Endearing

Someone asked me if I was nervous to meet Nie.

I easily answered not at all.

My comfort was merited; she is just as genuine in person as she is on her blog.

Her family is delightful!

She is Stephanie Nielson.

The scars may mask her previous beauty but her endearing spirit engulfs you.

The scars quickly become invisible and you see her.

No accident could ever take her beauty.

We had a wonderful day.

Thank you, thank you to all who contributed.

Nicholas

Oliver

(On His Birthday!)

Jane

Claire

Games of I Spy and Loving the Quilts Already

First Four Quilts Ready...

...to be delivered! The first four quilts arrived from Alaska today and they are beautiful! Allyson did a wonderful job quilting and binding them. I am going to try and contact Nie to see if we can take them to her precious family.

I will be sure to post pictures of the finished quilts. You probably won't see them until after Christmas, it is a bit crazy around our house right now.

Oh and in other news we just found out Tuesday we are getting a new baby girl in May! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lucky

...when Nie started posting again I would read and ache all over for her....yet, watching her grow and evolve as she gains a new perspective on her new life she is just as she was before, inspiring...I thought of her as I danced in the kitchen with my hubby tonight to colbie caillet and Jason Mraz's song "Lucky." She isn't only lucky to be alive but to be living her life.

Anyway, what I am really here for is to give you an update on the quilts. I haven't heard from Allison in a while but she works summer tourism in Alaska so I am sure she has been *busy*! Last she e-mailed she asked if she could bind the quilts in addition to quilting them...bless her heart! I think she will be visiting Utah this fall and we will probably make a personal delivery if possible. She only has the quilts for Nie's children. Lucy's, the Chief's, and the Nielson's quilts are still in progress.

Sorry I am slow to update. I still have no internet access and no computer now either. Working on both....hopefully we'll find a home for our family soon too...for now I feel lucky we both have jobs and it's a bonus we like them! Hope you've all had a great summer....here's to the beauty of fall.

Drum Roll Please....

Hola Amigos! I have to confess, we have have been very neglectful in our picture downloads. After our blessed Sunday afternoon nap, I humbly brought my hubby the camera and external hard drive and sweetly requested he download and back up pictures. My son turned one last August, his birthday pictures were among those downloaded. How pathetic is that? I have three different cards and apparently the bare minimum for blogging purposes had been previously downloaded. Major slackers here. Sorry for the delay but here are the quilts in all their colorful, beautiful glory, I only apologize that my photography skills don't do them justice...

...Claire...

...Jane...

...Oliver...

A photo with meaning only to me, the first three quilts patiently waiting for the last one to have it's border and back prepared...I was seriously ecstatic at this point!

...Nicholas...

...I finished sewing his rows together before I added the borders to the rest of the quilts but the photo fits better here...

...me...

...the night I finished Gigs quilt and prepared them all for their journey to Alaska, I was very excited, nervous about their trip, and sad to see them leave our home. They have been so fun to make and the spirit of love they carry with them will surely be felt by the Nielsons.

...chilling on my super chic red couch before packaging. Allyson is taking good care of them and last I heard she was dreaming up beautiful designs to be quilted on them. Thank you Allyson for your generosity, I can't wait to see your magic!

Lucy's baby quilt is well under way, the chief's and a larger version for Nie and her sweet hubby to snuggle under will be coming soon!

Skagway

I sent the package last Monday and I put delivery confirmation on it so I could track it...if by chance the quilts were lost in the mail. The idea gave me serious anxiety. I tried to call Allyson twice, the first time I spoke to her delightful husband and the second I left her a message on the machine. I am pretty sure she is a very busy lady. How wonderful of her to donate her precious time, she is sincerely appreciated.

Anyway, I do know the quilts arrived safely to their quilting destination and thought you might want to know as well. I can hardly wait to see them quilted, bind them, and then I dare not imagine giving them away but I will. Sadly and gladly all at once.

I spoke to the husband about downloading pictures for you all, since he takes care of that and makes sure they are backed up for me, and he will. You see, he just does things in his own time. I will try not to nag and post some for you as soon as they are available.

In the mean time, I have Lucy's baby spice blanket ready to sew, forgot to snap a picture before I gathered it all up but you will see it sewn. First on the agenda, a favorite dr. seuss costume to sew, lucky for me it is just the flower with a speck on it. I'll see about a picture of it as well...

The List

I am not the eloquent blogger most aspire to be and don't really even try. I mostly settle at the transfer of information, the easiest form being a list; thus, in easy form, here is my accomplishments of the last 4 weeks.

01. Endured the 10 day flu.
02. Stayed out of the way for a week while the new gas furnace was installed in our rental house by 2 friendly men from El Salvador.
03. Learned a few new Spanish words.
04. Cleaned and vaccumed for a week after the furnace was installed.
05. Started a new part time job as the "office manager" at my brother's NAPA store, only working while my children are sleeping or my husband is home.
06. Finished sewing 4 beautiful quilts for the 4 beautiful Nielson children.
07. Left to do, a trip to the post office to send them to Alaska, post pictures for you all, and start the whole process over with the 3 remaining quilts!

Oh the joy of living life, seriously, all but the flu has been joyful.

Miracles

Speaking of miracles, Nie is back. How about that?

I had a fuel leak on our van and found out it was dangerous to have been driving. I now have a plan in my mind about how to exit incase of fire. Does anyone do fire drills for their vehicle? Is this over the top? I couldn't help but think of Nie. Fire scares me. She survived and is hurting but also thriving. She has always been miraculous but now she is truly a miracle.

Another miracle, we moved and lived. I am still unpacking, waaaaay toooo much junk. We had plenty of help moving but unpacking has been a duet. My husband is my new dishwasher and I do most everything else. Almost a fair trade, seriously it is. I will soon unpack the box labeled quilt for nie and soon after that the quilts will be visiting Alaska.

Did you notice the prints on Nie's new header? If you look closely here the yellow print is exact and if you change the color from a pinkish to blueish, that print is the same also. Oh how you know nie. It's all very exciting.

Updates coming soon.

As always, love yous.