Mountain Musings

Knowing God Conference ~ May 19 - 21, Ridgecrest, N.C.

Last month we attended the Church & Family Life's annual conference, Knowing God, held at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC. Asheville is about a 5+ hour drive for us here in Virginia, barely a skip and a jump compared to others who traveled many, many hours from across the country.

Here we are just having arrived and already meeting up with friends on the bridge-way between buildings:

It is always a highlight to see friends whom we've gotten to know over the years. These friends are regular attendees:

As are these friends who traveled from Canada to attend:

The speakers were very enjoyable and presented encouraging messages to listen to each day. Here's Kevin Swanson onstage at his keynote session:

Lots of spontaneous hymn singing around the piano with violins and flute accompanying during the evenings' free times:

The more the music traveled down the hallway, more folks showed up, and louder the singing became!

There was also a planned night of singing in the amphitheater. Isn't this a neat nighttime photo?

We caught up with more dear friends in the cafeteria from South Carolina. Sooo glad I could attend the conference this year and reconnect with folks!

And these friends, our daughter Sarah's in-laws, attended this year from GA. It was great to see them:

Speaking of cafeteria, there were lots of chances to meet up and have a meal together. Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana are represented here:

Here we are taking time to talk over Hannah and Christopher's wedding plans with future in-laws:

While together in person, it was a good time to compare fabrics and bridesmaids' dresses online:

The weekend came to a close so quickly (hey, we just got here!), and everyone parted ways to head back home to their own state.

Unfortunately, all four of us returned home sick, with one of us testing positive for Covid...that would be me! So I'm remembering this conference for more reasons than one!

 

...until next time!

~Deb

...And Life Goes On

Many of you have asked how we're doing in this new season of life...without Granny with us. It has been different for sure. Sometimes we forget and think we should go check on her. She is missed!

But the Lord has been gracious and has given us hope in sad times as we've adjusted to the new routine. Thank you for the many prayers that have gone up for us.

This past month has consisted of a bit of settling down and resting, along with being encouraged by hosting different friends who were passing through, and celebrating Thanksgiving with more friends.

Here are our dear friends from Georgia who were attending the Virginia Family Encouragement Weekend and stopped for an overnight. We absolutely loved having them in our home again:And these long-time friends from Tennessee, who were visiting Polyface Farm in the area, stopped by for an overnight and a good time of catching up on each other's lives:

When these friends stopped by, we took them down to the farmers' market and showed them the city of Staunton: And, of course, lots of food during the holidays. Here's a photo taken around the food bar on Thanksgiving Day...an abundance of blessings as always:

On our Thanksgiving table again this year were pumpkin dinner rolls. Delicious!

And speaking of food on the table....Jonathan shot a deer...not his first...but his first time butchering it himself, with Hannah's help! We've enjoyed some venison stew (recipe follows, which I've used with beef many times) and some venison barbecue this season.

Holiday Shopping Beef Stew (or Venison)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds beef for stew; 4 or 5 medium potatoes, 4 or 5 carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, mashed (I used a can crushed tomatoes with basil) mixed with 1 can cream of celery soup, salt and pepper.

Cube all veggies and combine ingredients in casserole dish. Pour tomatoes/soup mixture over top. Cover with foil and bake in a 275 degree oven for 4 1/2 - 5 hours.  Go holiday shopping (or to church) and come home to a delicious meal.

To be honest, I never thought the word "enjoyed" would be associated with "deer" in the same sentence! I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the stew was, much to Jonathan's delight!

Tom, in the meantime, has completed the large dining room table project he's been working on for some months...and we took advantage of some strong-armed help to lift the extra-heavy table over to Jonathan's house and install it.

Tom writes more about getting it hauled, delivered, and installed on his blog here:

Jonathan will enjoy the final product in the years to come...lovingly made by Dad! It looks beautiful!

So, it's December, and the house has gotten decorated for Christmas, slowly but surely. Stockings are up. Cards are ordered and hopefully will arrive soon! Plans are being made for family members coming in to visit, and a couple of get-togethers with friends are on the calendar.

It's a wonderful season of celebration of the birth of Jesus!
Here's a delightful hymn to listen to as you set the tone for Christmas in your home. See Amid the Winter's Snow (Cambridge Choir of King's College).

