Moving Along

 It's time for us to move away. Now that we've decided to serve missions for the next season of our life, it's time to change blogs, too. I've moved to Where are the Willards? In the rear view mirror, I leave 20 years of memories. It was the perfect house to raise our children. And I'm confident I'm leaving it better than I found it.

Cover Quilting Again

 Dodi contacted me about another magazine quilt and I was happy to do it. Unfortunately, all of my time has been spent getting the house ready to sell. Setting tile, painting walls and ceilings, and rebarking the landscape. So it was a nice break to do a little swirling.

Mary Wore a Red Dress

 When Papa became a grandfather, he read this book to his grandchildren. I can only imagine it came from one of his schools. Listening to Papa read was a riot. We all fall short when we try to copy him. Mary wore a red dress, red dress, red dress. Mary wore a red dress all day long.

Birthday Thai

 To celebrate Jim's birthday, we all went to Monroe to Benjarong Thai. The food was so delicious that we had dessert, too. Monroe is such a strange place to me. I visit every 5 years and it changes so much in between visits. The first time I saw it was 1993 when we moved to the cabin. It's strange to have spent so much time in Washington, even more than in California.

Surprises

 Last year for Mother's Day, Danika picked me up a chrysanthemum at her workplace. I planted it after the holiday and forgot all about it. But look here, it grows happily in the front yard, blooming like it has always been there.

When we were driving up the driveway yesterday, Paul caught sight of a startled large bird. After parking, we walked out to try to find it. It took us a good 5 minutes of staring into the trees to catch sight of this barred owl.

My First Log Cabin

 My mom made me my first log cabin when I was young. She worked hard to place the lights on one side and the darks on the other, but straight set it by accident. She was always disappointed that she didn't create that streak-of-lightning layout she had intended. But I loved it. 

I loved it so much, I wore it out. And it's time to take a picture and throw it away. Thank you for everything. 1977-2019

CeCe's Blessing

 We traveled to Boise to see CeCe's blessing over the weekend. There is something wrong with me. I love to hear babies cry during their blessings. It's like they want to have their voices heard, too. But CeCe didn't complain at all. she only cried when I held her.

Awards

 After years of moving these around in a cardboard box, being flooded by a hot water heater, and sitting in the garage for 20 years, it's time to toss these. Some are from San Pasqual Unified Middle School and some from the High School. I laughed when I saw one of these was for best section--Sopranos. Isn't that what all sopranos think? Ha!

CeCe Arrives

 We have another addition! Howard and Pam welcome Cecilia to their growing family. She is so sweet and the kids are very excited to touch her.

A few days later, we were able to come visit to see her.

Trip to Port Townsend

 We took a trip to the Port Townsend to see Grandma and Grandpa Willard and Beth's family. They were vacationing on the water and we love taking a ferry with the kids.

Paul bought a package of Skittles and kept the kids happy for a long time! Some ferries have puzzles spread out on tables for guests to enjoy. This ride was too short for that.

Pride and Prejudice

There it goes! My mom bought this Yamaha for me when I was 15. Then we purchased it from her when Katie was a baby and moved it to Provo. It traveled to Texas and to Washington, and now is going to a new home.

Hopefully my next Yamaha will be a grand.

Happy Father's Day

 We visited with Katie for Father's Day. This gave Paul the opportunity to read books to the children. We hadn't heard of Dragons Love Tacos, but it was the kids' favorite. Katie is a great chef and very adventurous. When she comes across an exciting recipe, she is off to the store to buy supplies. 

Feathers

 When I saw Alison Glass's pattern for Feathers, I figured I could make one just by looking at it. So mine doesn't quite look the same, but it's close. I used the 45 degree angle on my rulers to make the cuts. I love the black background. It makes for better quilting visibility. Variegated thread is almost required.

I gave this to my friend Susan after she and her husband helped us move out of our home. She had mentioned that she liked the colors, so off it goes!

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's

 Katie and Tyler took a trip so we could spend some time with Jim and Naomi. We played and read books. We went to the Volkswagen dealer for a part. We cooked and watched movies and went to church. They wore us out and we returned the favor. Super fun!

Folk Flower Quilt

 I started a quilt for Jackson and Amber. I usually don't give recipients much say in what they get, just because if it's colors I don't enjoy, I'll never finish it. Jack said he didn't care about color, he just wanted to have a quilt long enough to cover his feet. He's tall.

I decided to use Anna Maria Horner's Folk Flower Quilt pattern. It is great for using scraps, but does require quite a bit of background neutrals. After cutting a large square, you slice it on the diagonal. Then piece in the 1/2"strip. Appliqué the flower and leaves using your favorite method.

It turned out almost 110" square. A monster. I've seen versions with dark backgrounds that I absolutely love. I will definitely use this pattern again.

Mission Papers

 We are trying to finish our mission paperwork which includes a couple's picture. So on our way into the temple, we thought we'd catch someone to take our portrait. The first person to come by was President Olson. He was happy to take the shot and though I wasn't thrilled with my hair, we are one step closer.

The requirements for submitting papers to be senior missionaries include doctor's visits, dentist's approval, and vaccinations. To serve in a foreign country, it is required to get a colonoscopy and for me, a mammogram. Sometimes it takes months to get these items all collected. Seniors can submit these papers up to 9 months before their availability date. We chose October 1st as our availability date, so we have plenty of time to complete the forms.

Katie's Birthday

 We enjoyed a birthday party at Katie's house. She even made her own cake. This is not a surprise as she has two qualities perfect for the occasion: 1. Fearlessness and 2. Spontaneity. We love her and all her qualities. She is a beautiful daughter, mother, and wife. I also love Jim in the forefront of this picture.

My Own Millefiori

 After three years, I finally finished my New Hexagon Millefiori. I probably wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't had Cathy encouraging me. The more I saw millefioris being finished, the more determined I was.

On July 17, 2018 I finished piecing the top. Paul was driving and we were traveling over Snoqualmie Pass when I slipped the last stitch. 

At this stage, I began thinking of a border. I didn't like any of the borders I had seen thus far. In a Facebook post, I saw a spiky border that was inspiring. I sketched out a paper piece pattern that would work. The corners were the trickiest. I cheated on the sides by making a larger black triangle in the center of each to make the math work.