Playoff bound!

So--the playoff game will be 7pm, Wednesday night, at Okoboji. Josh says that they are an evenly balanced team--but pray that we give them a good game. And may the best team win.

Too cute!!!

Just finished quilting this adorable "Smore's" quilt. Apparently this is a new colorway for Christmas. I have seen pink and purple snowmen last year too. Just had to share the cute fabrics!!!

The snowman needs a face yet--but so cute. I put a windy type swirl meander on this one.

Enjoy!!!

Last game of regular season...

Here I am, sitting up waiting for Josh to come home, writing my final Friday night football update. The night started out full of anticipation. We are facing our fellow school rival--Unity Christian. They have already secured a playoff spot with home field advantage--but they are meeting us on our homefield for the last game of the season, and they had better come ready.

To begin the night's activities the Senior players and their parents were recognized. 15 boys who put their heart and soul into learning the game. And the parents who put up with the sweaty, smelly and dirty clothes that came home with the players!! But it was all worth it!!! What a growing experience this has been. Make a goal. Practice hard. Persevere. Move forward. Hold your head up high!!!The team verse for the year--Matthew 23 : 12--"For whoever exhalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exhalted." Learning to not think of yourself and your desires but to put others in front of yourself for the betterment of everyone. What better way to learn about having a servant heart--than being part of a football team.

On to the game--the boys--and the fans came ready to play. The night air was cold and crisp with the hints of moisture that was to come in the second half. After 2 quarters of intense play, Unity was up by 6. We stayed right in the game keeping them to many 3 and outs!! Our defense really stepped up and played their game.

We had several times in the 10 and goal but just couldn't connect on another touchdown. After a very hard fought and well played game Unity came out on top 26 to 6.

There has been some reorganization in how many teams make the playoffs--and there is a possiblity that we might make it--more on that when I find out!!!

As a parent, I like the fact that we play a fellow Christian school for the final game of the season. We are each playing for our school--but ultimately for the same Lord. What a blessing and privilege it was to see the all the boys and coaches take a knee at center field and give the glory to the Lord.

And if that wasn't enough for a football mom--the Senior boys had yet to do the tradition full field walk. They start under the goal posts and walk the entire field holding hands. The last time on the home field as a Wolfpack football team. The last time in the home bleachers as a Wolfpack player parent. It has been a terrific ride and I am going to miss it!!! Now these boy's job is to learn how to apply these skills of goal setting and perseverance to life!! Walk tall and hold your heads high--you have earned it and we are proud of you!!!

"Whatever you do, work at is with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord you are serving. Colossians 3 : 23,24

COLD Friday night football

So you know the cold is coming...at least it waited until our second to last game of the season. I was over prepared with clothing to take along--as it acutally wasn't as cold sitting at the game as it felt on our yard.

Well tonight the team came out ready to play some football!!! We were the visiting team to Sioux Center. They have a new coach, and a worse record than ours--but are improving.

It was an exciting evening with some big plays on both sides--but we came out on the winning side of the score board.!!!!

So next week we meet Unity at home--that should be interesting--and after that--we will have to see what happens next week!!!

Wow--was this a football game???

...because if it was--apparently our players didn't know that was why I came home from Des Moines at 1am the morning of the game. We expected this to be a good competitve game. But once again--we didn't have a regular day of school today. It was our service day--where each small group does some kind of community service project. And when they are finished, the day is over--so of course no one is on the normal school routine schedule. But still not an excuse--just the way it is. We got beat in every sense of the word. 35 to 0!!! and to the Nighthawks!!
Too bad for Mom and Stacy--Josh didn't even get on the field!! No points scored--so the extra point team wasn't needed!!

Quilt Overload...Des Moines 2008

Ok---so life has been on a total whirlwind since returning from Des Moines--so I will tell a little about the quilt show first. I picked up Lois at 7am on Wednesday and we drove right to the HyVee convention center. It actually is a very easy drive--all 4 lane roads after LeMars.

Entering through the archway into a mass of vendors--was just a little overwhelming--and with so much to see--it was tough trying to decide what "needed" to come home with me!!! I purchased mostly products for Lizard Creek Quilting--some new rulers, a few pattern books, and lots of new threads. I actually used something from all three things already!! Will post something with the Glitter thread soon.

