Tag: Band Booster Club

Forty Pounds of Ground Beef, Amongst Other Things

Leave a comment

Monday

Nothing much to report. Regular stuff.

Tuesday

I dropped off both the Penguin Party Quilt and the Layer Cake Crepe Quilt at the quilter’s house! She’s already begun quilting the Penguin Party Quilt.

I went out donation-hunting with one of the Current Band Moms for an entire afternoon.

Michael, after years of listening to me complain that we need more Halloween decorations in our front yard so that the children will know to come to our house, surprised me and put up a bunch of Halloween decorations while I was at the church running a rehearsal that evening.

Wednesday

Nathaniel had his yearly check-up. While getting into the car to drive to the doctor’s office I received a text from the school informing me that they were in lockdown for a safety issue. “No biggie,” I thought, “my kid’s not even there.”

While sitting in the waiting room, walking Nathaniel through how to fill out his own family medical history form, I got a phone call from Renaissance, who had almost passed out at school and needed me to come pick her up because she didn’t feel well enough to drive. “I can’t do that right now because I’m at the doctor with your brother,” I explained, “but I can come get you when I’m done here.” I phoned Michael, who couldn’t help me, and then I turned to Ren’s friend’s mothers, aka the “OG Band Moms.” I had help lined up in five seconds.

The “Current Band Moms” group text started getting active. The “safety issue” at the high school was a student with a gun on a bus, threatening to shoot up the school with his buddy. Police were swarming the place. The nurse called us back for Nathaniel’s appointment. I tried to be a good mom and not be on the phone during my child’s appointment, but c’mon! Ailing adult child in one direction and potential school shooting in the other. Longest well-child appointment of my life.

Got a new text from the school as I was pulling into my driveway, saying that the threat had ended and that school would return to normal soon. I told Nathaniel to stay home until one of his friends at school called him and said things were definitely back to normal. Then I left with Ren’s buddy, Riley (son of an OG Band Mom), to drive to her school so we could pick her up and Riley could drive her car back home.

Ren’s instructor wouldn’t let her leave until she got to speak to me, so I had to go inside for a chat that made me decide to take Ren to the Emergency Room. Riley drove her car home while I drove Ren home, and then I took Ren into the Emergency Room, where we spent the rest of the day. Seriously. 11:00am-7:25pm.

Silver lining: I finished the Husband Christmas Socks.

Other good news: Kid with the gun on the bus didn’t actually have a gun. But he did make threats and was sent away for that.

Thursday

Football Game! Which meant Pep Band/Band Mom duties! Due to the homecoming game being canceled, this was now our big halftime show, PLUS the regularly-scheduled Senior Night AND Eighth Grade Night, where we invite the eighth grade band students to come play with the pep band so they can get a feel for what it will be like if they choose to continue with band in high school.

As part of this event, we host a Taco Potluck, with food assignments given out by grade level. I started up some taco meat in the crockpot, made two other crockpots of beans, and also posted a reminder on Facebook that we really needed people to send food to the potluck because we were expecting 170-190 kids at the dinner that night. (120 high school kids + up to 70 middle school kids.)

The Cross Country team had a restaurant fundraiser that day as well, so I had scheduled to have lunch with the OG Band Moms and one of their sons (not Riley). As I pulled into the parking lot I got a Facebook Messenger notification:

Hi Cara, I saw your post about needing meat for Tacos tonight. I went to our local butcher and they donated 40lbs of ground beef. I can’t cook all of this myself and I only have one crockpot. HELP!

Wait…WHAT?!

I then spent many minutes phoning the person who sent the message and getting the lay of the land, and then I went into Mission Mode to find people to get the meat, disperse it, and get it cooked. I wasn’t the best lunch attendee for the first part of the lunch, but darn it, that ground beef found places to go. (Credit is really due to one of the Current Band Moms who basically took the project over.)

So that was awesome! We ended up having ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO band students at the potluck. It was so much fun! They took up twice the amount of bleachers in the stadium and it was such a great sight!

Friday

NO. SCHOOL. (Thank you!!)

I went to the gym for the first time in WEEKS, and then I watched movies with Renaissance, who still didn’t feel well, for the rest of the day. I drifted in and out of consciousness.

Saturday

Woke up at 3:00am. Sigh. Decided to use my early start to get caught up on my Ward Activities Committee and Social Media Director callings. That kept me busy until 6:00am. I then spent the rest of the day getting stuff done around the house while Michael worked on grinding all the stumps down in the front yard. It was A LOT of work!

Sunday

8:30am warm-up call for a small women’s choir I was conducting in two sacrament meetings that day. A year ago, before all the ward boundary changes, I was choir director and we were preparing a beautiful SSA arrangement of “The Old Churchyard,” but it didn’t come to fruition. My friend remembered it a couple months ago and asked if I’d consider resurrecting it. So we got the old gang back together, and since the original singers of the song are split between two different wards now, we decided to just go ahead and perform in both of those wards. I DID try to get singers from the other ward as well, but only one panned out. It wasn’t an exclusionary decision.

But yeah, we performed in the 9:00am sacrament meeting and the 11:00am sacrament meeting.

And there was a Linger Longer after church ended, so I helped with setting that up and making sure it went smoothly.

