...........................................................

...........................................................
Blessed by everyday blessings

these are a few of my favorite things

~smiling faces~

~hugs and kisses from grandchildren
and hearing the name Nanny from far away places~

~mostly old sometimes new~

~quilts with love stitched through and through

~Babies and butterflys and all things created~

~To know you are loved makes life sweet with grace traces ~























recipes

Monday, May 21, 2012

Bloggers Quilt Festival

I think the name of my blog needs to be " LIFE with Sewing on the Side".

Fabric is my passion.... and a quilt will always make my heart skip a beat, however Life here is more often about stash and dream.  There just always seems to be more to life than my time in my sewing room can afford or the more likely culprit and time bandit ... reading blogs and dreaming of more quilts.  For all of the quilts I dream about and want to make every once in a while there is a great moment of  exhilaration when I can say horray, horray  I FINISHED a quilt!
I'm a little slow with the finishes but a finish is still a finish. I am hoping to gain a little momentum now that all my children have left the nest.....but as the story goes....

 now I have grandchildren to love.



It is time for the spring bloggers quilt festival and I am going to add my two cents to the over 500 participants. WOW that is a lot of quilts and it is a FREE show.....  This is my first time participating.  If you want a quilt fix you can get it over at Amy's site.

 Today I am sharing a quilt with you that took way to long to finish. It is not a complicated pattern so I don't expect a great amount of OOOHs and AHHHs from the grandstand.  But I left the land of what I know how to do and tried some new things.... that in itself spells D-E-L-A-Y.  I tend to procrastinate and think too much when I don't know what I am doing.  This is the first ever real life quilt I made for someone start to finish. You can read more about the details of the delay here.

Technically it started out as a baby quilt.......
but it is bigger than you might think of a baby quilt,
and since it took me nine years to finish (GASP)....
I am thankful I had bigger on my mind at the start.
The size is about 60x60.


I painted on fabric with acrylic paint adding textile medium!  I used a stencil.  Yes it was scary to start painting. There is  no turning back once you start.








and I quilted it with my little OLD Bernina sewing machine using my walking foot.

that was a first.

I don't do Free motion quilting yet.

so straight lines it is .








the stars have a little extra stuffing.
A bit of trapunto effect.
It is another new to me creative effort. 

each side of the quilt contains his birth information
full name
 Birth date
weight and length
town he was born in




thinking about warm and cozy....



quilt label






sleeping under the stars......

it would make sweet dreams I think.


A nine year old is not impressed with a quilt with baby info on it...
He is more into star wars,
 but his mommy cried when I unveiled it. 
I know she appreciated all the love and work that went into this.
And I am really glad that I finished it.
 My husband said......some day his wife will love it. 
Marshall's response...."I'm never getting married!"

Yes we had a good laugh over that comment.

So it is done and delivered.
Time will tell what becomes of it.
Perhaps it will be good fort material.      :    )

I'm linking up to the bloggers quilt festival.

 May all your quilts make you smile and feel loved
Happy day to you!
Thanks for stopping by. 
janita

Amy's Creative Side

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

one thing one week challenge



sewing, sewing, sewing.......

div align="center">Amy's Creative Side



one-thing-one-week-challenge-link-up-13



Yes, I met the goal..... I finished this soon to be gift.
 By a quilters definition, FINISHED  means the binding is sewed on .   HORRAY  right!

Yes the binding is sewed on all nice and cozy.... I love the binding!  In a whole house full of girls you need pink stripe somewhere.  Thank you pretty little stash for waiting so patiently for just the right project.

This looks like it should be really cute don't you think ........





Unfortunately I don't love the whole thing. One side just turned out kind of blah... Not as cute as my mind pictured it when I bought the fabric and had a plan.  So plan A has now turned into plan B. 
.
 So I guess that means this gift is once again  not  finished.  :(

How many hours left in today??? 
This really needs to be checked off my to do list today.

I am struggling here.  It really needs something to liven it up.

I'm off to do some creative thinking to try and find the "love it" factor. 
I think i have an idea..... crossing my fingers and hoping it does the trick.


