O'Stuff

My girl gave me a bird feeder for my birthday.
My son set it up..
A few sparrows came before Stitch and Boo got the drift.

Here we go....the squirrel fits totally inside the bird feeder.
This bird feeder, it seems, is quite popular...except with the birds.

Now that I have moved on from card catalog to online library choices,Impatience flares.
None of my choices are readily available.
 I have thus reverted to Thriftbooks for immediate gratification.

Last night I read, Silas Marner by George Elliott..(Mary Ann Evans) 1861
That is about right as I feel that old myself.  I needed the large print, anyway.

Tonight, the best time at IQ...We laughed and did some fun gossip....ha ha..
If you were not here...well........
We basted Marie's Kaffe quilt below.


We tried my new teas from Harris Teeter...Thank you Beth
We ate an awesome treat from Sherry.

And, as I was looking for my loose tea strainers...I found 13...a collection, me thinks!!!

 After all that, I learned that loose tea needs to be in a tea pot.
Oh, well...we all tried a different tea and a different tea stainer.
Too much fun.
We laughed until 9;30
I just love our friendships.

Now, we are planning a new sit and sew.
And, planning a new mountain sewing trip.

The best Christmas present of all.

A story from Lynsey.
She dictated it, her daddy typed it.
Granddaddy auto corrected to Grandpa...but that is ok.
I love you Lynsey!!💓💓

On my New Year's resolution  list....quilting my vintage feed sack flimsy
I have started it....following Jean's direction...instead of tying it to keep it in it's era,
I am machine wiggle stitching it....to keep it stable enough to use.
(putting the border decision on hold for my mustard star quilt)...

Humming along on my New Year's resolutions....
I am certainly the sorry sort to not being able to stay out of the business of others.!!!
Still on a see-saw...just know that the grey skies help one to appreciate the sun.

Grandma Does the Phoenix Thing...

Tonight I finished the basics of this quilt top.

Next up....the border.

I am eager to get it off my design wall to make room for other things..

Like the String Thing Along...

or my purple AHIQ improv wall hanging

or Sujata's new sew along....Unconventional and Unexpected...

This quilt is larger than I usually do..especially with a border...I usually do

just lap quilts as I am not too good at free motion quilting.

These stars are about 14.5 inches big.

 Dear, dear Cousin Ann gave me a generous gift cert to my favorite

online store...Hancock's of Paducah.

These came in today.

Just  like mood swings...my mind swings too.

As I brag on my brain finding clarity after 5 years of trauma..

Today I find...not so fast.  I have completely lost all my

30's/40's fabrics.  I emptied the drawer when my son moved in

put the fabric somewhere tidy,,,,now oh, so lost.

 An interesting to me different idea..muslin in new colors.

Here: celery and light grey.

I hear that folks de-stash...me..after 50 years of collecting....never...but...now...

I realize that age is upon me and my time is limited.

I only want to have fun with my prettiest fabric.

Next on the agenda...a bit...tiny bit of de-stashing.

OK..maybe a bit more..

Had my doctor's visit today.. She deemed me healthy.

No high blood pressure, heart and lungs in order...etc.

Only fat and only old...and only joints eaten by arthritis..

Guess that is not all that healthy. Oh, well...

Edema under control with my expensive new support stockings.

She said that I had an enormous amount of stress with little support.

I had had too many surgeries at once.

It would take time for healing.because I did not have the luxury of just caring for  myself

TIME????  I have been nuts for 5 years...from the very day of

my man's ALS diagnosis...I have been a freaky sort...saying stupid things,

mind askew, moods worse.
Patience...not my virtue..

My doctor made me happy...telling me that I was doing a great  job

with what I had going on.

I think I will keep this doctor forever!!

I worry about my son and my son worries about me...all wasted emotion!!

He went out tonight, but before he did...he picked up my new medication,

he vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, emptied the garbage, etc, and

folded my newly washed fabric above!!!!

I feel loved.

I feel lucky.

I feel blessed

xo

The Grey and the Purple

Drenna is a purple person.
Happy Birthday to Drenna from me...
with a Fat Quarter Bag


I love these bags....I have two of them myself.
They hold absolutely everything for a sit and sew.

The  most amazing thing has happened...After 5 years of trauma, my mind is finding some clarity
some..that is.....
Thanks to instructions from my friends, I was able to:

1.Put Hoopla on my I-pad, Now I can watch library movies on my I-Pad
when the other places are taken by my grands.
2. Order my books online for pick up at the library.
My first book is already ready.
I even saw an 8 year old using the self-check out..so I tried it.
and I could do it.  That might not seem so overwhelming to you.
But, my mind has been blocked forever..

3.  Get together and actually part with a basket of scraps for my sister.

(Truth:  In the first 10 days of the new year, I have not minded my own business, once)
Not once....
But, I have two things done on my New year's list and it is only the 10th of January.

