A Very Fine Mini Adventure

This morning my friends Edith, Laurel, and I headed to the Open House at The Quilted Crow in Bolton, MA. The parking area was packed with eager fabric shoppers which must have caused major consternation for the other businesses in this mini shopping area. The Open House continues tomorrow, Saturday, and on their website you will find a coupon for twenty-five percent off one item. The shop was mobbed with happy quilters and wool applique lovers. This store features a lovely wool section and believe me that small area was packed with customers. :-) I was among my people!  I found a piece of green wool to complete my current project, and another wool applique kit happened to come home with me. I have other things to work on before tackling this fun new project, but I used my coupon on this purchase and will tuck this kit away for awhile. I also purchased a Christmas tree wallhanging pattern which I may start this weekend.

Wasn't it only a day or two ago that I remarked that I wouldn't think of starting any new projects??? I am incorrigible. In my defense, both (yes, I'm thinking of starting not one but two) new projects are holiday related. One is the Christmas tree pattern that I bought today. I don't think it will take long to make that one. The other project . . . well . . . I may be nuts to start this one. It will be fused, raw edge applique, but there are about a zillion pieces!!! Here are the four pages of applique from the pattern, and some pieces must be prepped multiple times. Do you have any ideas what it might be???

Now, I may not finish both projects this month, but that's okay as I want this to be a no-stress Christmas. 

In 2015, I began this Christmas Tree pin wallhanging. In the beginning, there were only seven tree pins. Over the course of the last few years, I have been gifted colorful tree pins from friends and blog readers. These are not rare and expensive pins, but that does not make them any less special.  I love them all. There are eleven spaces left. What will I do when this piece is filled? Why, begin another one, of course.

 

Speaking of trees, Wednesday and Thursday I finished decorating my three Christmas trees. I have a small white tree on which I display my White House ornaments. I also have two 6' artificial trees, one on my sunporch and one in the living room.  If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may recall that last year my Christmas decorating was limited as I was recovering from my second adventure with breast cancer. I'm doing great, so this year all the trees are up along with my Christmas quilted wallhangings and other decorations. It might all be a bit much, but I love it!

This has been a fun week. Wednesday night I went out seven friends for our annual holiday dinner, and I am super, super excited to be attending another very special event later this weekend. I'll give you a hint: gypsies, tramps, and thieves . . . 

Craft Fairs and God Winks

This post will be a bit long, but I wanted to share something amazing that happened to me yesterday. My friend Laurel and I went to a number of church fairs in my town. While large craft fairs are wonderful, I really like the smaller, church holiday fairs. At one, I purchased this little vase with a lovely fluted edge. The potter lives in my town, and I thought it would be perfect for displaying a single, large blossom such as a peony. I couldn't figure how why I was so drawn to it beside the design until I realized that its colors perfectly echo those in this wool summer candle mat that I recently completed. Besides the vase, I also bought a Patriots fleece scarf, the perfect accessory for any outfit, and a number of other items to add to Christmas gifts.

We decided to stop at the senior center where the "Naughty Needlers" were having a sale. (Isn't that a great name for the ladies who meet there regularly to knit and crochet! They also donate many items to charity.) My friend purchased knit hats for her grandchildren while I perused the display of gently worn donated jewelry. I'm always on the lookout for Christmas tree pins to add to a wall hanging that I made. You may see a photo of it here. None of these four pins that I purchased are valuable or marked, but they are still fun to add to my piece.

Okay, here's where this post gets interesting. There are many definitions of Godwinks; here is one that I like.

Noun. (plural God winks). An event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention.

After I made my purchase, a woman approached and asked if I lived on - - - - Street. I replied in the affirmative and then she said, "You were Walter's sister."  I nodded and she said, your mother was a lovely lady and your brother was the most polite, friendly young man. She had worked at a local bank, and she told how upon entering Walter would always greet each of the tellers, and she proceeded to tell me a couple of quick stories about him. She said everyone at the bank had been so sad when he died, and she said she had always wanted to stop by my house and let me know how special they all thought he was. (My brother had passed away suddenly at the age of forty-nine after a lifetime of dealing with many medical issues.) She said she never passes my house without thinking of him.  What's unusual about this? Well, my brother went home to God eighteen years ago. To think that he is remembered so fondly touched my heart more than words can say.  I left with a smile on my face . . . But . . . That's not the end of the story . . . After a quick stop at another fair, we decided to stop for a bite to eat. A young man came to our table, and my friend and I could not help exchanging smiles when he said, "Hi. I'll be your server; my name is Walter." Godwink . . .

I have always felt that my brother is still with me. Let me tell you another amazing story to convince you. As I mentioned, my brother died in April of 1999. In October of that year, I was sitting in the school auditorium with my eighth graders waiting for whatever was going to happen. You see, the Commissioner of Education had come to visit our junior high for what purpose we did not know. Then a truly, truly amazing thing happened. It turns out that the commissioner had come to announce that I had been named a Milken National Educator, a very prestigious award. How could I out of all the thousands of excellent teachers in Massachusetts been selected for this award.??? (This is not an award you apply for and, in fact, I had never heard of it before.) That's still not the most incredible part . . . the award was announced on what would have been my brother's fiftieth birthday. A few of my friends in the auditorium knew how difficult the day had been for me, and they said when the announcement was made, they couldn't believe it. Thankfully, they were not surprised that I received the award, but they were speechless that it happened on that particular day. Godwink. . .  

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week.