Prayers For TJ

UPDATE: After a horrific episode of 4 people holding down my screaming grandson to pull the bead out of his nose, the doc's (yes, more than one) decided to papoose him. It was awful...he cried and screamed, "I'm scared, I 'm scared, I'm scared." and poor Rachel....ohhhhh the trauma for them both. In the end the doctor pulled a

1/2 inch SCREW

from TJ's little nose. Yep, no bead at all...it was a screw from a switch plate. We could see it pretty far up there, and thought it was a white PixO, in reality it was the painted white head of the screw...the threaded part was WAY up there. He is ok now and playing Legos with Zachary. I need a nap! Thank you all for your prayers. The trauma of the ordeal was unavoidable, but the outcome was good. No real bleeding, just a little swelling and some scrapes up there, but antibiotics to be safe. Again, thank you all, and like Nancy said, the screw came home in a Bio-Hazard baggie!!!!

My little TJ called me this morning. I have not seen him nor his sister in almost 2 weeks. I planned to go see them today, and still plan that, but now I am just waiting. TJ told me he stuck a PixO bead up his nose and can not get it out. He was in tears and wanted me to tell him what to do. His mom and dad have tried with no avail to remove it. We are waiting to hear back from the doctor. I am afraid he will need to go in and have it removed...not a fun process. Rachel said you can see the plastic bead, but barely, as it is so far back. While I wait, I will visit with you about my day. It started early.
A cup of coffee and some e-mail. Why did I not spend that time with God??? I never will learn. I got laundry going. 2 large loads of towels are done for the day.Kyle left for work, and the kids got going on school. Both kids had math.Charlotte also had tests in Science, Social Studies and English. She did great on 2 out of 3.I did some hand quilting while they worked.Sweetheart headed downstairs first thing. This pipe sticking out into the space where his wall should be, is giving him sleepless nights. He figured it out and now there will be 3 separate built in bookcases on that wall. Finally, he can sleep again!!!I had planned to run some errands while out visiting the grandkids. Packages need to be mailed.Plus I have phone calls to make regarding insurances and another paperwork matter....don't you hate making those phone calls??Another part of my plan for the day is to make more of these....in order to create more of these....Buuuuuut.....as Cheryl says, "Hold your plans loosely." Rachel just called me back and I am going with them to immediate care. Her doctor is not in today and the on call doctor is booked up. So I hold my plans loosely and will grab my current book to read incase things are backed up at immediate care. Please pray for my little guy that it will all go smoothly and he will not suffer. I will come back and update here on how he did. Thank you SO much!!!!
(forgive any typos as I do not have time to check them)

A Winner and Sweetheart's New Blog

Today is the day to announce the winner of the fabrics in my "No Where Near My 500th Post Like I Thought" giveaway!!!

Kyle pulled a name just before he headed to work this morning.And the winner is

MAMA BEAR!!!!!

Congrats Mama Bear. I held my breath cause if Nancy or Linda won, we would have an issue to deal with! Thanks for playing along.

So, are you all thinking that Sweetheart has started a blog??? Nope. He is not the blogging type, however, his boss and Mom and everyone else that knows him reads here to see what he has been up to, so I thought I would share a Sweetheart section on some of my posts. Here ya go Sean....this is what Sweetheart has been up to this past week.

The basement is his domain. This room was full of drywall sheets and 2x4's.Where did all the lumber go??? Here it is....3 walls worth of 2x4's and new electrical on every 5th board. A couple of sheets of drywall have found their way up already. Look at that nicely cut out circuit box.The room will be 24ft long and about 13 ft. wide. It is keeping him busy! I have not seen one piece of duct tape used in this project. What is it with guys and duct tape??? I hung the quilt in my sewing room several years ago. It was hung with hoops and nails and held nicely with no strain on the quilt at all. Sweetheart needed to move the quilt when he redid my sewing room...just a few inches over and the hoops were on the back of the quilt. Still, he could not resist. I came into my sewing room the other morning to find this.... DUCT TAPE! I took it all off and hung it properly. I wonder why there is no duct tape in the basement project? Of course, I had to do some work too. He asked me nicely to please go through a HUGE pile of clothing. I sorted, folded and bagged 4, 30 gallon bags of mostly kid's clothes to take to the Goodwill. There are 30 years worth of boxes to go through down there. I will have to make time for it.

