Celebrating life one day at a time....and of course, potholders always included.,

Reducing stress one potholder at a time.

Our family celebrates the 4th.

Someone is excited.

 It all started at 10:am when my son showed up to cut the grass..
He helped set up the slip and slide, and 3 splash pools.
Thank God he is doing so well.  He and Stephanie did all the cooking and cleaning up
He and his children adore each other.
I made my grandmother's strawberry shortcake, when I went to get it,
Lynsey  had crushed Oreo cookie all over the top...
Gotta love that girl...making memories of her own.

My sister and niece came...a real family event...

I sat in my sewing room totally relaxed

My son told me to stay there while they all did the fireworks.
No hysterical grandmothers allowed to ruin the fun.
Wahoo....no stress...It was one of the best 4ths in forever.
Because...I was not in charge, in any way...whew..


This quote is powerful...takes away all the cultural guilt from not
quickly healing emotionally from life's crises...

Borrowed from Colette Howie's blog

Adolescence hits the O'Quilt's Place and Grandma Holds on Tight

Once again...just getting into the Muldoon spirit.

 and repeating the holiday vintage spirit...

Evan turned 13 on June 28th.  Here he is with his new baby sister, Ava.

He loves her so much.  He knows she has hydrocephalus and has a shunt.

He loves her more.

 Evan asked for balloons for his birthday...there is a helium shortage, so 

we got these blue balloons...His daddy had them blown up before old grandma

could even open the bag.

His parents getting along for the sake of the kids...

Thank you God...Thank you so much.

 Evan received money for his 13th birthday....

But, he loved the most, the big Halloween sized candy bowl from his 

Aunt Charmaine.

We had another party today..organized by his mother..

My son and sister and Grandma O'Quilts all went...

Twenty people...Evan was a bit rude to his dear grandma...

He is embarrassed.

Of course I pale in front of his parents.  Poor Evan at 13 so angry

at all what has happened...safe with Grandma, to be mean....

It has taken me 70 years to try to find some wisdom...

Evan has it at 13...He knows it all...Amazing.

I am too old for his mood swings...and of course his craziness on 

social media... I love him so.

Tonight, I had to leave my son on a dark street to wait for the city bus to take him 

to the train to take him to the tent in the woods where he lives.

I cried all the way home.

Looking for comfort.

The loss of my husband has shattered me.

A Better Man
Thx Meg

Quilting ...age 9 to age 101

Lynsey came with me last night to our Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild

She tied a small quilt for her dolly...first time ever.

Then she started big stitching around the edge...

First time ever.

She was a born expert.

She certainly felt the love of the group.

She wants to go again...my heart...oh, my heart.

Above Lynsey does show and tell...

A quilt I had made her, well loved by now...with dollies on it.

Our Modern Quilt Guild has Sit and Sews at Project 658 all thanks to Beth.

How lucky we were to meet up with Sir Purr, the Panther's Mascot.

My grand darlings on first day of Camp Mindy....fourth year.

Thanks to the generosity of the Jewish Community Center.

And best of all bests...is Mamacita's birthday party.

At 101 years...she is by far the oldest of our group.

Here she is with her daughter....love

Jean brought this really cool bag for Mamacita's bday.

It was a small quilted piece folded over cardboard and glued to a paper bag.

It was actually very effective..thought I would share.

More...

Packing for Portland...the shoe holder that Drenna made me.

The jewelry holder that Sherry made me..
Lucky me.

As I scrolled through the pictures tonight, I passed through photos of my dear man.
In some he was happy, in some, his limbs atrophied and crippled
 with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS)
I will never be the same. My life will never be the same.
I am so glad that no one tells me what to do any more..
I must grieve in my own way.
And grieve I do...a very painful road.this is.

Portland: Quilting, fabric and love...

Portland is a very fine town..

Above fabric from Fabric Depot...It comes in white and baby blue.

I had great fabric adventures with my girl

Can you believe she can walk to Bolt and Modern Domestic!!!!

Just to show Mrs. O'Quilts was really here!!

 

Bolt fabric store

 Above and below...remnants..

Fabric Depot

Batik sales at Fabric Depot...irresistible...  

In case you did not know, love comes in many colors..

 Modern Domestic

 
Gotta photo them whenever you see them...love...

Borrowed machine set up in my girl's home.

I can relax anywhere with a sewing machine.

I made 100 pockets for rice filled hand warmers for the holidays

Like to start early...can do the rice thing later.

 

Looking through some of the quilts I had sent my daughter,

I found this one, made of dresses I had worn/bought in India when 

I traveled with Pan Am.. My hippie days.

This one I had bought in Oklahoma City at an antique store.

It was a top, quilted mid 20th century  with purple polyester on the back

and tied with postal string.  I was dismayed to see the patches..over 100 years old..

fraying and decaying...sigh..a reminder that nothing lasts forever.

Someone loves their bargains....

Another happy quilting post.
Mrs. O'Quilts on vacation.
Happy Mrs. O'Quilts.
xo

Portland Fun and Portland Funky

How fun is a visit to Purrington's Cat Lounge????

It is $10 EACH to come into the lounge and pat a cat for one hour.

Thank goodness Emily had a coupon book, so we entered...

buy one/ get one free....entrance fee, that is!!!

The place was packed.  This was Pork Chop..We kind-a wanted to adopt him for $100

but, we passed....Emily loved another one, Little Boy....but he was adopted already.

She filled out an application just in case she was deemed suitable for the next cute cat..

Food...organic, of course...with chicken posters to advertise

the kind of monthly egg.

Oregon has legal marijuana...This store advertised....

A telephone booth...long extinct in places I live.

Gas in Charlotte was $2.75 and $2.45 a gallon, depending on the station.

Gas in Portland was $3.10 to $3.85 a gallon, depending on the station.

WOW.

Of course...so of course, this old lady remembers when it was 35 cents a gallon,

 when growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.

Love Wins flag...posted in many shop windows, on sale in stores, 

staked on lawns and in house windows...in all parts of town.

Snapdragons from my girl's garden...just lovely.

It was an amazing visit.
It snapped me out of depression , easing my grief with hope.
Travel is marvelous...out  of my recliner, back into the world.
Different people, different ways of thinking..
And, family...Can you imagine...me having a no care...vacation??.
Today, life is good.!

Maddie Poppe/ Melanie

Grandma O'Quilts Goes on Vacation

Grandma O'Quilts had a brilliant 8 day vacation in Portland, Oregon.
Houses of Portland....I am so moving there..

My girl and her man sent me a ticket to visit them.

Just home this morning....I have so much more to share,
But, I thought I had better post now...in case you thought
the worst, instead of the best...the very best!!!!

I LOVE the houses in Portland...These come from around
my girl's  neighborhood near downtown..

Color...a quilter's dream.
And, she can walk to the quilt stores!!!!!!