Thank You

to those who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces.  And a big thank you as well to their families.  

Our lives would be very different without your service.  I am eternally grateful.

Stuff to Ponder

"It is a friendly heart that has plenty of friends."  William Makepeace Thackery


"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."  Arabian Proverb


"To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue."  Proverb


"The willingness to take risks is our grasp of faith."  George E. Woodberry


"The way to gain a friend is to be one."  Jules Michelet


And my favorite:  "It takes a long time to become young."  Pablo Picasso


Blissfully,
Sharon

More Quotes

"You will never "find" time for anything.  If you want time you must make it."  Charles Buxton


"Every day should be distinguished by at least one particular act of love."  Johann Kaspar Lavater


"Allow yourself to enjoy each happy moment in your life."  Steve Maraboli


"A happy life is one sent in learning, earning, and yearning."  Lillian Gish


Blissfully,
Sharon

More Progress

From yesterday:  A bit more hand piecing. Along with snowblowing and groceries. Three full days of sewing and reading and just staying inside--what a gift!

Today was spent with family and friends.  And I added binding to three small pieces before leaving for the festivities, with one more on tap and then the hand sewing can begin.

There is so much to be thankful for--a loving family, great friends, loyal blog readers, a full and busy life.  And the list could go on into infinity.  Thank you all for being a part of my world!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Obsession by Nora Roberts.  

Check It Out!

Just a quick post to let you know that I was mentioned by name in Joan Ford's most recent post, here.  It's so exciting!  Joan and I are both advocates of having lots of techniques in our quilting tool boxes.  And she shows exactly why this is so important.

Thanks, Joan!  You rock!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Keeping Watch

Pompera is helping me keep an eye out for health, prosperity, happiness, and dreams-come-true for my family, friends far and near, and for you, dear blog reader.  Your comments  are greatly appreciated in both good times and bad.

Always remember how truly special you are, and, whenever possible, choose happiness.

Do any of you have a special word for 2016?  I am torn between "balance" and "timeliness".  What the heck; I may just go for the gusto and use both!

Happy 2016!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  For those who are wondering:  Yes, there will be quilting stuff on the blog soon.

Happy...

Halloween - Late

Thanksgiving - Late

Believe it or not, I do think a lot about the blog.  I tend to blog at night, and it seems the days lately have been so full that by the time night rolls around, I am headed for bed!  I've almost had to relinquish my night owl status!  It's good to be busy.

My last post about choosing happiness struck a chord with some of you.  I hope you were able to choose the option best suited to your pursuit of happiness.  I recently heard a true story about a local woman who worked as a teacher for over 35 years.  When she retired, she moved to Kentucky and now works on a horse farm--that was her goal through all those years.  It's never too late.  We all have things we have to do, but let's make time for what makes our hearts sing and fills us with hope and renewal.

Part of the reason I probably have not posted more, is that I love seeing the pictures of Pompera and me at the top of the screen each day.  I'm seeing her in person more frequently, so I am letting that go now.

Please remember that you are all special.  You each have a unique gift.  Our world would not be the same without you in it.  Smile...it's a new day with unlimited possibilities for us all.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am refraining from saying Happy Holidays early; I'm going to try really hard to make that one more timely!

Pompera and Me

In September, I leased Pompera, my main squeeze, and we went on an adventure.  (I'd been telling her about it for months!)  Strawberry Fields, where I take lessons, trailered Pompera to a different farm where the two of us participated in a Centered Riding Teacher Certification clinic.  Whoa back, readers...we were student riders, not going for teacher certification!  I was lucky enough to spend four whole days with Pompera and other horse-minded people.  And other horses, too!

These pictures were taken on day three.  I was assigned two teacher candidates.  They alternated days of being lead teacher and assistant.  While we completed paperwork in which we stated what we hoped to accomplish, I also added that I was willing to learn anything they wanted to teach me!  What a blast!

We wove in and out of five cones at walk, slow trot, and very fast trot!  We did a labyrinth twice--where you walk in, halt, turn, halt, turn and walk forward, halt--and keep repeating until you walk out!  (This is only part of what we did!)

Four days of being at the barn over 12 hours a day!  Cleaning stalls, feeding, watering, grooming--ahhh, spa days indeed.  I got home each night dirty, tired, and eager to go back.

The moral of this story?  Grab the gusto while you can.  I don't want to get to the end of my life and say "I wish I had".  What makes your heart sing?  An old saying, but one I've taken to heart the last few years:  If it is to be, it is up to me.  I can make it happen if I want it enough and am willing to work for it.  How about you?

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Merry Christmas!

Whether you have snow, rain or sunshine, it's Christmas!  Enjoy this special time with family and friends.  It's not the gifts that are important; it's the love that surrounds us.

Special, blissful holiday hugs,
Sharon

What a Surprise!

