Counting Down . . . Still

Countdown Clock #1:
18 Days

Countdown Clock #2:
41 Days

Countdown Clock #3:
101 Days
(This one is subject to Change)

The Ava Ceremony

The Ava Ceremony

Hopefully the link above posted correctly. If not try this...

http://42976.activeboard.com/t34406856/traditional-ava-ceremony-of-samoa/

This is the ceremony Ava was named for. Pretty interesting.

Visions of Sugar Plums

After discovering that the tacking part of the quilt had to be done outside and finding that out so late, I had to unpin about half of the massive quilt (which couldn't even fit fully on the frames) and bring it inside the house. With a busy week at school coming up I put off working on the quilt until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, hoping that I would have it ALL done by the very next morning (if not sooner) because Ava was to spend all day in Odomville.

I got started at nine Wednesday morning!

Here is the quilt back up on the frames.

The first tack!

Most of it done!

I got it all done Wednesday except sewing the hem.

Ava walked in Grandpa's house Thursday morning when I was about half way done with the sewing.

Rounding the last curve!

ITS ALL DONE! Because of the size of the king size flat sheet that I used as the bottom of the quilt, I had to take off one row and one column. So its only 9 x 9. Still HUGE, though!

I LOVE IT!

I cannot wait until Christmas when he open it!

Counting Down

Countdown Clock Number One:
27 Days

Countdown Clock Number Two:
50 Days

Countdown Clock Number Three:
110 Days

Slowly, but surely!

Pins & Needles - A Lot of Them!

After half a day of trying to figure out how - where, rather - I was going to get this quilt done was ridiculous!

Bedroom 1? Bedroom 2? Living room? Dining room? Church? Outside, even? But rain, etc. then Grandpa came up with an idea that didn't even cross my mind...

The carport!! But I need to get a tarp because I had to unpin about half of it to just get it into the breezeway! Jeez!!!

Let me say this, though...

THIS QUILT IS SO AMAZING!!! I LOVE IT!!!

D-U-N spells Done!

Welp, I've done it! I am 100% done with the top part of Ava's quilt! Check it out!

Can I just say that this thing is HUGE! Holy smokes yall! My Grandpa has a king size bed and this thing hangs over that ginormous bed by two squares on BOTH sides and by three at the bottom! Just the top part of this quilt is wicked heavy.

It is massive! I love it!

I cannot wait to snuggle with him under this bad boy!

Half Way Mark!

I am officially half way done with the topic of Ava's quilt!

He called last night and asked what I was doing and I almost slipped... I did tell him that I was working on his Christmas present, though. :) Its looking so good!! I LOVE it!!

I'm In The Nut Business, You See

Can I just vent?!

I totally NEED time to go faster! Please... Skip over to March!

"MAKE TIME GO FASTER!

Gettin' It Done

Progres (as of a week ago) on Ava's quilt!

By the way, Sssshhhhhhh!! Its his Christmas present!

This is the first three rows all sewn together. What do you think?!

I LOVE it! Its so masculine and so Ava!

As of today (11/13) I have three more completed rows to sew to the existing three and twenty (or thirty) patches to sew into two (or three) more rows, then sew those onto the main quilt. After that, I only have ten (or twenty) patches to get done and sew one (or two) more rows and get those rows sewn onto the main quilt.

YAY to progress!

The Grates

Catching up on the Days of Thanks...

To start - I LOVE Dr. Seuss and on "Horton Hears A Who" one of my most favorites lines is right at the end... Let me back up... at one part (this part (the picture above)) is when the Mayor of Whoville is talking to his son, JoJo, telling him that he, basically, has a great responsibility to become one of The Greats. What I really think he's saying, and not to JoJo, is that HE, the Mayor, has a responsibility to become one of the Greats and HE is the one who is having trouble finding HIS Great.

I say this because at the end JoJo tells his father, "Dad! You're one of the Greats!"

Anyway... kinda a bit off track.

Anyway, (again)...

To catch up on my Greats:

Day 2:
Today I'm thankful for this beautiful earth. The wind, the rain, the sunshine, the critters and even the people! Gorgeous creations by our loving Father in Heaven! Amazing artist He is!

