Awaken

Awaken

I love it when people share pictures of the sunrise. The palette of the sky is often the indicator for the day ahead. It is wonderful to see the vivid colors fading to pastels as the sun rises further in the sky, reminding of the beauty and promise waiting for us each...
Desert Dove

Desert Dove

Dream catchers and saguaro cactus are associated with both the American Southwest and desert doves. What are desert doves and how are they related to dream catchers and cacti? Four species of doves inhabit the Sonoran Desert: White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Common...
Cover Girl

Cover Girl

I have some extremely exciting news to share with you today. I am a cover girl for the first time! In actuality, my quilt, All American Spirit is in the cover of McCall’s Quilting July/August ’24 issue.  The quilt design is a fun blend of stars and log...
Bountiful Harvest

Bountiful Harvest

Most gardeners have just started planting for this year’s harvest. Many of them are already dreaming about the bounty they will gather from their efforts. I am one of those. Each year, I pick seeds and plants depending upon my cravings during the winter. I make...
Cactus Rose

Cactus Rose

I am an East Coast/Midwest girl. I have never lived west of the Mississippi but have traveled there often. On a few of those trips, I was able to glance the rare desert blooms that most of us only see in photos or in cactus gardens grown indoors. The profusion of...
Quilting for Your Health

Quilting for Your Health

Ever since I was little, I have needed to craft – not just wanted but needed it. No matter what else was going on in my life, creating helped me feel good. That “crafting high” is what I needed. Many of us joke about being addicted to fabric or...
Lattice of Avalon

Lattice of Avalon

Here is a pop quiz for my readers who also love the Arthurian legend. Where was King Arthur’s castle? What was the name of King Arthur’s sword? How did King Arthur get that sword? Where was that sword made? Who reigned over the place where the sword was...
All Squared Away

All Squared Away

Do you ever wonder about the origins of some of the phrases we use in the English language? My youngest son and I dove into that rabbit hole the other day when I said, “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” He responded that he understood the...
Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up

A positive attitude is a choice. Everyone, in the frame of their own lives, experiences challenges, disappointments, and rewards. It is your perspective and what you do with those life lessons that really matters. We are each shaped by those events. But more...
Indian Corn Craze

Indian Corn Craze

My youngest son loves puns and this one of those occasions when it is perfect for this quilt. There are several corny puns. One of my favorite is… “In the corn maze, I felt like I was being stalked. It was earie.” Why does this one come to mind? Corn...