Returning from Tripping, Cruising & TimeShare Shopping --

Since I have no followers to this blogspot, I should not worry that I am delinquent in writing ---Hey I have been gone for over 3 weeks and I just got back to beautiful Midway today. Here is where I have been --(in case anyone even cares - boo hoo) I went to Alexandria,Va to my daughter Andrea's cute little house on Cameron Mills Rd. She and Mark and their 3 children are moving to Peru very soon, so they went to look for a casa to live in. I left on Nov. 11 and today is Dec. 3 and I am just returning. The house looked great by my standards (which are not too high in the housekeeping department). My daughter Meredith and her husband's family used our house for Thanksgiving so they had lots of fun cooking here. (and a big thanks to Mere and James and any others who cleaned out my fridge - thank you thank you thank you!) I was so glad they could use it, but felt badly that I didn't have more time to make it look a little less cluttered...Oh well, those who know me, know about my clutter habits. At age 69, I am not trying to impress anyone and must make sure that my craft/felting/wreathmaking/pincushion/santas/nativities/ . making, etc. etc. is messy at all times. How else can one work if one doesn't have their "stuff" out every waking minute. I am so lucky to have this basement where I don't have to be too neat!!! Thank you Jerry for letting me put in a basement.

Well, I am rambling - Got home from Andrea's on Thur, Nov. 20th...picked up by my kind sister, Susie Cannon....then to her house for repacking of the suitcases and stealing most of her fancy clothes for our cruise....That night we had a fun time at the J>Smith memorial building for my long time friend (since birth) seventieth b-day dinner...It was so grand and Mary Jayne looked radiant and adorable as she always does and didn't look a day over 49. Then it was back to the Cannon house to sleep and have Susie take us to the airport (by this time Jerry had come to meet me) On the way home, we stopped for gas which I pumped, then on to the drug store to get some eye drops for my poor swollen allergy eyes (that is another story - every time I go to the Austin's house my eyes to this wicked thing) In the mean time, I forgot to put my wallet back in my purse (it is a very thin little thing) then I drop it in the parking lot of the drug store, so when I get in to buy the eye drops, I have no money. The store is getting ready to close so I run to the car and can't find the darn wallet. This nice man pays for my eye drops because he feels sorry for me I am sure he sees how pathetic I look and knows how badly I need eye drops....So when the wallet was no where to be found, we rush back to the gas station....not there - no one has seen it or turned it in. Now we go back to the drug store which is all closed. We remember that Jerry has moved the car so we thiink I could have dropped it on the ground by the first place we parked....not there....we are sad...flying out early the next morning so we have to cancel all the credit cards....ugh what a mess.... no sign of the wallet. Luckily we have our passports so we are still able to get on the plane. Receive message the next morning that the wallet was found by an honest employee who turns it in...they call the next morning, but we are gone and the credit cards have already been cancelled...Oh well, such is life.

Now I have to hurry and run an errand, so will have to write the rest of this saga later, but if you go to www.justusjoneses.blogspot.com you can see pics of when we got on the boat for our cruise. They are posted by Andrea (the younger) Jones. I will be back w/ more comments when I get another min. Keep on looking. I will put some pictures on myself. I know now why I have no followers on this blog....you could follow all this nonsense and trying to figure out what is going on....I do want to tell you about our lovely cruise and our stay in Newport Beach...and how much Calif. traffic means to me! so stay tuned. Don't give up. I promise some pictures.

Ok, this is really making me crazy. I click on the dealy hopper that says image, and then I can't seem to do anything after that. I just need a servant up here to help me operate this blog. I was able to find some pictures that I want to post, but then I can't find them when I get on the blog...what is wrong here...If anyone reads this (which I doubt) then blogspot me back and tell me how to get the pictures. Since I can't get this to work, I am turning on the TV and going to do some more felting. I am very excited about my latest felting project and some ideas that may be created from it due to suggestions of friends....more later on that.

Have a good evening.

