Our Summer "done" list

We are slowly marking things off our summer "to do" list and turning it into a summer "done" list.

1.  Girls camp - done
2.  Scout camp - done
3.  Basketball camp - done
4.  Visit from cousing Candace - done

Now we are working on the things for this month:

1.  A visit to Grandpa's house.
2.  Teach Lindsey how to thrift store shop.
3.  Ride the horse.
4.  Attend Aaron's wedding

July doesn't look any calmer than June -  But that's OK - We like being busy.

A little bit hazy

This has been the scene from our yard for the last week.  I wish I could say that it was fog or smog but I can't.  It is actually smoke from the big fire in Arizona.  The wind has been blowing this in for almost a week now.  I must say that it is getting old.  We can't even really go outside for a split second without feeling the effect.



This is what the sun has looked like for the last several evenings.  Blue skies where are you????

I do hope that Mother Nature will cooperate so the firemen can get the fire under control and that those people who have been evacuated can get back to living their lives.

A liitle bit of everything....

Time just seems to get away from me too quickly.  We have been busy getting ready for finals at school -only 11 days left (that's what the kids tell me anyway).  I'm not counting or anything. 

The girls are getting ready to go to church girls camp and Jake is getting ready for scout camp.  We will definitely be busy this summer..  Somewhere in there we are going to fit in a trip to visit Grandpa, attend a wedding and finish our spring cleaning. Oh, and find time to ride our bikes - some newly repaired and others brand new from the store.  One day I will be able to keep up with my brother on the bicycle.  I've got the gear now if I could just find the time to get into shape.

Spring cleaning has been happening around our house.  I've already taken a couple loads to the thrift store and have another box of stuff started.  I keep asking myself "Where does this stuff come from?" 

Do you remember last summer on my trip to Utah that I picked up a great find for $20 (that post is here, it's item #5)?  Well, we have finally gotten around to working on it.  Hopefully we will have it done soon.  Stay tuned. 

And last but not least - wishing all those high school graduates a big CONGRATULATIONS.  Good luck in your future plans.

Until next time.

Halloween in April ???

So I know that spring is just arriving and you may be asking why Halloween?  Well that's how I roll.  I am never doing anything in the right season.  I just work on different projects all year long regards of the time of year.

Last November I picked up this halloween fabric -at 75% off, you just can't beat that.  All winter long my mind kept turning with ideas for it.  I knew I want to make it into a wall quilt but just couldn't seem to find the right design.

Then one night I was looking through one of my "too" many quilt books and spotted the perfect pattern.  In the book it was done with navy blues and gold star fabric.  But to me it was shouting "Halloween"  What do you think?  I am so excited to get it sent off to the quilters (no I don't tackle that part - I pay someone to do it) and get it finished off.  Hopefully in time for Halloween this year.  

Here's just a close up so you can see the detail of the fabric.

Thanks for stopping by and remember it's never too early to think Halloween. :-)

Spring Break 2011

I am posting this later than I had planned.  A few weeks ago the kids were out of school for spring break.  We decided to take a quick trip down south and see a little of the state.  We had never been down to the Carlsbad Caverns so we decided it was as good as time as any to head down.

We stopped in Capitan and spent the night.  We visited the home of Smokey the Bear and even did a quick stop by at his gravesite - Yes Smokey the Bear really did exist.

Next stop was in Lincoln.  About 30 minutes down the road.  There we were able to hang out with Billy the Kid.  Ok so it really wasn't him but this was as close as we could get:

A little further down the road is Roswell.  You can't go through Roswell and not stop.  If you don't know, let me fill you in.  Down that way they believe in UFO's and Aliens.  Apparently some time back people claimed they found a wreckage sight of - you got it- a UFO.  I personally have a hard time believing it.  But what the heck.

After a night in Carlsbad, we got up and headed a little bit further down the road to the Caverns.  Can I just say -  Pretty Awesome?  It was definitely worth the trip.

At the entrance to the caverns.  See you at the bottom

We all made it to the bottom. A little over a mile walk and a descend of 750 feet below ground level.  If you haven't ever been there and are heading this way, you should take an extra day or two and go.  It's so worth it.

Red or Green?

Weather you are setting up residence or just passing through New Mexico, there is one thing you are bound to hear "do you want Red or Green"?" Now if you are like me, you are going to ask back "what do you  mean red or green?"  The reply : Red or Green Chili.  Yes, you can get chili on pretty much everything from breakfast burritos to pizza.

New Mexico is famous for their chili's - both red and green.  I decided to make something to commemorate our time here (5 1/2 years).  I found the cutest material with chili's on it and turned it into a wall quilt.  Here's the quilt top.  Now it's time to get it quilted and finish it off.  Should we ever move from here, we will now have something to remind us of the time we lived in New Mexico.

Here's a close-up of the chili fabic.  Oh and by the way, in case you were wondering. I prefer green.