HAPPY NEW YEAR and a little treat!

Hope your new year has started out wonderful

and continues to be everything you dream of!

I'm working on a quilt I call "Garden Party".

It's and X's and O's pattern

and I'm using a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get some more of it done.

For now, I have a little cutie for you Nancy calls my candy cane potholders.

I made 6 sets of these!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

I just want to give you a quick update.

I hope to get back to blogging soon.

I've got a few quilting projects in the works

and have been doing alot of crochet...lot's to show you!

We lost Mom, October 7th. I miss her terribly.

My honey has been diagnosed with myelomonocytic leukemia...

I have been busy and I'm still counting my blessings!

Thank you...

Thank you for your prayers. Mom continues to fade away from us but is still looking forward to being with the Lord. She's a strong lady. It hurts so much to see her fade away so quickly. Her voice is barely a whisper now. Today when I visited she asked me to take care of her little dog. She said no one will love her as much as I do. What could I say? She is the sweetest little dog...a 3 pound blonde Chihuahua. So, I am now the proud owner of another little critter. Lily doesn't mind...she loves her new baby sister, Tink.

Have you ever had fried green tomatoes? YUM! My grandma used to cook them for me when I was a little girl...I've always loved them. We have had some pretty cold temperatures for this time of year. The tomatoes have stopped turning red. What to do with those pretty GREEN tomatoes? Can them so you can have summer in the winter.

HELLO!

I just realized that I haven't posted in MONTHS.

I've been so busy.

We finally reached Omaha the 1st of May...

I can't believe it's been 4 months!

My mother-in-law passed away last month.

We got here just in time to get to spend some quality time with her.

My mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in June.

She is refusing all treatment

and says she is ready to go be with the Lord.

Last but not least,

my sweet hubby was diagnosed with leukemia in July.

As I said, I have been busy.

I'm here though and I'm doing well.

I've missed you all and hope to hear from you soon.

Have you been stitchin'?

2nd Trip Behind Us...

Just got back from our second trip to Omaha.

One more trip and I will officially be a CORNHUSKER again.

Just wanted to check in and tell you how we're doing.

Moving is the pits!

Still packing...

I never imagined that we would ever be leaving this little house on the hill and have so much stuff it's unbelievable. I have the upstairs almost finished and we have just returned from our first trip with the UHaul. Most of that was my quiilting and scrapbooking stuff. I did keep out a few little projects to work on but just haven't found the time to do anything but worry about getting this move over. We will be staying with my MIL so everything will be in storage until we find a house that we love. I'm so ready! Anyhoo, I haven't had much time for blogging and I'm taking a little break today to do just that. I have to see what you have been up to! I've missed you! I haven't yet decided if I'm going to take my computer to MIL's house or not. Space is limited there and I may have to store it. I hope I don't lose you if I can't post for a long period of time...I WILL BE BACK!

Happy Valentine's Day...

From us to you!

Midwest Storm...

We're bracing ourselves for what the weather man in St Louis

is calling

a "historic winter storm".

They are predicting some 12 inches of SNOW

after up to an inch of ICE.

We're ready but I worry about power outages in ice

and wind like this...40mph.

We won't be leaving this little hill for a week or more

if we get what they say we will

within the next 36 hours.

Can we trust the weather man?

I sure hope not.

We still have snow from last week!

Hope you're cozy and warm...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is a special day for me...

I want to share my Daddy with you.

Doesn't he make THE BEST SANTA!

He MADE that Santa suit...

it is red velvet lined with white silk.

This is a picture of him and his sister

saying good-bye for what

(little did they know)

turned out to be the last time.

Just look at all that sugar!

2nd Baby Quilt...

I've been going through some old pictures and found this...

my second baby quilt.

(the first one was PINK)

Machine stitched, hand applique and hand quilted.

Look at the little bunnies!
As I pack up my quilts for the big move

I'll take some pictures.

Stay tuned!

A happy day...

...to all my Aussie friends!

More SNOW!

We got 10 inches of

SNOW!

Good weather for packing

and I have homemade bread in the bread machine. :)

Look at the ole "Keeper of the Forest" sticking his tongue out at me!

This is the view from my kitchen window.

I'm gonna miss that hundred year old Oak.

Boxes and lonely cubbies...

Yesterday I packed up my scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies.

Don't the poor cubbies look lonely?

Books...

I love books!

Bible studies, quilt books, scrapbooks, cookbooks...

I've always wanted a library in my house.

I have packed HALF of my books

and still have several shelves to go.

Books are no fun to move

when you have a library of your very own.

To all you girls in the US, I hope you are staying warm.

To my friends in Aussie...stay dry and SAFE!

Back to packing...

