We are in full blown mode for teacher presents.
Dylan, age 7 is making his jar openers. He and I sewed pretty fabric onto nonslip fabric from the kitchen department at Walmart. They will be given as jar openers. He is finished. He is thrilled.
He can thread the machine, use the presser foot, put his hands on mine to sew a straight line.
He irons and snips the treads.
Ironing away...my grandboy!!
Always supervising is the quilting cat, Stitch!!
I sent off a package to a friend.
I think she was about to get more than she bargained for!!
Evan is 12. He is working here....on a potholder for one teacher, a pillow for another...and a plastic bag holder for still another. We got on their websites to see what they love..
They love Tar heels, Patriots, and healthy food/military...so much fun.
He sews a bit each night.
Evan, too , will be finished soon. I like to get things done early.
Poor Evan. He is so interested in things that cameras can do. I told him that I might be able to get him a camera other than a point and shoot. My mouth made a mistake.
Those cameras are sooo expensive...He will have to wait until he is working himself...for those.
I should have checked first. I had thought we could find a refurbished on on Cyber Monday., still outrageous moola....
Grandma got things together this weekend.
Thanks to Nancy and her basket give-a-way.
I have hand warmers/ ice packs ready for the school for the holiday season.
And tissue holders for the J.
So much gratitude for the J where my mother wrote her poetry and my dear man played his tennis.
Now, the grands go every summer to summer camp.
Evan doing some chopping for the turkey soup.
He took my I-phone to record his work in time-lapse.
How does he know these things??
My goals for my grands....To learn to give to others,
To learn that handmade things are the best, that you cannot buy love.
To learn to appreciate what others do for us. To give them consistency...eg..staying in Karate even though they might like to try other things. To learn that even though they may not like something today, sticking with it brings rewards. To be self sufficient,, eg with cooking and sewing and money and caring for themselves.
That Christmas is not about big presents, it is about giving from the heart to others.
To work on taking disappointment in stride, that life is not fair.
I am trying to do the best I can...
Poor Lynsey is at her Mommy's house sick with a stomach virus.
Grandma O'Quilts was bedraggled today.
Exhausted and sleeping away the day, feeling depressed with no motivation.
After my friend, Meg sent this to me.
It just made my day!!
A Better Man
I set tasks for myself.
The store for meds, the store for waffles for the children's breakfast,
making bindings, posting...working on holiday gifts.
Lo, and behold, my mother was right.
Peace comes when you think of others.
What Really Matters at the end of life...TED
Thanksgiving came and went and I was not in charge, again.
I followed my heart, and life happened for the best.
For my grandchildren, almost everyone that they loved came to be thankful at my house.
My sister, my XDIL and her new husband, her sister and family and in-laws.
My sister and I drove to the woods to find my son.
I needed her to go with me as I felt so anxious as to what I would find.
I am grateful that he was in good shape.
Everyone was loving and ate in thanks once he was here.
It was a perfect Thanksgiving.
My son brought leftovers to a homeless buddy of his that could not come.
We fed, in love, two homeless folks on Thanksgiving.
I am in peace, knowing that I did the right thing.
Mr. O'Quilts would have felt the same.
Our family has been in crisis for 4.5 years.
It is sometimes a blur....
I put one foot in front of the other, one second at a time.
Sometimes I know that I am doing my best, sometimes I do not.
Doing the right thing is often so hard.
I did...do not tell...but I did.
buy two small fabric treats on Black Friday online.
I am excited.
xoxo
Thank you all for listening to my story.
