I finally got smart about learning little tap routines in class

I'd keep thinking I'm going to practice the routines at home so I can improve faster, then I'd get home and not be able to remember exactly how they went. 

Today I took my camera to class and made a short video of the teacher dancing so I could remember what she did.  If you look at it you'll want to laugh that I couldn't remember such an easy thing, but she covers so much, it's hard to remember everything.  Plus almost everything is new to me so I don't have a frame of reference for new things. 

Here is the first video I ever uploaded to youtube:

Here is a little bit of footwork in a routine the instructor is teaching us:

The teacher is teriffic and I signed up for section II of the classes because I'm having a ball!

Sharing the blog love . . . .

I found Iris's blog via a post on another blog a number of months ago.  She's a cute LDS French gal married to a cute LDS American guy living in France. 

She is a photographer and her blog is easy to read (in English AND French, if you are so inclined!) and focuses on organization, family, home, and great photographs.

You can take a look at today's post here, see her cute Parisian apartment here, and see some of her organizing ideas here.

Mother Nature is having a good laugh, I'm sure

A quick email from Kevin . . .

. . . said we will stay with another of his friends in Brazil and to please bring another hostess gift.  So I pulled out my sewing machine and fabric and whipped up another pillow cover.  I corrected the mistakes I made on the first two and I'm really delighted with this one.

I used a darker color for one of the reds plus the small square in the middle and I like it.  Now I'm wishing I had used a more muted white and . . . and . . . and.  I know this will be gratefully accepted with the good wishes and gratitude I feel toward the families who have been so kind to Kevin.

Here are all three pillows:

Caroline brought a little friend home on her walk from the bus

Look at the cute little lizard she chased down and brought home:

And yes, it is now safely outdoors.

Evening treat

One of the girls told me she wanted to make chocolate fondue for dessert.  Ummm . . . why not?  We had enough interesting things to dip, along with all the ingredients for the chocolate dip.

We had big and little marshmallows, banana slices, dried apricots, and pretzel sticks.  The chocolate was a mixture of chocolate chips, sugar, and canned milk, all warmed in the microwave until smooth, then put over a tea light candle.

It was really good.

Hostess gifts completed!

I have a busy first-of-the-week coming this week, then a few days of downtime (big holiday in Korea).  I was actually planning to make the pillows during those few days, but decided to just get going on them.

I did my favorite get-going mental game which was to do things in little steps.  Eating an elephant a bite at a time, you might say.  First I had to get down the box of fabric.  Then I had to look for a pattern.  Then I had to choose fabrics.  Then I had to just cut out the pieces, etc, etc. Everything I did was only one thing and then I could quit and do something else for awhile.  If I wanted to continue to the next step, that was fine too.  I do this all the time when I have a project I'd rather procrastinate doing.

However . . . I'm very happy with the outcome because they are d-o-n-e done!

They are 14" square and have an envelope opening in the back of the cover so they can be easily removed and washed.  In addition, I'm going to have Kevin write a note to each of his families inside on the back of the quilted part with a Sharpie.  That way they'll have a little special something from him, but it won't be open for just anyone to see.

If plans change and we don't give away both of the pillows I won't mind keeping one . . . . :-)

Making a couple of hostess gifts

When we go to Brazil we'll stay with a couple of Kevin's friends.  I want to bring gifts to the families and I know hostess gifts often reflect the native area of the giver.

I mentioned cactus jelly earlier, along with some quilting, and settled on the quilting.  Here is a hint of the pillow covers I'm making:

Red, white, and blue figure prominently as well, so you may guess I changed the colors from the directions I'm following.

Both quilt blocks are underway and I'll post more when I have more to show.

Oh, and Kevin requested I bring jars of peanut butter along.  I guess certain Brazilians appreciate ambrosia as much as my family does.

D.C. Club

At my girls' school there is a 6th grade club that leads to a great trip.  In June they'll go to Washington D. C.!  For the entire school year before that, they learn all about our country's history and about the interesting things and places they'll see in Washington D. C.

At 5:34 pm I was informed there was a parent meeting at 6 o'clock tonight.  I guess I should get used to this kind of advance notice, right?

I thought there might be down time so I brought along my book club book--Cold Sassy Tree.  Didn't get a chance to even open the cover.  I used my cell phone to sign up for text messages from the parents' branch of the club.  I brought home a T-shirt order form for each girl.  (The T-shirts are very cool--the children's art is chosen and reproduced on each day's shirts and each kid gets a new one each day of the trip--makes it easy to keep track of the group of kids, plus they have a clean shirt on every day.)  The purple sheet had the agenda, full of interesting information for the parents.

It was a fast-paced and interesting meeting.

Elizabeth's dark night

This is what Elizabeth uses to sleep.  Well, not the cat costume, but the eye shade.  Caroline likes to sleep with a tiny night light and Elizabeth likes darkness.  Nice compromise, I'd say.