Monday, July 19, 2010

Sharon K Nelson Unger


My mother was born on Sept 16 1957 she passed away Saturday July 17, 2010..just shy of her 53rd birthday..She leaves behind her mother, sister and brother, loving husband, 2 daughters, a son and 8 grandchildren.
If there was one thing I could say about her is that she was a woman of great faith. She like me strived to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She like me did not always rise to the task but she always kept moving forward. She tried very hard to Rejoice in the Lord no matter the obstacle ahead of her.. Often times that obstacle was her health, but it also included us kids and the choices in life we were making.
She was born in Ogden, Utah. She had me at the age of 17 and boy was that a struggle since I came just a little too early. She said I always was trying to move to quickly through life..which is probably true. I would then be followed by my sister Tiffiny and my brother Lee. We all grew up in California in a little house that we loved and made our home. She tried nursing when I was little. Soon after she became a registered nurse she got ill and we nearly lost her. She would battle most of her life with an immune problem in her blood. She would do many things with us kids like girl scouts, help us in school, band, choir whatever our hearts desired.
She would walk away from her faith for a brief period of time. She returned fully to Christ at the end of my 6th grade year after attending a Christmas program and seeing that the church I was attending was not anywhere close to what she believed as a Christian.
We began attending a Lutheran Church ran by Pastor Timothy Dost and his wife Nannette. There she served on the board for Sunday School, became the church secretary and even helped with the daycare that they would eventually have. She continued to be very supportive of my scouting helping me to earn my Silver Award and then also helping me to become confirmed.
I admit life was not always easy in the teen years but she always reminded me of my faith. How important that was no matter what I was going through. She once again became ill, this time with blood clots in her legs, I am thankful to say that the Lord was not ready for her..
We would move on to another Lutheran church and once again she participated in any aspect that she could. She would see us all off from High School and into the world over the next few years.
Her duty as wife would become difficult just after the birth of my first child when she had to surrender her whole being to my dad's side as he fought his battle with Leukemia. It was a tough fight but the Lord once again was not ready for either of them and he would go into remission.
They moved from their home to the mountains in Running Springs, California.This was a wonderful thing as a few years later while working in a secretary position for the county in the sheriffs department she would wake up one morning and fall down the stairs in their home. She injured her back. When going to the doctor they would find that she had disk degenerative disease as well as rheumatoid arthritis..later that would turn into many things such as fibromyalgia and diabetes. She battled her illnesses and continued to persevere even though most days she was in constant pain and discomfort. Her faith was something she continued to hold on to.
I know she continued to pray for healing over her body as did many of us for her. She would help me through the death of my mother in law Joyce. I had cared for her fully and was there in the final hours and that duty was more than my body could take emotionally, spiritually and physically. I would find myself returning home and leaving my marriage and family. I am thankful for her constant patience with me as I read the bible from cover to cover, prayed and healed. We took a vacation to Santa Barbara so that it would help me heal. I would find myself back to who I was and recharged so that come a few months later I was able to return to my job as wife and mother to my family. I will be ever grateful to both of my parents for this. My dad for allowing me to talk through my emotions and my mom for her constant support with the word of God..I know how much she prayed for me during this time, as I did for her the last couple of years.
I am blessed to have had a good example of a strong christian woman. She fought depression with a mighty blade. She enjoyed music and writing poetry. She came to be very secluded to her home and last summer I introduced her to facebook. This allowed for her to connect with the world she could no longer go out into. It allowed for her to get support from other fellow Christian's that were also online. She enjoyed playing many games on the site and we were able to connect nearly every day. The last year of my moms life was a tough one. She was tired of being sick and emotionally and physically drained. She gave of herself to others always trying to encourage them in their times of needs. Most of all she prayed for all.
I am grateful to the Lord for our last week together. I was moved to make a beautiful bag for her that she never got to hold. In talking with my dad I have come to know how special that was for her, she showed him the pictures I posted in aw of beautiful work. I know those are images she was able to have in her final hours.
We were not able to be together in her last hours since I live so far away but I am thankful for cell phones. She was strong enough just a few days prior to passing to have an hour conversation with me. We talked about so many things and both got closure on a great deal. I was praying that if the Lord felt it was her time that she go quickly. I know that she was ready. Ready to be rid of this body that held her in the merk and mire of life. She was ready to be with her Lord and Savior, to enjoy the health and beauty of his kingdom.
I praise the lord for the strength he fully gave me to be able to let her go over the phone. I know that she needed that release. I am thankful for her example of that with the death of my mother in law because I may not have realized the importance of that step otherwise. She will be deeply missed but I am ever so grateful to the Lord for taking her early since it was not his decision to fully heal her on this earth. I hope from this moment forth I can continue to be the Proverbs 31 woman that she helped me to become. That I can continue with my quilting business and know how proud of me that she was in her final days. She was a constant support this past year as I went in with all my might into my business so that I could stay home with my children and do the Lord's Will. I thank the Lord for the gifts and talents he has given me as I finish creating a masterpiece that my mom will be proud to be buried with.
May she forever rest in Peace..and Rejoice in His Holy Name..
Amen

Friday, July 16, 2010

Prayers for my family

2 Corinthians 1:2-4 (New International Version)

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The God of All Comfort
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

