Monday, July 20, 2020

Them Mountains High...Grandma Finds her Joy Anyway!!

See how easy it is for me to relax!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!!!
Above, the front of the sponges.
Above, the back of the sponges with orange webbing from the sweet potato bag.
I did make an adjustment. First of all, I made one to see if it worked...and YES!! It did.
Then, I did follow the directions this time....adding the half inch stitching inside the edging.
I also did a zig-zag around the edge.  The tute says cut scrap batting one to four layers.
I found four was too much for my sewing machine, but three was just fine.
I love these...Now, I am collecting fruit webbing...ha!!!
Hey...If it brings me joy...I go for it.!!
Just like my dear man used to say, "Just go Sew!!".

Next on the agenda, my son and Lynsey all want to pick out their fabric for more masks.
That way, they can just throw them in the wash when they come home.
And, I need to cut more to pass out to people I see with no masks.
And, to try new patterns..My Super Dog mask with the visor was fun, but not usable.

Seems like my life has a lot of ups and downs lately.
Just when I get all excited about recycling avocado net, more stuff happens,

Little Ava ended up staying an extra night tonight in the hospital for another MRI.
My son spent hours at Ortho Carolina today.
The ER had sent him there to set his wrist and knee from last week.
Ortho would not see him without $250 co-pay.  And they insisted on two appointments. one for each break, that equals $500. He said he cannot work and he has no insurance.
He was almost in tears when he came home...then of course I was too.
He was in such pain.

I know people who work three jobs to support their families and NONE of those jobs carry insurance.
I do not think even making more sponges will help tonight...well...maybe something else...like a bowl.
Now once my son is able to find a low fee ortho person,
 they will have to re-break his arm to set it properly...

OK...I am now taking charge of myself...settling on folding my solids...but guess what...??
They have to be washed because Stitch has done a bit of cat hair shedding!!!!!!!
When things seem grim...I have to remember folks who have done so much for me lately.
Linda for bringing meals....Carol for helping my son search for a healthcare path,
My wonderful doctor who told me to please go have my hair cut and my eyes checked and go to Aldi.
That mental health is very important..Just wear my mask and wash my hands.
And, my physical therapists who go the second and third mile for me.
My sister for the coffee ice cream.
I am searching for my new T-shirt..
"Tough As Nails"
ox

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Something Hit the Fan Here....Wonder What it Was??

Today, two year old Ava, just had her 3rd brain surgery in two years.
Her shunt collapsed again.
A little brain bleed, but she is now recovering  TBTG
The children are now back with me, so their mother can stay in the hospital with Ava.
Coronavirus be damned...Have to once again, turn my fear into faith.
Here is little Ava after her successful brain surgery. today.
And...there is a little action in Portland today..Someone I know is one cm dialated...
I am hoping the baby will come on 7-20-2020  Wouldn't that be fun!!?

My new Covid mask enhances..the old beauty I have become!!!!
As lovely as it makes me look, it is impossible to wear glasses or breathe.with it...Oh, well.
Why comb my hair any more??
See Super Dog on the mask...She is there to give me courage.
Falls, accidents, babies and operations...Tough as Nails is the O'Quilts family.

Here,  we have express delivery:  Only took 4 months!
Elastic
 I ordered this in March. It came today, July 19th.
Now I really, really understand the concept...slow boat from China!!!!
I had thought it had been just one more scam
Above...batting...40 yards.
In my crazy, I got a whiff that with the manufacturing delays around the world,
quilters would be stuck for batting...How can we have a fluffy quilt without batting.??
We cannot have folks cold and not cozy.
This hoarder got right on it.  Warm and Natural bolt from Amazon...came in two days!!!
I will share with  my friends if things get tougher.

My very, very favorite quilt artist...Very...Shows her wonderful exhibit in France...
Since my traveling days are over, I am so delighted with her blog posts..  This one was stunning.
I hope you enjoy it like I did. 

I slept all yesterday and woke up better...no bruises, etc.
Soooo grateful that I survived last night's fall...as did my sewing machine.
First thing up..I made a rope bowl to check it all out..
My machine was a bit mad at me...but she forgave.
Amazing Grace.
Polka dots in batik.

