the love boat

i am leaving on a cruise tomorrow! i am taking a break from getting my house in order, and packing for me and the children (they are going to grandmas). we will be sailing the seas of mexico :) without my third child, my camera.:(
have a lovely week. lets hope i dont get sunburned or seasick, or... sink. i have been a little nervous. but i am overly excited to have alone time with my love. to go to dinner and only feed myself. to sleep, through the night without waking up to kids wetting the bed. oh it will be so nice. see you next week.

Bon Voyage!!

machine quilting question

swaysey family asked, "So do you quilt your own quilts?I've made 2 queen sized quilts for christmas presants and have been paying lots of money for someone to use there quilting machiene.What do you do and how easy / hard is it?"



i love the look of machine quilting. so vintagy. :) but i don't love the dollar sign it comes with. you usually pay by the square inch. that is a lot of extra money put into the quilt on top of the fabric, and batting. because of that, i have always done my own quilting. it is my favorite part of the whole process. i just do whatever comes to my mind. i think that is the joy of quilting, there is no right or wrong way, whatever you do is unique. i think it is fairly easy to do your own quilting. i have never quilted anything too difficult though, just straight lines, and pretty simple.
some ideas and inspiration:

simple ideas......

my quilt. i just sewed straight lines in each direction across the squares to make a checker board.

i know this isn't a quilt, so to speak, but you get the same idea.stitch in the ditch is what they call it. its as simple as sewing in the seams. thats it.

other favorite ideas,
**soule mamas quilts, love them. i am sure i have mentioned her before. love her stuff. just plain in love. this one and this one.

**nettiepetes quilts, amazing! . so simple. just sew lines opposite of your seams.

**and one from the amazing amy karol,


**i love the wave detail in this one from candace.


i hope this sparked some ideas and gave you some new inspiration.:) remember, don't be afraid to try something different and out of the box. there is no right or wrong. now i am in the mood to sew. :)

quilt batting question

lindsey asked, "So I am making my first quilt and I need someone's advice on what type of batting to use. Sounds like a silly question but I just don't know.... Cotton? Polyester? Can you tell me what kind of results I would get or what you prefer to use?"

lets first say, i am no expert at quilting. i am self taught and have learned by trial and error. i have tried both cotton and polyester batting. my own opinion, cotton. it is a more natural product. it gives a quilt more of a vintage look. i think it feels better and is more cozy to curl up in. to me, it gives the quilt a better shape. i will always use 100% cotton from now on. i like the brand "Warm and Natural". You can usually find it at Joannes or any fabric store.
happy quilting and happy friday, to those whose friday it is! :)

p.s. i want this book so bad. so inspiring. you can read more about it here. i miss my camera, bad.

our story

a few of you have asked about my engagement in a week story. so the story goes.....


