Beautiful Times

 This is a quick update on the grandkids....though it is very picture heavy!

Several months ago, I am sad to say, Jessica and Allie left the family. Divorce is ugly, though I will say, it was not as sad as when Rachel and Bud divorced. A mama knows when things are not right and, though Jess is a beautiful girl, she is a girl that needs freedom to have open relationships. My son and grandkids are flourishing, like never before! The bonus was, I was able to keep TJ and Emerson for a couple of weeks over the summer. Mason came several times to spend long weekends, and he was a delight too. 

We kept very busy, making a day trip to the Cave of the Mounds on the other side of our state, 

 We took them to Holy Hill, where they could see 4 states at once.

We made a trip over to Nancy's Notions! Emerson was thrilled. The guys, not so much. 

 Emerson learned to sew on her new (grandma's old) machine. She made pillows for days!

She also hand sewed her great great grandmother's buttons to make a pillow.

 She and TJ  both made breakfast several times.

 And we took a trip to the zoo, that was so much fun, we plan to make it a yearly thing.

  It wore us all out, but it was a blast.

 We ate out a LOT and shopped just as much!

 And that Mason...he is SUCH a daddy's boy. I never saw a kid so attached to their dad. He did break away to spend time with us up here in Wisconsin. I enjoyed him so much. He is such a character.

Life without these little people would not be the same. They make me want to be better, and to make a difference in their lives. It's the most beautiful part of this beautiful life!

I'll share a more quilty update next time. This time, though, Emerson will be thrilled to see a new tag with her name!

The Beauty of Fur Babies

 It's been a very long time since I've written on the blog. At the request of my granddaughter, I'll give it another go. 

Much has happened here in the last year and a half, as I am sure it has in your lives also. I'll take my time catching up....just a little at a time. I'll start with Zion. My sweet boy, who was the best kitty a person could have EVER hoped to know, lost a very short battle with a feline lung disease, common in cats who were part of a hoard. It was a miracle he lasted as long as he did. I know it was a gift from God that we were allowed the honor of knowing him for those few short years. 

Being a well known cat lady meant my friends wouldn't allow me to go very long without kitties to love. Along came Silas. He was tossed from a car at 3 weeks old, bottle fed and handed over to me at about 5 weeks. He was a precious little guy who needed a mommy.

 Willow was only too happy to oblige. She was grieving Zion too. 

Not too long after Silas came, a beautiful Calico named Daisy, needed a home. She was found shot up with a BB gun (hence the name Daisy), and full of milk. Her kittens were not found. She instantly took over complete care of Silas! He grew to be huge and she still tried to drag him by the neck. It was a match made in heaven for them both.  

 Poor Willow....don't let this next photo fool you. Daisy and Willow are arch enemies!!

Willow has resigned herself to the fact that she is indeed, just a dog, in a cat's world. 

There is no replacement for Zion, and he is missed more than words can express, but we are thankful for the small zoo we've been blessed with. Next post, I'll catch you up on the grandkids!

Sewing Room Post

 In my lifetime, I have had more sewing spaces/areas/rooms/studios than 20 quilters put together. If you have read my blog in the past, you've seen more than one of them. My new home, in Wisconsin, is small. VERY small when you put 4 people in it. We have a living room, a kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom on the main level. Though the rooms are all quite spacious, it's still only 4 rooms and a bath. The basement, when I moved in, was a finished half bath, an unfinished laundry room, the rest was unfinished, grey cement block walls and floor, with wooden rafter ceilings. Since then, we built a bedroom for Zachary, and made a sewing area for me. John offered to build me walls and completely finish it like Zach's room, but I was more than fine with fresh paint on the existing walls, and a nice carpet remnant. My Grandmother's hutch is ALWAYS the staple in all of my spaces, and it came with me to Wisconsin.

 The painting above the table is the new addition. It was a gift from a dear friend back home. It makes the room!!!! Another new addition is, my machine. My husband bought me a new Bernina for my birthday last November. I am in heaven when it comes to machine work now. I could not believe the difference.

 We have become good friends!

I made one change since putting this room together a few months ago. See the tall, narrow wooden hutch? I switched it with the antique buffet from my kitchen. I like this better in the kitchen!

