Thank God for Friends and Family

My family in Portland:  Our four year old with her mommy, checking out the chickens.  Will they get cats or chickens/???

With the awesome oil cloth fabric Eithne bought me in Ireland forever ago, I have made two cat pouches with Velcro.

These can  hold playing cards, little toys, anything actually and I love them so much.  Look at the little tabs I bought on sale a while back.  So cute!!

My girl took a flower/fabric class with her friend the other day...

Pressing flowers from  her own garden onto pre-treated fabric.

Potholders continue to fly out the door as everyone is so very nice here...Just finished these 6:

So much fun to incorporate the saved selvedges.

I swear being old is like being in the amusement park or the circus!!!!!  Everyday, something new.

This morning PT on my  painful adductor muscles that hurt when I walk.  Torture.

The PT told me that their favorite saying is:

Is it better to negotiate with a terrorist or a therapist???

The answer of course is a terrorist is more forgiving..

Spent the night in pain; spent the morning in massage and heat and electrodes at PT.

I felt so much better that tonight I decided to sweep the kitchen floor for my friends tomorrow.

I know that they say they come to visit me, not my apartment....However....

This is the last time I  try that, as the broom and pan are on the floor still.

  I lost my balance without the cane and fell.

Lucky me caught myself on the kitchen sink, not on the floor.  I am sore but graterful...

The reality of being ancient is becoming more present in my mind...and all the new challenges every day.

My kitchen floor is still dirty; I have nothing broken on my body.

The days are going so fast...The summer is almost over...Unbelievable.  Every day I sit outside on my patio and read.  Today, I finished a great book called, HORSE.  

Tomorrow, I start a new , overdue library book...one of Hazel Gaynor's, I think.

My daughter comes to visit me next week for a few days.  Grateful...Very...She always lifts my spirits and she loves to sew.

She is just a terrific 

daughter.

An August Day for Grandma O'Quilts.

Today's bargain from "Goods to Go", our little in-house store here.

I am crazy about baskets!!

Aoife cloned!!!  My girl figured out  how to do this kind of photo...so clever!!

Aoife, age 4.

Lynsey....so missing my grandgirl  in pigtails from kindergarten...Alas, here she is, first day of 10th grade...age 15 and a half.

Grandma O'Quilts had a brilliant idea.  I ordered stick-on magnets on Amazon, as a way to keep my earrings in order.

Oh, my.....

Not so smart, Grandma....look at the ones which will not connect to a magnet...Who would have known???

Guess I need to go on Pinterest to see more ideas for storing earrings... Organization is so not my skill.

 

Today's fun...exercise in the pool, long lunch with friends, some sewing...and reading...guess it is the life of the retired one.

I am getting adjusted to this new life.

However, in the late hours of the night, I miss my son so much.  Last time I heard from him was Mother's Day.  He was not doing so well.at that time...Oh, a mother's broken heart...xoxoxoxoxo

Self Care

That mind -body connection tells me that I must take care of myself.  This pinched nerve in my hip area is killing me as I struggle to walk pain-free.  Thinking today to let go of all my commitments in order to relax.

Today, that meant for me....go to the pool and exercise the joints..... Sit in the Bistro here, with a glass of water....joined by friends of the same political pursuasion as I am.....a chat for two hours.

 Sitting outside on this lovely, breezy day finishing this important historical book.

Sewing is my favorite meditation...especially scrap potholders...Here are some tops I made.for gifting when finished.

Adjusting a shirt I had in the wings waiting for the fix......  All with the door wide open, protected by the screen...Enjoyiing the the breeze and Placido Domingo on Alexa.

I have left all the sorting and mundane to Monday.  Tomorrow will be a day of rest as well...after my friend's birthday breakfast.

I am pain free while sitting...such a relief...Seems like age is upon me and each day a new ailment...

Joy is living here in the lap of luxury

Joy is accepting life on life's terms.

Yesterday out of the blue a friend handed me these flowers to spread joy .

It worked...

(PS...I also ate some cookie-dough)  Do not tell my grands as they think I am way too old for that  vice!!!

