It's Been Too Long.....

Certainly had quite a difficult time getting into my blog this morning!!  Seems if you don't post in a while, Google rebels a bit and makes signing-in a lovely mess!!

I have a good reason for not posting in a while and wanted to explain. In September, I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma.  Apparently, once one gets a diagnosis of breast cancer, your schedule is no longer your own and you run from one specialist to another learning about treatment plans and clinical studies, to the neglect of your quilting and blog.

But, I know it could be so much worse!!  God has been with me every step--He allowed me to find a cancer I wasn't supposed to find nor that show up on a mammogram, He put quilters in the waiting room of the surgeon's office and He gave me the strength to finish two quilts for Timeless Treasures right after my first surgery.  My age is to my advantage (shocker!!), so my prognosis is good and I have no worries that once I'm done with my chemotherapy and radiation, I can close this chapter of my life and move on as a better person for having had the experience.

To be perfectly honest, I'm struggling a bit with the loss of my hair.  Being a redhead, a lot of my identity is wrapped up in that fact.  Before I was born, my mother prayed for a little girl with curly red hair, blue eyes and freckles and God honored her request.  (Editor's note:  She could have left freckles off the list, but it seems to work as a package.)  In an attempt to work through my feelings, my block of the month for 2013 is dedicated to curly topped redheaded little girls....

The Curly Top on the tractor holds a special memory for me!  

The summer after high school, I worked maintenance at my Dad's office, driving tractors, scrapping and painting metal sheds and weeding a myriad of gardens.  I loved driving the tractor to cut the lawn--third gear was the best!!  The swallows would encircle me while I stirred up tasty bugs for them to enjoy and they always rewarded me with the most impressive aerial acrobatics!  To remember that special summer with my Daddy, this simple little block will be available in June to honor wonderful fathers everywhere.

Although this "new adventure" of mine has included many twists and turns, I'm promised, ".....that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)  Best of all, I've been enjoying  Hebrews 13:1-2 on a whole new level, "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."--have met more angels than I can count, each one filled with love, and am so thankful!!

So, I hope one or two of my little Curly Tops appeal to you and you'll join me next year!  As always, the directions for all my patterns can be found at Ewe's Quilting.