Things and Stuff

I surely need to post more often, because short little spurts of "stuff" is easier to write and much easier for my faithful followers (I think there are about 4 or 5 ... hahaha) to keep up with. Today's post is just stuff and thoughts and things.

FIRST ... a picture :) This is a quick picture of my kitchen window. The picture was taken with my phone, didn't crop it or do anything fancy (although I should learn how to make them really cool). I created this the afternoon before Easter, found the pattern on Moda Bakeshop, a great free pattern website http://www.modabakeshop.com/. I have a quilt hanging in my kitchen with these same fabrics, so I used up all the little scraps and pieces that I had left over. I wish the picture was a little clearer ... you will just have to stop by and have a look at it sometime, in person :-)

SECOND: My youngest is on his May term trip with a group from college. He traveled to Amsterdam, is going to spend a week in the Netherlands and then a week in Belgium ... what an amazing opportunity for him. I must admit I worried about his international travel in light of the death of Bin Laden and the repercussions that could occur. I then thought, if we live in fear of him, his followers, and plan our lives accordingly, then haven't they won the war on terriorism? I have to practice what I preach, let go and let God take care of me and mine. My prayer is that he will immurse himself in their culture, well most of it :) Perhaps he could refrain from the legal prostitution and marijuana :) I hope that he experiences the culture, the food, the landscape, visits the historical spots and just plain enjoys himself.

And finally: The Zobel Clan in Lincoln, NE, taught Doug and I about a new game for the Wii. The Zobel clan I am referring to is his amazing cousins. Kristin is the one I blame the most ... but her parents Michelle and Kevin should probably share in this. We were moving Brandon and Blair to Lincoln a few weeks ago, we went out for an evening to their home, and the birthday girl, Ms. Kristin, wanted to play "JUST DANCE" ... omg (oh my gosh) we laughed until we cried as we watched the "dance competition". Nolan and Kevin's performance was a highlight, along with Doug ... and April ... and Blair ... and Doug and Michelle ... and the reigning DANCE QUEEN, Ms. Kristin ...  goodness we had a good time. Sooooooooo Doug and I are the proud owners of "Just Dance". It's my new "workout" ... gooodness ... I still ache after 3 little dances. THANK YOU Bouwens ... it was awesome!

Until soon ...

Good Friday - Evening of Shadows

I had the pleasure to serve the Our Savior's and West Prairie congregations this evening as a lay preacher. We gathered for worship at West Prairie, and as the name depicts, it's a beautiful little church sitting on the "prairie" just a bit east of Thompson, Ia. The message I brought to them was a Tenebrae service. Tenebrae is Latin for "shadows" ... a service of light. Through the seven last words of Jesus on the cross, we extinguished a candle and turned out the lights of the church. Serving as the lay preacher it was my honor to read the Gospel lessons, the words that our Savior, Jesus Christ, spoke from the cross. Following each reading, I gave a bit of a meditation. With each meditation it was my hope that those gathered could feel, could remember, could find a deep meaning to these words, to this day. Warning ... this is a LONG post ... but here is a little synopsis of my message this evening. If you didn't make it to church, I hope these words bring you just a bit of reflection.

The most touching words for me personally, "Father, forgive them, for thy know not what they do." This tortured man prayed for our forgiveness, the Son of God, asks for his Father to forgive us ...

"Today you will be with me in paradise." Looking through tears, reaching out to the theif, this man of God continued to teach and heal from the cross. Those words brought comfort and peace to a criminal, truly he could have saved his energy, saved his breath.

