bloom

Made my own b.l.o.o.m blocks today. :] I’m so dang happy!

I know my greens don’t match but I love this little wall frame.

Mine [top view] are a little different than the originals, but still very cute.
My green is darker and my pink is lighter, but the floral is just the same!

Can’t even begin to explain what it took to get that cute floral paper. I called the gal who made them in the first place. Begged her to tell me where she got the paper . . .  this after me trying to use some other paper last week that just didn’t say ‘bloom’. It was striped and checked, and wrong! Same colors, but wrong. I have to have the font, the paper, the color all speaking to me about the total project. If they don’t all work together, they sit in the basement for the next ten years.

See. These do not speak to me!

After telling me where she got the paper, I called the store, begged the owner to look through all her stuff; she found six papers, and we made arrangements to get them to me.

Mikelle was going to be driving near that store on Saturday. She was on her way to Ogden to take her [YAY] final test. The lovely owner of the store took the papers to Smith’s grocery store’s gas station with instructions for the attendant to give them to Mikelle the following morning at 7 a.m. as she passed through town.

What cheerful and helpful over-the-top customer service! I later found out she was business person of the year for the whole town and I’m somehow not even surprised! She even said I could mail the check!

Mikelle took the test and then drove to Lyman to give me the papers. Oh, she came to visit her dad, too, and to see her friends but mostly to bring me those darling floral scrapbook papers so I could b.l.o.o.m.

While I crafted, Mikelle cleaned the house. And then I filled up her car with gas, bought water, cranberry grape juice, rum lifesavers and she was on her way back to Logan to watch her guy play in his semi-pro FB game this evening.

And I’m here to tell you I’m one happy crafter! I cut and sanded enough wood to make four more sets of bloom blocks and will be giving them for wedding presents this summer. I’m not sure anyone else will love them like I do, but that’s the risk you take when you send me a wedding invite!

I love the popular saying “bloom where you’re planted” although it is WAY over used, but these little blocks say the whole thought without all the words!

stuff begets stuff

Half a day off from my two jobs, so I thought I’d get some things done.

I’ve finally put away the crafts. They’ve been overrunning the kitchen, for how long? I’m thinking since about February. I get going on a project and have a hard time actually finishing and putting things back where they belong. And I’ll think something is darling, buy the stuff to make six of them, only make one of them, and let the other things pile up. Oh how I need to get organized!

[Side bar here. I do crafts to make gifts for weddings and birthdays. I think I'm saving a bunch of money because I can buy something at Quilted Bear for $30 and make my own verson of it for $10. But when you factor in that I buy mateials to make six of them -- $60, I'd really be better off just buying one at QB in the first place.]

I know. I’ve done the math hundreds of times!

But today I’ve sorted, boxed, zip-locked and toted several piles that were leaning up againt the walls in the kitchen and between the hutch and piano. Now they are stacked in the basement, not much neater, but at least out of sight.

That’s the story of the basement!

There is no livable space down there. I always dreamed of a couple extra bedrooms in the basement along with a big family room, a carpeted play area under the stairs with chalk-board walls for the kids, a sewing room and a laundry room. When we built thirty some-odd years ago the neighbors all said, “Don’t build a basement. We all have ground water around here and it will seep it.” My then husband ignored all that friendly advice and sunk the basement down about five feet. Sure enough, water seeped in and continues every single summer. I hate it. There is mold, cracked cement walls, ruined drywall, decaying wood, you name it. It’s happened here. So now it’s my craft storage place. [If I remember correctly, Scott said it may be a violation of the health code down there . . and he's probably right.]

And I have about three thousand in food storage. Probably not the best place to store my potato pearls.

Ah, well,

The kitchen is cleaned, the bedroom is cleaned. Now I’ve got the bathroom and I’m all set for company.

I’d love to be the kind of woman who keeps things clean instead of trying to catch up. But after cleaning at the school for over twenty years I find it hard to come home after an eight or nine hour shift and really want to roll up my sleeves at home too. Sorry.

For today, though, things are respectable.

I’ve been watching Julie and Julia during the cleaning phase of my day and have loved, once again, Meryl Streep! What an amazing and talented actress. She can pull off any role. I remember in my youth watching the original Julia Child and Meryl’s got it down perfectly! The entire movie I kept thinking my Mother would have love this!

Scott and Andie will be here about nine tonight and we’re all headed to Logan in the morning. On the way I’m stopping at Heather’s to pick up all the vinyl she cut for me. Remember the Bloom blocks?

Yah, that’s where I’m heading. I can hardly wait! They are so stinking cute!

Come to think of it, that means another mess and another six projects. Actually I ordered around twenty projects from her and that means I need kitchen space.

Good thing I just got all the other stuff put away today. Now on to another cute project.

k.n.e.e.s.

Time to move on to something else!

I’ve been wondering about my faith lately. While reading, Women Food and God the other night I came to a part that really reverberated with me but which was a little painful and scary to consider as well. I went back over it a couple of times and then closed the book. I haven’t opened it again.