From the Mountain Musings family to yours...we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2022!

~Deb

Did You Hear the Story About the Lady on the Elevator?

 
Well, it starts like this...

Back in October when we attended the Hope for the Family conference in Asheville, there was another group also on campus using the conference center....a group of artists gathering for their workshops.

In fact, we ended up having lunch with a couple of those ladies...very interesting artistic projects they were working on in class and telling us about.

Well, our family happened to be walking across this bridge-way you see below that connected the hotel rooms over to the elevators that led to the conference rooms: We were in the middle of a discussion on the way to one of our workshops, and I was animatedly talking, probably louder than I needed to in a public place, not hearing someone else walking close along behind us.

In fact, the lady actually joined into our conversation and told us her name was Lynda, and she was one of the artists on campus.

As we all got into the elevator, I immediately noticed her earrings--artistic, forest-y mosaic, and beautiful!

Of course, I asked if she minded telling me where she got them, and she said, "Tamela Wells, polymer clay!" And I could find her jewelry at the Southern Highland Craft Guild right there in Asheville. (More about Tamela here.) Well, our schedule was too tight to go gallivanting off to a craft guild when I was supposed to be in a workshop learning something...although I sure wanted to go on a craft guild adventure!

Weekend was soon over, and it was time to return home to Virginia...

That evening I started what seemed like a wild goose chase online googling Tamela Wells, polymer clay jewelry, Southern Highland...and anything else I could remember from that brief elevator conversation.

But...success! I right away sent an email off to Tamela asking about her jewelry and if she could make a pair of earrings just like the lady's in the elevator! She was surprised at my diligence to locate her after a chance encounter! Anyway, this past weekend I received a package in the mail...the earrings! And I love them! They are exactly what I remembered! Thank you so much, Tamela!

That was a very delightful, unexpected elevator encounter!

I love things like that. Do you?

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ July

For Today, Saturday, July 13

 

Outside my window...

It's a hot and humid, sunshiny summer day here in Virginia...89 the high today and 92 tomorrow. These days are best for staying inside keeping cool. I think that's my plan today!

I am thankful for:

Family and friends .... those close by and those at a distance who let you know they're praying for you when you need it most.

 

From the Flower Garden...

I posted this photo on Instagram today...both the cleome plant and the garden name plaque I received for Mother's Day. I've enjoyed seeing them in the garden this year:

From the Garden to the Kitchen...

Tomatoes are beginning to arrive in the garden, great for fresh salsa! And jalapenos, peppers, and zucchini! Last year our zucchini plant died...and, unfortunately, no one tried to pawn their bounty off on us.

So we waited for this year's harvest...we've enjoyed such good zucchini meals! Zucchini Squares has been a favorite recipe for many years...great for a quick lunch meal:

Zucchini Squares

1 c. Bisquick (we use 1 c. ww flour, 1 ½ t. baking powder, ¼ t. salt instead)

½ t. each salt and pepper

1 t. oregano, dried

1 T. parsley, dried

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, minced

3 c. zucchini, sliced thinly

½ c. olive oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine dry ingredients, add veggies, and toss to coat. Mix in oil and eggs and pour into a greased 9” sq or 7 x11” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

And Hannah has been utilizing her spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, affectionately known as zoodles. I can't tell you the number of times I've said zoodles this past week!
 Zoodles are good served with cajun-seasoned tilapia. And to really spice it up...cover the zoodles with Bobby Flay's Diavolo Sauce:  Today's lunch was a winner! Hannah can whip anything up...it seems with hardly any effort. Spicy Coconut and Butternut squash soup topped with cilantro and leftover zucchini squares: I have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed using my Magnolia chalkboard I received as another Mother's Day gift! Here's a recent family meal menu:

One of my favorite things...

I love day trips, quick overnight trips, spontaneous outings, and rare planned vacations. We knew we wanted to do a quick getaway sometime this summer, so two weeks ago we traveled to Alexandria, Virginia, for their pre-4th of July Fireworks over the Potomac at Mount Vernon.

