The week that was

Whewwww...I am glad this week is over! Dad was in the hospital from Saturday until late Wednesday afternoon, which of course meant that Mom and I were there most of that time too. He had anemia and a GI bleed, again. He received 4 units of blood, but his white count was up, so they pumped him full of antibiodicts too. He was scheduled for a lung biopsy next week, but they went ahead and did it while he was already in the hospital. He is feeling much better, but his legs are VERY swollen and uncomfortable. The good news is that he is off the coumidin, which is a blood thinner and the probable cause of all his bleeding. We have several doctors appointments in the next couple weeks, and should find out about his biopsy tomorrow. Here's hoping that it is not too serious.

Quilt Show

The Brazos Bluebonnet Quilt Show was held this past weekend. It was amazing to see a show from start (when the drapes are put up and the quilts are hung)until the finish (when the quilts are taken down and the drapes are folded up and put away. What an undertaking. It was a tiring weekend, but the committee did a great job and the quilts were beautiful, as you can see in the pictures.

To my amazement, my "Wild, wild Women" quilt won a 2nd place in the viewers choice for the challenge quilt division. We were challenged to make a quilt using a specified fabric (bandana print) and following the theme of the "Wild, wild West." The quilts were hung at the show and the public chose their favorite. (These quilts were not judged by the judges.) The quilts will be given to charities, except for the top three, which were auctioned off. I hated to see my quilt go, but I hope the person that bid on it will enjoy it.

Quilt show time

My quilts are finely finished, sleeved, labeled, and "in the bag" ready for the quilt show this weekend. This is the first time I have entered anything in a show, and I am excited about it. It is also the first time I have done anything "behind the scenes" at a show....oh yes, I have been a white glove lady, and sat at the reception desk, but I will actually be helping to hang quilts, etc. tomorrow. Should be very exciting.

Off to the doctor's office with Dad. He is having severe breathing problems, along with some other things. He had a CAT scan and ultrasound early this morning, and hopefully we can find out the results of that. I know he would just like to find out what is causing him to feel so lousy. UPDATE: We are back from the Dr. There is still a spot on the lung, which is about golf ball size. This may still be from the pneumonia he had last year, or it could be another spot of cancer. Dad was given some meds to help him breath better, and a nebulizer, which should help too. We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks, to see if the breathing is better, then they will do a needle biopsy to see if the thing is cancerous. They will not do surgery again (he had a lobe removed 4 years ago) but can do radiation.....so, say a prayer that it all comes out right. Of course we know that whatever God's will is, is right.

If you are in the area....come by the Brazos Bluebonnet Quilt Guild show on Friday 10-8 or Saturday 10-5. See you there.

Catching up on this and that

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in a month. So much has happened, I don't know where to begin.

I was asked to serve on an Emmaus team here in the Brazos Valley. It was very strange serving with a new community, but wonderful to connect with Emmaus again. I was the Speaker's Prayer Chapel person, and was able to meet some really great new Christian friends. The Community here does a good weekend, with a few favorings that I wasn't used to, but all in all, it was a very good weekend.

I have been finishing up quilts for our show, which is next weekend. My "Wild, Wild Women" turned out really cute. I will have to post a new picture of it. I am also entering my Charleston quilt and a vest. Just have to do a few finishing touches. I am really anxious to see how this show goes.

Dad and Mom continue to do alright....not as good as I would like, but still maintaining. Lots of Doctor's appointments keep me busy each week. At least my annual physical came out with flying colors.

Yesterday I had the great privilege of keeping my son's girlfriend's 4 year old. He is a very inquisitive smart little boy and was so much fun. He kept us laughing all day.

Late yesterday afternoon I went with a quilting buddy to a retreat at Camp Allen, which is the Episcopal Retreat and Conference Center here. It conjured up memories of Camp St. Christopher and the great retreats put on by the Cobblestone Quilt Guild. No, there wasn't a beach, but the food was great! The theme of the retreat was "Parties that point the way to Jesus." It was an interesting spin on The Word, and a lot of fun. We had a costume party this morning, and one of the oldest women (she was in her 80's) came in looking pregnant...a robe with a pillow under it. She was the hit, and after our "parade" of costumes, she slipped out and came back with a "baby" wrapped in a blanket....what a riot!

Wedding, family and much more.

Spent last weekend in Austin getting ready for and attending my niece's wedding. It was her dream wedding and was really beautiful. Her 5 year old daughter was her flower girl, and got to say "You may now kiss the bride." Too cute. All 6 sisters were there (Mollie, from Maryland and her daughter flew in) and one brother. It was nice to be able to spend time with the family. The wedding took place at an old plantation house, under a gazebo, and dinner was served under a big tent lighted by twinkling fairy lights. Very pretty, and only the humidity got anyone down.

Dad was put on oxygen this week. He seems to be sleeping better, and we hope it will increase his stamina.

I have spent a good amount of time with Berni and Ken....have my "Wild, wild women" almost finished. It just needs a binding. Have to get that one, and the Charleston quilt ready for the show in October. I am also working on a care quilt for our guild...to give to a charity. Just getting practice in piecing and machine quilting.

The week that was!

What a week. Spent a couple of afternoons in the Sewing Room working on quilting my "Wild Wild Women" quilt. It is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I am proving to myself that I can quilt my smaller quilts myself, on my machine. I am doing this one on Ken....because it had already been started there, and I am not ready to tackle Berni and the BSR yet. I have completed a couple projects on Berni....two cute little bags for two of my nieces.