"'Woman here is your son.' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.'" In those simple words I think he was saying, "Momma, here's my friend, you can love him, he will love you. He knows me momma, he walked with me, he understands what I must do, he will hold you and comfort you when I am gone and momma, he shares your grief." And likewise I think that to his friend, to the disciple whom he loved, I think he was saying, "My friend, here's my momma, I love her, and I want you to love her, and she will love you. She is the one who taught me, she raised me, she wiped my tears, she fed me, she held me, and she will hold you." I think that's what those 9 or 10 words meant from the cross.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The cross, the torture, the pain, the agony ... can we even imagine the pain? The cuts and tears of his skin from the lashing, the dry blood on his face from his "crown" of thorns, and the agony of his body hanging there in the heat of the day. He found his strength in God, he found purpose in his Father, but in this moment I think he found himself to be alone, utterly, entirely, completely, absolutely, downright alone. He found himself walking in the steps we all walk, the footsteps of despair, the point when we wonder, "My God, my God .... why have you forsaken me?" And I think at this moment that God himself had to have wept as he heard His Son cry out , "Why."

"I thirst." ... "It is finished" ... I think that not only did this man thirst for water for his swollen tongue, his raspy throat, his dehydrated body, but I think he also had a thirst for the living water of baptism. The promise of those waters seems so far from him right now, and Jesus is clinging to the hope ... to that hope of eternal life. And again he is mocked, they take a wine vinegar, and put to his parched lips ... and Jesus says, "It is finished."  Now I know this is getting long ... but I want to share a little bit out of my most favorite Max Lucado book, God Came Near.  
And I quote, "The voice that screamed at God, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,' now says, 'Father.' The two are again one. The abandoned is now found. 'Father,' he smiles weakly. 'It's over.' Satan's vultures have been scattered. Hell's demons have been jailed. Death has been damned. The sun is out. The SON is out. It's over. An angel sighs. A star wipes away a tear. Take me home. Yes, take him home. Take the prince to see his king. Take this Son to his Father. Farewell manger's infant, bless you holy ambassador, go home death slayer, rest well sweet soldier the battle is over."
Not only was it over, fulfilled, or complete ... It is finished.

And then he spoke clearly, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."  then he breathed his last. Why? Why did he take the energy to speak ... why those words? Well ... I think he prayed, he proclaimed his faith in God. Into the darkness, as the light of the world goes out, he spoke. And he breathed his last.

God bless each of you ... ... ... until soon

Making a House a Home

I know it's been a long time since I've shared some ponderings and wit ... but as you all know we moved Brandon and Blair to Lincoln. The "kids" were so organized, we got there on Tuesday night, we enjoyed a meal with them, went to bed early so we'd all be well rested for the early morning joy of packing the truck.

We packed the truck, we got on the road as planned around 1:15 or so, and we headed south. Blair went ahead of us to get her mom, Cindy; her dad, Brad, would head down after work at 5. We got to the new house and the view of the lake was beautiful, the house is so cute, and we were amazed at how smooth it had all gone. Brandon went in, met the owner, started signing the lease and we were all excited.

WELL ... after the owner left, we started looking around, found some stains in the carpet, the microwave was dirty on the inside, the place was not "move in ready" to say the least. Blair and Cindy arrived, all of us ready to unpack and get the kids settled. We women all started looking around, and it was very clear that the cleaning had not been done, it was just plain dirty. Brandon took a DEEP breath, made a phone call, stayed calm and let the owner know this wasn't acceptable. The friends and family arrived to move in, only we weren't able to 'move' in ... so we unloaded the truck and put their belongings in places that didn't need more work.

Thursday the cleaner arrives at 10, did a so so job, another one arrived at noon to clean some bathrooms, and the carpet layers arrived at 1 and things were starting to look up. Meanwhile, we were all putting away things that could be put away. Nolan made $20 cleaning the kitchen light fixture. We were able to put the furniture in it's proper place by 5ish.

About 6 p.m. Cindy and her friend Kathy arrived, I don't think Cindy's vacuum shut off for almost 2 hours, she brought all the attachments and put that Dyson to work. Kathy cleaned windows, wiped off every sill, and the place started to sparkle. Nolan was on his way by 6:30, back to school, and by 8:30 we were able to open up the boxes with all of Blair and Brandon's pretty things (ok, Blairs). I unwrapped and she put the beginning touches of her and Brandon on the place they will now call home.

