One Flaw in Women

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a brokenheart-and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my ownheart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

What a Rest Stop!!!

While driving to Chicago yesterday to watch Kevin play soccer, my dd and I stopped at a wayside rest in Iowa. (it's off interstate 80 somewhere about 2 hours east of Des Moines) I just HAD to get the camera and take pics of this! It was just too amazing! My DD called me a DORK! EH, whatever...I gently but firmly reminded her what keeps her warm at night! ;-)

This is one wall on the outside of the rest stop.

The floor in the lobby of the rest stop.
This is the wall between the entrance to the women's restroom and the exit! TOTALLY COOL!!!
The other outside wall of the rest stop...
I hope when you click on the following 2 pics that you can read them. They describe the Underground Railrood quilts.

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Laurie

Senior Night

Tonight marked the end of our time with HS regular season soccer. Our youngest, Dan, had his final regular season home game and it was the night when the Seniors and their parents are honored. I just LOVE this night!!! The seniors want to win the game badly and the parents are just honored to be on the field before the game and being able to be very proud of their son!!

Unfortunately, the stupid coach managed to coach very poorly and we lost 2-1. We managed to salvage the night and have fun afterwards with pizza, gatorade, cake and fun stories about the seniors!

Here is a pic of myself, Dan, and Steve! It's not very clear because my dd took it from the stands. It still works though!

Hope you are all doing well!
Hugs
Laurie

6 House Blocks done!!!

This quilt is going to be so happy! My sister said it should greet people when they come into the house! I think that's a SUPER idea!!!
Hugs
Laurie

I think I've found my groove!!!

Thanks to several of you who suggested using my blog as a journal...I not only found my blogging groove again, but more importantly...MY QUILTING GROOVE!!! It's exciting to be at the sewing machine again and doing some piecing!!! I think my trip with my sisters helped as well...new fabrics and new projects!!! ;-D

Here are a couple of pictures of the King Size BEAST on our bed. I put the flannel sheets on as well as the winter blanket. It's supposed to get chilly around here!

Have a great day! I'm off to quilt!!!
Hugs
Laurie

I just COULD NOT wait!!!

I just HAD to see how these 2 new projects that I bought in Iowa were going to turn out! I think I am going to LOVE both of them!!! Especially the dot houses...that quilt is going to scream at people and be so lively! WOOHOO!!!



My dh and I are off to a wake and then dinner with our son. I hate wakes but it's just something that has to be done.

Have a great Sunday...what's left of it anyway. I'm going to go outside and read for a bit before we leave. Tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler outside so I will sew then!

Hugs
Laurie

The DAMAGE from my road trip!

Well, here ya go! Pictures of my shopping in Iowa! GOLLY it was FUN!!! I added several dot FQ's to the collection and will make the house quilt out of it! I think I'll call the quilt "Freddy Moran meets Buggy Barn"!!!!!!!! LOL...what do ya think?
These are 3 squares with a rose in various stages of opening. One says, Hope, Love, and Peace! I will put them on the bathroom counter! One more thing for the cleaning people to dust! ;-D
This banner will hang on our front door this winter! It has 2 of my FAVORITE things...a snowman and a cardinal! I just HAD to have it!!! My sisters agreed!
Here's a closeup of 4 FQ packets that I bought of breast cancer fabrics. The black will be the border and backing...I think I'll make a courthouse steps or log cabin with this one. The hot pink batik (shown on the snowman flannel in the first photo will be the center of the blocks and also the stopo border!)
SO...that's it! I think I did done good! LOLOL

Hugs
Laurie

Checking in from Illinois

Hi Everyone!
I am checking in on my road trip! So far it's been GREAT but I miss my DH something fierce! My son's soccer team lost 3-1 on Friday night...a great game but the other team had an AWESOME player on their team who scored all of their goals. DS's team bounced back on Sunday and won 2-1 and looked great! I have had some great alone time wtih my son and that is GREAT!!!

I met up with my sisters in Waterloo, IA and we went to a quilt store and then to my DS's game. Unfortunately, it was raining quite hard and we didn't have any time to talk to DS.

The next day, Saturday, my sisters and I wanted to go shopping at a quilt store while we were in Iowa. We were staying in Waterloo and the Quilter's Travel Companion didn't have anything nearby. There was an ad for a shop, The Quilter's Quarter, in LaPorte, IA and the ad said it had 5000 bolts. It also opened at 9AM and everyone else that was surrounding us didn't open until 10. We debated going to QQ last or first. Well, we went there first.

This shop was in the middle of a CORNFIELD!!!!! We overshot the turn and had to backtrack. Then we hit a gravel road and thought...OH NO!!! We were wondering what the heck we got ourselves into and then I saw a mailbox with QQ on the side of it. We turned into a driveway and saw a house. At this point we were all still baffled. I said it must be in their house! When we got past the house we saw another free standing building...YEP...THE LQS!!!

Well, let me tell you...this LQS was the BEST!!!!!!!!!! It was about 9:30 and we walked around and took it all in. VERY CLEAN AND NEAT!!! The building itself was all brick and had a full basement for a full 6400 SQUARE FEET!!! Her DH built it for her after working out of her house was not good enough! She is ONE LUCKY lady!

The fabric in this shop was AMAZING! BRIGHTS, BATIKS, GEOMETRICS AND MORE!!! My kind of shop!!! My sisters and i shopped and then got hungry before we were done!! We told Melinda, the owner, that we needed to get something and could she recommend a place intown? STUPID QUESTION...the gas station was our option! I had 2 cheese stix and one sister had nothing while the other had a pizza slice! Back to the quilt store we went...when we were done spending almost 6 hours there we dropped almost $800 between the 3 of us! WOOHOO...it was FUN!!!!

Honestly though, it was the NICEST quilt shop we've ever been in! SHE ROCKED!!!!!So, if you are ever on Hiway 20 in Iowa go to QUILTER'S QUARTERS in LaPorte...its' off the beaten path but well worth it!!!!! They hope to get dairy cows on their farm soon!!!

Hugs,
Laurie