And then there was ward choir after the Linger Longer, so I went to that. Our pianist had gone home, so I also played the piano (read: plunked out single parts because Cara is NOT a piano player) for ward choir.

And now I am home and I am very tired and I bid you adieu.

This Week’s Progress

  • Dropped off the Penguin Party quilt and the Layer Cake Crepe quilt at the quilter’s house.
  • Tended to a very sick adult child.
  • Finished the 2026 Husband Christmas Socks.
  • Dealt with forty pounds of donated ground beef and heartily fed 192 teenagers.
  • Pulled off a multi-ward women’s choir performance.
  • Helped with a very successful Linger Longer.
  • #absolutelyrockingit

So Much for a Breezy Homecoming

1 Comment

This last week went COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS! Lemme break it down…

Homecoming Chaos

I woke up last Sunday thinking I had homecoming completely under control. No dresses to make or hem, only a tie and corsage to purchase, and that was already done. Dinner and photos set up. This was going to be a BREEZE.

And then I went to church.

I caught up with the other two moms of the boys going to homecoming and found out that one of the boys’ dates was gluten-sensitive. The mom who had originally volunteered to host dinner at her house declared that she was really uncomfortable with feeding someone with a gluten sensitivity, and the other mom, who was already taking the photos, was super busy that day and also not completely comfortable with the responsibility of providing a gluten-free dining experience. So I volunteered to take over. I have a handful of friends with gluten intolerances whom I have fed in the past, so I knew I could handle it.

Alright, I could host a dinner for five teenagers. The theme of the dance was something like “Nights in Rio,” so I decided we’d go with something that would be easy to make gluten-free: Mexican-ish, which I could pass off, in the most white bread of ways, as Brazilian/South American. My husband loves to grill, so he said he’d make carne asada and fajita veggies. The other moms volunteered to bring the cilantro rice and fruit platter, and the grandmother of one of the boys heard of the theme and insisted I take a strawberry horchata drink mix home with me to serve them, which I thought was the cutest thing ever. That left me to prepare the beans, taco toppings, tortillas (wheat and corn), and desserts (which Renaissance took over). Renaissance made her now-famous pumpkin spice cupcakes (not gluten-free) because Nathaniel requested them, and then she also made Brazilian brigadeiros and pineapple-coconut sorbet.

I was thinking about what it would be like to be a teenage girl who just learned that she’d be having dinner at her date’s house, and I decided I wanted to make it a little fancier for them than “dinner at home” because, c’mon, it’s HOMECOMING. I decided to keep leaning into the “Nights in Rio” theme and turn my dining room into an elegant Brazilian(ish) restaurant.

I sent out a request on my ward’s Relief Society Facebook group to borrow anything that would support my vision and my sisters in Christ did not disappoint! Linens, serving ware, lighting, florals, greenery…I had ordered a few things from Amazon to decorate with, but ended up not using any of it because my dear friends came through so generously, down to the fairy lights and LED candles! This was SUCH a fun experience, and a reminder that we are all so much better off within a loving community. These ladies were so joyfully committed to giving these dear boys of ours a beautiful homecoming experience from start to finish, and I love them even more for all their help.

So, yeah, kind of chaotic, but it all worked out in the end.

BUT WAIT, I’m not finished!

Because I said CHAOS.

In my #craftygoals post I mentioned that I almost took the Penguin Party Quilt to the quilter’s house this week, but didn’t end up getting to that task.

You know why that was?

Oh, I’ll tell you. Because, in addition to setting up this charming homecoming dinner at home idea, I’m also the president of the band boosters and homecoming means a parade and halftime performance and all the logistics that go into that. But whatever, I’m old hat at this by now.

And then Wednesday happened.

I was working on the homecoming dinner plans and getting ready to reach out to the quilter to set up a time to drop off the Penguin Party quilt, when my phone buzzed with a text. I picked up my phone and saw that it was the Band Booster Board Members’ group chat.

. Secretary: My son just told me the homecoming football game is canceled tomorrow. ???

Me: LoL if that’s true because I just can’t .

. Secretary: He said the other team canceled the rest of their season.

I’ll spare you the rest of the panicked text conversation, but yes, ten minutes later there was an all-district alert sent out stating that our homecoming football game was called off because the other team had ended their season. THE DAY BEFORE our homecoming football game, we found out the opposing football team had canceled the rest of their season.

The school district made the decision to keep the parade on the books and move all the football-game-related stuff (homecoming royalty, marching band halftime performance) to the next football game, so we adjusted a few things surrounding the parade and went to work. The next day and a half involved a lot of texts, waiting for confirmations, and a general feeling of anxiety. But it went fine! Woo hoo!

Parade? Check.

Game? Canceled.

Dinner? Check. (So good…the carne asada smelled AMAZING and I think strawberry horchata is one of my new favorite things!)

Dance? Check.

Wandering around the house on Sunday in a comatose state? Double-check.

An excellent homecoming week, despite the obvious hiccups!

Crafting

As you can guess, not a lot of time for crafting. But since the Husband Christmas Socks live in a portable knitting bag, I have managed to sneak in a few rows here and there. We’re getting into the home stretch with these, I’m so excited!