A Day Named Tuesday

Happy 4th birthday to our Aoife in Oregon..

Enjoying the rainbow cake her mommy made her.

Dylan, age 14, showing off the muscles he has earned working construction with his stepfather.

A treat for Grandma...A tiny sewing machine with a clip on the top.  Perfect for holding checks for the cleaning lady or memos for myself.

Someone is sewing!!  Done last night are 3 string bags for gifts.. easy peasy and fun to make.

The recepient of my Marse Derse quilt has requested a black backing...

I cannot do boring;  gotta do fun.

Messed up here with a pinched nerve in my adductor muscle.  PT made me cry again as they manipulated the space to try to stretch out the muscles.  I have not been able to walk without pain all day.  Finally, two Tylenol, three glasses wine, a nap and deep breathing...I feel better...a bit.  A visit from my sister with tons of help, made it better too...TLC

My sister's 37 year old autistic daughter with ovarian cancer is in remission...Thank God!!

Thunder and lightening tonight was bright and loud.  I, however felt safe and cozy in my apartment with my flashlight and my fabric.

Life is indeed crazy.  With all the things in the world to go wrong....a pinched nerve has me down.

Tomorrow, for sure, a better day.

A Thankful Sunday

Nine years after the loss of my love, I found some plaid snippets of his shirts.   My own new potholder, in process...missing my man.

Tonight I made some bags from yesterday's tute....After making the pattern and trying out one, the others go by in a snap.

Last time Emily visited me, we made matching ironing hams...Using the fox ham below, I pressed my bags.

Today started out delightfully....I excercised in our awesome pool for an hour, made my  bed, took a shower and was on my way to lunch when I fell... Jeeze Louize!!!  How and why, I have no clue.  One minute I was happily walking...and using the durn walker, when I found myself on the floor with the walker on top of me.. TBTG I wear that wrist button...and in minutes 3 good looking young men were here to lift up the old lady. They helped me to my chair, put ice on my knees, gave me water....So kind and so safe were they..I gave them all potholders!!!!!

.Big gratitude here...I broke nothing, just some knee bruising.  What I did not like was that they called my daughter in Portland to share the news of my fall...Jeeze I am in an  independent apartment...How insulting to bother my girl.  To save her is why I moved here...so she could have a life of her own without worrying about dear ol' Ma.

A friend brought me lunch. and before I knew it my Lynsey was here for her visit after work. She is such a good girl....not easy, but wonderful none the less. She made cookies tonight.  I sewed and she did TikTok...Great company she is.

Two friends dropped by.and I chatted with my midnight caller..All is well...grateful, very...very grateful.

 

Fun Sewing

Tonight's sewing: Drawstring bag..

A card playing friend of mine wanted a bag for her Rummikub tiles.  She asked for her politically favorite fabric...

I decided to fine tune a pattern so I could whip up more if asked.  reversible string bag

This was my choice...I loved this tute..

Politics????  Voila!!!  So glad I had this fabric...

Her favorite team:

The way the strings go in is genius...easy peasy...I cannot wait to make more.

There is a new member of our complex who used to own a bead shop.  She has donated tons of beads.  Tomorrow, I will go to see her collection.  I would love some cute beads for the strings..

Look at the flowers from Trader Joe's that lasted longest:  Impatiens.

As a woman of excess, I am proud to show you my new colors for rope bowls...arrived today!!

Some folks just LOVE their dogs....Here we have Aoife celebrating her dog, Rosie's 6th birthday...

Great day...pool swim, lunch with friends, apartment cleaning lady came, my hairdresser came to my patio to cut my hair...

sewing, reading outside.  I am so glad I have my lovely sewing apartment

A chat with my midnight friend...

Soon climbing into clean sheets...sigh...Life can be good....really good!!

Lovin' the Good Stuff

Marcia Derse fabric/ Jeni Baker pattern..African fabric border finally on.....

Below is our Aoife, a few weeks till age 4...A dress made by her mother from Liberty of London fabric.

In preperation for the rope bowl demonstration, Monday, July 8, I made the final example.

I usually use batik so the fabric will not fray.  This bowl used regular fabric scraps....amazing...I love the fraying.

