New York Here We Come!!!!

First here is the addy for Gail Pan Christmas embroidery blocks: http://gailpandesigns.typepad.com/

Heather Finnell has announced her new bom-check it out: http://burningthemidnightoilquilts.com/block-of-the-month-quilt

New news: A call came through yesterday from the Tyra Banks show Caitlin was given four tickets per her request. Her cousin and 2 friends are going along. Caitlin enjoys watching the Tyra Show so this will be quite an experience. I will keep you all posted after the show on how it went. My son is taking us up there, with any luck we will go to the show and then hob nob around New York city for the day. I love New York the hustle and bustle, the people, the foods, oh my I could just go on forever. I plan to look up New York City fabric shops I would like to visit one while I am in the city. If permitted I will take pictures to share with everyone.Today in all the rain Caitlin will be going to the homecoming dance. OH TO BE YOUNG!!!!

Don't forget to add your comments to my post. Love to hear from YOU!!
HUGS TO YOU!

Wild Wednesday

Yesterday I started to search for Christmas projects. I came across a site for free embroidery patterns http://www.redwork.info absolutely adorable snowman pattern and a jolly Santa. Great patterns to use for a wallhanging or yes my favorite table runners. i love Snowmen I decorate one room in my house every year with a snowman theme. This year I will have one new project to hang in the room. You must take a look honestly it is soooo cute.

Here at the homestead the news is our daughter will be having a baby in May. It has been 4 years since we had a little one so the timing is perfect. Most of the family wants a healthy baby girl but the sex is decided allready and he or she will be so loved in this family.

As always I have something to share to brighten your day. This was in my file and unfortunately I don't know who the author is. When I received it was simply signed unknown.

"This is my wish for you. Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, LOVE to complete your life."

Hugs from me to YOU!

Tremendous Tuesday:

Do you all like the quilt kit I am gifting on October 28? I bought dmc embroidery thread this weekend and I plan to start embroidery blocks for the Christmas table runner. I am looking for quick but useful Christmas gift ideas. If you have any please send them my way.

Let me tell you I have a wonderful sister. She visits a local free cycle site and she found someone who has a fabric giveway and she emailed this person to obtain it for me. Now who could possibly ask for a better sister...

I have numerous quilting magazines and I would like to downsize my stash so if you email me your address I will send a few out to you. I am asking nothing of you , only to use the magazines in good health.

With the holidays coming soon I thought I would share this poem with everyone, hopefully it is a gentle reminder of the gifts we can all give on a daily basis.

It's not the things that can be bought
That are life's richest treasure.
It's just the little "heart gifts"
That money cannot measure...

A cheerful smile, a friendly word:
A sympathetic nod
Are pricless little treasures
From the storehouse of our God.

They are the pricleess things in life
For which no one can pay,
And the giver finds rich recompense
In giving them away.
Helen Steiner Rice

I have a wonderful friend who has no wishes for anything. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a leather binder with 8.5 x11 plastic protectors and typed up numerous sayings that I have stored and many that she gave to me and put them in the binder for her. The gift seemed so unworthy of such a wonderful person, but she truly enjoyed the gift. So...a gift idea for the person that would enjoy reading poems and sayings.

It is over the hump day. Yeah! Only two more days to get up and work.

Tomorrow after work I am going to our local AC Moore to pick up DMC embroidery thread. I recently found Gail Pan Christmas designs and I am anxious to get started. I would like to make a few table runners with her designs. It is October and I am just starting to think about what I shall gift to others. I will put up a link in the next day or two to her blog for those who haven't visited.

Today our grandson's behavioral specialists were at the house. My husband and I are learning at every meeting about Asperger's. Zachary has many components behavioral, psychological, and an inabiltiy to learn and retain information. Every moment of our day revolves around Zachary someday it is hard to remember "If HE brings you to it, HE will bring you through it."

I will not be updating my blog tomorrow, I need a day to do some reading on how to add some items to my blog. I will be back on Friday!!!

Hugs from me to YOU!
Grace E.

tranquil times

This is the quilt offering I will be giving away on October 28. The quilt when completed will be 60X70. All the fabric is included for the top you will need to purchase backing fabric and binding.My picture is not the best quality,however the fabrics are beautiful shades of browns and will make an absolutely gorgeous quilt. Please post a message and you will be entered for my drawing to receive this quilt kit.

