Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me..

My friends are sending me cards with fabric scraps to cheer my day...

and cheer it does...such a fun and kind thing for them to do.

I am very disappointed in myself.  I have spent the past few days sitting around staring out the window or napping, visiting with Pearl...Poor Pitiful Pearl.

I should have done this...I should have done that...but, I did not.

Finally I took out Dylan's 3/4 size blue Kenmore and started to sew outside.

Alas, it was jammed.  The wheel would not turn and the needle would not go up and down.

Of course it was....it has been that kind of month.

These machines were $59 at Tuesday Morning.  It costs $100 for them to be serviced.

Ugh...one more quandary....

My grandmother always  used to say, "Get a wiggle on"...Ha!!  That is what I told myself tonight as I made some jelly roll strip sets. Sweet Lynsey brought me her machine to sew on.

Look at the lovely neighborhood my girl lives in in Portland, OR..

The noise in my house is horrendous.  The kids have on their earphones and are plugged in.

The clean up folks took 5 machines away...not that it makes a difference to me.

They are hoping my flood will be dried up by Tuesday.

I just made hot gingerbread with cream, just like my grandma used to do.

Oh Lord....

 

O'Quilt Family Keeps on Keeping on

 Stitch getting a grip...demolition noise as my dear beautiful hardwoods are ripped up.

Poor Zoe.  It has come to this at 12 and a half.  She is totally deaf and in nighttime diapers.

Our Dylan graduated from elementary school...so proud!!

His mother picked him up early to celebrate with lunch out.

He chose sushi!!!

A cute fat quarter from Spoonflower to cheer my day.

I came home yesterday to 10 deer in my front yard. reminding me of life outside myself!!

Bye bye Dylan's toddler bed....

Noisy flood  repair in my home...loud loud noises and total despair.

Meantime Aoife takes her family yurt camping in Oregon.

Just so you know....life is crazy...xo

I am going for a nap on my porch

Maybe then, I will take my little blue sewing machine outside.

We carry on...a beautiful hot day in the Carolinas

It is 77 degrees after a three day run of 90....xo

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Five days left of school, 2021.

Very proud, sewing self chosen strawberry fabric onto shelf liner.

It was trimmed and folded, tied with a tag.  A quick teacher present.

Time is running out and energy is running out.  He also wrote a thank you card to his school counselor.

Knowing someone for 6 years is huge...Off to  middle school with his sister next year. Zoom graduation.

Artistic Dylan showed me how he fixed the name on his machine!!

 The O'Quilts family mourn the recent change in our living situation. Between slumps we carry on.  On this sunny Sunday morning, the children are perfecting their skateboarding skills in our cul-de-sac. I am reading with our roses on the deck, nodding off like an old person.  Reality hits around three pm, when we all practice preparing the food for the week.  It is easy enough to bring an old grandmother to the store with her credit card, and shop galore.  Next step is what to do with the food. 

Dylan learned how to put a chicken in a pot with herbs to boil.(he picked the fresh rosemary from our garden).  Lynsey learned how to pick the meat off the bones, putting the cooled chicken into labeled freezer bags for future cooking.  They both learned about the chicken stock we are saving for soups.  It has to go in the fridge over night in order to cool and have the fat skimmed.  We all like chicken veggie soup, Lynsey loves corn chowder.  The hamburger meat has been browned with onions and seasoning.  Once cooled, they will put that into baggies for future stuffed peppers, tacos, etc.  Next step is making a huge pot of rice....same thing.....small freezer bags to add to soups, stuffed peppers, etc.  I told them that this is what used to be called weekend cooking, to prepare for the upcoming work week.  But, since we do not have jobs outside the home, we can prepare to be lazy some nights.  From our shopping the other day, everything was in the refrigerator.  Today, some had to go into the freezer.  What??  No room?  Ahh, another lesson....we do not buy so much at one time and we always look in the freezer for space before we go shopping.

