From Meredith in Caly

All Six of these quilts of valor were made by Meredith in California - She has been keeping Longarm volunteers all over the country VERY very busy!! The top two quilts were quilted by Patricia in Memory of SSGT Fred Duebbers. I think that is a wonderful way to honor another soldiers memory.

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The next two quilts that Meredith made on the left were quilted by Ron O in New Mexico. They make a great team.

I really enjoy laying all the quilts out in my front room, I get to put the on the sofas and the ground in front of the sofas - it is really better than decorating for Christmas. ( which of course needs to be done before.... Friday ( acck) )

And the last two quilts that Meredith made were quilted by Sharon B in Nevada. See - that girls quilts get around don't they? I love being able to include all this info on the labels of the quilts. Meredith did a great job of doing it on her lables. The soldiers are really amazed to find that people all over the country are thinking of them.

Hope you all are having a great weekend. We were DONE with school yesterday, went to swim practice and swam then ATE. The kid's favorite activity. Today we had a basketball game, and then.... other than practices I think we get to relax for a week. Yay....

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Oh and One more customer quilt to finish..... Have a great one....

Jerry Bear

This is our friend Bear. Jerry has been a constant friend to my Mom and Dad and to my family. He has the biggest heart in the whole wide world, he always helped others. Everything the man did truly was done in love, and with the Love of Jesus behind it.

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Sadly, Jerry passed away on Saturday, of course he was doing what he loved, driving a snowcat back in the mountains. Apparently he stepped out of the cat, and into heaven.

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Today was Jerrys funeral. They expected 500 people, they set 600 chairs, it was still standing room only. The man knew no stranger,

and literally knew everyone from Casper WY to Denver CO.

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One man got up and talked about coming to Colorado and he had no food for his family. They were just barely hanging on. He then met Jerry. Jerry brought him a truckload of beef, and a freezer to store it in. I wish I could remember all the words - it was an amazing story.

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He was constantly helping people, whether it be physical labor, or fixing tractors, helping with neccessities, or just smiling when you need it!

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These pictures are of us at a Bronco game just a month or two ago. We had such a good time. He was always quick to laugh, enjoyed everything, found the best in all situations. There is a large hole to fill in this world without him here.

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My favorite thing about Jerry was he always told me it was about time I gained some weight. He always told me he was worried that I was getting too skinny, so I should eat more. Ya know, ya just gotta love a man like that. He will truly be missed, and I am so sad that it was his time.

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If you could, say a prayer for his wife, sons and grandkids. It is going to be a rough Christmas with out Bear around.

From Sue

This Quilt of Valor was made by Evelyn in Oregon, then sent to Sue S in Colorado for quilting. It is really beautiful. and the quilting is wonderful. My friend Mary brought it to me - and she said - this is from "Sister Sue". I have started thinking of Marys sister as my sister. I showed the quilt to my kids and said this is from Sister Sue - and they looked at me rather funny. Like maybe I was off my rocker....

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JoAnne wanted to know what kind of dog Mama and Puppy are. They are a Dutch Drahthaar dog. They are hunting dogs, my Dad hunts them all over the place.

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Barb asked if my Dad knew she was going to have puppies. And yep he did. The timing was off for them, so we thought that we could babysit them and help out. I am expecting chocolate!

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Lori asked for more puppy pictures - I am happy to oblige. May I introduce you to Chubby Puppy? My Dad needs to name her, but alas he is incommunicado for a bit - so we have named her chubby puppy. I think it fits!

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Today she is 10 days old and she moves all over the place. She is snuggly too, and if you rub her tummy she shakes her leg. Its cute. The boys are waiting for her eyes to open.

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Hope you all have a good one! I am in need of some couch time tonite. I am all worn out!

Quilted by Beth

I am back with a quilt! This one was quilted by Beth over at http://bzyqltr.blogspot.com . She has a new longarm and is not afraid to use it! Beth - you did an awesome job. Thank you so much for quilting this Quilt of Valor. This pattern is called the Take 5 pattern. Nice huh?

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Tonite was my oldest sons band performance. He is in the band, and in the Jazz Band. I keep trying to get pictures of him, but am really too far away. This was the best I could do. Their band is wonderful. You can tell they work hard.
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When I picked my son up from school today he says - Mom Mr T. says we need a black shirt for tonite..... we had 20 mintues to eat and then get child 3 to Basketball practice, then had to get home to change, do chores and be back to school. I could not figure how we were going to run to town to get a shirt. ( Our town has NO clothing stores!)

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So we stopped at Kersey Pizza and in walks Mrs W. She thought her son might have a black shirt we could borrow. She gets home and realizes it is too small... so bless her heart - she called around, found a black shirt, basted it to size, and brought it to the performance. I can not thank her enough. Who knew she was going to have to dress my son tonite!!

