Ssshhhh ....

I have a secret and it's a good one! I've zipped my lips and no one will know until this Friday. The end.Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. We're spending the day in Sandy with hubby's parents and two of his sisters. I've been assigned mashed potatoes and pearl salad. That works for me. Cooking the actual 'big bird' still makes me a little nervous. When we're done, we'll come home and set up the tree and other decorations. How do you spend your Thanksgiving?

Ten out of Tenn Tour

Last week I got a fun little email from Katie Herzig (& co) letting me know that she is coming to SLC! She will be on a Christmas tour with the Ten out of Tenn bunch featuring: Butterfly Boucher, Erin McCarley, Matthew Perryman Jones, Trent Dabbs, Jeremy Lister, Andy Davis, Tyler James, Andrew Belle, KS Rhoads. You can find out more about the artists and specific tour dates here. In the meantime, here's some ear candy for you.
If any of you are in the area go get your tickets now. I'll meet you there!

De-Stash Craft: Pillowcases

If you own a sewing machine, then you probably have at least a few piles of leftover fabric stashed somewhere in your house. It's time to dig them up and do a little good. This project is quick and easy and is a great one for teaching your kids how to sew. I made these as sleepover cases, but the next batch will be donated to Primary Children's Medical Center here in Salt Lake.

All materials 45" wide cotton woven
Body - 3/4 yard
Cuff - 1/4 yard
Trim - 2-4" based on preference

1 - Press cuff and trim pieces in half, wrong sides together.
2 - Pin all three pieces together matching raw edges, right sides together.3 - Sew with 5/8" seam allowance and press the trim and cuff down.
4 - Topstitch seam allowance to the body of the pillowcase.5 - Fold in half, right sides together matching side seams.
6 - Sew the 2 unfinished edges at 5/8", zigzag raw edges to finish.
7 - Turn corners and press if you like.The second one I made was flannel from last year's PJ scraps. I cut a front and back for the body that measured 20" x 27" and cut a 14" wide piece to make a 7" cuff, then used some coordinating grosgrain ribbon for trim. Both cases worked out great, adjust the size to meet your own needs. These are great for donations to hospitals and homeless shelters, but would also be perfect gifts for almost anyone. Great for kids to take to sleepovers, or just to have a holiday specific/birthday/camp/get better soon pillowcase. You name it. It would be fun to make a stack for Grandma's house too where kidlets may sleepover. Oh ... the possibilities are endless! :D

A Few Days Late

I really wanted to post these pictures on Veterans' Day, but my scanner was having a fit. And, I have to admit, that after an hour or so of looking at old pictures ... I had a small emotional breakdown. I miss my dad; I missed him a lot this week. He passed away when I was 14 after a long battle with lymphoma. I missed out on a lot with him. Driving. Dating. Graduations. Moving out. College. Marriage. Babies. Baptisms ... Somehow I was reminded over and over again this week of all the things he wasn't here for and it made me just ache. I know I'll see him again. It's just been such a long time already that I needed a good cry. And now I've had one. Wasn't he so handsome though?

My Dash

I have attended more funerals this year than I'm really comfortable with. Is this the stage of life I'm at? Will I keep losing people more and more frequently? I hate that thought. I hate goodbyes. But I have to admit that there is something about the services that makes me walk away and do a quick audit of ... me. I've heard the poem "The Dash" by Linda Ellis read a couple times this year and think it's a good reminder. It begins like this:

"I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth."

How am I spending my dash? I need to slow down and meet more people. (I have wallflower tendencies) I need to build better and stronger relationships. I need to serve more. I need to give more. I need to love more. I want to make a difference in someone's life. November is a season of plenty and thanks, now ... I may not be excelling in the 'plenty' department, I am more than capable of giving thanks. Tomorrow the youth in our ward are making stockings to send to servicemen overseas. We've been invited to write thank you notes to put in them. I'll start there. How are you spending your dash?