I am really pining for some time to work on Rachel’s graduation quilt, but I don’t even remember the last time I was in the craft room.

I’m looking at my calendar for the upcoming week and I don’t think I’m going to find much time to work on creative pursuits this week, either. I need to break down all the homecoming decorations and return them, and it looks like this is THE week for planning meetings and rehearsals for a bunch of other stuff. A big life takes a lot of work! See you next week…maybe I’ll have finished up the socks by then?

No pictures because I’m feeling protective of our guests and don’t want to splash other people’s kids’ photos across the internet, and because the Husband Christmas Socks are a gift.

The Lovely Hurry of Ordinary Life

Leave a comment

The school year is massively underway! Life is operating at a breakneck, nonstop pace!

Cross Country

We hosted the Cross Country team dinner before this week’s meet, and it was so much fun! If I could do my parenting all over again, I would have pushed for every one of my kids to run cross country. That group of kids and their parents are just the best sort of human beings. They all work hard, they’re all polite, and they’re a no-drama group who are always thankful for anything you do for them. I love that Nathaniel runs cross country.

We served a pasta bar with amazing garlic breadsticks, and Renaissance spent three days making custom decorated sugar cookies for the team. Nathaniel sure has a sister who loves him!

The meet went well. I always enjoy cheering with the other parents as we move from spot to spot on the course. I think Nathaniel finished fourth on his team, and, compared to this time last year, he is running faster. He’s not at a personal record (PR) pace just yet, but he’s steadily improving.

Relief Society Activities, Now Featuring Rachel

Rachel is serving on the Relief Society Activities Committee and she conducted the activity that was held this past week. She was adorable. It’s so funny to me that she doesn’t really like public speaking, but she’ll soldier through because, while she doesn’t like doing it, she fully realizes it’s not going to kill her to speak in front of people. Sometimes that’s the healthiest mindset for getting through something.

Pep Band

Another home football game, another potluck for the pep band! We did a chili and baked potato bar this time and once again had too much food left over. Better than the alternative!

It was also our Alumni Night, where we invited any and all band alumni back to play with the band for funsies. The turnout was a little smaller than we’d hoped, but Renaissance and her two band buddies decided to go and it was so cute to see both Nathaniel and Ren playing in the same band. It was a nice evening.

Three young adults pose together at their pep band alumni night.

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

Haven’t touched it. Not one bit. When would I have had the time?

Husband Christmas Socks

Still slogging away on ’em. They look good; it just takes a long time to knit socks for man-sized feet.

Gardening

We’re trying to tidy things up in the yard before winter arrives. We’ve cleared the area where I want to plant the bulbs, and then Michael offered to build me a raised bed there, so at the moment it’s a bit of a mess. AND…our plans for next weekend have changed drastically, so I don’t know if we’re going to get this project finished anytime soon. Eek!

There’s another busy week ahead of us, but it’s mostly really fun stuff! It’ll be fun to share with you next week!

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation

Two Weeks, One Cold & Some Very Large Pencil Crayons

Leave a comment

Fear not, dear readers, ’twas only a cold that kept me from checking in for the last two weeks. The Boy brought it home after only one week at school, and Renaissance and I caught it within three days and it flattened us for nine days straight. Hopefully we’re now done with back-to-school illnesses. One and done. ONE AND DONE, YOU HEAR ME?!

(Except that I just re-read my last check-in post and remembered that we had a mild virus in the week before we had the cold…TWO AND DONE, YOU HEAR ME?!)

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

Borders on the artist graduation quilt in black polka dot and rainbow stripes.

I did manage to find a little bit of time to work on her quilt! I added the top and bottom borders on the signature backing, so that side is officially done!

And we also have fully assembled pencil crayons and drawing lines for the front of the quilt. I stuck them up on the design wall and Renaissance walked into the craft room shortly thereafter and just busted up laughing.

“Those pencil crayons are OBSCENELY large!”

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation

And yeah, they are. Almost four feet tall. I’ve never made a quilt like this before and it is weird to have elements that big. I’m sure it will look amazing when it’s complete. Which shouldn’t be too long from now.

I mean…then I’ll have to quilt it and who knows how long I’ll drag my feet on that?!?! Sigh.

Husband Christmas Socks

The heel is completely turned, the gusset is finished, and I am firmly entrenched in the knitting of the foot at this point. I think we’re going to make it, guys.

I love knitting when the autumn vibes set in! It’s so satisfying to work with wool when the view includes crimson leaves peeking out from fog. Michael bought me a pumpkin spice creamer at the store last week, and I’ve been adding it to my rooibos chai in the morning and it’s just *perfection.* A warm cinnamon cuppa, hearty wool clicking on the needles and wispy fog make for the best kind of mornings.

Back-to-School

The first home football game (and pep band potluck and performance) is in the books! Everything went well, it was fantastic to see everyone again and we’re sounding really good for so early in the season! It was our big hometown rival game and we were winning until we weren’t, sad face.

Mother and son hugging at a pep band pre-game potluck dinner

It was a really good game though, so hopefully that bodes well for the rest of the season.

There have also been a handful of Cross Country meets and invitationals. We went to the farthest-away invitational this past weekend, which required a ferry ride!

