Quilter Having Way Too Much Fun

Aren't these a kick in the pants?  In case you cannot tell, these are cell phone and IPad covers.   I created the black floral and the red floral from my fabric designs.  I was having way too much fun for one person so my darling husband surprised me with the green one for my business phone.  Wow, I think I just became a psychic....I mean, I can visualize a new cover for Christmas, for birthdays, for each show, for Spring.....amazing, huh? 

Gone to the Movies

I actually slipped away and went to the movies with Brandy.  We saw Tom Cruise beat up the bad guys in Jack Reacher.  O.K., so it is an adult fairy tale but I am, and always will be totally into fairy tales.  ( After all, my life, at least when it comes to husbands and marriage, is a fairy tale,  with Tom, my handsome prince). I definitely recommend the movie if for no other reason, it is lovely to get to look at Tom Cruise for a couple of hours and make sure he is taking care of himself and getting properly fed and exercised.  Thank goodness he removed his shirt so we don't have to speculate, we actually get reassured, yes, he is being taken very good care of...  ;-)

Quilter Watches as The Angel Sings

This just had to be shared;  Click on the arrow.  Let me know what you think.  I could listen to her forever.  When I come back in another life, I want to sing like she....


Carly Rose sings "Hallelujah" like an Angel and still does not win X-Factor

Scattered Quilter

I can hear it now, "Scattered?  Like this is news?"  O.K., so this time I am particularly discombobulated (spelling does not count...I have no idea if that is even a word so deal with it).  Anyway, I have always been a list maker. This is not a new Thread topic for me....this "To Do List...." I like to see what I have to do, then check it off when I am done.  Good girl.  I have even been known to add items to my list that I did, after I did them, then check that off, too.  Good girl.

Then, the list became my Nemesis..as I got older, more defiant, it seemed to have morphed into my "To Don't List." Uh oh...bad girl....

These days, I am having trouble even finding the list, let alone being able to check anything off that silly thing or, more likely, have anything to avoid.  Nothing is getting done.   

Holy Cow! talk about not getting something done......... Anyone remember my talking about a wedding quilt that I started long before the couple actually got married?  Then, the first anniversary passed last October.....oops.  Welllll, I just this minute found out they are PREGNANT and the quilt is yet to be completed!  Jeez.  I know, I can applique some cute little teddy bears all around the edges and hope that it gets done before the baby is born.  I do love dual purpose items.  ;-) Where is that list?  Definitely gotta add "finish the quilt".......um, as I sit here, and look around the room at the piles....I suppose I had better be more specific. heh heh.

Reality Just Won't Leave This Quilter Alone

You guessed it....another phone call.  This time it is from my husband's side of the family.  His Mother died on December 23rd.  She, too, was from Birmingham, Alabama, as was my Mother.  So, we left the beach house and headed to Birmingham for yet, another funeral.   Tom's mother was 94. 

For many years this woman was my mother when I needed her to play that role.  She opened her heart to me and welcomed me into her life without judgement or prejudice.  She loved my children, her grandchildren.  She was part of my life for many many years. 

Even sadder, the most difficult part of this ordeal was having to come face-to-face with my son whom I had not spoken to for nearly 20 years.   When he married, his wife required that he make a choice, he could have either a relationship with his family or a relationship with her.  Obviously, he chose her.  I was finally able to see my grandson who I have not seen since he was two weeks old.  He was absolutely terrified of me.  I took his hand and said, "Hello.  I do not know what you have been told, but, I am your Grandmother and I would love to talk to you." 

With a look of surprise and confusion, he said, "You would?" and then he ran off. 

I have cried until there are few tears left........

A dear friend of mine said this so beautifully:

" I do know that it takes a whole lot of strength to truly love and the pain that comes with loving is sometimes so unbearable that it cuts you into strips.

what a complicated life we all live ....in simple terms, it should be so easy to just `love`... people make it so difficult ."

Whew.  This, too, shall pass.

Tardy Quilter's Message

I thought this was so beautiful.  Let's pretend that I wrote it, heh heh.  A very belated Merry Christmas to all of you--you are a gift to me.....

