Unfortunately, All good things must come to an end!

So here I am on my last full day at my quilting retreat and am working on creating the back of the final quilt I will complete before I leave. I have really enjoyed this time to really get to know some friends better, laugh, create and sew! The time has flown by! We are headed out to do a little shopping and go to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I will head home in the morning with a few completed quilts...a very productive week!

There is one quilt I cannot post a photo of because it is top secret until I return home...I'll post that pic in a day or two, There is also another one that I just didn't take a photo of yet. I had previously posted a photo of a quilt that I finished, here are a couple more...sorry the photos aren't that great...I had to take them with my cell phone (forgot my camera)!

So until the next time, blessings!

Amanda

Finished my 2nd Quilt....woo hoo!!!

I just had to post a pic of the second quilt I finished during my quilt retreat!

Strawberries and Ice Cream & the ocean!

Life doesn't get much better than this! These strawberries are scrumptious and the ocean sounds wonderful! It's a little overcast today, but it's still a wonderful sound to hear the ocean! Still sewing like crazy and getting some projects done! Just had share this pic of my yummy strawberries and ice cream...now back to pressing, cutting & sewing!

Blessings,

Amanda

Sewing at the Beach!

I actually arrived kind of late Saturday night, unloaded my car, got settled into my room and went to bed with thoughts of sewing in my head. Sunday morning after one wonderful friend made breakfast we got down to the business of sewing! You know how people who drink sometimes go on a “bender”? Well this was kind of like that, just a “sewing bender”! We have laughed, talked, enjoyed the sight and sound of the ocean and sewed like crazy!!! I completed most of a quilt top – I only have to miter three corners of the final border and I’ll be done with my first project! A couple of friends are working on a more time consuming project, so they may be working on that project for another couple of days! Unfortunately we have each had to do some “un-sewing,” but that’s not unusual!
Although we were up until 1 a.m., this morning we are up early and enjoying chatting. There are of course a few things I cannot disclose here on this blog, since 'what happens at the beach, stays at the beach'!

I am about to go take a little walk along the beach and then make a quick run to the store for a few things before I get started sewing for the day. It is such beautiful day and the ocean sounds so wonderful, it’s calling me to come take a walk now! There is nothing like the sound and smell of the ocean and the breeze on the beach! It conjures up so many wonderful memories of my childhood vacations - thanks mom & dad!

Blessings,

Amanda

Happy Earth Day!

Since today is Earth Day I am wearing one of my favorite green shirts that says "Love your planet . Kiss your planet . Hug your planet" with a Hershey Kiss in the center. I am so thankful for this great planet that God created and just love what wonderful weather we have been blessed with lately. God really did create a masterpiece with this earth! There are so many beautiful, wonderful things to look at, smell, feel and just enjoy. So I went out into my yard to play with the dog (who also loves this weather) and I took a few pictures of the beautiful roses growing in my backyard. I couldn't really get too close since these were towering over my 5'3" height! I tried to pull them a little closer but those thorns wouldn't let me! Aren't they beautiful? T

I wish I could take credit for how gorgeous they are but I really don't do anything to them at all...God does all the watering! Well the sprinklers help every other day too! :)

Now I do take some credit for growing this Basil. I planted it from seeds and have watered it and watched it grow, now it's about time to replant it outdoors....I am so proud of me for not killing it! :)

So yesterday I had lunch with a friend at Simply Southern Bistro on Wesmark, which is absolutely yummy! After the waiter took our order he came over and asked "Would you like some cheese biscuits?" My friend and I looked straight at each other and said almost in unison, "Of course!" Once the waiter walked away, my friend said, "What kind of question is that? Why would you ask a couple of fat women if they want a biscuit?!" We both just started howling with laughter!!! It was kind of like asking a bear if it wants honey, or a cat if it likes mice! I mean really...it is kind of obvious we have had our share of biscuits in our lives, so just give us some already! There is no need to ask...just bring 'em on! They were sooooo good too!

