Katy's Hope

This beautiful little girl is named Katy. She's 4 years old (5 in May) and she is the precious grandaughter of one of our own, Perry of OkPeri's Place. Katy is adorable, talented, and very much loved. And Katy has Cystic Fibrosis. CF is not only a terrible disease but it is one without a cure. When you look into the winsome smile of this lovely young girl, you just know that you need to do something to help her, and other children like her.

Every year in May, the national Cystic Fibrosis organization holds a big fundraiser and each year different fundraising efforts are made in the hopes of raising monies towards research and care of those with this horrible disease.

Katy's grandmother, Perry, has made a quilt available for raffle purchases at the Oklahoma Center For CF for two years, now. Last year, she made it herself, this year Cindy has made it for her. This beautiful quilt is 98" x 99" and is called "Katy's Hope II." Made from fabric from the Moda Chocolat line, it is being raffled off with two raffle numbers exchanged for every $5 donation made in honor of Katy and her supporters, known as Katy's Voyagers. Visit Katy's support group at the GREAT STRIDES Home Page .

It's so good to be able to count our own blessings, please help others count theirs, as well.

Spring Ritual: The Gathering of the Feminine Energies

Throughout time, humans have gathered together to share in common dreams, goals, rituals, and celebrations. The gatherings in Spring time are often association with the rituals of the divine feminine. It is a time of the dying of the darkness of the winter season and the welcoming in of the light of the new birth of Spring through birth and re-birth.

I couldn't help but think of this and feel these emotions as five Oregon quilters gathered in "Marathon Quilter" Cher's lovely Portland home to share a wonderfully prepared luncheon and discover the common threads of blogs and blogging, quilts and quilting. It soon became apparent that we were also sharing the variety of differing textures and fabrics of our lives that make each of us unique and distinctive, yet also women with much in common.

Each of us was very different, yet each of us part of one another and somehow also, very alike. In the course of looking at the vast array of quilts and quilting, stash and stashings, threads and threadings, we meandered our way through the process of getting to know one another better. I was delighted to find that it also helped clarify and helped me further understand different sides of myself as I saw similarities brought forth from each of the other ladies.

We talked about why we blog...as well as why we quilt...and it truly made me think even more deeply about this process and the role it does... or does not play...in each of our lives. Each of us was brought to blogging for similar yet different reasons, just as each of us discovered quilts and quilting for similar, yet different, passions. I loved being able to gather with other women that I knew only from their written word and creative quilted expression and discover other multi-faceted parts of their personalities. It was a beautiful day and a great gathering together of similar-minded women.

Spring gatherings usually reflect not only our desire to express our more social and sociable natures, but also as a reflection of the delicate and perfect dance between dark and light in our own lives while Earth is in her own time of rebirth. We all endlessly strive for finding balance between our masculine and our feminine energies in our everyday reality. So I found it fascinating, to feel so welcome into this feminine circle as each of us opened ourselves to sharing our weaknesses as well as our strengths through this shared hobby and passion for quilting.

I enjoyed my visit with these four lovely ladies and genuinely appreciated Cher's gracious hospitality and lovely surroundings...framed by beautiful artwork, energies of creativity, and a room filled with dear women. My thanks to Cher, Holly, Patti, and Dot for a lovely day, interesting conversation, and truly inspirational quilts and quilting!

The Textile Arts: Re-claimed and Re-covered

The International Fiber Collaborative is an organization which brings together artists who love to work with a variety of fiber based materials and provides them with opportunities to use their love of the arts to express concern (in an artistically tangible way) over the world's dependency on oil.

This year’s project is called the World Reclamation Art Project (W.R.A.P.) Artists literally covered (or re-covered...) a gas station with fiber art projects. 1,000 local grade school and college-level students worked (either independently or in groups) to create their textile panels. In the process of learning the necessary skills and creating their panels, they also had the opportunity to talk about the greater world issues of our dependency on crude oil and the control of oil and gas prices, as well as becoming part of a nationally recognized public art project!

Students crocheted, knitted, stitched, patched, or collaged three foot square fiber panels. Suggested or specific materials and techniques included: crochet and knitting, handwoven textiles, patches and patchwork, stitcheries, squares of re-claimed textiles (yarns, fabrics, clothing etc) spinned wools, felt, ironed-on images, natural materials of all kinds, recycled material of all kinds and a variety of quilted or quilting techniques.

