Random Update

I haven't updated for a while. I have put posts up, but they're mostly about Lost. And while my life does slightly revolve around that show, it mostly revolves around my darling children and dear husband. So...in no particular order and with absolutely no pictures, here is an update from the Blue Family:

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1) Spring Break was this past week. For my elementary kids it continues into this week. Miss Q, the lucky high schooler, goes back tomorrow. Wednesday she gets to take the Math AIMS test. Keep her in your prayers!

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2) This past week was also Fair Week. I was going to take the kids myself, but since I was rear-ended Hubby got to spend Wednesday with me instead of going to work. He was supposed to make sure that I took it easy. Poor guy. I drug his cute fanny to the Fair with the kids. Then I sauntered from exhibit to exhibit while he chased the little people around. It was very nice...For Me! ;)

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3) Miss Q entered a painting into the Fine Arts category. She won a third place ribbon. She was shocked. Somehow she didn't make the connection between entering a fair and being judged. She'd never won a ribbon before and was ecstatic!

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4) Rose entered a bag into the Home Economics category. She won a first place ribbon. I think it was the french seams, grommets, and sturdy handle that won the judges over. She made the bag herself, with me just giving the occasional instruction.

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5) Anne entered a skirt into the Home Economics category. She won a first place ribbon. She loves this skirt and wears it often. She was worried that the judges would realize she had worn it and that it wasn't new. Gasp!! I told her that if it was clean the judges would never know. She also worried that those judges would try to sell her skirt to someone else. (In Miss Q's category they sell their stuff.) The judges themselves assured her that the Home Ec category sells nothing. The exact quote: "We spend way too much time making these things to just sell them off like that." Anne is happy to have a blue ribbon and is greatly relieved to have her skirt back in her hands.

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6) I entered the Snow White costume I made last summer for Into the Woods. It won a first place ribbon. The fair judges don't give out just one First place, one Second place, and one Third place. They can give as many of each ribbon as they want. The places are determined by the quality of the work. I was quite pleased that my work earned a blue ribbon.

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7) I also entered a cross-stitch sampler I had made. I was confused when I first saw the ribbon on this one...it was purple. But it said "Outstanding" so I figured it was alright. Turns out, purple is better than blue. Who knew?! I won an award from the town's EGA chapter, Embroidery Guild of America. The award was Ten Dollars cash. How exciting!

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8) We had an earthquake on Easter Sunday. I was kind of ticked by it. I was having some pretty hard contractions that had started to get closer together. Then the ground started shaking and the contractions stopped. Oh well. The quake lasted about a minute or two. The epicenter was many mile away from us. No damage was done. There were several aftershocks during the remainder of the day.

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One of my neighbors wants to move out of here now. The quake really scared her. With what I know of tectonic plates and the earth's shifting movements, an earthquake could happen anywhere. I would much rather deal with a little shaking than some other natural disasters...

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9) I was officially cleared to have this baby any time last Monday. I had another appointment today. I am dilated to 2-3 cm. Which means NOTHING! I have been dilated to 3+ for weeks before I've given birth. I really wish there was an accurate indicator that would tell me when this babe is coming. It would be so much more convenient for me. Haha! Listen to me whine. Sorry about that. I have everything prepared for my kids and for the two Fosters. Babysitters in place, respite plans in place, bags packed. Now I just need some regular contractions 5 - 7 minutes apart or my water to break. ;)

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10) Conference freaked me out. The Saturday sessions were fine, but Sunday morning was NOT! We listened to conference over the internet and I didn't catch the name of the man who gave this particular talk, but...he really freaked me out! He gave a lovely talk about how we shouldn't take offense even when horrible things happen to us. I'm sure that in a few months I will look on this talk as one of my favorites. I have often talked about this very subject in lessons I have given in Sacrament.

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The problem I have with his talk is that he kept talking about women who died in childbirth!!! Aaaaahhh!!!! And the babies died too! After he started talking about the second woman dying, I screamed for Hubby to turn the blasted thing off!!! It was not a very good example to set for my kids, but COME ON! This whole pregnancy I have been extremely worried about either myself or my child dying. Hubby has done his best to reassure me that we'll be okay, but I'm still nervous about stuff.

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Luckily, the man's talk ended a few minutes after my outburst. I kind of zoned out after that, trying to get a grip on myself. I came back when the Prophet began to speak. Holy Guacamole!! That dear man, whom I love and sustain with all my heart, started talking about dying too! He spoke of how it was alright and how we would be together again someday. And I just couldn't take it. I don't want to be together someday with my family. I want to be together NOW. I do not want to die. I do not want my babe to die. Again, I'm sure I will look back on this talk in a few months and really appreciate his words. But as my dear Prophet was speaking, I was praying that his talk would end and end soon. Gah!

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The afternoon session was a bust for me because I just kept replaying the first speaker's and the Prophet's words about death and wondering if it was an omen...a warning to me to get myself ready. Hubby has done his best to tell me I'm crazy and am not going to die. I am trying really hard to believe him. Too bad my hormonal state with this pregnancy is a worried mess. Last pregnancy I was just grouchy about everything. Little things would irritate me greatly. I think I would rather be grouchy and irritable than paranoid and worried. :(

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11) I finally have some of my South African souvenirs out on display. They have been sitting in my memory box since my Grandparents returned from their mission back in 1987. Now they are on display in my kitchen. I will take pictures and post them at some point. Just not today.

