Aunt Gracie Two-Block Project

I posted two of these blocks, a Shoo Fly and an Inverse 54-40 or Fight, back in November 2013. It was an experiment with bits rummaged from my scrap bag, to see what the two blocks would look like together. I whipped up twenty-one Shoo Fly blocks in no time. In a day or two I had enough two-patches to form the corners of twenty-one 54-40s, then I promptly ran out of the slightly-off-white fabric I used for the background. I set the project aside until I could find a close enough match to finish it. Thanksgiving came and went, and then Christmas, and before I knew it these blocks had lain buried and forgotten for ALMOST TWO YEARS! Even now they're nowhere near finished; just a bunch of 4" sub-blocks thrown up on the design wall, waiting to be stitched together. But it looks like they'll be worth the work.

Log Cabin Medallion

Saturday, October 4, 1856, Brigham Young learned that more than a thousand people in two handcart and two wagon companies were stranded in the early Wyoming snow. He immediately launched an effort to help bring them to Salt Lake City. He asked for teams and wagons the following morning in Sunday services. The next day he repeated the request in General Conference. He also called for blankets, stockings, shoes, and clothing. In response to the urgency of the situation, many sisters immediately divested themselves of petticoats, stockings, and everything else they could spare. My family tree has at least a dozen Mormon pioneers – people who crossed the plains to Zion ahead of the railroad. As far as I can tell, none were in those four snow-bound companies. But Moses Martin Sanders, my fourth great grandfather, was one of hundreds of men who dropped everything to run to the rescue.

Purple Clear Skies

I just finished rereading Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider, about a dragon and his human companion who seek a refuge for the world's last dragons. They have no choice but to visit Asif, a genie. Asif can become as large as the moon or as small as a grain of sand. His skin is blue as the evening sky and covered with a thousand eyes that reflect a thousand parts of the world. Asif knows the answer to every question in the world. But he will only answer if three conditions are met: the question must be asked by a human; it must consist of exactly seven words, and the question must never have been asked before, or the questioner will become Asif's servant for life. Funke was once asked where such ideas come from. Her answer was, “Everywhere and nowhere, from outside and inside. I have so many I won't be able to write them down in one lifetime.”

Laundry Day

 Washing clothes in cold water is a really good idea – most of the time. It saves money on hot water and on wear and tear on your washer and water heater. Dark or bright clothes keep their vivid colors longer, white items take longer to look dingy, and everything you wash lasts longer in cold water. So why not set the machine to “cold” and leave it there? Here’s why: Some detergents need hot or warm water to function properly. If your load’s extremely dirty, one cycle in cold water might not be enough to get it clean. Really hot water (130F or higher) disinfects; something you’ll need if you’re washing diapers, or if someone in the house has the flu. Even if no one’s sick (yet) hot water is your best bet for sheets, towels, underwear and socks. Whatever you wash, set the rinse cycle to “cold.” It saves energy, and your clothes end up with fewer wrinkles.

English Basket

“The text of How Great Thou Art was written by a 25-year-old minister in Sweden named Carl Gustav Boberg. After attending a church meeting, he walked two miles along the coast of Sweden in a thunderstorm. The experience inspired him to write the words, which were later translated into English by Stuart K. Hine. On one occasion I was in a mission conference when a missionary asked me, ‘Why did the Savior have to suffer so much?’ I reached for our hymnbook, turned to this song, and answered his question with this verse:

‘And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.’

Jesus suffered so much because of His love for you and me. What a message! Worthy music is powerful. It has power to make us humble, prayerful, and grateful.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Cactus Blossom

It seems like just yesterday I had toddlers with picky appetites. Now my toddlers have toddlers. Just like my own kids did, my grandkids have days when they seem to absorb more nutrients through their skin than through their digestive systems. My solution, more often than not, was to "hide" food they didn't like in food they did. It may have looked and tasted like a fruit smoothie, but there was plenty of spinach and carrots in there. All manner of vegetables can be disguised in soup, pasta sauce, pizza or lasagna. The year my kindergartener decided meat was immoral, I lied (a lot) just to ensure he was getting enough protein. "Yes, dear. That's a tofu-noodle casserole." When my four-year-old daughter had pneumonia, a nurse brought a plate of vegetables I KNEW she wouldn't touch to her hospital bed. I watched, astonished, as she dipped celery sticks, scallions, pepper slices, tomato wedges and black olives in ranch dressing and ATE IT ALL!

Padre Island Star

There are lots of ways to declutter your house. You can tackle one drawer or closet per week, keeping track of their order so you can go back to the first after you’ve done the last. You can fill every shopping bag you bring into the house with items (tossed or donated) that are going out. Or you can commit yourself to throwing out at least one thing every day. Don’t know what to eliminate? Here’s a list to get you started:

Earrings and socks that have lost their mates

Bowls that have lost lids (or lids without bowls)

Dried up markers and eraserless pencils

Clothes you haven’t worn in at least a year

Magazines and paperback books

Medicines, makeup and toiletries past their expiration dates

Toys your kids (or pets) never play with

Dishes and flatware that don’t match your collection

Cables, wires and chargers you’re not using

Worn-out towels, sheets and tablecloths

Gifts you don’t like – regardless of who gave them to you