Monday, December 21, 2009

Reason for the Season


Yesterday I finished this small wall hanging. I've been working on it for the last couple of months. It's a real group project. Much of the fabric came from a friend who is a quilter "extraordinaire" who has quite the stash and freely gave bits and pieces to be used in this project. Two Saturdays were spent with friends, selecting the fabrics for the different sections and cutting them out. Only the actual sewing was an independent project. Three of these nativity hangings were made. When the others finish, I'll have to get pictures so they can be compared. All one pattern, many similar fabrics, yet the creativity of each shines through.

As I worked (well, played really) on this, I was constantly reminded of the reason for celebration at this time of year. The gift of the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the light of the world. May your Christmas season be filled with the wonder of this priceless and precious gift. May you be wonder-filled with the realization of God's amazing love.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The joy of energy!

It's funny how many things we often take for granted. Like just having the energy to do what needs to be done. And the energy to enjoy doing those things and feel good about them. That's the gift I've felt the last couple of days. I've been so tired and I've felt somewhat flat. I never did get sick, really, just felt tired and more tired. BUT the last couple of days I've felt a sense of energy and positiveness. What a gift! When I really think about it, I am reminded that I do that with the gift of God's love for me. Take it for granted more often than I'd like to admit. And it's new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!

Monday, October 12, 2009

My Favourite Quilt(s)




Last spring I chanced upon an online quilt festival. Wow, was it inspiring! The stories, the quilts, the thoughts. What a privilege to enjoy the entries. I was inspired at that time to start my own blog. But, life got in the way of keeping it up. Maybe now I'll be inspired to keep it up.

Like many people who quilt, I can't choose a favourite quilt. So, I'm going to choose two - both of them made for anniversaries of people I love. My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary just over a year ago. I wanted to give them something special - a gift of love. I saw a quilt like this one - crossword of family names - at an outdoor quilt festival and thought it would be perfect for them. What fun (really, it was fun) it was to fit the names of all our family members into a crossword puzzle for them. As my parents love playing Scrabble, it seemed a fitting gift for them. It sits on the end of their bed. And I even had to make matching pillow cases for them. I guess they like it!

My brother and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this past summer. I was going to surprise them, but my brother came right out and asked for a quilt. Pretty cheeky, eh? So, the cat was out of the bag and I asked my sister-in-law what colours she would like. (Got in trouble with my brother for that, but oh well.) She picked red and orange. Certainly not colours I would have ever picked. Or even that I thought would look at all nice. Fortunately the fabric designers are doing fabulous jobs with designing and I found some that looked great! Now I even entertain the idea of making a red and orange quilt for myself.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Laughter and Giggles


Today I was blessed by the gift of laughter. I know it's blessed me before. I do enjoy a good laugh. But there were three times I really remember from today.

First there was a quiet giggle with a student who had hurt her finger. After I gave her some compassionate words and looked at it, I told her I wouldn't kiss it better. This resulted in a giggle. Then I kissed my fingers and touched them to her. Resulting in a shared giggle.

The second one was when I brought the students to PE class. One of the ECS students made sure I noticed her adorable face at the glass window in the door. (She's family - so we have a special teacher/student connection.) I then kissed my hand and blew her a kiss. She returned the favour and we shared a giggle, through the window in the door.

But the best one was at the end of the day. I was sort of grumpy and impatient this afternoon. Not sure why. In the staff room I noticed a story posted on the chalkboard. Oh my, this was a great story! It told of a woman who encountered 4 men stealing her car. She pulled out her gun and threatened them with it. (You're wondering when this becomes funny, aren't you?) They left without argument. She then got into the car and tried to drive away. She was unsuccessful in getting the car started. After about 3 tries, she looked around her. On the seat beside her she saw a football, a frisbee, and two 12-packs of beer. That was when she realized that it wasn't her car! She found her car and drove to the police station to tell her story. The police officer couldn't stop laughing as she told her story - and he pointed to the other end of the counter where 4 men were telling about a car-jacking by a little old lady. I laughed and laughed and felt so much better. The moral of the story was this - If you're going to have a senior moment, make it a memorable one!

My moral - laughter and giggles can lighten a day! Try to have some every day!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Daily gifts from God


One of my recent goals is to consciously think of the wonders God puts in my life on a daily basis. There are the big wonders and smaller wonders. I think that I often take things for granted - and I want to live more consciously, more aware of God's amazing goodness to me. Today I went to an art show. Wow! God has blessed us with His gift of creativity. While not everything appealed to me, I sure saw lots that made me smile, that made me go "Aaaa." What a blessing the gift of art is. There were pictures of the special, of the mundane, and of uncertain/unspecified (read abstract). What an abundant world. Here's a picture I took awhile ago - a picture of the small things we often don't see, but which show God's creativity and small signs of beauty.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Dreaming in Purple

This is a pillow I made for my youngest niece. It was recently her birthday. I actually gave her the pillow early because I thought she needed a little boost. Over Spring Break, she was here, visiting with her parents and one of her sisters - and she had the pillow with her! I guess that means the pillow means something to her!

Here I Go!

Hmmm. I've been thinking about this for about a week now. And today, as I was playing on the computer, I ended up here. The hope is that this will be a spot to show the things that make me smile, the things that make me wonder, the things that make me hum, and the things that make me go hmmm. Maybe even a few other random thoughts as well.