All of the panels have been sewn together and now completely cover this abandoned gas station in central New York State. For additional information or to see other views and individual panels check out: http://www.internationalfibercollaborative.com/

I can't help but think that this is a viable and valuable project for any of us who have a passion and even an obsession for the fiber and textile arts. I'm looking around my house...I think I can see a potential panel or two. It takes the meaning of "design wall" to a whole new level!

So, maybe an old barn and some re-cycled quilts to bring attention to grain prices? I think Bonnie of Quiltville could sponsor this concept to promote her new eco-quilting book and give us a "quilt-in" during the process ;)

Earth Day

 

The 1960's were a decade of great change and intense social upheaval. It was marked by the untimely and violent deaths of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. It was an era filled with simple but unforgettable music, strange yet exciting clothing, big hair, bigger earrings, taller shoes, shorter skirts and unforgettably wide bell bottom pants. It was the era of "Flower Power, Far Out and Feelin' Groovy" and there was someone, and something to watch...every where you looked.

I spent my teen years in the 1960's and I remember well the intense and dynamic activism and social awareness many of us experienced during that time. My college classes included categories like "Black Lit" and "Poetry of War". The "war" meant Vietnam and the topic of the 'draft' struck terror in all of our hearts. "What's your number?" was just as common as "What's your sign?" Your number meant your draft number and could signal the end to your college career, your hopes for the future, or even the end of your life.

Our "sign" was always the peace sign, above all else. You saw it everywhere, on everything. It was what we all wanted and what we prayed and lit candles for. Just as much as we cared for our rights, for human rights and for rights to either 'choice or life', we also cared ardently about environmental issues.

It was during the mid 1960s that Congress passed the Wilderness Act, and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas asked, "Who speaks for the trees?" I remember reading in college Rachel Carsons, shocking bestseller Silent Spring (1962). I didn't read it 'just' to learn about environmental issues...it was assigned and mandatory classroom reading! I remember how much it pained me to think of the environmental damage we were so unwittingly creating... not only for ourselves, but our children and grandchildren for generations to come.

In was during the sixties, that Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental 'teach-in', or 'Earth Day' to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people responding to increasing interest in environmental issues, participated that year, alone.

Today, April 22, is one of several recognized 'Earth Day's' and is celebrated by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries. Senator Nelson, an avid environmental activist, may have taken a leading role in organizing that first celebration, but it is one that is taken up, on many levels, by many ages and groups, today. Seen as more of a 'grassroots' celebration by many, and even protested and disapproved of by others, it is still the the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year. Many cities extend the Earth Day celebration to an entire week, usually beginning on April 16, and ending on April 22. The unofficial Earth Day flag is the photo taken by NASA and submitted by John McConnell, shown above.

But according to 'Flags of the World' it is this ecology flag created by cartoonist Ron Cobb, published on Oct. 25, 1969 that is the Ecology Flag. Patterned after the U.S. flag with 13 stripes...alternating green and white. Its canton is green with a yellow Theta symbol. While originally sporting a symbol which combine an E...for environment and an O...for organism, it 'evolved' into the Greek alphabet letter for Theta. (Theta is historically used as a warning symbol.)

Whatever the symbol, the meaning or the intent, Earth Day remains a day of continued awareness, social and environmental responsibility and a continuing commitment to the stewardship of Earth as our home.

My family participated in Earth Day in Salem, this past weekend, as part of the Pringle Creek Community's Earth Day celebration. As 'green' builders, my family is proud to be the builder of the first LEED Platinum home in Oregon and the top-rated LEED-H Platinumn home in the U.S.

Baby Quilts

Keeping my commitment for a quilt for every new child (and that includes adoptees and fosters of any age) two quick finishes in all of my 'spare' time ;) These two are made completely of leftover scraps from previous projects...great for the Eco-Earth Day weekend that lies ahead.

To welcome a new great niece newly 'hatched' last week, two little quilts and a cloth book for big sister to read to her new little sister (and a wind-up musical toy for both to enjoy.)The first baby quilt uses bright prints (showcasing spring flowers and baskets) with a backing of baby duckings (the parents are huge University of Oregon Duck fans) pulled from my string bins.

