Last week of June

My how time goes by when you are having fun. My Cousin says I am running around like a turkey with its head cut off - Thats just too funny! We are running a lot for swimming but I am managing to get some quilts done, and some fabric shopping in. I don't quite have enough fabric for the Quilt of Valor project for next year at the school, so I have been watching the sales. Some of the Patriotic stuff is on sale now. I found some really neat prints on the clearance rack at the LQS that would be great for backings - so picked some of those up. I now have backings for 2 quilts. This is a good start! When I told the owner what we were doing she threw in an extra yard!

Another friend of mine says she has a box of some fabrics we might be able to use - so I am looking forward to picking those up .

A customer recently brought me a jewel box quilt. I just love the look of these quilts and she used such vibrant colors. It turned out really neat. She made it a few years ago , then didn't like it, so I assumed it would be wavy and unsquare - bad assumption. This lady's piecing is perfect - I learned a lot just studying it!

Have a quilty day!

Fathers Day

See - I am catching up. Who knew you could be even busier in the summer than in the winter? But its a lot of fun.

Fathers day was a nice sunny day here in CO - it was 102 where we live, so we headed up to the mountains to go fishing. It was a lot of fun, and we caught 4 trout. The two little guys were given instructions not to get soaked, I wonder why we even thought about that - they didn't last 15 minutes before they were soaked - clear thru to the socks. But they had fun and I laughed.... Good thing I had an extra blanket in the truck - they needed to sit on it for our ride home. There is a store - Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and of course our truck led us there - the truck was feeling the need for some chocolate so we all obliged!

We ate our fish on Monday night and they were pretty good. We BBQ'd them.

Have a quilty day!

Our First Swim Meet

My middle son had his first swim meet last saturday ...see how far I am behing already? Anyways it was an 8 and under meet so it went rather fast. As soon as he was done with one event they were calling them to the heating area for the next event. Needless to say he was a little tired. He swam Backstroke, Breaststroke, Free Style and was on a relay team. After his first meet he is hooked - ready to swim even faster!

Here he is all finished! I was so proud of him and his whole team. They did a great job.

The rest of us were very warm - it hit 100 that day. Well we better get going - swim practice you know!

Finds from the past

My Aunt sent me a box of things that she had or had been given from my grandmother and her relatives. I found 7 tea towels in there that had never been used. Each one has a little sunbonnet gal on there appliqued. They are adorable - We guess they were made about 1950 or so. So I am going to make some sort of quilt out of them. Right now they are in the stare at every day and look at a few more details stage.

I have some thirties prints that would look cute - but I don't know what I'll do yet - so I am just looking at them.

My dog - he chased a prairie dog and the mean thing bit him. So today we go get his stitches out. It has been a pathetic 2 weeks for the pup - he had to have one of those funnel things on so he wouldn't bother his stitches. He looks so dejected when he wears it. Plus he has to stay in the house to keep it clean. He is not a complete house dog....we have been taking him out a lot - but I think he misses the great outdoors.

Have a great day!

Pink Lemonade Quilt

This quilt is called Pink Lemonade. I just love bright colors and have been getting more and more bold with my fabric choices - and this is what I came up with. And since it is summertime I like it even more. Of course it is not quilted yet ( but the top is done!!!) and my son thinks I should use lime green thread- he may be on to something.

Summer is here today - Thursday it was so blustery that the pool had to close, and Friday it was so cold in the morning. There was snow at my parents house Thursday nite, so I was wondering if we would have a mild summer. Today so far is 86 here and very sunny. Its nice - but easy to sunburn.

A Fishing Vacation

We had a successfull fishing vacation! We took 10 days and traveled north. It was a blast. We went to the town where my Grandfather grew up and got to see his house - built in 1915 but him, ( he was 12), his father and his grandfather. It was awesome. The man who owns the farm now has kept the house in as close to original condition as he can - it was neat to see the tile that my great great grandfather used in building the fire place.

This is the boys at the water pump that has been there since 1915.

We spent days at the lake fishing - both from a boat - a brand new experience for my boys, and from the shore. The shore proved more successful in number of fish caught. The big whopper was caught by my oldest son. It was 3.57 pounds and I can't remember how long, it was a white bass. They are somwhat difficult to reel in - they fight rater hard and since they are like a plate they resist a lot of water!

We also took a drive to the International Peace Gardens - so we got to jump into Canada and back. Our trip back home found us at Mount Rushmore, and of course - I found a quilt shop, and since it was only 4 miles out of the way they let me go - and didn't even rush me thru the 6000 bolt shop!!!

Little Bits Quilt of Valor

Yay - we finished the top of Little Bits quilt of Valor. This is the quilt that he decided we needed to sew on each day for 15 minutes! It worked and it is ready to be quilted. its a scrap pattern from Bonnie Hunters website called weedwhacker. (http://www.quiltville.com)

We changed the borders a little and it is 51 by 62 - perfect for a Quilt of Valor.

