It's In the Bag

Our Relief Society is working on a service project. They want us to make small afghans out of baby yarn to give to the little ones who are still-born at the hospital. First, let me say that I'm very busy! But quite a few years ago my sister-in-law had a little one that she lost at seven months. I'm pretty sure I told you at least part of that story once before. Her baby died the week before Taco was born. Anyway, because we had shared a small amount of her pain, I really wanted to help make one of these afghans.

I learned to crochet when I was about 10 years old. We did it for a primary project and I was pretty proud of my hard work. But when I showed my project to Grandma, she was not very happy. First she told me I was holding my crochet hook wrong and I would have to relearn how to hold it correctly. Then she told me every stitch I made was too tight!  And she was right. It was extremely difficult to get the hook back through for the second row of stitches.

I was devastated. I wanted to make her so happy! She loved crocheting and I swear she could do it in her sleep. I finally completed a project that was a pink baby cape. I know, it was very impractical, but what did I know, I was just a kid...

Grandma said all the right words, but I could tell that she was still disappointed in my apparent lack of skills. I tried a few other projects, a couple of baby afghans out of broomstick lace which is sort of crocheting, but not really. I made a full-sized afghan, but it was using another tool that looked like a couple of knitting needles. I also started another baby afghan just before Bossy was born...it's still half-done in a bag somewhere. Overall, I'd say I was pretty much a failure when it came to crocheting.

But I really wanted to support this service project. Two weeks before Grandma died last fall, Teach bought several skeins of baby yarn so that Grandma could make her some baby dresses. Sadly, the dresses were never made and the yarn is just sitting.on a shelf. So today during General Conference, I pulled one of them out, dug in my junk drawer until I found the right size crochet hook, and got started.

After I had done about three rows, the Drama Queen decided she wanted to help too. Unfortunately, she couldn't find another crochet hook that was the right size. Being the awesome mom that I am, I handed her my project and let her have at it. But first I had to teach her how to crochet. It's funny, but she held the hook the same way I did until Grandma made me change. Of course I pointed that out right away...no sense in having to break bad habits.

After the morning session was over, she handed the project back to me. She had done about three more rows, and you know what? Her stitches were tighter than mine! Finally, now that Grandma is no longer here to see them, I've figured out how to crochet. After I finish this afghan, maybe I'll even pull that old bag off the shelf and finish Bossy's afghan...it will be a little small...

San Francisco

Ghiraidelli Chocolate Factory

We haven't really been on that many vacations during our married life. It wasn't until Bossy was in middle school that we actually took our first real one where we did all the planning, scheduling, you know.  Sometime I'll tell you about that one, but today I want to tell you about our first out-of-state trip.

I wanted to take the kids to see the ocean. I had been there once as a child and it was something I wanted to share with them. California is obviously the closest for us, but we couldn't really afford Disneyland, so we decided to head for San Francisco. My sister had recently been there and she gave it glowing reports. It was the summer of 2004 and from the pictures you can see that Sport was the baby and Scout wasn't born yet.

While I was busy making reservations, I ran across City Passes for the first time. They saved us SOO much money! But even more importantly, they helped us plan our trip. We got these 4-star hotels in Burlingame which is just a short drive from San Francisco. I'm pretty sure our room rate was $46 per room per night. I loved that hotel! It was beautiful and clean and new. I brought home all the extra shampoo bottles and every time I wanted to remember that trip, I would sneak one out of the drawer and use it.

My first glimpse of the bay was absolutely breathtaking. We didn't know where we were going and we were traveling by this wall of rocks. I told my sweetie to pull over and I would quickly scale this wall (I was much younger then...) and I thought we might be able to see the bay in the distance. Wrong! When I got to the top, the bay was right there! I could have stuck my foot in it. I had the kids carefully climb the wall to see what I saw and we were all mesmerized by the sight. Thankfully no one fell in.