The second is Beatrix Potter four patch done in the softest of soft pre-washed flannels. Combined with a simple and practically made cloth baby book to match, (she can chew on this one!) and adding in a musical duckling and her little tag-along baby Koala bear. The little musical toy was actually picked out and purchased by my mother, the great-grandma, which makes it even extra-extra special.

A fast, simple but nice gift bag of goodies from the two of us to the two of them!

Making a Wrist Pincushion

While previously watching another pincushion challenge going around blogland, I was motivated by the dilapidated condition of my own favorite wrist pincushion, to make a new one and this time take photos of the process!

I especially love this creation, which I designed several years ago, because it also works as a wrist protector/support band for my over-used wrist and its issues ;) 

It can be made with either one very wide piece of elastic inserted inside or with channels that hold several thinner rows of elastic (like I had - pardon the pun - on hand) to use here.

Directions for making a wrist pincushion:

Step 1:
Before you begin, it is best to not only assemble supplies but also draw a pattern based on your own wrist measurement. I am small boned and my wrist measures 5 1/2" around so my pattern is based on simply doubling my own wrist measurement or a size small band to be cut at 11" long and about 3 1/2" wide.  Make yours both wider and longer for larger sizes.

(Enlarge photo to see other measurements.)

Supplies needed for the band are:

1/4yd of fabric
1/2" to 3" wide elastic strips as desired, cut to 3/4 the length of your pattern piece (for stretching and supporting purposes)
bias trim to be uses as an exterior edge binding
velcro or other hook and loop tape

Supplies needed for the small attached pincushion section are:

a small piece of fabric 3 1/2" to 4 1/2" square, front and back
and either a large magnet (mine came from the inside of a broken magnetic pin holder) or a wad of polyester fluff or leftover batting to place inside of the pincushion.

Step 2: Make the small pincushion by sewing cut squares of fabric, right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning. Stuff with either the fluff, or a large magnet with some fluff on its sides, but not covering its magnetic surface. (If you want decorative rick rack (as I did) it can be added before you sew this seam ,to show once it is turned) Then turn pincushion section, right sides out.

Step 3: Make the band by sewing two band strips right sides together at long edges, turn right side out and then stitch channel seams down the length based on whatever width your elastic and number of channels are. I used an assortment to show you can use whatever you might have.

Step 4: Insert the elastic into the casings, pulling through with a bodkin or safety pin and anchor ends with stitching. Trim ends outside of stitching.

Step 5: Cut velcro to size and stitch down, one piece at each oppoing side. 

Rememer the loops will be on one side (front or back) and the hooks on the opposite side (back or front) Try on before you do the final stitching to make sure you do this correctly ;)

Step 6: Attach the stuffed pincushion at this point, after hand sewing its opening closed, and then simply hand sew it to the band. If you wish you can also very carefully machine sew it to the band, but it's a bit trickier.

Magnetic version above 

 Stuffed with polysilicon or sawdust, rice, or broken walnut buts or even cut human hair (natural oils of hair actually are helpful to smooth pin insertion into fabric!)

Step.7:
Your wrist pincushion is done! If it's magnetic, like mine, you can toss a few pins on top, or let it 'take a dip' into the pins for a refill. You can also make a co-ordinating band (minus the pincushion) for the opposite wrist giving you dual wrist support and a nice stylish appearance ;)

If you prefer, leave the magnets out, add more fluff and use in the traditional form!

Goodsearch Does Good for the AAQI ...Alzheimer's Charity Doubled

Every day, I make a Goodsearch for articles, links, information that I would normally research online for, anyway! GoodSearch is a search engine (powered by Yahoo!) which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users.

You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. The money that they donate to your cause comes from its advertisers and the money that is then raised by the supported charities does good for the cause, the community and all of us, as well!

I make sure to use my downloaded IE version of Goodsearch as my home page search engine, look up what I need to know or learn more about and benefit the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative in the process.

Next time you need to find something on the Internet, head over to Goodsearch.com. Where it says "type in your charity here…" type in Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (Burton, MI) From then on, unless you clear the selection, every search you do from GoodSearch.com will earn us a penny.For a group of 1,000 people with an average of two searches each day, we could earn approximately $7,300 in 2008.

As director of AAQI, Ami Simms, says: "It's like we're all sitting around the quilt frame putting in one stitch at a time. Takes forever; but with ALL of us stitching, we'll have that quilt finished in no time!"

