Amazing Generosity of Friends!!

I’m catching up on some long overdue blogging and part of this is some wonderful gifties that have been given to Hannah. Wow! What amazing friends I have that are excitedly awaiting Hannah’s homecoming.

Back in May you may remember the fun that was had at the Montreal Bloggy Summit. Friday night was a gift exchange and to say I was humbled by the generosity of friends is an understatement!

Miss Hannah received the following amazing gifts from mommies new friends:

Elisa and Jarrod’s gift came brightly wrapped in this fun tin pail. There was a ladybug stepping stone (which is already in the garden), hairbrush, cute ladybug decoration, door hanger, hair clip and fun jumping duckie!

Julie and Stephan’s gift was one of homemade gifts that brought many ooo’s and ahh’s from all of us! Julie sewed this adorable ‘pillow case dress’ using fun pink material that is covered with white, pink and orange dots. Too cute! The ties are made of beautiful pink ribbon tied in bows and it was even hung on a Disney Princess hanger. Does she know me, or what?! The dress is absolutely gorgeous and knowing that it’s handmade makes it extra special!

Also in Julie’s gift was this wonderfully handy diaper changing kit. What a great idea! She also made these and this one is made from cute red material with little yellow duckies on it. It holds diapers and wipes which will be great for those times when I’m running into a store and don’t want to carry the entire diaper bag. As I learned during my babysitting days, the day I leave the diaper bag in the car is the day I’ll need it for sure! This little kit will be so helpful!

Doris and Dan also spoiled Hannah and made mommy cry. The first thing I unwrapped was a beautiful towel that has Hannah’s name embroidered on it! Wow!!! There is just something about seeing your child’s name in print (other than the 20 times a week I write it different places) that makes it all seem so real! The thought of wrapping my dripping, squirming love bug in this after her bath and smelling all her baby sweetness makes every day of the wait worth it. It WILL happen. Just waiting for God’s perfect timing.

Also in Doris’ gift bag were some adorable hair clips that she made, a picture frame with Hannah’s name written in Mandarin, a cozy blanket, ladybug bib and cute stickers. Wow! Such amazing generosity! She also surpirised me with a cute assortment of scrapbooking goodies for my birthday. Thanks Doris!

Last week when I arrived home from holidays there was a gift waiting from a friend I met last summer at Muskoka Baptist Conference Centre (MBC) who at that time had recently brought her precious little girl home from China. Sarah and I saw each other a couple of times over the summer last year and then once again this spring. What a treat it was to open this gift!!! Little did Sarah know the number of times I’ve looked for an Asian Cabbage Patch doll for Hannah. Quite honestly I’ve looked at them more than 30 times over the past 2 years – in a variety of stores, cities, provinces and even countries (Canada and the US) and yet hadn’t purchased one yet. It was just one of those ‘nice to haves’ rather than a necessity. In all my searching, and you can see I’ve done a lot, I never, ever saw one as cute as this! She’s called a ‘Cabbage Patch Snuggle Beans’ and is about 10” tall with adorable little ponies sticking straight up from her head! (Heh…just like I plan on putting in Hannah’s hair someday!)

Also included with Sarah’s gift were some cute Asian stickers and a wonderful book entitled, ‘101 Ways to be a Great Mom.’ Thank you Sarah!!!! You are so kind!

I tell ya…I have the very, very best friends! I kinda feel bad for those who don’t get to experience the wonderful friendships that we share here in Bloggyland and in International Adoption! You’re all wonderful friends and I am so thankful to God for you!

Summer Fun!

Sunday afternoon when I went to mom and dad's to celebrate Father's Day, I brought Victoria along to hang out with Rebecca. These 2 are amazing friends and once again had a great afternoon together! The sun was shining, the pool was refreshing and the yard with filled with girly giggles and stories. It's neat to see the friendship they share grow with time.

