When gearing up for the holidays it has crossed my mind several times that this one is going to be quite difficult with my dad being gone.  Strangely enough, I have been so thankful over this year, more than I could ever imagine.  I am so thankful that I had such a great person in my life (my dad and also my late brother) for the time that I did and I am thankful for the life that I still have.  Some of this recent perspective has obviously come from tragedy.  Some has come from experiences and it has just helped me know what my focus is and what to value.  It makes me so thankful for the great people that I choose to have in my life.

When thinking of things we all have experienced it doesn't take more than a second to look beyond ourselves and see someone hurting.  Recently, my mom's family is going through terrible heartache right now and it breaks my heart thinking about them.  My uncle Myles was flying his plane on Saturday and didn't make his arrival.  He has been missing since then and they haven't found him.  I am so sad for their family and it makes me think that just when you feel sorrow, someone else could have greater sorrow.  It makes you aware of life's hardships and to be there for people and support them.
UPDATE - They have discovered the crash.  It is not what you would hope to discover.  I hope that they are able to heal and feel calm over time.

That has been the biggest message to me this year is to surround myself with amazing people and be one of those amazing people.  When being amazing, try to always think of others and do your best to give yourself to them.  I am completely thankful for everything in my life and all of it is so precious to me.  Please know that I will be there for people the best way that I know how and I am so humbled by everything right now.

So here I am sewing pi's for my sweet kids and making a delicious dinner while someone is crying and hurting deeply.  So I pray that they will find him.

(pj's for Alex)

Well, I am attempting this crazy Double Wedding Ring Quilt (skip down if you are impatient because there is a really good thing that I ordered!).   I have wanted to make one of these quilts... well since before I started quilting. It is interesting how things slowly burrow into your brain that you might want to check off your list in life.

 This is the case for me. I keep coming back to "I want to do that one day" and finally I reach "I'm not going to talk about it, I am just going to do it". I have reached this conclusion in regard to this quilt and also a LONG ARM!!!

Speaking of double weddings... my grandma and grandpa had a double wedding.  That comes to mind every once in awhile.  I try to imagine what it would have been like for them so long ago to drive across states with the girls coming one way and the boys coming the other way to meet to get married.  What an interesting way to have a wedding.  My grandma was such a sweet lady and I would have loved to have met her and my grandpa all the way back then.  She had a double wedding ring quilt on her bed and I don't really know the story behind that one.  I am not sure if it were made for her or if she bought it?  I will have to get more information on that one.  Does anyone want to have a double wedding with me or maybe if Weston and I get married again it will be considered a double wedding (to each other of course)?.  Back to quilting...

I have been meticulously cutting out all of these little squares only to find out that I need to cut out about 3000+ more.  It said how many arc pieces which was a lot and I thought that meant how many pieces but it actually meant how many arcs which is all that I cut out times 6.  What in the heck am I doing?  This quilt has changed sizes in my head about twenty times now because I can not believe what I am doing.  I was thinking "oh crap well I am just going to do a lap size, then well it would be an awesome king, then I could handle a queen, then Weston and I need to have two twin-sized beds".  I have finally decided that I am gong to just cut as many little squares as I can take and then see what size of quilt that will be.  I just had no idea!  But back to the long arm...


I ordered a long arm quilting machine.  I just jumped feet first and now my cute little sewing room is going to be jammed packed because I am going to stuff a 10-12' frame with a quilting machine on it into this little quaint room.  I have pre-moved by shrinking the table and then moved the piano to overlap the window which isn't ideal and I still think I am going to have to move my piano into another room.  I seriously use it all the time though when I am sewing and need a break from something super super irritating like this wedding ring quilt.  I am trying not to panic too much but it is a little bit of a panic-inducing situation.  I just couldn't say one more time "I am going to get one of those one day", the day just got here instead.  Did I say I am going to have a long arm?


It won't arrive until next month but it will be a good good day when it does.  I will of course share with updated pictures.  I plan to keep myself busy until then on misc quilts and classes for the long-arm (which will be fun!).

Last thing is that this double wedding ring quilt was traditionally made when a couple would get married I think?  That is why it has the two rings encircling each other.  I have been married for coming up on 11 YEARS.  That is so crazy.  So I guess this one will be symbolic for us that we have kept those rings together for all these years even though neither of us wear rings?  I just don't enjoy wearing jewelry on a consistent basis and Weston feels the same way.  I guess it is good that we didn't invest too much $$ into those in the first place.  So maybe it will be good to have a wedding ring quilt, lol.  Well wish me luck and hopefully this won't make it's way into my I don't want to finish this right now drawer because you have no idea how much I have wanted to put it in there over the last day.