The Denver Allen's

Cinderella

2012-01-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Come on guys, I'm trying to get some work done here!

2011-11-28T23:15:00.001-07:00

I started making Christmas presents today.

I know, I'm a little late in the game.

This is what I had to put up with! Josie is worse then the kids!

Finally I finish my project. I fold it up all nice and neat and put it on the table. I'm not gone five minutes and this is what I come back too! Junie has fluffed up the blanket all nice and neat and decided it's time to lay down.

Oh yeah, that yawn means she's in for the long haul.

Some pictures of the creations we'll be making!

2011-11-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Quilt Parade ~ Sewing Classes for November - January

2011-11-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Quilt Parade ~ Sewing Classes by Jeni Allen

Open Craft Night: Bring a snack to share or donate $5

Tuesday, November 29, 7-9.

Thursday, December 8, 7-9

Thursday, January 12, 7-9

Thursday, January 26, 7-9

Join us as we get together and make magic! Bring your work(s) in progress and hang out with us as we craft together. Great inspiriation provided! Open to 16+.

Introduction to Sewing ~ Pillowcase $20

Saturday, December 10, 10-12

This two hour class will give you the foundation to master sewing! You will learn the basics of machine sewing, including threading the machine and bobbin, using different stitch settings, and adjusting tensions and stitch lengths. You will make a quick and easy pillowcase!

Supplies Needed

2/3 yd main fabric and 1/3 yd coordinating fabric

Introduction to Sewing ~ Reversible Tote Bag $20

Tuesday, December 20, 1-3

Intro to sewing will show you that your sewing machine IS your friend! You will learn the in's and out's of a sewing machine, basic stitches, and make this SUPER easy reversible tote bag. See? Told you it was easy!

Supplies Needed:

1/2 Yard Fabric for Outside of Bag

1/2 Yard of Coordinating Fabric for Lining

1/2 Yard of Canvas for Interfacing

Pajama Pants $25

Saturday, November 19, 10-12:30;

Tuesday, December 6, 1-3.

Sew a pair of Pajama pants! Make cozy pajama pants for you or for a gift. Pajama pants are perfect for bumming around the house all winter long!

Supplies needed

2 7/8 yds fabric (we suggest a cozy flannel!), 1 yard of trim for bottom, and 1" elastic to waist measurment.

Ultra Soft Baby Blanket $20

December 17, 10-12

Minkee is my favorite soft fabric for the back of this blanket; so warm and snuggly! Fleece is a close second. Takes no time at all to whip out right before a baby shower!

Supplies Needed:

1 Yard Fabric for Top

3/4 Yard Minkee for Back Basic sewing skills required.

Intro to Quilting: $25

Saturday, December 3 10-12.

In Intro To Quilting, we will make a miniature quilt, fondly called a Mug Rug (perfect for a latte and muffin - yum!). The skills that you learn in this class are the same for making any size quilt; just on a smaller scale for time!

Supplies provided.

Sugar Loaf Pouch, $35

Tuesday, January 17, 10-1

These are perfect for cosmetics, sewing notions, cell phone, etc. Clips to your handbag or stroller! Basic sewing skills required.

Supplies Provided.

A Line Skirt $30

Tuesday, December 13, 10-1

Make an adorable A-line skirt with a fitted waist and zipper. This skirt is easy-breezy and looks flattering on everyone! Basic sewing skills required.

Supplies Needed

2 yds fabric, 7” zipper, matching thread, 1 package of matching double fold bias tape.

Kaftan Blouse $40

Saturday, January 7, 10-3 ~ break provided for lunch

This easy to wear and flattering top will look great over jeans. This is a great class to expand your sewing knowledge to garment construction. Sewing skills required.

Supplies Needed

3yds fabric, matching thread.

