Sadies for MBH

When Michael asked me to make him a costume I replied, "I don't do that after my kids are 12 years old, they have to do it themselves."  Well, by the following Friday he was all dressed and ready for the dance in his new fringed, suede, Indian attire that he didn't make himself. He is after all my last child at home, and I guess I just don't feel the need to make him beg me for much. 

Yes, Michael and his friend Jake had a great time "mohawking" his hair so he'd look like an Indian to be opposite of Kira the Cowgirl.   Good job "Bud!"

Good Friends and Birthdays

I am blessed to have some wonderful friendships in my life. I think my girlfriends keep me grounded and well understood as I go through my days and weeks as a mother, wife and daughter of a loving Father in Heaven. 

Some of the things that I do on a weekly basis to share time with these special people in my life are walking/hiking twice each week, knitting every Thursday that I can, bowling on Tuesdays (can you really believe I'm a bowler?), and church on Sundays.

Two weeks ago my knitting group celebrated two birthdays. Jean turned 70 several weeks ago, and Elisa had turned 60 within the month. We went to tea and had some wonderful food and of course great company. My friend Pam was the master organizer and true to fashion she made it a beautiful afternoon. Lois flavored it up with a great outfit fashioned for high tea with the queen. We then topped off the afternoon by spending a little time and money at the cute new yarn store in Campbell. (Green Planet Yarn) 

I will place a picture here if I can figure out how to get it off my phone.

This past Friday we celebrated my dear friend Debbie's 5oth B-day. Debbie is someone I have been walking with for about 10 years now. We spend an average of 3 hours each week walking, talking, solving and counseling with each other. I met her through my neighbor at the time and we connected so well I don't know what I'd do without her in my life. She brings me joy, understanding, a great example, and true friendship. 

Debbie is a lover of her husband, three children, a fun golden retriever, the Lord, and people. She knows so many people that we meet on the "trail" that we give her grief for it. Growing up in this area and then marrying someone also from here, she makes all kinds of connections with people in the community and they all love her. She is without guile and will do anything righteous for anybody. I am truly a better person because of her.

We had a wonderful luncheon for Debbie at our other great friend Laurie's beautiful home. Overlooking the valley on a beautiful spring morning/afternoon the outdoor patio setting was perfect. 

I provided the invitations, favors, & flowers for the well dressed garden tables. I made the invites in a sage green and they had musical notes and reference because Debbie is such a good musician. I put the greens from my garden (ginger leaves, camellias, and jasmine) with Costco white tulips, pink gerbera daisy's, and yellow rananculas for the table arrangements. It was topped it off with green tulle wrapped candle favors for each place setting.

Laurie also made a fabulous carrot cake (who knew), and was the consumate hostess. She also had some help from a couple other of Debbie's friends with appetizers and salads. 

We all shared ways in which Debbie has touched our lives. I think it was a beautiful afternoon and hope she was able to see how influential she is to all of us.

                                               Debbie (in brown), Laurie, Jill, Cathy

Our Day in the Big City

Stephanie, my 20 year old daughter has been home for her spring break this week. She brought some friends with her because spring break is for sun and we do live in California. They got about one and a half days of that bright warm ball during the first 5 that they were here and then after the 2 friends left yesterday, we had another 2 straight days of beauty. Oh well, you can't usually predict that kind of thing.

Today we headed up north to San Fransisco for the day. We got in a lot of shopping, eating at Lefty O'Douls, looking at art, buying a purse or two (actually 3), enjoying the beautiful weather of the unpredictable city, eating a FABULOUS dinner at Chez Papa, and then taking in an amateur play.  It was a fun day to spend with my darling daughter and wonderful husband. 

 

I do have to let you in on the play here. It was called "Volleyball Girls" and is about a group of high school girls on a team with issues.  The reason we would get tickets to see such a play was that John just thought Stephanie would get a kick out of it in light of the fact that she spent the last 10 years of her life playing volleyball.

Yes, Stephanie has spent much of her free time for half of her life on the sport and she has loved most of it.  At the age of 8 or 9 she started with 2 years of learning with a group of friends from one of their fathers 

                                                                                  

after school twice a week, she then played 5 years of club volleyball, during which she played 4 years of high school varsity ball and then 3 years of college ball. 