Take time to appreciate this wonderful place called Earth today and most importantly thank the Creator! Until next time....

Blessings,

Amanda

Dreaming of Clotheslines, Amish Country and Quilts!

I know it doesn’t seem right that anyone would want to dream about laundry, but I just love the fresh smell of laundry that has hung out to dry on a clothesline! It makes me think of my childhood when my mom hung out the laundry. My favorite things from the clothesline are the crisp bed linens! The wonderful scent of the outdoor air was refreshing as I would fall asleep! There is something special and intriguing about seeing laundry on a clothesline. I was reminded of it quite a bit when I was on my recent road trip…here’s a few photos to show you why!

                                    

Maybe someday I will have a clothesline of my own and can go back to the good old days as I lay my head down on freshly “dried in the outdoors sheets”!

I really had such a good time on our road trip and keep thinking of the wonderful Amish people we met along the way and the simple, but hard working life they lead! The hand quilting they do is just beautiful and watching them do it with such ease, speed and accuracy was just a pleasure. I had the opportunity to take a few photos of some of their quilts as you can see a few in my Flickr photo stream…here’s a couple more…

                                 

This was at an Amish quilt shop and we watched the Amish woman quilting it. She was a very nice woman, answered any questions we had about the Amish and did just beautiful work!

Now I am off to visit my friend “Ethel” and reminisce about our trip a little more!

Blessings,

Amanda

O What a Beautiful Morning...O What a Beautiful Day!

I really should not be on here...as I have started the process of repotting some plants outdoors and need to finish that project, but I thought I would take just a minute to post on here about the gorgeous day! God has blessed me in so many ways and I am very thankful for all of them, but right now at this moment I am most appreciative of the gorgeous weather and the chance to enjoy it!

The dog is by my side waiting to go back out and undoubtedly play ball. I do have a lot of housework to do, but it is just not as appealing as being outside! That's why I am repotting some plants today :)! Then I'll come in and do some laundry, unload the dishwasher, dust and vaccum when it's really hot out later ;).


Before the plants were repotted:

I know they look sad :(....that's why they are getting a makeover :)



After repotting (much happier)!

You may have noticed that the peace lilly is not in this newly potted picture, that is because the peace lilly had an issue...but don't worry it is fine! It was VERY root bound and I was unsure of whether or not to split it in two, so I ran over to Ozzie's and asked him what to do. He advised to leave it be, but just put it into a larger pot. So that's what I did, however, it really needed some water and did not feel like posing for a picture just yet (we all know how that is!), so I let it sit out of the picture! Maybe I'll get a good pic of it tomorrow after it is spruced up and feeling a little better! Here are a couple pics of my orchids:

My husband and I had an amazing Easter Sunday together! We attended a wonderful church service and great Bible Community Group, had lunch with some deep conversation and sat outside and did some water color painting! Later we cooked out with a friend. Really one of my favorite days! I am so proud of my husband and love him more and more, each and every minute of every day!

Now unfortunately I am off to the funeral of a friends dad. Till next time...

Blessings,

Amanda

Home Sweet Home, for Thelma & Louise aka Lucy & Ethel!!!

So we made it back to our respective homes late last night and boy was it good to sleep in my very own bed! Since my honey and my dog are out of town until later today, it was just me and the cat. As I laid down on my pillow my head was swirling with thoughts of the girls roadtrip 2010! There was never a dull moment, even our trip to the mexican restuarant the night before we returned was not without adventure (you know what I mean Ethel)!!! We had such a great time and now to readjust to our normal lives.

♪ ♫♪ ♫  'Farm livin' is the life for me. Land spreadin' out so far and wide,  

Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside!!!' ♪ ♫♪ ♫

On our return to Elgin where I dropped off my friend, I received a text from my honey that was in Florida visiting friends, and I just had to share. Here it is…


‘hey we r leaving 8am eta sumter…630pm..i love u I have had enough of being a guy now I want to be the love of ur life..more to come’

A moment later another text arrived that read…

‘ps..i love u..’