He really liked the way he chose his borders - and he even tried to clean the kitchen up a little before the picture ;-)

We call this a working kitchen - and house for that matter.

We went on a vacation so all my days are a little messed up - the benefits of leaving a computer at home. But either last weekend or the weekend before we had my kids, and my nephews out and did a little riding on the horses, a little rodeoing, and a lot of goofing off. This is the 5 cowboys. We sure had a lot of fun and were a little sunburned.

Our Mini Tornado

Well - it finally happened. We have seen countless tornado go north of us, to the east of us, but Saturday one came our way. It took our trampoline and smashed it into the guy wires, turned our dumpster over, and took everything we had outside. Luckily for us - we were not apart of the outside.

It wasn't that big of one but it went from south to the north of us and truned east - we watched for about 2 miles, then a huge rain/hail storm came.

The next night we had rain for about 3 hours, we were prepared for a repeat, but nothing came of it.

2007 Delivery of the Quilts of Valor

On May 2nd, 6 children, one teacher, the superintendent and myself headed to Fort Carson to deliver 18 quilts of Valor. I can’t begin to tell you the impact of working on this project on myself and on the children.


We arrived in a middle of rain to meet the Chaplain at the gate. After passing security we traveled over to the hospital. The kids were a little nervous, and in awe of all the uniformed men and women walking around. We entered into the chapel – each kid had a quilt to present to the chaplain. The chaplain did a wonderful program, explaining to all that attended what Quilts of Valor was, and how these quilts have made such a difference in the soldiers lives. The last year the protocol of evacuation was changed so Evans Army Hospital met a lot more soldiers without quilts than in the previous year. In 2006 Chaplain C. gave out 52 quilts. He said that each time he presented a quilt to a soldier that the soldier was always tough, yet humbled that others had thought of him, and were praying for his recovery. By the time the chaplain would leave the room the soldier usually had tears in his eyes.

The children then presented the quilts to the chaplain. This involved removing the photo album and setting in on the table, pulling the quilt out of the pillowcase, and unfurling it. There were many officers, doctors and soldiers in the chapel watching. As each quilt was unfurled there were many ohhs and ahhs – but the best of all was the Huwa’s . I have no idea how to spell that – but it is there call, and to know that our quilts received that honor touched me deeply.

Colonel R. honored each of the children with a medal of excellence and personally thanked them for the work that they did on these quilts.

After our presentation ceremony, Chaplain C. took us up to a Sergeants room. Sgt. B. was a sniper. His Hummvee had been hit by an IED and he was thrown from the front to the back of the vehicle. He said he hurt, but he had a job to do, and so he did it. It wasn’t until some time later that he lost complete feeling in one of his legs and had other symptoms. He headed to a medic and they discovered that in the explosion he had ruptured two of his discs in his lower back and that they had completely disintegrated. He has been through many surgeries and rehab. He is in a lot of pain and faces 2 to 3 more surgeries.

Sgt. B. invited us all into his room, and we gave him a quilt. He pulled the photo album out and had all of us sign it right there for us. He told us where he was from, and our superintendent had been born in the same town…small world. Sgt. B. talked to all of the kids and discussed their hobbies – for a man in so much pain he sure was kind and considerate of others. He made the kids feel so comfortable being in his room, and he was really interested in them. Sgt. B. was part of 82nd airborne, and now has a great Red White and Blue quilt to cover him as he rehabilitates. He also has my unending prayers for a swift recovery and lots of protection.

The picture is of the kids and thier teacher, along with Chaplain C.

It tears at my heart to see someone hurt and injured, it tears at my heart to know that they are injured far away from family, friends and the comforts of home. It tears at my heart to see the bravery and strength that these soldiers possess. It tears me up that all we can give them is a quilt – but that quilt becomes a huge hug from those of us who care, and as Chaplain C. says – we need to continue to care – and Care with Honor!

If you are interested in making a quilt or more information about Quilts of Valor you can go to http://www.qovf.org

Quilt of Valor in the MQX Booth

I got to go to MQX in New Hampshire and there was a booth for the Quilt of Valor Program. The group organizer asked if I could bring a quilt that the 5th grade kids had made. So I asked them and they were waaaaay excited. We took a vote and this is the quilt that they chose to hang in the booth. I got to carry it on the plane and deliver it in person to Jackie.

We also had a photo album with tons of pictures and quotes from the kids. Mrs Dillard made that up and it was wonderful! The quilt and scrapbook got lots of compliments. There was a picture of me helping some of the kids in the scrapbook. As I was walking into the armory one day a fellow quilter - who I did not know - asked if she could give me a hug and talked to me like I should know her. I was slightly embarrassed - that maybe I should have known her but was on the wrong planet.... turns out she knew me from my picture, and now.... I do know her ;-)

This weekend has been really nice weather and we have been working outside. I got the first sunburn of the year. Usually I never burn - apparently I was too white this year - the sun attacked. So I am applying Aloe Vera very liberally and wearing jeans from now on!!