Vegas

The cat's out of the bag! I'm in Las Vegas for the week for my Dad's 60th birthday surprise party! And BOY was he surprised:):) The party was Saturday night and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! Pictures and more to follow when I get home on Friday. As for now we are spending the week playing, shopping, swimming, eating way too much and sleeping late. AND Thursday night my Dad and I are going to go see The Beatles LOVE.....holy crap I can't wait!!!!!!

Sabbatical

I've started the first two days of my month off running a gazillion errands and getting ready to leave for out of town in the morning. My plan for this month is a little cleaning, a little catching up, a little organizing and a little crafting each day. I scored 100% on this for yesterday and today:) Hopefully my momentum will keep up:):)

Monique came over yesterday and did some photos of Miss S as part of the fundraiser she is doing. As always, all the shots came out fantastic. Here are a few of my favorites:

Freedom

As of 5:42 p.m. today I am officially OFF of work until August 24!!!! WOO HOO!!!! I have a to do list a mile long and I'm so looking forward to everything on it:)

Gammy

My heart has been so heavy this week as Tuesday morning we had to put our pug, Gammy, to sleep. She was our "old lady" dog....at almost 15 years old, and almost completely deaf and blind. Her poor little body started to shut down on Friday and by Monday I knew it was time. I held her at the vet's office as we put her to sleep and just cried and cried. She didn't flinch, or struggle or whimper...she just laid her sweet little head down and she was gone. My heart aches each day when I come home and only two dogs are here to greet me instead of three and her dog bowl sits empty on the counter.

This is the poem on the urn where we will keep her ashes:

"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to the Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor, those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly, stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly he breaks from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into those trusting eyes, so long from you life, but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together..."

Anybody got a....

Button??? Why yes, I do:) Quite a lot of them to be honest:) I lucked into 7 ginormous bags of buttons at the thrift store for $3.00 each. Yes....I spent $21 on buttons. But I just couldn't resist! I'm such a sucker for buttons and especially ones still on their cards.

Pug Butts

One of my favorite blogs is Cute Overload. It NEVER disappoints to produce some awe inspiring cuteness. I loved this pug video - especially since two pugs live with us and I'm inspired daily by their cuteness. Well, actually our two are getting old and crusty but they are still occasionally cute:)

June Quilt Blocks

This was my second month participating in my new Flickr Quilt Block exchange group and again I received some absolutely gorgeous blocks! These are 12.5 inch square blocks. Won't these look great in a quilt all together?!!! So perfect:)



And these are the three blocks I made for my partners - I hope they like them!! I'm really trying to use up some of my scraps on these and I think they turned out nice. When I look at all the blocks everyone else has made I'm totally blown away and hope that no one is disappointed with the blocks that I send them:(



We get to post what colors we want our blocks to be - I've been sticking with "blue and green" cause I think that will make an awesome quilt for the living room. I have 6 blocks now so just a few more months and I can put my quilt together:)

What Freedoms are You Grateful For?

On this Independence Day....what are YOU grateful for?

I am grateful for....
My freedom to choose - who I want to be, what I want to do, where I want to go
That my brother is home from Iraq
For my home and my loved ones that live in it with me
For my hands - to play piano, to craft, to sew
My faith and my testimony of our Savior
For the beauty all around me