Letterboxes

Letterboxes -- Letterboxing -- Letter Boxes -- or whatever.
Does anybody know what this is? I just heard about this last week. I'm interested but I would like more information -- perhaps personal experiences. If you participate in Letterboxes (ing?) would you please share with me?

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Today I am taking my Mom back home -- we have really enjoyed her visit with us but it is time to face the responsibilities that we have there. We will make one short trip to see an Uncle before I leave her and come back home. I know she has mixed emotions about being home again - she is anxious on one hand, and on the other she knows she will face many days when she will be lonely and missing my Dad. We are fortunate that she lives so close to my brother. He needed a break from all the responsibilities but is now anxious for her to come back.

Yesterday was Mom's 87th birthday. We took her to eat Mexican food -- my daughter and granddaughter went with us, and also some friends. It was a good time of food and fellowship.

We were both up early today -- I've got laundry going -- trying to get everything done up before I leave Sweetie on his on for a couple of weeks. He will manage fine, I'm sure, but I want to leave things in order.

I am taking some hexagons with me -- hoping to get some made. I printed the 2" pattern that is on the hexagon blog site -- finally figured out that I needed to adjust the paper scaling part in order to get them to print true-to-size.
What is it they say -- I grew too soon old and too late smart?
Well, it did take me a while to figure out what I needed to do to make it print correctly.
Figured it out eventually, and even had some card stock to print on. Drawing the hexagons using the same pattern over and over was creating some sizing problems. I hope these will be more consistently accurate.

Take care, all of you, and drop me a line when you get a chance.

Thank You!

Today is Memorial Day -- at least the day that it is now celebrated under the Monday Holiday Law. It is a day when the sacrifices of our military men and women are remembered.
I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of those in the military and to all of their families who wait at home for them to return.

My Dad was in the Seabees during WWII, and he was very proud of his service. My youngest brother was in the Navy during Viet Nam. We are blessed that both came home safely.

If you get a chance, stop and say Thank you to members of the military when you see them. Sweetie did that when we were flying this past April. There were a number of military at the airport and he thanked them all. It brought tears to my eyes.

The USA is such a wonderful country! Thanks to all who help keep it that way.

One more thing!

On Thursday a friend handed me this quilting book and said that she accidently ordered two and would I like to have one of them! Of course!! Oh, it is so cute -- lots of really neat patterns for little quilts. Just what I've been wanting to have. What fun this will be. Aren't I a lucky girl!

I won!

When I got home and opened my mail I found the "Sugar Stars" that I won from Katrina at

http://snapdragons.wordpress.com. I think they will be lovely on cupcakes for the 4th of July!

Thanks, Katrina!

Catching up!

I'm trying to catch up with some of my blogging. Wanted to share my new shoes with you.

I think they are perfect for a quilter! What do you think?

Our last class

Today is class day and since I'm in town, I called all of my students and hastily scheduled a class.
All but one could attend. My Mom went with me and the students really enjoyed meeting her.

Good News -- Angela, from Taiwan, passed her citizenship interview and was told by her examiner that her English was very good. She had already passed the test so now she is right on track for the next swearing-in ceremony. Angela, who is in her 70's, will make a good citizen. This news has excited the others in the class who are anxious to take their test as soon as they satisfy the residency requirements.

My students read from their journals and then we talked a little about death customs and a little about SUV's. Then we adjourned to a local restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lunch together.
What fun! I think those ladies would have stayed all afternoon if Mom and I had been able to stay that long. I especially watching my Spanish speaker chatting with my Farsi speaker. They managed to communicate very well.

Classes will resume in September but I had to promise that we will try to get together once a month during the summer, so that they can practice their conversational English. They weren't ready to quit, and since I've been bouncing back and forth to Austin the past 4-1/2 months, they have really lost several classes.

Whoa!

Just looked at things and discovered I just passed the 100th blog entry. Well, actually, I probably passed it a little earlier since I removed 2 or 3 blogs that I didn't like. So, if I figure right, this will be blog entry #102 not counting the ones I deleted. They are gone and no longer figure into my life.

I've really enjoyed this blogging adventure! Thanks to all who have stopped by to say hello.

Home again!
Sweetie and I, accompanied by my Mom, arrived home this afternoon. We've eaten, shopped for groc, and are partially unpacked. Lots to still be done, however, and I feel the need for a nap!

