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| Latest Project: Quilt Leaders for the Longarm Frame |
As I photographed my latest project a few minutes ago, I was reminded of how beautiful it is here.
I never dreamed we would be able to afford a house on the water or that we could watch dolphins swimming by in the mornings. (Sometimes I want to ring the kids necks and say, "Do you have any idea how COOL this is?!" They're so over it, but then, they barely remember ever living anywhere else.)
When we lost our shirts (seriously, dude, down to the skivvies) on the house in Colorado, I'm not sure I would've believed that we could ever see the bad housing market as a good thing. Turned out, it worked out better than we ever could've hoped. Sure, the house is older and oh-my-are-the-cabinets-dated, and it looks a bit like a brick fallout shelter from the front -- which is why you don't see any of those pictures -- but it's perfectly laid out and our lot is about as close to heaven as you can get in this life.
Just check out the view from where I sew!
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| Okay, ignore the mommy missile...it's not usually parked there. :) |
And from where I quilt...
A few months ago, we asked a friend from Pensacola -- Amy Pinney -- to take some photos of our family here at home. I'm always behind the camera, it seems, so it's rare to have a decent picture of the entire family. She got some great shots that we'll always cherish, and the dock, gardens and bay performed their parts admirably. :)
(We live on a 1/2 acre...I guess they're more like glorified flower beds, but doesn't the word "gardens" make it sound like a pastoral estate?)
I love my mom so much...she's been such a trooper through a couple of years of crazy adversity. We had the good fortune to have her live with us for most of this year. It wouldn't have been a family photo shoot without her!
Check out Amy Pinney Photography on facebook, and if you live in the area, you should definitely consider having her take some pictures for you! Yes, I still do the occasional paid portrait session, but I'm not afraid to give some props to a fellow photographer. My heart is here...in the sewing and quilting. Amy has that same passion for photography, and my how it shows.
Daddy joined us later in the day, so I was delighted to capture this one myself. We miss him so much, but having this recent picture of the Momma and Daddy together helped to comfort her a little, I think. It's hard to believe it's been nearly two months...some day I'll tell you all about what an incredible man he was. He's definitely the source of much of my creativity and artistry...a renaissance man. (And a member of the Optimist Club!)
So here's what you really want to know, right? Drum roll, please...
Our first ever contest winner is Amy C.!
Check out her comment from the JustSewOlivia facebook page:
"Last night my friend's toddler did some caveman art on my family room walls. Caveman art is not done with a crayon or marker; it uses a more organic medium."
We all nearly fell over laughing. But if you didn't have the top comment, never fear! In light of all these blessings I've been telling you about, including the (holy cow!) supportive family and friends who helped me reach 7 registered website followers and 33 facebook likes in just one week, I'm going to share the love and send out two more prizes! All three of the folks who commented with funny baby stories, including Sarah T. and Katie M. will get a little something-something for playing along. :)
Thank you EVERYONE who followed, liked, commented and shared the website and facebook page this week. You rock, and I appreciate you! (All this allows me to continue to justify my fabric habit to SuperHusband. He talked about taking my debit card away and sending me to a support group, and I told him I already had one!)