And friendship love came in the form of dinner last night and tonight.
A stunning veggie lasagna and super duper chicken.
Thank you !  Thank you ! Thank you! ..Linda

Friday, July 17, 2020

Thar She Blows...or Goes??

The grandchildren come back from their Florida beach vacation tomorrow.
They will stay at their mother's house for awhile to be sure they are not sick.
They had the best time ever..They even went to Disney for a few hours.!!!!
Here we have our 10  year old Dylan with a fish he caught.

Below, my DIL sent me a pix of them all wearing masks!!!
So relieved.!!!!!

Tonight my son wanted me to teach him how to make a rope bowl for a friend who has helped him soooo much after his motorbike accident Tuesday night. Really, I felt it would be
better for me to just make it..because teaching someone with a broken wrist seemed a bit much to me.
The bowl is smaller than it looks and took me 20 minutes to make.  Eamon was delighted.
My son left tonight for his meeting, howling in pain. 
His broken bones...still unset because he has no health insurance....
We had a nasty thunderstorm, so I unplugged my sewing machine.
When the storm  was over.  I tried to plug it back in...Leaning over, my chair went out from under me, I grabbed the table and fell with my wonderful 8900 sewing machine on top of me.  The table too...the pin cushions and needles and the whole kit and kaboodle.. 

Thank God, I keep my phone in my bra.  
Thank God, I have CPI security where I can unlock the back door with my phone.
Thank God I have good neighbors who came right over and not only righted me, but also my machine.
Thank God, my machine still works...
Once more, I was lucky that my substantial bottom...bounced instead of broke.
So worth all the cookies and red wine.

Right now Grandma O'Quilts is looking at life through grey colored glasses.
Maybe it is the Covid moon?

Thank you Linda for this link....It was very nice.
Nice to watch a few quilt shows for some joy!!

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

The Beat Goes on...Until it Doesn't

My son is a great worker...I had asked him not to work because I was afraid of Covid 19
Finally, I gave in...and said...Fine...go work!
Last night he fixed a friend's motorbike.  When he took it for a test drive,
the back tire blew...tossing my son and the bike in the air into somersaults.
He drove himself to the ER and came home with a broken wrist and kneecap.
He is soon off to the ortho person for casts.
This is all I have the energy to write.
xoxo

There is happy:

Monday, July 13, 2020

Shopping my Stash

Shopping my stash today, I found these exciting fabrics..
This one a bonded knit from a friend in Miami 30 years ago.
 A few yards of red toile!!
Solids re-visited.
Wondered where Stitch had gone.... I did not know he favored solids!!
Bulldog fabric...for mask making??  Or, for political use??
Newly folded shelves....browns, plaids, Australian and African fabrics.
What to sew???  Plaid bow-tie??
Australian large snowball?
African fabric for project bags?
By the time I have organized it, I no longer feel like sewing..ugh.
Organizing makes such a big mess...in my house anyway.

Here I am...Stay tuned to my progress....or not!!

Tonight I decided not to be held hostage to the virus.
To be prudent but not frozen in fear.
I am going to the grocery store more often.
Only at 7 ish at night.
We are at war.  If I hear the siren, I will duck...otherwise
I will Keep Calm and Carry On
I think!!  I hope!!
Also having a sewing friend over tomorrow..mask and 6 ft distance.
I cannot wait!!

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Vacation Puttering

Instead of a third nap outside under a tree,
I made two rope bowls...voila
The top one was from African fabric...which of course frayed...Hello???
The bottom one is from batik..perfect!!
They are so quick and so relaxing...sigh...Way to go on day two of my vacation!!!
My friend Susie helped a lot with rope bowl process by telling me about
glue sticks and cutting strips about 1/2 inch, not larger.

A little more project puttering and fabric organizing while I watch the news.
I am finding so many lovely fabric in my stash and tutes to try..

Packaging from Avocados suited me with my green kitchen.
I used 3 layers of cotton batting.
Did not read the instructions all the way through,
 I zigzagged the edges...This is supposed to be the sponge that never dies.
You throw it in the washing machine with the towels.
If it works, I will try the instructions...Ha!

Did I mention that I have Covid brain?
You know, unfocused, lethargic...etc.
I like to be a leader....  so I got it long ago before it was popular!!

