Monday, February 25, 2013

Leibster Blog Award :)

 
 
One must always give credit where credit is due so here they are!
 
Lorna McMahon awarded me with the Leibster Blog Award from Sew Fresh Quilts http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com! <--- I linked this to take you to the specific blog post but if you copy the address it will simply take you to her blog.
 
To be honest, this is the second Leibster Blog Award that I've gotten.
Marelize Ries over at New Beginnings http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/ awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award the first time :)
 
You are not obligated to participate, but if you choose to, here are your objectives:
  • Let the person that nominated you know you are willing to participate by commenting on their blog  (double check)
  • Create a blog post, in which, you thank them for the nomination and link back to their blog (check)
  • In your blog post, also include 11 random facts about yourself (check)
  • Answer the 11 questions posed to you (check)
  • Present the award to 11 other small blogs, posing 11 new questions for them to answer(check)
  • And post the award on your blog (check)
 
Where are we? Oh Yes, 11 random facts.....
 
1. I love to read, I mean a lot. Before the quilting bug bit I would read at least one book a day. (usually about 300 page books, just to clarify I'm not talking about short stories or children's books) Since quilting that has slowed down substantially, I now only read about 3 books a week.
 
2. I haven't stepped foot in my sewing room since Feb.6th when one of my childhood best friends passed away. Since her memorial service was yesterday I'm trying to make myself start doing things that make me happy again instead of constantly dwelling on this sadness and unconsciously punishing myself for not seeing her more in the last couple years. (Ha! Who needs a therapist when you can self-diagnose lol)
 
3. I am hopelessly addicted to the T.V. show Charmed! Have been since its first episode.
 
4. I have two favorite movies and they are polar opposites. P.S. I Love you and Sweeney Todd Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 
 
5. My son recently learned to roller skate and to my delight he loves it, I am beyond happy..... because it gives me an excuse to skate again lol
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Horseback riding, while not something that has happened often, was the highlight of many of my childhood memories starting with one of my first when my Grandpa Ray put me on a pony for the first time when I was a tiny thing.
 
7. I love to bake. I cook only because it's a necessity to live :p
 
8. If you ever met me in person you might be surprised at how random I truly am. Eclectic has been used when describing me (by persons other than myself) fairly often.
 
9. I can't lie. Well, technically I can but I'm very bad at it. I can't keep a straight face, it actually quite disturbing when trying to plan a surprise party : /
 
10. I was once stung by a jellyfish on my neck, it was quite horrific, I wouldn't recommend it. Yet I'm not scared of the ocean and jump right in every chance I get. However, my son seems terrified of it.... how did that happen?!?!?!
 
11. I am terrified of bees. Completely and irrevocably, run and hide, I'm not going outside if I see one scared. All because of a kid who got stung in the lunchroom behind his ear when I was in the 3rd grade. You know I didn't eat lunch for almost 3 weeks because I would sit with my ears covered instead of eating because I was scared one would "get me" until my mama talked the people in charge into letting me wear my jacket hood over my ears so I would eat! (no it's not that bad anymore, I can almost sit still when I see one.... unless it flies directly at me then all bets are off!)
 
Up Next are the questions posed by Lorna that we get to answer!
1 What/who inspired you to start quilting? My Mother-in-law started me on quilting. She affectionately says she created a monster.

2 If you were able to change one thing about your quilting area, what would it be? It would be a studio instead of a room so size seems to fit.

3 What are your favourite quilting books/magazines? Quiltmaker, American Patchwork and quilting, and Quilter. I don't have many quilting books but Midnight Quilts is the one that kept drawing my eye until I got it, actually Sunday Morning Quilts is pulling me in to so it might just be joining my meager stash of books!

4 If you could time travel, where would you like to go? It's a toss up between America before it was discovered, living as a native. Or 18th Century Scotland (Ireland would work to), as a clan leaders wife maybe or a healer.

5 What comes to mind when you think of the term ‘Quilt Police’? Picky people who are never satisfied with another persons work and knit pick it until you want to hide your work whenever that person is around!

6 Do you listen to music, watch t.v., daydream or think only of the task at hand while quilting? Depends on the day! More often than not Music or daydreaming, but sometimes I'll put a movie on. Iron Man is a great quilting movie by the way ;)

7 Which colour do you use the most in your quilts and which colour do you rarely or never use? I tend to use a ot of jewel tones in red, green, blue, and purple. I hardly ever use yellow or orange.

8 Where in the world are you? Where have you been? Indiana, USA. I've been to Nasu, Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico along with most of the southern state in the US and Iowa.

9 If you could give up any one household chore, what would you choose? That's easy! Dishes, the absolute bane of my existence! Renting a house with a dishwasher is the best thing hubby and I have ever done :)

10 If you could no longer buy fabric online or at any fabric shops ever again, what would you do? I would learn to make and dye it. Actually, If I had room a loom would be lots of fun to learn. ( Does anyone else see why my hubby keeps telling me I'm an "old soul"). I suppose if that fell through I could start cutting up old clothes.

