Pieces From Me

New Digs

2010-05-23T10:18:00.003-05:00

Blogging is just such a part of me that I could not stay on a break for very long. I moved to a new place. You can find me at Life With A Little Sass.

Stepping Back and Taking a Break

2010-03-20T06:33:00.003-05:00

My sister in law, Sherry, has been here all week and we have had some nice visits. It has made me look at some things and I think I need/want to take a step back from my blog. It is no secret (do I have any of those?) that the last several months have been difficult for me....dealing with constant pain in my jaw from grinding, loss of family, losing Hope, and other losses that are unmentioned. My blog is meant to be a place to share my family and life so that some day my children and grandchildren can look back on all the wonderful times. For now, I think I have shared enough of that. My heart is just not in it right now. Maybe that will change down the road. For now, I will enjoy reading your blogs and keeping up with your lives and quilts. I need a break.

Here are a couple of cousin pics.....family is so important and I am so blessed that my children have lots of extended family to connect with.

She Spends Saturday Sewing Sea Shells

2010-03-13T13:33:00.008-06:00

I am working on the brown border of the Pink & Brown quilt and loving it! It is such a cool design. Very classy.Here is a peek at the back. It will be a nice finished edge.I only have 3 sides to go and then on to the binding. Sorry if you are all getting tired of looking at this quilt. I am just so excited about the progress I am making. I plan to spend the rest of today working toward getting a second side done.

Yesterday, my grand children came for an overnight. It was such a blessing to have them two weeks in a row. TJ had his first "piano lesson". He learned middle C and is learning to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb".Emerson has forgotten how to walk and RUNS everywhere, which is why I have no pictures of her that are not a blur! She also says "poo" when it is appropriate! She wrinkles her nose and says "icky" while you are fixing her problem. I think she will potty train early. So cute, that little one. TJ pulled a toe nail and was quite freaked out, yelling, "Hurry, Grandma, it's almost gonna bleed!" Grandma hurried and a bandaide took care of everything!He wore his pj's backwards last night, on purpose. Don't ask why, cause when I did, he had no answer except that he wanted to. My type A- personality let him do it and I was not too disturbed! LOL

Tomorrow I am having dinner for 15. It is Kyle's 24th birthday and Sherry is in town with 3 of her kids and 2 of her grandkids and will bring along her "special" friend. It has been a year and a half since Scott passed away. I am so glad she is finding happiness again. I will try to get lots of pictures.

If you get a chance, check out Pam's web page. It is a fun place to visit!!! I want one of the shirts!!!!

A Quilter is Born

2010-03-11T07:56:00.004-06:00

My friend and neighbor, Cindy, came yesterday and we finally cut and started her first quilt. She is making a Jacob's Ladder which will measure 60X72....not your traditional "first" quilt, which would most likely be a wall hanging or baby quilt. She is a gifted seamstress, so I knew she would do just fine, and she did.
She just had to erase all the ideas of anything more than a 1/4 inch seam and pressing her seams closed instead of open. Butting up her corners to make them match was a cinch for her! Her first block came out beautiful!!!! Only 29 more to go! Cindy called me later in the afternoon and invited me to come see her new sewing room. It is WONDERFUL!!! A quilter's dream room! I will have to take some pictures next time I go down. She has separate pressing and cutting tables, along with an area for her serger and a nice table for her sewing machine. She has beautiful hard wood flooring with lots of floor space and it is a beautiful room with a fireplace and library, and incredible track lighting. I decided I would love to get some track lighting above my table. Lighting is my biggest problem in my sewing area since moving downstairs.
I have so much piecing to do in my near future, and Cindy has helped motivate me to get started on it. Not my favorite part of quilting, but once I get going on it, it is not too bad. It is necessary to do and once done, I can move on to my favorite part.....hand quilting.
Have a Blessed Week!

Grand Blessings!!!

2010-03-09T07:51:00.012-06:00

Can you believe how incredibly handsome my grandson is??? After doing his sister's hair, he asked if I could style his. He was very proud of his new do! I had a wonderful time with the kids this weekend. I had them Friday overnight. TJ and Zach went sledding with the next door neighbors. They had built a hill and had a blast. Emerson watched and waved from the window. A few days later and all that snow is gone!!! My time with the kids went by much too quickly. They left Saturday morning, but returned on Sunday late afternoon for Sunday dinner. TJ helped me prepare fried chicken tenders. He cracked all the eggs...........but when it came time to touch the tenders into the egg mixture, he decided he would rather do the flouring!!! Sorry for the blur.
We had a nice dinner. While dinner was cooking, TJ got hungry so he decided to make a sandwich. (he did eat dinner too) He told me he needs a chef's hat. I will have to look for one!! Emerson played hard and was very tired, but not too tired for some "twinkie" time with Paw Paw. She loves her sweets!!!He did not give her a whole twinkie.....just a bit, and she loved it. He was her new best friend!! She says PawPaw quite well. She also says "Grandma" but it sounds a bit like "SpongeBob"!!!! I will answer to anything from that sweetie pie!
My friend, Linda, made a beautiful gift for Emerson. 4 GORGEOUS hair clips. Her hair is too thin for them now, but we can clip them to a headband and make her a movie star!!! Aren't they beautiful??? Thank you, Linda!

My son had them until Monday morning and I would not normally see them for another 2 weeks, but since my sister in love, Sherry, will be visiting, their parents worked it out for them to return again next weekend. I am happy for them that their mom and dad are thinking of them first. Even though it had always been that way, you never know what divorce will do. I am so happy that my grandkids are not a weapon and that they have parents who put their own emotions aside to do what is best for the kids. In such a horrible scenario, it is the best anyone can hope for. Can you tell I am not over this yet??? LOL I am working on it!!! I know it is for the best where the adults are concerned, but for the kids, I still mourn.

On to another subject....I spent yesterday morning in a dentist chair. I do love my dentist, but not going through the procedures. Just a filling, and not the dreaded root canal we thought would happen, yet I am quite sore today. It took 3 shots and I still felt some pain. I have been grinding and clenching again to the point of jaw pain and so I need to learn some relaxation techniques for before I fall asleep.....also I grind while I am awake without knowing it until it is too late.

In the last 3 weeks of dealing with the jaw pain, I have gotten some quilting done. I am on the 3rd side of the pink border and plan to finish it all up today, then, on to the brown border and binding. So close I can "see" it done!!!! I better get my day going here. Lots to do!!!!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!!!!

More than 3 Years Later.....

2010-03-04T17:32:00.007-06:00

It's Done!!!

Well, ok, not technically done, but the body of the quilt is finished!!!!That is a LOT of quilting!!!! Whew!!! Three and a half years later......I did put this aside quite often in favor of other projects, but I am so thrilled with the outcome. The borders have already been started and are quilting up pretty fast! In just an hour and a half, I think I have half a side of the pink border done.
I also wanted to share some of Charlotte's newest projects. She has begun a blanket for her bed. It will be twin size, so she has quite a ways to go, though she just started this 4 days ago.
So pretty!!!! In that 4 days she has also crocheted 3 of the 6 dishcloths that were special ordered by her Aunt Debbie. She is making one a day and then working on her own project. Great plan! Here are 2 of the dishcloths.....She certainly has gotten to be quite the crocheter!! Is that a word???
And as for Sass.....the other female in the house.....though she has no skills with a needle, she can certainly appreciate the benefits of being in a family of yarn and fabric lovers!Grandkids are coming tomorrow! WOOHOO!!! See you next week! Have a blessed weekend!

A Hug From God

2010-03-02T07:13:00.011-06:00

Has it been a week already??? I have been spending much time with my new best friend.........my Neti Pot. It is a freaky little contraption, but I am seeing positive effects, so I will keep him close by! Anyone with sinus problems, really should invest in one.

Yesterday was Charlotte's crochet class. I go along and hand quilt while they all crochet. Charlotte's teacher, Miss Mary, had a large bag with her this week. She handed it to me and told me not to be "offended". I was puzzled by that, but opened the bag and inside was the most beautiful crocheted afghan EVER made! She made it to look like a quilt. I laid it out to take a picture and instantly a cat and a kid climbed on it!!!I could get the kid off, but the cat had other ideas!Isn't it gorgeous! I cried big-fat-baby tears and hugged her neck. She said, "God told me to make this for you so you could feel his love. It is from Him." More big-fat-baby tears!!It is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Mary has no idea of the things going on in my life and I barely know her. God knows, though, and Mary hears His voice. I am speechless.While suffering in silence with my sinus, (say that 3 times really fast!), I have been doing a lot of hand quilting. Between laying with the heating pad on my face and the Neti Pot up my nose, I have managed to get a jump on Emerson's quilt. Some cutting and piecing.Mostly, though, it has been hand quilting.That entire cream triangle was finished last night and now I have 2 and 1/2 blocks and the entire body of the Pink and Brown will be finished!!! Once that is done, the borders will be quilted up and the binding put on! I even remember where the binding fabric is!!!!

I was able to spend yesterday afternoon with my mom, out to lunch and some shopping. It was great to get out of here, and I love my time with her. I think, other than a couple of trips to Walgreens, I have been couped up in the house all week.

Sassy, though still a bit stuffy in the mornings, is recovering from her sinus infection quite nicely. She was a tad irritated with me yesterday when I disturbed her nap with some picture taking.Today is a special day....It is Winona's birthday!!!!

She has taken a blogging break, but I know she reads her emails, so leave a Happy Birthday message on her last post and she will get it! She is a wonderful friend and I count it an honor that I have gotten to know and love her!!

That is about it for now. Hopefully it won't be a whole week before I get back here.

Have a blessed day!!!

Hold Your Quilting Plans Loosely

2010-02-23T19:44:00.016-06:00

I need therapy. I am serious! So how do I get it??? I make quilts. I have all my 2010 quilting goals lined up, but because of my need for therapy, I have to change those.....Hold Your Plans Loosely....I do that often, and good thing. I started off with some Fabric Therapy. TJ needs a new quilt from Grandma.
Doesn't that blue look like the perfect "ocean"? I think some sailboats (or pirate ships) will be just the thing!!! Emerson also needs a new quilt. I saw this on Karen's blog and she graciously sent me a copy of the pattern she got from an older magazine. I think it is a perfect quilt for Emerson!! (Those 9 patches are 3" finished!) I may add some flowers to that vine also.All I needed was some background fabric, a nice yellow and a crisp green! I have lots of blues, pinks, and lavenders to add in.I will still continue with the Hidden Star, and the Pink and Brown will stay in the hoop until it is finished, but all else will be put on the back burner until these quilts are finished and covering my grandchildren! (I think I can squeeze in a Libby Quilt every month too!)
PERFECT therapy....though it is NOT cheap!
Here are a few Sassy pictures. She has found quilting to be quite fun also. She spends much time chasing my thread as I hand quilt.....it is a race to see if she can catch the loop before it disappears into the fabric! She usually wins!Eventually she wears out.....but not before she wears me out!I sure love that cat!!!!

Setting things Straight and Kid Pics

2010-02-22T08:10:00.015-06:00

Isn't that sweet? TJ made that for me in Sunday School yesterday! He was very proud of it.

My weekend was full, but I made sure my Saturday was a nice "down" day. Lots of hand quilting and movie watching. I did spend some of Saturday setting things straight.Yeah, I could not take that wonky looking border, so I ripped it all out and put in a nice, miniature, paisley print. That right side looks a little off in the picture, but don't fret....I just did not smooth it out before I took the photo. It is all perfectly straight looking.
TJ and Zach spent a good part of Friday afternoon making a snow fort. TJ was not willing to pose in it, but he would sit on the porch for a photo op..... Zach was more than willing to show you their creation.....it was complete with swords (baseball bats), cannon balls (basketballs), and shields (pop tents and a wagon).When they were all done, after a good 2 hours, they came in for some warmth. Zach gave a big sigh and said, "Ahhhhh, it's great to be back in my natural habitat." I agreed!!! heehee
Emerson and TJ both loved the doll house and accessories that "Old Grandma" (my mom) brought them.Their Daddy took it all home for them on Saturday, and they played for hours and hours.....Daddy included. They had such fun!!
Sunday we met them for church and then they headed home for the afternoon with their Dad. They came over for homemade Lasagna, and a couple of hours of play, before heading back to their other Grandmother's house. These next pictures are not the best....blurry and out of focus, but you get the idea. I loved this cute little dress Emerson wore to church. (that blur behind her is Zach running)She looks so grown up! Not too grown up to be Paw Paw's "baby girl".We sure did enjoy them. Divorce is not a fun thing. It feels almost evil in how it is played out and my most earnest prayer is that my grandchildren are not affected. I know that is extremely foolish to think, but I pray that God, Himself, would guard their hearts and minds. I know that they are loved deeply by both sides of their family and I know that God loves everyone involved. It is my only thing to hang onto in the midst of all of this loss.
Gosh, I didn't mean to end this on a down note.
Monday is a favorite day of the week for me....everything seems fresh. Now, I am off to begin my week. Be blessed!!!

Friday Night Sew In

2010-02-20T07:09:00.015-06:00

I had my Friday Night Sew In planned from the day I signed up, a few weeks ago. I would head to my sewing room around 5 pm and Sweetheart would take care of dinner and the kids....he agreed. I would spend the entire evening and into the wee hours, pounding out the Hidden Star! By morning it would be a top!
Somewhere along the way, I remembered that the 19th was the night I would have my grandkids. This changes everything. I LOVE having my grandkids and would give up a Friday Night Sew In to have them here, no questions asked! Still, Emerson goes to bed by 8 and TJ and Zach could watch a movie with Charlotte. That was the new plan. Then I started getting a sinus infection and knew my plans of wee hour sewing were doomed. That was ok, too. I could hand quilt the evening away! I planned to get a section like this completed.....This plan completely changed yesterday when my mail came. A year or so ago, I saw the book "Prairie Children and Their Quilts" on Libby's blog, "A Simple Girl". I wanted it right away! It has been on my "list" ever since. I have enjoyed seeing Libby make a few of the quilts and fell in love with them. There are 14 and I want to make them all and do an entire wall in my home of these little quilts. Anyway, I mentioned this desire to Libby....not "Simply Libby", but "Hand Wash Only" Libby! Are you confused, yet?? She had the book and wanted to send it to me. I was too excited for words. Yesterday it arrived..........along with a couple of fat quarters that I plan to use in one of the quilts. Now my Friday Night Sew In plans had to change yet again. Sinus infection aside, I was going to piece one of those quilts!!! I got Emerson to bed and the boys at the computer on Lego.com....my sewing time would not be alone time, but that is ok.I picked the quilt and the fabrics and my night began at precisely 8:15!!!I did not think I could do the entire top, but I would put a good dent in it! Cutting is not my favorite part of the process, but it needs to be done and it needs to be done exact! These little quilts call for tiny pieces....2 5/8" squares to be made into triangles.....1 1/4" strips for borders.....all little bits.By 9:45 I had all the Bear Paw blocks put together and sashed.In trying to stay true to the colors and style, I pulled a dark blue plaid (which is what they called for) for the first border. I do not use plaids in borders.....and rarely in anything other than applique, or triangles. I don't like "wonky" looking, and plaids can do that even if you are precise in your piecing. That is exactly what happened.....still I am not changing it. It will stay the way it is.I chose a gold, instead of a brown, for the outside border. I like how it turned out! By 10:30 it was a finished top measuring 19 1/4 X 19 1/4.
The illusion of a "wonky" border aside, I think it turned out cute!! Maybe I can quilt that wonky corner out!So that is my Friday Night Sew In. I think I will call these my "Libby Quilts". One Libby introduced me to the book, and another Libby gifted me with it. Seems fitting!

Training Daughters

2010-02-16T07:20:00.012-06:00

I admit (OPENLY) that I do not have a clue how to raise a daughter. Growing up a daughter, with a sister, you would think I would have picked up a few things from my mom, but I guess I did not pay attention. Raising boys.....now THAT is something I can do. I read an amazing article the other day. I even shared it with Charlotte.....if you click here, you can read it too. I was majorly convicted during the first part of the article, but the last parts, actually made me think I might just be able to do this after all!

I thought back to when I was 12 and 13.....I had household duties which included, cleaning up the kitchen, vacuuming and dusting, keeping my room clean, and even doing the families laundry (wonder if that is why I detest laundry?). Charlotte has been given some duties over the last year. She has been in charge of her room for quite a while....she has to do her own laundry....she is asked to put Zach's laundry away....she is to wipe down the kid's bathroom daily and give it a good cleaning once a week, she empties the dishwasher, and she is to clean up the kitchen after dinner 4-5 nights a week. Does that sound like a lot? It really isn't. Her laundry is done once a week, as is Zach's. The kitchen is not a total mess....I clean as I cook (for the most part) so it is a matter of loading the dishwasher and wiping the counters and stove top. The kids bathroom takes about 4 minutes to wipe down and about 20 minutes to deep clean. All these jobs contained training. I worked with her and set standards of work. She met them in every task....until recently. Recently she half way makes her bed....there are dirty clothes on her floor AFTER she says her room is clean....the kids bathroom stinks......Zach's clothes have been a wrinkled mess, as are hers.......the counters and stove top never get wiped down after dinner and the sink is disgusting (you all know how I feel about a clean sink!) and I can not count how many times lately I have pulled a dirty spoon, fork, or knife out of the drawer. So.....what do I do? Do I criticize her? Do I make her go back and re-do the job? Do I follow her around making sure she does it all correctly? I really do not have the time, nor energy for any of that. Here is what I did....I pulled all of her jobs, except one....her bedroom. I explained to her there is a "ladder" to chores. You are trained in an area and when that area is mastered you move on. She seemed relieved that she no longer had chores. bwahahahah!!!!! Little did she know the ramifications to that!