Last night on my way home, I came over a hill and found:

Not at all alarmed.  I kept several feet back and pulled out my camera (after closing my mouth from the surprise!)

Amble, amble, amble.  Sometimes looking left, sometimes looking right.  Apparently enjoying the attention.

A right turn into an opening in the hedgerow.  Disregarding the Posted sign ;-)

A blurry picture of the wing spread.  He spread them, but did not fly off!

These are close-ups of this Great Blue Heron.  They are so cool to see, and this is the closest I've ever been!

I'm a lucky girl!  And I count every blessing.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Collector by Nora Roberts.

Retreat 2014 - Part 1

A funny story and some scenes from retreat 2014 in Lake George, New York.

Each summer, we have made it a tradition to run to the porch of my classroom (pic below) and wave as the Minne-ha-ha goes by.  Our goal is to get the passengers to wave--we have mixed results at best.  This year, five of my students decided to ride the Minne-ha-ha to see the lake from the lake instead of from shore.  We knew approximately what time the boat would be going by the dock at retreat, and those of us left on shore eagerly awaited the arrival of the Minne-ha-ha.  Our most shy and retiring quilter, TL, decided that they should all sit on the upper deck.  She also asked the captain to get as close to camp as possible.  When he asked why, she said that her teacher was on shore.  He asked what her name was.  TL told him--and...he announced over the PA system "Hello, Sharon Stroud"!  Can you just imagine!  Needless to say, all five of the quilters were waving wildly and they inspired the other tourists to do likewise!  The most waves we've every gotten!

Here's a pic of the top deck.  Counting from the right, the first five people are quilters!  The other side of the picture, top row, the enthusiastic tourists!  Too funny!

A close-up of the happy quilting castaways!  You ladies make me laugh!

Now, some random pictures I took that I wanted to share.  First, a piece of branch being used as a handrail on a path.  Isn't the texture interesting?  The white is a bit of fungus, I think.

We were lucky enough to get a private boat ride on Sunday morning.  Joe told us about rogue waves and we saw one.  No one can explain them, they just occur and are quite large.

The shore line coming into the boat house.  Just lovely.

Remember my classroom?  Here it is!  The lake runs under it!  And the water is so clear.  And that's the deck/porch we wave from!

And, to end this post, lake, rolling mountains, lofty clouds.  What a treat!

Next post I will show you the project we did at retreat and how the students interpreted it.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Something Different

Than snow, ice, sub-zero temps and howling winds.

And a subtle reminder to slow down and savor each moment.  Animals live in the present--not worrying about what happened yesterday and not worrying about tomorrow.  

My goal?  To be present for each moment of my life.  I've been lucky in that I seem to know when I am in a moment that is especially important and that I will remember always.  Like sitting on the front porch with my husband, rocking and talking and quilting.  Just enjoying the time together.  Time spent with family and friends and animals.  That brief moment in a riding lesson when everything comes together--sometimes for only a minute or so--but to have experienced it is priceless.  What special memories do you have that bring a smile to your face, or a sigh of happiness, sometimes a tear of remembrance.  They are all what our life is made up of...many tiny moments.

Well, that was a bit philosophical for a Sunday night.  Who knew that a cow could evoke so much emotion?

Blissful hugs on this slightly-warmer-than-lately night,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to King and Maxwell by David Baldacci.

Catching Up

It's been a wonderful reprieve to have temps into the 40s the last few days.  Unfortunately, that has come to an end and the deep freeze is again headed our way.  Just enough snow tonight to make the roads slick.

Here's a pic of Dickens curled up on the hand-quilted pillows on the love seat.  Here's some trivia about the things other than Dickens on the love seat.  From left to right:  The blue 8 pointed star pillow was made by my friend Rose's mom in Florida.  It came home in a suitcase from one of my trips to visit her.  The pillow with the two ladies on it was made for me by my friend Beverly and given to me when we were judging together near Albany.  The willow tree was machine pieced and hand quilted by me.  The one Dickens is laying directly on is an original heart design and hand quilted.  The pillow to the right is also hand quilted by me.  On the back of the love seat is a small doll quilt that my mom made for me when I was a kid.  And the love seat itself was given to me by my mom when we moved into our house almost 30 years ago; I played on it as a kid.

In a brand new bag of M&Ms I found these two mutant M&Ms!  They were near each other and I think they got mauled trying to escape!

Another mug shot from the back!

That's it for tonight.  It's been a day of errands, laundry, and crosswords.  I have just a few left to finish both books and then I am not buying any more crossword books for a while.  

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Ahhhhhh........

With all that goes on in everyday life, I thought you could use a dose of tranquility.  Here are two views of stacked stones on a boulder.  Just gazing at them makes me breathe more slowly and I feel a sense of calm.  May they do the same for you.

Cold, but blissful hugs,

Sharon