11 How old were you when you first used a needle and thread, either by hand or machine? I was probably about 7 or 8 when I first used a sewing machine. My Grandma Berry got it out when we went to Alabama to visit her and I sewed a shirt for the neighbor boy down the street that was about my age. It was to short but he got his arms and head through and insisted on wearing it the entire day, 8 years old and more of a gentleman than almost anyone I've met since (The exceptions being my amazing Daddy and Husband, hopefully my son to).
 
Presenting Awards to:
 
Sherilyn Mortens from Rag-It-Up Quilts http://ragitupquilts.blogspot.com/
 
Delores from A Labor of Love http://a-labour-of-love.blogspot.com/
 
 
Heather from A Quilt of Heather http://aquiltofheather.blogspot.com/
 
Cindy from Adventures of the Singing Quilter http://myroadtoinspiration.blogspot.com/
 
Marj from Eclectic Quilter http://eclecticquilter.blogspot.com/
 
 
Danielle from Fresh off the Spool http://freshoffthespool-danih03.blogspot.com/
 
Vicki from Jackson Patch Quilting http://jacksonpatchquilting.blogspot.com/
 
Jennie from Jennie's Threads http://jenniesthreads.blogspot.com/
 
 
 
Shannon at Monkey Dog Quilts http://monkeydogquilts.blogspot.com/
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

I have to say, life isn't a fun thing sometimes. Maybe it's losing someone that I've known and loved for a very long time while she was still young. Maybe it has to do with so many wonderful memories suddenly causing a crying fit. It could even be the feeling of guilt because I didn't call or visit often in the last few years. Whatever the reason is, it doesn't change the truth. She is gone, I am here, I miss her.

In the interest of honesty, I'm just going to let you know know that there will be some reminiscing in this post. There won't be anything quilty, I'm saving that for the next post.

Life isn't fair or unfair, it just is. How we choose to deal with the things that happen are what shapes who we are. I vaguely remember reading that in a book, I can't remember which one (for years I read a book a day, now it's more like a book or two a week.)

Amy has been one of my best friends since we met in the first grade. She is a year older than I am, which makes her 27. She was born with Cystic Fibrosis and from day one she has fought for every second she had on this earth. She also endeavored to make every moment count. That is one of the many things I have always admired about her. 

I remember so many things, they all want to jump out at once. Sleepovers, playing video games, drawing on the biggest roll of paper we had ever seen that her parents had bought for her :)

I had never had waffles before staying at her house, to this day her mom makes the best waffles I've ever had. The second time she made them I accidentally dropped my plate and sent waffle and syrup across the living room carpet, I felt so bad for making a mess. Mama Janis just said "accidents happen" and made me a fresh batch after we got it cleaned up.

When we were teenagers Amy loved the band Hanson. She would cut their pictures out of magazines and tape them to her walls, she had over have of her room "wallpapered" in Hanson pictures by the time she got over them :) The day she got over them I fondly remember as "The great Hanson Tear down" because we De-pictured the room in 30 min. what took her so very long to tape up!

Not all memories are good. When we were in High School she gathered our "group" of friends and told us that she was dying. She said the doctors told her she didn't have long. I honestly couldn't handle it and actually went home I was balling so much. I'm still not sure what was missed in translation between the doctors and her. I think it was about doing what she needed to do or her functions would go down and she could die from that. It was an honest mistake and she was as devastated as we were, but I think that was when we started to drift apart more. She became determined to live what time she had and I became even more.... well boring (closed off fits to).

Amy's bachlorette party was something else! Lets just say it was a blast and even though it took place in Indiana I'm claiming the "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" clause ;)

I remember being so honored that she asked me to be Matron-of-honor at her wedding.  I still have the candle that they lit during the ceremony. Her gown was beautiful, white with a corset lace up down the back with red. She was truly stunning that day, but then Amy was always pretty.



Mary has been Amy's best friend for a very long time, almost 10 years I believe. When we would talk on the phone or online she was always telling me about the things that her and Mary did or her, Mary and Tim. I am so glad that she had them and that they shared so many wonderful things together.

I think, sometimes, that I wish I was more adventurous so I could have shared in some of her adventures. Then again it could be equally important that she share those adventures with the people she shared them with. I shared her entire childhood and some of her adult life. I am thankful for the time I had and am happy for the time her other friends and family had to. Having so many wonderful memories of such a great person is a blessing.



I'm sorry she had to leave so soon, I wish she could have stayed.
 It's not my place to decide such things I can only abide them and pray.
I pray for her family, I pray for her friends.
I pray that she's happy and her pains at an end.
Rest In Peace My Dear Amy.
You were loved by many a friend.