I am just such a lucky woman and I can’t wait to see the love of my life tonight! Now I am off to get a few things done before he arrives!

Blessings,
Amanda

Last Night of Girls Roadtrip 2010!!!! :(

It has been a wonderful time had by the two amigas, however it is coming to the conclusion of our great girl time together! We have had just a fabulous time at the QSC Spring meeting, seeing so familiar faces and making some new friends! We each took a class and have some cute projects almost finished! The instructor was Laura Wasilowski and she was just a delightful person to be with for the day!

We are about to head out for some mexican food for dinner, then try to pack up a little tonight. Although we return home in the morning, we do have a couple little things we'd like to do in the morning; i.e. visit the orchid farm, and check out a couple little junk shops (as if we have any more room in our car)!

This is really not even how full it is now!

I just uploaded a few new photos on my Flickr account...check them out! Just a few of my faves from our trip! But I almost forgot about this great green barn!

So now for our last road trip dinner together!

Blessings,

Amanda

Girls Roadtrip 2010!

Wow...what a week we have had...and we're not done yet! We have laughed probably more than I have laughed in my life all together! We have really enjoyed exploring the Amish country and seeing the beautiful farmland!

Although we started out calling ourselves Thelma (me) and Louise (my friend), we have really spent the majority of the week as Lucy (me) and Ethel (my friend), and very fittingly if I do say so myself! We have had a quite a few Lucy & Ethel moments, and sometimes others around us have as well! Such as the we were going to a diner to eat dinner and needed the address, so we called and asked the person who answered for their street number. His response was, "Street number, we don't have a street number." So Ethel asked in a different way and said "What is your address?" He responded, "2578 Lincoln Street"....LOL, we just howled with laughter!

We spent our first night on the road in Roanoke, VA, then hit the road on Friday (3/19) morning to get to Manheim, PA, so we would be there bright and early Saturday morning for the Amish mud sale...which was awesome! It was a little tricky getting everything we purchased in the car, but we managed and later reorganized it better and vowed not to open the back hatch anymore, unless it was an absolute necessity!

We had dinner with my Aunt & Uncle, then came back there to spend the night Saturday night. Sunday after breakfast we went to Chocolate world and did a little tour of Hershey then headed to Bird-In-Hand, PA to check into the Greystone Manor B & B. It had breathtaking views of the farmland right out their back door, which is where our room was located. It was a truly beautiful and hospitable place, with wonderful breakfasts too! Both of us can't wait to go back again someday! Monday, we took a horse & buggy ride with Menno, a wonderful older Amish man who answered many questions.

We shopped at a local antique shop on Tuesday and spent about 4 hours in there...they had really great stuff! One would think we couldn't buy another thing because we didn't have room, however, we are clever loaders! So, as you can imagine we had to open the back hatch of the car...scary, but we managed! We went to a fabric store where we met a wonderful lady who had been Amish, but left the Amish in 1980 and became Mennonite. She showed us a beautiful scrap quilt she had made and was very kind to answer many of our questions about the Amish. Later in the day we drove around and found a great little Amish quilt & craft shop, where the store owner was so kind and we chatted with her for about 45 minutes. We bought a couple of packages of constructed quilt blocks that just need to be put together to make a quilt...really cheap...$10 and $15!!! I know you are thinking how can we get anything else in the car...we were thinking that too!

Wednesday, we planned to head out of PA by noon or 1:00, but we had just a couple things on our to-do list to take care of first...such as visit Intercourse, PA to stop at a couple of shops and get some canned goods from the cannery there. Well needless to say we did a little scenic driving around also amongst the beautiful countryside, saw some Amish farmers plowing with their 6 horse power (literally) tractors, and didn't leave until about 7 p.m.! So we drove to Roanoke, VA and checked into the same hotel we stayed at on the way up about midnight.