How to sign up for classes:

Please call or email Jeni Allen

303-731-3912 or 720-227-4713

craigandjeni@gmail.com

remembering Calvin

2011-10-18T21:09:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I went to Donna's house in Utah. Last Saturday marked the three year anniversary of her beautiful son Calvin, being killed. Donna has a famous neighbor, some of you know her as Petite Elephant. She's wonderful. She wrote the most beautiful post about it. I'm sharing it with you, enjoy. Go and give them both some love. Somehow my awesome sister does walk around breathing everyday. She's so strong. The strongest person I know. . . well, I guess she ties with her husband there. They are both so awesome and their younger boys are growing up beautifully.

We let 16 paper lanterns off at his grave at 8:25. Exactly the time on the death certificate. We let 16 lanterns off because Calvin would have been 16 right now. A beautiful way to celebrate his life. Lots of friends and family showed up to celebrate Calvin's epic life. RIP Calvin. I love you.

remembering Calvin

by ALLISON on OCTOBER 18, 2011 in FAMILY, FAMILY_REMEMBERING · 2 COMMENTS

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Today’s post is a serious one, about remembering Calvin. Three years ago on Saturday I received a horrible phone call from my dear friend Donna telling me her oldest son Calvin had been killed in a car accident. The whole thing was a nightmare, and I still don’t know how Donna walks around breathing every day. Calvin was an adorable, handsome, sweet, gifted 14-year-old who died too soon.

Calvin’s accident was just that; something tragic, an avoidable accident. Calvin hated seat belts, and on a family road trip took his off to get more comfortable. Everyone else in the car wearing a seat belt escaped with “superficial” injuries.

This is the part where I use this platform to stand up on a soapbox for a minute. I can’t tell you how many times a day/week I see kids sitting on their parents lap, driving around town, on the freeway {!}, and in the carpool lane.

The seat belts in your car are there for you to be protected, please don’t be complacent about the safety of your children. The grief and heartache that can be avoided is immeasurable; you can take a simple precaution and WEAR your seat belt all the time, always.

Donna has been working with the Zero Fatalities campaign in Utah, along with other families who’ve endured similar tragedies. She’s received a small measure of comfort educating the public, hopefully reaching youth who will listen to her advice.

Please listen.

On Saturday to commemorate his death, his family went to the cemetery where he’s buried and set off 14 colorful paper lanterns into the night sky. It was a beautiful remembrance of a beautiful boy.

– Donna wrote a sweet post about Calvin if you’d like to read it. There’s music on her blog, so mute your speakers if you’re at work. –

{photo by Yang Tee Mon}

Sweet Sixteen

2011-09-26T14:47:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday that I was coming home from the hospital with a precious baby girl. Now that little girl is 16! I know everyone said the time would fly, but I had no idea how quickly. It's not that we haven't done anything in the last 16 years. Alyssa has lived in seven states, two different countries and 15 different homes. That's a lot, even for someone grown up!

We had a party for her last Friday. She had quite a few friends come.

I had so much fun making Alyssa's John Deere cake!

Alyssa's friends giving her her "dating survival kit".

Check out that cute tablecloth I made from farm fabric and muslin!

We had quite the spread. Fruit tray, veggie tray, chips, ham, chicken and egg salad sandwiches, and Alyssa's personal favorite, cinnamon rolls.

It all seems a little crazy. I can't believe she has grown up so much, is a full two inches taller than me and is going to be driving soon. She goes and gets her drivers permit after school today. Before I know it she'll be going away. It was hard enough to let her turn 16, I don't know about this college thing. Hopefully she won't want to go far away. I'd like to keep my sweet Alyssa close to home.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-13T21:57:00.000-06:00

Gypsy Romance - Three Tiered Skirt

2011-09-11T21:01:00.000-06:00

I recently planned a day of fabric shopping with some of my friends. We had a great time. I went into the trip with a plan. I wanted to buy fabric to make the Gypsy Romance - Three Tiered Skirt, found here.

I didn't find exactly the same fabric, but I found some great stuff. I found "Bohemian Soul Collection" and "Dreaming in French Collection". I put the skirt together in this order. I love how it turned out. Now I'm not quite the skinny minny in the picture above, but I love how it turned out! I was lucky enough to find a great shop called "Fabric Bliss" in the artsy district on Santa Fe.

More pictures to follow! I finished it this weekend and it's beautiful!

