i know it is wednesday...

...and I promise I'll turn the computer off right after this :) I just couldn't wait to show off my very first art purchase for the new house!



This is a quilted wall hanging made by my friend Sarah. I had noticed it (and could not stop going back to look at it!) on our Locally Crafted website way back in December. Then Sarah saw me posting an introduction on a local parenting email list and invited me to join a small group of homeschoolers who were getting together regularly. Not long after that we went to their home for a Solstice party. As soon as I walked in the door I spotted this piece on the wall and told Jason, "Either she bought that on Locally Crafted or she made it!" Turns out she is an amazingly talented quilter and it was in fact her listing I had been drooling over.

After our offer was accepted on the house the other day I noticed that the quilt was still available, and we decided to get it. Not only is it breathtakingly gorgeous (the picture does not do the intricate hand beading justice), but for me it is a symbol of the wonderful new circle of friends we have been so fortunate to come across here. The group Sarah invited me to join consists of some really great families, and these are the people we are skating with every week, learning Spanish with, and chatting on the phone with. Attending birthday parties and making plans for the future. Even helping us buy our home! These are our local family, since our own family members are so very far away. And this piece of artwork, so lovingly made by such a special person, will remind me constantly how truly blessed we are to have them. I cannot wait to hang it on the wall the day we close.