Father and son hug on a ferry boat with a red and orange sunrise in the background

It was a lovely day; there was no cell service where we were, so it was a day of conversation and walking, which is always a nice break from this crazy digital age that we find ourselves held hostage in. I nestled under my Florabelle Hexie Stripe quilt while the morning was chilly and damp, happy to chat with other parents while knitting away on a decoy sock. We ate wonderful bagels from a super cute local bagel shop, and the kids tumbled over each other as they laughed and waited for their assigned races. By afternoon it was warm and sunny and we were ready to cheer for everyone as they ran a beautiful PNW course lined with cedar trees and lush ferns. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Autumn is Here

Blueberry bush leaves turning red in autumn

The weather is lovely right now, a perfect blend of foggy, rainy days interspersed with warm and sunny days to dry everything out for a little while before heading back into overcast. The leaves are starting to turn in earnest, and I’ve officially had to start wearing a hoodie in the mornings. Such a pretty time of year. Hopefully it translates to some more crafting time soon, but back-to-school is a busy time of year, so let’s just keep our expectations low through October.

I’ll get caught up on posting the House & Holiday Plan posts soon.

A summer flowering planter with an American flag

Summer is Packing Its Suitcase

Leave a comment

Well, as far as I’m concerned, summer is pretty much over. I keep my patriotic summery decorations up through September 11th, and then it’ll be full-on autumn here in Brooketopia.

Smitten English Paper Piecing Quilt

I gave my knee another week of rest, just to be safe, and spent my creative time working on the Smitten Quilt. I am thisclose to being done with attaching all the rows into one cohesive quilt top! So exciting!

A Smitten English paper-pieced quilt in-progress.

Then I’ll need to attach the side triangles and two borders and the top will be complete. I am hoping to hand-quilt this one, so I talked to Renaissance and Rachel about the idea of me setting it up in the TV Room so that anyone could put some stitches in when they pleased and the two of them were intrigued. Fingers crossed, it would speed up the process and I love the idea of all of us quilting it together.

Rachel came downstairs one day while I had the two halves of the Smitten quilt laid out on the TV Room’s floor and immediately yelled out, “PLAGIARISM!” and ran out of the room. I yelled that it wasn’t plagiarism because I started sewing my Smitten quilt years before she started sewing hers, to which she replied, “I’m the one committing plagiarism!” as she dashed up the stairs to the craft room. Turns out she really liked one of my blocks and decided to shamelessly copy it in her own Smitten quilt. Ha ha.

I don’t know if I’ll keep pushing forward with this in the upcoming week, but it would be smart if I did!

Husband Christmas Socks

I put in some solid effort on them this week and I’m so close to starting the heel! I think I have like two rows left to knit before I start the heel. Woo hoo!

Back-to-School

It’s upon us and I’m about to get pretty busy with band shenanigans. We held an ice cream social during this last week and it was attended pretty well. It’s the first time we’ve done something like ahead of the school year, so I’m hoping it was enough of a success to warrant repeating it in future years.

House & Holidays Plan

It’s here! It’s here! Today is the start of the 2026 House & Holidays Plan! I can finally let all my Christmas joy explode out into the world and rain down like confetti throughout the house! I’m toying with the idea of creating a separate series of posts for this this year because I really like the idea of hunkering and going all in on this. I’ve dabbled with the HHP since 2004, never really ever finishing it completely, and I appreciate the ways it prepares and organizes my holiday season. Every year I go big in the first few weeks and then lose interest, so we’ll see how long I can keep it up this year.

Week #1 is “Planning and Paperwork,” which has me cleaning up the office areas and establishing my Christmas Activity Center. I’m hoping to start working on that once I publish this post.

Farewell, Summer

So we’re buttoning up summer and getting ready to immerse ourselves into autumn. Aren’t seasons just the best?!?! I love that the landscape just changes for funsies throughout the year. Enjoy this last week of real summer, seeing that next weekend is Labor Day and everything will become orange and pumpkin spice the morning after.

No complaints here, but I’m trying to be responsible until then and remain present in the moment and the moment is summer. Wish me luck!

Pencil crayon quilt blocks in red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

The Apple and Pumpkin Overlords Are Approaching

Leave a comment

Hello lovelies! We’re already at the last full week of August! This summer flew by at such a clip! I’ve been fighting the back-to-school vibes and the alluring pull of autumn season-core, but I grow weary of the battle and will soon concede to the apple and pumpkin overlords. I got a big ol’ hit of yearning for all things fall yesterday, and actually felt excitement about it, rather than dread and overwhelm. I’m glad we’ve been trying to fit in everything watermelon and corn on the cob these past few weeks because it’s felt like a good final embrace of late summer.

Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt

Shout out to my dear friend Chrissy for saving the day so I could keep sewing this week! My printer is out of magenta ink, so it won’t print ANYTHING AT ALL. I designed these pencil crayon quilt blocks for the front of Rachel’s quilt and wanted to do them using foundation paper piecing, but couldn’t print the papers and it was going to cost $30 to print them at FedEx Kinko’s, which I wasn’t willing to spend. So I reached out to my friend at 8:45 on Sunday night and asked if she could print them, and she said to head on over. Who cares if she was packing to leave on a camping trip the following morning?! She had my back. And then we shared the hot goss in her driveway for an hour while slapping at mosquitoes biting our ankles. Excellent summer fun. Five stars.

