Gift

I've been working in the basement recently trying to unclutter and organize, two of my favorite pastimes. I found my camera last week (OMG I'm still in shock) and various other items that I didn't even realize I missed since we moved. Little things, you know the ones, a small picture, a piece of jewelry, a knick-knack that so-and-so gave you that makes you think happy thoughts. And then I came across one of the most meaningful gifts I've ever received. When I graduated from college in 2002, my mom, aunt, and grandma made me this wall hanging quilt.

I had no idea they had taken the time (and it takes a while!!) to do this for me. I'm usually the one who makes people's gifts, so receiving something like this was a big thing. These three wonderful women helped me learn to sew and have been huge creative (along with other ways) inspirations to me as long as I can remember. All their beautiful craftmanship shows in this quilt. It's made up of pictures and little messages to me as a graduate. My mom cut up small pieces of fabric and sent them along with fabric markers to several family members and friends, who wrote messages on the fabric and sent them back to my mom, and that's how this quilt was made.

The colorful pieces in it are actually crayola crayon fabric, because (duh) I was going to be a teacher. I can't even begin to tell you how much this quilt means to me. Every time I look at it, which now can be often because it finally has a place in our bedroom, I get teary-eyed. Just putting it up on the wall forced me to get the kleenex. Seriously. There are several people in the quilt who are not living anymore, so that adds to the importance of it. I think this is the reason I enjoy making gifts for people. I'm not sure if everyone appreciates the gifts as I appreciate this one, but at least they know how much they mean to me to receive a gift from the heart, like this quilt.

And as for the area in the basement that I've been working on, it's lookin' all spiffy now. Check it out!

I covered the shelving unit full of teaching stuff with fabric that was laying around.

And the peg board?? There's a ton of it in this basement. This is the section that is on the wall above the built-in workbench. Looks like I've taken it over, and it's not with tools! Kenny thinks it's cute. I think I'm lucky cause most guys probably wouldn't like that too much. Hehehe....