.
New Years Eve in Charlotte, there were 191 EMT calls in Charlotte
...half of them were drug overdoses.
My XDIL lost a friend on New Year's Eve.


The 13 year old grand is watching, Jane the Virgin on TV..Jeeze Louize
He is watching it over and over.

 I spent $84 for a pair of support hose so I do not die of edema. grrrr

Now the grey...depression...the swing of grief out of the blue...ugh.
Once again immobilizing me today.
Back into the bed I go..
Cannot focus, cannot sew.
I have no control over grief...even though some folks might say I do.
At least the waves are much further apart.

My son's car is kaput...causing me great stress...Anyone have another for sale?
Both AD/HD boys are causing me stress with their schoolwork and attitude..
And like our Lynsey says....Grandma...you cause your own stress!!!

Out of  my problems..into helping others...

Help needed for prison quilting outreach..

NC Hurricane donation update from My Carolina Home

Tomorrow is another day..
xo

New Year Stars

Em and I are working on our different versions of the same star pattern

Pattern from:

Then Came June

She put a 2 inch strip between her stars.
I am all out of my mustard fabric, so I will have to be more creative.
Below are the recorder cases...one for Lynsey's friend on the bus..

So  far it is the 3rd day of 2019
Just to tell you, I have done nothing on my list yet!!!
Who was that who said, resolutions start in February
to let us all rest up from the very thought of it.
My list needed a nice long afternoon nap today.

Thanks to Katy, here is the link for house blocks
 to help the California fire survivors.
The pattern for the house is right on this site as is
the address for mailing.
House blocks for fire survivors
A great idea!!

Mrs O'Quilts Wants to be like Everyone Else. Happy New Year too!

My girl and her man are nuts about their new dog.
At 6 months old, she now appears on the antique quilt I gave Emily.
Also, eating the Raggedy Ann I saved for 36 years from my girl's childhood.
Em insists that all is well and Rosie is still being trained.

They took a trip today to Mt.Hood area from Portland to show their Rosie the snow.

Evidently it was all a great success.

I want to be young again too.

My mother would have said..We had our chance and...

Be grateful I lasted so long!!!

She was right, as usual...

I see that bloggers are making to-do lists for the New Year.
Here I go...jumping on the same bandwagon..
.I must make some goals to improve my life.
I must, I must, I must.
Always looking to see how I can self-actualize and be a better person.
I saw a note on someone's door once that said,
"Change is good....You go first."

2019 Goals

1. Finish my purple challenge wall hanging.

2.  Go to the pool one or two times a week.

3.  Learn how to do linky parties.
Mind my own business.

4.  Get involved with library.

6.  Take a class at the library.

7. Get more involved with the J.
8 Go to every sit and sew around.
9.  Quilt the feed sack quilt I got from Ellen (1 yr)
Mind my own business.
10 Quilt my  group quilt of Kaffe solids (5 yrs)
11.  Give my sister some scraps.
12.  Mind my own business...Really?
( counting on being a slow learner on this one.)

13. Go to bed by midnight...no more 2 or 3 am.
14.  Make my son a quilt from the remnants of his fathers shirts.
15. Be conscious of doing something nice for someone else
16. Try new sewing techniques and patterns.
17.  Mind my own business.
18. Do a daily reading

19. Learn to order books online from the library
20. Learn to upload my pictures onto Instagram
21. Mind my own business
22.  Do the String thing along.
Mind my own business.

Let's see how this goes...

My son has a mentor who has  helped him tremendously in his recovery.
This mentor is now moving away...I must keep the faith that my son will continue
on his miraculous journey toward health.

Tonight, dear Lynsey had a serious talk with me.
 She said that she was starting to think that there was no Santa..
 She said that the kids on the bus said...no Santa!.

Lynsey googled it tonight...
There were several sites she quoted saying no Santa...but then, there were several sites that said yes...Santa is real. I told her that I believed in the magic of Santa and that each person could have their own opinion, like there are different opinions of God..
She started to quote the U-tube families she follows,
 They also seem to have opinions on the subject!!!...
Oh, my...., Oh my..
Lynsey will be 10 in 7 weeks....Dylan will be 9 in 8 weeks.

For New Year's Eve tonight...I had great anticipation...We would play UNO and eat popcorn And laugh and have fun and  be merry...Wrong..
Evan said 13 and a half year olds do not play UNO...Jeeze...
Lynsey and Dylan started fighting
My son got irritated and left for a meeting...and I started missing my man..
Good thing it was not yet 2019!
Back to the top to resolutions!!!!

Above, my son did some fireworks with his children tonight.
Brave me said nothing....OK...almost  nothing..