When we were getting ready to go home I couldn't find my sunglasses. Just couldn't figure out where I'd put them. It's not like it's a huge place nor like I'd been in many rooms but I just couldn't find them. No wonder....they were in the bottom of the pool! Guess when I'd dove in to hang out with the girls (read: become a human climbing pole and personal swim machine) I'd had them on top of my head. Duh! Dave grabbed the skimmer and came to his sister's rescue.

Victoria and I dropped Rebecca off at her dad's place and started home. Part way home we decided the perfect ending to this afternoon would be to stop for ice cream. Guess we weren't the only ones with this idea! As we were waiting for our cones to be made, Ken and Rebecca drove up as they'd decided it was an ice cream afternoon too. We had a good visit and then said good bye....again!

A Special Father's Day

Sunday we celebrated a belated Father’s Day. Dad bought himself a great new grill for Father’s day and he used it to grill up some superb steaks and pork tenderloin. Yumm!

This Father’s day was extra special too as I took time to appreciate dad in a new way. I haven’t shared it here but my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer this spring and today we’re celebrating nearing the end of his radiation treatments. Only 2 more. Yeah!!! It’s been a bit of a rough go for dad while his immune system has been compromised. He got shingles just before starting his radiation treatments which added mega pain and discomfort. He’s been amazing during this entire journey and we’re all celebrating coming down the home stretch of radiation treatments! Time will tell how well the radiation worked but I tell ya, so many have lifted Dad and our entire family up in prayer and we sure are thankful for that. It’s with the Lord’s strength that we face life…the good, the bad, the ugly….and cancer. Yes, the ‘C’ word has hit close to home and it’s been scary. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there have been times when I’ve been scared. God has comforted when the dark nights are long and it seems that it's then when the fear comes to the surface. God had been there and provided comfort that only He can.

‘Thank you Lord for the comfort you’ve provided over and over again and will continue to supply.’

These days it’s almost inevitable that cancer will strike close to home but trust me when I say we’re never, ever ready for it. But, dad is doing great and unlike some, he’s feeling better as the treatments go on rather than worse. The shingles are almost gone and he’s not quite as tired as he was at the beginning. Still working on getting his strength back but day but day he’s getting stronger. Go Dad!!!

I must say that at least dad has given us lots of opportunities to laugh and have fun…at his expense! :o) He’s a great guy with a wonderful sense of humour! Uncle Tim (dad’s brother) and Aunt Chris were at our place for Easter, shortly after dad’s diagnosis and he kept us in stitches the entire meal with his jokes about dad’s ummmm…condition! We’re coming down the home stretch dad and celebrating! Continuing to pray. Thanking God for the prayers He’s already answered and trusting Him for ALL our tomorrows.

Love ya Dad! You’re almost there and we’re ready to celebrate!

Thanks Everyone!!

Thanks everyone for your congrats on reaching the 15 month milestone! Saturday night was filled with an adorable 3yo full of hugs and lovins’ as well as some baby holding, feeding, diapering and quick snuggles from her baby sister. Yup…just what the doctor ordered!

As I’ve sat back and thought about why this LIDiversary was a little tougher I realized that June is often an adjustment month for me and I’m doing just that…adjusting. As you know, the grass does not grow below these toes. I’m a go, go kinda gal and love it! June represents things winding down a bit and suddenly I have extra time on my hands. Not a bad thing…just an adjustment. The piano kiddies are gone until September which leaves my evenings free to fill with new activities and overdue projects. Many of my friends have cottages and trailers in the ‘north country’ so they head that direction most weekends. Thankfully Mom and Dad rent a cottage for a few weeks in July so I have a destination to head to too.

