What a great Sabbath!

Today Jeff and I headed out early to Sultan, to see our granddaughters do their Primary Program at church! I love the drive up there,

I love that it is Fall and that we are able to watch them share their testimony with others through talks, and songs!

One of my favorite parts of the program today, was when the children sang this song!

It really made me stop and think!

You can LISTEN TO IT HERE:

Watching Amy use her artitstic ability...even just writing down notes from class!

They did such a great job, tried to get some photos with them after church! Easier said than done! :)

 Look at this sweet face, would you try and take that Apple away from her for family photos? I wouldn't advice it! :)

She is pure MOTION, EMOTIONS and a little bit of sugar and spice and everything NICE! ( some times! )

Of course just a few hours later... here is where I found her! She put herself in Time Out!

When I asked her what was wrong, she said  "Nana, I'm  Mad!" 

After lunch the girls ask if we could Create something together!

We decided to make animals to go in their Altoid boxes.

 Teaching them how we need to draw out patterns first and make sure that they fit in the boxes.
Jenny and Audrey were all apart of it for the first little bit...but after an hour or so... they got bored. But Angie hung in there with me!

These sweet animals turned out pretty cute, a fox, a dragon, a snowman and a pig! Each have their 

own bed, blanket and pillow!  Amy is going to put them in their church bag...hopefully that will keep them quite for at least a minute or two! :)

What a great Sabbath!
Good Night dear friends!

Who's making that noise?

When my kids were young I would often ask the question..."Who's making that noise?" It seemed like this was usually late at night when they were suppose to be asleep, or during nap time or maybe even church:)
So when I watched this you tube tonight, it make me think that maybe we should be less critical of the some of the noises that kids make. Maybe just maybe, those noises will make them famous some day!
Good night dear friends!

You can watch it HERE:

Brad and Krystal's book is for Sale!

I cant' adequately tell you in words ...what a neat experience it was to read Brad and Krystal's book to their son, my grandson Kai while he was here. There have been a few of my friends who asked me to tell them when the book was ready to be sold. So it is, so here is the information below!

.
 HERE:

What a DAY!!!!

I came home so tired from the Baby Shower last night that I simply just had to go to bed. It was a full day, Jenny and I's last day together from her 2 day Sleep Over, and then the baby shower for a dear friend. It was fun... but I probably over did it a bit.
Tonight is Date Night...yeah and so I won't write tonight for sure. So I thought I would post today instead!
Good night dear friends! ( later that is! )

 "If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes only then would you realize how special you are to me.."

Love my Jenny girl! Never a dull moment, sorta feels like a redheaded mini Lauren! :)

Lunch at Panera Bread! 

Never go anywhere without a stuffed animal with you to share in all the fun!

 My dear friend, has 4 little girls and now she is finally getting a little boy. Thanks so much for Jenny and Amy for making the shower look adorable! And for all the ladies that came and helped out too. It was a great success and I think she felt loved! That was our goal!

Jenny's cute homemade cookies, Amy's calligraphy toppers were too cute!

 Jenny also sews and made this sweet table runner to match the banner than Amy sewed!

 Food, food and more food. If you couldn't guess, it was an Ice Cream Party!

 Thank you notes to match of course!

 These sweet little beanie babies have been so popular, thought I would give some to the 4 sisters and to the Hostess's little girls too. Yes, those are sleeping bags that I made. Don't all your little stuffed animals have sleeping bags? :)

Thank Heaven for little boy!

Finding our purpose!

I have always known that part of my purpose here on earth... is to use and develop my creative talents. Use them to teach, to make my home more lovely, to use as gifts to show my love and appreciation to others or just to serve someone else. I am grateful for that talent. Speaking of that talent....that is all that I did today, and it felt great. Well, I am a bit tired and my back is hurting but... it feels good to be back in my room ( opps Studio: ) creating again!
Good night dear friends!

Tis the Season!

A friend came over today and brought us her family Christmas CD, that is what they give others each year. What a wonderful gift to share your talents with others like that. This sweet girl and her family have shared their musical talent so freely with everyone that it truly brings the holiday spirit in our home each year! Thank you dear friend for your kindness and for the wonderful Christmas!

Talents...everyone has them!

What a beautiful Christmas message!
Talents...everyone has them!
Check the video out  here:

It will get you in the Christmas mood!
Merry Christmas dear friends!

Talents...everyone has them!