Now it is 2019, a brand new chance at life.
Happy New Year!!!
xoxox

O'Quilt's Merry Little Christmas

This Christmas was a grand gift of love
Both my children under my roof for Christmas..the first time in 15 years.
All three of my grandchildren here for Santa
and...my sister.
I hope you all found peace and joy at the holidays

Lynsey's T-shirt quilt was a big hit
She was so surprised...The  boys were jealous,
A huge thanks to Mimi in Idaho for stabilizing the t-shirts.
Nice to have friends in high places  !!

The boys were happy enough with their fleece blankets.

Instead of tying them..I just zipped a zig-zag stitch around the edges.

Christmas Eve Dylan could not find his stocking...it probably is lost among Legos..
We all looked.  Walmart came to the rescue.
Dylan's sweet 8 year old eyes....asked me to put his name on it
so Santa would know where to put his presents.
He looked and found these letters..Voila...Grandma to the rescue.

We have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve

The dinner was prepared by my wonderful son in  law and my daughter
Lynsey was the great sous-chef.

I did nothing but frost the cookies.

In the style of my own grandmother.

The grands with their daddy...

We did Christmas crackers...a tradition Mr .O'Quilts favored.

We still miss Granddaddy so much

My favorite Christmas present was a story about Granddaddy that Lynsey wrote.
It brought tears to my eyes.

Memories from many moons ago.Thinking of our lovely life together.

We had a wonderful Christmas

A favorite song.
USAF band holiday presentation

This is the Sound of One Voice

I grew up in an Air Force family, after all.

O'Quilt News

My girl had a great idea...that we sew together when she came home for Christmas.
She had purchased a pattern from Then Came June..Inside Out Star.
 Christmas fabric for her...and not for me.......
It is fun to work on the same pattern together.
A nice big 14.5 inch star.

O'Quilt news...
The children went with their mother to see Santa
Dear Evan, at 13...is so not with the program in his  yellow shirt.
At least he was willing to participate.

Tree decorations for my grands from that thoughtful friend
Paula...Thank you Paula.

Here are some interesting links:

podcast on Christmas Cactus care

Hate politics in quilting

Self-Growth for the New Year
Or, 19 uncomfortable things to start doing to make your life better
Noooooooooooo

On the Winter Solstice...Thank you Michele

Lately this old lady  has been staying up until 2 or 3 am
and sleeping until noon....What???

Had a great meeting with long time friends tonight..
Discussion: our human preoccupation with the illusion of control!!

Santa has the stockings ready.
Son in Law ready to cook Christmas dinner
Kids all excited.
Getting cookies ready.
Mrs. O'Quilts has both her children home for Christmas
And, they are getting along.
I am so high on gratitude.
xo

A Holiday Tale of my Clever Friends

Sharing here...my Wednesday night quilting group..so talented

A birthday party like no other.

First up, my zippy, flat bag I made for my Democratic friend, Carol..

 The bag backing is vinyl with lining of batik I bought at the now closed

Fabric Depot in Portland.  Bag idea from Ellen.

My girl brought me wine in a can from Dear Mom..in Portland

How perfect is that!!!

And.some Cotton and Steel thread.for me to try.

You all know about the fabric love...look at the ice cream flavors...

From the minute Muggs got her embroidery machine, that girl was on it.

My lavender sachets...with my favorite flower, the sunflower...and

The Swedish Dala horse with my initial

 Look what backing she found on Spoon flower...perfect!!

Jean made the luggage tag holders and the crochet snowflake

Creative Drenna made needle receptacles for our used needles from saved

gum holders...She added..colorful tape to brighten the containers

 She took a used purse, saved the vinyl and voila..zippy purses.

Sherrie made a string bag for the wonderful jar of honey she gave me.

Carol found me a Swede!!!!

Terri wins the clever of all clevers of the night.

She made favors for all 12 of us..

A little green box from construction paper

 Then she applied candy cane scrap booking paper

to the top of the box AND to each little candy within..

 Terri, you are a genius.

My girl and I went to Walmart this afternoon...happenstance saw trees marked down to $7 from $38

My girl said we must have a real tree when we can get it...sooo.

The white tree went onto the screened in porch, visible from the living room.

And....the real tree came inside.

Excitement was delightful.

I think Christmas spirit came in tonight

My daughter fetched an old tree stand..my son and his children
put the lights on...

All done before the quilting birthday parties began.

For some reason, my friends think I have stress in my life.
Lavender items galore...all to soothe my stress.

Then there is the always generous Cousin Ann....xoxo
My friends are all so wonderful.
My son and daughter are the best.
I am blessed and happy tonight.

Of course, I did just have to add this link for your
perusal...Just cuz...just cuz...that is all...
It is still there, you know....

Physical Symptoms of Grief

Red wine tastes better in a Christmas cup of my mother's
To think that all my life I was told that I am 50% Swedish.
Now, Ancestry tells me that I am 40% Swedish and 20% Norwegian .
I wish my grandmother was still here....to hear about this one...
My brother told me to forget Ancestry.com and listen to Grandma.
Way to go brother...