As the days went by, my kitchen sparkled again.........laundry is folded nicely an put away.....the kids bathroom smells like a flower garden....and I can get a spoon out without picking a dried noodle off of it!

I did my (her) chores happily, singing and smiling through it all. It was not long before Charlotte began asking, "Mom, can I empty the dishwasher for you?", "Mom, do you want me to clean the kitchen? You can just relax tonight.", "Mom, I can load these dishes up for you." I would smile and say "No, thank you Charlotte. I noticed you are still learning how to clean your room. Just focus on that one job." She would reply, "My room is clean." I could easily come back with, "Sorry, Charlotte, but I saw pieces of paper all over your floor, and your laundry was "near" the hamper, but not "in" the hamper, and your bed looks like your still in it. You need to practice that job before you can move back up the ladder." Her face would drop and I would continue on with my own chores. Speaking of chores....I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!! It cleans great and smells wonderful! I feel like the Biggest Loser show....throwing a commercial into the middle of the post without you knowing! OK, back to Charlotte. The kicker came when she asked to make dinner....something she LOVES to do. "Sorry, honey, but that is way up the ladder.....you were there once and with some effort, you can make it again." All of a sudden her room was clean daily.....she has been allowed to move up a rung to unloading the dishwasher again. I explained that a dirty item would result in her stepping back a rung. So far, so good. Training daughters....it is no fun and I am not good at it!

Boys....let's talk boys for a minute. Zach is a master builder of Legos.He is also working hard to keep his room clean and his bed made. Since we moved all his toys downstairs, it has made it easier for him. We have also been working on "staying in bed at night" and let me say, he has done great! This kid was climbing out of his crib at 18 months and has been getting out of bed at night ever since. We put his bedtime back to 8 pm and told him when he could stay in bed 7 days in a row, he could have his "age appropriate" bedtime back. It worked....easy. Boys are a breeze!

Training kitten's is not hard either...."Go lay down, Sassy."Sassy is doing well....she always uses her litter box. She has not gotten on the counters, and she is willing to play whenever you want. She has a sinus infection and got a shot of antibiotics yesterday. She is eating well and is very playful, but her nose is stuffy and she sneezes alot. Dr. Frost thinks the shot will do the trick!I have spent most afternoons watching the Olympics and quilting.I am ready to turn the corner to the 3rd side of the quilt....my original goal was to be done with the body and starting the borders by Feb. 1st. Well that did not work out. Still, I will continue to work hard and cross this quilt off my list soon!

Of course, my chores will get done first!!! Gotta be that example! If you have a daughter, then you must read Mrs. Fuentes' article....again, you can find it by clicking here.Have a blessed day!!

In Honor Of The Olympics

2010-02-12T07:09:00.005-06:00

The Winter Olympics start today. Here is Kyle lighting the Special Olympics torch....a HUGE honor for him, and one of my most proud "Mom Moments".He is a Gold Medal winner many times over!LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!!!

For Alyssa

2010-02-11T07:57:00.005-06:00

It happens to the best of us!!!! The top and back were GONE. All we had left was the sides....since it was just before Easter, we left those sides.

HATS...think hats!!!!!!After Easter, we had it trimmed up.....well, that is simplifying things. It was tragic. Still.....it all grew back beautifully, and by the time the snow was flying everything was back to normal! Remember.....hats!!!!!

Family and House Work

2010-02-09T14:11:00.018-06:00

We are getting hit hard with snow AGAIN! We had about 4 inches when I woke up at 6:30 this morning, and it is still coming down hard at 3 in the afternoon. They say it will stop tomorrow morning leaving us with a good foot!

My weekend was good. I had the grandkids on Friday night. They were both sick with colds, so we just took it easy and enjoyed each other.

On Sunday, My mother in love came and we all had KFC, along with cake and cupcakes for dessert. We played a game of Phase 10..........NEVER "skip" your mother in law! Yeesh! I got a look that would kill! She is serious about her cards, but it did not help her, as she lost COMPLETELY! Her and Sweetheart both! OK, so I lost too, even though I had an incredible partner in TJ. Our son beat us all!Emerson enjoyed watching us for most of the game. She led Charlotte around the house the rest of the time. She did color Grandma a picture for the frig....They LOVED Sassy. TJ thought she was a toy at first and was shocked to see she was real. Emerson said, "niiiiice" and stroked her gently. Sassy was fine with them too! She has continued to be a joy to everyone here. She has her spot where she naps during the day....on the kitchen chair.But her favorite place is still on my lap. Here she is waiting for me to sit down....she looks like she wants to say, "I'm waiting.....you can sit down now."Once I do, she works her claws in my lap (softly, so it does not hurt), gets her motor going and curls up against me.Our school days are moving along. Anya, the neighbor girl I home school, is doing phenomenal! Charlotte is also doing exceptionally well this quarter. Zach has had some frustration, but I think moving his schedule around to make math his last subject instead of his first has helped greatly. He did a beautiful job today. I have to remind him to "sit on your butt" during handwriting, or he is very sloppy. Today after several reminders to sit on his butt, his workbook asked him to write a word that starts with "b". What did he write???I have felt the need to get my own schedules back in order. Since Sweetheart has been home they have all fell to the wayside. It makes me feel "out of control". I pulled out my Home Management Binder.....I love that thing. An extended family member once said that only an idiot would need to have a book to tell you when and what to clean. Well. I am that idiot. I am not a cleanie by nature....I need order, but have no natural skills to get it. The binder does it for me. However, the binder is a 2 inch think, very heavy, tool that is awkward to cart around....I decided to pull all my housekeeping pages out and make a smaller binder. I had a 1/2 inch binder and made a new cover. Now this is much easier than the heavy, bulky, binder, that I still keep handy, as it hold some valuable pages that I use often. This is my DAILY binder. It holds daily/weekly/and monthly chores.
I put a zipper pocket in it to hold pens and paper.

The first page is my "theme" verse...... And my schedules are in order after that.
I am happy to have these schedules back in place. Now I can quilt without guilt!!! And hey!!! ALL this laundry got done today!

My Sister

2010-02-07T08:34:00.009-06:00

Yesterday was my little sister's birthday. I did not forget, but just did not get to a blog post about her. I thought I would share some things with you about my sister.

Debbie was my only sibling and we were VERY close as small children.

She was very particular about her dollies. Their hair and clothing looked like brand new forever! I like to brush and cut my doll's hair. She was always terrified that I would do the same to her dolls. I think I did once or twice ;)

Her favorite Christmas memory was when she was very little. She woke to find dolly clothes on tiny hangers hanging all over the Christmas tree. It was magical to her!As teenagers, we were not as close. Many days we were enemies. Our stories differ....I say she use to wear my new clothes without permission, and she says that was me who did that to her. Since it is her birthday I will not share things that put her in a bad light LOL I know once, my dad found my pack of cigarettes in the bathroom (I forgot them there, as it was where I would smoke undetected) and I blamed her. She had to EAT those cigarettes! She got even somehow, I am sure. Also, I hid a PlayGirl magazine (NO I am not a perv...a friend gave it to me) under HER mattress. My mom found it and hung all the nudie pictures in her room to teach her a lesson. When she came home there were naked men all over her walls. She was horrified (she had never seen a naked guy before!) and had no idea why they were there!!

Her best friend, Lynn, kept up with her in her own make believe world. They had convinced a Jr High school counselor that they were alcoholics based on an Eve Plumb "movie of the week" they had just seen. Using the exact lines in that movie, they had that poor woman up at night worrying about them!

Debbie and I became close again as adults.We both moved away from our hometown, but ended up just 10 miles from each other. We raised our children together and have created many wonderful memories for them because of that. We spent lots of time together while our kids were in school. One day we went out onto her raised deck. It was a small 10X10 foot deck off her kitchen and was on a second story. There was no stairway...just the railed deck. Somehow the sliding door locked and we were locked out there. It was FUNNY!!! We yelled at passing cars....one lady stopped at our cries for help but then thought better of it and sped away. Finally, a garbage man heard our pleas and let us in.

Debbie is an incredible mother. Her son, Andrew, and daughter, Lisa, were her focus in life.

She is now raising Lisa's children. We both say God created us to raise kids! If not, we missed our calling by a long shot!My sister has some flaws, don't get me wrong! She is a slob! Just like my mother and Charlotte, she can not eat a meal without getting some of it on her shirt. She has a nasty habit of picking. If you have a centerpiece on your kitchen table that you like, MOVE it when she comes. She will pick the flowers until they are bits and pieces and has no trouble, unconsciously, running a finger nail through a candle over and over again.

She can certainly make me laugh. That is her number one BEST quality. She is hysterical to be around. I have peed my pants more than once because of her! She is the master of "face making"!!!

And she will give lessons to any child she meets!

Family means everything to her. She may tick you off once in a while, or heaven forbid, you make her mad, but she will be there NO MATTER WHAT if you need her!!!!

She is truly one of a kind. I am blessed to have her as my sister, and even more blessed to call her friend!

Thank You

2010-02-06T18:01:00.003-06:00

A few days ago, I posted a couple of videos here of the Crimson River Quartet. I loved their sound and put their CD on my wish list. Today my mailman brought me a bubble envelope with Crimson River Quartet as the return address. Inside was a CD of their 10th Anniversary Live Concert (which features all their past and present members). Oh. My. Goodness. It is WONDERFUL!!! I have no idea who sent it to me, but whoever you are,

THANK YOU!!!!

What an incredible blessing it was to me and my family. We have all enjoyed it today and it has brought a beautiful "feeling" into our home. May God pour out 100 fold into your life, that which you poured into mine.

Fit For A Princess

2010-02-05T11:34:00.008-06:00

Emerson got a new crib. It is just beautiful.Her Great Grandma (my mother-in-love) bought her the crib, mattress and some gorgeous bedding!!! (It also comes with a side rail for a toddler bed, and converts to a twin headboard)Look at all the beautiful, dense, quilting on the quilt and bumper pads.....When I saw the quilting, it reminded me of Linda, who does similar quilting. It is just gorgeous!

So our little Princess can dream in a bed fit for royalty!!!I am anxious to see both of my grandchildren. They will be here this afternoon.

Have a blessed weekend!!

Crimson River Quartet

2010-02-04T08:12:00.003-06:00

My Grandmother would have LOVED these guys! What incredible voices. This would have been her favorite....a medley of her favorite hymns. This is for you, Grandma!!

This one is my favorite....as Charlotte's mom, I get goosebumps when I listen to this.

I am putting this CD on my wish list!!!

Groundhogs Day

2010-02-02T08:03:00.015-06:00

It is official.....SIX more weeks of winter. What a treat *said with a hint of sarcasm*. As I type this, it is snowing outside. There is probably an inch or so of fresh snow on the ground this morning and I am not sure how much more we will be getting. Good thing I saw Punksitony Phil on the news this morning or I would not have known what day it is.I still do not have a 2010 calendar and have had to use the little January square at the bottom of my December 2009 page. Now that is gone and I have taped a piece of paper to write dates on. I forget to pick one up every time. I need to grab one today while I am out.

Yesterday Charlotte had her first "at home" sewing lesson. She had went last Tuesday, and will go again today, to Hancock Fabrics for some formal machine lessons. She did quite well on my old White.No thread or bobbin in, but she followed lines on pieces of paper.Ewww. Her nails look dirty, but really they are painted that way. She and Anya did manicures yesterday! Pink and black. To be 12 again! The ovals were a challenge, and by the end she had greatly improved, but look at these sewing lines on the squares....she really did GREAT!This morning, before she goes to Hancocks, she will do this sheet.....I think I would have a hard time with this one.Our goal is that she will be wearing the new skirt she made to church on Sunday! A very easy 2 piece pattern with an elastic waist band.

Zach had a rough day yesterday. He had to make up some math pages he had "skipped" and he was not happy about it.He did get it all done and out of 104 problems, he only got 2 wrong. What a guy!!

His room got a complete cleaning yesterday too. I cleaned out drawers and closet, bagging up clothes that no longer fit and some that had seen better days. Zach will always pull the most ragged article of clothing rather than a nicer choice....now he does not have the raggedy choice!
We removed the headboard Sweetheart had made. It was just a junk collector. When he is older and has more control over his "collections" he can get it back. For now it is about keeping things as simple as possible for him....he HATES to clean his room. On the quilting front, I have nothing to show....how many pics of the pink and brown can you take??? They all look the same at this point, but be aware that I AM working on it and plan to have it completed in the near future!
How could I leave you without a Sassy picture??? I think she is going to be long haired! Heaven help me!

Life With Sass

2010-01-30T11:40:00.010-06:00

Sassy, or Sass, as I call her, has fit right into our family. It was like she was created just for us!! She is very playful, yet she mellows out nicely too.She does not like to be alone and cries if she thinks everyone left her. She curls up on a dining room chair during school and she is definitely a lap cat!!!And what cat would belong to a quilter if she did not like quilts??? Sass loves them!Kyle put it best when he said, "Sassy makes my heart happy again."UGH!!! I can't believe I have a cat! I am not a cat person....or I should say, I was NOT a cat person, but now I am!! I now know what Winona knows!

Today, Saturday, is a slow day here. It use to be that Saturday was a HUGE cleaning/laundry day, but since Sweetheart is home, that all changed. Now Saturday's are more fun days. Movies and quilting....maybe a game of cards or Yahtzee. I picked up "Julie and Julia" and plan to watch that later today. First though, I think I will clean up my sewing area.It is a bit messy and my friend and neighbor will be coming over one day next week to cut her first quilt. I am thrilled about that, and can not wait to see a quilter born!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts regarding my family situation. I have faith that God's plan will be revealed in all of this.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!!!!

Sharing My Heart

2010-01-28T15:44:00.007-06:00

I can not begin to express how much your comments and e-mails have meant to me. Thank you all so much. The love we felt for Hope was something I never would have imagined happening. She was just a cat for cryin out loud, but oh how she touched our lives. I well up just thinking of her. We buried her in our garden out back. My son Bud came over and dug up the frozen ground and we buried her in a box the kids made. It will now be called "Hope's Garden".

I have not shared my life lately. You know I am usually an open book. It has been a very rough couple of months here. No need to share details, but I will share that just after Thanksgiving, Bud and Rachel separated and are now going through a divorce. Rachel and the kids live with her parents over an hour away. It has been like a death in the family and I am, of course, concerned for my grandkids. This will be very hard on them, especially TJ who does not like change at all. Bud has them every other weekend until visitation is worked out through the courts. I do not assume any divorce is easy, and this one is no exception.

Enough of that. You can, maybe, see why saving Hope was so important to me. I could not save my grandchildren's family, but maybe I could save a cat. Well, that was not meant to be either. I am not sure why God brought Hope into our lives, or if He even did. I know she helped us more than we helped her. Last night was a sad night here. My little kids cried themselves to sleep. Zach sobbed for over an hour in his bed last night. He did not want to come with me or Sweetheart when we asked him. Charlotte was crying too. This morning her eyes were all red and puffy. Kyle was very quiet and spent the evening in his room. He had been spending a lot of time holding Hope in the evenings. I felt very guilty for putting my kids through this.

What could I do to make it better?Meet Sassy. Sassy is a 10 week old kitten who I got from the shelter this morning.
She is a sweet little thing with a black and pink nose and someone cut off her whiskers and one eyebrow.
This gives her a "misfit" look and I knew she would fit right in here.
The whiskers will grow back as fast as the smiles came back on my kid's faces!
Charlotte said, "Hope would like Sassy, Mom."

I know there is much love here to be poured out on a little black and white cat with no whiskers and a lot of attitude....which is where the name Sassy came from! I think Charlotte is right. Hope would like Sassy!!!

Hope Is Gone

2010-01-27T19:08:00.003-06:00

Though she was only with us for a short time, she touched our lives in a way that will live forever. We loved her very much. I hope she felt that.

Friday Night Sew In

2010-01-26T08:14:00.005-06:00

I am joining the Friday Night Sew In over at Handmade By Heidi. It will be February 19th. My goal is to get the Hidden Star to a completed top that night. It could be a long one!!!! Feel free to join in. Just click on the badge and sign up. The next day, we can all visit each other and see what got done!!!