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Well, that's all I can think of right now. All the Blue's are happy and healthy. We are just counting down to the baby's arrival. Tomorrow marks 15 days to Zero. Wish me luck...Oh! And if I do die, make sure to tell my kids how much I loved them. Hubby already knows how much I love him, but little kids tend to forget and my kids are just little enough that some of them might not remember at all.

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Did I mention that I am slightly paranoid and worried???

White Elephant & A Cross-Stitch Completed

When I was invited to the Homemade White Elephant party, I didn't know what to make. The party was in a few weeks and I certainly didn't have time for any of my normal projects. I started rummaging through my stuff, looking for a half-finished project that I could quickly complete. I stumbled on a finished Cross-Stitch Sampler. Perfect! I would get it framed and use that.

Cross-stitch often requires a special framer, one who knows how to stretch the material just right. Otherwise it can come out looking funky. And some framers can actually ruin your cross-stitch. Anyhoo, I found the good framer in town, the one with a cross-stitch specialty. I told her what I was going to do with my sampler and She told me I was crazy to give it up for a white elephant gift or any gift for that matter! After a brief conversation (which included many admiring remarks on her part regarding my sampler), I agreed. The reason...I had put years into that cross-stitch and the woman recognized that. There's not many people who recognize the labor behind the art. And I had, after years of not cross-stitching, forgotten that. So sad! She was a blessed wake-up call. Plus the framing cost $100. Considering the time, effort, and cost it is Definately NOT something I want to use for a white elephant gift! That's when I decided to make a quilt instead.

I picked up the completed and framed cross-stitch yesterday. IT. IS. BEAUTIFUL!!! I am SO glad that I did NOT use it as the white elephant. It is going to have a prominent place in my living room or dining room. Not sure which at this point. I'm just sure that it will have a prominent place. I mean, LOOK. AT. IT! It turned out SO GREAT!!! Hooray!!! :)

So Sarah, What did you get from the party??

I was number four to choose. All of the gifts were placed in black garbage sacks, so there were no hints about what a gift was. This being my first year, I wasn't sure about the "etiquette" required when choosing a gift. So I didn't feel or shake or man-handle any of the bags. I just grabbed one. By the way, turns out there are no etiquette rules during this game. The other ladies were not shy at all about feeling the presents, no, not shy at all! The shook them and felt them up good. Sheesh!

Anyhoo, I opened my bag and found this:

At first, when all I could see was one pastel oval, I thought it was an Easter gift. The tree is about two feet tall and eight inches wide. It's sitting on my piano in this picture. My oldest daughter, upon seeing it this morning, exclaimed in awe and wonder: "Someone made that tree?" Of course not silly girl! I explained that the tree wasn't homemade. The ornaments were.

(sidenote: I sat by the lady who made the ornaments, she was the best person to sit by. she knew who everyone was and what every gift was and she loved every present. it's always good to sit by the someone who is having the best time)

Some of the ladies were going crazy stealing gifts from each other. Not me. The gift I chose stayed by me the whole night. I'm glad because at times the stealing got a bit dangerous! ;) My kids think the tree is a great trade for my Sudoko quilt. They love the tree and already have plans for decorating it next year.

I wasn't sure what to expect last night. What sort of gifts people would bring? What types of homemade items? But now I know. Thirty-two women showed up. Three made jewelry--very pretty jewelry. Several made decorative items to display in your home. (Some of those items I had no idea what they were. All of my decorative stuff is some type of painting or sewing.) Several made wood items--painted with vinyl lettering or vinyl pictures. And a few made items from scrapbook papers. One other woman made a blanket...hers was the flannel type that you cut strips about three inches deep into the fabric, then tie the strips into knots. A very easy blanket to make with very cute results and involving no sewing. She also tied some jingle bells into hers.

There were only two other women who sewed their gifts. One sewed a reversible apron, then stuffed it full of goodies and put it in a cute basket--that she did not make. Haha! The other sewed little bags out of different red materials, then stuffed them full of apple cider and hot chocolate mixes, cinched up the bags around a cinnamon stick, and glues two little paper leaves to the package. They looked like little apples. She put her "apples" in a red coloander. Of course, me being in such a sewing mode, those were two of the homemade items I liked best.

Most of the items were a different sort of craft than I was expecting. I've been so consumed with sewing for so many years that when I was told to bring something homemade, all I could think about was sewing projects. So I spent a solid week and a half making my Sudoko quilt. My fingers and neck are still sore. Silly girl!! I could have thrown a flannel blanket together in an hour. Or made wood projects in a few hours. But I didn't think of those beforehand. It's kind of funny, because I've made so many of the projects that were brought as gifts. And they were lots easier. (But they are all packed and not staring me in the face, which seems to be the only way to jog my mind from sewing lately. Haha!!) I am SO going to be prepared for next year!!! Now that I know what to expect, I am going make the best White Elephant ever next year!!!

Oh! I almost forgot. I did have a good time at the party! I really enjoyed getting together with so many great ladies, so many FUN ladies. I'm glad I attended! :)

PS. I am not misspelling Sudoko. That's how it's spelled on my pattern.