April Celebrations Continue.....

This photo of my parents was taken last June as we celebrated my niece's wedding.
In my family, April is a month of celebrations with birthdays and Easter. Last weekend we went to visit my folks. We had a lovely time together sharing a beautiful turkey dinner and celebrating my dad's birthday. As well, I enjoyed catching up with my sister and her family.

Today is my beautiful Mama's birthday. My mother is the most generous,caring person I have ever known. I want to celebrate the gifts she has given me.
My mother comes from a long line of strong loving women- women who lived their lives with purpose and caring for others. She taught me to celebrate each person's gifts. Here a few pieces of wisdom that my mother has shared with me.
My mother gave me the gift of life- to remember to rejoice the opportunities that each new day brings.

Some other values she taught me were:
.to see the cup as half full rather than half empty
.to treat others with respect and kindness
.to live from one's heart
.to take care of others less fortunate
.to contribute to the greater good of the world in which we live
.to see the good in others, for there is always something good
.to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us
.to take care of the little things
.to live life with hope and joy
My mom is not a quilter but she has always had a number of wonderful hobbies. She is cardmaker these days and continues to explore her love of family's roots through genealogy. She has crocheted afghans(we have two) and embroidered pillowcases and tablecloths for many years. Mom once collected stamps( her grandmother started that collection) and continues to write thoughtful letters and cards to loved ones. She welcomes all who come to her house with coffee and baked treats. I used to tease her that there was a sign on the highway advertising her cooking prowess. She can be counted on to contribute wonderful dishes to any potluck or family events. The connections she has made through her family tree searches has brought new ties to family roots in the United States(my father's side) and England and Sweden( my mother's side). Mom continues to can and freeze all the bounty from my father's garden and apple trees. Music fills her kitchen and a wonderful sense of fun fills her home. She continues to take care of her home and hearth and is well loved by all of us- my father, my siblings and our children.
Mom you are the best mum a girl could wish for- I hope that you have a marvellous birthday. May the next year bring you all things that are beautiful..

I do have some new quilts to show you soon, but have not yet downloaded the photos on to the computer. Today's quilt was the second queen sized bed quilt that I ever made. It is a sampler quilt- I chose the individual blocks from various pattern books.This quilt has a pieced flying geese border. The colors are soft and done with medium tones. Today I would have chosen bolder colors with more contrast. This quilt lives in my house and was made in 1996- 97.
I quilted this quilt in the traditional way - after the flimsy top was completed. Some of my friends have created sampler quilts and quilted those blocks individually using a quilt as you go method. Isn't it interesting, all the different sequences one can follow to complete quilts.
On the homefront this week, we bought a newer car for me. My old Honda car met with a sad end - our son is a new driver and got into a fender bender with it. Fortunately he was not hurt but my car was too old to be worthy of a costly repair.
After looking for a short time, I have some fairly new wheels- A Ford Focus - it is a lovely moss green color, has a CD player in it and air conditioning... It feels pretty posh to me. Hopefully it will last for many years to come.

I will leave you with some questions to ponder- What kind of patterns do you choose?
Do you like to try new techniques each time you make a quilt?
Do you like hand work or only machine work?
Do you like to do applique or like only piecing? How about working with templates or prefer to strip piece?
Next week I will let you know about my preferences..

I hope that you have a wonderful week...Spring has finally arrived Wah hoooh!

Regards,
Anna