Let the Sewing Begin...

My Wednesday night group helped me put together the flower pens.
From the dollar store came the pens, the flowers and the floral tape.
The children had a great time giving these out at open house to this year's teachers
and last year's teachers...We left some on the secretary's desk.....so fun.

I am getting hives from stress. and from this hip situation..
Going outside, I was able to have the attitude adjustment so needed.
Pinning the tissue holders.... tute from Skip to my Lou
Working on holiday gift giving now in August..
Gotta make good use of my recovery  time..

 Taking in Mr.O'Quilt's roses and of course his bluebird house.

 My sister loves me...more of my favorite flowers.

 The daily drama from our Lynsey
Bringing home lice from camp...We all had the fun today of de-licing the place!!
This girl is 8..She told me to get into the shower and she would do my hair
like her mother had done hers..
She read the instructions to me and proceeded.
Wow...I raised her allowance to $4 a week..
Love that girl..so smart.

Grateful my sister brought me chocolate ice cream with jimmies..
Thank you sister!!!
School starts tomorrow.
Buses come at 7:15
Wahoo...
At 9:00  Ten friends with ten sewing machines bring joy and laughter
to my house....a Sit and Sew..
xoxoxoxo

No Quilts and no Words...Just no Words.

When the Egg Cracks

The egg has finally cracked from stress!!!!!
I so need this!!!!!

Superwoman with a machine!!!

In great desperation, from my heck of a day,
I crumbled the rest of my mint Oreos into my chocolate ice cream and ate right from the carton.
Even I know how bad that is.

What cheered me today?  Beside the cool eclipse and the nice glasses that Ms Katie gave us??
This picture of Art...
See, his mommy woke up one morning 6 weeks early with broken water...hmmm
Guess who shortly arrived??
  It was Art. Art turned two years old this week.
His mom said that they  had nothing ready, but the quilt I had made for him.
Man, did that make me feel good!!!

News from my daughter's weekend climb in the mountains of Washington State.
A mountain goat..
 I love my Emily and her brave self!!!!  xoxox

Taking things into my own hands, from a sitting position, I now have cut pieces for 32
Coin purses

 Lynsey's new fall ..eg Halloween skirt...ok, maybe Thanksgiving too.
Last year she threw an awful fit that her cousin Olivia had a Thanksgiving turkey outfit
Clearly I had not even thought of Lynsey as she did not have one...OMG
I am so ready now...It is August..hmmm

And, then my heart...with broken egg all over it.
Tonight my son was at the bus stop for visitation..all homeless dirty, hungry and smelly
Stephanie bought socks and a fresh outfit at Walmart and brought him home for a shower.
He cut his hair..and did the shower..
On the outside he looked so good.
I am big on denial..
We all went to a nice dinner...very nice.
Even me with my walker...and pain meds..lol
Dylan loves Daddy so much. They all do.
Break my heart!

Once the kids were in bed..reality came back as my son shared his desperation for recovery.
He said that he just cannot do it without medical detox...he has anxiety and is frightened.
He said he is so tired of all this Heroin and living on the street.
Then he said, once again..that he had 6 rotten teeth..Two could be pulled but the other four had broken off at the roots and needed surgery.
No money for detox,
No money for dentist..

This mother's heart feels like the moon is hiding the sun forever.
We did the best we could tonight.
We all went out to dinner and loved each other.
This life of ours...is so hard sometimes...

Moon Shadow.....thank you Ellen!!!

Random Acts of Crazy

Oh, the treats that keep me going.
Two Kaffe charm packs..light and dark.

 
 Anna Marie Horner at her best

 Two different colorways.

I never liked pre-cuts..but now..in my old age and recovering status.
I gravitate toward them.. I am most comfortable standing while cutting..and I cannot do that well yet.

Great news.. I went to the doctor for three week check up..
Three weeks...seems like three freaking years!!!!
.I am on track..I should keep walking.with my walker.
Prognosis...continued improvement...operation...a success story..
Trying to believe it........ as progress is pitifully slow.

My new Chinese clip on holders...  that hold nothing....seem perfectly suited to the
Vintage Cape Cod sea glass that my mother collected 64 years ago.
When she gave them to me, she said that they were very very expensive.
Not so says the estate planner ...not so fast..
What is desired today, not desired tomorrow.
So I am using them.

Pins?
 Little snap ons?
M&Ms?


The random....

What to say to someone who is grieving..

and...

I just saw the Tina Fey segment on "sheetcaking" on Huffington post.!
 A brand new word in my vocabulary..
When life is tough, you go to the grocery store and buy a sheet cake and eat it.
Ha ha ha ha

Ok Ok Ok...I cannot drive..so I cannot do it tonight.
Thank you though, Tina for giving me glorious permission.
I do have a small Oreo stash!!!

My son just called me from a bridge underpass...
He told me not to worry so much about him.
He said that he is resilient, street smart and capable.
We are setting up a visitation at a park next week so his children can see him.

Meantime, my friends sustain. me...In spite of my tears and my impatience...they come to quilting...help me with my crazies...drive me places and bring me food and books.
Muggs even does last minute school shopping for me and organizes our world.

My love is a bluebird...flying by to bring the cheer.
I want him to stay.
xoxo.

News from O'Drama Queen

I did not die from 4 surgeries in one year.

I did not die from four some years of desperate grief.

The earth did not shatter.

The sun actually came up this morning,

Evidently, the world does not revolve around me.

I am getting better and I ironed and cut..some fabric tonight.

Terrific!!!

News here from Boo...my quilting king and office manager.

 When Boo hears the printer, he knows that I am printing out a quilting pattern...

So, he quickly runs to get the paper..He bites it..all of it from the quilting room and runs with it all over the house, depositing it all at the foot of my recliner where I have been sleeping.