One of the things the kids were most excited about was the cruise we took around the bay. We had never really spent much time in boats, so it was a whole new world for us. We took my MIL with us. She was sweet and patient with the kids (although she has refused every vacation since!) and I think she had a little fun anyway.  The Pier itself was awesome even though we didn't shop much. We loved the underwater aquarium and the seals sunning themselves.

I have always been a little terrified of tons of water, so the bridges were scary to me. Not because I'm not a good swimmer, but because I didn't know how I could possibly save all these kids if we were to suddenly plunge into a large body of water and how would I choose? But I digress...

My sweetie wanted to drive on the bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge was fine, but then we got on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay bridge. It was rush hour and we were stuck there for quite some time. After nearly an hour, my very autistic Dog Walker announced that he had to go to the bathroom. He was bouncing around in his seat, doing the potty dance until we finally got off the bridge. We stopped at the first gas station and wouldn't you know it, it was closed! The poor kid, I don't know how he held it for so long.

Ghiradelli Square, the cable cars, the Golden Gate bridge, everything was so new and exciting! The favorite place though, was the Exploratorium. I think the kids could have spent a week in there looking and touching and playing...oh yeah, and learning. We loved San Francisco so much we planned a second trip back there the next year. Some of the magic was gone, but it was still a fun trip. And I got more memories and more shampoo bottles...

My Most Awesome Craft Project Ever

 I told you a few days ago that I'm not all that crafty, but once upon a time I was! It was Christmas 1977 or 78. I was a craft freak! Naturally I assumed everyone else was too, but that is not always the case. We generally made homemade gifts for our brothers and sisters. As the bratty little sister, I was always trying to impress my oldest sister, and not usually successfully.

So I talked with Grandma and we came up with an idea that I thought was amazing! She gave me some white fabric and we cut it to about the size of a sheet of paper. Then I looked through all of her coloring books. We couldn't find one that was just right, so she took me to the store and we bought one with pictures of dolls in it.

Then Grandma gave me some carbon paper (remember, this was the 70s) and I carefully copied each of the dolls onto the fabric squares. I was so excited when I was finally done! It took me many hours of concentration, but the quilt blocks were worth it. I could just imagine the smile on my sister's face when she opened them on Christmas morning.

The part I didn't figure in was the fact that my sister didn't really love crafts...I'm not sure she did embroidery work at all. But it was a gift I knew I would love, so I assumed she would too.

The blocks sat untouched in a box in her room for about three years. So one day when I was about 15 or 16, and she was off to college, I pulled them out and began working on them. As I watched the patterns grow, I became pretty addicted. I started taking a tiny box of supplies with me to church so I could stitch during Sacrament meeting.

Then I started taking them with me to school. I had a couple of teachers who complained, but when I explained to them that I could concentrate better (and not fall asleep) when my hands were busy, they didn't complain. I was a good student, so that helped my cause.

It took me two or three years working on them pretty much every day to complete them all. The hair was the worst! Because it was a coloring book, they didn't make any attempt to make fewer lines and I didn't think to leave some out when I traced them. 

When the blocks were finally done, Grandma and I went to the store and picked out fabric to piece it together. I hadn't intended to frame them, but the quilt would have been too small otherwise. After she helped me with the top, we had a distant cousin mark the pattern. Then we took it to my grandma on my dad's side and she did the quilting.

All in all, it took about 8 years from start to finish to make this quilt. It's beautiful and warm, but it's never been used. It has become a family heirloom that sits quietly in my cedar chest. Most of my kids have never seen it.

In fact, it was about six months ago that Crafty asked me if I knew how to embroider.

"I used to," I replied, "just a little."

Beauty Pageants

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? I know, that doesn't really seem to be my style, does it? Well, one year I was invited to be a State Finalist (whatever that means) in the Miss United Teenager pageant.I was excited and flattered and it took me a while, but I finally convinced my parents that I really wanted to give it a try. It was 1982 and I was a junior in high school

I never thought of myself as being a beauty. I struggled with weight issues all my life, but this pageant didn't have a swimsuit competition and it did have a writing segment. Silly me, I thought I might have a chance.