Birthdays

2011-09-08T15:04:00.001-06:00

It's birthday season at the Allen household. I did a really bad job of taking pictures. Sydney turned 9 on August 21. Meagan turned 11 on September 6. But the one I'm really excited about is Alyssa. She's turning the 'sweet sixteen' this year. One thing I always wanted when I was growing up was a Hope Chest. I really want my girls to have one too. So Alyssa and I have been looking at old antique ones on Craigslist.com. The new ones just don't have as much character. Today I went and picked one up. I absolutely love it.

Isn't it beautiful. It was a bit of a drive to get over to Wheat Ridge. But so worth it! Now to keep it a secret until her birthday! That's not until September 25. It's a good thing my blog isn't cool enough for her to read on a daily basis! So if you know Alyssa, make sure to wish her a happy birthday.

This weekend we are having a joint birthday party for the younger girls. I'll share the pictures of that next week. We're being super fancy, renting a redbox and making homemade pizza. I think it will be a lot of fun.

Wordless Wednesday ~ take two!

2011-08-24T22:02:00.004-06:00

After Photo

Wildflowers in Iowa

I just want to snatch them up

and put them on my dining room table. . .

year round.

They make me so happy!

Edited in Picnik ~ love that program!
All vacation photos taken by Alyssa!

Wordless Wednesday ~ pr-edited photo

2011-08-24T14:01:00.004-06:00

BLOOMINGTON

2011-08-23T16:54:00.002-06:00

In between Battle Ground, Indiana and Des Moines, Iowa, we went to visit my brother and sister in law in Bloomington, Indiana. That is where Craig went to school. He graduated at Indiana University in 1999. While he was going to school there, we were newly married. Alyssa and Mac were born, 20 months apart. They were so much fun. They continue to be more fun as they grow up. We have two sets of kids, the big kids and the little girls. Even though Mac and Meagan are only 3.5 years apart, it feels like a lifetime. Honestly, I couldn't have planned it better. It worked really well to break things up like that.

Anyway, as I reminisce, I must tell you one of the fun things we did while we were in Bloomington. We went by the old apartment in Campus View. We were housing assistants, which meant we were the evening and weekend managers. It was a great job for being in school. It meant I could stay home with the munchkins while Craig pursued his College degree. When we went by Campus View, I asked if I could show the kids one of the apartments. The lady in the office said our exact apartment had just been vacated and cleaned and we could look at that one! I couldn't believe our good luck. I jumped with excitement. I took the kids into our 550 square foot apartment and showed them everything. It took about 23 seconds. We opened all the closets (okay, all two of them), looked in the bathroom, checked out our teeny tiny kitchen that consisted of a wall in the livingroom. I showed Mac the balcony where he used to eat dirt out of my plants. He still loves dirt! It was so much fun to check out the old digs. What a trip. We lived in a 550 square foot apartment the first four years we were married, and now, after 17 years of marriage are living in a 2700 square foot house. Somehow we even filled it up! It was so fun to show the kids the old place.

One of the perks of living in Campus View was that there was a family library right down the hall. Can you imagine being able to walk down the hall and check out books, take your little ones to storytime, score a movie in the middle of the night (ya know since we were the HA's). Allison, my sister in law, is going to IU for Library Sciences. She is in charge of that very library. So. . . she had the keys! We took the kids to see that too. It was fun for Allison to show us around, and us to tell her how we used to 'borrow' movies in the middle of the night. She laughed and said they probably still do that.

We drove all over Bloomington and showed the kids all the old landmarks. The second day we were there we went to a State Park. It was called Spring Mill State Park. They have a working mill there that's powered by a water wheel. It was really hot that day.

We brought a picnic lunch and played in the 54 degree water that flowed out from the cave. Then we watched a great demo of having the corn made into meal. We bought some and brought it home.

The best part of the corn meal was the recipes on the back. Craig made corn cakes last week, and they did not disappoint. So yummy. We had so much fun with Mike and Allison. Thanks for the great times!

All vacation photos taken by Alyssa!