Friday, Blair went off to work for 9 hours at AE, and I began the laundry, baked some cookies, and kept cleaning and unpacking, preparing for the party which would start at 7 p.m. The party was amazing, filled with friends, fun and laughter. April and Lena arrived about 5:30 and Ms. Wiggles was so excited to see her grammie and grampa (Ms. Wiggles = Lena ... not April, guess the name would fit both). Nolan arrived again on Friday after going back to Indianola for class and work. What an amazing family filled weekend.

Saturday we shopped a tiny bit for a few things, enjoyed a relaxing lunch on the deck, for dinner we had steaks and peppers grilled to perfection by Brandon, and mashed potatoes by Blair (they were amazing made with Buttermilk and cheese) ... and then at 9:30 PM believe it or not, we rallied and headed off to Kevin and Michelles to celebrate Kristen's birthday ... and JUST DANCE was a hit. We headed for home about 1:30 a.m.

Sunday Doug and I headed for home ... exhausted, but filled with joy at the family time we got to have with everyone. Brandon and Blair's HOUSE is beautiful, but when the decorating is finished and they have their touch on it, their HOME will be perfect. What a great time we had ... worked hard and played even harder :)

Until soon!

Professional Movers

In these hard times of plant closings, downsizing and recession, Doug and I have visions of creating a new business. We feel we have the experience, expertise and knowledge to start our very own moving company. Somewhat like Two Men and a Truck ... maybe we could be '"Rents Move for Free," or perhaps "Mom, Dad, Pick-up and a Trailer". Any way you look at it, we have a good basis for a new business.

Our oldest son, Brandon, is moving AGAIN! I yell the word "again" because we just moved him in October to Sioux City. Let's look back where this saga began ... when he graduated from college we moved him to Cedar Rapids, we put all of the "used a bit furniture" and his belongings into our little two wheeled trailer. When he left CR, we were headed west to Lincoln, NE, and a promotion, again we loaded up the two wheel trailer, our mini van, his car, and off we went, looking a bit like the Clampetts from the Beverly Hillbillies (vacuum cleaner hanging out the back and all).

Arriving at Lincoln, he went shopping and created a beautiful new home, filled with new furniture, dining room table and chairs, and then a few trips to Hobby Lobby :) A few years later, he was again promoted and back east we traveled, this time to Chicago and with a 24 foot moving truck, his car, our van and a determined attitude. Another change within the company and 3 or 4 months later back west our little band of movers traveled, this time to Rochester, MN. It was two in the morning, a moving truck, mini van, his car and a crew of very exhausted people.

Sometime later (felt like 2 months, but was probably closer to 18 months) we loaded up his belongings in a truck, put it in a garage, and moved our son to a friends house while he worked at a job search. He landed a job and back east he went. New job, new city, and a new home. The moving truck had to be parked on a busy street in downtown Middleton, WI (suburb of Madison), the mini van was now a car, and I think we added an SUV to the caravan our merry little band (note that the italics should show a bit of sarcasm).

After a year of being a robot, he made a decision to leave his job, head back WEST, live near Lincoln, and store his belongings. He began the immense job of another job search. Interview after interview, much prayer and he got a job in Sioux City. Another moving truck, a few more helping hands, and he and his beautiful girlfriend moved to a lovely neighborhood in South Dakota (a small suburb of Sioux City, IA). And this weekend, we head out to Sioux City, to begin the packing process for another move. Yep, five months later, we will be moving our handsome son again, to a city that holds his heart.

This move takes him farther away from mom and dad, but it's the city he found his vibrant, funny and beautiful Blair, it's where their relationship took root, and it's where he found his foundation (picture of them above, from about 4 years ago). A mom doesn't have to like the distance, but she will always love her son. We have joked about having a "mom" room and some day hopefully a "grammie and grandpa room".  I remind myself that I am not sending him off to war, I remind myself that he loves this young lady, and I remind myself that this place makes him happy :).

