A gift of love

I give you... the quilt!

What a stinkin suprise!

One that my 4 year old managed to keep secret for 3 months!

Incredible!

I have wanted a jean quilt for a very long time. When we lived in Providence (over 6 years ago), I decided it was time to have one. So I began to collect levis and painstakingly cut out 4x4 squares. I spent hours doing this. And bless my mother's heart, she was right next to me the whole way. And then, we decided to move. And then we moved. And then... nothing. Those quilt blocks are STILL in a bin up in my craft closet. Waiting for the day I suppose when I decide that enough is enough. But will I ever? Doubtful. Especially now. Cuz I have a levi quilt!

One of my favorite parts of this gift, aside from the incredible thoughtfulness of it and the HOURS spent on it, is that Chad also kept a small log of the experience for me. I got a few chuckles. Enjoy the pictures as you read his recorded experience"

9/2/21- I had the idea this morning, then texted your mom and asked if she could be my advisor throughout the project, as needed and she agreed. I watched YouTube videos on How-to and read blogs on tips and knowledge needed for the project as well as necessary materials.

9/3/21 Went to Joann's and picked out a blanket backer and grabbed necessary tools for the project. When I got in line to have the polar fleece cut (about a total of a 10 minute wait and I was the only one in line), there was another lady that got in line on the other side of the lady being served. Once it was my turn, I moved up to be served and that other lady did the same! I thought there was no way she didn't see me waiting first and for a much longer time than her. The lady was so bold as to put all of her fabric she needed cut in front of the cutter lady and acted as if I didn't exist, so I moved a little closer myself. She then saw me (for the first time, doubtful!) and said "do you only have the one item?" Me: yes. Her "I will let you go first then" (looking a bit irritated). I nodded and had the cutter lady cut my material that took less than a minute. Ater walking away, I just couldn't believe what had happened. She acted as if she was doing me a favor to let me be served first, when I was clearly in line first! I was ind of disgusted really. I kept trying to think of reasons why it happened and then after walking the store to look for the other items I needed for the project, I finally saw it. There is a little computer you type your name into, which places you in the digital line. I had seen the other lady go to that computer (but I didn't know what she was doing) about 8 minutes after I had been waiting my turn and apparently placed herself in the digital line. So by technicality, it WAS her turn. But still, with her knowing the process and seeing me wait in line before her, she must have understood that I wasn't familiar with the process. A better way she could have handled the situation, could have been her saying, "I see you were waiting before me. In the future there is a place over here where you can reserve your place in line (with a smile too)." It wasn't her job to educate me about the process, but it was ll so frustrating! I suppose the cutter lady could have looked up from what she was doing for a few seconds and educated me. Oh well. Total time cutting letg and back pockets off jeans once getting home: 4.5 hours 

9/10/21- spent time cutting jean strips (from legs cut last week) into perfect rectangles in preparation to sew them together. While I cut, McKinley happily played with various design scissors, using them as characters in a made up story of hers. Total time today: 1 hour

9/16/21- cut more perfect rectangles from pant legs 1 hr

9/23/21- Cut the rest of the rectangles so that I can work on sewing the pieces together tomorrow. 2 hours

9/24/21- I learned how to change the needle and relearned how to fill a bobbin and how to thread the sewing machine. I was able to sew all the rectangles together lengthwise. On my first attempt to sew two of the ends together, the jeans got jammed and I thought I was in serious trouble... thinking if I got stuck super often, then I may not have this project done by Christmas. So I called your mom and she reassured me that I just needed to pull fro m the other side to help lead it through. I did what she said and it worked! I never got stuck again. Next I will need to iron the seams down then sew the lengths together so they become stacked and from the face of the quilt. I imagine this will be much more challenging than sewing the ends together. I did my best to cut all rectangles exactly the same size per row (some were 9.5 inches, some 6.5, most were 7.5 I wanted to preserve as much of the jeans that I could, hence the different widths. Some jeans were much wider (think of the jeans I had when we were dating! I knew my lack of style at that point in my life would contribute to something greater in the future!) I let McKinley watch about 1.5 hours of shows during this time so I could be more productive than previous weeks. With part of the other 2.5 hours, McKinley sat next to me jabbering about so many things I couldn't keep track of what she was saying. I spent 4 hours total on the quilt today.

