November Star

My November Star is Serena who has wonderful blogs called See Serena Sew and See Serena Serve. She lives in a beautiful part of America called the Appalachia, and she is multi-talented. She just gave birth to a beautiful boy named Nicholas, and I just read on one of her blogs that she is going through some really difficult post birth headaches. Go over and visit her , and you will meet a truly beautiful and inspiring person. I think that what I love about her the most is her lovely smile....It shows her beautiful spirit. I am thrilled to see that she is a hand quilter, and I so admire her patience in what I know to be a very difficult craft.



Enjoy her interview, and thanks so much Serena for being my November Star.

• 
  A Bit About Me: I am a quilter! I love to read, cook and journal too. I've worked five very different jobs in my life (fast food fry girl, jail file clerk, nursing aide, non profit secretary, and mama) and find parenting to be the most challenging. I started piecing as a wee little girl with my mom. I made little nine patches , doll clothes, and small bags for my baby doll's things. I've had a sewing basket since before I can remember but did not seriously get into quilting until I was in my late teens. I'm almost 25 now and spend my days at home with my two kids.


• What Inspires Me: What doesn't?? I try to maintain a visual openness to the world around me. I find photographs to be extremely fascinating as well as time spent outdoors. I'm greatly inspried by personal experiences, current events, and stories I am told or read. Sometimes, the smallest news clipping has me brainstorming for years. Even if a direct life to fabric correlation can't be seen, I still feel that my choices for color, design elements, and the overall schematic of a piece is greatly influenced by what I've read, seen, felt, and experienced.



• What I Love to Do the Most Creatively: I love to design, select fabrics, and piece but I admit I'm a bit slow on the quilting and terribly slow on the binding.



• My Favorite Fabric and Designer: I adore scraps. I love fabrics from different time periods, abroad, and from clothing. My stash, which is all I use these days, dates from the 1920's to 2009. I like fabric to tell a story. If someone gives me a 2 inch square and tells me it holds meaning for them, and the story behind it then that piece is worth as much to me as six yards of the best selling fabric from the latest line in a local quilt shop.



• UFO I Intend to Finish First: I consider everything a UFO. What I'm working on now? A gift for a friend, quilting my first quilt, which had been tied, piecing anything that strikes my fancy as needing to be pieced and attempting to talk myself into binding something.



• What's on the Design Wall Now: My reproduction courthouse steps and my vintage Christmas Stars. I save the design wall for quilts that I have to know the layout on. I have various others in bags that I can pull out quickly to take with me that I don't necessarily have to know the orientation of the entire quilt in order to piece successfully.



• Who would I Love to Meet: Quilters from previous generations. I'd give anything to have my great grandmother around to talk to about quilting not because she was a master quilter, but because she made quilts and used them up.



• If I had One Wish: Hmmmm unlimited reign at a 24 hour fabric store with good friends and endless coffee! Sadly, most of them are blog land friends. I would love to move them all right next door.



• Plans for the Future: Keep my fingers busy doing a craft that brings me joy and peace!

Here are some of Serena's work, and my are you going to see some wonderful eye candy!

Thanks so much for a great interview Serena! I know that everyone has throughly enjoyed it!

My New Bath

Joe took a pic of the new bathtub....It was impossible to take the whole pic of the bathroom in one shot, as it is a small bathroom, but at least you get to see the bathtub, and all the pink. I will now have to get a new toilet seat to match the wood of the bathtub. Tonight, I will have that candle lit, my duckie swimming next to me, lots of bubbles ( milk and honey bubble bath), music playing, and I will have died and gone to heaven.

We are off to the country market where they have a display of homemade foods and crafts. It is the last day of the market till the springtime, so we are off to see it for the last time for a while. Our market won an award for the best country market in the country.

It is also the first day of the Halloween weekend, and how appropriate that it is raining and cludy...just perfect for All Hallows Eve.

Goings On Around Our Cottage

We have been quite busy! Our bathtub was finally installed, and it landed up being much more beautiful than I expected. The plumber put in a real wood siding, and Joe put a clear varnish on it. We are letting the varnish dry...I will be taking my next luxurious bath tomorrow, and I will post a pic tomorrow to show you all my new bath. What can I say, I love it!

I also got three lovely siggies in he mail: One was from Morgun in Norway who sent me a gorgeous siggy made of pink batik fabric and an owl in the centre block. She collects owls, and this one was stiched so nicely! Then I also received a penguin siggy from Ineke, who lives in The Netherlands. What a cute addition that will be to my siggy quilt! Finally, I got a lovely hand stitched block from Illene who lives in Australia. The fabric is a very romantic print. Thanks so much to you both!