I was able to get a good start on these blocks on Monday morning and was really cruising along until I wasn’t. I have the pencil crayon tips mostly completed, but then something started pulling in my knee early in the week and I’ve been resting and babying it since. I’ve been lucky that I’ve not had knee injuries, partly because I’m terrified of them, so I shut everything down anytime I feel anything amiss in those precious joints. Rest seems to be doing some good, so we might be ok. I tried stretching them a bit this morning and they’re cranky again, so I’ll probably keep things light this week, just to be extra safe.

Pencil crayon quilt blocks in red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

I sew standing up. My back couldn’t handle the motion of getting up from a chair very well after my back surgery, and I found standing while sewing meant less pain for me, so that’s how I’ve been doing it for many years. I might try setting up my machine at some sort of table temporarily and see if it lessens the pressure on my knees for a couple of weeks. Maybe my back is finally strong enough to sew like a normal person again? I guess we’ll find out!

Husband Christmas Socks

I am doing really well on these! I’d say I’m at least halfway, if not two-thirds to three-quarters of the way done with the leg of the second sock.

I started a new thing this week: Listening to an audiobook while knitting. It’s pretty awesome and I really recommend it. I don’t like audiobooks whatsoever; I am not strong in the audio processing department and prefer visual anything over listening to it, so it’s a big surprise to me that this new experiment actually went well. Apparently knitting may be the missing link between my brain and the spoken word?

We’ll see if it sticks, though–this was the last week of the weird summer training schedule for The Boy, and I won’t need to stick around at his practices for an hour each morning anymore. Hopefully I can still find time to knit each day when I’m no longer forced to wait around for him.

Summer Band Concerts

YOU. GUYS. Renaissance joined a local community band and they just got done performing their series of summer concerts in the park and it was SO LOVELY. I went to every one and enjoyed them so much. The sun would set over the course of the concert and everything would end on that warm and fuzzy note of a perfect summer evening spent in a camp chair on the grass. Friends showed up to support her, too, and we’d chat between pieces, basking in the golden light and beautiful music. blissful sigh

Renaissance Brooke playing flute in a summer band concert in the park at sunset

I’m so glad she’s playing music again. I missed seeing her play in a band these past couple of years while she was busting her bootay to earn money to pay for pastry school.

Back-to-School Band Shenanigans

We’re getting close! I manned the Band Boosters table at Tip-off this last week and it was so nice to see everyone again. As luck would have it, my table was right next to the table handing out the school bus passes, so I could easily flag down freshman students as they left that table and ask if they were in band. I was able to meet and greet A LOT of the incoming freshman band babies and their families, so it was a very good day. It’s going to be a fun year with the band, I can’t wait! I’m so glad I still have an excuse to go to the high school football games, even if I don’t have a football player in our home; it’s just such an autumn thing that I love so much. There are few things that feel more like autumn to me than a Friday night football game, the pep band playing in the stands, and our community cheering on its youngsters.

Awaiting the Apples and Preparing for Pumpkins

I didn’t do any of the things I was thinking of doing in the garden. There’s still time, but I’m starting to doubt any of it is going to happen. My cranky knee made things difficult and gardening tends to be hard on the feet and legs. We did enjoy some homemade watermelon sorbet, though, which is peak “August in a bowl.” I might try to sneak in a batch of strawberry ice cream this week, just for the sake of savoring the last days of summer.

The Ward Activities Committee had its end of the year planning meeting this morning and we talked all about sunflowers, apples, pumpkins and Christmas, so the autumn and Christmas vibes are definitely getting their little feet through the door. I also had dinner with my aunt and granny a few nights ago and I might set up a crafting project to do with my granny sometime this fall, which I think would be so awesome.

Dinner prep calls. Happy last week of August, friends!

All the blocks in the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge 2026 sew along, sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara in blue, pink and green.

craftygoals: June 2026

2 Comments

We made it to the summer! We’re in the midst of end-of-school chaos and fun, so I’m just going to leave a quick update!

Cara and Renaissance Brooke serving cake at the end of year band concert
Ren and I serving cake at the end-of-year band concert.

Debrief: May #craftygoals:

Graduation: We are working on it! It’s finally here! Made some leis, sent out most of the invitations, and Rachel and I have run quite a few errands to prepare for her graduation party. We even did her “Senior Skip Day” together because she wasn’t interested in doing the stuff her peers had planned to do, and wanted to go quilt shop-hopping with me instead! Such a fun day!

Cara and Rachel Brooke going quilt shop hopping on Rachel's high school Senior Skip Day.
Senior Skip Day: Quilt Shop Hopping!

Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge Sew Along: I finished all sixteen blocks! It still needs its setting blocks and final construction and finishing, which I had hoped to do in May, but alas, that did not happen.

All the blocks in the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge 2026 sew along, sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara in blue, pink and green.

Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: Kept up with the blocks until this last Friday because I caught the cold that’s going around these parts and I’m recuperating from that. Did not work ahead on June’s blocks as I hoped I would.

