Ending 2007

Well, its the last day of 2007! Its chilly...11 degrees, but the sun came out for a while, so we decided to bundle up and play in the snow for a few minutes! Jordyn got this inflatable sled from Grandma Kristi, and she loves it! Its a good workout for mom and dad too! :)
Jordyn is now taking a nap, Justin is outside chopping wood, and im catching up on emails and letters before i tackle the laundry, dishes, and a brisk walk outside (one of my resolutions) :) Our big New Years Eve Celebration will be spent at Grandmas house (they live next door, so we can walk). Cheese soup and Cocktails await us there, and most likely a movie. If we are as exciting as last year, when midnight strikes, i will be staring at my family while they sleep :) hehehe
A perfect beginning to a New Year!
Cheers~
lisajo

Post Holiday Brrrrr!

The holidays were very festive and full, and we are happy to settle down to our chilly nights up here in the mountains! It was 0 degrees on the night of Christmas and hasnt been much warmer than 18 degrees all week, so it was indeed a white, as well as, frosty Christmas! :) We ended up doing a lot of running around over the last few days, and though it was great to see everyone, it would be nice to spend a Christmas in pajamas all day at home like we did when we were kids. Maybe when Jordyn is a little older we will revert back to the old tradition...i think it would be fun to do once in a while!
We spent sooo much time in the car that our house became a dumping ground for presents and leftovers, so by the time we finally had a moment at home, we realized what a mess it was! :) Ive been cleaning ever since!

We purchased a big screen TV for Christmas, so we have been rearranging the house for two days, setting up an entertainment center and finding room for all the junk that has settled undisturbed for years, so that we may house this new addition. We dont have television stations up here, never watch it...but we do like to curl up to a movie at night, so we are looking forward to retiring the archaic 19" for a 42" plasma! woohoo! We are a no frills bunch, so this is a big deal for us :) Our cabin is small, so adding anything this large is gonna interrupt our entire house...but as i said, after two days, it is really starting to pull together! The grandparents took Jordyn for a few hours today, so while she was gone i decided to take down all of the Christmas decorations...might as well tear up the whole place at once! I love the holidays, dont get me wrong, but with a 1 1/2 year old totally thrown off her routine, im ready for things to get back into their groove! :)

Im also ready to get back to those abandoned projects and maybe even start on my New Years resolutions early...well, a little early anyways!

Here's wishing all of you Peace and Joy in the New Year!
Cheers~
lisajo

Royal Mail

Recently on one of Kate's giveaways i won a bag of Christmas squishies...well yesterday they arrived, just like Christmas, and i love them! Thanks Kate! I plan to use them as a border around one of my snowman wall hangings if ever i can finish one! :) Meanwhile, I made 8 pounds of fudge, with 4 pounds left to make...and Im also working on a DVD slideshow for the family...then im done with the holiday projects! woohoo! Jordyn is still trying to open her presents under the tree, so that keeps me busy! Hopefully i can deter her for a couple more days, but honestly im pretty excited to see her open them too. Well, gotta run...fudge calls!
cheers~
lisajo

Santa Claus

We took a trip to town today to see one of my favorite people...Santa Claus! Concerned that lines would be long, we headed down the mountain early to beat the rush. We lucked out, only two other families in front of us...whew! Not that i mind waiting in line, but 17 month olds dont seem to have any patience! Jordyn was very excited to see Santa, and didnt shy away from him when he picked her up :) Instead, she happily sat in his lap, while he showed her his Christmas book, teddy bear and other toys. I was happy that Justin could be there to share in the moment!
He took a vacation day to join us, so we did the LAST of our holiday shopping in town, and then headed back home. We hardly had enough room in the car for everything...in fact, im still trying to put it all away.
While i was putting away groceries and Justin was busy making a fire we heard a little voice say....oooooooh! We looked over to discover that Jordyn had decided to unwrap one of her presents. Justin and i had been soooo busy with our chores that we hadnt even noticed her snooping around under the tree. She actually moved two of our presents to get to that one...now how she knew it was hers and that it would be a toy was rather impressive. She was so innocent and cute about the whole thing, that all we could do was laugh. Naturally i grabbed the camera because she kept saying ooooooh......oooooooh!
Afterwards we watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and then decided to call it a day. A Wonderful Day! :)