Today in church we talked about Talents and how everyone has them. We talked about how you can be born with some talents, but if you don't use them then you can lose them. We talked about how you may not have been born with certain talents, but could develop them throughout your life time. I love the story in the book of Matthew 25 verses 14-29 about the parable of the Talents.  In that scripture we learn that the Lord totally expects us to use and develop our talents.
6 things that I wrote down today about talents were this...

1. You must discover what talents you have.
2. You must be willing to spend the time and effort to develop your talent.
3. You need to have FAITH that your Heavenly Father will help you in developing talents.
4. You need to learn the skills that are necessary for developing that talent, like ask a friend, read a book or take a class. ( Be pro-active )
5.  You need to practice using your talent. Every talent takes effort and work.
6.  You should be willing to share your talents with others. By using our talents we grow and learn.

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do, not that the nature of the thing changed, but that our power to do....is increased." ~Heber J. Grant

In 1960 the Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. There on the winner’s platform in the spotlight one day stood a beautiful, tall, blonde American girl. She was being presented a gold medal, symbolic of first place in worldwide competition. As she stood there, some boys whistled and others were heard to say, “There’s a gal who has everything.”

Tears ran down her cheeks as she accepted the recognition. Many thought she was touched by the victory ceremony. The thing most of the audience did not know was the story of her determination, self-discipline, and daily action. At the age of five she had polo. When the disease left her body, she couldn’t use her arms or legs. Her parents took her daily to a swimming pool where they hoped the water would help hold her arms up as she tried to use them again. When she could lift her arm out of the water with her own power, she cried for joy. Then her goal was to swim the width of the pool, then the length, then several lengths. She kept on trying, swimming, enduring, day after day after day, until she won the gold medal for the butterfly stroke—one of the most difficult of all swimming strokes—in Melbourne, Australia.

What if Shelly Mann had not been encouraged to achieve at age five and to continue and overcome? What a tremendous asset were parents who assisted her in the importance of now and today in preparation for tomorrow.
I found the story HERE:

 

In 1984, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame for her accomplishments.

"Just Because You Can't See It, Doesn't Mean It's Not There"

 

"Our strides of today will determine our locations tomorrow." ~ Marvin J. Ashton 

 

Prayers, Faith and Bugs!

 

Since Monday Angie has been looking for a bug to put in her new bug catcher. Last night during her prayer, she asked that she might catch a bug or butterfly today, on the last day of her Sleepover. I tried to explain that just because we pray about something doesn't mean the answer will always be what we want. Her blue eyes looked directly at me when she said " but why Nana?" I tried to explain that Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. Sometimes we want something, but Heavenly Father knows if we need it or not. She didn't say much more about it today

Today was full of learning,  or as Angie said "I got a lot of learning in today, didn't I Nana?" :) First I downloaded some sewing cards for her and then got her situated at her own machine ( a friend bought it for $10.00 for her, old Kenmore and it runs great ). I had to make her chair higher and then put a box under the table so she could put her feet and work the pedal from there. Then she just took off, fast is much easier than slow, when it comes to sewing. She got it down quite quickly ...I was so surprised. Before I knew it, she was on her 3rd sewing card and I didn't even have to remind her to put the pressure foot up and keep the needle down when she turned and pivoted. It was too cute.
Next we went and babysat for a friend while she was at a DR appt. Her kids were sleeping, so Angie and I brought some money work sheets that we downloaded and she worked on learning money. She is a bit worried about not knowing that when she starts 2nd grade next year, so we started now.
 Last I taught her to crochet with her fingers. She isn't quite ready for the crochet hook, that just gets her frustrated. But she did well with her fingers and already made 3 necklaces before the evening was over. She said "after learning all these things Nana, I feel like I can do anything! "  Then she drew a Welcome Home sign for Poppa.
Finally after dinner we took a long walk, came home watered the flowers and while we were doing that Angie yelled " Nana, there's a bug and a big bug, can we catch it?" She quickly put it in her catcher (with my help), then we came in the house looked up on line what kind of beetle it was, then went out and got stuff outside for it to eat and live on ...and put that in the cage. Then she said " Well, Nana, I guess that Heavenly Father knew I needed a bug and He gave me one!" Oh the faith of a child! I then reminded her that tonight she should thank Heavenly Father in her prayers for the bug, her response was " are you kidding me, I am going to thank Him right now!" Then she walked to the edge of the driveway near the tree, and knelt down and said a prayer. Oh the faith of a child!
I really thought a lot about the past few days with my granddaughter, I realize that if you let them...these incredible little spirits, can teach us a lot about life! We just need to slow down and learn!

What should I really be doing today?