Reminding myself that this is my house.
There is no one to tell me how to live in it.
I remember when we had Stephanie, our nanny.
She said that if I put fabric in the kitchen, she would quit!!!
This is the living room.  Hidden under the basket, under the patriotic quilt,
are 3 plastic boxes..
Lynsey's fabric
Dylan's fabric
Potholders that I have made to gift.
In the basket are beautiful Free Spirit fat quarters.

Behind the recliners in the living room, I have put
four empty sewing machine cases....
Ha Ha to you.....world of convention!!..

Eyes now peeled around the rest of the house..
for more creative ways to store my stash.
Sadly, I have to make notes in my phone for the things I have
relocated...so I will not spend hours looking for them!!!
Relaxation is funny....Sometimes I do not realize how tense I am, until I relax!!!!

We Just Wanna Have Fun

The good afternoon.
My outdoor chair was leaning against the screened-in porch,
When , my Boo wanted to be with.
I read and he purred...
After the reading, came the fabric puttering.
which found random, loose, marked and unmarked blocks and strips and scraps.
Too overwhelming for the AD/HD mind.
Unbelievable a marked bag...amazing that at one time, for one moment, I was organized.
This came thru on messaging this afternoon.
See....Someone I know is almost 39 weeks pregnant.
This message brought reality forward. So exciting.

Getting into podcasts....so late to the party.

I am having a terrible isolated Covid time.
Extroverts need people...OMG
Here working hard on reading and sewing and puttering.
Well...I will enjoy my two weeks of freedom without....fretting..!!!!
I will...I will...I will...
Even though my DIL took the children to Melbourne, Florida.

Planning to have a friend or two visit me on the porch this week
with their masks , six feet apart...No hugging and I love hugging...Sad...

Tonight was my 4th time out...Trader Joe's.
They are so safe.  A person in a mask meets you at the door, handing not only
a cleaned cart, but also a separate wipe in case you need more.
Masks are mandatory in North Carolina and Trader Joe's enforces it.
I go at 7:20 before the closing at 8.  Much fewer people, no line.
Day one of my relaxing vacation..staying in the day!!
Asparagus risotto !!!
Blueberries
Dark chocolate bar with almonds.





Friday, July 10, 2020

Not by the Hair on my Chinny Chin Chin..or Something Like That

All about Lynsey..
 She has now completed her first quilt ever.
She made it 99% herself..Soo proud, she is.  It is for her 2 year old sister, Ava.
Her father spray  basted it for her.
As she put in her last stitch on the binding yesterday, she slowed down.
Grandma, I loved making it so much, I just do not  want it to end.. 
Music to my ears.
Online, we found the perfect puppet book to go with it.
On to finish the three meals from Just Fresh.
.Crispy Fried Chicken with Parmesan cheese, Coucous and lemon carrots.. 
( She learned about pith and zest of fruits.)  And..much more.
Yummy....She only needed help with cutting the carrots..
Lynsey insisted we needed cake for dessert.
She said that because she had been very mean to her brother on the 4th of July, she would
make his favorite kind and let him lick the frosting bowl...That is how we ended up
with the most delicious vanilla cake with our homemade lemon extract frosting.
Grandma here...is quite grateful for Lynsey's improved compassion.
Lynsey has AD/HD like all of my grands...She struggles in school.
However, I do think she is going to be OK!!!!!
She had three days of cooking thanks to her Aunt Emily and Uncle Brian and Just Fresh.

Yesterday they left with their mother.. When they left, I cried..
I was soon over that, and on to the stunning sound of silence.
AND, a 12 hour uninterrupted sleep.
Now having such puttering fun:
The 2.5 inch blocks I found in a box...I made some relaxing 4 patches.

Things to cheer us up.

And,
Hi Chay..Thank you for your encouraging comment on my blog.
I would love your email so we could chat properly...Diane

Vickie from our online group,  Good Vibe Quilters
told me about this blog/ Utube channel....I love it!!!
Next:  Just to remember:  The following two sayings
gratitude to dear friend Chuck, for sharing these....scroll down






Monday, July 6, 2020

Everything is Just Fresh!!!

Sew one block to another.
It is like meditating in this crazy world.
Simple can still make a lovely quilt
Value....does the work,  Color gets the credit.

