Super Weekend

What a great weekend! OK, nothing earth-shattering - (lol, just what I need!) but a good feeling of accomplishment. Friday started off very badly at work, and when I had to run out on an errand, I took myself to the fabric store too! They had just placed a bunch of bolts on the markdown table, $2.97. I've been being a lot more picky about what I buy these days, since I'm not really stash-building anymore, but there was some nice stuff!

A little indulgence is good for the blood pressure, I think -- Besides, it looks like we have at least one baby boy coming, and I don't have a lot of blues. The FQs are for the Diana's Diamonds, which I decided has to be bigger. Saturday was Guild meeting, and that's always good for inspiration and a little boot in the fanny. I always come home fired up and wanting to quilt the world! LOL! We had a wonderful speaker and trunk show, and when I remember her name I'll post it. She had a lot of artsy landscapes and abstracts usually not my style, but as she explained her creative process I was more drawn into the quilts. Very interesting, and a nice person AND a good speaker! So all inspired, I came home to finish the sailboats for my DIL. We found out by accident that the baby is due in a week - she didn't tell me that part! Talk about in the nick of time!

I quilted alternating rows of waves across the body, and watery ripples in the borders. I found a batt in my closet that gave me exactly the amount of poofiness I wanted, not all puffed up but not as flat as I usually like them. Perfect. Chalk off another finish for the year!

Finally today was church, chores, catch-up, a granddaughters' 6th birthday party, getting the curtain rod hardware changed out and the new curtains hung, and oh yea - some football! Our friends from Chicago didn't enjoy the game quite as much maybe as we did - there was a lot of crow-eating going on! It was a fun afternoon of some heavy duty teasing and harrasment, and in the end my DH let them keep the $$$ they had so confidentaly wagered - LOL!! And we got to have chili nachos and beer for dinner - what's better? Ahhh -- a good weekend!

Crafts and Lessons

DH is gone to San Francisco for the week, leaving me quite at loose ends, and not sleeping too well because my cat wakes me up every hour to ask where dad is. Grrrr....he better get over that! So when I'm at loose ends I tend to get crafty, and I did. I have wanted new curtain rods in the family room and kitchen ever since we moved in, but because they are very large windows the long rods are either not available (in our little town), they're ugly, or they cost way more than I think curtain rods ought to cost. What is a curtain rod? Well, a long shaft-type affair with some kind of decorative finial at the ends. OK - one 10 foot length of electrical conduit is $1.97 - for the whole thing! At the craft store I bought wooden eggs, wooden candle cups, a piece of dowel and some hammered gold paint.
First, cut the dowel into 6 pieces, about 2 inches each. Screw thru the bottom of the candle cup into the end of a piece of dowel. Glue the egg onto the top rim of the candle cup, and let it all dry. Sand lightly, a couple coats of primer and a couple of paint, and voila!

It's a curtain rod! LOL! (those are not the brackets I'll be using - I have painted new ones to match the new rods)
NOW - I guess I better do something about curtains for the new rods?

LESSONS:
I am so new to html and the intricacies of editing and have made a huge discovery. In trying to learn if I can change the background of my blog, I copied and pasted lots of background jpgs from websites offering those kinds of goodies, but none of them worked. I tried it from various webpages that I visited, with the same no luck. One evening while blog-rolling, I came across one of my favorites, Forest Jane Designs, and she has a beautiful quilty background there. I tried the copy and paste technique and it worked! Changed the background on my blog, and I was so excited it never occurred to me it might be copyrighted. Come to find out it is her own design and is indeed copyrighted. I sent her a note right away, and she was so gracious in accepting my apologies and giving me written permission, along with a very nice suggestion as to how this might be better handled in the future. I am very grateful for that, and embarrassed enough that I can't use the background now even tho she said I may. This lesson has pushed me to figure out what I was doing wrong, and learn how to copy and paste from my own files rather than someone elses' web page. It's probably only news to me, but Forest Jane, you have done a good thing for other page owners and designers, and novices like me. Thank you.
(Now I see that my new background only shows up in the preview on the edit html page, not on the live blog............oh well!)

It's A ---

PEANUT!!!

LOL -- this is the newest member-to-be of our family, at B-minus 12 weeks. I am amazed how much like a baby it looks! In fact, I think it looks like my son, don't you? Hee hee -- This is the first pre-birth picture I've ever seen of someone I will eventually know and love. I am just blown away. His/Her Mommy and Daddy have waited a long, long time for this little Peanut!

Blogger Rant

Stupid, stupid Blogger!! I've said all along I wouldn't change till they forced me, but I did it anyway and now it's all garped up. Suddenly all the comments are anonymous - does anyone have any ideas about why that happened and how to fix it? I guess it should be Stupid, stupid ME. I shouldn't have switched.