This weekend is the Halloween Festival in Dunfanaghy, or as the Irish also call it, All Hallows Eve Festival. The ancient gaelic festival marks the end of the summer harvest ( Samhain), a time where the ancient Celts believed that on October 31st, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living. In the village of Dunfanaghy, we have traditional All Hallows Eve festivites with a fantastic torch-lit procession which leaves from our Ozanam Centre, a graveyard walk, and a fireworks extravaganza as well, which is held at the pier near the town square. The fireworks is followed by music and food in the square and lots of festivities. Plus, all throughout the weekend, there are many activities for the children and lots of parties at the various hotels and pubs in our village. We will take pics of the procession and fireworks etc, this year and I think that you will enjoy our Celtic celebration! Anways, here is a pic from last year, so it should get you into the mood. I will post this year's post during the weekend.

Oh, check out this site that I found called
Sue Spargo's Folk Art Quilts. I will have to do something of hers one day.

Enjoy your Friday! Joe and I are just beginning our day here and our village is covered with a wonderful mist.

Our Beloved Donegal

I have had many people recently ask me if I miss Philadelphia, so I felt that I should answer it in a post. I will always be a Philly girl, but my heart is now at home in Donegal.


When Joe and I first got married, he wanted to show me Ireland, so we did tent camping around the country. When we came to Donegal County, we both fell in love with it. Joe had never seen it before, and I thought it was a touch of heaven. I said to Joe, "Gee, I wish that we could live here." We were living in the middle of the country at that time, and Joe said, " Then, we will move here", and by golly we did! We have found a great deal of peace and beauty here in Donegal, and we never take it for granted. Today, we took our usual long walk, met a neighbor down the hill from us that we had never met before, and his friendliness was amazing. I took an instant liking to him. Anyways, I thought you might like to see this video of Donegal. It is a Gaelic song about Donegal and it shows lovely scenes from our county, including our village of Dunfanaghy, which you can see also pictured above.As to whether it was an adjustment living here in Ireland, well, I can honestly say that the hardest thing for me personally was getting used to living in a small village, as I came from Philly, which was huge. Now funny enough, I don't think that I could go back to living in a large city, and I guess that's why I felt so overwhelmed when I visited our capital city of Dublin recently. So, to answer your questions, I would never live anywhere else! Joe and I have found our niche, and we are truly happy. Enjoy the videos!! I am also including Christy Moore's song "City of Chicago", which is about the Irish Great Hunger or Famine, where Irish people were forced to emigrate. This is about someone who went to Chicago and still remembered his beloved Donegal. Christy Moore wrote the song and sings it from his heart, and I think you will love it.He is one of my favorite Irish singers.

Here is a lovely poem about Donegal, and it captures how everyone who has seen and lived here in Donegal feels about this grand ol' county:

My Old Thatched Cottage
Take me back to my old thatched cottageIn far off DonegalWhere the thrushes sing in the eveningBeside the waterfall
I'm tired of the noise of the cityI long for the peace of the plowWhere the sea gulls circle above meAs I wipe the sweat from my brow
I long for the sounds of the horsesThe cows coming down from the hillsThe bleat of the lambs in the springtimeThe song of the lark, how it thrills
I want to go back to the heatherThe roses that cling round the doorTo the hawthorn, the primrose, and daisiesTo my childhood again as of yore
Take me back to my dear old motherIn far off DonegalWhere the thrushes sing in the eveningBeside the waterfall

Hope this post helped to answer some of your questions.Enjoy the videos and the lovely scenery of our county....our beloved Donegal.

The Cutest Giveaway

At It's Daffycat, for her 2nd blog anniversary, there is the cutest giveaway of Simon's Cat book. It is really such a funny book, and it is always good to get a good laugh.

Magical Disney Sunday: Pinocchio

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I was an English teacher, and I loved finding literature that would stimulate my students' minds and get them excited about reading and learning. One of my most successful weeks of teaching, was when I introduced fairy tales and discussed the meaning and symbolism behind them. The story that has the most meaning I think is "Pinocchio". On the surface, it is just a fairy tale about a marionette carved from wood by the kindly Geppetto, who is a good hearted but lazy puppet who leaves home and has many adventures, finally becoming a real boy. Pinocchio transforms into a real boy after going through many trials and eventually learning some important lessons like: obedience, avoiding temptations, having a conscience, the power of believing in one's dremas, making good choices, and of course staying in school. At the end, Pinnochio shows himself worthy of becoming a real boy by proving himself brave, truthful, and unselfish.