Well, Doggone - I got the wrong picture of the nativity...Although this is a very cute hand knit one that a lady in NZ makes...She charges alot, but then they are lots of work. I have ladies come to my basement every Tuesday to felt. Most of them are making nativities and they are very cute. You would not believe what the basement looks like - w/ all that wool getting spread around. I just can't seem to lick my "thrift store" habit.... Today my car just automatically drove there w/o even thinking. Luckily, I had forgotten my purse, so when I arrived and went to reach for my purse and it was not there, I was really "bummed" ...However, I remembered that I had a little money in my levi pocket, so I was able to go in anyway. I didn't even spend all the money...I got an Australian Very Wacky Man's sweater that is wool. When I was waiting in line to pay, this man in front of me saw the sweater and said, wow that is really a "rare" one. He said, "you can sell that on Ebay for a lot of $$$$. It is called a GeCcu. I think instead of shrinking it up like I usually do, I will put it on Ebay...but no time, it seems. I also got a really cool looking Ugndian woven vase like dealy hopper - I have no idea what it is , and then I got another needlepoing piece. It is a "horse one" I think it is made in China, but it is quite nice.

I am excited to be going soon to Washington,D.C. to help Mark and Andrea w/ their children while they go to Peru to find a house. I know that we will have lots of Wii bowling and boxing tournaments. I have been practicing up for those Austin Kiddos. I hope I am up to the task of being a "Mom" once again. I will probably be worn out when I get home, just in time to get to Spencer and Andrea's house in Calif. and then Jerry and I are going on a cruise to the Mexican Riveria...It will be the first time in many years that I have not cooked a Thanksgiving Dinner!!! Whoopee! I wonder if they will feed us turkey on the cruise????

I am going to see if I can put on a picture...Wish me luck. I need help tho. Why are computers so had for those of my generation (old timers!)

Hello world --- well I hope the world is not looking at my very unexciting blogspot....I couldn't remember how to post anything so haven't written lately....first of all my computer was not working, so Mere andJames, bless their little hearts took it to Provo to try it out at their place. It didn't work there either, but yesterday after getting something fixed on it, they brought it back...Long story short, thanks to them and many calls to comcast by Mere, I now have my computer back. What has been happening???? Well, work, work,work.

Saturday I had the most unsuccessful garage sale of my life.....I will not be having any more of those at this house....It is just kind of hard to wind around and find our street...hardly anyone came and it was too much work for the results gained.

The last few weeks I have used Jerry's computer and put a few things on Ebay to sell. I decided that I could clean my house and make $$$ while I was at it. I put 86 items on Ebay...only 27 sold and 59 are still with me. Seems the odds are not too good, so I will have to reconsider doing Ebay sales....That means - "No more buying stuff at the thrift stores!!!!"...it is hard to resist, but I must curb my bad habit of buying things I don't need and can't sell on Ebay. It is amazing what does sell on Ebay. This is what I discovered....needlepoint (vintage) that went well, Ski sweaters die pretty well, Vita Mix blender did very well... Next time I am going to try some fabric...Oh I did sell 3 pieces of Nifty Nurse Fabric...

I will try to find some pictures and put them on for you to see.

The exciting news in our family is that Andrea, Mark and their 3 children will be moving to Peru. They are going to be gone from 3 to 5 years.... I can't believe it, but it will be fun to visit them in Peru. I think it will be a great experience....The next exciting news is that they are buying a house in Midway so that they can have Midway their headquarters when they come home for visits! I just went to the house they have chosen and picked apples growing on 2 different trees in their front yard.

Tomorrow I am having the lady felters over for a felting session. Most of them are making Nativities for Christmas. I am trying to make some too. I will try to post a picture of what they look like.

Quilting Retreat

Shirley, Doris, Deonn & Tineke needle felt a pin cushion
Bonnie displays her buggy barn witch wall hanging (very cute)
Most of our quilters posing by the pond
Margaret works on her 9 patch double Irish chain quilt
Jill working feverishly on her wool santa pillow

(Jill wins the prize for getting more things done - amazing!)