Upgraded; maybe

That was close! I finally caved in and did the upgrade because I liked the idea of fooling around with the colors and fonts more easily than html. Yes, it's easier, but my shiny new Q4P icon disappeared and I couldn't get it back! My little weather lady and counter were both gone, too. Clearly I have more to learn, LOL! I plan to keep fooling with it tho, it's fun! I'd like to have some of those really pretty backgrounds and pictures so I'll figure this out yet! Wish me luck........

Rub-a-Dub

And the cutes just keep on comin'. LOL --

My DIL from next door, (the one with 5 kids!) came over the other day and asked if I would make a baby quilt for her to give as a gift at a baby shower. Of course! I sat her down with a bunch of books, and she picked this one from Mary Hickeys "Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts". And it was. I have to put the borders on yet, but already I kind of like it. It's SO not me! LOL - in fact, the setting squares were supposed to be another medium blue with little yellow flowers, but I just couldn't do it. It doesn't pop as wildly as the picture shows, but it's a little more lively than originally intended.
I have a lot of baby quilts in this year. One of my sons called to tell me their baby will be a boy, (yippee!) and the other son called to tell me they had seen their little peanut bouncing around like crazy in an ultrasound, and he's going to e-mail me a picture. Imagine!!
I have another set of plane reservations to go see my mom, and nothing (prayers) is going to stop me this time. I'm flying into Carlsbad, CA which is where Eleanor Burns is headquartered. Gee, I might just have to go find her store, ya think? 

Say Hello to my Little friend --

Every so often, the Bureau of Land Management has an auction of wild horses and donkeys collected from the deserts where there are way too many. About 4 years ago, DH and I went to one nearby and adopted a little 8 month old, wild-born donkey. He was so wild, that after the wranglers got him into our big horse trailer, he repeatedly body slammed the door trying to get out. We left earlier than planned because when the trailer is moving, they have to concentrate on keeping their legs braced and if he was doing that he couldn't so any damage to himself. At home, we turned him out into a small pasture by himself, with his halter and 20 foot long thick cotton rope left in place. I left him alone for a few days, then took a chair and book into his pasture and sat down to read. I ignored him. Pretty soon his curiosity got the better of him, and he started making wide circles around me. I ignored him. Over the next 45 minutes, the circle got smaller and smaller, and I ignored him. He even came up behind me, sniffing; I ignored him. Finally, he walked past me no more then a foot away, and stopped 5 feet in front of me with his back turned to me. The long rope was trailing him, right next to my chair, so I picked it up and slowly stood up, talking softly. The rodeo was on! He jumped and bucked and heaved and hoed, and whenever he stopped, I reeled in a little rope. It was a long workout for both of us, but when he got close enough to touch, I started scratching his neck with litle short scratches the way equines do to each other, still talking in a sing-song voice. By the end of the afternoon, I had my arm around his neck. 2 days later, he no longer ran from me at all, and by the end of the week he came when I called. Now he is my lap-donkey, and if I let him in the house he'd curl up on the couch! His name is Paco, and he is just the cutest thing around. He is smarter than any horse, even his 20 year-old partner, Dolly.

Paco trying to look pathetic so I'll scratch more. This is Dolly, my DH's horse;

(aka "Funny Face" and "Miss Lips") Dolly is about 20 or so, and no one rides her anymore except occasionally our oldest DGD next door. DH can't ride anymore, and I sold my horse a couple of years ago since that is no longer a big part of our lives, like it used to be. We love to watch these two characters play and harass each other, it's cheap entertainment! Every once in awhile, "Miss Lips" undoes a gate somewhere and they escape. The Highway Patrol isn't too happy with me, but hey! When you live in the country, these things happen. ((shrug)) 

Happy Surprise!

My sneaky son!! The story went that they had found a Christmas present for me that they forgot to bring up at Christmas. They got here and handed me a Christmas present, and this is what I found:


Talk about HAPPY! Those two have been trying for several years without luck, and I was worried for them. Their younger sibs already have kids, and they're creeping to the mid-thirties. (Gosh, I guess my 35 yr old son is already there!) My younger son and DIL are also expecting #2 this summer, in June. What a riot of emotions this year promises to be. Two new grandbabies, and my mothers' illness. For now, joy is all I can feel. I called my mom and she is so happy - he is her first grandchild, and they have a special bond.
My DDIL is surrounded by quilters: her mom, her aunt and me. Think that child will have enough quilts? LOL! I better get busy -- 2 babies means a lot of sewing to do!
 

Weekend!

