Giveaway, But not Here

Heather at Anka's Treasures is having a giveaway! She is a designer. There are some great quilts on her blog. Whew. I love quilts that have the scalloped edge. Someday I want to make a quilt with that kind of a finish. When you go there, comment to win, and please tell her that "I sent cha!" I will then get entered again! The competition feeds off each other.
I've sure been enjoying reading everyone's comings, goings and doings. Nedra, Kim, Nanette, Pam, Nancy, Stephanie, Kathi, AmandaJean, Judy, Cheryl and more...you are my social life, my entertainment! Thanks~~it is great!
I've been sewing some too! I will show all soon!
Thanks for the fun!
Happy Summer Ending...
Take Care.

PolkaDotsandRickRack

Cheryl is a hot shot getting that cute name for her blog! Go there to read how it all happened and to enter her giveaway! She is a cool lady and fun to read. This is her blogging birthday. Man would I love to win those fun gifts she has pictured!!! Good luck (not really tho').
Here's hoping for some great rainy days ahead to get us some more water and to bring in a beautiful Fall. Sorry Summer, don't mean to offend but you've melted me enough, I'm ready to bid farewell to you.

Take Care.

~D Spack~

p.s. Umbrella Girl~~quilt by Karen McCarter.

I Won, I Won, I Won, I Won!!!

Hey, I'm very excited! I finally won a give away! Wahoo. Terri and her dad, as a guest writer, do a great blog. They are at Purple and Paisley, she is forever changing her header, she must be very computer savvy! Not like me. Terri's dad is a crack up!!! Thanks Terri and Terri's Dad! :) Can't wait to get the Quilt Catalog! Thank You Much!
Take Care.
D Spack

Tagged Guilt

In past days, I was tagged but didn't respond at the time, here goes now:
Some things about me that perhaps, some of you might relate to:

!. The smell of the Sweet Pea flower is a very distinct 'blast from the past' for me. I can still see them all happily growing along the back side of the garage.

@. I love the smell of lit off Firecrackers!

#. The first real sewing I took on was sewing jeans for my husband. Remember the Sea Farer jeans? He was on his last pair, and they were not being made anymore, so I took a class, slipped the pattern and made several pair for him. Sea Farers were the best jeans on any guy. I remember my *brothers wearing them. I was so happy that, as a newly married, I could make jeans for my hard working law student husband and keep him comfortable.
*I have three awesome brothers that I adore and miss (Colorado) miss (Utah) miss (Eastern Idaho). They are the funniest guys. It is such a joy to be with them 'cause we are "on the same page"!!! My kids love them too!

$. White linens for me, especially towels.

%. Last summer, I had a spot of skin cancer by my eye removed. I ended up with the best black eye a girl could wish for on her 50th birthday.

^. Right now my favorite rock and roll song is by Coldplay, Viva la Vida. (oh it's on right now, excuse me while I rock out for a sec.)

&. One of my all time favorite religious songs is a hymn entitled, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. (My husband plays it on his guitar.)

*. My feet NEVER stink.

(. My face sweats A LOT! (got that from mom)

). I was skinny when I was young.

_. I love having a baby around the house and those toddler years, my favorite ages. I love doing all the baby care stuff. Would like to have "one" all the time. (but I know I'd be tired)

+. Peanut M&Ms and red Nibs are the best combination! try it!

~. I'd love to go to Prince Edward Island/Nova Scotia and related points someday.

OK, enough about me, what's going on with you???
Take Care.
~D Spack~

Exactly a Month Later

After a month, I'm tongue tied!

I'll begin with the Favorite Things Swap that Kelly sponsored. I sent Kara Jayne my favorite treats, skin product, little cards, book, etc. I received from her a book, gum and mints, note cards, flip flops, a great cd of her favorite songs (which I like too!), lotion, etc. When she wrote to me asking my shoe size, I could not figure that out ~what the heck??? Thanks Kara!

Everywhere we went on our trip to Montana, I kept forgetting my camera, but I did get this picture on our trip. Just before West Yellowstone, there are some fresh water springs called Howard Springs. Brett is standing in the middle of it. The water is so good and so so so cold. I didn't have a cup, so I used my hand and it froze! This little spot is just 40 minutes north of the little town where I grew up. On our return trip south from Big Sky, Mt., we stopped in Ashton to eat and visit my sixth grade teacher. She is 91 years old. We had a nice trip to Montana, in spite of Brett having strep throat and there being 9 inches of snow up at Big Sky.
The pool picture is one from our family reunion in Logan, Utah. College daughter and her new hubby with 2 very cute blonde little cousins. Brett was put in a cardboard boat and raced 2 others boats at first dam there on the Logan river. He won in his boat, we have some great engineers in the family... Family reunion was ok, mostly just ok tho' because it was too too warm. Three days out in the sun just isn't fun. I wilt.