And to start you all off on the right foot, (the one you use to pedal your sewing machines...) sign up for Goodsearch, type in Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (Burton, MI) in the charity line and then look up:

1. Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative
2. AAQI

3. AAQI Quilt Auction

4. AAQI: From the Heart of a Quilter

And if you like to shop online...In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user's designated charity or school – averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more. The Goodsense Homepage will also tell you how to set up your search engine to receive donations that way!

Even if you already have your favorite search engine, and you love how fast or efficient or how custom designed it might be for you,personally....please just make 2 Goodsearches a day in honor or AAQI...it's easy to do and the good you do only multiplies!! And if you choose to not make it your homepage, save it as a favorite on IE and click on it to begin a couple of searches a day...just make sure you have Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (Burton, MI) always visible in that designated charity box for each and every search!

Randy Pausch Transcript : The Last Lecture

Latest update: Dr. Randy Pausch Video Obituary
Update: July 25, 2008: Randy Pausch Has Died
July 29, 2008: The Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life (ABC Tuesday Night) July 31, 2008 The Gift of an Enduring Legacy
August 17, 2008 Carnegie Mellon University plans Randy Pausch Memorial Walk

The following April 10, 2008 post was published as follows in its original format shown here. For the update on his death, click the link, above.

............................April 10, 2008.....................
Read the entire, original transcript of Professor Randy Pausch, of Carnegie Mellon University and his unforgettable speech "The Last Lecture" delivered on Sept. 18, 2007 here:
Read or Print off the PDF download of "The Last Lecture"

See my Orblogs post (from Salem, OR) on Randy Pausch, links to information on his current condition, links to his home page, his daily journal entries entries and photos from his blog as well as links to the video of his speech on YouTube at my last blog post:
Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture

Still Hoping and Praying for a Miracle:
As Pausch's Virginia-based oncologist, Michael Lee, attests to "the unfortunate fact that he (Randy) does indeed have metastatic, incurable pancreatic cancer - the biopsy of his liver last summer proved it. Randy concedes that his "shelf life" is limited. But, he says, "I don't want anyone to pity me or treat me like I'm already dead. I've still got gas in the tank."He's not opposed to miracles, either."I'd love to be the one-in-5-million fluke."

So please, take a moment to send your prayers and healing thoughts: to Randy, age 47, his wife Jai, age 41, and their three beautiful children...Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe, 22 months.

QUOTES FROM RANDY PAUSCH'S 'LAST LECTURE'
-Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day because there's no other way to play it.
-Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
-No one is pure evil. Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you.
-Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don't want it badly enough.
-It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.
-We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you.

"Randy Pausch is 47, married to a beautiful woman that he loves dearly, the father of three beautiful children, and is a gifted and beloved computer-science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. And Randy Pausch is also dying......"Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's Home Page
The story of Randy's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
Update on Randy Pausch: in his own words
Randy's famous "Last Lecture."
The Last Lecture:Randy's Book, just released!
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - UPDATE ETC Global News
Journeys Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood DreamsYouTube - The last lecture of Randy Pausch 1
ABC News: Dying Professor's Lecture of a Lifetime
RandyPauschInformation"The Last Lecture:Randy's Book, just released!

Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture

Latest Update: Dr. Randy Pausch Video Obituary
July 25, 2008 Randy Pausch Has Died
July 28, 2008 The Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life (ABC Tuesday Night)
July 31, 2008 The Gift of an Enduring Legacy
August 17, 2008 Carnegie Mellon University plans Randy Pausch Memorial Walk

.............This Original April 9, 2008 Post as follows...........
Randy Pausch is 47, married to a beautiful woman that he loves dearly, the father of three beautiful children, and is a gifted and beloved computer-science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. And Randy Pausch is also dying.

Randy was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, which he says has now returned full force, after surgery, and chemotherapy and radiation. Doctors now say that he has only a few months to live.

Randy had been on continuing palliative chemotherapy, not as a potential cure, but with the intent of simply slowing down the growth of his tumors. As Randy wrote, on the six months 'anniversary' of the countdown on his cancer...

" The doctors weren't wrong; they always said that if the palliative chemo worked, I'd buy more time, but that it was a long shot. And the doctors have done a brilliant job of tweaking my regimen to help my odds. How much longer this will work is hard to know, but I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left, no matter how many or how few of them I get.

