Your crystals lead the way Deb and remind me that you had ever dreamed of me riding in front of a crowd.  Tiana has allowed me to have a dream of a Friesian girl named Minuet.  How you would have loved her sweet face.  Minuet and I .

I've found a Dr that has really helped me balance my life and I have lost weight finally.  I am proud and so hopeful.

I have decided to make my first costume in your honor.  I saw a mini in a lion mane here that you would have LOVED
http://youtu.be/3gvVHaNVmIA

The Lion reminded me of one of my favorite books growing up, the chronicles of Narnia and I wondered if anyone remembered that C.S. Lewis also wrote A Boy and His Horse where the horse saves this little boy.
http://www.amazon.com/Lion-Witch-Wardrobe-Chronicles-Narnia/dp/0060234814/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

This had me searching for the movie version for Jadis, the White Witch played by Tilda Swinton.  People on the Internet are ever so much more clever than I so I have compiled the pictures on Pinterest for me to use in designing my dress.

I had some problems with using that costume since Tiana said measure from waist to floor then add 24" and that dress looks pretty A line and stiff so back to the Internet I went.  I then remembered the movie Ever After and I have EVER loved that dress.  I have decided that my debut on Minuet will be in a size 10! Just Breathe Dress for so many reason but first and foremost to honor the brilliant friendship I had with you where all things seemed so clear and pure.

I have loaded my Pinterest site with inspiration, ordered my patterns and though my dress seemed well in the planning stages, there was my absolute terror in riding in front of people.  How well we hide our fear Deb behind loud laughter and extrovert tendencies.  I wondered if I would ever be able to ride Minuet in front of people but yesterday another friend of mine mentioned that she would be happy to help me learn to overcome that fear!  With Penny, Kelly and her, two years to prepare, I hope to make my debut on the dress I sew in honor of you.  I was sewing when you died Deb and I could barely look at my sewing table without thoughts of losing you crashing in on me.  How can someone miss a person so badly my friend?

Help me Deb to finish this dress as I dream it can be and to let me RIDE in your honor.  All I have to do is JUST Breathe.

I miss you Deb and I carry you in my heart wherever I go.

Some links I will be using

Info:http://www.everaftercostumes.com/

Where the dress is now: http://www.costumersguide.com/fashioninfilm.shtml

What color is the color of mourning?  My overall emotion is MAD MaD just mad, DamMad ....

My best friend in the world passed this last Wednesday, a week already since she has been gone.  I'm mad that she is not on the other end of that phone.  I am mad that I need to make a living instead of finding the nearest timber and screaming out the pain.  I am mad at the speed of some people's recovery.  I am mad that her life isn't made into a shrine.  I am mad that I chose a job over seeing her, even though I know my family needs my income and it's damn scary here.  I am mad that the best friends I have live so far away.  I am MAD that her face is before me every moment and others seem to be able to function quite well thank you.  I am MAD that I can't solve the issue of getting her horses to me.  I am mad that I didn't have premonition that this was going to happen and make the time to sit in her garden.  I am mad that the people closest to me can't see that my heart is breaking.  I am mad,mad, mad with sadness.

I m.i.s.s. you

Chery's Sunshine on my Mind PIF Quilt day 1

First Square made during Patriot/Giants game

I was at JoAnn's Fabrics when this A Touch of Rosie Quilt book caught my eye.

A Touch of Rosie by Carrie L. Nelson

What I liked best about the patterns in this book was the SUMMER-y fabrics that provided a nice change from the homespun browns and civil war block piecing selections that the quilt stores were selling.  Moda seems to be having the biggest Tea(dye) Party!!  Even this year's mild Iowa winter had me longing for spring, soft pastels and florals.  When I was invited to participate in a Facebook PIF (Pay it FORWARD) opportunity, this book was the first one I reached for to make the quilt and I chose the pattern Allemande for my friend Cheryl, both for the happy dancing all the squares were doing but also to highlight the quiet glow that always surrounds Cheryl and her loving nature.  I was unable to find the fabrics Carrie used in her book but did find Moda Fig Tree line Butterscotch and Roses line as replacement.  The brush cotton is a luxury to sew with, the softness reminds me of a well loved baby blanket but loses none of the shaping.  It's perfect in weight and although my local shop had enough Blanks solid yellow, I went into the hunt to find the buttercream that was in the Butterscotch and Roses line.  Found it here!:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ButtercreamFabbie

Here is block one.  As you can see, many, many triangles and seams to match.  I have stitched this one by turning squares into triangles but will be using paper piecing tomorrow to see which one makes for exact triangulation :)

Carrie's blog is here LaVieEnRosie

M'

Fabric selection

It doesn't take a $5,000 machine to quilt - honest.  Purchased for $200.00 at Walmart and my portable machine.  Since I wanted to watch the Superbowl on the big screen, left the Janome upstairs and used the old standby.  LOVE Brother machines!

Squares to triangles, geometry made fun

Follow the easy directions and you have connected seams even an engineer can appreciate

Paper piecing, here we come....

Copyright A Touch of Rosie

hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot.com_cathedral-window-quilt-tutorial.html

I've been searching for a quilt pattern today to start on and googled on this tutorial.  I'd like the quilt to be with yellow fabric background rather then white.  White has been so stark for me lately and I am sitting here in Iowa IN January IN 60 degree weather.  I just can't believe how beautiful it is!  Happy day everyone!

Also found this: http://tiramisue-suesblog.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html

Finally have some time to breath and found this neat challenge.  What a great way to start withmy 4 season sustainability goal:
http://vegplotting.blogspot.com/2011/12/announcing-52-week-salad-challenge.html

Aug 27 2011 Dressage show at Tamarack Stables

http://youtu.be/R0MizX4G3c0

I had a dream fed by the movie Sylvester where a white horse danced underneath the overhead corral light and prayed God, help me do that.

Some days I want to ask God if he couldn't have given me longer legs, shorter torso and better balance. Mid age wisdom has pretty much revealed that I am what I am and although my goals still includes better physical strength and weight loss, I have determined that changes to my Irish-Oriental farming skeletal structure just isn't going to manifest into long, skinny European legs with stomachs up to their boobs and non-existent waists.

God's compensation was to give me a horse like no other, my Ind. Should you look at the video again, look not at the blisteringly white landscape but focus instead on the loyal Labrador in horse clothing. After just two weeks and recovering from a stifle problem, she is gamely trucking along and with ears strained, trying mightily to do what I ask while balancing this top heavy, not so balanced egg. She manages to make me look like I know something at last

All was not perfect but then Dressage does not mean perfection, no matter what some like me would like for it to be. It means that I care, I CARE, I care enough to learn how to ride my horse in such a way as to keep her strong for many, many years. It means that I have a trainer who listens even when I am very upset because through all the static is an intense love for the sport and the people at the barn. It means that two weeks back in training with scores going from 40's to 60's mean I am listening, practicing and learning as fast as I can but that Dressage does not mean easy.

I hurt today, disappointment in my memory since I forgot part of the test, my right side says "Hello, you ARE fat and forty-six you know and you rode me ALL week" but I am so very, very grateful for the blessings that have given me such passion at a time that I can concentrate on it for me and I am so lucky to have such a horse in my life.

What does life have in store for me now that my children are off and on their own? Dancing is but a 20 meter circle away!!!

Busy, Busy

Just some photo's