February Trip North

Dad and I are still hacking and coughing...not a pretty sound. It's been nine days since he got sick, and I'm just a few days behind that. I had planned to go to Moab tomorrow to the quilt show, but I'd be miserable, and probably make everyone else sick, so I'll stay home and try to get better

We did have a pretty good trip north, and got to visit some of the families. Andrew and Amy were down in Moab for the weekend with her parents, celebrating her birthday, so we didn't get to see them. Her dad had some health problems arise, so that kept things interesting for them. Chris and Pam's family were suffering from various ailments, so we didn't stay there, but did stop for a few minutes to drop off the Christmas DVD I'd made.

On the way to Tooele on Thursday, we stopped to visit Virginia and Kermit and got a tour of their new home in Eagle Mt. Kent and Preston are their renters downstairs. We had a good visit with all of them, and Kermit made us Navajo Tacos from scratch...very yummy. We were very blessed with good road conditions both going and returning, even though a storm had been forecast.

We stayed Thurs night with Nathan's family, and had a good visit, played games, and enjoyed good meals with them. I even went to Boot Camp with Tammy on Sat. and was surprised I could almost keep up...except Stetchers walkers are not good to wear for aerobic dance. I was really tired when finished, but it was a good tired.

That experience actually helped me to make a few more healthy changes since I got home. I signed up for Weightwatchers on-line Tues. and also started reading "Sugar Busters"..Both have helped me ax out sugar and refined foods as well as curtail my late night eating. So I'm losing weight again. I'm still not up with Anthony's throw-down weight loss, but I think I will be by Tues. On the new Weighwatchers... vegetables and fruits are 0 points in most cases, so they've become my sweets of choice, instead of Almond Roca (Thanks Quent and Bev for the large economy pack at C'mas. I sure did enjoy floundering on all that sugar!) But now I'm a recovering sugar addict. I'd already stopped cooking with white flour, and grind what ever I need instead. I haven't dared make bread yet, as homemade bread is so tempting, and even though a person can have a slice or so a day, the aroma would be my downfall. I've had to get rid of everything that tempts me.

We stayed Fri. Sat. Sun with Autumn. Initially we had planned to drive home Sun, thinking Andrew and Amy would be going to Blanding, but that didn't come to pass, so we stayed one more night. WE had fun playing Yatzee and Mex. train with the kiddos. Then on Sat. Rob and Kathryn found out her dad was really bad, so they came up and stayed too. We are so thankful that he seems to have made miraculous improvement, and is home now, though we haven't talked to them about how he is doing.

Sat. night we went to a theater spoof of Phantom of the Opera with Nathan and Autumn's families. I wasn't sure how the younger kids would do, but they were right on the front row, and were very attentive, and totally following the story. Peyton got the giggles at one point, and kept laughing, which cased some of the cast members to get the giggles too...It was so funny.

We hosted a birthday lunch Wed. for Corey and Tyler Sageny, another YSA from Kayenta and had some of their friends over. That piece of cake cost me 14 pt. out of my 29 allotment!! Never again. Corey turned 23. Tyler turned 19 and is getting ready to go on a mission. His mom came too. so that was fun for us to meet her. Corey's family was here when we got back Monday, bringing him back to school, so we pulled a quick meal to gether for them before they headed home. They are always so appreciative of whatever we do.

Please pray for Corey's father, that he will soften his heart towards the gospel. His mom and sister just recently went to the temple to do baptisms and had a wonderful experience. His dad is a super guy, just needs to admit that religion is good to accept. One of the sisters we worked with in Ganado and her family were on that same baptism trip. She lost her husband in Nov. and has really turned to the gospel for help and comfort. Last Sat. she went again to receive her own endowments. I've been communicating with her quite a big lately, and helped her get some additional garments. There is always some little way we can help when we're open to those promptings. The branch has been averaging about 100 people lately, and hope to get into the new addition March or April. It is really thrilling for us to see what great things are happening there.

Dad worked two temple shifts this week, even though he's had a bad cough...One man told him he was coughing so much he couldn't sleep! Maybe that will be a new position. I know in the Puritan church they had someone walk around with long poles to poke people caught snoozing! I'm reading Pastwatch right now...Orson Scott Card's sci-fi look at history, especially Christopher Colombus. It is really interesting. I've been going to bed at 10 and reading for an hour, so that's another change...except for tonight. I took a long nap this aft. and wasn't tired.
Well, I better head to bed. I hope you're all doing OK...please make healthy choices and keep those precious grandkids well and safe. We love you all.

President Lem Redd Faces More Health Issues

Feb. 20
The past few days have been a roller coaster ride for the Redds. Last night when Rob and Kathryn came back to Autumn's they really were afraid they had said their last good-bye's to Lem, as his lungs just kept filling up with more fluid and he was very weak. The family had left instructions, not to recessitate even. Everyone one was pretty emotional and teary at that point.
Then Sunday arrived: Rob just called a few minutes a go, and said last night the Drs. decided to pull him off the medicine he had been on the past few days, and there has been quite a miraculous improvement. The retention of fluid has gone down, and he was even able to get up and walk around. We are so thankful for this overnight improvement and blessings. Please keep praying for him.

It is snowing like crazy up here, so we won't go home until tomorrow..after it stops.

Love to all of you, and thank you for your faith and prayers in his behalf. Janet
 
Feb. 22:
Rob brought the boys back yesterday, leaving Kathryn with her mom in SLC.  Pres. Redd is down to 50% supplied oxygen...On Sat. it was 100%...we were afraid he wouldn't make it.  So he is making progress.  He has been in the hospital since Feb. 8.  We hope he continues to progress, and heal and will be home soon.

What do you do in the Wintertime?

Though January and February weren't as wintery as last year's snowbound experience, they still provided lots of time for solitary efforts sewing, writing and designing.  My main efforts involved documenting my "life in stitches."  Though it started out as a simple listing of quilts I had made, in an effort to motivate our quilt guild to document their wonderful creations; soon it took on a life of it's own. 
  Fortunately I had already pulled together many of my quilts onto a blog of their own, and someof the leg work was done.  But I soon discovered that what is OK resolution for a web page, can be way inferior to the quality needed in book publishing, and many of the photographs I had to refind, and then rescan at high resolutions.

   After the first two books came back, I realized that my sewing experiences involved much more than just making quilts.  This idea was triggered by a slide I had scanned that showed mom wearing the silk dress I had made for her, and Nancy wearing a gingham dress I'd made, as well as myself wearing one of my favorite hand made dresses.  So the idea for "stitches" expanded dramatically. 

I was surprised at how many pictures I actually had of early sewing from the 50's and 60's, as well as photos of my little boys wearing things I had crocheded, knitted and sewn.