Thankful.

Yeah, it's a couple days late.  But the last couple days were filled with more cooing and cuddling and smooshing the cheeks of my nephew, playing cards and having grown-up conversations with my family, driving to Billings with my dad.  Add to that repacking my bag at the ticket counter since it was overweight,  a long day at the airport while carrying a 30# box full of dishes, and dinner with my hub who I had left home in Portland all week, I just didn't have time to blog.  But I did have time to be thankful.  What I'm thankful for:

family.  all of them

my husband

Gilda

sewing

creativity

orange jello with cool whip

running

Montana

friends

Faith

coffee

the human body

sharing talents

forgiveness and grace

shavasana

 My mom always makes us do "affirmations" at holiday meals.  We always groaned at them as kids, but as an adult I really appreciate this.  It really just means that we go around the table and give an honest affirmation to each individual, something we appreciate about them.  Something more than "you're cool" or "I like your hair."  It's hard!  But rewarding.  I got choked up.  All the little things that bug you about a family member (let's all be honest, they exist) seem to disappear and you realize that you really do appreciate X,Y, and Z about them.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.

Stealing my sister-in-law away for a run around the lake

look!  turkeys have a medial and lateral meniscus too!

Potholder made by mom

What's not to be thankful for?

Nuggets.

Because Taylen is already in bed, we have a game of cards waiting to be started, and mom wants to make a pumpkin pie tonight, this will be short.  The events of the past two days: a run around the surge pond, some auntie time with Taylen, wildlife viewing, watching videos of us and all our cousins when we were kids, crafting, and woodwork.  Here's a peek:

Some Auntie & Taylen time while everyone else went to the gym

Playtime with Nana

Wishful thinking for the guys as this 4x5 fella kept showing up in the backyard.

Mom and I sewed while Belinda got a nap.  I made him a Bobcat shirt, despite their sad showing in the big game last week (I'm always a little torn during Cat/Griz time...)

Mom and I work best when we put our minds together (she keeps reminding me of this).  A true Colstrip shirt; don't worry--it's mostly steam that comes out of the stacks.  As a kid I thought the stacks actually made clouds.  This created great confusion on days when there were clouds but no steam...

More signs of the big guy and his girlfriends out back.

Sunset from the driveway.

Working with my pops in the shop.

A man and his toys.

My new boots!  I lived in Montana for 25 years and this if my very first pair of cowboy boots.  I bought them at a second hand store in Colstrip (read: a house filled with other people's stuff run by a high school classmate's mom).  I love them!

I should probably go help with this pie now.  Happy humpday!

November Rush

Thanksgiving Holiday.

I'm sitting on my parents' couch watching August Rush with my sister-in-law.  We've had a busy day: chasing my nephew, crafting, cooking, listening to hunting stories that didn't go as planned.  It's a holiday.  We played in Billings with my grandparents for a night and I've been enjoying the snow back here in Colstrip, watching deer bounding across the backyard.  We even checked out the local co-op (read: my 3rd grade classroom turned into a store selling socks and jeans, as well as Robeez for Taylen).    It was a good day with my mama and Belinda, ending with Kermit the Frog soup and chocolate chip cookies (half and half GF and regular), as well as a little Kirkland red wine and now some wind down time with a tired mama.  It is a holiday indeed.

cutest little cowlick ever

also quite possibly the cutest kid ever

crafting with his mama and my sister-in-law (yes, that's snot and tears on her shoulders.  She's a trooper.)

Copying Terri's Xmas trees from old sweaters

My GF cookies: I just replaced the flour in the Tollhouse recipe with
1/2 C chickpea, 1/2 C coconut flours and a little cornstarch. 

Kermit the Frog Soup (Mom's recipe)

Boil 2 C stock, add 3 stems of broccoli and one onion, chopped into small chunks.  Cover and boil 10 minutes.  Chop in food processor or with immersion blender.  In another pan, melt 2 Tb butter with 2 Tb flour (I cheated today, but you could probably replace with Arrowroot or cornstarch, or else just brown rice flour), and "cook til smooth 'n bubbly", stir in 2 1/2 C stock to boiling, boil 6 minutes.  Add 1 T boullion (we didn't today since we used stock, but it may add more flavor), some salt & pepper, a dash of nutmeg, and 3/4 cup whipping cream to the broccoli/onion mixture, then add the roux to thicken it.  Serve with crackers or just by itself.  Ty claims that mom had to name it Kermit the Frog because no kid would ever willingly eat soup with broccoli in the title.  I think he's right.

I think I'll be back with more this week.  But for now I'm watching a movie.  Happy holidays!

Packing for Houston & Guatemala

  I took our neighbor to the airport yesterday afternoon, and she asked what I had been doing on my day off.  "Stuffing a dinosaur" I told her.  "I'm not even sure what that means..." was her reply, which I suppose was pretty appropriate.  I saw some stuffed dinos at a little store near The Observatory, where I met my married-girls for a married-girls happy hour a few weeks ago, and have had them stuck in my head ever since.  So I pulled the remnants of the quilt backing and got to work.  The Mill End Stored didn't have any Fiberfill, but they did have some shredded foam toy filler, which seemed appropriate, so I bought a 1 pound bag, stuffed it in my bike bucket (1 lb of foam turns out to be a pretty big bag), and happily rode home.  I didn't take any pics of the process, because it was such a process to get it stuffed!  Think 3 inch hole + a funnel made of paper + tiny bits of staticky foam + a chopstick.  I made a mess.  But he's done and stuffed.  Graham tried to introduce him to Gilda, but apparently he's a serpentine dinosaur that attacks cats; she's not a fan.  I think he's cute. 

Here's the rest of my packing for Taylen, Ty, & Belinda:

Burp cloths

Inspired by Dig This Chick

  

I made this little trinket for Belinda on her birthday, which is in November.  I think I remembered to text her, but I did not send a card, nor a present, but I think I get some credit for making something, even if it's almost 3 months late, right?  Also I'm not sure what it is.  I've had it floating around the house a little; I put my earrings in it one day, I suppose it could be a trivet or a pot holder.  I didn't measure the binding, and am still a beginner anyway, so it was way to short to get around the edge.  Plus, how the heck to you bind a circle? (Any tips will be welcome).  So, it's just a gift.  Full of love.  And late.

Mystery craft

I'm bringing this lil' quilt as a gift for the members of the Antigua Rotary Club who we'll be working with in Guatemala.  It was the first quilt that I did a binding for, and it's just been hanging out waiting to be gifted.  Follow us on our trip at

http://newbergrotaryclub.wordpress.com/

I'm looking forward to shopping for some traditional fabric to bring home...

I'm off to pack!

Taylen's Quilt

It's done!  I started Taylen's quilt in October and finally finished it last night.  Happily finished it.  For being one who typically works better under pressure, I had assumed I'd be taking it as carry-on and finishing the binding on the flight to Houston next week, so I'm feeling pretty good about things.  Now I'm just trying to think of other little things I can put together for my first (and therefore favorite) nephew.  Stuffed dinosaur maybe?  For now, a few pics of the project in process and finished product.  I can't wait to cuddle him up in it...

How cute is that!

The whales were my inspiration

The instructions said to cut 2.5x2.5 squares to piece together for binding...no way I was doing that tedious work!

My friend Megan helping with the binding