The other night Lynsey made some Greek chicken from Just Fresh.  There is a piece left over...No one wants it.  But, old grandma is going to make everyone jealous tonight by mixing it with a bit of mayo and  tomato and eating it in a sandwich...We do not waste food.

We need an easy bread making recipe.  I used to make Irish soda bread for my husband every other day.  I do not really like that kind of bread, plus now it is a sad trigger...So the kids and I will have to find a substitute.

Our family has been quite somber since their daddy moved out.  We are working on acceptance and the things we can do for ourselves, to be happy.  That is hard, but that is the key...self- care....The over used expression with many different meanings.  Fabric continues to come my way.  It makes me cry.  Then it makes me sentimental that I have friends who understand fabric love, then it makes me happy and inspires projects galore. 

These wonderful cards came with fabric.

One of the few hugs I have had in over a year...hug deprived!!

My friend Carol, spent a fortune paying her cleaning lady to clean our house as a gift..  It lifted our spirits like you would not believe.  The kids come and say....Grandma...look at the carpet...or look at the microwave.  Amazing.  Now, about my sewing room mess!!!!  Hopeless....maybe....

A panel of funky Halloween fabric

Last, but not least:  Our Aoife riding a cabbage truck.

She is practicing for her upcoming visit to Ireland!!

Who told me. "You are only as strong as you have to be"??

Loveships

 Just when you think no one loves you, just when you think no one cares. 

 You have no friends and you have no hope

Someone invites you to lunch

Someone sends you fabric in the mail

A card of a painting by Rex Ray

A card of friendship from the Guild.

Someone sends you a day of cleaning by her cleaning lady.

Someone comes and sews with you, helping to organize.

Someone calls and listens to you without judgment or telling you what to do.

Someone offers to get your car inspected for you.

Someone brings food for the dog and chicken for the children.

Some folks ask....How are you doing today?

Someone offers to help you with shredding.

Your pool opens up after 14 months of stagnation.

Someone shares their wise thoughts which you have to write down because you forget things now-a-days.

Someone brings 4 quilts for your favorite police officers' trunks for others.

Someone offers to help pay for karate.

Someone took 20 towels home to wash after their use in the flood.

Someone took home 10 quilts to wash after their use in the flood.

Someone sent me chocolate in the mail.

Someone at a restaurant remembered me from a year ago, and said nice to see you again.

No one told me what to do. No one told me to be positive and to be grateful.

They all respected that I already know that. Instead they sat with me in the darkness.

They sent me good wishes.

They hold my hand until I can stand on my own.

How lucky am I???

Joy is:  Aoife celebrating her last day of 9 months....tomorrow she will be 10 months.

Dylan asking me to take a picture of his skateboard for my blog.

He wants me to report that it is his NEW skateboard.  He graduates from elementary school next Thursday. 

Tonight I had to order diapers for old Zoe....age is upon her.

The children urged a trip to Aldi last night...I was too tired.  They insisted.

They did everything..All I did was pay the bill.

Of course, we now have enough food for 10 people. 

There are only 3 living here now.

Lynsey is an OCD whizz.  She did get irritable however, when her brother put a jar of pickles in with Cheerios....She could not understand who would do something like that. She needs the food all organized in the cart and bags. Dear me.

We needed a talk about different strokes for different folks.

All good...xo  TBTG  All good xo

Love, Absolute Love

Now, this is love:

Actually, so is this:

The fine eye that visits to help me...and folds my African fabric on a shelf where I can reach it.

The visiting quilting friend, helping me choose African fabric for my last four blocks.

My girl's Irish family found this in a closet for her to use when she visits there.

She and her man bought a house next to his Irish homestead.

Does anyone know anything about this machine???

 Outlook

My road is a ribbon,

special for me.

It winds round the mountain,

down to the sea.

It crosses the field

and stops on a hill.

Forever it runs

yet ever is still.

My road is a ribbon,

once old, always new,

a curious pathway

to my point of view.  

by  Alice FC Burt

My mother, long dead, still comforts me with her poetry.

