Celebration Day 7

Yesterday was a day of much sunshine mixed with lots of wind and stormy weather too. Look at those trees bowing! At the time I took this picture, there was a tornado just a town away. They also sighted a wall cloud. We had a down pour of rain after the wind and while the sun was shining! The weather has certainly been strange. I think we hit 90 today. I spent some time doing laundry. Remember those cute tea towels with the bird and "celebrate" embroideries on them?? THIS is what they look like out of the dryer.After a hot, starchy ironing, they look better than new. I am not a fan of ironing.I decided to give pie making another try and this time it was VICTORY! Apple pie is a no brainer, but at least it turned out good. Really, that crust recipe is wonderful!!!
Oh, and I wanted to show you Rachel's solution to "no clothes lines".Maybe a bit classier than my deck rail....

Are you ready for
Celebration Day 7???
Here goes....

1) What item has been in my kitchen my whole life?
(that would have to include my Mother's kitchen)


2) Who sent my children rattle snake tails?

You guys are getting so good at using that search box, maybe I should pull it out of there!! Just kidding! Tomorrow will be the last questions and the last chance to gain more entries. I am hand writing your names and putting them in the basket with each correct answer! The winner will be drawn on Monday. Remember, NONE of your guesses count unless you first comment on the Celebration post. So far that has been done. I am so excited about the people who have participated. I did not ask you to promote this drawing on your blogs, because I really want a "friend" to win the prizes. At this point anyone who is entered is considered a friend and I would be thrilled with any name drawn. I "know" all of you! Ok...Ready, Set, Search!!!

Celebration Day 6

That is about how it feels!!!!!

So....I heard the word "easy" more than once yesterday. I guess I am going to have to make things a little harder....Are you ready???

1) Who is this???

2) Which of the following is NOT true.

a. My nickname is Bunny.

b. I broke my arm on the school playground at 7.

c. I have a potty mouth.

d. I use to be an Avon Lady.

e. I am GREAT at reading a map.

Tough enough?? Remember your guesses don't count unless you have already commented on the first Celebration post. Only 2 more days of questions and then the BIG DRAW! Do you even remember the prizes??? You guys are all a blast to party with!

Life Lessons and Celebration Day 5

The above picture is my dream. Charlotte and I walking through a meadow, hand in hand, sharing our hearts and creating loving memories for her to take into adulthood.

The picture below is my reality.Let me explain. First, I want to clarify that is not a picture of Charlotte. It is a random picture off the net. What in the world is she doing??? She is sucking Redi-whip out of a can. Like always, I am getting ahead of myself.

I am the kind of person who has no trouble accepting constructive criticism. I am also the kind of person who has no trouble accepting a compliment. If you tell me you admire my quilting, I graciously accept the compliment. If you comment that my floors or sink are beautifully clean, I will smile on the inside and the out. The clean floors, shiny sink, or hand quilting do not define me though. There is, however, something that has been very difficult for me to accept. Since I started blogging and sharing our story of adoption and trauma, I have had SO many of you tell me how wonderful I am . How blessed my children are and how you are amazed at my willingness to do what I do. I get a lump in my throat when I read these comments. Not because I am being humble or choked up at the sweetness of the complement, but because I know it is not earned. I have made no secret of the fact that I struggle and continue to struggle daily in raising my daughter. Somedays I do it kicking and screaming all the way. I have failed more times than I have succeeded, and I wonder what Charlotte's opinion would be. Since blogging, my own opinion has changed. How? Through a life lesson I learned from another blogger. I have been reading Cheryl's blog Coppers Wife for a very long time. You all know how I feel about her wisdom. I "look" at her Dani and yearn for my Charlotte to possess a portion of the virtues this young lady has. Then I think about Corin, Dani's older sister, who is married, and raising a family of her own, and doing it with such honor and integrity. I have spilled many tears in prayer for my own daughter as I have such fear she will be unable to raise a family. The stress and fear I carry regarding this child of mine is a burden that has been almost unbearable. This was not a burden the Lord wanted me to bear, but one I took upon myself, none the less. It changed me, and not for the better. I lost my joy as a parent where this little girl was concerned. I woke up most mornings knowing the day would go sour as soon as Charlotte's feet hit the floor. I am not shining a very positive light on myself, I know. But it is truth. One day, all that changed. I had bought a can of redi-whip for a special dessert. I can not tell you why, but I was completely horrified when I went to use it and the can was sucked dry!!!! Charlotte had, in less than a few hours, snuck into the frig various times and emptied it. I guess it is a falsehood that you get high huffing redi-whip, cause she seemed fine. Now why this would shock me is baffling cause the girl has stolen, horded and gorged since day one. If you have read my Face of Trauma posts you know I "get it". It still felt like I was personally violated (against everything I know to be true). That evening, in an exchange of e-mails I shared the redi-whip fiasco with Cheryl. I got back a reply I had not expected. I can not remember exact wording, but I will tell you Cheryl and both her daughters laughed for days, sharing their own "sucking out of the redi-whip can" stories. Laughed?? What is so funny about that??? I stepped back and looked at it from outside my own self-pitying reality. OH MY GOSH!!! It was funny!!!