Day 3:
Today I'm thankful for the Gospel! The knowledge that families can be together forever and that (soon) I will be sealed to my eternal companion for time and all eternity. We have such a loving Heavenly Father!

Day 4:
Today I'm thankful for my calling in Primary. Those kiddos we have, every single one, are such choice little spirits. I love each one so very much. And I'm thankful that my soon-to-be niece, Lesina, came to church with Ava and me! She is a wonderful, beautiful little princess. I love her so, so much!

Day 5:
Today I'm thankful for each one of my siblings. Heber, Angel, Sarah, Kevin, Megan, and Jarom. Each one I've learned from and have NEVER taken them for granted (in my adult years anyway). I love yall so very much!

Day 6:
Today I'm thankful for answered prayers and unanswered prayers! More blessings came to Ava and me yesterday...

Day 7:
Today I'm thankful for an understanding best friend who has supported me in every decision I've had to make for myself and for all the decisions he's helped me make so far. Ou te alofa ia te oe Fatu Suamalie!

Day 8:
Today I'm thankful for my critters! They've filled a void that needed to be filled...

Day 9:
Today I'm thankful for having the knowledge that families have the opportunity to be together forever and not just til death! So excited that I will have the amazing chance to go to the Temple to make sacred covenants with my loving Heavenly Father soon! And to be sealed for time and all eternity to a wonderful, righteous man!

Day 10:
Today I'm thankful for two countdown clocks that have been slow yet steady in counting down the time. SOON..."real" things will start to happen!

Day 11:
Today I'm thankful for the gift of revelation in all its forms... For the inspiration received by the Prophet of the world, Pres. Thomas S. Monson. For the inspiration I receive in trying to keep my life on the same path the Lord has picked out for me! I'm thankful to know that feelings of hate, contention and misery come from satan and feelings of peace, love and true joy come from our Savior!

Day 12:
Today I'm thankful for my BFF, my Fatu, my life, my love, Ava. The sacrifices he makes to make me happy! I can't imagine things getting any better, but the cool part - they will...they are!

and, Day 13:
Today I'm thankful for my friends at school! Jerry, Sarah, Shylee, Brooke, Chris, Frida, Brittney, Portia, Tamar, Macie, Cameron, and Kimberly!

Mark (with pencil, though) Your Calendars!

Keep the week of March 11th through 15th open on your calendars in 2013! Maybe that Thursday or Friday before, the 7th or 8th. Just saying... :D

He doesn't...

...tell me I'm beautiful, but he doesn't have to. The way he puts his arm around my waist in public let's me know.

Manuia le Aso Fa'afetai (Happy Thanksgiving)

'Tis the First of November. O el primero de noviembre. The month of thanksgiving. El mes de gracias.

Today, I am thankful for ALL my blessings, but especially for Ava. This man has been nothing but a blessing in my life. We've gone/going through a lot of sticky mess already, but he's still my best friend.

He works hard. He loves his kids. He treats me like a princess. He's a righteous man who love the Lord. I couldn't ask for a better man!

We were hoping to be married by now, but for some reason our loving Heavenly Father is asking us to wait a bit longer. If waiting for the next day makes it better; our day will be pretty flippin awesome. If absence makes the heart grow fonder; our hearts will grow pretty fond of each other. If we are having to work so hard for our land of milk and honey; our land of milk and honey will be too sweet.

Ou te alofa ia te oe, fatu suamalie! I do...

"The Baby Maker"

Getting this quilt going has been so much fun! All I can envision is my future husband and I under this quilt - NO! Not that! - talking about our day, cuddling, and just spending quality time together as friends!

This is the first square I got done. It took me fer-eva to decide which order, if any organized order, to do the colors. I like the brown in the middle.

And this is the first ten square sewn together. Total this quilt will be those ten squares by ten squares.

I got a second set up ten squares sewn together last night. Only eighty more to go! I started to sew those two strands of ten squares together and had a feeling to pin it. I've been sewing for so long that about 97% of the time I don't need to pin.

All I can say is that I should have listened to that voice... By the time I got about 3/4 of the way through sewing those strips were a bit... off. Thank goodness for seem rippers, right?!

But, I have to say, this is one of my most favorite quilts I've made/am making! It might be the "who its for" thing though.