Here We Go!!

Construction of our new home has finally started and we are very excited! They actually broke ground about two weeks ago, but there have been lots of delays due to this yucky weather.

They delivered the track hoe (?is that what that's called?) right as it started snowing, so it sat there a few days.

Finally, the weather broke and they were able to get started.

The pad for the house is done now. We are now waiting for the plumber and concrete company to form up the foundation and lay in the radiant heat tubing before the concrete is poured. Hopefully that will happen this week.


These pictures were taken before they broke ground. Maya is standing in the girls' bedroom near their window seat.

Joe is sitting in the future family room admiring our view! Can't beat that view!
The house will be about 2500 square feet...all on one level. There will be 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The floors will be stained and textured concrete and all of the trim will be wood and oil-rubbed bronze. I'm most excited about the environmentally-conscious steps we are taking, including a solar hot water system that will heat the water running through our radiant heated floors and for our domestic hot water, the solar photovoltaic system, the non-toxic stains, paints, and sealants, the sustainbly harvested wood, the super insulated walls and ceilings, and the energy efficient windows, appliances, and light fixtures. We will also save water by installing rain barrels, using water saving fixtures, and xeriscaping most of the yard.

I'll try to post updates as we go along. Thanks for checking in on us! Tara

A Few New Projects...

I haven't done as much sewing lately as I would like. Partly because I'm having trouble deciding what to focus on (quilts or clothes) and partly because I'm a little unmotivated right now for some reason. However, I recently made this "Happy Stacker" for my friend, Julianne, who will have a baby boy very soon. It turned out okay...it was a tough one, but I learned a lot and hopefully the next one will turn out even better! I think I will add some ribbons next time for some more texture.

I made them a pair of shoes like the ones pictured below.

I have made Gabi a couple of nightgowns out of some soft knit fabric that I bought for a different project, but never got around to making. She loves them, so I may need to make more!
I also made the girls some matching shirts. They turned out pretty cute and I learned how to gather fabric using elastic thread. It is way easier than I thought it would be, so I will be using this pattern a lot to make both shirts and dresses.Gabi's yo-yo quilt is still only half done. I need to get after it! 400 more yo-yos to stich on and then binding before I start on Maya's. My goal is to have them done before we move into our new house (4-5 months).

Tara

Ready for Christmas...in February

I finally finished up my Christmas set and think they turned out pretty good. I'm excited to have them all ready to go for next Christmas. I designed the stockings and tree skirt and used Moda's "12 Days of Christmas" fabric. Joe's aunt, Diane, did the embroidery of the names for us.
I used a pattern called by Moda called "Counting the Days 'til Christmas" to make the advent calendar pockets. I think I'll use mini-clothes pins to attach them to a length of giant red ric-rac attached to the wall somehow. Maybe I'll make a backing for them...hmmm. I guess I have 10 months to decide. :) I hand embroidered the numbers on these. Gabi & Maya will really enjoy opening one up each day to find a little surprise in celebration of Christmas.

My current project of the yo-yo quilts is once again moving along. I got all of the yo-yos out of the box and sorted them into two piles of 800 each. Sewing the yo-yos onto the quilt takes way longer than actually making a yo-yo. I have 120 sewn on Gabi's quilt so far. I can sew about 20 each night between the time the girls go to bed and when I go to bed. It looks really neat and that's motivation to keep at it.

To make the quilt, I sewed the top, batting and bottom together with rows of stiches 2-1/4" apart that also act as guidelines for me to sew the yo-yos on straight. The yo-yos cover up the stiches, so they won't be visible once the quilt is done.

For the back, I used leftover fabric to make some strips. It makes it a little more interesting than just a plain pink back and they were a good way to use up that fabric.

Thanks for checking in. :) Tara

Brown Bear, Brown Bear...

Here is an update on a few sewing projects I've been working on lately!

I did get the yo-yos all done...1672 to be exact. I actually finished them right after Thanksgiving thanks to a really long car ride to and from Iowa and a husband that loves to drive (he he!) However, they are still packed in a box from the move. I finished the quilts that they are going to be sewn on to, but they are also still packed in a box. Soon, very soon, I will get them out...hopefully.

I have been working on a patchwork Christmas collection for the past month or so. The advent calendar is done, the stockings are waiting for embroidery to be added, and the tree skirt is getting hand quilted when I'm motivated to work on it. Hopefully, I will post pictures of these as completed items soon.

Our great friends, Chris & Tracy, had a baby girl recently and I was inspired to make a quilt from Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear fabric. My girls have always loved that book, so I came up with this pattern and it turned out pretty good! I was torn about which color to do the inner border (so many choices), but when I held the gold fabric next to the brown bear square borders, it was an obvious choice. Chris is a fellow UW track/cross country teammate. :) Go Pokes!