After a long, long, long week. I have 2 simple wants for this weekend: finish the hearts, and cut diamonds. (gee, maybe I need to consider clubs and spades...hummm.....) The hearts needs borders because the original ones I put on turned to bllleeaaaccchh overnight. Just borders and quilting - 2 hours, tops. Another hour or so to hand stitch the binding, and that's it!!
The diamonds are looking good, now I want it bigger so need to cut a bunch more fabric, awwww shucks. And of course, needed to get some more dark FQs....awwww, durn! hee hee.

My kids killed most of my Saturday - they are planning an invasion. LOL! I never turn that down! I think they are a little spooked by their Grammas news and need to see their mom. Maybe -- I know I'm going crazy not being able yet to see MY mommy! She has been travelling back and forth from Utah to San Diego, and the latest word is that they have found another cancer - breast, this time. The good thing is, we have a teeeny reason to hope, because it's possible this may turn out to be the primary source of all the rest, if so it's very treatable. She will stay in SD for chemo, and I will fly there in week-long visits. So we are being cautiously optimistic, and she is in great spirits. We had a long hilarious phone conversation about how to use her new blood sugar monitor - diabetes came along with this cancer. She's also happy being at my uncles house, since it is surrounded by 20 acres of avacados, and she is, by her account, making a pig of herself. 4 or 5 avacados a day - good for her!! She needs to gain about 30 lbs. Wish I could arrange a donation, I sure have it to share! LOL! 

Hearts and History

My friends will be laughing.......... I'm a little anti-cute, but in my current state of frantically sewing anything in sight, I made these:

Yeah, they're cute. They're destined to be one of those long slim wall hangings, with the heart blocks set on point, one over the next. On the sides will be small charm squares, surrounded with white sashings. I saw this in a magazine, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you which one, or when. I drafted it up in EQ the way I remembered it looking. The really fun part here was upending my scrap basket onto the floor and picking out all the scraps! Just hacking away a chunk out of the chosen ones -- the squares are 2". Reds and purples I have galore; blues and greens, ummm, not so much. Speaking of floor, you see that carpet under the blocks? Yes, that is a medium gray semi-shag carpet. Very good quality, and I like it alot -- except in the sewing room. You can well imagine what it is to drop a pin or needle into this! Since I am of the barefoot persuasion, I usually can only find them with my toes! My dream is to pull out the carpet and put wood laminate down. Dream on, girl!
My friend Amazon sent me a new book today - "The Salt Lake City 14th Ward Album Quilt, 1857"

About a beautifully appliqued and embroidered album quilt, which some guy actually CUT IN HALF!!! He gave one half to each daughter, and away it went over the years. Generations later, the current owner of one half, who happens to be a quilter, was horrified to discover it cut - right down the center of the blocks, too -- not even on a seam. She got busy and tracked down the other half, then researched the makers. Most of the blocks were signed, and many of the ladies had re-searchable histories; the Mormans are fantastic keepers of history. (if you ever get the chance, go see the Pioneer Museum in SLC - it's magical!) Quite a few ladies had pictures as well, so we get to see the block maker and read a little about her life. Astonishingly, the corner setting blocks ( it's on point) were the appliqued ones, simply cut in half! Again, right thru the design. It's just a neat book -- I'm fascinated with old quilts and history in general, so it's riveting to me. Well worth a look. In fact, I think the 14th Ward and I need to go curl up and read some more!

Perfect Diamonds!

Late, late last night I pieced the first sets of the little diamonds, the 2 inch guys. What a challenge. Small 60 degree diamonds, hard to work with because of all that stretchy business they do, and hard to get good points because they don't nestle like a plain 4-patch does. S0, when I got the first few done, I carefully pressed them open and was SO impressed!! I did them right! The points are perfectly sharp, not overlapping, the total is still 60 degrees square.....I was so proud. It's great to tackle something outside of your comfort zone and have it work so well. Evidence:


Just fantastic. I wandered out to the kitchen to get another glass of water, and came back to sit and look. That's when I noticed one giant, fatal flaw. They're supposed to look like THIS:


OOPS!!! Dang it, Drats, Phooey, Nutz, FIDDLESTICKS!! And, to make it worse, on the next pile, I did the same thing to about half of them!! Clearly I'm not the sort to stay up very late sewing -- but I sure needed that long laugh.
This morning, it's cold and frosty and my little donkey has a stripe of white frost running down his chocolate colored back like a skunk. I'm writing up a list of things I need/want to do today, to whit:
Clean the nasty kitchen
sew
Do my nails
sew
close my clinics' time clock
sew
finish the laundry
sew
take two, 2 mile walks
sew.
Pretty ambitious, so I'm going to get on it right now. My washing machine takes 1 hr 25 minutes to wash one load, (front loaders are slow) so I'll start that and head out for my first walk. The rest will sort itself out as it will.  

