Something About Nothing

I had the opportunity to visit my grandchildren quit a bit lately. I brought along some of the Mess Free Crayola markers and paper so we could create some fun. These were my two favorites. Beep beeps by an almost three year old Nothing but Spiderman by a nine year old.

Olive Crane Smith, was a sewing teacher at  Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, between 1954 and 1985. Olive C. Smith, Granite High School yearbook, 1954 Mrs. Smith specialized in tailoring and her students continually won the Utah Wool Growers tailoring contests for their supremely tailored wool suits.  She also produced a yearly Fashion Show, designed and created all the clothing for the school's drama productions, and supervised the Red Cross Club. I was honored when Carolyn, Mrs. Smith's daughter, recently invited me over to look at a few of the sewing treasures her Mother left behind when she passed away in 1988.  Carolyn had saved her Mother's treasures thinking one day, when she retired, she would pick up sewing too.  It has taken many years for Carolyn to realize sewing was not a part of her path.  Carolyn, now retired, helped many people find their own way in life as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at LDS Business College...

     My Mother and Grandmother were not really sewers or quilters although they had their moments of trying. Grandma told me she made quilts during her years as a stay-at-home mom living in a holler in West Virginia but it wasn't a skill she kept when she moved to the big city of Chicago during the 1950's.  After I made a few quilts in the late '70's, she decided to make one from patches of cloth she cut out from her polyester pants suits.       We affectionally called it "The Ugly Quilt." Grandma Marie raking the back yard in West Virginia      Unfortunately the quilt was not attached securely to the top of our car when we were moving one year and was blown away on the freeway, lost for all time.  I'm still very sad about losing that quilt, even if it was ugly, it was the only quilt I had from Grandma.  Grandma's real skills were in the kitchen.      She was a really good cook. ...

The presents are open, the special treats are eaten, the decorations are packed away and now the last of the children has left to go back to school. The holiday's are officially over. Time to clean. . .  *Sniffle, sniffle* Excuse me while I go get a tissue on my way to the sewing room.

This sturdy, beautiful playground has served us well through our four active, growing children and all their friends over the past 10 years, but lately, to be honest, she has been very lonely. I don't blame her for her decision but I will miss her. Today she packed her bolts. . . . . .and with a few helping hands. . . . . . she has moved to Vernal. Farewell Ms. Playground!  We will miss you! Take care and have fun with the kids. We'll always have Paris. Oops - we never made it to Paris - you know what I mean!

I started looking through the photos on my computer hoping to find something to use in an upcoming quilt project when things quickly degraded to a trip down memory lane.   Boy I had some cute babies! Can you believe he was only about 6 weeks old?  I don't think he was very happy.  It was probably lunch time.  I really need to scan more of his photos.  I have so few on this hard drive. Next came this beauty.  Look at all that hair!  And those sweet cheeks! Apparently I couldn't resist them even then. . . I should have cropped myself out of the above photo - don't you love those big glasses and permed hair? Not a sweet memory! But this sure is. The twins were just as adorable as the older two. Another cheeky picture. And this one has a smile that melts my heart. J and his sister were great to "watch" the twins while I made dinner - of course it was after much "persuasion." J was okay as long as he was allowed control of the remote. B actually ended up do...

A few summers ago I had grandiose plans of doing crafts with the kids everyday - or at least every other day. This tie dye kit has been pining away in the cupboard ever since. I brought it out into the sunshine the other day and the children rejoiced. The kit came complete with dye in these sweet bottles (which I will definitely refill with my own dyes), a bunch of gummy rubber bands, some thin gloves and some very sparse instructions. The kids twisted and banded and banded and twisted. . . And then they dyed! died? dyed? OH NO NOT THE DYE! Oh how I love this little face! I could just squeeze his cheeks off every time I see him! The cheeks on his brother here were once just as sweet. It is only recently that he has outgrown them and it is a good thing because he was getting tired of me pinching them! Look at what a wonderful job he is doing putting the colors on his shirt. His shirt was one of the best ones actually. Too bad I don't have an after picture of it - yet. Ah m...