I want to start a journal of this chapter in my life. Its almost like starting a book on Chapter 5. I would like to start in this Chapter because I think its an important one. I don’t know where it will lead. But I want to document it.
I want to let you know that I am a christian (Southern Baptist). Yes I get a little crazy with the Lord Jesus Christ sometimes. I try to find God in everything. For example I found God in lyrics in Van Halen songs. I had several times in my life where the Holy Spirit was leading and than there where times I thought “Where are you God” I have been called “Holy than thou Val”. I didn’t mind it. I’ve been called a prude. No problem there either. So long story short for the last few years I have been under a lot of stress with my husbands business. Really burnt out. A Lot of things changed of how we operate the business. Although our business was a blessing, I felt that it cant last forever because of our ability to run it. We aren’t getting any younger. It defines me to a desk without any communication to the world. Working on computer like crazy. Being a home body, avoiding functions, and people and vacations. Packing on the pounds. So a few years ago I have been calling on The Lord to ease my stress. I studied again about the Holy Spirit. Prayed listening to several TV preachers/teachers. Reading all the Holy Spirit books. I knew about the power of the Holy Spirit, when you let go to make Him work in your life. I was learning how much you have a destiny in this world. You have a uniqueness in you that the world didn’t give you. God did. I started recognizing when He was speaking to me. I get a fire burning inside. There is something about letting go of the world standards and letting Him speak to you and guide you in everything you do. I started asking questions and He would answer them through scripture,preachers,people I talk too. I started to value who I was in Him. I looked at all the ways the Spirit moved since the beginning of man. He still is working in the world and people. It changed my thinking of who I was. I am worth Him dying for ME. That is a big deal. If you knew my growing up story you will agree. I had very low self esteem. Still battle that. But getting better. Boy I am a wreck sometimes. Over the years I find that God has always been there protecting me. ( Which my childhood would be a good Nancy Grace episode). That story will come later.
I was concerned about the future of my business. How do I keep it going when we get older. We cant do all this when we get older. Plus I want to do something I love. I branded my husband as far as I can. He can do so many pools in a year. He can do so much work in a certain area. I was limited. My husband is our business. I have always desired to get my own thing going.I am an artist at heart. Of course I had a few failures and money lost in my younger years . Just because I was inexperienced and jumped the gun. Lesson learned. I prayed and prayed and was worried and stressful. I knew I had favor with the Lord. He has been watching over me my whole life. I just touched the surface with all the wonderful ways God has guided me. I even asked for my husband. I went out on a date with him and said “I thing that’s him Lord. He blessed me with him.
So to tell you how this 5th Chapter in my life started….here goes. Over a year ago my husband and I set out on a beautiful weekend. It was a crisp day. I had a slight tan and I recently lost a few pounds. You know how it is ladies. I was feeling quite good. Being with the love of my life ( Believe me girls I am not talking about puppy love here. It takes a lifetime to have a love of my life kind of fella).Anyway back to my story. I think it still had some snow on the ground.We set out for a weekend visiting the local wineries. I love visiting wineries in Virginia. The rolling hills of horse country in Fauquier County where beautiful. Old houses dating back to the 1800s. Just stunning scenery. But it was warm with the sun glaring. The scenery was beautiful and romantic. Of course some great wines and people too. I will definitely have Virginia Wineries in my blogs and visits in the future. We were heading home and I was a little cold. My husband is a little sensitive with the heat on. So he pulled his leather jacket from the back seat and handed it to me. I threw it on my lap. Enjoying the warmth of the leather and inside lining was nice and soft and it was quite warm. So we talked and listened to music on the way home with wine in tow and me warm and toasty.
Monday came along and we went back to work. He started out to install another in-ground pool. I went back to the books. As I was online doing whatever for the business. I thought back on the nice weekend I had. When you do that… you want to always relive it. You want to relive great moments in your life. So I am the famous Amazon.com Queen. I discovered that you can order almost anything on Amazon. Except what I wanted. I was kind of shocked. “What no one has a leather throw?” I looked on other sites. I Google it. Nothing. So a little time went by. I don’t remember if it was me or my husband suggesting that I should make one. So as I was studying and praying. God put it on my heart to create a business. I learned so much on the business I have. This is very creative and artsy. I prayed so much asking God if this was what I should do. He answered every time to all the questions I had. Every Time I talked about it people would be so amazed how I lit up telling them my idea. I have so much passion.
So as time goes on…. This is an industry that I have never experienced. All these questions came about. I started designing the blanket. I wanted it like a leather jacket. With all the cuts and sewing pattern. I wanted a flat leather jacket to go with my idea. It was hard. I emailed so many people trying to get a blanket together. Ordered books, read blogs and really immersed myself into the making of this blanket. I was obsessed. I kept going back to God for direction. I had some tough days. Ask my sister Debbie. She has been my sounding ear through this whole thing. She gets excited when I get excited. She counsels me. It’s just nice to have a friend that is there for you. So through some redesigning after learning about the industry and how much it cost for more sewing. The more peoples hands on it the more the blanket cost.
PS> I am going to publish this. Throughout writing this I have been saving but I hit a button and nothing. I thought I lost all of it. So I will continue after this post is published. I still have a lot to learn with all this.
valerialeatherquilts 
I am so honored to be involved in all the chapters of her life as I am her sister and the first 4 chapters were quite challenging for all of us. I too am on, so to say, my 5th chapter. We all have a story and we all are blessed by the characters that God allows into our stories, and with faith and guidance from God our Author some of us step out and live our stories. My beautiful sister Val has started her quilt journey and I am blessed that the Lord has let me be a part of it. My story is more of witnessing and I am starting my story on a book that I started to write on September 11, 2015 titled Grayson’s Daughter: A Voice in The Wilderness. We are so blessed that out of our family God has given two sister’s the boldness to step out in Faith and tell their stories, each their own different way, whether it is a blanket you can feel its texture and experience its warmth and softness or read a story that might strike a memory or emotion. I feel blessed that our stories are merging as we did as sisters in the first 4 chapters to experiencing our new addition and taking off on chapter 5. We will discuss the first 4 at such a time is right, because it is such a important part of why we are where we are and what we do today. It is a strong story that evokes such emotions as anger, hurt, shame, loneliness and also how love and forgiveness has been the conqueror of it all. I look forward to future chapters as well as me bringing in the first 4 in my book and I hope one day we can merge together and be close to each other geographically like we always wanted and I cherish how close we are in spirit, devotion and each others champion in the destinies that God has chosen for us.
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I love you sister. You are a blessing to me. We have grown so much together in the Lord and as best friends. We have gone through pain and joy. I cant wait to be a part of your destiny as your a part of mine. I want to be Gods light shining through this world of hurts and pains. I’m just going to let Him guide me and have fun on the journey. Maybe we will be connected one of these days. Wrinkled up tanned sharing a condo in an retirement community in Florida. LOL. Opps I forgot to add the husbands in. Well we will have duplex on the beach one side will be yours and one side will be ours. I love you sis.
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