Summers End

I can't believe the summer has come and gone. Seems I just blinked my eyes and winter rains are upon us already.

This summer has been a busy one with little or no sewing involved. We finally got our Mother's estate all settled and formed a Limited Liability Company as a real estate investment. With real estate being in the dumps, selling the property left to us would not be a very good idea at this time. So with that in mind we sent out an invite to all the heirs to meet us for a weekend potluck work party to clean up, haul junk to dump, fix fencing, trim trees and paint the mobile home.

The day dawned bright and sunny, 9 of the 12 heirs showed up dressed in their work clothes ready to man lawn mowers, weed wackers, power washers, chain saws and paint brushes. With clipboard in hand I assigned jobs as everyone grabbed up their tools and off they went. Armed with No Tresspassing/No Dumping signs the fence got repaired, the signs hung. 4 weed wackers buzzed, garbage/junk left for the dump and chain saws made short work of the to-do list. By the end of the day all were tired but very satisfied with what we had accomplished and only the mobile home needed a bit more washing before painting.

The next day those of us who had no other plans assembled again to finish up the mobile home. My brother borrowed a paint sprayer and made what would have taken several hours a short job. By the end of the day, having run out of paint we decided we could quit and finish what little bit of painting needed done on Monday while everyone else was at work. Not so. After a huge lunch of Chinese, temps in the high 70's we felt more like a nap than finishing the trim paint. vbg Now the rains have started and we'll have to wait for a sunny day.

Many thanks go to:

All heirs who showed up and worked their butts off and made this work party a sucess.

My SIL, Biena, My BIL, Roger and nephew Kyle.

Memorial Day

Until this year Memorial Day has always been another holiday to me. Yesterday two of my sisters and I gathered together some gardening tools, a bucket of flowers from their gardens and off to the cemetary we went. I've never gone back to the cemetary after the death of one of my family, but this year I did. My other sisters always went, cleaned up the markers, left flowers and in past years took our Mom with them.

It was a beautiful day, the sun shining over the long rows of flags the VFW had erected along the roads in the cemetary. We arrived with our gear to find someone had already been there ahead of us to decorate our parents, our aunt and uncles graves. We called another sister to find out if she had been there ahead of us and yes, she always came each year and this year was no different. We trimmed and washed the markers then went around to other family members graves and continued with trimming and setting out flowers. When we were finished we still had flowers left and placed them on graves that looked forlorn.

Memorial Day will never be the same for me again, thought only of as another holiday but as a day of rememberance for those who have gone before us and those brave soldiers who have given their lives so we may continue to live in freedom.

In the past year our family has come together, more so since we lost our Mom when before we saw each other once a year at our annual family picnic. I've come to appreciate my brothers and sisters not for who I think they should be but for who they are.

A Very Special Quilt

Our family raffle quilt top for this year is finished. It's now at my sister's home for her to quilt on her LA. While there's nothing really special about the pattern or fabrics as it was a kit, the very fact that it is the very last quilt my Mom had her hands on makes it one very special quilt. In the past my sisters and I have never added our names to the drawing although we've always bought tickets for our children and grandchildren. This year we sisters are buying tickets for ourselves as well with high hopes of winning this quilt.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day the first of many to be spent without my Mom. My sis and I went to the cemetary to clean up the funeral flowers, leave a boquet of lilacs for Mom to enjoy and also made up boquets for our sister, her baby, my auntie and my BIL's granny from the best of the left over flowers. It was a peaceful day for us. I'm not a person that does cemetary visits but this year it seemed a good thing.

I've been spending my time scanning slides, boxes of them my Mom had taken over the years. It sure brings back fond memories as I scan pictures of me and my youngest sister. We have a special bond the two of us. Don't know what it is but Mom always said she was just like "Dona" and the next words out of her mouth were "I'll send you where they have a barbed wire fence and can keep you in". Funny thing, our farm was fenced in and that barbed wire never kept her in. Mom always used to threaten me with "I'll send you to the convent in Seattle where they have brick walls". It's been fun to look once again into the past and see my Gramma, my parents when they were in the prime of their life and us kids were all way younger. It's given me an idea for our Family Picnic this year....a picture board of "Back Then and This is Now".