In the meantime, I am homeschooling, housekeeping (laundry is caught up once again), and quilting is happening. I am hand quilting in the evenings and machine piecing in the afternoons.My cutting skills have come a long way since I cut this quilt 11 years ago.In piecing these 1/2 square triangles, several of the dark ones were bigger than the light ones (which are the correct cut). I need to re-cut that top light one...see the selvage? And, the brown ones are now all trimmed up to the right size. I love Marti Mitchell templates, which is what I used to cut this entire quilt.All the 1/2 squares are pieced and ready to press. Next is a square in a square section and all the blocks will be to the 9 patch stage. It is going faster than I thought it would. Chain piecing is great!!!I have a big mess on my cutting table....just washed, and just used fabrics that need to be put away, yesterdays beverages still sitting there, and paperwork that needs to be filed. That will get done today. If I am not careful, Sweetheart will be checking my room just like he does the kids!!!Time for a quick breakfast (my favorite low carb protein bar), and for school to get started. Have a blessed, productive, fruitful day!!!

An Afternoon (Or Two) With Anne

I had a marvelous Sunday afternoon!! I completed 24 9 patches, (2 sets of 12) and plan to mail those out to Linda sometime today. Now we will each have 72 9 patches to play around with. Linda and Nancy have been very entertaining in the comments section of my last post. They both want those fabrics!!

While sewing my afternoon away, I watched the BEST movie EVER made....Anne of Green Gables. I only watched the first video (I need to upgrade these to DVD). I was thrilled to watch Anne (with an "e") find a home with Marilla and Matthew. I love that she asked to be called "Cordellia"Then she got her forever dream of a "bosom friend"...Now this afternoon I will finish part 2 and work on the Hidden Star top. I will have to stop and weep uncontrollably when Matthew collapses in the field.And I will stop to give Anne my two cents....for cryin out pete, girl!! The boy loves you!!!! Can't you see it????I am blessed to be able to spend some of my time this way. My sister came to town today and I watched her little grandson (she is raising him) while she got her hair done. That little Dominic is a card!! He is 4 and the sweetest thing ever. He did get upset with Zach and Zach said Dommie threw some chess pieces at him. Here was my conversation with Dominic:

Me: Did you throw those pieces at Zach.

Dom: No, I didn't do it.

Me, looking at all the pieces scattered around the room: Dominic, if you are lying you will get a time out.

Dom, eyes BIG: What do I get if I tell the truth?

Me, stifling a giggle: Well you will need to pick up the pieces and tell Zach you are sorry.

Dom: I did it.

He was very cute!! Too cute for his own good.

Debbie came back from her hair appointment and we went to lunch. Speaking of food....I had a grilled chicken salad and a diet coke (oh my gosh was that diet coke good!)Today is the day to update in Sharon's challenge. I jumped into the Diet Challenge late, but I did lose 3 pounds this week. 1.5 since I joined in the middle of the week. I am down 2 pants sizes and feeling much better.

I do not use my blog to talk politics, but I need to stand up for my state. Illinois is a good place...honest. There are wonderful people here. We just are not the best at electing good, honest, officials. Blogo embarrassed us again with his narcissistic comments on the morning show he was on...I think he then went over to The View (which I do not watch) and probably embarrassed us there too. Did he actually consider naming Oprah for Senate??? Yeesh.Enough of that!!! What is the world coming to??? My little world needs some quilts finished, so I am off. Have a wonderful day! See you Wednesday for the fabric draw!

Mine and Yours

Coleen and I went back to All My Stitches yesterday. What a blast!! I LOVE to watch her spend money!! She dropped $200 on fabrics that were GORGEOUS!!! Best part was she got it all half priced, so it was $400 worth of fabrics!!! It was so much fun going through it all when we got back. She bought for the BOM class we are taking...the star quilt I mentioned. This is the center block we need to do. Coleen picked pastels...beautiful pinks, blues, purples, greens, and creamy backgrounds. I so hope she shows them on her blog. I am staying in my box with this one and using those Civil War colors I love so much...deep reds, navy, brown, gold, and a rich purple. Creamy backgrounds for me too!

Well, I did not spend $200, but I did not come home empty handed either. I got something for me.....More homespuns, and a couple of florals...all fat quarters.

