Summer Sewing Fun Class Update

Here are a few of the girls and their projects from the Summer Fun Sewing Class that we've had going for the last 3 weeks. While we are on a week break, to enjoy the holiday festivities this weekend, we have truly enjoyed teaching all these wonderful girls. They have done so well, and we are so proud of them. If you don't see your daughter here, please check our Facebook page! We simply had so many students, it became impossible to post them all on this blog!

The tote bags were all looking so great, and you girls learned how to turn handles, how to work with interfacing, how to put buttons on, and how to use the rotary cutter, just to name a few skills! Amazing!

The pajama bottoms/pj shorts all turned out so cute, and some of the girls even put pockets in theirs! We had one girl put side pockets in her pair, and that can be somewhat tricky for a beginner. We think she did very well. A few of the moms said they needed their daughter to put their sewing skills to use and make them a pair! 

So far, one student has attempted an apron, and she chose the cute cherry fabric you see in the picture above, accented with a red fabric with tiny white polkadots on it. It turned out great...ready for the kitchen! Hmm...maybe she will bake us teachers something.

After the girls finish a project, sometimes there is time left to begin a new project and we had them work on pincushions. The pincushions teach skills that the bigger projects sometimes do not, like control of the pedal, how to sew tight corners, how to turn hard pieces, clipping curves, hand stitching techniques just to name a few. They all turned out so cute!

The last class had advanced a bit farther, and we had a few of the girls learn to put a zipper in by making these cute little zippered pouches. I love these!

The drawstring backpack is always a favorite, and sews up super cute. We added a little pocket to the inside, and told the girls they now had a place for their new phone their mom's could buy them! The mom's didn't really think that was too funny, but we got a good laugh!

Next week begins the last three weeks of Summer Sewing Fun, and we have already had girls asking their mom's to sign them up for next year, right now, so they can make sure to get in. That always makes us teachers feel good!

Until next time, happy sewing!

So Much To Catch Up On...

As invariably happens, life gets incredibly busy. It truly has been a whirlwind, and my family and I are just beginning to take a breath. YAY!

So, in March, my husband was extended a call to be the Bishop of our new ward, which was a ward created from 2 other wards being divided. As I'm sure happens, I began to really try to figure out what my role in this roller coaster was. And through much research and discussions with other wives who've found themselves in similar situations, I believe I have at last come to some semblance of what being a Bishop's wife means.

It does mean different things to different couples, different wards, different times, but all the same, after your own family and home are taken care of, and after your own calling has been fulfilled, sometimes there still are occasions that call for extra attention from none other than, "the Bishop's Wife." I do intend to continue to gather more information but here is my quickie info list, mostly for myself, to remind myself on a weekly basis what still can be done.

It is interesting reading other comments on other blog posts with regard to "the Bishop's Wife", because most everyone will say that "their" Bishop's Wife does "nothing", which I find sad that ward members really do not understand the countless hours that the Bishop's Wife sacrifices without him on their behalf, as if that is nothing.

Well, I could go on about that for a while, with it accomplishing absolutely nothing, so we will move on.

I have to admit at times feeling like he is so busy and I do not have enough to do. My own children are getting a little older, and I find that I am alone a lot. However, after making this list, I see how much I can do, and even this small list feels a tad overwhelming. The thing to remember is, these are ideas that a Bishop's Wife can do, but they are not things a Bishop's Wife must do. They are definitely extras.

In our ward, we have been blessed to have 4 convert baptisms in the last 3 months, and over the weekend, on a lovely drive back from Flagstaff, (where, I might add, it was a beautiful 87 degrees in the afternoon, & why do we live in the heat of over 100 degrees???) my husband and I suddenly came to the idea that we need an action list for the new converts to take and continue on their path of building their testimony and working towards attending the temple, etc. So, after studying "Preach My Gospel", we came up with this little sheet, and it will be handed out this next week!

My husband basically plans to go over the items in an interview, and give the person a copy to take home and continue using. Hopefully, this will help with easing the transition from baptism to a converted heart!

If your ward does not have a provident living specialist, that is basically a person who is a resource to teach ward members who need to learn how to make menus, budgets, shop within their means, etc. 

We do have a need for a person like that in our ward, so that is where that calling came from.

Blog posts to look forward to:  updates on the summer sewing fun class that is going very well, girls camp 2014, family trip to flagstaff, etc. I have gotten so behind! But at least life is not boring! 

Happy life to you!

Summer Sewing Fun!