Blocks 1-14 in the Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along, sewn in green, pink, red, orange and yellow fabrics.

Graduation Quilts: Received the last block I was waiting on for Ren’s quilt and bought some fabric for the new top I’m going to make for it. Received the fabric for Rachel’s quilt top but haven’t started on it. Sent out lots of blocks to be signed for Rachel’s quilt and received most of them back.

Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: I am SO CLOSE to being done with the binding; there’s only about two feet left to hand-stitch.

Sew Many Stars BOM Christmas Quilt: Nope.

Smitten EPP Quilt: I put in some decent time on this on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Rachel has started her own Smitten quilt, and she is surging forward with it, which lights a fire under my keister to finish up mine because mine’s been in progress for almost six years now. Can’t let her beat me!

In-progress shot of a scrappy "Smitten" English paper pieced quilt in a rainbow of colors.

[H1] June #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Graduation: This is it! We’re there! The next two weeks are going to be such a whirlwind of activity! All focus is on graduation, so I doubt I’ll work on anything outside of that.

Summer Plans: I always flail a little bit when we head into summer break, but there’s a lot going on this summer with Nathaniel, so there’s a lot of logistical details to execute for him throughout the season.

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

I am actually not going to make any goals for June. I’m going to be so busy with graduation and the inevitable clean-up and reset afterwards that I don’t want the extra pressure on my shoulders. IF I find some downtime to work on creative stuff, then great; but I’m not going to publicly declare any intentions.

Heads-Up on Possible Radio Silence:

This is going to be a very busy summer, so the blog and social media channels might go silent. If that’s the case, just know that I fully intend to be back in the swing of things by October, as always. Hopefully I can remember to check in at least once a month, but you know how it gets with sunshine activities and gardening!

In case I don’t pop through until autumn, I wish you the happiest of summers!

Layer Cake Crêpe Quilt, a free pattern from Fat Quarter Shop, made with "A Very Sweet Christmas" fabric collection designed by Bunny Hill Designs.

The Projects of 2025

Leave a comment

‘Tis the season for a wrap-up post! Let’s take a lookie-loo at what I was up to in 2025, shall we?

King David’s Crown Quilt for Fat Quarter Shop

First up in 2025 was a new pattern for Fat Quarter Shop’s “Classic and Vintage” series of patterns: King David’s Crown. I sewed it up in Corey Yoder’s “Cali & Co.” after falling in love with her choices for background fabrics in the collection. Which is odd, but whatever, the heart wants what the heart wants. I love this quilt so much! It’s so pretty!

King David’s Crown quilt pattern in Cali & Co. fabric, made by That Crafty Cara (Cara Brooke) for Fat Quarter Shop

Fish Friendship Bracelet for Rachel

I’m not sure I ever posted about this, but it happened. Rachel was helping me declutter my craft room and she came across my tattered collection of friendship bracelet instructions from my middle school days. As she flipped through them she saw the fish pattern and commented that it’d be cool to have, so I made one for her for her birthday. Not a big deal, project-wise, but it was fun to dust off that very, very old skillset.

Fish Friendship Bracelet made with orange and blue embroidery floss

Star Climber Scrap Quilt

This is still a project-in-progress, but I’m loving it. Star Climber is another free pattern from Fat Quarter Shop, created especially for scrap-busting.

A Woven Star quilt block made by That Crafty Cara (Cara Brooke) for her Star Climber Scrap Quilt.

Stripey Christmas Socks

Started in 2024, but not finished in time for last year’s Christmas, so I got them done in February. I loved wearing these fabulous Christmas socks this Christmas season! I’m on the hunt for all the different Christmas colorways of this West Yorkshire Spinners’ Signature 4-ply yarn so I can own the entire holiday rainbow!

Handknit Christmas socks made with red, green, and white self-striping yarn.

Layer Cake Crêpe Quilt for Fat Quarter Shop

You never saw this, and neither did the rest of the quilting world because I shut down my blog in from May through September of this year, with the full intention of never coming back. I had a stalker in the last part of 2024 and was granted a restraining order that forbade him from making any contact with me for an entire year. However, in the spring I started seeing some activity in my analytics that suggested he might be checking up on me via the blog and it spooked me, so I made the decision to stop feeding the monster and walk away.

But it turns out that I really love blogging and sharing my creative endeavors on social media, and I resented that I had been forced out of the things I loved by that dude. After some serious therapeutic work, I made the decision to come back online in September because I don’t think it’s fair that I be expected to abandon what I love because of someone else’s poor behavior. It’s definitely a personal, multi-faceted choice, and I do worry that it might be a foolish one, but I don’t want to spend my life hiding my talents under a bush just because someone got weird about it all. How do you continue going on if, every time you get good at something, someone behaves dumb about it and you’re expected to quit your hobby because of their choices? It’s crazy. Nope, no thanks.

So, here it is for the first time ever, my Layer Cake Crêpe quilt:

Layer Cake Crêpe Quilt, a free pattern from Fat Quarter Shop, made with "A Very Sweet Christmas" fabric collection designed by Bunny Hill Designs.

