New Necklace

Love my my new necklace and earrings I got from Adrians booth at the fair!

Trash Cans?

Barry's brother and sister are big KU fans. We got these for them to use as trash cans for a deck/porch or office. They are 5 gallon buckets.

The other half

In 2008 I wanted to learn to quilt. The first thing I did was buy some fabric and learn to cut using a rotary cutter. I ended up with a lot of squares that I patched together - see below.



This was bigger than I desired so I cut it in half and made 2 lap size quilts. I knew I would give one to my older sister, Denise and keep the matching one. The day I took them to be quilted [I only did the piecing], we found out she had cancer. Sadly, she would leave us six months later. We spent those 6 months talking and reliving a lifetime.



I mailed her quilt to her once I had the binding finished. She kept it near.



What I did not know was that she had made a wish known and that was for the quilt to be buried with her. She entered eternal slumber covered with my love. I miss you, Denise.

The other half? It's here. I plan to pass it down with memories I shared with Denise.

Mama

Saturday, February 27th, was the one year anniversary that my precious Mama died. I had thought about blogging about it but the pain is still too great. I miss her so much. Instead of dwelling on the sadness I took time to notice all the things in my home that connect us. Small things, silly things, things made with love. The oven mitt shown below was a gift from Mama over 10 years ago. I love my cats and this mitt has been in my kitchen ever since. And, no, I never use it.

Mama is buried back home in Georgia, over 1,100 miles away, so I can't visit her grave. On Saturday we took new flowers to Elmer's grave [Barry's father]. We took him bright Orange & cheerful poppies. With the last of winter hanging around they were a happy spot in the cemetery against the dormant brown grass and leafless trees.



Mama, my love for you lives on with your memory. Thank you for... everything.

Hurry up Spring!

I'm bored with inside. Can we please get Winter over with already! Made this while watching TV last night. A gift to myself. I'll wear this when Clay deploys to Afghanistan.



It's really all silver. Must be the lighting since I didn't use a flash. Hmmm.

Valentine Flowers

Yellow roses are my favorite. Not traditional for Valentine's Day but I'd rather have yellow roses any day.

Thank you, Barry!

Friends...

...make life sweeter!

In 2009 I spent the last 7 weeks of Mama's life with her. I struggled with much during this time including being over a thousand miles from home. My life group friends made a quilt and mailed it to me. It touched my heart in a way that words cannot express.

Small gifts...

... can be the sweetest treasures. There is something special about this little gift I received at Christmas, other than it came from a sweet friend. It is a tiny tea light holder. I enjoy using it daily with some of my favorite tea lights, like Sandlewood. Perhaps it reminds me of the joy I have watching the hummingbirds [and Orioles] that visit my feeders set out just for them. How long till Spring???