Hmm.

See the differences between these buildings. They are both taken from the top of the Washington Monument at the same distance

The Federal EPA Building

The Federal Ag building.

If you don't the the size deference's between these you're crazy! Don't you find ANYTHING wrong with that because I do???

Scripture bags

I had a couple of extra nine-patches from my spring quilt and so I made some bags. I have been wanting a new scripture bag for a while(the ones I have have a bunch of raw edges showing and they are worn out!!). I found a super easy tutorial of how to make your bags have no raw edges showing. You can find it here . I did adapt it, I basically just used the directions of how to get rid of the raw edges! I didn't measure the handles but after folding, ironing and sewing them you can't tell. One has really wide handles and one has super thin super long handles with a flower on it. The flower tutorial you can find here . I only used one color, I didn't measure and it and it still turned out okay.

Spring quilt

I have no idea what to "name" this one so it is the spring quilt!!! This one was really easy and fast(and fun!!!) I used two yards of white fabric and 2 charm packs. I love the quilting on this one and it took maybe 30 minutes. This was the first time I've quilted something bigger then a hot pad with cotton batting(if you were wondering, yes, it is polyester batting in Juice boxes). I really liked it. The back is a $5 flatsheet from Wal-Mart it is also the binding. The fabric is hulaboo by moda. I think it is more of what you'd see in a baby quilt but, I still love it!! Double click on the pictures to see the fabric better. And just to let you know(like you care) I really do not like doing bindings, they take forever and are just long and boring.

Making Maple Syrup

One of the advantages to living in Pennsylvania is being able to make your own maple syrup!!

Step 1: tap your maple trees and put a bucket there to catch the sap

Step 2: Save up all of the sap(we had about 2 gallons from 3 trees in two weeks)

Step 3: Boil it down for a couple of hours(it has to be BOILING, we tried the crock-pot, it didn't work) and don't boil it too long like we did

Step 4: Enjoy. Our 2 gallons of sap made about 1/2 a cup of syrup!!! It evaporates a LOT!!!!

We mixed in a cup of store bought maple syrup and wal-la. Homemade maple syrup... we ate some of ours warm out of a spoon with homeade potato chips. the rest we would have eaten on pancakes the next morning but we were leaving and didn't get a chance...

Juice boxes(kind of)

I finished it! In one of the pictures you can see a flower, I did flowers in every other block in like a checkered pattern.

I think I am thoroughly addicted to quilting, I already have another top 1/2 way finnished, oh boy!

My first real quilt

Pictures finally!!

I still have a long way to go as far as the actual quilting but, it's a start...

Swedish Pancakes

These our my family's most favorite pancake! They are awesome and so easy and fast.

Basic Recipe:

1 C Flour
1 C Milk
1 egg

Mix and fry

My family of 6 will usually eat 4-5 batches of this, I usually melt a few tbs. of butter and pour off into batter with  some sugar/honey just before frying to make it supreme! This also greases the pan.

THESE ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!

Quotes

This quote is in the personal progress book, and I love it!

"Give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon... Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity." Ezra Taft Benson

Here are some other quotes:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams

"Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world." Lenin

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln

Any way, something to think about(no the first one has just about NOTHING to do with the other ones).

Quilting

I have to tell you about this little obsession I have had lately...quilting! I have been loving to quilt lately, I FINALLY finished a twin sized quilt for my bed, I bought the fabric like two years ago and hadn't finished it, I was SUPER excited. It is just a easy 9-patch top with one of those fleece blankets from the DI for the back. with no batting! I also finished a fun baby quilt, pictures coming when we get home???? I have also been working on a SUPER fun one too, it is this pattern, slightly different and it is WAY different colors! And by the way, that site is awesome! So any way, pics soon! Oh, and I LOVE the textures of machine quilted quilts, you should feel them! Anyway, I will stop blubbering on now...

I'm alive

So maybe I should post once in a while? Just maybe!

So lets see

• We're leaving on a 2 week trip to PA on the 28th so that should be fun!
  
• This weekend is my Aunt's wedding reception, so my grandpa will be here!
  
• Jared just went on his first boy scout campout the Klondike(I know he is CRAZY!!!),
• Yesterday was new beginnings which was good!
• We have started getting bountiful baskets which have been awesome!

That's been about it, oh and one more BIG one it is...


COLD!!!!!!!!!!

So anyway,

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day!

Life can be rough, especially when it is below freezing outside and you feeding horses and come in like this...

Yeah, so anyway, I was cleaning out a frozen automatic waterer and then without realizing it I grabbed the metal part on this shovel. So when I walked inside holding a shovel everyone was suprised! There was no way that I was going to leave my awesome gloves outside!!! It has been below freezing here the last couple of days and we have more than a foot of snow, is it cold anywhere else?
P.S. Happy New Year!

Horses

When I got to the land Bailey was standing in a position standing like this except her feet were FURTHER underneath her! So I ran home to get the camera, when I got back she was standing like this, and then I couldn't help myself, this:

And the minis seemed just so ready for a picture:

I love this one's forelock!
Little Star(Ok, she is the biggest one of them all)

And beautiful baby Jo with her mama!

Isn't she just darling! ( you can see the fourth one in the picture)

These four little darling minis board at the land. They are just so cute!

Yep, we're hillbilly...

and proud of it!

All settled...and alive!

I'm blogging! Hurray!!! We are settled and doing well in our new house, it sure is cozy. With internet *very* limited I haven't been able to do any blogging, but here I am alas. It has been super fun to be able to just go across the street and have the land right there, it sure is a change! how did we ever manage?!?!
So yep, I'm alive, how is everyone else in the blogging world???

College for me?

* I do not mean to offend by this post. These are merely my thoughts and beliefs and if you do not agree, you are more than welcome to not read it*  

  People often ask me, where are you going to go for college? It is a fair question, valid and, to most people relevant. But, is it to me? Shocker... no. It is not relevant to me.

     Most people want to go to college just to have fun, to get away from their families and to just mess around. Occasionally they are there to learn because they like it. BUT, what is the underlying reason to why people go to college? I mean after all, if kids just want to go mess around with their friends they can just go and move out and live with their friends in the next state. So, college... why do people go? What is the underlying reason? I believe that it is to get a degree so that they can get a good(or well paying) job.

     So, why isn't this relavent to me? I don't need a good job. I already have one, the job of a wife and mother. Why is it that this isn't satisfying to enough women and girls? It is the highest calling that you can have.

     Most people would then say, well you still should have a job just in case your husband dies or gets hurt. Sorry. but if my husband gets hurt or something, I would go back to my father's household. If he dies, than I would go to my Grandfather, Uncle etc.

     I am to stay under my father's watchful eye until he hands me off when I am married. It's really hard to explain this without sounding bad. I do not mean to sound like women are not equal to men, at all! Women are equal to men, but I do think that the men are the ones who are in charge. The ones that need to be presiding. It is a godly principal.

     Are there exceptions? Of course, but am I one? No. So, what do I do. I learn so that I can teach my children. I learn to can, cook, clean, sew, quilt, etc. These are the skills that women 100 years ago had. Period. The entersting fact is, that even though they didn't all go to school and college, as a whole, they were a much more educated people than we are.

     So, is college for me? No, not personally, but can it be for other people? Yes, I think so.