Sew Much Fun

For Christmas, Daisy got some sewing stuff. I knew that if I didn't plan something, that stuff would just sit there unused. Not because she doesn't want to use it, but because her lazy mother doesn't always want to make a mess and figure things out. 

So I found a neighborhood friend, who is quite an excellent seamstress, and she graciously agreed to host a sewing group. The idea is that she would get her own children involved in sewing and others could come along for the ride. 

She posted it on facebook and got a good group of people interested. She dropped off patterns early and told us to cut out our fabric pieces and then on Saturday, we all arrived, ready to made a project.

We started with a bag. Simple and useful. The great thing about Michelle is that she can read patterns. I feel like I can sew a straight line, or follow instructions given to me, but I am never quite sure what a pattern is saying. It uses funny words and I get lost. Michelle walked us through each step and it was a snap.

Daisy is a pro. We took turns sewing but she knew her stuff. We used fleece lining to make the bags more sturdy. That stuff is great and Michelle stocks the stuff and sold it to us cheap. Excellent.

We only messed up once. We sewed our corners together because we misunderstood some directions, but I am well acquainted with my friend, the seam ripper, and we fixed that in no time. With the corners fixed and sewn properly, it started to take on a bag shape.

Daisy sewed on the handles and gave them extra reinforcing since they will hold the most weight. (The handles came together so well. Michelle had a cool tool to turn them inside out, and the belting [also supplied by Michelle] fit perfectly.)

It is interesting how you put layers together backwards. This is me sewing the lining into the bag. You actually put the whole bag into the lining and sew it on the outside.

Then you find the hole in the lining (which you conveniently left there) and pull the entire bag out through that hole. Seems weird, but it totally works. Voila...it was a bag. Daisy might be confused about what bags are used for.

It turned out so cute. The top stitching gave it a nice professional look and I was so proud of our bag. Well, it is Daisy's bag, but I feel like I helped bring it to life. 

It was a really fun morning, and it took us just over 2 hours to put it all together. Not bad for our first project. The other mommy/daughter groups did a great job as well. All the girls left with a homemade bag. It was fun to see all the different fabrics people chose.

The leopard print is my second favorite, but I would still choose the cherries. Something about them makes my soul happy. Life is like a bag of cherries...

Book Review 2020

You would think that 2020 would have been an excellent year for reading. After all, many of us had more time at home. But I ended up reading about the same amount of books that I normally do. So I now know that a pandemic doesn't encourage me to read more. Good to know.

However, even if I didn't read MORE, I still read many excellent books. It was a great year of reading with many wonderful finds. Once again, if you need something to read this year, these are my recommendations. Let's start with some of my Goodreads stats:

I read 12,877 pages in 37 books

Shortest book: The Quest of Ewilan (68 pages)

Longest book: Arch Enemies (560 pages)

Most popular: The Secret Garden (1,456,247 people also read)

Least popular: Sithrah (250 people also read)

Highest rating on Goodreads: Muse of Nightmares (4.45)

Most read month: February (7 books)

Least read month: October (1 book)

Most of my favorite books came from: My book group! (6 out of 9)

Here are my top 9 favorites of the year (in no particular order) and the review that I wrote for them. Also the key that goes with them (NC=Neighborhood Club, FG=Family Group, MB=My Book Group, Other=not with a group or required reading)

RENEGADES by Marissa Meyer (FG): I heart Marissa Meyer. Her Cinder series was one of my favorites and now there is a whole new group of people to root for. And who wouldn't root for superheroes? What a creative story of bad girl meets good guy, with interesting powers to boot. I like all the different powers that are in play. I liked how Nova is not bad at all. She is searching for the right, just like everyone else. Perhaps the love story is a bit cheesy, but I liked it. And I'm excited to see where the story leads. Clean fun for the whole family. Robyn picked this book for book group and I'm so glad. You know a book is great if I don't fall asleep on a plane while reading it.

There were three books in this series and I ate them up. Excellent read!

THE GIRL WITH SEVEN NAMES by Hyeonseo Lee (MB): This book was fascinating. I am quite naive when it comes to Korean history, so this book was an eye opener for me. It also reminds me that I have little to complain about in my pampered, American lifestyle. It is truly a blessing to live in a free country and more than ever, I'm grateful to those who help keep us free. Hyeonseo Lee's story was inspiring. There were times I couldn't put it down. I feel like there were angels watching over her because she escaped by the skin of her teeth many times. As a whole, my heart aches for those in North Korea. Not so much for those who have figured out the system and are content in their circumstances, but for those with poor songbun, who suffer daily. And most of them probably don't even realize there is a different way.

