Thanks - I needed that!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving I had! Wednesday after work I packed up my broken kitty and headed down south to stay with my daughter for a few days. It was the BEST medicine I could have asked for! Three days of grandkids:

Helping my granddaughter make her very first pumpkin pies - and she was so excited! At 5, she can break eggs into a bowl and not leave a single piece of shell. We had a wonderful, special time in the kitchen.

Thanksgiving day, we all piled into my sons' house, where we enjoyed a day of bedlam. Four kids, 2 of them toddlers; a yellow lab, a tiny new puppy TOO DARN cute!! Video games on one TV and football on another - too many cooks in the kitchen and all of them giggling.

Can you stand it - her name is Bailey and she has the same birthday as my granddaughter and I. We even had a hamster-in-a-ball - ROFL! This guy was hysterical - he ran that ball all over the house and I think I hurt myself laughing. Too bad poor Cuervo is confined to a crate - he would have LOVED chasing this guy!

Sunday morning I woke up alone in my new place and suddenly it all came back. I haven't really had a chance to unpack or find everything yet so I worked on that awhile, then decided I'm going to do some painting! There was a wall in the dining area covered with panelling from the 70's and it was dark, dank and depressing so I painted it a mild, mellow antique china color -- maybe it could be called margarine colored! The kitchen cabinets are also a dismal, 70's dark green masonite and they're going to get the same treatment. The painted wall sure perked things up! I even put up a few Christmas decorations.
I tackled a big thing to today too -- I hooked up my dryers' gas line all by myself! Whoo-hoo! Man - what a sense of achievement, I'm so proud of me. And the house hasn't even blown up -- LOL! Now I'm in business -- if I could just find my pots and pans..........
Baby bok choys for dinner, and maybe some pesto. Mark that down in the PLUS column - I don't have to cook if I don't feel like it. And pretty soon - I', taking on that sewing room - I really really want to sew something! I'm getting jealous reading about everyones' wonderful projects. In fact - maybe I'll go do that now!
Toodles!

Starting from Ashes

Thank you all for the good wishes; I could never have imagined how much it matters. Thinking about all of you makes that "Lone Ranger" feeling back off for awhile. And I have such good news about Cuervo!! He finally got to come home yesterday, after an entire week in the hospital.

He has to be confined to the crate for a month - poor baby. I can take him out for short periods but only if he's going to be immobile on my lap. You can see how much of his beautiful coat was shaved. What you can't see is the huge ugly suture line under his arm. He seems comfortable though, he even puts some weight on that leg. And he is sure happy to be back with me. I wonder if he's a bit confused about where he is NOW?? He came home to a different home than he left, but his little nose has been busy checking things out. He is right smack in the middle of the dining room table, in the center of all the action. Later today I'll be packing him up again, and we're going to travel down to my daughters' for Thanksgiving with all my kids and grands. ***VBG***
When I get back, I have to face the daunting task waiting in the sewing room:

Oh dear. I keep peeking in there, then kind of feel faint and gently close the door. I have to figure out where to start! I still can't find the remote for the bedroom TV, but finally turned up my hair dryer. Getting settled is going to be an adventure for awhile...........
Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving - I know I will.

Just BREATHE

I've gotten a number of really lovely e-mails making sure I'm OK. Well, yes and no. I am physically fine but heartbroken and a bit of an emotional mess. As events played out, I discovered the real reason for my husbands sudden request for divorce is the girlfriend he's been with for many many months. Put a whole new dimension on HURT. This past Sunday, 14 friends and family descended on my house shortly after he left for the day, and within 4 hours we had completely emptied 4 rooms and moved me into my own place. Those wonderful people who love me are my heros! I can't thank them enough. So now I begin the business of learning to be alone and healing. That same soon-to-be-ex is also responsible for my nearly losing my dear old friend Cuervo. He kicked my beloved cat so hard that he dislocated his shoulder, shattered both bones in his upper arm/leg and tore up the tendons. When the vet told me the extent of the damage and the cost of surgery to repair it, I had a complete meltdown - I don't have the money, having had to retain a lawyer and rent a house, I'm tapped out. The thought of losing not only my husband, but my home and then my nearly 18 year old cat was just more than I could take. I asked the vet for some time to think about it. Several hours later, the vet called me back and told me he would do the surgery, recovery, and care for free. No charge. You know those huge gasping happy sobs you just can't hold back? "I haz dem." I will not forget his kindness, and once back on my feet I'm already thinking up ways to thank him, and hopefully raise funds so that he can be able to help someone else in the future.
Meantime, LIFE goes on, and this Thanksgiving I am giving greater thanks than ever for my family.

16 month old Jayden, my flirty grandson. Is he all boy, or what? This doll can actually recognize and read several words! His Daddy has been working with him with flashcards and shocked the daylights out of me! Before the move, I was working on a quilt for my oldest granddaughter, the horse-crazy Devin. It started with Fons and Porters boot pattern:

From there I did up some silhouettes and featured them in the center:

And that's as far as it got before the design wall came down and I have no idea where that project may be now. My sewing room was packed with love by 3 quilty friends and they worked so hard! The goal of moving day was speed, not finesse, so I have a HUGE mess of boxes, bags, suitcases, trash cans, etc holding my entire stash and supplies. It will take me a long time to sort thru and get a room put back together but that's OK. I can do it, and even if her quilt is late getting to her she will love it.
Thanks to everyone for your good thoughts. I'll be slowly finding a new "normal" and you can bet that YOU will be a big part of it!