I haven't had much time for sewing this past month or two but tomorrow my sis and I are finally going to add the last border to our Family Raffle Quilt and get the backing all ready so another of my sisters can quilt it. This year I'm going to add my name to the tickets as it's the very last quilt my Mom touched and will be special. I usually don't put my name in and buy tickets for all my kids and grandkids instead. We sisters have decided we should get together once a month for our own little quilting group. There's four us us living close and if we add our brother's wife and one of our nieces we'll have a nice little group. We so enjoyed the few times we all got together to work on the raffle quilt at Mom's apt.

This week is the last of the things one has to do to settle a loved one's estate. We see her Attorney on Thursday to see how to notify the rest of the siblings and one Granddaughter who is remembered in Mom's will. On Sunday we siblings will all get together and settle Mom's personal possessions. It will be a sad occasion for us all.

Gratitudes

For all my blogger friends who left comments on my post about MOM

My Mom

My beautiful Mother passed away on April 25th surrounded by her children.

My Mom was the sweetest, kindest, loving woman I know. I never saw her without a smile. She wasn't very demonstrative but we all knew we were loved. I never heard her utter a bad word about anyone and if we did she would frown. She never missed a Mass, getting there in the rain or snow. In later years she would make it to church coming in with her walker. In the past year when she was confined to a wheel chair my youngest sister and I took her to Mass on Sundays. When we arrived late on Easter her parish priest stopped in the middle of his sermon to welcome her. She touched everyone she knew in one way or another.

She was always "put together", had a matching suit of clothes on, a pin on her lapel and a handkerchief in her pocket. In later years when her eye sight became so bad my sister and I would do her clothes before we took her to mass.

She was a superiour cook and while I never learned to plan and cook a meal while I was a young girl, she taught me to make the best cinamon rolls which become my Saturday job while my older sister cleaned the bathroom. I can still bake a first class apple pie, my turkey's are stuffed to this day with her dressing and I don't make cinamon rolls any longer.

She was a knitter and taught me to knit. I could never master 4 needles making sox or mittens. My stitches were always twisted, but I learned how to knit sweaters.

She crocheted. Her doilies graced every table in the house. I learned how to crochet from her and made my own doilies. She left behind a suitcase full.

She was an exceptional artist. Her paintings won ribbons at the county fair, hung in her credit union and grace most of our homes.

She was a seamstress and made all her own clothing right down to her drawers. My 3 younger sisters all wore "home made panties". My youngest sister's biggest wish growing up was to have a pair with a label from a store in them. I can laugh at them, I always had "store bought" undies.

I never saw my Mom without a needle in her hand stitching away on a quilt. Her hands were always busy. As her eye sight failed she could no longer quilt or do any of her other crafts. She would reach out feeling her blocks and ask if this block was finished. I started quilting when I moved home after being gone for many years to spend time with her. She was always gone doing one thing or another and her quilting group was the only place I knew where to find her. She made and donated many quilts to raffle for good causes. She took blocks donated to her quilting group and stitched them together into quilts for donations.

There wasn't a craft my Mom didn't master. She always said she did a craft until she got it down pat and then moved on to a new one.

My Mom was a doer. When she wanted to move, Dad said sell the house. She put a for sale sign up and sold the house in Minnesota. We moved to Washington. When Dad was remodeling the farm house here, she asked when he was going to remove a wall. He said if you want it down take it down and she did. She got a crowbar and the wall was down when Dad returned from work.

Her sense of humor never failed her. She could and did whip out one liners even in her last days. When her medications caused her nose to drip and she would forget to wipe it, I'd ask where her handkerchief was, her nose was dripping. She'd look at us and say "see girls this is what you have to look forward to". My sister always called her the "princess and the pea". She didn't like wrinkles and even when her eye sight was failing she would reach out as she was going to bed and smooth her sheets. In her last days at the hospital she would say she was sitting on a lump and would laugh when we said she must be getting pleats in her bum.

She grew up in the depression and when my father passed away she never spent on herself. She had her trailer, the farm was paid for, she needed to save for when she could no longer live by herself. When we asked why she didn't move to an apartment she always said why she should pay to live somewhere when her trailer and the farm was paid for. She watched her sister go through every penny her husband had left her and spend her remaing days in a nursing home. Mom wasn't going to end up there. She spent her remaining days in her own bed at the Assisted Living. She grew up in the era you saved to leave something behind for your children and she did. She made sure the farm was intact and we had an inheritance. She always had everything she wanted. A very independant woman.

