Lynn's ATC's

My friend Lynn recently created a new blog for her ATC's. I must admit that initially I had no idea what an ATC was. I figured a quick check on Wikipedia would solve that. Well...... there's a long list of items for that acronym. Judging by Lynn's wonderfully stitched and hand painted ATC's, I was able to whittle the list down. I felt pretty confident that she was not referring to Air Traffic Controllers ... the Appalachian Trail Conservancy ..... Automatic Train Controls .... and most certainly not Ancillary Terrestrial Components. Not that there's anything wrong with Ancillary Terrestrial Components mind you, I just think they'd be a bit difficult to whip up on a sewing machine. Undaunted in my quest for the elusive ATC definition, I finally struck gold. Artist Trading Cards! Okay, now that makes sense. These miniature works of art are the size of a baseball cards and made to be traded. Below are just a couple examples of Lynn's work which she kindly gave me permission to post.

She made the beautiful flower with watercolors. For the cute stitched card, she used batik fabric and green dyed recycled dryer sheets. Yes...... she is creative with a capital C!

I want to mention that Lynn's original blog is titled "Lynn - Getting my feet wet" Check it out and you will agree with me that she has moved WAY past getting her feet wet. In my opinion, she has crossed the English Channel. ;-) She is a multi-talented artist, with a zest for life. She is a wife, mom, grandma, photographer, quilter, and painter who has a loving, compassionate soul. She has inspired me in many ways.

Huge TerBear Hugs to you my friend

USS LKC to the Rescue :-)

My son Michael is in the front... on the left.... his back facing forward. There is a tiny little refugee from Somalia with them. The Somali refugees' skiff had been adrift in the Gulf of Aden for 7 days. The ship rescued 52 men, women, and children. They were given food, water, and medical treatment. The photo below shows people being cared for on the deck of the ship.
The entire crew did a wonderful job.

The Navy article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article has an area to view more photos. There are some really touching pictures of the children.

I must admit that I cried when I read the CNN article. I initially cried for very selfish reasons. As I was reading, I would glance up at the picture and see Michael sitting precariously on the edge of the boat, oceans away, in a war zone. To say that I worry about him and miss him would be a huge understatement! I then cried thinking of the nightmare that SO MANY people in the world face each day. I can't even begin to imagine.

Prior to Michael's deployment, I really had no knowledge of all the goodwill missions the Navy participates in such as COMREL and Project Handclasp which help people from many other countries.

I love the saying,
"We've been blessed to be a blessing."

I'm happy to say that the men and women on the USS Lake Champlain have had many opportunities in the past few months to "be a blessing."

Memorial Day

May we never forget!

AP Photo ~ Ed Betz

Veggies and Kisses in my Garden

My veggie garden is off to a good start. A few of the plants are already producing. I noticed 5 little zucchini plus eggplant and green beans. The tomato plants have blossoms, so that's a good sign. My only frustration this season has been snails. Since I don't use any chemicals, they sometimes get the upper hand. Fortunately, most of the seedlings have survived. I know that I could go out at night and catch them in the act, but then what? Smash them? Hmm....... I'd rather let my garden be of the "Survival of the fittest" variety. :-)

Perhaps my garden's success is due to the addition of this adorable garden gnome. He is blowing sweet kisses to the wind. He never fails to bring a smile to my face. I guess I've always been a sucker for catching kisses, especially from children. Surprise someone you love today by blowing them a kiss.

"Steve's been shot."

May 11, 1993 began as a beautiful, sunny day. It ended as a nightmare. The moment I heard, “Steve’s been shot”….. my world froze. Those words, and the events that followed, will forever be etched in my memory. Upon hearing the news that every law enforcement wife fears, I felt as if time abruptly stopped. I had a difficult time understanding how this could be. I had just spoken to him a couple hours earlier. After the words sunk in, I felt as if my world, my life, suddenly began spinning out of control.

Telling Sara and Michael that their Dad had been shot was incredibly difficult. I tried to comfort them, yet I felt as if my heart was being torn in half. Family, friends, and fellow officers were equally shocked and saddened.

I grew up hearing that all things happen for a reason. 16 years later, I still haven’t quite figured out the reason, but I have seen the good, and I am so thankful for the outcome. The good is ~ he is not bitter about the shooting that robbed him of part of his eyesight and his position as a Deputy Sheriff. The good is ~ he had lots of time to spend with Sara, Michael, and I while he was healing. The good… rather, the GREAT news is ~ he survived!

Although we are no longer married, he is (and always will be) one of my dearest friends. He is a good man and a wonderful father.

Happy 16^th “Second lease on life” Steve.

With love and admiration,

Terri

Happy Mother's Day!

Mary Cassatt - Young Mother Sewing

Mom, Patty, Aunt Neena, Mammo, & Ruth

My deep, heartfelt thanks for your continuous love, encouragement, friendship, support, and inspiration.
You have each contributed to who I am today.
A "Mother's" love is like no other.

Sara and Michael
How blessed I am to be your Mom! Because of you, I have had the wondrous opportunity to experience the deepest love
I believe there is..... that of a parent.
My love for you knows no bounds!

"I love you right up to the moon - AND BACK."

* Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

Warmth and Love

I was a teen the last time I embroidered. It was very vogue back then. I stitched between macrame projects. Okay..... I realize It has been awhile since macrame plant hangers were all the rage. ;-)

I was immediately drawn to the cappuccino and goodies transfer. I decided to add rick rack because it has such a happy, nostalgic feel to it. I think it makes the hankie look complete.

I had fun with the sunny little face. I added iridescent beads around each of the rays. They probably don't show up too well here, but they look nice up close.

My wonderful grandpa gave me the nickname Sunshine when I was a teen. He called me that until he passed on. I lovingly dedicate "Sunshine in June" to him, in honor of his birth month.

My sweet grandma turns 93 next week (Hooray!) She was recently watching me stitch and asked what I was working on. I told her that I wasn't quite sure yet. I said that I embroider to keep myself out of mischief. She immediately laughed and called me a little chipmunk. Let's see.... TerBear, Sunshine, and now Little Chipmunk. Good thing I don't have to fit all that on my driver's license! Speaking of nicknames, I have a first grade student who calls me Ms. Iguana instead of Ms. Fonbuena. It sounds so cute, I don't have the heart to correct him. ;-)

Smiles and Blessings,
Bopee's Sunshine / Mammo's Little Chipmunk