2012, All Wrapped Up and Tied in a Bow

I tried to think of all the highlights of this year, and I know for a fact I've left out some major ones. So let's just say here are a few highlights of 2012:

4 vacations--Hawaii in March, Southern Utah in June, Seattle in September, and Jackson in October.

It is always best to travel with and go to visit the ones you love in your life.

5 new release movies--7 if you count seeing Hunger Games twice and seeing Les Mis twice (yes, already)

Favorite movie of the year

7 quilts/quilting projects completed--a few more started but not finished yet.

Favorite Quilting

Most work put into, happy with the results

Favorite quilt of the year

17 Baby books/scrapbooks scanned, merged, and published into 7 volumes--two more to publish.

Winner of most valued project of the year (and best kept secret for months)

Only possible because of Audrey's tutelage

I scanned 17 books the size of the two on the right.

49 books read--not a record, but still a lot of books

So many books, so little time

Here are two of my favorite first time reads of this year

December Report

Each month I dread having to do this report. In the end, it never takes very long, and it is completely for me. Here it is December and I had decided a month ago that I would only do this for 2012, and not continue for 2013. Now that I look back on the year, I realize I did a lot more towards keeping my goals and resolutions this year than ever before, because I took a look at the results each month. I can actually remember what I tried to accomplish this year instead of drawing a complete blank on the last 11 months of my life.

Reporting each month kept me accountable to myself. I feel great about my goals for this year. Was I perfect in keeping/attaining them? Not by any means. Did I learn anything from trying to keep these goals? Tons. Am I happy with my level of "completion"? Yes, I'm thrilled.

Today I am outlining what I hope to keep focused on for next year. But for now, here is my final monthly report for 2012:

1. First things first: Eating right, exercising, and saying my prayers and reading my scriptures. I did all right with this goal, but I do know it is a lifetime goal that can always be strengthened and improved upon. This is a focus I want to keep primary in my life.
2. One shelf/drawer per day: I did some of that this month, not a ton. I must say it's my favorite goal for the year. I did not end up doing every shelf and drawer in the house, and I did not do it every day. I did feel like I made major strides in this area, and no longer feel overwhelmed by the task. I'll be incorporating this into my goals for next year in a new way.
3. 30-30-30: This is perhaps the most effective manner of keeping myself focused on whatever task I am working on that I have found in my life. It won't be a goal/resolution this next year per se for me, but it is well incorporated into my life right now, and I hope to keep it that way.
4. Skype/Webcam: Technology swept in and took care of this goal for me. Really, FaceTime takes care of all this and I video through that with my grandchildren on a fairly regular basis. However, I did get a webcam installed early this year and used it a few times before I had FaceTime available. And I must say that I spent four minutes (yes, four) right before writing this post signing up for, and getting all set up on Skype. So now I have that option also. This is so typical of me--taking 12 months to accomplish a four minute goal. So silly. But at least now it is done.
5. Digital Photo Storage: I am all set to get going next year on this. I've learned how, and now I will apply that knowledge. It is my way of recording our family history. Mine, my own family, and my family growing up. I'm excited to do this.

That is December, and really 2012, in a nutshell.

Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow

My guess is this is my final read for 2012. It seems unlikely that I will finish a book today.

Another fun Gwen Bristow book. This one takes place in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. It was interesting to learn so much about what life was like then and there. I liked it a lot, but I think Celia Garth and Jubilee Trail rank just a little higher for me among her books.

TV Tray Ironing Board

When I went to the Utah Valley Quilt Guild Retreat back in November, I saw a few of these TV tray ironing boards. What a clever idea for travel--they fold flat for transport, and don't take up much space in your quilting area. But they are nice and firm and make a good ironing surface when piecing.

I made three this week. One for Trish, whose birthday is this week, and one for Audrey (a late Christmas gift) and one for me (just because). I learned a few things along the way.

I loosely followed a tutorial found here.
I made a few changes:
1. They suggest using home decor fabric that is thicker and more durable. Probably a good idea. I chose regular fabric that I liked. Then I put a layer of muslin underneath. Maybe not as durable, but sure cute!
2. I cut the top fabric 5 inches larger than the TV tray instead of 3 inches. For example, my TV tray was 15" X 19". I cut the fabric 20" X 24".
3. I only used 2 layers of batting and one layer of Insul-Brite. That was plenty.
4. Instead of trimming the batting at right angles at the corners, I trimmed them diagonally. (Took three trays to figure that out.)

