Portland. Day Two

Who do I.see first thing??? Our Big Girl….Aoife!!

An in person delight!!

For Christmas, my daughter has decorated her home just like the one she grew up in…The Advent calendars are in an age range…from 35 years ago…So happy she appreciates them…Makes me feel all family-like!

The Cuban restaurant we enjoyed today..Sitting outside in the cold with heaters…so nice

Since living in Miami 30 years ago, I have not had such a great Cuban sandwich as we had here today.

The routine around here is a night-night walk with Rosie, the dog…Into the dark night, in the cold…all lighted, these two walk with Daddy. Amazing…routine.

Portland is the city of Roses.  As in Aoife’s middle name:  Rose.

Here we see Mt.Hood, a composite volcano located an hour or so out of Portland.

Three to seven percent chance of eruption in the next 30 years …Last eruption:  1866.

Powell’s book store:  one million used and new books, the largest used and new book bookstore in the whole world. It occupies an entire city block….Talk about amazing….My sister and I loved it.

It is thrilling to be on vacation here with my sister….seeing my girl and her family.

Only one drawback, her three story Craftsman house built in 1910, is quite drafty…cold for the old grandma..brrr.

Last stop today was Modern Domestic….the quilt store young folks can walk to..

The Kona cotton view….

And so it goes…family at the holidays, nothing better…

I have never before posted thru my I-pad…one more new thing learned…

Those Holiday Feelings

Just a little message from Aoife..age 3.

Mrs. O'Quilts makes holiday potholders:...again:

We had a floor party at our apartment complex.

I made 4 potholders, downloaded  tickets free from internet and had folks draw to win a potholder..

As my way of saying thank you for a very good first year here.

The complex provided a lovely dinner for us.

Cheater cloth found in my stash did a good potholder job here.

Digging for holiday spirit...Voila:  necklaces made by Teri Feehan...Thank  you Teri!!!

I am crazy nervous to fly during the holidays with my wobbly body.

When I see my family in Portland fixing up the downstairs room for me...my heart melts.

Looking in my lock box for hoarded $2 bills for the grands for Christmas...I found these rings...

OMG...Those tears still come.  Miracle of all miracles they still fit...Maybe now I will wear them on my right had with joy instead of sorrow, remembering the wonderful marriage we had. I love the Celtic knot his ring displays

In April, my dear man will have been gone 9 years, destroyed by ALS.

My sister and I leave Wednesday for Oregon and family visit..

Joy and angst all mixed together. Life works like that.

A five  hour non-stop flight in business class.  Wheelchair will be  waiting as I will turn 76 in Portland.

Packing these days is different:  Sanitizing wipes, special masks, etc.

My neighbor will have a key to  my place and be on guard for fabric pilfers....eg someone "borrowing" my precious gold.(or blue or red, etc.)

All day pouring rain in Charlotte.  Relaxing with my new fake fireplace and a quilt or two and my old lady recliner....

Old people are befuddled with change.  As I go to pack, I realize that now, I am part of those elderly ones.

But first, of course, a tooth will be crowned tomorrow!!

The decorated front door of my  apartment...memories:

lighted wreathe from IKEA.

Christmas card designed by Lee Garvey to celebrate our Irish dance group here in Charlotte;

Tatted cross made by my new friend Tom.  He is a retired high school math teacher and administrator.  Today, he told me he had been tatting for about 30 years.  Tom is 90...a great guy.  A bowl cozy below holds sugar free peppermint candy...Almost everyone on my floor has diabetes.

My niece has ovarian cancer. She is 37 years old.

My son has been missing for well over a year..He is 39 years old.

Still, this season brings joy..

AND, Santa might bring me a Butterfinger candy bar!!!!

(for being good of course)

As She Says...We are Putting the Fun Back in Dysfunctional

 Self is getting herself together...Am I working on Christmas??  No!  Am I  thinking of traveling next week?  No!! Am I exercising in the pool as required??  No!!  Instead, I am eating cookies  and making potholders...And I am happy as a clam...

Tonight's reveal:

From a ripped vintage top comes two Wonder-undered potholder tops...so thrilled...

From my scrap basket comes some purple fun

And from my Accuquilt die and scrap Australian fabric plus, comes kitty

Living in a mess, sewing away, calling maintenance to unscrew the top of my salt shaker.

Looking forward to a few friends calling tomorrow.

They say they love me and do not care about the mess....

Tonight was an hour of live holiday music... There are many talented people here..

I am so safe and cozy in my little apartment, albeit lazy as all get out..

How could I ever grouse??  I live in a fabric store with five sewing machines

My hairdresser of 30 years came to my patio to cut my hair for the holidays!!  She has been cutting it for so long that she does not even need a mirror...

I  might need a wife, or at least a maid to follow me around picking up and organizing my fabric scraps and other bits and pieces....Other than that, Life is splendid!!..

The Cute Stuff and Other Stuff

 Of all the great pictures, I think this is it.  I loved them so much, I posted them both. Our three year old Aoife at the llama holiday get together.

