Potato Barn Chic

I am still in Arizona and will be for at least two more weeks. My dear Dad had a small stroke two weeks ago and so I am really happy that I have been here to attend to his needs. He returned home from a rehab facility yesterday. He is doing quite well, but hasn't quite got that old spark back yet. He wonders why he is feeling so tired. We have his 90th birthday party planned for next weekend and lots of family is coming to town for it. We are all really excited and are looking forward to being together for something happy! My granddaughter's husband is a professional documentary film maker and plans to film us. Scary, but cool! My nephew has been making a DVD slide slow of lots of old family photos, and that will be really fun. He has done a great job!

 My cute Dad with Linda, Marcie and Randy

On another note, my DIL and I went shopping for a bed for the granddaughter who deems herself the favorite. She has been known to sit in front of babies to make herself seen, and hide the babies. She is 16 years old and makes us laugh. There is a chance that she is serious tho. So we went to a store called The Potato Barn. I was there several years ago, when the store was in a big barn. Apparently their success has moved them into shopping centers now. I took a bunch of photos with my phone because I want to share their very shabby, but new furniture. 

 This chair made me laugh. Can you see the 

patch on the side?

 Seriously stripped down paint job!

 Loved this chair with the stars stitched on!

 Nifty cubbies!

 Another stripped down piece. Some were done in teal, or whatever that popular blue color is. 

You can see some of it in the background.

  These last pieces were my favorites. They have  removable galvanized bins. I can see them in my sewing room holding scraps in various sizes! So easy to toss pieces in as I trim them and so easy to draw them out as I need them. I think these were $285 a piece. It's a stretch for saving scraps, but cuteness does count for something! Since I want to keep the husband freaking to a minimum, I think I will just covet them for a while.

Karen Mowery

My dear friend Karen Mowery passed away on Friday, February 1, 2013, just one year after being diagnosed with cancer. It was a really tough year for her and she was sick for most all of it from the treatments she went through. She went peacefully, and her wonderful son Timmy was with her at the end, as he has been all along. He was her greatest joy and treasure. 

Karen was always reluctant to have her picture taken, so I scanned this from her beautiful book, A Bountiful Life, published by Kansas City Star.

 

My one comfort is that I know she is in another realm where there is no pain and love will surround her, and peace will comfort her.
I know that we have many quilting friends in common and you will feel her loss as well. She was a person of enormous talent and also of great humility. She took joy in her artistic pursuits and had so much left to offer. I am sure that our Heavenly Father has a whole new palette of color to offer her. 

I will miss her every day.