Lynsey is a rising 6th grader.
To celebrate her big next step into middle school, 
Aunt Emily and Uncle Brian 
sent Lynsey   Just Fresh
The box came today.
The excitement was palpable...
None of us were allowed in the kitchen.
Ms Lynsey followed the instructions...making us a 5 star dinner.
She is getting ideas for Lynsey Lou's Cafe!!
Sooo yummy...
The recipe cards from Just Fresh...were perfect!!!!
She already wants to start on dinner number two!!!!

I am getting weary of masks...They get a bit depressing after awhile.
Decided to go shopping tonight in my favorite fabric store.
Diving in....the O'Quilt's stash...I found so many wonderful things..
For tomorrow's excitement, I found:
Tonga Treats
and...
A 30's Bar...which is 5" x 10"
For me tonight...will be sweet fabric dreams...
Now, if someone can tell me how to insert "labels" on the
new blogger...I would be happy.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

As Good as it gets is Pretty Good

Look Look Look
Anna Patt, from our Good Vibes Quilters
made a mask quilt...plus she made 400 masks....
Thanks to new blogger, the picture is not too clear..
She offers her pattern if you would like.

Lynsey and Dylan worked on their quilts this morning...unprompted..
They are learning a lot...Grandma happy!!!
Friend came by the other day for a masked, 6 ft distance visit on my porch.
Soooo wonderful...Here is her gift...a native  honeysuckle to draw hummingbirds.
Now I have it by my sewing room window.
From dear L...I learned that my old Crab Apple tree is no longer.
It was replaced by a volunteer Black Cherry tree...Who would have known that.
We have had it for years.
Fruit yummy, seed pods arsenic!!

TBTG  I am so trying not to drown in Covid news..!!
News today:  The children said that my sewing room is not mine any more.. It belongs to them too.
Except I am supposed to clean it....Interesting.

There is a huge increase in Covid in Portland where my daughter lives.. This mother is trying not to worry about what I cannot control.  Making new baby kerchief bibs instead.
Two sided.
These bibs are secured with plastic snaps.
Bib pattern is from Sew4Home

Thanks to my sister, they are being mailed to my daughter tomorrow.
Lynsey made her first pizza from frozen pizza dough.

Lynsey and her father made marshmallow frosting for a holiday cake...
She put marshmallows in blue food coloring..a learning experience!!

Making a face mask from a Krispy Kreme Donut box
Yes...It has come to this!!!!!!!
Thank you...Crafts in December!
Made a new Bronco mask for 15 year old Evan...
He said we cannot...Cannot!! wear matching masks.
Fine...I am not sensitive!!

Friday night, I ventured out in mask attire to the grocery store.
Holiday treat: one pound of Red Argentine Shrimp
This was my first time cooking them.
Everyone was happy.
That is what we aim for..not always happens.
Tomorrow physical therapy..
Dear, dear old me...

Dear New Blogger.  Why would  you do this when we are already stressed????
Cannot find labels...ugh
 

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Choice

 CHOICE
In a niche in a rock carved by the sea lies a
cradle of comfort, a haven for me.

Threatening tides roar with their spume of
salt spray while seductive waves rise only 
two feet away.

Danger abounds on this high windy place as
the lure of forever kisses my face.

Alone in a circle of stone, protected yet
wildly free, will I cling to the solid 
rock...or yield to the tempting sea?
by Alice Franzen Clemons Burt
from her book, Daydreams.

Again, I share my mother's poem with you.
Just like all poetry, it's meaning changes as we change.

This time of our pandemic is hard...very hard.
Today, I look at this poem as an encouragement by my mother to carry on.
To do the best I can.

Everything has changed...including this:



This morning I came down feeling like I had been run over by a truck.
PT yesterday was exhausting...Went to my peaceful sewing room with my breakfast and 
found this....Their music blaring, potato chips, sewing, helping each other.
Amazing..Amazing Grace.    

More hope from my mother:

CATERPILLAR
Caterpillar crawled up the garden wall
Looking around he saw nothing at all
He fell asleep in the shade of a tree
And dreamed of the butterfly he'd like to be
When he awoke, to his surprise, he had
Orange wings--and now he flies!!!

Strange when isolated, feeling friendless...that I can still
connect and get strength from my mother..through her books.
I love you Mom xo