Thank You!

Thank you for your comments and emails the past few days!  I appreciate them all so much :)  Amber continues to live on in our hearts and always will!

Amber's best friend Will came to visit and brought food. He is so kind and he can cook!  He came before lunch and brought quiche, homemade banana nut muffins and fruit salad.  Oh it was so good!

We later went to the cemetery and released balloons ... of course they were purple!  We watched them float into the beautiful blue sky!  Jennifer had to work all weekend so she couldn't be with us. 

Of course we tied balloons to her vase of flowers!   The wind was really blowing them in all directions.

Sunflowers will go in her vase for her birthday :)  You all know she loved sunflowers!

Will and his family sent us this beautiful vase of flowers the day before ... aren't they gorgeous!  His dad was the pastor who baptized Amber and Jennifer, officiated at Amber's funeral and married Jennifer and Jeremy.  We have quite a connection.  Will's mother and I are very good friends also.

Had to have a closeup of the roses.  They are a lavender color and gorgeous!

I promise my next post will be more upbeat.  I have been working all day on putting my room back together that we have updated.  I am trying to decide whether to paint a couple of older pieces of furniture.  Gotta keep my mind busy!

Hugs,

Donna

Amber ... Two Years in Heaven

Amber ... I can't believe it has been two years since I held your hand in mine and kissed you goodnight.  Two long years of missing you.  I walk by your room a hundred times a day and oh how I wish you were in there watching television or reading.  Your DVR is still set with the shows you recorded.  I sometimes go in there to see what is recording.  We haven't had it in our heart to disconnect it. 

I know you are in Heaven and one day I will see you again.  My faith is what gets me through the days.  God had a plan for you before you were born.  I can clearly see that now.  You touched so many lives in your nearly 30 years here on earth.  Everyone said you always had a smile on your face.   I know you have a huge smile now that you are walking again and out of the wheelchair :)  Oh to see you walk again and one day I will!  In the meantime I have to stay here until God calls me home and keep your sister and your Daddy going.  Someone has to keep them in line :)

I thanked God when you were born and so perfect!  Big blue eyes and long dark hair.  Oh and those long eyelashes ... I was so jealous!!   You looked like a china doll. 

When you were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy I feared our time with you on earth would be cut short.  We always made the most of our time.  I always said I would have no regrets and I spoiled you rotten!!  You knew you had me wrapped around your little finger (and your daddy too).

Someone told me once that God gives special kids to special parents.  I don't consider myself special ... he just knew you would be very well taken care of by your daddy and me.  I go to your Facebook account to "farm" your farm and see your friends post about being married and having babies.  I can't help think about how it could have been had you not had this horrible disease.  All I wanted was for you to be healthy and to live a normal life. Things don't always go as planned.  But none of us are promised tomorrow.  That's the way I always tried to look at life.  We could be gone in the blink of an eye.

So many people say they think of you when they see sunflowers or the color purple!  It makes me happy to know that people who didn't even know you think of you when they spot a sunflower.  It's like you are shining down on us with a huge smile.

This week I was purchasing pinwheels to put on your gravesite to tie balloons to and a lady asked me if I was having a party.  I told her no that I was putting one on my daughter's headstone and she was so touched. I know she was thinking she shouldn't have asked me what I was doing with them.  She was touched by my story.

 Of course the pinwheels are purple!

I still cry every day and I probably always will ... it's just a "mommy" thing.  As parents we are not supposed to have to bury our children.  Believe me it was the hardest and most heartbreaking thing in my life.

You once told me that if you could have a job it would be rocking babies in a nursery.  I read other parents blogs who have lost babies and I imagine you rocking babies in Heaven :)

As I said above it is my faith in God that keeps me going.  Heaven is not far away at all!

Keep on smiling down on us!  We will see you again one day :)

Love you sweet girl!

Mommy

Pinterest ... Are You Pinning?

I jumped into the latest craze ... I have joined Pinterest! 

If you need inspiration for anything and I mean anything you should join Pinterest. 

I have five invites available so if you would like to join just send me an email. 

A warning ... it might be addictive!

Hugs,

Donna

Wet Paint!

I have been so busy the last couple of weeks working on a room in our house that is the last room to be updated.  Let's just say after this room I do not want to makeover any more rooms for a very long time!

Chair rail with a new coat of paint.  I love this chair rail with the detail.  I have the same kind in my dining room. 

The walls have been painted and crown molding has been installed by my hubby and his assistant .... ME!  

Yesterday and today we have been installing hardwood flooring and my body just aches all over!  I am feeling so old at this very moment! LOL  Hopefully tomorrow we will be finished with the flooring.

 I can't wait until I have this room finished and get my dining room back in order.  We call this room we are redoing our piano room for lack of a better name.  It does have the piano in it that I played as a young girl!   There is no television, no phone jack and no computer area!  Just a room to go to for quiet time.  This room is all about ME!!!