To an extent we are all indoctrinated as children. All systems of education have some kind of bias. I read part of the book with Robyn and she said she felt we do the same kind of stuff here. I said, "Really? How many songs have you sung about President Trump?" "Good point," she said. It is hard to see how the two Koreas could be united after so much time and so much divergence, but I could see how change could benefit both sides. I think Lee is a pioneer for her people and I'm so glad she shared her story with the world.

HOPE WAS HERE by Joan Bauer (MB):  I loved this book. It was short and so inspiring. There were so many great quotes in it and the "well" poem was one of my favorite things. All the food sounded delicious and I suddenly want to go visit a diner, but I know they won't have Addie's cooking. The book wrapped up so well. Characters grew and it was easy to root for Hope with her undiminished spirit through all her hardships. June said her teacher read this out loud to her class in 5th grade. Good choice.

p.s. It makes me proud that I was a waitress at one point. It really does make you look at people a new way.

THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir (NC): This book was freaking amazing! Despite that there was an over abundance of profanity, I can't find fault. Really, I'm not smart enough to find any flaws in the physics and science involved. My first thought was that I would die right away on Mars, but really, they would never send someone as dumb as me into space. Thank goodness. I loved the humor and I laughed out loud many times. I was one of the billions rooting for Mark Watney. I can't wait to watch the movie.

This will definitely be one of my top ten books for the year!

OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys (MB): This book was awesome. I think Ruth Sepetys is a fantastic writer—even if I don't know how to pronounce her last name. I loved the characters in this book. Who knew that you could love a whole whore house? What I pulled most from this book is that everyone has history and you don't know what brought them to their current standing. Less judgment could bring the world inches closer every day. This book didn't lead where I thought it would, but I'm glad it didn't. I needed to take this journey with Josie. I cried at the end. And now I really want to work at a book store. Although, I've kind of always had that dream. I would settle for a library as well. I would highly recommend this book. It was beautiful.

MY LADY JANE by Cynthia Hand (Other): I heard such great things about this book and it didn't disappoint. The writing was funny and I laughed out loud so many times. I decided to listen to this book, even though in general, I don't like audio books. The reader was fantastic, and I loved her voices and accents. I liked how it followed history while really not keeping to the truth at all. I liked the twist of turning the religious fanatics into ethians and verities. (I wonder what animal I would be?) It had a wonderful ending and overall I adored this book, but to tell the truth, when I finished, I was slightly sad. History did not have a happy ending and it made me think of the wasted lives of those characters in the book. I can't go back and change things for them, so I guess it is nicer to think that in someone's mind (or book) they had a happy ending.

STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor (MB): Heavens, I can't believe I didn't write a review while this was fresh in my mind. Although in some ways, how can you forget this book? It is so beautifully written and the story pulls you along. I loved the world created with elements of our own, but so much magic and wonder added. Somehow I forgot the epilogue until halfway through and then I had to read at breakneck speed to figure out what happened. Who doesn't love a 2 am read?

The end!! THE END. What? There are few books I have read that demand so greatly that you read the sequel because of the massive cliff you walk off at the end. So naturally, I'm reading the second one. Which is just as good in case you want to know.

I love the characters and the special abilities. I was hooked from the beginning when you figure out what the title means, and who wouldn't love a character like Lazlo Strange? There is a lot of emotion and pull in the book. Even the evil characters have background and method to their madness. I even love the slow evolution of the love story, and although it isn't graphic, it might get a bit steamy for younger readers.

I could go on and on but I'm late for work. Just read this book.

AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN by Susan Meissner (MB): Wow, how was I not aware of a huge pandemic in 1918? Especially since we are going through one right now? Although we have it easy compared to them, or at least my experience has not been anything like theirs. And I believe that everyone who experienced it would be dead now. What a tragedy. And yes, I've heard of the Spanish Flu, but didn't realize how devastating the effects were. Thank goodness for the internet. What did people do before when they read books and wanted to know about something right away??

