Heather's Business

Hi Family:

Just got an email from John H. about Heather's business blog. It is pretty fun, and becoming VERY successful. Go to: http://www.lovetheyesgirls.com/ or scroll down to Sites I Visit for the link as well.

Our little neighbor girl is all g r o w n up!

In The Register

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA-- Young adults from Rancho Santa Margarita and the canyons collected more than 1,000 items for Christmas gifts for a Veterans Hospital in Long Beach this holiday season.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and Cub Scout Troop 727 participated in the Veteran Box Project.

Men and Women of the church, along with Cub Scout 727, delivered the Christmas boxes on December 12.

"We received over 1,000 items including 57 combs, 144 lotion bottles, 288 sanitizers, 14 books, eight crossword puzzles, 105 pairs of socks, 66 pairs of toothbrushes and toothpaste," said Pat Brokaw, Young Men's leader at Live Oak Canyon congregation.

The volunteers made about 400 boxes--the scouts made 100, and the church members 300--according to Dannee Clyne with the Veterans Box Project.

About 200 veterans received 2 boxes each, Clyne added in an email.

The Live Oak Canyon congregation represents Rancho Cielo and Robinson Ranch communities. The project was sponsored by the American Legion post 862.

This was in the newspaper! Of course, there are some needed corrections like 'youth' from Santa Margarita, and 'Boy' scouts instead of the cubs. And our ward also includes Walden, Dove Canyon, and Live Oak Canyon and Silverado Canyon communities. Christine is in the very small picture above on the left just about center with a gold package.

It was a wonderful project and Christine learned a lot. Thanks to the leaders and all their diligent work with our youth. You are awesome!

Nicky!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!
Keep singing those primary songs.
We Love You--
Your BYU Family
It's okay if you cheer for the U. I love you anyway...

Reindeer Blanket

I've had a lot of feedback about the little reindeer blanket I made for John.

You need to know, that I am not an accomplished seamstress, but I can go slow and get it done. That being said, the skills I learned as a girl come back to me quickly, and it reminds me everytime how important it is to me that girls be given this opportunity to get behind a sewing machine and learn the basics.

I am generally a traditionalist. I like my Christmas colors in the good old-fashioned reds, greens, burgundies. When I decided to make this holiday blanket I looked everywhere at the 'traditionals' and nothing was satisfying me.

I decided to just 'look' at the trendy fabrics, and fell in love with this. MY dilemna was how to back it. Do I use some shade of this 'new' Christmas green? Red? White? Brown was not my first choice. The methodical me (haha!) had to lay them all out on Joann's cutting tables and put together every possibility. (By now, Lisa is rolling her eyes...Yes, I can see you.)

The brown made the reindeer 'pop' and there I had decided. Nothing traditional about this at all, but it's working!

With that out of the way, here are some pictures. My camera didn't really capture the brightness of the fabric, so go to http://duffydoings.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post_4302.html (I just wanted to type the word 'here' and be able to go to the link. How do I do that???) to see the true fabric color.

I used super jumbo rick rack. It kind of fits in with the current style.

Wash and dry the fabric. I get 1 1/2 yards of each. I like to make them around 44-45" by 44-45-50". This should leave enough leftover fabric for a burpcloth. But you can make it any size you want!

I trim all the frayed edges, lay the fabrics on top of each other matching all edges and cut to the size I want. Then I take a salad plate and put it on the corners and trace the rounded shape on the material. Trim the square off. I like the softness of the round corner, plus it makes putting the rick rack trim on easier.

With the right side up of your print, sew the rick rack on. If you are using jumbo, lay one edge of the rick rack points on the fabric edge and stitch 1/4 inch in around it. If you use super jumbo, you need to let it hang off the raw fabric edge about 1/8" and then sew 1/4" around.

With right sides together, fit and pin both fabrics together. Stitch 1/2 -5/8 " seam allowance all the way around, leaving a 5" opening to turn it right side out.

Turn the blanket right side out. Pull out rick rack points. Press seam and rick rack, pressing the opening as if it were stitched. Top stitch 1/4" from seam edge, including opening. (This will close it.)

The finished blanket.

Another view.

I didn't put rick rack on the burp cloth. I just used a kidney shape, wrong sides together, stitched a 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch from it (2 rows of stitching), and then cut the raw edges about 1/4 inch just up to the first row of stitching. I dampened it and then put it in the dryer and it looks like a cousin to those frayed, ragged quilts. Nice and soft with a bit of a frayed edge. I've never done that before, but I saw it and thought I'd try it out. I don't know how the frayed edges will last, but we'll try it out. I liked the softness of it against a baby's face.

There you go.
If you have any questions, leave me a comment, or email me.

