Teacher Gifts Round 1

I made these fun little lunch bags for Jess's teachers Honyen and Laura

We are making a fun gift for Laura tomorrow. I'll post more then. Jess has been so blessed to have been able to go to the University Housing Preschool for two years. Her teachers love her so much and she loves them too! 

I got the pattern and material from Stitchers Crossing 

bottom of bag

this is Laura's bag.

this one is Honyen"s bag.

All tied up

Karen and Honyen (Jess loves to color in the loft)

We saw Laura on State Street by the Capitol when we were trick or treating there

Pooria, Wills and Laura on the 80 Bus

Yoanna, Honyen and Florencia on the 80 Bus

Halloween Parade with Carston, Laura and Felix and her class at the Preschool

We will Miss you All so Very Much!!!!

Cissy's Quilt

Here is my darling friend and kindred spirit Cissy

(Solomon, Lizzy and Zion too)  They call me Auntie Lisa-I just love them so much.

Cissy just LOVES color. She looks so fabulous in Color and her home is full of Beautiful colorful African art and colorful hings she has made. I chose some new bright colors and patterns they had at the Sewcial Lounge 

My eye is always drawn to this kind of Star. I didn't use a tutorial. I tried to figure it out on my own...bad Idea. I ended up hand quilting the star applique style by hand on the white fabric. 

 I had a ton of fun machine quilting this.This was the first time I tried Loops and twirls. It was a lot of fun and not as hard as I imagined it would be. 

This is a wall-hanging size. I used my grandma's Navy fabric with tiny white dots for the back and the binding. I finished the binding by hand. It's my touch of love on every quilt I make. It's my Favorite Part.

I have learned a lot about the Holocost this year and some of the images of the mothers and children are burned into my mind. Until I moved here I never knew of war this way until I met some friends from Sudan and Uganda. Some of their children have suffered and suffer much just as those poor Jews during the Holocust.  My emotions are almost too much to bear sometimes when I read about these things.  Cissy is from Uganda. She was raised in a boarding house type of school-being prepared to marry the King. I tease her sometimes that she DID marry a King- Solomon her husband.  In making the Star of David, I was reminded of the Jews during the war and when I think of what they went through, I think of what a lot of Africans have gone through and currently go through and these thoughts bring me closer to home, where my heart should be.  I want to scoop up Spencer and Jess and Kate and wrap us all in Harry Potter's Cloak of Invisibility and just Hide Away. 

Cissy and Solomon had been gathering books and clothes to take to the children in the Hospital with them when the visited Uganda last year. I told them our church group would be more than happy to donate. Soon I was gathering Boxes and Boxes and Bags and Bags full of clothes, shoes, books and toys. It soon became a Stake Service Project.(a Stake-like a Stake that hold up a tent- is like 5-10 Mormon congregations gathered together) With Several Congregations gathering items from the entire South Central part of the State. I was overwhelmed. It took two vans to bring all the stuff to our tiny 700 square foot apartment. Cissy and I sorted and Her family and some students from the University took the Items to Africa. 

These pictures are some of the women who received the donated Items. These pictures were taken at the  hospital where Cissy worked.  The same hospital where Ugandan Mothers bring their wounded children due to wars, tortures and child fighting going on in Northern Uganda, Sudan and the Congo.The hospital where Cissy and other nurses and mothers would roll paper beads to make necklaces to sell to tourists to be able to pay for their children's care in the Hospital. 

HERE is the Link to an old post I did about the paper bead necklaces Cissy taught me to make. 

This picture touches my heart. I want to give this Mama all I have, yet I know she feels happy and blessed to have all she does. One of the Sisters from our Stake made this darling blanket.Pink and Blue not knowing if it would go to a girl or a boy.  

Clothes and Blankets-some of the things I  take for granted far too often. 

Some days lately it is hard to see Cissy around because her eyes get wet when she talks about me leaving, and her wet eyes make me want to cry and by- golly I'm going to be brave this time when I move.
I must get my fill of Cissy these next two weeks.  
She became my dear friend when I moved here and she fills my life with warmth and sunshine and smiles. (and believe me the first winter here I needed all three) We share the same love for God. We both believe Hevenly Father has placed us in eachother's path.