Unfortunately, the side effects of the chemotherapy have caused congestive heart and renal failure, resulting in another recent hospitalization. Randy is currently back at home right now, and as he writes in his blog..'I rest, and I rest, and I rest."

When Randy was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he realized that "If you're going to pick off a list, this is not the cancer you would pick,...I mean, it's pretty much the last one you would want to get. It's pretty much the most fatal.

He had originally decided to continue medical treatment in the hope of prolonging his life. As he says, he can't change the cards he's been dealt, but he can control how he plays them. Randy decided to play them, to the best of his ability, while still living his life to the fullest, while still loving and seeing to the best interest of his family and somehow still being there for his own last days with his college students in his lectures.

As Randy, explains there's an academic tradition called the 'Last Lecture.' at Carnegie Mellon. Professors give it before they retire. Randy knew, after his diagnosis, that he wanted to give his own final lecture on "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" . He would talk about his life's journey and the lessons he's learned along the way, to his students at Carnegie Mellon, but with the intent of leaving the video taped lecture as his own final legacy for his three small children.

That September 18,2007 lecture before 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University was complete with slides of his CT scans and a description of the cancer that was devouring his pancreas and that would most likely claim in his life in a matter of months. Randy Pausch's 'Last Lecture" was video-taped and ended up on the Internet where it has since been downloaded more than 6 million times. Randy Pausch ended up being on You Tube, and on the Oprah Show ,where he reprised his "Last Lecture". And tonight he is being featured on an ABC special called "The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life"

This amazing man and his overwhelmingly inspirational speech has reached, touched and exploded 10 million hearts. It's not just a speech about achieving childhood dreams, or living your life, or what you would do if you were told that you only had six months left to live.

"Any professor will tell you there's some lectures you have to pull them out of yourself, and there's some that just pour. This talk wrote itself," he says

As his cancer progresses, Randy has made a living will in order to make life a little easier for his family. But aside from planning a small ceremony, Randy says he isn't spending his days making funeral preparations. "I don't think that's a particularly great use of my time. I think spending just a little bit of time is the right way to do it. I'd rather, while I'm healthy, spend time with my kids and doing things that are helpful to other people while I'm still fairly vigorous."

While his priorities have not changed drastically, Randy says a lack of time is a major motivator. "There was a sort of logistical rush, because the analogy I use is that my family's about to get pushed off a cliff, and any good father says, 'I want to be there to catch them,'" he says. "Well, I'm not going to be there to catch them. But I'm spending my limited time sewing some really good nets to cushion the fall."

"[Somebody said], 'You've become so famous for dying, what's going to happen if you're alive in a year or two?'" Randy says. "I said, 'Give me the problem! I'd like to work on that one.'"

As Dr. Mehmet Oz (who has met Randy, been at his home, and shared his final journey with him) says "healing is not about curing people,...but about making sense of it all." Randy says:
"My wife Jai has been an incredible source of stability and courage through all this. We both agree that "you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand."

This man, his life's journey and the story of how he has chosen to not only live his life, but live through his own dying process... is one that has touched my own heart very deeply. I hope you will watch, listen, learn, and be touched as well. I know that I, for one, will be watching it from my own home in Salem, Oregon tonight...and I hope you will be, too!

"The Last Lecture: A Love Story For Your Life" on ABC ....TONIGHT...Wednesday April 9th, 10pm/9 CST.
Randy Pausch's Home Page
The story of Randy's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
Update on Randy Pausch: in his own words
Watch Randy's famous "Last Lecture."
The Last Lecture:Randy's Book, just released!
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - UPDATE ETC Global News
Journeys Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
YouTube - The last lecture of Randy Pausch 1
ABC News: Dying Professor's Lecture of a Lifetime
RandyPauschInformation

My Updated Post on Randy: The Last Lecture: Transcript Link

June 2008:Randy Pausch: Update

Read or Print off a copy of his transcript of The Last Lecture:
Transcript of Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" as delivered at Carnegie Mellon University on Sept. 18, 2007

A New Earth Phenomena: Oprah 4/09/08.

For those of you following the online sharing of Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" or interested in it at all: A New Earth comes to The Oprah Show on Thursday, April,9, 2008.

