The Birthday Post

Today is the day....my birthday..

Wednesday....Birthday celebration number one!!

Number two last night at Quilting...so awesome...so much laughing.

 Number three today at Mexican lunch.

Number four tonight with my girl!!
Yup...she flew in last night for my birthday!
Lucky, lucky me.
So far, 68 is not that bad.
And, it is one more milestone down without my dear man.

Looking back to May...when I did Soul Collage with Margaret..

Here we have my love escaping from the bear (ALS)

Mr. O'Quilts is riding free over the rainbow to peace ever after.

 Then..me..left behind..bewildered..facing a sad bleak, barren and befuddled life without him.

Eight months a widow...I am at least... keeping on.

Today I am able to share.

My new/old motto...to let everyone deal with their own lives.
To take care of the children and let adults care for themselves.
(read this...mind my own business)

Everyday I must survive.
What to do to lift myself up???
What to do for self-care???
What to do for joy??
I am doing the best I can......
Reminding myself that self-care and selfishness are two different things.!!
And...so...a birthday post..

A Wonderful birthday!!

Hanging on a thread....

Woe is me...It started like this...I made my own birthday cake.  It collapsed!  I lost my touch somewhere along the way.

  I think it reflected how I felt...Oh, my...such a birthday start.. 

The children all voted to eat it anyway...lol...

 It ended like this!!  How could any one be glum with this group..all smiling for my birthday.  And believe me, at my age, it took the village to blow out the candles.

Mr. O'Quilts always does the fabric ball for my birthday...you know with a dear piece in the middle wrapped with string and another piece around that and around that, etc.  When I asked my grandson how he thought that Mr. O'Quilts knew that I liked fabric..
.His answer......."Well, Grandma, he knows that you have a shop!"
Ha ha ha ha ha Evan...!!!! U r hilarious...
 With the children now living with me, my failed Modge Podge project was definitely over.  But, my mind clicking away, came up with these instead.  Lucky me already had the bag of ground walnut shells from the pet store, in the garage.  And, lucky me already had tons of "made fabric from scraps"...
So, a few happy hours in my sewing room created some improvisational pincushions.  These fit the bill for my friends at the quilt group Christmas party. 

 These garden gloves from Lowes were presents too...A double winner for either the free motion quilter or for the gardener.

Irish twins live with me now...a year apart, with their big brother, two cats, one dog and my dear man.  Believe me this old lady needs a nap every single day...

A huge huge huge thank you to all my friends for bringing food and fun and love.  Beth, the coolers out front are a brilliant idea.   With Mr.O still downstairs in the hospital bed and the three little ones upstairs snug as a bug in a rug...I feel so surrounded by love and caring.  Thank you dear friends for doing the Santa stuff and being on call for when the thread breaks...xxoo