sisters' weekend 2010

every year, my sisters, my mom, and i get together for a long weekend, appropriately dubbed, "sisters' weekend" (although i think it could also be named "mothers appreciation weekend"). this is a tradition started my dad's family. mom, sisters, sister-in-laws and nursing babies only. the weekend is spent doing whatever we want to do. with my family, that involves games (hand and foot), food, and projects.

it also involves the annual gift exchange. this year, my mom gave us aprons and the caldecott and newbery books from this year. audrey made us perpetual birthday/anniversary calendars and washer necklaces, beth gave us a dessert spatula and i gave everyone large red mugs. thankfully, my mom and sisters share my love for all things red.

here we are, all wearing our aprons.

i loved the time that i got to spend with my mom and sisters, without the distraction of chasing after children. it is amazing how different the dynamic is when it is just us. what a wonderful family i have.

with only diane in tow (still nursing), i was able to finish my quilt that i have been working on for a year and also got to sleep in a little bit extra each morning. it was a nice break from the daily grind of mothering. randy did great taking care of madeleine for the weekend, and we were all very happy to see each other again come sunday.

my first quilt

well, sort of. i actually finished randy's christmas quilt before this one, but this is the first one that i started. my mom bought the fabric for me for my birthday last year and i just finished it this last weekend. such is quilting with small children.

as with all of my crafting projects, this quilt has a little character, but i am really happy with how it turned out in general. most of the character comes from the fact that none of us realized that i was quilting without the walking foot on the sewing machine until about 80% of the way through the quilt.

when i was picking out the fabric, i was pregnant (read: incredibly indecisive). i was not sure how it would all come together, but i really love it. i have seen this quilt pattern made with several different fabric combinations and i am surprised at how different they all feel. i have to say, i think i like mine the best so far. could be that i picked out the fabric.

an unobstructed view.

i have to say, i think that it goes pretty well with my parents rocker. it seems a shame for them to be apart. don't you think, mom and dad?

pink lemonade quilt

started: july 2, 2009

completed: june 13, 2010

dimensions: 65"x76"

notes: this is the first quilt that i started (not completed). i bought the fabric with mom for my birthday in 2009 and it took almost a year to finish it. picking out the fabric when i was pregnant was quite the process. i forgot to put the walking foot on while quilting it until it was almost completed, making for a frustrating quilting process.

quick trip to boise

madeleine, diane, and i got the chance to head up to boise on monday and tuesday this week. my mom needed to drive up to boise to pick up a recent purchase that they made and wanted some company and i would never pass up the opportunity to spend some extra time with my mom and see my in-laws all in one shot. the men stayed home and worked while we got to go play.

the girls did surprisingly well on the drive up and back, we made good time, and we got to spend monday afternoon through tuesday evening visiting with randy's family. we stayed at his parents house and kyle and kim brought their kids over to visit monday evening. madeleine thought she had died and gone to heaven with so many fun cousins around and i loved having so many people who wanted to hold diane. it was too short of a visit, but we'll be heading back soon.

kyle holding diane



madeleine and lainey



peeking through holes in the fence



even lainey wanted to hold diane



enjoying popsicles on the porch



jeanie, diane, and calli

a birthday card for audrey

yesterday was my sister, audrey's, birthday. i meant to write a quick post for her yesterday, but as usual, the day got away from me.

audrey and i have always been close and she is one of my best friends. she recently moved to wendover and i have to admit, i hate it a little. i miss seeing her at least weekly. i miss chatting with her about nothing or tackling big issues. she has always been a great example to me, paving the way for her younger sister. audrey is a woman of great faith, even during especially trying times in her life. audrey is extremely creative, sensitive to other people's needs, and brilliant, among other admirable characteristics.

happy birthday audrey! i love you.

yard pictures

you may be sick of pictures from our yard, but i wanted to post some pictures for my grandma, who is far away from her beautiful flowers right now.

the white roses are just starting to come out, so they are not covering the bushes yet, but they are beautiful.

madeleine was out taking pictures with me and insisted on a picture in front of the flowers. you'll notice a theme throughout the post.

these aren't in full bloom yet, but they are close. i'm excited for the red ones to bloom.

and now, for the irises...

grandma, i wish you could smell these lilacs.

proof

despite my own personal preferences, i do make an effort to give my daughters the opportunity to be girlie if they want to.

for the record, i painted my toenails first and then madeleine wanted hers painted. else, how would she even know that painting her toenails was a thing? see? sometimes even i want to paint my toenails.

and then we went and ran around barefoot in the backyard.

because that is what summer is about.