Car Insurance

Today I called our insurance company to try to lower our premium. The guy who helped me was great. He explained everything really well. We figured out what to change to lower our payments, and then we upgraded our plan so we have multiple accident forgiveness. Ironically, after 40 minutes on the phone, when you combine all 3 times I talked to him (in between talks with Karl), we are now paying 50 cents more per month. There is a plus side though. At the end of each renewal cycle we will get back a check for 5% of our premium, so in the end we're paying less. I just thought it was funny that I called to lower our premium and ended up raising it, I guess that means we have a smooth talker for an insurance agent.

Kaleb's Quilt

A few weeks ago I was at Wal*mart looking at fabric and Kaleb fell in love with some. I decided to make him a quilt from it, so here is a picture of the quilt, (with a very happy boy).

Silly Me

I had something funny happen so I thought I would share it.
My van has been making funny sounds when I push the brake. Karl couldn't hear them, so I thought I was imagining them. Especially since sometimes I heard it and other times I didn't.
The other day Karl drove the van and he asked if the sound was there when the road was icy. I thought about it and said yes.
He explained that it isn't a sound as much as a feeling under my foot (why he couldn't hear it when I was driving). The feeling is what anti-lock brakes feel like, it is a good thing to hear.

Quilts

I was looking at pictures of some of the quilts I've made and thought I would share them.


This quilt I made for Iris and Merrill (Karl's Parents)This is Chris and Della's Christmas quilt. They run group homes, hence the house theme.This is Mike and Elise's Wedding quilt. They specifically asked for this fabric. It is hard to see the dragons and the flames in the picture, but in real life it looks cool. (Elise was about 8 1/2 months pregnant in this picture, that's why she looks really tired). This is Brian and Lydia's Christmas quilt. They are in the Army and have lived in many different homes, so I thought the home theme worked for them too.

I've been Tagged!

My friend Jordan tagged me on her blog, so now I'm supposed to answer these questions.

Two Names You Go By: 1) Carrie 2) Dom (from Kaleb who can't say M at the beginning of a word)
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: 1) Dansko shoes (way comfy) 2) size 1 jeans

Two things you Want (or have) in a Relationship: 1) Communication 2) Fun
Two of Your Favorite Things to do: 1) spend time with my boys 2) Kickboxing
Two things you did last night 1) Finish the quilt top for Kaleb's bed 2) Watch X-men 2
Two people you Last Talked To: 1) Karl 2) Iris (Karl's Mom)
Two Things You're doing tomorrow: 1) Teach CTR 4 kids 2) Rest?
Two Longest Car Rides: 1) Provo to Houston, and back 2) Provo to North Carolina, and back.
Two Favorite Holidays:(As an adult) 1) Valentines Day 2) Thanksgiving
Two Favorite Drinks: 1) Good Root Beer 2) Sparkling Pear
Two Things About Me you may not have known: 1) I make really good Swedish Meatballs. 2) I'm good at Age of Empires.
Two jobs I have had in my life: 1) Administrative Assistant at MSDW 2) Costume Seamstress
Two Movies I would watch over and over: 1) Pride and Prejudice 2) Star Wars (all 6)
Two of my Favorite Foods: 1) Apple Crisp 2) White Chocolate Truffles from Sees
Two places I'd rather be right now: 1) Cross Country skiing in Aspen Grove 2) The little Italian restaurant at about 50 North 100 East in Provo.

I now tag Lydia and Lillie. Your turn!

Why I'm working on losing weight

I want to share my feelings on my weight loss. I have always felt like I was bigger than I wanted to be. The only time this wasn't the case was right after I got home from my mission. I had lost 70 pounds on my mission- about 40 of those I had gained on my mission. But soon after getting home I got married and had a baby, so those 70 pounds came back. I had lost 30 of them when I was ready for my second baby and gained the 30 back, plus 8 more.
Since I had Von in February I wanted to lose my weight, but realized I was missing a real reason. As I pondered I realized that my main reason for losing weight has always been to look better, and that isn't enough of an incentive to put the work in. Last August I decided it was time to really change. I wanted to be able to play with my boys (all 3 of them) and know that I will have a long life to spend with them. So I started exercising. My main concern with dieting is that I didn't want to have a short term change, I want to change my lifestyle. So I found a nutritionist and have been meeting with her on a weekly basis. We cover all types of topics and I'm learning how to actually eat healthy. My goal is to change my lifestyle, not just my weight.
So far it has worked pretty well. I haven't been losing weight fast, but it is slowly coming off, and it feels really good. But more importantly, I can run around with Kaleb and not get winded, I can wrestle with my boys and it doesn't wear me out. That is more important to ME than the fact that I can wear size 18 jeans instead of size 24, although that is nice too. And it will be fun to show up at my 10 year high school reunion wearing the same size I did at graduation (or maybe a smaller size.)

Working Woman

Today I did something I haven't done for awhile. I went to work. Jordan called me this morning. She was a little stressed and frustrated and needed some help. So I dropped off the boys at Grandma's house and went to work. I spent the next 4+ hours talking with Jordan while I hemmed pants. I have slowed down, but that's to be expected since I haven't worked for about 5 months.
I really enjoyed the day. It was good to get back to my boys though. I missed them.

