Our Soldier Boy's Last Words to me...

"hey mamaa you will be proud of me bc i havent smoked in almost a month lol.love and miss you guys and will see you in a few weeks!!"

 Chris posted this on my Facebook page

one week before he was killed.

Before giving you all an update, 

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,

for all the outpouring of love and support

from all of you.

It has touched my heart

and has uplifted me in a way

I can't explain.

Please forgive me for  not

replying to each of you individually...

I try hard to always do that,

but just haven't been able to this time.

So, to tell you a little about  what has happened.

We only know that Chris was shot,

that he fought hard to stay here with us

and to come home to Tory...

the words from his best friend who is

fighting along side him over there.

His friend and the other boys,

went and shot the man who killed Chris.

(Oh what this war is doing to our young boys and girls..)

We needed to get Tory immediately on a plane

to New York

where a Sargent there had a seat for her on the military plane

that was flying Chris' family

into Delaware.

The place he was arriving home to.

We went to the airport...

where not one flight was going out.

Because of it being a holiday weekend,

they were running at half mass.

Ken and I then decided to just drive her ourselves.

(A 14 hour drive)

But on the way down to her house

she decided she wanted to go alone.

We tried to talk her out of it

because she was in no condition

to be driving,

but she was adamant.

She was going to take her and Chris' dog Chloe

with her. 

She said she needed to be alone.

This is when it is hard to be a parent

knowing your child is an adult

and that sometimes you just 

have to take a back seat

and support their decisions,

even though you don't agree with them.

I believe the prayers of all of you,

carried her through the night as she drove.

She made it there safe and sound.

Now, to tell you a little about Chris....

One day last January,

I was sitting in my sewing room

working on Buttercream Summer

when the kids showed up.

Tory was moving out 

to move in with Chris.

Chris walked into my sewing studio,

with his head hanging down,

and told me he knew how I felt about it...

and that he was going to find a church 

for him and Tory to join.

I had a wonderful visit with him,

telling him that all I cared about was their souls.

I appreciated his humbleness and respect.

 Not long after this on  Valentine's Day in February.

he had Tory call us up and meet us at Corky's BBQ...

he wanted to take us out to dinner.

This is his best friend Dan (and wife Bryanna)

who was there with him when he died.

These kids always came over to the house

when Chris and Tory came a visitin'.

They were with us that Valentine's Day...

On Mother's Day,

Chris showed up with roses,

on my birthday,

Tory brought me gifts from her,

but Chris had one for me that he himself picked out.

A scrapbook kit

that I will cherish til I die.

I was touched by his thoughtfulness!

At the Paducah Quilt Show...

all of the kids surprised us and showed up

one day at our booth!

They came down just to have dinner with us

and hang out for the evening.

On the way home from our Oklahoma show,

we stopped in Clarksville

and loaded up Chris' bed.

He asked us to store it for him until he came home.

The boys wheeled out my big office chair

from the trailer to make room for the bed,

that I always have at the show.

And I sat in it rolling around the parking lot,

directing them

as they loaded the bed.

Chris laughed and I know he was silently

wondering what kind of mother-in-law

he was really going to have to put up with.

This was the last time I saw Chris.

As I hugged him tight,

I told him to please, please come home safe to us,

knowing in my heart that it might be the last time I would see him.

I berated myself for such a thought at the time. 

A few days later he was on the plane to Afghanistan.

 

So again thank you all 

for lifting us up in prayer

to our Father on High.

Your love has been like balm on  broken hearts.

A link below to view:

Dundee-graduate-Christopher-J-Scott-killed-Afghanistan?odyssey=tab

Humbly...

John'aLee

 

A Picture of our Lost Soldier and My Daughter...

Tory and Chris

Our Hearts are Broken...

Just a quick post....

We just heard that my daughter 

Tory's

fiance

was killed over in Afghanistan.

He was coming home in a week,

and they were going to be married on 

Sept 19th.

Please pray for my little one,

for us,

and especially for Chris' family.

We will miss you so Christopher Scott.

Final Borders on Buttercream Summer

And one border is done!

 And now I see that I need to design something for the 4 corners!

It does leave some amazing space for some awesome quilting....

but I'm afraid it won't be balanced if I don't draw something up to put in there.

So everyone who has signed up until now...

will get the 11th Month Free!

I wanted to show another part of the design process with this border.

After thinking it was done...

I looked at the pot base...

Which at first had no satin stitching.

It needed to be filled in....

So back to the drawing board ...

to see what I can come up with for the corners!

Happy Stitching!

Design Work in the Design Studio....

I've been playing around in the Design Studio..

trying hard to get this next block

for

Parisian Summer just right.

It's frustrating when you buy the fabric 

for kits...

thinking it is going to work...

but then when you get to a certain point...

you realize you have to change it for it to look right.

The fabric below for the bottom hill...

just didn't work...

Nor did the fabrics I chose

for the petals.

So I start commissioning other fabrics...

