Christmas in Utah 2014

I spent a most wonderful 2 weeks in Utah with Mr. Wonderful and our son and daughter-in-law and the 5 grands.  It was loud and funny and loving and a truly amazing holiday season. I would not trade it for the world.   Here is Christmas morning, before the explosion of paper and boxes and ribbons and tags occurred. 

 Each year the Knotwells West have a family picture taken. This year, young John set the camera and Big John pushed the button.  This is my incredible family.  I am so proud of each of them.  The parents are an unbeatable team who are raising such caring, loving, smart and funny people.  The kids are so funny and smart and silly and I adore them!

 

Emily and Charlotte....two lovely young ladies. Both are fabulous big sisters to the boys and baby C. 

 William and Hewston...my two goofballs.  Really, they are so imaginative at play and quick-witted.  

 I got a haircut while I was in Utah...not that I needed to wait to get one there, it just happened that I hadn't had a cut and style in over a year and John made arrangements for me to get one while I was there.  Then, Young John agreed to do a 'photo shoot' since John and I hadn't had photos taken in several years.  The temps were hovering in the teens but he managed to get several really good shots.  This is my most favorite one of the two of us.  And below is my favorite one of Big John...that is the man that I fell in love with and have held up as my Hero for the last 43 years!

 Okay, here is the one of me that I most like.  A bit of grey, a bit of colour, and a bit of sass from the eyes!  Lordy, it was cold that day!  

While I was there, we went to the movies 3 times (that's 3 times more than I'd been to the movies in the last year).  We saw the 3rd and final Hobbit movie.  I really enjoyed it in spite of not seeing the 2nd one yet.  Then, John and Jill double dated with John and I and after a dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse, we all saw Unbroken.  Several of us had read the book and I must say the Angelina Jolie did a wonderful job of keeping to the book.  Only one spot that she changed - not sure the reason for the change, frankly - but the movie was very well done.  Even Big John liked it and he is the most critical of 'military'- themed movies.  And finally, John and I went to see Mockingjay, part 1.  I had read the trilogy and the 3rd book was the least of my favorites but the movie was much better and neither of us can wait for part 2 to come out.  

Spent my birthday with my family and flew home on the redeye the next evening.  When my final plane landed in Springfield on Sunday, at 9:30 in the morning, we were met with snow flurries....cold and flurries!  So sorry to leave that wonderful family in Utah but so glad to get home to my own bed!  

Hoping all of you have a fabulous 2015.  I'm using this year to clean out cabinets and closets and try to get to a minimal life....wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by. 

Holiday Time is Here

First and foremost, I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Happy New Year.  While I'd like to think that I regard every single day during the year as blessed and happy and merry, I admit to my own humanness.  I forget to be conscious of the people who make my life so very blessed.  Each year, I am reminded during the holiday season and vow to be better next year.  I am a creature of habit and will not disappoint myself or others - so, again this year, I am going to try to remember to be thankful each and every day for the people in my life.  You all add something that enriches my.  Thank you so much!

Mr. Wonderful and I were talking the other day about my renewed interest in machine embroidery.  Part of that renewed interest included bigger designs and larger projects.  John encouraged me to investigate getting a newer and faster and more powerful and smarter machine than the one I currently own.  Well, far be it from me to refuse a shopping suggestion!  In the course of my search, I came upon an amazing deal on a Babylock Journey embroidery and sewing machine.  John and I talked about it and we decided that the deal was far better than we'd find anytime in the near future so I did it!  Meet Miss Journey!  a friend came over and we noodled around with it yesterday.  I recognized quite a few of the features that my previous machine had so it wasn't quite so strange working with this newer, faster, bigger machine.  

 I'm kinda happy about how much she does on her own.

The newest feature that Babylock (the machine manufacturer) has is making quilt blocks in the hoop.  That guarantees each block is exactly the same so the quilt that results from these blocks is as near perfect as came be.   I admit it's kinda neat but I like doing the blocks the old-fashioned way as well.

One of the other features of this new machine is that I can import designs from my laptop directly to the machine via USB cord rather than the several steps involving a separate plug in and a card it required for the other machine.

I suppose you can tell from the pictures and the blog post that I'm totally in love with this new machine...well, I am.  I can't wait for the 'mastery' classes that I will take in January to learn about my new machine.

I have completed all the gift shopping and everything has been posted to the family for the holidays.  I won't be needing to take everything in my suitcase this year.  We are counting down the days till I join them.

We've taken the house off the market for the time being.  It's been listed for sale for over 14 months and folks are beginning to question what's wrong with it.  Taking it off the market and then re-listing in the spring will make it appear to be a new listing.  Rural properties are not fast sellers right now so this has been a difficult time for us all.  With luck, the new year will bring some welcome changes!  Pray for us, please!!!

Thank you all for stopping by.  We both wish you a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.