Making rope bowls is so very relaxing..  As I prepare examples, I am learning new techniques.

Voila my bound plaid quilt...Mary Jerz did a  great quilting job....there  is nothing like a binding to help a quilter feel warm fuzzies.

Shot cotton on the backing is so very soft.

 Pakistani camel skin lamps  I have posted my  lamps before.  Now I found an online link:

Without family and beauty and making and color...my adductor muscles would hurt much much worse when I walk.

Lovely lunch out today with friends....all of whom hurt somewhere...!!  Age, you know.......

When I am in pain like this....all I want is sugar...

I have ransacked the apartment and all I can find is some old marshmallows.

Going to start a new project instead.

Life and Me

Yesterday was a two sided day.  After physical therapy, I  met Lynsey at the Rea Road library for tutoring...TBTG a friend of mine found the perfect tutor...after at least 20 tries..wasting valuable time...Algebra is hard stuff.  Lynsey had been struggling for quite awhile.  I was delighted to have been there to meet her tutor to be sure it went well.  Paying, I felt that it was  worth a million dollars.  Just wish we had found her sooner..Lynsey is only 15.  She cannot find her own tutor for homeschooling .Algebra is a struggle for some of  us. 

 Look at the lovely view at my window seat at the library where I read 12 quilting books while I waited.

Today rain...we need it so. And, a finish.  Of course threads still have to be snipped (I hate that part!!)

But, I am calling it a finish....baby or wheelchair size.

Lately, my PayPal finger has been itching to exercise.  On Jaipur Carts out of India on Etsy, came 4 Kantha cloth quilts.

Thanks to my online chat with friend, Sujata Shah....I have washed these...cold water, delicate cycle...and into the dryer..

I needed her suggestion on  how to launder these.

They came out grand...Now what will I  make out of it????

This orange one seems to be all Rayon...All the stitching looks hand done, but I know that cannot be true...Wish I had the machine that makes it look hand sewn.

The second one:washed and dried,  the red Kantha seems to be all cotton...Very strange to me...but interesting...What should I make with this one??

The purple Kantha is also rayon.  Both orange and purple are crib size, The cotton one above is twin.

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The afternoon was awful..It made me cry that folks can be so hateful.....

However, I did cheer myself with a treat from Trader Joe's

The roses are stunning...and so are the Dianthus...I just bought both!!!

Of course their wine is great too.  A little wine, a few flowers, talking to my sister and a few friends...and voila...

Accepting that life has many avenues...Some good and some not so good...

Fabric, friends, food, fun. flowers...wow...lucky me.

 

A Few Days of Special Memories

My Lynsey came to visit for a few days...A stressful time as she struggles to complete her Algebra for 9th grade.  100 missing lessons are due by Friday...That girl worked and worked, but very few here understand that kind of math...certainly not  me.  Tomorrow she goes home to finish it with Zoom tutoring from her grown up cousins.

Lynsey is desperate for clothes for school....Enough is so not enough for age 15. She did some fabric organizing for me that I cannot do.myself.

So very worth it for both of us.  Here she is folding and moving fabric for her grandma.

In her mind  is the $$$$ for clothes.  In my mind is a newly organized room.

The neat box side partially done:

The folded fabric side...so helpful.  My friends decided this should be done so I would not fall...It has come to this....

Grateful for friends who care!!

Happy with her work:  making dinner, emptying the trash...making cookies, picking up things from the floor..etc..

She is enjoying her pad.  The blow up mattress from under my bed....Everyone has the procedure down pat...Blow up the mattress, pillows, coke, chips, studying, Tiktok...etc...Here she is at 15 hanging out at grandma's apartment:

So cozy.

Lovely Zoom with Good Vibes..today  Nice visit with my sister...nice lunch with friends....lovely reading on my patio.....

While zooming, I made this coaster...I hate the ending.  However, these are examples for the rope bowl class I will teach next month...Might as well show the mistake to learn by.

This bowl came out better....Batik is the best fabric to use for bowls..IMHO...no fraying.