In January 2008, Oprah announced her 61st Oprah's Book Club selection, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Unlike past selections, this book isn't a novel or a memoir. In fact, Oprah called it her boldest choice yet."Being able to share this material with you is a gift and a part of the fulfillment of my life's purpose," she said. "It was an awakening for me that I want for you too."

To bring Eckhart's spiritual teachings to readers around the world, Oprah teamed up with the author for the first live, interactive Web series in Oprah Show history. Every Monday, people come together in the Oprah.com online classroom to discuss the chapters' themes and ask questions.The 10-part series kicked off on March 3, 2008, and since then, Oprah says it's all she wants to talk about. "It's just the most exciting thing I've ever done," she says. "Millions of people around the world have begun experiencing A New Earth for themselves and are awakening to the possibilities of their lives.

During the classes, Oprah says she and Eckhart have touched on topics like how to quiet the mind, how to put the ego in check and how to be fully present in the moment. "The one thing I know for sure is that you cannot even begin to live your best life without being connected to your spirit," she says.

Like all things that our hearts know to be real and true, my understandings only grow from new openings and connections. I, for one, will be watching Oprah! on Thursday the 9th on NBC at 4:00 p.m. from my Salem, Oregon living room ;)

Chapter 1Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 2Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 3Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 4Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 5Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 6Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 7Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 8Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 9Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Chapter 10Video (Large) Video (Small) Audio (MP3) Transcript
Theme SongAudio (MP3) Rising MeditationAudio (MP3)
Walking MeditationAudio (MP3) Drinking MeditationAudio (MP3)
Object Awareness MeditationAudio (MP3) Breath Awareness MeditationAudio (MP3)
Inner Body Awareness MeditationAudio (MP3)

A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, Oprah and Me

Monday Offerings

For Madigan Army Hospital in Fort Lewis, WA:
At Top: Patriotic HeartStrings Quilt Project lap quilt 45" x 50".
Second Row, left: Patriotic, appliqued lap quilt 45" x 50", 3-D stars and the words 'Pride, Honor, Duty, Valor.'
I usually send my patriotic lap quilts for newly wounded soldiers returning home to the USA for medical treatment to Madigan Army Hospital in WA.
For the American Legion, at their request and using their instructions:
Second Row, right: A qulted blue star banner; 8 patriotic bags-called 'ditty' bags, they are used for the complimentary hospital supplies, soldiers are given upon arriving; 6 tiny neck roll pillows; and four bigger bags used to transport everything.

Hands Across the Ocean...

To Nellie, who is Giving A Hand to a friend, Teoda Linda of Appunti Patch . As Teoda says:

"My goal is to get as many hands as possible to compose a big fresco for our friend.In order to get a beautiful fresco I need various fabrics and colors. And so there will be a sort of unit, power and sense of whole coming from this work. Somehow the only freedom is the choice of fabric and color. No matter the quality of the fabric, no matter whether it is new or used, what counts is to understand this project and to participate for the pleasure of doing it.

Instructions: Take a piece of fabric, a material or a color that reminds of you. On the back side of the fabric trace the contour of your hand (right or left like you prefer).Then cut leaving from 5 to 8 cm for the arm.

Do not embroider, do not embellish , do not collect anything. Do not try to distinguish with your name, adding pearls or anything else. I really insist about this !!!!!

There is no need to line it either, it is really necessary that the hand is in accordance with the others.Put your hand in an envelope and send it to me, writing separately on a piece of sheet your name or your nickname.

There is no need of inscriptions nor confirmations, and to gain more time I leave my address:

FREDERIQUE BOULOGNE
3 BIS RUE DE LA LIBERTE
67114 ESCHAU (France)

Especially do not lose time writing me by e-mail to tell that you want to participate, or to explain that you could. That you have not been able to. It would be only lost time .... The time, that we need so much!I won't send e-mail to confirm that I've received your hand but everyday in a corner of my blog I'll update the list of the received hands.And above all, please do it as soon as possible.Those who want to show their hands on their blogs, explaining for example their choice of materials and colors, and perhaps this will allow other quilters to add their hands to ours.