The University of Utah team will miss her this next year as she finishes up her degree without the distraction of lower back pain and early morning weights. We will miss watching her and she will miss the camaraderie as well as the game.

I thought I'd post a couple pictures of her playing this last season.

Luck o' the Manx

The first decade of my life I believed my Greats on the Kelly side were from Ireland, but alas I found out they were actually from the Isle of Man. (IOM) 

Between the main UK land and Ireland, IOM is a small island  in the middle of the Irish Sea. It is a democratic self governing island, but is a "Crown Dependency" which makes it part of the UK. I nearly visited this past fall after setting it up with a distant cousin that exchanges letters with my parents. However, I missed the connecting train to the UK from Brussels, Belguim because of a transportation strike. 

Gotta love those Europeans.

The potato famine in the mid 19th century affected the Manx as well as the Irish, so when Mormon missionaries came and converted them, they were all too happy to take the ship across the sea to the promised land of America. 

Good ol' John Kelly, his wife Elizabeth Quine were taught the Gospel by John Taylor, Elder Hiram Clark, and William C. Mitchell who  had traveled the 80 miles by ship from Liverpool, England to the small island in September of 1840. Taylor had roots on the island as his wife, Leonora Cannon Taylor, was born in Peel on the IOM. 

The Kelly family eventually landed on their feet (like all proper Manxmen) in Nauvoo, Illinois and their son William Edward Kelly made the trek by wagon to Utah eventually settling in American Fork. 

The picture below is "The Three Legs of Man." An ancient symbol of independence the motto QUOCUNQUE JECERIS STABIT translated means "Whichever Way You Throw Me I Stand."

More Yarn...

I took pictures and cataloged about 40 different yarns onto my "Ravelry" site a couple of days ago. 

My conclusion is that I have enough yarn to knit for 3 hours each day for the next 2 years and not have to buy more. 

My 2 years supply is up and running .... if only I don't have to eat for that amount of time. 

For the next month however I am sewing more dresses for granddaughters,  finishing a couple gifts for other babies, two chairs upholstered and Michael's Indian costume for "Sadies".  I'll just have to be glad it is all cataloged and I have it in front of me so that I won't buy any more. (Well not as much anyway.) The goal I have made for myself is to not buy one new project until I have finished 3 projects between purchases. MAYBE I can abide by my new rule?????

I did finish another Easter dress (Lena's) as well as a summer dress for Ellery. Here is a picture of E's new dress. Kathryn, Austin and I bought an eyelet lace diaper cover in Brussels when we were there in October '08 and it will go well with this little dress. Made with lavender/white checks and another fabric with lavender flowers, it also has a couple different eyelet trims and an under slip with eyelet trim. I finished it with a little flower pin made with silk roses and beaded petal flowers with gathered ginham lace circlets. I also made a burp rag to match as well as a smaller clip flowerette for her hair.  So fun! I hope it fits her well in the right season.

Back to Reality

I haven't been keeping up with my normal ADL's this past week or two (or even three). If you aren't familiar with the acronym it stands for "activities of daily living". My degree is in nursing and ADL's are in reference to a patient and their ability to go back to normal life as they lived it before their illness, etc.  I say this in reference to the fact that I have been busy with other than normal things this past couple weeks.

I did help Kathryn, Austin and Ellery move into their new cute little apartment. It is way bigger than their home in our pool house, so they will be able to spread out a bit more. We upholstered their dining room chairs and prepared for last weeks blessing 2 weeks ago. Then this past week we moved boxes each day while painting a cute yellow nursery for Ellery. Saturday we finished and organized in what I think was record time and a pretty easy move for the Husband, Sister-in- law, Brother, and Father involved. Good job Kathryn!!

So this week it's back to the basics. I'll do a little reorganizing. Maybe take out the paper crafting from the main front bedroom and put it back out in the pool house now that no-one is staying out there permanently.  I have used half of the walk-in-closet for this purpose in the past and I think it'll free up the space in the main house nicely.  I tend to lose things in the little closet and when I try to find a particular item (like a scalloped paper punch or purple card stock) I have to move 7 boxes out onto the bed where they stay until I decide to clean them up 

2 days later.

I'll also finish the Easter dresses I've been working on and move the sewing cabinets back into their rightful place in the den/bedroom/ Michael study room. Perhaps I'll even get to organizing that room a little as well.

