Taking Advantage of Some Peace and Pieces

Spent a few hours in August with a woman who knows her stuff at an amazing quilt shop in Lyndeborough, NH.  I had one bolt I loved, the red with vines, but didn't know quite where to go from there.  She went here and there all over her shop, pulling this and that, studying my pattern.  We finally had a group we were happy with, my pattern now scribbled with notes so I wouldn't forget when I started cutting, and she folded them together so beautifully it was a while before I could take them apart and get to cutting.

Pieces were cut back in August and put in baggies all labeled.  I'm not sure what's been going on, but I haven't seem to have had any peace to get piecing!!  Late yesterday I had the house to myself and no outside distractions as it was pouring.  With NPR on the radio and cats sleeping away the afternoon, I got down to business.

 I'm doing another table runner like this one.  It's amazing how different the design will look with a better contrast in materials.  And I am amazed at how peaceful this process is.

A Gorgeous Morning

These reminded me of sea shells....

and sea anemone!

The Wood Ducks were down my end of the swamp this morning and stayed for a while.....

apparently they were more afraid of a hungry Hawk than they were of me!

Contentment

Flowers on the kitchen window sill with the sun rising in the background

A project finally finished

I hand quilted a swirly, floral pattern on the border, never thought it could be so peaceful!  It turned out to be a great stress reliever at the end of each day.

Oh my, Peach Pie!!  A neighbor brought over peaches from their trees and my daughter made her first ever peach pie!!  None of us had ever had peach pie or ever had a desire to have peach pie but after all that work, it looked amazing, smelled wonderful, and we can't wait for her to make another one!!  Delicious!!!!

Someone very special is turning two this week!!  She had a very busy day working with her physical therapist.  She uses the box lid as a tray, sitting on the floor with her legs under it.  I think she's the picture of contentment!

A Nocturnal Visitor

A week of rain brought an unusual visitor to our living room window night after night.  This is the window above the air conditioner so there is no screen.

 As tiny as he was, I still can't believe he fit between where the windows meet.  By 8 every morning, he'd scooch himself down and out.  The rain ended yesterday afternoon, and sadly he did not come back last night. 

To give you some perspective as to his size, in this picture above, looking right below the frog, there is a raised white section with a black spot.  The white piece is part of the window lock mechanism and is 1 3/4 inches long.

It's Not Always About the Destination

So often I just head to the swamp.  I'm anxious to get there, see what's changed, how it looks at a particular time of day, in certain light.  The past few walks to the swamp, I've allowed myself to look down at my feet and traded the binoculars for the macro lens.

It has almost been a year since we learned of my granddaughter's diagnosis (you can read about that here). She will be celebrating her 2nd birthday in a few weeks and in January she will meet her baby brother.  We just recently learned that he has the same disease as his sister.  While it is sad and we shed tears, I am choosing to focus on the joy that he will bring us.  His sister just brightens each day, each moment, each tiny little thing that she is able to do, that might be imperceptible if I have my eyes only focused on what other toddlers her age are doing.  These two have been woven together perfectly in God's sight and He has given them to my daughter and her husband to love and care for and fight for.  I am so incredibly lucky that they live with me, to refocus my eyes and enjoy every little blessing.

And Then There Were None....Wordless Wednesday

Well, I missed the "none" shot but you get the idea.