Our parents raised us with good values. We all learned you worked for what you got. You stayed out of trouble or you had to suffer the consequences. All 8 of us turned out okey, stayed out of trouble, grew up and went on to be decent folk.

I'll miss my Mom. We were never very close but she always chose to come stay at my home when she was released from one hospital stay or another. I loved my Mom and never knew how to let her know how much. I'll miss my Sundays taking her to church.

Gratitudes

For a loving Mom who is watching over me now

My sewing room is finished and now the big job of sorting out and de-clutter all the stuff that came out of there has begun. I've spent the better parts of three days going through stuff, sorting to sell, give away and just plain throw out to the trash. It's amazing how much one piles behind closed doors, under tables, hidden in cupboards/closets. Things you haven't seen in years, have no idea why you have it and probably wouldn't use it anyway. So far I've culled almost 50 quilting books, blocks, patterns, emptied 2 totes and listed a bunch of antique sewing machine related items that don't even belong to any of the machines I have. I've found things I can use, like a plaid matching foot that is nothing more than a short shank walking foot with a fancy name and will fit my old black Singers.

Along with the sewing room makeover, the whole inside of the house is getting a face lift of sorts. We're installing a wood stove, propane prices have rizen so high it's more cost efficient to heat with wood. We picked out a "green energy" stove, have an install date so it's shift furniture time. My desk top puter goes to the new sewing room, all the furniture from the living/dining room moves to the den, the den furniture to the living room, the dining table to the kitchen and my huge roll top desk will live in what was the dining making a nice little office area. It's going to be nice to have all new arrangements. This furniture has sat in the same spots for 16years and it's time for a change. vbg

I joined a roundrobbin group some time ago and signed up to participate in the current RR's. One is an Add-a-Block with embelishments. I've never really embelished anything so for me this is way outside my comfort zone. The hummer is my starter block for this exchange. As the mail date arrived before I was finished I was able to send it on to the next person and will be able to add beads and what nots when it arrives home in the fall. It will make a nice wall hanging for my sewing room.

The second exchange is a Row Robin. Another first for me. I tried out a new to me technique, machine applique. I think I spent as much time cleaning the fusable webbing off the iron as I did stitching arund those teddy bears. I don't know if I will ever do it again, trying to get around all those curves with a satin stitch boggled my mind, but it was fun and now I can say "I've tried it out". I really liked these little teddy bears and thought they would make an fun quilt for my gr-gson Elias to snuggle up to.

Day 2 in the Sewing Room

My new sewing room is coming along nicely. It's been painted and the new pergo flooring over half done. Yesterday, Marcie and I pulled all the carpet, padding, mouldings, then painted the walls. At the end of the day we still had to cut in where the walls join the ceiling, the windows and doors. Thinking I would reward myself after finishing the painting I put a toddy or two in the freezer and then left them there for two hours before my brain kicked in. Needles to say, I had ice, rather than the liquid refreshment I was looking forward to.

Today we started in early to lay the flooring. After a bit of my help, Marcie banished me from the room, suggesting I go play with EQ6 and the quilt she wants to make this winter so that's what I spent part of the day doing. I'm not any better at flooring than I am at painting.

She picked out a wall hanging pattern called "Gone Away" wanting the fish to swim up/down her quilt instead of across it. I added another border of fish to make it large enough for her bed. I rather like it and had fun playing with colors. I auditioned the border fish all different colors. It was too busy.

How do you save a project as a jpg? I couldn't figure it out and took a picture of it on my monitor. lol I haven't played much with EQ6; am learning new things each time.

The rest of the day I spent washing down the louvered closet doors. I like the looks of the louvers however they sure are a pain in the patootie to clean. I'm so looking forward to having my room done so I can set it back up. I hauled so much stuff out of there, I couldn't believe it all came out of one little room. There's going to be a lot of donating going on. DH's room is full, the living room has stacked drawers full of fabric and for the first time I've got stuff under my bed. vbg.

Happy Birthday Mikie

Today is my middle son Michael's birthday. 48 years ago he came into this world, 6 pounds of screaming, fiesty, independent baby. I know you're not supposed to play favorites with your children but of my three son's he's my favorite. He's most like me, not a dreamer like his older brother and not like his younger brother who calls once a year to let me know he's moved yet again. He remembers my birthday, calls me on every holiday.

He shows up every year for our family renunion, hasn't missed but one in 15 years while his brothers show up sporadically.