Happy Holidays~
lisajo

Christmas Cheer

I was pleasantly surprised today when i went to the mailbox and pulled out this beautiful handmade postcard from Kate in the UK. It was immediately placed in a spot of honor on our tree and looks wonderful there! I think i will frame it after the holidays to bring out every year as a lovely reminder of the friends i am making thru blogger and the about.com quilting forum. Quilters are some of the most generous and friendly folks around...thank you Kate, for thinking of me and my family! We got a little snow over the last two nights, in fact, its snowing right now (and a whopping 7 degrees :) Im glad we also rcvd a few new movies in the mail today, looks like we will be staying inside, curled up in front of the fire watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Erik the Viking....what fun! Here's a look at our place at night! Stay Warm!
lisajo

Flashback Friday - Christmas 1974

It's Christmas 1974, we've opened the presents, and mom has received her lovely clay bell Denise made her...its hanging on the light fixture above us. Over the years, we would all make one...4th grade, Mrs. Goerthe's class, and they would adorn the light fixutres every Christmas. In fact, i think they lived there permanently! Its not the best photograph...in fact, i think it was taken with my cheesy 126 camera...remember those.

you just popped the film in the back and whala! Dont forget those lovely flash bulbs you had to attach on top :) I loved that camera! I had a cute little camera bag/purse to keep it in, and decorated it with sparkly stickers. Anyways, as we all know, those photos turn a lovely greenish yellow over the years, so ive adjusted it a bit in photoshop to make it look better. Couldnt do anything about the fact that my Grandpa Norris was almost completely cut out of the photo. But its fun all the same.

My Grandparents(my moms folks), would spend the night every Christmas Eve so they could spend Christmas morning with us. They would sleep in Denise's room (she's the oldest sitting in my moms lap), and Denise would "do time" with TJ and i, in our room (im the one sitting in my dads lap). We loved cuddling together on Christmas Eve, though we would stay up late giggling and talking, and dad would have to threaten us at least 5 times before we would finally quiet down and fall asleep. We received new matching pajamas on Christmas Eve along with our traditional "one gift" we each got to open. It was usually some game that we could play to distract us from the rest of the wrapped goodies under the tree. Barrel of Monkeys...Pick up Stix...Connect Four...Hungry Hungry Hippo...Dont break the ice...any of these classics ring a bell? :)

I received a Tiffany Taylor doll that year, you could twist the top of her head and make her a blond or brunette, and she came with a shiny gold swimsuit and matching skirt. I wonder what ever happened to that doll. She was cool!

Speaking of cool, check out the velvet zodiac plaques hanging next to the fire place! Theres two more on the other side, each representing all of our birthdays. The living room also sported a set of ship plaques...perhaps you're familiar with them...the Nina, the Pinta and Santa Maria. Hehheheh. Dont forget the old matador painting...yikes! Lovely shades of avocado and harvest gold. Were we stylin or what!

Anyways, i hope you enjoyed my Flashback Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

lisajo

Image meme fun...

Here's another fun meme I found on Kate's blog. You answer the questions, typing your response into google images, then pick an image and post it for each question - you are supposed to use an image from the first page of the results.

1. How old will you be on your next birthday


2. A place you'd like to visit


3. One of your favorite places to visit


4. Your favourite object (can i cheat and put two objects...they kinda go hand in hand) :)




5. Your favorite food


6. Your favorite animal


7. Favorite color


8. Name of a past pet


9. Where you live


10. First grade teacher's last name


11. Your middle name


12. A bad habit of yours


13. Your college major (i double majored...see if you can figure it out :)




14. Favorite holiday


That was fun....try it out if you like :)

cheers~
lisa

December Bday Block

December's Bday Swap block is for Kathi...well, actually its for her daughter, so i call it Rylee's Ribbons. She is redecorating her daughters room in pinks and browns, and requested a 12" block...anything goes, so this is what i came up with. I finished it yesturday when Jordyn was at her grandparents house(thanks grandma and grandpa)! I wanted to make sure i finished it early before the holiday rush! The pattern is from quilters cache, and its called wild waves. I hope she likes it!
Well, im off to town so have a nice day!
cheers~
lisajo

Tis the Season...

