We have a date.....

http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051&catentryId=6144080

We have set a date -- June 18, 2010!!  The above link is to a dress that I adore.  I am going to see if I can find a comparable dress at a lower price.  It is the perfect style that I want.

Our color scheme will be purple because purple is the color of royalty and Kurt treats me as though I am his princess.

More details to come.....

Proposal Night at the Pagoda in Reading, PA

Yesteday was my birthday.  I received the best birthday present in the world from Kurt.  He asked me to marry him. 

He had a very romantic evening planned out.  He first took me to the Pagoda - a beautiful landmark in Reading.  It rests on a mountain high above the city of Reading.  It was quite windy and freezing, but we enjoyed our time of taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful views. 

While waiting for the sun to set, Kurt suggested we go back to his car and wait.  When we got back in the car, he handed me a beautifully-wrapped box.

My first gift was a hotel reservation for the night before the big Lancaster Quilt show.  He wanted me to have a night away to be able to enjoy the quilt show.  I am so excited.  I will have complete peace and quiet for that night.  Ahhhh...

Then, I had a smaller box to open.  In that box was the most incredibly gorgeous engagement ring I have ever seen.  I was speechless - something that doesn't happen very often.  I gave him a kiss and he asked if that meant yes.

We then went back outside to watch the sunset and take a few more pictures.  It was a beautiful sunset -- absoultely perfect for a romantic night.

When we left the Pagoda, we went to "Austins" a very nice restaurant.  We had a wonderful time.   Our waiter recognized our goofy grins and asked if we had just gotten engaged.  I guess we were both so excited that the whole world could tell.  It was very sweet.   I am very blessed to have a man like Kurt in my life, and I am excited about spending the rest of my life with him.

Charm Square Quilt

This is what I am working on right now.  It's a disappearing 9-patch quilt using charm squares.  I am using the "Friends & Flowers" charm pack by Moda.  This picture shows how I arranged my first charm pack.  Tonight I am going to stich up one of the 4 big blocks, and tomorrow I will make that into 4 smaller blocks and post a picture of that when I have done so.

A Snow-Covered Day in Amish Country

This past Friday, we were finally able to dig out and go for a drive.  This is what it looked like as we prepared to pull out from our driveway.  Can you believe all the snow??

 We went to Bird-In-Hand so I could buy bulk white chocolate to make Kurt's home-made valentine candy.  There is a great Amish market that has the most delicious bulk white chocolate.  This horse and buggy was parked in the parking lot.  I took a picture of it because it looked so out of proportion.  That is a normal-sized Amish buggy.  Look at the size of the horse compoared to that buggy.  I have never seen such a huge horse before.  I thought it was worthy of a picture.

Kurt's Quilted Valentine

I realized that if I wanted to post this picture, I would have to explain the names in the card. When Kurt and I first met almost 2 years ago, I was in Florida and an avid sea-shell collector, thus my nickname became "Shelly". Not long after that, I decided he needed a nickname as well. He had recently told me about the movie "Gladiator", and I decided that he sounded like "Maximus". So, from that point on, we have called each other "Maximus" and "Shelly". ;-)

That being said, this is Kurt's quilted valentine.  I wanted to make him a special card.  I have been searching high and low for ideas and just couldn't find anything that fit.  I knew I wanted it to be hand-made and I preferred that it be fabric/quilted.

 

I wenet to two different Amish quilt shops and found the perfect combination.  I used these two fabrics to make him a miniature quilt that folded into a tri-fold card.  If you look closely at the border fabric, you can read the messages printed on the fabric.  I thought they were perfect for a special valentine card.

My Early Valentine

This morning was not going so well.  I was still snowed in, having to work, and the kids were out of school *again* because of the snow storm.    Imagine my surprise when Jonathan asked if I was expecting flowers.  I told him no and asked why he was asking.  He said there was a floral van that tried to get into the drive way but couldn't (because of the snow).   A moment later, my phone began to ring.  It was a delivery person from the florist asking if we were home because we had a delivery and he was just going to have to park in the middle of the road to delivery my flowers.

I ran outside to meet him (because he would have had to climb over mounts of snow), and was so excited with what I saw.

Kurt sent my valentine to me early.  It included roses, a carnation, a heart balloon, a huge Hershey kiss, and an adorable teddy bear that I have named Valentine.   I have the best boyfriend/ Valentine in the world!!

Quilted Bible Cover

I started making this Bible cover on Tuesday night.  I remember exactly how I made the first one, and as I was constructing it, I was a bit concerned that I wasn't doing it right.  My instinct was correct because my first attempt at this Bible cover was too small for my Bible.  I was so sad.

Thankfuly I had plenty of extra fabric, I tried it again last night.  This time it fit perfectly.  I loved these two fabrics.  Hannah picked them out for me.  She is great when it comes to coordinating colors.