Friday, July 31, 2015

Trying to wish the miles away!


10 Feel-Good Quotes About Being a Grandparent - Grandparents.com. (Already choked up several times and grandchild isn't due for 7 more months) Going to paint this on quilted material for a wall hanging in nursery or on small canvas. Will use cream and tan colors

Today I just worked on some more things for Miss Oakley...it's so hard to be so far away from them right now. Tomorrow our little Oakley Ann will be born, I wish that there weren't so many miles between us. So grateful though that they have some family there with them, that will be a big help to them and to Big Brother Kai ( whose world will be changing very soon ).
 I am so excited to see her sweet little face, and pray hard that all will go well with her and her Mommy tomorrow. I sent this afghan to her and they got it today just in time! Of course she will only need it indoors with air conditioning, because Texas is pretty hot this time of year. Still just want her to be wrapped up in something from her Nana!
She will be born on July 31st, that is a very special day because that was my Aunt Ina's Birthday. She was the woman that we lived with for the first 10 years of my life. She was like a 2nd Mother to me and someone that I loved dearly. She died when I was only 10 years old, I was pretty sure my (10 year old ) world was ending when she died. She left me a quilt and a few photos and they still hold a very special place in my heart and home, and to this day I still miss her!
 How sweet that my 4th granddaughter will be born on her birthday. 
I hope I can sleep tonight, I am soooo excited! 
 I just love being a grandmother and realize that I am so blessed to be able to be a part of these sweet children's lives. Now, another sweet grandchild will be here to teach her sweet Nana ...all the things that I will need to know about life!
Good Night dear friends!
10 Feel-Good Quotes About Being a Grandparent - Grandparents.com

10 Feel-Good Quotes About Being a Grandparent - Grandparents.com. (Already choked up several times and grandchild isn't due for 7 more months) Going to paint this on quilted material for a wall hanging in nursery or on small canvas. Will use cream and tan colors

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Notes in the shower?

Ever since I can remember, I have scribbled down notes on any kind of piece of paper I can find. The funny thing is, I know what you are thinking...why not just get a notebook and keep all your notes in there? Well, I have done that too, the problem is, there is a notebook in the kitchen, and one in the car, then another one in my sewing room, and on and on. Then I try to combine them and just end up forgetting to write in the main notebook because it is somewhere else and so I get yet ANOTHER notebook.

Last week when Lee was home for a short visit, we were at Target and you guessed it...all the school supplies are on sale...NOTEBOOKS for only 17 cents! I couldn't help myself, I got 10 of them and then the next day without him ( because he gave me such a hard time ) I purchased 10 more!

I realize at the age of 56, chances are good that this isn't issue of mine probably isn't going to change! :)  I have told the kids and Jeff for years that I need help for my Paper Issues, but do they get me help? No, they would rather just have something to tease me about... family! :)

But thinking about it tonight makes me smile... because I have a friend who has chocolate hidden or stashed all of her house, I shouldn't tease her because when I pass away, think of all the notebooks and pieces of paper that my family will find. And what they probably don't know, is that even though something is written on the back of a gum wrapper, top of junk mail, back of newspaper or even on a piece of napkin, it was something important to me at the time..maybe a new sewing idea, someone's name that I met at the store and didn't want to forget, a phone number, someones birthday, a quote that I just heard, or even a memory that I just thought of and knew I should write it down.

So what do you get for the person ( like me ) that has this problem? Well I think I figured it out, I found it on Pinterest...this would be great, I have thought of a ton of ideas when I am in the bath or shower! Glad to know that someone is trying to help my out with my issues! :)

check it out HERE:

One of the most important 'things' in my life - my notebook.  Advice: keep a notebook.  You'll learn a lot about yourself.
I agree...except it this quote should say Keep NOTEBOOKS! :)
Night dear friends!

A feeling of Gratitude tonight!

I feel grateful to be able to do what I love each day! I get to be a wife of my best friend, A Mother for the 4 amazing kids and 3 new other kids who have become our family through marriage. A Nana for 4 amazing little spirits and one more sweet girl coming in just 3 days! Then a Teacher and a  Friend to some amazing ladies!
Today I was able to start teaching at yet another amazing Quilt Shop. It was fun to have so many friends there who came to support me.

Inspirational quote

You know that I love Christmas, so when I was able to teach yet another Christmas Demo, of course I was more than happy and grateful to do what I love once again!