It took us all of the first day to get through 3/4 of the vendors. In the evening of the first day we took a small piecing class using a new ruler to make flying geese. Worked really slick--with no fabric waste.I felt the hardest part of the class was using a sewing machine that you are not used to operating. I had a few issues with it--but I am sure it was just operator error. We even found our motel with no problem in the dark--and no mapquest directions!!

Up and out early on Thursday morning after a really nice continental breakfast. We dropped some change at the rest of the vendors--I think it must be easier to spend money the second day!!! Then off to look at all the quilts. There were some amazing designs. I bought the book for this technique--and added another thing to my 'want to do someday" list.

I of course was looking at all the actual quilting--and have definitly set some new goals for myself...to always try the hardest thing that I can do. And then do it well!!! And to always look past the piecing design--to find where the quilting can be and then make it sing.

OH yeah--the other thing is--when at a national quilt show--to set the resolution on the camera to the highest setting so that you can study the quilts better when you get home. I forgot--and took all my pictures on low resolution--so when I try to zoom in all I get is pixels and not the quilting lines I wanted to see!! Live and learn for next time!!!

We ended the evening by going to a lecture with Elanor Burns. What a hoot she is--just as down to earth as her show is. Most of her lecture is a show and tell that the audience brings up on stage with her and she just kinda ad libs about each quilt. Usually something funny. Turns out that her and Lois have the same birthday.

All in all it was a great time, reconnecting with a friend, energizing some creativity, and challenging myself to improve on my skills.

October Harvest Time

So hasn't this past week of weather been just absolutely gorgeous??? This is the reason I love where I live!! I LOVE the change of seasons. I don't know if I could live someplace where the weather never changes, the extreme changes I sometimes don't appreciate--but the anticipation of what each new season will bring is always exciting to me.

We haven't even had a killing frost yet--so some of the plants that like cooler weather are thriving again, and the ones that didn't make the summer where replaced with the never dying variety from Loopy's!!

We finished the bean harvest yesterday--and even early enough that the loads could be hauled to town. So all our crop is safely in storage!! This is the new to us wagon that Loren and Leon bought this summer. Loren was hauling honey this week so Dad had to do all the bean hauling and wagon moving--and he kept up with Leon extremely well. He went to bed exhausted--but up every day and always coming to the studio to tell me--"Isn't it a great day to be alive?!?"

We have only had a couple of these yet this year, most of them real close by so not a problem. Only once did Dad have the wheel come off and go rolling down the road in front of him down the hill on the way to Doon!! We have to pick up a few new rims in Sioux Falls when we sell hogs tomorrow!! Just in case.

I have been busy with hog work this week--one 3:30AM to load 2 semi's and another couple times to help Loren. Else the quilting has been picking up steam again!! Here are pics of some that I did this week.

This one was made by my Mom's oldest sister for her Granddaughter's wedding--so I thought it needed a little something more heirloom than just an allover design. And boy did Glenda love it when she came to pick it up!!

Next is a 9-patch pizzaz from Ginny. The design was made to look like the fields of Iowa to her when she was on several trips in the air this summer. So we chose an allover design of random contempory baptist fans combined with some row type lines to resemble all the differnent land and field types.

It was an appropriate quilt to work on yesterday--with the window open in the studio, listening to the combine in the field behind the grove, smelling the diesel of the tractor as it pulled the wagons over the yard, and just the wonderful weather of the day!!
Sometimes it is just a really good week--and don't we all wish we had the life of a dog on those weeks...

...the life of laying in the shade of a tree, with the leaves falling all around, watching your people scurry around doing their things, and just watching them.

Any ways, that has been my life this week. And it was good!!

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. " Psalm 24 : 1

It was our turn tonight...

...to play Central Lion...all teams in the district must take their turn in playing the Lions. So far this year none of them have come away victorious.

And no matter how much game tape is watched and how much the Coach tells the boys that they are "beatable"...we came away with the same results as the rest of the Central Lion opponents this year. We lost. We scored twice--but they scored more.

Hard to get a good photo with a smaller camera and players way on other side of the field--but here we are just about to make the second score!!! Go 59!!