Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Current Project

The project I am working on right now is a Halloween quilt called Hoscuspocusville by Crabapple Hill Studio. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for so I was really excited when I saw this pattern at my local quilt shop. This quilt is really whimsical and light hearted. It draws on the humor of Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz. and anything witch related. With Hermione's Slit Ends Hair Salon, where bad hair days are guaranteed. And Hagatha's Dirty Laundry, - hard water stains added, and many more. There are 12 haunted houses total.


Here a some of the squares that I have done. You can kind of get an idea of what it will look like. The darker black is what I have stitched and the lighter black is the outline of what I still need to stitch.








Here is a picture of what the finished project will look like. There is no way I will be finished with it by Halloween. I just started it at the beginning of October so it will defiantly have to be for next Halloween!


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Birthday Gift

I am sooo excited. My Birthday present from my parents came today! They got me a complete set of measuring cups and spoons (I love kitchen gadgets). This may seem like a strange gift to some, but I think they are so pretty, I love the shape of the them the most. They ordered them through King Arthur Flour which is a really fun shop. They also carry all the odd ingredients that the grocery stores don't carry. It is fun to browse through their catalog and make a wish list. They also have some really good recipes on their website. I think 2 of my hobbies are collecting kitchen gadgets, and collecting recipes. One of these years I will put both of them to better use.





Speaking of recipes I have a large tub of them that I have collected over the years. My goal this year is to get them all complied into one book. That way I won't lose anymore and I will know where they are. I don't know how many times I have taken a recipe out of the box to make it and then forgot to put it back, and then lose it - so sad! The tub is now overflowing, so I think it is time to take action!




What's your favorite Kitchen Gadget/Tool?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pumpkin Patch


It's off for the annual Pumpkin hunt!
This year at the South Ridge Farm in Santaquin Utah!
This is a first for us. Our hunt usually finds us at Albertsons Grocery Store.
I hope we can turn this into a tradition.
Even though it was a long way to travel it was worth it!


First up is a hay ride out to the Pumpkin Fields.
Everyone grab a seat, keep hands and feet in at all times!
Grace quick grab a seat!




Ready set go, the search is on for the perfect pumpkin!




Looks like Grace is the first to find a Pumpkin,
and it's just her size!




It's fun to go with a friend!




Now take a minute and enjoy the Country. It is so peaceful!



Now it's time to head back! Does everyone have their Pumpkins?
Hop back on the Wagon!




Until Next Year!

National Storytelling Festival 2008



Every year I go to the National Storytelling Festival that is held the first weekend in October. They hold it in a small town in East Tennessee. I'm not sure how the locals feel about it, with the added traffic, shut down streets etc. It's funny how if I go out of town I will put up with added annoyances like more traffic. But when I'm home I will not even venture out if there is a football game that is about to start because I know the traffic is going to be awful. I guess it all comes down to what is important to you.















Jonesborough is a really charming historic town, and the Festival literally takes over all of downtown. They set up tents for the event all throughout downtown. I would say downtown is about a 4 block radius. They decorate the town with a great festive fall feel. They have flower mum pots, corn stalks, hay bails, and pumpkins that really add to the atmosphere.





















They have a lot of shops on Main Street that are a lot of fun to visit. This year's new store on Main Street was Earth & Sky Confections. They are a chocolate shop that has really unusual chocolate flavors like rosemary carmel, cayenne pepper. They were all really good even the dark chocolate which is not generally my favorite. The fun part of their chocolate is that they have designs on the top of each piece that look like they have been printed right onto the chocolate. I wish they would show how they created them, that would have been fun to watch. The good news is they do ship! So you can have them at your next party for a little added flare.




Jonesborough has a lot of history. It is the oldest town in Tennessee and has been a part of 3 different states (Tennessee, North Carlina, and Franklin) Many of it's original buildings are still in the downtown area. The building above is said to have an entrance into the Underground railroad and is haunted. The picture on the below is a billboard on the side of a building. When the building that was connected right next to it was torn down, this painted billboard was discovered in perfect condition.





In all I would say this year's trip to Jonesborough was a good one. Although the plane ride seems to get longer each year! The weather was perfect, therefore my hair was perfect! Those who know what humidity can do to hair, can feel for me!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Birthday Bash!

My Birthday lands on the 19th and my friend Tierney's Birthday is on the 21st. So this year we decided to celebrate both of them on the 20th! It was so much fun that we decided to do something every year on the 20th.


This year we went to a old west dinner show in Pleasant Grove. We were served up baked potatoes, pulled BBQ meat, beans and dessert. The show was a cowboy/western, which isn't my thing, but Tierney and her family are really into it.


Tierney's Mom did a great job with decorating our table for the occasion. But because of the decorations, meant that others knew it was our Birthday, which was a problem for me because I hate attention. Her family loves attention so it was great for them. In the middle of the show they announced that they could not find their can-can dancers, but they knew where they could find replacements. I was dying because I thought they were going to pull us up because of our Birthday, but instead they had their eyes on the men in the audience. My friend Lindsay's husband got pulled up and did a great job. He was really funny about it. He is the one in the middle. He was glad he got to pick his skirt first and chose the more manly blue one. At the very end of the show they did make me and Tierney stand up and have everyone sing Happy Birthday to us.


Like I said Lindsay and Tierney are really into anything western, and showed up in their own cowboy hats, boots, and chaps. Here they are outside the dinner theater being silly and doing a little dance. They brought a hat for me so I wouldn't feel left out.