Fabric & Flowers

Thank you for all your kind words on the before and after photos of the house.  Things are coming along and I've been liking the progress.  This is my first week of being without the kids.  I find the whole empty nest thing like riding an emotional roller coaster.  I can be chugging away and doing just fine and then a quick curve and I'll find myself choking up while driving the car, out of the blue it snuck up on me.  I've been trying to stay busy and sewing up a storm.  I'm working on Sherri's Water Lily quilt from her book, "A Quilting Life".  I'm using Circa by Jennifer Paganelli.  The fabric colors are amazing.  I joked on Instagram about not being able to close the fabric cupboard door, so what do I do?  I drop a quilt off for quilting at the quilt shop and come home with the adorable snow man quilt kit.  Geez.  That emotional roller coaster has me justifying all kinds of impulse fabric purchases. Fabric and flowers seem to be my weakness right now.  As soon as one bouquet starts to wither I get another one. I think I'm trying to hold onto summer.  Michigan winters are long and cold, dark and long, did I say long?  I'm starting to unpack the upstairs more.  I hung the medallion quilt above Maddie's bed and the kids canvas pictures in the hallway where they smile at me everyday.  I better go, I'm rounding that bend again.  Blessings!

Smiles,

My Girl

Last month my Maddie turned 18 and had her senior pictures taken on her birthday.  We had our lovely photographer take a few special birthday shots.  It was a lot of fun!  When the pictures arrived on Friday we were overjoyed with the results.

I'm glad that I was able to purchase the CD with all of the photos because we are having a hard time choosing our favorites.  This one stands out for me.  I love how you just see a subtle blur of the vintage quilt she is sitting on.  It was cool that day and at the last minute I grabbed a sweater of mine for her. It turned out to be a good choice.

This Bible is her Dad's from when he was in high school.  I'm going to frame this one for him as a surprise.  

We also took a few shots of her in a local vineyard with her guitar.  It was a day I won't soon forget. It's so hard to believe she's 18.  

This sign went up over the weekend.  There has been so much going on and I haven't been on my blog a lot.  In the last two weeks I have finished the weddings at the farm, moved my husband to a new town to start his new job, packed up quite a bit of my home and got it ready to go on the market, everyone in our house got sick and my niece got married over the weekend.  Today I finally feel like I might have stepped off the hamster wheel and can get back to doing those things I love (just as soon as I stop coughing!)  When it rains, it pours!  It's been doing a lot of that here too these past few days!

Smiles, 

Dress-Up

Saturday was prom.

Hair, makeup, dress, shoes, jewelry…

How do we slow down time?

In two weeks she'll officially be a senior.

Love my Maddie!

Giving Thanks,

A Time for Fun

My daughter went to the Shanghai Circus with her boyfriend on Saturday for his homecoming.  She wore her retro dress with the fun pink crinoline.  We decided against the "fascinator" (hair piece with netting).  I made it alittle too big.  Our favorite hairdresser did some wonderful retro-inspired pin curls.

They always have such a fun time together.  Saturday was in the 40's.  All the snow was pretty much melted.  Now we are back in the 20's with one of the worst snow and ice storms ever.  Trees down everywhere.  Many, many people without power.  Roads too treacherous to drive.  No school yesterday or today because the school doesn't have any power.  Oh, how I long for spring!

Blessings,

Party Shoes

Last night was an emotionally charged evening. My daughter had her first high school Christmas formal. I stood there looking at her so pretty in her dress and was taken back to that very first pair of dress-up shoes...I can hardly believe that time has passed that quickly. I am reminded, "Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:29-30. I'm in love with the godly woman she is becoming...and tears fill my eyes at the thought of the next shoes she'll fill. Have a joyfilled Sunday everyone!