You Can Visit, But You Can't Join!

Story #1:

Some time ago, when our group decreased to just the four of us, we all agreed that we were content to keep the group small and intimate; thus our commitment to each other over the past 18 years served to both strengthen and enhance our relationships. Our adventures are many and our meetings are just way too much fun. We look forward to them so much that someone is always ending an email, or phone conversation with the countdown as to how many sleeps left until we meet again.

We love to share our stories with other friends and family and we are often envied for the fun we share.  Once when Jody was visiting with her sister Holly and laughing about something that we did - Holly said, “I want to come to cross-stitch!”  To which Jody replied, “Well you can visit, but you can’t join!”  Sounds like something a sisters would say…don’t’ you think?

Well we all got such a chuckle out of that story when Jody told it, that we now say it quite often and at times for what may seem like no apparent reason.  It’s just become one of those sayings that give you a lot of mileage.

This past Christmas I wanted to give something ‘special’ to my ladies.  We’ve all crafted so many things for each other over the years, coming up with something unique was a bit of a challenge. Special and Unique; that’s what I wanted … and then I finally figured out what I wanted to do.

Story #2:

When I was a little girl, my mother had an old Crisco shortening tin which she used to store buttons in.  I loved it when she got this old tin out; we would sit together and sort through all the unique and different buttons.  My mother soon learned how much I loved doing this that she would make it my ‘job’ to find particular buttons.  If she needed a button for one of dad’s shirts or for a baby sweater she just knit, she would pick a button out and tell me to find 5 more just like it.  It kept me busy for a very long time and she could accomplish many a tasks while I sat contentedly sorting through all the different shapes and sizes.  I love the sound it made while I swooshed through all buttons and I would organize them all in piles of ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’.  Sometime ago I inherited this tin and used the same ploy my mother did with me to keep my children cleverly amused for lengthy periods of time.   

 

So…what could be more fitting to add to my gift to make it even more unique?  Why Buttons; of course.   So I dug out the old tin, put on the tea kettle and started sorting.  It was going to take some time; I had to find four of each kind of button and they couldn’t be just any button, they had to be unique.  As I began to sort, my girlfriend stopped by for tea asked what I was doing.  I told her and then she began to sort through the buttons with me while we drank our tea and I shared with her the button tin story.  We had a blast sorting and talking and laughing and drinking tea  and eating cookies and sorting and laughing.  Did I mention that we sorted buttons?

So…there you have it.  Below is the unique and useful gift I made my ladies for Christmas 2010. (Oh yes… and I remembered to stitch my name and the year on it too, just as Tracey taught us.)  Take note of the 'x' earring that on the button in the middle of the handle.   Jody got two sets from Avon and split them up between the four of us so we each fastened them onto a button. 

4 more sleeps.

Bonnie