Jon & Kate Plus Eight

Tonight, Timothy, Kurt and I went to an awesome benefit concert. It was sponsored by Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church. It was called, "Hope for Tomorrow". Proceeds went to building wells for fresh drinking water in Africa - not just so these people can have real water, but also so they can have a chance to hear the message of Jesus and the living water.

The concert featured great praise and worship, and also an appearance by Jon from Jon & Kate Plus Eight. They live in the Reading, PA area.

After the concert, Jon was signing autographs. We just happened to stumble upon the table as he was just getting started, and we were third our fourth in line.

Hannah had really wanted to go tonight, and we had planned to take all the kids, but she started not feeling well in the evening. I had Jon sign a picture for her as well. She was already in bed when I got home, but I gave it to her and she was so happy.

A beautiful morning and my top secret quilt

This morning Hannah and I went to Myerstown to drop off my Disney embroidery machine to have it repaired. We then traveled another 5 miles down Hwy 422 to "Martin's Fabric Barn". All I can say is "WOW"!!! They have tons and tons of flat folds for $2.98 a yard. I got 12 different prints for my "Top Secret" quilt! There were quite a few Amish and Mennonite quilters coming in and out of the store while we were there.

As we were leaving, an Amish horse and buggy was coming down the road, and it was just too beautiful not to photograph.

Next Saturday we are going to a store called "In Stitches" http://www.institchesfabrics.com/index.html It's about 5 miles from here in Wolmesdorf, PA. It looks like a lot of fun. You know, this area really is a paradise for quilters!!

Now...about my top secret quilt. My dear friend Susan of AbbySue Designs -- http://www.abbysuedesigns.com/ and http://www.sewmanythingstosay.blogspot.com/ is a budding new quilt pattern designer. She has designed a pattern that I am going to test for her. I am so excited about it. When the quilt is finished and the pattern published, everyone will get to see it! :-)

TIGF!!!

I am so glad it is Friday!! This week has gone by quickly, but it has been exhausting and stressful!!

Overnight, we had just a few flurries fall. When I got into my van this morning, snowflakes were just gently laying on the windshield. It was neat because you could see them each individually. I had to take a picture of it. They're each unique and each beautiful.

Tomorrow I am taking my embroidery machine (Brother 180-D) to be repaired. I knocked out the timing on it making Kurt's embroidered blanket for Christmas. I filed my taxes tonight, so now I will have the money to have it repaired.

I am looking forward to going to the shop to have it repaired. They are a Viking and Brother dealership, which is perfect for me since I have a Viking sewing machine (Freesia 425) and a Brother embroidery machine (180-D).

I am also going to begin working on my "top secret" quilt. I'll write more about that tomorrow, But for now, I am going upstairs to snuggle under my antique singer print fleece blanket and read a quilting magazine -- ahhhh - that is my idea of a perfect Friday night!!

Glad this day is over!

Whew - what a day. We had snow and ice last night. Schools were cancelled, but I still had to go to work. I knew I was in trouble when I came to the hill at the end of my street and tried to stop, but couldn't. I just kept right on sliding. The rest of the drive was just as treacherous.

I was only working until 1:00 because I had an ophthalmologist appointment at 1:30. I have been having trouble with my eyes crossing outwards. I've had this problem since I was 2, but had surgery to correct it when I was 11, however, it's become a problem again.

I made it to my appointment a little early. I got out of my van and began to walk to the door. I looked around and saw that the view was beautiful. I decided to go back to my van to get my camera and take a few pictures before my appointment. That was the moment I realized I had locked my keys in my van.

Thankfully, I have AAA and they were able to unlock my van and get my keys back. I didn't even have to go outside. They unlocked my van and then brought the keys to the receptionist, who then brought my keys to me in the exam room.

However, my visit with the ophthalmologist did not go as well. I found out that there is nothing that can be done for my eyes. I have "abnormal retinal correspondence". In other words, my eyes do not work together at the same time. I have 20/20 vision in both eyes - I just can't use them both at the same time.

Before I left, I took a few pictures from the parking lot. When I got home, I had class list from the Viking dealership near me. I really hope to take a class some time. It would be a great way to meet people

Phillies' Fleece Scarf

Last night, as I was falling asleep, I was dreaming of fleece scarves. I have fallen in love with scarves since moving to PA. Until last night, I had not thought about the fact that I can make some!! I went to JoAnns on my lunch break and bought a few pieces of fleece to make us all fleece scarves.

We're in for quite a snowstorm tomorrow, tomorrow night and Wednesday, so it will be nice to have new, warm scarves to wear when we play out in the snow.

