Things to remember

My mother in law (hubby's mother) passed away a month ago, exactly 16 months after we lost Rye.  We have been going through her things with Hubby's dad and she had boxes of cross stitch magazines that had projects marked that she wanted to do, and notes made and nothing that we can make heads or tails of but obviously she had a plan!  As we were going through her sewing things and patterns we could tell most of the time who that pattern might have been for.  Some she had already started, and we found at least 8 completed projects that had not yet been framed - just waiting.  There were also lots of memories in those boxes.

So I came home the other night and looked around my sewing room and I have stacks of magazines that someone would have to go through if something happened to me and they take up a lot of room.  So I have been going through them and am pulling out the  projects that I love and want to keep to put in a fabric drawer that will go in the  book case - you can see it below amid the stacks!  Yes - a hot mess!  And you already know from an earlier post that I am a list maker!

As I was going through my books and magazines and projects, folded up in the edges of one of them was this torn out sheet from my favorite Celtic store (Gaelsong.com) and of course a torn out quilt picture.  The plaque says "Things to Remember".

As I read it I thought how appropriate it is for the space that I am in right now.  Isn't it amazing how we find the things to keep us going just when we need them sometimes.  Sometimes I don't find them and I lay down and have to take a break!  But today....

I will "Love your life & what you have been given.  It is not accidental.  Search for your purpose and do it as best you can.  Forgive, it frees the soul.  Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know.  And above all...Make every moment count."

Blessed be.

Hug it out!

This year we did a little "secret Santa" thing at work at the school and for one of our weeks we had a "handmade" rule.  It got me brainstorming about some of the folks at our school and how a quilted item might look for them.

Our staff is wonderful.  We all care about the kids - every single one of them even on their worst days and we had some bad days this past week!  We have a ton of folks who care enough to stay late and get there early and make sure the kids are ok.

This is a pillow I made for the nurse at our school.  She is just like this - a big hug from the aurora from her energy to her personality to how she treats people!

And dont think the Aurora is cold because it's not - it is warm and electric and wonderful!

This is a pattern I made myself - Ill try to make it a reasonable pattern that anyone could do - stay tuned for that.

I hope that no matter what is going on in your life or at your work you have people who make you feel loved and hugged - or if you are that person - thank you!

A little water goes a long way!

We struggle to get recycling here at the farm and at the school.  Water and Gatorade bottles abound and there are always half full bottles sitting around unclaimed!  One of the great things we do at the school is that when each class graduates they give a gift to the school - kind of a "legacy gift" so to speak.  In 2016 the class that graduated that year gave the school a water fountain that has a water bottle refill station!  It is awesome!  It also has a digital counter on it that tells us how many water bottles have been kept out of the landfill by using the water bottle refill station.  A very cool feature!

Above shows the water fountain installed.  We had a different water fountain here - one that did not refill water bottles, leaked, and didnt count the bottles kept out of the landfill either!

About every other week we announce in our daily's how many bottles have been kept out of the landfill and the kids love it (staff too).  It is exciting for them to see and hear how they are making a difference with each sip of water!

Above photo shows the digital counter and you can see that it says 1602.  That is in a very short period of time and when I checked it today just a week later (I took that photo on January 11, 2018) It now reads 2067!!!!!  More than 400 bottles kept out of the landfill in just a 7 day space of time!!  In a school with only about 400 students and staff!

I love to walk by it and see the number go up each time I go by!  We have a water bottle station in the office (water cooler style) and sometimes I purposely dont refill there - I get my steps in and I can see how our counter is doing.  

Think about how your sips of water might be able to change the world - or at least the culture in one building at a time!

Funding our dreams a dime at a time!

I am a big fan of dreams!  I like it when I hear people dreaming big!  I hear lots of dreams from kids and grown ups at the school, here at home and even in the grocery store!  Some of the kids are eloquent and passionate about their dreams and some of them are hesitant, as if they don't quite believe they are worthy of such a big dream.  I think that even those hesitant dreams are worthy of praise and push - you know - encouragement.

I have worked with a number of non-profits and sports teams over the years and they all have one thing in common - fundraising!  They all have to do fundraising all the time - for sports even in the off season.  It is never ending and all of us dream of a benefactor coming forward (think Daddy Warbucks here) to solve all of the problems that money could solve!

I am also always looking for creative ways for newlyweds and others to have a little spare change literally to help them start a new life .  Enter the "dime jar".  This is an upcycled bottle from pretty much any source that will hold a fairly large amount of change and has a hole at least large enough for a dime to fit into it!

Above shows the labels I printed to put on my newest "dime jars"  the above bottle just happens to be a Margarita mix bottle and it will hold any size change except for the half and silver dollar sizes - but pennies to quarters will fit right in!

Here you can read the label - it lets you write in the dream and a "By:" date if you choose!  That way your goal is specific and time bound!  It also makes it easier to stay the course so to speak, and to keep from robbing the bottle! 

The bottles above on the right are glass bottles that were from my oldest sons Prom - there were extras and I bought a few of them - they had the Prom motto and the dates on it but I used nail polish remover and wiped that off so I could use them for other things!  I did have to trim the labels to make them work with the rounder bottle - its both round and concave so the square label just didn't fit right - trimming worked great.

This "dime jar" is also a great way to start the new year and start making a "change" for yourself!  Drop your loose change in and it adds up fast!  What is your dream?  Write it on a jar - Even a Mason jar will work or a coffee can - and start making that dream (change) come true! 

Happy New Year!!!  Dream big!!!