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"??