For those Hope lovers, she is still with us, though she is having some "episodes" that may be seizures. She is very weak this morning only able to hold up her head. I plan to have a full day of pumping fluids with the needle and lots of holding and loving. I feel like it will go one way or the other very quickly here. I am not giving up!

A Hope-Ful Update

2010-01-25T17:57:00.005-06:00

Things with Hope have certainly been eventful. The above pic is from last week. Her wound is no longer bandaged and has formed a very nice scab. All closed up and healing nicely. That is the good news. The bad news is, last night she could no more than hold up her head. Once again, I was stunned to find she survived the night. She had 70 cc's of a baby food meat/pedialyte soup yesterday given orally with a syringe in 10 cc increments. That stuff stinks and she is not a dumb cat and soon learned to close her throat so she could spit it out. Still I pressed on, unwilling to give up. This morning she was holding her head up better, but still unable to sit up or stand on her own. When she needs to use the litter box, she struggles to get up and I carry her over to her box and hold her up while she does her business. I got a very welcomed e-mail this morning from a blogging friend who has experience with sick animals. On her advice, I contacted the shelter lady again.....since she is mentioned so often I may as well call her by name.... Jane listened as I ~~asked~~ ~~pleaded~~ BEGGED for more help. I asked for a bag of lactate ringers and a needle. She finally said she would do her best and within the hour, Jane was at my door with a bag of ringers under her shirt (keeping them warm) and some hypodermic needles and a 60 cc syringe. She showed me how to put the fluids under her skin with the needle. We are putting 30 cc's at a time in her and that is wonderful!!! It takes me hours to get 30 cc's of the "soup" in her. Hope is cooperating for the most part, but has some fight in her yet. Jane only got 23 cc's in her before she pulled away and the needle came out. I got the whole 30 the next time, and the time after that I only got 15 before she started to pull away. We will continue to give her up to 180cc's a day of the ringers, sub-q, through tomorrow. I ran up to the store and got some of the stinkiest wet cat food in liver, as she is anemic, and for the first time in a couple of days, Hope ate on her own. Not a huge amount, but she ate. She is able to sit up now but is quite wobbly. She still is unable to walk at all. I am hopeful, as always, that she will pull through. It has been decided that if she does, Hope will stay with us for the remainder of her days, whether it be 1 day or 10 years. She is our cat now!!!!

Hanging On To Hope

2010-01-24T06:53:00.008-06:00

I am not sure how many more of these catchy Hope titles I can come up with! I was certain this mornings update would be titled, "Hope Is Gone". On Friday morning, the shelter lady came and took Hope to the Vet. When she left, Hope was walking on her own, eating, drinking and she had even pooped before she left. I would say she was 70% better than when we brought her home. The vet did blood work and assessed the wound. She said the wound would heal, but that Hope was so dehydrated she "could expire at any minute". The shelter lady called me and told me that she wanted to keep Hope over night and pump 300cc's of fluid into her through IV. Yesterday she brought Hope home. She could not even walk. She kept falling down and dragging her hind quarters like a wounded soldier in a movie. She worked so hard to get to the litter box that once she got there she just laid in it. I had to hold up her body so she could go potty and then I carried her back to her box. The lady told me she did not give Hope fluids because her "fluids were dried up". The vet said for them to help her would cost more than PAWS (the shelter) wanted or I could pay, and she probably wouldn't make it anyway. She is eating thimble fulls and I have to syringe water/pedialyte into her. She did not rally like before and I was sure she would be gone this morning. Hope is still alive, hanging on, still unable to walk and can barely meow. Sweetheart is upset. He thinks taking her out and drawing blood and her being in a cat carrier for 30+ hours was too much for her. I have put so much "hope" into this cat....too much I am afraid. I have clung to the process of helping her recover like an obsession. I felt like I could not help all the other things going on in and around my life, but I COULD help a dying cat. Now I am not so sure. Maybe we should have named her Faith.

Ok, onto other things. My grandkids came to visit and spend Friday night with us. They are a delight!!! Emerson is a busy little thing and since she started walking EVERYTHING is new to her. You can almost hear her thinking, "Hey! I never saw that before....let me touch it!" She saw a picture of her self and squealed in delight saying "Baby. Baby". She enjoyed playing the piano with PawPaw.She is so on the move I could only get good pics while she was in her highchair or being held. Since Kyle has moved upstairs, Emerson's bedroom in my house is gone. She slept in Zach's room which meant Zach and TJ slept in our room. TJ had a fitful night of tossing and turning and MAJOR teeth grinding like I have never heard before . At breakfast he seemed well rested, though irritated with my camera antics.

Emerson wakes up all smiles and ready for a new day of discovery.

Today, we will spend some time with them again and I will need to come home every hour or so to give Hope more fluids. Luckily my son only lives a few miles away!

Say an extra prayer for Hope.

Still Hoping

2010-01-22T07:34:00.005-06:00

Hope is quickly making herself a part of the family! NOT what I wanted. How in the world will we let her go? She LOVES the guys in the house....especially Sweetheart who is NOT a cat person. I will catch him baby talking her and rubbing her ears often, but he brushes it off saying he "feels sorry for her". She still loves her box and sleeps there often.
I was told to remove the bandage after she had been on the antibiotic for 24 hours. It looked terrible from all the ointment. It is now drying out and looking better, but still ICK! That is raw flesh near her shoulder. For an emaciated animal she is quite the finicky eater. She turns her nose up at the most expensive of cat foods and wants fresh cooked ground chuck or oven broasted chicken. She gets her nails caught in the Berber carpet and can't get loose and, SOMEHOW, she got her tail stuck on the top of her back paw. It looked like maybe some of her antibiotic got on her tail and as she slept it "glued" itself to her paw. THAT was a sight to see! There is always something with this girl! Now she has not pooped in 3 days! Yeesh!!! Maybe it will not be so difficult to let her go after all! LOLJust because I need to laugh, I will share this, which gave me a nice chuckle this morning when I found it in my inbox.

Keeping Hope Alive

2010-01-19T07:40:00.005-06:00

Hope is still alive....it should be for all of us, but here it also means that our visitor is still with us. She sleeps a lot, but don't all cats? She is actually sleeping curled up like the cat in the picture and not sleeping in a semi-sitting position like she is uncomfortable. She is eating small amounts and drinking the same. A wonderful woman from the local shelter came yesterday and brought her some antibiotics and assessed her wound. She will be seen on Wednesday, after the meds take hold, and have a leukemia test and also have that wound checked. She thinks maybe Hope was up in a car motor that got turned on. The wound is old and it is too late to stitch it up. If they have to do anything to it, she will need to be put to sleep and I (and the lady) doubt her weak state of being could take that. I am so afraid the vet will say she needs to be put down. I think I would decline that at this time. I have SO MUCH going wrong in my life right now (we all go through those periods in our lives where everything goes wrong at once) that taking care of this cat is giving me something positive to focus on. Something of value, ya know?

My sweet mom was interviewed on the local news. You can see her by clicking here. She is the second lady interviewed and her home was NOT broken into.

Off to get Kyle ready for work!!! Have a wonderful day!

Prayers For Hope

2010-01-17T21:32:00.004-06:00

We rescued this sweet thing today. She is very ill. Skin and bones, dehydrated and very weak. I am not sure she will make it. We cleaned her up, dressed a wound, gave her medication for tape worms, and are giving her water from a syringe. She is loving her warm spot in a box wrapped in Charlotte's old robe. Lots of purring and though she is too weak to play, her head follows a toy crocheted rope the kids made for her. She can not walk without falling down but since she does not appear to be in any pain, we decided to wait til morning....the vet I talked to would want to put her down. The kids want to give her a chance. They are calling her Hope....hoping she makes it. PLEASE say a prayer for Hope tonight.

Zach just hollered down to me that she was drinking water and eating some high protein "special" food we bought her. Maybe there is Hope.

Help, I'm Trapped In Here!!!!

2010-01-16T12:39:00.011-06:00

It's been a while since I posted. I always realize that when my mom asks me if I posted on the blog. Since finishing up the big project, I have had some trouble getting back into my routines. Instead of picking up my needle, I picked up a novel.

GREAT book and I have the next two ready to begin. I did, however, get my quilting groove back in the last couple of days. (I think the book helped in that department!) I have been hand quilting the Pink and Brown and turned a corner on the edge.....The Hidden Star piecing has picked up again. I decided to change the size and layout, so I needed to cut 2 more blocks to add to the 40 I already had planned. Now it will lay 6x7 blocks instead of the 5x8 I had planned for the super single water bed my son had back when I cut this quilt!Very soon, I will be helping a friend cut out her first quilt....a Jacob's Ladder. One of my favorite blocks, as you can do so much with the layout and create a totally different look with one single block.

Zach has done some creating too. He put this 3-D dinosaur puzzle together with NO help at all!!!He has carried it with him everywhere he goes since putting it together! Thank you, Miss Cindy!!!!
I have also been working on my fitness routines. Ugly Betty the treadmill and I have been together alot the past week. I have dropped 4 pounds in 5 days, so it was worth it. Have you ever seen the movie, The Nutty Professor with Eddie Murphy?There is a scene where he falls asleep and dreams he gets fatter and fatter until he is like this HUGE creature and everyone runs in fear of him.It is a terrifying dream for him. I had one similar last night. I was not as tall as a skyscraper, but I kept getting fatter and fatter and I was yelling for someone to help me and that I was trapped inside all that fat! That is about how I feel! I am lost in here....I need to get out, but no one else is going to rescue me....I have to do the hard work. I plan to up my treadmill time to 2-3 times a day instead of once....I only can do 30 minutes right now before my legs scream at me to stop! That is so sad!

Well, I don't want to end this post on a fat note, but I have nothing else to share....I am going to spend the afternoon piecing the Hidden Star blocks and the evening quilting. Lest you think I have let my chores go, I have already spent my morning doing 4 loads of laundry and blessing my house with a mop and a dust rag! Now it is time for fun!!

Phase 5 and Some Kids

2010-01-12T08:17:00.012-06:00

Phase 5, and the final phase, of the big project was to create a space for the kids. They had the Man Room, which you know Sweetheart and I took over. This was not accidental, as my children are very hard on things. I would assume all kids are. The Man Room was, at less than a year old, showing signs of "wear and tear". Sweetheart repaired all these things before we "moved in". Now we have Kyle's old room empty and it is a perfect spot for the kids.Their chairs and bookcases of DVDs and videos (yes, we still have VCR here) make it a room they can enjoy.The closet in the corner is a great place for games and puzzles. This table is already holding a jigsaw puzzle they are all working on.Kyle also gets use out of this room. I have a strict rule....NO FOOD UPSTAIRS! Kyle brings his morning cereal and his afternoon snack down here to watch TV and eat. There is really nothing they can do to this room. The carpet is industrial strength, so even the most apt picker can do no real damage, and the walls are cheap paneling. Zach calls this "The Little Man Room". So now our project is complete!

I had some grandma time this weekend. TJ spent the night. He and Zach had matching pj's.Emerson played the piano, ever so gently at first then she built to her finale of pounding on the keys!!She is finally walking and was very proud of herself. Every time she made it across the room she clapped!!! We had a nice dinner. TJ ate non-stop all weekend. He must be going through a growth spurt, cause it is impossible to get him to eat!Here is a rare photo....all 4 of my children sitting at the table together....just my kids. What a sight that was. Sweetheart and I both noticed at the same time. It was a nice sight.They are a raggedy bunch, but they are ours!

Charlotte learned several new things at crochet class....a granny square, a shell stitch, and how to sew in her tails.She sure loves to crochet. I am so glad she has that. I spent the time hand quilting. In the afternoon I spent more time at my machine piecing the Hidden Star. Today I plan more of the same. Right now I need to get off of here and jump on Ugly Betty! I really dislike walking a treadmill, but I am motivated, so off I go!

Phase 3 & 4 Complete

2010-01-11T07:54:00.011-06:00

Phase 3 of the "Big Project 2010" was to strip the wallpaper and get the room painted. Sounds easy, huh? I told Sweetheart he put that wallpaper up to survive Armageddon!! Finally it came down and I got the room taped and ready to paint. Thank goodness the new occupant was worth all the work!Yes, Kyle was moving back upstairs. I was thrilled! I never liked him 2 floors down and it was easy for him to separate himself from the rest of the family. He would not do this intentionally, but his basement room felt like he had his own "apartment", as he called it. Let me tell you, that paint job was NOT easy. I was certain the orange would cover the green easily and I would not need to prime. WRONG! It took FIVE (5) coats of orange. Good grief that was awful! DAYS later the painting was done and I quickly made up Kyle's new curtains in his beloved Bears fabric.Please note that the oranges in these pictures are WAY brighter than in real life. The orange in the curtains is a regular orange and the orange on the walls is more of a sherbet orange...very soft. Here are some pics of Kyle's finished room....Phase 4 was to move him upstairs.That back wall behind Kyle's bed is all orange with a white chair rail going around the entire room. The other 3 walls are orange on the bottom and a BRIGHT white on the top....the white is showing a tint from the lighting. It all reminded me of being in a dreamscicle! He loves it, as it is the Bears official colors!He slept upstairs for the first time last night and loved it. He had Charlotte in to watch a movie and Zach brought his legos next door and they played for a while. It was a great move and all worth the effort.

Phase 5, and the final phase is also complete, but I will share that next time. Also, the Man Room is all done as I put my next project up on my design wall......I even put 4 blocks together yesterday. Sewing in this room is wonderful. Someone in my comments asked how I would feel being so far removed from the family down here. Well, I think it would be great....a place to escape once in a while. Most of my quilting is done in the hoop in the family room so I spend little time at the machine. Still, it will never happen, as any time I am down here, so are the family.....they follow me where ever I go. ;)

We also got Sweetheart's guitar, mike, and amplifier set up in his area (I always share...and this was meant to be "our" space) and the weights are set up ready for use.Now it is ALL FINISHED! I can start this week fresh. The girls have crochet class this morning so I will take my big quilt along and hand quilt for a couple of hours. What could be better??!!

My New Digs

2010-01-06T20:45:00.009-06:00

Phase 2 is complete, and I am officially moved into my new sewing room/office. In case you had not guessed, I am now in the "Man Room" which is the room Sweetheart finished in our basement last winter. I love this room as the color is so peaceful and the room is so large. It measures 13x24 feet. Exactly twice the size of my last sewing room, which was 13x12. At the front of the room is the office area. There is a desk (courtesy of Kyle) and the little TV stand.

One of the down sides to this room is the lighting. It is awful. I have wonderful lamps that really brighten it up for sewing, but for picture taking it is just a glare, so forgive the dark photos.
On the shorter inside wall (the one with the doorway) I have Ugly Betty, my treadmill and will also put my weight bench and weights just behind her. The TV stand is directly in front of the treadmill, so I have no reason to not get on her!!!
The large wall is the sewing area. I did have to store Grandma's table, as the 9 foot banquet table was much more functional for me.
Now I was not liking that look AT ALL. I miss the closet, but the table had enough space to house my boxes of supplies underneath. Still it looked messy to me. I decided to make a "curtain" to hide the mess.
Much better. My grandma's hutch is also being used to store supplies, when in the past, it housed very little in those drawers. My fabric drawers are at the end of the table, which is also the cutting end. It fits perfectly there. I did not want to cover the ends of the table with the curtain so I could have that drawer system there. My design wall is at that end of the table also....you can see it in the corner of the picture.From the other end of the table you can see where the office area is. Also that large white board on the wall....that is the design board, empty for the moment.It is a good move, I think. Now tomorrow starts Phase 3. Removing that wallpaper border that I loved so much, and taping....maybe some paint will even find it's way onto the wall tomorrow. We are expecting 8-12 inches of snow starting tonight, so I think it will be the perfect day to paint! Right now, I am going to get the next piecing project up on that design wall. I'll be back to show you Phase 3 of the big project in the next couple of days. Until then, be blessed!

(To see the old sewing room click here)

The Big Project-Phase 1

2010-01-04T16:57:00.006-06:00

Phase one of my big project should be no surprise to anyone who has read here for very long. Though I have been in this room for 3 years now, this will be the 7th time in 9 years my sewing room will be moved (in this house)....over the years it is too many times to count.
That pretty border will not do for the new occupant, nor will the wall color.
Here are today's helpers..... .....not really helping at all. That big desk is staying in the room, so I had to empty it's contents out. Whew! This is a bigger job than I thought. I still have not replaced that broken glass panel in Grandma's hutch.The hutch is emptied out and ready to be moved tomorrow. It comes apart into 2 pieces, which is good, because it is a heavy booger!Stay tuned for phase 2!