So what to do? LOTS!!! The room that will become Hannah’s nursery has quickly been overrun with stuff! You know…scrapbooking stuff, baby stuff, gifts and more. Lots and lots of…stuff! Someday when I’m brave (read: crazy!) I’ll take a picture of the room. You’ll quickly be able to see why I’m a little overwhelmed by the size of the project in front of me. My goal over the summer is to reorganize her room, store what isn’t needed right away and begin to prepare for Hannah’s eventual homecoming. The crib will stay stored away for some time yet as I would just fill it with more ‘stuff’ as I have lots of time to do that later. But, I think I will put her dresser together so that I can begin to organize some of her adorable little clothes. Feeling better already! We have a plan.

Oh yah, also need to finish painting the kitchen and eating area.

What am I complaining about? There’s lots to do! Now…just gotta get my butt in gear! :o)

Celebrating 15 Month LIDiversary Today!

15 months closer to Hannah! What a wonderful feeling!

Still, feeling a little weepy today. 15 months and still no real grasp of when I will hold Hannah in my arms. Hey, I guess anyone with a 15 month pregnancy and no sign of the end in site would be feeling a little weepy! :o)

Going to a friends house tonight and she has a sweet 3 1/2 month old so I'll be sure to enjoy some snuggles, giggles and breathe her fresh baby smell. My arms ache to hold my own child but until they do, I am so thankful for the friends God has given who are supporting me all the way and happy to share their babies with me when I need a 'baby fix.' Watch out Madeline! Auntie Cathy's coming and she's ready for some sweet baby lovins!

Hilarious!!!

This guy didn't know what he was getting himself in to!

Absolutely HILARIOUS! My stomach still hurts from laughing and I have tears in my eyes. Hope you enjoy it too! Thanks for passing this on Dad and Uncle Paul!

Don't Mess with These Grandmas!

CCAA Website Update June 21, 2007

YEAH!!! Celebrating today with Dawn and Stacy as last night their files marched out of the CCAA Review Room and joined Hannah's file in the Matching Room! Yeah, Yippee, 3 Cheers!!! Getting out of the Review Room is HUGE! CONGRATULATIONS friends!!

On a somewhat similar note, Rebecca helped me update my version of the Carmody Calendar when she was here earlier this week. Karen and her family created a fun calendar when they were waiting for Samara's referral and I've made a similar one to wait for Hannah.

Each square of the calendar represents 1 day of files that CCAA needs to match with families before they reach my date of March 23, 2006. Currently they have matched to November 7, 2005 so Rebecca put stickers on the latest referral dates.

A quick glance at the calendar gives you an idea of the slow pace that things are moving. This calendar started with the month of August 2005 and goes through to March 2006 which is where my LID is. The 3 months plus 7 days of stickers you see here represents the last 10 months of referrals! Yes, it has taken 10 months (September 2006 through June 2007) for August, September, October and the first 7 days of November 2005 to receive their referrals! UGH!! You can quickly tell why I'm cautious about guessing what month I'll receive Hannah's referral. Still holding out for a 2008 referral but at this point that's about as 'exact' as I'm going to guess it!

Oh well, tomorrow is another big day and I'll be back to celebrate it with you!

Mmmm...Fiesta Week!

Yeah! Home just in time to enjoy Fiesta Week! It's a week of fun in our city where all the cultural clubs host lunches and dinners each night. The week begins with a parade on the Sunday and then the festivities begin. There's nothing like food cooked in mama's kitchen! The evenings also feature children and adults providing entertainment from their home country but this year we'll just be doing lunches with groups from work.

Yesterday Norma, John and I headed out for a Greek lunch. (Another advantage of John being retired is that he can pick us up at the building so that we don't have to walk to our cars a few blocks away. Oh yah...we were roughing it!)

Lunch at the Greek Pavilion was yummy! Meat stick, taztiki sauce, pita, Greek salad, some other stuff I can't remember or pronounce and baklava for dessert! Yum!!

When we got back to work our project team was having an ice cream sundae fund raiser so of course I had to buy one. Hey...there are no calories when it's for charity right?

Today we're heading to a Ukrainian pavilion for perogies, cabbage rolls and meat sticks. Tomorrow...Chow! Italian pavilion here we come!