Who will ever forget how his nose grows longer each time he tells a lie? He learns the consequences of telling lies and the hurt they can cause.

Jiminy Cricket symbolizes Pinocchio's conscience, but what a wonderful character he is! I remember my dad telling me about Pinocchio and how important it was to build our characters so we become loving, kind, beautiful, and tolerant people. There is so much to learn from this story! When I was reading this story as a little girl, I remember one night not being able to sleep, and my dad asked me why. I was worried that Pinocchio would not become real, and my dad just smiled and said, "Of course he will." He then read me "The Velveteen Rabbit" which became my favorite story and his also. I will never forget my dad reading me what it means to be real:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Being real is being loved, and of course Pinocchio talks about the unconditional love of one's parents, and nothing can beat that. I always remember my dad through these two stories, and I landed up reading that section of "The Velveteen Rabbit" at his funeral, as I knew he would love hearing it.

Well that's why I love Pinocchio....lots of lessons to be learned and all through a totally beloved character who just makes one smile. It is about having dreams , and of course in Disney, they always do come true. Here is my favorite song in the movie "Pinnochio" called "When You Wish Upon A Star": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkIZ4lXjfJo&feature=related, and enjoy the scenes from the movie, as we all learn that "dreams can come true."

The Streets of Ireland Finished and A New Siggy

I finally got The Streets of Ireland finished, and boy was I happy! I completed it with my newly serviced Nelly, and I was so glad that she was purring like a kitten, because I had tons of machine quilting to do on the quilt. It does so remind me of a street in Dublin, and I really do love it!

I also got a lovely siggy in the mail from Willow, and she put hearts in the centre, and sewed it in her favorite colour purple. Thanks so much truly, and it will be wonderful including it in my quilt once I have enough siggies to make the quilt.

It is raining cats and dogs here in Dunfanaghy, and it is a real Autumn's day. Halloween is next Saturday, so there will be lots of festivities here and parties. Enjoy your Saturday!

A New Baby, Nelly's Home at Last, A Giveaway Prize Arrives, and A New Blog Found

First of all, I want to welcome Nicholas Evans Potter into the world. Serena gave birth to a wonderful boy, and I was thrilled for her. He is a beautiful baby, as you can see by the pic here. Head on over to her blog See Serena Sew and congratulate her.Also, my gift to the baby arrived, which I could not post before as I did not want to spoil the surprise.I was thrilled when she wrote today that it had been the first gift that she received for the baby except for family members. I made Nicholas a bib, and machine embroidered his name and also appliqued Sunbonnet Sam on it.

Nelly, my Pfaff 4.0 Expression, finally came home, and it is purring like a kitten and working like a charm. Yeah!!!!!!! I will be working on my Streets of Ireland quilt today, so I will try to finish that over the next few days and post a pic.

Next on the agenda is to get my Janome 350E to Scotland for its service. It is a great embroidery machine, and I will need it in top notch condition, as I will be making several Christmas gifts in November. Christmas is right around the corner, and the way time is flying, I will have to get myself in gear. As a matter of fact, as I write this, Christmas is 63 days away, and of course my Irish Giveaway is in December.....

What can I say, I love to tease.LOL

The mailman also delivered a wonderful surprise....A lovely painting came in the mail , which was my giveaway prize. It is just so pretty! Thanks to Heidi for sending it to me. It is so nice to have something that she created herself. Please visit Heidi at her blog called Fairy Footprints in the Sand. Also, Heidi is having a necklace giveaway, so please join in.

November is only days away, and I am so excited as New Moon will be shown on November 20th. I have watched the first movie, Twilight so many times, that I am ready to see this one in the theater, and then buy a copy for myself when it is available on dvd. I have to admit that I have missed reading the books. If you are a Twilight fan, be on the lookout for the movie in your theaters. I am counting the days!

Finally, someone found my blog just recently, and I am thrilled to have found her blog. Linda's blog Fiber Fabrications is just wonderful! She is a quilter, sewer, spinner and dyer of fibres, and a weaver from the State of Washington. Check this blog out....It is so interesting!

Off to go food shopping! When I get back, I have lots of blogs to catch up on. We have been so busy finishing the renovations and painting for our wee cottage. Have a great Thursday!