----- Or NOT

I didn't get to go afterall . The ariport is almost 4 hours from here, and by the time we were halfway there I knew I was too sick to go. Our area of California is being hit pretty hard by a digestive bug called Norovirus, and it's my turn. Many of our patients and staff have had it and there's just no hiding. Whatever, it's nothing to take to my mother, so we turned around. Clearly God has a reason to not have me see my Mom right now, so I'm trying to be very patient. Got home, went to bed and got up about an hour ago with no "Umph" . I'll putter in the sewing room between naps, and go visit all the blogs -- see you soon!

Flyin South

Well -- Mom is still in San Diego for a few more days before she heads back to Utah, and I may or may not get to go spend a few weeks anytime soon. SO - today I decided I can't wait, I have to go get my eyes and hands on her. Tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and jetting to San Diego to spend 24 hours with her. Hopefully that'll hold me till I get the good visit.
Bon Voyage!

On the design wall tonight

There's times you just have to sew, for sewings sake. I don't have anything ready and handy to mindlessly feed into the machine, so some quick stripping and voila! You have some "no-thinkum" sewing. I'll give this to the daughter of one of our patients who is expecting her first baby, and they haven't 2 spare dimes to rattle.

My step-father called me at work today, asked if I had some time and a private place to talk. I was in my office surrounded by 3 people with problems and I just walked out. He put my Mom on, and she told me about the appointment at Scripps Institute in San Diego. There is no reason to be hopeful. They 'might' have a treatment that 'might' buy her a few more months or even up to a year, but she is so debilitated already that it seems unlikely. She finally admited to being in pain and too nauseated to eat. She says she is "skeletal". They will be back and forth between Utah and San Diego for the next couple of weeks, so I am put off again, but they both promise to let me know as soon as they are settled back home. I am beyond grief again tonight. Writing always helps, and I wrote out 2 full pages of my memories of her, single spaced, one liners. Like - "Stabbing a horse in the butt with an ice pick in Montana"
and, "Doing the Twist, New Years Eve 1962". My hope is that I can get beyond the worst of this grief and shock so that when I go to visit her I can be as composed as she is. For now, I need to get this little quilt put together and quilt it at mach 4, with smoke and flames pouring out the back end of my Janome.
Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and comments. I'm a little surprised at how helpful that is; then again, quilters are just wonderful friends, even unseen. 

New Years Resolutions and other Fables

I wonder why we assume that every New Year we can magically become and do all the things we've put off for the last umpty-ump years? I rarely make sweeping New Years resolutions because I beat myself up too badly when I don't make it happen. Instead, I set smaller, bite sized goals throughout the year. Then it's only a matter of little pinches instead of full out war on myself! LOL! One goal I am determined to make tho is the matter of the Stash.

Geeesh, what a mess. I don't even have a good idea of what's in there anymore, and the shelves extend another 18 inches inside both sides of the closet opening. Every so often I pull something out from where it doesn't belong, and think "what were you thinking stuffing this gorgeous red in with the whites?" SO; it has to happen.
On the plus side is the cleaning I did the other day - I am SO enjoying this! The far end of the (72" long) cutting table seems to be a clutter kingdom, where lots of little lost things go to hide. This is a before pic, but not one taken at it's worst - do ya think I want photographic evidence of that???

Moving that dresser in eliminated a ton of clutter and inspired a little overhaul of the table top. Much less cluttered now and hopefully I can keep it like that. As soon as the cows come home.

On roller skates.


May all your resolutions either come true, or vaporize and not nag you!

A Clean room is a Dream room

Because usually it's only this clean in my dreams! This morning I sweet-talked DH into helping me move an un-used dresser into my quilt room to put under my big cutting table. The cutting table is just 2 hollow-doors screwed together and set on top. Originally there was a small bookcase under it:

You can't see the whole thing in this picture, but you get the idea. It was "OK" but always messy looking and just not big enough. The cutting top dwarfed it, and had to be held to the wall in back with brackets. There was a ton of stuffed jammed in beside and behind the little bookcase, and it was a solid hour of pulling everything apart - not even taking time to play with any of it! Then Hunny brought in some risers to put under the dresser, because it was just shy of being tall enough for me - I'm tall so I want the cutting table up there too.


Having all this room to store stuff means you have to dig it out from wherever it's stuffed, and get it organised into the new space. Somehow, this task took me all day, and I ended up with an immaculate quilt room! Whoop-pee! I took lots of pics, so I can remember this. The only thing I didn't tackle today was the monster stash; it's a mess too because I'm not too good about folding stuff and putting it back neatly. I even forgot to eat lunch. Towards the evening I had to put on some bumpin' rock music to keep me going, and now I'm all worn out but can't seem to tear myself away to go to bed. Think Hunny would mind if I slept here?

