Goodie Delivery!

When ever I’m gone for more than just a few days, there is always a mountain of mail to go through. And getting home late Sunday afternoon, and knowing there was no mail delivery on Monday, I have to admit that I put the whole pile out of mind until Tuesday morning when I needed to get that mountain tackled, book orders sent out, all the other errands in a row…

One thing I noticed right away was this beautifully fun multicolored bubble envelope!

I opened it up…wondering what it was….((It is no where near my birthday, mother’s day is long gone, and I couldn’t think of who would be sending a gifty like this!)) and this is what I found!

Lookie Lookie! HOME MADE SOAPS!! And I am so happy she put there in the first line, right in the first sentence…that these are INDEED soaps, not fudge ;c) ((Remember the incident with the dreamsicle fudge I thought was soap?? LOL!)) Thank you Janet O for the kind thoughts, the wonderfully inspiring letter, and your delightful comments on my blog in the past! I thank you, my skin thanks you!

Janet is a relatively new blogger, but she’s been scrap quilting for 25 years and soap making for 15, so I guess we can say she keeps it Clean and Scrappy! :cD You can find Janet’s blog HERE!

Let’s see….what ELSE came in the mail??

It’s the July/August issue of Quiltmaker Magazine which is just arriving!

In this issue, you’ll find my rendition of the Spoolin’ Around block!

Make them in recycled plaids and a variety of neutrals, or REALLY color up your summer by mixing bright colors with black and white prints…..color ONE SIDE of each spool in a complimentary color, such as the solid red shown, and see the alternating pinwheels appear!

This is a great block for digging into your box of 2” strips and 2” squares!

So what else went on around here today? NOT ENOUGH! But I filled every minute and I’ve still gotta finish packing the trunk show for my 4:15am departure in the morning, so this is a quicky!

We went to Michael and Harriet’s to drop off the baby quilt and enjoyed a wonderful Kenyan meal! And I have to tell you --- ((Wish I got pics, but I restrained myself!)) Harriet looked beautifully 9 months pregnant, wearing white capris and a gorgeous fuscia blouse…..when she opened the gift bag that held the quilt, it just SUITED HER! Really. She couldn’t have dressed better to match this quilt..LOL!

And then, as they examined it, you should have heard the exclamations. Oh. These are African fabrics! Look…at this one! and This one..and THIS ONE! When Michael saw the family fabric I had included in the borders…he got teary eyed. He couldn’t believe there were words in Swahili in the border, Love, Family, Unity ---Honestly, truly, this was just THE. BEST!!

And being a quilter is the best. Nothing else gives me this feeling than the simple gesture of giving the gift of a quilt to someone who is not expecting it. Nothing is as rewarding as knowing that this quilt will be loved and cherished and worn out with the using. Besides, I told them, how could I make Michelle another quilt if she didn’t use this one up first?

So Harriet is all set to be induced on Thursday EVENING. Why Thursday EVENING? Because Michael is DH’s assitant plant controller and they won’t be done with month end until Thursday evening. LOL! I told her --- Welcome to my life! When Jeff was born, things weren’t moving along fast enough, and DH was pacing the hallways, so I sent him BACK to the office for a few hours until I needed him. Or I swear, *I* was going to lose my cool! :cD

By the time I get back from Houston, there will be a new member to this beautiful family. And in a week, Harriet’s mother will be arriving from Africa to stay the month. Then, maybe then, I’ll get pictures of the baby with the quilt to share with you.

And I’m off…to go finish packing, to get an early night’s sleep, to get up at the cranky-crack-of-dawn, to make my way toward a Texas Adventure. I hope you’ll stay tuned for the ride!