Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings

We're coming up on eight years here, and I'm reminiscing over the process of finding our home: the place we consider our final stop after years of moving.  We call this little piece of Prince William County our Canaan. What did we envision as its purpose?  Well, a roof over our heads is obvious.  But we wanted it to be more.  We wanted it to be a place where friends and family gather.  A place where current relationships are strengthened and new relationships forged.  A place where all are welcome and accepted.  A place of respite for us and others. We're empty nesters, so we don't need a lot of space on a daily basis, but we wanted others to know there was a place for them in our home as well as our hearts.  So, instead of downsizing, we included three extra bedrooms.  They're not large or fancy, but they serve the needs of those who stay. Our guest rooms are definitely an ongoing process.  We're always looking for ways to make those rooms more use

I know!  Funny title, but I also have a "funny" story.  I was recently with my cousin for our annual get together.  We always eat at the same places, order the same meals, and drink the same beverages when we're together.  This makes for tradition, but it's also practical.  We do not need to expend one single solitary brain cell on fueling our bodies each day.  Our time together is spent on being together and enjoying the fellowship. So, we go to Woodmont Grill for supper the first night and there's been a change.  Not in the menu but in how they serve their hot tea.  I always have hot tea with my meals.  Anyway, they do not bring it to me in the usual little silver teapot of hot water with the lemon and a tea bag on the side (yes, it's Earl Grey).  That was odd, but I put my tea bag in the cup of hot water and covered it with my hand for steeping. After a while, one of the many waiters came by and topped it from a large silver teapot.  Okay, I was liking

Being surrounded by those who love me has me thinking about all the quilts made by and for our family over the years.  Both of my great-grandma's and my grandma were quilt makers.  I have a heritage of quilt making on both sides of my family.  A heritage of making something uniquely beautiful that serves a very practical need. But beyond the snuggly warmth of those quilts, there is the love that goes into making them for us.  Each little piece that was cut and pieced together to create amazing designs that were not visible before they began.  They took ordinary pieces of cloth and turned them into unique masterpieces. My first quilt is threadbare and used very carefully now.  Momma made it for me using the Grandmother's Fan design, which she copied from one of my great-grandmother's quilts.  It required hours of cutting pieces of fabric, sewing each piece into fans, and then into squares to be sewn together.  Once all the piecing was completed, Momma carefully layered t