Relief Society Broadcast

I have been thinking lately that the process of creation brings us nearer to God and understanding Him. That as we create something we touch the divine within us and we can glimpse into eternity.

I loved President Uchdorf's remarks last night. He said what I've been thinking, only so much better. Each one of use yearns to create something. And creation means anything that didn't exist before. He mentioned smiles and memories. His wife seems to excel at creation. Her meals sound fabulous.

I love to quilt. I love to shop for the fabrics. I love to see the colors and textures. I love the richness of the fabric on the bolts. I like the planning process. Picking the colors and considering the values. (I still need to work on that a bit.) I love the drone of the sewing machine. I get so excited when something that only I saw in my head come to life in the fabric. I love to share it with people and watch them drink in the colors and patterns.

I learn with each project. I like that part of it too. I learn about color and value. I learn more about technique and skill. I value the design and workmanship. I can better understand the effort that goes into other quilters efforts. And the best part is that I can better appreciate the time and effort that God expended for us in creating beauty. The delicate flowers and the solid, majestic mountains. His attention to detail and the vast diversity of life that surrounds us. Surely He loves us to give us such a gift.

And then I look at my children. And I am awed at the complexity of their personalities and the unreserved abundance of their love for me. The utter joy they have at their exploration of mud piles and rocks and sticks and bugs and the many other things that kids see outside. I marvel that the small babies that I held minutes after they entered this life have grown to be the amazing kids that live with me now. And I can't see what they will grow into as adults, but I know they have that potential deep in their cells. And I wonder that we all have the potential to become as our Heavenly Father, hidden deep in our cells also. We can only see the present, but we can touch eternity as we pull our gifts into our todays.

I am grateful for my drive to create. My abilities are humble, but they give me joy and better understanding of who I can be.

New blocks

I am now up to speed, just in time to do this month's block.

The rainbow trout was really fun to do. Craig was my consultant on the type of fish and fish behavior. For instance, if I was going to have the trout jump out of the water, he had to be hooked on the line.

The Sisters block was based on a postcard. The Sisters are the three mountains in the back ground. There is a small town called Sisters that hosts a quilt show every summer. So as we were going through the town Sisters, I bought a post card from last years show. I liked the fence and quilt hanging. But I simplified the quilt.

I think they both turned out nice.

girlfriends

Isn't life always better when you can share it with your girl friends?

Thea's main man

It's so great when Craig gets to go and watch Thea cheer. They both love it. I think it is a new expierence for him to watch the cheerleaders instead of the game. I know, you are all thinking thats what he did when he was in high school, but he was playing and not paying attention to the cheerleaders during the game then either.

We are all learning the ins and outs of flying and bases. I think we will shortly learn the different names for jumps and be able to join in all the cheers too.

Friday night lights

Craig got to go to another game. I had him take pictures of Thea. We think she is a very cute girl.

She is very steady on her base, but I thought her face was classic.

Yoga girl stars quilt for Karly

This is the quilt I made for Karly. I went to the shop hop this spring and got the 8 star patterns. And I decided I would enter the contest. The rules of the contest are that the quilt had to use each star pattern. It's due by October. I decided to use each star twice. Karly has bright colors in her room, and this bright fun quilt will look splendid there.

I learned a lot about fabric choice and the importance of looking at color value. I also learned a lot about stars. Wow. Some of those stars just about made me go bald.

But it is done, and hanging in the quilt shop, entered in the contest. Karly, whose birthday was in the beginning of September, will have to wait for her quilt. But I told her that as I got started. She helped me arrange the blocks and chose her 4 favorite to go in the center of the quilt. She said she didn't know how just one person could do that. We were counting colors and trying to seperate the twin stars. It's a great memory for me. I hope it is the same for her.

Just like Daddy

Boaz told Craig he was going to be just like him. Craig asked what that meant. Boaz thought for a minute and said, "I will go to work with you." And Craig said yes. And Boaz said, " I will hit a golf ball high in the air." Craig's face broke out in a delighted grin.

For a dad that golfs, I don't think it gets any better than that.

Thea's fan club

We really went to the game to watch the cheerleaders. That is a new thing for me. Usually I go to watch the game.

We were very glad that we went, and are planning a trip to Sandy next week. The team is doing great. They are 3 and 0. Hopefully they can keep it up and maintain the focus.

All of Thea's friends were wondering who the girl was wearing the "G shirt". It was Karly, Thea's cousin, showing solidarity. I think they are 2 very cute girls.

Cheering in McMinnville

Thea is a flyer. She is pretty steady on her base. She didn't fall or overbalance one time that night.

She was very happy to show off her new varsity uniform.

Craig got stuck in traffic and missed the first quarter. I was happy when he finaly arrived so I could start watching the game. Thea was happy to see him too.

The boys liked seeing Thea thrown in the air. They were not too impressed with football though.

I screamed and cheered until my voice started getting scratchy. I was glad when they won, in overtime, so I could give my throat a rest. It was a very exciting game.

up close and personal with a helicopter

I think I was more excited about this photo op than Boaz was. Josh thought the copters were cool. It's fun to visit Auntie Brenda at her work.

quiet time with Uncle Ivan

This is Boaz's idea of not crawling on Uncle Ivan. Instead he's standing on his shoulder. I was also pleased with this picture, because usually Ivan will not let his picture be taken. This is the first time he has sat uncomplaining or not hiding while I pointed a camera at him.

He'll humor the youngins, just not his sister. I'll have to remember that.

Uncle Ivan at Auntie Brenda's house

Josh and Boaz loved playing with Uncle Ivan. He became their personal jungle gym. It was fun listening to the giggles and grunts. After a while, I felt a bit guilty about the boys wearing Ivan out, and tried to settle them down a bit.