Circa 15 is the name of the shop that I taught in today, she has a great shop!
 I taught a Hexagon Tree Skirt with a cute pattern that she was selling there.
Then I taught a 2nd demo for this cute little hexagon coaster. I made it from the left overs from the tree skirt.  Actually I think it might even be a cute Christmas Ornament.
 I love to work around such beautiful fabric and friends...it's inspiring to say the least!
So I feel grateful tonight. For the opportunity to DO WHAT I LOVE, which is to create and teach!
Good night dear friends!

Monday, July 27, 2015

This was a Marriage Tip worth remembering!

I loved these quotes! So true for any of our relationships!

Good night dear friends!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

It's not just stuff!


Today was a heart tugging day. A friend and I, helped another friend cleaned out their family home. I am always amazed at the things we all collect throughout out lives. And it always is tough to see that something that meant so much to someone, might now.., really not mean anything to someone else. Guess that is where the old saying  " One's man junk is another man's treasure " comes from probably. Still it is hard to imagine that all these things have a meaning and a story and it may be now...that no one will ever know what it is.
I guess that is why I have always loved antiques and felt grateful if I knew where they came from and whose they belong to in the past. I am glad that I have so many things of my grandmothers and she did tell me the stories about them, which make that even more valuable to me.
It made me want to come home and go through my things, closets and drawers to organize them more. I made my kids promise that when I pass away, that they will share the things I have to someone who would appreciate them, and especially to those who might need them.
 Still I am sure that there will be more than one chuckle about something I have, as they ask themselves " What in the world did Mom plan to do with this? " Or something even worse like
" What in the world is this?"
Maybe I should make a list of things and write down the stories about each one of them. That might take some time, wonder if there is a faster way to do that?
I have tried to share a lot of my stories to my Grandchildren, they have sharp and young minds, maybe they will remember them ?  Let's hope so! I hope at least they will defend my things and say
 " It's not just stuff! ", because it meant a whole lot more to me!

I think I should have a plaque on my sewing room that says...

Birth Certificates...
Show that we were born.

Death Certificates ...
Show that we died.

But Quilts and crafts...
Show that we really LIVED!!!

That quote just made me smile!
Good Night dear friends!




Monday, July 20, 2015

How would your child answer this question?

"What did you do as a kid for fun?" That was the question that was asked to the Grandparent and the Parent. Their answers are something that you would totally understand.
 Now watch and see what the kids ( the 3rd generation ) say when they are asked "What do you do for fun?
Please watch it Please watch it HERE:
It was a real eye opener!
I hope we all can learn from this!
Good Night dear friends!

The things that are Essential in life!

Well we are coming to the end of our 5 day Sleep Over! I am shocked how fast it goes.  Yesterday we worked some, I did some cleaning and then Angie and my friend and I went to a Jewelry Show for Premier Design Jewelry. It was fun and something that Angie was so thrilled that she was old enough to go to. She was so fun and sweet about everything. Sara (the Jewelry Lady) was kind enough to do some Give Aways...Angie was blessed to win a couple of them! Thanks Sara!


Then we were able to just sit on the deck and watch the clouds and sunset. I love sitting with my grandkids and looking at the clouds and tell each other what we see in the clouds...like a crocodile, or a whale, pinchers on a lobster...Angie got really creative!:)

Today was church! Then afterwards since it was 93 degrees we just went downstairs and watched Christmas movies...it did make us feel cooler...really! :)
Just being together and talking about what 9 year olds talk about...life, school, family and all the WHYS?s that they have!
It was a great weekend! Love this girl!
 Fun, can't wait for all my grandkids to be old enough to do Sleep Overs at Nana and Poppa's house!

Good night dear friends!
“Many things are good, many are important, but only a few are essential.” – D. Todd Christofferson



Saturday, July 18, 2015

Nana's secret Gift!

What an incredible story and a great cause too! It's too sweet!
Read it dear friends, I hope it touches your heart like it did mine tonight!
Good Night!

9 Women Kept This Secret For Decades That Not Even Their Husbands Knew About. Wow.

Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women - or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called - gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine - a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods.

"One of us starts sifting the flour and another washing the eggs," explained Nana Mary Ellen, the appointed spokesperson for their secret society. "And someone else makes sure the pans are all ready. We switch off, depending on what we feel like doing that day.

