The First Blocks have Arrived!!

Oh sweet Dawn...

from

Quilting by Dawn 

Thank You for the beautiful blocks...

 I can't wait to start putting these quilts together.

The Guitar Man

is finishing up kits for the show...

Whimsy Lane Kits

Meet Me In Paris Kits

And I worked on a couple of sample Dresden blocks

for the shoppe below that is interested in our patterns.

 

I'm crossing my fingers that we will get this fabric in for Meet Me In Paris kits ourselves.

 

We stopped in at this shoppe

in Watkins Glen, NY

and what an amazing place.

Check it Out Here!

Time to load up and get on the road....

Stitchin' Love to All!

 

Update on Tory

I talked to Tory today

and for the first time since

this tragedy...

she sounded more like her old self.

She read all of your comments...

and even posted the link to the page

on her Facebook page

and 

wrote....

I was doing good on crying till I read all of the comments. I'm touched. Ily&&imy babe rip

 

I noticed several people from New York

went into the comment page

and read all of your heart felt comments too.

So you wonderful ladies

not only helped to bring some peace and healing

to my little girl...

but to a whole community.

So thank you again ...

from the bottom of my heart!

(Words can't express what your comments meant to me!)

I have to show you this picture Tory

also posted on her Facebook page.

It is of Chris' grave.

His best friend...the soldier who was with him when he died...

was with her 

and they poured a drink over his grave...

and it formed a perfect heart.

 

Is that not so very touching...

and quite the miracle?

God is good!

Tory has spent the last week with Dan (Chris soldier friend)

and his young wife...

He took Chris' leave...

to come home.

I think it was healing for the two of them to be together 

and to talk things through.

Well...

we are off in the morning

for our

AQS Des Moine show.

Please stop by the booth

if any of you are coming.

I'd love to see you!

Warm Hugs...

A Finished Block for Tory

I managed to get a center block done

for the quilt I will make Tory,

when all the blocks come in.

I also had to share with you these fabrics

I picked up at the quilt shoppe 

in Watkins Glen...

Aren't they yummy?

I'm trying to see if we can get the whole line into the shoppe.

They come in a lavender color too.

If we do...

we will definitely be making

Meet Me In Paris kits out of them...

as well as Whimsy Lane kits!

Back to my stitchin'....

Country Living Fair

It's time for a happy post! 

I just have to set aside some of this grief!

On the way home from the funeral in New York,

Ken was pretty tired...

so we pulled into a hotel in Columbus Ohio.

I had him drop me off at Barnes and Noble...

while he checked in.

I was tickled pink when flipping through a magazine...

I saw that the Country Living Fair was that very same weekend...

just a few miles down the road from us!

I've been wanting to attend this fair for years.

And what a treat it was!

The best Fair I've ever attended by far...

I just had to take a picture of this old Instruction Booklet

for the game of Rook...

Because that was the last picture

I ever took of Chris....

When we were all playing this game on the terrace.

We taught him how to play it ...

and he loved it!

Never before have I seen someone catch on to this game so quickly...

and not only that...

he went on to beat us all every time we played!

To see some even more fabulous pictures of this
fair...
Go Here..to October Farm
Scroll down through her last several posts!
Amazing photos..and you will get 
more of a feel what this Fair is like.

Another thing we did on the way home...

was to stop in Niagara Falls...

And there was one other neat thing we did on our trip.

The day after the viewing...

we were waiting to hear from Tory about when to meet up for the funeral...

when we decided to go and check out the Farm Sanctuary

right down the road...

 The beauty of this place was breath taking...

This is the country Chris grew up in...

by far the most beautiful part of the US I have 

ever visited...

Any of you who know me...

know...

that I LOVE goats...

This one had an injured foot and was walking around

outside of it's barn...

The Farm Sanctuary

rescues abused animals...

and gives them a place

to live out there days in 

in peace...

I never thought I'd see...

a

beautiful turkey....

but I did!

Saw some more neat goats and sheep too...

We then stopped in at Watkins Glen

to have lunch....

overlooking the lake...

before heading back for the funeral.

I always try to make the best

even out of a bad situation.

And this was my way of doing it on this trip.

A life changing trip for sure!

I want to say to all those

who took the time to leave Tory a message....

that I cried as I read each one.