Come on then, help me to demonstrate that the virtuality of our relations is based on the reality of our friends.And if you have any questions ask here on the comments of this post I'll reply so that everyone can take advantage from them.I'll count on you and your friendship. A big thanks in advance!"

note:
I am delighted to give my hand in friendship and caring through Nellie, to her friend, Teoda Linda, and back to Frederique, in France. My fabric cut-out hand is 'filled' with antique needlecases. Since I couldn't decorate the fabric hand, I made a photo collage for this blog, instead :)

WHAT TO DO:
Trace your hand on fabric of choice, place in envelope, mail to address above in France (first class postage, I put 2 stamps) Post on this project on your own blog, linking the chain back to this post of mine, and let the chain of hands begin to reach around America and Across the Sea and Beyond!

With Heart and Hands, A Quilting Journey: Hands Across the Ocean... Michele in Salem, Oregon

Our Nation's Fallen Heroes

For those of you who wonder if our charitable actions are recognized, if our blogs make a difference, if thoughts and prayers help others in this world...
Please read this comment below which was left after my post on Blue Star and Gold Star Service Banners:

"I was sent a gold star banner when my husband SFC Scott R Smith, US Army EOD was killed in action on July 17th, 2006.

It made me smile to get this banner as I had wondered why I was able to buy a blue star flag in the PX but not a gold star. It was an honor to know that someone out there who I will more than likely never know thought enough of my husband's service and our sacrifice to send me something so simple as a banner.

It makes me wonder now if this banner came from Rob Raubeson. I commend his efforts on bringing so many families a little piece of mind..... thank you from the wife of a hero...

Gari-Lynn SmithWife of a Hero
SFC Scott R Smith
KIA 07-17-2006
What an amazing man....I love you always"

Because this blog comment touched me so deeply, I did an online search for SFC Scott R. Smith and I found:

DoD Identifies Army Casualty:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Scott R. Smith, 34, of Punxsutawney, Pa., died on July 17 in Al Iskandariyah, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated during a controlled ordnance clearing mission. Smith was assigned to the 737th Explosive Ordnance Detachment, 52nd Ordnance Group, Fort Belvoir, Va.

If that doesn't touch our hearts, truly make us think about our world, our wars, the people who serve our country with the best intentions and deepest of faiths, and that our own lives...all of our lives...make a difference...how we treat one another with respect and honor, how we remember one another, while both alive and after we have passed...

Well, this comment did it for me this morning! And trust me, I've gotten a LOT of heartfelt and touching e-mails and comments on my blog.

If you haven't read it yet, please read my post on (ABC news first list Rob, then Rod) Rob Raubeson, a hero in his own right,

Lest We Forget
Please send your thoughts and prayers to all of our Fallen Heroes, to all who those who are still in battle, and to all of their families, everywhere! And please let us not forget...this includes those from other nations, as well.

If you would like to make either a Blue Star Banner (for a family with an active member currently serving in the military) or a Gold Star Banner (for someone you know who has lost a family member in military conflict) please see my post on Making a Blue or Gold Star Banner

shown above:
Gold Star Service Banners 8" x 16" which are also available from the American Legion
Gold Star Banners indicate a family member who was killed while serving in the Armed Forces and can only be displayed by family members of a Fallen Hero during a time of military action.

Snippets and Thread Tales

• For all of you who read The Origin of April's Fool's Day yesterday...April Fool's!
• For those of you who wonder, does she ever actually quilt? 2 patriotics ready for binding at Monday's community sewing group, 2 completed baby quilts ready to go to new babies, a 75" x 80" heartstrings quilt being backed, the fabric for 5 preemie quilts in the dryer and one cut-out preemie quilt currently under the needle.
• How long do I spend sewing in the average day? Probably about 5 hours
• How long do I spend on the computer in the average day? Way, way too much.
• How many visitors my first month of blogging: 0. During my second month? 7
  Who were my first comment froms? paula, Shelina, Nellie , Finn, Patti :) :) :) :) :)
• How many posts do I plan on reading today: 90. Within 2/wks: 647 more. (with dial-up, no less .... I am almost a saint) Oh, and I'm not on any blog rings of any kind, either.
• Number of comments that I'll make at other's blogs...that's hard with dial-up, and so many blogs, but I aim for 12 a day.
• How many visitors do I have in a day? Today's projected average is 323. That is higher than it's been. I've had over 500 in a day, however, but averaged 60 for an eternity. By 2009, however, I went up to 700. The most I've ever had? ...over 1,200! Blew me away!!!
  