9/30/21- Spent about half my time today iron pressing seams that I had sewn together, so that when sewing the long sections together, the foot wouldn't have to jump as far and the needle would have an easier time getting through the layers. The other half o the time I organized the rows for the final jeans side of the quilt and sewing 5 of the rows together. While I was working on it today, McKinley sang many songs (while pretending to play a game) about how it was her job to make jeans all day long and how she hated it! I think she's had enough of me working on this project... but I'm having a lot of fun! I think I might have to do more sewing projects. Total time today: 3 hours.

10/1/21 I was able to finish sewing the lengths together, again neglecting all other household chores. McKinley was happier about keeping me company today and didn't complain a single time! After sewing the lengths together and running a couple of errands, I ironed the long seams because I thought it would help the end product lay flatter. Total time 3.25 hours sewing, 1.25 hours ironing.

10/7/21 Because I am planning to go to your mom's to use her quilting tools and expertise, I had to make sure everything was ready so I wasn't wasting time when I got there tomorrow. I cut the fleece into sections and sewed them together again with the correct dimensions, then I had to cut the fleece around the jean side I'd made. I had to cut the jean side down a bit as well since it was longer on a few ends. For some reason, this whole process took 3 hours! McKinley was patient with me again and played a variety of make-believe games in the same room as me. Atlas so badly wanted to use your quilt... I had to shoo him off multiple times. I had originally planned to not use batting in the quilt, but after laying the layers down together, it was thinner and less comfortable than I had imagined, so I will use batting after all when I head to your mom's tomorrow. I plan to have the girls help me pull the yarn through and tie, but we'll see how that goes. Total time today 3 hours.

10/8/21 Today was crazy. It took all of my effort to get all the kids in the car by 9 am to head to your parent's house. We had to stop for gas and got to your parent's house at 10:30. The car ride wasn't fun... 

While we were there, your mom helped me to set up the quilt stands and get things ready, but then she had students come and I waited for her lessons to be done so I could receive the next instructions and make progress. 

Lilia and your mom helped me thread the yarn through the layers and we were done by 3 pm. We waited for another hour as more lessons continued, but should've left at that time, because we didn't end up doing any more work on the quilt at 4 when your mom was available again. The quilt is less blankety than I'd hoped. Hopefully it loosens up over time and is easier to wrap up in. Real time working on quilt: 3.5 hours from me and about 2 hours from both Lilia and your mom.

10/14/21 I spent some time lining up and sewing one side of your quilt 1.5 hours

10/15/21 I lined up, pinned, and sewed the other ends. I used exactly 1 spool of thread, but before I finished, I was nervous about running out so I went to JoANNs to pick up another spool. when I got home and finished sewing, I had maybe 1-2 feet left of the original threat. I was glad I didn't have to start wit ha new thread since I couldn't find the same thread again it was a slightly different color. I tried using the new thread on scrap cloth, because I wanted to go around the edges a second time with a stretch stitch, and I found the machine kept clogging with the thicker thread. I messed around with what I assumed was the tension knob, but nothing changed. I was glad that I didn't try the new thread on your quilt, or else I would've ended up with a big mess. Once the edges were sewn, I cut the yarn ties back to about 1.4 inches, which definitely looked better. Since I didn't have the right thread to do the stretch stitch, I called the project complete. If you feel it needs it, I'd be happy to get the right thread and do so, since like I said on another day, I have really enjoyed using the sewing machine. 

I put the quilt on our bed and cuddled with McKinley in it for about 10 minutes and she loved it! total time today: 3.4 hours.

Total project time (my time): 31.5 hours but with help 35.5 hours

Merry Christmas!

My unveiling on Christmas morning. I absolutely love it! And right after Christmas, I ran a fever over 104 for most of the day despite tylenol and ibuprofen around the clock. This blanket was the only thing that could keep me warm! What a project of love. I will always treasure this quilt. Chad suggested we use it as a picnic blanket and I looked at him like he was crazy. No. Way!

 

Christmas!

What a neat holiday it was in so many ways! We had the joy of having Chad's mom and dad come and spend the holidays with us. Even though the mean weather stole them from us a day early, and we all ended up with nasty bronchitis... it was such a fun week!

