Good morning everyone! Well it is the last day of an amazing year and I am feeling reflective. There has been many changes in my world, much progress and a lot of personal growth. I have made decisions that define who I am and what is important to me. The God I serve is top priority, followed by family and my friends as always. My own personal growth and what I do with my life are next. This coming year I do promise myself to continue on my journey of discovery. I will continue as a GetQuit Ambassador, traveling all over the country to let people know that  they can stop smoking, I will continue to create quilts for family, friends and charity,  I will do a better job on my blog, I will learn something new this year, I will continue to pay it forward, and I will continue to thank God for loving me and blessing me.

If you are reading this I invite you to reflect on your own life. To make a promise to yourself to be the best "you" you can be and to pay it forward. Help those who are walking the same path to do the same. We all have something to give to the world, it is up to us to find out what that something is.

I do wish you peace and prayers on your journey. May you find both when you visit me here.
missd

Merry Christmas and thank you for visiting here. It is Christmas eve, again, and I am finally finishing last minute gifts, again. I am sure you all know how that goes. We make promises to ourselves to start in July next year and be done the week before Christmas. And before we even get started we are behind!

I have spent a fair amount of time looking back on this year and I am amazed at what has taken place and how blessed we all are! I am thankful for so much that it is hard to know where to start. I retired from a very stressfull job after 8 years of it, bought a new car, completed an 18 year old quilt, (it was started in 1991), became an after-school care giver for two 6 year olds, quit smoking after 40 years and nine attempts at quitting, became a GetQuit Ambassador for Pfizer Pharmeceuticles (as a motivational speaker to get others to quit), convinced to my 83 year old mom that if she can sew, she can piece quilt tops together,(she did two full size tops this month and loves it), spent her 83 birthday with her, committed to 5 monthly block swaps,started a collection of siggies, and met a whole bunch of  wonderful people in the on-line quilting world. How blessed my life is and how grateful I am to my Lord and Savior for all that is mine because of His love.

So I take a moment out of this day to wish the baby Jesus a Happy Birthday, and to say Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family. May the Good Lord bless and keep you.

missd

Good Morning...I am still playing around with this site. It is Christmas  time so I will leave this up for the holidays and come back to choosing a new look for the blog after the New year!

I just got back from a trip to Charlotte North Carolina. What a beautiful spot on earth and the people are wonderfully friendly. I spent a week there doing GetQuit clinics and loved every minute of it! Now I am home and busy catching up on blogging and quilting and swapping, etc. You know how it goes...you never get caught up! I am just lucky enough to keep up...barely! Mailed off 3 blocks and 2 siggies this morning, them turned right around and signed up for another swap! Farm theme..12 block swap due feb 15th! Wish me luck.

If you are reading this I am hosting a Pay It Forward and need 3 people who would like to receive a little hand made gift from me. They in turn would sign up 3 others and make gifts for them. You have a year to get the gifts made and sent. All you have to do is make a comment here on this blog and copy the PIF logo to yuur site! Easy and fun, and I promise you a cute little something within 30 days!

Ok...gotta make a run to the fabric store to pick up interfacing for a pin-strip suit jacket I am making for my daughter. Have a blessed day!

Peace and prayers to all who enter here

Hello everyone,

I am trying out a new look on this site. Do you like it? Please be honest...I want it to be attractive and appropriate...so feel free to post your true feelings about it! It is kinda quilty..

I just got back from Jacksonville Florida GetQuit clinics. We did a clinic at the Mayport Navy Station and things went great there. Now I have this weekend to rest and quilt and quilt and rest. Its my R&R, then off to Charlotte South Carolina for 5 days. My quilting time has had a big bite taken out of it so some of the Christmas gifts I was planning on making may not get made! But it is for a good cause and getting quit for Christmas would be the greatest gift for a smoker! don't you think? I know I would give up a Christmas gift to get someone to quit smoking!