Then Cheryl shared a story about a mom and a daughter. At a potluck meal, the daughter was helping the mom clear up the food. She (the daughter) went to put the redi-whip back in the frig. The mom said, "WHAT are you doing?? You know better than that!! Bring that here!" The daughter brought the can over to her mom and gave her a full squirt of redi-whip right in the mouth and then took one herself. "NOW, you can put it away!"

While reading that e-mail, my heart melted. Poor Charlotte would never experience that kind of interaction with me if I continued in the same uptight thinking. I decided right there that whatever Charlotte's future was, is out of my control. Her future belongs to God and to herself. Her present, however, was, and is, within my reach. We still have issues, but I am constantly reminding myself to have a "redi-whip" mentality! And I just saw they are putting Cool Whip in a can!!! WOOHOO!

I have learned alot from so many of you and want to take this opportunity to thank you all. And thank you Cheryl, Corin and Dani for helping this uptight Mommy loosen up a little!!

Are we ready to party???

Celebration Day 5

1) What captivated me about Zachary?

(Zach picked this question. He loves it when I tell him the story of how he "captivated" me)

2) What is Bud's real name?

If you didn't know my family before, you sure do now!! Remember, you need to comment on the Celebration post for your answers to count.

Great Picks and Celebration Day 4

I am making great progress on the first table runner. I made a mental list yesterday morning of all the projects I want to get done in the very near future. Those that have priority in my mind. I was able to motive myself with a little help from Sue, who really said nothing but just listened to me give the unending list of WIP's (works in progress)...all hand work at this point...that have priority. I am really enjoying the quilting on this table runner. You know that it is not a real quilt unless you have shed at least one drop of blood! That is never a problem for me as I am forever pricking my quilty fingers. Yesterday, however, I did something that all hand quilters have done, and never forget. I crammed that sharp little size 12 straight up into my thumb's nail bed. That is a move you don't want to do twice in a row!!

It was raining and stormy yesterday morning, so instead of taking all the kids out, Rachel did my grocery shopping for me while I watched all the kids. She got some great deals and I stayed $60 under budget. It helps that, unlike me, she will not deviate from the list!!! Great picks on cereals. TJ put all the groceries away in the pantry.He sang a pantry song while putting food away. He made it up as he went along. He was very pleased with the job he did. Rachel also picked some great looking Granny Smith apples for a pie.The sun finally came out and the kids were able to play outside. TJ came in and decided to play "shapes" He is pictured here showing you another great pick. Yes, he is becoming a nose picker! He will bring the offense to his mommy every time! He always has a look of disgust on his face upon examining it and is happy to get rid of it. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Rachel picked at that kids nose constantly from the day he was born. Anything that looked like a booger and she was sucking it out with a syringe!!! No booger stood a chance!

So, are we ready for Celebration Day 4????

Here are today's questions.....1) Who influenced me to learn to quilt????

2) My Kyle was chosen from thousands of participants for what honor?

I cry just thinking about that one! You are all doing so good!!!! Your guesses will not count unless you have already commented on the Celebration post. Tomorrow I will share the biggest life lesson I have learned from blogging.

