While I'm in the picture posting mode I want to show my "Baby Dino Log" quilt that I'm making for one of the pregnancy center layettes. I used a donated small scrap of dinosauer print, surrounded the center blocks with bright color logs, and used a purchased fabric for the offset blocks. I like the way it turned out -- back is solid blue and the binding shows up wider on the back.

It Came!

I went to the mailbox and there was a small brown package from Iowa. My fat quarter had arrived.

A while back I was looking at some fabric/quilting web sites and ran across B & B Creations, Tracy, Iowa. There was a "moose" hidden somewhere on the site and, ta-dah, I found it! Fay Boyd send me my prize, a beautiful fat quarter. What a fun way to go "window shopping." Thank you!

A good day! I've been busy as a bee since getting home -- one can see the top of my desk again! Well, not every inch of it, but a big improvement there! I've finished the financial updating and got some of my photos transferred from the old computer to the new one. I'm not too knowledgeable about doing things like that so it is slow. There is probably a faster way to do it but patience is a virtue and I worked on a lot of virtue-making today!

Read another blog -- Pieces From Me -- enjoyed it. The writer's mantra for 2009 is...

"Aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands." I Thessalonians 4:11

I like that! It is something good to think about, especially minding one's own business. Not doing that usually gets all of us in trouble!

Another blog -- Coolrue -- posted some old, Irish, homemaking tools. A most unusual laundry pot and dasher. I've never seen one like it. Not at all like the big cast iron pot my Grandmother used to do her laundry. She would set it over the fire and boil the clothes clean. then rinse them, and then hang them up to dry. Of course, she did the laundry AFTER she made the laundry soap! Ladies, we do have it easy!!

My "Cozy" was bored one day, while her mother was doing the laundry, and she ran by and threw a kitten into the rinse water. (It was cool, of course.) Her description of being chased around the laundry by her mother was priceless. Yes, I've had days like that -- have you?

I had a lovely e-mail from a former student today. She is back in Brazil and is still hoping to continue her education -- next on the agenda is PhD. Such a sweet person -- I only had her a short time but learned to love her.

There is a party at the library tonight, for all the ESL students and teachers. I will go and take some banana pudding. Each student will bring something from their own country so our dinner will be a lovely variety of foods. I think all of my students will be there - one has already called to make sure I was going. I'll resume my classes on Feb. 4.

It is getting late so I'll say good-night and go hang up my dry laundry from the dryer. Such a blessing. I am not sure I would have made a good pioneer woman. Think about it -- would you like to go back to the days of yore?

Remember these old gas pumps?

 

Another week gone and a new one starting. I see light, however, way down there at the end of this week. Planned to go home Wednesday but sister-in-law is going to hospital for test -- will stay here to be support system until we know the outcome of the test -- she may have stents put in. Plan is, regardless, to leave no later than Friday morning!!

Meanwhile, Sweetie came this weekend. What joy! I have missed him SO MUCH! He helped me get the handicapped hanger for the folks car. That will save them a lot of walking. Mom now qualifies as permanently handicapped. Sweetie brought me a new book to read -- I finished everything I brought and have raided my Mom's shelves, even thought we don't usually read the same things. I'm now reading "Bones" by Jonathan Kellerman. I like his books.

Sweetie and I went to see "Benjamin Button." What a good movie -- so different. After dinner we went to eat -- I had grilled catfish and it was absolutely yummy!

Hill Country Friend is coming to visit on Tuesday. We will have lunch, shop a little, talk a lot, and just enjoy.

I can hardly wait to be home! Meanwhile, since things are a little better here I am getting to sew a little. I'm hand-sewing the binding for the dino-log baby quilt. I've also been able to work a little on the Grandmother's Flower Garden. Finished another "flower."

My ESL advisor tells me I have a new student -- I plan to resume classes in February.
I've missed my classes.

I've missed my home.

I've missed my life.