• Do I care how many people visit my blog? When I first started blogging it took me an average of 6 hours to load one photo and post one blog and I had 0 visitors. It took me over 6 months to get AOL to accept Blogger and not fight each other and me. It taught me both acceptance and persistence. Now, I feel like blogging has a purpose and a mission. It makes me want to both think and write more carefully. And it also creates the desire in me to give even more back out again, in return. So, the answer is yes, I do care. It's part of my spiritual mission in reaching out and helping others.
  
• Why do I blog? I believe it is a way of sharing and giving out to others. It allows me to use my English degree by actually reading and writing ;) It's a wonderful way to feel a connection with others at another dimension of being. It's a way to sew and share the sewing with others and I just plain have fun blogging ;)
• How about you? Want to share back?

shown: my snippets bag which matches my Sewing Machine Pad With Pockets and bits and pieces of scraps that became pattern weights

The Origin of April Fool's Day

If you have ever wondered who the April Fool is and why he got his name or even how, and why, we celebrate his own special day...April Fool's Day...this is his story.

The 'Fool' was born on April 1, 1582, in France. His name was Guy de Gowk. When he was born, everyone stared at him in absolute and utter amazement. "It must be a trick!" they exclaimed. "He looks quite the fool!"

It might have been his rakish grin, or perhaps the ear that was just not quite 'right'. He had the strangest little chicken legs...or perhaps they more closely resembled those of a turkey, as he also had a bit of a gobble. He always had a big grin on his face and loved to chortle with delight and glee. He had a strange penchant for bright objects and would stare at any and all of them for hours and hours.

His parents, hung strange objects above his crib...candelabras and pendants and flags and baubles to keep him entertained and in the process they created the first infant mobile. He loved his mobile dearly, and would reach up and grab them and hide them from his parents, then suddenly pull one of them out from behind his pillow and yellow 'cuckoo, cuckooo!' He roared with delight at his own cleverness, delighting his parents, as well.

Being so different and not ever really looking like his own parents or anyone else he knew, Guy grew up to be quite the loner but he also developed an understanding and appreciation for those that are different and often made the butt of other people's jokes. So, he turned the tables on those who teased him and played pranks on them, instead.

He came to be much loved by the members of his little village. He was the prankster who was always trying to trick others into believing his jokes and his ridicules. He loved to spring out from the bushes and yell 'cuckoo, cuckoo' and throw old dead fishes upon passersby. He would laugh uproariously and they would get even...by later pinning caricatures of dead fish upon his own back when he wasn't looking. Thus, in great jesting and fun, they made him the 'poisson d'avril', instead.

The townspeople continued to love and to care for him, but soon became tired of his constant pranks and sought to teach him a lesson. They decided to pull one big prank on him for a change. They planned a special day where the whole town would pull one practical joke, only this time the jokes would be on the little Guy. This event became known as 'hunting the gowk' or 'the cuckoo.' In France, it is known as 'poisson d'avril'....the April Fish...as the fish is the zodiac sign for April and the April fish is believed to be caught easily, as Guy most certainly was!

Once, the townspeople caught Guy de Gowk,they put up a 'kick me' sign on his back and pulled him through the town, dancing and yelling and carousing around him. They celebrated his catch for a full forty-eight hours, dressing him up in silly outfits and sending him on unusual and silly errands around the town.

In spite of all of the jokes and ridicule, Guy took it all in stride. He delighted in having his own special day and stayed in high spirits and light-heartedness. He knew in his heart that after a full year of pulling pranks on the townspeople, it was only fair that they got their day to trick him back. He liked playing the fool and he loved having a day celebrating silliness and fun in his honor. It became a tradition in this small town, to celebrate Guy's own special day every spring on the first day of April and became known as 'April Fool's Day'.

Others, hearing about all of the fun and hearing the laughter and merriment's for many miles, began to celebrate their own 'Guy de Gowk' or 'All Fool's Day.' It became an annual event, the time to officially welcome Spring, let go of Winter's cares and sadness and just truly enjoy life.

To this day, we continue to celebrate this tiny, odd little 'April Fool.' We may have forgotten his name, his origins or his peculiarities, but we still love the pranks, the merriment's and the fun of 'Guy de Gowk'...the little cuckoo.

P.S. April Fool's !!!
©With Heart and Hands
Michele M. Bilyeu, Salem OR