On the Road Again...

Sorry I haven't posted since my vacation in PA...I have spent the last ten days playing catch up! As you can well imagine that two weeks away left quite a bit to be done when I got back home...cleaning, laundry gardening and more packing, yes packing! My sixteen year old son (the youngest) and I are leaving for CT early friday morning for eight days. Every year a group of adult leaders (myself included) take approximately 50+ high school students on a work camp/religious retreat. We spend the week painting interiors, exteriors, deck building, making wheel church ramps, basically anything they ask us to do...to serve underprivileged families across the US. This year we travel to CT...past years we have been to Idaho, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio, NC, AZ, WA etc...it's an amazing journey and we get to do God's work for people in need. We are paired up with teenagers and adults from churches across the US and we always make new friends! Please keep us all in your prayers and I look forward to the time when I can relax enough to actualy get better at this blogging thing. I shall return on the 26th and look forward to reading all about what you've all been up to...I will miss you!

Unplugged

Well it seems like I was just starting to get the hang of this blogging thing and really enjoying visiting everyone else's blog but I'll be unplugged for the next two weeks...I'll be going to spend some time at our cabin in PA. It's about an hour NW of Harrisburg and 30 minutes SE of State College. Our lovely log cabin sits on a beautiful 3 acres on a private lane in the middle of Bald Eagle State Forest...it's the perfect place to get away!!! I can really connect with my muse up there, no cell phone & no computer! I'll be spending quality time with my family, visiting dear friends and sharing great meals. I'm really looking forward to searching for antiques...they have some really great shops out there and there's even going to be a two day town wide sale this weekend...I just know I'm going to find all sorts of treasure! I'll be sure to let you all know what goodies I find upon my return. By the way I finished my crazy quilt tote and I just love it...it's so cute!!! I'll post a pic when I get back!

Making Progress

I spent the weekend selecting my fabrics, laying things out and designing my new tote...I decided to try a crazy quilt idea but with no prior experience in that area it was a little slow getting started. Soon I worked out the kinks and after a few times of ripping out stitches and starting over I finally got the hang of it! I'm really excited at how it's turning out...I used pinks and black and white patterns...kind of mod funky but with lots of cutesy charm. I also embellished it with some hande embroidery and next I'm going to add some beadwork before the final assembly...I can't wait to use it!!!

Adjusting My Sails

"The pessimist complains about the wind,the optimist expects it to change and the leader adjusts the sails."
john maxwell

I awoke this morning to another rainy day here on the east coast so my plans for outdoor activities are being put on hold once again. I guess I'll just have to adjust my sails and lay out a new plan...I've been spending more time in my studio since we've been having so much rain lately. Normally I would be out in the gardens tending to their needs, I imagine that when the rain finally does move on I'll be looking at some much needed weeding! I was enjoying my morning coffee while checking in on my fellow bloggers and I saw this beautiful crazy quilt using scraps of material! Since I confess to not being able to pass up a remnant of fabric when I find one I've decide that all those colors are calling me...so I'm off to start a crazy quilt project. I've never done one before so I'm thinking of starting small and making a tote bag...wish me luck!

Here Comes the Sun...

Well I wasn't sure it still existed but our glorious sun made an appearance this morning! The forecast is for showers today so I'll be brief...I have to get out in my gardens while the sun is still here. The vegatables are growing, my herb garden has outgrown it's borders and my perrenial flower beds are in full bloom! I love my garden, it's my place to reconnect with the earth and to spend some quiet time with God. Oh don't get me wrong, I talk to God all day long but our time in the garden is special...there I can witness his glorious creations, watch the chipmunks, hear the birds singing...so many blessings. Thank you lord for all of them!

Rain Rain Go Away...

Well it's another rainy day here in the northeast, it seems like we've been having April showers since...April ! I'm not just talking drizzle or cloudy days, I'm talking monsoon rains...the kind where you can'y even open your doors and windows. Everything is lush and green but if the sun doesn't come back soon we may never get outside to enjoy it all. Please someone tell me they've seen the sun...that it still exists and will reappear soon!

June 10th...1980

Twenty nine years ago today I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Jason...my second baby. I guess it seems silly to call them babies given their age but every mother knows that no matter how old they get they are always "our babies"! I'm not one that wants to go back and relive her 'glory days' but there are days when I wish I could go back for just a little while and hold those sweet little bundles, wipe their tears, watch them sleep...God has blessed me with two sons from my first marriage, two sons from my husband's first marriage and "our" son who recently turned sixteen and is driving...eek! Five boys and I love them all !!! I guess that's why I love creating, painting, gardening, sewing etc... sometimes a woman needs a little girl time.