Well, the decorations are up, and Jordyn seems to enjoy all the lights and colors! We had to forgo a few things this year...glass ornaments on the tree...fragile trinkets and curios...you know...all the attractive nuisances! :) As usual, i am stunned and confused as to how it could be Christmas time already! Naturally, i am waaaaay behind on the homemade gifts i had such grand plans of making this year! I still hope to finish a few items, but should be realistic and just order gift cards :) Most of my gifts have to be mailed, so that cuts into my creating time as well. You know, its not like Christmas is a big surprise...its the same time every year, and every year it seems to sneak up on me! Like someone moved it when i wasnt looking :) Still, i love this time of year...the music, the shopping, the colors! Im going to Denver next week to visit family for a while, and get my taste of city life again. Looking forward to dining at restaurants, shopping in malls, and visiting Santa. Those things that most folks dread are a treat for us mountain folk! :)
Besides, my best friend, aka Jordyn's Godmother, lives there, so we should have a blast!
cheers~
lisajo

My Elf Family...

Heres some fun for the Holidays...hope you enjoy the show, we practiced for months!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1133734325
cheers~
justin, lisa and jordyn :)

Deadlines Met!

If youve never seen one of my scrolls, here is the latest one ive completed. Its to be given as an award tonight for a friend in the SCA. The SCA, for those of you unfamiliar, is a medieval recreation group that does everything from fencing, heavy weapons, and archery...to embroidery, costuming, and weaving...we have metalworkers, leathercrafters, scribes, and even medieval cooking and cordial making! Its basically a bunch of history loving nerds that are rather fond of the medieval time frame. If you'd like to read more about the SCA, go to SCA.org and check it out! Anyways, handmade scrolls are made when folks receive an award of some kind...they can be made in many mediums, but i work in paint and parchment. The calligraphy and painting was done by hand, and was influenced by a manuscript from the 14th century. Its a surprise for the recipient, so i hope she likes it! I just thought i would share some of my other crafts besides quilting :) This is the first scroll i have made in over a year. Jordyn keeps me a little too busy right now to make any more than that, so it was fun to create this one. Im also including another quilt square photo that was made for Jordyn's Great Grandma...i mentioned the memory quilt in a previous blog...anyways, its a squirrel for her love of nature and the mountains. I thought it was kind of cute! Well, with my deadlines met, i can get started on the christmas gifts :) Hope you have a creative weekend!
cheers~
lisajo

Swap Goodies

Here are the swap squares i mentioned in my last blog...i participated in two swaps, the Christmas Swap and the Batik Jacobs Ladder Swap. I am very pleased with both sets and cant wait to include them with the other blocks i rcvd from previous swaps. I should have enough to make some decent sized quilts now :) I seem to be collecting a lot of squares, but havent put them into quilts yet...guess i better get started, or the squares will take over the house :) Didnt get any sewing done today...i had to work this morning and then we spent the afternoon collecting firewood for the winter...a never ending task! I have a few deadlines to make this week for some quilt squares and a scroll, so i hope to post more pics soon!
cheers~lisajo

a little sewing...and a lot of goodies!

Well, Thanksgiving was fun and we had a fabulous visit with family. We had folks here from Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas. There was lots of chaos over the holiday, but i still managed to get two quilt squares sewn today for a birthday memory quilt. Jordyn's Great Grandma will be 90 on the 28th, so i sent out fabric and specs to the family so they could design a square for the quilt. There are a few family members that dont sew, but wanted to be included in the gift, so i made these two squares for them...Goshen Star and Double Wrench (both patterns from www.quilterscache.com). I wanted to get these finished while the family was still up here so that they could sign their squares to include in the bday gift. Naturally i still have not made ours for her...and im also making one more for someone else...but i was happy to finish up these today. Nothing like being able to check one more thing off the list! whew!

Later i strolled up to the mailbox, to discover two squishies! :) One filled with Christmas star blocks and another filled with the batik Jacobs ladder squares. All of the squares are lovely and im glad i participated in the swaps! I plan to post some photos tomorrow, but since it is getting late and i have to work VERY EARLY in the morning, i guess i better call it a night :)

cheers~
lisajo

Snow!

