mini quilt group

Once a week (sometimes more) I head on over to the parentals' for a little sewing action. Mom is the appointed president and I am the dutiful vice president. Sometimes Elsie comes in and offers her opinion, which is full of complimentary squeals, coupled with "helpful" fabric rearrangements. All done with my current work in progress under her feet, on the floor. And then there's Will, who comes in every five minutes asking if he can help. And sometimes I let him. He's getting to be quite the pedal pusher ;)

It's something I look forward to every week. We plan, cut, press, arrange, pin and press again. Always quick and ready to offer praises, suggestions, and thread. We laugh, we talk, we complain and we dream. It's the best quilt group I've ever been to and I'm proud to be an active member! *B

not so little anymore

After perusing through my blog yesterday, I realized that Elsie has grown up quite a bit since she was last featured. So thanks to some photos a la iPhone, here's my prissy missy in action:

She has hair now! And dare I say it, she gets cuter by the day. Which is extremely dangerous, because she also gets her way more often than not. She's a serious ham and a serious tease. And she is a very busy bee with her very own personality to rival that of her brother's. She's in love with animals, babies, jewelry, music, chocolate, olives and scrambled egg yolks. She can cry crocodile tears on cue and has a temper bigger than her britches! She is SUCH a girl, which is definitely new territory for me. If I hadn't delivered her myself, I'd wonder who her mother was ;)

And while it appears that I have a "big" toddler on my hands, she's still my pretty little baby. And she always will be. *B

pigs really do fly!

Do you ever read your own blog? Are you embarrassed to find that it's awkward and whiny? Or are you pleasantly pleased with your wit and personal awesomeness? If you came across your blog via blog-hopping, would you like what you see? Is it weird that I just spent about an hour re-reading my blog and inspired myself to start blogging again??? So, where to start? Let's pretend like it hasn't been three months. Like I'm not a stranger in my own little world I've created here; a place where my own mother still comes to visit... Yeah, that sounds good!

You know what else is good? Life. Life is good. It's hard, but oh so good. I've grown a lot and I'm happy nowadays :) It's refreshing. I still work for my dad, but Brad also has a job. Money is tight, but I've come to realize that it always will be. And that it can be a blessing, not a curse. I'm enjoying my kids, and my home. I'm enjoying my role in our family, finding joy in my talents, and discovering my calling in life. Right now I'm appreciative of the challenges we've faced. That I've faced. And as crazy as it may sound, I'm looking forward to the challenges we'll have. That I'll have. Because God loves me, and He knows me. And every now and then, when I catch a quick glimpse of the person He sees, I find peace and happiness and I like what I see.

Let's be friends again Blog. I've missed you. It's time to rediscover each other. Are you as excited and hopeful as I am? I hope so. *B