INDIANA

2011-08-22T20:47:00.001-06:00

We started our vacation out on a Thursday morning around 4am. We were headed east to Indiana to visit Craig's homestead, where his parents and youngest brother still live. It was such a great time. Grandma Carol and Grandpa Gary never fail to disappoint. We were treated to the upstairs bedroom, the former dormitory for the eight boys. It's the perfect guest room when we come to visit. They blow the air cold and we don't even know it's a gazillion percent humidity outside.

We made it to Indiana about midnight Thursday night/Friday morning. It was an absolutely beautiful drive. I took so many pictures of the gorgeous corn fields in Iowa. It brought back so many great memories of growing up. Even thought I was a city girl living in Iowa, I couldn't go far without seeing the beautiful corn fields, rolling hills, gorgeous farm houses, old victorian homes with wrap around porches, and did I mention the trees??? The trees are to die for. They must be as old as Johnny Appleseed himself.

Then we crossed the mighty Mississippi. I always drive very slow over the bridge and make all the people around me crazy. I don't even care. It's the mighty Mississippi. Usually I'm blessed to see a riverboat or two. And the tree line around the Mississippi, wow! It's an awesome river.

The first night we were in Indiana, Grandma Carol made us meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was so good I had seconds. I never get seconds these days. It melted in my mouth. I tried to mimic it this weekend and did pretty well if I do say so myself. I know I did great because Sydney hated it.

On Saturday, Grandma Carol had all sorts of water games planned for the kids. It was just that kind of day. 115 degrees with the heat index.

It was fun going to Church with the clan. It's always fun going to Church in old Wards. You remember a few, but most are new. But it's just fun to go and see how things have changed.

We went to Arni's on Monday. Grandma Carol took us out for lunch. As always, it's the best pizza joint in Indiana. Craig would say the best one in the world. That's after traveling to Italy too!

Thanks so much for the great times. We had so much fun with family that weekend! It was perfect!

All vacation photos taken by Alyssa!

The Famous McLean Bread Recipe

2011-08-19T17:45:00.000-06:00

My mom has made bread for as long as I can remember. There was even a time when I thought, 'ugh! Can't we just have store bought like the other kids at school? Why do I have to be punished so?" But as time has worn on, it has become the most beloved recipe in our home and probably many of my siblings home. We can't get together without throwing together a batch of cinnamon rolls. Then there were the days when we were growing up, we'd walk home for lunch, and mom would have scones ready for us. If you've never had scones, you haven't lived. Scones are simply put, fried bread dough, doused with homemade honey-butter. But, proper etiquette says you need to poke the scone with a fork first so all the yummyness of the honey-butter drips inside. Whatever it is you're making, that bread dough recipe can be manipulated into being perfect for the meal! So here is the recipe. I am entrusting it in your hands to do good. It will always put a smile on your face, and someone else's face. Use it for good!

Mom’s Homemade Bread

JoAnn Longcor McLean

Place in large bowl:

· 3 cups warm/tepid water
· 2 tablespoons yeast
· 2 tablespoons sugar (to activate the yeast)

Let soak 5 minutes and add:

· ½ cup white sugar (or honey or brown sugar) (double this if making cinnamon rolls)
· ½ cup oil (or a cube of butter)
· 1 tablespoon salt

Add

· 9-10 cups white flour
· Or: 3 cups whole wheat flour
· And 6-7 cups white flour

Let rise until double in volume. I put it in the oven that has been warmed to the lowest setting for one minute. Then turn off. It should take 45 minutes or so. Punch down and shape into desired shape.

Put into greased pans. Let rise again for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

2011-08-18T08:58:00.002-06:00

The best parents in the World! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

We recently had a family reunion with my side in Iowa. Boy was it hot and humid. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had home base at my brother Tim and his wife Lonita's home. They own a beautiful, large home in one of the new country neighborhoods. Tell you what, it was even big enough for the 29 people that attended!

I knew it was going to be a great family reunion when Lonita asked if we were hungry, then proceeded to pull out 4 (or was there 5) different kinds of cookies. These were BIG cookies . . . and LOTS of them. Oh she may not be a McLean by blood, but she sure knows how to win us over. We don't need no stinking veggie trays, no thank you, cookies will work just fine!