End of June at our house means Raspberries~Raspberries~Raspberries! First picking~~~





Mr. Anonymous brought me these this week~ OOO love love love the pink. Wouldn't a pink and white quilt be great, like this one that Stephanie made?

The quilt block you see is for Mary at quilt group. It was her month for the friendship block quilt. She provided us with the flowered material, I added the background fabric. It was to be a 12 inch block of our choosing, as she will make a sampler quilt. I got my block and instructions from Crazy Mom Quilts in her quilt along from last year. I love the flowered fabric, the picture doesn't do it justice. This month I am hosting quilt group in my home. I haven't decide what we will do for the meeting. Does anyone have any great idea suggestions? We can plan anything we want when hosting, from a guest speaker to a project to a service project.

Kitchen Addiction suggested this yummy cookie recipe, so I had to try it. I struggled getting enough lemon flavor in the top spread. Youngest running partner turned 45, so I treated her to these Deep Dark Chocolate lemon morsels for her birthday.

I have a summery tablecloth in the kitchen now. It was a kit I purchased at a bargain price at a quilt store in Utah when I shopped hop their hop in 2005.


The little flag should have been hung at least by July 3, but no ~~it isn't finished! There are 11 white, perfect for this project buttons in a baggie, somewhere in this house. I haven't seen them for 2 weeks now, and believe me I've looked high and low. Where would I have placed them???

I hope I run onto them eventually. Can you guess where they go on the little flimsy? Maybe I should put 13 on--when I do find them...that was a clue. This was our quilt group project in June.
I want to post a photo of the quilt I took to the family reunion to be tied. It is real pretty. I did it in all greens because I have always had a lot of green in my stash. I will show it when it is bound.

I've been enjoying all you ladies' red, white and blue quilts and recent projects. Keep up the good work and thanks for coming back to my blog after a long dry spell.

Take Care.
~D Spack~

I'm Wondering...

How does one take a great picture of a great fountain? This one is in Boise. Difficult to decifer, but the statue is of a mother with two boys and a dog trailing her. She has hold of a kite string with a kite at the end. I do like this statue/fountain, although it is hard to see the detail in my photo. Have any of you seen this particular fountain when you've been in this area?







What kind of tree/bush is this? I've been noticing these twin trees on my way to the Library for several days now. Today while driving through a nearby neighborhood I saw two large bushes that very very closely resemble these trees. The green is a very light green going up into the white and then pink on the ends of each branch. They are so sweet and unique! I really don't want to go knock on the doors of those houses. Have any of you seen this particular tree/bush?

What great sights and sounds are to be found near Bozeman, Montana? Mr. Unidentified, the Brettster and I are heading up that way in 1.5 days! We will be at Big Sky Resort. Of course I'll want to hit the quilting stores, but what other must do s are there? I'd better look for 13 year old friendly options also. Are any of you readers from Montana? I do know that I really like the town of Bozeman. No photo of Montana ..., YET!

No sewing photos, unless I could send a picture of frustration from my present project! I know one thing, I need to stick to sewing from a pattern instead of making up my own ideas. (wouldn't think pinwheels would be that hard) It just leads to frustration and time wasted! I know I should be creative, BUT it doesn't ever go good for me...

Take Care.

Where Did May Go???

Time of change~school out~summer on it's way...the months go by so quick!

Today's To Do list:

~run

~bake 3 Angel Food cakes/slice strawberries for the third graders to have strawberry shortcake "To Go" tomorrow...

~make 30 cards with picture, summer reading booklist and poem written by Amber*

~laundry

~balance checkbook (do you ladies still do that???)

~pay bills

~get chain saw sharpened

~make phone calls

~take a nap (favorite)

~try to keep 13 year old ds BUSY with good things...

~catch up on e-mails

~SEW!!!

I never seem to get to my sewing, by the time I can, it's late in the day~ I'm too tired.

I think all the wedding loose ends are taken care of and the newlyweds are arriving in Peru today for a two week stint to put in drinking water wells and pumps. Hope they get a lot done and have a good time.

As mentioned last week, Quilt Group Friendship blocks were due. The airplane is paper pieced. It's fun and can be addicting, you just have to make sure you work with a generous piece of fabric each step of the way.

*Mom's Gift

by Amber Spackman (with some help from dad)

I've been to London to visit the queen,

I'm friends with Jack Sprat, who could eat only lean,

I'm acquainted with Aesop, and all of his fables,

And I've become friends with Anne of Green Gables.

I've met Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Harrison,

And Georgie, who kissed all the girls--how embarrasin'!

I've shivered with fright next to brave Nancy Drew,

Helped the Grinch steal Christmas from each Whoville Who.

I've lived in the future, traveled backward in time,

I won the Olympics, even though I'm just nine.

I could not have found red ferns, or 'coons that were treed,

If Mom hadn't helped me to learn how to read.

~Take Care