I heard a wonderful talk in church yesterday. Here are some of the the notes that I wanted to remember from about this subject...which was Doing What God Would Want Us To Do Each Day!  I think that it is easy to get so busy with all my To Do List every day, and even easier to forget to ask my Heavenly Father what He wants and needs me to do.  I also really loved the reminder that we all have talents and that it is important to share our talents with others, to make their lives better. I do think that it is important not to waste the talents we have been given. And to all of those people who claim that they don't have any creativity or talents....I loved this quote!

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf
When I read the last part of that quote of FAMILY MEMORIES and FLOWING LAUGHTER, it made me think of the photos of the kids when they were little. I thought of them as sweet family memories, but when the kids see them all they can do is laugh and asked questions like..." Why did you cut my bangs like that?" "Why were my pants so short and my waistband so high?" Oh I thought and still do that they were too cute. Yes, this is a photo of Amy and Brad...not sure if they would want me to identify them? But just look at those cute faces...yes, that has got to be Amy and Brad! :)

I work with the most amazing women at our Quilt Shop! I have said it before, but they are so talented and are some of the most giving women that I know. They spend hundreds of hours and quite a bit of money... creating these BEAUTIFUL quilts, only to give them away to any one in need. Each time a quilt is donated, or I hear of all the quilts that were made others in need... I feel in awe, and honored to know them. They are great examples to me... of doing what you can to help others, even if it takes a great sacrifice of time and effort.
So I am grateful for the talk that was given and for the reminder it was to me. I am still tired from my trip last week, so I am going to head to bed. Good night dear friends!

Best Friends!

   From the time I was a little girl, my Mom said that I love to color, draw or create anything. I remember one of my favorite gifts being a little table and chairs ( just my size ), so I could sit and create for hours before and after my nap. (Actually, that is about the same schedule I keep now...sew...create...nap...sew...create ). Funny how that works?
   Anyway, one of the ways that I made money while I was a stay home Mom with 4 kids was selling my crafts at many of the local fairs. I would even have Open Houses at our home ( apartment or whatever ) and people could come through, have some cider and pumpkin bread as they shopped. Then when the kids were at school or in bed, I would make most of it. In those days I painted. I Tole painted just about anything and everything. As the kids got bigger, they even began to help...any wonder why they all are such talented artists? :)
   After we moved from West Virginia (where I had my name and business established ) I had to start over at the beginning, which was School Craft Fairs. Typically School Craft Fairs aren't very profitable but it was a way to get my name out and to support the kids school. So after moving to Washington on Sept 24th,1987 I was in the first School Craft Fair by the end of October.
I will never forget, my booth was way down a very cold hallway. I wondered how in the world I would get any kind of traffic with my booth so far away. I also wondered if I would die of exposure first, because it was soooooooo cold.
   I quickly made friends with the other poor Artist sitting the booth next to me. As we talked for the next few hours ( because no one was coming down the hallway shopping ), I began to look at her stuff ( which was sewn items ). I quickly realized how talented she was and nice.
Ok, long story short....we didn't die that day but I think we both caught a bad cold. We ended up trading some stuff, which was really fun, and then I got her number and told her that I would probably end up having an Open House at my home in the next few weeks and offered her to bring her stuff. That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship ( as they say ). We did well at our Open House and we have been together ever since, that was almost 25 years ago!
   We worked together for many years, then my back gave out, and  I had to quit  the shows and just sell my patterns to magazines and then teach classes out of my home. Chris continued to do the shows and continues to amaze me with her sewing skills. Even though I have been out of the selling loop for years, we still try to get together each week and create something. What a neat time that is for me. I use many of the ideas we create for my Quilting Classes now, and she uses some for her shows and she now has a shop on ETSY.COM 
   Wow, ETSY would have been a much easier way to go to get out things seen by so many people. Technology has truly been a blessing for that. With just a click of your computer, you can view 1000's of handmade items from artists world wide.
You can find her shop Here:
Check it out, she has the best quality stuff ever! ( I know I am a little biased, but it's because I know it ).
    So make sure the next time you are somewhere that is boring and you wonder how you ever got stuck there for hours, talk to the person next to you...it just may end up being your new Best Friend! Mine was!
( Here is a photo of us Oct 12th 1991 at yet another craft show! )

Creative Woman

"Being Creative is not a single act, but the act of living itself. The creative Woman is on fire with imagination, ignited by the certainty of her relationship with a living God and her surety of purpose. She lives in freedom, not measuring herself by the lives around her. She takes calculated risks, understanding the value of going beyond the horizon of the known and coming back to report what she has discovered. She tackles life’s challenges, with heart, hands and faith."  ~Author Unknown

 I love this quote.. when I feel really creative, it does make me feel happy. I do think it is important to see the talents that we have, are God given. I really do believe they are. I am grateful for the talents I have, as well as my children's talents. I am still trying to learn though how not to measure myself up against others, that is a hard one for me. But the longer that I work at the Quilt Shop; the more I appreciate all of our differences and talents. That is what makes the store unique and great, because we are all good at totally different things and that reaches out to more people; because we all have different talents and tastes. 