Right click to see both pages

Tired Tired Quilter

This is so totally foreign to me, being tired, or sleepy, I mean.  I had to look both of those words up on the computer.  In the definition it said, "see, 'Dianne.'"  It seems like I am so tired these days that I just want to go right back to bed no matter how many hours sleep I got that night.  One would think two-four hours of sleep a night would be just fine, but, no-o-o-o.  So, please excuse me as I yawn throughout this...

Gabby's Rose II

Black and White Forever

Gabby's Rose

I thought you might like to know that I am progressing with my fabrics.  I am very close to having them printed.  I am going to re-publish the four designs just to tease you.  Even if I gave the "go ahead, Make my day," today, it would be at least two months before everything was actually in my hands.  And, to be realistic, getting to that go-ahead day is, in and of itself, at least two months away.  Samples have to exchange hands, money has to change hands, colors approved, fabric approved, etc etc......process.

Taupe and Cream Forever

So, just in case you were curious, or the phrase, "Hmm, I wonder what is happening with Dianne and her fabric designs," crossed your mind, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  And, I hope this answered some of your curiousity.  If you really want to make me appreciative, take your smart phone, or your IPAD-type gismo to your local quilt shop, flash them (uh, the fabric images, heh heh) and say, "See this lovely fabric?  I neeeeeed some of it so pleeeeeese order it."


And if all that was not exciting to you, or interesting, or anticipatory (is that a word?), or did not suit your needs in any way, I will leave you with this beauty from Psalm 8:4-5

When  I see the heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon and the stars which You arranged, who are we that You keep us in mind, mere mortals that You care for us?

Just a Thought from this Quilter

Talking about  half-full, positive approaches to life...ysterday Brandy and I were out playing Santa and just happened to stop and shop for a moment.  (Wipe that shocked look off your face)  Here is the saying off of a card we found:

"We will never be the same as we were before this loss, but are ever so much better for having had something so great to lose."
 
 I loved that thought.

HoHoHo from this Quilter

It 's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.  We are making our traditional pralines and chocolate covered pretzels to ship off to the less fortunate (aka, those friends who decided to move away from this State-of-Awesome-Food.)  If you are now thinking, "Louisiana???? Sweltering heat, bazillion per cent humidity, and mosquitos on steroids,....these had better be da*#*#*%*$***#* good pralines,"  all I can say is, "Have you tasted these babies?"  I guess it goes without saying that I am pretty much a half-full-kinda-gal and right now I am totally full of kaka.

Finally Home, Finally a Moment

My gosh, it has been weeks since I wrote.  I tried several times to add to my Thread while I was in Alabama but it was hopeless from Mother's place there on the top of her mountain.  She and her husband, Gene, shared their love and their passions while living on 26 acres of land that they reclaimed from a watermelon patch.  Twenty five years later there are raspberries, blackberries, muscadines, blueberries, persimmons, peaches, figs, etc etc growing where they lovingly planted them along with thousands of pines, wildflowers, hardwoods and anything else they could stick in the ground.  They also planted rusty old cars, trucks, lawnmowers, and tractors, in that same yard along side a home they never felt the need to finish.  Mother and Gene were way too busy doing far more interesting things.  They cooked meals for the homeless, rescued injured birds and released them back to nature, were members of the volunteer fire department, recycled, and traveled, driving the back roads instead of the interstate, loving the beauty of the world from the stars to the bottom of the ocean.

Eleven years ago, at the age of 82, Mother called me saying, "Dianne, I want to buy a beach house. I figure better late than never.  Can you go with me?"

"Mother, I work, remember?  How about we go during Spring Break?"

"Can you get away next week?" she asked.  "We will just go to look and see what is available."  Three days after going down there, just to look, she bought a house.  Our next summer was the best, ever.  Talk about power shopping, we furnished an entire house from the bathrooms, to the bedrooms to the kitchen, in two weeks.  We filled eight carts at Wal-Mart, saw a sign advertising great wicker furniture in Atlanta so we hopped in the car and bought furniture in Georgia, found incredible finds, great bargains, and giggled the entire time.  We would fill the car until we could barely fit in it ourselves, drive home and unload it so we could start all over, again.  For the next eleven years, we spent many great times there, walking on the beach, gathering shells, driftwood, and memories. 

Now, we will be heading down there in two weeks, this time to cast her ashes to the place she loved so much, adding her ashes to our baby sister's.  When does it stop hurting so much?