Snowed in December 2008

This is a pile of...? a byproduct of an 8 day snow in. Notice the colors & patterns...

This is our back yard as seen from the living room window. Just past the yard is the point of no return on Hachtel Hill. It's where novice drivers discover & experience the natural laws governing gravity & inertia. We're too old to be novice drivers anymore, so we avoid the excitement & stay home keeping ourselves buzy with other activities...

Heather decided to design her own quilt.

This quilt was made for my younger brother Paul. He lives in a group home. Notice the bear & canoe blocks in the bottom right hand corner.

In the top right center, you'll notice a pillow case with the bear & canoe pattern. You may also notice the feet in the foreground, and that there is light coming through the window.

Bears have been known to hibernate in the winter.


Heather's quilt sewn & on her bed. It's an intricate design representing many things that are important to her.

(Return to the pile on top)

Being snowed in has definately slowed me down in some respects, but it has freed me in others. It's been a blessing to have sufficient time at home to sew quilts for my loved ones. Sewing for my family nourishes my soul and helps me to feel grounded.

I so appreciate being snowed in with electricity this year!

(Two years ago, we were without electricity for 8 days.)

Christmas Eve

My name is Sandi, and I have finally begun a blog.

This is Christmas Eve, and I have alternately enjoyed the limitations of the snow storm and been frustrated by them throughout the last several days. My life has been altered by the weather for a week now. I have been able to sew more this last week than I have in more than a year. As I have worked on these creations, I also have found that there are certain items I need, and cannot get them as easily. i.e., it took 90 minutes to put chains on the van this morning and then we drove at 15 miles/hour.

I just finished two more quilts for children who live far away. They won't be mailed until Friday. Now, we get to clean up & relax and enjoy the company of the family who is here. This includes my husband Tom and our two teenaged daughters, Starla & Heather, who are still at home. Drops of oil in my lamp...

Tom the Mail Man

I teach a class in Relief Society at church. (Relief Society is the women's organization) In October, while reviewing for the next month's lesson, about Joseph Smith's letters to his wife Emma while he was away from home. (Lesson #20) The thought occured to me that reading about someone else's letters isn't as meaningful as getting your own letter...


So, I began a project to invite others, to write letters to their wives &/ or female associates at church encouraging them in their difficulties & generally working to uplift them. The invitation was well received. My husband Tom took on a major part of the communication with the men in our Ward. November 9th, Tom dressed up like a mail room worker from a hundred years ago with a leather satchel and arm bands. He first delivered copies of Emma's letters to our class, so that we could read through them & become aware of the love Joseph expressed for his wife Emma and their children. Then the last ten minutes of class, Tom came in for a second mail call. ( I cued him with my cell phone) He had a letter for every sister in the room. Married sisters, from their husbands, others from various other friends. I played music softly in the background while he completed his task.


When the Sisters realized what was happening, some felt that their husbands would never write them a letter, but they did. There was a beautiful spirit in the room. Many were touched by the consideration & sweet spirited communication that was shown to them.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. (I was talking about the letters, not Tom)