My husband manned the staple gun, and did an immaculate job of it. That fabric is not coming off anytime soon.

 

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

In 1941 Stalin was busy trying to eliminate Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. In order to do that he deported thousands and thousands of people. Many of them were sent to Siberia.

This book is a story about the deportation of a 15 year old girl and her family from Lithuania. It was a compelling read. I was worried about it being too depressing. Somehow it wasn't. Yes, it talks about hard things, but it also talks about the importance of hope and a desire to live. It is a young adult book, and I like the way many of the situations were handled in light of that fact.

I was not aware about this mass deportation at all. At first I was worried that they would be exterminated like Hitler did the Jews, but at least in this story, that didn't happen. It's scary to me that this kind of thing happens so easily without the rest of the world knowing anything about it. China, Germany, Russia and so many other countries have suppressed what we as Americans consider to be unalienable rights. It's a blessing to live here. We need to make sure to exercise our rights to vote and keep the freedoms we have.

December Photos

Things remain hectic around here, and blogging has taken a back seat. So I decided to include some December highlights in this post. It's mostly pictures. 

One thing it lacks is photos of Christmas gifts I made this year. I was so busy trying to get them done in time (all but three got finished) that I sent them off with no pictures to record what I made. I did Christmas pillowcases this year. I swear I took pictures of them when I made them, but can't find the photos. Then I made little quilted bags for a few friends. No pictures of those either. Oh well. I'll try to be better about that.

Here is the last half of our month in photos:

December 16--Ray's birthday. Beth's is the 17th so we had a double celebration. Tri-tip, potato-cheese casserole (most people know this as funeral potatoes), and Caesar salad. Brownies for dessert.

Ray and Joanne Linford, Carolyn and Emily Urban, Bruce, Andrew, Rachel, Ray
Ray, Beth

The Birthday Boy and Birthday Girl: Ray and Beth

 December 18--Trish Derrick and I drove to Wendover to watch my grandchildren in a dance recital.Two plus hours of driving (each way) for about 10 minutes of dancing (total). It was worth it.

Elizabeth

Austin and Matthew. Their dance was choreographed to "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

 December 25--Christmas! The Hanks were here all day, and the Petersen's came in the afternoon. My parents joined us for dinner.

Elizabeth, Matthew, Austin

Elizabeth

Matthew

Austin

Joseph

Audrey

Beth with her Yankees purse. I wanted to keep it.

Andrew

Elizabeth and Rachel

Ray

Elizabeth, my mother, Rachel

Our Christmas pajama picture. The first totally happy one in years. Of course, Andrew isn't in the picture yet.

All the kids (except my Washington grands - oh, how we miss them!) and Beth. Mostly happy... 

Les Miserables

I've seen the play at least a dozen times. It's my all time favorite. I've been excited to see the movie and bought the tickets a few weeks ago. We saw it first thing Christmas morning.

One word: Magnificent.

Merry Christmas!

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

Here lies another fun book by Richard Peck. I love learning a couple of historical facts while reading his fun stories.

I had a quiet evening to myself last night, and picked up this book. I finished it in less time than it took my husband and son to go see the movie Jack Reacher.

Now back to my other book--a review to come soon, if I get my Christmas stuff all done so that I have time to read.

Saturday

Oh, have I been busy! Running to and fro, and doing all kinds of things. Mostly fun, but not everything. And most of it with a deadline - last Friday. Saturday morning came, and I got up early, and went back to bed and had a long nap. Then I decided to forget everything on my to do list, and relax for the day. 

Ray's been even busier than I have. His has been work related. So I proposed that we spend at least part of our Saturday and go to the new Trader Joe's that just opened a week ago in Salt Lake. (I cannot tell you how excited I am to have them open here!!). Ray was all for it, and we took off. Trader Joe's was mobbed. There were so many people you could hardly maneuver through the aisles. Mostly I just wanted to wander to see it all, and of course picked up a few favorites while we were there (Cat Cookies for me and peanut butter filled pretzels for Ray). Okay, we got a little more than just those two things. The cashier said the store has been that crowded all day every day since they opened. It's the biggest opening in sales that they've had since the 60's. Or so they say.