I am still sending out a challange for all of you quilters: I am inviting you to a Pay It Forward Challange. It works like this: If you would like to participate in a PIF please post a comment here. Hopefully three brave souls will be interested - if more than three express interest I will draw names to determine the winners. The three people chosen will get a small, handmade gift from me within the next year.  They in turn would issue the challange to their quilting friends. If you decide to participate just  post this logo on your blog along with a PIF challage. It is a lot of fun and I hope my quilty friends are up to keeping it out there.

That's it for now...gotta  pack  for tomorrows trip.

Peace and Prayers
missd

Hello to you all.....Still recovering from Thankagiving dinner by eating more turkey! We aare a small family these days but my daughter still cooks a big, wonderful Thanksgiving Day dinner for us. This year it was my daughter Robin, her 6 year old son Billy, my son Robert, my mom (who is visiting from Illinois for the winter), and myself. We  enjoyed each others company and our big old fashion dinner and now we are getting back to our daily routines. I am attending a donor appreciation luncheon at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center on Monday. I am honored to meet someone whose life was saved by mulitiple blood transfusions, and I happen to be one of the donors. Then on Wednesday I am off to Jacksonville Fla  for more GetQuit Clinics. For more information on this go to http://www.mygetquitstory.blogspot.com/. Of course I am quilting and sewing, and block swapping,  and thinking about christmas gifts and how many will actually be finished in time. We live life abundantly because we live blessed lives! Every day I thank God for the life He has given me. It is part of the reason I do what I do!

Today I am inviting you to a Pay It Forward Challange. It works like this:  If you would like to participate in a PIF please post a comment here. Hopefully three brave souls will be interested - if more than three express interest I will draw names to determine the winners. The three people chosen will get a small, handmade gift from me within the next year and must post this logo on their blog along with a PIF entry. I will choose the participants a week from today.

Peace and Prayers
missd

Good Morning...It is almost Thanksgiving and I have rested up from my GetQuit Clinics in Charleston, West Virginia. I am so happy with the results and very moved by the stories people have. I look forward to my next round in December. If you or someone you know is trying to quit smoking please visit http://www.mygetquitstory.blogspot.com/. Helpful information and my quit story is there. Yours can be too, as soon as you succeed in getting quit! You can do it with treatment and support! Now back to my 2nd passion...quilting:

When I returned home I had a lovely siggie from Helen of Aunt Hennys Blogspot. I also have 2 ready to mail out this afternoon. These little blocks are so much fun to make and to receive. If you want to join in our fun go to www.quiltsandsiggies.web-log.nl . Annelies in the Netherland manages this swap..and has a beautiful siggie herself.

WIPs:
I am currently trying to finish some heavy quilting for Quilts for Kids. It is such a pretty little quilt and I have filled it with love. It requires heavy quilting because it will be given to a child in the hospital and will be washed and dryed  in industrial washers and dryers. If you are into quilting for charity go to http://www.quiltsforkids.org/. They will send you precut fabric for the top and instructions for making it. It is a good thing, and I plan on sending an extra quilt and some gallon plastic bags. I don't believe they ask for too much. God bless them for what they do.

My GetQuit Story

I have a story to tell. It is my GetQuit story.

It started when I got married. I was married at an early age and to an older man. He smoked and all of his friends smoked. Since I was the youngest person in the group, I started smoking too, so I would fit in with my husband and all of his friends. It was what you did in my little town, you got married, you drank, you smoked. You were a grown up and that is what the grown-ups did.

My husband and I were married for 30 years before he passed away. We raised 3 children and they all grew up to be smokers. All 3 of them also married smokers. My daughter, like her mom, married an older man. After trying for 13 years they finally had a son. His name is Willard Lee, after both of his grandfathers. We call him Billy. Due to a tramatic head injury my son in law was unable to work, so for financial reasons, the 4 of us moved in together. Sadly Billy's daddy passed away 2 months before Billy's 4th birthday. We told Billy his daddy was in heaven. One day Billy came to me and said "Nana, if you and mama go to heaven too, who will take care of me?" I held on to this little child as tight as I could and promised him that I, and his mama, were going to be here with him for a very, very long time. Even when he was a grown up man, we would be here for him. That seemed to satisfy Billy, but it did more than that for me. It changed my life forever. I looked into those angel eyes and I knew that I would have to do everything within my power to make sure I would be around that long. I knew the first thing that I would have to do is to quit smoking.