Diamonds are a girls best friend

I haven't been real inspired to start a new quilt for awhile now, but tonight that "bug" bit, and I've hatched a new plan:


It won't be these colors, it will be more dark saturated jewel tones, I think -- scrappy. These were pieces from the uglies basket, for test purposes only. This was in the Dec. issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. It caught my eye the first time I saw it, and I've gone back 4 or 5 times. Today I got another Dec. issue in the mail -(huh????) and figured that's a sign. This little test went together pretty easily, even tho I ignored the directions which gave a strip piecing method for the little diamonds. Ahem.
Now for the fun part -- pulling fabrics! I think, I hope, I have a 3-day weekend to do nothing but play.
No new news about my Mom. She feels fine, but is very, very thin. She's waiting for the cancer specialist in either Salt Lake City or San Diego to call with an appointment. She says whoever calls first gets her body. That sounds just like her. I have oone suitcase packed and another setting open so if I need to fly quickly I can. Meanwhile, as she said, life goes on till it doesn't.

Merry Christmas!

He is Born! Gloria inexcelsius Deo.

OK -- my Latin isn't what it used to be. My message is; Celebrate and sing praises to God, our Saviour is born

I hope you and yours have a very Blessed Christmas.

The Roller Coaster

Mom sent an e-mail to her family and closest friends, telling about her diagnosis and her plan. She is not interested in anything that will prolong dying nor make it more expensive. She said that she will play the hand dealt with as much grace and dignity as possible. (My mom and Jackie Kennedy are SO alike - when I was very young I used to think they were sisters) She went on to ask that everyone think of her on a good horse, flying through the mountains.
A friend of mine sent word around the globe thru her network of cyber-friends that my mother and I need prayer, and the most amazing thing happened! My old best friend from high school, whom I lost touch with about 15 years or so ago, thought she recognized the two names, Moms and mine, when it came to her through many channels. She sent me a note asking if it was me, and we've had a wonderful cyber reunion! She reminded me that I have Gods word that He will strengthen me, and of course she is right. It's a good thought I have held close all day.
The picture is Mom taken summer of '05 - her favorite dog and one of her horses. A mountain meadow high in the Wasatch mountains of Utah. Isn't it beautiful? She might look so little and forlorn, but believe me she is never happier than in this picture.
Still not sure when I'll be leaving - she has agreed to travel to southern Ca for a second opinion at my uncles' urging. As we agreed on the phone tonight, one day at a time. One day at a time.

Therapy

I'm not dealing well at all with my Mothers' news...... surprised at myself. I'm all grown up and hold a responsible position in a dialysis clinic etc etc, but now it's MY mom, and I am a blubbering mess. Happily, that is nowhere in sight when I talk to her. Today, first day I'm home all day without work to be distracting, I stayed moving all day. Laundry, cleaned the chicken pen and yard - spread fresh straw all over. Shovelled out the horses shelter. Cleaned the kitchen, and the bathrooms. (housekeepers are coming Monday) and dug out the 2" squares. Mindless sewing - "No-Thinkum" projects. This is the first, the second (which is different), is in my machine getting borders.

Dolly quilts, 22x25 - both of them. I don't know what I'll do with them, but I plan to hand quilt them just to have something to do with my hands while I travel. No sewing for several weeks may be hard, or may not. We'll see. It was pretty theraputic today tho, just kind of feed 'em thru. Choosing the borders was what froze me.
I spent over an hour on the phone talking to my younger brother the other night. I was nearly 6 when he was born, and I was pretty sure he was a present for me, he was my special baby. I "left his life" as he puts it, when he was young, less than 10. I married and moved away, so we really don't know each other too well and live on opposite ends of a really long state, but when we do see each other or talk on the phone, that old connection is there. We think the same, hold identical opinions on strange subjects, and both describe ourselves as "Nazi" parents. Meaning that neither of us (past tense for me, present for him) forgot who was the adult in our families, and who is the kid. I used to tell my kids "This is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship. When you are 18 you may attempt a non-violent coup and try making your own rules" They laugh at that now, and of course they agree now. Anyway, my baby brother Bart is as shocked as I. We talked about mom, about the possibility of life without mom, finally - finding the blessing that this actually is to us all. Mom's biggest fear as she aged was becoming too sick to stay on her ranch, and becoming a "burden" to us. If she has to go, this is the way she wants it - no lingering for years as an invalid or even a frail elder. Enough time to say anything - sign papers, direct the family; it really is my Mom's way. We can both cry hysterical tears, but when we need to we will both step up and deal. Bart is travelling with his family from L.A. tomorrow, and he will assess her and let me know if I need to come right away. We briefly discussed what to do with the ranch in Utah. Neither of us is interested in living there, and neither of us really cares what happens to it. Strange idea, isn't it? Here's the reasoning - Bart and I believe that the treasures in our lives are our families. Having things that belonged to or were precious to our parents is not important to us. A few little things is all either of us needs to take away. We reacted the same way when our dad died, 25 years ago this month. Bart was just 21, I was 27. There was no will, and not a single argument over who takes what. Not even discussion.
On the radio, Christmas songs. Right now is a song about a little boy wanting to buy special Christmas shoes for his Mama, who is going to meet Jesus tonight. Country music is full of dying Mama songs, and they break my heart all over every time.
sigh
 

Time, time time.....