It's a really neat week and the community really comes together to enjoy the festivities. It's not unusual for the lineups to be out the door and down the sidewalk of each pavilion just to get lunch!

Is it worth the wait! Oh yah! Fiesta!!

Home again, home again!

After a wonderful couple of weeks together, Sharon and I headed home yesterday. The 3 ½ hour drive was made slightly longer by my enjoyment of the scenery and thus missing a turn. Oops! First I noticed a sign for ‘G’ (why were we heading towards G?) but I didn’t really pay any attention and just kept driving. About 15 mins. later I realized that I could no longer see any Highway 10 signs but only Highway 6. I’d missed the turn about 20 mins. earlier (when I initially noticed the ‘G’ sign!) so we quickly figured out a new route, laughed about my driving and kept going. Note to self: Next time take this with us!

Guess it was only right since I’d made a similar error on my trip to join Sharon. She’d gone ahead to ‘B’ a few days before me. The day I was to join her my friend Deb picked me up at home, loaded my luggage into her car and then drove me to work. After work she picked me up and drove me to the train station. Since there was no direct train from ‘O’ to ‘B’ I needed to go to ‘T’ first and change trains. ‘O’ to ‘T’ went well. Had a 40 min. stopover so grabbed some supper, a snack for bedtime (mmmm…love these Soft Pretzels) hit the loo (no easy task with 2 suitcases plus my carryon bag. Still need to work on traveling ‘lighter’) and all was good. When I exited the bathroom I noticed that my train had moved to the top of the board so I quickly checked what track it was on, headed for the elevator and then boarded the train. Ahhh…time to get comfy. Settled in, got out my book and prepared for the 1 ½ hour train ride north. About 2 mins. before we were to leave the main station the conductor says over the loudspeaker, ‘This train is east bound….east bound? (my ears perk up!) for x, x, x and ‘S’! Oh no!!! I’m on the wrong train! I quickly get myself and stuff together, exit the train, take the elevator downstairs, run and check the board (to realize that they’d ‘flipped’ the order of the trains so I’d misread the board the first time) found the new track number, raced to the elevator, rode it up only to reach the platform in time to watch the train slowly pull out of the station! Too funny! I laughed to myself as I waved to the train as it pulled away and thought of the people who were probably wondering about the crazy, out of breath chick waving to the train as it pulled away.

It was on to ‘Plan B.’ A quick call to Sharon to tell her my story and revised arrival time, a 3 hour bus ride north and I was in ‘B’ Oh well, it and it was a story to tell! Just glad I realized my error before the first train pulled out of the station or I would have been in real trouble!

One of the weird things Sharon and I saw yesterday during our travels was a ‘wind farm.’ It was huge and kinda creepy! We drove for about 5 mins. past what we guessed to be a hundred or so wind turbines. I’ve seen 1 or 2 in my days but never so many of them all clustered together. For as far as the eye could see it was wind turbines.

Once safely at home I chuckled as I checked out my mail. Yes…Carol had been ‘helping’ with my mail. She kindly divided it into categories for me:
- Junk mail
- Mags
- Fun mail (gift packages!)
- Not so fun mail - bills :o( and
- Uh oh – Gov’t mail! (Phew...just Income Tax return)

Thanks for your help Carol! I really appreciate you picking up the mail and watering my plants while I’m away. Also, for stopping by last night when you saw my neighbour’s car in my driveway. We sometimes park in one another’s driveways while the other is away to help give a house the ‘lived in’ look. My neighbour didn’t realize I’d be arriving home in the middle of the week and since my car was still in the garage, she had parked in my driveway last evening. I would have been stumped (and shocked) this morning when I opened my garage door only to find myself facing my neighbour’s car. It did give us a good laugh last night though!