He's his own person, marches to his own drum. I don't have to entertain him when he visits, he entertains himself. I don't have to look after him. I hand him my house keys, the truck keys, the tent and he takes care of himself. Not like my older son , and his wife who expect and need to be entertained the whole time they are here with their three sons and not like my youngest son who thinks every wrong thing that happens in his life is somehow my fault. He accepts me with all of my faults and loves me unconditionally. He's very special to me, and I love him dearly.

Pieces of the Past

The family raffle quilt is moving along quite rapidly. We gathered at Mom's, had a great time, and stuffed ourselves with Chineese. Now that we have all the parts in one place, the colors aren't so drab looking. I actually think it's going to turn our rather nicely.

While my sisters were all busy stitching away, I occupied myself with my 4 yo niece helping her stitch up her very own quilt for her dolly's. She was so excited when she learned that her Auntie was bringing a sewing machine for her to use. I have a little singer set up with a hand crank on the wheel specially for the little girls in the family.

While she "drove" I steered the fabric under the needle. As we were sitting there she whispered to me....."Is this my sewing machine"? I think she was disappointed when I told her "No, it's Auntie's, but you can borrow it today".

Remember the old drive in burger joints where you called in your order and the girls delivered them on roller skates? This one has been in our little town for as long as I can remember. It's been the hang out for the high school after football, basketball, baseball games. It's going in the way of progress, to be torn down and replaced by a strip mall. The owners didn't own the land and it has been sold out from under them. It's time to retire they say, they've owned it for over 40 years and Linda started working there while in high school. We took Mom for lunch on Wednesday before they closed down for good. She'd met my sister and bil there for dinner every Friday night for the past 20+years.

Yesterday I spent dragging everything out of my sewing room preparing for Monday when my handyman sister and I start re-doing it. We'll be tearing up carpet to lay down pergo, taking all the mouldings down and painting the walls. I couldn't believe the amount of "stuff" I had tucked away in that room. I filled up John's music room leaving him a path to his closet and for the first time ever had to temporarily tuck some tote's under my bed. When I start putting stuff back, there's going to be an awful lot that is gifted to the ladies over at the Seniour Center and I've offered my sister to come shop my stash for herself. Lots of what the heck did I buy this for, lots of books, magazines, trinkets since I can't think of another name for items purchased and never used.

Today I'm off to upgrade Marcie's computor. She hasn't a clue how to do more than turn it on, has never wanted one, wasn't interested until her DH's cousin gave them their old one. The other day we hooked her up to the Internet. While she might not have been interested before, like all of us, she'll soon be hooked. vbg.

Ramblings

My Daffodils are up, the sun's been shining and spring is in the air here on the far left coast. I'm so looking forward to warmer weather, getting out in the yard and stitching up a storm. I have so many projects started that I want to finish up and get out of the way.

John's vacation is over and yesterday he packed his bags while I waved him off to the ship with visions of all the things I need and want to do dancing around in my head. Don't get me wrong, I love having him home for his 2 months off, but I'm just as anxious to see him return to the ship at the end of them so I can start my work vacation. A wonderful hubby he is, but handyman he ain't.

First comes the family raffle quilt top to be finished. Over the winter we've parcelled out sections as life had gotten in the way and group meetings to work on it just didn't happen. Tomorrow , Marcie, my youngest sister is coming over to stitch on our sections to be ready on Saturday when we 4 sisters and one niece will get together at Mom's and put all the sections into a top with high hopes of having them fit together as well as puzzle pieces should. We chose to do a kit this year and picked out "Paula Stoddard's Pieces of the Past". It's going to be a very nice quilt when done but I'm sure not impressed with the quality of the fabric the kit contained and doubt we will do another one. Besides this kit has enough left over fabric to piece a backing. There's nothing like the LQS for quality fabric where you can fondle it, pick out the fabric and be confindent you will like what you are getting.

Also on my agenda is remodeling. Nothing big or serious, just tear out all the carpeting which I hate as it collects pine needles like a magnet and replace it with Pergo and tile. I can't imagine why anyone would want an almost white carpet in this climate with all the rain, mud and pine needles to contend with. My wonderful sister Marcie is going to help me. She's such a crafty person, handy with a saw, hammer, does plumbing and roofing. A jack of all trades just like our Father was. "Sisters are those special friends we spend a lifetime with".

