Simple Pleasures

Simple pleasures are amazing! Bobby and I were talking this week (like senior citizens do) about how his Granddaddy loved raisin bread. From there we went to "how far I had to walk to school", etc. Growing up in the South we had many simple pleasures and unbelievable treats. Remember Nehi Grape Sodas? Or 6oz Coca Colas? Or Orange Crush? And when Pepsi was the new big rival? Remember a small bag of salted peanuts, and you poured them into your cola for a fun treat? My Granddaddy called those Cokes "a dope" because the original formula was thought to have an opiate in it. Simple pleasures: local women processing foods together like canning beans and tomatoes or preserving peaches and blackberries that had been picked on the side of the creek or the road. Women making fruit cakes in the fall and early winter so that they could "cure" until holiday time - never cut the fruit cake the day you make it! Those were gatherings to make chores more bearable. Women visiting over a quilting frame set up in the dinning room or spare bedroom (if you had one) made more pleasurable a time which could have been very solitary without the benefit of TV or iPods. That's when they shared happy times and sad times and became a community. People helped people and became neighbors and friends. Simple pleasures.

We can get some of that "community" again by trusting our "neighbors" and by becoming participants in guilds and bees and other organizations of those with common interests and goals. Do you know your neighbors? Have you found a "community of similar interests" with whom you can share ideas and situations? That is part of what Heirlooms & Comforts offers you with our classes and the Free Sew Days that are scheduled for the shop. Do you know the saying "Joy shared is doubled; sorrow shared is halved"? Try it.
Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Batiks
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature double punches on the Fabric Club Cards for the purchase of Batik fabrics with a ½ yd minimum cut. We have recently received a number of great batik fabrics from several companies. The batiks are brilliant - gorgeous! This week get double punches for the purchase of batiks!

Save and Save...
Right now at Heirlooms & Comforts you can save $600 off the price of a new Designer Topaz 30 or a Designer Topaz 20 AND get a free 5D Embroidery suite. Wow and Wow! The number of units available at this special is limited; so don't wait too long to make your move. Also, there is one only Designer Ruby remaining that qualifies for the big savings of $1250 off and then get a rebate of $250 from Husqvarna Viking. These are super prices and the offer holds only until September 30. At these prices you can get high end machines for prices near what is being paid for machines of lesser value. Come in now! Time flies.

Not So Sappy, Girl

Let's see if I can say what I wish to express without getting too sappy here. Mother's Day. This is a good time to reflect on the mothers who have preceded us and how they sacrificed and made do for themselves so that they could provide their families with the best possible situation for growing up. They worked at home and away from home for long hours to make life easier for their offspring. They nurtured their little one (and big ones) with TLC and with discipline in order to raise good citizens. We are forever grateful to them for all they did for us. We love to recall the stories of their life's works that made all possible. Some stories are funny, some are sad, some are just nostalgic, but all are dear.

So how are those mothers and their stories different from the ones we can see around us today? Not very. Mothers have different situations now than they did 20, 30, 40 years ago. Home appliances are different. Interruptions and obligations for work and for recreation are different. Opportunities for achievement and for failure are different. I see young mothers who work long hours and still provide the opportunities that the youngsters need for social development and physical development. It just is not the same world that our mothers dealt with in many, many ways.

I give "hat's off" to mothers of all ages! For the physical pain and sacrifice, for the emotional expenditure, and for the love that is shown in so many ways, I salute those who choose to raise a family!! Happy Mother's Day.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Double Punches for Batiks
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature double punches on your H&C Fabric Card for every $5 increment of Batik fabrics that you purchase. If you buy $15 worth of batik regular price fabric you will have your card punched for 30 points. Think how fast your card will fill this week with the purchase of the beautiful batiks that we have in stock and how fast you can qualify for a $20 redemption using your Fabric Card.

Reminders
Summer schedule reminders:

• Memorial Day, May 28 - Closed
• Independence Day, July 4 - Closed July 4, 5, 6, and 7.
• Carolina Shop Hop - July 13-21.
• Sewing Camp for Kids - July 23-26