Quilt Guild Name Tag

I finally joined a guild, the Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild.

I went to a meeting in January and it was great sharing a common interest in quilting, seeing other's projects and hearing quilting tips.

I made myself a name tag :)  I got the paper pieced pattern here.

I have a MQG name tag board on Pinterest.

I included all the things I love:  paper piecing, hand embroidery, Heather Bailey, American Jane and Heather Ross.

I wrote a new quote on my chalkboard for Valentine's :)

I smile every time I walk by!

Christmas Chalkboard

I made a chalkboard, it hangs in my kitchen/family room area.

I create a new design for every season and holiday.

This is the one I wrote for Christmas, I wanted to share it with you.

My missionary son comes home today!

I haven't been able to get much sewing done lately, because.....

we are having a very exciting time around our house today!

Our son has been serving a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

He wrote his favorite scripture on our chalkboard before he left, and I kept it there and wrote new designs underneath.

This is to celebrate his homecoming.

He will arrive today in the early evening, after over 24 hours of travel!

He will be hungry and exhausted, and very emotional.

It must have been heartbreaking to say goodbye to some of the people he has grown to love....I got emotional myself, when I thought about it.

When he left us 2 years ago, he knew he would see us again.

When he left his loved ones in Brazil, he knew he may never see them again.....at least in this life.

He is traveling home with at least 7 other missionaries.

They will be laughing and sleeping and talking in Portuguese about their experiences and what they want to do when they get home.

I am busy making posters, getting American flags pressed, ordering balloons and trying to keep busy until we go to the airport.

Our hearts are full as this part of our lives come to a close.

We were only able to speak to him via Skype 3 times, and emailed each other every Monday.

Now I will be able to put my arms around him, and talk to him in person and hear his stories and get some of my silly unanswered questions answered!
Even though we missed him, it was so worth it!!!

Only my husband and I will be at the airport, we were the only ones at his departure.

We are having a reunion with our 6 children and 9 grandchildren, at the beginning of May, for a week.

We will all enjoy that reunion too.

I will post photos of Sean's homecoming on Friday :)

Be Mine

I always update my chalkboard according to the season.

This is my Valentine's Day design.

I have a lot of fun with my chalkboard :)

Chalkboard Design

About a year ago, I transformed a framed print into a chalkboard.

You can read about it here.

Since then, I draw on it for each season or holiday.

This is my current design.

I don't come up with the drawing myself, I look at pinterest til I find something I like, and then I draw it.
This is what I had on my chalkboard for July 4 and kept it up until my fall design.

I guess I didn't take a photo of Valentine's and Spring....
This was last Christmas.
Some of our grandchildren will be here for Christmas, so I'll choose something that will spark their interest :)
The scripture at the top (Matthew 25:40) is my son's favorite.
He wrote it on the chalkboard almost 19 months ago.
I'm never erasing it, although one of my daughters pretends that she is going to when I'm not looking!! Ha ha!
He's serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he'll be returning home at the end of April :)

Happy 4th of July!

About a month ago, I updated my framed chalkboard to a patriotic quote to commemorate the 4th of July.

I love changing it for different holidays and seasons.

The scripture at the top is my son's favorite one.

He wrote it on the chalkboard before he left for his mission and I won't erase it until after he comes home in April 2014 :)

Happy July 4th!!!

Have a wonderful time celebrating our nation's independence with your family and friends :)