Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Lucy Quilt

A simple quilt for a sweet new baby bird, Lucille Frances
Her quilt is machine pieced and hand quilted.

When I saw how little Lucy's parents decorated her room before she arrived, I knew this birdhouse fabric I'd been saving for something special would be perfect.

via Lucy's momma
Isn't the room so cute?! And that was before they were even done decorating. 
I also think it is such a cute and special thing that Mom and Dad painted the birdhouses together.
nesting :)




I like how heavily quilted it is, and I hope there will be many warm and snuggly memories with it.
Very sweet wishes to Lucy and her parents, for a happy, healthy, and exciting future.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Striving for Optimism

 via
The winter gets to me. The cold, gray days can be really hard... everyday life can become mundane (yet remain chaotic.) But lately, I've been approaching each day a little differently. My little sister Katie has really struck a chord with me in her quest for optimism.

Why focus on those things in life that cause heartache and stress? We have so many amazing things to be thankful for... so dwelling on the negative seems like a waste.

I mean it is cold and rainy/snowy outside right now... not exactly build a snowman weather (I LOVE SNOW!!) but the rain kinda puts a damper on things.
But there are also birds chirping outside. TONS of them. The sound of spring.

My grandmother used to say, "What are you crying for? It's a waste of tears."
Mom would say, "Crying's not doing you any good." (mainly when I was pouting because I wasn't getting my way.)

But it's true. Yes, crying is great sometimes, but if we look past what we are crying about... and see things for their raw beauty, taking joy from the simple things- we see that there is much more reason to smile than to shed tears.


Life is what you make it. We build our lives-- we control who we meet, impressions we make, what we do, how we share ourselves, how we wake up in the morning, what we value...

you get the point. So on this quest for optimism, this lifelong never-ending journey to train myself to see the good things in life, I thank God for smiles. children's laughter. rainysnow. quilting. crafting. photographing. my family. sisterhood. my honey. my dear friends. the amazing breakfast Chad made me today. hand-me-downs. all seasons. silliness. inspiration. giving. Easter. laundry. dishes. kisses. plants. art. music. forgiveness. second chances. jokes. weekends. waking up to Chad's guitar. chocolate. adventures. camping. dancing. cooking. cleaning. and everything else that makes my life complete.


OPTIMISM could be the key to success. Define success by your nonworldly riches and you will see what I mean.

Have a great day everyone!

Love Sarah