How to Meet a Blog Friend!

I am the luckiest girl!  I got to meet my first blog friend last Sunday.  Now I have to admit, I was pretty nervous.  It's not everyday that I entertain people in my home that I have never met before.  I got to know Loy through the Package Pal Project at C.R.A.F.T. .  You can read about it HERE.  She has a wonderful food blog called Grandma Loy's Kitchen.  We had exchanged emails a little bit when she said that she and her husband would be passing by near where we lived on their vacation and did I want to meet.  Did I????!!!!  Oh yes I did!  I couldn't believe I was going to get to meet someone from blogland.  I don't know anyone who blogs in my real world.  She offered to meet me in town for coffee or something.  I gave this a little thought....It seemed like a "safe" plan....I mean after all, she could be a serial killer or something.  But, I wanted it to be fun!  I wanted to talk to someone about blogging and I didn't want it to be in some coffee shop.  So.......I invited them to come to brunch at Silo Hill Farm.
They accepted my invitation.  My very next thought was,"Oh my gosh!  I just invited someone who writes a great FOOD blog to a meal!"  What was I thinking??!! 
I finally decided on my menu and my next thought was, I should make her something to take home with her.  After all, I do have a CRAFT blog.  I gave it some thought and made a decision on what to make.  Now, all I had to do was wait for the day to arrive.  Finally, Sunday morning came and sure enough, right on time they arrived in my drive.  Then....they backed up and left!!!  Wait!! What??  Yep, they left.  I don't even need to tell you the crazy stuff that went through my head!  But my husband Sam jumped on the 4 wheeler and went down the road to bring them back.  Seems that since our car was not in the drive, they thought they had the wrong house!  Here is what a pair of internet possible serial killers look like when they arrive at your door for brunch:

Yeah....Loy and Neely are pretty dangerous looking!!!

Oh my gosh!  We had the most wonderful time and I can tell you now that it was way too short in my book.  Sam and Neely hit it off right away.  They both love 4 wheeling and they headed over to the 4 wheelers and talked about those while Loy and I went in the house.  I had the table set for brunch:

Loy and I visited while I finished getting brunch ready.  I had made an egg casserole, bacon, cranberry cups, some hashbrown patties, juice, tea and coffee.  We ate breakfast and talked....alot.  I noticed that Loy was wearing a bracelet that I made her for the Package Pal exchange:

How sweet and thoughtful was that of her to wear?  But that's the kind of person Loy is!!

After brunch, the guys took off on the 4-Wheelers and Loy and I sat in the living room and talked about what else?  Blogging!  I commented on her awesome photos and she gave me some great tips for taking them as well as the name of a blog that offers some good tips.  She told me the story of how her blog got it's name and it's re-name!   I showed her my little craft room and we talked about craft spaces.  She went out to her vehicle and brought back in this big box:

Once again, I felt like it was Christmas!  It was filled with buttons and findings.  Loy remembered that I had a thing for buttons and she sure gave me a "fix"!!

(Sorry the picture is blurry....but I get excited everytime I open that box!  I can't wait to start sorting them!)

She also brought me not one,but two sets of fabric markers because I was having a hard time finding them here.  (Did I mention that she works at a craft store?)

And last, but most certainly not least.....she made me a beautiful table runner.  She remembered that I loved fall!  (Did I mention that she teaches a quilt class at the craft store she works at?!)

Isn't that just gorgeous?

It was getting close to time for them to leave, so we ventured down to the creek for a little walk before they had to get in their truck for a long day of driving.  As we headed down our Nature Trail, a wild turkey made a brief appearance just for Loy!  Sam and Neely took a last look at the Ram Pump that Sam had built and Neely had admired so much that Sam printed him out a set of plans.  We stopped by the creek and I had Sam take a picture of us:

 or two:

Then it was time for them to hit the road and finish the last leg of their trip.  The time sure seemed to fly while they were here.  I wish it were longer.  I hated to see them go, but am glad for the opportunity to meet a great friend who is now more than a cyber friend!  I made them some homemade carmel corn in some cute containers to take on the road with them.

Sam printed them out a map to get them around Kansas City and avoid the majority of holiday traffic.

So.....a little wrap up on how to meet a blog friend:

1)  Correspond.  When you make a comment on a person's blog, go ahead and ask them a question or

     two.  You might be surprised at their response and willingness to correspond.  I have a few blog

     friends that I email with regularly and I hope to meet them someday as well.  Some of them live in

     different countries and I love to hear about where they live.

2)  If  they indicate that they might like to get together.....SAY YES!!  Even if you don't want to invite

     them to your home.  You can always meet at a public place. 

3)  Consider being the one to initiate a meet up if you happen to be going near where a blog friend

      lives.  I know that Loy's courage in asking to meet up has sure inspired me to do the same! 