So, after 40 years of smoking and nine failed attempts at quitting, I made an appointment with my family doctor. He had been nagging me for 3 years to quit. I told him I was ready and would need some help. He prescribed Chantix, a prescription drug that is suppose to help people quit smoking. So I took it home and put it on my dresser, and promptly forgot about it. I also continued to smoke. Three months later, back at the doctor for diabetic blood work up, and he asked how the quitting was going. I had to tell him I never filled the prescription. He gave me another lecture and another prescription, which I filled on my way home. I put it on my dresser, and promptly forgot about it.

Finally, in late July I said to myself: OK...its now or never. I swore this was not going to be another failed quit attempt, because this time I had made a promise and a committment that I intended to keep. I set my quit date as 08-08-08 just because it sounded cool. I did smoke that first week because I could, but I took the Chantix as directed and signed up for the on-line e-mail support and the 7:00pm phone call. I credit this wonderful support program with helping me quit. I received a phone call every evening at 7:00pm. It became a matter of pride to push the button on the phone that said no, I did not smoke that day. And I did take it one day at a time and I know you won't believe me, but it was easy! I had no nicotine withdrawal symtoms at all and I had the support program. The e-mails came every day, then once a week, then monthly and lasted for a year. They gave me little exercises to do, they informed me of changes taking place as my lungs healed, and they taught me ways to handle situations where I might be tempted to light up. More importantly, they taught me to think of my self as a non-smoker.

Now, one year, 2 months and 28 days later I am still smoke free. I am also honored to have been chosen as a GetQuit Ambassador. I get to travel all over the United States and tell my Quit Story to others who face the challanges and the struggles of quitting. Hopefully, God willing, I can pay it forward. Maybe what I say will give some else the courage to find their own motivation to quit.

So, little sister Tammie, that is why I am thankful for Chantix. It enpowered me to become a non-smoker and to  keep my promise to a little boy with angel eyes.

Viva La Siggies

I just mailed off my first siggie to Annelies in the Netherlands. I am so excited to get in on this. I will recieve a list from her with names and addresses of people from all over the world. And we will swap siggies! How exciting is that!! If anyone out there wants in on this here is the link: www.quiltsandsiggies.web-log.nl

 

Hello happy quilters where ever you are! I have been so busy lately, but I did get the baby quilt finished and mailed to Ohio. My neice likes it and so do I. Now I am finishing up some projects for a school fund raiser. Its not even Billy's school. It is a school on the sounthside near the shop where I work. Did I mention that I have a part time job. I only work 2 or 3 days a week but it does provide me cash to support my quilty pleasures! And I love where I work! It is at a well known fabric shop (and it is not JoAnns) and I feel like I have the world's biggest stash! I spend my time caressing and folding the fabric and planning this quilt and that bag for this person or that one. It is tons of fun! I am known there as the "Material Girl". But I digress, I am making some lap quilts and some baby quilts, quilted bags, etc, etc. I will be at their craft show next month selling my little home made goodies.

I am also in a "fall"mini quilt swap and I have been playing with several designs. So far I need to quilt one, which I will keep, and put together the 2nd one which will go to my partner as soon as I find out who that is. I have just mailed off the 2nd square in my block swap with 2 sisters and 2 friends.

Oh yeah..I do have a sister story to tell! Only because I did promise her this would end up on my blog. My youngest sister (who shall remain nameless and lives in Vermont) sent me a beautiful Maple Leaf block in pale, muted blue and green. Two of my favorite colors. I was soooo impressed with her work! All of the seams were exactly 1/4 inch, they were all pressed in the right direction and the square was as pretty on the back side as it was on the front. I found out she also sent the same pattern block to our sister in Illinois. I was proud to call such a talented quilter my sister! I even bragged on her work on my Facebook page! The night after that she called me and said she had a confession to make. The blocks she sent to us were not made by her! She received them in a round robin and decided to send them to us because they were extras! She thought this was funny! Now to make up for her conniving deception she is sending me 20 more to complete a whole quilt! I guess she had a "quilty consciounce" But I am the winner, I have a whole quilt to put together and she has to make me another block for the swap! Yipee!