"But you make sure to say Nana Pearl is in charge, because she's the oldest!" she added with a wink and a smile.

Over the next three hours, The 9 Nanas (who all consider themselves sisters, despite what some of their birth certificates say) will whip up hundreds of pound cakes, as part of a grand scheme to help those in need. And then, before anyone gets as much as a glimpse of them, they'll disappear back into their daily lives. The only hint that may remain is the heavenly scent of vanilla, lemon and lime, lingering in the air.


Even the UPS driver, who picks up hundreds of packages at a time, has no clue what these women, who range in age from 54 to 72, are doing. He's just happy to get a hug and a bag filled with special treats. What he doesn't know is that he's part of their master plan. A plan that began 35 years ago - when the "sisters" got together for their weekly card game - something their husbands referred to as "Broads and Bridge."

"Pearl says it was all her idea," Mary Ellen teased, "but as I remember it, we were sitting around reminiscing about MaMaw and PaPaw and all the different ways they would lend a hand in the community." MaMaw and PaPaw are the grandparents who raised four of the women, Mary Ellen included, when their mother passed away; and they took in Pearl as their own, when her parents needed some help.

"MaMaw Ruth would read in the paper that someone had died," Mary Ellen remembered, "and she'd send off one of her special pound cakes. She didn't have to know the family. She just wanted to put a little smile on their faces. And we started thinking about what we could do to make a difference like that. What if we had a million dollars? How would we spend it?

So the ladies began brainstorming.

"One of the sisters suggested that we should all start doing our own laundry and put the money we saved to good use. I admit, I protested at first. There's just something about laundering that I don't like. But I was outnumbered! So among the nine of us, we'd put aside about $400 a month and our husbands never noticed a thing. Their shirts looked just fine."

And then the women started listening. They'd eavesdrop - all with good intentions, of course - at the local beauty shop or when they were picking up groceries. And when they heard about a widow or a single mom who needed a little help, they'd step in and anonymously pay a utility bill or buy some new clothes for the children.

"We wanted to help as much as we could," Mary Ellen said, "without taking away from our own families, so we became coupon clippers. And we'd use green stamps. Remember those? We'd use green stamps and we'd make sure to go to Goldsmith's department store on Wednesdays. Every week they'd have a big sale and you could spend $100 and walk away with $700 worth of merchandise."

The Nanas would find out where the person lived and send a package with a note that simply said, "Somebody loves you" - and they'd be sure to include one of MaMaw Ruth's special pound cakes.

The more people they helped, the bolder they became.

"We gave new meaning to the term drive-by," Mary Ellen said with delight. "We'd drive through low-income neighborhoods and look for homes that had fans in the window. That told us that the people who lived there didn't have air-conditioning. Or we'd see that there were no lights on at night, which meant there was a good chance their utilities had been turned off. Then we'd return before the sun came up, like cat burglars, and drop off a little care package."

For three decades, the ladies' good deeds went undetected - that is, until five years ago, when Mary Ellen's husband, whom she lovingly calls "Southern Charmer," started noticing extra mileage on the car and large amounts of cash being withdrawn from their savings account.

"He brought out bank statements and they were highlighted!" Mary Ellen said, recalling the horror she felt. "I tried to explain that I had bought some things, but he had this look on his face that I'd never seen before - and I realized what he must have been thinking. I called the sisters and said, 'You all need to get over here right away.'"

So 30 years into their secret mission, the 9 Nanas and their husbands gathered in Mary Ellen's living room and the sisters came clean. They told the husbands about the laundry and the eavesdropping -- even the drive-bys. And that's where their story gets even better - because the husbands offered to help.

"They were amazed that we were doing this and even more amazed that they never knew. We can keep a good secret! All but three of them are retired now, so sometimes they come with us on our drive-bys. In our area, all you need is an address to pay someone's utility bill, so we keep the men busy jotting down numbers."

It wasn't long before the couples decided it was also time to tell their grown children. And that's when happiness began to happen in an even bigger way. The children encouraged their mothers to start selling MaMaw Ruth's pound cakes online, so they could raise money to help even more people. And it wasn't long before they were receiving more than 100 orders in a day.

"The first time we saw those orders roll in, we were jumping up and down," Mary Ellen said with a laugh. "We were so excited that we did a ring-around-the-rosie! Then we called all the children and said, 'What do we do next?'"