It was held at the University of Utah. Grandma brought me up to campus and I remember getting lost. We eventually found the check-in area and I settled into a dorm. The competition took two or three days and I really don't remember it all that well.

I know that the red and white outfit in the first picture was required and we all practiced and then performed a big number together in those clothes. They sent us patterns and I made the skirt. White strappy shoes were also required. We were allowed to choose our own evening gown and this peach-colored one was actually the dress my mom made for my junior prom.

I felt pretty good about things going in, but by the time I met the other girls I realized I was way out of my element. Having our pictures snapped every 2 seconds was disturbing to me and I didn't love wearing a dress all the time. I felt like most of the time I was pasting on my smile and not being myself.

Not surprisingly, I was eliminated in the first round, but that didn't stop me from tossing my hat into the ring one more time. I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I thought I'd let you have a look at two of my little sweethearts in their fun new Valentine's Day dresses. I love this pattern because it is so easy to sew.  It only has four pattern pieces and a zipper up the back. I've made dozens of them over the years for my girls starting with Princess. I've sized them from 6 months to 6X without a problem.

The hardest part was paying for the fabric! Can you believe that the regular price for this piece was $9.99/yard? I got it for half price and I only needed a yard and a half for both dresses, but it was still extremely painful.

When I was checking out, I got in line behind an elderly woman who was buying a new sewing machine. She was talking and teasing the clerk as her daughter ran the machine out to their vehicle. She called the salesgirl "annoying" right to her face, but then she said it was OK because old people can say whatever they want.

In an effort to explain her point, she turned to me and tongue in cheek said, "That is the ugliest jacket I have ever seen, you really should get rid of it." Then she laughed and said, "When you are in your 80s you can get away with saying anything and people just assume you don't know what you are talking about." Then her daughter who had just come back in through the door commented, "And if you aren't in your 80s, you can say whatever you want as long as you follow it with 'Bless your heart.'"

Then she proceeded, "She has been standing here so long she probably forgot she just bought a new sewing machine...bless her heart." Her mother chuckled, "What did you say I bought?" The banter continued for another minute or two as the two of them headed toward the door. I stepped up to the clerk with my fabric in hand. She smiled and called to the two women as they pulled open the door, "I hope you have a wonderful day!" So I piped up, "Bless your heart!"

That brought another round of giggles as they left the store. Sometimes I really miss my grandma. I hope you have a happy Valentine's Day.

Laugh much and love long...


As the Drama Queen would say, Happy Single's Awareness Day!

...bless her heart!

Vindication!

My four-year-old grandson, Burrito, goes to the HeadStart preschool program here in the valley. Every day his parents drop him off and then they are supposed to pick him up and bring him to my house so I can watch him until they get off work. This is a pretty good plan and not too inconvenient for me...most of the time. Then there are the days when Gamer's boss decides to take off early and Gamer can't leave the store. Those are the days I get to trek across the valley and pick him up. Yesterday was one of those days.

I got there a little early since I also had to pick up Taco from his school about 20 minutes away. They were all sitting around little tables eating apples and pretzels for their afternoon snack. Burrito wasn't all that excited about leaving until I assured him he could take his food with him.

While I was signing him out, one of the other little boys pointed to me and asked, "What's her name?" to the teacher. I stuck the flower pen back into the can and smiled. "It's Burrito's Grandma!" I said proudly.

That little guy expressed his surprise, "You're a grandma?" he asked. If you remember my post from a few weeks ago, you will understand my response. "Thank you!" I said enthusiastically. "That's the nicest thing anybody said to me all week!"