OK..enough tonight, I have about 3 lap quilts that need some binding hand hemmed on the back side and a grandson who wants me to play Hangman with him....so peace and prayers till next time.

missd

I have been away from blogging for awhile. As you all know, work and responsibilities take time away from my quilting life. This little blog is a big-time WIP. I have changed the picture a couple of times now. Granny Gigglewings could not be made into a "clean" image, so I switched to my Pieced Peace Dove. This is the middle square of my oldest quilt. I designed it myself in another lifetime. So we are trying it on for awhile. Maybe I will put up 2 or 3 and let you all vote on which one you like.

I just discovered siggies and I want to do this. They are sweet little signature quilt blocks and I am going to design one that says "ME"! Take a look at this: http://quiltsandsiggies.web-log.nl/quilts_and_siggies. I am excited about this and am looking forward to making my first ones.

I have finished my grand-nephew's baby blanket. He is not even born yet, hopefully it will arrive in Ohio before he does! So hang in there Patti, it is on the way! It is the first one quilted on my new sewing machine. I am so happy I made this purchase. I can't wait to see how I take to free motion quilting. I can do that with this machine. I am so happy happy!

Today was not a good day when I first got up this morning. But blogging has made me feel better. I am blessed and I am going to make this a great day. 

Peace and Prayers for you too!
missd

Mail Surprise!

I got a real pleasant surpise in the mail today, well, ok, it wasn't a surprise after I saw the return address. I knew it would be my first square from my friend Patricia in California. The surprise was how she knew the fall colors to choose. Fall is my favorite time of year, well next to winter ( and spring) and Patricia has made me an absolutely beautiful quilt block for our first 12 Month Block Swap! This is going to be a great year for quilts, I am Block Swapping with 2 sisters and 2 friends and we all live in different states. It will be an exciting year for surpises in the mail! And what a great way to start a friendship circle, I met my friend in California at a GetQuit Summitt for people with special stories to tell. I will have "more on that" in another blog. My other new friend is in the military, stationed in Alabama now (Roll, Tide, Roll!). I met her last Soccer season because her daughter was on the same team as my grandson. I have one sister who lives in Vermont and another who lives in Illinois. That rounds out our little swap circle. Unless I can talk a long time childhood friend in Battle Creek Michigan into joining us. "More on that" later too! But today I received this lovely block from my new friend,and she is such a quilter! All the seams look to be exactly 1/4 inch and they are ironed flat and beautiful! This is what I strive for and now my friend has challenged me to be more exact in my own measurements and seams! And I will Patricia, my friend...Thank you!
Peace, missd

So, today I paid a visit to the Southside Hancock Fabrics store. I wanted a chance to talk to the quilting teacher in that store because I need ideas for my own classes. Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention, I am teaching quilting classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings at the store near my house. I missed her by one day, she is there on Wednesdays only. I am so excited about this, but of course I do tend to get excited about my Quilty stuff! I live such a blessed life! Henry David thoreau said "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined". I am so doing that. I think I have been living my life to get to this point. I get to create such beautiful things, I get to be close to family and friends (the people I love the most), and I get to work doing what I love! I am living the life I imagined and it is all because the Lord has blessed me! I hope all who share my "Quilty Pleasures" journey will live a happy, peaceful life too. God bless you for being who you are and what you do!