Mom decided to come and visit with us for a while -- it will be a break from seeing the house and images of my Dad every day. She hasn't been here in quite some time and I know she is looking forward to doing things with me -- Church tomorrow, quilting on Monday, perhaps an ESL class on Wednesday. Then Thursday she wants to shop at Katy Christian Ministries, a local thrift store that she enjoys.

When we head back to Austin we will have to handle the legalities of new-widowhood. That will be gut wrenching, to say the least, so I want her to have this break from the suffocating sorrow.

Thanks to all who expressed sympathy -- here on the blog and also to me directly. It helps to know that others are sharing, praying, and lifting you up.

Mother's Day

I'm a little early but I do want to wish all the mothers in blogland a very happy Mother's Day. I don't know which day you celebrate in your country -- in the US we celebrate the second Sunday in May, which falls on the 10th this year. In Mexico, the date is always May 10, regardless of which day of the week that falls on. So, this year the US and Mexico will be able to celebrate together.

What day do you honor mothers in your country?

My Sweetie had planned a special meal, custom ordered, but since we are leaving tomorrow he decided to fix it tonight. It was yummy - fried chicken! Now, fried chicken usually isn't on our menu since we are trying to watch our health more closely. It was what sounded good, however, so he treated me. What a nice Sweetie!!

Tomorrow people will begin to gather for my Dad's funeral. We will take our recovering daughter to her home, armed with left-overs, and should be in Austin mid-day. It will be nice seeing my brothers and their children. I just regret that it takes a funeral to get us all together.
I'd rather celebrate life than death, but that seems to be the way of the world. (We did have a small reunion last November to help my parents celebrate 68 years of marriage. As it turned out, their last anniversary -- I'm glad we made it special.) We will make the quick trips, and after two or three whirlwind days, we will be scattered again, from coast to coast and places in between. Sweetie and I and our oldest daughter will be there a week -- then we'll see her off and we'll come back for a night so Sweetie can go back to work. I'll drive back up to be there for my Mom as she begins this difficult adjustment.

A sad day

This morning my Dad went to be with the Lord. We knew it was coming but it still hurts.
Sweetie and I will be going to Austin on Sunday morning.

This morning, my youngest daughter had surgery on her back and it was successful, or it seems to have been at this point. She is with us now but I think she will be able to go home Saturday evening so that we can leave on Sunday morning. It is still mass confusion around here and there where they are, but it will get better with time.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for him and for us.

Good Morning Bloggers,
The Lord blessed me with a good night's sleep and I'm feeling quite rested today.

I have a question for you quilty-crafty bloggers.

In my stash I have two pieces of wool -- I've had them for years and years and don't even remember why I bought them. One is red and one is black.

Now, for the question -- Does anyone have a suggestion of what I could make with these pieces?
A quilt? A wall hanging?

I get them out, look at them and then put them back, with no idea what I'm going to do with them. I don't want a garment -- it doesn't get cold enough here for wool and I don't want to have to dry clean anything.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you may have to offer.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Today was class day. I told the students that we would only have one more class -- I will try to be there next week, but the news about my Dad isn't good and I may have to leave before then.
YD's surgery is Friday morning and she and V will be staying at our house until she can be alone. After that, I plan to commit my time to my parents. ( I did get a glowing report on the facility that will do daughter's surgery -- it is in a small nearby town and I had some reservations about it, but a friend said it is a wonderful place. That has eased my concerns.) Meanwhile, my oldest daughter will fly to Austin on Sunday to be there for Mother until I can get there. I am so thankful that she is willing to commit this time -- she will have to spend her birthday there. Not what we would have planned for her, but we do what we have to do.

Back to my students, I felt that class was rather disjointed -- I confess, my mind wasn't on English. However, my students brought back their homework and they did some good work on their papers. I was proud of them! Today I gave them an exercise written for 3rd and 4th graders and they found it VERY hard. That gives me some information to work with. We walked through the exercise and did it together and they seemed to understand it by the end. Not know it, but somewhat understand it. We also worked with matching subject and verb as to singular and plural. We've done a little of this before, but they were struggling today. We were all struggling, I guess.

Mom said that Dad has been asleep all day -- he is sitting in his favorite chair. When he is awake, he is very disoriented. I think he is losing brain cells. The end may be close, now. My heart is so heavy at this time. I am so thankful that I have my precious Lord to comfort me when it all seems so overwhelming.

Give- Away

Inklingo is having a wonderful give-away to introduce their products to quilters. I encourage you to go to their web site to pick the gift you would most like to receive. I have already done that!
They are at http://inklingoprojects.blogspot.com/
I think you will like what you see!!