Next we headed to the heart of Salt Lake - Temple Square, and the new City Creek Mall. It was snowing just the perfect amount. Holiday-beautiful snow, with no snow accumulated on the streets or sidewalks. We popped in at the Apple Store to wave to our nephew David who works there. Then across the street to the Nauvoo Cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They have the best turkey pot pies there. After our pot pies and some hot chocolate we stood in the lobby and listened to a choir singing. 

Back to City Creek to wander for about twenty minutes. It was so pretty. Then home. It was a great, relaxing afternoon. 

As for all the things I've got to do for next week, I am adopting Scarlett O'Hara's motto: I'll think about that tomorrow.

Waiting in line at Trader Joe's

Christmas tree in the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Me and Ray in front of the tree

Yummy turkey pot pie at the Nauvoo Cafe

Choir singing

City Creek Mall

The tree at City Creek

Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck

Richard Peck is a prolific writer. Thank heavens. I'll be reading more in the future, that's for sure.

Secrets at Sea is about a mouse family that finds it necessary to go to sea with their human family. A very fun story unfolds. I love how they avoid using the word "cat" when talking.

This is the last of my pile of books by him that I got from the library. I'm moving on to some other books right now, but I'll be back for more.

Fair Weather by Richard Peck

I've been on a Richard Peck marathon. And it has been wonderful.

Fair Weather is about a family who goes to the Chicago World's Fair. Richard Peck has great character development as usual, but I also loved reading and learning about the Fair at the same time.

Another great Richard Peck book.

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

This book takes place twenty or twenty-five years after A Long Way from Chicago. A new family has moved in next door to Grandma Dowdel. She doesn't seem to be paying them much attention, but as the book goes on you see her taking them under her wing in her usual fashion.

This book has a great lesson. The end of the book is at Christmas time, and the boy in the story tells his dad that Grandma Dowdel doesn't have much to give in the way of gifts. His dad corrects him by pointing out that she spent the entire year giving. It's a good one to read with your children at this time of year.

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

 I read this again, this time for my book group. It is a sequel to A Long Way from Chicago. It is just as wonderful as A Long Way from Chicago.

It may be juvenile fiction, but it is delightfully entertaining for adults. It is well deserving of the Newbery Medal.








Newbery Medal Winner, 2001

Quilt Retreat

 The Utah Valley Quilt Guild does a retreat every year, usually early in November. Trish found out about it, and we joined the guild so we could go on the retreat. It was so much fun!

I don't know when I've met a group of women so friendly. They just welcomed us in like we were long time pals. And by the end of the three and a half days, we felt like long time pals.

There were 76 women in the ballroom of the Yarrow Hotel in Park City sewing and talking and sewing and talking. What could be more fun?

I took a lot to do, and only got a fraction of it done. That's okay. I got stuff done, and I made new friends. That's why I was there.

My only aggravation was my phone camera. These pictures looked a lot more in focus when I looked at them on my phone. In fact they actually looked in focus. Otherwise I would have retaken these pictures. Oh well. At least they still document what I did.

Trish, my sewing buddy.

Half the room, early in the morning before everyone was there.

Half the room, with everyone working away.

Me. Trish knows how to take a picture with my camera. 

Here are a few things that I worked on while I was there:

My block of the month for November

This bookmark was a make it/take it we were given. 

This luggage tag is another make it take it we were given. It's ever so much cuter when you see it in focus.

 One of the women brought flannel so we could make sanitary napkins for women in third world countries. Women use these over and over. She does this for the Launfall Foundation. She brought over 2000 cut pieces of flannel. Most of us took at least ten to make, and some made even more than that. I believe all 2000 were made. Here are the ten I made:

The door prize I won.

I started working on my Bounce quilt. I'm going to love it.

We were given this little bag of treats when we arrived. No two bags had the same fabrics. 

Another gift we received

One day we were given a water bottle with this cute little apron. Rachel's Barbie looks fabulous in this apron.

I hope I can go every year!