This month is national breast cancer awareness month. I have two friends that have battled the beast and a friend's mother has finished her battle without recovery. Back in 2008 I read an article in our local newspaper and I kept it and today I want to share it with you. This article sums up the beast and our hatred of this illness. The article speaks to many differant types of cancer and the undying love we feel to those who overcome and those whose lives are lost to cancer, and our willingness to fight the beast.

A LETTER OF HATE

Cancer, I HATE YOU.

I just learned you've attached one more member of my family, a stellar man who does not deserve to have you slinking around in his lymph nodes.

But you don't give a rip about a persons's character, do you? You'll ambush anyone, if given the opportunity.

You took the form of non-hodgkins lymphoma when you strangeled and killed my brother back in 1993.

Several years ago, you crawled into my aunt's colon and cut off her life, too.

You slowly nibbled away at the brain of a friend until he couldn't take another surgery: we attended his funeral a few months ago.

And you recently yanked out a piece fo a co-worker's soul when you sentenced one of his best friends to die in her 40's.

You, cancer, have butchered the breasts of more girlfriends than I can count on two hands.

Oh, and you sentenced at least one associate to live without testicles.

You leave your victims puking, disfigured, bald, aching and thoroughly exhausted as they try to fight you.

In fact, you've pushed your way, directly or indirectly into the lives of just about every person I know, consigning them to moments-or years-of sadness, grief, fear, financial distress,and or emotional and physical agony.

What power.

I bet you gloat in the fact that we have months named after you. Right now, you're reveling in "National Colorectal Cancer Awareness. But you're noted in April for your testicular manifestation, May, skin; June sarcoma...well there's a different form of you for just about every page on the calendar.

Gloating? Well the more people you harm, the more vigilant we will be in combating you.

Don't strut when you see us decorating our desks with daffodils in honor or memory of people who have been subject to your forays.

Don't look at it as a triumph when you see all those walkers at the Relay for Life this year.

Look scared.

Cancer, I hate you. My family hates you. My friends hate you. The world hates you.

In fact, the only thing stronger than the hate we have for you is the love we have for your victims. And so, we will fight you.

We'll donate to agencies that are working to eliminate you. We will give our time, our money and our support to those you prey on.

You are hideous, cancer that's your character.

But my brother in law will survive you.

By the way, cancer have I toldyou lately how much I hate you.

Posted in the Lancaster Sunday News, March 16,2008. by Anne Koenig, editor of the living section.

Please post, let me hear from you. I will be updating and making my blog better as time passes. Be patient, the best is yet to come.

Sending Hugs to YOU!

Grace E.

WOW!!! I started my blog, and then life got ahead of me. I could give you lots of "excuses" but the bottom line is I am back and back for good daily. Let's just say, I agree with William H.Mauldin, I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages. On my first post I mentioned a gift, I am updating this to get my blog going. I will post a picture tomorrow. I will pick at randon from the names of people that respond to my blog. The date for the draw is October 28.


I have only completed one project since my first post. I did complete a fall table runner, that I gave as part of a wedding gift. The 1930 quilt is a slow go. If anyone would like to swap out some 1930 fabric please contact me, I have plenty but I only want two squares of each fabric in my quilt so I need more. PLEASE!! I simply need 10-2.5 inch blocks and I will swap-you name it and I probably have it to swap.



I am considering this a new start and with that I wish to share with you:

A Frienship Blessing

May you be blessed with good friends.

May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.

May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling and forgiveness.

May this change you.

May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.

May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.

May you treasure your friends.

May you be good to them and may you be there for them;
may they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for your journey.

May you never be isolated.

May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam cara.

(anam cara is celtic for soul friend)
From the book: Anam Cara by John O'Donohue


Hugs from me to YOU!
Grace E.

rain, rain, go away

Today it is raining here in Lancaster County. The farmers I am sure are enjoying the rain. I had hoped a package of Northern Solitude fabric would arrive but since it didn't, I am on to other projects. I am presently working on a 9 patch project using white and 1930 fabrics. I made a lap quilt a few months ago for a charity project and my husband mentioned he really liked the quilt. I decided to make a summer quilt for our bed with the left over fabrics and a few new fabrics . I clipped a small piece of each fabric and placed it on an index card for future reference as I research local fabric shops for additional patterns to incorporate into my quilt. When I reach 50 and 100 post milestones I will be giving away a bag of goodies. I will post the picture of these quilt related goodies at a later time. Please subscribe to my blog and you will be included in the drawing.