As for the story, I thought it was really good. I liked the characters and that not everything was perfect or easy. Pauline's weird relationship with death made me see it in a new light. Also, the backdrop of the family living in a funeral home and the preparation of bodies and embalming gave an interesting perspective to the story as well.

I ended up reading this book very quickly. I wanted to know what happened to this dear family and especially their brother. The ending was not necessarily what I expected, but it tied up enough loose ends for me that I was satisfied.

Side note: I love the name Bright. It would be cute as a first name as well. 

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate (MB): Wow, this book was not what I expected at all. If someone tells you it's about adoption, just understand that is not an accurate description by a long shot. I learned so much about history. I love a story that tells me something about our past that is true while weaving a story with characters you care about and brings the story to life. I was shocked and appalled to learn about what happened during that period and place, but much of history has hidden pockets of sadness and atrocity.

I liked the mystery involved with the story as well. There were secrets on top of secrets and some you never find the answer to. How hard for families to never know what happened to their loved ones.

I thought this was an excellent book, with all the feels. The love story was a little forced for me and predictable, but it didn't take away from the overarching storyline. Three cheers for the human spirit and resilience in this book.

There you go! Lots of good books to read. You probably have your own stack you are working your way through. One of my daughters doesn't like to read and I just can't understand it. I have met so many wonderful people and lived in a variety of places and experienced more than just my life. Who wouldn't want that? Here are the pictures of my favorites. Happy reading everyone.

The Edible Gift Exchange

My mom is super creative. Her brain is a marvel and I personally think there should be a section in a museum dedicated to her poems and creations. Maybe someday.

In the meantime, I will just be the beneficiary of many of her awesome antics. Many years ago she created a fun poem for a gift exchange. All the gifts are wrapped in paper of red, green, or white with bows of those three colors as well. The poem has many stanzas and for each one, a person is instructed to pick up gifts or trade them, or possibly even lose them. It is really fun.

She always does the gift exchange for her family in Washington. I've been there a couple times and had a lot of fun. She even did it for us once here in Utah. They were smaller items since there are so many of us, but it was fun to open the gifts at the end and see what you get. (Oh, it isn't one of those games where you open and then steal others gifts. There is no opening until the very end and then you may exchange with others if you like.)

My mom had been thinking about doing the gift exchange for us, but I told her we didn't need a lot of little items wandering around the house. (I get that the dollar store is great for quantity, but not so much for quality.) She agreed and I didn't think much more about it.

Later, a box arrived with a considerable number of packages inside. My mom explained that I told her once that if she sent something edible, it would get eaten at our house. So she sent the gift exchange with all EDIBLE gifts. What a fun idea.

The tree in Carnegie (which usually has no presents) looked like a bona fide tree this year. I was a little concerned that Nova might investigate the gifts, but she never got into them.

We had to wait a while to do the gift exchange. It is hard to find a night where all the girls are home. We didn't have one until right before Christmas. I should mention that Ivory had Covid during this exchange. No one knew it. We tested her the next morning and she went into quarantine. I think she must have not been very contagious since no one caught it. 

Another thing was that we needed to find a time when Grandma was available. She wanted to watch us do the exchange, but even better, I told her she could read the poem out loud on Zoom. Can you see her over there on the right?

The girls were all very excited. We drew numbers and then the game began. 

This handsome devil was taking pictures for me. Thank you!

Here you can see some gift exchanging going on. We may not know what is inside, but we have guesses and we try to keep our favorites. Also, looks like there are no more gifts under the tree...

The game isn't always even. Sometimes one person has a lot and others have few. In this picture, I have a pile next to me and Pearl only has two.

Ivory got the stanza where you pass a present to the right and each person decides whether to pass it along or send another of theirs. She sent the one with the funny white ribbon. It was weighed and measured, but was found wanting. It came all the way back to her.

In the end, it evens out so everyone has the same amount. Pearl took a couple of mine until we each had four. Then everyone opened their gifts. And of course we exchanged when both parties agreed. Daisy was not going to share her giant kiss!

Robyn couldn't find anyone who wanted her mixed bugs. Surprise. I had smoked herring in a tin that Tyler took off my hands. 

But most of the gifts were delicious. Everyone was very happy with their haul. 