Grands and Big Projects

2010-01-03T11:27:00.009-06:00

I had TJ and Emerson for the afternoon last Wednesday. They were going out of town for several days and I knew I would not see them for a while. I had such fun with little Emerson. That girl will NOT walk!!! She walks on her knees, upright, but not on her feet. When you "walk" her, or she is walking around furniture, she walks on her tippy toes. She can stand up by herself, but she just refuses to walk. Nothing wrong, it is pure tippy toe stubbornness!!! She loves the clear plastic box that holds her alphabet toys.......
What a HAM!!!!!!!
TJ measures himself by the bricks on the fireplace (so do Charlotte and Zach). He figures he has grown a whole brick last week!!! He may well have! That kid is TALL!When Charlotte was his age, she fit under that arch!
They will be back home later today and I will see them tomorrow for a little bit.
We are starting a BIG project here next week. It will cut into my quilting time I am afraid....I did meet my goal and got 1 side done this week, but it was tough! That is A LOT of quilting. This project involves moving rooms around in our home....major moves which effect everyone. I will share them as they happen, but can you guess which room is moving first and to where???

Take a guess!
Blessings, Bren

Goals

2009-12-31T11:08:00.012-06:00

2010 will be here tomorrow! Do you have your goals set? If not, I would like to share my outline for my 2010 Goals. I try to set 3 goals in each category....not to many or you will not meet them. Some goals need more detailed goals subtitled under them. I will give you an example of one of my goals in each category and you will see what I mean. I am not sharing all my goals here, as some are personal, and to be honest, I don't think many people much care what MY goals are....YOUR goals are the important ones to you.

Spiritual & Innerdevelopment Goals

a. Read 6 non-fiction books in relation to my Christian growth.

Family & Relationship Goals

a. Speak daily affirmations to my children

Personal Development Goals

a. Teach a hand quilting class in April

Ministry Goals

a. Make a home church decision

Physical & Health Goalsa. Weight Loss

this goal will require a more detailed goal sub-list, such as exercise plans, food plans, etc.

Home School Goalsa. Reread Educating the Wholehearted Child

Homemaking Goals

a. Create and follow a stricter food budget

Material Goals

a. New curtains and dust ruffle for master bedroom

Life Enhancement Goals

a. Memory enhancing exercises (may include vitamins)

I also have a Quilting Goal section, though I posted that earlier. You may add any creative goals to your list. Any other category that would work well in your life may be added, such as Career Goals, Educational Goals, Travel Goals....the list is endless. Goal setting can be a vital tool in our lives. Give it a try!!!! See you next year!

Blessings~Bren

Meeting Goals

2009-12-28T19:06:00.007-06:00

This is my new favorite spot in the house. I am working hard on the Pink and Brown and have put a lot of thought into my goals. I pondered why this quilt, along with a couple of others, have been on my goals list for the last couple of years....this being the third. I concluded that I set a goal that was too generalized for such big projects. Its not like a wallhanging or tablerunner....these are queen-sized quilts! I decided to get a bit more specific and set shorter-termed, more specific goals. As for the Pink and Brown, I just finished the entire middle and have the blocks around the outside to quilt along with 2 borders. My immediate goal is to finish 1 side of the quilt (not counting borders) each week. That will mean the quilt (minus borders) will be done by the end of the month. At that time I will set another specific goal regarding borders.That is a lot of quilting in a week....there are motifs and 1 inch crosshatching all along those outer 12" blocks. I plan to spend much time in my new favorite spot. It is relaxing and set apart, yet very available to family. Directly across from my spot, is the new piano....The kids are playing on it everyday. They do not pound on it, but "play" nicely, and seem quite eager to begin lessons. My quilt frame is no more, but that is fine. I did not enjoy quilting on it enough to find another place for it just now. Besides....it is not on my goal list, right?

I did go to the quilt shop and picked up a new book with my gift card. This will be my "week between Christmas and New Year" book.
Lots of wonderful designs I can use and interesting stories from 1810-1940....some of my favorite eras of quilting.
I am not finished talking about goals just yet, but my personal goals are still unfinished. For now I best head back to that chair for some needle time!
Blessings, Bren

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-27T08:17:00.018-06:00

Christmas morning is our favorite time of Christmas. It is so much fun to watch the kids open their presents. I will say my children, going all the way back to my boys, are always very appreciative of what they get. Zach was in Lego heaven. We have seen very little of him since Christmas morning, as he has been building Power Miners and Castles for days!! This gift, he was not certain of.....
Look at his hands. He is a bit apprehensive. It is a remote control TARANTULA! Looks very much alive and real. He plays with it during the day, but wants to keep it in my studio at night, because, "It creeps me out". Zach had a wonderful Christmas!!Now let's talk about Charlotte for a minute. Here she is modeling her new "grown up sized" robe. She can wear a small in the women's dept. in alot of things. She has gotten so tall.
Charlotte really surprised me this Christmas. So grown up acting, and very helpful. She cleaned most of the kitchen after Christmas dinner that day and she made the mac and cheese and helped prepare the juice for the beef on Christmas Eve. The most surprising thing was just Charlotte. She NEVER shows much emotion....those with RAD kids will understand....and what emotion she shows, is forced and/or fake....you can tell. Now look at this next picture closely.....
That is some REAL emotion. I think this will be my all time favorite picture of Charlotte for a LONG time. She was really letting herself feel a good feeling. She did not melt, or fall over dead, so maybe she will see that it is ok to feel good. Pray that for her!
Kyle had a very Bears Christmas. I did not get his Bears quilt done. His birthday is in March so I can make it then....it is just tied so will not interfere with my goal list! All Kyle wanted for Christmas was a Bears bedding set. I thought the quilt would maybe feel like a jip to him, so I got him the set he wanted.He loved it....along with the leather Bears cell phone holder, Bears T-shirt, and 5 DVD's he got.
The kids opened the Family Box (a newer tradition thanks to Niki) and found a new Jonathan Parks series, Nims Island, a couple of games, and a 1000 piece puzzle.Sweetheart opened his gifts and among them was the afghan Charlotte made him. It is about 60x72 and is beautiful. I promised him I would not post a pic of him in his bath robe, so you will have to wait to see the finished gift, but here is a pic of Charlotte watching him open it....
Look at that smile!!! Again, a real smile with real emotion. A priceless gift for her mother! Picture her sitting there watching him open this gift of love....she actually flapped her hands during the process.....a happy emotion that is without control in a very small child will bring flapping with it....she is going to be ok, I think.
What did I get? I got just what I asked for....a Michi Bag!I got 2 shells, so there is the red one, and here is the black one.....If you don't know what a Michi Bag is, click here. I am having a Michi party in January, so if you want a bag or shells, let me know. My distributor will ship to you! I LOVE MINE!!!
We relaxed the rest of the morning. It was wonderful to kick back for a while. I had a ham in the crockpot and potatoes boiling, so all was well in our world.
In the afternoon, my Mother in love, and Bud and his family stopped in. Bud and Rachel were going to her Mom's for Christmas, but they wanted to see Grandma on their way out of town.

Grandma got all 4 little kids a new born plush puppy that moves and makes noises. They loved them! She bought Kyle a Bears Snuggly so he was a happy camper too! Emerson loved watching those little animated guys on the box sing and dance. She got her butt just a goin with them! I need to video tape that!

Then was the Christmas finale.......My mother in love opened her gift from us. She looked very confused and shocked when she realized what it was.The Basket Quilt. Yes, Basket Case was for her all along! Though she had not seen it in person, she had seen it on my blog and knew I was making it for a friend's mother....my best friend's mother! Actually she helped pick the block and colors!!! Her advice helped me greatly!She fought her emotions hard, but I could see she felt the love that came from it. I pray as she covers herself up in it's love she can feel how much she means to her family.

Christmas 2009 has come and gone, and even my tree and decorations are packed away until next year....I always take it all down on the 26th. The joy it brought is still in the air and you can not pack that away. We did not forget, even a little bit, in all the presents, family, and food, that this Christmas represented the ultimate gift of our Saviour. That we will take with us everyday. It will not wear out, need new batteries, no repairs will be needed, and we will not outgrow it. That gift is the perfect gift. I pray you have received that gift yourself. If not, it is not too late. That gift is one you can have any day of the year!!! Just tell God you want it and it will be delivered immediately!!!

Blessings, Bren

Christmas Eve Highlights 2009

2009-12-26T07:23:00.026-06:00

Christmas Eve is spent at our home celebrating with my side of the family. We had a wonderful meal and then the kids opened their packages. They all were so excited! Zach and TJ passed out all the gifts.

We go youngest to oldest, so Emerson was first!Isn't she a doll?! She was so sweet and loved Christmas!

The other kids took their turns so nicely. Not one of them complained about waiting.

We decided to let the kids open the BIG package, since TJ wanted in on the action!My grandkids were thrilled with the gift! My children seemed happy, but, I think they did not know what to do with it.

TJ and Emerson sure did!!!!

I will say my kids really spent a lot of time on it after everyone left. They are excited to begin lessons on January 12th. The piano was such a blessing....truly a gift from God.

After the kids are done, the adults all do a grab game. (look at that kitchen!!!!....what a mess! We usually clean up first, but the weather was so bad I wanted everyone to be able to get home before it got too bad. Charlotte, my aunt, and I cleaned it up in no time!)My sister and her husband CHEAT! Yes, they do.....they conspire on what, and how they will get, a certain gift! Look at them acting all innocent!I am not sure if it was the wallhanging I made, or the Limited Homemade Gourmet Carrot Cake Mix, but they were able to pull it off and ended up with the package they wanted!!! Cheaters, I say!

I am happy to say Debbie's son does not take after her in that respect and he plays fair and square! Andrew is such a wonderful guy!!!I did not get these in the grab, but I wanted to share the gift I got from Bud and Rachel......I almost cried, they are so beautiful!

After everyone went home, my kids opened the one gift they always get on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition since I was a child.....a new pair of jammies!Everyone was happy, and though they should have been tired, they were NOT!Zach modeled his jams, while Charlotte (in the background) played the piano for a while. Zach got his turn too, and then off to bed they went!!!It was a wonderfully blessed Christmas Eve. I will share our Christmas morning with you tomorrow!!! Praying your holy-day was as blessed as ours!
Blessings, Bren

2010 Quilting Goals

2009-12-23T14:34:00.011-06:00

I am big on goals. I love to set them and when I actually meet one I am thrilled. I probably hit my goals more than 50% of the time, but ya know, if you do not set a goal, you will NEVER meet it!! I will be sharing some of my life goals over the next few posts, but I wanted to start with my quilting goals. All the others will be complied into one post....my quilting goals make a list unmatched by any other goals. Some of these you may remember from my 2009 quilting goals. That's ok....I got TONS of quilting done in 2009!!!

The top of the list for 2010 is to finish the Pink and Brown. This is a queen sized quilt and is about 50% hand quilted. It has been the project I always set aside in order to finish another. This year is it's year. I believe this is 3 years in the making.

Number 2 on the list is the Hidden Star. The goal is to have this pieced and hand quilted by June 22nd. It is my son's quilt....12 years in the making.I want to finish the hand applique on the border of the Underground Railroad Sampler this coming year. I think this quilt is at least 3 years in the making.Now all of the above have been on my goal lists in the past, even on my 2008 goal list. This is their year. ALL else will wait until they are done. Not necessarily the quilting on the sampler, but at least the top finished.

New to the list....The Pine Ridge quilt. I want to have this pieced and quilted by fall. It will be ready for the hoop as the Hidden Star comes out. This is the state it is in right now....barely started. I guess, not barely....only 12 more trees and borders to add.

I also want to get the 9-patch blocks that Linda and I swapped put together. I will be able to get the 4 yards of fabric I need in May, so I should be able to start putting it together as soon as the Pine Ridge gets ready for the hoop.....see how I am planning things in an order???
I always have that Masterpiece in the forethought of my thinking. I am so frustrated with the applique....so tiny....but I hope to pick this up again at some point in 2010. No pressure, but to at least finish this first block and go on to the easier ones....I chose the hardest one first!
So there are my goals. I am certain there will be other projects added, but these are the ones I really want to meet.
Now that all my Christmas projects are finished, I can put the Pink and Brown in the hoop where it will stay until it is finished.
Don't forget to make some goals for 2010!!!! You will be surprised how having them will spur you on!
Be Blessed!!!
Bren

I Almost Puked

2009-12-22T20:48:00.004-06:00

A phone conversation with my mom.....

Mom: Did you do a new blog today?

Me: No. I probably won't do one until after Christmas.

Mom: Well could you at least do something for me?

Me: What?

Mom: Could you get that thing off of there????

Me: What thing?

Mom: That new ugly brown thing you have on there now. I almost puked looking at it.

Me: You mean the new background?

Mom: Yes. It is gross. You need to get rid of it.

Me: *laughing*

Mom: I tried to see if there was anyway I could change that on my computer so I wouldn't have to look at it.

Me: laughing even harder....Sure, Mom. I will work on that.

Mom: Good. Try and brighten that up. Jeez, that is ugly!

How's this one, Mom????? Better?

A Weeks Worth

2009-12-20T17:01:00.013-06:00

Another week gone. 2010 is so close you can almost see it!! I have lots of new quilting goals for 2010, but we'll talk about that later. I need to keep my feet in 09 for another couple of weeks! I did get my final miniature done for the season.
It still needs a binding (I think I will go with the gold) but other than that it is finished. It will be my "grab gift" for my family gift exchange. It has a special touch....
The backing fabric belonged to my Grandma Grace...my mom's mother. I got a 3 yard piece after she died back in 91. I use it sparingly. I know who ever gets it will like that it has a piece of Grandma in it. I always wondered her plans for that fabric. I thought to make a quilt with it, but felt to "spread it around" would be better.

The week was full. The mailman brought a goodie package. Winona sent my birthday and Christmas gifts all in one package.This gorgeous "Harvest" table runner. I loved it when I saw her creating it on her blog! It is full of wonderful hand quilting and I just run my hand over it again and again. As a quilter, to get a hand quilted item is pretty special!She made me a cute apron, pot holder and wash cloth for Christmas. Of course I opened it!!! I could not wait til Christmas!!
Her sewing skills are phenomenal!

I also had some grandma time with TJ and Emerson. They spent the night Friday night. It was a nice time. Emerson loves the tree. She is very gentle and when she touches something she says, "pretty" or "good girl". Her vocabulary is really growing!TJ spent the time playing Legos with Zach and we all watched G-Force together Friday night. TJ wanted to use my camera to take some pictures, so I told him he could. Most of them turned out like this....
But he did manage to capture this one too.....
I sure enjoyed my time with them. Rachel had went to her brother's college graduation and Bud was working. Bud picked them up Saturday and took Zach with to spend the night at TJ's house. He is still there. Needless to say, it has been peaceful here!

The kids worked a puzzle this week. 500 pieces and they really enjoyed it.I read a book...it has been a long time since I read a fiction book. This was historical fiction....my absolute favorite. It did not disappoint!
Today, I finally got some gifts wrapped. Not all, but some. Sweetheart helped....he wrapped one to my 4, but slow and steady wins the race. His packages did look nicer than mine ;)
Now there is a new week to look forward to. One in which we will begin our winter break (no homeschool til January) and we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I pray as you celebrate your own holiday this coming week you will remember it's true meaning and the incredible Gift that was given to you those many years ago.

Have a Blessed Christmas!!!!!

Kyle's Road

2009-12-15T06:09:00.006-06:00

Kyle has been so many things in my life. He is the reason I have the depth of faith I have. He was used as a huge area of growth in my patience. He has become a man, who I am proud of. At 23 years old, I was certain I would never have to explain his road to him. You know, that special road his life has taken him to.
The one only select people travel down. The one that all parents pray their unborn baby will never have to go down.
I was wrong. Less than a month ago, while riding in the van, just the two of us, Kyle asked me, "Mom, why can't I be like Bud?"

"What do you mean, Kyle?"

"You, know. Why can't I drive a car, and have a house? Why do I live at home?"

I caught my breath. What do I say here? He deserves to know. I pulled the van over and looked at him.

"Kyle, you know you had lots of seizures when you were little, right?" He nodded. "Well, all those seizures happened in your brain. Your brain could not take all that extra activity. Kind of like when we plug in too many things and the lights go out and we have to go downstairs and flip that switch." He nods again. "Your brain does not have all it's power because of the seizures. Not enough power to drive a car, or live by yourself, But, you have more than enough power to live a good, full life."

"Why did I have seizures?", he asked.

"When you were a baby, and got your shots, there was a problem with one of them and it made you have seizures."

He looks deep in thought. "That is sad."

My heart tugs. Tears sting. "Yes, Kyle, it is sad."

He turns it around for me, as only Kyle can do, and says with a huge smile, "At least I can walk. Some people can't walk, mom"

"Yes, Kyle, and you have a happier life than most people who did not have seizures, and you know LOTS of people can not drive cars."

He smiles and we continue on our trip. He knows now. I feel sad that he knows. His innocence is gone....or so I think.
That same night I can hear him happily playing with his toys in his room....maybe not all his innocence is lost.