Views of Hidden Springs (we think there was a fire in the distance)

Hidden Springs Ranch from the back

What a fun spot - I want to go back

On Oct. 1, I drove to a lovely ranch outside Altamont, Utah (by Duchesne) Go to http://www.hiddenspringsranch.biz/ to see this very nice place. There were about 20 + of us that were able to attend our 3 day retreat...It was way too short. We quilted and felted and talked and walked, and swam, etc. It was so much fun. I am going to put some more pictures on....Meredith was just up and showed me...she had to leave, so I hope I can do it. The weather was fabulous and I even started making a double Irish chain 9 patch quilt. Next year we need lots more people to attend. This lodge sleeps about 90 so we have plenty of room. We had great food, great friends and an overall really fun time.

My Profile

As soon as I can figure out how to put in some pictures, I will do so. I have had tons of emails today telling me how they liked my blogspost!!! Of course no one above the age of 40 knows how to put in a comment, so it looks like no one has gone on to read anything. I relate, I have tried to put comments on blogs that I read and they never seem to work. I think you have to sign up and log in and then go through all these other gyrations to post a comment. It is a good way to keep up with each other.

Today has been a long hard day. This morning I went for a beautiful walk w/ about 5 other ladies....they are younger and faster than I am, and I feel badly if I slow them down, but they seem to put up with me and take me as I am...a tad overweight, well maybe more than a tad..w/ little slits for eyes that I can't even tell what color they are any more...definitely not violet eyes to die for...Then I had to make funeral potataoes for the latest funeral...we seem to be having a rash of them lately. I did not know this lady well, but she was happy to go I am sure since she had been suffering w/ cancer for a few years. I heard the funeral was wonderful and I am sure that the lunch held after was really good. I always like funeral potatoes myself and the only place I ever get them is at a funeral. I imagine that is why they are called funeral potatoes. After I delivered my huge load of funeral potatoes (must have weighed at least 20 lbs. w/ all that cheesy white sauce, etc.)- I had to work at our store - Seasons of Home...in case you don't know about "our store" I will tell you a little.

Several years ago a few of us were talking about what a "bummer" it was to always have to drive to Provo or Salt Lake to buy fabric. Long story short, 20 women went together and bought a cute little old pioneer house and presto - we opened up...Well it really wasn't that "presto" It took lots of time and planning. We have learned alot, sweat alot and prayed alot for its success. Some days are really busy and we sell lots of gifts and fabric. Other days are slow and we don't sell much of anything....but most days are really pretty good. We depend alot on the tourists that come visit our valley because they want to see beauty, feel peace and quiet and come here... There are lots of strong women w/ very good ideas and very creative, fun women. We have classes for children to learn to sew. I am the bag lady teacher...I don't teach any quilting classes because I really haven't made any....yet, therefore am not qualified to be a teacher... I have several started that may get finished in my lifetime....I hope. I am also the felting teacher....read on...

When Jerry and I served a mission for our church in New Zealand, I learned about needle felting and it has become a very fun hobby for me. You could say it has taken over the basement. I have wool, yarns, roving, more wool, wool sweaters that I have felted by washing them in hot water and shrinking them up to almost nothing. Out of these sweaters, blankets,etc. I make funky santas, purses, table runners, pin cushions, and anything else I can think of. Tomorrow I have a felting class to teach..so I really should leave my blog now and write more later, since I must prepare for the class...now that it is ll:00 p.m. I usually do my best work between the hours of 11 and l:00 a.m. I have found that I am not as happy as I would like unless I can make something every day...or at least start something. The trouble is is that I get it to the point where I can see what it is going to look like and then I loose interest. So many things are awaiting to be finished. I have to force myself now to stay out of thrift stores in case they have any bargain priced wool sweaters or blankets that I can "eventually" turn into something. I have had to move some of my things into the garage in large bins, labeled red, black, tan, white, etc. I am now devising a plan as to how to rid myself of some of this wool. I think I will try ebay, but then there might not be anyone else out there that is as crazy about wool as I am, and then too I have heard that ebay is floundering along with everyone else...so not only do I have more money tied up in wool that I would care to admit or care to have Jerry realize (I think he is on to me), but I have no time to turn it into anything creative because I am always reading other people's blogs and marveling at how much they accomplish, so I must sign off now and I promise I will write more later and take pictures of our little store and some of my little felted creatures, which I must admit are pretty useless.

I promise I will learn how to post pictures...they say a picture is worth a thousand words so that would make everyone happy not to have to read all this rambling.