Great Giveaway

Barb of Bella Vista is having a great giveaway, and I thought I would give you a heads up. It has the cutest snowman and cookbook in the prize package. Go take a look here.

Magical Disney Sunday Continues with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"

"Show White and the Seven Dwarves" was such an enchanting story, and I said to myself today, "This has got to be the one that I post about next."

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" is about a beautiful, sweet girl named Snow White whose stepmother, the Queen is quite jealous of her because of her extroardinary beauty. I would imagine that stepmothers were given a bad name because of this animated feature film, but the endearing characters of Snow White and the adorable 7 dwarves outweighs this one negative aspect.Who can resist these characters? Of course, when she falls under the Queen's wicked spell, only true love's kiss can save her.

Snow White has always been my favorite princess from way back when I started watching Disney movies. She always saw the good in people, and she was quite the dreamer, and her trusting nature charmed almost everyone even Grumpy. As a child, I loved the dwarves and my two favorites were Dopey and Grumpy. There are actually personality types based on the dwarves, and you can see that here and determine which one you are like by taking the personality test, which you can find in the left hand column. I landed up being "Happy". I would love to know what you turned out to be. Anyways, I did love Dopey.Dopey is portrayed as a "half wit", but within him is a heart of gold. When Snow White speaks a kind word to him, his smile softens the heart of the bitterest human. Dopey is the one who gets the final embrace from the princess when at the end of the story, she is taken away by the prince to everlasting happiness. Perhaps the movie, brought a bit of an understanding of such a timid soul as one sees in Dopey. I guess that is one reason, I also got my certification in Special Education. The first time a child with Down Syndrome smiled at me and hugged me was unforgettable!

Now as far as Grumpy is concerned, he made me laugh. I loved his annoyed, mild sneer and the funny raised eyebrows, but really I don't think that he had any problem saying, "no" to anyone, which is sometimes hard for some to do like myself....LOL As a child, I was the Bashful personality for sure. Today, I am probably still a bit like Bashful, but most like Happy. Well, I had to love all of the dwarves...Here they are singing

"Heigh Ho."

Snow White is the embodiment of girlish sweetness and kindness, which was exemplified by her love for the birds and the small animals, and as I am an animal lover, I truly did love that about her. She finds the dwarve's house while in the company of her animal friends, and you can see that delightful scene here. She can find happiness even in the worst chores like cleaning, as she sings "Whistle While You Work." I do have to admit that I sing every morning while I make our breakfast, and Joe comments and asks me what is wrong if I don't.

Snow White dreams of finding her true love in the song "Some Day My Prince Will Come" and who better to sing it than Barbra Streisand. Of course, there is a happy ending, as there always is in Disney Movies, and the prince comes and wakes Snow White up with his kiss.

How romantic is that!! It is a story of innocence, of love and romance. Here is that final scene where Snow White says goodbye to the dwarves, and they "lived happily ever after." Who says that dreams don't come true? I found my prince and landed up in Ireland.

Just For Your Information , Nelly, and a Christmas Irish Giveaway

I don't know if you ever knew about this site, but they give free videos on quilting. I love it! There is always something to watch which is really good, and you can't beat anything that is free! Here it is, and enjoy....It is called Quilter's TV.Where it says to browse videos, you will see the list of over 40 videos to currently watch. Also, I have been watching Country Channel Tv, which is also free. There is a ten week program called Talking Threads, which you can watch for free here. Where it has " Search for Videos", just type in "Talking Threads" and it will pop up for you. Right now, the first show is available, which is "Silk Painting with Jill Kennedy", and even though I wouldn't get into that, I enjoyed it very much. Each week a different show will be available to watch, so remember to check in next week.

As for Nelly, the dealer in Waterford said that she is "purring like a kitten"...The courier will pick her up today, but he doesn't expect me to get it till Tuesday or Wednesday. This Irish lassie is going to be happy to see her! I have two UFOs to finish, and the Civil War Bride quilt to begin, plus Christmas presents to work on as surprises for friends.

Finally, I wanted to thank all my quilting friends for their continuous generosity and love, and so I am having an Irish Christmas Giveaway in December, so get ready for lots of holiday fun Irish style. By the way, Merry Christmas in Gaelic is "Nollaig Shona". It's my favorite time of year, so no hints now, but I will start the holiday off with a bang in the month of December, so keep a lookout for it! Oh, this pic of Christmas is not typical of Ireland, as we rarely get snow, especially living near the sea here in Dunfanaghy, but one can dream!!!


I am off to Letterkenny today with Joe in the late afternoon.
Have a great day!

