Dresden Plates

Before the Thanksgiving holiday, I set a goal for myself to work on  my Dresden blades every night while my family was away. I set up my table and sewing machine in front of the T.V. and happily sewed into the wee hours of the morning (2 a.m in fact!) I was able to make 5 blades during the Retreat and need to make 15 more. My plan for my Dresden quilt is 4 across and 5 down.

The two nights I worked, I actually timed myself to see how long from start to finish it took me to make each plate. I quickest I got it down to was 13 mins. Whew! I watched alot of old movies while I made the plates: 3:10 to Yuma, Forest Gump, Shawhank Redemption.

 I've completed 15 so I only 5 more to go. I loved my "Fall/Thanksgiving" theme this quilt is so scrappy. I have about 45 fabrics different fabrics. For the borders I have this amazing Alexander Henry "plymouth" fabric I am going to use for the borders. It is perfect. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over I am planning to put this quilt away for a while and work on Christmas project/presents. I mean...I technically have a year to finish this quilt if I want it ready for next Thanksgiving.  

 

 

Fall Mountain Report ~ Field Trip Friday

A quick 15 minute drive from our house puts us in an beautiful area sandwiched between two countys in Utah. At the top of the crest, on the North you can see the entire Salt Lake Valley, at one point I could even see the sky rise buildings of downtown SLC and on the South you can see Utah County and from out least my view beautiful Utah Lake. We spent last weekend hiking around this canyon enjoying the fall foliage. The mountains are speckled with every warm color imaginable ~ yellows, orange, golds, browns, reds and purples. We brought a simple sack lunch and put little H. in his pack. We've had the pack for 10 years and it works like a charm, all of our boys have loved riding in it.

iPhone Photos

In the last week I came across this great App for my iPhone: Postal Pix!  The App allows you to order printed pictures taken with your camera phone. I was so thrilled, I immediately downloaded the app and order some prints. They have several print size options and products to choose from. The printing and shipping was really affordable. I believe each 4 by 4 print was .23 cents and shipping was .64 cents.

The photos turned out great. The quality was good and it was fun to see the pics IRL, not just on my phone. All my developed pics were from my Instagram App. which I sooo luv.

Gardner Village ~ Field Trip Friday

After riding the new UTA train last week, my boys and I took a stroll through Gardner Village. If you live anywhere in Utah or are planning to visit ~ make sure and stop by Gardner Village. It is a beautiful place, especially in the spring and summer. Right now Gardner Village is sooo patriotic. The Bridges and Shops are decked out in Americana!

All the shops are fun to browse and full of wonderful products. I love that most shops are historic homes and having lived in a historic home myself, it bring back fond memories. One of my favorite shops is of course Pine Needles!! Of all the quilt stores in Utah, Pine Needles in one of the best. The store is cozy and full of wonderful, inspiring fabrics and quilts. Plus, it is right next to the pond so my boys are occupied while I shop. When you stop by and visit Gardner Village make sure and visit Pine Needles.

Ride UTA ~ Field Trip Friday

Last Friday, my boys and I we had the oppotunity to ride UTA (Utah Transportation Authority) brand new rail line from History Gardner Village to Daybreak. Growing Up in Oregon I waa always riding the pubic rail sytem, with Oregon's freeways and insane Traffic as a teenage, riding MAX (that is what its called in Oregon) was a great way to get from point A (my house) to point B (downtown Portland). It was safe and inexpensive.

When UTA came up with the concept of letting bloggers and their families ride and try/test out the new rail line, I couldn't resist. I don't know about you, but Me and My Three Boys in the Car ~ can get a little CrAzy!! The rail line was like a breath of fresh air. No seat belts or car seats, lots scenery and room to move. My two older boys happily boarded the train, picked their seats and chatted about the scenery.

The train is pretty, clean and smooth. The stops along the way are are all convient and have easy access on and off. The Gardner Village stop is awesome, right accross the street from Archibald's. I can tell already that is going to be a busy stop. Our last stop was on the backside of Daybreak ~ which isn't super close to the Daybreak shops or where my friends live, but if I asked I'm sure they would come and pick me up!!

GiVeAwAy!! Want to try and new rail yourself! It opens August 8th to the public. Leave a comment here (on this post) and you'll be entered to win a family 4 pass to ride the train. Giveaway ends one week from today: July 30th at midnight. Good Luck!

Lagoon ~ Field Trip Friday

 For my husband's work summer party they treated the employees to a day at Lagoon.

 It was the perfect day, warm enough for a few hours at Lagoon-a-beach, and no jacket once the sun went down.

 Hands down our favorite ride was Wicked!

Cars 2

Last weekend we had the opportunity to see Cars 2. Half Price Utah and Anyhour Sevices sponsored the event for a few bloggers and there families. We arrived Saturday morning and the festivities were already underway. HPU (visit them on Facebook) and Anyhour Services know how to host a party!! From the moment we stepped in the theatre it was all about the kids, fun and Cars 2. We won a few great prizes and gift cards (which never happens!) and that made the boys really excited. They also had special Cars 2 products for the bloggers as a Thank you gifts for attending.

I will admit Cars is not my favorite Disney movie, but the boys loved it. The plot was a little convoluted, but the racing and the comedy was hilarious. Thank you again to the sponsors Anyhour Services and Half-price Utah for such a great family experience. 

Salt Lake Real Soccer Game ~ Field Trip Fridays

We have a professional soccer team in Salt Lake City. In 2009, the Salt Lake Real (RSL) won the MLS Cup Championships. So needless to say we have a great team, even a few of our members played for the US national team in the World Cup last summer. On Tuesday night, my boys had the opportunity to see  teh Semi-final CONCACAF game against Saprissa. RSL won 2-0 and my boys had a blast...crazy fans, smoke machines, great gooooooals and of course the concessions.

Any Major League teams where you live?