Sharon, thanks for another wonderful couple of weeks together! We’ve often laughed as I’ve said, ‘I think this will probably be the last time we can do this before Hannah comes home.’ Well friend, I’m good for January and won’t count out next June either. Just pleeeease don’t let it be Winnipeg in January! Brrr!

Beautiful Sunset!

I had been told how beautiful the sunsets are over Lake Huron as the sun just drops into the water. I tried to experience on Sunday night but missed it by minutes.

Last evening I drove down to the lake to appreciate what I'd been told about. It was absolutely beautiful!! I love how God say's 'Good Night' to us in such an amazing way!

A Wonderful Day with New Friends!

Yesterday I had the priviledge of spending the day with Tracey and The papaya. It was an absolutely perfect day! It's such a treat meeting bloggy friends as it seems we're comfortable with one another within minutes and chatting like we've known one another for years.

Meeting Tracey and The papaya was just like that! We chatted at their home for a while and Papaya excitedly showed me the room she will share with her Mei Mei and then we were off. We toured their little town, including visiting Papaya's favourite store - the toy store!

After shopping we sat on a beautiful patio that overlooks Lake Huron and enjoyed a fun, relaxing lunch of spaghetti (can you tell who had that?), salad and playing lots of games of 'eye spy.' Let's just say Papaya is an expert at this game!

The afternoon was spent playing in the water and watching brave Papaya take on the waves with glee! She started out initially by running back when the waves came in but quickly decided that swimming in her sundress was a great option! It was a wonderful, warm afternoon and after a beautiful walk down the boardwalk and some time in the park her little dress was already dry. (My car thermostat read 34o when I got into it so I think it was about 90o out. Yup...Papaya had the right idea!) Tracey and wandered around in the water but decided that we'd leave the fully-dressed swimming to Papaya.

She also enjoyed climbing on these big beach chairs that overlooked the water. Adorable!

She is a precious, adorable, fun and wonderful little girl and is SO excited about her Mei Mei coming home. It's easy to tell that she's going to be a wonderful big sister to Ran.

Tracey, it was so nice meeting you and spending the day together with you and The papaya! I'm sure we'll do it again someday. I'm excited to follow your journey to China to meet Ran and then someday have the opportunity of meeting her too!

Thanks also for Hannah's little treats! What a great rattle. Haven't seen anything like that and I'm sure she'll enjoy it.

Thanks again for a wonderful day! It was so nice to meet you!

More Vacation Odds and Sods

We have moved on to the final destination of our travels and will be heading home tomorrow afternoon. Yesterday was Sharon's one and only day off in a 14 day trek. Phew....she'd earned a well-deserved day off! Unfortunately when we first woke up the sun was not shining. Ugh! 14 days of sun and then...cloud. Thankfully it showed up mid-morning and we took full advantage of it.

After vising a wonderful little church in town for morning service, we picked up McDonald's and headed poolside. Ahhhh...

A quick interuption in the afternoon to switch rooms (you can see we don't travel light!) to one with 2 beds (I'm a restless sleeper) and we were back to the pool. (Pictures were not taken on purpose!) Part way through the afternoon we decided the outdoor pool looked pretty inviting. It was ch-ch-chilly but we headed in anyway! Brrrr... After a couple of minutes we were numb to the cold and breathing had returned to normal and we hung out in the pool chatting for about 20 mins. At this point the man from the front desk came out to the pool enclosure. Guess what....we got kicked out of the pool! :o) Too funny! He said tat they'd only filled the pool and added chemicals the day before and since it hadn't been inspected by the Health Dept. we shouldn't be swimming in it yet. Oops! One more story for our travel memoires! (Guess we earned ourselves a reputation as when I went to return the towels to the front desk a new lady was there and she smiled and said, 'Ohhhh...you're the onese who were in the pool!' I responded 'Yup...can you tell by my green hair?' LOL!)

