scrappy Sunday-the men in our lives

Since it's Father's Day, Cheryl and I thought it would be fitting to share about the men in our lives and how they supported us (and continue to support us) in the writing of the book.

I read somewhere that if you are going to write a book it is very important to have your family and friends supporting you and fully on board with the idea. My greatest fear going into this was that I was going to put my family through the ringer. I was concerned about adding unwanted stress to my life and more importantly to my family. They are certainly more important than any achievement that I pursue. Now that we are on the other side of things, I can not tell you how unfounded that fear was. All in all, it was such a good experience. It was a A LOT of work, yes, but my family supported me, cheered for me and helped out along the way. We are stronger because of the whole process, and I couldn't be more thankful.

This quilt is called chocolate covered cherries. I made it for the book and I struggled with it through some of the design phases. Eventually I finished it, but didn't love it, mainly because I was not thrilled with the color combination. (Ironically, I had chosen that color scheme to match my living room.) I waffled back and forth for weeks on whether or not I should remake it. I knew I didn't want to include a quilt in the book that I didn't LOVE. On the other hand, I had so much work to do, I didn't feel like I had time to redo it. 6 days before our quilts were due to ship, my husband said the fateful words "you know you aren't going to be happy unless you remake it." I argued that I didn't have time...the quilts were due to ship in less than a week. He reminded me that I had made more quilt in less time before. He was right. At that point I knew what I had to do. It was "game on" and I raced against the clock. I sewed like a mad woman for those few days. That quilt has a LOT of pieces! I still cooked and cared for my kids and slept a little bit, too. Did I mention that my husband was working out of town at this time? We joked that it was probably for the best. I was so wrapped up in my quilting and he was so wrapped up in his work project that we would have had more issues trying to get along if we were under the same roof at that time. :) I was able to finish the new version of the quilt (and finish another quilt) in 5 days. Thankfully I don't have to sustain that pace all the time. I recall my fingers being very, very sore. But in the end, it was well worth it. I'm thankful that my husband gently pushed and encouraged me to remake the quilt. What a difference it makes to have someone believe in you and stand behind you, helping you to do your very best. I'm so thankful to have him!

This is the new version, Candy Coated, which you might recognize from the cover. I remade it to match the color scheme that Cheryl and I had chosen for the book....pink, grey and red. It's a big improvement from the first version! I was happy to include this one in the book. :)

My little men (11 and 9) have been supportive, too. My 9 year old begged me for a signed copy of my book and was relentless until I gave him one. That night (and maybe a few nights in a row) he took it to bed and read it before he went to sleep. Isn't that so precious? That made my mama's heart melt, big time. He also asked me to come into his class for career day. I got to share with the 3rd graders about being a quilter and an author. It was quite fun to see their reaction when I told them that I started the book when they were in 1st grade. My son was very happy to have me there and enjoyed being my assistant. He's such a sweet boy!

My 11 year old took the book into his class for one of his share days and would have taken his favorite quilt, too, had I let him. He took some of my business cards and handed them out to his teachers and to the librarian as well. One of the paraprofessionals later told me how proud he was of his mama. Again, my mama's heart was melting. He got his very own signed copy of the book, too. The funny thing was that he critiqued what I wrote to him. He said it wasn't very original, but it was alright...he liked it anyway. I just had to laugh. He's sweet too, but with a little sass thrown in to keep me on my toes.

I think my dad is pretty proud of me, too, although he isn't the type to come out and say so. You have to read between the lines with him...and that's the way it's always been. I can tell by the amount of questions he asks about the book and how often he brings it up. He's pretty special. It just so happens that chocolate covered cherries are one of his favorite candies. Maybe I should give that quilt to him.