My knitting buddies are celebrating two birthdays this week at a nice little restaurant that serves tea.  Elisa is 60 and Jean 70 so we all thought it would be nice to celebrate with them.

The beautiful Nor Cal rain has turned to sun this Monday morning and so I'll share a little of that with you. The top pix has daffodils in the foreground. They were my first favorite flower. I remember holding a bouquet of them for my kindergarten program while I sang "Easter Parade" up on the big stage at Orchard Elementary School in Grand Junction, CO.  Jeff Rigg, my neighbor and best friend, sang it with me. I never went to that grade school, but our private kindergarten that was called "The Doll House Kindergarten" with Mrs. Allen as the teacher must've rented 

it for the big program. In those days elementary schools included grades 1 through 6. Was that in 1964? 

Later, I remember making a poster featuring a type of daffodil for the first "Earth Day" in probably 1971. I'll bet I could find that poster up in my attic.

The next picture has some beautiful yellow orchids as well as another favorite of mine, after visiting the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island in Canada, Cineraria. They make an often shady spot colorful and gorgeous.

Okay...onward and upward.

Sisterhood

So my new blog friend, and recipe idea person Lynn Queen of the Castle Recipes sent me this clever little award and now I think I'll pass it on to a couple people I've been keeping up with. It is for people who I think are a fun and inspiring example of good attitude and/or gratitude.

I am giving it to three great ladies who I have started stalking for uplifting messages and enjoyment.

First, Austin & Kathryn  , or Katz, who got me motivated to start writing this little "blogski" and is always upbeat and full of life in her own new blogs. Thankee!

Another post that is positive and well written is a fellow Grandma and church member Sue @  Sue's News, Views 'n Muse She is great at making me feel as if I know the people she highlights even if they lived in the 1800's.  Good job.

#3 on my list is Micci @ Micci & Jazz    My first cousin once-removed (cousin's daughter) is grateful for so many things and has a very clever way of putting things. I have cried and laughed out loud as I read about her life. Congrats on the new embryo.

Now here's what you do when you receive this.

1. Display this award on your blog.
2. Leave a comment to those you gave it to, letting them know they have it.
3. Link back to the person who gave it to you.
4. Pass it on to 10 or fewer bloggers who you think demonstrate great attitude and/or gratitude.

OR, you don't have to do anything but bask in the glow of knowing someone out there appreciates you.

Now, this linking and copying took me about an hour and a half, so I am a little brighter and becoming less frustrated as I finish and hopefully successfully post this. Thanks, Lynn.

Sent from God

 Kathryn's little Ellery was blessed this past Sunday in church. She behaved perfectly through the day celebrating her new life and was just as pretty as a picture as well.

Her Daddy, Austin, blessed her with a good healthy life physically and mentally. He admonished her to listen to her parents who love her, be a good example to all the people around her, and to live a righteous life.

Austin's parents came in to Los Gatos from Idaho Falls, and the day also brought in Aunt Stephanie for a visit. My parents Great Grandpa Sam and Grandma Joycie were unable to make it because of Grandma's back pain and we missed having them here for our special day. John, David, Austin and his dad Brian stood in the priesthood circle to bless her. Michael held on to the microphone which didn't work. Austin spoke loud enough for all to hear anyway.

Ellery wore a dress made by me especially for her. I used Kathryn's silk charmeuse wedding dress fabric as well as french alencon lace remnants from the wedding dress.  I placed tiny pin tucks on the sides of the bodice back and front as well as the sleeves, and finished

it with tea died french val laces around the sleeves and down the front in a "T". (the top of the T being her little shoulders).

After church we ate a meal of ham, yummy scalloped potatoes, a salad made by Kathryn and Lexy, and a lemon berry yellow cake trifle that was appreciated by all.

                  

               

        Ellery looked like a little angel.

Here's another dress I made 8 or 9 years ago for my sister Kathy's granddaughters. Lucy June Jensen is the 3rd to be able to wear it after her cousins Nichole and Alison Henne. It was fashioned from cream silk dupioni and finished with french val laces and hand embroidery in light peach and green. 

Thanks for the picture Lisa!

And, yet another blessing dress that I made for Sophie Victoria Rose Ryvola in 2001. It was made with English Netting Lace and the bodice is smocked in bows, (mirroring the bow designs in the lace) with pearl bead embellishments. I should really get a close up of both of these dresses.