No Lie Mr. Groundhog!

Yep, the groundhog saw his shadow and look what happens! We live in a desert and are thankful for the moisture, but this is crazy! March 10th? Not unheard of, but definitely not ordinary.

My rosebush.

My snowball bush...ha ha...get it? SNOWBALL?!

Beautiful!

Backyard playground.

The pond in my driveway (foreground) and my neighbor's winter wonderland. So much for spring!

Empty Mailbox

Typically, this image wouldn't unsettle me, but it has been a whole month since I've heard from my missionary! Two weeks ago, while donating blood, one of Wesley's friends stopped by my gurney to say that she had just received a letter from Wes that very day. This was two weeks into the letter drought and I commented that I was glad she had heard from him and if she intended to write him back, she should tell him to write his mother. A reasonable request, or so I thought! The girl's mother, who had just given a pint of blood (so, perhaps she was a little light-headed) commented that although it was important for a missionary to write his mother, it was just as important to "stay connected" with his friends. Let's just say that had I not been laying there with a needle in my arm, that woman would've given more than just a pint that day! Whenever I whine about my empty mailbox, most people try to console me by saying that not hearing from him means he's busy doing the Lord's work. Well, I hope so, but I still have a hard time believing that he doesn't have a few minutes each week in which to drop his mother a line or two.
So, I've quit complaining. This week I sent Wesley the same photo you see posted here on my blog. It's my version of tough love.

Hanging Planter in Washington

My kids are funny. Not funny weird (except for one of them), but funny, as in ha-ha. My missionary sent this picture in his last letter. Wes has gained about 20 pounds since arriving in Washington, giving his older sisters and I an opportunity to make a few fat jokes at his expense. I haven't felt bad about it, since he is the Ultimate Fat Joke King. In retaliation, he sent this pic with the comment that it reminded him of me and the girls. Actually, I never knew he'd seen me in my swimsuit, but the likeness is UNCANNY!

A Single Shard

I just finished reading this book with my 6th grade students and they loved it! I've read it several times and found it just as enjoyable this time as I did the first time I read it. I like the life lessons taught in the book and the way the author presents some of the very struggles my students face, like cheating, lying, and treating others with respect. It's an easy read, and well worth your time even if you aren't in 6th grade. The author, Linda Sue Park, has other books, but this one is my favorite.

Grandma's Sweethearts

I found this picture on my camera when I was posting my quilt blocks (keep reading). How cute are these two munchkins? Kourtney LOVES to hold babies and last Saturday she got to hold her baby cousin, Brennen. Brennen was happy, Kourtney was happy, and all was right in the world!

Saturday Sampler

I heard about the Saturday Sampler at the local quilt store and decided to give it a try. Here's how it works: In January, you buy a kit to make your first block, then on the first Saturday of every month, you return to the store with your completed block and pick up the materials for your next block (for free!). The store makes their money in the end when you complete your quilt and want to buy coordinating fabrics for your sashing, backing, and binding. Due to an illness that was totally out of control, I didn't complete my January block until Saturday morning about an hour before I was supposed to show up at the store to redeem my next block. Luckily, the block was pretty easy to put together once I got past the panic of knowing that I didn't have extra fabric just in case I messed up. Messing up comes naturally to me, but I'm happy to say that I only picked out and resewed one seam in this whole entire block. Isn't is pretty?

Since my sewing machine was all set up, I came straight home from the quilt store and set to my next block. Needless to say, I picked out and re-sewed more than one seam! It was a tad bit harder than the January block, but I finished it!

Then, since I was on a roll, I decided to do both blocks again. The hardest block is the first one, but with a sampler quilt, every block is a first. My plan is to have two sampler quilts done by the end of the year. The pictures of this make it look like the second one might turn out to be a Christmas quilt.

I just thought this was kinda neat to see the same two blocks done in different fabrics. I love to sew and especially love creating beautiful things like this!

Oh no! It's a Man Cold!

I have a pretty healthy immune system, but every once-in-awhile I get a bug. Sometime during our Snow Days, I caught a cold. I was too sick to teach Sunday School yesterday. (Thanks to my son-in-law Nolan for bailing me out and teaching my lesson.) I'm on the mend, I think/hope! DoJo is about a day behind me in symptoms, so today was his day to be absolutely miserable. I will just say, if the hubbs skips work, well...it's serious! This whole episode reminded me of a video that a male co-worker shared with me a couple of years ago. It was his way of explaining to me how he was more sick than I could possibly imagine. I'm not saavy enough to figure out how to put it on my blog, so you will have to go to YouTube and watch it. It requires no further explanation. Enjoy!