Saturday, March 14, 2009

String Quilt

Thanks for posting those pictures, Mary. I called Sunflower Hill this morning and ordered a book and a couple of patterns. Since they are located in Utah, I'm hoping that I'll have the patterns before we go on spring break next week. They look like the perfect thing to take along to sew while we are at the cabin. DH can go fishing and I'll have a new quilt for our bedroom when we get home.

Kathi

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Hmmmm

How did that happen, I used the spell check and the yellow line wouldn't go away, never thought it would show on my post. Sorry about that. Hugs Bee in NZ.

Another 'string' quilt


this & that

Doris, I love Sophie!!!!
We still have the worlds oldest PitBull, 16 in July!
She just drives us crazy. She's not a touchy feeling hugable creature.
She has arthritis & some dementia & spends most of her time whining
& pacing. She's been on all the "brain drugs" & many anti-inflammatories.
Don't get me wrong, we love her, but wow!
We promised her, no other dogs until she's gone. But she's been such a
project that I'm not sure about taking the leap.

I love Mary's quilts & sent for the pattern for that 3rd one, such a great
design!

It's quilt show season here, we'll have 3 before the end of April, yummy!
I'm hoping to get a wallhanging done for our own show, we'll see.

Things are pretty routine here, but I wanted to say HI!

Good to see more posts! Jill

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Some projects







Hi,
Nice hearing from so many! Love the various pictures too. Thanks for sharing!
I'm going to attempt to post some pictures. One is a finished quilt donated by a friend and the others are tops I've made for the victims of the bushfires in Australia. The Amish blocks were also donated by a friend; I just did the sashing. I'll start sandwiching then finishing the tops over the next week or two.
Mary in Oregon



Sophie

She is so gorgeous. I always wanted a King Charles and we had decided as our house was much smaller than our old one that we would start looking then............. Gus arrived, small horse size, always had a big dog but not in this house. He is fun , large , goofy, and does everything our men in the family tell him but moi, that is a different story. I feed him , walk him, I trained all our other dogs but Gus is another story. Still he makes life interesting. Sorry to hear about the broken nose etc, we have DS1 on crutches right now , he put his foot through a sliding door on 4th Jan and is still not working . This is sending his family potty and when I suggested they send him over here for a few days told me I could keep him. No way, when he married that was the last of him. Much too big for this house. Grandkid day here today , she will be 1 year beginning of April, my how time flies. She has her Poppa under her wee thumb, it is wonderful to see the interaction between them. The latest is racing Nana up and down the hall, I am exhausted when she goes home. I am not able to garden very much and Joanne likes gardening so I pay her, we have sole care of Cara and she has a break from the little one, and makes some pocket money . A win, win situation all round. The weather is getting cooler we actually put a blanket on the bed last night, first time for ages. Hugs for now, Bee in NZ

Sophie is cute

Oh, Doris, what a cute puppy. I understand the unconditional love. DH said that our Pumpkin was for me, but I think that the licking, waging tail, and doggie-snuggles make him feel like lord of the manor.
JEAN-the floors sound wonderful in your son's house. Can you come do mine? Sorry to hear about the broken nose of DD-I broke mine in 9th grade, along with the teeth. Ouch. Sleet and freezing rain, eh? I'm upset over the ant bites and oak pollen that got me while doing yard work this morning. It's 77 here and sunny. I didn't realize that the ants would nest in the potted plants from last fall and stuck my hand right in there. Luckly I had some Claritin to take and Benedril cream. That was the end of the yard work for today.
DH has more skin cancers. Sign. . . 3 squamous, 1 not so bad. However with the lab work from the "Mystery disease" still going on the last thing he needs is more surgery, doctors visits, etc. Jane in N.C. we feel like you do. Doctors, labs, gee whiz. On one hand I'm glad for the good medical care, on the other hand it does get old fast. The last T.B. test he had on Monday was called a TB Gold test. Don't know if this is the gold standard, or for a Dr. Gold. Our insurance says they won't pay for it, so we paid cash, and have to fight it out with them.
OK, on to happy topics. I'm looking forward to 3 days at Daytona Beach this weekend after my 15K race. We will leave Sat. afternoon and come back on Tues. Haven't been to Daytona since August I think.
Bringing lots of sunblock!
Then, on the 24th I get to go to a 4 day quilt retreat in the Ocala area. A friend's guild is puting it on and I was invited to go. Bunk beds, cafeteria, etc. I think a Girl Scout or a church campground. Anyway, won't have to cook or clean, just quilt and shop. Joy.
Time to re-boot the laundry.
Sara in Fla. with the ant-bitten hands

This and that

Doris, Sophie is adorable. What soulful eyes.

