Carey Family

Sue

Two months of Variety; or How I Did

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Well, the first two months of 2012 are over and I’m reflecting on how I did on my One Little Word for the year: Variety. I’ve been varied and accomplished much, but still have some areas to hit in the next few months. So I think I’m mostly in a good place. Here’s the scorecard.

Quilting:
Quilt classes attended: 1
Hand quilting: almost 1/2 of a lap quilt
Quilt piecing: 1 Thanksgiving-themed quilt; 1 pinwheel block

Papercrafting:
Missionary scrapbooks finished: 1
Greeting cards: 54
Photoshop tutorials: 5

Reading:
Books read: 40
Book club meetings attended: 4

Crocheting:
Burp cloths: 22
Doll blanket/burp cloth sets: 1

Sewing:
Pillowcases: 1
Fleece blankets: 25

General crafts:
Folded star ornaments: 1
Wreaths: 2

Gardening:
Flats of seeds started: 8

Other:
Piano practicing: 8 times
Online church service: several hours
Hikes: 3
Basketball games attended: 7
Concerts/plays attended: 5


Birthday getaway, part 2

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We had a great time on our mini-vacation. Every time we go to St. George we see signs for the Dinosaur Discovery at Johnson Farm but have never stopped. So this time we decided to go and it was quite amazing. The dino tracks are very impressive and it was an interesting side trip.  We also saw Star Wars Episode I in 3D, which was really fun.

We did some more hiking in Zion and Kolob Canyons. We hiked the Timber Creek Overlook Trail in Kolob and were warned by the printed guide that it’s often snow covered. We changed into our boots and set out. It soon became apparent that there was snow and ice, but mostly mud. Deep, sole-sucking mud that caused us to slurp with each step and slide around a lot. We forged on and did the 1 mile, although the mud on our boots made our feet feel 30 pounds heavier. We got to the overlook and it was a beautiful vista. We could see forever to the horizon and it was silent except for the whistling of the wind. In the grand silence, we heard Scott’s phone vibrating in his pocket, and out in the middle of nowhere, we talked to the boys. Ancient views meet modern technology.

We’ve previously been to the Grafton ghost town where some of Scott’s ancestors lived, but decided to stop in and see what’s new.  It’s down a dirt road in Rockville and contains some buildings that are presently being restored.

(Click on a photo to see them all in a gallery).

Our February Birthday Getaway

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Sue and I decided to have a getaway this weekend, starting with my birthday on Thursday. We headed south to warmer weather, which was a good thing, since it was freezing in Alpine when we left (it was supposed to be warmer later). We decided to go to southwest Utah and decided to stay at the Driftwood Lodge in Springdale, which is about 5 minutes from the west entrance to Zion National Park. We spent Friday at the park. We went hiking on a couple of trails, Emerald Loop Trail, and Weeping Rock Trail, and also went east through the park, through the tunnel.

Here are some of the pictures:

Sliced Nine-Patch

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Saturday I finished the top for my Thanksgiving quilt. For those of you keeping track, I received the fabric for Christmas 2010, got the pattern and cut the fabric for my Independence Day birthday 2011, and got the top done for Valentine’s Day 2012. Yeah, I’m a slow worker.  I’d been working away at it a little at a time, but after I went to a quilt class last week and learned some cool stuff, I just went crazy and worked at it non-stop. So Saturday I finished it up and started the hand quilting that evening.

It’s by far the most complicated pattern I’ve done, but it’s also the best-looking one, so it just goes to show that I’m learning something. Yay! It’s a Sliced Nine-Patch called Off-the-Grid by John at Quilt Dad. And here it is!

Mount TBR

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Pike’s Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s

(I’m signing up for Pike’s Peak, but hoping to climb higher)

Well, I’ve accomplished my first reading challenge of the year which was to climb Pike’s Peak. I did it by February 10th, so I’m thinking I can climb a couple more peaks this year, don’t you? Here’s the books I read for Pike’s Peak, and now I’m starting up Mt. Vancouver. (Scott is so happy to see me reading books from our shelves!)