Currently

Christine woke up this morning at 11am. She obviously needed the sleep. She was dragging a bit still, but her throat didn't hurt anymore, and by the afternoon she started rallying. Yay! I haven't seen her this sick for a long time.

Finished 2 more gifts. Oh Happy Day! Laundry almost done. Darla went to the groomer and is all spiffed up for the holidays now. When she got home, we put on her red collar, red sweater, and Christmas scarf. She is stylin' and ready for Christmas.

It was a beautiful day out.

AND, I am truly enjoying our 'new' tree this year. Christine, who was one of my staunch opponets, has exclaimed that she just loves 'the tree', and can't wait to turn it on straight away! It has so many lights it looks like a burning bush!

I've listened to Christmas music most of the day and it just sets the mood perfectly. I'm getting so E X C I T E D! ! !

To Christmas card or not to Christmas card. That is the current question. I have no picture yet. Just can't get everyone together. Even just the 4 of us, and am running out of time. Hmmmm........

My Poor Girl

Christine is still really sick. If she isn't better by tomorrow afternoon, I'm taking her back to the doctor. She has spent the day on the couch pretty miserable.

So I stuck around home and got laundry going, things organized, sent Duff off with a small list which he did splendidly! Worked on some Christmas presents. It seems everyone I have talked to today is sick or has been sick with this 'dreaded gomboo' flu thing. OH, I am crossing my fingers I don't get it! And this isn't even the swine flu, just the seasonal flu.

Duff brought home the newest Harry Potter movie. I was going to save it for Christmas, but he can't resist his 'little girl', and they spent the afternoon watching it together.

21 Inches And Counting

Photos courtesy of Shaun, who is shoveling, shoveling, shoveling...

Beginning of storm.

21 inches by Sunday morning at 7:15am.
Notice: You cannot see the steps to the porch or any part of the driveway or street! The plow hadn't come by yet.

One of the front pine trees.

It's still snowing, and it's a wet, heavy snow this time. Lots of moisture in this storm.

Good deal.

Cozy Family Evening

We had a few gray clouds that turned into a beautiful blue sky this morning. We need a break from the rain so it can soak in and we can dry out a little. Everything is pretty soggy.

Christine took her meds and got in the shower and they promptly came right back up. I forgot to have her eat something. She's still running a fever, and asked if I could stay home from church with her. I made some blueberry muffins, and we all watched the Christmas Music and The Spoken Word. It was really good. Then the Christmas broadcast from last year. Duff had the Messiah numbers cranked up full volume and pretended he was directing the choir! He left for our block of meetings and I made sure she was settled before I got myself in the shower.

We had Josh, Meredith, Eric, and J.T. for the afternoon and evening for dinner. Meredith asked Josh for some tacos, so he helped me make that for our Sunday dinner. Christine is resting on the couch inbetween doing some homework. Eric and Mere are working on homework too. J.T. is being my big helper and licked the brownie spoon clean as a whistle. I don't think there was a smidge of batter left on it! We read a new Christmas book about The Last Straw. LOVED the story.

Whew, What A Day!

We woke up late.

We jumped out of bed, threw some clothes on, and got Christine to the church for the youth service project. They have been working on collecting and now taking items from the community to take to the Long Beach Veterans Hospital for Christmas. She had a really good experience.

Duff and I decided since we were out, we would get some shopping done and cross off that list a little more! The stores were virtually empty that early, and we got in and out in a jiffy. We did see some people from the ward who obviously did the same thing we did after dropping off their youth. We were home by 11am. Josh and J.T. were here when we got back. J.T. has so much 6 year old energy! So we got him involved in Saturday chores and decorating the front door and he loved it. Mere is studying away as is Shaun and Natalie. Robert is done with finals and so is Mike. Mike and Adrianne went early to the LATemple for an endowment session with Adrianne's sister, Autumn, who is getting married next week. Josh and Duff took the grocery list and did the weekly shopping while J.T. and I finished up. Then I put them away and they took J.T. and went to get haircuts. Meredith had done all she could do and came over for a break and to work on the gifts she is making for Christmas.

This is the year of the blankets!

Adrianne and Meredith have added fleece blankets to their crafting repertoire and between me and them our dining room and kitchen tables and entry floor can tell many tales of love in every cut and tie.

Christine came home and was not well. She got worse as the afternoon went on. So I took her in the pouring rain to the urgent care. At first the doctor thought it was strep, but the test came back negative. So he diagnosed accute tonsillitis and a sinus infection. We got her meds and on the way home came upon a terrible accident that had just happened. A gal in a mid-size truck spun out in the heavy rain and crashed into a corner firehydrant. It was spewing gallons of water like a geyser while cars stopped and ran to pull her out and lay her on the ground. So many good samaritans were doing all they could to help her and direct traffic to avoid any other incidents before the emergency crews could get there. I thought about how people are naturally GOOD and willing to help each other. That led to pondering about how we are all brothers and sisters in the gospel, and so on, and so on. I was interupted when all of a sudden the rain and fog were so heavy that I could hardly see to drive myself and the car began hydroplaning. Everyone literally stopped on the toll road. Dangerous, but this moisture truly is heaven sent.