Thursday was just a day of driving to Newberry, SC for the Quilters of SC event this weekend there are classes we are each taking and a meeting to be held on Saturday. Upon our arrival at the beautiful Hampton Inn of Newberry, we decided we would need to bring in several of our fabric purchases, so we could look at it and maybe do a few projects since we are here for 3 days. So we had to open the back of the car...we braced ourselves and hoped for the best! Luckily nothing fell out...however, once we took a few things from the bottom of the pile, we had to figure out how to prop the pile back up, not easy but we did it. I think it took us about a half hour to get everything we needed out of the car and loaded onto 2 luggage carts. As I stood back and looked at the 2 luggage carts and the back of the car (that still looked full), I told Ethel, "It looks like we are going to a hoarders convention." Ethel and I just lost it (in fact I am cracking up now!), and Ethel just had to do the bathroom shuffle and try to find the restroom, she was laughing so hard!!!!

Right now we are just getting ready for the day ahead. Ethel has her QSC class today and I am going to work on a project and help out with set up for registration for tomorrow morning. SO for now...

Blessings,
Amanda :)

Girls Roadtrip 2010 - Beginning of Day 2!

So Thelma & Louise are about to begin day 2 of their adventure! We had a pretty good beginning yesterday and made the drive to Roanoke, VA with only missing one exit! Along the way we stopped in Gastonia, NC at Mary Jo's and Louise was in awe of the fabric selection. We really didn't buy too much since we are saving our pennies for what we may purchase at the Amish Mud Sale on Saturday! I did need something to use for the backing of the project I will be doing at the Quilters of South Carolina Spring Meeting class I am taking, and I found the perfect fabric! It is beautimus! We also got some great gallon sized scrap bags packed full for $1.30 each...can't wait to go through them! Naturally this will not be our last stop at a fabric/quilt shop along our trip!

My great friend Louise made me the most wonderful Travel Journal and art kit to use to complete the journal as we go along our adventure! It is sooooo cute and I can't wait to begin filling the pages with bits of ephemera and thoughts from our journey! Louise put a lot of thought into it and has quite a few pages prepared so that I can get started right away! I plan to try to work on it a little this morning before we get on the road.

Today we will drive the rest of the way to PA, check into our hotel where we will be spending the night, then head over to my Aunt Shirley's house for dinner. We are staying close to where we will be attending the Mud Sale in the morning, so that we can get there bright and early to preview what's up for sale. Tomorrow night we will be staying at my Aunt Shirley's.

We are so excited about what the day has in store for us and with the two of us you never know what could happen! I pray that God will protect us and inspire us as we get to see His beautiful creation during our travels! Now off to get ready for the day and go grab some breakfast! Lots of fun and laughing to be had....toodles for now,

Blessings,
Amanda aka Thelma

Happy Thursday!

Well today my husband finally hired an assistant! Yippee for me...and him! I think she will work out great! I am looking forward to giving her some orientation next week and getting her aquainted with the company. I guess my hubby finally realized that he really did need an assistant when he missed an important meeting earlier this week.

So we are going to Charleston for our 18th wedding anniversary this weekend and we have just made a few plans. The Charleston Wine & Food Festival is going on this weekend, so we are planning to attend some of the festivities and have some reservations at The Boathouse at Breach Inlet for Saturday night. Then on Sunday we plan to go to the SC Aquarium, which looks really interesting!

My surprise for Al is going to be just wonderful and I just can't wait to share it with him! I got to see it today and OMG...it almost had me in tears it is so wonderful! I just hope he really likes and appreciates it as much as I want him to...but you know sometimes men don't react like us women envision!

Off to watch the Survivor episode now...

Blessings,
Amanda ;)

So much to do in so little time....