I also got something for you.....These fat quarters will be a great addition to your stash, or make a gorgeous table runner or wall hanging. I had thought I was really close to my 500th post, but I am not. Still, I bought these for you, so I will give them to you now. All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me you want them and I will draw a name next Wednesday, the 28th of January (Why drag it out?). The winner will have a nice piece of All My Stitches Quilt Shop just like me and Coleen!!!!

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.

Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,'

Things aren't always what they seem.'

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.

Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him, he accused.

The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

'Things aren't always what they seem,' the older angel replied.

'When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it.'

'Then last night as we slept in the farmerʼs bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.'

'Things aren't always what they seem.'

Seeing Stars

My day has started out rough. I think being cooped up in the house has made everyone crabby. Zach is shouting and growling at everyone....though he is in time out so is quiet at the moment. Charlotte's cycle of behavior is still going, though Daddy caught on and seemed to gain control where I can not. (Yippee!!!) and I am melancholy for some reason. Well, let's not dwell there. Before I forget, again, I wanted to share the room make over Sweetheart did a while back. He did Charlotte's room before he did my sewing room, but I keep forgetting to post pics. Here is the before....And here is the after....He hung new drapes (clearance priced to almost "here, just take them for nothing") and new bedding for just about the same 90% off! He put up a strip of white wood trim around the middle of the room and painted a lighter lavender below it.He painted all the dark green trim on the furniture the same lavender. When he bought those, almost free, drapes, he came home and noticed they were different prints. Quite funny, but it worked out. He went back and bought (or took) the matching ones and used the other pair to reupholster the desk chair. Much cheaper than buying fabric and it matches!!The carpet is still ruined, but is on the other side of the bed so I don't have to look at it. Daddy is checking her bedding and room regularly for destruction. It is a huge relief to not worry about that, and she seems to be doing good listening to him.

Zach's room is 90% redone. I will share pics soon.

I got the border on the Star Sampler. Borders are difficult for me. If you cut them, sew them on and trim, you have a big ripple effect. Sooooo, you must measure. My quilt measured 48.5 inches exactly in width. That means all my seams were a perfect 1/4 inch...yeah, me!!! So I cut my border 48.5 and attached it. Still it seemed the border was about an inch short, even though it was not. Why?? Cause you measure the middle of the quilt. So I worked at fudging it on all 4 sides and now, with borders attached it measures a perfect 60x72 with no ripples.

Since it no longer takes up my design wall, I put up my next project. An, almost 1/2 finished Hidden Star. 40 blocks total, laid out 5x7.Forgive the lighting. I have been working on this quilt, on and mostly off, for 11 years. I pulled it out last year and was going to finish it. I had it laid out on the floor, and a friend walked in and sucked air in utter horror. She said, "YOU ARE NOT MAKING THAT TO GIVE TO SOMEONE ARE YOU?? THAT IS UGLY!!!" So I put it up. She is not a quilter, and I realized....She has never liked one quilt I have ever made, so I pulled it back out. Everyone has their opinion and I happen to like these fabrics and the block is ok....not a favorite, but I still like it. It is a quilt for someone else and I think it will be loved. (My friend really does love me...she feels close enough to share her opinion and many of her's are different than my own...it is ok)

Some of you have wondered why I dislike quilting classes. Well, I am self taught and I have never taken a quilting class. I did go to a lecture class once, and learned from some "classes" taught at my old guild, but I am so set in my quilting ways that I would feel very insecure, plus I can get a block together with out paying some one to show me how...it seems a waste. However, with Sweetheart's encouragement I did sign up for a BOM class at my little fabric store up here. It will be one Monday a month and we will be making...what else??...a star quilt! I told Winona, 2009 is my year for star quilts!! I also decided to try the lecture class for the kit I bought...not committing to sticking with that one though.

Changing the subject....I joined Sharon's Diet Challenge.
We update on Monday's and I need to take a before picture....yikes!!! I have lost 29.5 pounds so far...I still have a ways to go. I am doing low carb, as it makes me feel great and corrects many of my health issues.

It is basically Atkins, though I do not eat fast food burgers, nor do I eat pork or shell fish. I had a big stall in my weight loss for a few weeks. I could not figure it out and then looked carefully at everything I ate. I found I was getting 40 teaspoons of coffee creamer a day!!!!! MAN! That is an extra 40 carbs. I lowered that WAY down and the pounds started to come off again.

That is about it. I pray the day turns around here. I guess as long as I am on the computer it will stay the same, so off I go!