#1-A Red Herring Without Mustard (A Flavia de Luce Mystery #3) by Alan Bradley
Flavia is such a fun character and she gets herself into, and out of, the oddest situations. This time she’s up against an obscure religious sect, Gypsies, antiques dealers, and the unflappable Inspector Hewitt. These are such fun stories!

#2-The Traitor (Golden Mountain Chronicles #4) by Laurence Yep
This details the friendship between an outcast American boy and an outcast Chinese boy in the coal mining town of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Their friendship is tender as they learn the things they have in common and yet the things that divide them. Then the town erupts in bloodshed as the author tells of the factual Chinese massacre that occurred there and how the townspeople react. Very interesting story.

#3-I Am Half-Sick Of Shadows (A Flavia De Luce Mystery #4) by Alan Bradley
Suffering cyanide! Another dose of Flavia awesomeness! Yay!

#4-Dear Mr. Henshaw (Leigh Botts, #1) by Beverly Cleary
A rather sad, pathetic story of a boy trying to deal with his parents’ divorce and a move to a new town. I thought it would end with some hope and the only glimmer is that he might write some more. I was disappointed.

#5-The Fighting Ground by Avi
Powerful anti-war novel set in Revolutionary War times. A 13-year-old dreams of the glory of being a soldier and 24 hours of it gives him a completely different idea. He is introduced to several new ideas, among them, how prisoners feel toward their captors, whether the ends justify the means, shame, fear, and disgust for killing. It’s a great novel for showing the reality of war. (mild language in the heat of battle)war. (mild language in the heat of battle)

#6-Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
This highly readable book tells a different story in each chapter that helps to shed light on some of the biggest names in American history. It centers on Adams and Jefferson but includes Washington, Madison, Hamilton, and Burr. I really enjoyed the style and the stories.

#7-The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Creepy story that deftly teeters between fantasy and reality as a lonely teen with a neglectful mother tries to decide if her new cat is just a cat or an evil demon sent to posses her. Well-written.

#8-A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street, #8) by Debbie Macomber
Another installment in the Blossom Street series. Pure escapist chick-lit fun. This one is about second chances and who deserves one, and features Bethanne, one of the more engaging characters from the first book.

#9-Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
CeeCee is a young teen with a terrible home life who is rescued by her great-aunt and taken to Georgia. There she discovers a host of wonderfully eccentric women who help her to heal and come to grips with her past. I enjoyed the plucky heroine and the supporting cast, and there were flashes of real wisdom throughout. Nice story of forgiveness and redemption. Few cases of mild language.

#10-The Cater Street Hangman (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt, #1) by Anne Perry
This series came highly recommended and I enjoyed the first installment in the Pitt series. The mystery was good, but the social commentary about class structure and women’s roles in Victorian England was so interesting. The three sisters were very different in how they reacted to social restrictions: Sarah tried to obey them all, Charlotte quietly chafed against them, and Emily worked around them and used them to her advantage. Quite interesting.

#11-Callander Square (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt, #2) by Anne Perry
Good mystery, but it’s really more about society and how crime affects the people in the square. This book is a commentary on how these society people all have secrets and try hard to cover them up. As Inspector Pitt and Charlotte try to uncover the truth behind some bodies found buried in the square, they dig up all kinds of other truth that becomes quite uncomfortable for the residents. How the different people react is fascinating.

#12- Under The Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
This book about a Nisei Japanese boy living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor is attacked does a great job of evoking the boy’s innocence of world affairs and then his confusion after the attack. He thinks of himself as American and is shocked to discover that others think of him as Japanese and blame his family for helping with the attack. There are several poignant moments, such as when the Army orders the family’s pigeons destroyed because they might be carrying messages, and when the Grandfather is arrested by the FBI with no explanation. It’s a coming-of-age story in an era when boys playing baseball must grow up in a hurry and face a changed world. Well-written. (There is some mild language)