Added to that, the next on the list of to-do's is having a wood stove installed. Yes, this one I'm having a professional tackle; the home inspection is in a couple weeks. Propane has reached the point of no return on the money scale and burning wood is so much less expensive these days of high fuel prices. The amount of bucks we've shelled out since last September almost equals the national debt in my opinion.

My Mom has been a member of the Grange for over 50 years. Today at the monthly meeting and potluck she received her 50 year pin, a certificate and beautiful cake to honor her for her many years of membership and service. Most of the members I knew and had a wonderful time chatting with them and looking at pictures taken over the years when Grange was more active in our community than it is now. Our Grange has been in the community since 1907 and many members are long time farm families. After all Grange was initially started with farmers in mind.



Gratitudes

My Sisters who are friends first and Sisters second
A mom who is still here to enjoy her friends and family
Spending time with my Mom today
Being healthy enough to swing a wheelchair into the trunk of the car

WISHING YOU ALL IN BLOGGERLAND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

My Sister

Death visited our family once again this year. Cancer snuck in like a thief in the night and took our sister away from us. We were all stunned at the quickness with which she went. One day she had a headache, a trip to the doctor, a MRI and off for a biopsy. We gathered up our Mom, took her down to see her after the biopsy. A week later the year she had been given turned into a week. That Cancer was growing by leaps and bounds taking away the person she was. Back to the hospital she went. We gathered up our mom again and went for another visit all seven of her siblings. They discharged her with plans for a course of radiation/chemo. One treatment, a call for 911 and back to the hospital. Again we gathered up the siblings and as we were driving down to the hospital received a call she had passed away.

Tomorrow is her memorial and she will be laid to rest at a graveside service on Monday. Tonight we sat at our Nephews and put together a picture memorial for her. I saw a side of my sister through the many pictures I never knew existed. Oh yes, I knew she drove a paratransit bus for the past 28 years but little did I know how caring she was with her charges, how she worried about them now that she was unable to drive anymore and how she decorated her bus and dressed up for all the holidays. Yes, she and her DH rode a Gold Wing but little did I know, were part of a group and traveled all over the western states setting their tents up wherever. I didn't know she rode herself. There's a lot of things I didn't know about my sister. She was a caring, loving person and was never without a package of kleenix or pair of gloves. Her pockets told the story. She was a pack rat just like our mom. Who would keep their report cards from kindergarten but she did and every occassion she felt important to remember. Graduations, weddings, births, deaths and even all the things each of her siblings and children accomplished. I felt I didn't really know this person who was my sister, she seemed a stranger to me.

Somewhere in growing up and growing older we lost being sisters. We were each others Maids of Honor, alternated having kids, traded pictures and wrote letters when we both married servicemen and tranfered around the country and sometimes out of it. When I moved back home we never saw each other except for special occasions or the family picnic we hold each year. She came to my house once and I hadn't been to hers in 30 years. We never shared as we aged , we didn't connect like sisters will. We went our separate ways, raising our children, becoming grandma's and growing older.

I'm sorry I didn't know my sister better. We could and should have been friends for who are we without our families, our sisters, and brothers. I lost when I didn't take the time to mend whatever fences we had errected over the years. I lost when I chose to stay away because she wasn't the housekeeper I thought she should be.

In this past month while I watched my sister who I didn't have much use for wither away and die I'm ashamed that I based being a sister on whether or not she kept a tidy house. She was loved by her children, her grandchildren, her co-workers, friends and the people who rode her bus.

This death has been very hard on all of us, especially my mother. It's the first in our immediate family. She's already outlived all her siblings, my father, his family and now she's starting to outlive her children.

I know I need to be a better daughter and sibling to my other brothers and sisters. I need to allow them to be theirselves and not put restrictions on my feelings for them.

What is a true friend?

I've been pondering the meaning of "true friendship" for the past week, ever since John went back to the ship. I find myself wondering if my neighbor was the true friend I've spent the past 15 years thinking she was.

When John went back to work I thought my "friend" would be on the doorstep ready for a long visit over coffee like we had done in the past. She always called as soon as her DH went to work. She didn't call, she didn't come over and as I was busy getting my home back in order I didn't think anything of it. She'd call the next day, was giving me a breather to catch up. Days went past without a visit or call and I thought she was just as busy as I was. Back in July she'd had 2 heart attacks, had to have 4 stints put in, was doing Cardiac Rehab. Maybe she had gone down to stay with her parents, maybe she wasn't recovering as she should. I wondered and worried about her and finally yesterday I walked across the street.