i will start before the beginning. i had been dating a guy for two years during high school. we were really good friends, our families got along great. he turned 19 and got his mission call. lets just say, i thought my life had ended for 2 years. i didnt know what i was going to do for those years and i was set on waiting for him. i lived in the small town of show low, not a whole lot to do there. so i decided to move to the hot valley, go to school and find a job basically to keep myself busy. i moved in with my grandpa. i found a job with a dentist who was 5 foot with orange hair. all the ladies that worked there were awful and so rude. it was a nightmare. i hated it. i cried every night on my drive home. so, my boyfriends, missionaries, (whatever you want to call him :), keeping his name safe, but im sure alot of you know who he is) sister helped me with my resume and found me a couple of dentists to interview with through friends of hers. i waited to here back from a few of them, in the meantime, dreading my job. one day, i got a phone call, and i will never forget it. it changed my life forever. It was Dr. Madsen. His assistant was going in for surgery and would be out of work for awhile and he needed someone to fill her spot while she would be gone. I told him my situation. He was so kind and so caring. It was a done deal, over the phone! I was to start there the following week. So i told Dr. Short Stuff i was done. i was so relieved. My first day at Dr. Madsens was great. I got along well with everyone and i loved the atmosphere. it was fabulous. so why on earth, you are wondering, am i telling you this. well let me tell you, on Oct. 30th, Dr. Madsen pulled me aside before i went and got one of the patients to seat him. He said, with a grin on his face while pointing to a name on the schedule," you tell me if you think he is good looking!" The name was Mark Higbee. I was kinda of taken back. Dr. Madsen knew i was "dating someone". Why would he say that? So i grinned back and said, "oooookkkk" with my eyebrows raised and a questioned look on my face. So i grabbed Marks chart, went to the waiting room and called the name, "Mark Higbee?????" i said... wondering who this guy is. the "how are you" conversation went on. we arrived to the room after what seemed like decades. my heart was pounding!!! why??? i felt silly that i was so nervous. but he WAS good looking. and i didn't want to admit it. i took his xrays and got out of the room as soon as i could. i went straight to Dr. M's office and said with a smile, "yes he is cute!" :) Dr. M continued to tell me this was Marks "home from his mission check up", and how he went to Texas, and he is the youngest of 10, and how he has been his dentist since Mark was 5. so we cleaned his teeth, and yes, i sucked his spit. with the spit sucker. so romantic! :) i know. i couldn't stop smiling, the whole time. good thing we wore masks. because i was ear to ear! so i thought i would never see him again. Or at least for awhile. Little did i know he was coming in the next day, for some fillings. during the appointment, Dr. M kept making comments like, "Jessica's writing a missionary, but shes still available." and "someone else always comes along". and on and on. i could only laugh and smile. i was struck. after we were done filling the wholes in his mouth (he does have very good teeth by the way), Mark asked me if i was doing anything that night, Halloween night. of course i wasn't, i had no friends there. so i took him up on his offer. he asked for my number and my mind went completely blank! i didn't know my number, my name, where a pen was, nothing. We hung out that night at one of his friends houses. We played the "would you rather" game for hours. i learned a lot about him and who he was. We hung out everyday after that. It was like i knew him my whole life. We had the same goals, same dreams, same likes. We had an amazing connection. It was like some kind of literal force between us that i could feel. When i was near him, it was like a energy surrounding us drawing me to him, i cant really describe it any other way. We both knew. I knew. I knew he was "the one". We were engaged one week later, we were unofficially engaged, and became official on Thanksgiving day. It was hard, because family and others wondered how i could date someone for 2 years, meet someone new and be engaged in a week. I couldn't explain it. I just knew. It was right. It felt right. I knew it was right. That's all i could say. And to this day, i know that was the most right decision i have made in all my life. I know my Heavenly Father played a part in our meeting. As Dr. M says," it was no coincidence." It is funny to think that i have known my husband for four years and we have been married for four years. i would never have changed a thing. i have the most amazing husband. he is so giving, patient, loving, selfless. he is everything i need in my life. I will be forever greatful to my Father in Heaven for bringing us together. I think Dr. Madsen had a part in it too! :)

inspiration question

tatum asked...
mmmm. Where do you find the time to sew and make so many adorable crafts? What would you say is your main source of inspiration?

well, i usually stay up late into the night sewing and doing other things. sometimes i may be so excited to get my hands on something and sew when my kids are awake. i will turn around in my chair and it looks like a tornado hit.
i find inspiration in so many places. i think my mind is always in search of inspiration all day long. when i am at the mall, i look at the clothes the manequins are wearing, the textures and color combos are always inspirational. i love love love flickr. i could browse on that all day long! you can see my favorites here. i love magazines and clip out pages. if i see colors that i love or pictures, and ideas, i cut them out and put them on my cork board above my sewing machine. it is constant eye candy, and is slowly getting sweeter.
etsy is also a great source of inspiration, as a lot of you know.
music gets me in a happy mood. it gets my wheels spinning with new ideas and things to create. i love good music.