I do feel blessed that for 30 years I got to be a stay home Mom. And during those 30 years, my talents are something that kept me grounded and some times... sane. It was the one thing that didn't get undone by the morning. No matter how hard I tried, the dishes, the house, the laundry and so on, ALWAYS got undone, messy or dirty again before the next day; and that is when I would start all over again! So yes, developing different and creative talents really made a difference in my life then...and still does.

Today was a work day ( at home ), I really love to create new ideas and sew new things...it makes me happy and it makes me feel fulfilled and grateful! It also makes me happy when I see my own kids developing and using their talents ...to better the world. I am truly blessed!

 I believe the parable in Matthew 25 about the servants being given talents, is important for us to remember. We need to remember "where much is given, much is expected". I think that we are to develop and us our talents to bless the lives of others.

 “God has endowed us with talents and time, with  talents, abilities and with opportunities to use and develop them in his service."  ~ Spencer W. Kimball 

 “Neglect not the gift that is in thee” (1 Timothy 4:14).

A dream come true!

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to do things with my hands. Any type of arts and crafts, sewing, painting, drawing, crocheting, needlework and etc. Some things you learn because that is what your Mom does, but my Mom didn’t like to do any of those things. She was a cook and a fabulous one at that. I really never saw the value in spending hours making and cooking something, just to watch your family devour it in minutes…that never appealed to me ( still doesn’t really ). But as I got older, I realized that I would need someone to teach me so that I could learn more and more. My girlfriend’s Mom used to make her clothes and I really envied her. So one day when I was at her house, I asked her Mom if she would teach me how to sew my own clothes. That is exactly what she did, we got a pattern, materials and some needed supplies… and then we went back to her house to sew. But before I was even able to cut out my material, she showed me how to read a pattern, she also said that clothes look really well made when you are good at your top stitching, and so she gave me a piece of lined notebook paper, put in an old needle in her machine and would have me practice over and over again..sewing on those lines. Then when I got that perfected, then she would have me practice over and over again to stitch exactly in between the lines. Even though she has passed away many years ago, I will never forget her kindness in teaching me how to sew. So, I try to be there to help anyone who asks me to teach them how to sew (haven’t had a lot of time for that since I started working), but still I love to pass on that tradition.

My grandmother and Aunt used to make beautiful quilts out of their old dresses and aprons. I was shocked to see how most of them were done by hand. I couldn’t believe that someone could do that kind of detail by hand. They also quilted by their machines too. I only got 2 of their quilts, but they are displayed proudly in my home and only dreamed that one day I could quilt like that.

Fast forward to the present day, now I am teaching at a Quilt Shop! Who would have ever thought I could do that? I am still a beginner compared to most of the ladies in there, but still I have a love for quilting/sewing and I love to teach …so it is a great opportunity for me to do something that I had never done. The fun thing about working at the quilt shop and getting to know all these wonderful talented women is….that I am learning something new every day! I see all the wonderful things that these ladies are creating, it gives me a desire to do something else I have never done. It is exciting and scary at the same time. I wonder at times, if it would be possible to do some of these amazing things but… I have finally realized that I just need to try new things and never say never! 
Good night dear friends!

“To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time.”    ~Deepak Chopra

“Sewing mends the soul.”     ~Author Unknown

What makes you come alive?

I read this quote the other day that said … “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes  you come alive and then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”                       ~ Harold Whitman

I love that, what makes you come alive? And when we find that out, that is what we should be doing with our lives!

My daughter sent me this video of people who are sharing their  talents. As you watch the video, you can truly tell this is what makes them feel alive. Just watching these people do what they love, inspires me!  Hope it does you too.

Good night dear friends!

Here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ_fkw5j-t0  
and the quote:

"Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine." ~Ludwig van Beethoven

 

Courage

I was talking to a talented young lady the other day and right after I complimented her on her work…she responded “ But there are so many out there better than me!” I wondered how she could be so talented and yet not see that. Still I think many of us have the same  problem. Usually when someone gives me a compliment I can hardly accept it. I usually end up making an excuse or something like that, so I guess I can understand. Still I think it really takes courage to just really appreciate your talents, and realize what you have to give the world. I guess that is why I like this quote so much.  Enjoy and good night dear friends.