A Kyle Post By My Sister and Mom

2009-12-14T11:27:00.008-06:00

My favorite moments with Kyle

By Aunt Debbie
Brenda and I took the boys, Kyle and Andrew, shopping at the mall. The boys were about 11 years old and Kyle was very much into Toy Story. He had a small action type figure of his favorite character, Woody. On this particular trip, Kyle had enough of his own money to buy the new talking Woody doll. He had been wanting this for some time and was very excited to make his purchase. Needless to say, it was our first stop. After opening his new toy, we continued on with our shopping. Brenda had to stop at the fabric store (go figure) so the boys and I sat on a bench right outside the store and listened to all that Kyle's new talking Woody had to say. After about 50 pulls of Woody's string, I had had enough so I told the boys to stay on the bench while I walked about 20 feet away to look at something. Keeping a close eye on them, I saw Kyle talking to a stranger, a man in fact. I started walking over to them when I noticed Andrew laughing so hard he was almost on the floor. The man was storming off, looking over his shoulder at Kyle as if he were from outer space or something. As I approached, I asked my son Andrew what was going on. Kyle had stopped this man and said, "I used to have a small Woody but now I have a big Woody....want to hold it?"!!!!!

Another one of my favorites happened while I was on the phone with my sister. She would often call me (as sisters do) when she was frustrated with Kyle....just to vent, get advise or simply to escape for a brief period. Kyle had seizure behaviors that resembled unmedicated ADHD. On this particular day I could tell she was at the end of her rope with Kyle, who must have been about 8 years old. After several interruptions by Kyle, she threw out the ultimate threat, "Kyle, if you don't leave me alone, you are getting a spanking!" I could hear Kyle say something in the back ground, but could not make out the words. Brenda whispered into the phone, in a very frustrated voice, "What the hell is wrong with that child, he is asking what kind of spanking?" I am trying not to bust a gut on the other end of the phone and practically begging her to ask Kyle what he means by this. I remember promising her that it would be worth asking the question. Very hesitantly and very frustrated, she asked, "Kyle, what do mean, what kind of spanking?" His response.... "Is it the spanking of my life, or the one where I can't sit down for a week?" Baadah bing!!! That's our Kyle!

A Favorite Kyle Moment

By Grandma

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES REGARDING KYLE WAS WHEN BRENDA AND HER FAMILY WAS MOVING TO THEIR NEW HOME, AND KYLE STAYED WITH US FOR THE NIGHT. WHEN I PICKED KYLE UP, HIS MOTHER TOLD HIM NOT TO ASK FOR THINGS WHEN WE GO TO THE STORE.....WELL WHEN KYLE AND I WERE AT THE STORE HE SAID "I SURE WOULD LIKE SOME CHOCOLATE MILK. I KNOW MOM SAID NOT TO ASK FOR ANYTHING." HE LOOKED AT ME WITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE, AND PLACING THE CHOCOLATE MILK IN THE CART, SAID , "I KNOW YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY." YES, KYLE, GRANDMA WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY....

Thanks Mom and Debbie, for sharing your Kyle moments with us!

(These were copied and pasted from e-mails sent to me. They had several I was unwilling to post....heehee....too much information. On another note, please know that I did not ever give Kyle a spanking where he could not sit down for a week. LOL)

Cookies, Quilts, and Clean Up

2009-12-13T12:30:00.022-06:00

We have had a very fun weekend! The kids mixed up the cookie dough to be chilled for cut out cookies. (forgive the out of focus pics)
I made homemade soup for dinner and TJ rolled all those crescent rolls himself. He said "We should make a video on cooking, Grandma, cause we are good cookers."

I am terrible at cleaning up as you go. This drives my husband craaaaazy. Tj helped me out a with some dish washing.
After dinner, we got to work on those cookies. It was a blast. They all had such fun!There ya go, Dani!!! You love those red hot cookies. I think it would take a gallon of milk to get those down!!! TJ tells me they are really good, as his eyes are watering down his cheeks!
TJ's tin of cookies are ready to go home with him!

As for the quilts.....I have #8 in the hoop. The most recent finish, is one of my favorites.

I love these spools and they will make a nice wallhanging for a special somebody's sewing area. I free-handed some "thread" in the borders......Does it look like thread??? I know I already showed you this one, but I never got a good pic of it. I just love the texture and I had not even washed it yet. (it is in the dryer now)And another recent finish......No, I am not sick of baskets! I love the folk-art colors here.

All in all, I am happy with what I have accomplished in the short time I had.Two have already been gifted, and the 5 above will be shipped out this week. The one in the hoop (not shown yet) should be done early this week sometime. There is alot of hand quilting to be done on it, but I am so motivated.

Remember how I said I do not clean up as I go in the kitchen? Well, the same can be said for the sewing room!

Notice the toy snakes?? TJ spent some time with me last night!I promise this room will be spotlessly cleaned and organized before dark today!!!

I will be back tomorrow with a post written by my mom....her favorite Kyle moments.

Now I best get this room cleaned up!

A Kyle Post

2009-12-12T08:20:00.007-06:00

"Every family needs a Kyle". That is what my sister and I say to anyone who meets Kyle and is taken away by his charm, which is most anyone who meets him. I am the blessed one in our family to get him! If you have never been close to a mentally handicapped person, you are truly missing out! If you are unaware of Kyle's story, you can read it here. Kyle is pretty high functioning, but not high enough to ever live on his own. He has no concept of time...minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months. For example, he may be awaiting his friend who is due here at noon. He will come to me at 10 am and say "only 2 more minutes til Robert gets here." He told me the other day that Christmas was only 2 days away....it was really 2 weeks. If left to himself, he would never take his meds, wear the same clothes for days, never change his sheets, he would have no teeth because he needs to be told to brush them, have a full beard, drink WAY too much Mountain Dew, and eat pizza for EVERY meal. He would, however, shower everyday and keep his room tidy. He keeps his dvd's in perfect order and over the past year he cuts his fingernails without being told. Still, he needs his family. I can not count the times my sister will call me out of the blue and say, "Remember when Kyle......." and we will laugh until we cry! My nephew Andrew is Kyle's biggest fan....he is 2 weeks younger than Kyle and they grew up together, so he was around for alot of Kyle's antics!

Over the next few days, I thought I would record a few of our favorites here, so that some day Charlotte and Zach can carry on the memories of Uncle Kyle.

My personal favorite was from several years ago. We had just moved here and Kyle started to go to a school which housed only mentally/physically handicapped children up to age 21. Kyle was 15 at the time and he LOVED this school. He is very social and because the previous school system wanted to mainstream him, I chose to homeschool him. Anyway, he was on cloud nine at this place and he had joined the choir. A local organization called the "ARC" was having a big fancy charity dinner at an upscale restaurant and Kyle's choir was going to sing for them. We were all going to watch (at $20 a ticket) including my mom and sister. A day or so before the performance, Kyle asked me, "Mom, what does ARC mean?" I told him is stood for "Association of Retarded Citizens" Kyle's eyes got big and he said, "GREAT!!! You mean I am going to sing for a bunch of retards???" I about fell out!!! I had no idea what to say to him and told him, "No, honey, they are an organization who help retarded people." He did not believe me because in his mind who would want to help retarded people. Now you have to understand that Kyle only heard this word used in a negative way. We did not use it in our home and he would hear it out around other kids who used it in a derogatory way, like..."That's so retarded!" Kyle also had no idea he was handicapped, nor were any of the other kids in his school. Everyone in Kyle's world was just fine! He called my sister and told her she may not want to make the long drive to watch him sing as there may be retarded people there. He told her what ARC stood for and she (while holding her laughter at bay) explained to him it would be ok. Kyle felt he had never seen a retarded person before and had no idea what to do if he saw one in the crowd. Aunt Debbie told him, "If you see one, just smile and wave". She is SO naughty! We went to the dinner and Kyle and his choir went up to sing. He was standing tall with all his classmates lined up with him. Right next to him was a young girl in a wheelchair who could barely make a noise. She had on a bib and every so often Kyle would lean over and use that bib to wipe the drool from her mouth. On the other side of him stood a young girl who's arm curled in disfigurement. She looked to Kyle many times for, what appeared to be, reassurance. Still, my son stood tall, singing his heart out, all the while smiling and waving at one, singled out, well dressed, older gentleman in the front row. At one point he caught my sister's gaze and gave her a thumbs up. He had found the retarded person in the room and was handling it just fine!!!
Yes, every family needs a Kyle!

A Christmas Survey

2009-12-10T07:16:00.006-06:00

I have seen this on several blogs, so thought I would join in......

About the TREE....

1.When do you put up the Christmas tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving (usually)
2. Real or fake? We have done both over the years. Right now we do fake.

3. Lights? What color? Clear

4. Garland? Not on the tree

5. Theme or no theme? Are gold painted macaroni ornaments and toilet paper spool soldiers a theme?

6. What kind of topper? An Angel

7. What's your favorite ornament? Our "First Christmas Together 1979" ornament. It became very fragile so I stored it someplace "special" last year and forgot where. It is the first Christmas in 30 years it has not been on our tree.

8. What does your tree skirt look like? Ivory tatted

9. Where do you put your tree? In the formal livingroom.

10. Who decorates the tree? The entire family.

11.What's "under" the tree? Right now there are a couple of matchbox cars leftover from TJ and Zach playing under there.

12. Do you put candy canes on your tree? Ummmm...think "Charlotte and Zach", so that would be a "no". I always put them on when my boys were little. They would eat one Christmas morning. Charlotte and Zach get one in their stocking.

About the FOODS....

1. What's your favorite Christmas cookie? Kiss Cookies

2. Do you bake cookies and give them away? We bake them every year but rarely give them away. My friend Sue ALWAYS gave me a full tray of 20 different kinds cookies she had made. I never baked then....I moved so it is impossible to get those cookies now, so I bake!

3. Any "special" foods or candy that you only have at Christmas time? Dirtcake, magic cookie bars, and monkey bread

4. What do you eat Christmas EVE? My entire family comes Christmas Eve. We have Roast Beef sandwiches, Cheesy potato casserole, several other sides, and dirtcake.

5. What do you eat on Christmas day? It is different every year. Last year I did a prime rib. It is just our family and my MIL is coming this year, so I will do a ham or a roast.

6. Do you like Eggnog?? NO.

7. Do you like candy canes? They are ok.

Decorations....

1. Where do you hang your stockings? On the mantle.

2. Do you put lights on your house? Yes. It is different every year.

3. Got any outside lawn decorations? No

4. Do you put up a nativity (creche)? I use too, but the one I had was ceramic and it got broken. I made it myself in ceramics class back in the 80's.

Do you hang mistletoe over the door? Nope.

6. Got a wreath on your front door? Yes

7. How long does it take you to decorate? The weekend.

About the movies/shows

1 . Favorite Children's Xmas TV show/cartoon? Rudolph.

2. Wonderful Life/Miracle on 34th St/A Christmas Carol (Scrooge)I like them all.

Favorite Christmas movie?? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I love Cousin Eddie!

4. Have you ever seen the Nutcracker Suite Ballet live? No.

5. Ever been to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show?? No.

6. Ever gone to the movies on Xmas Day? No

Other Christmas things....

1. Favorite Christmas book or story? The Christmas story from the Bible.

Do you stuff your stockings with any types of food? For the fur kids? My kids always get candy in their stocking.

3. Do you go to church on Christmas or Christmas Eve? No, unless Christmas falls on a Sunday.

4. Have you ever gone Caroling? Yes
5. Favorite Christmas Carol? I love so many of them....I think O Come, O Come Emmanuel is way up there, and Mary, Did You Know?.

6. Do you believe in Santa? Nope

7. Do you leave Santa cookies? The kids leave cookies and milk for Daddy.

8. What about Rudolph...Nope

9. What was your best Christmas gift? When I was about 13 I got a desk with all the "stuff" to go with it. That was awesome!

10. What was the worst/most odd gift? I don't remember a "worst" gift, my grandmother use to get "odd" gifts from her son and we all gathered around while she opened the package. It was always a riot!

11. Do you go to a "work" Christmas party? Until Sweetheart was laid off we went EVERY year for 20+ years.

12. Do you hate going? With a passion! It was the only night of the year Sweetheart would drink. I loath drunkenness!!!

13. Do you send Christmas cards? I always sent Christmas cards! The last two years I have not sent any.

14. Do you make a "list"? Lots of lists.

15. Do you check it twice? & thrice & etc...Many times

16.When do you start shopping? December 1st.

17.Do you shop on Black Friday? Absolutely not!

20. ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS? NOT EVEN CLOSE! I will be sewing binding down on Christmas Eve!!!

Now it's your turn!

Christmas Decorations

2009-12-08T13:16:00.012-06:00

The stockings are hung.....

....the angel is singing.....

....the table is set.....

....and even the floral couch has had a touch of Christmas cheer. Two Santa pillows and a Christmas tree pillow, will do much to change the look of even the most "springy" of fabrics!

Kyle, Charlotte, and Zachary, decorated the tree 100% on their own this year (except the lights, which Sweetheart did) Notice the quilt frame is down....it's ok, really.I am sorry to say, I did not do one thing. I think I was holed up in my sewing room that day. It is perfectly ok....they had a blast and that is all that matters! I must say they did a wonderful job.
I got 2 more bindings on....and another is almost done. That makes...let me count....6 total. I still need to make 2 more. I will piece them today. Here are the latest 2 in all their glory.....We also had the pleasure of grandkids this weekend. TJ, as usual, was too busy playing to be bothered with the camera, though he did spend more time with us that off with the kids. Emerson enjoyed a snack with her daddy and a bit of the Bears game.It is snowing LIKE CRAZY today. We are to get 8-12 inches by tomorrow with severe winds and white out conditions starting in the middle of the night. Pray for my son who will be on the road traveling to and from work in the midst of it all. I plan to stay in and work on some more quilting. Until next time, remember the reason for the season.....
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Luke 1:32-33

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-12-07T22:45:00.002-06:00

Some things about my dad.....

He LOVES animals!!

He is an excellent golfer.

He does not have, nor does he want, a cell phone.

He is the oldest of 7 children.

He quit smoking a few years ago after 50 years!

He is a chess pro....I don't think anyone has beaten him.

After retiring from being a "factory toad" (his words), he works April-November at a golf course.

He plays cards every Friday night with his brothers.

He is very loved by his family!!!!

Happy 73rd Birthday Dad!

What Day Is It, Anyway?

2009-12-01T16:11:00.008-06:00

My days are all looking the same. Homeschool, quilting, housework, meal prep.None of that is a bad thing. In fact, they are all worth while things to do with my days.
Mother Nature had me down for 2 days, unable to do any of the above without great effort. Still, I did it. Math concepts were mastered, new words were spelled, prepositions were underlined, and God's Word was opened."Tomorrow" in my house will look much like it did today, and things will get accomplished. I am finding God will give you the strength you need for that day, and that day alone. I have given up expecting a weeks worth of strength, and focus only on what I need for this day.
Today is taken care of. I needed more strength than I thought I would, but right when I needed it, it was there for me. HE was there for me. When I am weak, my God is strong for me.
Thank you God, that You are my strength.

No Black Friday Here!

2009-11-27T13:42:00.008-06:00

I do not shop the day after Thanksgiving. I also do not put up Christmas decorations on that day. (Although Sweetheart and Zach are putting lights up outside)

I spend the day after Thanksgiving the same way every year. Doing whatever I want!! This usually means sewing, or reading or watching movies...most of the time it is a combination of the three.
Our thanksgiving was wonderful as always. I did not get many pictures. I was too busy enjoying the day. I forgot to bring my camera out until the day was almost over.
Sorry for the blurry pics. I really need a new camera. My 8 year old niece, Casey, made turkey headbands for everyone. She had a STACK of them. Bud and Rachel look cute in theirs.
The little kids got Kyle to color with them for a while.Kyle is a great big brother, but an even better Uncle!!!Emerson adores him, as does TJ. Emerson loved her new dolly.

But she loved her Pumpkin Pie even more!!!!!! That's my girl!!!

Christmas Sewing and Thanksgiving Preparations

2009-11-24T14:33:00.012-06:00

My Christmas sewing is moving right along. I finished hand quilting, and binding, this little number and made the bindings for 3 more, which are also to that stage.
I got 2 of them sewed on the front and they are ready to be hand stitched down in front of evening television.
I filled my candy dish with Bliss Meltaways....they truly are bliss...and stitched the next miniature on my list. These adorable American Jane fabrics are wonderful!
I need to mark and baste it and it will be ready for the hoop. I love this pattern by Thimbleberries and have made this block 2 other times. Once as a wallhanging and once as a block in my sister's quilt. Both times I screwed up the piecing of mirror imaged sections. This time I was very careful and had no mistakes!! I may use this pattern to make another one on my list!

I was blessed to see my grandkids over the weekend. They are getting so big!!!