I used the “A Very Sweet Christmas” collection by Bunny Hill Designs, along with Moda Bella Solids in Baby Pink (#9900-30). It’s a super fast pattern to put together because the blocks are HUGE. It’s available for free over on Fat Quarter Shop’s website. Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop, for our ten years (!) of working together on projects like this. I’ve really enjoyed it all.

Hemming Rachel’s Prom Dress

I know that hemming isn’t an interesting “project,” but I have to include it on my list of projects because SO MUCH OF MY CRAFTING TIME is taken up with hemming formal dresses for Rachel, and I forget that I did the hemming and then wonder what was up with my time management skills because I don’t seem to get any projects done these days. Except I do; it’s just that it’s tailoring and hemming ballgowns for my daughter.

Teenaged girl in her Cinderella-blue strapless prom dress in 2025.

Marching Band Uniform Repair

I just want an excuse to share this picture with you because I absolutely love it:

Band Mom mends a pair of drum major pants in the back of a truck en route to a parade

One of the drum majors’ pants split right before a parade, so they were tossed to me in the back of the band trailer truck bed and I sewed as fast as I could as we travelled down the back streets of whatever town we were in to get to our starting location for the parade. Ha ha ha, another mom snapped this photo and I was very quick to ask them to share it with me because I knew I’d love it. (Pants were completed just in-time!)

Patriotic Graduation Lei

I made a bunch of music-themed graduation leis in 2024 for my daughter and her band friends, and one of the parents reached out to me this year and asked if I could make one for her graduating daughter, but with American Flag ribbon. I was pleased with how it turned out.

Graduation RIbbon Lei made with maroon, gold, and American Flag-print ribbons

Smitten Quilt

All the individual blocks are pieced! I think I started this during 2020 Lockdown, so it’s been a slow and steady work. I started attaching the blocks into rows this summer, but it will probably take a long while before this quilt is actually done. I tend to only work on it in the summer.

"Smitten" English paper-pieced half hexagon quilt blocks, made with bright quilting fabric scraps

Fourth of July Pennant Banner

I’m realizing, between the patriotic graduation lei, my husband’s Christmas socks, and now this little banner, that I’ve done a lot of Americana-themed stuff this year. I threw this together one day in June because I was decorating for the upcoming holiday and wanted my mantel to be a little cuter, so it happened.

Fourth of July patriotic American fabric bunting made with red, white, and blue fabric scraps and red and white striped ribbon

Reading Nook Cottage Quilt

I briefly mentioned this as a possible crafty goal in 2024. I ordered the fabric while I was completing my Master’s degree back in…2023(?), promising myself that I’d make something nice for myself with it once I graduated. Well, I was busy when I graduated and then everything went crazy, so I didn’t get to actually working on it until the summer of 2025. It’s a pattern of my own design, but nothing special; anyone could reverse-engineer it pretty fast. It’s still a work-in-progress; I decided to set it aside so I could resume working on Ren’s Penguin quilt.

Cottage Quilt in progress, made with "Reading Nook" fabric collection in teal, orange, and purple fabrics

Penguin Parade Quilt

This is the quilt that never ends. I really thought 2025 was going to be the year, but alas, it was not. Fingers crossed for 2026!

Penguin Party quilt made with pastel plaid flannels

Hemming Rachel’s Homecoming Dress

Such a pretty dress, but I was sick while I hemmed it and when she went off to the dance, so I don’t really have any photos of it.

Hemming Rachel’s Daffodil Princess Selection Dress

Oh my gosh, I am sick of hemming formal dresses. I would so much rather make the entire dress than hem a store-bought one. Hemming the dress is the worst part, and Rachel does not enjoy the process of being fitted for a handmade dress, so I no longer get to experience the exciting parts of dressmaking, just the worst parts. Boo. (She did look so pretty in this dress at the Daffodil Princess Selection Ceremony, though! Still proud of her!)

Rachel Brooke, wearing a light pink formal gown, and her family at the Daffodil Princess selection ceremony

Christmas Alphabet Embroidery Sampler

I really enjoyed working on this. It is FINISHED, but awaiting framing. The frame has even been purchased, but between the Thanksgiving bout of COVID, the Montana funeral chaos and all the schedule upsets that accompanied the Epic Washington State Flooding in December, I haven’t yet gotten to framing it.

Rustic Christmas Alphabet Embroidery Sampler in folksy colors

Peppermint Blossoms EPP

I think I’m going to scale down this project. I’m tired of it. It’s cute-ish, but I’m just not seeing a vision for it anymore.

Red, Green, and White Peppermint Blossoms English Paper Piecing Quilt units

Hubby’s Christmas Gift Socks: American Flag Socks

They turned out pretty amazing. He loves them! Such a fun yarn colorway, and I’m really enjoying throwing contrasting heels and toes onto self-striping yarn socks. If only I could remember to also do the cuff/ribbing in the contrasting color as well! It makes my heart happy to see another set of socks in his growing pile of gifted Christmas socks.

Handknit socks made with self-striping American Flag yarn from The Painted Tiger.

Knitted Christmas Ornaments

I started both the Wee Woolly Sheep and an Arne & Carlos Christmas Ball, but neither are complete due to the craziness of December. Hopefully I’ll pick them up again and finish them by Christmas 2026.