It is a belated birthday gift for a sweet little someone who's mommy reads my blog.

 Sorry I can't show you more.

Thanks Amy for the challenge once again of choosing JUST ONE THING..... and get 'er done. 

Janita

edit:you can see the blanket finished here




Tuesday, May 15, 2012

HAPPY Birthday Addilyn Grace

We are now entering the age of the TERRIFIC TWO'S

this is Amy, my daughter, when she was two

She is Addilyn's mommy  




This is ADDILYN 
Now she is
2!




the TWO Together
many say she looks like her mommy



I think she looks like her daddy



She is talking all the time.
we are amazed with every word she says



she is SILLY


she is SERIOUS


She loves Blankets




especially HIDING in blankets

Her new favorite thing to do is have her daddy
wrap her in a blanket and then swing and twirl her.






she loves SHOES




and she loves this doggie
Addilyn and Harley

she brings JOY and LOVE to our home whenever she visits



some Birthday Suit pictures


pink and blue
means I love you!








       The belly button from whence you came.
Honestly, you are getting sweeter by the day.

YOU are such a precious GIFT OF GRACE to us.

happy birthday PRECIOUS ONE one.

 I love you with all my heart!

NANNY

Monday, May 14, 2012

MY SWEET BLESSINGS


surrounded by sweetness X5.

this was part of my mother's day gift.


I LOVE IT!

So much I cried when I saw it!

I have the best daughters and grandaughters.

I LOVE YOU
cassie, amy, addilyn, ariann and emerson!

You Bless Me Everyday!
THANK YOU

Thank you God for such precious gifts given to me.

MOM


Saturday, May 5, 2012

I am running to your arms














TJ's favorite activity at my house
bubbles and water

cooking up some bubbles


he was my little flower waterer



Anthony, Ariann, TJ
always time for a little bit of snuggle love



Anthony, TJ
they  are growing up 
do you know any child who doesn't love an umbrella
the two together create the best smiles

TJ
once upon a fall day



lunch hour with Bryce
Bryce in a house full of girls needed some boys


a little farewell picnic before Cassie went off to college
Cassie babysat  for the boys like a big sister
they LOVE her ,
she LOVES them.

summer 2008

Charlie, cassie, Anthony, Will, TJ, emerson
we have the girls, they have the boys.

these are the little boys I never had.
love them so much.


summer 2010
church camping
This is TJ's  family
Jon, Will , TJ, Tami, Antony
Charlie is off playing somewhere.
no time to sit for him .


TJ   summer 2008
An Iowa country boy.
with a heart a big as the ocean.



ROMANS 8 :37

TJ's Favorite song
and the song that will carry us in the days ahead



will the tears ever stop flowing????

 I can't imagine the someday when I see you again.
IT's GOING TO BE WONDERFUL!


miss your smiling face TJ.

janita

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

heaven is his home now.

It has been a difficult couple of months here.    Tomorrow will be the funeral for this little boy from our church family.   TJ.    He was 10 years old and he was loved dearly.  TJ has 3 little brothers and lots of little cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas,  friends,  mom and dad who will be living tomorrow without him here .    How is this life  now just a memory??    Today STOP,  hug your kids, spend time with your kids, your grandkids,  there are many things in this life that are not that important. Spend time this week with the one who loves you more than anyone on this earth, Jesus,   TJ loved Jesus, and assured us that if he died  he was going to heaven and told his mom and dad not to worry.   If you don't know Jesus as  your Savior or you have strayed away from a relationship with Him, or haven't been to church in a while,  find someone this week who can help answer any questions you may have about faith in Him.  I know a lot of things don't make sense in this world  like why a 10 year old would have to die or any child for that matter,  but this life is not all there is.    "For God so loved the world that He sent is Only Son to die for us so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. " John 3 :16.  I'm   Praying for God to be near to the brokenhearted,  he promised He would.    Thank you for your prayers for his family.  We will miss you TJ.


TJ's story at caring bridge

janita

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