I will have them for an entire weekend in mid December. I am looking forward to it! I bought Emerson a little dolly with a pacifier, bottle, and diapers for my house. She has been playing with dinosaurs and cars! All the baby toys are boy related as I did not have Charlotte until she was older. Emerson will be happy to have a new baby doll on Thanksgiving!
Speaking of Thanksgiving.......
I am working on getting ready for dinner for 30! I love hosting Thanksgiving, but I am afraid I am not at all organized this year. My mom and I did get all the shopping done yesterday. We got to the store and I asked her if she had the list. She looked at me and said, "I thought you had it"....we had to scramble right there in the aisle and make out our menu and shopping list. I hope we got it all!!!! Tomorrow is cleaning day and also making the dips, pies, fruit salad, and cakes, along with anything else that can be done ahead of time. Darn it! I just remembered we forgot the Jello!

I pray all of my American friends have a blessed Thanksgiving!!!

I am most thankful for my God, my family, and my friends!!!

Home School

2009-11-23T23:06:00.001-06:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Uncle John

2009-11-19T12:56:00.003-06:00

My Uncle John passed away this morning. He was 62 (I believe) and last week he suffered a torn aneurysm repair. He should have died right then, but his wife was there and got him immediate attention. A 4 hour surgery repaired the mesh that had torn away, and he was critical for the next couple of days. I prayed for him and was thrilled to hear he had made it and was on the upswing. Suddenly this morning he passed away. They are not sure why and will do an autopsy to find the cause. I have many regrets right now. I waited to go see him until he was out of CCU and into a room....that never happened. I was sure I had time. I had so much I wanted to say to him. I loved him dearly, and I did get to tell him that at my 30th Anniversary party. I hugged him tight, thinking he look sickly, pale and, all of a sudden, old. He is only 12 years older than I am. I had a bad feeling that day. If only I had gone to see him. Just a month ago I drove past his house. I did not stop in. Why not? I do not know. I haven't been able to cry yet. I am stuck in my regrets and actually quite angry with myself.

Church

2009-11-18T08:19:00.015-06:00

It has been several days since my last post. I am still here and have been dealing with some life issues. While I share a little of my heart here, I thought I would also share these cool pictures. My mom sent me an e-mail that showed these awesome photos of a Church in England. It has been remodeled into a home. What would it be like to LIVE in a church? Not sure I could dig the cemetery in my front yard......but the inside is beautiful. Look at this entryway. When I moved back to my hometown, 9 years ago, I sought out a church immediately. I found a good one and stayed there for 3 years. While in this church we adopted Charlotte and Zachary. It was a place of friendships, worship, growth and love. Unknowingly, it was also a place of sin. It was a sad day when the Pastor announced he had been taking money and was losing his credentials for a time. The church dissolved and people scattered to other churches.
Isn't this living area incredible? I looked for another church too, but had some trouble finding just the right one. I ended up at a large 2000 membership church, where my son's future wife got saved....it was a great church and my son and his wife were married there. Too bad that the womb found out we attended there. We had to leave. I really dislike finding a church home. So much so, that I ended my search and just stayed home for a couple of years.
That wouldn't be a problem in this church home!! It was a problem here, however. I need a church. I can blame each member of my family for that, but I won't....I am not disciplined enough to church myself. Plus I need to be around other believers, and my children LOVE church!!
So I found Pine Grove. It has been a nice church. Wonderful people. A sweet spirit. The most giving group of believers you will ever find. Still, when it came to membership I found I could not join. There are scriptural standards that are important to me that were not there. I discussed them with the Pastor, and came to the conclusion that this lack of standards is not something I can live with. My daughter is seeing it and asking questions, and it will not be long before our own standards are lowered to a place of unholy lifestyle (Galatians 6:1). So, here I am again. Unchurched. Did I mention I really dislike looking for a home church? I feel like a church-hopper. Not something I believe in at all. It is a huge burden to find just the right church for your family. I know.....let the Lord lead you. I have no idea why He is not leading me to the right church. I plan to start looking right away. I do not want to fall into that hole of staying home again. It is so easy to do!

So, would you like to live in this church? I would!!

Off that subject, the kids are doing well. Home school has changed a bit. I have Anya full time and Alphia is being home schooled by her Mom. It is working well. Alphia still comes down for afternoon read aloud and on Fridays Cindy and I will co-teach the girls Bible study.

I am finished with the last little miniature I showed you. Even the binding is attached to the front! I plan to cut and piece another one today.

The kids have doctors appointments this afternoon for check ups. Other than that it is a cold dreary day. As I told a dear friend yesterday, our joy is not found in the sun, but in the SON, whose light shines upon us everyday!

Making Christmas Gifts

2009-11-13T15:44:00.009-06:00

The gift making continues here in our home. Charlotte has created numerous dish cloths and has added dozens of rows to her Daddy's afghan.

I have been making more miniature wallhangings/table toppers. I just love little 9 patches made with 1" squares. They are so dang cute!!! Add some fence rails and 1/2 square triangles and you have the makings for a sweet little miniature. All I need to do is mark and baste it and it is ready for the hoop.I played around with a Christmas jelly roll.....Not at all thrilled with this little table topper. Zach had some fun with the strips....He wants me to stitch that creation up for him. LOL

My sweet friend Debi sent a package our way. She made Charlotte and Zach beautiful fall themed pillow cases. They are NICE!!! I want that pattern!She also enclosed a few things for me. A sweet pincushion, some notecards and a wallhanging kit. I am in love with the design and the fabrics are so me!!! Thank you so much Debi. You are such a blessing to me and my family...in more ways than one!!

Well I am smelling the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars I have in the oven. Better go check on them! Chicken Dressing Casserole for dinner tonight....one of our favorites around here. Click on the link to try the recipe! It takes a double batch for our family.

44 Day Crunch

2009-11-10T15:26:00.010-06:00

Miniature number 3 is finished. Only 3-4 more to go....3 for certain and 4 if I have the time. The binding is still left to do, as with the other finished miniatures. I really like this one....the texture is wonderful and I love the colors.

So let's do an inventory....

the basket quilt is finished (sans label),

3 of 7 miniatures are done

and the fabric is set for the next 2

pillows and bags yet to make for Zach and TJ

a pillow needs to be made for Emerson

PLUS the fabric for Kyle's quilt and Charlotte's skirts are ready and waiting.

44 days til Christmas!!!

Kyle's quilt will be a simple checkerboard that I will tie. A matching pillow and curtain and he will be thrilled.The next miniature will be made with these two fabrics I picked up at Acorn Quilts yesterday.
The background (which does not show up at all in the pic) is gorgeous with a light background swirled in a creamy tan. The focus fabric is black with red berries and brown stems. Very shaker style. I plan to do a smaller version of a quilt I saw hanging on Libby's wall. I just loved it. You can see it here. It is the first picture in the post.

After that, I will do miniature number 5 using these fabrics.Not sure what pattern yet. I can only work on Kyle's quilt while he is at work, so I am limited with that one. Luckily, the miniatures will keep me busy.

I also picked up some fabrics for my Pine Ridge Quilt. I plan to get right back to that when I am finished with all the Christmas gifts. I picked up another yard and a half of background fabric (I just love Fusions by Robert Kauffmann) and 3 more greens for trees.The red 1/4 yard cut is for the binding of the last miniature. I sure enjoyed my fabric shopping yesterday!

As I am pounding away at the quilts, Sweetheart is keeping busy also. Today he and Zachary pulled the frig out and did the bi-annual cleaning.Lost toys were found and dust bunnies were killed! Charlotte did all her laundry today. After searching high and low for all the bath towels that were missing, I found 11 of them in Charlotte's closet. Yes, she did that load too! I wondered where they were all hiding!

Now, I am going to store all that fabric I pre washed and get my rotary cutter out to start making blocks for the next little quilt.

Have a blessed and productive week.

"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

1 Thess. 4:11-12

My Birthday Weekend

2009-11-08T14:57:00.017-06:00

It is extra special when your birthday falls on a Sunday, because then you get a birthday weekend!!!! It all started yesterday. My mom and I made plans to spend the day together, just like we did 49 years ago. She asked where I wanted to go and there was only ONE place!!!McHenry! My town. Sweetheart and I raised our boys here and I have such fond memories. My dearest friend lives there still....we have been close friends for 27 years, never losing touch and I don't think we have had one real quarrel. So that is where we went. We picked up my friend Sue , and went to Applebee's for lunch. It was wonderful. After that, we all drove by the old house. This is where we lived through most of our boys childhood.I was more than taken aback at the state of the yard and house. Though the house looks the same, it is not like Sweetheart kept it. I have such comforting memories of my time there. We went back to Sue's house and had such fun visiting and remembering our time spent together. We lived about 4 miles from each other and spent a lot of time together. Our children grew up playing with each other and we spent HOURS sewing together. Oh, the quilts we each made from start to finish, sharing the details every step of the way. Here are a couple of Sue's quilts. You can see her many quilts by visiting her blog. She hand quilts, hand appliques and hand/machine pieces. My mother is in awe of her!! (so am I) You will also get to "meet" her wonderful children (she has 6) and her youngest, Ruthie, is a dolly. Ruthie would not let me take her picture, but she was at the door, all smiles to greet us, and to wave goodbye!

My family gave me cold hard cash for my birthday and I went to Joann's for some purchases. I got 3 different corduroy's...2 for Charlotte and one for me...all for new skirts.And 3 yards of orange (Bear's orange to be exact) and a batting for an upcoming quilting project.
Yes, I used some of my birthday money to buy fabrics for other people....it was what I wanted! I still have money left over and plan to visit 2 quilt shops tomorrow. I came home around dinner time and found a box had arrived with my name on it. Inside was an abundance of wonderful smells and colors!!!Joann, my blogging friend, had sent me my favorite Bath and Body Works scented lotions and shower gel, a journal, an Elizabeth George book, a scented candle, Christmas dish towels, silk flowers, and 4 Let It Snow place mats. I felt very spoiled! Thank you, Joann!

Today is very laid back and low keyed. I baked pumpkins pies, drank coffee, and have a roast and potatoes in the crock pot for dinner.My son, daughter in law, and grandbabies are all coming for dinner very soon! Other than that, I was able to finish my second miniature and start quilting the third.....Seeing all of Sue's (4) large Christmas quilts done and bound made me want to get on the ball to finish my little ones!!! She has that effect on me!

Until tomorrow, when I will be visiting here.... I am praising God for His lovingkindness!

I Forgot.....

2009-11-04T11:03:00.005-06:00

I forgot to tell you all which song belonged to which kid. Back a few posts, I had some videos and asked you to guess....

Here are the answers....

Bud and Rachel had "Everything" played at their wedding

Kyle's favorite is "I Can Only Imagine" (my own favorite at the moment)

Charlotte's is "The Lost Are Found"

Zach's fav is "Awesome God" He plays it DAILY!!

and TJ loves the Cartoon Song!

Emerson did great last night and is very tired but breathing great. TJ is still here and may spend one more night. We'll see....his mommy misses him terribly!! I am quilting and planning a tied quilt for Kyle for his Christmas gift. I have Bears fabric here and will do a checkerboard of that and a solid orange. He will love it!! Other Christmas projects are a couple of skirts for Charlotte and a pillow and Bible bag for Zach. It is coming up quick!!! What are you all making for Christmas gifts??

Emerson is Home

2009-11-03T16:35:00.005-06:00

PawPaw and I went up to the hospital to visit our little Emerson. She seemed much better, except for the awful coughing fit she had while we were there! She loved the big hospital crib and seemed to enjoy crawling from one end to the other. We brought her a pink elephant that is soooooo soft and she hugged it. It was very sweet. Her stridors are gone and she is sounding good. She was released while we were there and will be on steroids for 5 days. Please continue to pray healing for her. That cough gags her and she is in visible pain from it. TJ will stay with us for at least another day so he does not catch that nasty croup!!!

Cheryl put it perfectly....it has been a roller coaster few days!! I am ready to get off this ride!!!

God is faithful and what an awesome healer He is!!

Another praise....my mother in love is coming home from rehab on Wednesday. Her hip replacement is doing well.

An Emerson Update

2009-11-02T19:53:00.004-06:00

Emerson was admitted to the hospital tonight for croup. The x-rays done at the hospital show no signs of pneumonia in her left lung as the immediate care had said. (Thank you Jesus!) Her trachea is narrowing from the croup and that is a concern. She has what is called stridors....the following is taken from kidshealth.org on croup symptoms.

"At first, a child may have cold symptoms, like a stuffy or runny nose and a fever. As the upper airway (the lining of the windpipe and the voice box) becomes progressively inflamed and swollen, the child may become hoarse, with a harsh, barking cough. This loud cough, which is characteristic of croup, often sounds like the barking of a seal.
If the upper airway becomes increasingly swollen, it becomes even more difficult for a child to breathe, and you may hear a high-pitched or squeaking noise when a child inhales (this is called stridor). A child also may tend to breathe very fast and might have retractions (when the skin between the ribs pulls in during breathing). In the most serious cases, a child may appear pale or have a bluish tinge around the mouth due to a lack of oxygen. (we are not at that point!)

To treat this upper airway swelling, they use steroids. Emerson was given a shot but the results were not what they wanted. She was given a breathing treatment and that brought some relief. The problem is the relief is not lasting long enough and her stridor is coming back before the next treatment. She is being admitted overnight to be watched and prayerfully, the stridor will be gone by morning. My sister's son had croup all the time as a child and she remembers the steroids sometimes taking overnight to work.

Your prayers are most coveted.....Bud and Rachel are both staying with Emerson overnight at the hospital and I am thankful for that!!!!

"The prayers of a righteous man (and woman) avail much!!!!!" Now since our righteousness is in Christ, I am confident your prayers will work!!!!

Pretty Girl

2009-11-02T11:07:00.012-06:00

The tree in our front yard has shed all it's leaves, save the ones used by a squirrel to make her nest. See it? It is not at the very top, though it is pretty far up there, which means our winter will not be mild, though not the worst in history.

My pretty girl, Emerson.....

This is a picture of her taken just yesterday morning after she and her brother spent the night. She slept sound all night long and woke up full of smiles and giggles. What a sweet baby she is. They went home about 10:30 and she continued to play and ate a good lunch. About 20 minutes into her nap she woke up screaming and began a horrid barking cough. Her breathing seemed off so Rachel took her to immediate care. Her O2 was 94 but did come up to 97 on it's own. A test for RSV came back negative, and she was tested for the A & B flu, which I just found out came back negative. She had no temp but her breathing seemed shallow and panting, though no retracting or actual struggle to breath was there. Still....scary. Grandma diagnosed croup, but what do I know??? Last night Rachel text me that her breathing sounded funny so I went over. She did appear to be panting some, but she was not struggling and gave me lots of smiles. She was clingy and tired and had a temp...not too bad, only 100.5. We decided I would bring TJ home with me and that way if they needed an ER run in the night, my son could go too.TJ's little bed is made up in my bedroom and he may be here a few nights depending on the test results. Also, croup is contagious and he is only 4, so is still susceptible to it. As I type this, Rachel and Emerson are back at the immediate care. Her breathing started to have a "funny sound" to it and Rachel thought it best to have her re-checked. She is a very good mommy. Her O2 level is 98, so that makes me feel good. Her temp still hovers at 100.5. Say a little prayer for them if you think of it. I have been saying many!!!
The neighbor girls that I home school are both sick with the flu....tested positive for A AND B...and have high fevers and bad coughs....Anya and Alphia could use some prayers too. They will not be here this week so we are taking it at a slower pace here too. We are keeping busy though!!!! Charlotte is working on her "Bears" blanket for her Daddy's Christmas gift.She is doing quite well!! I am getting my desire to quilt back....how??? By just doing it. I think the border I am quilting is not to enjoyable. I love the effect, but it is a very small, twisty, turny design that causes you to only be able to take a stitch or two before you have to turn....not as fun. I am almost done and then I can do the straight line quilting I love so much.I have never done a border first....I always start in the middle, but the markings on this were so light I thought I would get it out of the way. Glad I did. Because it is so small, it really was no big deal. I would not suggest this on a larger quilt.
Well, I am just waiting to hear more from Rachel (who just text and said they are doing more x-rays and tests). I am assuming they will tell her to continue doing what she is doing. I think I will go sit with a hot cup of coffee and read a book to the kids.
Have a blessed Monday and thank you for your prayers!!!!

UPDATE: Emerson has Pneumonia in her left lung. It was not there yesterday, but shows up today. Please continue to pray for her.

Prayers For Emerson

2009-11-01T21:37:00.002-06:00

Please say a prayer for Emerson. She is sick with either the flu, or croup....not sure which. A trip to the immediate care center showed a lower than normal O2 level, but in an ok range when she left. She is running a temp and having some difficulty breathing....nothing critical at this point. The doctors said to watch her closely as it can change so fast! Please say a prayer for her healing and for Rachel, who is more than a little bit worried.

My Kid's Favorite Songs

2009-10-31T13:17:00.004-05:00

Here are my kid's favorite songs....can you guess which one is Kyle's, Charlotte's, Zach's, TJ's, and the one that Bud and Rachel had for their first dance as husband and wife????

An Update Post

2009-10-29T21:07:00.015-05:00

It has been a while since I did an update post, so here goes....