We've decided to offer some 

project oriented sewing classes this summer 

for ages 8 to 18 (or so) for all skill levels! So fun!!

In these classes the student will learn: 

sewing machine basics: threading the machine, wind the bobbin, etc...

proper ironing and fabric cutting techniques

how to read a pattern and work with patterns

Classes are taught with 4 students per 2 experienced teachers

Sessions are available in a 2 1/2 hr. per day class for a 

Monday through Friday period from 9 to 11:30 or 1 to 3:30. 

Each session is $35.

Projects available for this summer are: drawstring backpack, PJ bottoms, simple skirt, shorts, tote bag, apron, & roll up towel with pockets & straps for pool/beach use.

A list of supplies needed will be emailed to you upon registering. 

Sewing machines are provided for use.

Call now to reserve your spot!

Quick Peek in the Garden

All the little plants are finally ready to be transplanted into the garden beds, so a few days ago I did that with my 13 year old son's help. The little terra-cotta pots that I like to start the peppers and tomatoes in sometimes need a little help with a couple of taps of a rubber mallet on the bottom to get the plant to come loose, but Rylan caught on pretty quick and in no time, we had all the peppers and tomatoes transplanted! The picture above is of the pepper bed. The plants all seem to be doing just fine, even though we have had some cooler weather that they usually like. Last year, I had some trouble with the leaves turning yellow shortly after transplanting, and I was reading that that is usually caused by not enough calcium in the soil. However, these haven't had that problem, thankfully, and they are in a different spot, so hopefully that's why.

This lovely little artichoke plant (shown above), which isn't so little, was actually planted last spring, and I thought that it died. Apparently, it was waiting for the season to come around again, and decided to start growing! I learned that hard way that artichokes do need a LOT of space as they get really big, sometimes needing about 4 feet across to spread themselves.

The lavender is looking very lovely, and the hummingbirds that live in our yard are really loving it. Every night at around 5pm, some hummingbirds come for a taste and a sip of the fountain. 

The peach tree blossoms are my favorite this year!

The calendula is loving the weather, and really putting out a lot of blossoms. I am experimenting with a calendula salve for the shop, so as I get that going I will put the tutorial on. Above are shown some calendula blossoms which were snipped right off the plant just under the blossom itself, first thing in the morning, to allow for all the medicinal properties to be at their best. Without rinsing the blossoms, they are put into a dehydrator to dry. It only takes a few hours, half a day at most, and they are dry enough to remove the petals from the head, and put into a jar. I usually get about 1/2 cup of dried petals from 1 tray of blossoms. Then if you pour about 1 cup of grapeseed oil, which contains vitamin E, which is really good for the skin, over the dried petals, cap it, and store on a darkened shelf for about 2 weeks, it will be ready for straining off to get some quality calendula infused grapeseed oil, ready for a wonderful salve. Really easy to do. The calendulas (or pot marigolds) that I currently have, I planted from seed last spring and they continue to thrive in the garden. 

I am having a terrible time with the birds right now. They must be starving because every little seed I stick out in the garden gets gobbled up as soon as it pokes it's little head from the ground. So I began covering the area with chicken wire in hopes that that will deter most of the birds. So far, it does seem to be working, and I do currently have cucumbers that have just germinated.

The asparagus is just starting to poke through the garden beds. Yay! Asparagus fest has officially begun. In this bottom picture you can actually see the asparagus roots that have extended themselves out from the beds and are growing atop the ground. I plan on covering them with soil later today, but I thought it an interesting picture of how long the roots actually grow, and they really don't extend down as much as out. Those roots only are a couple inches below the surface of the bed.

Well, happy gardening!

Past Goings Ons

2014! I can't believe it! I think the new YW/YM theme is going to allow everything to really focus right down to the heart of the matter, which is that we can ALL come unto Christ. I love that sentence. It embodies everything that I hope to be right there in three little words. So, here is a free downloadable in feminine and masculine styles to go along with the new year. Hope you like it!

The beginning of a new year and all that entails is always exciting to me. I haven't been blogging much lately simply because the last half of the year entailed a busy wedding of my daughter and her fiancé, plus Thanksgiving & the Christmas holidays, with all the business that goes along with it.  Here is a pic of the two of them...

Aren't they cute? I think so. My dad did the photography courtesy of Biltmore Photo. Now they are an old married couple of about 5 weeks. 

We've been working on getting the garden back in shape since the wedding/holidays, and it is almost there. I shall post some sad little photos later in the week. I do have some tomato seedlings started, but nothing to show for it yet.

Well, more later!