I received the worst news possible today - my mother has advanced colon and liver cancer, and probably has only weeks left with us. Time, my enemy, is here again. I made immediate plans to fly to Utah for the duration, leaving this weekend. Whatever Time leaves me of her, I want like an angry child. My mother is my inspiration, my hero, she is everything. The greatest regret of my life has always been, and will remain, the fact that I am not like her, in any way. I've cried all day, at work - cried driving home - cried trying to tell my kids, cried when my husband assured me, Go and do not worry. I am alternately furious, and devastated. Heartbroken and grateful for the little Time has given. I can see this Time as a left-handed gift; we will have the chance to say the unsaid, remember the best and forget the rest. I want to have her voice on tape - what I wouldn't give to have my dad, or my grandmothers voices for my children and grands to hear. For me to hear on those worst of days.
(2 hours later.........)
Now after a series of phone calls, I know slightly more. I know that she does not understand how short her Time is. The reason I do is because she faxed me all the test results of what she's had done the past couple of weeks, and I speak that language. She has not yet met with her doctor about these results, so she is still waiting for interpretation. I could not tell her. She seems to know that she will not recover from this. She also asked me not to come yet - she has other people she wants to come visit, "While I still look and act like a human being" In a couple of weeks perhaps. She denies pain to me, but I know that to be something less than truthful. Actually, I recognise she is protecting me. She tells me she is eating well, and in the same breath admits to being down to 100 lbs. She is 5'6" tall. One of the reports describes her as "cachectic" which is medical terminology for cadaveric. Sunken, hollow-eyed and frail. Like the Aushwich survivors.
Tonight she is supposed to call my brother and tell him. I'll know if she does because he will immediately call me. He had no idea she was dealing with any health problems of any sort until I gave him a little heads-up this past weekend. I'm glad I did, so he will not be caught completely off guard.
Tonight is an Advent supper at church and I did not go, but DH did, and he will talk to our Pastor. I want prayers for her, for her comfort both physically and mentally, and for peace for her. I would also like prayers for myself because I need to be my strongest at the same time I want to howl and scream - "I want my Mother!!"

Lots of pics!

Lot's happening here suddenly. Like I just found out Christmas is in 20 days, and I haven't finished/started anything yet!! First up - the wallhanging I finished over the weekend. I did get both trees up - there's a peek of one to the right. More tree pics later!

There is a niche in the wall behind it that contains all my stereo equipment. (you can see a bit of it at the bottom) Very cool, but sort of looks like a black hole in the wall, and begs to be covered up. It's a perfect place to expirement, or get some color combination out of my system without a big commitment. It measures out at 26 x 66 - odd size, but what the hey! This one was designed in EQ and it looks just like my design, but somehow it doesn't jazz me like I thought it would.

I have small granddaughters, and small girls love to carry treasures everywhere they go. These little drawstring bags were designed to be hand-sewing bags, for your threads etc. and the pattern includes a pincushion in a fabric flower, that sits down inside. Without that, it's a cute little bag for little ladies. I have 4 to make, these and one in blue and another in an animal print. Everyone gets their favorite color. Animal print? Yes, Miranda is strongly into anything jungle animal print - lepoard, tiger, zebra. I'll put a few little fun things in each one, and maybe even a bit of candy. These only take an hour or so to whip up, and 4 FQs.


Finally, some fabric with a dreadful design I found for my son, the bouncer. It suits him perfectly, (I think he has some of these tattoos!) but, yikes, what on earth to do with it?? My first inclination is to use it as setting squares for some coordinating blocks.

My quilt room is going to be a busy place the next few weeks -- wish me luck! Nothing like procrastination, I always say -- LOL!! 