 And the old buffet is a nice addition to the sewing room. Plenty of storage too!!

My treadmill shares a space just past the carpet. I use it in the bad weather. My view from my sewing table is my design wall. You can see the hot mess I had going on there!!!

That quilt is my granddaughter's that I mentioned in my last post. You can see why I call it Unicorn Poop. I'll be glad to have it done! 

This is, by far, not the nicest space I have had, nor is it the worst, but I must say it is one of my top 3 favorites, and it is a wonderful part of the beauty of my new life here!!! 

Zion likes it too!!!!!

Next time!!!

Blessings, Bren

Almost a Year??

 It's been almost a year. Does anyone even blog anymore? Facebook is the place to be! I, however, started blogging as a diary for my children and their children, and I have dropped that ball repeatedly. I want to try again. 

Much has happened in the past year. I married this handsome guy.....

 Life is good!!! It is quiet and slow, and my boys are happy. 

I did suffer a small stroke last August...the day after I married...but recovered very quickly, and am doing well. It scared the kids, after losing their dad to a stroke, but by the time the knew it had happened, I was home. Some honeymoon!! 

Another big deal....I finished the UGRR Quilt that I started, and have worked on, for a decade! It was a great accomplishment. 

I have started and finished several other quilts since I last posted, and have 2 more in the hoop with imminent deadlines. 

In the meantime, here is a quilt I made for my great niece, who is due this month.

The hand quilting was quick and fun!

 Here is a little peek at a current quilt in my hoop. It is for my granddaughter, Allie.

I call it "Unicorn Poop". You'll understand why when you see the whole thing. 

Next time I will show you my new sewing space my sweet husband created for me. I am hoping and praying that blogging again....whether any one is even left out there to read it....will keep me off facebook a little bit and give me an outlet to share photos and life.

Zion will be making appearances again as well!!

If you've read this, thanks for bearing with me!

Blessings!!

Bren

The Beauty of Starts and Finishes

 I finished this little wallhanging for my friend Terry a while back. He was, and continues to be, a great source of encouragement to me in the last year and a half.

    I love how it turned out! The fabrics are wonderful....I bought more of them for my stash.

I plan on making Wisconsin my home in the very near future, so I figure I need to have a few tops ready for the hoop. I foresee alot of hand quilting time coming up. Winters here are long and hard. Mason's quilt had the priority. I love this top!!

 It reminds me of a circus....not sure why. I will figure out a way to put that into the name.

 The next top is bed size and only needs the borders put on. I'll do that next week, and then finish another UFO top waiting in the wings. In my hoop right now is this little 36x36 inch gift quilt. It has the same fabrics as Terry's quilt and is for my lifelong friend, Lori.

 My Queen size Underground Railroad quilt is just about done. Only the 2 outer borders need quilting and they should go fast. I plan on much productivity this winter!

The next 3 days will see nothing but playtime with this guy!!!!

 He came north this morning to spend a 4 day weekend with his grandma and John. He wore me out on the first day!! He wore himself out too, and was sound asleep at 7:30, which is why I was able to do this little post. He'll be up bright and early and ready for more fun. 

I hope your weekend will be as entertaining as my own!!!

A Teddy Bear Beauty

 Meet Willow. She came to us on April 1st. She is a Teddy Bear puppy, and was a gift from me to John, who is a dog lover.

 He was very surprised when he came home and found her waiting for him!

 She is a princess, for sure!

 She was so tiny.....but....

 She grew! And she became quite the Mama's girl!! She loves John and the boys, but certainly decided she was MY dog....and I'm a cat lady!

 Just don't tell Willow that! Although, I have to say, she loves Zion, and I think some days she is convinced that she, too, is a cat!!!!!

 Teddy's lighten up as they get older. She is a beautiful girl! But.....

 She is VERY naughty. Puppy Manners classes start next week!!!

Willow is not looking forward to that! 

I'll share more about Willow in coming posts. She is certainly a powerful force in our home! She's lucky she is cute!!!! Nuff said!

I should be back tomorrow....so much catching up to do! I can't leave you without a cat picture so here is one.....look closely.....

Poor Willow. She can't join them up there. Well, she can actually jump up on that couch now, so there are few safe places for them. 

See you soon! Thanks for the visit!