Tait Times of 2011 - Part One

I decided to do a "year in review" like I've seen so many other bloggers do.   My purpose may be a little different - I've left out a lot of things on this blog this year.  I am torn with what to do with it and whether or not I will continue to blog at all - I think I say that at least once a year (maybe twice!).  So, until I decide, I shall continue on.  Here we go with some highlights:

January - I finished my first t-shirt quilt.  It turned out so beautifully.  My dear friend Carrie is such a patient teacher.  Les began her first semester in college.

February - I remember being very busy and overwhelmed preparing for our stake Relief Society Women's Conference.  In my church calling, I am the president over several congregations of LDS women.  We decided to do a women's conference.  At the time, my two counselors in our presidency were having lots of challenges and traveling, and so my secretary and I had to really be the ones to keep the ball rolling.  I think I started to breathe again sometime in late March, a few weeks before the event.  We're gearing up to prepare for one in 2012.  I can already feel the heart palpitations....

March - hmm.... must have just been living day to day life.

April - The previously  mentioned Womens' Conference came and went and was wonderful.   We were blessed with a great committee and had what we felt was great success.

This is also the month when the beginning of the rest of the year's busy-ness began.  Brian found and began dating who would become his future bride.  Many texts and phone calls were exchanged an prayers said in his behalf.

 I also planned, prepared for and went on my 11 day Mom adventure!  I never posted an update nor photos. So,  here we are:

BYU Women's Conference was truly amazing.  I had a great time with my high school friends.  I was truly blessed and uplifted by so many wonderful talks and classes.

I spent 3 days or so with Miki and Debbie.  We were also able to connect with Lisa, who I hadn't seen since I got married.

Ironically, my dearest friend from when we lived in South Korea, from Canada, HAPPENED to be in Utah!  She found out I was there through....Facebook.  The Irony.  I got spend a quick lunch and chat with her and her wonderful family.  I love you, Linda!

After Women's conference, I drove up to Rexburg, Idaho, to see my dear son.  I was so happy to see him!  As soon as I arrived, her came over and brought his girlfriend, Brittney, with him.  I opened my hotel room door and saw a beautiful girl holding my son's hand (I don't think they have let go yet... :-) ).As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one for him.  We went to dinner together - here is the first photo I took of them:

I was first called, "Brian's mom", and then she coined the nickname, "Momma D".  I think I like it.  I immediately liked her.  We spent a couple of days getting to know one another.  I was sad to leave.

May:  After leaving Rexburg, I drove back to Salt Lake and then flew to Arizona to visit my family.  My niece Linsey had had baby boy #3 and I was taking him a baby quilt!  (maybe that's what I did in March....).

Me and baby  Ridge

His brother, Bo, kinda liked it, too.

I forgot to get really good pictures of the quilt beforehand, so these are the best I have.
And, my other niece Evani also had had a new baby!  I couldn't wait to meet sweet Abigail Mae, too. 

My brother Randy and his newest granddaughter

 She got a quilt too - I'll post that later.
I visited with as many family members as I could.  Here are a few photos from that:

Linsey, Genevie and me

My nephew's wife, Stacey, and Krew

And with Navi

Travis and Krew

 Right after I returned, it was Mother's Day.  I spent a great weekend with Rich and Les:

June:  Ah, the beginning of the months of wedding-ing.  Brian and Brittney were unofficially engaged for several weeks, but  made it official at the end of June.  The moms, however, were beginning to move in high gear even though a date hadn't been officially set.

This was also the month when we decided to have a few things done to the house that were needed.  We had the above-ground pool removed, we had some new doors put in off of our family room, and had a new sidewalk poured out front.  What should have taken a few weeks lasted a few months.  It was a frustrating time, but we made it through.

Whew - that was a lot longer than I thought it would be!  I guess you'll have to WAIT a little while for part 2 - coming right away.  

Christmas Stockings - the mini kind.

Anyone still out there?  Yes, we're still alive.  I just haven't felt like saying much here.  Yes, there was a wedding - some of you have seen the photos on Facebook.  I will post about that at some point.  I've just kind of lost my blogging desire.

BUT, this post is about my Christmas project this year.  I decided to make something for my son and his new wife that would continue a Christmas tradition of ours.

I love Christmas advent - I love little gadgets and things that count down the days, and we did that a lot when my kids were little.  About 14 or 15 years ago, I made these:

 These little stockings, in a variety of fabrics, have hung down our banister every Christmas since then. They are filled with 1 little candy per person, with varying types so you never know what you'll get!  Some years they were ignored, so one Christmas in the recent past I didn't put them up to see if anyone cared.  They did - I put them back the next year.  That'll teach 'em!  It was nice to know that these treasured sewn-by-Mom stockings mattered.