That's when the 9 Nanas moved their covert baking operation out of their homes and into the commercial kitchen of a restaurant owned by one of their sons, where they can sneak in before sunrise and sneak out before the staff comes in. They even hired a "happiness coordinator" (whose code name is "Sunny," of course). Her identity needs to be a secret, too, so she can help out with the eavesdropping.

"We swore her to secrecy - her parents think she works in marketing. And, really, if you think about it, she is doing public relations and spends a lot of time looking for people to help at the supermarket!"

These days, The 9 Nanas are able to take on even bigger projects, given their online success. Recently they donated more than $5,000 of pillows and linens and personal care products to a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. And this August, they'll celebrate their second consecutive "Happiness Happens Month" by sending tokens of their appreciation to one person in every state who has made a difference in their own community.

And that million dollars they once wished for? They're almost there. In the last 35 years, the 9 Nanas have contributed nearly $900,000 of happiness to their local community.

But that doesn't mean they're too busy to continue doing the little things that make life a bit happier. Sometimes they just pull out the phone book and send off pound cakes to complete strangers. And if the Nanas spot someone at the grocery store who appears to need a little help, it's not unusual for them to start filling a stranger's cart.

Not everyone is as lucky as we were to have MaMaw and PaPaw to take care of them, to fix all those things that are wrong.

"So this is our way of giving back," Mary Ellen said. "We want people to know that someone out there cares enough to do something. We want to make sure that happiness happens."

To learn more about The 9 Nanas and Happiness Happens or to purchase one of MaMaw Ruth’s special pound cakes, you can visit their website: The9Nanas.com.


Read more on how to help HERE:

Day 2 of Christmas!

Today was Day 2 of Christmas, so Angie and I got up and went over the class demo staging, she is already learning so much. I love her desire to create! She was excited to come to work with me today. We had a lot of ladies turn out today, it went great and they really loved the block. I just love teaching these ladies, they are amazing and have become such dear friends to me. It has truly been a blessing to be their teacher.
After 3 hours of teaching, we had to stop by the Machine shop to have someone help me with my Serger, the tension wasn't right on it. Angie was a trooper and so patient, I know she liked it but it made for a long day. 
We came home and had dinner again on the deck!
Here she is with what she earned for working with me today. Susan let her pick out some fabric. I let her pick out an animal for helping me for 3 hours. She loves her stuffed animals, just like Lauren did when she was young.
..
Then we went outside and worked a bit in the front yard. She had fun trimming the bushes.


.After that, we headed to the store and then came home and watched a Movie. Jeff called and said they were fine and going to bed for the night. He said it was a beautiful drive today! He loves his motorcycle and the freedom it gives him. I am so glad that he has that, he is an amazing man and works sooo hard for our family, he certainly deserves it!

We first thought that maybe our Granddaughter Miss Oakley might be coming early, because Krystal hasn't been feeling good. It ended up that she was really dehydrated so they took her to the hospital for some IVs, now she is feeling better. Still praying for her safe arrival. I can hardly wait to see and hold that baby girl!
Good Night dear friends!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Let's try this again!

The last time Angie was going to do a 5 day Sleep Over, she only got to stay 3 days and all 3 days she was pretty sick. So we waited till she had another break from school to plan another one, then I got pneumonia and we had to cancel. Now that it is Summer, we decided to try it again while we are both healthy! :)
She was so excited, she said good bye to her Mom and sisters and we were on our way. In the car she said " You know Nana, it feels like I can still hear Audrey yelling", probably because she was yelling when they left the store where we were at! I had to laugh!



 1st thing we did was hit up the craft store in Monroe Ben Franklin's. We found some real deals at the Tent Sale. We got Angie this Paint by number set, she said she has never done one before. They are pretty tiny spaces, but this girl has had a crayon, pen, pencil or paint brush in her hand since she was little, so I thought she could handle it.
 And I was right, just an hour or so of practicing, she had it down. Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I still think I have a picture of all my kids doing the very same thing, and my Mom said I did too!
Look at that face, that is the face of a Happy Artist...if I have ever seen one!

Then we had dinner on the deck (her favorite place  to eat ) in the summer time. Poppa took us to Menchies for frozen yogurt...yum!
After we got back, she helped Poppa wash his motorcycle... (he is going on a trip tomorrow) so she spent the rest of the evening by his side. I love to listen to her conversations with him! :)


After the bike was all clean, she asked Poppa if she could get on and take a spin on it? Well, at least take a picture with her on it ...like she is riding it! She can't wait till she is big enough to ride with him. She sure loves her Poppa!