It Only Takes Nine Months

Linking up again for the Review Extravaganza! July was a crazy month for us. We started it with my Tupperware obsession confession. We spent the fourth at Grandma’s and then we took a trip to Idaho that included two grandsons. My sweetie was amazing, figuring out how to hook me up in the hotel rooms so that I could post every day of our trip. The elementary-aged kids started school near the end of the month, but not before we had a couple of days of camping. After a temporary blog setback, we finished out the month with one of my favorite posts, Six Seconds of Confusion…cause we’ve all been there…Sorry, Gamer.

Iron Chef Entrees

August was mostly a collection of stories from our past, an anniversary party the kids set up for my sweetie and me, all my broken bones stories, and my dramatic debut. We talked about our visit to the UP house and all the fun activities we did from the summer list, like our Iron Chef competition, a trip to Logan, and the County Fair. We also sent all the older kids back to school and I explained how in my house you might feel like you are seeing double!  My favorite post was Baby Doll’s desperate attempts to get out of church.

September was a difficult month for us, full of highs and lows. The Dog Walker finished all of his Merit Badges and we held a HUGE court of honor the included television interviews and then national and international coverage culminating in the story being run on CNN and other major networks! We celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary and the Dog Walker attended a major school dance. We lost my sweet Grandma near the end of the month. She was 93 and had lived a full and active life, but it was still hard. The stories about the Dog Walker are definitely amazing, but my favorite post was about our garbage strike when we were first married. It turned out to be a fitting tribute to Grandma even before she passed away.

Oh for the warmer lazy days of summer! We spent the evening celebrating what we affectionately call “Christmas Adam” (because Adam came before Eve, of course). We started this tradition about 8 years ago of having a family activity. One year we took a cruise on the Great Salt Lake with Santa. The second year we did the Polar Express in Heber City. We have gone to the movies, out to dinner, had a Rock Band competition…this year we took the kids miniature golfing, then to Sizzler to eat dinner, and finally to see the amazing light show put on by Ogden City. We also had the grandsons and Grandpa. The only one missing was Gamer and he had to work. So fun having all twelve of them together! That’s the best Christmas gift ever.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

When I was a kid, Grandma worked in a Furniture and Hardware store. I know, that might seem like a strange combination, but I did grow up in small-town Utah and we all wore many hats. Her store was so awesome! You could find almost anything you needed there…fishing tackle, appliances, carpeting, furniture, hammers and tools, batteries, clocks and even a few toys.

We loved seeing the new furniture when it came in! But our favorite thing to do was play on the huge rolls of carpet and the stacks of samples. Mom made us a doll house that used carpet and wallpaper samples, but I digress…


As part of Grandma’s job, she was responsible for wrapping gifts. They had several huge rolls of paper there and she could always find the right-sized box for anything! She made amazing curls with their gold curling ribbon and her packages always looked just right.

So at Christmas time we went to Grandma’s house to wrap our gifts. Grandma was a saver, so she always had paper and ribbon and huge rolls of tape. The real Christmas paper was generally nicely folded and reused from the previous year…and the year before that…(at Grandma’s we were never allowed to rip and tear). But my favorite way to wrap gifts at Grandma’s was with the huge books of discontinued wallpaper samples.

We would flip through them for hours, selecting just the right piece to match the personality of the receiver. Then when a decision was finally made, Grandma would use a razor blade to remove the piece from the book. The pieces were about 24 inches square so one sheet would wrap most gifts. I loved the ones with flocking on them or texturing. The best part was that the paper was so thick it was really hard to rip. And if you found a pattern you liked, usually the next half a dozen pages were the same pattern in different colors.

Grandma would sit with us and make sure we did the corners just right. If your piece was too small, she would show you how to turn the paper sideways and still make it work with straight corners and seams. She was amazing! She could wrap anything.

I love wrapping gifts, but now that Grandma isn’t looking over my shoulder, I’m not always so perfect with the corners. I guess over the years I’ve learned that with so many kids I have to wrap quickly. When my sweetie and I wrap, he carefully cuts the paper to exactly the right size (he is an engineer, remember), then he makes the edges and corners perfect.