So back to Lincoln we will go! Doug's got amazing relatives there, whom we love and enjoy spending time with. It's close to Blair's family, they will be surrounded by friends, and I have a wonderful vacation destination with shopping, new quilt shops, and wonderful new adventures.

Did anyone count? Since 2003 (I think) we have moved him eight times, with the ninth one starting this weekend; he has lived in six different states; we've moved on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, our wedding anniversary and this time it will be Palm Sunday weekend. We've used UHaul, Penske and one other trucking company I think. But hey, who's counting. Let the new adventure begin ... I'm ready!

Until soon ... v

Sunday, Sunday ....

Sunday, Sunday ... feels like such a blue day. The house is so quiet, no little tick tick tick of Lena paws prancing around on the wood floors. No cheerful wiggles as she sees you enter the room. The toys and dog paraphernalia is all packed away for her next visit ... Yep, I miss the dog. She was so funny this morning as we got things gathered for her to go home, she saw her momma go out to the car, then her kennel went out with Doug, and she sat at the door and cried. I took her out and she could not wait to get into the car. She wasn't being left behind. We will miss her cheerful demeanor but it was time for her to head to KC and her home. We have loved being part time pet owners. Perhaps one day we will consider getting a dog, but for now, we have kids to visit, places to go, and a son to move :)

I am headed into my studio this afternoon for a long afternoon and hours and hours of sewing. I have so many ideas of things to make, so many patterns, just need to find the energy. The sofa is calling my name, but I hate to waste another day as a couch potato. I'm on a mission to use more of my own fabric than I actually purchase this year ... even if it's just ONE more yard ... I want to use more of my own fabric than purchasing new. Sheeesh that is so hard, I just love the shopping part of quilting.

FYI ... I'm thinking about trying gluten free. I want to see if it helps with headaches and energy. Perhaps just another fad, perhaps nothing to worry about,  but as my sister said, it won't hurt to try. Now to educate myself in gluten free food.

Until soon ...

Quiet Sunday

After a wonderful week of having Nolan home, he left to go back to school today. I hate how lonesome the house gets when the kids leave. This week was especially great because he took on all the cooking. He had dinner waiting when I got home from work. He and his dad watched a lot of basketball. He did a lot of laundry, both ours and his. And his smile just melts his momma's heart.

So we had the family over after church today, we enjoyed a meal together, lots of laughs, a little politics and they got to spend some time with Nolan before he headed back to Simpson.

For those of you who don't know, we've had our little "granddog" Miss Lena with us since January 18th. She is April's Boston Terrier and she has been such a good girl. I put a picture of her above ... isn't she the cutest little girl in her pink winter coat with the fur trimmed hood. She is full of energy and truly spoiled. Her Furever Mom, April, is coming to pick her up on Thursday.

April took a new job and has had to commute to Indianapolis from KC every other week. The company is moving it's office to KC and that move will take place the end of this week. Everyone tells us how much we are going to miss our little Lena ... well I think we will, but not as much as those darn kids. So a week from now Doug and I will both be pretty darn lonesome. :( Our little girl and her puppy will be back in KC.

Yep ... she is spoiled ... but so are we ... blessed to have had her for such a long time!
More news to come in the upcoming week :)
Enough for now :)

Studio revamp!

So ... I read an interesting article about blogging and the expectation is for frequent little spurts, be interesting, add some photos or videos, and keep things short, so as not to overwhelm the reader. It also suggested reading the blog out loud prior to posting, or have a friend with great writing skills to read it over. So ... here is a short little spurt about my Saturday.

I have been wanting a new sewing cabinet for a long time. I have a wonderful studio, which my kids refuse to call a studio. "It's THE SEWING ROOM," is what each of the three say. Well, I told them an artist doesn't paint in a painting room, they have a studio ... and I'm an artist, just with another medium! So, I've been working on my studio tonight. I will post more pictures as I organize and pare down a bit more in there.

