Postage Stamp Quilt Update...

Ok... If you recall last fall I mentioned that I had not hit the "what in the world was I thinking" stage in making my postage stamp quilt.... well, guess what... I knew I would hit this stage eventually but really what in the world was I thinking?! The enormity of this project finally hit me today. I think I am a little over a third done and am wondering if I will ever get it done. I am considering setting a goal just to keep me focused like entering it into the Steele Days Craft Show or the Utah State Fair?? I am very happy with how it is turning out BUT now that the newness of it has worn off, it is a very boring and tedious project.

This is one four patch...
I have organized all of my color schemes into stacks like the one below... It takes me 1 hour to sew a stack like this into 18 four patches...

I have 28 stacks left to sew which equals approximately 504 four patches and 28 hours worth of spare time (ha,ha)....

But thats not all... After I have sewn all 28 stacks into the four patches, I then pair them all up and sew them into 16 patch squares....


Then, all of the 16 patch squares are arranged and sewn together to make the quilt. I have no idea how long it takes to do the other steps but it is going to be awhile before I get this thing done!

Happy 16th Birthday AJ!

Well with AJ's 16th Birthday 5 days away, the inevitable is here. Off-road jeeping!.. UGH! On Saturday we took the jeeps out past Elberta in search of some ghost towns. Adam and Mike road in Adams jeep and AJ & I followed behind (AJ was the driver of course) The ride there was ok, except his jeep has really loose steering and the roads west of the lake arent in the best condition in some areas. I had a constant worry that we were going to hit a pot-hole going 60 miles an hour and go flying off the road and left for dead in the sage brush. Then, on the way back we took a muddy off road detour up in some hills. Now dont get me wrong, AJ is a great driver, but as most of you know I have some anxiety issues with off-roading, not to mention, off-roading with an inexperienced off-road driver. If it is muddy, slippery, has drop offs that are more than 2 feet down or basically anywhere that is not paved and dry, I have serious physcological issues. I was certain that we were going to get stuck in the mud, roll the vehicle, slid down a slippery muddy hill, you name it, I feared it! So...I am at a difficult cross roads in my life. Do I go on these little adventures with my family and have anxiety the entire time or do I stay home and have anxiety the entire time they are gone?!?! Oh, boy, what to do??

Happy 13th Brithday Mike!

Even though Punxsutawney Phil says that there are Six more weeks of winter, my front flower bed disagrees. In fact, spring seems to be about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule compared to last year. Last weekend I saw the first signs of spring emerging in my front flower bed! I know its redundant, but you will probably read a post about the first signs of spring from me as long as I am alive. I love everything about the spring...watching the snow slowly melt away, the ground thaw and signs of life emerge, the smell of fresh soil in the air, birds chirping, warmer weather, more rain and less snow, kids playing outside... I love everything about it! See for yourself...below are some pictures of proof that spring is near!

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." - Sophocles