Finally Better

I have had a sick weekend. Starting last Thursday I had a headache. It continued until Sunday, when it got tons worse and I also had aches, and threw up all day. Monday I felt better, but spent most of the day recovering from Sunday. Yesterday I felt pretty good, but still had the headache.
Today however has been great. My headache is FINALLY gone, and I feel great. It's amazing how much better it feels to feel good after you've felt awful. It really helps you appreciate health.

Dilemma Solved

After a lot of thought and a good conversation with my ex-sister-in-law, I made a decision about what to do with the quilt. She said that she still really wants it, but realizes that since they aren't married anymore I don't really have to give it to her. So she offered to buy it from me. This way the quilt is going to someone who will really enjoy it (since I chose the pattern for her). And after what she has been through for the past few months, I think she deserves it too.
At some point I will make Brian his own quilt, but not until after my quilt for the Springville Art Museum Quilt Show is done. I'm excited about that one. Unfortunately I have to keep the colors, and pattern a secret. But it will be beautiful.

Dilemma

I got some sad news regarding the quilt I'm making for my brother in law. Here's the background:
A few years ago my brother in law Mike asked me if I would make him a quilt. I told him I would, when he got married. Last December he got married and I made him and his wife Elise a quilt. I even let him choose the fabric. They both love their quilt, and the dragon and flame fabrics ended up looking a lot better than I thought they would.
Last February another brother in law- Brian, got married. I figured since I promised Mike a quilt for getting married, I should make one for him also. I had other projects to do though, and it just kept not happening. Finally, last week I bought fabric and made the quilt. I tied it on Monday, so all that is left is the binding.
Yesterday I got some news, Brian and his wife are separating. So now I have a dilemma: do I still give him the quilt, because he did get married, or should I give it to someone else? Or should I save it and give it to him if he gets married again?
Please leave a comment and give me your opinion.

Quilt

Today I made significant progress on my brother-in-law's quilt. It is now tied. WHOOO HOOO!!! Hopefully I can bind it quickly as well.

Snow Ice Cream

As I grew up I always looked forward to snow. One of the reasons is probably because my Dad enjoyed it so much and passed his excitement onto us. The picture above is him snow camping about 20 years ago. Another reason was that I hoped school would be canceled because of it (I don't think that ever happened). One more reason was because we would eat Snow Ice Cream. This is how to make it:
Wait until the second snow-fall in a short amount of time. The first snow-fall cleans the air, so the second snow is safe to eat, (at least that's what our rule was). Go outside and fill a big bowl with clean snow. Pack it in and make it heap over the top of the bowl. Take it inside and pour evaporated milk on it. As you pour, stir. Continue pouring evaporated milk until it is the right texture- about like normal ice cream that has sat out for awhile, but isn't liquid yet. Mix in 1 tsp of vanilla. Sprinkle sugar on top. Stir and taste. Sprinkle sugar on top. Stir and taste. Continue to add sugar until it is sweet enough. Dish up and enjoy.
I used to know the approximate measurements, but I haven't made it in at least 10 years.

Another good snow treat is snow Jello. This is much easier to make. Take a packet of Jello mix and a spoon outside and find a good clean patch of snow. Sprinkle the Jello on the snow- an area about the size of a cereal bowl. Mix the Jello in. Eat. Add more Jello as needed.
This is a really good treat for after cross-country skiing or sledding, but eat it right before you go home, or you will get really cold and won't be able to enjoy your outing.
Also- although any flavor of Jello may be used, I recommend not using Lemon. There is something about eating yellow snow that just doesn't seem right...

Happy Day

Today was a happy day. I finished the quilt top for my brother-in-law yesterday, so I had the day free. I got the oil changed on the geo, which only cost $37. I'm always scared they'll tell me I need something expensive, so to have just the cost of the basic service is a good thing.
Next I dropped off lunch to Karl and headed to SLC to help Niki. We did as much painting as is possible with 2 little boys wanting to be involved. More importantly I got to have a good talk with her, which I haven't gotten to do for quite a while.
I then drove home to Springville to go to Parent/ Teacher Conferences. Kaleb's teacher is great and told me how great Kaleb is. It's good to hear that from someone who isn't related to me. She also said he is making good progress and told me that I'm a good mom. That is one of those things I always worry about, I don't know if I'm doing enough to help him speak better, so it was good to have her say she can tell I'm working with him.
Next came a not so good thing. Karl is not feeling well, he has a really bad sinus infection, and it is causing him enough pain that he couldn't go to school tonight.
I was sitting and watching TV with him when the phone rang. One of my friends called with some really good information. I can't say more than that, except that Heavenly Father answers prayers.
So, except for Karl not feeling well it has been a very Happy Day.

Snow

It has been snowing the last few days and it is beautiful! There are only a few drawbacks; getting out of the driveway, driving, staying away from drivers who don't know how to drive and wet feet. I miss making snow ice-cream, I might have to go to the store and buy some evaporated milk.