I used a pattern I found on line at http://www.sewing.com/projects/uploads/fleecescarf.pdf It was very quick and easy. I came home and made this before I even cooked dinner. Timothy has one just like mine. Hannah will have a Mickey Mouse all over print one, and Jonathan's is solid royal blue. I am going to have fun making these!!

It's gonna' be a busy day....

Today is going to be a busy day, but a fun day here in Amish Country. We will be going to church this morning. We will have to practically run out of church because from 1:00 - 2:30, Timothy has a classmate's birthday party to go to. It's his first real invitation to a birthday party. He is so excited. Then, at 4:00, we're meeting Kurt and his kids to watch "Hotel Dogs". After "Hotel Dogs", we'll do the grocery shopping. It's going to be a full day!!

Speaking of birthdays . My 40th birthday is coming up on March 5th. I am taking the day off from work and taking Hannah out of school for an "educational field trip". We are going to spend an entire day in Lancaster County WITH NO BOYS!!

There are a few things that I have put on my birthday wish list already. One of them is the Quilter's Workbook.

http://www.landauercorp.com/aspx/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=2567

I've also been looking at the quilting calculator, but I'm not sure how much I would use either one of these (book or calculator) since I am going to primarily do applique quilting.

If any of you have either of these (book or calculator), I'd love to hear your thoughts on their usefulness. If you have any other suggestions for my birthday wish list, please share those ideas too.

Sunbonnet Sue

These are the fabrics I chose for my Sunbonnet Sue quilt. Hannah and I had a lot of fun at Burkholders - going up and down every aisle looking for the perfect tiny floral print fabric.

I have flirted around with several different types of quilts but have finally decided that applique is my absolute favorite. I've only done one applique quilt so far - my flip flop quilt, and it was a lot of fun. I am eager to get started on this Sunbonnet Sue quilt.

"Sunbonnnet Sue Visits Quilt In A Day" by Eleanor Burns. -- http://sunbonnetsue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=451

Amish Country - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

These first three pictures were taken in July when I was just visiting.

These pictures were taken last Saturday from Bird In Hand, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania in Pictures

I have taken a lot of pictures since arriving in Pennsylvania. I love the snow, sunrises and sunsets!! I take my camera with me to work almost every day so I can take pictures either on my lunch break or sometimes on the way to or from work.

This is from a park across the street from Reading Hospital

The sunrise as seen from my backyard.

Timothy was helping shovel the sidewalk.

Another sunrise - from the parking lot of Green Valley Elementary School.

More from the park across from Reading Hospital.

My Two True Loves

I have two passions. One is quilting, and the other is photography. Pennsylvania is the perfect place to combine both of those passions.


This afternoon, I went to Burkholder's Fabric Store. http://www.burkfabrics.com/index.php It is only 8 miles from my house, but it is on the other side of a mountain. It is a beautiful drive!! Here are a few pictures from my trip to Burkholders at sunset.

While at Burkholders, I got everything I need for a Sunbonnnet Sue quilt.



This picture was taken from the parking lot of Burkholders. The pond is frozen.








This picture was taken as we made our trek back down the mountain to home.

Quick Quilts - March 2009

This morning we had a great time. We went to both A.C. Moore and Joanns. I picked up the latest issue of McCall's Quick Quilts (March 2009). It looks like a great issue. The cupcake quilt on the front was what captured my heart. I love cupcakes. In fact, a cupcake was the first smocking graph I designed.

You can visit the Quick Quilts website at http://www.quickquilts.com/ to preview articles from the magazine. This issue also came with cute valentine quilting stickers -- lots of fun!

Sew Blessed in Amish Country

In the past few months, I have been through some major changes in my life. The most significant change is that I packed up my three children, along with everything we own, and moved 1,100 miles from Florida to beautiful Amish Country, Pennsylvania.

I moved here for my job, but that was just an excuse to move to this beautiful part of the country.

I've been fascinated with the Amish for many years, having lived in Pennsylvania for a year in 1990, and also having lived in northern Indiana for 9 years near a large Amish community.

I've always been intrigued by their simple lifestyle and amazing sense of community. In addition, I love their beautiful, intricate quilts.

Sewing has been one of my favorite hobbies for years, as I have sewn for my children for the past 16 years. Now that they are growing up (ages 16, 13 and 5), my focus is turning to quilting.

I am finding that quilting is even more fun that regular sewing. The possibilities to be creative are endless!! Not only that, I am just 30 miles away from Lancaster County, PA -- home of dozens and dozens of incredible quilting shops.

I have kept a sewing blog in the past, but because I am starting over in life in Pennsylvania, I decided to start over with my blog as well -- one that reflects the changes that have gone on in my life.