Some of us sisters stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown. That was so much fun for the cousins and moms involved! We had adjoining rooms, that the doors never shut. Then there was the cool Uncle Craig. He took the kids swimming numerous times while the rest of us went traipsing all around Des Moines. We saw antique stores, thrift shops, quilt stores, Dutch pastry shops, and many other fun places.

Cousin Joshua was more then happy to share all his treasures. Him and Meagan got on really well. People don't believe us, but Meagan really does have a gift with children. She adores them and that pure love shines through and the children can feel it. It's really amazing.

When we were younger there were days when, brace yourself, we drove my mom crazy. I know, unbelievable. We were the epitomy of perfect kids. In any case. . . there were days when my Mom would tell my Dad they had "to go out!". They would go to a special restaurant in town called Hickory Park. The restaurant is still there, and we all drove up to Ames to eat. There were 29 of us. Thank goodness Tim had the for site to call ahead. Even with reservations we waited 30 minutes. But it was well worth it. The food was delicious! Here above we see four of the Idaho cousins waiting as patiently as possible for a table.

The highlight of the trip for all the grandkids, and well maybe. . . some of the adults was the trip to Lonita's family farm. There were grandma and grandpas galore. There were new aunts and uncles (Lonita's family) that took the kids on, wait for it, TRACTOR rides!

Some cute, sexy guy I know even got me to ride a four wheeler. I've never done that before!! It was exhilarating and totally scary all at the same time. Do you know those things don't have seatbelts???? SCARY!

And how can't we talk about all the awesome animals. They had so many! The kids were in HEAVEN! But they did stink after visiting them!

Mac's main goal of the night was to run both four wheelers out of gas. I even got on the back once with him. He had the time of his life. While Grandpas and Daddy's and pregnant Mommies (I won't mention your name Sally) took their kids on rides, Mac zoomed around the dirt roads in the middle of nowhere in pure delight. It's possible that he might even have screamed like a girl at one point. But that's pure speculation, don't quote me!

Then there were the little ones. Who knew two ice cream buckets full of water would make them so happy. It was like they had found heaven on earth. All for the price of ice cream buckets and a water hose. Hattie and Charlotte played in the water all night and were absolutely soaked by the end.

What a fun time we had in Iowa. Our family went to Indiana as well to hang with Craig's family. I'll have to get to that post another day. It was lots of fun as well!

All vacation photos taken by Alyssa!

Flowers at La Jolla

2011-07-06T21:52:00.001-06:00

Flowers at La Jolla
Originally uploaded by denverallens

Beautiful walk down La Jolla Beach.

Getting on the Trolley at Grantville Station

2011-07-05T20:18:00.001-06:00

Getting on the Trolley at Grantville Station
Originally uploaded by denverallens

San Diego was so much fun.

1960s photo of the girls in San Diego

2011-05-25T08:34:00.005-06:00

For the life of me I can't figure out how to get this photo to come up big and good from Flickr. But I love it. We had a great weekend in San Diego. One thing I didn't do was take enough pictures! If you really want to see how great it was, go to my sister's blog. To get an even better idea of how much we enjoyed ourselves I have two words, reclining couches!

1960s photo of the girls in San Diego
Originally uploaded by denverallens

2011-05-11T08:37:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite pictures of me and Mom.

I love her so, so, so, so much!

A Vintage Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:01:00.000-06:00

On Saturday Meagan, Alyssa and I went to the Horseshoe Market. It's an outdoor craft and flea market. I had a friend who had a tent there. It was the cutest craft fair I've ever been to. I knew Alyssa had some money so I gave Meagan $10 and told her to find me something cute. Admittedly, I could have been happy with anything from the Horseshoe Market.

This is the owl Meagan found for me. It's circa 1970s. I love it! The girls know I love owls. I told her to go take some cute photos of the owl, so she took it outside and got some great ones. It's sitting on my mantle now.