Isn't this a recurring statement in our lives today? It seems it is almost impossible to "catch up". I am going on a a roadtrip with a girlfriend in 14 days between now and then I have quite a full plate;

1. Go on romantic getaway this weekend with husband to celebrate 18 years of marriage (3/7/92)
2. Pack for husband's trip to Atlanta next Monday - Thursday for business
3. Get my house in order, so that while I am gone on the roadtrip, husband can function without me!
4. Finalize things with Spring Meeting registration for Quilters of SC to be held in Newberry on 3/27
5. Pay bills, take care of miscellaneous things such as changing dental appts., call insurance company regarding why they aren't paying something they should be paying to the doctors office
6. Get dog groomed
7. Grocery shopping, dry cleaning
8. Make some food for hubby for while I'm away

It doesn't sound like much when it's written out, but it sure does add up! Of course there are the projects that I prefer to do that always seem to take me away from completing some of these mundane tasks, such as quilting, embroidery, googling...having lunch with friends! So now I must go mop the floor...ugh (just the downstairs today), and then I'll go play with some friends for a little while before grocery shopping! Have a great day!

Blessings,
Amanda ;)

Quilt Friends and Shop Hop...life doesn't get much better than that!

What a great day heading up to the Lancaster Shop Hop, with a wonderful group of ladies! There were nine of us all together and we just had the best time! We laughed, we shopped, we ate and we shopped some more! We found a great quilt shop called The White House in Heath Springs and had a really nice time looking at all the wonderful things they had to offer besides fabric too! They had some beautiful vintage tablecloths, napkins, aprons and a whole room of Jim Shore figurines. There was a wonderful front porch that we enjoyed sitting on while we waited for a couple of ladies to finish their transactions. It was a lovely warm day (67 degrees!) and great company! Now to go put away my goodies! :)

When I thought things couldn't get crazier!

So as I have started to write this it is only 7:30 a.m., I've been up for an hour and a half and one of the first things I discovered about 30 minutes into my day was that Max apparently decided to knock over the Herbie Curbie and of course Harley was not completely innocent as she helped sift through the trash! So that is how my day has started and I am just looking forward to it warming up a little as the sun peeks out more, for my new clean up mission! Hopefully this day can only get better! I do have a top secret project I am working on and look forward to getting down to business with that today...you will hear about what exactly it is in the coming weeks! So for now, let me go get my gloves on...

Hump Day - and I am finally caught up!

So today the dog is itching a little less, but still not quite herself! If she's not drastically better by Friday morning I am calling the vet back. So today I had a few errands to run and get my payroll done, nothing too exciting took place today. We have been baby sitting two dogs, Max & Harley, for a friend. They get along great with our dog Judy, however, since Judy has been a little under the weather, she hasn't been as interested in playing. I played ball with Harley and of course Judy couldn't resist, and Max decided he wanted some action too, so I threw a stick for him. The picture to the left is of Max, Judy & Harley the last time they were over for a visit. Recent pics of them can be seen above in the snow photos...and check out more at my Flicker site...they are too cute in the snow!

Al and I went to dinner and as he was trying to tell me about his day, in a scrambled kind of way...I could tell he really needed to wind down! The hostess seated us and told us our server was a professional and would be with us momentarily (strange wording, but whatever!). Once she walked away Al said to me, "I am starving so when Lance gets here I am going to tell him to bring us some rolls right away." In thought to myself I don't know how he knows our waiters name, but maybe he saw a nametag on one of the servers. So our waiter walks up and says "Hello, my name is Raphael and I will be waiting on you, what would you like to drink?" Al responded very matter-of-factly, "Hi Lance, could we get some rolls and...", I can't describe the look on Raphael's face, but it was priceless! Raphael said "My name isn't Lance...it's Raphael." I just started laughing...it was so funny. Al really did need a drink! Al thought the hostess had said our waiter would be Lance, but Raphael said they don't have a Lance that works there. I told Al that I remembered he told me this morning he thought he heard voices; I guess the voices are giving him the wrong info! So when Al signed the bill...I added a note that said 'Thanks Lance...LOL! :)' Hopefully Al will get some much needed rest tonight after such a long day at work!

