Grandma Autrey quilt update

 

Cindy Williams came over a few weeks ago, brought a quilt hoop with stand to loan me, got me started from laying out the "sandwich", pinning it, and teaching me how to start and end the threads.

I wish I had a picture of us crawling around on my living room floor while we pinned the sandwiched layers together. 

There are twenty blocks in this quilt, and I'm over half-way done hand- quilting it! Cindy has helped me twice so far, with a fun few hours of a "quilting bee " time together.

I was glad for that weekend getaway to Herriman, as my hands do get very tired. And my housework kind of suffers while I take a lot of time attempting to finish in a timely manner.

Lea Hurst, from Panaca, NV came by on Friday to pick up two twin-sized Nine-Patch pattern quilt tops that I got prepared to be machine quilted. She is the person who does all of Christie Jensen"s quilts. I've seen her work, and it's really nice. 

Now, I have only one more stack of quilt blocks to assemble into a top. Then, once they are all quilted and bound, the rest can be distributed to the grandchildren of Martin and Marilyn Autrey. Two have been given away-- Nick and Kaylee have one, and Eric and Brittney Autrey have one.

THEN maybe I'll have enough experience to make/create a quilt or two on my own. Maybe?

Pink nine- patch

Pieces sorted on blue for the second nine- patch.

 They went together just like the pink one.

 Bonus-- I've been able to use up a lot of my fabric stash for the between blocks, sashing and backs. . . with a minimum of purchasing fabrics. Except batting. I've bought a bunch of batting these past few months!

It has really been gratifying to finish up some of my Grandma Autrey's work. She made SO many quilts in her life. She must not have had painful arthritis in her hands. Or was tougher than I am. My hands hurt!

April update: I finished the hand quilting the 2nd of April! Woo hoo!!

* See October 2021 blog post for more Grandma Autrey quilt posts.

March, going out like a Lion

 A very cold lion.  It's only the 26th today. It's snowing, for about the 20th time this month.

We have been praying for "moisture", and this is how it comes to Utah between October and May. Snow. There's lots of it! Huzzah . Record-breaking, as a matter of fact.

Now we are praying for moderate snow melts that don't flood, damage and destroy.

Mike and Mom and I went for a drive up the canyon to see how deep it was. There's a lot up there to come down. Slowly, pretty please.

Mom came to stay with us for a few days while the flooring is being re- done at Our House. It was so stinky and noisy and dusty. She came Tuesday and just went home today, Sunday, but plans to stay in until the dust settles. Most of the noisy stuff is complete. The noise included drills and scrapers and skill saws AND nail guns! 

Now we know why we don't plant delicate things outside before about Mothers Day. Or Memorial day. 

Fresh snow falling on a semi-sunny afternoon.

At the bottom of the canyon, it doesn't look very wintery, but it sure does at the top!

Brrrr! 

The "Summit"sign is practically buried by the snow.

The Zion Overlook turnout is kind of accessible, but only if you dress for 20 degree weather and are willing to scale a very large snowbank. Mike has a tall truck, so I could see over the edge. Just barely , if I heldy camera way up . 

This is what I could see out my side passenger window much of the time on our drive.

Zion National Park overlook area. Very snowy down there, too!

Just lots and lots and lots of snow and water. 

Sportsman and Outdoor Expo, etc

 Mostly, it's about the "etc,"!!!

We drove up to Utah County on Friday March 17. We dropped Mom off to spend time with Aunt Tuny in Saratoga Springs, and Mike and I went to Herriman. 

Mike attended the Sportsman Expo on Saturday, and I hung out with Kaylee and kids. Nick was working.

Some photos for my memories.

This was at Dinner on Saturday when Logan noticed that "My Dad was sitting next to HIS Dad." And we pointed out that he, Logan, was sitting next to HIS Dad. Three generations of Liebhardt fellows, so I snapped a picture.

Kaylee always feeds us so well.  Logan and Rachel are enjoying bites of fruit salad made with real whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Normally Emily is a happy little thing. But not 100% of the time!

The unfinished basement is a great place to play and do art projects when it's too cold to be outside.

I rode on a wiggle car for the first time down there this trip! 

The kids have built houses and forts, etc.

Nick still has room to paint cupboard doors ( on the floor in the background). He's making some built-in cabinets for their over-the -garage bonus room.

Jane, age 3 (almost 4)

Outside, even when it's a nippy 40 degrees with a wind-chill, is still the first choice. They swept mud clods off the patio, they played in the dirt and mud, they played on their swing set, they rode bikes with neighbors...they keep very busy!!

Hers a picture of Mom reading in the back seat on our drive up there. We had PERFECT travel weather and we're so grateful for that. 

Mount Timpanogos was very covered with snow. We have had a wonderfully wet water year. 

Reading with Jane.

Logan bought a target with Velcro balls game-- picked it out and bought it with his own money! He didn't play it while we were there, but Mike and I did. I won😉.

(But Mike IS kind of crippled in the shoulders, and I wouldn't let him hurt himself)

But I cannot get the shared photos that Nick took to load. Oh, well. Technology! It's a love/ hate relationship.

Moonshine

 

It was full. 

It was bright.

It was coming up over the mountain. 

It was beautiful. 

Too bad the camera on my phone couldn't express that as well as I would have liked.

Pizza. Not Pizza

 Grrrr.

My Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil 

dissolved onto my beautiful homemade left over pizza. Yeast crust, all the toppings, made specially JUST for the purpose of more leftovers. And I had to throw it all away. An ENTIRE pizza!!! I hate wasting food. I was ready to pick it off, but Mike said he wouldn't eat it and didn't want me to. 

So sad.

Memory pillows

 I made a couple of memory pillows from shirts for a friend of mine today.

I hope she'll like them. Her dad passed away a couple of months ago, and the pillows are for her mother and niece.

The Cookie Monster

 They are for Primary kids. Mike wanted to make them because we have so much old peanut butter in our storage room. A lot of sugar ,eggs, and fat go a long way to make it taste new again!

And we have eaten more than our fair share!