 She reminds me of Simplicity. She reminds me that Life is Precious and that I have MORE than enough. I went to bring a treat to Cissy one night and I ran over in the heavy rain. (it is way heavier here than we ever had in Utah) and I said, "These silly gutters they don't do anything but pour heavy puddles all over the place." Cissy's husband laughed at the Silly American thing I had just said. He then told me that in Uganda when it rains they stand beneath the gutter to catch the water with a bucket so they can have enough water to drink...

What a selfish girl I am. How very much more room I have to grow. Truly I have never looked at the pouring rain the same since. 

God Bless you Cissy-you are indeed a Ugandan Princess to me.   

Bethany's Baby Quilt is Finished!

This was a joy to make. I love the fabric SARAH JANE . I'm tempted to order more of this line and make another one for Jess. 

It was fun to do a border in a solid color. I used a heavy weight material for the binding because I noticed babies chew on the bindings and drag them on the floor so they wear out easily. Bethany is going to be my "tester" and let me know in a couple years how the binding wears.  

The back is pink-dotted minki. So cozy!!!  I love you bethany!  You'll just love having a girl.

This is what it REALLY looks like.

Sometimes I look at Blogs and think, "how in the world does that mom have time to Cook and Run and Style her Hair and be a great Mom with well dressed, hair brushed and styled kids, AND Sew some darling treasure?"

 We blog the stuff we want our families and friends to see. We want to get "Pats" on our backs from comments and "Way to go girls" from our girlfriends.  I have to remind myself that the blog is usually a photo of someone's Best Stuff, their Most Creative, their Big Accomplishment, posted in a photo of themselves and their kids in their Most Darling Outfit and Perfect Hair. 

Truth be Told....This is what it REALLY looks like when I get something creative done. 

Bodice and Sleeves on Jess's Dress.

The dishes were in the sink for a couple days (not exaggerating)

the Clean laundry was on the floor for a couple days

My oldest child is alone, outside, in the cold

My youngest daughter is in my room on the bed watching every episode of My Little Pony on Netflix.

and Dinner?  Cereal.

Just thought I'd throw in a little bit of Reality  today.  

My search for Philomena

This post is mostly for my dad.  I am in Chicago right now, visiting the national archives and visiting the addresses where My Great Great Grandma lived.

71 Ohio Street First Italian Pres. Church

across the street

view from site looking right toward state street a block away from the site

1/2 block away

looking left

the whole side of the block where the site was located is the post office

looking right toward State Street

tree in front of post office

across the street

across the street 

across the street a block away 

shows modern OHIO ST sign with the old red brick building across the street from the site

across the street "Bloomingdales"

grate on the ground under bloomindales

One block away

Ohio Street Sign

Pizzaria. on the corner a couple blocks away

117 W. 15th Street (now Clark Street)- I feel like this was the home Filomena got sick before she died.

kids missing mittins on the fence after winter at the park. Chicago in the background. 

This fence for the park is the site

this is across the street from the site sign says West 15th street

river bridge looking right from the site

beautiful tree across the street 

condos literally across the street

you can veigly see the train with the bridge in the background and that pink tree. 

bird said HI

the park behind the fence. Litteral site.  City in the skyline

768 West 19th Street. First Home after Florida. Other side of the river from the Clark Street Home

block away

block away

block away

This is the literal site. 

Owner of the properties around here.

front of the building. literal site

one of the shops Karate Studio

Chimney is from the literall building (back side)

behind the building. House to the all these houses are super old. The picture doesn't do Justice to the beauty. 

looking toward the river 

Add caption

between the black boarded up windows building (literal building)

looking toward river-freeway right there

me and your book in an art studio in the building now

block away

Looking the oposite way of the river

front of those buildings looking downtown

front of art studio

looking across the street from literal building 

across street from literal building 

176 East Chicago street. Polyclinc Hospital

looks like hospital to me

both could be buildings where Hospital was

across the street from those two buildings. 

next to those two buildings. This castle thing is new but I believe it is where the hospital could have been  

fire station

red door of fire station. This is probably the literal site.