Front:

Back:

I do have big plans to start making dresses and other clothes for my two daughters and as gifts for people. I bought a pattern book and started small. Before we moved, I made 5 pairs of these little mary jane booties. I wish I would have taken a picture of all of them. These are the only pair I have not given as a gift yet. The other color combinations were way cuter! :) They also need a good ironing before I give them to someone!

That's all for now! Thanks for checking in on me! Tara

The Big Move!

We have finally made the transition from Colorado to Wyoming! It was quite the undertaking, but now that we are settling in, it already seems like a distant memory.

Our friends, the Delaneys, had a going away party for us on Thursday, 12/16 at Old Capitol Grill in Golden. It was great to see everyone and hear lots of well wishes. Gabi had a fun time seeing all of her buddies and running around the banquet room we were in. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures because I was too busy talking with everyone, but I hear a video is in the works! That will be fun to get!

Joe and I sent the girls to our babysitter's house on Friday so that we could pack the U-Haul. A bunch of Joe's buddies came in the afternoon to help pack the big stuff. Luckily, we had already taken three loads up to Buffalo, so it wasn't ALL of our stuff. It still seemed like a lot and we were very glad to have the help. After the truck was loaded, we fed the workers pizza and Coors and let the girls explore their bare home. We kept Gabi's mattress out for her to sleep on Friday night and the girls and buddy, Morgan, had a great time playing on it.



We did some final loading on Saturday morning and then said our good-byes to our cute little house in Golden. I was a wreck. I can't believe we lived there for 7 years! We did a lot of work to that little house and have lots of memories, so it was hard to say goodbye. The house officially changes ownership on 12/29, but we won't have to be there for the closing.


We couldn't believe our luck with the weather. There wasn't even a slight breeze and the roads were dry. Joe drove the big U-Haul with Jackson as his co-pilot. I drove Joe's 4runner with Rocky as my co-pilot and the girls in the back. The trip went very well. Poor Rocky was a little sedated, but he managed just fine.


When I pulled up to our new house on the ranch, my tears of sadness were replaced by tears of happiness for our new beginning. The last few weeks before we moved were some of the most stressful of my entire life, but being out here surrounded by silence, fresh air, and beauty, I knew we made the right choice. Joe's Mom and Dad even put the "Welcome Home" sign up and decorated it with Christmas lights and our tree. Family and friends helped us unload the truck on Sunday and then we gradually just got unpacked and organized.
Honestly, I was a little hesitant to live in the trailer, but it actually is pretty nice and laid out very well. Gabi and Maya seem to like it so far and even Rocky is starting to feel more at home. Of course, Jackson REALLY likes life on the ranch! We hope to start building our new house across the road after the first of the year. Joe is opening his office on 1/3 and is excited about that as well. He has an office space rented in town. I'm sure once Christmas is over we will get into a routine and check out all Buffalo has to offer! :)

Soooo......so far, so good! Coming "home" has been a blessing for this little family of four.

Merry Christmas! Thanks for checking in with us!

Tara

A Couple Projects...

A couple of weekends ago I tried my hand at canning. I canned 4 quarts and 6 pints of applesauce. It was actually pretty easy! I have another peck of organic, Colorado apples ready to make into applesauce this weekend as well! One of my goals when we move to Wyoming is to grow more of our produce to chow down on in the summer months and can for the colder months. Both Joe's Mom and Grandma have beautiful gardens, so I hope to learn a lot from them. Our current house plan has a greenhouse attached to the back of our garage (facing south), so those little plants can get a head start in Northern Wyoming's short growing season. Wish me luck!

Another project I have been working on is a little more intense! I have been making yo-yos for a few months now that I plan to attach together into two matching twin-size yo-yo quilts for the girls' beds. They will continue to share a room in our new house and I've already promised Gabi a big girl bed (twin-size) when we move in. Maya will probably be ready to move out of the crib by then as well. The good news is that I have about 950 done...the bad news is that I have about 650 left! :-) I can make about 15 in an hour. I'm hoping to finish making them before we move and then attaching them together before the girls turn 18! Ha! Wish me luck on this one too!

Take Care, Tara

Change...

My brother-in-law, Greer, sent this photo of the Hall Ranch last Thursday after a day of "working cattle." Looks like a beautiful day in "God's Country."

I was talking to a good friend of mine at work the other day and she said something that has really stuck with me......"Even good change is hard." This is so, so true. We are excited for our new life in Wyoming, but saying goodbye to all of the great things we love here will be challenging.

Fall is a time of change, so it is fitting that these next 3 months will bring so many changes for our family as well.

Tara