She's fine, she didn't need rehab anymore, her heart is as strong as a young girls her Dr. told her. She could go and do all the things she'd done before. I tried to catch up on all her news letting her know what I'd been up to. She wasn't interested in my news, turning the conversation back to herself.

As I walked back home, I wondered what I had missed all these years. Was this the same person who cried on my shoulder, who I laughed with as she hid her cigarettes so her mom wouldn't know she smoked, my sewing and shopping buddy? What happened to the person I stood by as she went through years with an alcholic DH, the same person I helped beat her drug habit. Was this the same person who watched my furbabies when I went out of town, who had a key to my house? What happened to my friend, where did she go or was she never a friend at all?

All these things flew through my mind and it came to me. She's been distancing herself ever since she had the first heart attack. We had a long talk after the that one when she quit smoking. Second hand smoke her dad said was bad and she shouldn't be around it. I ignored the writing on the wall, letting her know I wasn't so inconsiderate as to smoke around her. No stress her dad said, so she couldn't watch the cats anymore. I understood that as well, my furbabies could become road kitties and travel with me when I went somewhere or I'd find a new sitter. These were small bumps in the road I could deal with. The loss of my friend would be harder.

I walked over yesterday with some freshly baked banana bread to check on my friend and came home with my house keys. I'm sad at how things have turned out for us, but at the same time I'm glad to know that our friendship meant so little to her.

Here it is another month has flown by and I've been so busy what with John coming home for his vacation, family reunion, my two sons, a grandson and GGdtr up from California for a week not to mention Dr. visits for both John and I. I swear I have been positively chasing my own tail. vbg



The kids spent a week which was filled full of things to do. They pitched a tent, staying 2 days at my sisters out at the beach. The family reunion with 105 people counted, lots of yummy food. Everything from oysters to hotdogs, many different salads, cookies and cheesecakes. The kids all had a great time playing in the flats while the tide was out and kayaking (sp) when the tide came in. A huge beach fire after most had left and kids were all tucked into bed complete with a visit from the local cop at 4am due to a complaint about the loud music (500watt jukebox) which we had just shut down minutes prior to his arrival. A hike up in the forest preserve close to the house left me with aches/pains the next day and hardly able to walk. We started out looking for the beaver pond hiking up and down the side of the mountain only to realize the beaver pond was a short 1500 feet from the trailhead. A baby shower for my sister's DIL who also won the quilt and went home to Idaho with two full suitcases of goodies. The weather cooperated being hot and sunny the whole week the kids were here. It was great having them but I sure was glad to wave goodbye at the airport and come home to collapse in my chair.

Seems I started this days ago and got interupted in the middle of my train of thought. We've been seeing the Dr's left and right lately. If it's not one thing it's another. I'm so tired of sitting around waiting rooms just to be told I need yet another Ultrasound. I doubt if it's really anything serious, just my Dr being cautious. A small mass on my parotid gland and enlarged lymph node in my neck. Might would be a good time to quit smoking, don'tcha think? Will be glad when this round of doctor visits is over. Just makes us all sit up and take notice, it's not a good thing even when feeling well or not quite up to par to skip those yearly physicals. I really hate getting old and finding my body is slowly falling apart. vbg Just when I thought we might get a mini-vacation this summer up pops a Jury duty notice for mid August when all the Dr appts would be over and done with until Sept.

I've still not been in the sewing room for what seems forever. I'm dying or is that itchin to get stitchin on something. Anything would do. I need a fix and baby Brooke will be arriving on the scene before I know it.

I've really missed reading up on all the blogs. Will have to pencil in an hour a day for blogs on my calendar and catch up on everyones summer doings.

Here it is the middle of June and I've been neglecting my blog and never seem to have time to catch up on what everyone else in blogger land is doing. I need a whole day to sit here in front of the computer for a visit with y'all. See what you've been up to and where you've been. It's been a busy time again. Weather has turned nice with so much to do outside, there's never enough time to get into the sewing room to sit down and actually sew. I've cleaned in there. It looks so nice and ready to spend the day with fabric and do nothing but sew.