First we enjoyed a D.C. Monuments boat ride on the Potomac in the afternoon:

On the lawn at Mount Vernon we listened to the marching band playing patriotic numbers before we toured the mansion: The night-time fireworks display was amazing! They did an excellent job! Here's historic Mount Vernon awaiting the fireworks over the Potomac:

I am creating...

I'm in between projects at the moment while I recuperate (more on that shortly)...but this Fig Tree bundle of goodness arrived in the mail recently. My friend Chris and I plan to do a long-distance sew-along together in September, making a Pumpkin quilt. Should be so fun!:

I am wearing...

Navy around-the-house paint skirt, navy tank, fuchsia blouse.

 

A shared verse:

"All these blessings shall overtake you because you obey the Lord your God." ~ Deuteronomy 28:2

 

You were praying...

For our grandson who was having surgery last month when I wrote the last Daybook. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and let you know that Andrew's surgery was a success. He's doing well and continuing to improve.

Here he is with his little brother arriving to visit us last week for my birthday and the 4th of July holiday. Yep, red, white, and awesome says it all!:

The boys noticed the flag right away, and Aunt Hannah showed them all the animals:

We sure enjoyed the holiday visit with the whole family:

It was great having little ones running and playing in the yard and garden:

And riding the tractor with a doting Grampa:

Around the house:

Making special 4th of July desserts for our little guests:

Closing Thoughts:

I wanted to ask prayer again...this time for me. As it turns out, the reason I wasn't feeling well last month when I last wrote was a tick bite that I had gotten that produced fever, chills, severe headache, neck ache, extreme fatigue, and generally momma-ain't-happy feelings.

I've been on steroids, anti-viral meds, and antibiotics; and while we were in Alexandria, out of the blue I developed Bell's palsy, which can be associated with Lyme. A trip to the ER and an additional couple of weeks of antibiotics later, I'm still recovering and start physical therapy on my face next week.

Please pray that I will fully recuperate and get back to normal. There's still a lot of summer left to enjoy! Thank you so much!

Closing Photo of the Week:

(Mosaic tile along the stairway at National Harbor on our trip to Alexandria)

 

If you'd like to visit other Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman.

 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting us here at Mountain Musings!

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ June

For Today, Father's Day, Sunday, June 16

Outside my window...

It's a beautiful sunshiny day with an expected high of 82 here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The last few days have been wonderfully cooler days...windows open with the breeze blowing in, and actually I wore a turtleneck one day! In June! But...today the A/C is back on, and it seems summer has arrived.

I am thinking...

That I'm missing the fellowship of our church family. I'm home today and not feeling the best while the rest of the family is away at church. So I slept in, and while I'm resting quietly, I'm writing this overdue post.

Shared verse...

Hannah texted me this most appropriate verse this morning from her daily scripture calendar:

I am thankful for...

My husband....the most faithful husband and dad ever! Happy Father's Day!

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good." ~ Luke 6:45

This photo was taken on Memorial Day when we traveled to Massanutten Ski Resort and rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain:

Here's another picture of the Valley taken on our way back down:

From the Kitchen...

Grilled Pizza is always on the Father's Day menu! Here's a pan of individual veggie and smoked sausage pizzas all assembled and ready to go on the grill last evening.

Along with some Peanut Butter & Oreo and Chocolate Cupcakes... Let's just say Dad was a happy man!

From the Garden...

Don't you just love fresh oregano from the garden? Here's Hannah stripping a new batch of dried oregano and filling the canister. Looks like spaghetti sauce may be on the docket soon...another Dad favorite!

One of my favorite things...

I absolutely love using old containers...watering cans, tea kettles, dishpans...for flowers. Here's a tea kettle filled with a shamrock plant which Hannah spotted at Appalachian Piecework this week. I have a tea kettle just like that and use it for annuals. But this gave me the idea to not put it away for the winter but fill it with shamrock just like this one and enjoy it year-round!

I am hoping...

That Granny will like these cheery flowers...I took this photo down by the garden gate this past week and emailed it to Granny. She usually can see this bright orange lily blooming from her recliner, but since she's visiting my sister this summer, she's missing these bright blooms:

I am wearing...

Burgandy skirt, blue/green/burgandy blouse over a white tank top.