My sister took Lynsey for math study today.  She also took her to the new Walmart for things we "absolutely" needed for her visits with me. I gave her my credit card...Next thing I know, she is relaxing with a huge $10 glass jar of pickles....Somehow, I do not remember that being on our list...Oh, well.

Tonight I finally decided to watch a 9 pm program...Alas, my special A103, or whatever station had no connection.  Called my Dylan.  He had Lynsey try a million different things...Even cable had no service...Oh, well....This is what happens when my genius friend goes out of town for fun in her own life.  By the  time we tried everything, the program was over...and I was so over watching TV!!!

My grandgirl likes the house temperature so cold.  When I  took out this "block in the box" quilt, I thought of our busy, missing Heather...

She quilted it for me.a number of years back...xoxox

Warm and fun memories..

Grandma O'Quilts is so Very Grateful

 Me thinks that my arthritis is getting worse and my physical health is declining..

Today, I was so cheered by friends.  Linda and Sherry orgainized my space, found my lost objects, fixed the so far unfixable, made me laugh and spoke quilting speak with me..They helped me choose joy today.  I am forever grateful.

Below is my latest experiment in rope composition...a trivet.  My in-house quilting group wants me to teach a rope bowl class.  I am starting to make some examples....

The in-house quilting group is doing a donation of flannel burp cloths to the local shelter..

That day, I sat by the trash can...Each time a member came with fabric to discard...I intervened....What are you throwing away????

Taking the usable scraps, I made this jelly roll quilt for a donation...  Fun and funky.  I cannot wait to share in the next meeting this example of what a person can do with scraps.

Unfortunately my ego got in the way while quilting this quilt.  My Janome Little Red does not have the functions that my Janome 8900 has.. Without putting the pressure foot down all the way, I was able to get a lovely wiggle stitch.  So proud of self, until I was told that without the pressure foot being all the way donw, the quilting would not take; all the stitches were too loose to stay...Just UGH..

Finally, stubborn me let Sherry remove said stitches...and I redid it tonight on my bigger machine.  Almost finished, this cuddle quilt is soft and funky and cuddly.

A tiny nap after my friends left, then out on my patio reading Anne Lamott's latest book.

It was warm and breezy outside.  The book was comforting and I felt a glow of friendship which sustained me.

Gratitude and joy...peace and comfort...Lucky , lucky me.

A nice chat with my late night friend was all I needed to end my day in peace.

It is a Generational Thing

Happy Fathers Day...As I am so grateful for the fathers who raise other peoples children with love.

Here is my oldest grandson, Evan...He will be 19 in 12 days.  He dropped out of high school at 16; He learned a trade in construction from his step-father; He has accumulated in his savings...money....Last year, he bought himself a tiny house and plugged it into the back yard for his own independence and freedom..  A few days ago, he bought himself...with his own earnings, his first car....

Sooo very proud of Evan.

Dear Aunt Carl....of Greenville Alabama...my daddy's sister.  You live forever with me.  Even though  you died 10  years ago, I will never forget the rootiing you gave me from a jar in your window....a Gardenia rooting....Thirty years later, this one little rooting has provided huge trees in our back yard...10 ft by 10 ft, the original one....It also has  provided numerous gifts to friends....As you told me, use distilled water as now-a-days...water has so many unfriendly chemicals.

This is my last rooting...At four ft tall, it stands in a pot on my patio....

I will always remember you with love. xo

A lovely day today.  Starting with an energetic and relaxing  swim in our awesome pool, lunch here with a friend, reading on the patio, Anne Lamont's newest book..

Now finishing up some sewing....eg another bag for the card club to hold 4 decks of cards for "Hand and Foot"

Basting a scrap quilt for the homeless center,  arranging things in my sewing room so I will not fall...sigh...

The only  thing crazy and irritating is Bloglovin....I have been blogging there for years...maybe 14 years.  Now when I try to access the blogs I have been following I am supposed to sign in and get a  password....

I am not going to do that...

I do not feel like I have options as I have no left brain and am computer weak..

I still like blogging and following my friends...do not feel like giving it up yet....

Sigh

Sigh....still, it was a good day