Crossed Squares

“There is one in the world who feels, for him who is sad, a keener pang than he feels for himself; there is one to whom reflected joy is better than that which comes direct; there is one who rejoices in another's honor more than in any which is one's own; there is one who hides another's infirmities more faithfully than one's own; there is one who loses all sense of self in the sentiments of kindness, tenderness, and devotion to another. That one is woman." – Washington Irving “Sometimes, my dear sisters, you feel inadequate and ineffective because you can't do all that you feel you should. Rather than continually dwelling on what still needs to be done, pause occasionally and reflect on all that you do and have done. It is most significant. The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured.” – President Thomas S. Monson

Garden Pinwheel

The prophet Mormon taught us the supreme importance of [charity]: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48). Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another. – M. Russell Ballard

Aunt Melvina's Chain

Whenever I help to plan one or the other, I am impressed with how much weddings and funerals have in common. They both take a lot of preparation. You must deal with announcements, venue, flowers, music, clothing, out-of-town guests, thank-you notes and even food. That, of course, is where the similarity ends. A wedding is the celebration of an addition to the family, while a funeral marks the loss of a family member. With a funeral, there’s absolutely no chance the deceased will get cold feet at the last minute and call the whole thing off. I’m convinced funerals are deliberately complicated so as to distract mourners until there’s some distance from the death. But maybe it’s different with weddings. Maybe the three-ring circus is really an endurance test for the bride and groom, and even for their future in-laws. If you can survive this, the actual marriage should be a piece of cake.

Resolution Square

I often have a song playing in my head while I sew. As I constructed today’s block I kept thinking of this song from She Loves Me:

“I resolve not to be so stupid. I resolve not to play these games!

How often I've been a sitting duck for Cupid! How often I've let him shoot me down in flames!

I resolve not to be so trusting. It's high time, time that I awoke.

Whatever I've got up here is up here rusting. My feminine intuition is a joke.

I must be cousin to a cat. I always wind up with a rat.

I'm through with momentary thrills. I find I can't afford the bills.

I resolve, come what may, I will not be this girl one more day!”

In the play, this song marks a dramatic change for the better. Life is like that, too. When we decide to put an end to destructive behavior, and when we act on that decision, good things start to happen.

Jacks

The 2014 Winter Olympics are history. It’s been an interesting ride, beginning last summer when Russia banned “distribution of non-traditional sexual relation propaganda.” This, of course, only resulted in more attention on a subject Russia wanted to hush up. Then there was the cost of the 2014 Games, which was more than the other 21 Winter Olympics combined. Apparently, even when you say, “Spare no expense,” it doesn’t buy you finished hotels, functional bathrooms, completed roads or even running water. And Russia probably should have reconsidered holding snowboarding and skiing events at Krasnaya Polyana. When you wipe out an ethnic group you find annoying, steal their land and name the place where you dispatched them “Red Hill,” it’s bound to come back and bite you someday.

Teddy Bears' Picnic

Last year’s state fair quilt challenge theme was “Best in the West.” I usually pay attention to the theme when I design a quilt, but this time I ignored it. I'd been practicing making tiny bear paws with a combination of paper-piecing and traditional piecing techniques, and I wanted to show off my new skill. I made a bear paw in each of the 48 colors in the big Crayola box of crayons. Most were from scraps in my own stash, but for weeks I walked around with cerise, Caribbean green, bittersweet and eggplant crayons in my purse until I found fabric that matched. I narrowed my stitch length, wore reading glasses and worked only on sunny days for accuracy in the tiny claws. I hoped to get first place in “best use of color” or “best use of a traditional pattern.” But at least I got a ribbon. Now it’s time to focus on this year’s quilt.