4)  Relax and enjoy your visit!  Talk about what you have in common...which starts with blogging..

     and you'll soon find out that you have many other things in common as well.  You'll also find out

     that the other person is just a person much like yourself and they have some interesting things to

     say!

5)  Share a little something with them.  Whether it is something you made, something you have,

     something you bought, or something you cooked.  It's a great way to break the ice and you'll have

     a keepsake of the time that you got to visit together.

I had a great time meeting Loy and Neely and look at all the fun I would have missed if I hadn't said YES!  Thank you Loy for having the courage to ask if we could meet!  The pleasure was all mine!

Linking Up:

Sunday:

C.R.A.F.T. : Making Monday Marvelous, By Stephanie Lynn: Under the Table and Dreaming, Homeaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers Party & Hop, Serendipity and Spice: Manic Monday

Monday:

The Gunny Sack: What's in the Gunny Sack?, Creatively Living: Tell it to Me Tuesday,

Tuesday:

The Winthrop Chronicles: Share It, Not Just a Housewife: Show Me What Ya Got,

Heroes of All Sorts

This Memorial Day, I'm thinking about a few of the heroes in my life.  I have many uncles who served in various branches of the military.  My own father was a Corpsman in the Navy, and completed two tours in the Pacific Theater in WWII. (If you don't know what a corpsman is....google it....these guys are every soldiers hero on the battlefield.)  My father-in-law served in the war in Korea.  He was a Lineman....I can't imagine climbing up on a telephone pole in a war zone.  I wonder how many snipers had him in their gun sights.  That kind of bravery deserves some serious respect.  I have a treasured nephew in the army who has a lovely wife and 3 beautiful small children he leaves behind every time he goes overseas.  I don't know how he does it, but I'm proud and grateful for his service.  I have another nephew Jacob, who is a Marine.

Check out this picture.....it's one of my favorites:

The young Marine on the left is my nephew Jacob.  He is my hero in so many ways, for so many reasons.  The young man on the  right, is his brother, my other nephew Ben.  He's a different kind of hero, who fought a different kind of battle.  He is very sadly no longer with us, but he was an organ donor and so, unknowingly a hero to many who will never know the wonderful young man that he was.  Ben was so proud of his brother's service.

Here is another picture from that day:

What a fine pair of heroes.

This is my sister Jennifer, mother to both:

I know you can't see her very well in this picture, but I love it anyway.  I know that on this day her range of emotion was off the charts.  I can't imagine.  Jennifer is a hero too.  All military mothers are.

This is Jacobs wife Kelsey:

I can't even begin to imagine how proud she is and how she must have worried when Jacob was in Afghanistan.  She is an amazing woman in her own right.  All military wives are courageous heroes.

Here is a picture of them together at the Marine Ball:

This is my brother-in-law Mike, father to both:

He is at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC.  It was his dream to go there.  I don't think that I know of anyone who has greater respect for ALL of the men who have served our country and fought and died for our freedom.  His knowledge and enthusiasm of military history is vast and his respect for those who serve and have served is limitless.  I know that he is proud of his Marine son.  I also know that he is aware of the danger that his only surviving son faces.  Mike is a hero too.  All military fathers are.

I am proud of this family and the bravery of each and every one of them.  They have all fought battles of different kinds.  Not all of the battles were won.  Some are over, some will never be.  They are heroes to me each and every day.  I love them and I'm grateful for them....each and every day.

Thank you for your service Jacob. I love you. You are my hero for so many reasons!  You were training for it at an early age:

Thank you Mike and Jen.  Your sacrifices and patriotism are beyond words. I love you both. You are my heroes.

Thank you Ben...your organ donations were honorable sacrifices, your bravery was amazing in the face of a battle so unfathomable.  I am so sorry that you lost.  You are a hero in my book any day.  You are loved and missed by so many on this Memorial Day.

 

I'm Meeting a Blog Friend Today!!!

Today I get to meet a blog friend for the first time!  I'm so excited!  I'm planning a brunch for her and her husband!  I'll do a post about it soon, but for now, I'll just show you a little project I made for her to take on her trip home.

Okay, that one is actually for her husband, but I thought it was appropriate for Memorial Day weekend!  This is the one I made for her:

I had a couple of large coffee creamer containers and you know I couldn't throw them away!  I'm so glad I didn't!  They were perfect for making this project.  All I needed was a some wrapping paper (I had this awesome double sided paper), scissors, Mod Podge, tacky glue and a few embellishments.

I cut the paper to fit over the labels, front and back.  Using a sponge brush and some Mod-Podge, I adhered them to the containers. 

A little ribbon, a few fabric stars and a couple of buttons later......

Aren't they just seriously cute??  And what did I fill them with?

Homemade Carmel Corn!!  Yummmmm......no one has to share, they each have their own!

Now, I have to go.  I'm having special guests for brunch this morning and I have a few things to do...