Peace, missd

 

 

OK...I did promise the story behind the dark green and rose quilt you see above. All quilts have their own story and evey story deserves to be documented. This quilt, particularly, is special to me, for the memories it holds. My husband and I purchased our home at the lake in 1990. I started this quilt for our bed in 1991. So it is now 18 years old. (Of course it was put away for awhile). It was to be all hand-pieced and hand quilted. I pieced every block a different pattern. The center Peace Dove is my own design. The colors matched our bedroom decor. I would set with my husband in our living room and sew on the quilt blocks while we watched TV. Night after night this would be our routine, our time together. I got all of the blocks done and he watched every shoot-em-up ever made! I finished the sashing and borders in the summer of 1993. I finally sandwiched the quilt and started on the hand quilting. My sweetie use to say that this quilt will never be done in his life time. It wasn't. He went to be with the Lord on Nov 9, 1993. That's when it was put away. For 16 years. Then one day I unpacked the quilt and one look at the 3 hand-quilted center blocks and I had an epiphany! This quilt will not be done in my life time either! Mahatma Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world". My wish was to see this quilt finished, on my bed, and loved as it was intended to be. I knew I had to finish it....Now!! Being the sensible, practible person I am, I also knew it would be done a lot faster if I machine quilted the rest of it. So I did! In Feb of this year! No, it is not ALL hand made, but it was made by me, it is mine, and it is already 20 years old! It is finished, it is on my bed and it is loved for all the memories that keep my heart warm.

 

I was going to blog every night, but last night got away from me and it was very late before I turned off my machine. I have been planing a quilt for by best friend for Christmas and I found this beautiful Asian Jar material and it just screamed Maria's name. It is so her! I just cannot find the right pattern for it because the print is big! I did put together this Attic Widow sample, on my design board. I kinda like it..Maybe someone out there has an idea....I am so open to suggestions right now. Here is a picture of the pretty print. I have paired it with a warm maroon, a peach and a black. They look lovely together. What do you think?

Peace, Donna

So happy to be able to place the Quilting Bloggers logo on my page. I am still trying to find my place in the bloggers world, so bear with me and enjoy the changes to my site. They will be occuring frequently until I am confortable with what it is! Now I have to take my grandson to a birthday party. His social life is busier than mine. I think thats because there are not too many people in my quilting place.
Enjoy your Sunday. Peace, missd

Wanted to let people know that the quilt at the top of the page is my 18 year old project. It was started in 1991 and matched the colors in the master bedroom at our lake house. Every block is hand sewn and the center block is my own design, I also got around to hand quilting the 3 center squares, then in 1993 my beloved husband passed away and I moved into town. For work mainly. The quilt got put away because work interfered with what I wanted to do with my life. The years slipped away so quickly I didn't even know they were gone. I had an epiphany one day as I was getting ready to set up a sewing area in my room. My sweetie use to say "That quilt will never be done in my lifetime"... and it wasn't. My thought now was that it probably wouldn't get done in mine either. I did not want this quilt finished by someone else! So I made up my mind right then and there to machine quilt it instead hand sewing so I could use this quilt and enjoy it! Soooooo....I finally finished it in February of this year (2009).

What a great Saturday! I have spent almost all day in my inner sanctum designing this blog site because I really want to share it with everyone. I have big plans on posting my beloved quilts and causes. I also want to do some tutorials to guide those who want to learn. Right now I am planning a baby quilt for my neice who lives in Ohio. It is so much fun because I have not had an occasion to make a baby blanket in many, many years. Lucky Patti, she will probably get 2 or 3 before her son is even born. So I am planning it out on my design wall ( the one in my head). I plan on watching a movie tonight and cutting 3.5 inch blocks. I am doing a 9 Patch in cute baby stuff and will have a lot of crisp white squares in it too. I will post a picture when it is done.

Peace, missd

Search for Bible Blocks

I have been searching for 2 days now for Biblical quilt blocks. I have found a lot of tiny little "Women of the Bible Blocks" which are lovely, but not what I want. I and my sister are doing a 12 month block swamp and I want to make blocks based on the bible for her. I do have enough Jacob's ladders to make 30 quilts, but I need more. I have been quilting for a long time, but have been away from it for 10-12 years. I am not into strip cutting, but do plan to learn. Right now, I just want to jump in and start cutting out blocks. I guess I will keep looking on-line, then go to the library and do some research if all else fails. If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them.

have a blessed day,
missd