Just in time!!!

I finished making my sons T-Shirt Quilt!!! So as promised, tomorrow I will be posting a Tutorial ...Then I am off to UCLA to help that boy move in.. See you tomorrow,   Lisa

Making of a T-Shirt Quilt, Tutorial

Hi Ladies, In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing a Tutorial on how to make a T-Shirt Quilt....

Although I have yet to complete it,  I am really enjoying the process of putting my sons T-shirt Quilt together.  I have found the experience of going through his High School T-Shirts to be a very special journey for me. It is so rewarding to see the T-Shirts from his early days of High School to the T's of completion.  I was afraid to make my daughter a quilt for fear of cutting her T-Shirts wrong.  So I paid a pretty penny and had hers made and yes it is beautiful. But now that my arms are empty nest is empty and I have more time on my hands and maybe feeling the effects of having both my children in College.  I have decided I would make my sons quilt.  There are many ways to make a T-Shirt Quilt..and so many fun things that you can add to make the quilt truly a product of your child's experiences.  I have chosen to embroider special sayings that I know will be meaningful to my son,  not only now but in the years to come.  As he sets out into the world and strives to help those less fortunate...I decided to include the Lords blessing and have the Priest from his High School Brophy, Bless his Quilt.  In doing so I feel the Quilt will be a gift for my son of love, encouragement and inspiration as he starts his first year of college, knowing all that he strives to achieve in this life that God has Blessed him with.

So I will be back later this week with the pictures and information on how to make a T-Shirt Quilt......Until then, here's my sons cat Mufasa,  missing that boy who has now left for college. 

Repost.....Happy Hookie Crochet Bag

Stopping in to say HELLO......

WOW...I have been away......So much going on in life....Changes...Whirled Wind Changes...O yes!!!!

Both my Kids Graduated..One from High School in June the other from College in July and.that was where I left off on this neglected blog.  Well, Nolan will be attended UCLA this fall, we move him in September.   Christie is completing her teaching credential and still tending to her creative side.  At the moment I am working on 2 T-shirts quilts.."Never made a quilt before in my life"  but I will share pics when they are done. I am having a lot of fun making them and my mom is helping me.  It means a lot to me to have my mom as involved as possible in my life and all that I do with the kids....Memories are priceless, don't you agree?

Well, ladies I must confess that I miss having my own creative space so I have been giving thought to starting my own cozy shop up again which will be working with Clay, Felt and Felting.  This explains the new blog title  "Oh Cherry Day"  I just was not blending with the " Empty Nest" theme...... I am still working for Ann Taylor at the moment. I love getting dressed up and hanging with the girls.  On the other hand I would love to live up at the Ranch with my little business, create as I look out at the beauty of the land and hang with the animals. So my husband and I have been going forth with our Ranch plains.

Well, until I have more info.....you can find the pattern for the Happy Hookie Crochet Bag over at Attic24, and its good to be back hope to hear from you all and catch up on what you are up too!!!!

 Hugs,  Lisa

It's in the Food

I’ am often asked how I have managed to raise such well-behaved, thoughtful, easygoing children. My answer is not always, what one expects to hear...I say, "It’s in the food!"

I start our school mornings off with yummy Pancakes, French Toast, and Eggs in a Hole or whatever will fill the belly and get my boy off to a good start, 45 min drive and AP Classes... As I was cooking for him this morning, I was so aware, that I have just one 1/2 more months as a mother of a High School Teenager! After May, my son will be spending his summer in California and then heading towards college for his new adventure. I have peace knowing this, yet it is bittersweet. I will miss him, "so very much." I will also miss getting up early just to make him his Breakfast and pack his lunch, “really!” I will miss fixing a snack for him when he comes in from school and then having dinner as a family. I know alot of parents do not make breakfast or lunch for their High School children. They feel they are at the age to take care of getting their own food. Yet, I still do this task because I believe that, not only do they need you when they are little, but also that they need you just as much, when they are older. Life is not easy for teenagers! They need to know you are still focusing on them. I feel blessed for my Children have never given me a hard time. When I admit that I m then told, it is because of how you have raised them. I answer; I have only asked that they both do their best in school, each in their own ways. I believe that I also have a part in seeing that happen, it is up to me to feed them the right food so they can get through a day of schoolwork, sports, side jobs, homework and still produce good grades. In a way by fixing these meals for them, it also allows us to catch up throughout the day, make sure all is going well, and see if they want to chat about the events of their day. Sometimes we are just quite, but the food sure hits the spot. Other times I'll even hear," Hey Mom, how was your day?"

. My life growing up was very different from the way I have raised my children. My mom did an amazing job raising 3 children by herself, at least till we were close to High School age but, it was not easy at all for her! I also had a very hard time in school because I am dyslexic, and did not know for many years. Therefore, getting through school was not easy for me. As my children became older is was not easy for me to keep up with their homework.

So, when it comes to raising my children. What has been easy for me has been to share with them TIME and LOVE. Love for them and love for others. My daughter is very creative. So sharing with her my love for all things Crafty, Colorful and Handmade, tenderness for animals and being a Smiling People Person has come easy. I have always had a Hugh heart for the homeless and those in need with mental illness so for my son I shared compassion for all things in need. He has a Hugh heart for helping the homeless and those in Third World Countries and he sores in his academics. Therefore, beyond what I could teach Nolan in this area was to put him in a private school that teaches young boys to become "Men for Others." I cannot begin to put into words the blessings this decision has been for all of us. His major in college is Civil Engineering without boarders. Therefore, when I say, “It’s in the food!” What I mean is, it’s the love a child feels when their mother takes the time to give them the fuel they need to accomplish all that is required of them during their day. It is when we sit and feed them we are also waiting for them to share with us their day, who they are or want to be and we can then help build those traits in them. Their days are long and hard and when you do this, you are saying to them I am your biggest cheerleader! I am here to help you grow into the person you want to become. I will share with you your dreams as they come true and when you fall, I will still be close by, that you will not feel alone, and we will move on together....With our next meal.