Not me…I can wrap ten gifts to one of his. And we gave up on bows and ribbons decades ago. They just get smashed in the fray anyway. Unless I want to turn a gift into a giant cracker, of course.

I spent an hour this morning and wrapped about 30 presents. (It took me a little longer because I had to change the tape in the dispenser…) Teach is also a wrapper. She loves to help the little kids with their gifts. All of my kids still give to everyone. Yeah, do the math. Twelve kids times eleven pretty packages…we are well over a hundred gifts before we even begin. How about you? Do you like to wrap? Are you a perfectionist or just a get ‘er-done?

Taco Is Growing Up

My grandson, Taco, is turning 7 on Saturday. I debated about writing a tribute to him on that day to wish him a Happy Birthday, but then I decided that maybe I would just sneak it in a few days early. Being the grandma, I don’t really know his birth story. I know there are lots of people out there who have the entire extended family in the room with them when their babies are born, but we have discouraged that in our family. I’m a pretty firm believer that only the mom and dad should be in the room when a new little one is born. It should be a special time of bonding for the parents… there’s plenty of time for siblings and grandparents later. OK, now I’m getting off my soapbox.

Bossy and my SIL were pregnant at the same time, Bossy with her first, and my SIL with her third. My SIL had two boys at home and she was so excited when they pronounced this third child to be a girl. Bossy was due the first part of December and my SIL was due in January. But one day in mid-November, for no apparent reason, my SIL stopped feeling movement. She checked in at the hospital and her worst fears were confirmed. The little one she had carried for about seven months had no heartbeat.

They began the induction process and after many hours, they went for the C-section. We were invited to her hospital room to say hello and goodbye. I had never experienced anything so heart-wrenching. She allowed each of us to hold her precious daughter and feel of that sweet spirit before she was laid to rest.

Bossy did not come to the hospital. We worried that her extremely pregnant body might remind my SIL of what might have been. But we couldn’t do anything about the fact that a few days later, Bossy went into labor and our sweet little Taco was born.

In spite of the cloud of sadness surrounding his birth, he has always been a bright, happy boy. His preschool days were filled with doctors and hospitals because of a seizure disorder. (Maybe I can get Bossy to do a guest blog on that later in the week.) But for now, I hope you like all these fun pics Teach found. I’m sure Bossy has more and if it weren’t almost 2:00 AM, I’d call her and ask her to throw them in. Happy Birthday, Taco! I can’t believe you’ve grown up so fast.

That Guy in the Middle

See that guy in the red shirt in the middle? That’s my dad. And he’s surrounded by a bunch of his grandchildren (but not all). His grandkids love him very much! After my mom passed away 5 years ago, my dad was not happy about living on his own, so he moved in with my youngest sister. Then about a year and a half ago, the powers that be dictated a change. My little sis wanted to have another baby and they simply didn’t have the space.

It was about the same time we had decided to finish our basement family room, so I suggested to my sweetie that maybe we could finish our final bedroom space to make a room for my dad. The amazing man I married readily agreed and we started framing once again. Soon the bedroom caught up with the family room.

As you can see, his grandkids played a huge part in the construction. My sweetie firmly believes that the best way to teach kids life skills is to let them experience them, so we had them help with as much as we possibly could. We only hired out the ductwork because we wanted to move some of the existing ducts, but other than that and the actual laying of the carpet, my sweetie and his little army did all the work themselves. (I’m so glad Teach didn’t put in some extremely unflattering pics of me caulking the baseboards. I was about 7 months pregnant and looked incredibly silly crawling around on the floor.)

Sadly, my dad is only with us part of the time since he likes his friends and contacts in Utah County. I have five siblings who live down there, so he stays wherever he likes. He really is the guy in the middle. But remember, Gramps, we love it when you stay here…so come often, ple-a-s-e!? (PS. Thanks for the fun movie party last night!)