I am creating...

Two quilts! I participated in two quilt-alongs online this year, and when you're under a deadline to keep up with the group, it definitely helps to get the quilt finished! I absolutely love quilt alongs!

The Stars and Stripes flag quilt that I finished recently is being quilted this week, and I understand why quilters send their finished quilt to a long-arm quilter to get it quilted professionally! This is a hard job wrestling the quilt in my small machine.

This is my Room and Board quilt that I pinned yesterday to be ready for quilting after the flag quilt is done. Jonathan gave me this fabric for Christmas, so this one will be a keeper for ME:

I am praying...

For my sweet grandson, Andrew, who will have surgery this coming Thursday, June 20. Please pray with me for the doctors to have skill and for Andrew to be a brave little boy!

Around the house...

These rose petals arrived in the mail this week from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello gardens. Hannah's soap is in their catalog and gift shop, and they send rose petals for her to incorporate into her products:

Closing photo from the week:

Newborn fawn born a few days ago that we spotted in our front yard under the forsythia. Our neighbor sent us a picture of a newborn in their backyard, too. Sure enough, they were twins! We saw them both nursing with their mom near our driveway:

Thanks for stopping by Mountain Musings!

For more Simple Woman Daybook posts, visit The Simple Woman blog.

 

~Deb

Happy New Year and a Return to Blogging!

Hello all, and a Happy New Year to any blog readers we have left after such a long absence! Would you leave a comment and let us know if you're still there? I've missed being in this space and will try and catch up gradually with a few different posts.

Let's start 2019 with thinking about things that are true, honest, just, pure, and lovely as the verse above states.

We're supposed to have a very snowy weekend here in the Shenandoah Valley, so what better time to hop back on the blogging bandwagon since we'll be stranded at the top of our hill for a few days...which, sounds to me like a very desirable thing right now!

This scene is from a snowy December weekend when we were heading up our driveway after a visit to Gloucester to visit new friends (that post coming soon):

In the meantime, I wanted to ask prayer for Granny who had surgery this week for another compression fracture. Poor Granny....her bones are so fragile. This fracture resulted after an extended bout of hard coughing! This week has mostly been spent going back and forth to doctors' appointments or at the hospital getting blood work done, more labs drawn, and scheduling the surgery. Please pray that she will heal quickly and that the pain will subside so she can get back to being a happy Granny. Thank you!

 

We also celebrated Hannah's birthday this week. I hate to admit that she ended up making her own birthday cheesecake, but I did arrive home in time to prepare the meal with Tom's help and our faithful Instant Pot: As in the past, her choices were somewhat different from my normal recipes. But amazingly everything turned out quite tasty.

She picked Sticky Korean Chicken from the Half Baked Harvest blog along with Steamed Lemon Broccoli, a Taste of Home recipe.

The Brownie Caramel Cheesecake recipe was found over at Six Sisters Stuff blog, and it was birthday-quality delicious!

Here's Hannah on her birthday this week enjoying a piece. Happy Birthday, Hannah!:

As is our custom, the birthday person picks a game to play, and this year Pictionary was the choice:

It's good to be back!

What has your January looked like so far?

~Deb

Slow Blog Loading Fixed ~ Feedback?

I've heard from several folks recently about our blog loading v-e-r-y slowly or not loading at all--both on computer and on their phones, and they've just given up reading the blog altogether.

We recently heard back from our Typepad Help Desk what the problem was (a defunct widget on the sidebar making the blog not load!).

So we've corrected that problem. Can we have some feedback from your end? Had you experienced problems with our blog loading in the past?

Are you experiencing slow-loading now that we think the problem is fixed?

Thank you to those folks who have contacted us and asked what the problem was! We didn't know there was a problem!

Okay...on to faster blog loading!  And more frequent posting? Maybe! :)

~Deb

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The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ September!

For Today: Wednesday, September 14

Outside my window...We're in for another hot day with temps reaching 90 by afternoon--possibly the last hot day of summer with cooler and more pleasant temps arriving soon...I'm looking forward to getting outside and cleaning up the fall garden.