Three Lovely Surprises and Nelly Goes To Waterford

You know how things come in threes. I got three packages in the mail. The first one was from Carole Anne, who lives in Philadelphia and who has the blog Carole's Calicos. I am putting that first, as she sent me things from my hometown of Philadelphia, which just thrilled me. First, there was a marvelous Philly Coca Cola pen in red. She then gave me a siggy with the Liberty Bell on it. Finally, I got a Sunbonnet Sue Embroidery pattern and gorgeous fabric with wonderful cats on them. Thanks so much!

Next, I got the book Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling in the mail from my good friend Dzintra for winning her 100th Post giveaway. If you haven't been to her blog, Queen of the Armchair, please visit. I can't wait to read the tales. Thanks for a lovely prize, as you know how much I love reading!

Finally, I found out who my Stitcher's Angel was....It is Carol from Tennessee, who has a lovely blog called A Scot in Tennessee. I was thrilled that it turned out to be sweet Carol. She sent me her final angel gifts which were a lovely handmade wallhanging, which is already hung up on the wall in our living room, beautiful pink fabric, rooster notecards, and a lovely "M" magnet which is on our refrigerator. As you can see, she used my favorite colour pink...

My goodness was I

thrilled by it all! Thanks so much for wonderful gifts, and for being such a good angel.

I must mention that I am in a bit of mourning, as Nelly, my Pfaff 4.0 Expression will be arriving in Waterford today for its service. I won't be getting it back till the weekend, or maybe early next week. I will be going into sewing withdrawal, but she will come back purring like a kitten, and sewing in perfection.

That was my day so far. Joe and I moved furniture around, and boy with all the painting, the cottage looks spiffy. My bathtub will be installed next week, so that is all fun!

I want to thank so much all the friends that I am making through our blogs. It is so heartwarming to know that I have formed such wonderful friendships, and boy am I lucky!

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Magical Disney Sunday

I didn't have to think too long to decide which Disney character I would post about next...I came to the conclusion that it had to be Peter Pan. I took one of my Master's Degrees in Psychology, and I studied about the Peter Pan Syndrome. It is where a man is socially immature, who then has a deep-seated belief that he will never grow up. Of course the syndrome was named after the legendary character who lived in Neverland, called Peter Pan. I found the idea irresistable as a child, and I still love it as an adult. I remember Peter flying into the children's window while they were sleeping, and then bringing them to the magical land of Neverland. Who wouldn't be entranced by that idea? As a child, I often dreamed of Neverland....a place where children could do what they want and have a wonderful time being a child, and when life did get a bit rough as a child, it was lovely to escape everyday life with dreams of Neverland. Then of course there was Tinkerbell, a pixie who was always by Peter's side, who glowed brightest for him. She sang like a tinking bell, and a sprinkle of her fairy dust could make you fly. The thought of flying was so incredible, and I guess that later that's why I enjoyed flying in a plane so much. I am in love with childhood and with Neverland....I am not ashamed to say that! Of course, as an adult, I will never feel the way I did as a child when I thought of Neverland, as it is hard to recreate exactly what we felt as a child...to reclaim those magical feelings of forever being a child. Now, if you are a kid at heart, it doesn't mean you have the Peter Pan Syndrome, but if you can't be a kid at times, you are missing out on something so important....As Peter Pan said, "Fairies only exist if you believe in them, " and isn't it fun to just believe?

To remember how it feels to fly, look at this. Also, to see that scene where Peter comes through the window to take the kids to Neverland, enjoy this scene. Of course, nothing, but nothing can beat the original Disney Version of Peter Pan....Here are some of the scenes that I will never forget!

Living in Ireland, surrounded by all of its beauty, you do see its magic and wonders through the eyes of a child, and what a wonderful way to experience it. Thanks Peter Pan for allowing me to remain a child and giving me that curiosity, creativity, and imagination that will stay with me forever!

The magic continues....I am a runner up in

Heidi's giveaway, and I won a painting. You see what a bit of fairy dust does? Join me again next week for more Disney magic, and just believe!!

PIFS, A New Quilting Magazine, and a Siggy

Carol from A Scot in Tennessee has drawn three names for PIFS, which means Pay It Forward. That means that she makes three people gifts that are handmade, and sends them off anytime within a year. So now, I make three gifts for three people, and they will be determined by who are the first three people who answer this post. The hitch is that you must then do a PIF on your blog, and so it continues and continues. You know me, I am a sucker for making people gifts, so as Carol said in her last email to me, "This is so much fun!"

