Polkie-Dotties Make Me Happy!

I love all things polkie-dotties and I can't believe that I DON'T have a label for that until today!

I've been wanting to try this pattern of polkie-dots for almost a year. So today I did! I've enjoy using CND Shellac* so much. My manicures last about 10 days so I always can try something new.

As I was painting my nails (which isn't a fast project for me) I remembered that, lo, many months ago, I told Debra Munn that we needed to do her toe-sies before Morgan and Macey were born (guess we missed that window of opportunity). So after some errands I packed up my little rolly-rolly cart and went down the street to spread the polkie-dottie cheer. (Can I just say I love going down to visit with them?)

Since I'd just pinned some new ideas on Pinterest Deb choose one of them and I got to try out another fun design.

And Mama Crook DEFINITELY needed happy polkie-dottie nails to pull her out of her funk!

It's amazing what a new coat of paint will do for your spirits!

Let The Sewing Begin!

When Stuart and Stephanie got engaged last month I offered to do sewing for their wedding. Tonight was the shop-a-thon for bridesmaid dress fabric and pattern. Stuart, Stephanie and I all met at JoAnn's. I've been saving up my 50% off coupons for this occasion.

Stephanie had a good idea what she wanted for the dresses so we just needed to find a pattern that fit the bill. Without much trouble we found one; then we had to multiply times 8 and special order the fabric. Yep, and got to use one of those coupons!

We called Gordon to come meet us for dinner at Joe Bandito's!

Yum and thank you for dinner, Stuart!

Elsie, Fiona and Spencer- Family

I got a text from Camille just as we were walking into the house from our Temple day. It said,

"I keep forgetting to tell you but occasionally Fiona looks like Spencer these days."

And you know the funny thing? As soon as she said that I knew the exact look she was talking about. Those photos of Spencer where he looks like my Mom, the original Grammy!

So I went ferreting in my digital photo files (thank you Cindy!) to find this photo of my Mom, Elsie Louise, taken in 1913. Now here we are 100 years later with her little great-grand-daughter that very much has her great-Grammy's eyes.

I love how these family resemblances pass down from generation to generation. The funny part about Spencer is that for as much as he looked like my Mom as a baby he morphed into my Dad as he became a teenager! Weird how that works out sometimes.

Baby Fi-day

So we've all heard of Friday. But this is not Friday this is Fi-day. Starting this week I get to go spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with Fiona.

I love that I get to have this time with her.  

The Morning Breaks...

... the shadows flee.

That is how I feel this morning as I walked up to the Provo Temple. Seven weeks is just too long for it to be closed.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here as a patron and an ordinance worker. What a wonderful blessing in my life.

The dawning of a brighter day...

Are You Kidding Me?

Sadly, I've been a migraine sufferer for decades and it's time to make this complaint publicly. I realize this is a powerful Rx medicine...

BUT, REALLY?

Migraines frequently affect your eyes, kinda like a poker in the eye.  And then I'm supposed to open this? This whole blister pack is smaller than a nickel!

That is all...

Annabelle's *Under the Sea* Quilt

The first thing I want to say is this: I am so grateful that we are able to know the gender our little babies before they are born. I love that when these little ones get here, where we can see them, we already know them. What a blessing.

That said, this is baby-Annabelle's quilt.

Annabelle will be arriving sometime around her Daddy's 30th birthday in just a couple of weeks. Spencer and Deborah have waited very anxiously for this little girl. We've witnessed great blessings from our loving Heavenly Father where this little darling is concerned. (And since I am already crying we will leave it at that!)

Deborah said she wanted to have an under the sea theme for Annabelle's nursery, but not cartoonish. I was just about to despair of finding anything like that when I came across some wonderful foundation-pieced patterns.

As soon as I found these patterns I made a mock up of the quilt using PhotoShop as I envisioned the wonderful melting colors from the lighthouse in the upper left corner across the quilt to the deep blue sea in the lower right!

I started with the lighthouse, enlarged 200%. Yes, I liked that very much. My very second block was the *baby* dolphin. He measures 3" by 6" and is comprised of 58 teeny, tiny pieces. He was just too little to be allowed!

I certainly didn't want teeny, tiny whales. I ask you, have you ever seen small whales? So the grey whale is 200% and the orca is 150%. (I also enlarged the sail fish and a mama dolphin)

As I played with ideas on setting the blocks I dug in my stash and found this great fabric that was *just made* for the back of this quilt. Frankly, I've had it for so long I have no idea what I originally bought it for. I had 4.5 yards and bought it when we still lived in Palmdale! I love that there are little smiling fish and sea anemones floating among the sea flowers.

And, serendipitously, there was just the right spot to personalize a label. I will add her birth date once she arrives.

Now Mr Octopus waits patiently, just like Grammie (and Mama and Daddy), for Miss Annabelle's arrival.

Happy 30th *Cut-Your-Finger-Off* Anniversary

Thirty years ago today was my due date with *Velma Candy Lewis* aka Spencer.** We had waited so long for this dearly-wanted baby.

