Happy Heart

Hello friends! I just got back from a much-needed trip to northern Illinois to visit my parents, and it was the perfect reset. I always treasure time with my mom and second dad, and this visit was full of meaningful moments. My momma and I shared plenty of laughs while spending hours in her incredible gardens—we weeded, transplanted, planted seeds, tackled the veggie beds, and even spread out pea gravel. My second dad treated us to peaceful boat rides (grand dog included!) and we even started dreaming up our next big adventure—hopefully happening this November. As always, I painted a picture for my momma during the trip… this time, it was a squirrel. Scroll through the photos to catch a peek!

To everyone who’s reached out about the classes I’ll be teaching at the Threadworxs Fair in June 2026—thank you so much! I truly appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. I’ll be sharing an update tomorrow (Friday) that will answer some of the common questions I’ve received, so stay tuned. Thanks again for your patience and support—I’m really looking forward to both classes and can’t wait to share more with you soon!

For now, I will leave you with my favorite photos from my trip to Lake Summerset...enjoy!

Grateful, Happy, Blessed

Thank you for visiting with me again today friends! This will conclude my travel blog posts and we will get back to my regularly scheduled creative content over the next week.

After flying back to the United States  - Heathrow to Chicago O'hare - I spent one final night at my parent's house in northern, IL before heading back to Kansas City via train. Of course, I managed to snap a few more lovely photos on their property before making my way home. As you read (and saw through my photos), it was an incredible trip and I am still in awe that I was able to make this fabulous journey alongside my parents. Time with them is treasured and a huge blessing, so I arrived home a bit worn out but with a huge smile on my face. Of course, my husband and our two German Shepherds were very happy to see me - and while it is spectacular to travel and see more of the world, it is always good to be home. I hope you enjoyed traveling along with me...

I should also mention, this is the property where I collect all the acorn caps for my wool felted acorns. You can find a large selection of wool felted acorns in my etsy shop, in various colors.

A Beautiful Beginning

Greetings friends! If you have been following me for a while, then you know I just took an incredible trip abroad with my momma and second dad. They asked me in August if I would accompany them on a trip to Paris and London in September...and everyone around the world probably heard me squeal. I was not only excited for the journey to new and unexplored places, but to spend time with my parents - something I don't get an opportunity to do nearly as often as I would like. With my husband and I living in Kansas City and my parents living in northern Illinois, we have found the easiest way to travel between our homes is by train...so, on an early September morning, I started my extended travel by making my way to their beautiful lake house property via Amtrak. I will be breaking down our travel into several posts, as I have quite a bit of beauty to share. 

This first post is focused on photos I took on their property in Illinois before we departed for Paris. As my regular readers are aware, my parents live in a wonderful, gated, lake community in Northwest Illinois and they have an extensive property. My momma's true passion is for gardening and every time I visit, I can't wait to take my photo skills into her incredible gardens. With her age, she has started to simplify her plantings to be more manageable, but to me they are just as grand. Here are some favorite photos from our visit, the day before our flight to France...and within these photos, you will find my favorite photo of my momma (in her element)...

When I tell you that this was the perfect way to start our journey, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. There is something so special about spending time with them at their home surrounded by the beauty of nature. It has the most calming, refreshing effect on me...oh, how I long to live next door...

This was day one, so be sure to stop back for my next update, when I share about our time in Paris...which exceeded all of my expectations...