luv u mother nature...

just a quick

little message

 to say...

.

your timing

was not so much

 appreciated today

just in case you hadn't noticed

my dear friend dave

had just finished polishing

the front windows

his first job since

having knee surgery

several months ago

when you decided to dump

on cleveland

yet again

with that wet, heavy white stuff

 i am going to be forgiving

this one last time

but please

let me remind you it is

the last day of march

could you kindly move

onto the

next season

moda madness give-a-way

there's a march madness

golden give-a-way

going on...

.

jump over to the store blog

to check out the details

hurry though

offer ends

at 8:00 pm

on 3.31.11

maybe i am just a little girl...

with great big plans...

do you roly poly?...

i personally crave # 47

the nut & honey wrap...

.

full of cream cheese,

raisins, sunflower seeds,

 cashews, baby spinach, plum tomatoes,

carrots, alfalfa sprouts,

with spicy honey mustard

my husband likes the smoked turkey

sarah prefers the roasted turkey and swiss

the boys stick with the

 roasted beef & provolone

suffice it to say the ely family

 loves roly poly

when it came time for our grand opening

of the quilt store

we didn't even have to debate the menu

roly poly was a must

so what does this have to do

with creativity you ask

jenny watson

a stampin'up manager

name a 2010 rising star

she's in my same downline

and she and her husband

 just happen to own

the very roly poly

i am addicted to

i just learned that this week

small world indeed

congratulations jenny!!!

if you are in northeast ohio

head on over to golden gate on mayfield

try the frozen yogurt too

it's soooo good

a cause and a mission...

at first glance

quilting for a cause

catches my eye...

.

a classic design

maple leaves

in beautiful colors

it has been lovingly quilted

by a group of women

members of the

quilting stars of ohio guild

donated for a raffle

 to the j r coleman

early care and learning center

ironically

across the page

is an article

about ethics

advances in prenatal testing

are making it much easier

to identify a fetus

as having down syndrome

is that single diagnosis

reason enough

to prevent a child from attending

an early learning center

because they are denied life

today is world down syndrome day

educate yourself

educate your loved ones

read more about quilting and down syndrome

cheesy leprechaun

oh how i loved

 this little green

 and white dress...

.

tiny little shamrocks 

with matching green ribbon

to tie sarah's trach

and weave

through the gathered eyelet

i was often sewing

in the wee hours of the night

not quit sure where 

we would be spending

the holiday

because of her health status

no matter what

she always posed 

for a picture

cheesy grin and dimple checks

eyes a twinkling

 like a pot of gold

woman's world

i received a call

 from an editor

 of a magazine

.

and i must admit

i was not too familiar

so i sent tj to the store

to pick one up

before my scheduled interview

(thanks tj)

i was pleasantly surprised

by the stories

very uplifting

inspirational even

and then i got to the story

about the purple balloons

purple balloons of hope

it had me in tears

a sign perhaps

that the story was meant to be

as in our story

stay tuned

in the meantime

pick up a copy

of woman's world

at your grocery checkout

shout out to my snowmen

getting stuck

 in the parking lot

 is no fun...

.

unless

you are lucky enough

 to have

 two handsome men

upstairs

willing to come

 to your rescue

thank you tj and john

mardi gras memories

i've never been

to new orleans

for mardi gras...

yet i have the best memories

of a fat tuesday celebration

once a month

my girl scout troop

would meet up at

 the greens of lyndhurst

an assisted living facility

where we would entertain

the residents

for the night

each month was a different theme

it seemed only fitting

 that in march

we celebrate mardi gras

we brought beads

and hats and masks...

we sang mardi gras songs

served cupcakes with

a little plastic baby

hidden in each one

sarah was so alive

on these nights

she became the helper

instead of the one

 often being helped

i loved the planning

the creativity

and seeing the smiles

on everyone's

faces

both the young

 and the not so young

and that will always be

my mardi gras memory

i said yes

i'll never forget

twenty five years

ago today...

.

showing off the new ring. d'poos on the river. cleveland, ohio. 1986

he asked

i said yes

i know this date is

 not often celebrated

yet as i have been

reviewing my life

of late

the ups and downs

the good and the not so good

it really all started with

that one little word

yes

had he not asked

or had i said no

it would have likely ended

right then and there

so it really is

 the beginning

that simple little three letter word

it changes everything

no longer are you

free and frolicking about

it's a commitment

to a life together

sure there's still time

 to back out

but not as quietly

 as before

the public announcement

looking back i also

realize it begins a time

of alignment

the supporters in one camp

the naysayers in another

the thing i've learned

and have finally accepted

they pretty much stay

 where they began

with twenty five years

of hindsight

knowing how things turn out

at least to-date

knowing the depth

 of the peaks and valleys

the triumphs and struggles

would i change anything

would i still say yes

in a heartbeat

without a thought

i said yes to my best friend

then

and still today

thanks for asking john

i love you more today

than i could ever

have possibly known

the new r word