Joy to Everyone

You need to check out this video presentation. It only takes a few minutes but it well worth it.

Josephine Benifite Auction

This is my niece Josephine. She was born on October 22. Shortly after she was born she was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, or Edward's Syndrome.

She will not live long-trisomy 18 is genetic disorder where there is extra material from the

18th chromosome (like extra material from the 21st chromosome causes down syndrome.) About 95% die in utero. Of liveborn infants, only 50% live to 2 months,

and only 5-10% will survive their first year of life.Josephine has had many blue spells. Because of her condition she will stop breathing.

It seems that anytime her little body is under stress she has difficulty breathing. My brother asked me to make her a burial dress after the first episode.

This was a wonderful experience. I felt so honored to be apart of Josephine’s life,

to sew a dress that instead of being her christening gown would be her burial gown.

(You just can’t find dresses that small. I had to sew a doll pattern.)

Josephine is going strong on 1 month!

My Sister Lucy and niece Angelic are hosting an online benefit to help pay

for medical expenses. Any bids/donations would be great! Check it out here. The auction will start November 26th and last one week.

Check out Josephine's story and her amazing family here.

Hot Drinks for Hot Mommas

Here is the apron I made for the Hot Drinks' for Hot Mommas Apron swap. The pattern is called "The Sassy Apron" designed by Lucy Byrd.

It is a 2 sided apron for when you are working hard in the house and the door bell rings. You can just whip off your dirty apron and turn it over and you have on a nice clean apron for company. (That is unless you’ve already turned it over once.)

Here is a close up of the fabrics I used. The theme was hot drinks. So I have cocoa cups and mugs on one side, and the other side is dots that can be the foam on top. Then the ruffle looks like the steam rising warmly off it.

Of course I couldn't send it off without 2 of my favorite cocoas, raspberry and amaretto, and a hand made cocoa mug.

The Family

I just want everyone to know where I stand on this issue. I don't live in California but I do support the idea of the Traditional Family. It is very important to me. Everyone has the right of choice, as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. I would vote Yes to protect the sanctity of Marriage.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Round Robin Quilt

Round 3

Spring Fling Round Robin. Just a littl peek so you can really wonder. I wonder what it looks like, I wonder how it will be finished. and I wonder who it will go to.

Ike

Just when I thought this little boy couldn’t get any cuter he went and got glasses. His mom took him and his sister with her to the eye doctors and they all had their eyes examined. Well Zoë will need glasses in the future but Ike’s were off the chart bad.

This is what his dad said about it…

”We just discovered that Ike is blind as a bat. The eye doctor kept saying, "whoa" every time he made an adjustment. He made a point to let us know that Isaac has more than your average bad eyesight. He's unique. “

He may have gone from future athlete to future Chess Champion but I think he is adorable.

And I miss him much.

Ikie Grammy Loves You!

A Few Fun Things

I realized that I have been far to busy to do much blogging lately.
So I’ll show you a few fun things I have been doing.

First off here is the apron I made for the Fall round of the

Sassy Apron Swap.

The rules were:
1- A full apron for good coverage for all that holiday baking.
2- Include a hot pad to use in all that holiday baking.
3- A pie recipe to be used in holiday baking

Well as you can see I did homage to the pie.

You can check out all the taste pie recipes I included at my food blog.

After the last round in the Four Season Quilt swap I was feeling a little bad because I was enjoying the challenge and the exchange with other great quilters plus the quilts were small and doable. I was really going to miss the swapping but thanks to Margaret, I found out about her Spring Fling Round Robin quilt exchange.

Again the rules were simple. You made an 8 inch finished block according to the final recipients’ preferences. Here is a sneak peek of the one I did.

Sorry that is all I can show you for now.

I sent off my little block then waited to see what would come in the mail. Well here is the send round. I received an 8 inch block and had to add boarders to bring it out to 13 inch block. Again you just get a sneak peak. (I’ll have to post the final blocks when the swap is over)

I am finding that this is quite a challenge to work off of someone else’s idea, make it your own and still leave it possible for someone else to add onto it also.