Sewing Update:

I am taking stitches in the frame quilt every once in a while. My push for quilting has faded and I am not really getting much done. I need to get going on the Christmas gifts if I am ever to finish them. I plan to make a couple more skirts and jumpers for Charlotte in the near future. She has little faith in me....I asked her why she had not washed her jumper. She told me she was afraid it would fall apart in the wash!!

Family Update:

Sweetheart's mom did well with her hip replacement. She is in a rehab and HATES it. Sweetheart said he will be surprised if she lasts the week....she is suppose to stay for 2. We appreciate all your good thoughts and prayers for her!!

Homemaking Update:

I am afraid my entire household schedule has been turned upside down since school started. Plus, Sweetheart is home and "bored" and wants to "help". Do those quotation marks make me sound sarcastic?? Good. They were meant to. I did manage to get the cupboards stocked today. They were bare!!! Even the large pantry is full and the frig is cleaned out (thanks to Sweetheart) and restocked! I was even out of eggs....that NEVER happens!

Diet/Health Update:This may be the reason for my waining enthusiasm for quilting. I am borderline diabetic at this point (if not all the way) and really needed to take charge of my health. I have that surgery coming up and ~~want~~ need to get my act together. I am eating 5 small meals a day..one protein and one carb with veggies. No sugar or white starches, and only 1 whole wheat carb a day. I have been walking Ugly Betty (my treadmill) everyday this week and I have dropped 3.5 pounds since Saturday....not too shabby.

Kids & Homeschool Update:The kids are doing great. Charlotte has been wonderful the last week or more. Her anxiety has calmed WAY down and she is not acting out her trauma to any harmful degree. I am praising God for this and also for your prayers concerning her....don't stop!!

School is going well. We are reading The Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan during our read aloud time. The girls are just wide-eyed and opened mouth through each days chapters. They beg to keep going, but I always stop at a big cliffhanger!! Right now Catherine, age 13, who is being held captive by Indians in the year 1764, is sick with a fever and is certain she will not make it through the night. On top of that, she just found out that one of her captors is not Indian at all, and use to be "English" himself. He is her only hope in finding her 7 year old brother who was taken captive with her, but who is now missing......just as she is about to find out, we stopped for the day. Am I mean, or what????

Zach is not enjoying the story as much, but he is doing well in school and got all A's on his tests last week!!I promised him next time we would read a more "boy friendly" book.

Spiritual Update:God continues to grow me in ways that I was certain I had already grown enough in. I am in the midst of the "don't be a people pleaser" lesson. I have had to make some tough choices recently...do I please God or man? Of course, we say God!! Still, it is a lot harder than it sounds, and I find myself bartering with God...."For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."
Galatians 1:10....that is all I will say on that!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-10-26T12:36:00.004-05:00

I thought I would do The Simple Woman's Daybook again. It has been awhile!

For today....October 26,2009

Outside my window....It is grey, cold, and wet.

I am thinking...I need to see my grandkids one day this week. They were gone last weekend and again next weekend.

I am thankful for...My home and family.

From the learning rooms...we took pre-tests in most of our subjects today. New spelling words and new read aloud for this week.

From the kitchen...Chicken tenders...breaded and fried for everyone else, but simmered in olive oil for me.

I am wearing...work out clothes

I am creating...Miniature quilts for Christmas gifts.

I am going...no where today!!

I am reading...Psalm 25.... is so it good!!!

I am pondering these words...."Shew me thy ways oh Lord, teach me thy paths...." Psalm 25 (read it all!!)

I am praying...for revival within myself!!

I am hearing...the little kids voices. I can make out "Let's ask mom."

Around the house...laundry needs to be done again!!

One of my favorite things...a hot cup of coffee and some quiet afternoon time with my Bible.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: Ladies Bible Study

Wednesday: Awanas

Thursday: Grocery Store

The rest of the week is open.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Cold Air and Warm Bread

2009-10-24T13:33:00.007-05:00

The leaves on the tree in our front yard are falling fast! We actually got a peek at the sun today. It has not shined for 3 full days. It is not planning on sticking around too long, as the clouds are moving in late this afternoon. Tuesday is the next time we may get to feel it's warmth. It is cold and windy. Charlotte and I went out for a walk and only made it a block down before turning around and coming home. Brrrrr....that wind actually bites!

Today is a home blessing day. Charlotte is working on laundry.
Sweetheart is cleaning carpet, Zach is helping with his laundry, and Kyle...well Kyle will deep clean his room, eventually, today. He is in the middle of a movie and promises to get it done when the movie is over.
I baked a couple loaves of whole wheat bread. I used honey and molasses in place of brown sugar to feed the yeast. The kids loved it. One was sliced, using my Amish bread slicer.... ....and one is cooling for the freezer.I make 1 pound loaves so the portions are smaller.
Nothing to show in the area of quilting. I have done little the past week and really need to get moving on the gifts I have planned for Christmas. I will share a project from a swap I did a couple of years ago. Some of you may remember this. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this quilt and swore I would make another one for me...of course I didn't. I really do plan to though.It is hand applique, hand quilted and I did a double cross hatch behind the basket of fall colored flowers. The effect of double cross hatching is one of my favorites!!I would like to make one for each season for my home.
That is it for now. I have done a couple of posts at The Offering of Thanksgiving this last week, but don't think I was neglecting this blog....just nothing to write about.
Have a blessed weekend!!!!

Have You Ever......

2009-10-19T11:39:00.005-05:00

.....seen anything more adorable in your entire life?????

I had a great weekend with the grandkids. We all went to Sunday service and then Emerson took a nice nap. They went home about dinner time last night. I am so blessed that they live nearby. I pray that stays the same for a while.

It is going to be a very busy week. I am suppose to be out of the house 4 nights in a row. Tonight, Zach has a birthday party to attend. Tomorrow is Bible Study, and Wednesday Awanas. Thursday is the neighborhood Bunco. My Mother in love is having a hip replacement tomorrow, and Sweetheart will be there, so I plan to stay home from Bible Study. 4 nights out is WAY too much, and I am relieved to be able to skip something.

I finished our morning homeschool, and the kids are eating lunch. We are heading to Lemstone's to get the gift for the party tonight. I love that store. I lost my favorite CD....Newsboys Adoration. I can not find it ANYWHERE....I know I had it.....I remember putting it someplace "special"....I can not remember where "special" is!! I plan to just pick up a new one. It is worth it....I love that CD.....did I already mention that?

I posted on my other blog.....The Offering of Thanksgiving. The post was one I have been meditating on. I have had some really good times with God lately, and I am bursting at the seams, but I know this blog is a quilting/family blog and though I still plan to share some spiritual thoughts here, I will post my "deep" stuff over there for a while. There are no comments there....just a place for me to reflect and give thanks, though you are welcome to read if you wish.
That is all for now, except to share that I even got a pic of TJ this weekend....he was caught off guard!

Notice the quilts in the background. Yep...that is the pink and brown in the hoop. The latest miniature is still sitting just like you saw it last. It was impossible to get it marked and basted with Emerson here, so I decided to do another block on the albatross. The UGRR is sitting on the couch too, as I appliqued another flower into the border. Those 2 quilts are my top priorities after Christmas.....unless something else comes up!

Have a blessed Monday!!!

Convicting

2009-10-18T21:28:00.002-05:00

The full version is WELL worth the watch and you can find it here.

Sweet Saturday

2009-10-17T16:02:00.009-05:00

Things have calmed here over the past couple of days (thank you for your prayers)....God has placed a peace over my home that is so comforting. I was able to finish the skirts for Charlotte and I last week....or is that Charlotte and me....yes I think it is "me". *whatever* (See I have been around pre-teen girls all week!) I plan to go to Joann's tomorrow for some more denim prints....it is 50% off. Charlotte needs a few more skirts to get her through til Spring. Maybe a new jumper for Christmas, too.

Our Saturday has been sweet. Praise and Worship music played for much of the morning. Household chores were worked on, including laundry.I had a helper......Charlotte worked on a Christmas gift for her Daddy (a Bears blanket) and watched a couple of episodes of The Brady Bunch with Kyle. She can't believe Jan is my age!I worked on the last side of a miniature.It just needs a binding now!
The next one is being marked and basted, and is probably in the hoop as you are reading this. My grand kids are coming for supper and spending the night and we will all go to church in the morning...ALL 7 of us! Life is sweet!!!!!
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." Psalm 30:11-12

The Face of Trauma Revisited

2009-10-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

Here is where I cling!!! It is that season....the one I dread. The one that brings with it a warfare so intense that I am left battle scarred through Thanksgiving. This year there is an increased intensity. I am not sure why, but it is solid evil I face. The neighborhood decorations are even at a higher level of evil....like I have never seen before.
My children are responding. Yes, even Zach is showing signs of the season. I can almost smell the brimstone and sulfur that must be carried on the feet of those principalities sent to attack my daughters mind. She is attacked. This season, to a higher degree than usual. I sit here and hear the words of a man we met several years ago. It was during this season when we met him....he did not know us or anyone who knew us. Just a simple man of God we were going to hear speak a revival message. He shook my 5 year old daughter's hand with a smile. His smile faded and as he looked at me, a sincere concern showed in his eyes. "Legions.", he said. "You are dealing with legions here." Was he saying my daughter is possessed? NO!! Heaven forbid!! He explained to me after the meeting that she is tormented by legions. Legions, according to Websters dictionary, means "A great number". It is not something I did not already know....just a conformation. So, this year, once again, I check my armour (Ephesians 6:10-18). My helmet of salvation is secure. My belt of truth is being tightened! My breastplate of righteousness is being repositioned and polished. My feet are shod in the preparation of the gospel. My shield of faith is being traded for a larger one (Did you know you can do that?). My Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is being sharpened!
I am in battle, though the battle does not belong to me....

it belongs to the Lord!

Here is a re-post of Charlotte's halloween trauma, written the day before halloween 2007.

First I want to thank all of you who reached out with your comments and e-mails on my first installment of The Face Of Trauma. My heart swelled with the love that was shown through warm words and thoughts. I was amazed at the e-mails I received where some of you shared your own trauma. It helped me to see that Charlotte and other children like her have a chance to live wonderful lives in spite of their past hurts. I need to preface this post with a warning that the content is difficult to take. Please, do not let any children read this.

Tomorrow is October 31st. In some parts of the world, it already is. I grew up with the innocence of halloween. My sister and I dressed up and put on costumes and went door to door, trick or treating and collecting candy. During my trick or treating years, it was becoming the "trick" to put razor blades in apples and nails in brownies...back then you got alot of fruit and homemade goodies. Mom was so careful to check everything before we ate it. It should have been a sure sign that evil was strong on that night. As a teenager, my treat days were over, but I found myself playing halloween tricks. We would soap windows and throw eggs and TP trees. Did you know that, Mom? I married and had my boys and have lots of halloween pictures of them too. My feelings about halloween became different when I became a Christian, though I still took my kids out trick or treating, I passed out candy and specially designed tracts explaining the way to God. I wonder how many of those tracts got read?

Now... Let's talk about what halloween is to me now. I have knowledge of halloween that I never had before. Part of me wants to forget what I know and go back to just NOT knowing. In doing that, I would have to deny and make of no consequence some of my daughter's most horrific memories. I will tell you, I do not know what she experienced herself on the halloween when she was 3, but I can tell you she was involved in some pretty terrible things. Have you wondered why I call the vampire, the vampire? Well, it is not a comical little nickname I gave him. It is because he is a blood drinker. Charlotte's biological womb and vampire were/are open Satan worshippers. They belonged to a "coven" (my daughter's word) that is still in operation today. Let me share with you some of what I KNOW to be true about this coven (I probably know 10% of what goes on there). I do know that animals, primarily rabbits and squirrels are sacrificed and the blood is shared directly from the cavity of the animals body. Sometimes it is drained into a glass, but this coven I believe were hillbillies (not the nice kind). What do I classify a hillbilly? Someone who instead of washing a dinner plate will flip it upside down to eat off the back. No joke. My baby could not understand why we did not just turn the plate over and use it again! I am getting off track here.

Another kind of sacrifice in this particular coven is live human sacrifice. Here is how it goes. A baby is born at home. No record of birth, never a doctors visit. If the baby is a girl, she is safe (for that day), if the baby is a boy, he is taken to the coven meeting and is blood sacrificed in the name of Satan. How? Here are excerpts from a 4 year old girl, "He is naked and has a black belly button. He is cut from his neck to his private. He stops crying after he is cut. They take something out of him and everyone takes a bite. It is scary." (this was all reported...nothing could be done) I thank God I have my Zachary!!! I can not control the urge to get on my knees and pray for my daughter's mind. That the pictures in her head would be replaced with pictures of fields of flowers and sunsets.

I told you the baby girl, because she was a girl, was safe. Well, on halloween, when she grows a little bit, she will no longer be safe. Her body will be used, not as a blood sacrifice, but as an offering to pure evil. Men and older boy children will use her up til she is ripped not just in her body but in her soul. Her parents will be honored and put in a place of high esteem for their offering. These rituals take place all year long, but ALWAYS on halloween night. I am sorry to ruin your fun and you can still take your kids out trick or treating because in your mind this is not what it means to you, BUT, please understand it IS happening, right here in middle America. Pray for these children who will, tomorrow night, be used as an offering to the evil that their parents worship. I planned to share the history of Halloween and it's origin, but I found a post here that does it better than I ever could. I also invite you to visit a post where an awesome woman of God describes one of her own halloween nights.

My Charlotte, just like the awesome woman of God, has a very troubling time during the fall season. During the first several years here, Charlotte would make herself bleed from her nose. It was a form of self soothing and copying the rituals she was so involved in. She no longer practices that ritual, (as far as I know) and has gotten better each year. Still, when I see the trees clothed in beauty, she sees images of little animals being cut. When I see pumpkins and fall decorations, she sees flashes of a halloween night 7 years ago. Lift her up in prayer also on this day. She told me just the other day "My other parents gave me to the devil". It is all still there for her. In a couple of weeks she will begin to calm in her spirit and things will gradually get better. I ask you to pray for me also. My own heart holds bitterness at this time of year. If the sight of an Autumn tree causes flashbacks for Charlotte, you can imagine what halloween decorations do to her. I want to go to the home across the street and ask them to give up their own innocence of halloween as the massive decorations they put out every year, and the mock graveyard they create, causes turmoil in my daughter's spirit every time she goes outside. I know I have no right to do that, nor would they understand. They would probably decorate their yard with a "For Sale" sign if I shared this with them. I will share this with you though. Your halloween innocence, with your witch and vampire type decorations, may be causing trauma to a child OR an adult who suffered ritualistic abuse. I know your intent is all fun and you would NEVER knowingly do this, but you can not be held responsible for what you do not know. NOW you know.These posts are difficult for me to do, but I find them necessary. Charlotte knows I am sharing her trauma with you. She is happy that the truth is being exposed, though she does not read these posts, as much of the information came when she was 4. Her memories are fading, I want them to continue to go. Then why is this information so vital?

The only way to break the darkness is with the LIGHT!

I Joy Over Thee

2009-10-14T14:55:00.004-05:00

My daughter, My little one, My under-shepherd, My dear friend: ---you are many things to Me, even as I am many things to you. My love for you is deep and tender. I know thy desire to please Me, and I am happy that it is so. How can I tell thee that though I desire holiness, and while I desire fruit in thy life, still My love for thee is in nowise contingent upon any attainment? My glory is involved in the way ye live. Eternal destinies are involved in the matters of thy holiness and thy faithfulness and thine obedience to my direction and will; but my love for thee is independent of these factors.

I love thee because you are my child. I love thee because I am your Father. I love thee with Calvary love. At great price have I redeemed thee:
this I did because I love thee. When I planned this, I foresaw thee lost in sin, and I loved thee and chose thee and set My heart upon thee.

Rather than struggling to comprehend the working of My sovereignty, accept this, and rejoice in it, and draw near to Me without spoiling the preciousness of our fellowship with any shadows of self-condemnation.

You are Mine, and I joy over thee. Discipline I reserve for the rebellious. The first step of repentance brings My mercy.

"Mercy there is great, and grace is free--
Pardon there is multiplied to thee,
There the burdened heart finds liberty at Calvary"

Let the peace of God rule in your heart and mind, and be filled with thanksgiving.

from Come Away My Beloved, by Frances J. Roberts

Charlotte's Jumper

2009-10-11T16:11:00.011-05:00

I need to learn how to sew. Not something I want to do for enjoyment....I get enough of that in quilt making. No, it is necessity. It is impossible to find modest clothing in Charlotte's size. I hate to see her in pants all the time, and she feels good in a dress or skirt. A trip to Joann's to buy some 99 cent patterns (on sale), and some pretty corduroy and off I go.

It can't be too difficult. I got a pattern with no buttons, no zippers, and no sleeves. What else is left...it is a bag for cryin' out loud! I find this is a foreign land of tissue paper patterns, interfacing, and bias tape. There are no 1/4 inch seams, rulers, or rotary cutters, and instead of "fabric", I have "material".