Wee Woolly Sheep knitted Ornament in-progress, made with gray and white yarn.
Arne & Carlos knit Christmas Ball in-progress, made with blue and white yarn.

Looking Ahead to 2026

I am really hoping to do more creating in 2026. 2025 was a tough year that was spent in a quasi-paralysis as I recovered from the complications of my 2024 surgery, the trauma of the stalker, and adjusting to some big life changes. I have high hopes for 2026 because, really, things should definitely trend upwards after all the weird upsets we’ve experienced recently. The law of averages works that way, right?

So, hopefully, part of the reason that 2026 will be better than 2025 is that I’ll do more creating in the craft room. Fingers crossed!

Old Photos, New Thoughts: Looking Back as Spring Marches on…

Leave a comment

Whew! April is HERE and we are happily enjoying its beauty and all the work that it brings our way. Children prance about in the sunlight, there’s Easter and General Conference preparations to take care of, and there’s beginning to be a bit of “school will be ending” energy in the kids’ activities, despite there being a good two months of attendance left. There’s just something about the beginning of April; it’s peak spring and looking-to-the-future vibes. I love it!

.

The band was involved in a big bunch of parades over the weekend, so there was a lot of prep work for that. Band Boosters pack lunches for all the kids and chaperones, which requires a bit of logistical tap-dancing, but we got ‘er done. Rachel also got to be in the parade this year—she pushed the wheelchair of one of the band students. As luck would have it, that student plays percussion, just like Nathaniel, and the two of them were placed next to each other in the parade formation so I was able to get photos of both Rachel and Nathaniel together in a parade! I never thought that would happen. (I’m not going to post those photos because there’s a whole bunch of other kids from the school in the shot and I would not like it if other parents posted pictures of my kids in public spaces on the internet.)

.

I was looking through old photos of the kids doing gardening and Easter prep work throughout the years and feeling all the feels from those days. What a blessing it has been to be able to easily share their childhood moments with family through the blog and through social media. It was not part of my plan to have lived so far away from family while my kids were growing up, but at least there was an easy way to keep in touch. I’m so thankful for blogging and social media in that regard, and more grateful on top of that when I consider all the great opportunities that have come into my life because of the blog, namely, the opportunity to collaborate with Fat Quarter Shop, Blank Quilting, and the other businesses that I’ve teamed up with to promote quilting and knitting projects.

.

I’ve been on Instagram for over eleven years now. Who would have thought that little free photo-sharing app would turn into what it’s now become? The online world has changed so much over the years, and I’m a little sad to say that I’ve found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace. The pressure to stay relevant and adapt to new trends can sometimes overshadow the joy of creating. More and more I find myself wondering if I want to keep participating in a rat race where the rules keep changing without any notification or warning. Somber thoughts for such a beautiful time of year, but there you go…

.

Happy April!

King David’s Crown quilt pattern in Cali & Co. fabric, made by That Crafty Cara (Cara Brooke) for Fat Quarter Shop

A Final Stitch for February, a Fresh Thread for March

Leave a comment

I’m grateful that the end of the grayest month of the year opens the doors for the most hopeful month of the year. We made it, folks! It only gets brighter and greener from here! Whew!

February Finishes & Highlights:

.

  • Stripey Christmas Socks
  • Piscis Project, which I only just gifted to Rachel over the weekend and still haven’t taken pictures of…
  • Quesnel survived her kidney infection, thanks to our consistent administration of antibiotics twice a day, which is not a task for the faint-hearted
  • Nathaniel received a Superior rating on the xylophone at Solo Competition
  • Rachel celebrated her 17th birthday
  • Nathaniel was awarded the “Rookie of the Year” award for Auto class, which is a CTE award given to freshmen
  • I managed, with help from other band parents (obviously), to distribute, collect, and award both the Band Senior Scholarship Essay competition and the Annual Headphone Fundraiser Raffle.

February Progress:

King David’s Crown quilt pattern in Cali & Co. fabric, made by That Crafty Cara (Cara Brooke) for Fat Quarter Shop

.

A Woven Star quilt block made by That Crafty Cara (Cara Brooke) for her Star Climber Scrap Quilt.

.

Plans for March:

  • Quilting the King David’s Crown Quilt, perhaps finishing it altogether
  • Star Climber Scrap Quilt progress
  • Cherry Twilight sock progress
  • Midnight Lark sock progress
  • Garden preparations
  • Track Season
  • Michael’s birthday
  • Prom prep (Rachel is still deciding whether or not she wants me to sew her dress)
  • Easter Sacrament Meeting Program prep
  • Maybe some Easter celebration prep, if time allows

As much as I love to see the door hit February in the butt as it exits the room, I will miss the quieter pace of the last two months of winter hibernation. The sun is shining more and more each day, I actually hear birdsong when I venture outside, and I know that the activities of spring will soon start crowding out my time set aside for crafting. I struggle with this transition every year, trying to figure out how to spend as much time as possible on so many activities that I love for various reasons. Thankfully, I live on the wet side of Washington State, so we are still in for some seriously rainy weather, so darn, I guess I’ll just have to stay inside on those days and catch up on my stitching!

Happy March! Enjoy the return of the sunshine!