Last glimpses of summer

The weekend before last we went camping for the last time this summer. Our youngest son said that this was the way he really wanted to spend his birthday. Unbeknownst to us, my loving husband secretly rented an RV. Our youngest always wanted to do that, but we always tent camped instead. How fun!We traveled to Turkey Run State Park in central Indiana - one of our favorites. We hiked on Trail #3 (another favorite), a very rugged 2 mile trail.We crossed a suspension bridge over Sugar Creek, then wound along the water's edge. We traveled through the beautiful Bear Hollow.It reminded us of hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park in Utah. At the end, you need to climb three ladders to get out of the gorge.After that you climb 144 stairs.I told the boys that I had to get a photo from the top. Actually I needed to catch my breath :)

We also went on a long canoe trip down Sugar Creek. Stopping at beaches along the way.Turkey Run State Park is in Parke County - home of 30 covered bridges.During our canoe trip, we were able to travel under several of them.
It was a wonderful way to spend one last relaxing summer weekend. "Then I will be able to come to you with a happy heart by the will of God, and we can refresh each other. And now may our God, who gives peace, be with you all. Amen." -Romans 15:32-33
Blessings, Patti

News and more news!

I have only been blogging since the beginning of June. I'm technologically challenged and was not even sure if I would be able to do it, but thought I should at least give it a try. Imagine, a mere three weeks later and I received my first award!

Sweet Cookie of Curds & Whey, who creates dolls as sweet as she is, was so kind to honor me with my very first award - The Arte Y Pico Award! Thank you so much Cookie - it means so much to me!

Betty, the talented artist of primitivebettys sent me this Kreativ Blogger award:

LaDonna, who creates incredible papercuttings at http://ladonnawelter.blogspot.com/ honored me with the Primitive Excellence Award:

Jane, the talented rug hooker of Liberty Homestead Rugs awarded me the Primitive Excellence Award as well:I can't tell you how much each of these awards mean to me! Especially when I look at the source. Each of these women are talented folk artists whom I admire. To think that they believe I am award-worthy in such a short time... WoW! It's overwhelming. Thank you so very much! And when I have a few moments, and can figure out the process, I will pass the awards on to other more deserving bloggers.

Now, my other BIG news! I am very excited to announce that I have been invited to appear as a guest artist for the month of October at...

The Primitive Gathering!

Click here to see more http://www.theprimitivegathering.com/

This gathering of some extremely talented primitive folk artists post their creations for sale on the 1st and 15th of every month! I can't (and won't :-) ) tell you how much money I have spent purchasing their incredible works of art! I treasure each and every one of those pieces!I am so very blessed to have an opportunity to appear with them! I better get stitching in order to create some items that can share the stage with their art!

As I mentioned in my first post:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Phillipians 4:13

Blessings, Patti

9/11 Patriot Day

The anniversary of this day always has such an impact on me. The memories come flooding back…
The confusing first reports.
The horror as we heard more.
The rush of people in the train station from the evacuation of the Sears Tower. All trying to leave the city as I was trying to get in.
The evacuation of the Wrigley Building where I work.
The eerie silence of the city, when I finally felt brave enough to leave.
Listening late at night with my husband to the incredible silence. All planes were grounded. Living close to O’Hare all our lives we had never heard such silence at home.
Even more scary, the occasional loud rush of a military jet shrieking by.

Even now, when I see a very low plane or hear an extra loud one, I gasp. During our visit to NYC a few months ago, we visited ground zero. With all the construction, the impact isn’t the same. It was the little things that had the big impact on me, especially visiting St. Paul’s. The memorials there are incredibly moving. http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/The tree that saved St. Paul's:

For our generation, this day will never be the same.

“Deep in my heart I do believe that we shall live in peace someday.” -Anonymous

Blessings, Patti

Relaxing

Over Labor Day weekend, we spent an afternoon visiting at my sister-in-law Joy's family home. Joy is definitely a kindred spirit. She encouraged me to join her at craft shows more that fifteen years ago and we have been doing shows together ever since. Joy, of Joyfully Yours, is a talented folk artist who always inspires me.Their home is lovely and their backyard is like a little slice of Eden. An afternoon in the garden and I felt as refreshed as if I had been on vacation. The fish and Koi are so sweet. When Joy or her husband Garry come near, the fish come right to the edge and almost flip out of the water. The following one was my favorite...I have put two of Joy's sheep creations in my etsy shop. We'll share a shop for now :) just as we hope to share a brick and mortar shop someday... You'll be seeing more Joyfully Yours creations soon.

We are off for a long weekend of camping at one of my favorite state parks. This is how our youngest son has chosen to spend his birthday. (He wants to open gifts and eat cake around the campfire.) Hopefully, I will have some lovely photos when I return. I know that I have some big Winding Vine Designs news to share when I get back.

Blessings, Patti

Not what I planned on doing this morning...

I had heard on the news that Oprah was taping her season premiere today in Millenium Park with the Olympic medal winners. I walk past the park on my way to work and thought I would take a peek...I took a picture of the stage from the lawn seats and thought maybe I would get a glimpse of someone, but with no such luck.

I was going to head on to the office when an Oprah show worker came up and asked if I would like a wristband to the pavillion. I considered and debated for all of 30 seconds, then said Yes! I went through security and was shown to my seat. My seat was about half way back in the pavillion and I was certainly thrilled with that. Oprah's best friend, Gail, arrived before the show started. When the olympic athletes marched in, I felt like I was at the olympics! I was thrilled to see Oprah interview Michael Phelps.And was surprised at the height difference between Michael Phelps and gymnast,Shawn Johnson.At the end, American Idol winner, David Cook came out and sang. Meanwhile the olympic medal winners came out into the audience to shake hands. They were all extremely gracious and patient. Wow! This was definitely not how I had planned to spend my morning! The show will air on Monday, September 8th.

God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

Blessings, Patti

Just a quick peek...

TDIPT will be updated late Sunday night. Here's a glimpse of what's coming...

I wish each of you a wonderful holiday weekend! Enjoy these final days of summer - savor them.

Blessings, Patti

Live in each season as it passes,

breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit..." -H.D. Thoreau I've always lived by this philosophy. Enjoy each moment. Savor each season. This applies to my creations as well. I love to work on patriotic creations on the 4th of July. Pumpkins at Halloween and turkeys at Thanksgiving... I usually end up finishing a project on Halloween and putting it out that day or finishing it a few days later and saving it as a new decoration for the following year.

My issue is now that I am selling my creations online, I'm realizing that doesn't work so well... People want to buy Halloween items before October 31 so they have time to enjoy them themselves :)

On vacation, I found this glimpse of the coming season. When we returned, I found that our pumpkin had prematurely turned orange. Maybe these glimpses will help me get in the mood for fall.

Any ideas on how I can savor the season while creating for the next one? I would love to hear from you!

Blessings, Patti