Word for the New Year...BEGINNINGS

With all the changes going on in my life right now I have chosen the word "Beginnings" as my word of the year. There are endings here of course but beginnings just seems to be the best word for me. I've been packing but have only just begun. Everywhere I look I see more stuff to put in boxes. I know I have a few months to do it all but I am just so ready to get it over with. We have no idea where we will be living so I am looking forward to house hunting. I promise you...I will NEVER move again so the house we finally decide on will be it for the rest of this journey I call my life. I've been doing alot of day dreaming...thinking about my new home. It MUST have a HUGE basement for my longarm and all my quilting goodies. It MUST have a room for my scrapbooking stuff too...and of course a room for Mom when she comes to visit. My BFF Linda will need a cozy place to rest too when she comes to visit from here in Missouri. The kitchen will have lots of cubbies and I need at least 2 baths...we have 3 here and I am spoiled with my very own. Mike has his own too and then we have a main bath. My laundry room must be on the main floor this time and I need a walk out basement. Do you think I'm asking for much? OH! A dining room with lots of space for my dinner table. This one is so small I can't have more than 4 for dinner right now. I love to cook for others and am so excited about being back home where I can have company for dinner. So, on 1-11-11, my new word is BEGINNINGS. What a blessing to be able to start over fresh!
Will you come and help me pack?

Mr Mike thinks all he has to do is watch for now

since he will be doing the bulk of the moving of the boxes.

:o)

For today I'll leave you with this...

I have thrown out worrying,

it was getting old and in the way.

It kept me from being me,

I couldn't do things God's way.

I threw out a book on my past...

I don't have time to read it anyway.

I replaced it with NEW GOALS

and started reading that today.

I threw out hate and bad memories

(remember how I treasured them so?)

Got me a new PHILOSOPHY too...

threw out the old one from long ago.

Brought in some new books called

I CAN, I WILL and I MUST,

threw out I might, I think and I ought;

WOW! You should have seen the dust!

I ran across an old friend,

hadn't talked to Him in a while.

His name is God the Father,

I really like His style.

He helped me to do some cleaning

and added some things Himself.

Like prayer, faith, hope and love...

Yes, I'd added them to my shelf.

I picked up this special thing

and placed it on the front door.

I found it, it's called PEACE,

I can't let things get me down anymore.

Yes, I'll have my house looking nice,

it'll look good around my new place.

For things like worry and trouble,

there just isn't any space.

It's good to do a little house cleaning,

getting rid of things ON THE SHELF.

Going home...

It's final...we are moving back home to Omaha.

I'm going to miss my little house in the forest

but now that Grandma is gone

there is nothing left here for us

and I will be glad to be close to my family again.

Mike can't find work

and has a better chance in the big city.

So, as of today, I started packing.

I have plenty of time to get moved...

I'm going to need the rest of the Winter to get packed!

When we moved here 12 years ago

we came with 8 dogs and a pregnant cat...

just one big truck full of furniture...

we'll be taking back one little Lily beagle

and at least 2 big trucks full of stuff.

Between my quilting and my scrapbooking stuff

we'll need one truck alone...LOL

If you don't see me blogging on a regular basis

you'll know what I'm doing.

Gosh I have ALOT of stuff.

I packed up just my miniature shoe collection today

and it took 5 boxes.

I've got to learn to control myself with all these collections.

No one woman should have this much STUFF!

I haven't even started on the basement

(where all the fabric is)...

or my scrap room

(where all the paper is).

My blessing for today...

I have family back home

that just can't wait for me to get there.

365 days of blessings...

20. My juicer

Do you have a juicer?

Try juicing 4 small apples

(skin, seeds and all)

and 1/4 lemon, peel and all...

it tastes like Summer!

21. A kitchen window where I can

watch the birds eat while I clean my juicer.

22. SWEET navel oranges this time of year

23. 3 months worth of firewood

(thank you Michael)

24. My local librairies

(two of them)

25. My digital camera

(so I can show you all my schtuff!)

365 days of blessings...Day 4

14. Scented candles

that make my whole house smell good
15. My crock pot
16. My little silver Rav4
17. Warm memories of Daddy

18. Crocheted washcloths

(try one on your face)

19. Daily devotions

If I could have only one wish for God's people,

it would be that all of us would return

to the Word of God,

that we would realize that His Book has the answers.

The Bible is the authority,

the final resting place of our cares,

our worries, griefs, tragedies, sorrows,

and our surprises.

It is the final answers to our questions,

our search.

If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

Psalm 119:92

(NIV)

365 Days of Blessings...Day 3

8. Warm 100% cotton hoodies

when it's just cold enough outside for a light jacket

(today was beautiful)

9. All the fun cosmetics

I can fit into my THREE drawers FULL

10. My new lighted MAGNIFIED vanity mirror

(now I can see to pluck my eyebrows

and don't have to pay outrageous prices

just to have someone rip them off!)

11. Phone calls from my hubby in the middle of the day

12. My dear friend Nancy who makes me

LAUGH OUT LOUD

every time I talk to her

13. Brothers who love me and tell me so often

Happy Birthday Mark!

365 Days of Blessings...Day 2

2. My mother, who can still out run me

3. The sun that shines so brightly in my office

and keeps me warm on cold winter days

4. My little dog Lily

that stays as close as she can get to me...

she's sitting at my feet,

with her head against my leg as I type

5. Ohhhh! The roaring fire in the fireplace

6. Special friends who think of me OFTEN

and never let me forget

(you know who you are)

7. Mounds and mounds of fabric and paper!