This poem could certainly be about Jeff!

" I like to walk with Poppa
...His steps are short
Like mine.
He doesn't say...
"Now hurry up!"
He always takes his time
Most people have to hurry...
they do not stop and see.
I'm glad that
God made Poppa...
'Unrushed and young like me!

Have to head to bed... because tomorrow is Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas at work, and Day 2 of our Sleep Over! I am going to need my rest for that!
Good Night dear friends!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Customer Service at it's BEST!


Now that is customer service!!!
This is a great story, so nice to see people who cares that much!
Hope you enjoy this story tonight... I did!
Night dear friends!

What happens when a Costco manager catches you in your PJs
Many have knocked on Pam Jones’ front door in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. She’s pulled it open to find family, friends, fundraisers, strangers and salesmen. Like most of us, nothing surprises her anymore.
The evening of June 24 was no different. When the doorbell rang at 9:45 p.m., Pam wasn’t surprised.
No, she was shocked.
Earlier that day, Jones shopped at a Costco Warehouse in Frederick, Maryland. She’s been a member there 15 years and says she “dearly loves” that location. But several weeks earlier, she’d gotten all the way home before discovering the cheese she’d purchased was moldy. It was such a rare mistake, she let it go and chalked it up to just one stubbed toe in her long, satisfying dance with the warehouse giant.
Then on June 24 while putting away her Costco stash, Pam noticed she’d bought damaged, split bananas. Even though she accepted responsibility for not checking more closely, she was still irritated at the inconvenience. She hated to complain to her favorite store, but it was time for a phone call.
Jones punched in the number and explained her frustration to an employee on the other end. They soon paged manager Mike Shake, and the rest of the story is the stuff of customer service legend.
“He was the kindest manager I’ve ever spoken to,” Pam said of the man she’d not previously met. After sharing her story, Shake didn’t just apologize profusely, he refunded her for both purchases.
Surprising? Not really — isn’t this what any good manager would do?
Later that evening, feeling satisfied that her favorite retailer had treated her well and would retain her loyalty, Jones slipped on her pajamas and prepared to say goodnight to her productive day.
Then, the doorbell rang.
“I couldn’t believe it!” Jones said. “There was Mike Shake at my front door holding fresh cheese and bananas.”
After working a very long day, Shake had truly gone the extra mile on his way home to Berryville, Virginia to demonstrate that his apology wasn’t just about a hurried words on the phone. He didn’t just want to say Costco was sorry, he wanted to show it.
When I asked Jones what went through her head when she saw him at her front door, she described feeling like she was living in an episode of “Little House on The Prairie.”
“What a breath of fresh air! It was so refreshing that someone would care enough to stop by our home to make something right. It was so highly unexpected and greatly appreciated.”
Before calling it a night, Jones popped onto Facebook to share her experience. She believed that kind of service needed a spotlight bigger than just the one on her front porch. Her friends reacted with similar amazement and the post became one her most “liked” ever.
That’s not really surprising either, is it? We live in a contentious world saturated bad news and bad reviews. Everyone knows that social media can spread global fires from the tiniest of digital sparks.
As I’ve written before, we waste too much air shouting into angry bullhorns of dissatisfaction. Sometimes customer service isn’t so awful. Sometimes it’s good, other times it’s great, and on occasion, it’s downright extraordinary.
As it should be, this remarkable Costco manager has no idea he’s being highlighted in this column. When I reached out to him to confirm the experience and inform him Jones had shared it on social media, he said humbly, “Wasn’t that nice of her?” Then he changed the subject.
Despite his likely embarrassment and this warehouse-sized shoutout, Mike Shake deserves to know that he made a difference that night at 9:45 p.m. at a front door in West Virginia. Not just for Pam Jones and her family, but for all of us who want to believe there are still companies and managers who put people first and go out their way to lead by example.
Next time your doorbell rings and you’re in your PJs, check your bananas. You just never know who’s on the other side of the door.


I read it HERE:
.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Motherhood

I love this...
Motherhood is the best and the toughest thing I ever did!