thanks for your questions. it is giving me something to blog about with out recent pictures on hand! keep them comin!

so sad

my camera is in the shop for a few weeks. :( i feel like a part of me is missing. so lame, i know. i am sad though. we are leaving for our cruise on monday, and i wont have a camera! very sad. i may just take my old digital and see what i can do with it.

i am one who has a hard time posting words without a picture. so what do i blog about? blast from the past pictures?

or... do any of you have questions for me? any question at all, big or small, know you or not, i will answer it. :) ask me something so i can have something to blog about! please! :) ok, ask away......

what to do?

my USB cord isn't working. shucks. if you've noticed my last few posts are about our everyday life in places that we are often (bath, table). i want to share some of our lives in our home at random parts of the day. more to come on that since i cant upload pictures at the moment.

and because i cant post without a picture....

my girls are growing so fast. ahhh!

i have been overwhelming myself with things to do. fun things, that i like to do and that really shouldn't be overwhelming. i really want to take advantage of the season and enjoy every day of it. i have so many fun projects on my mind. i wish i could do them all at once.... like today... i have a list of things i would like to do, and i know i cant do it all today, but how do i chose?
*make pumpkin cookies.
*can more peaches and make peach jam. i just bought another box.
*finish a banner for a baby shower.
*make a Halloween banner for my front door.
*spray paint frames. put salvaged pieces of an old quilt in them. *finish my fall topiary.
*embroider patches to make something like this.
*figure out what my kids will be for Halloween. (should i give in and let addie be a princess?, everyone her age will be a princess. but if that's what she wants, what do you think?)

on the other hand there a lot of things i don't want to think about and neglect.
*cleaning my back porch.
*vacuuming the floor.
*getting the stain out of addies shirt, the shirt i really really like.
*loosing weight

and a life changing decision,
* is this the right choice?

at the dinner table

Addie, you need to eat one bite of fish before you can leave the table.

But mom, i don't want to.

You need to try it. Just try one bite.

But its gross.

You haven't tried it yet.

Its nasty.

Mark: Addie, mommy said you need to eat one bite before you can get down.

she says nothing and takes a bite.

He can work it every time.

the past few days

our week was fully packed and so fun. i ended up not being the photographer of the wedding. a relief. i did take a few. the wedding was in greer, by the lake. it was so pretty there. i love that little, cozy town. must visit it!

:: Day 3... Wedding Day ::

my parents:

i am bummed i didnt get one picture of the bride, Faith. darn. my younger brother kevin was the one who got married. kyle, the middle of us, is on the right.

my girls.. dancing. it was so great. i just let them run wild and i could always count on them being on the dance floor dancing their little hearts out! addie had a BLAST! i wish i took my video camera to show you her dance moves... i will add that to the post list. addie was a flower girl. you can imagine how excited she was about wearing a princess dress.

yellow flowers went for miles and miles on the whole mountain. it

really was amazing. for about an hour, you could count on seeing yellow flowers going on and on and on.

:: Day 4 ::

Sunday. day of rest. relaxation. pjs. card games.

:: Day 5 ::

destruction.

i spent the day with my good friend julie in her absolutely gorgeous home. i am envying it. shame on me. shame on her for tempting me!:) but seriously julie, you have to show everyone else your house!

our children are very mischievous. especially together. oh dear. last time i came up, it was julies perfume... sprayed all over the bed. this time..... markers......

oh my. tristons face is a classic! and addie looks like a vampire child! you are cute my darling and i do love you dearly:)

before we left, the girls collected "treasures" to take home. a little bit of mimi and papas house to take with us.

these "treasures" will more than likely become stamps for painting, or part of a collage tomorrow.

tomorrow its back to real life again. but not for long. we are going on a cruise!:)

day 2 of our trip

we are enjoying mimi and papas house. the weather is perfect.

it is a nice change.