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blanket of snow (about 6 inches) and a toasty 15 degrees. Not enough snow to worry about, but still, Im glad we wont have to travel in it tomorrow for Turkey Day! Our destination is accross the meadow, so all we need are snow boots and we're good to go!
Our house is in total disarray at the moment. We got inspired to work on both bathrooms at once...one is getting new shower tile and the other is getting painted and re-chinked (did i mention this was a 90 year old cabin...meaning...nothing is square, and no project is "small") :) So naturally dust and dirt has made its way throughout the house, and with the snow, the floors are now muddy and wet! I am soooo glad we are not hosting Thanksgiving :) As it is though, we are having guests randomly drop in all day tomorrow, so hopefully we can get things fairly cleaned up by then. The tile in the bathroom looks beautiful...but now the rest of the bathroom looks like crap! :) hehehe Looks like we made a clean spot, so i guess we'll be doing the rest of the bathroom soon! :)
Looks like any sewing will be put off for a few more days. Glad im all caught up on my swaps at the moment.
Well, dont know if I'll have time to post tomorrow, so Have a Fabulous Thanksgiving!
cheers~
lisajo
p.s. here is a shot of the new tile...by the way, it is now only 4 degrees outside...brrrrr!!!!

6th sentence meme....

okay Kate...ill play.....
Here's what you do: take the book you are currently reading and turn to page 161, then read the 6th sentence and share it. Now apparently you are supposed to "tag" your friends, but im not gonna do that...either participate or dont...i just thought it was kinda fun :)

I am reading Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. The sixth sentence reads, "He was easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable indeed about the uses of herbs and botanicals."

Have a fabulous Monday!
cheers~
lisajo

p.s. here is a picture of miss milk face...she has learned the results of making raspberry sounds with a mouthful of milk and then spent the afternoon doing just that!

November Bday Block Swap

Well, i finally attempted a paper-pieced block, and it was a lot of fun! Took me a while to wrap my brain around laying it out and cutting the right size pieces of fabric, but once it sunk in, it went rather smoothly. This square was created for Nell, or shall i call her Miss November :) Its for the Bday Block Swap, and her theme was all things nautical with teal somewhere in the block!

I had a different block all picked out, and sure enough, someone else beat me to it, so i had to choose another. I wanted to make her a lighthouse, but couldn't find the right size pattern for her (most of them were rectangles...or applique'...and I'm not quite ready to tackle applique' yet)....so i designed this one. I learned a lot, and i hope to design more in the future. Anyways, thats how i spent my afternoon! Hope she likes it! :)

cheers~
lisajo

Lun Opus Lion Fish

Saw this on Kate's blog so i thought i would give it a try. I tried to share my Lun-Opus-Lion Fish the other day, but our phone and internet were down for two days...doh! I can survive without my phone...but no computer...arghhh! Im lost without my internet...up here its my connection to the outside world! :)
Anyways, i am trying to find just the right block for the November Bday Block Swap (the one i was planning to do was already done by someone else), so now i am back to the drawing board....literally! I couldnt find what i was looking for, so ive drawn up my own paper-pieced pattern for Miss November :) Of course, i have never paper-pieced before, nor have i ever drawn up my own pattern, so we'll see what happens! Im rather excited about it though, and if all goes well, i may start designing more patterns. Ive kept the design rather simple, so hopefully it will go well. Wish me luck and ill post when its finished :) Have a wonderful weekend!
lisajo

p.s. Here's some fun......

10 things about me...

Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird/random things, facts, or habits about yourself. At the end, you chose 10 people to be tagged, list their names, and why you chose them. Dont forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" on their profile and tell them to read your latest blog.

1. I thought the movie "Princess Bride" sucked, though everyone i know loves it!

2. Ive ridden in the Good Year Blimp

3. I can touch my nose with my tongue :P

4. Ive ridden in a helicopter...weeee

5. I lived in Idaho for 3 years

6. I used to go motorcycle riding in the desert when i was a kid

7. Ive never been on a horse

8. I used to be a tapdancer

9. Ive never been off this continent :(

10. My dream job would be to work for Disney/Pixar as a background artist :) though the job i have right now is pretty wonderful too! :)

im not gonna single anyone out....either play or dont.....but id love to read and learn more about you! :)
cheers~
lisajo

Projects at the Blackbear

So, I've decided to post a few photos of the projects I'm working on...normally i like to wait till they are finished, but since i have soooo many going on (with none of them near completion) i thought i would share my progress so far...to show there actually is some progress :) I'm also hoping it will inspire me to finish some of them, so that i may tackle the other ideas i have brewing inside me :) Unfortunately, i was hoping to have these in the mail to my sisters before Halloween, but i guess i can throw them in with their Christmas gifts! I wanted to try the carefree nine patch pattern, so i dragged out my Halloween fabric and made these...and decided to sew them into table runners. Originally i was going to make a small lap quilt, but then thought they might not look good together, so i made these instead. Now that i see them all laid out, they probably would look cute together, but i now have three gifts instead of one! I started machine quilting the witches runner, but I'm not sure if i like it or not...so ill have to come back to it later :)


