For my FAV

Well, as fate will have it, My FAV (Favorite Aunt Vallie) fell and broke her hip (the same

as the left hip Mom broke) a little over a week ago.  She lives in Red Bluff, CA, and was visiting with Jamie while at a craft show in Red Bluff.  I'm so very thankful Jamie was there as Aunt Vallie had been living alone most of the time! 

Anyway, she is now in rehab and we're praying for a quick recovery.  Here are a few photos of the quilt I'll be sending her way.  I'm hopeful as she continues through this recovery, this quilt will bring her comfort and warmth and that she'll know just how loved she is!!!

You will always be my FAV Aunt Vallie!  Always in my thoughts and prayers as  you work hard to get better!!!

Moving on

Okay, so it's been a LONG time since I've blogged anything, I know.  Most any readers know my Mom passed away on July 19th - my brother's birthday.  He has decided he has no problem sharing with Mom!!!  Anyway, busy times since then, and the real truth is I probably haven't been in the mood to SHARE anything since then.

Life goes on, however ( or I think someone said that once??).  I took my Brother 1500S in to get cleaned and serviced on Wednesday.  Received a call soon after that there was a problem with my machine and he didn't know if he could fix it or not without parts ($$$).  I received a call yesterday morning, machine was ready pick up and for the same $$ I had been quoted!  I am thankful!!

I brought it home and quilted this top and I must say, I'll have to get my machine cleaned and serviced - without the problems - more often as the quilting on this top is PERFECT!  No skipped stitches and the length of the stitches is almost even.  I love this Jacob's Ladder pattern - will follow it up with another one soon.

My goal is to keep myself busy (including some housework once in awhile!). 

Happy 4th of July everyone

I know, it's been awhile since I added anything here - I've been busy.  Don and Mindy went to Michigan for Dale's memorial service and then on to Libby - in time for Don to do LOTS of dish washing!  Jamie came to stay with me and Mom while Don was away and I enjoyed her visit!  We aren't sure just how we might make it without Stefani's help - she returned from her honeymoon just in time to be SOOOOO helpful!  Thanks Stef!

Mom is now in Hospice care at home - which means lots and lots of visits by nurses, social workers, a chaplain, etc.  We enjoyed meeting ALL of them and although this is another new "normal" for us, I think our connection with these people will make "normal" easier for us.

Mom has actually been doing well - alert, even sometimes funny!  I'm trying to enjoy all the GOOD times even more than normal.

On the quilting side of my life, here's the latest!  Right timely, don't you think?  Thanks to Missouri Quilt Company for the instructional video!  I love it!  and will surely do another with red/white pinwheels.

I received a "convo" on Etsy the other day from a lady who wanted me to make a special lap quilt for her Dad.  He turns 90 on August 1.  My Dad would have been 90 on August 2!  I think this is one of those times when special things come to you for some reason.  I knew from the first convo I was going to make this quilt for her Dad!  I even ordered fabric yesterday!!!!  Didn't get the confirmation I was going to make it until today.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to making this one!  Photos to be posted when it's done.

More later - I have to pin a SPECIAL quilt for one of my favorite people today.  Photos when it's done.

Two new eyes!

I'm happy to report my cataract surgeries are now complete and I can see again.  What a difference it makes when things are CLEAR again.  It's amazing how much we adapt to changes in our bodies and don't even seem to notice the difference.  I'll get a prescription for distance glasses in a couple weeks, but for now, I'm amazed at how clear everything is to look at and my present glasses (I use when I'm driving) seem to work fine.  We'll see how different the prescription is.

That's it for today!!! (hahaha)

Stefani's getting married!!!

Well, we have a week from today.  Stefani will be a married lady - and off to Aruba for almost  TWO WEEKS.  She is really getting excited and so are we, for her.  For us????  Stefani's sister, Sabrina, works at a care facility and has done the same kind of work for a long time.  She's going to come help with Mom for a few days while Stefani "lays on the beach".  We haven't finalized the exact times she will be here, but I want to make sure Don has some time to get away without worrying if Mom and I have fallen and are on the floor!!!