Here are the ones I made for B and B:

 The differences?  My friend with a letter cutter cut the numbers for me instead of having to use a Sharpie.  The fabrics are a bit more "hip and happenin'", and I was lucky enough to find Charlie Brown Christmas fabric!  Love it - that is a Christmas MUST around here.  

Here is what they looked like together, old and new:

 B and B can choose how to hang them, and how to use them.  Hopefully they will continue a much-loved tradition.  I had great fun making them.  Another special memory begun.

T-Shirts, Memories, and Quilting

When Brian was a missionary, I wanted to make several things for him as a surpirse when he returned.  One was to have his missionary blog all done into a Blurb book.  The other was to have a t-shirt quilt completed.  There were other smaller things I wanted to complete....   Well, I got Year One done of the blog book, and that's it.  I finally finished his missionary quilt the day before he flew back for school on January 2nd. - yes, of THIS year.  WOOT!  Yea, that's me - the amazing goal setter and keeper.....sigh.

My dear friend Carrie once again assisted me in this adventure, as she did when I made my first quilt for L, which I blogged about here.   I had saved t-shirts for my son from when he was a little boy and played on his very first basketball team.  I had no idea what I would do with them, but I saved them anyway.  I am so glad that I did!  What a wonderful treasure this turned out to be!

So, first I laid out all the shirts.  The design areas have to be measured and ironed on to some heavy duty pelon so they won't stretch anymore (NOTE - this is not in chronological order, so don't try this at home!).

This is quite a complicated process - and I am not good at Math.  I had to create my own pattern using graph paper and teeny bits of paper.  Once I got the hang of it, it was actually pretty fun and I enjoyed making a design!  This is not the final copy, but an example of how it works.

After the design was complete and all the strips were sewn together....

...it was time to go to Carrie's house to use her amazing Long-Arm machine.

 

 We had a few challenges with the machine.... it can be a bit stubborn...

but never fear, it all worked out.

And in the end, it was GORGEOUS!! Yes, I am bragging just a little.

 

Some day, I hope my wonderful son truly appreciates the hours and hours of measuring, cutting, reminiscing, adding and subtracting, rearranging, crying, trying again, driving, sewing, and picking out mistakes.  I also hope his future wife (whereEVER she is....) will let him use it and will also love it and appreciate it.  

Guess we will just have to WAIT a little while to see......

OK, So There was ONE Christmas Project

So I thought I needed to do at least one new Christmasy, crafty thing this past Christmas season. The ONE project I did do this year was to make these cookies.  I love OUR BEST BITES.  I have used many of their recipes.  I was asked to make fancy cookies for a ward party.  While these may not be "fancy", they were time-consuming and turned out kinda pretty.   I used my own sugar cookie recipe. I used this recipe and tutorial.

I gotta say I didn't love the way the glaze tasted at all, but the affect was lovely. 

The Colors!

The practice ones.  I really wanted to make snowflakes, but I could not get it to work right.

The final looks - what I took to the party.  Eh - they're ok.... :-)

Prom Packaging

L is a Senior.  Last night her prom was held.  It was her first.  She looked like a slightly "punk" Cinderella.  Gorgeous.  She didn't leave school early to attend a spa or have her hair and nails done and her body scrubbed.  Many girls do that - I don't really get that, and she doesn't either.  "This isn't a wedding" was our mantra.  Thank Heavens - on multiple levels.   

We started prom dress shopping in March.  She has no problem keeping the standards of dress that our church follows.  Finding a dress on this side of the country that honors that is much more difficult.  While I could have sewn one for her myself, or ordered one online from some companies who support dressing modestly,  we decided to shop for a dress and see if it would be fairly simple to modify.  I have several friends who have done that, so I figured I could do that as well.

L is wonderful to shop with.  She knows what she wants and when she sees it, she's done.   When she was  younger, that bothered me - I wanted more of an  "experience" shopping with my daughter.  You know - "hmmmm.... well, let's see what the other 50 stores have before we get THAT one".  Nope - she wasn't having it.   I now appreciate that talent in her very much.  I wish I had it.  When we walked into the first store the first time shopping, she saw it, loved it, tried it on, and we bought it and were done!  Sweet.

Here is what it looked like before:

And here is the after.  I like the black satin sleeves - I think they "add" to the look, besides covering up my daughter:

They were pretty easy to slip-stitch in.  Because L is only 5'1", I had to also take up the length.  I did that by just folding up and matching seems and layers that were already in the dress, and tacking them in place.  The affect it had was to make it much more poofy and "cinderella-ish".  Worked for her!

She looked like a princess and had a wonderful evening.  Maybe we'll add a photo of her and the "boy".... and,  maybe not.  You'll have to WAIT and see.... :)

Pieceful Pain

 My Friday afternoon Project:

 

The Offender:

 

The Offended:

Good times.