What Am I Learning Friday


I am learning it is hard to budget time. It is really hard when I try to get a quilt done in a day too. However, it is nice because I have my weekends free more. Just need to work in a few more hours with the kids. I am learning they need to not sleep until noon. :-)
Most importantly I think I am becoming content with the idea that the Lord wants me to stay home and not work out of the house, at least at this point in our lives. I am encouraged at this recent order since it is not one from anyone I know, or one of word of mouth. It solely came from ETSY. That makes my heart very glad. I also loved that it was my first Military Quilt. I hope I have many more in the future. They do such important work to keep us free.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful today for summer time. I love spending time with my children and husband. I think summers are nice because the weather is warm and we enjoy going to the beach alot. It is soothing, I get my vitamin D from the sun and we just have some time away from video games, tv and cell phones. I am also so thankful for the time I have had to put into my quilting this summer. It has been nice to be pretty much obligation free. I have gotten several quilts done and feel much better about accomplishing something. I am thankful to my husband who has stayed up late often this summer to watch a movie with me after my quilting. It seems I can't just turn it all off and go to sleep. Most importantly I am thankful to the Lord for all he continues to give to us. For providing a roof over our heads, allowing the summer to not be so hot yet that I can't stand to cook because of not having ac in that part of the house, and for allowing me to be comfortable with having our daughter gone so much this summer, because she would like to spend time with her friends. I am thankful for the continued quilting that He provides and for great friends who are getting the word out. I am also thankful to my generous spirit which continues to allow me to quilt and sew in order to be a blessing to others.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Click here to view this photo book larger



I finished a quilt in one day- it is only 45 by 60 but it is a huge deal for me. It was shirts donated to us by my husbands sister for Mekenzei. I took some of them and turned them into a Memory Quilt for her. I love being able to bless others. I sure hope she likes it.


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tackle it Tuesday's X Two


Miss Barbie Pink Custom Requested Quilt Order
I admit I have not been good at Blogging lately. I have been so busy sewing though. I feel like this summer has been a huge blessing as I have one quilt order after another. I do need to stop cutting my prices though as I find its only $20 here and there that I am making on the quilts. It is so hard to not be generous though. A couple of items I have made for free..
First up is Miss Barbie.. The customer chose two barbie fabrics and I created this very cute quilt. I absolutely love every aspect of it. Which is interesting because I can say I am not really a fan of pink. I thought of my niece Selena when making it because she is a huge fan of hot pink and black..That gave me inspiration for my next item.. A cute little matching purse.
This cute little purse has a little pocket on the front. I used both Barbie fabrics for it. The front of the pocket is one, and it is lined on the inside pocket with the other. I did add two fabrics to this cute little bag that were not in the quilt just to give it some added patchwork appeal.
The inside is lined with the pink flannel polka dot material from the back of the quilt, the Straps are made from the binding material. It is very cute and would make a little girl very happy.

Next up is a Tshirt Quilt that I finished. It contains 16 shirts instead of the 12 desired because I found that there were some backs that could be used too. The customer provided the front fabric. I had a cute calico black floral print that I used for the binding and then I used the A & M color burgundy flannel for the back. It measures approx 64 inches square.

Last on my list was a laptop bag for my mom. I did become a little over zealous and it is rather tall. I am so proud of myself. The lining looks great, the handles are patch worked and stitched in beautifully. I know she is just going to love this little bag- well big bag.

My favorite part is the maple leaf. It is my favorite of all leafs. It is the first time I have ever made one. I think it turned out wonderful! I love the way the fabrics laid together and accented each other. I tried to find things that reminded me of our trip to Santa Barbara a few years back and also their home in the mountains. I can't wait for her to see this, as I have never made her anything. So this will be a real treat.
I admit I still owe her a set of towels and potholders so my To Do List is still full. I have several Tshirt Quilts to finish up. I still owe my best friend from High School a Baby Genius Quilt and all three kids quilts are still waiting too.. Amazing how the list always stays full. I am very thankful to the Lord for the many talents he continues to show me. I would have never thought I could make these bags before.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Monday Basics- Planning the Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Breakfast Skip Boiled eggs toast cantaloupe Pancakes and peaches French toast and pineapple Waffles and blueberries Breakfast tacos Biscuits, Gravy, Eggs and Bacon
Lunch Breakfast Tacos Tuna sandwiches Tuna helper and corn Tuna pasta salad Tuna sandwiches Skip Skip
Snack Watermelon Celery and pb Watermelon Cantaloupe Strawberries Apples Watermelon
Dinner Chicken, Steak Mashed Potatoes, Corn on Cob, Broccoli Spaghetti Spinach Broccoli Garlic Bread Tacos Beans Spanish Rice Chicken and Rice Spinach Broccoli Homemade French Bread Pizza & Movie Buffalo Wings and Sausage Shrimp and Sausage Potato and Corn Boil
Chore Kitchen Bathroom Dining Room Den Bedrooms Living Room Yard Yard
Quilting A&M T-shirt Quilt A&M T-shirt Quilt Barbie Quilt Barbie Quilt Placemats and Potholders Gray T-shirt Quilt Gray T-shirt Quilt