Yesterday i completed 3 sets of Batik Jacobs Ladder Squares for a swap on about.com. This is the second round...the first round i rcvd 12 squares, and decided i liked them so much that i wanted to participate in another swap to make a larger quilt, so this is one of three color choices i did. I mailed them out today, from home, using a scale and the internet to determine the postage. If all goes well, i might do all of my mailing this way...i hate driving an hour to town just to mail off one envelope! Of course, if it goes well, i may be participating in a lot more swaps too, so look out! :) Well, now that those are out the door, i better get started on the birthday block swap square for November...she requested anything nautical with teal as the main fabric....anyone have any quilt square ideas? Would love to hear your suggestions!
Cheers~
lisajo

Trick or Treating

Another Halloween has come and gone...no Great Pumpkin, but lots of goodies just the same! There are only two children in this canyon...Jordyn and a neighbor boy named Blaine. The rest of the community are retired folks enjoying their golden years, so we thought we would pay them a visit, bring them pumpkin cake, and trick or treat. Justin worked from home this year so he could go out early to trick or treat with the kids. I was dressing up as a witch, so Justin decided to copy me... he came out of the bedroom in one of my dresses (which im sorry to say looked better on him than me) and we decided he would look better in the hat...so presto...two witches were ready to take their daughter out trick or treating!

Folks were sooo happy to have trick or treaters...its been over a decade since most of them had any kids come by, so this was a treat for them as well! Our costumes, as well as the kids costumes, were a big hit so we all rcvd goodies! Thats not to say that justin and i were out soliciting candy...i think his hilarious appearance warranted free candy is all! :) So we politely accepted! :)

Most houses were decorated with all kinds of Halloween fun, and because this is a small neighborhood, we were welcomed into each home for warmth and a nice visit!

Our last stop on the route...Jordyns Great Grandma and Great Aunts house, where more trick or treat goodies and some yummie dinner was awaiting us! Mac and cheese, broccoli and carrots, a glass of scotch for dad and a cold beer for mom...a perfect ending to a perfect holiday!! I love Halloween! Hope yours was wonderful too!
cheers~
lisajo

Happy Halloween!!!

Here are a few shots of Jordyn in her Halloween costume :) I took these a few weeks before Halloween so that i could get the nice Fall colors before they blew away! Ill post more from her actual trick or treating soon!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! Happy Birthday Dad...i miss you!
cheers~lisajo

Corn Maze

It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Thursday...almost 75 degrees, so Grandma Kristie, Jordyn and I decided to go to town and check out some seasonal fun. Corn Mazes are big around here, but none of us had ever been to one, so we decided today would be a great day for a corn adventure :)
The entrance was a large tent filled with pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay bales...and Jordyn would have been perfectly happy just running around in there...or so we thought!


We had a hard time getting Jordyn to put down the pumpkins and leave the tent, but when we walked thru the entrance onto the pumpkin patch she got very excited! Wow...theres more!!! We had three mazes to choose from, naturally we opted for the Little Miss Mazie Maze...didnt want to get lost with the little one :) Jordyn didnt quite get it at first and kept trying to leave the maze, but then Grandma would sneak up ahead to hide and Jordyn would run to find her. I followed along with the camera, trying to get the perfect shot!


We came around one turn and a huge flock of crows took flight...it reminded me of that painting by Van Gogh, and i wished i had been quicker with the camera because i missed it :(
After our adventure in the maze, we wandered over to some gigantic hay bales that some kids were climbing on. They were older kids...12ish...but Jordyn tried to keep up anyways. She jumped, stomped, ran, rolled and even dove in the hay. She had fun running her fingers thru it like it was a sandbox, and soon she was covered with hay! Good thing she wasnt allergic! :) After that we checked out the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch! She kept trying to pick them up to take with her, but they were pretty big and she finally gave up! But her favorite part of the whole trip...the tractor/hay ride! We piled into a wagon filled with hay bales and enjoyed a lap around the farm!

The look on her face was priceless...she was thrilled, and serious all at once. She held on to the side of the wagon and stared in awe of the giant rumbling beast that was pulling us, and wouldnt take her eyes off it for a second! When the ride was over, she had to examine the giant wheels on the super cool tractor. Then it was getting late, so we packed up the car and headed home. She was asleep before we left the parking lot! What a grand adventure!