The Wilcox Family

Emily and I went to a furniture store open house one evening last week, and their Xmas decs were all greenery and red glass balls.  I loved it, so I bought some ornaments and thought I'd update some old greenery.  What do you think?

This was fun.

We got one pumpkin out of our garden this summer.  It was smallish.  I cut the corn stalks and tied them together and put them on the front porch with the little pumpkin next to them foe decoration for October.  November 1st I threw out the cornstalks and moved the pumpkin to the other side of the door, and I thought, "I wonder what it takes to make pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin."  So, thanks to google, I found a  Website , and, voila!  Mike and I made two of the most delicious pumpkin pies in the history of our pumpkin pies!  No time to take a photo, one is history, the other is in the freezer!

This may be the best binding I've ever done by machine!!

Ann and her roommate, Sarah, want owl hats.  I found a pattern for children, so I made it a little bigger, but it is a little too big.  This is the prototype.  I'm glad I made it, theirs will work up a little faster.

This is a red work piece I bought at Old Faithful this summer I used the fabric left over from the snowman quilt to make the pinwheels and borders. I was using a denim needle, and the machine kept getting gummed up, so I went to the store and bought a size ten needle, and a quarter inch foot.  Can't believe I lived this long without one!  :0) It is a wall hanging and measures 13 x 16 inches.

Because of my wonderful heritage, and because I drive a red truck, I totally personalized this one!  The snowmen are all Mexican, and the Utah Mom bumper sticker is there, and I added the U hubcaps.  I think when it is quilted, I'll add hair to the driver!  I love it!

Block 7 Held by Chris Wilcox Who thinks I can get Block 8 completed before the  beginning of October? Then I'll be caught up and when the final block arrives I'll be able to do it and, voila, I'll be finished.

Here they are:   Block 5 Block 6 My applique techniques are getting better.  I know why they call it a block of the month.  It is so much easier to think of doing a block a month rather than a block every day until you're caught up! Next up:  Blocks 7 & 8 and then I'll be caught up.  The final block comes in October.  Please don't remind me how close October is.

This block went together quickly.  I changed it up and added a script "noel" instead of a block "noel" because I thought loopy would be better than blocky with the steam coming from the hot chocolate.

Here is block number three.  It is cute.  I do not like doing the chain stitch and think it is a poor choice for the lettering.  I don't think I'll use it again for lettering if it is suggested.  I'm still having fun.  Three blocks to go til I'm caught up, but wait, August is tomorrow, Block number 7 will be arriving, yikes!  :0) Emily is my holder.  Love those nails!

It was bigger and more time consuming than I thought it would be, but I love it. (I think I need to clean my camera lens.)

This is  my first block in a nine block Block of the Month quilt.   I like snowmen and I like red and this will be a nice addition  to my sun room! The block is machine pieced, and the rest is hand appliqued. So far, I'm enjoying it.  I have five more blocks to do, then I'll be caught up.  

We finally got around to building garden boxes.  Our corn was definitely knee high by the fourth of July!  We have a salad box in front, pumpkin and corn in the middle and corn on the end.  Chris helped Mike build the boxes, Ann calculated the amount of dirt to fill and she and I filled and everyone has helped place rocks around.  Ann and I did the sprinkler system ourselves. These are pots with tomatoes and herbs. These pots have tomatoes and cucumbers and that tall, yellow plant is dill. This pot has marigolds and cat grass.  However, the cat isn't attracted. More pots with cat grass and marigolds.  These pots don't get as much sun so they aren't good for veges. We are pretty proud of our garden this year.  Hopefully it will all produce well and we'll have tomatoes, corn and halloween pumpkins!

My little Ann Eliza graduated from Billings Senior High School on May 28, 2012.  It was a lovely ceremony.  I didn't think I'd cry, but as soon as I entered the Metra, the tears started.  Darn.  No one I was with had a tissue, but my dad had a hanky.  Thank goodness for old men.  Mike videos the graduation ceremony and then edits it into a nice little memory video for the kids.  I forgot to take the camera.  We did a still shot on the video camera, but I don't know how to upload that from the camera, so . . . Ann's party was on Tuesday.  She had a  lot of fun.  It was a good little party.  We had Cafe Rio cater with a nacho bar.  It was delicious.  PS  if you feel dissed, don't, she didn't send out very many invites.  I had her hand write them and she got tired of it.  I did carry my camera in my pocket through the whole party and didn't take a single picture.  I feel sorry for third children.  We get empty photo albums handed down to us. Chris survived

I've spent the past school year as a student at MSUB.  It has been a lot of fun and I really enjoy being a student.  Now that I'm on Summer break, I'm beginning to wonder how I had time to be a student. Ann is graduating from high school on Monday, May 28.  That'll be three down, one to go.  I'm glad Chris is so far behind.  I'm not quite ready to be an empty nester.   Also, new since the last post from eons ago, Mike retired from the Public Health Service and is working here in town (no more commute) with a surgical practice.  Making the adjustment to being on call has been a challenge, but having him in town and somewhat available is a BIG plus.  I can even walk the two blocks from campus to meet him for lunch! My parents are coming for Ann's graduation.  We always love having them visit. I hope this post posts!