Wasatch Quilt Shop Hop & Giveaway!

This year's Wasatch Quilt Shop Hop did not disappoint. In my opinion it was the best year ever and I enjoyed each shops interpretation of the blocks. It was fun taking pictures of 12 of the 15 shops that we visited yesterday. It took us over 13 hours and we almost made it to 13 of the shops but we were 13 minutes after it closed. The remaining two shops were too far away for us and we didn't have enough time to get there. We're sad about that, but that's the way it is. I'm just happy we were able to hit so many in one day. By the way, if the shop's have a link to their websites I've linked them for you, just click on the store's name and it will take you to their darling shops. We are sooo lucky here in Utah to have sooo many wonderful quilt shops.

Announcing My 2nd Annual
Quilt Shop Hop Giveaway

This has been a fun tradition for me and my friends for many years now and I wanted to have another giveaway to celebrate all of the creativity that exists here in Utah. Of the 13 quilts we saw I decided to pick Three of my Favorite Quilts. Each of these quilts were designed by the owner's of each quilt shop and were designed and made by them (owner's), their staff, and/or with the help of their staff (I think I covered it all the variables on that).

Here are the Rules:

• Pick your favorite quilt then leave a comment telling me which number quilt you liked and if your favorites are my favorites I'll put your name in for the Quilt Shop Hop Giveaway.
• I don't like to leave anyone out so, if you don't pick one of my favorite quilts you're name will still go in for the 2nd prize that I'm also giving away.
• The Giveaway will be open until Monday, June 22nd at 12 midnight. I will then draw two names for the two prizes which I will show you when I reveal the names of the two winners.

Here's how it works . . .
I've posted a picture of the Quilt Shops store fronts with a number attached right by the shops name. You will then see a quilt picture of the store's interpretation of the quilt theme which is, "Around the Town".

The Quilt Shops begin here:

#1 Broadbents located in Lehi

Broadbent's Village Quilt

#2 Corn Wagon Quilts in Springville

Corn Wagon's Miniature Village Quilt

#3 The Stitching Corner in Orem

(no store front picture, sorry I missed this one)

This is Stitching Corner's Quilt

#4 American Quilting in Orem

This is my Friend Amy (owner) standing in front of her creation.

#5 Thimbles & Threads Draper

Thimbles & Threads Quilt

#6 Quilt Etc. in Sandy

(no store front picture, sorry I missed this one)

I got distracted here and missed a picture of Quilt Etc.'s store front because I heard my name being called as I was getting ready to take a picture of the store. So this picture will have to suffice. I ran into one of my blogging/quilting friends Nedra of Cactus Needles. She was up visiting from St. George doing the Quilt Shop Hop with some of her friends. We were hoping to run into each other during the shop hop and we had even traded cell phone number's. It was so fun meeting Nedra in person and giving each other a big hug. After we hit a few other quilt shops Nedra, Judie, and their friend Beth met up with Me and my friend Jackie at Zupa's for lunch. Lunch was yummy and the company was wonderful. We could've visited for hours. This picture is taken by the house next door to the quilt shop and belongs to the quilt shop owner, Pat. I love Pat and all of her staff and that's where I taught classes for a few years. I LOVED it and when I have more time I would love to work there again.

Quilt made by Quilt Etc.

#7 Pine Needles in West Jordan

Pine Needles Quilt

#8 Elaine's Quilt Block in Salt Lake City

Elaine's Village Quilt

#9 Whimsy Cottage in Salt Lake City

This is Whimsy's Quilt

#10 Piper's in Salt Lake City

This is Piper's quilt.

#11 Quilter's Haven in Bountiful

This is Quilter's Haven's Quilt

#12 Village Dry Goods in Brigham City

This is Village Dry Goods Quilt.

We Survived!

Well, I must say that a lot of energy was expended today but I'm happy to report that we survived the ordeal. It's always more worry than it needs to be and after she often comments well, that wasn't such a big deal. I just smile and remind her that she needs to remember that and maybe next time it will be easier.

The FEAR of the UNKNOWN can make most people at least a little bit nervous but can send Kenna over the edge. She was very insightful one day when they had a substitute Bus Drive who got turned around and lost at least 3 or more times (according to Kenna) and she came home in tears worried that she would be lost. She remarked that she felt her ANXIETY PRESSURE go up. I tried not to giggle. I thought that was a great way to describe her feelings.

We showed up at the Dentist's office at 10am with a nervous smile.

Kenna was sooo happy that her daddy could come with us.

Here Kenna is starting to come out of the sedation.
The first thing she said to me was, "Are you REAL?"
I thought that was funny.