You were able to say things that I couldn't...

and gave her some words of wisdom....

that I didn't have to give.

I thank you from the deepest part of my heart...

for taking precious time out of your life...

to console my little girl.

My heart...

If You Would Like to Send Tory A Message....

 

Tory with her and Chris' puppy Chloe

 

My bloggie friends...

I found out yesterday that

Tory is reading

the comments 

here on my blog.

So I'm dedicating this post

to comments 

just for her!

If you would like to give her some words of encouragement

or share something of your own...

please do so!

Thank you so much!

Star Block Fabric Example

I was asked to post pictures 

of the red, white and blue colors

for these quilts.

I pulled some fabrics

and whipped up a few blocks tonight

to show you all.

CLICK HERE....

To see how this block is made.

It gives the cutting instructions...

I figured out the rest from there.

Not the best directions...

but it's a start!

Click Here For an Easy LeMoyne Star Block

Click Here For a Friendship Star Block 

Click Here For a Christmas Rising Star Block 

Click Here For  an Ohio Star Block 

(NOTE! Any star blocks will do....these are just a few tutorials
to get ya goin'!)

I am humbled by all of your response.

Thank you ever so much!

Tory's Latest Post on Facebook

Tory posted this on her Facebook page... I guess this song pretty much says it all for her.

JUST A DREAM LYRICS and video - CARRIE UNDERWOOD - AZsongs: music videos & ringtones

When one watches these videos...

never does one dream...

that this will become real life!

I thought I was done crying....

Blocks Needed for Grieving Family

I've never been good at asking for help....

but I'm going to on this one.

I know the heart of quilters....

I am going to put together quilts for Tory, Chris' Mom

his two brothers and one for the

soldier who was his best friend

and who fought right alongside Chris...

and was 

there...

when he took his last breath.

I'm going to do the quilts in a muted red, white and blue

theme.

And I thought 'Star' blocks would be so appropriate

in this situation.

I would so appreciate any of you who

would like to help me in this endeavor.

I need 8" blocks

(Finished Size of Block to be 8 1/2" X 8 1/2") 
or 
(12 1/2" X 12 1/2" Blocks)

and when I say muted...

the best way to describe it...

is kind of like the Minnick and Simpson fabrics

that are always designed for Moda.

(They don't have to be Minnick and Simpson though!!) 


There is a fantastic tutorial that just posted over
here at 
Madam Samm's Blog

on how to make a fabulous Star Block.
(Since this tutorial is for 12 1/2" blocks, we will make one or two of the quilts (or more) with this size of block too!)

We would be so grateful for any!

I would so appreciate it too,

if any of you would like to copy this post on your blog.

I'm hoping Tory will help me sew them all together

to help her in her grieving.

I'm also going to try to get a local group

together to help out as well,

when all of the blocks are received.

If at all possible we need the blocks by end of October.

You may send them to:

The Scrappy Appleyard

3218 Knobview Drive

Nashville, TN 37214

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You all will never know how much your comments, prayers

and thoughts have helped us to get through this tragedy.

May God bless you all...

Please Say a Prayer for Tory Today...

Today...

was supposed to be her

wedding day.

I know it's going to be a tough one

for her.

We are back from the funeral.

These last 2 weeks have been

the saddest weeks of all my 49 years.

Chris' remains being pulled by horse and cart

through town from the funeral home

to the high school 

where the funeral was going to be.

Tory is the one all in black on the right hand side of the picture.

I cannot begin to tell you how touching and humbling this whole experience was for us.

Chris' family enveloped Tory as their own...

and the whole town embraced her too.

So many people came up to me and said how impressed they were with her

and how that she was part of their town now. She was family.

Chris' father introduced her to everyone as their daughter-in-law...

not Chris' fiance.

Throughout the whole viewing and funeral,

his parents were by her side,

hugging her, holding her up,

and truly showing her what family is all about.

Chris' mom told me that on Monday

when Tory first walked into the viewing room 

and saw Chris,

that she literally fell to the ground weeping and sobbing

uncontrollably. 

The next day was the viewing for everyone else.

When we came in,

it was all I could do myself to hold it together

to see that dear boy

lying there,

gone from us.

Chris' parents

made us come over and sit with them throughout 

the whole viewing and throughout the funeral.

His dad said to us,

"Your family too."