Costumers are Here

Gone are the days of teaching school and decorating my classroom full of goblins, spiders, jack- o- lanterns and eery creatures.  Can public school teachers even whisper the words, "Happy Halloween" anymore?  Craziness - that was back in the 80s when that wasn't such a horrible, evil thing.

Also in the past are days and days of planning and prepping for my kids' costumes. Many times I sewed their costumes - until B was about 11 and L was.....hm.... can't remember.  Oh wait - that is because I still SEW them for her!!  We have skipped a year or two, but she loves the homemade ones still - I am grateful for that, even though I procrastinate and then stress out.  Why do moms do that?  You'd think that now that I am FIFTY I would have figured that out.

  Alas, I have not.

This year we did plan ahead since she wanted us to go to the Renaissance Festival.  Here is L in her 17- year -old Fairy Sweet and Innocence:

  And then, on All Hallows Eve, she changed her mind.....hmm......those brainy brain cells got to thinking and planning and thinking and planning.  I said, "OH no - I have already made ONE costume for you this year, you are on your own now!"

And she came up with this:

Clever girl!   She enjoyed sitting on the porch with her dad freaking out young and old.  Goulish Girly fun. And then, her HULK of a bud came over and freaked us out.  Not that he was goulish -
 he was Bill Clinton.

 

You know, that hulk of a president?  What a riot. Two goofs goofing.  Perfect. 

My heart was full of jack-o-lantern joy.

Spray Paint and Grown Up Furniture

So, I attempted a "make-over" this week on this ugly cabinet:

I shall treat this like all those decorator before and after bloggers.

Truth - We bought this small unfinished pine cabinet 13 years ago when we moved in this house. Yes, it has remained unfinished for that many years. Once again, fear of messing it up had taken over so I didn't try to do anything to it even though I bought stain, sandpaper, etc. TWICE. Yes, twice. Sigh. It has a sister armoire that remains unfinished and I am actually going to sell it. Anyone? Anyone?

The purpose of this cabinet was to hold the numerous Disney, church, and miscellaneous videos we collected when our big kids were little kids. Well, now those big kids have laptops and other electronics. So do Richard and I. Frankly, we both got sick of the cords all over the house charging this and that everywhere. I KNOW- yes, it bothered Hubby, too. Who knew? So, last Saturday, we spontaneously decided to re-do the cabinet and give it a new function in life. (again, as before in another post, I won't use that word "re-purpose" - bugs me). (Ha). (And, we don't do much at all spontaneously). Richard cut holes in the back of it first to see if our plan would really work.


I read and read over all the blogs that show the how-tos of spray painting furniture. I made my list and and went to town, came home and got started.

You'll get the REAL story here of how this stuff works.

Here is what I learned the HARD way:

1. When the decorator bloggers say "sand a little", I realized that my "sand a little" is way less than theirs. I did not sand enough at ALL.

2. Pine is a different species - hard to cover. Didn't read that anywhere.

3. When they say Prime WELL, they mean prime REALLY WELL. I didn't get enough coverage with the primer spray so it took me 3,000 coats of the color to cover it. Ok, not quite that many, but more than it should have.

4. I look at their photos of how smooth and nice their stuff looks. Mine didn't turn out smooth or that nice. So, when you come to my house, don't look too close.

5. Although this didn't go as I had planned, it doesn't look half-bad.... from far away. If I decide to spray paint furniture again, I will be much better at it. Part of me thinks I would rather just use a good ol brush and a bucket of paint.

Is that really THAT much more time-consuming than spray painting?

It's yellow - can you see that? It's up against my green accent wall -
I think it will look okay there.

6. Why is it that I can tell my kids and everyone else that "this is how we learn", and that they will learn from the experience even if it doesn't turn out perfectly, but I have a hard time with that myself?

7. Furniture grows up just like kids do, I suppose.

Better go call that therapist....time for a session.

Pioneer Day Eve Update

Well, here is what happened with the Pioneer clothing. My good friend Diane loaned us this outfit: (WARNING - Pioneer outfit model should be treated as a hostile witness, your Honor).

Thank you, Diane!! The white blouse was one of the Goodwill Finds.

Below is the outfit I DID create. The hostile model chose yellow fabric in a non-hostile moment:


It all looks better in person. I also made pretty cool bloomers out of jammie bottoms. One pair looked like this - you know, for patriotic purposes:

The other pair I made had big yelllow chickies. LOVE them. Forgot to photograph them. Gotta be a little unconventional, you know?

Happy Pioneer Day - a little early.

(Ok, she wasn't really "hostile", she just wasn't too happy about wearing pioneer clothes for 4 days. Can't blame her for that.)