Celebration Day 3

I am so surprised by how many of you are willing to search for the answers, and how easily they come to others. I can not remember TJ's name most of the time myself. I have mentioned it 2 times on my blog, but neither post was about TJ. That makes a search kind of difficult. If you do not know the answer, feel confident you looked for the answer, but still don't know it, you have permission to take a guess based on someone elses answer...just make sure you are confident they are correct! It is all about fun! The basket is filling up with names. Most of you are in 4 times now. Are we having fun??? Ok, here we go. These will be easy for some and difficult for others. Some of you have read my blog longer...Oh, I wanted to mention a little "Pieces From Me" trivia. My very first comment was from Linda at All Stitched Up. She was my first bloggy friend and we have remained very close over this past year. We have laughed together, cried together, listened, and griped to each other. I have heard more "Good anya"'s than most Aussie's and I still do not know what it means! I just know the person it comes from means so much to me. Thank you Linda!! My other first commenter's were Rose Marie, whom I still e-mail back and forth and we read each others blogs. She has over 200 so she goes in alphabetical order. When she gets to me this week she will have some catching up to do!!! I am so honored to have a beautiful quilt made by her hands. Also, Joni. How much I miss Joni, the farmer's wife. She loves my kids! Remember how she named calves after them??? Charlotte and Zachary the cows. AND...Charlotte the calf was adopted by Violet. They had some trouble bonding at first, but in the end it worked out. Hmmmmm. Sounds familiar. Joni and her farmer will always have a spot for my kids. Someday we will meet them. Ok, enough. I am getting all misty! Now, the relationships I have here through this blog are all very special to me. So are we ready to play???1) What is Charlotte's Nickname???

(She has 2 and either answer will count correctly)
2) When the trumpet sounds, and Jesus comes back for His people, what do I want my future generation to be able to grab and take into Paradise???

Remember, you MUST comment on the Celebration post in order for these answers to count. Each correct answer will get you another chance in the drawing. Leave your answers to these questions on THIS post. See you tomorrow!

"Look Up Dare!!" and Celebration Day 2

I am overwhelmed by the comments and kind words on the Celebration post. I am so blessed to "know" each of you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had the most beautiful weather here. Saturday was a quiet day. I spent alot of it preparing yesterday's post. That was a lot of pics!! I took a nap....yes I did!! and the kids watched Ratatouille. Later in the afternoon, Rachel picked up the little kids to help weed at her house, and I had the house to myself. Kyle was here, but spent all his time in his room watching a movie. It was very odd not having them here. Sunday, Sweetheart went to our son's house to help with some deck work. Lattice and trim mostly. I stayed home. The little kids played outside with friends, Kyle had his friend here watching movies, and I spent the day in the sewing room!!! I really miss hand quilting the little table runner I am giving in the blogoversary gifts. I knew I had 2 more runners needing to be done quickly, so I cut them both and have them all ready in different stages. They are the same but different. Make sense??? Same fabrics, same blocks, different layouts. They are for sisters. This one is pieced, basted and ready to quilt.This one is cut and laid out ready to machine piece.See, the same, but different. The fabrics are from my jelly roll. I had one set up different but really did not like it. It needed a consistent fabric to break it all up. I really like them, but even better, Rachel LOVES them. That is good since the owners are about her age! I hope they don't read my blog....don't let them Niki!!

Sweetheart came home and Bud, Rachel, and TJ came too. We ordered pizza and had a nice dinner. Afterwards the kids played outside."Look up dare!!"
WOW! You could hear the whoosh of the fire. They were close enough to wave to.
It was a great weekend and I spent the evening hand quilting on the table runner thinking about the week ahead. I plan to have a good one!! Hope you do too!

Celebration Day 2

Are you ready for more chances to win?? Here are 2 more questions. Answer them and you get your name thrown in another time for each one you answer correctly. Remember, your answers only count if you commented here first. Here we go...leave your answers to these 2 questions on THIS post.

1) What does TJ stand for????

2) What is this a picture of??? (I know it's bags, be specific, please!)

Good Luck!! See you tomorrow with more chances to win!

Celebration!!!!

It all starts today!!! What are we celebrating??? We are celebrating

"Pieces From Me"!!

On June 9th this blog will be 1 year old!! So let's have a party! What goes on at a party??? Food??....I can not help you there. Music? Turn your speakers up and we can party to "Kool and the Gang"! Games, yes we will play games!! Presents?? Of course there are presents.

First I want to share how special this blog has been to me. I started this blog for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it is a journal for my future generations. Charlotte and Zach will have documentation of their childhood to share with their children and grandchildren. TJ can show his own children how their Great Grandma spent her days. How she shared books on the swing with him when he was only 2, and how much she adored him!! Second, I started this blog to join in on all the inspiring quilting blogs out there. I have been inspired by you all everyday since. Something I did not plan on, were the wonderful friendships I would make. People I have never laid eyes on who feel like family!! Also, the inspiration from women in general. It has truly changed my life. OK, I am doing the thing Miss America does when she wins...you know, how she waves her hands in front of her eyes to dry the tears before they fall!!??