I don’t have the strongest faith. I like to think it’s sufficient. I often talk about it in church or with close friends. I say my faith is everything. I say I don’t know what I would do, where I would be, without my faith. And I believe that. But some days I know I’m lacking.

There are times when I wonder if heaven really can help. Is someone really up there? Sometimes I think I shouldn’t even ask for help. And so I don’t. Sometimes when I get into the habit of not praying, it’s because I think God really shouldn’t bless me or the specific children I’m praying for at the time because of something I’ve done. Or undone. Or not done.

And then I get over it and everything is back to normal.

Right now I’m struggling because of my dear sister. I’m worried about her diagnosis and treatments. I’m scared for her even though she’s courageous and believing and and in capable hands with her two doctors. I think if I had more faith she would be better right now. If I had more faith this would all get over with very quickly and she would be back to normal. So I feel like I have somehow let her down with my little faith.

It’s been a long time since I really, really prayed and I know I need to get back on my knees and reacquaint myself with supplication, with appeal, with communion, with entreaty, with petition.

Each night I go into my room and think, is this the night I kneel and pour out my heart? Then I perssuade myself, I’ll just pray in bed. I’m convinced that doesn’t work.

That’s my new goal I’m working on. Daily Prayer. And no, I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow at how I’m doing with that. I’m just writing it here to remind myself that prayer also is in my journey to b.e.t.t.e.r and it’s high time I worked on something besides food and weight related issues.

I saw a prayer on Second Wind a couple of weeks ago and I wish I would have copied and saved it because it was beautiful. It’s gone now, but I think about it every day. I would love to have those words back — to think about throughout the day. They were full of strength and faith and hope.

Today all my prayers are for Louise.

yippee for a spanish-speaking son

OK. It feels like an entirely new lifetime for me. A new beginning. I can finally concentrate on all the things that are important to me. Clean slate. Here’s a list of the things I can hardly wait to do for me:

1. I want to study today’s Gospel Doctrine lesson before 1 p.m. I scanned over it last Sunday afternoon [Gee, that seems like a lifetime ago!] and I know it’s on the birthright blessing: the marriage covenant. It’s all about Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Leah and Rachel. I love this story in Genesis.

2. I want to clean my bedroom. Enough said.

3. I want to get caught up on laundry.

4. I want to clean out my car and find the sour smell under the driver’s seat.

5. I want to clean out the fridge. I’ve been eating tournament food for three days and want to get back to fresh fruits and veggies. I can hardly wait to eat some Bruce’s cereal with frozen raspberries and walnuts. Maybe a sprinkle of wheat germ and some flax. Oh. It’s Fast Sunday. Maybe later.

6. I want to soak in the tub and slather on some ‘smell-good.’

7. I want to find the clothes I bought at Eddie Bauers last Saturday in Park City with Scott and Andie and see if any of them still look cute. I remember shopping, paying for and carrying them in a bag to the car but haven’t seen them since. I remember they were on my bed one day but I haven’t made it all week so they may be lost.

8. I want to clean the bathroom. I’m so embarrassed that Mikelle and Logan [apparently] came for the weekend and saw the house the way it was. I left at 4:45 each morning and got home around 8 at night, so I didn’t actually see them, but I heard they were here!

9. I want to turn the clock back so that I can say Happy Birthday to brother Rob, son-in-law Richard and cousin Kathy on the 4th, 5th and 6th, respectfully, so I can be on time for their birthday well-wish.

10. I want to put the ink in my printer that I’ve had sitting here beside it for over a month.

11. I want to call my grandchildren.

12. I want to find out the details of our summer vacation. Scott texted “We’re booked and I feel good about it” last Tuesday or Wednesday but I’ve not had time to find out any more. I know it’s in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan the second or third week in June, but that’s about all. Yippee for a Spanish-speaking son who takes care of details!

Today’s the Sabbath and I’m shooting for #1 and #6. Let the rest take care of itself for another couple days.

to Blythe; please take note

This hat is so stinking cute! I saw it at our big craft fair in early December and bought it for Mikelle. But I really couldn’t part with it so I told Mikelle it was too small for her. Then boyfriend, Logan, stretched it on his head and proved me wrong. I still want to hang onto it so that Blythe can copy the pattern and make a couple in her crocheting classes. She’s pretty creative and I figure with her imagination and Amy’s skilled teaching, the two of them can come up with something very similar.

It’s got this little asymmetrical flap-like thing in the front with a huge expensive button that adds enough character to make the whole headdress whimsical perfection. I love it.

Blythe, I’ll supply the buttons if you can figure this out and make me a couple!

Love, Gma

shear delightful

I’ve been so excited about my new shears in the bedroom. After ordering 12 sets from JC Penny catalog, I finally decided on the gold and cream together, alternating. I love the effect of ‘stripes.’ And they go perfectly with my striped spread and throw. Just what I needed for a mid-winter pick-me-up.  Love, love, love them! I love the sun shining through in the afternoon.

I was going to go with five different-colored shears matching the spread. I had three colors of red/burgundy/pink, three greens, three dark and medium blues and three neutral colors. But it was really too much! I tried them in different combinations but went with the lighter two and love the effect!