The Last Time
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.
the last time poem
Image found on Pinterest
You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.
But don’t forget …
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.
One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.
The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.
For one last time.
-Author Unknown-



10 Habits Of A Successful Mom - Today's the Best Day

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Thank you dear friends!

Dear Friends, 
Thank you for all your wonderful wishes dear friends, I had a wonderful day and felt sooooo loved!
Thank you again!



Thursday, July 9, 2015

Happiness is an INSIDE job!

I think that all of us struggle with being Happy every now and then. It only takes one look at the news to truly have something or another to worry about. But I think this quote was enlightening..

"True happiness is about purpose and meaning and connection and contribution,"

So true, if you know your purpose in life, then that knowledge gives your life meaning. When you has meaning, then you tend to want to connect with others in the world ( since it's not all about us anyway ). That connection with Other's gets stronger and you have a natural desire to contribute something to the world and ...make a difference! I would say that spells Happiness in a nutshell. :)




I found the quoteHERE:

Early Birthday Present!

Last week I got an early birthday present from a dear friend back East. Jeff asked me why I didn't open it right away. I told him because I thought I should wait and open it on my birthday. He said no go ahead and just open it, but I thought I should wait. I know this friend always send the neatest gifts, so I thought I would wait.
Then we got to 4th of July in Anacortes and when were at the Marina to watch the fireworks...I told Jeff I wish I had something red or blue to wear but I didn't.
Came home and yesterday and I kept looking at that package and thought to myself " maybe I should just open it, I can't wait to see what she sent".
So after looking at this picture, you can see Jeff was right, I should have opened it...it would have been perfect for the 4th of July!


Moral to this story, when someone close to you sends you an Early Birthday Present...just OPEN IT!
How grateful I am for sooo many dear
sweet friends! They make life wonderful!
Good Night dear friends, and Thank You
for being in my life!



Monday, July 6, 2015

Ways to create a better life!

This is definitely good advice...


It took me a few years to learn some of these things... a little later than I had hoped but I did.
And even some times I forget them... and have to remember them again! Life is all about the lessons! Learn them and try to live them each day of your life!
Good night dear friends!

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Me and my Best Friend!

Finally after a  second antibiotic I started feeling better. By Thursday Jeff and I decided to go away for a couple of days, to celebrate our Anniversary ( that we missed ). So we ended up in Anacortes. It was about 10 degrees cooler because of being near the water. It was beautiful there and it was just nice to get away!
Of course we tried to do all our visits to the shops on Friday, because we knew they would be closed on the 4th.


We went up to the Look out point and it truly was breathtaking! How grateful I am with the freedoms we have, and to live in such a beautiful country!

We love antiques... we have always liked things from the past and the history that comes with them. I even found a few things for my studio, I am anxious to see if they will work!
We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast and it was a beautiful old house that had been remodeled. I would recommend it to you but...they didn't have air conditioning...which isn't a shock, most of us don't... but in our room, only one window opened. It was hot that day remember, and so our bedroom was very very hot and we just had a tiny fan. It was a tough to sleep and when we got up the next morning and told the owner how hot it was and miserable at night...she said " well no one ever told us that before, we will have to get that fixed, that was about it. " Oh well, next time we will obviously pick some where else, but it still was a wonderful get away!


For the 4th of July we went to Deception Pass, it was here on the 4th of July in 1988 Jeff and I came for the first time to Washington to visit. I remember Amy was 5 and Brad was almost 2, I had sewn some cute summer outfits for each of them. As we flew in to Seattle...it was raining and cool. It stayed that way the whole week we were there. We had to borrow clothes from my family that we came to visit.  Jeff and I had to buy a jacket and some sweatshirts. And on July 4th they took us to Deception Pass, they kept apologizing for the weather, but when we took one look at Deception Pass, rain or clouds...we were in love!  We thought...how great is that, to live in a place that you can wear sweatshirts...almost all year long!  We knew then, this is where we wanted to live and raise our family. Just a few short months later, that is exactly what we did! And we have never, never looked back!

 We had lunch at the park Deception pass, we also remember bringing the kids here camping when they were little.

Then for the evening we bought our dinner and went to the Marina and listened to the bands that played at the Anacortes 4th of July ROCK THE DOCK, they even had a Town Cryer come and talk about Independence Day and how blessed are to live here!


We came home late right after the fireworks! What a wonderful get away for our 33rd Anniversary! 
How grateful I am to be married to my best friend for all of these years!