I have a couple of chairs that were my mothers that I want to have upholstered and then there are drapes to make and pillows to make and the list goes on!!!

Sorry I haven't had time to respond to many comments and visiting other blogs!  I just want this room done!!

Now I am curling up with my heating pad on my back and going to bed!

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

Baby Quilt and Embroidered Towels

Recently I needed a couple of quick projects for gifts ... one for a baby boy and a quick wedding gift.

Here is the baby quilt with the fun fabrics.  It was very quick to sew.  I made it in a few hours.

I used the polka dots on the back and stripped pieced the binding with leftover fabrics.  Inexpensive to make!  I had the batting so I just had to buy a few fabrics.  The mother loved it for her little one :)

I also needed a quick wedding gift for a friend so I went to Belk (a local dept store here in the South) and purchased handtowels.  I embroidered a "B" for the brides last name.  Most ladies here in the South love something monogramed!  It's a Southern thing :)  The simples towels were a hit with the bride and groom.

These projects goes to show you that you don't have to spend a ton of money on gifts that people will love.  I actually got the handtowels on sale and for the babies quilt most of the supplies I had in my sewing room.

I am joining up with Susan at Blackberry Creek for her weekly UFO update.   Thank you Susan for hosting this weekly party!

We have been very busy around here redoing a room and it has been very time consuming.  My dining room is overflowing with stuff from the room that is getting a makeover.  I will be glad when our project is done and I can show pics!

Thank you for stopping in!

Hugs,

Donna

Yummy Peach Pie

I love fresh peaches!  My son-in-law grew up in "peach country" here in Alabama and was sweet enough to bring me a basket of fresh peaches last week.  I had just read the July issue of Southern Living magazine and on the front cover was this peach pie that was calling for me to make it!

This was right after I took it out of the oven!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
Pie crust
*This calls for a homemade pie crust ... but I really like Mrs. Smith's pie crust. I don't seem to have the patience to make my own crust when Mrs. Smith's does a great job! I use the second crust in the package to make the lattice top.

Preheat oven to 425º.
Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar and next 4 ingredients.  Add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into piecrust and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy.)

Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.

*Definitely bake this on a jelly-roll pan ... or you will have a mess in your oven!  Thank goodness I followed directions and placed mine on one! 

I served it with vanilla ice cream and it is yummy!

If you have fresh peaches you should really give this recipe a try!

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna



Sweet Tea Quilt Update

I am joining Susan at Blackberry Creek for her weekly UFO quilt update.
 I have slowly been working on my Sweet Tea quilt I began a LONG time ago!

I love teapots, teacups and sweet tea.  Living in the South you gotta have your sweet tea!

Just one of the teapots.

I finally have the handles on my teacups and one border on my quilt.  I love how the ribbon border is made when sewing the teacups together.

Now I just have to decide on placement of my teacups around the border.  I am moving really slow and working on other projects too.   I have such a mess in my sewing room!

We have started a new project in our house and I have a huge mess right now.  I went this morning to pick out paint for the room we are redoing.  Now I get to think about curtains and pillows and all kinds of pretties!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Donna



Happy Independence Day!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Hugs,

Donna

Quilt Update

I am joining Susan at Blackberry Creek for the Little Green Quilts UFO Bust.  Susan always has some kind of quilting project in progress and is very inspiring.  I love her blog header with the bunny quilt ... love me some bunnies!

This week I am sharing a quilt top that is now completed and another quilt I began cutting yesterday.

Hold your eyes ... here's my BRIGHT watermelon quilt.  I took these pics at night so the color is not the greatest.

This was my first ever paper piecing project.  I began this quilt top several years ago.  I made all of the watermelon blocks and accidentally cut off one of the edges ... GRR!  I had to take it apart and remake it.  You only do it once and then you LEARN to NEVER do it again! 

This is more of the "true" color of the watermelon slices ...  bright.

Those little pinwheels were a pain to make!  They are not perfect by any means!  If I could redo them I probably would.   No second thought ... I could redo them but I am not going to! LOL  Now just to get it quilted.

I always have "help" when I am working!  What is about cats and quilts?

They just go together! 

Here's my new project ... like I need another one!  I love the new Sew Cherry line of fabrics by Riley Blake.  I love cherries and this fabric begged me to purchase it!

I am going to make dresden plate quilt blocks.  I may embroider cherries in the middle of the "plate".

Love the cherries ... makes me happy!  I love the colors of this fabric line with the reds, pinks, greens, blues and yellows. 

Told you I always have "help".  Here's my other furbaby!  She can't see well and she always has to check out what I am doing.  That will be one of my future posts ... about my kitties.

 Now I am off to my sewing room to do some sewing.  I am sure one of my "helpers" will join me :)

If you live here in the US I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

Thank you for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna