Get an Island attitude!

These pics are from our recent trip to Sanibel Island. There were 12 of us, and I am quite sure Sanibel is still recovering! This mural was one of many painted on the walls of the resort we stayed at.

This bird was not one bit afraid of any of us! He was much more interested in his dinner.

The resort was full of beautiful tropical plants. I took tons of pictures. Thank goodness for digitals!

Another wedding!

My cousin, David, his girlfriend Cindy and their kids are visiting us, and decided to get married while they were here. They tied the knot on our dock, Monday evening. We were thrilled and honored that they included us in their special day. We wish them many years of happiness!

June's finished projects.

Some months are more productive than others. I managed to finish several things this month. This is another prayer shawl. Our church collects these to give to anyone in need of prayer and comfort. Sometimes it's nice to have something tangible to hold onto in times of trouble.

This is meant to be a cosmetic bag. I used fabric purchased in Alaska, and embellished it

with some fancy stitching.

What could be better in summer, than a big glass of lemonade? This is supposed to be a pin, but I made it into a refridgerator magnet instead.

I monogramed an entire set of bath towels for a friend that is getting married. I think this is going to become my standby wedding gift. Who doesn't need towels?

Remembering Debbie

Debbie was my sister in law, the wife of Steve's brother Gerry. We met when I was still in high school, and she and Gerry were engaged. We went through many of life's challenges at about the same time, and I like to think we encouraged each other through them. The one thing she encouraged me in , far more than I did for her, was in my Christian faith walk. We talked many times about God working in our lives, and she was always pushing me to read my Bible more, study more,and just accept the love He has for us.

We had a lot in common, one thing being our love of sewing and anything related to needlearts. She was always making something, and gave a surprising amount of it away. In one of the last conversations I had with her, she told me that she couldn't sew anymore, because she just couldn't concentrate, but she could still knit. She had put together a "whole stack" of premie sized caps, to be sent to their local neonatal unit. She was in her final days, but still thinking of others. So typical of her........

Debbie lost her 12 year battle with breast cancer recently. She far outlived every doctor's expectation, and I don't know how many times she was told, the chemo isn't working. Then suddenly, her counts would go down, and she would be ok for a while. But while she isn't here with us anymore, and I miss her terribly, I find great comfort in the fact that she is with our Heavenly Father, spending her days praising Him and free from the pain and indignities caused by her disease.

The last thing she ever said to me was, "This isn't goodbye, you know. I'll see you later". So...see you later, Debbie.

Fisished projects for May

It's almost the middle of June, so maybe I should show you my finished May projects.



These towels are for the daughter of a friend, who is getting married next week. They will be gifts for her attendants. The entire wedding will be outdoors, with a beachy, tropical theme, so these fit right in. Each one takes about 45 minutes for the stitching, plus time to align the letters, center everything, and make sure it is perfect before stitching. These stitches are so tight, they just don't come out without ruining the base fabric.






This is Rachel's graduation present. It is lap/throw size, but Rachel says she has been sleeping with it. It is backed with flannel, so it is very cozy. I machine quilted it and made it very sturdy, so she can take it to college and wherever else she goes, without worrying about ruining it. I would rather my quilts be used, and "loved to death" anyway, instead of stuck on a shelf somewhere and never used.

A better picture

David and Emily had engagement pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. They also completed their registry, selected all their attendants and attire for them, picked out wedding bands, and I don't know what else. I was tired just listening to David tell me about it. This picture is just so "them." I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures the photographer took.

An interesting note about their wedding bands. When we visited David recently, we took him the original diamond that was in my engagement ring. He is having it set into his wedding band. I love the idea of him doing that.

Another sewing day

My niece Rachel came over this week, and we had a sewing day. She made this apron, start to finish. This is only about her third project, and she is really doing well. Rachel just graduated from high school, and is heading off to intern on a farm in Virginia this summer, then off to college to major in ag of some kind. So I won't see her again for a while. I'm glad we got to share this time together!