I've finally finished the handquilting on that raffle quilt that has caused so much trouble. Last night we three sisters got together so our excellent seamstress could do the finishing touches on the windmill via machine. It's turned out well, much better than I expected. Using the variagated black (storm clouds) thread did the trick, giving dimension where needed. The windmill finally looks like what it's supposed to be rather than a space capsule. vbg

Where did May disappear too?

It doesn't seem like May should be gone already. The month just began an eye blink ago. Time seems to fly when you're so busy you can't see your backside for the dust.

Today I enjoyed my backyard after a long morning with eye doctor and errands that needed tending. My Rhodies are blooming so beautiful, the birds were singing and the deer came up to the yard. They are so tame they hardly flinch when you move. I know I'm not supposed to feed them but what do you do when they rob the bird feeders?

Tomorrow I need to get busy and start on a major project of organizing/cleaning my sewing room yet again in preparation for some major sewing. I've 2 great grandbabies on the horizon needing quilts. Brooke Jo is due end of September. GGbaby #2 is due in December. Brookes quilt is picked out, fabric purchased, ready to go. I know I've been procrastinating, it's hard to keep my mind together long enough to sit down and sew with all that's been going on the past couple months. How do you sew when you aren't in the mood and do a good job of what your making?

Now the weather is sun shiney, and there's all these things to do outside. No time to sit in the house sewing when the grass grows faster than a speeding bullet, the garden needs tending, there's picnic furniture to get cleaned, the roof needs sweeping and the gutters cleaned. The BBQ needs a power wash and new insides installed.

I don't want to be inside after the long winter of gray skies and rain. I want to take advantage of all the sun and warm temps. A cold glass of beer and an evening out under the umbrella. Up here in my corner of the world sewing is for winter time when the skies are gray and the rain falls steadily for months at a time. A fire in the fireplace, a quilt on my lap, stitching away.

Leaf Seasons is still calling out to be quilted, hanging over the back of the loveseat in waiting. it's been there for some time now and should have been done. It's not a big quilt, a small twin, but there it lays just begging to be taken care of, crying out "quilt me, quilt me". What do you do when your minds miles away and life just gets in the way?

I wish there were more hours in the day to accomplish all the things I want to do but sadly there just aren't. I'm thankful for what I have and those things that I can get done at the same time wishing there was just a wee bit more time in my world right now. Just a few more hours each day, a few less appointments, less time spent in the car going from one place to another, siblings that shared responsibilites of my Mom, more time with my DH and most of all more "ME" time spent on things I want to do for me. At the same time I'm grateful to have good health, a roof over my head, enough to eat, good friends both here on Mavericks and here at home. I'm thankful I'm able to see each morning as I wake up. While life does seem to be in shambles for me lately it does go on and there will be better days coming.

I've been a busy bee out in the yard on the business end of the mower and weedwacker. It's looking pretty good now just in time for DH to come home for the weekend. Got out the power washer and did the driveway while I was at it and the sun was so warm.

Last night I finally put a patch on my Log Cabin quilt I burnt a hole in after falling asleep with a lit ciggy. Yes, I know, smoking in bed is a no-no and I don't do it anymore. The LC was our wedding quilt from my mom from 28 years ago and I never thought I would be so lucky as to find a matching fabric while cleaning out her sewing room but I found a block amongst the many log cabins she's started with 4 good sized pieces.

Today I had to take Lady in to see her Vet. She developed a wobbly back end and I thought it was Diabetic Neuropathy but turned out to be a sprain. I guess I must have pulled a wee bit hard as I was dragging her out from under the bed for her insulin shot. Poor Baby, she's been gimpy for a few days. While there they did an ultrasound to check her bladder (hadn't seen her pee in a few days) which was fine and took some blood for necessary tests. Tomorrow she has to go back and spend the day so they can catch some urine to test for Ketones. Her diabetes is under control which makes me pleased as punch and now have some new guidelines on how much insulin to give her depending on her 2xdaily blood sugars. She's so used to having her ear pricked she sits quietly in my lap while I get the equip ready.

Tomorrow I'm off to have coffee with my #1 favorite sister. I know you're not supposed to have favorites. I was 16 when Marcie was born and did many a diaper changes and bottle feeds taking care of her. My 2 oldest sons, Marcie and my youngest brother grew up together. They're 51, 49, 47, 45 and more like brothers and sister rather than aunt/uncle and nephews.