Smelling Hyacinths....Spring is around the corner......

I found this....O, so pretty! Easter Center Piece over at  "all about you"   I'm so in the mood for some spring decorating, and now I can't wait to see this on my Kitchen table......So I am sure to be making it soon..

Not sure if I will be going with the lavender flowers.....but, that is part of the fun.  Finding what works best in your home, don't you think?  Then making it all about your style!  You can find directions over here.   Please drop back by and let me know if you make one for your own home. If you come up with your own style we would love to see a pic or two!!!!  Have a wonderful week ladies.....

Daniels Gloves / Embracing the Homeless

  I sat, with

 two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant

 just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the
 company were both especially good that day.


 As we

 talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street.

 There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be

 carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying,

a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work for food.'

My heart sank.

 I brought

him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others

 around us had stopped eating to focus on him.

 Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and

 disbelief.


 We

 continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind.

 We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had

 errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I

 glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat

 halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful,

 knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I

 drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some

 purchases at a store and got back in my car.


Deep within

 me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: 'Don't go

 back to the office until you've at least driven once

 more around the square.'


 Then with

 some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the

 square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the

 steps of the store front church, going through his

 sack.


 I stopped

 and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet

 wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner

seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I

 pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest

 visitor.


 'Looking

 for the pastor?' I asked.


'Not

 really,' he replied, 'just resting.'


 'Have

 you eaten today?'


 'Oh, I

ate something early this morning.'


 'Would

 you like to have lunch with me?'


 'Do you

 have some work I could do for you?'


 'No

 work,' I replied 'I commute

 here to work from the city, but I would like to take you

 to lunch...'


 'Sure,'

 he replied with a smile.


 As he began

 to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where

 you headed?'


 ' St.

 Louis '


 'Where

 you from?'


'Oh,

 all over;

 mostly Florida ...'

 'How

 long you been walking?'


 'Fourteen

 years,' came the reply.



 I knew I

 had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in

 the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was

 weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dar

 yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation

 that was startling He removed his jacket to reveal a bright

 red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending

 Story.'





 Then

 Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times

early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped

 the consequences.. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking

across the country, he had stopped on the beach in
 Daytona... He tried to hire on with some men who were

putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he

 thought.



 He was

 hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival

 services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He

 gave his life over to God


 'Nothing's

 been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord

 telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years

 now.'


 'Ever

 think of stopping?' I asked.


 'Oh,

 once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God

 has given me this calling. I give out Bibles That's

 what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I

 give them out when His Spirit leads.'


 I sat

 amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a

 mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned

 inside for a moment and then I asked: 'What's it

 like?'


 'What?'


 'To

 walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and

 to show your sign?'



 'Oh, it

was humiliating at first. People would stare and make

comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread

 and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel

 welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was

 using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of

 other folks like me.'


My concept

 was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his

 things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me

 and said, 'Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the

 kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you

 gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a

 stranger and you took me in.'


 I felt as

if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another

 Bible?' I asked.


 He said he

 preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was

 not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite..

'I've read through it 14 times,' he

 said.


 'I'm

 not sure we've got one of those,

but let's stop by our church and see' I was able

 to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he

 seemed very grateful.

 'Where are you headed from here?' I asked.


'Well,

 I found this little map on the back of this amusement park

 coupon.'


 'Are

 you hoping to hire on there for a while?'


 'No, I

 just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that

 star right there needs a Bible, so

 that's where I'm going next.'


 He smiled,

 and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his

 mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd

 met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining.

 We parked and unloaded his things.


'Would

 you sign my autograph book?' he asked... 'I like to

 keep messages from folks I meet.'



 I wrote in

 his little book that his commitment to his calling had

 touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left

 him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the

 plans I have for you, declared the Lord, 'plans to

 prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future

 and a hope.'


'Thanks,

 man,' he said. 'I know we just met and we're

 really just strangers, but I love you.'


 'I

 know,' I said, 'I love you, too.' 'The Lord

 is good!'


 'Yes,

 He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I

 asked.


  A long

 time,' he replied


 And so on

 the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend

 and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been

 changed.. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning

 smile and said, 'See you in the New

 Jerusalem.'


 'I'll

 be there!' was my reply.


He began

 his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling

 from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and

 said, 'When you see something that makes you think of

me, will you pray for me?'



 'You
 bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.'


 'God

 bless.' And that was the last I saw of him.


Late that

 evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold

 front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and

 hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the

 emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown

 work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I

 picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his

 hands would stay warm that night without them.

 Then I

 remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes

you think of me, will you pray for me?'

 Today his

 gloves lie on my desk in my office.. They help me to see the

 world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember

 those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his

 ministry. 'See you in the New Jerusalem,' he said.

 Yes, Daniel, I know I will...



 'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can

 do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I

 shall

Happy Birthday to Me

Do you ever feel the desire to choose your own Birthday Gift?

Well, that's what I did for my 2010 Birthday and soon to be empty nest!!!!

Ta-Da....

I ordered a very pretty little disk, engraved with the saying...."I'll carry your heart in my heart"!  It came with two smaller disks engraved with my childrens names, a pearl and a silver bead. It's so pretty and simple. Not heavy at all....I just love it!

So, while they are away at college...I will keep them close to my heart, as always....

Boy, sure made that easy for them.....:)