I was so grateful they came when they did! We really hadn't had much snow up to that point and I feel like once they got here it didn't stop snowing! I was grateful for the white Christmas and the cozy fireplace! And all the Christmas blankets that kept arriving! LOL

My kids absolutely LOVE playing with their grandpa! He's a good one to get down on the floor with them and just play rough and get their energy out. They may be girls but they play rough and tumble with the best of them. And oh the noise! Hopefully Grandpa has recovered some of his hearing after spending the week at our house!

They came bearing loads of gifts... even for Atlas! They are headed to Nauvoo in February to start a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a result they are going through all their stuff and trying to minimize what they store. They came with so many bins and boxes of PJs, crafts, art supplies, books, and even treats! My kids were saucer eyed! I may have been a bit so myself! LOL My craft room got an overhaul and restock all in one fell swoop. It was awesome. I am so grateful and my kids have been capitalizing on the restock to boot.

Here McKinley is sporting some new jammies from Grandma Tina!

Snow! We have so much more now as it has continued to storm. In fact, when they left the Monday after Christmas, it started snowing and hasn't stopped! My parents were visiting my brother in Lewiston for Christmas and couldn't make it south. So they went west and ended up stuck for another week and a half at my other brother's house in Richland. 

We continued with our Christmas Eve jammie tradition. The kids have all wanted sweatpants so we took advantage and knocked 2 birds with one stone. I think they were a hit!

Christmas morning was so great. The kids let us sleep until 7. Well actually, I told the younger ones that there had to be a 7 on the clock in a certain position before they could come out. Surprisingly, it was Ms Lilia knocking down at our door at the stroke of 7. She was so antsy! She held out very patiently for another 30 minutes before I finally told her that she could go wake her sisters up. She was out of my room like a bullet.

The girls all had this nice surprise waiting under the tree for them! What fun! Grandma Tina sewed them all nightgowns and they LOVE them!

The girls bought each other gifts and we started with those. Jaedyn got Ebony a scooter, Ebony got Lilia a pair of sweat pants and a fuzzy jacket, Lilia got McKinley a lego set, and McKinley got Jaedyn a pair of awesome slippers. The girls get so excited to give and get the presents from each other. It is one of my favorites to watch. And because I'm selfish and like to soak it all in, we have each child take turns opening gifts. They actually do really well and are very patient and helpful handing out gifts. 

The big presents from mom and dad were: a teal cloak for Jaedyn which practically put her in raptures, a kindle reader for Lilia (she has read 6 middle school level books in it in the week since Christmas... I have to figure out ebook checkouts from the library fast cuz there's no way I can afford her habit! LOL), a handheld gaming device for Ebony, and a truck toyset for McKinley.

Chad made me a levi quilt for Christmas. That is deserving of its own post at a later date. And I put together a display for his office at work... and spent a few hours organizing his office. Only cuz he asked me to. LOL. I actually do love to organize stuff but I don't like to push it on other people. When he asked for my help I was more than happy to say yes! I didn't realize what I had gotten myself into...

Cutest cocoa bombs on the planet! G-ma Tina had these kids busy constantly with one craft or another. (She even went out and bought stuff for Jaedyn to make a treat when she heard about Jaedyn's New Year's party. She is an incredibly thoughtful person and my children adore her!)

And the cocoa bombs don't just look good! They tasted amazing!

 

Ebony's Baptism

Ebony was baptized at 10 am on December 21, 2021. What a neat day! It was a busy time of year for everyone but so neat to have her receive this ordinance around Christmas time surrounded by BOTH sets of grandparents! What a blessing!

She was baptized and confirmed by her dad.

The whole gang!

G-ma and G-pa Boyd on the left with G-ma Tina and G-pa Damon on the right.

She even had a friend come celebrate with her. And little Abigail Wilson even made her a gift! So thoughtful!

She was very excited, anticipating the event and wanted to come to the stake center early with me to set everything up.

She got to see the font filling and thought it was so cool! Look at that face! It embodies excitement!

The program was conducted by Bishop Brian Nelson. G-pa Boyd gave such a neat talk on baptism and spoke about entering the gate to the path, where the path leads, and how to stay on the path. When Ebony came out of the water, she had such a calm and happy smile on her face... such that both Chad and I commented on it later. I hope the gospel always brings such joy and peace to her life. After the baptism, G-pa Damon gave a talk on the Holy Ghost before she was confirmed. He bore beautiful testimony of the strength He can bring into our lives. She was then confirmed and then Bishop Nelson bore testimony and welcomed her to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an official member!

Grandma Tina has made each of the girls a special quilted blanket to cuddle in when they read their scriptures. She has always sent them in the mail. Well today, she got to deliver Ebony's to her in person which made it pretty special, I think.

And look how beautiful and colorful it is!

Ebony-girl, I love you! Today was pretty special and it made me so happy to see you so happy! I hope you keep fond memories of this day forever. I'm proud of the choice you made today, the sister you are, and the special girl you are becoming each day!

 

Spoiled!

 Boy was I ever spoiled on my birthday this year! 39. What a great way to celebrate the last year of my childhood! LOL. I actually had to work all day so it was kind of a typical day. Except that they brought me $50 for my birthday. I may have to go shoe shopping! And I did get off a little early because the work Christmas party was tonight and they wanted us there on time! So I got a couple of hours at home before we headed to that.

My kids were so sweet! Ebony had made me a sweet little note and included a pair of earrings that she had received at school. The kids had been tasked by their teacher to do homemade gifts for a secret santa exchange and one of the kids had made her these earrings. Well she has a metal allergy and can't wear them so sweetly gifted them to me. McKinley also drew me a few pictures. And unbeknownst to me, Lilia and Jaedyn had gone shopping for me with their own money. That right there is just so touching to me. But Lilia bought me a beautiful embroidered journal and Jaedyn bought me a fuzzy blanket. Both of them know me well.

Chad spent the day making me a pumpkin roll for a birthday cake! We are eating it tomorrow when his parents come. But yum!

Before we took off to the Christmas party Chad had me unwrap my gift from him. It was a set of dumbbell weights, an odd weight but much needed! At the bottom of the box was an envelope which contained this note,

"Happy Birthday Angela! You are completely incredible, talented, beautiful, determined, enduring, level-headed, inspirational, healthy, intelligent, lovable, compassionate, empathetic, kind, trustworthy, courageous, and resilient. (At this point I'm wondering what he wants 😂). I know I missed a bunch (oh do go on!) but these traits fit you well. If everyone could be half the person you are, this world would function much more efficiently and happily. And since I was able to find one of the few who could fit this description completely and convince her to marry me, I am left to make sure she feels valued, loved and appreciated. To do that, I'd like to take you on an all-expense paid vacation-I'm paying out of our shared banking account- to Kauai! I have plane tickets and a car rented, an AirBNB reserved, as well as a kayak trip planned/paid for. I will need help determining what hikes to complete... there are so many to choose from! I love you Angela and I sincerely hope that your birthday is as incredible as you are! Love, Chad"

😃💗😙😇😆😍😎😃😁😀😄💙💚💛💜

See what I mean spoiled?! I'm so excited to go to Kauai!! And bless his parents, they're going to watch the kids for us in frigid Idaho in February while we go relax in the sunshine on a beach somewhere!

Well it didn't end there! We then took the family to my work party which was at the Paramount Theater. They had BBQ catered and we watched the new Spiderman. I was hesitant to take the younger 2 but everyone really enjoyed it. (We won't mention that McKinley kept repeating a few choice lines... no more PG-13 for her!) They spoiled us with popcorns and sodas and then even surprised us with Klim duffle bags that not only had a really nice personalized warm layering shirt but also a personalized Klim jacket. And a lanyard. LOL. Dr Miner saw me pull that out of the bag and said "You know, just in case you ever need a lanyard for anything" I teased him back, "After all that, I was expecting a car key on it". Jeez. What a day! They even had the whole group sing happy birthday to me which was incredibly embarrassing but also kind of endearing at the same time. I truly felt so spoiled and loved by everyone!

This

Anybody else end up with 900 new pictures every time they "misplace" their phone?

No?

Just me?

huh.