Hodge Podge Saturday

It's been quite a while since I updated the blog..No excuses.  It's been so terribly cold recently....below average temps.  Thank goodness for the furpeople who live here.  They cuddle up and provide that little extra warmth.  Gilligan is small enough to climb up into my arms and sleep like a baby.

While Carson and Briscoe are stuck on the floor cuddling together.

I had a visit from a friend recently.  Corey and his wife were our sponsors when we moved to the Philippines in 1977.  Corey always wanted to fly and went on to get his pilot's license once he went back to the states and got out of the Navy.  He got hold of me recently as said he had purchased another small plane and was going to be flying it home to Washington state from Florida and wondered if I was going to be home as he was flying into Springfield on his way home. I jumped at the chance to see him again after 36 years!  We spent the evening reminiscing about the PI and catching up on life.  Here he is at the airport getting ready to take off west again.  I asked if the plane had a name yet..."The Mistress" is evidently the name favored by his wife!  With that sassy red belly, I can agree!  TeeHee.

Anyone will tell you that I really hate winter.  I don't mind the cold, I can bundle up with the best of them.  But winter in the Ozarks generally means snow and ice and that's where I draw the line.  I am so fearful of winter weather that I get almost paralyzed by the fear.  I've already lined up alternative transportation in case we get snow and I need to get to work!  Anyway, they've been predicting our first snowfall for today.  And I'd scheduled to take a short class on machine embroidery in Springfield this morning.  Fate was with me today, my friends.  I went to my class, ran a couple of errands in town and motored home...I think I was home 5 minutes and looked outside on the deck...Here's what I saw.

 If I didn't know better, I'd think a pillow filled with small styrofoam poofs had exploded! And it's wicked cold out.

So I am home, snug and warm inside...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Now Sell, Dammit!

I can't believe it's only been a week since I last posted....usually it's about once a month if I'm lucky!  But here I am again...and with some cool news.  No, we haven't sold the house yet....that would be AMAZING NEWS....this news is only cool...to me, at least!

Back in 2004, I took part in a local quilt shop's monthly Block of the Month program (BOM)...you purchase the first block for $5.00 and sew it up.  You go to a mini-meeting the next month, listen to a short infomercial, show you made the previous month's block, and walk away with the pattern and fabric to make the next block.  If you don't go or don't get the block made, you pay $5.00 for the next block set. Theoretically you can make 12 blocks for only $5.00 if you attend every meeting and make each block. You can either purchase a kit to put the blocks together to make a quilt or use your own fabric and design to set them.  I usually purchase the kit each year.  This particular year, 2004, the choice for size was a crib quilt, a lap quilt, a queen quilt, or a king quilt.  I really, really wanted to make the king quilt but neither of us were working at the time and I could not justify the $100.00 it would have cost to buy the kit.  John told me that if I bought any kit other than the king-sized one, I would never be happy about the finished product. (He knows me so well!!!).  He said we would find the money when the time came to get the finishing kit.  And so I signed up for the big one.

I made each of the blocks that year and purchased the kit....fast forward to autumn of 2013...the quilt still hadn't been completed...it was a huge quilt, larger than any other I'd ever made, and required a lot of concentration and precision to compete.  I set a goal of completing it once John left to move to Utah.  In fact, he said that once I finished the quilt, the house would sell and not before.  You see, we'd agreed that this quilt required nothing less than custom quilting done by my very talented quilter here in Missouri.  So I set about getting everything done so I could send it to her...gave it to her in February and it took her about 4 months to quilt it...now the only thing left to do was to tack down the binding and it was done.  John kept reminding me that the house would not sell till the quilt was done.  Today I finished tacking the binding on this monster quilt. And I give you:

The Latte Quilt - Now, Sell, Dammit!

I am so proud of this quilt....it's been a long time coming and it will proudly be displayed on our bed once we get settled in Utah. And if John is right, we should be getting an offer on the property soon!  I hate it when he is right!

Thanks for stopping by. 

September Wrap-up

So this summer's quest that I set for several people has ended and I have received almost 75 patterns from all over the country and Ontario, Canada....23 people came to my rescue and braved their areas in search of patterns and licence plates.  I decided to make a mug rug for each person who went out to their local shops and obtained patterns for me.  I chose embroidery patterns for each of them and put their name on the rug as well.  I have spent most of today addressing envelopes and affixing stamps to 17 of them, 3 have already been sent, and I'm waiting on 3 more sets of patterns to arrive at which time I'll finish the mug rugs for those people and get them sent off. I tried to hide the names of the people who might be reading this so your mug rug is a surprise...if you see a name, there's a good chance that person doesn't read this blog.  I could be wrong about that and someone might see theirs here - sorry I spoiled the surprise.