 Then to work I get...

Pull out previous applique...

 

And I start making new blades...

Find a new hill....

lay out the new blades...

And then lay it all out with the other blocks to see how it is working...

I like how the new flower brings all of the colors to play

that are in the other blocks...

but I must try one more combination...

The Guitar Man likes this one best....

we will see!

Although it is a lot of work...

and would be easier to just leave things as is on the first try...

I always take the time to work it..

re-work it....

and continue the process ...

no matter how long it takes.

We are off to an Indiana show later today...

Have a blessed day everyone!

I'm Back!!!

Whew!

What a few weeks it has been.

10 to 12 people in the household

at all times.

 I have been working behind the scenes though...
Above is the final border that is going on all
four sides of
Buttercream Summer
to finish it!


Here are some of the 
in-process pics...

And I've been steadily working at
Parisian Summer...

Above I started out with one color of thread
for the 'writing...
then tried another...

Only to rip out both...
and start completely over...
with a thread that was a color way
in between the two...

Ain't pickin' fun???!!!

Now about what else has been happening around here 
the last few weeks...

Lots of cooking and family dinners...

Nights of Jamming...

Little one reading Shabby Chic while daddy plays guitar!

The Guitar Man serenading us with Miss Emily trying to play along...

There were Scrabble games on the terrace...

I was accused of cheating when I bumped the board when it was all coming to an end and I was losing.

Can you believe that?

 Teaching Miss Emily to sew...

Little one had to get in on this though...

Future Quilters???

Finally Mama came...

And hauled him away...

But he was always coming back...

Getting into Grandma's fabric paints...

Who me???

Priceless pics...

There were days at the lake,

shopping down Main Streets,

lunches at cafes

and all in all we had a great time.

But now I must say...

the peace and quiet after 3 weeks...

is pure bliss!

Back to the pile of work waiting for me...

I haven't fallen off the wagon!

Hello my Quilting, Bloggie Friends!

I'm still here!

Just been so busy!

Trying to get ready for all my kids and grand kids...

who are coming in this week!

This one is arriving tonight at midnight...

So there will be lots of 

cookin',

junkin',

shopping,

and playing

going on.

As well as water parks,

library days,

museums

and

theaters.

I'm determined to kind of take a vacation.

We'll see how that works out.

It is not my specialty.

Haven't done that much...

so will have to figure it out as I go along. (Smile)

We had a wonderful show at Knoxville.

Well...

actually...

it was the show ...

from...

you know where!

Not because of the people...

they were great.

But here's a few things that happened.

First day...we barely made it there for set up...

only to find out we hadn't allowed for the one hour 

time difference.

Of course...it was a loss not a gain!

We were rockin' and a rumblin'

trying to get the booth set up in time.

Amidst this...

the vendor across from us

while loading his heavy metal racks

on a dolly...

let them slip....

and guess who they fell on??

Yep! Me.

Bruises up and down my left side.

The whole show I called him my abuser!

He felt bad...

so I tried to make light of it.

Then...

Ken comes over to me and says...
"Hon...

guess what we forgot!?"

And when he said it...

right away I knew.

Buttercream Summer!

I had it on the floor in the dining room at home...

as I was trying to measure borders.

When I shut the door on it 

the previous day,

I even said to myself..

"Watch me go off and forget this!"

So the Guitar Man was going to go and check me into the hotel

and then planned on heading back home

for the night 

to get the quilt.

At the hotel...

we found out our credit card

was red flagged.

Supposedly they had put a fraud alert on it...

and nothing could be done.

We had to destroy it.

Right away I get on the phone...

and literally an hour and a half later...

supervisor, after supervisor...

the problem gets corrected without destroying the card.

Now it is too late for the man to return home.

So for the first day of the show we were resigned to 

the fact that the main quilt

was not going to have a showing.

 The Guitar would head home the next night.

Well...

after being put in a smoking room 

at the hotel 

and having a horrible night.

I said to the hubby..

"There is no way I am staying another night here!"

So I went all the way back home with him

the first night of the show.

Poor man...

he ended up getting '1' hour of sleep...

before heading out at 4 am

the next day...

All the way back to Knoxville.

3 hours.

 

When we get into the car...

I am in the back

on my feather bed.

I look at him through the rear view mirror

and say...

"Quit being a woos!

Just suck it up and drive!"

He looks back at me with flashing anger in his eyes..

until he sees me laughing!

You would have had to been there!

It was just one of those shows.

But the 'people' made up for it!

Also...

at a gas station...

I found a 

Gold

American Express

card of someone's on the ground.

The Guitar Man is pumping gas....

and I slyly go up to him...

and say,

"Hon....I've found a way to

solve all and any money problems!"

And 

then 

show him

the 'card'!

He laughs!

I call

American Express...

and get it cancelled 

for whomever lost it!

So that's all for now~

I promise

not

to be gone so long...

this next time...

my loyal quilting buds!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!