Some of you may remember our Kira, (husky/german shepherd mix), who had to have knee surgery a year ago. Now she has blown out the other knee! Oh my goodness. Now we have to make a decision as to whether to have this surgery again. I'd really rather not, as it was so hard on her, but if we don't, she'll probably develop arthritis in that knee after the scar tissues forms and she'll always have some trouble with it. SIGH. It's bad enough to spend the money, but factor in how hard it is on the dog too, and that means we're hesitating. Since she's not quite seven years old, though, I don't want her to have years of lameness. DOUBLE SIGH.

On the good news front, DS has moved into his newly renovated house. It's not quite finished, but nearly so. The dining room is the one room that hasn't had much done to it yet. Other than that, just the upstairs bathroom needs fixtures hooked up and the stairwell and foyer need paint. Everything else is pretty much done. The living room looks amazing with the Australian cypress hardwood floor we put down. This kid's house looks nicer than mine!

That said, the wallpaper is done in my bedroom except for one wall where a door had been removed years ago and DH is working on smoothing it out so you can't tell. Of course, that wall is on MY side of the bed....

Lots going on here. Oldest DD broke her nose snowboarding (face planted herself in the icy snow coming off a jump), youngest DD has a "severe throat infection--not strep) and is out sick from school for a second day, and I have not yet learned the song and the poem for the chapel lesson I'm to teach tomorrow at school. I guess I'd best get moving here! Oh, and did I mention that we have sleet and freezing rain this morning?

Jean in VT in the ?spring?

NEW PUPPY

How cute. Congratulations Doris and DH, on your new baby. I've never been acquainted with a King Charles but have read that they are outstanding pets. If you look at portraits of English royalty painted in years past and centuries past, there usually appears a King Charles spaniel. I suspect that, unlike so many breeds these days, they have been selectively bred for temperament. If that's the case most other breeders should take heed. Oh how I'd love to hold Sophie in my arms. Shadow would get her nose out of joint though. She likes being the only child.

Last Thursday I had some outpatient surgery on the reconstructed hand. He removed a bunch of screws, two plates, scar tissue and part of the fat pad on the top. Some of that had to be retained to assure adequate blood supply to the knuckles and fingers. Stitches will come out next week and then it will be more therapy. Maybe one of these days I will be able to live my life without running to surgeons and therapists. I've forgotten what it is to lay claim to my own life.

Gotta get ready to go to dentist. Fortunately that's just the semi annual check up and cleaning.

TTFN
Jane

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

checking in



Laura in AL - what beautiful photos! I cannot hold a camera still, to save my life, so I'm always impressed with clear pictures. (grin)

We have a new addition to our family: a little puppy we named Sophie. After Alex died over New Year's, I cried through January, was sad & depressed through February, and finally a couple weeks ago I told DH that I was ready, and need, a new dog. I think DH was, too! (he needs that worshipful adoration that went the way of our honeymoon-LOL!)
She's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, fourteen weeks old, and just full of energy. Alex was 16 y/o, and I had forgotten must how frisky a puppy is. She'll keep me active, so that's good. I'm trying to post a photo here. I have had no luck at all with inserting a photo over the past few months, so perhaps this one will work.

Doris W. in TN

Sunday, March 8, 2009

This & that and daylight "savings" time

I forgot who posted last year about our so-called "Daylight Savings Time" here in the USA, but it was a quote from an native American Indian saying that only a white man would cut 3 inches off the top of a blanket and sew it onto the bottom and think he has a longer blanket. Exactly how I feel. No wonder all the babies were crying in church this morning.

LAURA IN AL. loved the picture of the daffodils, I haven't seen any since I was a child in VA. To get them to grow in Fla. you have to dig them up each year and put them in the fridge for 3 months, then replant. Not something I'm interested in doing.

DH and I spent about 2 hours this afternoon taking the king size bed apart, box springs, etc. so we could fix one of the braces that keeps falling apart and leaves a saggy part under the mattress. Hopefully this repair will hold this time, as we used some screws, etc. on it. Very poor design. We also put 6 1" x 4" slats there to help hold the heavy mattress and heavy bodies up. There wasn't much dust, and the sheets are in the wash so there should be peaceful sleep tonight. Enough work for a Sunday afternoon.

Between the oak pollen and the dog dander and wind my sinuses and eyes have had a hard week. I have switched from Singular to Claritin, and find it works better for me. Nothing will stop everything, we have to live our lives, including yard work! At least the Claritin is over the counter, and much cheaper than the Singular. Hopefully this next week won't be as windy.
March certainly came in like a lion here.
OK, there were more thoughts, but they have flown away.
Where is Anna from Spain? I've been thinking about you and your DH and all the problems you had with the health care a few years ago trying to get his disability. It looks like that type of "care" is going to be what we in the USA are in for before too long. But that's another post. Going to relax, drink iced tea and read the garden and travel sections of today's paper.
Sara in Fla.