There is no place like home!

Ended the last post rather quickly so computer was off before my brain stopped spinning. This is a continuation. . .

Another interesting thing about looking at House Hunters and House Hunters International, is getting to see quilts in the homes that are featured. I especially enjoy seeing the quilts that sometimes appear on the International version. It is interesting to see what difference show up from my "American" style of quilting, and sometimes I see a pattern that I haven't seen before. I whip out my design book and start sketching - we usually only get a short glimpse of the quilt so I have to get it down on paper quickly -- the old brain doesn't work as well as it used to.

Well, that is it for this time -- but, there may be more to come.

Hunting for Houses

One of my favorite TV shows is House Hunters, International. This week I watched a couple from Italy search for a country home to replace their city house. They wanted someplace with "wide open views of nature." Definitely my type of people.

Where do people get their money? We aren't poor, but we couldn't begin to purchase a house that cost the kind of money I see on this show. Consistantly, people are looking to buy houses/apartments that are so expensive that I gasp when I hear the prices. The homes these home-buyers looked at were at or over $1,000,000.00, American dollars. Two were apartments! They ended up with the cheapest, a free-standing house with about 3000 sq. ft. I loved it! And the views -- oh, my. What a wonderful place to sit and eat breakfast or to drink tea and read.

It is always interesting to see what people in other countries consider a "lovely" kitchen or a "wonderful bathroom." Some are totally different from what we consider "lovely" or "wonderful." Some look rather primitive and others look space-station advanced. It is especially interesting to see the towel warmers. I've never had a "warm" towel to dry off on. Is it a real treat? I think there are warmed linen closets in England. Perhaps that keeps things dry and free from dampness. Dampness is sometimes a problem in our humid Gulf-coast location. Of course, that is taken care of by the refrig a/c, which dries out the air in the house in the summer, and by the central heat in the winter. Sometimes we run the a/c in the winter just to dry out the house, especially when I've had the windows open for a while. And . . . I have the windows open every chance I get!

Anyway, watching other people in other countries look for places to live is very interesting. It is even interesting to watch them look for homes here.
What do you think?

There is no place like home!!

Christmas Day my Mom fell and broke her hip. She had a partial hip replacement the next day. I traveled to her city on Sunday and am still here. My Dad isn't able to stay by himself for long periods of time, and isn't safe driving alone. So, looks like I'm here for a while -- at least 2 more weeks, I'm sure.

Mom is in a nursing home doing her PT. She is really doing well and has a tremendous attitude. She says that the place she is in is really nice to her and she is content to be there until she gets to come home.

As nice as they are, however, it still isn't home. She can't get up from bed without supervision, can't take any meds that they don't give her, and doesn't always get exactly what she wants to eat. Going to the bathroom isn't private anymore, and she severely feels the loss of her mobility.

I'm staying with Dad and I have to remember his schedule as well as mine. A frequent conversation goes like this . . . "Dad, have you taken your medicine? ..or..Dad, it is time to take your blood pressure. (We are doing that twice a day because it was a little out of whack and the dr. added a new medication. We'll see the Dr. next week, but I see it getting better each day.)
Dad fixes most of his own food, except for the evening meal, so it isn't like I'm overworked! I've only had to cook two evening meals since I got here. Last night I fixed some turkey and rice, which we had with green beans. Today, we ate lunch out. We also have left-overs from a meal that some church friends brought.

Even though I have all the necessities of life, I still miss being in my own home.
The near and dear to us may be as simple as having our own favorite cleaning supplies, the ability to turn on the TV at odd hours without disturbing someone else, cooking with one's own favorite pots and pans, etc. Do I sound like a whiner? Probably. I have use of my brother's computer for short periods of time but miss having it available anytime I want. I miss my sewing machine. I miss my Sweetie!
I miss my very own home.

Well, got it out of my system --
How are all of you doing?
If anyone is out there, please stop in and say hi!