Tonight's fun..scrappy holiday potholder.

adorable backing

My daughter had given me a bit of this cheater cloth.  Thinking it could be a quick potholder, I quilted it.  Then the  iron broke...Must be time for bed.

A walk through Trader Joe's gave me nostalgia...brussel sprouts cooked on the stem for a lovely holiday family presentation.  I love to entertain my big family...Alas, no more big family, no more big house.  A healthy change of direction for me. a bit sad, but  it is not in me any more.

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would lose strength in my arms.

Cutting out fabric is now difficult for me...AND, if I want to cut large strips on my cool and awesome Accuquilt electric, the dies are too heavy...

And so, with mucho dollars worth of fabric owned by me...., I had to buy these on Black Friday...a sad state of affairs.!!

A busy day for me...lovely lunch with a friend, a lovely two hour, $1000 trip to the dentist, a relaxing stroll through Trader Joe's and home to sew and putter.  Below:  dentist's holiday tree!

I must repeat over and over....I will not and do not have the energy I had when younger..

So there!!!

Carpe diem....

And here:...Mac Barnes, quilter extraordinaire, shows his update on his teaching at Quilt Con 24

https://www.quilt2024.com/mac-barnes

Scrap Success

 

Tonight I made great use of my 10 foot plastic chain.  Trying to figure out how to cut plastic as I can get three lengths out of this one.  Missing my husband and my son.  Will have to ask around here..but I want it now...guess that need is past....Any ideas??  Let me know.  I love the 2.5 inch strips hanging free, unwrinkled.  Finally I have a use for the skinny hooks I bought....with large safety pins I can lift, by color strips, as needed.

Resting by my new fireplace.

Fatigue....I do not understand why I am always so exhausted from doing nothing.  Friends my age do this and that and go and go and they are still not as tired as I am...always tired!!

Just saying....again.....

Unfocused Once Again

 Organizing my scraps leads to working on a random project.

I was looking for a certain large Sawtooth star pattern to start with Alexis Peace quilt for her chemo...when I spied these windmills on my design wall...All of a sudden I was pulling out a drawer of solids looking for lattice for this...hmmm...  What would your choice be?  It is strange how a photo can change an opinion.

IKEA has a new rolling cart, much smaller than the other....So perfect for my thread next to my machine.

Home Depot sold this 10 foot orange plastic chain.....With hooks, I can hang fabric strips on it .

At my age, holidays surely  change.  Instead of the matriarch with the dinner and big tree...a grandma becomes perifery as the children grow up with their own lives and family members die.

I see now that it is the midnight hour and my mind is going dark....Tomorrow will be brighter as I meet with friends and sew....

My cleaning lady came today so I get to crawl into fresh, clean sheets. 

Bye, Bye November

 Tom, age 90 lives above me...His hobby is tatting...Lucky, lucky me was a recipient this year.

Aoife sewing at pre-school.

Random vintage fabric I bought online.

Adorable, but unfortunately not usable on quilts...The fabric is way too thin.

I framed a snapshot of Tom's gift to make into a thank you card.

Grateful for a printer....grateful for the present.!

A quick secret snapshost of my girl and her beloved Rosie.

I took it during our Facetime chat.

Sew busy on Black Friday!!!

My PayPal finger is sore.

I bought a fireplace to keep my sewing room cozy.

Our  visit to IKEA to celebrate Sherry's birthday brought a box of  yummy Swedish gingerbread cookies.  I opened them tonight...so could not wait till December.  They are displayed on one of my new fabric pieces.  My dear husband buys me new fabric every single Christmas...I love him so.

Another IKEA find...

Tonight's surprise visit from Charlene..She selected a bag for her baggies.

Charlene's great smile made my evening  brighter. She gifted me with a pretty Poinsettia.

One more exhausting day...made so much better with friends.

Happy Birthday Sherry...big thanks for spending it with us.

AND for putting together my fireplace and hanging my IKEA storage.

So very grateful today!!

Winter Has Come to Charlotte

In Portland, Oregon, Aoife and Rosie are ready for their nightly walk. 

Warning!!! Danger!!!  

When Lynsey and I went to Aldi the other day, I bought these..

My body said NO, my lack of will power said YES!!

They were so very delicious that in just a few hours they were all gone...Amazing...

Wonder who in the world ate them???

Here is the Black Friday bargain flannel peace sign fabric for the back of a chemo quilt for my niece. .Tuesday she is having  testing...so we should know more then.

Alexis is crazy about peace signs.

Potholder relaxation just never stops.  I gave 4 away today...OMG..

My latest chicken quilt is now bound.  Mary Jerz does my quilting., my arthritis refuses.

It has been sitting around my lazy bones for months now...Tonight ..all done but the thread snipping.

I really love it.  I bound it with plaid, cuz it is a country quilt.  The chickens are from Spoonflower.

Tomorrow we are going to IKEA on a field trip..

God help me.

It is cold and my body aches....a few laughs with friends should be the best cure.