Then, since I am not allowed to bend from the waist to pick anything up...I have to get my gripper and put the papers on my walker..

Ummm...I would say...Thank you Boo...but the edges are chewed!!!!

 The tale of the grey and white polka dots..

I got this yardage from Barbara's estate sale as well as these charms.

She saved it all forever.

I was tempted to carry it all to my grave as well...but...

Be proud of me...Tonight I ironed  it and cut it all up.

I just might be getting wise.

All is  good here..for now...nice to be able to post positively.

Of course, for this grandma who owns the equivalent of  two quilt shops in her  house,

she uses any excuse to buy more fabric.

I mean today it was because I was getting better and wanted to celebrate!!!!

QuiltHome.com has 25% off bundles..eg Kaffe and Annamarie..fat quarters

I hear my man talking...his spirit all around.

I  just know he is saying...go for  it darling...you so deserve it.

xoxoxoxoxox

Solace

Taking charge of my own moods, I have turned off the news.

Taking charge of my own fancies...look what came today....just in time!!

 Being ill and alone is not for sissies...

For me, being a horrible sissy...it feels worse..

My sister arrived with a milkshake and a sandwich.

 I ordered these cup holders online.

They hold nothing..no soda cans, no water bottles...nothing

.Good job Mrs. O'Quilts.

When I am off my walker, I hope to find some plastic cups to put inside....

then...who knows..attaching to my sewing table for random items.

Picking out some fabric for zippy purses for sit and sews..

When I can stand by myself, I will be able to cut..

Tomorrow should be a better day, Stephanie and the kiddos should be back in the afternoon.
I am practicing courage...with myself..ha!!
I found this interesting link on TED.
Ageism

Those Pesky Shades of Grey

Off to Portland!!!!

My daughter and her man just left.

Sad and happy...all at the same time.
Tomorrow night, she will be playing her tin whistle at an Irish session in Portland.

 This evenings work cut out for me.

Sewing closed my charm pack hand warmers.

 I had used a funnel last time. One half cup of rice is perfect IMHO

This time I made a cornucopia from paper.  It was much more flexible and faster.

My grandmother taught me how to do this for cookie frosting..

 My friend Muggs goes everywhere.

This time she went to Manila...lucky me got a lovely bag..

 Nancy...Look here....another use for one of your baskets.

Brian hooked it on with wire and I am all set for my recovery alone.

I am one proud owner of Nancy's baskets.

Remember now...no more baskets to Goodwill!!!!

And, so it goes...tears are dried, life goes on and bit by bit I am walking better.

Only because I am uplifted by friends, like you all..!!

xoxo

Mama Said.....

 Tonight's healing just might be in sewing together into four patches,

 these random batik squares I just found..

Also I found in this magazine some links to look at.

I keep thinking I will subscribe to this magazine, but I never do.

My mother said to me that I would be alright.

When my love was diagnosed with ALS she told me that

she would not be here for me, but that I would have to look deep down into 

the core of who I was, whether or not I called it God...and I would be ok.

Of course she did NOT say it would be easy!!

I am trying to heed her words.

O'Quilt family news:

My XDIL is pregnant.

My son called distraught that he cannot find help to get clean from Heroin.
My sister said he is not ready yet.

My physical pain is mostly under control now. At least I am off narcotics.
My widow friend Tim, killed himself.
.

Mr O'Quilts never came back.

Friends brought me lunch today.
I was able to put a frozen pizza in the oven myself tonight.
All wobbly like, taking chances, but I did it.
I burned it, but I did it.
I carried it all funny and lopsided  while walking with my walker.....

My saintly daughter and her man leave on Sunday.

They have been here 3 weeks caring for me. I am grateful

I have not left my house in 3 weeks, the walls are falling in.

But I still have my sewing!!!!

xoxo

Grandma O'Quilts is a cry baby....

Found this on Pat Sloan's blogpost..Finally..
I saw it years ago...and wanted a copy for myself.

I love it sooooo much

Too bad I get car sick!!!


Two weeks and four days since my complete  hip replacement.
Oh, Lordy....Ouch...I cried to get up and I cried to walk.
I took Hydrocodone which made me cry some more.
I knew I was dying and that it had all been a mistake.
I slept downstairs in my recliner in the dark, imagining the worst.
And then....today...the sun peaked from behind the clouds and...
I saw the light!!!

When I would wake in the middle of the night, I did my Craftsy classes. When sewing for others...  sometimes I  just make the same kind of quilts.
The Craftsy class of  Sarah Fielke  is quite interesting.  New techniques that I will try...looking forward to it...with my new life!!!!
During the past few years, when classes go on sale..like...$15..I have bought about 10 classes. that I have never used. During this time, it was great to have them all ready to read.  
Some I read right through..prepping my brain for a new adventure..
If I have to be honest, most of the time I was in a very dark place of pain and grief.I have been tested for sure on my patience at least.

.I am not saying that I am perfect now, I have great discomfort walking...but no more screaming in pain..Wahoo...
I was finally able to host quilting last night.They turned all the hand warmers for the teachers for winter.I just have to fill them  now with rice.
December first, I like to give a holiday basket with these handwarmers.
School staff put them by the microwave to keep their hands warm at bus duty.
Thank you friends.

 And...they helped me thread the elastic through the potluck covers.

I bought this bobbin threader on Amazon.

Now the smaller grands can make bobbins for me when Evan is busy.

I know my heart will miss my daughter when she leaves on Sunday.

I am so grateful she came.

And, I am so grateful for all the comments and emails from you all, 

my blogging friends...encouraging me on.
I am so relieved!!!!

xoxo

ps If you sent me a comment or email that I did not respond to
please forgive me...brain was gone for awhile.