We Interrupt Winter to Bring You a Summer Update!

The date is set!
The location is secured!
The workshop subjects are nearly completed!
The theme for the weekend is in the works!
A mother's helper is promised!
All is needed is a list of attendees!!

I have room in the one cottage for ten.
Are you one of them?
Leave a comment or email me to secure your spot!
You will not be disappointed!
From Chicago, from Ohio, from New Hampshire (I wish!) from wherever you are now, plan for this summer !!


'mama's collection of friends'
First Annual Retreat!
July 23-25
Leavenworth Inn, Leavenworth Indiana
Creating: From Creator to Our Hands
Share your craft, share your heart, share your love....

This and That

You know when you go to a conference and the host or the master of ceremonies or some such person announces: 'We do have some housekeeping issues to go over before we continue ...'
Well, this blog has some 'Housekeeping' issues to go over before we have the Art Gallery tour later this week.

To commence:

1. Comments: Many people (ok. a few people) have emailed me with questions about commenting on blogs. Let me share with you some technicalities of comment blogging that I have learned: I mash all the buttons till it works. That's it. I have a google account. Simple. Free. User name and password. You don't have to really use it to have one. Free, remember? I select the google account when commenting and voila! All my googley things come up and makes me recognizable to whatever system I'm addressing. Sometimes I press preview and some squiggly letters appear to be deciphered. I do that and go on to the next step, whatever it is that they tell me. Sometimes I just press publish and all goes well. Other times, not. Crazy system so I suggest mashing all the buttons.

2. The Retreat Thingy has a name! 'Mama's Collection of Friends' will meet on the last weekend of July, 25-27. Plan on coming the whole weekend or as long as you can...Still researching locations...Ideas for me to research? We (Eldest/Admin and I) are working on an 'agenda'; one that is loose enough for me but organized and efficient as well.....Workshops and Free Time...Give me some topics that I can add to the mix, ok?

3. If you haven't checked out the Craft Hope Button to the right, please do. The organizers will be taking more crafts to sell for Haiti in a few weeks. A great response by both crafters and buyers have accumulated a good deal to send to the decimated area. All money from each purchase goes to Haiti Relief. I will be listing several purses when in two weeks.

4. If you are near Bloomington Indiana, you could be interested in a Childbirth Conference sponsored by Christian Doulas in that area. Lots of info and child related crafts will be available as well. Yours truly will have a booth and selling some of my Vivien tested creations. March 27th, Church of the Good Shepherd, 1-5. More on that as creations are created!!

5. (Just because I can't just have 4 points; 5 is much more tidy, right?) A Huge THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to those that have let me know that they are enjoying my crazy ramblings....I recently took a personality test and it indicated that I am introverted; imagine that! But expressing my thoughts via writing has always been my outlet..To SHARE them is new for me and to find that they can be enjoyed by others, has truly been a joy...

6. Okay. I did have a five; but ending with 6 is more my style, right? If any of you has a hankering for making quilts but just don't know how to start, click on Randi's 'I have to say'...blog(listed on my blog list on the right) for step by step quilting instructions. She has done a grand job on breaking it down for the most utter novice. Randi also sells fabric in her etsy shop, fresh squeezed fabrics...Beautiful things! I just purchased a luxurious amount for the above mentioned Childbirth Conference. (see #4 :D) Check it out and let me know if you've joined the quilting challenge!

Onward to the Art Gallery Week......

Thank you for your kind attention to the Housekeeping portion of this blog....!:D

(mama's) collection of Ideas

It always happens.
When the New Year hits, I am hit with creative urges.
Whether it is the habit I had of removing the Christmas Tree the very next morning after Christmas Day, dusting, vacuuming and rearranging furniture to starting new house projects the week between Dec 25 and January 1, there is something invigorating to me about a new start.

This 'new' idea I've had for some time, but I wanted to wait till 'after the holidays' to bring it up...

So here it is.

I want to instigate a Women's Craft/Spiritual/Fun Retreat.
I want to learn your craft and hear of your disciplines.
I want to share my talents and philosophies (Yeah, that's a crowd pleaser!) with you.
I want to go to a nice state park where there are cabins and good views.
I want it to be financially feasible for everybody.
I want it to be uproariously fun.
I want small children with good manners (!) and nursing babies to come along.
I want good, healthy food to accompany the fun seekers.
I want to discuss God in our lives.
I want to share joys, fears, doubts and yarn. And Fabric.
I want relationships to be forged and galvanized so that it becomes a yearly excursion.
I want to learn. And teach.
I want your input.

Could you leave a comment or an email and let me know what you think?
Can you give me thoughts about you would like to see in this kind of retreat?
Can you tell me how long you could invest in this kind of adventure?
Can you tell me how much you could invest in cash? (park reservations, cabin rental, food)
Can you tell what would keep you from coming to something like this?
Could you tell me how far you would journey to make this happen?

I am excited at the prospect that this could happen this summer/fall!

I am overwhelmed and so impressed by the skills of so many young women. So many young mama's with such nurturing hearts towards their children. So many young women committed to their hubbys and their call as Godly wives. Such a gift to this culture and society. I want to meet you all and learn from you all.

Please let me hear from you.
Please let me thank you for all the kind notes and words of encouragement that I have received since I started this journey.
It is because you are special and unique that God has compelled me to encourage you daily.
He loves you and compels me.
There is hope.
There is joy.
Write me; let me hear from you.......