yesterday, i jumped out of the car in the middle of the road! (my mother was stopped). i turned my head and there was a HUGE wolf spider on my moms seat staring at me with the biggest spider eyes. i have never been so afraid from a spider in all my life. we sat there forever trying to figure out how to kill the ginormous thing with one hit so it wouldnt scurry off in the car. we got it... good.:) i am getting the willies as we speak.

me and my mom canned some peaches. they smelled so good and i couldnt help to notice how beautiful the cans looked when we finished. the colors were screaming fall. they were delicious.

both of my girls are sick with colds and runny noses. melatonin and cold medicine have come in handy at night, and we have had some good sleep.

my brother is getting married tomorrow. there will be about 35 people staying in my parents house tonight! it will be interesting in the morning when we are all trying to get ready for the big day.

pictures of the wedding will be posted next. i am going to be their photographer, since theirs pooped out on them at the last min., and i am feeling the stress. major stress. i am trying not to think about it.

the house is quiet and i hear rain sprinkles outside. i am going to go sit on the big comfy chair by the window with my new fall magazines.

enjoy your friday.

new automobile :: new residence

and a new list taker for my grandma for her dirthday.

i am in love with these.

list taker

i gave in and bought the list taker tutorial from jcasas shop.

i love her work. i stayed up late into the night finishing this so i could write a list on it today! :)

early morning breakfast

hearty whole wheat waffles

fresh fruit

homeade maple syrup

she loves breakfast. now that i see this, i should have taken her shirt off. oh well. :)

i am having that cooped up feeling

i am so excited for the change in weather. i am ready to do more outdoor activities and let my children wear themselves out. i am ready to dust off my bike in the garage, put the girls in the trailer and ride to the park with a picnic in tow. i am ready to turn off the ac and open the windows. i am ready to take our after dinner walks as a family. i am ready to walk with the kids to get the mail everyday. so much to look forward to. when i was reading all the "what i love about fall" comments it was getting me so excited for the season awaiting us! fall is my absolute favorite season.

today my to-do-list is very long. a lot of errands to run. we are going to the mountain this week for my brothers wedding. so many things to do to get ready to go. i look forward to seeing family and enjoying some down time! the week is new, make it a good one!

the winner

is kimberly! send me your address and i will get this off on monday!
mhig36@yahoo.com

thanks to all who participated! it was fun!

check out this cool news about my uncle. wow!
have a restful sunday.

quilt talk : 300th post : GIVEAWAY!

first lets talk quilts. i love them! they have become my obsession. they are personal and made with love. they keep the ones i love warm. they give security and comfort. they will last forever creating so many memories. they bring me a different feeling of accomplishment than a skirt or tote bag. when i pull it out of the dryer and see the final outcome there is nothing like it. so puckered, soft and just lovely. i made these quilts for my girls for Christmas....

callies,

this one is made from a kelly mccaleb quilt kit. i love the colors and the vintage fabrics in this one.

and addies,

another chinese coin quilt.

now dont judge me, i know this one is not perfect. it has an uneven

side and the binding is far from perfect, the mitered corners are even farther. but i do love it. i think flaws in quilts give them uniqueness and character. you can tell it was handmade, it isnt perfect and manufactured.

such a loverly site.

now that i am done with those, i think i am ready to start another!

i have been putting up scraps on my inspiration board for awhile. one here, one there. i am still trying to decide if i like the navy blue and deep yellow. i am thinking it could be a picnic quilt(since our picnic and park season is coming closer) or just a light throw. cant wait to get started on another one!

so lets end this with a giveaway!!!

it is my

300th post!

and i am in the mood to giveaway something cute for your little

back-to-schooler!

the winner will receive three headbands.

so cute for you little darling.

just leave me a comment. tell me what you are looking forward too with this upcoming fall season.

i know some of you dont have girls, but i am sure you know a little girl. a relative, a neighbor, a friends child.

i will pick the winner saturday night. lets say 8ish MST.

have a wonderful friday!