My First Posting

Well, today was a great day...the members of my immediate family (children and grandchildren) who live nearby came to Midway for dinner, so my daughter Meredith and her husband James set up this blog for me. I wonder if I will do anything with it. I want to, because I am not at all good about keeping a journal, and it would be fun to record my thoughts, ideas, comings and goings and then have some sort of a record to look back on. I like to look at others blogs, so this sounds like a fun challenge.

Here is who came today - Oldest son Nathan and his wife Sue (she is really called Sue Ann now) but when we first met her over 20 + years ago, we called her "The Beautiful Sue" and she is still beautiful besides being a wonderful mother to Barrett (l8), Cami (16), Zack (13), and Trevor (8). They live in SLC so it is just a drive down Parley's Canyon to get to their house right off Parleys Drive -- very convenient. They have a cute dog named Putter. Nate is an attorney practicing law in SLC w/ Stoel Rives. I think they are a great family. I wish Cami had a sister to defend herself against all those boys, but she seems to hold her own pretty well.

Matt, 2nd son and his wife Marcie ( lovely, capable & talented) and their children drove up Provo Canyon from their home w/ their 4 children - Noah (8), Lauren (6), Jacob (almost 4), and little Rachelle (Roo for short - just turned 1). Another darling family. I love to see them. They are growing so fast. It is nice that we can have these family dinners every now and then so we can stay connected. Marcie has a fun blog spot which is called: http://www.oursgoodonehome.blogspot.com/ so you can read all about them. Matt is a mechanical engineering professor at byu (following in his dad's footsteps) They are both fab parents and so good, kind and patient.

Mere & James drove from Provo as well where both attend BYU.. Meredith is in her 3rd year of being a senior....but hurray she is going to graduate in December...so that no one will think her slow...it is just that she changed majors and has way more hours than she actually needs to graduate, she will soon get her chance. She is in Fine Arts - Print Making. James is a super fellow. He can do anything when it comes to building, fixing, etc. He is a construction managment major and has 2 more oyears of school. He has helped us so much - I will have to take a picture of how he extended our patio, build an arbor, etc. etc. ..and our beautiful new "Texas Style" front door. She and James bought an "antique" letter press that they found on ebay and brought it from its home in Idaho all the way to our garage...Please go to Mere and James' blog which is: http://www.jamesandmerehendricks.blogspot.com/ Mere has lots of fun pictures, but really I do not weigh as much as the pictures make me look. I know I weigh more than I should, but I think the camera was lying a little....It was quite motivating to make me reallyi want to go on a diet, so I must keep looking at those awful pictures and do something about it....

Our other 2 children - youngest son Spencer, his lovely wife Andrea and darling girls Kate and Anna reacently moved to California --- Spencer took a job w/ the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. We sure do miss them. They seem so far away. When we moved to Midway 5 years ago, Spencer was just getting married and beginning a graduate school program at the Univ. of Utah, so we have been fortunate to be close by for the last 5 years, (exept of course the l8 months that we spent in New Zealand). You can go to their blogspot to read all about them and their new adventures in Calif. It is: http://www.justusjoneses.blogspot.com/ They have lots of nice pictures. I visit all these blogspots often so I can see what they are up to.

Andrea and Mark Austin....live in Alexandria, Va. As far as I know they do not have a blogspot and either does Nate and family, so maybe since I now have one they will be spurred on to get one. The Austins have one daughter Sarah, age 10 going on 11, and two sons Andrew (age 4) and little Spencer (age 2). We don't get to see them as often as we would like. It is fun to visit their home. They live in a cute old home in Alexandria. I love to walk around their neighborhood and see all the cute old homes.
Mark works for the World Bank. He is a project manager and travels to central and south america all the time. He has an interesting job, but I know misses his family when he travels so much. Mark is a fun person and such a great father...the way he keeps in touch w/ his family while traveling (via phone, skype, etc. ) is truly amazing .

I really like all of our children and grandchildren and so happy to see them all being productive, good citizens, doing meaningful things.

Now I am going to try to post a few pictures, but I am not sure now that Mere and James have left me alone if I can accomplish this...