She was most worried about her numbness and kept asking if her lip was swollen. I kept saying no and then I realized her lip was numb and that was why she felt her lip was swollen.

Guess what I finished while I waited.

The binding!

The dragon with teeth sure liked sitting on the quilt and wanted me to leave it behind for him. I said, "No way, my quilting friends want me to finish it so they can see it.

So, here's another little peek.

I'm really very very close. I'm sorry to make you wait so long. Hang in there! I just have to put on a couple more leaves and some pink mini ric rac around the centers of the flower.

Anxiety!

Please notice the time of my post. Yes, it's very LATE and I'm very TIRED. I'm sorry if this get's too long for you. I'm okay if you stop here but, who knows, maybe this will inspire you. I hope so.

I'm going to share one of my personal challenges in hopes that it may help you to know that we are not alone in our trials. We have each other. We can lift each other and support each other in times of illness, sadness, grief, and pain. We can also share in the joyous moments, too.

I'm a firm believer that "We are the Creators of Our Own Happiness" which means when faced with adversity we can choose to be happy or choose to be miserable. This doesn't mean we can't be sad or mad but, we need to snap out of it as fast as we can and see the blessings in our lives and even ask for divine guidance and understanding. I'm grateful for the happiness, the faith, the love, the joy, the peace, the strength and the courage that comes to me through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My faith defines who I am and I'm a better person because of my beliefs.

So, here's what's been keeping me up LATE. . .

Kenna is having 3 baby teeth pulled (the teeth are hanging on tight) and she needs 2 fillings. She's going to be put out for the procedure. Read on and you will understand.

First off, my husband has anxiety and had his first anxiety attack when he was in his early 30's and his father has anxiety and coped with it by drinking. It consumed his life and he became an alcoholic (good news: he is now a recovered alcoholic). Even my husband's grandmother had anxiety. So you can see that anxiety is a part of my children's genetics. I don't think we realized that our kids would be affected by anxiety (most kids have fears) until our youngest was diagnosed two years ago with GAD also known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and then I looked back and realized oh yes, all my kids have experienced different anxieties in their lives but it wasn't as debilitating as it's been for Kenna. It's too the point where she can't function at times.

Now that Kenna's a little older she usually copes pretty well but at times it turns into a full blown anxiety attack like tonight. She's deathly (ha ha) afraid of dying and so being put out for her dental procedure or flying in an airplane or getting lost or the fear of a car crash causes her extreme anxiety. Sometimes I get impatient and tell her to just STOP it and then we go into the let's manage your fear mode where we talk about it, that usually helps. Now that she's 10 years old she's really starting to recognize that she's different. She gets mad at herself and tells me she hates anxiety and wishes she didn't have it. My responsibility as her loving mother is to make sure she FACES her FEARS. That is one of the best things I can do for her. She's quite a dare devil which is really funny. She loves to ride horses, participate in gymnastics, softball, soccer, skiing and rock climbing too. She's very athletic so I keep her busy and focused on her talents.

It can be hard as a parent to see your kids suffer with any kind of debilitating circumstances whether physical or emotional. Often, I feel like it's a silent disability that many people don't understand and people can be very judgmental and critical. Most people have been pretty supportive but it makes it hard for her to function and she WORRIES (chronically) about everything, especially what people think about her. Often, I'm her voice of reason.

I remember at the end of 3rd grade her teacher was telling me how much she enjoyed Kenna and that she hoped that she would GROW OUT OF HER ANXIETY. I kind of laughed and corrected her by saying that she would never really GROW OUT OF IT but that she would learn how to better COPE with it and then it would seem like she had GROWN OUT OF IT!

It's very late now (2:37am) and I better get to bed. I'm sorry to ramble on a bit and I hope you don't mind my sharing but it will help you understand what keeps me from posting regularly on my blog. I really appreciate all of you that follow my blog and leave comments. I've had a great time visiting, emailing, and getting to know many of you.

I'm so grateful for all the love and support!

Thank You!

Sneak Peek!

Remember when I showed you Bubblegum Basics?

Well, the quilt is almost done. . .

Yippee!

So here's a little. . .

SNEAK PEEK!

Warning Just Added~

The quilt is not just pink and red.
It also uses the blues, greens and the yellows
along with the solid white fabric for the background.

Busy! Busy!

My summer so far has been spent doing too many other things besides sewing. I'm hoping the fun will slow down a bit so I can sew MORE than I'm currently sewing. I have a lot of projects to get done and I'm trying to balance the FUN with THE FUN! If you know what I mean.

