So many things I *should* be doing right now...

This is the first of many unfinished sewing project gifts that I will give my children in life. I started this quilt right after nigel was born, 2.5 years ago. It was a community "I spy" quilt where 30 women claimed an object and made 30 quilt squares with that object in the fabric. Mine was a pirate treasure chest and I chose Callie's fabric, dinosaur camo and Liesl's fabric was a bunch of little suns. (I don't really think I know any of the other women who did it.)

Anyway, we all traded so we each had 30 different squares. I got it quilted before Christmas, but I haven't put the binding on yet. One day Nigel. One day I'll finish it.

I loved watching him open this present! He opened the box all by himself and I spread it out for him and of his own accord he said, "Wow," in kind of an amazed whisper. I'll never forget it.
Right after Christmas Weston was admitted to the hospital again and Jon was shooting a wedding out of town. (For some reason it's always happens when Jon is out of town!) Micah and I were happy to stay with the other kids for a couple of days. Nigel loves being with his cousins. He and Lulu get along really well. So well in fact that they can hang out naked together. It was also really fun to play a lot of Guess Who with Isaac and Ruby and Ila. They totally get how to play, but they're not very good strategists yet.

Uncle Bubba brought everyone "reindeer poop" for Christmas. He's totally the best Bubba ever.
This was Nigel doing Micah's work today. I'm not sure, but I think some of Nigel's original compositions may end up being used as part of the local Channel 11 re-brand. Micah was pretty impressed with Nigel's music. I just think he's really cute!
It happened. Santa brought Nigel underwear in his stocking. I don't think it's going to do us much good though because Nigel hates it. He hates wearing it over his diaper, over his clothes, or just over his skin like you're supposed to wear it. I think he'll be wearing diapers forever. Or commando

Merry Christmas

My Christmas just got merrier...

Being an uncle is the best.

Micah and I just got home from babysitting the two youngest Canlas kids: Lulu and Weston. It was really great to be able to spend more quality time with each of them. Lulu is the best! She doesn't have very much hair and can be pretty loud, which may give the first impression of being a monster, but after hanging out with her for 5 days I know that she is the sweetest little monster alive.

Also, I'm completely in love with Weston! Honestly I used to be scared to hold him for too long and any time he cried I would freak out because of the whole tetralogy of fallot thing. He is such a cute kid! I got completely over my fear of caring for him and it was so much fun to hang out with a baby again, except for the part about him waking up a million times in the night but really who can blame him? I always imagine him saying in a little toddler voice I have a heart condition and it is automatically the perfect and most forgivable excuse for anyting.

I have 3 favorite parts about the whole experience.

1. On the last day before Micah left for the studio totally out of the blue he said, "Why don't I just hang out with you guys here today?" I love being self employed! It was great to hang out with him and work together and dream about finally owning an actual house of our own...

2. As soon as we got the kids down for their naps and had fed oursleves lunch I announced that I was going back upstairs to work and Micah said, "But when is quiet time?" Because he thinks that I have quiet time when he's gone! That was funny...

3. Today was our first day being home and Nigel was going through serious withdrawal. He kept asking for the cousin party and Lulu's house and laying himself flat on the ground, not throwing a tantrum, just really sad that we weren't hanging out with Lulu and Weston any more.

PS All my neices and nephews on my side of the family call me Uncle Beal. That's why being an uncle is the best.

PPS Of course I swiped these images from Jon :)

Thank you neighbors.

For the huge bottle of peppercorns, pistachios, and my new favorite Christmas song. I listened to this song before I watched the video and just like always I really like listening without seeing anything first.

Their video is cool, and I like being able to see what they do, but with music I always just like to hear it first.

If you're like me then hit play and go to another website or close your eyes or something. I think you'll like it more that way.


Merry Christmas!

Oh Come All Ye Faithful by Pomplamoose

(Sigh.)

Micah and Carlie and I just got back from setting up my mini booth at the Beehive Bazaar. I sigh with relief. My part of the work is over until it's time to clean up Saturday night!

I had visions of making a LOT of things, but Women in Philanthropy, church callings, Beal's School, holidays, and just life in general all gave me better things to do than one of my favorite hobbies: sew.

Thank goodness for Callie and Christine. For a while there they were taking turns taking Nigel Tuesday and Thursday mornings until noon at which time he would come home and have lunch and nap until 3:30! I think everything that I put on display tonight was completed during those precious no-one-to-blame-but-myself-for-being-distracted hours.
In the few minutes we were there I saw some really great things. I didn't get to look around very much, but I'm hoping to go back tomorrow morning to see all the genuinely wonderful things.
Here's a list of what ended up at my humble mini booth:
9 traditional Christmas stockings
3 Fabric Storage Boxes
8 Children's Quiet Bags (I only made 3 of those 8. The other 5 are Christine's!)
who knows how many fabric Christmas tree stitched cards
who knows how many tiger fire Christmas albums

Very humble compared to all the really great stuff that was all around me!

Christmas is my favorite holiday.

But seeing us all tan and remembering how happy we were on the north shore peeling our fresh shrimp from Roamy's makes me want to plan a warm vacation for January. We are having relatively great whether here in Utah though. I've been pretty pleased since we got back from Nevada.

Merry Christmas!

It's never too early for this...

I've been listening to The Gatlin's Brothers Christmas album.
It's what I grew up on and I still love it. Look at them. How could you not... especially you Micah, how could you not love these guys' voices?

Anyway, here's a playlist of all the Tiger Fire Christmas recordings (except for a potential 2009 track...) to help you get in the mood.

Yes, some of the songs or parts of some songs are extremely embarrassing to me. Like maybe even everything after the 7th song....

I have nothing to say for those parts.

Turn it up for "Let it Snow." I think it's my favorite, but for some reason it's really quiet.

Also, I'm taking Christmas Music recommendations. I need to expand beyond The Gatlin Brothers, The Carpenters, and Anne Murray :)

Can I please be in love with these pictures even thought it was SO COLD that day?

Back in the beginning of October we got to help out with Film Is Not Dead version 4.0. These workshops are the best thing ever. Micah and I have been to Oahu (twice), San Francisco, and Park City for every single one.

We got to model as bride and groom in Hawaii and then as an engaged couple in Park City. Having fantastic photos of Micah and I from 30 photographers has been fun to say the least, but the thing I love about these workshops is the people and experiences.

I love making new friends. I love being able to help Callie in the kitchen. Her food always puts a smile on people's faces-and this time I got to make the shoyu chicken all by-by-my-myself, as Ruby would say. I love being able to listen to Jon talk about his work. He is good at what he does and he is passionate about it and he's good at sharing those skills and passion.

These images remind me of working together with family and friends. And eating together. Generosity. Love. Friendship. Success. Fun.

I can't get this kind of funny image out of my head, but it's what these images and all the Film Is Not Dead workshops remind me of. A big group of people in a circle holding hands, running in a circle and working so well together and running so fast that they actually start lifting off the ground when no one knew that was possible.

Film Is Not Dead always inspires me even though I'm not a photographer. I always have a renewed hope and faith in my own dreams for myself and my family. I'm a dreamer and it always helps to have my dreams nurtured instead of laughed at or just not believed in.

So in conclusion, film is not dead and let's all do what we can to help each other reach our goals.

The toilets are clean at our house!

Come visit while it lasts :)