Struggling to Reframe my day...

Wednesday I finished this top..just in time for my IQ group to baste it.

FYI  Zoe approves.

This quilt is a no-think quickie from 2 sale pkgs of charms online.  A no-think sale...hmmm because I did not look carefully enough to notice that each pkg only contained 20 pieces instead of 40.

......so half of it is my own..better anyway.

 Pulled out another UFO...I have 3 boxes of Civil War fabric...but, of course, I do not have enough white and yellow...of course..of course. I am anxious to work on this group quilt of mine..full of love

Monday night Emi-lou cafe cooking school:

Green beans and barbecue chicken..the quickie lesson between bike rides!!

 For my Blue Belt darlings...making Ninja bites...healthy peanut butter balls for snack.

 

Strawberry season in North Carolina

 

May 5th could not go by without a tiny memorial birthday party for my mother.

                                        My sister brought some cupcakes and we sang a tune...

 Blogging, quilting, grands, family,friends are saving my life..

However...I do have anxiety.

Where is my man when I need him so...Did I do it all right for him...I am so exhausted I can barely get out of bed...Summer camp scholarships have not come out yet...Three children cost $6000 to go to summer camp..Can they go...can they not...It is soo much stress.  Death certificates mailed out, utility bills put in my name..what to do with clothes in his closet?? Netflix still says Welcome Fintan, instead of Welcome Diane...

 There is another funeral for Mr.O'Quilts in Ireland soon..His ashes went back with his sisters.

My girl is going..how will I survive without her...etc..and blah blah blah

I am missing today with anxious grief.

Pretty bad when I am too befuddled to drive to the fabric store....

Mrs.O'Quilts is now going to be brave and carry on.

Big package just arrived...Maybe it is the big girl panties????

Now..I am going out into the beautiful day:)
Thank  you for listening..xxoo

The Stuff Love is Made From

 Instructions here on how to use Grandma's cool and awesome Panasonic cordless iron.

With a little help from his Ma...Evan did the Wonderunder bit on his owls.  He used the Baby Go cutter himself... Oh, my how perfect those owl eyes had to be!!!

 

 Lynsey...What r u thinking??  Writing on the bench with a marker??

  I am just writing "I love you to Granddaddy"..  He can see it up in the sky from here....

 Picking some of Granddaddy's roses to remember him by.

......giving them to Grandma for safe keeping.

 The new....well loved family pet...stroked, bathed, fed and loved.

A garden slug..

Gratitude!!!!

Hello Day

No quilting.yet.....me napping and napping and drama everywhere...So here is a bit of the other part of our lives..:)
Lynsey has learned to whistle..five years old is a very good time for that..as is 6:30 am before school.

She does not seem to mind at all the pillow thief..everyone sleeping soundly.

Dylan at the apple farm with Auntie Em, looking quite like his older brother!!
Pigs in the background.  They must like apples too

Evan getting his big cast cut off and a smaller cast attached. Quite the fascination as a saw cuts the cast and misses the skin..

Mr. O'Quilts has not been out of bed for almost two months now. 

 I want to scream...Get out of bed right now...come run with me in the wind.  Let's dance on the back deck...Lets hold hands and walk in the woods.  Let's quarrel about where to hang a picture or how to plant a rose bush.  Let's do the retirement thing like we planned...
Alas, he is paralyzed and he cannot..

.He wants to do it too...just like me.

Accepting life as it is and carrying on, it so tough sometimes.

Enough, enough..I am going to sew something right now.  I do not think I will be able to catch up on holiday sewing at all..
Marie..this is a picture that forever I seem to identify with...

And today's post from
Gratefulness.org

I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.

by John O'Donohue
"Fluent" from Conamara Blues

Sunday Smiles

Finished the Halloween bags for the kids.. Thank you Jean for the white glow in the dark fabric and the idea.

 Collecting fabric is a GREAT!!!  idea:)  This mauve vintage I have had for at least 25 years and it is perfect for the binding on my Liberty Love...quilt.

 Our Irish princess at the Ceili!!!  hugs

The party and such...

I made a laminated changing pad for Sherry's grandmother party...So excited to find adorable Cat in the Hat fabric here at the Fat Quarter shop.  One yard purchase made two changing pads.  The key to sewing with laminate is to spray baste the layers together...I self bound.  It was done in about 45 min.

How can Sherry be old enough to be a grandma?????

Looking around my sewing room I took out a project box.  Sure enough, inside a project box was a project....WOW...  I do remember how easy these blocks were and the old name..Album block.  But the new name and the tutorial source is so lost.  If anyone can help me..please do.   ooo Thx...here it is from :  Bee in My Bonnet

The grandchildren had a great time with free fun at our house yesterday taking turns going down the hill.

Irish twins having a snack.

 And Pat Bravo  xxoo    Here we go again....Bijoux.  Art Gallery Fabrics.  I love you Pat Bravo.

The Kindergarten Cure...

 What makes me happy??  Returning to the Kindergarten crafts!!!  I took the tops from Mr. O'Quilt's oatmeal boxes, cut the pictures to size, glued on construction paper to the back with the date and with glitter on the front....voila...a Christmas smile for all!!  We still have these on the tree from when my children made theirs........They are their favorite ornaments.

 2012

2010 

Grandma's love

Grandma's girl will be 4 in February.  Her waist is size 2 and the length is size 3.  This doting Grandma found this coat...size 4... I think that she can fit her baby brother in there too!!

 I am so glad that I saved all my kids' books.  The Yum Yum book is a favorite this generation too!!

.Grandchildren.

Great..I pushed the publish button instead of the preview button....Ok, well..Evan spent the night last night...cheered me right up...  We did what was important.  First we visited my mother at her place.  She loved it and so did we.  She was stable enough, but the new Mother just stares sometimes.  I talked and she listened and responded with a clear mind..She is different.  Parkinson's processing and Parkinson's speaking  takes a long time.

Next came the library.  Evan had an agenda and asked the librarian for a book on making paper airplanes.

 They had the coolest house made of books...Evan waited for a vacancy and then jumped on it.  He spread out his book and paper and started his airplane.

We played the board game, "Sorry" and Granddaddy threw the baseball and Evan hit it.  We had a wonderful time without the little sister and brother.  And it was all free..that is the "new age"  free.

Down home, free fun, better than any doctor or pill

Grandchildren...and a little sewing:)

First of all we have to show off a new hair cut and a missing tooth!!  Most important priority!!

 Now we are on to coloring on fabric with Marvvy markers to make a potholder for his teacher.

 Lynsey does not have a teacher, but she will not be left out..hers is for Mommy.

 Proud of his potholder, he chose the heart motif and sat on my lap with his hand on mine to sew it.  Actually, he chose everything about it.  He insisted that his teacher loves the colors blue and green.

 A little field trip today to the farmer's market...Don't you know we all want to be "green".

 Showing off the recycled animal food bags.

 Making a house for his stuffed dinosaur with Grandma's scraps.

 Once the scrap basket is out...it is fair game..