The AMAZING Quilts My Mother Made

My mom is extremely talented at a lot of things. Apparently sewing is among those many talents. She would deny this, but the evidence speaks for itself.

While I was in my last couple months of pregnancy, my mom and I spent a lot of time on the phone, searching the internet together, looking for fun fabrics to incorporate into two special quilts. The first one was for her very first granddaughter, Tenley, and the second, was for her oldest and only daughter--me--who begged her to make one for Dalin and me, too.

For whatever reason, I really love patriotic colors. Maybe it's because being from the east, I have a strong interest in American heritage and values. I just love what this country stands for. Anyway, when my mom and I were discussing ideas for our quilt, it became obvious that I wanted to incorporate the ocean and ocean-themed things, and I wanted it to be kind of manly so Dalin would like it. After weeks of ordering fabrics and a long week of sewing for my mom, it was finished! And my mom brought it out to Utah with her for my birthday present! Here is the final result:

Notice the many elements? I love this thing so much. My mom used a denim comforter--formerly used for my bed when I lived at home--for the backing of the quilt. In the quilt itself, we have beach houses, lighthouses, crabs, lobsters (of course;), anchors, starfish, baseballs (for Dalin), bunting banners, patriotic stars and stripes, hearts, and more. 

She also included a fabric I found at JoAnn's with various American states on it. The best part (I thought) about that fabric was that Idaho and New Hampshire were printed almost next to each other, so she was able to get several patches of both states on there! Our two home states. My mom also included patches from old clothes. The plaid ones are from my old favorite pair of pajamas. The denim patches are from pairs of old jeans, including ones from my mom, my dad, Donovan, Payson, Dalin, and my old overalls (which used to be the only thing I wore in elementary school). So it has pieces of all of us in it, which makes it really special. 

My mom also heeded my request that somewhere on it, she incorporate something representing Boston or the Red Sox. As you can see, she did that! She also put lots of denim pocket patches on the quilt so we can stick things in them, like little love notes to each other. And so Dalin can keep his chapstick nearby...haha.

Oh, and one other thing about the quilt. She made it so it can double as a picnic blanket! As you can see, we have already used it for that (on our anniversary picnic lunch). 

The quilt my mom made for Tenley = gorgeous. The colors are bright and pretty, but not so girly that I couldn't use it for other children.

Possible pattern...

Finished product!

Tenley under the quilt Nana Searle made her :) On our quilt...

Everyone who has seen them, loves the quilts. My Nana, Aunt Pam, Donovan, and many other people have complimented my mom on our quilt especially, and have asked her to make them one! It was a very time-consuming project for her, but I am grateful she finished it and gave it to us (and that she didn't keep it for herself because I know after all the work she kind of wanted to and who can blame her? ;). 

Looking pretty happy :)

Isn't my mother so talented?
Which quilt is your favorite? 

Baby Shower Party Favors

A few weeks ago (or was it a few months...I've seriously lost track of time since Tenley was born!) my wonderful visiting teaching companion hosted a baby shower for one of the cute girls we visit teach. Our friend is having a baby boy in late September. I wanted to contribute by bringing some kind of treat so I decided to do chocolate-covered strawberries and party favors. It was very fun to do, and also kept me distracted and busy while I was waiting for our baby girl to arrive. I got everything at the Dollar Store, too, so it was super cheap! 

Here are the pieces I included:

 I bought 8 polka dot containers, 8 candy bracelets, a bag of jolly ranchers, a bag of hershey's, and a bag of blow pops, a package of hair elastics, and an 8-pack of bubbles. The little tag on the bubbles I tied on myself with twine after punching them out on scrapbook paper.

I have to say, the final result was much cuter in person! 

The chocolate covered strawberries were a piece of cake. My mom microwaved some hershey's chocolate chips and then dipped in fresh (washed) strawberries. She then sprinkled them with a variety of sprinkles (I have a LOT of types...) and placed them in the fridge to harden before I brought them to the shower. 

 Super easy and really delicious. Everyone loved them!

