From time to time I get asked enough questions that I feel the need to sit down with some of my blog readers and have a heart to heart talk.  It’s time!    Nothing serious . . don’t sweat.  This reminds me of some mornings when I wake up and I’m waiting or Vince to stir so I know he’s awake and I say “Vince?”  So often that means “I have a great idea that’s either going to cost you money or cause you lots of work!“  Now, when I say “Vince?” instead of saying “Yes, dear wife?”, he says “NO!  Not if it’s going to cost me money or take any more of my time!”

One night . . maybe night before last, we were outside and Vince said “Did you really ever think we would have a place like this?”  I thought about it for a minute and I said “I never thought we wouldn’t!”  I generally don’t set my mind to getting something that I know is impossible to get.

This week a reader mentioned that she couldn’t do the feathers on her quilting machine because of the throat space.  Folks . . this was my first quilting machine and I did feathered wreaths.  This is an old picture but it’s a feathered wreath that was done on that old machine with about an 8″ throat space.  Not a great picture but it’s from 2001!

Do you know that until the end of 2004, I didn’t have a stitch regulator?  Every ribbon I’ve won was done prior to getting a stitch regulator.

When I got my first machine, that old used short arm, all I wanted to do was make feathers.  Thank goodness, I had no idea I “couldn’t” do it and that 99.9% of the quilters would have told me it was impossible had I had the sense to ask.  I didn’t ask . . I never thought I couldn’t do it it and therefore, I did it.  In so many aspects of our lives, we’re limited only by the limitations we place on ourselves.

Another blog reader wrote yesterday that she had never had a fresh yard egg.  This isn’t about whether or not you’ve had a fresh egg so please don’t get into a debate here about whether fresh yard eggs are better than storebought eggs.  They’re different.  Some like them better and some don’t.  We’ve always been able to find fresh eggs, though like a whole lot of other things, sometimes it’s easier to buy them in the store than try to find them.  As I was out watering last night, knowing that I rarely run up against a brick wall and I never give up, I thought . . what would I do if I really wanted fresh yard eggs and couldn’t find any?  Before you read my answer, think about it for a minute and think about what you would do.

If I had exhausted all resources, I would go to a local feed store and stand around in the chicken feed area til I saw someone who looked kinda normal come in and buy chicken feed.  No one buys chicken feed unless they have chickens!  I would tell them that I’ve heard so much about fresh yard eggs, I’ve never had any and I want to buy some.  Can you help me?   We’ve learned a whole lot about chickens just from talking to other shoppers in the chicken department at Tractor Supply.

When I wanted to knit socks and couldn’t figure out how to get started, I went to Hobby Lobby where we lived in Kentucky.  I stood around the sock  yarn and waited for someone to come in and pick some up.  I figured anyone buying sock yarn might know how to knit socks.  Bingo!  She told me about a group of ladies that met on Tuesday at the local Methodist Church and that’s exactly what I needed.

My question for each of you (and I’m not really asking for an answer . . just asking you to think about it) is:  What do you really want and how hard are you willing to work to make it happen?

I’ve given you examples of my first quilting machine which was really so difficult to use that many would have given up.  I worked hard, mainly because I didn’t know any better, and I really wanted to make enough money quilting so I could buy a better machine . . and I did.  You know what we went through trying to find a home with acreage here.  How many would have given up and bought in town?  How many would have given up and moved back to MO when our house there was sitting empty?  We worked so hard and met so many obstacles that many of you couldn’t even believe what we were going through.  Looking back, I’m not sure what kept me sane (don’t say a word!) but . . oh, my . . it was so worth it.  This place is so perfect for us and honestly, if it had been for sale on Day 1 of our house search, due to the size of the house, we probably would have passed and not even looked at it.  Turns out, this house is just right!

I just don’t see how any of us can ever be truly happy or truly content unless we know what we want and begin working towards getting there.  It isn’t always easy.  It isn’t always economically feasible.  I truly believe that when we’re where we need to be and we’re doing the things we need to be doing, we’ll either achieve our goals or we’ll have a peace about our efforts and maybe see our goals heading into another direction — something more “do-able”.

But the very first step is that  you have to know what you want and commit to doing whatever it takes to get there.  I wish you all the same happiness and contentment that we have found!