SO....I want to show how much I appreciate all of you by giving one lucky reader a selection of gifts that represent "Pieces From Me". Here we go.

Did you put on your pearls, party dress, and that coat of Strike-A-Pose Rose?? What??? You don't have that shade?? Oh it is wonderful!! My favorite because it can be applied so light, it is a hint of color, or bold enough to see you coming from a ways off (my favorite way to wear it). Well you just need to have a tube, so here you go!!!

A year ago, this blog started out a quilting blog. It is a large part of my life and I want to share my love of fabric, and hand quilting with you.This table runner has fabrics from my own quilt, all my children's quilts, my husband's quilt, my grandson's quilt, my granddaughter's soon-to-be quilt, along with a piece of all my Galena fabrics. It has fabrics from my first jelly roll, my first Thimbleberry line, and my civil war fabrics. It represents my "loves". (I cut it close...the binding just got finished last night!)

Homemaking has been a huge "Pieces From Me" subject. I have learned so much from all of you and want to share my favorite homemaking/housekeeping tools. Holy Cow pink is my absolute favorite product. I learned of it in blogland and I use nothing else. It cleans carpet stains, clothing stains, grease off the stove top, and shines a sink like nobodies business!! Of course, you need a hand knitted dish cloth to go with it. Nothing else will do!!! (Sue made the dishcloth)You can't clean that kitchen or bake those pies without an apron!! I love aprons and I love vintage....what could be better than a vintage chicken scratch apron??? It will look so cute on you!I love a home that smells good. I want to share my favorite scents. The Cabernet sachet is heaven on earth!!! Also a 100% soy candle scented with organic essential oils in a Lavender Clove scent. It is a scent that will sooth and energize at the same time. It is a Healingsense candle and I made it myself (with Rachel's help) :) Now you know why my e-mail is Healingsense!Once your house is clean and smelling good, you need a break. Sit down and have a wonderful cup of coffee...my favorite drink of all times. In the morning I want basic coffee, splenda and cream. In the afternoon and evening I like a great flavored coffee. Here is my favorite...Decaf Hazelnut Creme in a green (my favorite color) mug!Throw in a CD while you relax. Mark Schultz is one of my favs!!! Tracks 2 and 3 are awesome!
The biggest life lesson I have learned through blogging is to....For me it is not about growing a garden, canning, consuming less, or cooking everything from scratch. I have started doing alot of those things to benefit my family, but for me the lesson and philosophy is this...When my daughter sucks the brand new can of redi-whip dry, don't go nuts! When I find a new scratch in the wood work, don't freak out. When life happens, and it will, take it for what it is...life. This has made my entire life expectancy longer! I want to share that lesson with this sign. It is a smaller version of the one I have hanging in my own home. Let it mean to you whatever you need it to!

Finally, my children want to give you gifts too!!!Kyle wants to gift you with his favorite patriotic mouse pad. He is a true American that boy!! Charlotte wants you to have one of her necklaces. It is a pink "diamond" (her words) on a silver chain. Zachary can not imagine you not having at least one match box car to play with. He chose for you a convertible roadster!!!What do you do to win the Pieces From Me Blogoversary gifts??? One comment could do it for you! Leave a comment on this blog post sharing one memory about your visits to this blog. This will get your name put in the drawing. Want more??? Let's play some games. Between now and the actual drawing, I will post a question (or two) each day. All questions asked have answers that can be found on this blog. Answer that question correctly and your name is entered again. Every correct answer gets you another chance! You do not need to answer any questions or play the games to be entered once, however, you can not play the games unless you first comment on THIS post with a memory. The drawing will take place on June 9th, which is the actual blogoversary day!!!! Feel free to use the search box on the sidebar, but I can't think of too many people who want to take the time (except Corin who loves games AND competition!) You can answer each question one time only! Don't know the answer and have no time or desire to search??...Take a guess...you never know! Leave your comment and answer today's question correctly and you already have your name entered twice! If you do not have a blog, please leave your e-mail address so I can contact you should you win! Today's question???

What did I name my vacuum cleaner?

(don't forget to leave the memory or your guess won't count)