When we pulled into the driveway more cars had found their way over and we walked in to a festive hustle bustle. Mike and Adrianne had come over and brought Autumn and Drew. Duff had a big pot of chili on the stove and Meredith had made a pot of Broccoli Potato Cheese soup. Adrianne had cornbread in the oven. A fire was in the fireplace and all I had to do was the condiments for the soups. We gave Christine her antibiotic and parked her on the couch. J.T. had happily changed into his holiday pajamas. We ate and visited about all the wedding details. Mere and I cleaned up while Adrianne did a dry run of Autumn's hair for her wedding. It looked really beautiful.

Girls worked on blankets. Mere and I had a good visit, and then I watched a Christmas movie with J.T. so Meredith could make some headway on her project.

Whew. Everyone is gone now and I am staying up until the fire is all the way out. It is still raining. Shaun has kept us posted on the snow amounts, and Natalie and Robert and John are hunkered down for the weekend. Robert is so faithful with his primary calling, but Nats will stay home with the baby tomorrow since they don't want to take him out yet in this weather with all the winter germs.

Good times.

Where Is Heaven?

I flew home last night. As Shaun and I came out of Parley's Canyon towards the airport you could see it. The next wave of winter storms. I LOVE them. Since I don't live them full time, I can say that, I guess! He dropped me off, we hugged, kissed, told each other we loved each other and I told him to skedaddle back to Midway to hopefully out run it before it started dumping. He did make it. But my flight was delayed almost an hour coming out of New York with some weather complications.

Drat. We had Friday night plans and I was anxious to get home. It was definitely a bumpy ride coming into Long Beach due to the rain they'd been having all week. Much needed rain. Mike and Adrianne came to pick me up which was a great surprise because I thought it would be my handsome hubby. When I got on the plane in SCL, Adrianne sent me a phone picture of Darla moping on the bonus room sofa. It was so funny, because I never get to see this since she only acts this way while I'm gone I'm told. She won't even eat for a day or two until she finally figures out I'm not coming back for a few days. They brought her with them and when she saw me and heard my voice she just about jumped out of the car into the rainy street! Mike grabbed her to thwart her determined efforts to get to me. Silly furry heart invading 6lb. bundle of unconditional love!

It rained hard on us and we had a delightful drive catching up. When we pulled in, the house was all lit up with Christmas. Christine was back and forth with Follow The Star, Seminary class party, and another birthday party for friends. So fun to see her enjoying a Friday night full of good teenage things to do. Josh and J.T. were here and Meredith soon came for a break from finals studying.

One of Dad's all time favorite primary songs is Where Is Heaven. It felt like that when I walked in the door. Just missing Shaun, Nats, Rob, and baby John.

The Elf On The Shelf

"Have you ever wondered how Santa could know

if you're naughty or nice each year as you grow?

For hundreds of years it's been a big secret.

It now can be shared if you promise to keep it."

...and so goes the tradition of 'The Elf On The Shelf'.

(google it to find where you can get your OWN family's elf)

So family, where is OUR elf watching from right now????

Let me know and get an extra something in your stocking!

Love, Mom

Winter Wonderland

Starting last Monday when I landed, the snow dumped and dumped. It got worse as we got closer to Midway/Heber. Shaun spun out at the corner of River Rd and the 40. I screamed, but he recovered and we didn't end up in the Provo river!

I even figured out how to use the 4wd and 4wd low on the truck and drove in what I consider a blizzard down Provo canyon and back up that day and night! There was only 1 lane and very few vechicles. The fastest you dared to drive was 10-15 mph. Maybe 20 mph in just a couple of places. You could not see any pavement at all. We followed each other single file with about 50 yards between each car. A 30 minute drive took me over an hour. I didn't realize how bad the weather really was until some of the locals here told me they had cancelled appointments and plans in order to not have to go out in it.

It has been VERY cold. This morning it was -13 at 8am. Yesterday it was -16 when we woke up. It was -14 the day before. The highs have been in the single digits. We had a drain pipe freeze up on the north side of the deck and leak into the bunk room because the heat cord shorted out. All fixed now.

More snow expected starting tonight through Monday. That means the temps will be going up some but not much. It sure is pretty, but I'm California spoiled with the warm weather. It is nice to come and have true winter in 'doses'. I wonder if I could do this for a whole season????? But then again, we do what we need to do wherever we live, right?

In the meantime, I'm enjoying it.