It's now been a year since John went out to Utah and tomorrow marks 1 year since he started his job. I can't believe it's been that long.  I have a tendency to look at things in the perspective of deployments (we did 17 of those while John was in the Navy)...so some of you will understand when I say this:  When John left, the Mule (the farm cart I bought John when he turned 60 years old) had a full tank of gas...today I checked and I have a whole year's worth of gas left in the tank...I let you think about that for a while.  Yes, in 1 year, I've only used 1/2 tank of gas - that's using it every single week to take trash out to the bins, check on the water softener under the house, check on the orchard, run down to our neighbor's house, etc.  I surely do hope I don't have to wait another year before I can empty the tank and ship the Mule to Utah....I would love to 'waste' the gas left in the tank and move sooner than later!

The weather has turned cooler here in the Ozarks.  We've had a bit of rain in the last 10 days and a bit more expected this next week.  And it's predicted the temps will rise a bit also this next week.  But Autumn is definitely arrived!  I had to turn the furnace on a couple of days already...but today I have the a/c going.

Well, enough rambling...I'm off to read for a while before it gets dark and I settle down with some hot chocolate and a movie.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hey, John....Look What I Did!

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I just don't cook.  Well, I CAN cook, I just don't care to do it on a regular basis.  Fortunately for us, John loves to cook.  In fact, he is an adventurous chef and has gotten me to try things that I've said for years I won't eat - like some fish and peas - I still mostly don't like fish and peas but I've been known to eat them....occasionally.

Anyway, with John gone for the last 11 months, it's fallen to me to cook for myself.  I've subsisted on mostly grilled cheese or fried egg sandwiches, macaroni & cheese, or fast food.  I decided that I wanted to be more of a partner in the kitchen when John and I finally get to live in the same house again - whenever that may be.  With that in mind, I heard about Freezer Meals.  Snazzy little meals made ahead of time and stored in the freezer - requiring only to be defrosted and then cooked or even cooked from frozen.  I decided to try several that my friend Holly uses in her Freezer Meals workshops in Connecticut for Tastefully Simple.  Below you will see 9 Bayou Bourbon Burgers all seasoned and ready to cook.

 Here they are wrapped in foil and labeled and ready to go into the freezer.

Next to them are 9 Bar-B-Que Burgers, again ready to go into the freezer.

 And this is Bayou Bourbon Bake - using chicken and broccoli and some yummy sauces and ready to put in the freezer.  All I need to do when I'm ready to cook it is defrost and throw into an over for a short time and voila!  Dinner is served.  

This evening I made 2 more sets of dinners - Honey Teriyaki Stir Fry with chicken and stir fry veggies and a wonderful Honey Teriyaki Sauce.  And Vidalia Onion Baked chicken....garlic and cheese and ready to cook in the crock pot...served with pasta or rice and I've got dinner! The entire thing took probably 2 1/2 hours total and I've got over 25 meals ready for whenever I want them.  I'm a freakin' magician!

It's finally gotten to be summer here in the Ozarks...heat and humidity are really high and it's pretty miserable.  I'm really glad to have air conditioning - let me tell you.  

As most of you know, I love working on the computer and using social media to keep in touch with family and friends.  I've made contact with folks I went to high school with that I hadn't talked to since high school - and that's a loooooong time ago.  I've made contact with the folks I went to college with and stayed in contact with folks John and I have known throughout our military service.  I also belong to an online group of knitters and crocheters and weavers and fiber spinners called Ravelry.  Through Ravelry, I've made many, many friends from all over the world.  One of them lives in southern California and is coming to St. Louis early next month for some training for her work.  Since St. Louis is only a 2.5 hour drive for me, I'm going up there to have breakfast with her and meet her for the first time in person.  I'm so excited!  And that day happens to be my day off so I don't even need to take time off work.  I'm golden!

Well, enough rambling.  I'm off to work on the Row by Row projects...it's almost over and now it's time to start making up some of the patterns that my posse has sent me.  

Thanks for stopping by.  

If Heaven Kissed You on the Mouth!

Did you ever wonder what it would taste like if Heaven kissed you on the mouth?  That's the question our Childrens' Librarian asked me the other day.  I guess I don't spend a lot of time thinking about this particular subject.  Well, she led me to our break room and this is what she gave me.  A mini pretzel topped with a mini Rolo( smushed a tiny bit to make it easier for the pecan to adhere) topped by a pecan half.  Yes, this is what it would taste like.  Pure Heaven! 

 I recently received a most welcome surprise.  A nephew I haven't seen or spoken to in many years sent me a pattern and kit for one of the Row by Row shops that happened to be near his dentist.  He picked it up and sent it to me and I've spent today putting it together.  The picture doesn't really give you a good perspective but it is 36 1/2" long and 6" high.  The first row I've put together so far.  And I LOVE it! Thank you, dear nephew!

I continue to receive patterns from all over the US...most recently I've gotten ones from Oregon and Maryland, with promises from Washington, California, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Canada.  If I make every single one that I receive, that quilt is going to be humongous! Might need to rethink which ones I use...or make several quilts!

Well, I'm off to work on tacking a binding on a huge quilt.  Thanks for stopping by.