Also, I wanted to tell you about a new quilting magazine that is coming out, and it is called Quilt Life and it is being published by American Quilter's Society(AQS). Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson will be introducing quilting artists , techniques, patterns, etc. The subscription is only 20 dollars for 6 issues, so I thought that was a good deal, but you only have till December 31st to get that deal. I am a member of The Quilt Show, so I got the information from their latest newsletter. I will be subscribing to it for sure, as I love Ricky and Alex. I subscribe to Patchwork and Quilting Magazine from the UK, Knit Today,

and The Irish Quilting Magazine. I was wondering which magazines you subscribe to and enjoy.

Finally, I got a wonderful siggy in the mail. I am really getting close to having all the siggies that I need for a quilt, so it is exciting. This one came from Jane in Australia, and the fabric has all my favorite animals and birds from that country. I just love it! Thanks so much for a lovely siggy! As I have many friends from Australia, this one is so special!

Have a great day...I can't believe that the weekend is upon us again so soon!

Samoa Pillowcase and Birthday Fat Quarter

I thought you would want to see the pillowcase that I made, as it is machine embroidered and appliqued and has a dark satin border, but Barb will get to see it in person, and as always, it is much prettier in person. The other set of pillow cases are much more plain, so I didn't take a pic. They are on their way to Samoa, so hopefully Barb will get them soon.

Also, Cindy from Ohio sent me a Birthday fat quarter. I should say the second one, as the first one got lost, as my birthday was back in June. It was nice of her to send me another one, and I love the blue colour of the fabric. Thanks so much Cindy!

A Busy Day and a Wonderful Surprise

I was very busy today sewing. First of all, I read the story about the tsunami that occured in American Samoa on Barb's blog called Bejeweled Quilts. I had heard the story on tv, but reading about it made it so much more poignant. Barb wrote that pillowcases and sheets were needed for the victims, so today, I made pillowcases to send to Barb in Samoa. The positive side to the story is that I wrote Barb, and we have since been in correspondence, and we became fast friends. She is such an interesting and lovely lady. She has told me about Samoa, and if you go to her blog, you will appreciate how beautiful it is. My heart does go out to all the people there!

Then I sewed a surprise gift for Serena's impending baby boy. I can't mention what it is, but I hope that she will like it. Nothing else said....LOL Serena knows that I am sending the baby something, but of course, I will say no more. I will post it later on my blog when I know she got it. I really enjoyed making that gift so much!

Then, I received a wonderful parcel in the mail from my Angel, and it was a drop dead gorgeous pincushion that can also be used for a door hanger. The stitchery was incredible!Well, as you can see, it is so pretty!!! The card was so lovely too!I can't wait to find out who she is....that will be so much fun, and I will enjoy getting to know her.


That was my day...Hope your day was a good one too!

Magical Disney Sunday

I joined Heidi's Magical Disney Sunday, as I love Walt Disney, and gee whiz, I took the nickname "Micki" after Mickey Mouse, so this is right up my alley. I have fairy dust in hand that I am throwing on this post, and whisking you all to my magical Disney post. I love so many Disney characters, but I will be talking about one of my favorites today, which is "Beauty and the Beast."

I loved the Beast, and I always believed that looks were not that important. The eyes are the window to the soul, and when Belle looks into the Beast's eyes, she sees his human heart and soul, and she then truly loves him. I always see Joe's eyes when I think of that scene when she dances with the Beast and is looking into his eyes. Joe has the bluest eyes you can imagine, and a beautiful soul to match. The ballroom scene is my favorite, because Belle and the Beast were so interconnected, and you really experience the love that Belle and the Beast are feeling.

Being the Hopeless Romantic that I am, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"led me to follow the tv series of "Beauty and the Beast" years later with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. I never missed a show on Friday night.
Then I loved the book Wuthering Heights....the soulmates Catherine and Heathcliffe walking the moors together.

Now, I have moved onto the Twilight Series, and again there is that timeless theme of love and soulmatesthat we see in Bella and Edward.

Last but not least, the romanticism in me led me to marry my soulmate Joe and to leave America to live in beautiful Ireland. It did all start with Disney, and that timeless story "Beauty and the Beast," so when you say that I have the "Luck of the Irish", it is not in winning giveaways, it is in meeting my soulmate, Joe.

Check Sunday, each week, and read about my love for Disney, and how it has shaped a bit of whom I am today. I hope that it does uplift your spirits and makes your week a bit brighter. Love has a tendency to do just that!