Stef saw this quilt in one of my quilt magazines and LOVED IT!  Of course, I ordered it right away to make up for a wedding gift.  That was in March.  The kit was supposed to be ready after April 1 and it finally arrived mid-May.  Anyway, it's finished and she got to take it home today.  I think she's pleased!

She hadn't really seen the fabric - just loved the colors and the design.  When it arrived and I read the BELIEVE poem, I knew this was for her!  It says, "SOMEDAY everything will make perfect sense.  So for now, LAUGH at the confusion, SMILE through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a REASON!"  Sounds like good "marriage" and "life" advice to me.

I don't think we'll be able to get Mom in and out of the car so she can attend the wedding, but either Don will stay with Mom and Carin and I will go, or Carin will stay with Mom and Don and I will go.  However it turns out, it will be a celebration day.

I'm thinking it's getting closer and closer to the time we need to raise up Mom's bed and just change and feed her there.  Then she has a better day, and I get to change my mind!  One day at a time - that's the motto!  And I get to say "I love you" every day..  I'm thankful.

On a positive note, Jamie is coming to spend some time with us!!!  She's planning on coming on June 16th (I think) and Don will be leaving for Kalamazoo on the 17th.  His brother, Dale, passed away a few months ago and while they had a service in Florida, his memorial service and burial in Kalamazoo was held off until June 18th.  Mindy is going to be able to go, too!!  She and Don will get together in Denver on the 17th and fly together the rest of the way to Detroit.  From there, they will rent a car and drive to Kalamazoo.  He is going to return with Mindy to Libby, MT., for a few days after the service.  It'll be grand for him to see his sisters and Kit and for Mindy to share this time with him.  I'll miss not being there, but glad the two of them will be able to spend some good time with the Redeker family in Kalamazoo.

I'm hoping life will get back to normal sometime in July!!!????

Mother's Day Sale

Shame on me!!!!  I even had the camera out and ready!  Stefani and Mom helped me put on a Happy Mother's Day sale in the front yard this morning.  What a beautiful day to be outside!  Mom wasn't out there long, but we had a great time.  Don put up a clothesline between trees in the front yard and we had a couple tables decked out with lots of zipper pouches, microwaveable bowls, potholders and kitchen towels.  We hung quilts on the clothesline.  WELL, we only had 3-4 people stop by but they all stopped to ask about quilts.

 We sold 4 and one lady brought back a quilt top in 2 pieces (king size when it's done) that was sewn and quilted by her husband but never put together.  Somehow, I'm going to join the 2 pieces together (I know there must be a way!) and do the binding for her.  She asked me for a price, I gave her one (just to sew the 2 pieces together and do the binding).  She said that wasn't enough especially since I'd be hand binding it - so I told her to pay me whatever she thought was fair!  She DOUBLED it!  YEAH!!!  And that means I'll be going to the quilt shop on Tuesday (they're closed on Monday)!  Oh, happy day!  In case you don't already know - hand sewing the binding is one of my favorite parts of the entire quilting process!  Yeah me!!

NO ONE even looked at the Mother's Day goodies we had but overall we had a successful day and are now looking forward to doing it again next Saturday morning.  Stefani's bridal shower is next Saturday but not until 2PM so we're going to have a sale in the morning.  Then, we'll get to go to the shower.

Premier of the GO Cutter

Happy Birthday to me!  I can today officially write about my birthday gift from my family....my new Accuquilt GO Cutter!  It's really cool - have completed my first scrappy quilt made from 2 1/2" squares cut with the cutter - much faster and more accurate than using my rotary cutter!  I posted photos of it yesterday.  Today, I'm making pinwheel squares with half-square triangles made with the cutter!  Here's my cutter, me winding the die through the cutter, and the end result!

I'll reveal the pinwheel quilt soon!

Thank you dear family for thinking of me!!!!