It was such a blast. I'm sure it cost Grandma a pretty penny to get all the edible items and send them, but the memories are sure priceless. We love you Grandma Dargan and thanks for this last fun experience we had as a family before Ivory was banished to the basement!

Happy Covid Free New Year

Hello 2021! This is going to be a great year, I can tell. Truthfully, 2020 wasn't a terrible year for us either. I think each year holds something important and special. The best part is that we are all starting the year NEGATIVE.

Not attitude of course. We are very positive for a great year, but all our results came in negative.

Ivory had the Rona over Christmas and we all stayed in isolation. No one had symptoms, so I was optimistic that our results would be good. 

A few days ago, we loaded up in the car for the first time in forever to go get tested. We were quite the sight. It was an outdoor saliva testing place. We pulled up and said, "Six to be tested please." I'm sure they have large groups come in, but probably not that often.

They had us pull over to the side and they said they would bring the beakers out in a bit.  It really took them quite a bit of time to come over. Tyler and I chatted in the front seat and I was unaware that it had gotten very quiet in the back. The girls had stopped talking and they were saving up their spit. 

When our vials came out, I passed them out to each person. There is a little black line midway on the tube. You need to fill it with saliva up to the line, not counting bubbles. The girls in back emptied out their spit reserves. It worked perfectly for Daisy—right to the line, but I heard June say, "Oh no! Mine is completely full. It says on the instructions not to overfill the tube. And it is underlined!"

Turns out several people went over the line. 

Meanwhile, I'm dutifully trying to fill my tube. It wasn't really hard but I've never been great at expectorating. 

Lucky for the girls, there was an almost empty water bottle in the car. We passed that around and people could level out their vials and get rid of the extra spittle. We all got to the right line, screwed on the blue cap, shook vigorously and turned them in.

Now we had to wait for results. They didn't take long at all. Results were ready the following evening. And we were all NEGATIVE. Yay!

That was New Year's Eve. It was great news. We were finally free from quarantine, although we didn't have anywhere to go. Ivory wasn't done with her time out until New Year's Day. At midnight on New Year's Eve we were all sitting on the couch saying 'Happy New Year' to each other, when Ivory sticks her head out from the basement and says, "Can I come up now?"

Yes! All together again. Ivory had just finished sanitizing her room. She came up with a mask and a wipe in her hand.  It was the best New Year ever. 

I wish all of you a Happy New Year as well. As for me, I'm planning to go somewhere today. Not sure where, but anywhere outside my house!!

Loads of Talent

Many concerts have been virtual this year, but we have been able to attend a couple, like watching Ivory at the Maker's Market. June's first choir performance was on video, but the next one was in person. Yay! The kids still had to sing with masks, but they sounded great.

June has really loved being in choir this semester and I can tell that her voice has gotten better. Also, she is better at picking out the alto part and singing harmony. Here is the Con Brio group. All girls. Bet you can't pick out June.

Here is a close up. She is middle right.

The girls sang so well. My favorite number was Peace, Peace, where there is a harmony sung with Silent Night. It is one of the numbers I like to sing when we go caroling.

The concert was divided into two parts so the auditorium could accommodate families, but not too many at once. The first part featured Concert Choir, Con Brio, Motive, and Man Choir. Motive is a select group of kids that sing really well. It is a fun group. I know several of the kids in there including Steven, who is sadly not our neighbor anymore since he moved.

Man Choir sang one of my favorite numbers. It was called Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas). I was saddened to find out it came from Sponge Bob, but the song was still funny.

Now for a concert of a different variety. Robyn and Daisy had a piano recital, but because of Covid (always COVID!) they decided to do a virtual recital. That is actually really great for these gals because that meant they could record multiple times; no on-the-spot stress. 

At least that is how it should have been, except that we forgot to record until the day the video was due. So it was still a little rushed. Robyn wasn't thrilled with her performance (there are a few mistakes) but I still think it was great.

Daisy sat down and did her song in one run. She had that thing memorized.

For the actual recital, it was just a big Zoom call and we watched everyone's videos. It was a lovely relaxing evening and we didn't even have to leave our house. So, thanks Covid. (That is somewhat sarcastic, but you can still find the silver lining.)

I look forward to typical concerts, but I can enjoy my kids talents year round.

High School Musical

It is time for another Junior High play! I thought it was rather ambitious for the drama department to try and put on a play this year. I'm very proud of them for risking it and allowing the kids to have this experience. They knew they were going to lose money from the get go. And who knew if the play could even be performed, what with Covid regulations changing weekly.

