Marianne

Reflecting on how I would portray myself, I realized that for 59 of my 66 years I have lived in only four homes, the last 35 in our home on Dogwood Avenue--thus the dogwood blossom represented here.  My home has been our castle, the center of our universe.  My whole life has revolved around family.  Our two children live nearby—our son, his wife, and two daughters live fifteen houses away, and our daughter lives three miles away.  We connect in one way or another every day, and food has been my way of interacting with them—cooking, sharing, eating.  It was by accident that I fell into the clutches of allrecipes.com.  I had been searching the Internet for a particular recipe and was fascinated by the recipes that came with all the reviews.  I used many of the recipes, but it was months before I noticed the Recipe Exchange tab.  After lurking the site for months and feeling like I knew people, I ventured in---a year and a half after joining the site.  Since then hours have been devoted to pouring over the pages, connecting with people, learning from new friends—not only about food, but about people.  This quilt is the culmination of determination, strength, and caring of many people, and I am proud to be part of it!