 

Christmas Traditions

The time has come for me to defend myself a little bit. LOL But for realz! Jaedyn and I were decorating for the Christmas party one night and I overheard her tell someone that we don't have any Christmas traditions in our family. I thought, "Man! Why am I so pathetic?" But as the season has gotten into full swing and our holiday life has commenced, I have realized... We do too!!

So, I'm keeping a record... if for no one else's sake, then for my own! Cuz apparently I take things my children say at face value. But their interpretation is not always accurate!

I love Christmas! I love the season. I love the smells and the treats and the people and the love and the snow and the music and the color and the lights and... I have to come up for air... It is all so wonderful! 

One of our first traditions is to decorate our home the day after Thanksgiving. That's our Black Friday! We set the tree up, hang the stockings and one of my favorites is the garland on our stair rail. Not my favorite to put up of course, but definitely the decoration I enjoy the most.

The local Owen's Family does a 30 minute light show across town. They coordinate their lights to music and really must spend so much time doing it. We sure appreciate it. We pop popcorn, bundle up, and head over to watch the show each December. 

We spend a few days making treats for friends, neighbors and coworkers. This is a full day project usually and involves caramel apples, chocolate caramel pretzel sticks, and Christmas chex. We usually play music and work together, though this year I was late getting on it and ended up doing most of it while the kids were at school. It still is tradition to deliver it together though! And eat the leftovers!

Plus the usual stuff, like... We go caroling to a few neighbors almost every year. Usually with friends so the group is larger and less awkward. We play in the first snowfall together and if we can, we build a snowman (though admittedly this is sometimes in October!). The kids draw names and go shopping for each other on Dad's dime. The kids LOVE giving their gift on Christmas morning. On Christmas morning we take turns opening gifts rather than doing a free for all. That way everyone gets to enjoy each and every gift. Do those little things count?

On Christmas Eve we read the Christmas story together, sing a hymn and get out the German Nativity. This is a tradition from my home. We each pick an object in the nativity, share with the group how it has had significance for us in the last year and then light a candle on the nativity. When all the candles are lit, the fan begins to spin, we turn off the lights and watch it. Then we unwrap Christmas jammies and climb into them! Chad started a new tradition of games with prizes on Christmas Eve which has really been fun. 

And though it isn't a Christmas tradition, it does come around during the Christmas season and that is the tradition of waffles and ice-cream at an insane hour on New Year's Eve. This is another little gem from my childhood.

 

Chad's Early Arrival

Chad went hunting with my brothers this last weekend. We missed him! In church on Sunday, a neighbor came up and said, "I'm worried about Chad, is he ok?" I quickly replied that he was hunting and it should be me that he was worried for! LOL. 

But in all reality, the kids were really good for me and we had a fun weekend. We went to Aiden Decker's play on Friday night. It was a spoof on Cinderella called "The Not so Mysterious Disappearance of Cinderella". The kids thought it was a hoot. At one point, I looked over at Ebony and she was laughing so hard she was literally bouncing in her chair! 

Saturday we spent the day hanging around the house. I was in charge of decorations for next weeks Ward Christmas Party so a lot of my attention was consumed by little projects to be done. In the afternoon the older kids went to hang out with friends so I took the younger 2 down to the Christmas light parade "Lightapalooza". Who knew December hosted a parade?! It was freezing but I knew there wouldn't be parking so I bundled them up and stuck them in the covered stroller and walked them down to the parade. They got candy and everything! I was really surprised.

On Sunday we went to church and then watched the Christmas devotional broadcast in the evening. I didn't expect Chad home until Monday evening so had bought some gingerbread houses to decorate for an afternoon activity. I was so surprised when he called Monday morning saying he'd be home in an hour! He hadn't had enough hiking so we decided to take the girls who didn't have school and head to Menan Butte. Chad hasn't ever been hiking up there, so it was perfect!

This was Atlas' first adventure with the dogpack. He didn't mind it a bit.

The kids love this hike because there are all sorts of caves and lava rock to climb on.

The hike heads up to the top of the volcano, circles the crater, and then descends some pretty steep gravelly areas.

One of McKinley's favorite parts was climbing up the crack. She was so proud that she did it without any help! We had a lot of fun but got home a little later than planned. Oops. Poor Jae had been at school, but don't feel too badly because she did have a friend over for the gingerbread decorating that evening.