What do you think of my party favors?

Fall Assignments

I've always loved fall, but my love for the season grew significantly the first fall after I graduated high school when I worked at a local farm stand called Beans & Greens in Gilford, New Hampshire. I will admit I did not love that job while I was there (it was a lot of hard work) but looking back, it was a really fun job to have for a season. The store was a giant old barn on lots of land where we sold fresh procured honey, jams, milk (the chocolate milk was so freaking fresh and good!), baked goods, green beans, tomatoes, corn, apples, fresh berries, and a zillion other vegetables.

While working there I got to help decorate for Halloween, paint pumpkins to be sold in store (I painted things like Snoopy and Woodstock, funny faces, a haunted house, etc.), paint children's faces (and make some sweet tips I might add), organize a children's pumpkin maze, have a jack-o-lantern carving contest, give tours to elementary school children and lead them through a hay maze, decorate with fall flowers (zinnias, chrysanthemums, and others), tie my own pumpkin-hangers with hemp, work the haunted corn maze at night, and many other things. I also acquired a love for country music while working there...that probably had something to do with the same country soundtrack being played on repeat for the entire season. So basically while working there I participated in, what I would label, the epitome of fun fall activities, so I feel like I really know what a fun autumn season can be like.

Fall in New England is locked in a three-way tie with summer and spring for my favorite time of year for (what I feel are) obvious reasons. One less obvious reason maybe is that I think the fall is romantic. Maybe it's just me, but being with your sweetheart in the cool and colorful fall-time has something about it that just makes me feel capricious and adventurous and even more in love with my husband. I think for me it's the fresh start of new school year (even when I'm taking a break this semester) and feeling like Dalin is my hot boyfriend that I get to spend my afternoons with after work and classes. It's even better now (if possible) having a sweet daughter that we get to share our new experiences and adventures with!

Anyway, since fall is mostly about school starting, here are some assignments I've made for myself so that I can get an A+ in fall.

1. Bake an apple pie. Bonus: Do it with apples we picked ourselves. My absolute favorite type of apples apparently don't exist out here in Utah (as I've tried every freaking type at the store,) but two falls ago I had my mom send me a dozen or so of them--fresh-picked at an orchard in New Hampshire--and I plan on begging her to do the same thing this fall. So maybe I'll use those for my pie.

2. Eat a candy apple. This might be a little harder than it seems. I can never find places that sell candy apples, which I much prefer over caramel apples (call me crazy, but I am not a big caramel fan unless it is very fresh). I might just have to make one myself.

3. Find some fresh apple cider and also some hot apple cider. Two of my favorite things in the fall. Sold all over the place in New Hampshire, but there has to be some sold out here somewhere and I will find it.

4. Do something not involving apples...just kidding haha, I just noticed the last three were all about that and thought I should change it up.

4. Watch some corny Halloween movies. I love Halloween. I know it's kind of a creepy, pointless holiday, but I love the things that come with it (aka trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, pumpkin carving, etc.).

5. Go to a Halloween party. Check. We're going to one in Boise in October. Maybe I should revise this to say "Win a prize from the costume contest." We did two years ago and it really got us motivated to make that a regular thing. Our dear sister Cassie and her husband Shay stole the prize from us last year, but never again ;).

6. Decorate for Halloween and then for Thanksgiving. I have decorations (many are crafts from years past) stored away and normally I'm good at getting them out because I get bored when our apartment looks the same month after month, but when I was pregnant that was not a priority (with the exception of Christmas and Easter).

7. Find a place to serve people on Thanksgiving. This is a tradition in my family that I haven't participated in the last two years because I haven't been with my family, but I always loved going to the community center and serving Thanksgiving lunch to the elderly. It made me feel happy inside and extra grateful for my family and health. It also made Thanksgiving dinner later taste even better ;)

8. Own at Fantasy Football. Do I care about football? No. Do I even watch the games? Not really. But I am competitive and I want to beat my sister, Shaina and her husband, Layton in particular. Not sure why I chose to target them, but they both like football and I think it would be satisfying to beat them ;)

9. Go through a corn maze or on a hay ride. I don't know where they have those out here, but there has to be one or the other somewhere and I really want to go. Even if it means Dalin and I have to drive outside our Provo/Orem bubble.