Busy Tuesday!

Okay, so I'm still a little behind...give a girl a break, I was really busy today! I was chauffering a couple of gentlemen from Bekins Van Lines from their hotel to our office and gave them a quick tour of Sumter. Then off to Columbia to pick up my glasses and meet up with a wonderful friend to show her how to do some hand stitching. Of course cutting the fabric and how to properly tie a knot in the end of the thread were the first main lessons! Then I rushed back to get the dog and take her to the vet.

The vet seems to think it may be a food allergy and gave her a shot of Prednisone to help stop the frantic itching...it has helped a lot, but she is still kind of itchy and not quite her spunky old self yet. So he recommended staying away from dog food with chicken or beef, rather look for duck, lamb, venison and don't worry if it has corn. He said he's not sure why all pet stores say to stay away from grains as they really aren't a problem...it's the protein that's the problem. He said to truly test out the theory we need to really commit to giving the dog nothing but whichever special food we get for 8 weeks...no treats, no people food, etc. My husband said, "How long?" and when I told him, he said, "I guess we can do that." So we shall see how this goes!

When I finally arrived home I discovered the cat had vomitted on the nice clean quilt on our bed that I had so haphazardly worked so hard to clean yesterday (see yesterday's post)! That's the way it goes I guess!

Monday, Monday!

Okay so this morning my dog Judy is itching like crazy, actually it started last night before we went to bed. It was so bad and her tummy was as red a valentine's heart, so I decided to call the vet, but they didn't open until 9, so I called Petco to see about getting her a soothing oatmeal bath to help calm her skin. They said to bring her on right away. So without taking a shower, I quickly dressed and decided to bring along my king sized quilt to wash at the laundromat in case it was causing Judy's itching. As it turns out the vet can't see her until 4:00 tomorrow!

After dropping off the dog, I stopped at the laundromat and purchased the detergent, Clorox II bleach and fabric softener from the vending machine, since i forgot mine in my haste! I thought it was odd that the machine did not have instructions for which compartment to put the detergent in vs. the fabric softener, but I went ahead and dumped in the Clorox II and then opened the Tide box, I tipped the box to dump out the packet, which I quickly discovered really wasn't a packet like the fabric softener is, as I dumped all the detergent on the floor in front of me! So I bought another box of detergent and proceeded to put it in the dispenser. Just before I put in the fabric softener, I discovered the instructions on the lid and realized I had put the bleach in the fabric softener spot. So I did the logical thing and tried to dig it out with my fingers to move it to the correct dispenser...it didn't work the best, but good enough! So I went and told the ladies that run the laundromat that there was a clean up needed on aisle 2! What could happen next?

Well as it turns out the bath did help the dog a little, but she is still itching like crazy so tonight I am going to give her some children's Benadryl to see if it will help her at least get some rest.

As you can tell...I am already slacking a little with this blog...I forgot to post this on Monday!

An Amazing Day!

It is so amazing to see how God works through so many people over so many years for the advancement of His work. I experienced a very moving Ordination service tonight at church for Scott Shipes who is now a children's minister and will be continuing on a journey that started many years ago and has now lead him to move his family to Gaborone, Botswana. It was wonderful to hear different people speak about their part in this journey and see the outpouring of love by the congregation for him, his wonderful wife Tonya and their family.

I feel so blessed to know them and am grateful that I have had the opportunity to be a part of their journey. I look forward to seeing the fruit of their work and continuing to pray for them and their family during this transition.

As I go to sleep tonight I am truly in awe of the sacrifices they are making to serve our Lord. May God bless them abundantly and keep them safe in all that they do for His glory! God is so Awesome!