 

 

“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. “  Henry Van Dyke

 

 

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me.”  ~ Erma Bombeck

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

In my case, I guess I could change this well known saying to go like this.."The apples didn't fall far from the tree". When my kids were little, I ran a business out of our home, actually I did a lot of different businesses from our home. But of course the one that I did the most of was a craft business ( shocking I know ).  Anyway, ever since the kids were little... they saw their Mom either drawing, sanding, painting, sewing or using a glue gun. It was something I could do from home and still be a full time Mom. There were many nights right before a particular craft show, that I would ask Amy and Brad to help me finish some projects. They did a great job and I thought we had the perfect set up ...until they would complain about how tired they were or wanted to do something else instead. Then when Lee and Lauren came along, the whole business thing got a whole lot harder with 2 little ones running around. Life was busy and full and sometimes hard. I had to stop the business before too long so that the kids wouldn't turn me in to Child Labor Laws...just joking!  Anyway, back to the Apples...I smiled as my daughter Amy and my son Brad, emailed me and shared their new business web sites and blogs. Here they are artistic, talented and creative. The only difference from me and them is the Internet. They are so much more computer savvy than I ever was, and that has opened up a whole world (literally) of opportunities to them.

So here are their sites when you can, stop in and take a look...

Amy's is...       www.blueeyedcarrots.etsy.com 

and Brad's is... http://bradwoodarddesign.com 

Also you can see Lauren's photography blog...
www.adayinwashington.blogspot.com 

And of course you know mine...  www.mandieandmedesigns.com

It is fun to see these apples still growing and developing! Who would have thought they would have come this far from all that work they did as kids? :)

"Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." ~Robert H. Schuller

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." ~ Marva Collins

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve." ~- Mary Kay Ash

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Christmas in July!

It is hard to believe that July is already here. Today I was able to teach at the Quilt Shop and of course...we did Christmas in July, I taught how to make these cute stockings. It reminds that I need to start preparing for Christmas now, so that I don't have to make the holidays so rushed.

I am surprised how much faster these past year has gone by, probably because I was starting to have my health back, and able to start working some at the Quilt Shop. I love teaching again, I have taught art classes for years, I love having the chance to meet soooo many incredible women and share my love for quilting. I think my Grandmother and Aunt would have be so excited for me. They are the ones who helped me develop these talents, when I was just a little girl.

Most of all, I am just grateful to be here and feeling good enough to do things that I love, with the people I love ! That is no small thing!   Good night dear friends.

 

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."  ~ Harvey MacKay

"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many thing that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever..."   ~ Isak Dinesen

" Somehow, not only for Christmas but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart's possessing returns to you glad."  ~ John Greenleaf

People Watching!

   Today I got to work at the Quilt Shop for the Shop Hop. I have to admit, I was so excited to go into work! I could hardly wait to get there, and had a hard time leaving when I was suppose to. I love to watch and meet people! I love PEOPLE! There is always an interesting story in their life that is playing out in their attitudes, personalities, clothing and so on. I have to admit that most people are as nice as you are to them. I was the one of the ladies who stamped their passport ( that is all Quilt/Shop Hop lingo, in case you are wondering) and gave them their free block. It was fun to have them ask about the block, and to be able to say it was mine. Then I was able to tell them step by step how I made it. They really seemed to like my block, I am so glad. When I first thought about doing a block to see if might be chosen... I was a nervous wreak. So many of the women there are amazing seamstresses and they have been quilting for years, my stuff seems so elementary compared to them. But I have learned that everyone has different talents and styles. And basically we all enjoy and appreciate each others styles and talents.

   It has been a blessing to be able to not only watch, but meet so many incredible women and even some of their families. It was also great to talk to many of them and hear about their struggles in their own life. The truth is...everyone is going through something. And those experiences and struggles are truly what shape our lives, and make us who we are. I have learned to try and not judge so quickly, because if you haven't walked in their shoes, lived their life...then we really don't know exactly what they have been through!
    Yes, it was a good day!  I can hardly wait to go tomorrow...except I a so tired! Oh well, I will head to bed soon. Good night dear friends!

"Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences, our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them."  ~ Judith Henderson

"Opposition is nothing more than truth; though hard that truth maybe be, it is essentially beneficial to one's self. In life your greatest enemies are in reality your greatest benefactors. Learn from them; opposition only makes you stronger and more capable."

"We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path."                    ~ Paulo Coelho

"I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap."  ~Ani Difranco