10. See more of our family! I want to visit with Dalin's family as much as possible this fall and I want to try to get my family to come visit me at some point before or around the holidays. I miss them too much otherwise. A year is way too long to go without seeing my dad, mom, or brothers.

11. Roast pumpkin seeds. Love this tradition. Maybe I'll try a new recipe this year. I could try to make them taste like kettle corn or something!

12. Go to the Farmer's Market as much as possible. It's on Thursdays and not only do they sell the best kettle corn (mentioned above) but the produce is fresh and delicious. And I like supporting farmers.

13. Make more blackberry smoothies. This means I need to see more of my brother-in-law, Layton because he makes AMAZING ones. With fresh blackberries. So does his mom. I'm seriously obsessed with them and crave them daily.

14. Make squash. Real squash. My mom tells me it's easy to do year after year, but year after year I fail to make it because I get nervous it won't come out right. But this year, I'm doing it.

15. Read and watch Harry Potter. Definitely a fall activity. And it makes me feel happy and like a teenager again.

16. Drink Butterbeer. I've never had it, but anything Harry Potter is fallish to me, and maybe I can find a recipe if I can't find a place that makes it. Someday Dalin, Tenley, and I will go to Universal Studios and have some in Harry Potter World.

17. Visit Provo Canyon. I want to be outside and take a hike or have a picnic. I just want to smell the fall air and teach my daughter to love nature. Hopefully we will get to see something of the leaves changing color (maybe we'll take another drive through Nebo Loop) and I can pretend I'm home in New England ;)

18. Paint pumpkins. Carving is fun, but it makes such a huge mess once the pumpkin gets old and leaks all over the place.

19. Make fried dough or scones. Warm bread dough and cookie dough are always so comforting. Maybe I'll even make some Mexican buñuelos for Halloween, too.

20. Take lots of photos. I pretty much do this anyway, but now I need to record it for Tenley's sake. So she can look back and see how much we loved her and all the fun things we did as a family.

Do you have other fun fall ideas? 
What are your absolute favorite three things to do in the fall? I want to make this the best fall of our life thus far so don't hesitate to share something you've loved from falls past!

Fun Gifts For My Delivery Nurses

I cannot believe little Miss Tenley is one month old today! Time has gone by so fast! I thought the first month I would be feeling miserable and wishing for time to fly but right now I wish it would slow down so I can enjoy my newborn daughter! Still, I feel significantly better than I anticipated I would at this point and I like my postpartum body quite a bit more than I thought I would. I'll get into that more another time though.

Pinterest is frequently torturing me with exceptionally cute gift ideas. When I saw some creative nursing gifts, I was struck with inspiration! I needed to kill time while waiting for little Ten to arrive, and it would be a nice gesture to those who would be gladly helping me with bodily issues that I wouldn't even want to deal with myself. I wanted to do something different than the Pinterest crafts I saw, though, so I came up with my own. 

 I got the "U R Sweet" and "Thank You" stickers from Cocoa Bean. I made the envelopes with funky scrapbook paper and an envelope-making tool that my mom and I purchased. I love that thing. We used twine to tie a heart-shaped rock (all found by us on the beach!) around each envelope. That was probably the hardest part. The rocks did not want to stay on. Inside the envelopes are basically a thank-you-for-helping-me-when-I-was-at-my-worst-even-though-it's-your-job-I-still-appreciate-it note. For my doctor, Dr. Pace, and his assistant Kali who we have known and worked with the past 9 months, we also got them each a gift card to Kneaders. Just because we loved working with them both so much. We also included for each nurse a delicious fruit strip bar, a chocolate caramel sea salt bar, and a chapstick. 

