The Answer: Because Life Is Short

and Dawn over at "As Sweet As Cinnamon" wanted to know why we name our blogs what we do.  I woke up a few months ago, fixed my cup of coffee, sat down in front of my computer, realized it was Sunday and for the first time in awhile I didn't have to go to work that day.  I made the mistake of reading the first blog.....so I decided I wanted one and of course the first thing they want you to do is choose a name and I was stumped.  As I sat and thought about it I realized that I wasn't "living life", I was just running from one crisis to another, always tired and irritable.

Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with throat cancer.  They operated and removed my right vocal cord.  At first I was devasted because I could talk the paint off the walls prior to the surgery and now all I could do was whisper.  I had a feeding tube because I couldn't swallow due to scar tissue.  I was angry, scared, depressed...life didn't feel too good......

I was so angry at God for allowing this to happen to me.  It took me awhile to wake up, realize that God was the one who got me thru this, the one who held my hand and my heart while I cried, tried to scream, hid from the world.  So I picked myself up, dusted me off and went back to work.  After laser surgery to remove some of the scar tissue I can now eat, but I still whisper.  (There are some people who think this is a good thing)

For those of you who are old enough to remember:  "Today is the first day of the rest of your life".  Remember that.  Well that is what I remind myself every morning with my cup of coffee.  I try to cram in as much as possible with a happy heart.  Now before you think "awh......", I don't always succeed.  I still have my own little pity parties.  I still come home some days so tired and stressed I can barely drag from one room to the other.

So I read quilter's blogs and I marvel at the talented and kind people who create them and share them with the rest of the world.  I find too many beautiful things that I want to do and don't have time to do.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I AM SO BLESSED!

I can still walk, I can still see, I can still hear and I can still feel......sometimes too much!  But I wouldn't trade one minute of it.  So you see....I am "Living Life in Louisiana" one day at a time.

Remember...

the daylily bloom only lasts one day,

but oh my....what a day!

It's Wednesday again! Already, really!

Actually it is Thursday morning...but I won't tell if you won't.  Last week blogger quit letting me load up pictures so the saga continues this morning.  Remember I love pinwheels and this is yet another one I have been working on.  All the blocks are made, just need to add the sashing and borders.  This one is so happy and bright.

Now once in a while I do other things besides pinwheels.  I have a pattern for floating stars and I like to try different fabrics.  This is a fairly easy pattern and the best thing is that you don't have to match all those points when you join the blocks.

Here it is made with scraps of some of my older fabrics.

and here with soft victorian florals.  I love this one, it is going to be mine when I finish it.

This is just a trial block, but I really like it.  It looks like a soft winter quilt.  What do you think?

And you know I really fight the urge to join quilt-a-longs on these wonderful blogs, but after looking at these for the last 9 months, I gave in.

I love these blocks and I have been wanting to begin embroidery again, so I joined in at Little Miss Shabby for the birdie blocks.  Aren't they just fun!  It's not too late for you to join in.  There is a new pattern each month.

And of course, being me, I immediately wanted to start a primitive version in browns, blacks and beiges.

So I grabbed my new layer cake of Primitive fabric and started another one.  These come in handy when I want to go sew with the girls at the LQS.  While they sew, I embroider.

Well, it is time to go get ready for work and I am finding it hard to type because my lap is full with this handsome man:

I hope everyone has a fabulous day.

It's Time To Take the Plunge!

I have been stalking WIP for several weeks...oohing and aahing...drooling over all the beautiful finished projects, berating myself because I was too chicken to post (kept using the excuse I didn't have time to take pictures, blog and post).  Well, I'm taking the time just for me.  I hope that you enjoy, but if you cringe at unfinished projects hurry up and hit your back button while there is still time.

I realized that I have been too chicken to post because I am not a very disciplined quilter.  I work alot and I will stay as many hours as it takes to finish a bank statement or post daily work....but...my quilting....well....I like to try new things and life's too short to keep fighting to finish a quilt if I am not excited by it.  That doesn't mean I don't like it, just it doesn't grab me.  I am the same way with a new novel.  If the author doesn't grab me in the first one or two chapters....back to the library it goes.

Now I have finished a couple of quilts...if you go back to one of my older posts you will see them and I have a couple that are close to be completed, but life interrupts.  My LQS gets in a new book, new ruler, new fabric or I see a cute idea on one of your wonderful blogs and I am off and running in a new direction until something else gets my attention.

I so admire all of you who persevere and I love looking at your finishes, but I would hope you would enjoy looking at my starts as just fun.  I have fun!  So here goes:

I do try to be organized...a friend runs a pizza shop...can you tell...these are really handy for keeping pieces and parts together so I don't lose them.

What's in all those boxes....well....let's see:

I love dots and pinwheels.  This was supposed to be a summer quilt and it will be one of these days.  This is one I will actually continue working on because I love the colors.  It is super easy to put together.

I love pinwheels...can you tell?  They are easy.  I sometimes take new fabrics as they come in at my LQS and make them up in pinwheels just to give customers an idea of what they are going to look like combined.  Only when I really love them, do I plan on making a whole project.  Sometimes I mess up and the customers buy all the fabric before I can get back and buy more.....oh well!

