Thankful ... for My Husband

I am thankful, really. It might not seem like it based on the number of posts in the last few several months. But that's not it. Life has gotten kinda crazy, kinda busy. Blogging has become a lower priority. Hopefully, this will change as new choices are made in the future.

I have a renewed thankfulness for my husband. He has been going through a lot of changes in the last couple of years. After losing his job as an architect, he chose to take on a much lower paying job as a janitor at our church. It was humbling, yet fulfilling for him. He was sad to have to leave California and our friends their, but oddly enough he was also sad to leave that job. It gave him time to think - that is a wonderful thing for him.

His next job was as retail salesperson at a nursery (with hopes of becoming a landscape designer). Even though the pay wasn't great, the opportunity to explore a long-held dream was wonderful. The step from salesperson to landscape designer has been challenging. And yet he is so thankful for this chance to pursue that dream that he is working through those challenges with diligence and commitment.

As I have watched my husband make these changes and deal with the fluctuations in salary and hours, it has become apparent that he is committed to providing for us and allowing himself to be used by God in new and different (sometimes very uncomfortable) ways. In this month of thanksgiving, I want to publicly profess my thankfulness to my husband for his provision.

But beyond that, he is a man who cares deeply for me. He's not one for mushy words and extravagant gifts. He would rather show his love in practical ways by folding laundry and taking me out to eat instead of watching me schlog through dinner preparations when I'm exhausted. He's a no-nonsense guy who can be my best supporter and most encouraging cheerleader. I'm seeing a side of him I never would have seen if we hadn't gone through the things we're going through now. I know even more deeply that he is fully committed to me and will never leave me. I will be forever grateful that he is mine and I am his.

Ta-Ta to Triple Digits

While I am very thankful that we were recently able to relocate to Texas, I don't think I will every get accustomed to the triple digit temperatures in our area. I am so looking forward to the cooling affects of September - at least I hope they will be cooling.

Air conditioning is truly a miracle and a blessing. I am thankful for it in our car, our home, my place of employment and just about every other location I've been for the last 2 1/2 months.

But...I'm ready to venture outside again. I long to stand in the sunlight without feeling like I'm getting an instant sunburn. I want to NOT sweat. I want to take a walk and have a nice cooling breeze blow through my hair. Ah, it's the stuff of dreams.

I know, I know. I'm a baby. Dang right! Bring on Autumn. I'm beginning to think that Summer's only purpose is to help us appreciate more greatly the wonders of Fall. What other purpose does all that heat and dryness serve?

Farewell August. I will not miss you or your heat. I am truly thankful to see you go.

Sometimes Completion is More Important than Perfection

As the baby shower approached I had to make a decision - would it be awesome or would it get finished? Let's just say it was pretty close to awesome and it got finished just in the nick of time.

Sure, it could have been better. The piecing was good. My skills are definitely improving. It was the actual quilting that was less than stellar. Unfortunately, I just couldn't give it the time it deserved. To be honest, quilting isn't something I have a lot of experience with, so even if I'd had time, I'm pretty sure than it still wouldn't have been "perfect."

There was something difficult for me about accepting that this project would be inadequate. I had so wanted it to be flawless. Ha! Who am I kidding? I'm not capable of flawless. But, at this point, I am capable of pretty darned good. Come to think of it, there's really nothing wrong with pretty darned good ... especially if I'm not trying to get a ribbon. It's a baby quilt for goodness sake. Little Jude will not be complaining that my stitching isn't on the money.

I'm just thankful to have the opportunity, skills and materials to make this unique, one-of-a-kind gift for someone special. Quilting is fun, even when it's not perfect.

Birthday Reflections

Forty nine. It’s just a number, right?

Well it’s a significant number today, because it’s mine to claim. I’m no longer in my “mid forties.” I suppose I have to own the fact that I’m approaching 50 and should now embrace my late forties. While the body does indeed ache a little more, I really don’t feel that much older. Life is still full of wonders and little things still bring excitement. I’m believing more and more that age is a state of mind.

There are many seniors in my life who have the enthusiasm of youth. It's a pleasure to be in their company. And then there are some who are just plain grumpy. Every time I’m around them I wonder if I’m going to say something that will be ridiculed or considered offensive. I refuse to accept that as you age you have to become a curmudgeon.

Business man and poet Samuel Ullman said it well in this poem:

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

Bring on youth!

Finally Finished

My best friend, Judy, is coming to visit in a few weeks. She's going to sleep on our extra bed upstairs. The only quilt I have for that bed is over 20 years old and falling apart. This will not be acceptable.

I've had a flimsy complete since I went to a retreat about 3 years ago, but I wasn't loving this quilt and wasn't sure I wanted to keep it. I pulled it out and decided that maybe if I had it quilted I would like it better. I met with a local long-arm quilter and got an estimate that was a tad high for my tastes. After some thought and discussion, I decided that custom quilting wasn't really necessary. An allover meandering pattern would do quite nicely and was much less expensive. So off to the quilter it went.

Once quilted, I had a new appreciation for this old JoAnn's Block of the Month cutie. With the deadline of my visiting friend fast approaching, I whipped the binding on in no time. Ahhh....the power of a deadline! I'm hoping that power will come into play on this, not-yet-started baby quilt.



I'll keep you posted.

Super Thankful

Last week was a week of many blessings.

Blessing #1 - There has been some cleaning out going on at work (a quilt shop). It was determined that some fabric needed to go and I was the very happy recipient of 2 yards.



Blessing #2 - My friend/quilting gal (Dawn) has been cleaning out her sewing room and throwing away - yes, I said throwing away - fabric. Can you imagine? Neither could I. I told her in no uncertain terms that I would take that "trash" off her hands. When she brought me a 33 gallon trash bag almost full with fabric I was giddy.



Blessing #3 - Another friend/quilting gal from my home state of California has a quilt pattern business. I follow her projects and life happenings on her blog, Robin Quilts, Etc. She was at Market last week and attended an event called Sample Spree. She had a contest on her blog and was going to gift one commenter with an item she picked up at Sample Spree. I was the winning commenter, so I'm going to be receiving a Robert Kaufman Roll Up in the mail soon.



I am so blessed and very, very thankful.

Block 3

This is the 3rd block in the Romance Continues Block of the Month by Marti Michell. This picture is a bit blurry, but I actually think I like my fabrics better than those that come in the block of the month kit each month. I haven't shared those yet, have I? I'll save that for another blog post.

I've also got a large quilt that I need to start binding. So far, the strips are cut and sewn together.



Next is the ironing and attaching. And then finally, the hand sewing. This is probably my favorite part of quiltmaking - it means another quilt is almost finised. And since my bff is coming to visit next month and needs to sleep under this quilt, I'd better get moving.