Finished. Finito. Fini. Terminado. Beendet. ???????????. ??

In any language,

I can finally say it. I’m finished! Finished with the manuscript for BOOK #2!

Gosh, it doesn’t look like much from this perspective, but what you’re looking at is literally months of hard work, lots of effort, endless hours spent at the computer, marathon sewing, late night math sessions with a calculator, excessive use of brain power, pools of sweat, gnashing of teeth, bloodshed,….(er, forgive me, I got a little carried away.) Yes, it was a lot of hard work. Yes, I really had to stretch myself creatively. But I can’t begin to tell you how down-right-excited-all-the-way-to-my-tootsies I am about this book! It’s AWESOME (ahem, forgive me, I just can’t help myself!) I can hardly wait for the editing/design/printing process to begin. But even more importantly, I can’t wait for you all to see the quilts in this fantastic new book!

I finished the manuscript late Monday night and sent it off via EXPRESS mail to my editor, Andi Reynolds, at the American Quilters Society yesterday. Gee whiz, I just love those guys at AQS. They rock! (As my teenage son says.) I know the AQS team will take my manuscript and turn it into an amazing publication! It will be fresh, fun, filled with bright, saturated colors, glorious design, knock-your-socks-off original quilts, and SO much more. And this is just the beginning. There will be surprises throughout the pages….lots of fun….things to giggle about….bonus web patterns….new things to try and learn. And even some of my extra-special, most favorite recipes! Yepper, this book will have it ALL. So be watching in the weeks ahead as I’ll give some “sneak peaks” along the way. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

A thief in the pews!

On another note, I must tell you there was an intruder (albeit welcome) in my backyard yesterday. Yes, a robber in the church (bird feeder church, that is.) Squirrels in this part of Germany are very rare. Since we’ve been here, I’ve only seen a handful of squirrels scampering through the park across the street. We’ve seen a squirrel in our yard on only two other occasions. So, imagine my surprise when I looked outside to see this little fellow in the church helping himself to tasty treats meant for our feathered friends! It’s all right, though. With his cute little tufted ears and bushy tail, I couldn’t help myself. He’s welcome in this sanctuary anytime!

And speaking of church….my 14 year old son said the funniest thing  yesterday and I about fell off my chair. As a family, we were discussing the differences between public and private schools. One of the things I told our 10 year old was that students are no longer allowed to pray or lead prayer as a group in public schools. In private schools they are allowed and encouraged to pray. 

Without missing a beat, Josh said, “As long as there are tests in public schools, there will be prayer.”

Amen!