Deciding it was best to get rid of the chemicals we moved from the 70o outdoor pool into the 85o indoor pool! From ice to a bathtub. Mmmmm... Swam for a bit, sat outside and read for a while then decided we'd probably had enough sun for the day. Let's just say we're both really glad we came in when we did!

Supper was at a local fish and chip store and then back to church for their evening service. The had visiting missionaries who work at an orphanage in Acapulco, Mexico so that caught my attention. It was interesting and makes me very, very thankful for the ratio of caregivers to children in China!

I tried to catch one of PE's infamous sunsets over Lake Huron last night but missed it by minutes. I'll try again tonight.

After dropping Sharon off at work today I headed down to the beach to enjoy some of the beauty here. Very pretty! It's the first time I've every seen Lake Huron and it's huge! Here's my attempt at a 'self portrait.'

This final pic is just a silly one of my toes in the sand. It's pics like these that get us through the long, long winters. Yes...summer will arrive again. Ah, the feeling of sand between my toes. Love it!

Time to scoot. Off to meet Tracey and Papaya for lunch! We haven't met before but I know we'll have a great time together!

Will post more later....

A Wonderful Visit with a Friend

Once I learned that Sharon and I would be in the C area for her to conduct exams I knew I'd have to get in touch with my dear friend Della. Della and I went to Bible School together and had rooms next to one another. I don't really remember when we met at school...it just seems like we were always friends.

You may remember the BEAUTIFUL bootie collection that Della made for Hannah. Here's a reminder:

View Show Create Your Own
(If the slide show doesn't work please click here. You won't be disappointed!) Thank you again Della for this gift! I can't wait for the day when Hannah wears the beautiful booties you so carefully made for her.

Tuesday morning Della and I got together for a wonderful visit...and ice cream! Walking down memory lane and catching up on the latest and greatest in each other's lives. The morning absolutely flew by and before we knew it it was time to part ways so that she could head off to work. It came and went all too quickly but i am so thankful for the visit we shared together.

Della, I am so very thankful for the wonderful friendship we share. We may not see each other often but when we do it's always a great time! Love ya friend!!

Assorted Vacation Pics

We're not far from home this time but it's still neat to see new places in my beautiful province. Nestled along the shores of Georgian Bay are some beautiful little towns. These are the places that we've spent the past few days.

This afternoon when I picked Sharon up at work I decided to have fun and park her car in the spot marked as reserved for the Music Director! Oh yah....living life dangerously in OS!

Wednesday we moved between towns which gave Sharon a rare few hours off. The weather has been beautiful so we took advantage of it and sat outside for a few minutes. It was pretty toasty though so we didn't stay out long and did what any wise woman would do with time on her hands. Shopped!

While visiting a little candy store in C I found these little treats for my friends Kathy and Joel. Hopefully new flavours or flavours they don't get to try often. My bloggy friends are always close to my heart regardless of where I am. You guys are an awesome bunch of people and I'm so thankful for you.

Tomorrow we move to PE and on Monday I'll be having lunch with Tracey and her daughter. Looking forward to meeting another bloggy friend!

Not sure if we'll have Internet access in PE or not so if the bloglines and emails are quiet for a few days it's just because I'll be living in the dark ages for a few days. ;o) Heading home Tuesday after another great vacation with a friend. (Sharon always laughs when I say this because she works 6 days a week while I'm on vacation. Somehow it's not a vacation for her!)

Visiting the 'North Country'

Last weekend Sharon and I headed up to Muskoka Baptist Conference for our final Women of Grace conference of the spring. Once again it was truly a blessing!

Friday afternoon a doozy of a storm blew in and in a matter of minutes the winds whipped up, a lot of rain fell and the power went out. Uh oh....300 women on their way and no power. Oh well...it's time to kick it into high gear and make this thing happen as if we had power. It was kinda fun!

MBC is known for their amazing meals and even without hydro they didn't disappoint! We quickly switched to paper plates, cups and plastic utensils since we didn't have any water (pumps work on electricity) but as you can see mmmmm...supper was served.



