Grateful…

I’m grateful for so many things that there isn’t space in this big world wide web of ours.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating tomorrow.  It’s so fun connecting with other people who have a passion for needlework and creative things and who are some pretty amazing people too.

I’m most grateful for a loving God, my faith in a Savior who helps me along this path of life every day, my great family and friends who are on the path with me, and those who have gone before to make it easier for me now.

I’ll be back soon with more stitchy news.  I’ve been working on a little ornament for a good friend whose birthday is coming up, and on some knitting projects.  Nothing new, but hopefully I’ll have a finish or two by the end of this long weekend!

Enjoy the turkey if you’re in the U.S., and are into that kind of thing tomorrow, and make time for some creativity in your day!

 

Giveaway!

Hello my friends in the blogging world!  I want to share in the celebration of my nephew’s safe and honorable return from a two-year LDS mission to Slovakia.  He says he has left a part of his heart with the people of that nation, and having served a mission myself years ago, I know what he means.  The best thing about my nephew’s return is the gathering of family and friends that we’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks, and the memories that have been created and remembered.  I want to extend this feeling to all of you, and get us all into the spirit of the holiday season from Thanksgiving through the New Year (and whichever holiday you celebrate be it Christmas, Chanuka, Kwanza, etc.).  So, I have been gathering some items for a giveaway.  The rules for the giveaway are these:

1) I will give one chance to you if you comment on this post and tell me how you found my blog or know me.

2) I will give another chance to you if you share your favorite family holiday memory on your blog, and include the link to your entry in your comment so that others can find it from my blog.

3) I will accept entries through Sunday, November 8th, and will draw the winner’s name on Monday, the 9th.

And, here is what the winner will receive:

Lizzie Kate’s “Jolly Holiday” chartpak (includes 30 ct linen and buttons)

Four skeins Week’s Dye Works, and one skein Gentle Art Sampler Thread called for in the kit

John James Tapestry Petites needles, size 24

Four coordinating fat quarters of fabric

A Utah Quarter needle magnet

– I’ll also throw in the two skeins of DMC called for in the chartpak when I send the package.

I will ship internationally as well.  So, folks, I hope you enjoy this little giveaway, and that it helps you to kick off a great and memorable holiday season with those you love!

I’ve also made progress on several WIPs, but I’ll save those for another day.  I hope your weekend was relaxing.  I spent most of the day yesterday driving up in the beautiful Utah mountains taking pictures for my photography class.  While the fall colors are pretty much finished, there were some great views up high, with a bit of snow and icy streams and lakes.  I enjoyed myself very much.  And, now, I’m going to prepare for what will be a very busy week.  We are expecting some continued wonderful weather, with skies clear and daytime temps in the 60’s.  Wonderful!

 

Clocktoberfest…we’re counting down!

It has been suggested that there are some themes we could use each day of Blogtoberfest if we lack ideas.  Believe me, I’m not lacking ideas.  But, since the batteries in my camera died, I thought I’d also tell you that my clock that is set to Slovakia time also needs batteries… Seemed appropriate, given the suggested clocktober theme for tomorrow.  I’ll explain a bit.  I have a dear nephew who has been serving as a missionary in Slovakia for the past two years.  Thus, the clock that tells us what time of day it is, where he is.  He will return home on the 15th of this month…I figure the batteries lasted the two years, and he went over (as of 9/19).  I WILL get batteries for my camera tomorrow, so my posts can be a bit more interesting!

If you’ll note, I skipped over rocktober, but I love music, so I may save that for another day, when my next set of batteries dies!

Okay, I give up.  This is my post for today!

 

Miracles

God is a god of miracles. If you want to know what I’m talking about, check out this blog: http://janandersonfamily.blogspot.com.
Jan and Allene are neighbors and friends of mine. In fact, my house is the one where Jan has fixed the sprinklers, helped to roof, and more recently torn down the deck that needed to be replaced, if you read on in the biography that’s posted. Mine is not the only house that he has spent time working and serving at. Our neighborhood is a neighborhood of service, and Jan is one of the most self-sacrificing individuals I’ve met.

I don’t usually post things that are so identifiable with me or my friends and family. However, in this case, I felt I must add my witness that we see miracles every day. Some are small. Some are big. That Jan is still with us is a major miracle. That he continues to make progress every day is a miracle. And, the bond that our neighborhood has felt as we’ve drawn even closer together is a miracle.

I’ve been privileged to see what can happen when we unite our faith. I have seen yet another example of how our trials will strengthen us, if we draw close to the One that can make us strong.

 

Remembering on Decoration Day

If you asked someone about their childhood memories, and they responded that hanging around a cemetery was among their most favorite, you might think them odd. But, in America and around the world, people celebrate the lives of their ancestors by “hanging out at the cemetery”.

I have fond memories of Memorial Day weekend. After a big lunch at the bowery, and a family softball game, in the less-than-a-mile-long town of Deweyville, Utah (which is at the top of the state of Utah) we migrated up the hill to the cemetery. The cemetery has had big changes since I was small. There are still pioneer-era headstones, but there are more recent ones. The number of plots available has increased from what was the size of a neighborhood baseball field to a football field. They’ve removed the cottonwoods that were at the edge of the hill overlooking the valley. And, I think they even have “automatic” irrigation.

I remember my grandma getting her box of plastic flowers from K-Mart out of the Buick and telling my mom which flowers were for which graves. My grandpa was buried there in the little Deweyville cemetery, along with most of my grandma’s family. I remember his lone plot next to one of the four small roads dividing the cemetery. It has a flat marker, and always had a cross next to it, with a small American flag flying on patriotic holidays. When grandpa was called up to serve in World War II, he was a married man, with three children at the time. A fourth came shortly after. He was young when he died, and they determined his early death was a result of the health problems that were intensified during his service. My grandma was left a young widow.

In my memory of that early Memorial Day, my grandma was older. Her children were all grown and had their own children. Yet, I could see a young woman as she placed the flowers on my grandpa’s grave. And, although I never met my grandpa in this life, his service and the loss his family felt when he died have helped to shape who I am.

My grandma remarried. The grandpa I really knew was a man who had served in the Navy. He tells of watching the flag being posted at Iwo Jima from his battleship. My dad’s father also served in the armed forces. He’s been awarded several medals, and it’s clear when you talk to him about his service, that he’s been deeply affected by things he experienced while serving. There are other examples of service to country in my family, but these are the first generation to answer the call. These men continue to shape my view of the world, both in war and peace, because of who they were and are, and what they sacrificed for me.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States. My grandma has been gone for 17 years, and her body is buried next to grandpa’s in a dedicated plot within the little cemetery in Deweyville. And, I’ll be using real flowers rather than plastic, but not much else has changed. I look forward to the feelings of gratitude and respect that will be enlarged for me, as I spend time with family. As we celebrate the beginning of the summer season, I’ll remember that we first gathered as a family to celebrate the legacy left to us by our ancestors. I’ll remember those who served, as well as those who sacrificed so that others could serve. Although I didn’t know it at the time, these are the reasons some of my favorite childhood memories are centered around a little cemetery at the top of Utah.

Thank you to the men and women who honorably serve the United States of America. May God’s best blessings be upon you and your families for generations to come.