Mom Call Home

Excuse me folks for the interruption... but Mom and Dad.... please call me at home.

Have a great day Ya;all - I'll be back tomorrow with quilts - I promise!! We had a swim weekend like no other and are finally home... I am excited to get to open the boxes that have arrived.

Puppy and Programs

Tonite was Pipsqueak 3's school program. The music teacher works with all of the students in the grade at different times and this was the big night where they put it all together. They did a wonderful job!

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We have a new addition at our house. I am babysitting my dad's dogs again ( they are someplace warm - I am jealous) and one of them had a puppy! She is a cute puppy, but did you know that a puppy is almost as much work as a human child?

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I know there are colder places right now.. but this morning when we went to do chores and walk dogs in was -20 ... that is 20 below for those of you in St Croix!! I don't think I have defrosted as of yet!

School Pictures Part 1

Every year School Picture time rolls around and we miss it. A few years ago the pictures were pretty bad, so I felt like they were a total waste. Since then - I have become the photographer. Of course, sometimes I forget. Like this year. Then Wrangler Man decided to be the photographer in the family.

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This occurred on Thanksgiving, as we were getting ready to carve the turkey. He thought we could squeeze in a little photo session. I tried to warn him, that with little bit - nothing is easy.....

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How easily he forgets.

I think this one will be good. Do you think the Grandparents will cherish this one on their refrigerators?

And just so you know - 48 pictures were taken.....no quilt was harmed in the process.

You know it is cold when...

The truck just gives you a funny look when you try to start it. And then it makes wheezing noises.
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The dogs DO NOT want to stay outside and play.
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The Dogs water bucket freezes almost as fast as you can put water in it.
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The horses have turned white on their coats. They are mostly Redheads (don't tell anyone I called them that)
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And the true test of cold.... the horse shoer calls and reschedules. He is the toughest man I know and can handle all sorts of freezing temperatures. Imagine my surprise when HE asked to reschedule. I had already been praying for that about Saturday!
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Stay Warm!!

Forward Progress

Everything is moving in fast motion, and progress is being made, and I am so ready for a sleep in day , you have NO idea!!
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Wrangler Man made it home from Texas and left snow in his wake - sorry folks. Maybe it will help you get in the mood for Christmas? But he also brought deep freezing temperatures to our area, and when the high for the day is 18, you are breaking a LOT of ice. (Even with Tank heaters!)
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So my week has been a busy one, but truthfully I wouldn't trade it. I am almost a pro at dressing to stay just warm enough when doing chores, and I can get ready in less than 5 minutes!
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Yesterday and Today we spent sewing at school. We are trying to get these tops finished up so we can move on. We got a lot done, and I forgot my camera one of the days. And because it has been so cold I left a stack of string blocks with signatures on them for the kids to design a quilt top during their recess.
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And I have another Quilt of Valor to show you that is finished! I love this pattern, and the backing is Awesome. The quilt pattern is a Bonnie Hunter original - I believe it is named the Orange Crush. The top and backing were made by Jackie M of New Jersey.

Cool huh?

Hope you all have a good evening. The oldest boy is at a basketball game, the other two are pouring over Christmas catalogs ( they think I want to buy them toys), I will be taking my Dad's dogs out for bit, then sitting down at my sewing machine - I AM EXCITED to see my machine. I think it misses me!

Quilts from the Heartstrings Quilters

I tell ya - for Christmas I want more hours in the day - and I want them to be light hours... not dark ones! We have just been busy, but having a great time.

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Saturday Wrangler Man's Sister invited us all over for chili and to play cards. There were 20 of us attacking their new house. It was great! The kids played cards, and the adults played cards and oh my - were they competitive!

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I am not sure where the rest of the days have gone, only that Wrangler Man is in Dallas, which makes perfect sense because it is supposed to snow tonite. It is truly a given - when that man is gone and I am 100% responsible for the chores, it snows! I think he and mother nature have a pact. They like to see me drag hay thru the snow and over the icy ground ( do you feel bad for me yet? - Didn't think so!)

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These Quilts of Valor came from the folks in my Heartstrings group. Just a great group that works so well together. I so Appreicate them! The first three were pieced by San and the Murphy NC Volunteers. There were quilted by the famous Mary! at http://blog.maryquilts.com/

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This beautiful Batik quilt was made by Nancy W in New York. I think you can click on the picture - the fabrics are just gorgeous! I think this quilt is called a Jewel Box pattern. Perfect for these fabrics.

Thanks all for the beautiful quilts. You guys are awesome. Soldiers will love these!

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Have a great evening!