I am thinking...it's been a very long blog break for me--I hope you're still out there reading! Are you? I had originally thought I'd do a blog series titled September Snapshots and post a photo every day the month of September. Thankfully, I talked myself out of that before I started! Because...

I am learning...to be a round-the-clock caregiver for Granny. Unfortunately, last week she broke another bone in her lower back and has been in severe, excruciating pain. Tomorrow she has a bone scan, and surgery is tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon to repair the compression fracture. Please pray for her!

Here's Granny enjoying a treat; I know she's looking forward to getting well and making baskets again, her favorite hobby: Here's a custom order of 4 baskets she was staining when the fracture happened down in the garden shed. But she finished the job, and they're all completed and ready for pick up:Have you had a good summer? Ours has been filled with gardening, travel, priming and painting more cabinets (yes, still!), and getting together with good friends. Here are two of my long-time friends who met up with me at Panera...Sue and Nancie, friends for 36 years:Another friend and I met recently for lunch at The Purple Foot to celebrate our birthdays. I failed to get a picture of the two of us together, but here's the beautiful painting Jean painted especially for me because she knew I loved watering cans! I didn't know she was an artist! I love it mostly because she painted it! Thank you, Jean!: Special travel...In August Tom and I traveled back to our old stomping grounds in Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown for our 36th wedding anniversary...fun memories!

I took lots of scenic pictures of our trip (none of us together on our anniversary!)...this one is the most representative of Jamestown. We went on a cruise aboard the Jamestown Discovery Boat Tour, viewing these three ships on Jamestown Island, something we'd never done when we lived there:We loved strolling along the river in Yorktown and enjoyed the little village of shops...newly rebuilt since we moved away 14 years ago:

I am creating...I recently purchased a cross-stitch pattern from the Stony Creek Collection, and I'm looking forward to getting started.

 It's called: Plans for You--a collection of clay pots with geraniums and the verse, 'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11.

 

I am wearing...charcoal sport knit skirt, teal tank, floral blouse.

I am reading...a magazine I discovered recently...Living the Country Life.

 

 

In my kitchen...we've been enjoying some tomatillo salsa which Hannah made--thanks to a friend who gave her a plant earlier this year:

I am thankful...for all the prayers that have gone up for our little grandson Andrew. He's been home from the hospital for a couple of weeks now and is doing well. Please pray for continued growth and development:I am hoping...to get to visit this little cutie pie in about six weeks. What a miracle baby he is!

 

In my garden...a new red coneflower! Here's Hannah holding my purchase:

One of my favorite things...visiting garden centers like this one. Hannah and I made some sales calls this summer to get her soap into some new shops. This was one garden center we visited in Charlottesville:

Closing Notes...Hopefully, this Daybook post caught you up a bit on the summertime happenings around here. Check out other Simple Woman Daybook posts here.

 

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ April

 

For Today, Saturday, April 16

 

 

Outside my window...an absolutely beautiful spring day in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley with temperatures almost reaching 70. Unfortunately, the much-needed yard work was postponed until next week, but I did make a trip over to Jonathan's in-progress house today for the first time in quite a while--pictures further down in this post.

 

I am thinking...that Spring is my favorite season. I'm looking forward to pitching fresh mulch in my flower beds, filling the new bird feeders, and planting annuals in the watering cans down the front steps. Spring is a busy season!

 

 

I am thankful...that Sarah and baby boy are doing okay so far and are hanging in there! We traveled to GA to visit them over Easter weekend. Since Sarah was on bed rest while we were there, Hannah and I stayed busy in the kitchen:

Granny and my sister were able to travel with us to see Sarah and Eric's home for the first time and enjoyed getting to see them again. I'm sure Sarah would rather have been up and about hostessing us, but she was being a good girl and taking it easy:

We are praying: that the baby will wait quite a few more weeks (or months!) to be born! Sarah is now in the hospital on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy.

 

We left Hannah in Georgia with her sister, originally to help out in the home with cooking and homemaking duties, but now she keeps Sarah company in the hospital each day.

 

Please pray with us that the Lord will sustain Sarah and the baby and keep them waiting patiently. Full term due date would be in August.