Last of all. Last Saturday my husband and I went to the Walnut Valley Guitar Festival. Man was it great. National music competitions etc.

I just wanted to show off what I picked up at one of the craft booths. All I can say is that I wished I had a pair of knitting needles the rest of the day. Noting better then listening to great music and knitting. OH yeah we did snarf a funnel cake with powdered sugar. I guess I did blow the diet for that day.

Summer Quilt

I received this great quilt from Gwen. It is the last of the Four Season Quilts. I am sad to see the swap come to a close. It has been a fun thing to be a part of. I have gotten 4 wonderful quilts and I feel that I now have a little piece of the world. This quilt has come to me all the way from Germany. Gwen said she picked the fabric up while on a trip to her home country of Brittany in France. She said the fabric it typical Breton fabric. Well all I can say is that I LOVE IT!!!
Gwen has fussy cut little pictures bordered them with blue and yellow. Then she cut them askew and sashed them with red. Look at the detail on the mitterd boarder. Such attention to detail. Great work!

Yellow and Blue is one of my favorite color combinations. My kitchen is yellow and I have many blue things to go in it. This will look great in it.

All these great sea scapes.

This woman just looks sad to me. I wonder if she is missing her homeland. I can tell you I am sure enjoying a little bit of Brittany via Germany.

Catch Up Swaps

Sorry Sorry Sorry!

I have been really busy this summer. And here is a big reason.

This is Isaac Oscar Petersen (Ike)

And this is Zoë Ingrid Petersen

They are two of my wonderful Grandchildren

that I only get to see about once a year

so I spent a lot of time with them the past 2 weeks.

Well I need to do catch up on the swaps I have been involved with.

Sassy Apron Swap

Here is the Lovley Brandy modeling my summer Sassy Apron . It came all the way from Astralia.
Here is a close up of the details. I just love it. Very cute and I am going to have to gaurd it well from my daughter-in law aka the lovely Brandy

Srcap Fabric Swap

Package #1 came from M. Rivas in Atlanta GA.

This is a close up of one of my favorites.

Pacxkage #2 came from J. Tacy from Weare NH

A close up of one of the treasures.

It was really fun to get these fabrics. I love fabrics! With several of my daughters at home the last 2 weeks I had to really guard them well.
My mind keeps thinking of tots and little clutches and other girly things to make with these wounderful pieces. May be an accent on an Apron or 2.

Thank you all for Playing so nicely with me and being patient while I played with my Grandchildren.

Memorial Day

My Father passed away January 25th of this year.
Today I went, with my Mother and sister Lucy's family,
to the little cemetery where he was buried.

My nieces and I had gathered flowers from around Mom's home.

We made 2 lovely, mostly wild flower, bouquets.

We placed one on Dad's grave and the

other one my Brother-in-Law's Mother's grave.

It was a good day for remembering.
We had a lovely visit.

Summer's Here

Summer's here
I'm for that
Got my rubber sandals,
Got my Straw Hat.
It's my favorite time of the year
and I'm glad that it's here.


Just a little song by James Taylor that has been going through my head that last few days.
Well here is my summer SASSY APRON for someone special. But I won't say who.

My sister told me that this was an apron that my Mother's Mother would always make for the Church bazaars when my mother was frowing up. Well I am alwasy up for a chaneges when it comes to sewing so I came up with a pattern using my quilting tools. It was time consuming and I know of alot of ways to make it faster now that I have finished it. But that is for next time.

Clsoe up of the waist band. The one rule for summer was that you must..."The apron has to have some sort of embellishment this time like Ric-rack, fancy trims, decorative stitching, BUT must be washable so NO GLUE.) " Well I used NO GLUE!!! I sewed every thing.

Here is the close up of the hem detail.