I played all afternoon (yesterday) with this little guy.
My 3 year old grandson.

Here's what I've been doing so far this summer:

• Three Dentist visits.
• Wisdom Teeth removal and cavities filled
• Weekly Summer Movies with Cousins in Orem
  
• Weekly Gymnastics class
• Softball practices and games
• Driving back and forth to cousins in Alpine
• Having too many sleepovers with friends and cousins
  
• Taking care of grandchildren
• Reading (I've read two books in two weeks and I'm working on a third)
• Blogging and doing a makeover on my blog
• Reorganizing Sewing Room
• Helping a friend buy a TV for her husband's 50th birthday
• Visits to the Quilt Shops in and around town
• Lunches with friends
• Doing Housework and laundry
  
• Cooking dinners and eating out
  
• Trying to finish a quilt
• Working on MBS projects
• Weeding and sweeping front of house
• And more summer movies

I'm feeling better about my summer now that I've written things down. I'm happy to know that I've been productive and have had lots of fun doing it ALL even though I'm not accomplishing things as quickly as I'd like to in the sewing/quilting department. I do hope things slow down a bit. We only have 3 more softball games. Yeah!

Here are my two golfers.

My DS and DH have been busy golfing and studying the game this summer. They like to go out 3-5 times a week and play or practice what they're learning. They both work just in case you're worried.

A Little Change!

I've been ready for a little change lately as you can see from my new header and background. My new background is thanks to Aqua Poppy Designs. Isn't it simply darling? She has some really fun and free backgrounds if you're looking for something fresh and new.

I haven't jumped in totally and done a major overall but that's definitely in the horizon as I continue to make my blog look more professional and all matchie matchie (can you spell matchie matchie that way? lol).



I had so much fun taking pictures of the fabric that it became my inspiration for some change. The majority of the fabric in the pictures are from my collection of Aunt Gracie prints, I'm definitely a fan of Judie Rothermel. I did want you to know that Aunt Gracie's are my biggest collection of fabric and I've been collecting it for 10 years now. You must know that it takes many years to acquire a collection. I remember when it cost $6.39 a yard and now you pay over $2.00 more per yard. I have to admit though that I've been hitting a few fabric stores recently doing a little bit of fabric therapy, okay a lot of therapy but I need therapy so that's okay (smiles). I've been buying some of the newer Aunt Gracie prints along with some other stuff. I'll do more posts about that later.

When I was at Broadbents the other day, Laurel showed me a new scrappy quilt book that I just had to buy. One of my requirements for buying a book is that I have to like more than 3-4 quilts in the book for me to buy it.

This is the book. You can see it here.

This is one of the quilts I'm making. The feedsack quilt pattern inspired me and since I have sooo many Aunt Gracie fabrics I knew it would be the perfect quilt for me to make.

This is the block.

Just so you know, I did make a few changes...

First, I wanted to have red polka dots for the center of the blocks. As you can see I already put together one block. Isn't it so fun? I LOVE it!

Second, The block in the book is 12" x 12" and the strips are cut 2 1/2" and my block will finish at 9" x 9" because my strips are cut at 2". You are probably asking WHY! Well, it's because the stacks of strips that you see in the pictures above and below were cut from my stash over two years ago and I wanted to use them. So, I modified the measurements to fit the 2" strips I cut two years ago. I also threw in some of the newer fabrics I've been buying too!

I actually like the smaller block better and the red center gives me quiltbumps. I'm all giddy inside! I can't wait to make more of these blocks.

Horse Show

On Friday evening we went to Kenna's Horse Show where she competed in 3 different events. We arrived at 6:15 p.m. because we were told it started at 6 :45 p.m. Well, that was just the beginning of a long and very windy evening.

We found out when we got there that her events would start at 7:00 p.m. but the 1st group didn't even finish until 7:45 p.m. and when we finally got home it was just before 9:00 p.m. We were tired, wind blown, and hungry. Last year they had hot dogs, soda, and chips so we didn't eat anything thinking we'd just eat there. We were ill prepared! But, the 3 nieces, 1 daughter, 1 husband, 1 grandpa, and 1 mother, all survived the event!!! It was only supposed to take an HOUR! I sure wish THEY (organizers of the events) had been better prepared like last year.

These are the 3 events that Kenna participated in:

• Riding Skills
• Barrel Racing
• Water Race

Here she is ready to go into the Arena.

Kenna LOVES to ride horses and take care of them.

Kenna is ready to ride in the Barrel Race.

Here she is loping to the finish line.

Kenna placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the 3 events she participated in.