In the Mood

It's that time again - I start feeling all cozy and Christmasy. I made this star last year - it wasn't supposed to be a Christmas star, it was supposed to go with the somewhat muddy tones of the family roo. It's not nearly as bright as it photographs, and I've taken a dozen shots but it's always too bright. Oh well --
Guild meeting today had our white elephant gift exchange + a yard of nice fabric and I got some beautiful dark purpley-blue fossil fern. The potluck was fantastic, and seeing everyone in their Christmas duds was enough to make me ready to decorate. We've had the tree for a week, sitting outside in the cold in a wheelbarrow ful of water. So that's in and set up, and I got started but ran short of lights. This tree is a lot bigger than we've had before. I tend to go for the thinner trees, so as to not take up too much room. This one is really big and full, and left plenty of room in that big room, so what was I thinkin? I put two trees up, one old fashioned and a bit country in the family room, and in the living room a much more formal tree, all Victorian and over the top with ribbons and bows and shades of mauve and pink. Very lady-like.
By the way, I hold strong feelings about what to call this season. I refuse to accept this "Happy Holidays" junk -- it's Christs' birthday, (for all we know) and the phrase is "Merry Christmas" I'll say it over and over, and even correct people. I don't have any beef with my Jewish friends, and I'll send Happy Haunnaka to all of them; but happy holidays is a crock.
So from me to you --
MERRY CHRISTMAS -- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I feel the Earth Move!

No, not more earthquakes! LOL -- It's finally, after 2+ years, having the front yard graded and new drainage and culverts and maybe even, (dare I hope?) lawn and trees....


On the red tractor is our oldest boy Jerry Jr. - who lives next door and is the father of those 5 grandchildren. The tractor is ours, the talent is his!



Nice, stinky topsoil -- oh goody!! The first load, of 3.


Ever seen anyone so excited about drainage? Well, we had 4 feet of rain in 6 months or so last year, and much of this front yard was under water. It's TIME!
Of course, no project is complete unless one of the tractors breaks something, and all the guys get to stand around talking about it.

It was a grand day, I loved it. Now -- lets see how much farther we can go? 

Don'cha hate when this happens?

This is the back of a queen sized quilt I spent 2 days doing an all-over meander on - and as I was doing the hand work on the binding I found this:


These are 4 squares of another project that I must have left on the quilting table, and they are "quite quilted"! RATZ!! The other thing I found, again while doing the hand portion of the binding, was 2 small tucks in the backing - AAArrrrggghhhh!! I haven't done that since my first time quilting! Ahhh well -- ya gotta laugh!!

All better now!

She came!!! Boy was I surprised, thrilled, thankful, shocked -- all of it. Meghan and I had a wonderful day, she insisted on sitting next to me at dinner, and we were kind of joined at the hip all day. It was fantastic. We played games, visited the horses, collected the eggs, back to the horses again, more games.....
The next best thing came when my son and DIL announced that we will have a new grandbaby in May!!! Ya Hooo!!!!

I'm telling you, this absolutely has to be the best Thanksgiving ever. My list of things to be grateful for is overflowing.

Happy, sleepy, full of pie am I, toddling off to bed. I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful too!

Thanksgiving Rant

Red for really really upset!! My youngest son has a 6 yr old daughter, and has been separated from her mother for most of those 6 years. His side of the family (me) was invited to see the baby any time we liked - as long as it was at the grandparents house! Supervised visits was meant to be, and taken as, a slap in the face. So I get to see this doll maybe 2 or 3 times a year. She was going to be allowed to come for Thanksgiving with her father, (her family does not celebrate any holidays) and tonight he tells me she has to be back at the grandparents house by 3pm. We live an hour and a half away, so we would get to see her for about 3 hours, and not even have dinner before he had to turn around and go back. I'm mad, but also hurt and I want to bawl like a kid. What in the world can they be afraid of? I treasure every minute I get to see her, and she is always loving and pleased to see me too. We have a blast, considering we really don't know each other too well. She is always shy for the first 30 minutes or so. Oh, I just want to scream.

Dear God:
I am so thankful for my large and healthy family.
I am thankful for my husband's recovery from his strokes.
I am thankful for the opportunity and the means to be a quilter.
I am thankful for the rain.
I am thankful for Your bounty every day, not just certain days.
I am thankful for the many many blessing I have in my life.
I am thankful that I am able to see the beauty all around me.

So much to be thankful for, I could never list it all.

Thanksgiving Menu:

Big turkey, roasted in the BBQ
Beautiful Dungeness crabs
DH's stuffing in the bird, and mine in a pan
my special 2 layer pumpkin pies
stuffed mushrooms
sweet potatoes
polenta with sausage/mushroom pasta sauce.
mixed fresh veggies, roasted with olive oil and garlic
fresh, crusty sour dough french bread from San Francisco
salad with everything but the sink thrown in!
Alka Seltzer

Last week quite by accident I found this wonderful fabric by Valori Wells, that exactly matches my stack of handdyed FQ's -- wow!! It looks like this picture won't do it justice, but trust me - they look like they were designed to be the same line. No idea what I'll do with them yet, but there is certainly a project brewing here.
Todays project is a Christmas wallhanging. It's on point, three - 9inch squares across. I already have the outside block done, like a frame. Now I have to decide on the inside block design. I wish I could just stay in here all day and sew, but I have to run into my office later for a bit. YUCK!!! Just having to go to town is a bummer. Oh well....... maybe I'll have my blocks all cut and ready to sew when I get home? Yipee! More on that later............

