A little of this and a little of that

I've been trying to get some things done around here that have been on my list forever. I finally changed the pictures over my couch. I just couldn't afford to buy 6 or 7 frames so I "scrapped" some pictures instead and got everyone included - and cheaper than 7 different pictures too.

I got my Martin's Cove Trek picture framed and decided on this place for it. I see it now every time I walk in the kitchen and it reminds me to keep working on our trek. I love it! Cris - notice the basket under the table with the quilts in it? These are my quilts I have quilted but I haven't hand sewed the rest of the binding.

I had so much fun doing the apron swap so I made another one this week for a friend of mine. Cute, isn't it? I'm also working on cleaning out my basement. Hmmm - maybe I will host a give away for some of the junk - I mean treasures - I am finding. I'll post some pictures of some of the cool stuff I have found that I had totally forgotten about.

Pretty old

I've been cleaning out my basement and came across all of my great grandmother's postcards. This one is to her and dated 1907. So happy "vintage" valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day to those I love the mostest in the whole wide world!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Like father . . . like son

I was cutting up the boys old t-shirts to make a t-shirt quilt for them and I found this jersey of Bren's. I put it on Cam and it's a little big but it fits and he loves it! I just knew I saved some of this junk for something! He looks so stinkin' cute in it so I just had to post it. He's got to work on holding that bat just a bit though.

How Sad !

Local CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with an injured Australian Loala at Mirboo North after wildfires swept through the region. AP Photo

Koala rescued from wildfire wasteland
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HEALESVILLE, Australia - The koala moved gingerly on scorched paws, crossing the blackened landscape as the fire patrol passed. Clearly in pain, the animal stopped when it saw firefighter David Tree following behind. "It was amazing, he turned around, sat on his bum and sort of looked at me with like, put me out of my misery," Tree told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I yelled out for a bottle of water. I unscrewed the bottle, tipped it up on his lips and he just took it naturally. He kept reaching for the bottle, almost like a baby."
The team called animal welfare officers as it resumed its patrols Sunday, the day after deadly firestorms swept southern Victoria state.
"I love nature, and I've handled koalas before. They're not the friendliest things, but I wanted to help him," Tree said.
Tree says he's spoken to wildlife officials, and the koala, nicknamed Sam, is doing fine. And he, it turns out, is a she.
The rescue was one small bright moment in Australia's wildfire tragedy. Thousands of hectares have been burned out, almost 1,000 homes destroyed and more than 200 people killed. Countless animals were killed in the disaster, which hit farming and forest regions to the north and east of the Victoria state capital of Melbourne, and many more fled in panic.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals said it was establishing shelters to care for thousands of pets and livestock affected by the disaster.

Love this quote!

I saw this quote on a blog and LOVED it! I need to embroider it on a pillow or something.

Thanks Elisa!

Elisa (one of my favorite girlies!) has been sewing quilts like crazy and I guess it rubbed off on me because I have pieced two quilt tops, quilted 4 quilts and made these three table runners in just the past 2 weeks. Yep, I've become a quilting machine lately. I've got the binding sewn on the quilts but I'm not finished with the hand sewing yet. But these three are done. Hmmmm, wonder what I should do with them.

Mind boggling!

As you saw from my last post, my good friend's house burned. This past week neighbors have been helping them salvage whatever they could. Some pretty amazing things have happened - like what was burned and what wasn't. But those are personal to my friends so I won't share here but it has really made me evaluate my life. It has been so sad for me to see almost everything they own in the dumpster. And my friend has shed a few tears but she has handled things amazingly well. I realize that I hold on to too many "treasures" or in other words junk. I have started cleaning out my basement because I have realized what I hold on to is not the items themselves but the memories that hold. And I don't need a basement full of "memories" so I am clearing out. What is my good junk can now be someone else's treasures. It has been nasty breathing in the awful air but an awesome experience to work with friends and neighbors to help out people we love so much. We were able to do in 4 days what the restoration and insurance companies usually take 2 months to do. I'm grateful I could help in some small way. Another thing that has impressed me so much. A young couple in our neighborhood has moved out of their home so this family of 8 could move in for the next 6 months. That is one of the most Christlike acts I have ever heard of. The young couple will move back in with their parents for now. Amazing! Here's a few pictures of what a fire can do.

The brown on the countertop is what the whole house looks like. The lights spots are where something was sitting when the fire started.

All of the walls and everything else (clothes, floors, windows, etc.) look like this.

Please read even though it's long

This is my good friend Jalene, her adorable husband and her cute little family. They had something really terrible happen to them yesterday that has really stopped me in my tracks and made me think. They had just finished a beautiful addition to their home so they could all fit around their dining room table and enjoy a movie together. The last contractor had just left and their new furniture had been delivered literally minutes before their house burned down. Yes, it burned - everyone's worst nightmare. Everyone is ok and that is what matters but they are left with what they were wearing. Neighbors bought toothbrushes and hairbrushes, pajamas, and even underwear for them.
As devastating as this is, this amazing person can smile through the tears. Jalene is the type that puts you at ease immediately, always thinks the best of others, is very giving, and you walk away from being with her so uplifted. I always tell her how wise she is and discerning and I think that is remarkable in someone her age. She is so giving - she made wedding cakes for two of our kids and she spearheaded our African Humanitarian project. Her husband is our Bishop and the most approachable and uplifting person I know. He is truly amazing and so in tune with the Spirit. Anyway, they are just all around wonderful people. As much as all of us in our neighborhood would like to help or do something for them, the restoration company will be taking care of them for awhile.
Sooooooooo . . . because she loved books so much and was always loaning and sharing with all of us . . . I am putting a call out to anyone that would like to send a book for her. One of your favorites, a new one, a children's book (she loves those too), or anything. Whether she knows you or not, it doesn't matter. It does matter to let others know that someone in the world cares - that is what gets us all through those hard times. You can put a little love note or words of encouragement in the book even.
If you want to help out leave a comment or email me at eightsgreat@hotmail.com. Now I guess I will see if anyone reads my blog, huh? Are you in?