I did end up making it revesable. I was just going to line it but if you go to the work of linning it you might as well make it pretty and sassy on both sides.

Fabric Swap

Tracey at Itching 2 B Stitching is hosting a fabric scrap swap. If she can get enough people to sign up you could get 2 partners. It is open until May 20th. To sign up you need to go over to her blog and get the information and email her. It sounds like a lot of fun. This is a great way to clear out some of your old bits and get someone else's little treasures. You know that one gal's scraps are another gal's treasures.

Happy Mother's Day

Lenore Wood Bennion

Today is that day that we honor those women who raised us, who gave us of their time and love. I know that I gave my mother fits growing up.

She didn't deserve it.

One of my daughters gave my a little pin that she made when expecting her first child.It was like a little book that folded out and said,

"A woman can only understand her mother once she has become one."

The older I get the more I realize what my mother did for me. I don't believe that you have to actually give birth and raise children to be a loving woman who mothers others. I have known so many women who have never had the opportunity to be mothers who have had such an influence on me and my children. But now that I am facing the dreaded empty nest I look back on my life and am so very grateful to my mother for all that she has taught me.

I just want to thank her.

Because she took the time to teach me to sew when I was 12 years old, (And boy did that take patience!) I was able to sew wedding dresses and prom dresses for my daughters. Mother would make me sew PJ's for my little brothers. She said it didn't matter what they looked like but I needed the practice. She taught me to sew French seams and flat-feld seams. When I was only in Ninth grade she bought me the fabric to make my own coat and helped me make bound button holes. There wasn’t anything I wasn’t confident enough to sew. Because of this I was able to sew anything for my children. At one point I was making every thing they worn except their shoes and socks. …Thanks Mom!

I don't remember how old I was when Mother taught me to cook. I do know that I was baking cookies by the time I was 10 because I cut my finger on a Crisco can lid. I remember Mom teaching me about tsp. tbl. and c., and how to measure Crisco in the liquid measuring cup using water displacement. When I was about 13 Mom handed me the recipe for whole wheat bread and asked me to make it. There was a list of ingredients and no instructions. It is a good thing I had watched Mom enough to know how to knead the bread. It turned out well and I have been baking bread ever since. In fact when my brother Joe the Potter was teaching me to make pots and was showing me how to knead the clay he was quite impressed how quickly I picked up his new technique. It wasn’t until the next time I was making bread that I realized that I had mastered that technique when I was 13.

Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach me to cook. I have fed my family for years now.

My mother raised a large family. There are 12 of us living children. Here we are before the last 2 were born. I just love this picture of us. That is me with wiggly Sam on my lap on the front row. Happy Days.

Here we all are right after my Father's funeral. What a crown of jewels.

Mother went back to school when I was in Jr. High. It took her several years of summer school and night classes but she graduated from collage in August of 1974. I was so proud of my mother for that. She became a kindergarten teacher after me parents moved to rural Missouri. She taught in the public schools until she was 72.

She was well loved but her teaching influence started way before that. I remember Mom reading to us every night when I was growing up. We didn't have a TV in the home for most of my life and this was a great way to keep us quiet for a while. But because of this we are all avid readers. We have had many family discussions on books we have read all the way from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings. The interesting thing is that Mom rarely read a novel for herself. She said that she felt that her time was too precious so she needed to use it wisely. Mom always read the news paper, Church magazines, Educational journals and all of the National Geographic(not just the pictures).
Thanks Mom for reading to me.

Because my Mother made parenting look so easy and installed in her children the importance of family she now has close to 1oo descendants. Every year she makes a handmade Christmas ornament for her grand children and great grand children.

Octophrost from Christmas 2007
99 Opctopi. You can read about it here and here.

I now am contunuing the tradition with my own grand children.Here is a wonderful 4 generation picture with me, Mom, Madi, and Rachel.

Thanks again Mom for being such a good example to me.