Earthquakes

My friends in other parts of the world will cringe at this, but we had an earthquake last night, and it was of the "fun" sort. It registered a 4.0 on the Richter Scale, which is kind of a moderate/mild one, and was centered just about 8 miles from us. This was the sort that will wake you up, with a very sharp jerk and tremendous boom, louder than any thunder. The noise is always the part that gets to me, not the rockin' and rollin' To think that such an enormous sound comes right up from the very earth beneath me is a bit frightening. What in the world could cause such a sound? Think about it.......
The fun comes in when everyone has to ask each other, "Well, did you feel that one?" And laugh at the folks who might be fairly new to California and maybe it's their first; or be amazed at the ones that can sleep thru it. A 4.0, if you're in bed, feels vaguely like someone drove their car into your bed. The shaking goes on for a long minute or so. I've been in 2 really big, very serious quakes, and one smaller one - that one was really funny. I was in the bathtub and the tub cracked right under me! Water sloshed onto the floor, and my Mom yelled from the hall - "Susan! Don't get water all over the floor!" Like I could stop it! I was in a big quake in southern California in February of 1971, driving for the first time on a freeway. I was newly licensed, had Mom riding shotgun, a trailer full of motorcycles hitched on, and my brothers and boyfriend in the back of the van. When the quake hit, I thought I had a flat tire, or maybe the trailer did, and I slowed waaaay down. About then, an overpass less than 1/4 mile in front of us just fell straight down. It landed on a pickup truck, flattened all but the last 3 feet or so of the truck bed. Very traumatizing - to this day I am afraid of overpasses and bridges. In 1989, we had another very big quake that dropped part of the elevated Embarcadero freeway near San Francisco, and broke sections of the Bay Bridge which runs across the bay from Oakland to San Francisco, (more or less). During that one, I looked out my kitchen window at the fields behind the house, and watched them roll - the way a quilt rolls when you shake it from one end. In waves. Totally amazing. The earth looked fluid, I'll never forget it. My oldest son rode it out sitting on top of his first car and he described it as somewhere between a Disneyland "E" ticket ride, and rollercoaster with a broken track. We pretty much take these in stride, at least most of the long-time residents. When my daughter was in the Air Force and stationed in Texas, she experienced a tornado. That scared the bejabbers out of her, and when someone teased her about coming from earthquake-land, she shot back, "Hey! When the earthquake is over, at least you're still in the same zip code!!" Funny stuff! If you've never felt an earthquake, hopefully you'll get to at some point, really! It is an awe inspiring display of Earths might. It's an object lesson in how frail we are, and how much we are NOT in control of as much as we think. In some odd way, Californians are proud of our earthquakes, and get some little bit of pride from the fact that folks in Ohio wouldn't dream of coming to California, lest they fall victim to an earthquake. LOL! To those people I say, "Hey! At least we stay in the same zip code!" Cheers ---

No Sew, No Go --

Gee -- I didn't realise it had been so long since I posted.....Time flies when you're old! LOL!
My DH has started a new job, about a year after retiring from law enforcement. He had 2 small strokes in June of '05, and it affected his right hand enough that he was not reliable with a gun. If you can't shoot, you can't be a cop, and he had done it for 30 years so no big deal. However - he found himself getting bored, and heard about a job opening up as a Lead Investigator for the state Gaming Commission, which oversees our local casinos and makes sure all the laws are being followed. Perfect for him, because it's investigation which he loves, and slot machines which he also loves. It's a 4-day a week, 10 hr a day position, and we are just not used to that! He has always set his own hours and his office has been in the house, and this being gone all day is tough! He can't do all our running around, errands, etc; and he can't fix dinner! O-mi-Gosh!! THAT's a tragedy! Now it's up to me, and I'm real spoiled. He's done the cooking for 15 years! And the funniest part of this is the bathroom crunch in the mornings - only one of our bathrooms has a shower, so we have to figure out some sort of schedule. The only sewing I've been doing is hemming al the new slacks he bought, no uniforms for this job, it's slacks, shirt and tie. Big changes.....at a time when we thought we were past all that. It's exciting and fun and challenging and, ummm, strange. It's fun to see him so excited, tho; it's been awhile since he's been this animated. I love that!
Hopefully I can get some sewing done soon, and be rid of all this pant hemming -- ug.