Just Go Sew

 

Shattered

Early learning....Aoife meets the dishwasher.

Aoife makes me smile.

A free box...her favorite toy!!

Tonight's "self-care"  Playing with African fabric scraps.

My darlings are spending the week with their mother as I adjust to O'Quilt's latest drama. A visitor came to see me today and one is coming tomorrow to sew for a few hours..I am just so lucky to have friends.

My son moved out Saturday to find his own way, as we all need to do sometimes.

 SHATTERED

Emptiness swallowed

Scary and cold

Windows open

Curtains apart

Reality enters to

Pulverize your heart. 

(AliceFCBurt)

Love and Poetry

Mother dear, you were a piece of work.

Smart, fun, creative and kind.

 ONLY A DREAM  (for my  children)

I want to sleep in the arms of the crescent moon

Counting the stars in the sky

Watching the ocean's reflecting light

From ships that are passing by

I want to be like a bird so free

Any bird will do

To choose my destination

Yet never leaving  you

Wherever the spirit takes me

There I long to go

Released from this cage, my body,

To the freedom I yearn to know

Now raise your smiling face

And carry through

Rejoice with me, your mother,

Forever loving you.

           from the book, Daydreams  Alice Franzen Clemons Burt

Today, May 9th, 7 years ago, we held hands and you died.

Your cat Sunny was with you too.

On, today, Mother's Day, I remember you with great admiration and love xoxo

Parkinsons never knew what hit it, when it hit you!!!

That "God Thing" Saves My Day

 The past few days have been just awful.  I am trying to level myself.  The children are with their mother for the weekend and my son has moved in with some friends for awhile.  The kitchen sink flooded the entire downstairs.  Now I have to call the insurance company...the floor boards are coming up.  The kids and I had to buy more towels at Walmart to clean up some of the mess. 

Look at my rug and quilts and towels all outside full of water.  Honestly I am at a loss as to what to do here....TBTG it is not supposed to rain this week.

I had to cancel Sujata's workshop because I am so stressed. 

I heard that this is all called "life". If I tell myself that hard times make a person stronger, then I must be stronger than I feel.  Thank you God for the dogs and the cats, and survival.

Thanks to Linda's brilliant math figurer-out skills, I have been able to cut four more blocks of my Churn Dash of African fabric...Will cut the solids tomorrow.

No center align here because.....

For some reason my brain is not working tonight. so I am getting even more technology impaired.

Now: About the "God thing"!!

Today was a perfect day to receive a quilting card from a friend.  "African Queen", by Mary Buxton.

I got great support from my daughter and my sister and my DIL Stasi

It is great not to feel so alone.

The cherry on top was a night visit from my neighbor.

Look what she brought me!!!!

Free Spirit joy!!!

And tomorrow my sister is coming over to help me even though her  own plate is way more than full!!!

I Have Loved You for 100 Years!!

Happy 100th Birthday Mother!!!  We miss you and of course your Sunny xoxo

 The O'Quilts family has a new agenda.  This Grandma is so done with cooking dinner every night. Dylan is starting to do his share.  Here is his very first quiche.  He also cut the grass tonight.

It was yummy and we gave him praise...Oh, dear, his sister got an attitude.  She is jealous of her brother.

Dear me, dear me, dear me.

This is the desk of Albert Einstein the day he died on April 18, 1955.  Science has found a link between clutter and extremely high IQ.  If your workspace is messy and cluttered, you're not a slob..you're most likely a genius!!  OK, then....(thx Norie)

Here she is Ms Irish-America...in the 9 month category !!!!

Today I went to the pool for the first time in 14 months.  They have 30  minute sessions, only five exercisers  at a time. It was a joyful and soulful beginning and I am grateful.  Also grateful that I fit into the bathing suit....sorry...no pictures of that one !!!!!!!!

I think that Aoife is singing "Happy Birthday" to her great-grandmother!!

xoxoxoxoxo