For those who can't see, it reads:
"Thanks for sharing your <3 with our family. Here's a piece of ours from the East coast! Love, the Gunnells"
Included is a heart-shaped rock from the beach!

I tucked them all away in a box after so I could hand them out easily.

I think they came out pretty cute and I know the nurses loved them. They were so willing to help with anything anyway, but even more so after getting their little treat (though I handed these out to most of them at the end of their shift),

Probably the only thing I would have done differently is make more--I had almost dozen nurses during my three-day, two-night stay at the hospital. Some helped me a lot more than others, but I really had the greatest group and I was so grateful to all of them for taking care of me so well and not making me feel like a burden.

This craft was fun and all, but even more, it served really well as a distraction for me during the dreadfully longggg week 40 of my pregnancy. I think I forgot to mention in my pregnancy post that the doctors told me after Tenley was born that (because of her size) they wouldn't let me go past 39 or 40 weeks in the future. I'd have to be induced by my due date to prevent another eight-pounder. So in the future, I'll be getting this done around week 38 ;)

What ideas can you come up with for nurse's gifts?
Have you ever done any yourself? 

(I need ideas for deliveries of children 2 through 7--if I have my way ;)

Getting Our House In Order

Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I finally have time to clean! Sure it's a challenge with a newborn baby who is constantly making more laundry, but Tenley does mommy a favor and takes at least one long nap each day allowing me a chance to do a fast one or two-hour cleanup. 

Our apartment looks decent right now but I'll be the first to admit that these photos are a few weeks old. Still, I've somehow managed to keep all these areas looking the way they do in the photos at least. 

I started by cleaning out the junk. By that, I mean I went through our closets and boxes and gathered together anything that we have never used or no longer use and stuck it in a box for Deseret Industries. It was hard at first--I will admit that--but once I got started, I was on a roll and it got easier and easier to throw out the junk. Especially when I reminded myself of the consequences of becoming a hoarder (not that we are even remotely close, but still, you don't want to start down that path...) which I have seen firsthand. 

I organized our papers and records and stowed them away. 

I targeted our closet next because it was such a huge job and I wanted to get it over with. I found a new, more space-efficient way to fold clothes and organized all of them. And I really mean "all."

Our closet looks a zillion times better

My long-sleeved shirts (yes I have a full drawer...)

My jeans, pants, and skirts (this is kind of a temporary arrangement)

My t-shirts and tank tops 

Dalin's shirts--all filed away and easy to access

His pants, shorts, and sweaters

Our nursery...for now. It isn't that cute yet, but it's clean at least  

Tenley's books and things (she has way more now though) 

Her pack 'n play with the bassinet attachment and a picture of Jesus nearby

Her cure window sill--P.S. pay attention to the bird theme 

The shelves and desk in her room. Not perfect, but it's an organized clutter

I still need to reorganize the kitchen, pantry, and bathroom, but I feel like we are in good shape for now! I am looking forward to getting all areas of the apartment in tip-top shape so I won't stress about the many messes that develop daily.

As much as I love being clean, I hope I am not subconsciously making an excuse to procrastinate my online classes. Right now, I dread doing anything for them. But I have four months to complete three of them, and while that should be very possible, I've already blown eight months. But having a clean home is important, too, and I feel as though if I can get that done, I'll better be able to focus on my stinky schoolwork. (BTW, I've never been a slacker, but BYU online classes are HARD!! They are much harder than BYU-Idaho's online classes because with Independent Study, you are seriously on your own--I've tried contacting two of my professors with no luck. For eight months. I would say that's a significant problem, but so far I haven't received any help.)

Anyway, once I get the apartment clean, thank-you notes written and mailed, and schoolwork accomplished, I'd like to do an even more thorough cleaning of our home...I want to start couponing and basically become the best homemaker I can be since that is now my full-time job. It is not in my nature to do a job crappily. Either I do it well, or I don't do it all.

I will post more photos of my organization progress once I have made some...

What are you doing to get your house in order? Do you have any advice for me on how I can do something differently or better?