I saw this old, vintage cake carrier in one of the booths. It was in great shape. Just a little bit of paint worn off. I loved the design. I had to get a cake to put in it today. So we had lemon crumb cake. I convinced Alyssa that I really couldn't live without it.

Meagan bought the owl, but she knows I love birds too. She took one look at this journal and knew it was perfect. Mama and baby bird. I love it. It's even on blue jeans.

The other kids got me some cute stuff too. But that's more for another day.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T10:02:00.000-06:00

We had a great Easter this year. I sewed the little girls dresses and Alyssa's skirt. Mac was a bit sad that I didn't sew him a new suit. I guess he's going to have to wait a long time for that! I finished the dresses Easter morning about 3am. But we were ready for Church!

We had dinner with our Colorado family, the Griffin's and Gardner's. It was so much fun.

the girls

2011-04-21T09:50:00.002-06:00

To Text or not to Text ~ That is the question

2011-04-03T20:53:00.000-06:00

Okay, here is an overview of the last month's texting/talking usage at our house:

Craig: 46 texts 18 whenever minutes

Jeni: 537 texts 248 whenever minutes

Alyssa: 11,993 texts 0 whenever minutes

Mac: 2,772 texts 12 whenever minutes

I think it's safe to say my Alyssa would not function well without her cell phone. Mac has quite a few texts as well, but is lagging behind Alyssa. Maybe it's because he says he doesn't text family or boys. They are a waste of time.

When I was called as Stake YW President, the first thing I said to my presidency was "you text, right??????" The answer I got was, uh, oh, um not really. I think we're going to have a little technology get together. I really can't function without texting. Please don't make me call somebody, let me text!!! The cutest was when my Secretary came up to me, (she is so cute, think my mom). "Jeni, I've been thinking. If you need to text me, text my husband. Then he can tell me and I'll respond and he can text you back. Do you think that will work??". I thought it was so cute that she was trying to find a way to make it work. Then my second counselor said that her teenage son sometimes texts her, but she doesn't know how to respond, so she just calls him back. So I keep emailing and texting with little success. Does anyone out there have ideas on how to get everyone on the same page technologically speaking??? I need help. I have to be able to do it on the computer or phone, or I'm lost!!!!

The age of technology is here and I am embracing it! I LOVE it! Now if I could just get everybody else on the same page life would be much easier!

Have a great week!

Hoo Are You???

2011-03-15T09:44:00.001-06:00

1. Do you pay your bills online or through snail mail?
If I can't pay it online, it's likely to be late. Whoops!

2. How many email accounts do you have?
I've got two. One for family and one for everyone else.

3. Do you use XM/Sirius, radio, ipod, CD, or etc.. in your vehicle?
I love radio. But when there are to many commercials I put in a CD. I'm kind of low tech when it comes to that stuff. My kids all have ipods and offer them, but do I want to listen to their music??? I don't think so, I'll stick to my Toby Keith, Trace Adkins and Brad Paisley

4. What shows are sparking your interest on TV right now?
As always, NCIS is the best show on TV. But I'm liking the new Hawaii 5-0, Bones, CSI (anything but Miami, that one is awful!), Chuck is hilarious. I don't like reality TV. I need a good fictional story to pique my interests!

5. Name 3 things that you think of when you hear the word "GREEN"!
Spring in the Midwest. England year round. Green M&Ms, you need no explanation!

Bacon Dinner Unveiled

2011-03-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Bacon

Bacon wrapped peppers, mushrooms and pickles, cooked on the griddle.

Miniture BLT sandwiches. They were a huge hit!

Fat bombs. . . . oh yeah!

Kids wrestling.

Shortcake for the coming strawberries!

Kids climbing all over the daddies

A full table full of bacon themed food!

Chicken Cordon Blue, getting ready to come out of the oven.

Brown Sugar Brownies and Honey Cookies!

You have no idea how wonderful these are!

Chicken for the very unadventurous kids.

"You'd better be saving some of that yumminess for me!" says Junie the dog.

Salad, with you guessed it, bacon on top!

Macaroni and Cheese with BACON, the bread crumbs were browned in the bacon grease. Then more cheese was sprinkled on top. This was absolutely divine.