never stop...

celebrating four years..

so hard to

believe

our quilt shop...

is four years old

today

it seems like

just yesterday

we were cutting

the ribbon

on my sarah's

twenty first birthday

we had no idea

where this journey

was to take us

yet today

i can't imagine

us doing anything

other than sharing

our love of fabric

our zest for

fiber creativity

demonstrating

sarah's sewing talents

while fulfilling

our mission

of employing creative persons

of all abilities

including those with

down syndrome and autism

and assisting

kristen's light to shine

around the world
celebrating we are
with our annual
sweet treat extravaganza
life is good

twenty eight...

twenty eight

years

today...

 

the peaks have been

higher than the clouds

the valleys go

pretty deep

through it all

we try our best

 to remain

a team

we're not perfect

but together

we pick each other up

and continue on

happy anniversary

to my man

i love you honey

 

two signed leases...

i've been

trying

to find...

 

 

...words to describe

what my husband

 son and i

 have been through

 the past few months

 with regards

 to the buildings

 our two businesses occupy

 but the wild range

of emotions

simply can't be defined

the miles we've put

 on our cars

 looking for space

may be quantifiable

 but the burden

 of weeding out

 the good from the bad

 just can't

in the end

we've both found spaces

 that we believe

will work out well

for each of us

just one block apart

 this pic

 was taken right outside

 the new door
for jellen's house of fabric

 that tan building

 on the other side

 of the shell gas station

 is where the two johns will be

along with a few other

businesses

 being run by father/son teams

 interesting

 how life works out

market miracles...

there's nothing

quite like

the inspiration...

 

 

of quilt market

to get

the creative juices

flowing

yet beyond

the colors and fiber

the friendships

the camaraderie

of like minded souls

is the simple fact

that i am

blessed beyond measure

to be sharing the

experience

with my girl

my miracle

of all miracles

and that

is the greatest

inspiration

of my

lifetime

so

very

grateful

daring...

an empty shell...

sterile walls

plain windows

empty rooms...

our quilt shop

is gone

cleaned out

finished

at it's

very first location

it was a fluke really

opening that is

not something

i had ever planned

on doing

the timing just happened

to be perfect

as are the memories

if only

these walls

could talk

what would they say

likely they'd speak

of all the friends

we've made

the tears we've

shed

together

from both happiness

and sorrow

we've watched mommas

nurture pregnant bellies

we've welcomed

 babies

and watched them grow

we've held hands

with friends

receiving a life

altering diagnosis

we've helped many

a new sewer

select fabric for a first quilt

we've also

assisted the selection

of clothing to

go into a memory quilt

of a loved one

little boys, fathers, husbands

grandmothers and wives

we've cheered triumphantly

alongside families

as they embraced their

new sons and daughters

sharing that one

extra special chromosome

that welcomes them

to the world of 

down syndrome

i've learned

 much about myself too

my patience

 is better

my stamina

is greater

my knowledge

more expanded

my skills

more refined

my gratitude

is immense

my heart is

so very thankful

i thought

i would feel sadness

as i locked

the door

for the last time

yet what i feel is different

it is a sense 

of contentment

with excitement too

i'm curious

to see where we

go next on this journey

i know not

 the answer

for we are following a plan

not of our own doing

but of our creator

i've learned

a building is simply

an empty shell

it's what is inside

that matters

sew new...

moving...forward...

i admit

the tears

are falling...

it's not

that we didn't

know

it was coming

we have been

under a dark cloud

since september

in this building our

 two businesses

occupy

on mayfield road

one bearing my

 creative name

we have been preparing

for this moment

for some months now

just in case

but we have been

in denial too

until late this afternoon

when

 correspondence arrived

telling us

we have three days

to vacate the premises

i know in the end

good things

will come of this

in the meantime

we have a lot of work to do

yards and yards

of fabric to sell

so i shall

 dry up my eyes

pray deeply

for our landlords

our future

and march forward

yes!!

decluttering...

if i had

life

to do over...

i would buy

a lot less crap

i've been cleaning

out my mother's stuff

for weeks now

still have a garage full

onto our house i go

last night when

i went to bed

this was my living room

i have nightmares

about it

so very unnecessary

it is just awful

the amount of money

we waste on

needless junk

and then

we hoard

like it's treasure

not so

it's mostly

dust mite collecting

or worse

mold and mildew

we could and

should

learn to live

with so much less

my goal for

this year is to

follow the

 one in - two out

 rule

that is

once i rid the house

of all

the

unnecessary stuff

our happiness

depends on it

blindly into the night...

last evening

i was

calmly driving...

 

when all of a sudden

 it started snowing

within moments

it was nearing

white out conditions

it was hard

 to see what

was in front

of me

i slowed to a

crawl

just making sure

i was staying

on course

then as i gained a

bit more confidence

i eased my foot

further down

on the gas pedal

keeping faith

that the road

 was still

before me

and isn't that how

we live life

we have no idea

what tomorrow holds

the next minute

or hour really

we slowly

build up confidence

develop a faith

that

there will be

a reason to go

on

and then we do

one foot in front

of the other

blindly

like a white out

in the darkness of

night

tattered & torn...

many years

of

healing warmth

 

and love

from this quilt

my very first

paper pieced

hexagon

 stitched by hand while

i was in college

this week

it was my comfort

while i slept

in a chair

due to a frozen

back after

shoveling the drive

there are places

that need repaired

but i can't bring

myself to do so

as the vision

is so alive

when i think

of my

kiddos

curled up

underneath

when they

were not feeling

 so well

i cherish those

memories

and each thread

that is hanging

and

seam that is

 torn open

is there

from their

tiny hands

yet

comforted hearts

thursday thought

another year...

older...yes

wiser

i hope so...

my girl and i

made our annual

trek down to the q

for disney on ice

i watched

her closely

she demonstrates

such enthusiasm

the minute the big

eared mices

skate through the curtain

even though she's

seen them a

bazillion times

and i marvel

at that

i want to live

like sarah

just simply

enjoy

each and every

moment

that's what i wish

for this fifty fourth year

of mine

to simply enjoy

everything

all the little

moments

all we really need...

i recently wrote

a note

to someone...
 

who had been

quick to judge me

and
 turn me into

a villain

my sentiment was

 simply this

i really
 could not understand

the position that

had been taken

when all we

(my husband and i)

needed

was love

i have been trying to

articulate

for some time

a message

and

this week

a friend of mine

said for me in just

a few words

what i've been trying to

for years

using fear, guilt 

shaming and negativity 

does not build love 

trust 

or a feeling of safety 

just supposing

 the call had instead

been about love

just love

the outcome would

have been

 so much

different

today i vow

to spread some love

forgiveness

followed by love

for that is all we

really need