But they went for it. In previous years, pretty much every kid who auditioned was accepted. This year, they strictly kept the number to 50, even though at least 100 kids auditioned. I don't envy the job of cutting kids. That must have been hard. Ivory was actually called back for a possible lead, but in the end, both Daisy and Ivory were ensemble. I love ensemble. All the fun, but no stress.

Ivory was a Brainiac and Daisy was a Thespian, so they rehearsed on separate days. That also worked out well. Robyn did High School Musical Junior 2 when she was in school, so it was fun to see the other girls do the original High School Musical Junior.

Let's jump right in. Have you seen the movie? Very cheesy and pretty cute, I think. (Maybe just because I love Zac Efron.) Go Wildcats!!

Troy and Gabriela meet at a ski retreat over Christmas Break where they sing together and find they love it. (The singing and the together part.)

When school is back in session, Gabriela happens to move to Troy's school. Surprise! The kids are walking around saying Hi again after break. Daisy is giving Sharpay a hug. They are friends in the play and friends in real life. That is nice. And yes, they are all wearing face shields. Better than masks when you need to hear them clearly.

The school is pretty cliquish and seems to be divided into three groups. You have the jocks and cheerleaders in the middle.

Then the thespians.

And the brainiacs. You know...all the smart kids.

I'm not going to follow this story as closely as you'd like. If you want to really know what happens, go watch it on Disney+. For now, I'll follow my kids. Daisy is in the scene where detention is happening but then it morphs into auditions for the school musical. You get some pictures and some video. I was really happy to see Daisy jumping around. This was only a couple weeks after her appendectomy. She hadn't done much activity, but after watching her at the play, I knew she couldn't get out of doing her chores at home any more. :)

One of my favorite scenes is when Troy is trying to figure out what he wants to do and he sings about getting his head in the game. I like that the basketballs were black. Also, Ivory's good friend Isaac was cast as Coach Bolton, but he got Covid at the wrong time and missed the entire play. That is a bummer. But they had a great guy fill in. 

It is fun to see the girls in little extra moments on the side or moving around as part of the school crowds.

Now for one of the best numbers they did that involved the whole cast: Stick to the Status Quo. Annie did a great job as Sharpay. She is not a brat in real life, but she has plenty of sass.

The brainiacs have a great song where they are trying to convince Gabriela to give up on Troy and singing and just be smart and lead their science decathlon team. (Really true friends.) Ivory holds the chair so Gabriela doesn't die. 

Here's a quick shout out to Jada, who played Kelsie. I don't have a lot of pictures of her, but she did a great job. She also ACTUALLY played the piano for some of the parts. It was really beautiful. Good job Jada!

Um...so where are we in the story. Gabriela and Troy decided to audition together, but now they can't because the championship basketball game and the science decathlon are scheduled for the same time as the auditions. Bad luck you two. Troy goes to play basketball and who is he playing, but Ivory! 

Yes, she got to be a member of the rival team, the Wolves! They had some fun scenes and it was very handy that the hoop always threw the ball back.

At the same time, Sharpay and Ryan are doing their audition. Fun fact, the kids that played these two are actually brother and sister. They did a really fantastic job.

Spoiler: Turns out, the lights go out and Troy and Gabriela run off to audition. Of course they get the part because the show wouldn't be very good if they didn't. And the Wolves didn't win. Sorry Wolves. Good game though.

The end. Because no one really cares what happens after they win the audition. Everyone come bow.

It was a really great cast. These kids worked really hard and despite the show being delayed and a couple people missing, they pulled it off.

It only ran three nights. Night one, Daisy lost a tooth! Can you see that gap under her face shield?

We would all have gone that night, but June worked. So only most of us went. 

Look at these cute girls. They are all really good friends. I'm so happy Ivory has a great group of supportive chicas.

Night two only I went, but it was just as fun. 

Closing night came quickly (with only three shows) and the kids were so appreciative of the directors who put this all together. (I'm thankful too!)

June came that night. And the cast got fun shirts that went with their clique. One drama club and one brainiac.

There you have it. I feel like Covid didn't win this won. There was team spirit and the show went on. (Maybe not for Isaac, but for everyone else.)