hand therapy

i believe

the current

word is...

.

...retro

reminiscent of things past

remember when i introduced

hello luscious to x-rated

after some thought

i decided to take it back

a decade or two

ok maybe three

or nearly four for me

when all blocks

were stitched

by

hand

oh yes i can hear the gasps

you should listen when

customers come

 into the store

and see me pulling the needle

through the fabric

while i'm walking about

i'm loving it

the best hand therapy

ever

does a great job on

the mind too

total relaxation

the end product

retro in the best way

although i've heard

that look is current once again

black friday...

i'm so excited

about my

shopping...

.

...experience

never will you find me

 standing in long lines

winding around a big box store

i let my fingers

do the shopping

on my favorite creative site

etsy

this little quilted beauty is by

tresa in molalla oregon

it will soon be hanging in

sarah's sewcial lounge

won't you consider

supporting artists

throughout the land

this holiday season

gratitude...

purple profile...

years ago

even before this

next photo...

. 

was taken

a friend gave me a card

that reads...

you are a purple person if:

you are imaginative,

sensitive, artistic and

sophisticated

you have noble ideals

 and a keen appreciation

of the cultural

you are alert, demanding,

 foresighted, confident

resourceful,

spontaneous and highly independent

you take delight in the beautiful,

the gracious, the sensitive,

but maintain an attitude of

critical appraisal

you are active in the support

of things you believe in

and are concerned

with the pursuit of truth

 and other human values

you take chances

 and believe that you must do so

 to make the most of what

 life has to offer

purple is an exclusive

 unique color

and it is truly a unique individual

who holds it dear

twenty years ago today

as i bared my shoulders

 for the world to see

i did not see as much

of myself

in that message

as i do today

shattered dreams

precious iris

sweet adorable girl

forever angel...

.

Iris Catherine Palma

7/7/10 ~ 11/20/11

...gone much too soon

for weeks i've followed

 your daily struggles

open heart surgery

followed by complications

 fluid filled

and collapsed lungs

infections

irregular pressures

pulmonary hypertension

plummenting oxygen saturations

then a complete code

each hour i relived the emotions

with stephanie and anne

as they were posted

you seemed to be following

 the same path as my sarah

day by day

hour by hour

i felt the constant heartbreak

followed by

intense elation

when one tiny flicker

of activity on a monitor

gave new hope

i wanted so to believe that your

outcome would be different

that your mommas

 would hold you once again

that they would see

 your precious smile

instead what they have right now

are shattered dreams

and broken hearts

i know there were several girlies

waiting to take your hand

kristen, carly and lois

 to name a few

a party in heaven

where that extra chromosome

is celebrated

in glory

 i am sure

take it and make it...

lusciously x-rated...

my mind

and body

are aching...

. 

...for some

sewing time

it's been much too long

since i've had access

 to a machine

 so tonight

 i am sitting down

with needle and thread

thought i'd do something with

hello luscious

the newest release

from basic grey

it won't arrive in stores

until february

which makes

x-rated

a carrie nelson schnibble

 the perfect pattern

for a

 valentine

 creation

11.11.11

surround yourself...

smokin' hot...

flipped the page

in the

photo album...

.

...the one from twenty years ago

and found this

at first i was just going

 to pass it by

then my honey came down

and told me

 i looked smokin' hot

it was the reference

to fire

 that made me

decide to scan it

just in case

i never want to forget

that yes

there was a day

when i'd show my legs

i also remember

finishing this outfit

on the way to the event

as john drove

i sewed

typical of our life

back then

wouldn't change a thing

though

conflicting emotions...

from the moment

you look

into his eyes...

.

you know the day

will eventually come

it seems so far off

in the undefinable distance

it's easy to pretend

 it will never happen

then it does

the day your baby boy

moves out

 into the world

on his own

the funny thing

i've been hinting of late

sometimes in a subtle way

and sometimes not

still

 he didn't seem

 to be in a hurry

to flee the parental nest

then out of the blue

he tells me he is about

 to sign a lease

turns out he has been looking

for a great many weeks

that's my boy

i should've known

mr independent with

a well thought out plan

he took me for a preview

but not

until he first took

 his sister

which of course

 melted my heart

last evening he told me

about a new

herringbone couch

a side chair

a chocolate brown table

 he showed me

 a stripped pillow

he was so elated

 i was happy to share

 in his excitement

until he told me

about buying a

king size bed

and that's when it hit me

he's leaving

for good

my baby boy

has grown into a man

in a flash

of an instant it seems

i had to fight the tears

from streaming down my face

i wanted to run and hide

curl up in a corner

so this is what it feels like

my head

 tells me it's time to go

my heart

wants him to stay

somewhere

 in the middle

i'm as proud as i can be

he'll always have a place to visit

and a permanent corner

in my heart

beautiful heartbreak...

a beautiful yet heartbroken soul and friend shared this with me. i thought it perfect to begin the season of thanks and gratitude. it's such a powerful reminder those around us may be hurting much more than we know. yet through all the heartbreak therein lies the beauty...