Memorial Day

Shiloh Battlefield, Tennessee

1995

To all our men and women in uniform,

Thank you for your service and sacrifice!

ABC's of Me

I don’t usually do these meme things, but found this one intriguing. It's a cute way to learn a little something about someone. I love all things alphabetical: ABC books, cross stitch samplers, dictionaries, calligraphy and fonts, letterpress printing, library card catalogs, monograms, old typewriter keys, Scrabble... My husband doesn't share my predilection, and has mentioned, on more than one occasion, that he doesn't want to see alphabets all over our house. I try to be subtle. Here are some of my favorites.

Accent: Midwestern with a hint of Chicago nasality.

Breakfast or no breakfast: I eat the same thing every morning ~ yogurt with oats stirred in. I’m not particularly health conscious, just lazy.
Chore I don’t care for: DUSTING!
Dog or Cat: I grew up with both but have neither as an adult.
Essential Electronics: My computer!
Favorite Cologne: Clinique “Happy” ~ It smells clean and citrusy.
Gold or Silver: Gold. I'm allergic to other metals.


Handbag I carry most often: A small brown leather “Fossil” ~ a glorified wallet, really. I stick with one bag till it wears out.
Insomnia: All too frequently!
Job Title: Stay at Home Mom, in its most literal sense.
Kids: Two wonderful sons, ages 20 and 17.
Living Arrangements: My family lives in a far western suburb of Chicago ~ an old river town but with new amenities.
Most Admirable Trait: Endurance
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Tattling on my brother (he was the naughty one).


Overnight hospital stays: Two for childbirth and two for MS testing and treatment, including the entire month of December, 2007!
Phobias: Creepy crawlies of any kind. The more legs they have, the more frightened I am.
Quote: “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” Shakespeare’s Richard II. It stuck with me when I read the play in high school and I now see how very true it is.
Reason to smile: My children.
Siblings: I grew up with three brothers. The oldest died in 1994 and I miss him very much. Another is estranged from the family and I miss him very much. The youngest lives in Ohio and I miss him very much.


Time I wake up: 5:30 A.M., but not by choice. I need help getting up and that’s when my husband leaves for work.
Unusual Talent or Skill: Nitpicking.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Black Eyed Peas.
Worst Habit: Procrastination.
X-rays: Do MRIs of my brain count?
Yummy Stuff: CHOCOLATE!
Zoo Animal I Like Most: Elephants ~ They’re slow and plodding, like me but also intelligent, sensitive, and excellent mothers.

Little Faithy

I've won a blog giveaway! Lucy at Quilting with the Past made a twin to her own doll, Little Faithy, and sent her to me all the way from the Netherlands. Apparently, the pattern for the doll included a poem describing Faithy's origins, so I wrote a poem to thank Lucy for her generous gift.

The Face of Faithy

As Lucy stitched this prairie doll for me,

From bits of cloth stained brown, as if by age,

Her thimbled finger, needle, and fine thread

Shaped more than playthings from an olden day.

A flowered frock of unassuming form,

An apron fashioned out of muslin plain,

The bonnet sewn from madder calico,

Did more than clothe a humble faceless frame.

For with each stitch her expert fingers took,

A bond between two faceless women grew.

A friendship formed from stuffing, cloth and thread,

A seaming of two lives through friendship new.

So, when I look upon this prairie doll,

Imbued with love and generosity,

Instead of visage blank and features plain,

It’s Lucy’s face that gazes back at me!

© Diane Burdin, 2008

Thank you again, Lucy, for drawing my name in your blog raffle. I love Little Faithy and think she'll be happy in my home.