January 3, 1984 dawned a happy day. We had Erik and Doug visiting for the holidays and both Rebekah and Rachel, our Lamanite foster daughter, were there as well. Gordon had a swing shift out at the ATC, so it was just the kids and I for dinner.

I'd read, somewhere, that you should plan on something special for your due date since you really weren't likely to have the baby on that day. In that mindset I decided that I would make a chicken dinner. Back in those days (you know, the dark ages, 30 years ago) I always got whole fryers and cut them up myself. My Daddy had provided me with a dandy set of knives AND taught me how to keep them sharp because, "You only cut yourself with a dull knife!" (Sadly, I have proven that adage WRONG!!!!!)

I pulled that chicken out of the freezer and nuked it so that it was mostly thawed out. My philosophy when I handle raw meat is: clean the sink, deal with the meat in the sink and then clean the sink again. All went well until I was making the cut through the knee joint between the leg and the thigh. Somehow my very sharp knife slipped on the somewhat thawed chicken and cut a divot right out of my left middle finger! I flopped that hunk of finger right onto the counter just like a piece of chicken. And you know what I said?

"Ack! Why did I do that!!!"

[and I love that Harley photo-bomed my finger pix]

I could see right off that this was a major problem (ya' think?) I grabbed a dishtowel and wrapped it around my finger and applied direct pressure. Hey, I knew what to do! Then I asked Rebekah to get some ice and a little tupperware cup to put the piece of my finger in to take to the doctor.  I called Kaiser to let them know I was on my way. The advice nurse assured me that I wouldn't need to bring in that tiny piece of skin so I dumped it down the newly cleaned sink! Fortunately, a friend came over to stay with my house full of kids (9, 9, 9, and 7) so I didn't have to bring them along.

I got into the examining room and the nurse there put my hand into a Betadine solution... When Dr Jones came in he rolled his eyes (wall-eyes) and asked if I had that piece of finger! I would need to take it with me to the specialist in Panorama City.

OK, so now I call home and say to Bek, "Reach in the garbage disposal and get out that piece of finger, will you?" Sadly, her little 9-year old self just couldn't bear to touch it so my friend, Ruth, reached and got it for me.

I also called Gordon at work to let him know that I would need to pick him up at work to drive me the 50 miles to Panorama City. We retrieved my missing appendage from home and went (with my labor suitcase, just in case) to see Yuseff Yuseff, who put Humpty-Dumpty my finger back together again with 13 stitches.

And you know what? That considerate little baby Spencer waited until my finger was completely healed before he made his appearance!

THREE WEEKS OVERDUE

** (Early in my pregnancy little 9-year old Rebekah had a dream that we had a little red-haired girl named Velma Candy Lewis. So I was pregnant with Velma but had Spencer! Remember these are the days before regular ultrasounds!)

Saving Up Sunshine

I walked out to deliver a singing birthday card to one of our little Primary kids in just my long-sleeved shirt. Ah, I do love this 40° day! This is one of those bright cerulean blue sky days! I just love this wonderful shade of blue! Even though Salt Lake City is in the midst of an inversion-yuck day we sit high enough here on the Springville bench to be out of most of it.

On my return I noticed all of the beautiful things all framed by that gorgeous sky. I fetched my Rebel (which has been languishing in its camera bag for way too long!) and went back out and retraced my steps to capture some sunny-sky days.

The thought occurred to me, "Wouldn't it be nice to be able to store up some of this sunshine and blue sky for one of those bleak, dark days that I know will be coming?"

Fortunately we can do that! We can save up our happy thoughts and faith-filled moments for those dark, discouraging days that come to all of us.

Then we can "repair our nest" and be good as new again.

So that's what I'm doing here, on my blog; filling up my pockets with happy thoughts and sunshiny days.

My Darling Niece

My darling niece is a writer AND she is going to be published! As part of that process she needed a bio photo for her book. She asked if I would be willing to be her photographer. Sure thing!

She was traveling home today after spending the holidays with her folks so we set up a photo shoot right here in my little corner of paradise. (I'm so glad the Eves share their beautiful pond- all the way from the Philippines! Although their nephew looked a little confused today!)

As I was clicking photos I was impressed, again, with family!

MY FAMILY! 

Many times I have this experience as I look through the viewfinder! I'm taking Sarah's photo, but who I see in those eyes, cheeks or smile is my Mama! (or my Daddy) It is déjà vu!

[isn't she the cutest?]

The first time I experienced it was almost 16 years ago when my niece Cindy got married. There she was, at Grammy's temple, looking like her Grammy AND with her Grammy's wedding rings.

I'm so grateful for the eternal nature of the family. That these wonderful people who are my family will continue to be MY FAMILY!

I've missed posting to my blog on a daily basis! I love having this very real and pertinent record of what I do and see. So project twenty-fourteen is under way. It is for me and if you folks like to read over my shoulder you are certainly welcome to.