Also, the kitchen was told not to worry about tea and coffee but once again they pulled through. This was the first time (and probably the last) I'd seen coffee made on the stovetop and poured into the pots by the ladle full. Thanks Terry and kitchen team! Your hard work is greatly appreciated and not taken for granted.

For chapel they hooked up a generator which allowed us to power a microphone and speaker and all was well. No power = early bedtime. Yes! When have you ever heard of a ladies conference when everyone was in bed by 9:30? Heehee! The power came back about 10:30 so we were all set for the remainder of the weekend.

One of my favourite things to do while at MBC is to look for deer. Sure enough as Sharon and I drove to breakfast on Saturday morning this little fellow/gal was grazing along the side of the driveway. He just kinda looked at us and went back to enjoying his breakfast. We were within 10' of him! Too cool!


God's creation in full splendor! Mom and Dad rent a cottage here for a few weeks beginning July 7th. Looking forward to waking up to this scene over and over on the weekends that I'm with them.


On another note, a friend at the conference brought up some of the jewelry she is making. Shelly took a silver smithing course last year and the stuff she's making is AMAZING!! Her mom wore this gorgeous necklace to breakfast and I bought it later that day. A few others bought some items too and one of the ladies at the conference was so impressed that she asked Shelley if she could sell her jewelry at her boutique in a local town that caters to an elite clientele! Too cool! Keep up the great work Shelly!

On the Road Again...

Hey friends,

Am taking time to visit beautiful parts of my province for the next week or so so posts may be fewer. Sharon is conducting exams again (didn't we just get back from BC?) and I'm along for the ride! Love these times we get together. We figure we've been doing this for about 8 years together and it's always such fun. Enjoying each one as they will end once Miss Hannah is on the scene. We joke because each time we're away I say, 'This will probably be the last time.' This time I said, 'We're good for January and maybe even June again next year!' Who woulda thunk it? Oh well, enjoying the time I have to visit parts of our beautiful country while I can.

Still reading blogs and email as much as I can. Unfortunately the wireless portion of the laptop is giving us grief so will be restricted to posting when I can get ethernet acess. Unfortunately not in our room at this hotel but the nice gal at the front desk let me use another room for a couple of hours. Yeah!

Congratulations Elisa and Julie! Can't wait to see pics of your beautiful new babes!

Will post again soon...I hope. Off to see if someone can help me figure out the wireless problem before I pick Sharon up at work. Have a great day! It's sunny here and I'm off for a walk and to find some lunch.

A Breathtaking Gift!!!

This gift was given to me by my wonderful friend Sharon! When she walked in with it it literally took my breath away and my hands began to tremble. It is a quilted mobile featuring 5 postcard sized, handmade, quilted pictures! It was designed and sewn by her friend Jana and is absolutely breathtaking!! Each picture is created from a variety of fabrics which have been sewn together to create 5 different Chinese scenes. Many scenes are brought to life using glitter thread and carefully placed quilt batting which gives each picture a 3 dimensional look and feel.

The mobile is beautifully displayed with a fan on top with the pictures carefully hung at a variety of lengths from chopsticks! I have never seen anything like it and I can’t wait to find the perfect place to display such a precious gift from the heart.

Jana is Sharon’s friend and the creator of this beautiful, unique piece of art. Quilting is one of the hobbies she has started since retiring. I'm so thankful she has!! Jana, if you happen to read this, Thank you! The mobile is absolutely beautiful! I hope to see you sometime when you're in town and tell you in person how beautiful this is!

And Sharon, what can I say? Thank you so much for this beautiful gift and for the daily prayers you offer for Hannah and I. I love you. You are a cherished and precious friend! Looking forward to the next couple of weeks away together. I didn't think this time last year we'd see another June Exam trip but I'm glad we have it! Have I mentioned that we're (that would be the Royal 'We') are good to book January too? LOL!!