I was amazed at the funeral, when the minister said about

half way through...

 "Now Tory is going to have a few words to say."

I sat there weeping 

as my little girl got up

in front of thousands of people...

walked to the podium

in her grief...

and spoke to the crowd of her love for Chris,

and her devastation of him being taken from her.

From there,

the body was loaded back onto the cart,

and literally thousands of people

walked behind the horse and cart

from the school to the graveyard.

The Patriot Guard were one of the most touching things to witness.

Not only were they there standing all through the funeral,

but also the day of the viewing,

they all stood out there in front of the funeral home

with their flags for hours...

as everyone came in 

to pay their last respects.

Although hard...

this experience has touched me in a way

that nothing else ever has.

Amongst great sorrow,

we witnessed what Small Town America

is really about.

And it is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Yellow ribbons lined the trees and poles....

hundreds of flags were lining streets, homes, places of business...

banners, posters, handmade signs,

were made

welcoming home their home town hero.

Hotels and bed and breakfasts

put all of us up free of charge for however long

we needed to be there...

served us breakfasts,

and grieved right along with us...

We are now safely home but...

today we are especially feeling our loss...

simply because we were supposed to be having a celebration

of the joining of these two lives.

But we know time will heal...

God will heal...

and life will go on.

I can't thank you enough for all the prayers uttered on our behalf these last two weeks.

I know it was 'prayer' that was holding us all up,

when the sorrow was just to great to bear.

Humbly my friends,

from my heart...

may our great God bless you all for coming through in our time of need.

Love....

Her Soldier Boy's Last Kisses...

 I cried my eyes out when she posted this picture on her Facebook page.

We pulled in around 1 a.m. from our Cincinnati show...

We will be headed out early in the morning to leave for New York.

The viewing is Tuesday afternoon...

and the full military funeral is Wednesday at 4 pm.

Humbly I thank you all for investing your precious

hours in praying for all involved in this tragedy.

I thought I'd share a prayer with you 

that my little Tory prayed audibly in church

every time she prayed....

since she was about 8

"Lord we pray for everyone who needs a prayer today."

And I think of all around the world who are now praying for her,

who don't even know her

but who have entered right along next to her with this great sorrow.

I know so many other families have walked this road

before us,

and I will be eternally grateful to each and every

young life that was given for my freedom.

 You Tube Video honoring our fallen hero...

Fallen Soldier

Subject: Fwd: FW: Respect and Appreciation (UNCLASSIFIED)

This Airline Pilot writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and
said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.)

"Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck? You can board him
early," I said

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He
was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself
and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers
talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded to
answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I
told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I
appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen
soldiers.  The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his
hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call
from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the
family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said She then
proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old
daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family
was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier
was in before we left.  We were on our way to a major hub at which the
family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to
Virginia ..

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son
was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was
too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight
attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see
him upon our arrival.
The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier
being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the
flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could
do. 'I'm on it, I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of
e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my
flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and
what it was the family wanted.
He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going
to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a
text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the
dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy
on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a
dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the
family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the
remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to
their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains
can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When
the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the
ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg
home.



Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our
condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I
printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass
on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told
me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After
landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is
huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy
area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When
we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were
told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft, we were told. It looked
like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the
seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family
from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the
copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the
gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp
controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public
address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain
speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement.
We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His
Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private
XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army
Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and
daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain
in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank
you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you
just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family
to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly
started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and
soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', 'I'm
sorry', 'thank you', 'be proud', and other kind words were uttered to
the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the
airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their
loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I
had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and
over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our
freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA ...


Foot note:

I know everyone who has served his/her country and/or loves this country
will have tears in his/her eyes; I do.

Consider this a prayer chain for our Military.... please don't break it!

Don't break it! They die for me and mine, you and yours, and deserve our
honor and respect.

Prayer:
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

Prayer Request:

There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address
book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a
Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way, prayer
is the very best one.

GOD BLESS YOU!!!


Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

New Block Finished

True Friendship Never Ends

I have managed to get a few things done in between tears....

Tomorrow we head out early in the morning for our Cincinnati show.

From there it will be on to New York for the funeral...

so I will probably be away from here for a tad bit.

Thanks again for all of your wonderful support!

Big Hugs to All...