Thankful!

Thanksgiving Day is probably one of my all time favorite holidays.  The older I get, the more I appreciate that it comes with no hype and little drama.  It is a day that has remained (more or less) as it was intended, a day to celebrate all that we are thankful for in our lives.

It's not about showing off material possessions or having to mortgage your future to purchase just the "right" gift. It's about family, food, enjoying each other, and gratitude (which is too little expressed IMHO).

Just a few things that I am thankful for this year (certainly not an all inclusive list):

Salvation from sin

Living in a free nation

my parents and brother

my husband and children

the home we live in (our haven in the woods)

my extended family, some we will see today and others we can't be with

that I am able to homeschool my children

that I can legally homeschool my children

my friends, particularly those who have been with me through thick and thin

our pets

the doctors we see and the medicines we take in order to be healthy

my weight loss (getting healthier by the day)

good medical test results a couple of weeks ago (dodged the big "C")

the Boy Scout troop that my boys and hubby are involved in

having a Mom and a friend who will let me borrow their sewing machines when I am in a pinch

shade grown coffee--mmmmmmmm!

Good books

Crochet hooks, knitting needles, quilting tools, fabric

big hugs from my kids!

I wish you and yours a wonderful and fantastic Thanksgiving Day!  What are you thankful for this year?

Stash Manicure Post

Yay!  I have been invited to be a guest blogger at Stash Manicure for the second time!
Check my post out on November 18th!  Can't wait to see you there....

How Rude!

Some days never cease to amaze me!  Today was one of those days.

I am a small business owner.  Much of my work takes me into other people's homes.  I love what I do and I really enjoy the other people that I work with.  That being said, it really bothers me when people treat my clients unethically, or are just downright rude!

I think that lying is rude, at the very least!  It nearly broke my heart to see a hostess and friend who had received 10 definite RSVPs to a get together (just the day before) sit and realize that nobody was coming.  Not even her mother.  Nobody.  Surely, all ten of those people didn't die overnight.  They couldn't all have been hospitalized or in car accidents.  Some only had to come from a house or two away.

Eventually, we did have a few guests arrive.  The first arrived 20 minutes after the stated time (she was at a child's sporting event and it ran late, totally understandable).  The next two arrived 45 minutes late (including her mom).  I have no idea why.  They may have had very good reasons.  Now, all of these ladies were delightful and had fun.  I am so glad that I got to meet them.  But, it bothered me that the whole situation made my hostess sad.

Why couldn't the other 7 or so people call?  Is our culture really that okay with being so rude?  If you commit to doing something, is it okay to blow it off at the last minute?  These weren't acquaintances, either.  They were close family members and long time friends.

When I work with a hostess, it is my goal to make her feel like a princess and have a really fun time.  It's hard to overcome that kind of disappointment in order to do that.  At the end of the event, the hostess was far more relaxed and happy.

But, was it really necessary to put her through that?

Authors Post

In addition to basking in quilty loveliness, I also like to read.  I don't get to very often, but with my machine down for the count, I may sneak a bit in.

I read a challenge (here) where the blogger listed 15 authors that they enjoyed, strictly off the top of their heads, no tweaking allowed.  So here they are, fall where they may!  Of course, there are many other authors that I have enjoyed!  Please post your list!

Shakespeare

T.S. Eliot

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Phillippa Gregory

Margaret Armour (the author that I actually know!)

Alexandra Stoddard

Harper Lee

Christopher Marlowe

William Blake

Edgar Allan Poe

Janise Ray  (I think that's her name, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood)

Phyllis Schaeffer

David Bottoms

Madeline L'Engle

the author who wrote A Bridge of Birds, a paperback that I borrowed and LOVED!

Does anyone know of...

a good sewing machine store in Georgia that does a trade in sale?

Right now, I would love to buy a new machine and if I could trade in the 4, yes 4, machines that I currently have that are certifiable junk, it would help me to afford one.  I know that I used to hear of such sales.  I guess that they would then repair the old ones to sell?

I don't even know if the ones I have are worth repairing.

My LQS has a sale on BabyLock machines, with the Audrey, in particular, for $359 through December 31st.  I would love to be able to swing that.  Don't know if I can, with Christmas and all, but a girl can dream.

A local private school is having an even to purchase old gold/silver jewelry.  They are paying going rate and the dealer is donating their portion to the school.  I certainly don't have much jewelry that I could sell, but I am seriously thinking of getting together all that I have and seeing what I could get for it.  Every little bit would help, right?

I have toyed with the idea of taking one of my clunkers in to be repaired, but they are all such cheap-o machines that I wonder if I would do better by saving my pennies and buying up a little bit in quality.  The LQS is a BabyLock dealer.  I have checked out (and drooled) over their machines on more than one occasion.  One of the owners even went to school at the BabyLock factory to become certified to repair their machines.  He does all of the repairs in the shop and I really like that they don't have to send the machines out and he does it right there in his workroom.

I guess time will tell.

Insert Picture Here

of the beautiful, sawtooth star quilt that I finished just in time for the baby shower for a dear friend.

For those of you who have followed this blog lately, it is a quilt that I have had hanging up, looking at it, being very deliberate in making every decision because I wanted it to be just right.

When my second hand machine quit working, I took it to my mom's house to finish the quilting and put on the binding.  Then, we threw it in the washer.

That was the end of my quilt.  It, literally, fell apart in the wash.  I have had a seam pop once in a great while, but have never made a quilt and had it shred in the washing machine.  I made my first quilt in 1988 and have made every mistake in the book, but my work has held together.  Until now.

I don't know if the fabric gave way.  Large parts of the stitching seemed to come out.  Could this have been from using a crappy machine?  I use good seam allowance; nothing should have pulled out.  I probably make too large a seam allowance to make sure everything is very, very secure.

I had to go to this very special shower (which I was one of the ladies who threw it) with no gift.  I was embarassed and mortified.  I could have sat and had a good cry if I had a quiet moment.

So....  I don't know if I shouldn't have used the vintage shirts.  I don' t know if it was the machine.  I just know that I am not happy about it right now.

Women Helping Women

I just learned about a new company that is allowing women from wealthier countries to help women from more poverty stricken areas in a really meaningful way.

That company is Seeds of Blessing.  They are an offshoot of the group The Blessing Basket which bought woven baskets and other products from women in poverty and sold them.  The ladies who made the baskets benefitted tremendously by bringing in a good and fair income, having a ready market for their goods, and learning solid business skills.  It is a great opportunity for them and a great opportunity for ladies in wealthier nations to be able to help these women by purchasing their products, but also by receiving gorgeous, handmade items of great quality!

In order to spread the word, Seeds of Blessing is bringing their products into the Party Plan format.  You can also purchase from their website.

I learned about this from a fabulous blog.  This blog is part of Party Plan Divas, another example of women helping women to succeed.

I think it is high time that we women stick together and help others to make their dreams come true!