I am creating...a soft minky baby blanket for our little grandson. My sewing machine came out of hiding to get this finished before our trip:

Granny is creating...a custom basket for a customer. Once she began feeling better after a compressed fracture in February, she again started making baskets. I think it must help her recuperate faster to do something she enjoys so much:

 In my kitchen...well, as you can imagine...once Sarah got married in November and she wasn't around to help in the kitchen, there was some adjusting for me to do!

 

Now...I'm adjusting even more since Hannah has been in Georgia with her sister. A very dear friend and her husband came over and brought the whole entire meal one night recently. Here we are working together in the kitchen. What a fun blessing!:

I am visiting...our local Farmers' Market this morning:

Since the season started the first weekend in April, today was the first time I'd been down to the Wharf. Hannah and Sarah's Spot 22 was looking mighty lonesome, and their two smiling faces were missing since they both retired from vending at the end of last season.

 

I enjoyed walking around and seeing some familiar faces. Here's Farmer Brown's booth where we've made some delicious purchases in the past:

I am hoping...to get a lot more painting done on Jonathan's cabinets this coming week. We moved six over to his house this morning, and Tom worked on installing them.

 

On these six cabinets I've applied the primer coats and the first coat of paint. The final coat will be painted once installation is finished. I've been busy!:

I've been promising some pictures of the house, and here's the open living area with the hardwood floors finished and the painting done. All the paints are from the Williamsburg Color Collection, and all the downstairs is painted Cornice Tan:

I think Jonathan likes his house! He's done a ton of work on weekends and long nights since construction first began in September, 2014, and we're so proud of him:

The upstairs rooms are painted a variety of colors, and this is the beautiful gender-neutral green nursery, a shade called Levingston Green:

The carpet still needs to go down once all the trim has been painted. And there are several other work projects inside that need to be completed. I'll update again in the future.

 

I am learning...to wait patiently on the Lord.   "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waits for him." ~ Isaiah 64:4

 

One of my favorite things...showing hospitality to friends. Tom's best man in our wedding and his wife stopped by last week for an overnight visit. What a very fun reunion and time of catching up. I love new entries in our guest book!:

Whew! I hope that caught you up on the happenings around the Mountain Musings homestead. I've not been very faithful in writing on the blog this spring, have I?

 

But stay tuned...hopefully I won't be away as long next time!

 

~Deb

Nine Months to Birth a Mini!

I love good mail days! Don't you?

I love personal letters from friends and especially packages containing Moda fabric arriving in my mailbox. And, of course, I love quilts arriving in the mail.

And that's what happened this week! I hit the mail-day jackpot when Tom brought home a big box addressed to me from California. What the world?!

Here's the story:

Last March I entered a giveaway for a custom mini-quilt made especially for the winner over on Jen's blog, Quilter in the Closet. And I won! I know some of you won't find that too amazing since I've won various stuff occasionally! :)

But, anyway, I won! I could pick whatever type mini-quilt I'd like for Jen to make. I chose a rainbow flying geese.

This is the mini that arrived in the mail this week. Jen did an excellent job. I LOVE IT! (Photo credit: Jen, at Quilter in the Closet blog)Below you can see some of the quilting up close, and I can't wait to put it up on my new sewing room wall...one day: (Photo credit: Jen, at Quilter in the Closet blog)Jen and I emailed each other throughout the months as she was working on it; and as sometimes happens, life and family obligations sneaked in to hold up her finishing the mini until now. I completely understood as we've had a lot of things going on in our family this past year, too.

I told Jen it actually made a good story title...Nine Months to Birth a Mini. :) And she tells her side of the story over on this post.

However, Jen felt so very badly that she was late in getting the mini to me. So, she doubly made up for it!

She included a second quilt in her package...yes, she sent another quilt that was her beautiful Patriotic Chevron lap quilt that she entered in her local quilt show. Amazing that she would give it to me! I absolutely love it!

Here's the back of the quilt being held up by Hannah...just as beautiful as the front, and the quilting is outstanding:  Thank you so much, Jen! 

I love that she worked on these quilts all the way across the country in California...and now they reside in my country home here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I love both quilts and will always treasure them.

Head over to check out Jen's blog, Quilter in the Closet and see what other beautiful things she's sewing.

~Deb