiting teaching assignments so that they can learn early on how to reach out to our fellow relief society sisters to strengthen the homes of Zion.
• Reading the scriptures daily as well as the church magazines with the family to strengthen our family relationship and home. 
• Be closer to my hubby, family and siblings. 
• Pray always with family and for them

 

 

Downton Abbey...My New Favorite TV Show

I recently did a book review of The Maid of Fairbourne

Hall by Julie Klassen and learned about the way things are

run in a Hall in England. I've been fascinated ever since

that book review and then came upon Downton Abbey on
PBS channel last month. I then found out that the Season 1 

of Downton Abbey was also on Netflix as well. I can 

tell you that on Tuesday we watched all of it in one sitting

while packing all our 72 hour backpacks for emergencies.

(I figure if we're going to watch this we might as well be 

doing something useful at the same time..)

Yes, it's that good and soo addicting. I love the characters 

and can't wait to see Season 2. The costumes are exquisite

and I just can't get enough. The girls love to watch for 

the fashion. I just like that it's somthing different from
what's on tv every night.

Which is another reason I want to get my sewing on!
I've been searching for all types of Edwardian patterns
that I can get my hands on. My favorite is the Gibson
Girl blouse top pattern that can be found on amazon.com

The Cast of Downton Abbey..

The Crawley Sisters of Downton Abbey in Vogue

Click here for the article.

The Crawley Sisters & their mother. 

Thank goodness it's Sunday tomorrow. I always find myself 

counting down the days until Masterpiece Theatre comes on. 

Handing Out Mother's Cookies at Work

Yesterday was a great day at work. My second day and what's
more fun than getting paid to hand out cookies and coupons?
I had so many women taking a sample and leaving the coupon
saying that they'd eat the whole bag if they bought it. Others
just beamed as soon as they saw the Circus Animal cookies
and said that it reminded them of their childhood. I had to take
a picture of it and forward it to my supervisors. Hope they ok
it. I sold out of cookies by my 4:10 pm. and then got my paper
work signed by the manager, cleaned up and then headed home.

Today's going to be even better! I'm going to be passing out
Oreo cookies, Oreo 100th birthday party hats and $1/1 coupons.
I'll be asking shoppers to sample a free Oreo and have a Oreo
licking contest where winners will win a free Oreo 100th Birthday
Sticker. I love my part-time job!

I'll update you later on a picture and what happened. Other than
that I'm going to turn in for an hour then get up to wake the kids
for school. oops, forgot it's Saturday today.. Happy Saturday!

My New Favorite Hobby....Sewing

Yes, my friends..ever since I became a seamstress 

at Beehive Clothing. I walked away wanting to sew

more. So I bought myself a new machine. After 

paying bills, I decided to go with something afford

able and that wasn't going to break down on me. 

I've only had experience on the commercial power

machines and figure the home machines should be

a cinch. So I got on to Craftsy.com bought a few 

courses on sewing dresses, couture techniques,

hand tailoring and more. I'm telling you, it's addicting! 

first one class, then another one! I'm also addicted to

Pinterest and all the lovely DIY, Cooking and Sewing

ideas found on there.

So far I've sewn a plaid scarf (from a pillowcase) off 

a tutorial I found on Pinterest. Now I'm waiting for a 

Vogue pattern arriving any day now for the Couture 

Dress tutorial I signed up for on Craftsy! So excited

about my new hobby, I stocked up on items I might

need for upcoming projects at Walmart this morning.

So I wouldn't have to run to the store for a while.

Here's what I've found fun to make so far from 

Pinterest. I'll update you later on how I did with the

Couture Dress Tutorial and the Starlet Suit Jacket 

Tutorial. Want to check out a free tutorial? They 

have one on how to make Dipped, Dusted & Rolled

Handmade Chocolates. I love that one!

The tutorial is here at Vermillion Rules

My version of The T-Shirt Ruffle Scarf! 

(took me a minute or two to make it!)

My trusty Janome machine. I'm wanting the
Threadbanger machine, but that one sold out
on Amazon.com, so this one will do for now:)

new sewing tools, most of them were .97c ea.
at Walmart.

What are your favorite hobbies?

Latest Updates....

Hi Friends! It's been a while since I've been on here and
alot has happened since I last posted from Salt Lake. I'm
currently back in Portland and working again. This time,
I'm getting my contractor license back up again to be able
to start working and pay off my son's mission coming up
pretty soon. How much? $10k....Yes, my eldest son is
going to be 19 on the 10th this month and getting ready
to put in his papers to serve the Lord. I'm so excited for
him and the road he's chosen to take. I found a little part
time job on the side that's part time and the pay isin't so
bad. I'm sure you're itching to find out...I'm started last
week as a product demonstrator for $12 an hour. That's
not bad, considering people are out there looking for a job.
I thought it was something to do in my spare time while
getting everything set up again for the business.

Last week, we finally received our tax refund and paid
some bills and saved the rest to get re-licensed and all.
I really miss Salt Lake and my old job at Beehive Clothing.
It was a wonderful environment to work in and I made
friendships for a lifetime. Now, I'm on to a new chapter
and new things. On my exit interview with my supervisor,
she gave me some great advice and told me that I can
always come back there someday if the family moves
back to Salt Lake again.

Taking her advice, I'm keeping myself busy these days
with the kids, working and starting the hobbies I've
always wanted to start but kept putting off. (That's on
my next post) Although I was really busy in Salt Lake
working and all, I did shed some 35 pounds when I was
there. When I got there I weighed 300 pounds, coming
back, I finally got the chance to weigh myself and
really glad to see that I now weigh 265. I still am trying
to go down to my weight goal of 180 pounds. That's
another post as well..

How was your week?