While in town I get to go to the LQS and pick out the fabrics for my newest (due Sept 24) great granddtr's crib quilt. I've picked out a pattern (Springtime) from Rock A Bye Quilts by Leisure Arts. It's all pinks, not my color at all, with a wee bit of yellow and green (gdtr said no yellow or green), some applique I can do while watching TV and strip sets of squares. I told her no fancy applique this time around since her SIL is also pregnant and due in December. 2 Baby quilts to make.

Many thanks for all the wonderful comments on the green/purple quilt. I'm seriously thinking of trying to sell this quilt and wonder at what kind of price tag I should hang on it. Every year my old quilting group has a display during our Pioneer Days which gets a lot of traffic. Any suggestions on a price?

It's finished, it's done and now what am I going to do with it? What a wonderful job Nikki did and I couldn't ask for a more perfect quilting motif if I had chosen it myself. I chose the backing, the threads, requested a soft lovable quilt, not a stiff board then said here are the reins they are all yours, do what you want and she did. I couldn't have picked a more perfect motif if I had tried. She's young, I don't think she's had her LA for a long time and it gave me pleasure to let her grab the reins and take it for a ride on my quilt.

It's been awhile since I've been able to write on my blog. I'm still not getting any quilting done as we're just now finishing up with the packing up of mom's home, getting it ready to rent to one of my nephews. We're to the point where we have a huge 2-car garage full stacked 5 feet high to re-sort, organize, designate what is to be kept for Mom, what is to be hauled to the dump and what we want to put in a garage sale. It's been a huge undertaking, but Mom is happy at her new home so well worth the many hours spent.

More treasures have come to light and while I haven't taken any pictures this time, it's been fun to look and enjoy more memories.

Several books of ration stamps from WWII

A certificate from when Dad worked at a war plant in Minneapolis

More pictures of Mom as a very young lady in her early 20's.

My 2nd grade report card from St. Anne's Catholic School in St. Paul, MN

The only letter Dad wrote to Mom, dated 1937

A battery operated tin toy bartender who pours a drink. While it no longer works I can remember my Dad playing with it, laughing and having such a good time. It was given to him as a birthday present in the 50's.

A picture of my parents best friends sitting on their Harley...I remember many rides on the back of this very Harley behind Elmer who I always called my "second daddy". .

A bottle of dandelion wine, still good and very aged. Us kids used to pick the dandelion heads and mom always made big batches of wine every year. I can't remember her making it for more than 50 years.

Yankee Quilter....my neice borrowed all mom's old photo albums to make a memory book for her parents 50th wedding aniversary. We asked they be returned so we can go through it with mom and put names to the faces. Most of her old pictures do have names/years written on the backs of them so will be fun to see who they are.

Patti....Mom has all her faculties, she's 92 and can no longer live alone. She fell and realized it was time to move to an assisted living facility.

Happy Valley Quilter....will be happy to share a picture when the sampler is all framed.

I leave you with my furballs enjoying the first fresh grass of the season. They remind me of two little cows chomping away.

It's amazing the things you find as you move your Mom from home to assisted living. Yesterday, Marcie and I went to organize the garage and go through the boxes we had set aside for another day. Going through the boxes, doing the look once, throw to the garbage pile we ran across.......

This small snapshot of Mom, taken when she was a young girl on the threshold of her life. I don't remember my mom as a young woman and this picture lets me see what a beautiful young lady she was.

A group picture taken at a dance...there's my fun loving Dad kicking up his foot in the front row with mom the second one in from the left. My Aunt and Uncle standing by theirselves in the top row. A good friend's wife next to Mom on the left. On the back is stamped "Rich Economy Photographing Service" Minneapolis. I would like to think this was taken in 1947 as a last party before Dad moved us to Washington.

A crossstitch sampler, finished but never framed. I'm going to frame it and hang it in my home.

Crocheted bits of tableclothes lets us wonder why they never were finished.

A brand new tin of tinkertoys reminding us of the days we built all kinds of things with them and Lincoln Logs.










Amongst all these little treasures from the past out fell a sales brochure in the form of a large postcard addressed to our Dad advertising the new beach front develpment of Sandy Point Shores. You could get a lot for $2500, less if you bought on a weekday and there wasn't but a few houses in the whole develpment. A nice bit of history when the point was first filled in, a canal to the bay dug or the boat house and ramp built.

I wonder what other reminders of the past will fall into our hands as we go through the many boxes and bags stored away in the trailer.