Though the neck line was intimidating, I managed it with no seam ripping....in fact, I did not rip ONE single seam throughout the entire process! I kept the directions close by and followed each step carefully.Ta Da!!!And it lays flat too!!!!The arm holes (is that what they are called?) called for bias tape. That stuff is YUCK! I made my own from the left over fabric......uh, I mean material. It turned out ok....next time I will cut it a 1/2" smaller.I even did a slit!! That was tricky, too, but it turned out nice. And here is Charlotte, modeling her new jumper......The back.....(that is not a seam, but a crease in the fabric....er, material. I need to press that out.)Now to try a skirt! Not today though. Today I will spend my free time hand quilting.

Basket Case Is Finished

2009-10-10T11:51:00.006-05:00

Basket Case is finished. (sorry for the poor pictures....it is a very overcast day) It has even been washed and dried, removing all the markings, and giving it that crinkle that makes a quilt. The texture is wonderful and I am amazed at how heavy it is.

I cut, made, machine attached, and hand sewed the binding ALL IN ONE DAY! It was a long day, but I put in the last hand, binding stitch at bedtime last night.Soon it will be handed over so it can go to it's new owner. It is always bittersweet to finish a big quilt. One one hand, it is a satisfying feeling and one that gives you a sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, if you are giving the quilt away, it is a sense of loss. Loss of a dear friend....something you have invested a piece of yourself into. Though I will say, giving a quilt is one of life's high points! There are many prayers in my quilts. A lot of the time, I pray as I quilt. Mostly for the person I am making the quilt for, but also for other situations. The Basket Case holds prayers for my mother-in-love, my own mom, my recent health issues, several bloggy and real-life friends, Sweetheart, my children and grandchildren....the list goes on.

On to new projects....or old ones, waiting in the wings!!!!

Maidens

2009-10-09T11:15:00.008-05:00

Friday's are a lax school day here. It is set aside for catching up (sick days, etc.), field trips, tests, and it is the day when we do our Maiden's of Virtue study. This morning the girls and I talked about preparing to be homemakers. It was a fun time. We are excited to start Hope Chests for each of them.

After our shorter school time on Friday's, they enjoy a movie time. Charlotte crochets....she is working on washcloths for Christmas gifts....Anya is working on a whole cloth quilt for her niece, and Alphia curled up in Zach's quilt....Zach is in the background on the couch. Friday's he pretty much has off, unless he needs to catch up or take a test.
I truly enjoy these girls, which surprises me some. I am so comfortable with boys, having raised 2 of them, but the time on Friday's with these girls has been very special to me.
I was able to pull all the basting threads out of the Basket Case while they started their movie.The fabric for the binding is in the dryer as I type this and I will make it and attach it to the front of the quilt this afternoon. Having a solid backing helped to make sure all the basting threads were pulled.... Plus, I just love the back of a quilt!!!
I ran into Acorn Quilts yesterday and grabbed some American Jane fabrics to replace the boo-boo I made a few weeks ago. I will add a bright marigold yellow with these and it should be a beauty!My hoop was not empty for long. Within an hour of finishing the quilting on the basket quilt, I had a little quilt top basted and in the hoop. I love this little quilt.It should quilt up very quickly and then I have several others ready to baste. I think I will be in good shape this Christmas!!
I better scoot and see how that movie is going! They are all so quiet down there!!!
Be Blessed!
Bren

The Hand Quilting Is Done!

2009-10-08T18:04:00.002-05:00

I will show you the whole thing when I get the binding on!!

Be Blessed!

Bren

The Season of Trauma

2009-10-06T15:42:00.006-05:00

Those of you who have read here for a while, know that my daughter spent her first three formative years saturated in witchcraft, vampirism, and satanism. Even though Fall is the most beautiful time of the year in my part of the country, it has also become a time of warfare. It is time, once again, for me to gird myself up in the full armour of God and fight the fight that has become my seasonal nightmare. Halloween decorations are going up all around us, and the triggers are beginning. Somehow, I forgot. I was not prepared, so when I was confronted with the results that I see every year, I was taken off guard.
I will remind myself of what kind of enemy I have and also what kind of God I have. What may appear in the flesh as powerful, really is not. What may appear as weak, is really most powerful! If that makes no sense to you, you have never really confronted the enemy of God's people.

Here is a sample of what I mean.

Remember Charlotte during this month. Pray peace for her mind and her spirit.

Honey Crisp and Flannel Sheets!

2009-10-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

It is officially Autumn and boy can you feel it in that crisp, cool, air! We have Honey Crisp apples from Lane's Country Market in the bowl, and flannel sheets on the bed! Yep, it is fall.I even have beautiful new fall themed towels and pot holders, thanks to Joann!!!! Aren't they pretty! I was saving them for Thanksgiving, but yesterday, I just could not help myself and I put them out!
Another wonderful thing to do in the fall, is to curl up with a quilt! Mine happened to be in a hoop with a needle and thread attached to it, but that is the BEST kind!!!I am soooooo close to the end and I really pushed myself this past weekend to get it done. Sadly, I did not make it. I have 1 more basket and 2 more setting triangles and then the 4 corners. Two days work if I can get my fingers to cooperate. Yesterday morning this is what they looked like....
Both my index finger and middle finger have a nice callous (perfect for hand quilting), but my index finger was pretty sore. I decided to rest it for the day and only used my middle finger. Here is what it all looked like at bedtime....
I pretty much dug a hole in my middle finger. Today I will start a callous on my ring finger. I only use my ring finger to quilt(this is the hand under the quilt) when my index and middle finger are too sore. Usually only near Christmas when I am meeting a deadline. Just one day will have my fingers healed nicely, but I can not waste a full day at this stage. No need to share any tricks on preventing this....I have heard them all and I am one of those quilters that NEEDS to feel that needle with her skin. It gives me control over the stitch and is very worth it all.

I also finished another little top on my Christmas gift list. Now I have 4 ready for the hoop. I am going through thread like crazy and was thrilled to find my favorite hand quilting thread at the new Acorn Quilts. The owner kept her word and had my thread and needles in stock. I bought a cone of YLI holding 1200 yds for only $8. That should last me a while!!

I am starting a new diet today. I know...I hate that word too, but what else can you call it? A life style change? That would mean changing my life style....no, it is a diet.I won't bore you with it all, but I want to lose some weight before surgery. I have decided to have it in early January. My mother in love is having a, much needed, hip replacement on Oct. 20 (prayers are appreciated) and Rachel may be having a procedure done soon also. Being available to help them is important. I am more than comfortable and since I host Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, I believe after the holidays seems more logical. Then I can get babied for as long as I can drag it out!!!!

The girls have crochet class this morning from 10-12 and Zach and I will work on catching him up from last weeks sick days. We so appreciate your prayers and good thoughts for Zachary. He has made a full recovery, though he gave that virus to his Daddy. I am praying it stops there and does not continue on.

Well, I am off to the showers and then it is time to wake the kids. Have a wonderful Monday...a new week is always a fresh feeling!

Blessings~

Terry

2009-10-03T10:34:00.001-05:00

Click on the badge to find out how you can help.Of course, prayers are needed most, so we can all do that much!

My Last 24 Hours

2009-09-30T13:53:00.002-05:00

My little Zachary has been very sick. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he was coughing and just plain miserable. I headed to the drug store to stock up....Mucinex for kids (the wonder drug for coughs), Vick's vapor rub, Motrin, cough drops, chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and I grabbed some "On Sale" chocolate on the way out!!

I came home to find Zach doing much worse. He seemed to be struggling to breath. Like it was a fight, almost, plus he had a fever. Sweetheart felt he just had a cold and his nose was stuffy. Give him the medicine and he will be fine. So I did....plus I grabbed the Symphony bar I bought. The stress was building. After the candy was gone, I made my decision. I called the doctor, who was booked, of course, but told me to go to immediate care with Zach. Off we went....my neighbor, Cindy, in tow. Thank goodness, cause what happened next was awful. Zach had a low (92) pulsox (oxygen level) and the doctor agreed he was struggling to breath. I knew I was not over-reacting (though I have been known to do that). He needed a breathing treatment. They got it going and when it was almost done, Zach began to feel "shaky". I assured him it was the medicine, but he went from calm and almost sedate, to frantic. He was pulling at the mask and yelling "GET THIS OFF OF ME". Cindy helped me hold him while I opened the door and called the nurse. I told her I thought he was having a bad reaction to the medication. As soon as she came in the room and I got those words out, my little Zachary passed out!! That was the scariest moment! Oh the fear I felt....was he reacting to the meds?....was his little heart in trouble?....would he come out of this???? All those questions and more went through my mind in those few seconds, that seemed like hours. Several doctors and nurses came rushing in and Zach came around pretty quickly. He evidently panicked and hyperventilated, causing him to faint. His pulsox came up to 97 by the time we left.... a nasal swab to check for flu, and 2 chest x-rays later. It was either the flu (Swine Fluid, as Zach calls it), or bronchitis with possible pneumonia. Antibiotics, and an inhaler were picked up and we went home. I immediately grabbed my Hershey with Almonds!!!
Zach needed to use the inhaler every 4 hours, as he continued to have trouble. I put his mattress in my room and "watched" him sleep most of the night. He slept good. His breathing seemed stable and his wheezing was gone. He did not cough more than once or twice and not enough to even wake him up. I fell asleep about 4 am. At 5:30 he woke up coughing a very wet cough. This is good....his cough had been very dry and non-productive. He was also having trouble breathing again. Cough meds and a puff of inhaler, and he was fine within seconds.....except for the HORRIBLE bruising around the corner of his mouth!!!! What the heck was that???? I looked at it and could not figure it out. He said it did not hurt and had no idea what he had done. I stripped him down and check the rest of his body....no bruises or petechiae, which can happen with a virus, and would need immediate attention. I had rubbed it a bit and it seemed to lighten up....was it circulation?....lack of oxygen, which turns the area around the mouth dark??? I was baffled, but knew it was not good. After a while it seemed to go away. Zach laid back down and fell back asleep. I called my mother (the head of the HEC medical group, as Sweetheart calls us....H. E. C. are the initials of my mother, sister and my own last names....get it?) and my mom felt I needed to call the doctor as soon as they came in. I agreed. She told me to go check him again....I did. He was laying on that side of his face so I rolled him over and it was BACK! Now I knew we were in trouble. He seemed to be breathing so well....I had him propped up on several pillows....and how could he be having such a lack of oxygen to turn dark purple around his mouth?? Maybe I needed to just take him to the ER, or call an ambulance even. As I was discussing it with my mom, I looked down at Zach laying on his pillow and it hit me!!!!!That is the pillow he was laying on. His favorite one! He had that side of his mouth on a dark triangle and had been drooling!!!! Yes, the fabric had bled onto his skin making it look like a dark bruised area around the corner of his mouth!!! I was WAY too relieved to feel stupid! Whew!! Thank You Jesus, and by the way, WHAT was I suppose to learn from all that?????

I went downstairs and grabbed my coffee and a Butterfinger bar!!!

Today is better. Immediate Care called and Zach does NOT have the flu. He is still coughing, but it is wet. He is using the inhaler more like every 6 hours now. He has, however, had a rough morning. He did not get his ADHD meds (they have side effects similar to the inhaler and I did not want to double up), and the inhaler makes him even MORE hyper. He has been a handful to say the least. I am still waiting for him to crash. Not looking like it, though I feel ready to myself. I made him his favorite lunch, grilled cheese, and I grabbed an Almond Joy!

What does the rest of the day hold??? I have no idea, but I DO have a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in the cupboard, just in case!!

Be Blessed!!!

Bren

A Quickie & A Sickie

2009-09-29T08:44:00.015-05:00

I have a few minutes for a quick post. The days here are flying by. I am working on the Basket Case, quilting all the setting triangles as I go. I have 4 more baskets and 3 more setting triangles to do, and after the four corner sections the quilting will be done!! In the meantime I am preparing other Christmas gifts for the hoop. I can show you this one, because it is a dud!Yeah.....I know. You would think after quilting for 16+ years, I would have a clue!!!! Nope, not so much. I did complete 3 others that turned out beautiful. Here is a "peek" at one of them. These pieces are SOOOOO tiny.I said it would be a "peek"!!

I am back to making meals....I did not cook much those 2 weeks I was on restriction.Sweetheart was so wonderful during that time, along with my mother, and church family, who all made sure we were taken care of. It feels good to be able to "do" my life again. Thank you for all your warm regards concerning my upcoming surgery. I have a temporary fix for now and look forward to just getting it all over with. I need to decide if I want to wait til after the holidays, which I am leaning towards.

For now, there is only room for one sickie in the house.....Mr. Zach-Attack is just miserable! Cough, cough, cough.....and he is so dramatic about it!!! I heard him say, (to no one, as he was alone in the room), "When is this going to end?!"

A pair of jammies, hot from the dryer, a warm quilt, a dose of cough medicine, a bottle of OJ, a box of kleenex and the movie Chicken Little, and he is set for the morning!!!

I am off to homeschool the girls.

Blessings!!!!!

A Clean Slate

2009-09-25T11:11:00.010-05:00

My mom appreciated all your wonderful birthday wishes for her and says "thank you". She had a great day! Breakfast with a friend, lunch with her sister, and then.....well, she came to my house to take me to the doctor. Yes, I will be 49 in a month or so and I needed my mommy! She opened her gifts from us while she was there. A large cut crystal with a rod iron stand (she loves all that shimmers and sparkles) and a sunflower candle holder for her kitchen. She loved it all, but said her blog post was the best gift ever! We had a bunco night last night too, so the lady partied from morning til bedtime!!!

I have not shared on my blog the health issues I have been experiencing, but now that I know the outcome, I will share that I will be facing a hysterectomy in the very near future. I am feeling it will be a great relief in my life and am trusting God in this situation.

I was able to get to the opening day of Acorn Quilts.The fabrics are incredible!!!! Look what I got. 1/2 yard cuts of these pretties for use in upcoming gifts.I was quite disappointed that there were no hand quilting supplies. We need very little, but what we need is very important. Little did I know, the owner was just waiting to speak to a hand quilter to find out what we would want her to carry!! WOO HOO!!! I gave her my list and she will be getting those things immediately! LOVE IT! I plan on taking my camera in and doing a post on Acorn Quilts....the owner was thrilled with that!

This morning was a "no school" time, so I decided to clean up the sty my sewing room/office had become. No before pics, but believe me, it was as bad as it had ever been. FILTHY and the dust was so thick you could write in it!....really. No floor space was empty, as my mess from sorting scraps was still everywhere. My cutting table, computer table, and ironing board were loaded with clutter. The closet....well that has been bad for quite a while. I started there....the closet. Now organized and neat!You can walk right into the room and not trip on anything!The cutting table is cleaned off, and Pine Ridge is split between the design wall and the paisley box under the left side of the desk, waiting til those Christmas projects are finished!Fabrics for those Christmas miniatures are set out and ready to be cut up!A clean slate. Ready to begin again!!!!!Thanks for stopping in!! Don't forget to give part of your day to Him.

Happy Birthday MOM

2009-09-24T07:46:00.029-05:00

Here are some things about my mom.....

She grew up in an unstable home and had to grow up very fast. She married at 17 and had 2 girls. She is a devoted mom.....words can not express the devotion she has to her children. She will be married 50 years in February, so I would say she is also a devoted wife!When her sister was 11 years old, she took guardianship and raised her with the same love she gave her daughters. Ooops....I will explain later.....here....this is better.She was a wonderful daughter and daughter in law.She has 6 grandchildren, and she has a special relationship with each one of them.She has 4 great-grandchildren and was present at the birth of 3 of them!She is a great friend and has maintained close friendships for decades!She treats her animals better than most people treat their kids!!!!!Now, let's get personal......(insert evil laugh)
It takes several attempts to get a decent picture of her, because she will not stop talking!!!!....or she closes her eyes!!!!
My dad eventually gives up trying to "pose". Finally you get a decent pic of her, but you lost him!!!You DO NOT want to make her mad!!! She gets over it very quickly, but her wrath is not fun!She has a BIG potty mouth and is not afraid to use it!!!
Despite her sailor talk, her favorite word is "neat" and she uses it every opportunity.Her nails and toes are always done in hot pink!!She carries a Tide Pen in her purse. She should by all rights be required to wear a bib, but she opts for the Tide Pen. This day (my 30th anniversary celebration) it did no good....note the large soda stain on her belly.She loves the boats. Casino boats, that is. Give her a row of penny slots and she is content for an entire day!She never fails to amuse her girls. We have a story for every single trip we have ever taken with our mother (and they are many). Most of them have to do with ~~bodily functions~~ things that can not be mentioned here, but when we all get together, there is unmatched laughter at our poor mother's expense!
My mom is all of those wonderful and quirky things. She is a foundation in my life that I do not take for granted. Her very presence brings peace and safety and her heart can be felt by anyone who is near her.

Happy Birthday Mom....I love you!!!