A New Car!

I imagine Bob Barker saying the title of the post.  Jared suggested I say I won it at Pumpkinman.

My male family members have been bugging me to post pictures or asking me all sorts of questions about the car that I can't answer.  Ask Dad for details. I can, however, post pictures.

But before I post those pictures... I want to tell you that my wonderful parents came to cheer me at pumpkinman.

They love me. Dad took all the pictures on Moms camera and since I don't have a card drive thing I couldn't download em.  I imagine sometime I will get them and post about it.  Perhaps in Nov... or January.

But we did other fun things afterwards... Like Mom tried on my boots.

Isn't she way cute in boots? They were too big so she didn't wear them to church.

Of course we also went to the belagio to eat, look at the seasonal display in the atrium,

and see the fountains...

And watch an old barbie car get towed. (the license plate)

But the bulk of the time (and Dads favorite part) was trying out new cars (2) but I didn't get pictures of that. Woulda been a little awkward I'm thinking.

Then I had to say goodbye to my old car... it was such a good little car. Never gave me any trouble.

Still had the pass on it to get into Lake Mead for Pumpkinman.

I took a few other pictures of it that night but it was too dark, so I found some old pictures of it... mostly at halloween.

It made a great wagon..

 And tent.

 And poor thing only saw snow once a year in New Mexico during the holidays.

Perhaps its new family will take it out in the snow more often.

I miss my old car... I might have a hard time with change... case in point, see the following;

The new car.

 Wait... another blue forester?

Yup, 2014 model.  These pictures are taken at my work parking lot yesterday.  There was an older brown Subaru forester sitting all by it's lonesome so I parked right next to it.  Now you can compare.

Everything is a little bigger... a little more stretched out.  Why does everything get bigger instead of smaller?  Perhaps in 5 years I can go back to the Impreza hatchback cuz it will be as big as the old 2008 foresters :)  I like that older station wagon look.  You get the room without the length or overall bulk.

Mine does have a sunroof and back up camera and seat warmers but that's cuz apparently the forester is the new craze and everybody wants one.  Had to upgrade if I wanted blue with a light fabric interior.  Kinda weird when 5 years ago I had the pick of the lot.

As you might have noticed it is tinted.  tinting is free so they did it for me before I came back after work to pick it up.  I don't like it but mostly just cuz its different.  I'll get used to it and it isn't quite as weird anymore after a week.

So there you go Jared.  A whole post.  Thanks Mom and Dad for coming!

PS.  I used my stamp to sign some calcs yesterday.  Second time in my engineering career! I signed the drawings today but now that's the third time using my stamp... old hat.

A Small Quiet Book

This weekend is pumpkinman!  If the federal parks open up... not going to go into that today.

I wanted to share my latest sewing project before things get all crazy with Pumpkinman and halloween.

I've been way into quiet books or "things to entice children to my pew (evil laughter)" during church.  It's so fun because then I don't have to listen... I mean...

Anyways, I found this really cute and very easy quiet book pattern.  Much easier than the full blown pages I normally look at.

So I decided to make Emily and I one... and of course all my sisters for sisters weekend.

These were the first three I made... I didn't take pictures of the rest.

As you can see I didn't follow the tutorial exactly cuz I used fabric for everything with flannel for the eggs and inside of the pocket.  The only felt is the cutout pieces.

I have to admit that the most fun was doing the applique of the eggs on the background.  Weird I know, but I had never done applique before.  I got pretty good at it by the end if I do say so myself.

I sent a picture to Emily of what I was gonna send her cuz of course I can't keep a secret worth beans... I wanted her to tell me how wonderful I was twice :)

At sisters weekend I made them cut out their own felt pieces.  Emily had come up with lots more idea as to shapes to include.  I wish I could save the Skype video messages she sent me of the cute animals and faces she had made.

Jenny and Tom sent me these during general conference.

Sarah,

 Jacob.

I love it.

I thought I had more pictures of faces people made and sent to me but I suppose that was all in my head. Sisters, feel free to send me pictures! It makes me happy to see things I made being used. I told Jenny I want to have lots of legacy...

Sisters Weekend 2013

I'm having a hard time being motivated to blog... apparently lots the blogging bug.  But I do want share pictures of sisters weekend... so here they are.  I always say I'm not going to do alot of journaling between the pictures but this time I really mean it :).

Most of you know we (Jenny) planned sisters weekend for when we would all be together in Utah, ie when Jenny and Neita would be bring their daughters up to school in Provo.  It actually worked out rather nice cuz we got a cabin in Heber and were there over labor day to enjoy Swiss days at Midway and the sheepdog trials at Soldiers Hollows.  The only sad part was that Angela couldn't make it cuz she was just starting her student teaching :(.  Next time!

I actually didn't take alot of pictures. I asked Mom to send me some of the ones Dad had taken with her camera... so Dad send me a few.  Mom says she's gonna blog about it so she didn't want Dad to send me very many.  Sorry Mom!  Dad enjoyed sending them over skype :)

So here goes.

First there was there was a moose outside the cabin one morning.

 I never saw it.

I was asleep in the laundry room.  Amy showed me a video of it on her phone...

while i was in my pjs out on the deck.  The dog was a neighbor dog that came to scare the moose away.

There was much eating during sisters weekend...

 Dad was the griller extrodinaire...

much talking...

Hot tubing...

relaxing...

and pretty much lots of fun all around.

We went to Swiss Days and all the pictures I took were on the bus over..

 Looking for food... (Its a craft fair)

 And one of Amy and I all done :)

Didn't really stay there long as it was very hot and very crowded.  I did take a video of one of the entertainers yodeling but I will spare you...

Then that Saturday of course we went to watch the sheep dog trials.

Dad took great pictures with Mom's camera.

My cute nieces! They were invited to sister/girls weekend cuz we love them too :)

Serious watchers.

It was crowded but we still got seats under cover.

This was Dad's favorite picture..

Good thing only the cutest bums are showing...

That sunday a few of us went for a little drive up to the sacred hill... it has all the names of those who died in the wars that lived in the valley

I kept calling it the holy hill which Emily didn't like until she saw the sign on the way up.  It said this was a sacred place so please act accordingly...

Told her.

Dad took a bunch of beauty shots.

It really was pretty up there with the valley spread below

And the clouds and the rainbow.

Ya!  Pictures of me on my blog!  Weird... I know.

Emily and Dad.

And then we all went home... :(

It was so much fun to be with my family even though I was a little bit grumpy cuz of lack of sleep.  I liked that we spent quite a bit of time together just chilling at the cabin.  We got to just talk and discuss life things.  Can't wait to do it again!  Maybe we can do a siblings weekend....

PS.  This is the picture Bethanie and I sent to show everyone out dinner on the way back to Vegas...

Ice cream in Beaver!  Never miss a chance to stop.