Doug, Nolan and I went to FleetFarm yesterday, because I had looked at the ad and saw that there was a sewing cabinet for a great price. We looked it over and as I told April in a text ... after a little "Dougie Fresh Magic" ... I have an amazing ... AMAZING new sewing cabinet in my studio for under $100! The little door on the right has 2 shelves, I will do some photos later this week and show my "organizational skills"!

There is much more organizing to do, I am excited to spend time in there again and I am so excited to have my machine tucked down in the cabinet ... hope it helps with the neck and back strain! The guys have been watching basketball all day, Nolan grilled us some steaks, Lena enjoyed the action, and I was playing with my new TOY! What a beautiful Saturday ... tomorrow Nolan goes back to school. I will miss the amazing young man!

Return

Well one and all ... I tried on the blogging, it didn't seem to fit, so I returned it (renamed it) and perhaps this will fit a little better! Not sure about direction, not sure about purpose, and I think I like it! I follow a number of blogs about quilting, love to read my daughter's blog and my son's girlfriend's blog ... I like blogs. So ... here's try number two!

QUILTING - I'd guess that a lot might just be centered on quilting. I started quilting 26 years ago, I was quilting when my oldest was in 4 year old preschool ... in fact one day I was having so much fun quilting and tearing strips of fabric for a project with my mom, that I forgot to go to the school and pick him up :( And I've been "collecting" fabric, patterns, tools, and stuff every since.

COOKING - I love to cook, I'm sick and tired of the same old things, I enjoy baking, and Doug and I have decided that we need to lose weight and become healthier. Not sure I'll be dropping many recipes here ... I might!

KIDS - I have three of the most amazing adults that I used to call my kids. I am the proudest mother of a 30 year old son; a 28 year old daughter; and as of today ... a 21 year old son. We have been blessed with the joys, successes, happiness, and journey that these three have taken Doug and I on.

LENA - Hubby and I have had our little "grand" dog with us since January 18th'ish ... she is a beautiful, adorable, well-behaved Boston Terrier. Her "furever" mom, my daughter April, is missing her something fierce. And we'll have her another 3 weeks. She is one smart little cookie ... we've been having "school" and doing a lot of "tutoring" ... She is the smartest little girl ... and yes I am prejudiced.

FAITH - I am a faith filled woman ... I serve as a lay preacher for some area churches. My faith journey isn't anything special ... I had two parents who taught me from the cradle, taught by example, and gave me the tools I needed to enrich my own faith.

FAMILY - GARDENING - FRIENDS - KNITTING - ETC ... more topics for another time.

Until soon, Vic

New To You - New To me

Well ... I've jumped onto the bandwagon, not really sure why! Perhaps my own satisfaction of keeping track of things, leaving a journal for years to come, or just plain "wannabe"! I wanna be like my daughter, I wanna be like Judy, I wanna be like ... (Fill in the blank)!

What will you find? What will you read? What is the purpose? Three very good questions.

You will find me, being me. I'm no writer, I am just me ... plain, simple, down home, a little diva, a whole lot of practical, and some might say opinionated. You won't find the proper and perfect use of the English language, you will find a bit of humor, some serious thoughts and a whole lot of wonderment (I wonder alot).

What will you read? Hopefully lots of quilting "stuff" ... boring to some, inspirational to others :) Maybe a few recipes! Lots and lots about my kids, that could be a blog unto itself! Probably some "dad" stories, my dad is 88 and he can make a girl giggle. Just a few weeks ago, we were supposed to be celebrating his birthday after church. Well church was cancelled due to a storm. We called my dad and asked if he still wanted to celebrate, my sister said his answer was, "If we can't worship Jesus, we better not be worshipping me." So the party was postponed.

Purpose ... defined as the reason for existence; desired effect - the goal or intended outcome. Hmmmmm I guess the purpose is entertainment, enlightenment, and encouragement to be who you are and celebrate the gifts God gave you. The purpose is probably more "me" centered then "you" driven. I'll leave it at that and will ponder this for a day or two!