Welcome, Makai!

Makai is the 14^th Gardner grandchild, and you think I’d be used to this by now, but I’m not!  It happens every time I have a grandchild—the world stops and I can’t think of anything else! There’s simply nothing like a brand-new baby, a little miracle from God.

I didn’t hold him all day—just most of the day. I knew there were others that needed to spend time with this fresh little spirit—but it was a very sweet day, and I’m grateful that Sage and Jason allowed me to spend as much time with them as I did. Sage is doing great, Jason is proud, and Kona is eager to be the world’s best big brother!

I’m already looking forward to spending a week with Sage and the new baby (a Grandma Gardner tradition!) when she goes home!

The Night Before the Big Day

We had a nice dinner tonight with our family—we do that almost every Sunday night. But tonight was kind of special. . . tomorrow morning Sage is scheduled for a C-section, so we are all very excited

Because it was a special occasion, Shanna (our family chef!) told Sage she’d cook whatever she wanted. Her request? A reduction balsamic vinegar turkey sandwich! Sage has been craving anything reduction balsamic vinegar throughout her pregnancy—different craving, huh?

 

But dinner was delicious, and Sage looks great, doesn’t she? I’m sure she feels uncomfortable, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her!

I’ll let you know about Gardner grandchild #14 as soon as I can. . . watch for more details! 

Hello, Hamilton

Another full-day regional! And it was a lovely day!

When I got here, I realized that it’s been awhile since I’ve been to this region. Apparently our demonstrators realized that too; they were quick to point it out throughout the day! (smile) I’m glad they miss me!

The day went well. I always learn something at every Stampin’ Up! event that I attend, and the regionals are no exception. I am especially liking the extra Workshop Wows (we’ve had four in the past; now we have six!)—I am always astounded and intrigued at what our demonstrators come up with!

I was excited to show my project. . . I think I’ve mentioned before that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I love it when my family and I have time to have a costume party. We’re planning one this year for our corporate team and their spouses, and this is the invitation to our party!

My favorite set right now is Dark & Dreary, and I’m loving Midnight Musings (the wheel); our party decorations will be designed around these two products. I also love that the invitation is a pull-out card rather than the traditional open-up card. And I like the Raven lace (I told the regional crowd that it reminded me of lingerie lace the first time I saw it). For this project I tied a bow in the lace, then heated it up with the heat tool so it wrinkled up, making kind of a spooky look.

Anyway, the regional went great, and we’re heading back home tomorrow—a long flight here and a long flight back for a short time here, but worth every minute!

Fabric Fun

I promised that when I came up for air this week, I’d post the fabric pieces—skirt, necklace, and bracelet—that I wore at convention. None of them were made from a pattern (sorry, that would be too easy, huh?). So here they are—the bracelet and necklace are pretty self-explanatory, and I’ve included general directions for the skirt. No need for a lot of measurements, since the measurements will differ for each of us because we wear different sizes! (smile)

This skirt used almost exactly three packages of our fabric—my friend designed it and made it for me. She identified a Fabric A, B, and C (there are three different patterns in the package). She cut out a basic A-line skirt (two identical pieces for a front and back) from Fabric A; for me, the waist measured 22 inches on the top, 27 inches at the bottom, and the entire 18 inches height of the extra-wide fat  quarter). She sewed the two pieces, right sides together, down the side seams.

The waist is just a drawstring. Fold the fabric down to make a drawstring casing, cut out a buttonhole in the front to thread the drawstring (our twill tape), and then thread the tape through.

Next, you add five rows, alternating fabric. Row 1 is made of Fabric B; she cut two and a half strips of fabric, measuring five inches high, running the length of the extra-wide fat quarter (28 inches). She sewed the strips end to end into one continuous strip, slightly gathered the top, then attached it to the skirt.

Row 2 is made of Fabric C. She cut three and a half strips of fabric, four inches high, running the length of the extra-wide fat quarter. Sew the strips together, end to end, into one continuous piece, slightly gather the top, then attach the strip to the skirt.

Row 3 is made of Fabric A—four strips, five inches high, cut the length of the fabric. Sew the strips together, end to end, slightly gather the top, then attach to the skirt.

Row 4—Fabric B, four and a half strips, four inches high, cut the length of the extra-wide fat quarter. Sew end to end, gather top, and attach to skirt.

Row 5 (last row)—Fabric C, five strips, five and a half inches high, sewn end to end, gathered and attached.

On the seam of each row, she added ribbon embellishments, using Crochet trin and our new seam binding. You can check out the close-up photo to see the specifics; you may want to use your own creativity to decorate your skirt. She added our Antique brads along the bottom row, for an extra added little flourish.

Sara and I made the necklace and bracelet; they were quick and simple to make.

If you make these—enjoy! I’d love to see photos of your fabric creations!

And now I’m off to our regional in Hamilton, Ontario! Have a great weekend!

A Retreat to Remember

We wrapped up our Advisory Board Retreat last night, and can I just say how excited I am for the coming year? I always enjoy getting to know the new Advisory Board members at the retreat, and this year was no exception. These eight ladies are a dynamic, eager group—ready to do anything we ask of them.

Two things set this retreat apart from others in the past. First, in the spirit of change that we’ve been talking so much about, we took a very close look at how we’ve been using the board and decided it was time to mix things up a bit. This year, we’ve assigned the Advisory Board members to serve on different committees—product development, career plan, events, etc. They will be meeting regularly with these teams, providing insight and feedback as we move forward. I’m thrilled with the possibilities!

Second, the entire day yesterday was spent in a training with the Corporate Team members and Advisory Board members –an amazing training designed to help us be more aware and conscious of how we relate to and view others. We’ve never done anything like that before, and it was fabulous! I’m certain it will help us all in our personal lives, as well as our businesses!

A few things about the retreat were the same—a retreat highlight is always My Favorite Things, an activity where we all don matching jammies and each board member shares a few of her favorite things with everyone else on the board, plus me! I love getting to know each person in such a fun way!

For the second year in a row, I hosted the ladies at my house, which has been a delight! Shanna got to share her incredible culinary talents (Sterling was the chef last year), and I got to share my home and family with these wonderful ladies.

Last night we had our traditional Corporate Team/Advisory Board dinner at the Roof Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building—an amazing dinner buffet that is to die for!

And today the ladies headed home, and we’re looking forward to a great year with a great group of ladies!