Hospice

My Dad went back to the hospital on Saturday -- gasping for air. They admitted him and after the respiratory group came and gave him increased oxygen and a breathing treatment, he settled down a little. The malfunctioning heart valve was acting up again, as it will continue to do. The hospital recommended hospice care and today the papers were signed. He will be going home later this afternoon -- a hospital bed is already in place, a larger oxygen machine, bedside potty, etc., are there waiting for him. I know my Mom will be happy to have the hospice people available to help her with his care and to answer questions. It is hard for her to know what to do and since none of us are medically trained, we don't always know the answers.

My niece is staying there with my Mom and then my oldest daughter may be able to go for a few days. My youngest daughter is having surgery on Friday morning and I am to be her caregiver for a the first days after, so I hope I don't have to go back to Austin for a while. But, if I do, I will. We will manage somehow.

Life is hard sometimes but the gift and privilege of prayer helps tremendously. Sweetie is out of town but I slept like a baby last night. I know the Lord in in command!

A new look

I'm experimenting with the look of my blog. This is what I've come up with so far -- your opinion as to colors of background and print will be appreciated!

Just in case you don't know, Lyn, at Bluebird Quilts if having a give-away. I'd put in a link if I knew how to do that. . . . but, I don't. So, hope you can find the blog site and look at her fun stuff.

Never Give Up!

Place mats and lap quilt made by G -- see story below.

I've been reading some blogs this morning and something I read made me think about my friend, G. She was mother to my HCF, and was one of my favorite people. She loved to crochet and once made me a beautiful set of red crocheted coasters.

In her later years G had some vision problems. She gave up her crocheting since she just couldn't see the tiny loops she had to put the needle into. That made her sad as she had always been busy with some kind of needlework.

Enter another lady into this story -- can't remember her name but she was the mother of a friend and she was legally blind. Her daughter showed me a beautiful quilt that she had made. Yes, legally blind and still quilting. Was it perfect? -- of course not. (I'm not blind and my quilts aren't perfect.) The quilt was lovely, however, and it gave the maker and her daughter much joy. That sparked an idea.

I went home and gathered up a bundle of fabric scraps (this was before I quilted, but I had been sewing for several years.) and thread and needles and took them to G. I explained that since she couldn't crochet anymore I wanted her to start quilting. Oh, she said, I can't see well enough to quilt. I said -- you know such and such lady, don't you. Yes, she said, she's in my Sunday School Class. I said -- you know she's blind, don't you. Yes, she said, her vision is worse than mine.
Well, I said, she quilts and if she can quilt you can too!

Ok -- she agreed to try.

Wow! You would not believe that lady. She turned the fabric I took her into place mats, which she gifted to me, and then she got more fabric and started making lap robes for a nursing home.
Every day her daughter would thread several needles for her before leaving for work, and she would sew up a storm. Then she got a needle threader and started threading her own needles and kept right on going. Each of her grandsons got quilts for their homes when they married.

G has now gone to be with the Lord, but I envision her up there in heaven, with perfect vision restored, just crocheting and quilting away!

Random chat

My new stash fabric from Walmart.

Well, here it is, May 1. My April UFO project is still unfinished! :-(
I was doing so well on it, then had to scoot off to take care of the 'old folks at home' and the quilt had to wait. Meanwhile, the baby for whom I'm making it was born. A little boy! Well, that enables me to make the label and get it stitched on before I put the binding on. I had started the quilting before I left and it is about 3/4 finished. So far I'm just doing 'stitch in the ditch' and some freehand stars, but I still want to use one of the stitches on my new machine someplace.

We recently lost the fabric dept in our local Walmart -- seems like Walmart doesn't think we need fabric anymore -- we've tried and tried to tell them that we do need their fabric department, but they haven't listened. Well, while I was with my folks I ran an errand to a Walmart near them and they still have fabric! A large fabric department, in fact! I managed to purchase a bag full to put in my stash! What fun!! (fabrics are pictured above.) My Mom doesn't quite understand why I'm buying fabric if I don't have a project in mind for that specific piece. But, Sweetie understands so I just keep on buying. My justification is that after Sweetie retires (soon, we hope)I won't be able to do much shopping.

Well, hope everyone is having a great day -- I'm off to an ESL Teacher Luncheon at the local library. Then, after lunch, Sweetie and I have to select new cell phones -- mine appears to have been dropped and it is trying to come apart when opened. Oh, well, we are two years past-due for new phones. I just hope they have the same type -- I don't want one that sings and whistles Dixie!!
Hope you all have a great day!!