Oops...missed a few...these are the Louisiana Pinwheel....I just tried it in several colors to show contrast.

And then there is "Card Tricks"....how fun!  You can do so much with contrast.  Little bit more complicated to piece, but fun.

I guess Blog.com thought I was crazy too....it won't let me load any more pictures.  So I'll be back another time, because I have more.  Have to go to work, anyway!  Have a great day!

By the way, I have joined a new swap called "Pay It Forward".  Read about it in an earlier post.  Should be fun.

Thanks For the Reminder Kelly!

Drinking my coffee, enjoying the quiet (it is early and still dark here) and visiting one of my favorite blogs....Charming Chatter.  Kelly always has such wonderful and sweet entries.  I would so love to meet her in person.  Her blog today was about the wisdom of Chief Seattle and it reminded of something I read several years ago.  I printed it out to put on a scrapbook page for someone at my church and I thought I would share it with you this morning.

                     Cherokee Indian Youth's Rite of Passage

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man.

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

 

I don't know about you but this always reminds me that no matter how bad it gets all I have to do is reach out and ask My Father for help.

I was afraid this would happen....

I work constantly, meet myself going and coming, so I forget to post regularly.  I get up at 4:30 every morning and have my first cup of coffee (I am a coffee fanatic), spend an hour drooling over what everyone is doing, spend an hour sewing something....anything and the it's off to work.  I spend a few minutes at my LQS every afternoon on my way home and I have all these wonderful ideas while driving, but I am too tired when I get home to do anything but eat, bathe and sleep.  But I am going to do better....really I am.

I just joined "Pay It Forward" over at Harriet Homemaker Strikes Again.  It sounds like fun.  I love making homemade goodies for friends and the idea of sending them to friends I make on blogspot really sounds like fun.

Here are the rules:
1.  I will make a handmade goodie for the first 3 people who comment on this post.  It will be surprise and arrive when you least expect it.

2.  I will have a year to do this (but I will try to do it alot sooner than that....I mean Christmas is coming and it is my favorite time of year).  What's the catch?  You have to participate by placing the "Pay It Forward" button on your post and linking it back to Julia at bluejaycottage and sending a little something to the first 3 comments on your blog.  It doesn't have to be quilty, just handmade.  Think of how much fun it will be to see what everyone sends and receives.  You can do that by joining the Flicker group set up just for this.  Wow, I just joined and already some really cute ideas are showing up.

3.  You have to have a blog.

4.  Once you comment here (be sure you include your e-mail so that I can write you) you must place the Pay It Forward  button on your blog and write about it to keep the fun going.

5.  Follow me, if you don't already.

6.  I hate to say this, but foreign postage is so high I would like to limit this to folks in the good ole USA.

I want to get to know all about you so I can make the perfect gift for you, so tell me your likes and dislikes, colors, hobbies, animals....etc.

There is nothing quite as much fun as receiving a surprise package in the mail. 

And I promise I will do a better job of posting.  I have tons of new items I have been making that I need to put pictures up on my site.  I will work on that this week.  I hope everyone has a great day.

I can't believe I won!

I came home so tired last night and while I was eating a bite of supper I decided to make it thru a few more of the WIP entries for the week.  There are 99 now and it takes me all week to look at all the beautiful work.  Mostly because I have to keep wiping the drool off my chin.  I clicked on Meinca's site and I see my name!  I won her give-a-way.  Four fat quarters by Natalie Barnes of Beyond the Reef patterns.  The colors are awesome and of course my favorite places in the world have the word beach in them.  Can't wait to see them in person.  I never win anything so this is very exciting.  And on my birthday no less.  Go on over and check out her wonderful blog.

No sewing this week, but I had to go by my favorite quilt shop "Mama's" to see what came in while I was so busy and imagine this "I found fabric I need to buy".  Brenda is beginning to get in Christmas fabric, the latest is Jason Yenter's new fabric.  It will be a stretch but I am absolutely certain I will be able to find a corner in my sewing room to put a few yards of it.  Or on the living room couch, or coffee table, or dining room table or ..........

Well....I got to go get dressed to go to work....have a wonderful day everyone.  Sew one for me!

It's My Birthday!

Had to post today!  It's my birthday (57) if anyone's counting!  It doesn't bother me to tell my age.  I am amazed that I made it.  I don't feel that old (at least for today).  And I can't believe that one of my favorite blogs "Cat Patches" is one year old today and she is having a fabulous birthday give-a-way.  Run on over and check it out.  I have cute, cute button near the bottom of my pages.  She loves cats too!

I don't have time to feel old, too busy.  Been meeting myself going and coming at work.  No time to even touch my sewing machine in the last week and a half. 

This beautiful girl is getting married in August.  Here she is with her mother and future mother-in-law at a shower we gave her Sunday.  Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she is more beautiful on the inside.  I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle.  Congratulations Katie!

And right now in Louisiana, our beautiful crape myrtles are in bloom.  This one is right outside my favorite shopping place.  "Mama's Quilt Shop"

Everyone have a great day!