We got a call Thursday evening that a cousin in Brownwood (about 200 miles from here) had passed away. She had been in a nursing home for several year suffering from Alzeheimers and was in really bad shape. She had lost an enormous amount of weight and could no longer swallow. Really a sad, sad disease, but she did die peacefully, with her family around her. We drove up there Friday and returned after the funeral yesterday (Saturday). A really long way to go for such a short time, but Dad and Mom wanted to get back to their own comfort zones. It was nice to see my two aunts and all the cousins, but isn't it sad that we see each other only at sad times. To make the trip even longer, Mom left her purse at the restaurant where we stopped for dinner last night. I had to drive back up there after church this morning and retrieve it. Luckily, it was only about 50 miles away.

On a happy note, we have a BIG wedding next weekend. My niece (Pam's daughter) is getting married to a really nice young man. They both work in Emergency Management in the Dallas area, so we are praying that no hurricanes pop up (especially since they are honeymooning in the resort areas of Mexico that were just missed by Dean) and no emergencies take place. This will be a happy time that family is together. Can't wait to see Mollie and Megan who are flying in from Maryland.

Playing with Ken

Today was playing with Ken day. My Kenmore sewing machine that is. A group of dear ladies has invited me to join them in their sewing room. They have rented a small space in an office building downtown (you have to remember that Bryan is rather small....downtown is less than 5 miles from my house). They have a huge cutting table, sewing stations, ironing board, etc. etc. Kinda like KK's sewing studio, only not as nice. Anyway...they have invited me to join them, and I moved my extra (since Berni has arrived) machine (a Kenmore) to the sewing room. I can go there any time I want 24/7 and sew to my hearts content. I worked on quilting my "Wild, Wild Women" quilt, since the show in in less than 2 months and I have entered it in the challenge division. There is plenty of space to spread it out, which I don't have at the house, so it is nice to have a place to sew, and a place to escape when I need it.

Erin blew into Texas this week. Lots of rain and flooding in Houston and San Antonio, but luckily for us, just some heavy rains. It has managed to cool us off some, which was so needed. I just don't like those 100+ temps.

Sister Pam is coming over tomorrow so we can shop for an outfit for her daughter's rehersal dinner in 2 weeks. It is going to be a beautiful wedding. Can't wait to see some of the family I haven't seen in a year.

That's all for now....off to play some with Berni.

Playing with Berni

I have a new love in my life! I bit the bullet last week and bought myself a new, fancy "sewing computer," as Bernina is calling their machines. I think it must do everything except cut out the fabric. I have been playing all weekend, discovering new stitches and things the machine will do. I have almost finished two bags. There is so much new they give me 8 hours of free lessons just to learn! My niece bought one too, and her mother (my sister Peggy) will be taking lessons with us. She will probably end up buying one in the future. Just need to clean up my sewing/computer room so that I can do some of the projects that I have planned. (Like a baby quilt for little Lima Bean.)

I have also had the pleasure of sitting for one of my Grand-puppies this weekend. She is an English Coon Hound and is named "Annabelle." And, guess what! I have seen no evidence of 'coons or pack rats in the yard. Could be that we just might have taken care of the problem. I hope so anyway.

Pack rats, snakes and raccoons, oh my!

Those of you who know me, know that I could do without some of God's creatures. Snakes and rodents in particular. Oh, I know, some of them are beneficial, but I could do without them.
I was sitting on the patio the other night talking to my kindred spirit in Tampa when I saw something moving at the edge of the garden. Looking at it from a distance, it looked like a large mouse. (At least that is what I wanted it to be, because they are not quite as bad as rats.) The next morning I looked out the window, and there he was scurrying around under the big pecan tree just outside our kitchen window. Dad decided it must be a pack rat. I must admit it was shorter and rounder than other rats I have seen, but I still don't like it. A dear friend suggested that I put some cheese way down inside some steel wool, and that would take care of it. SO, off to Lowe's I went to get some steel wool. I laid my little trap where I could tell that it had been touched, and sure enough, the next morning the steel wool had been moved, and torn apart. AH HA, I decided that I had done the critter in, but looking closer (out the window, you understand) there he was digging around under the tree again. Ok...the exterminator was due and surely he could help get rid of this critter. He put out a HUGE spring trap and some rat bait, and said that should take care of it.
In the meantime, he was looking at the garden and said there was a snake in there. OH GREAT, I thought, but went to look, so I would know what to look for. It was a green snake with a dark green stripe running the length of it's long body. The exterminator guy said it was the largest garden snake he had ever seen (and I bet he has seen lots of them.) but it was not poisonous. It might bite, but it wasn't poisonous....great news, huh?
So, this morning I just knew that I would have to dispose of a body in the back yard. Great surprise....I looked out the window and the trap had been sprung and the critter was busy under the tree again! If you have any great ideas for getting rid of pack rats, I wish you would share them.
Raccoons? Well, they visit our yard every night. The man across the street has trapped and carried off 60 of them in the last 2 weeks, and the folks next door have trapped several also. I can tolerate the 'coons, except if they become rabid, but I would like to get rid of the other critters. May have to borrow my son's dogs....lol.

My quilts

Let me tell you about my quilts. The "Wild Wild Women" quilt is one that I did for our Guild's annual challenge. We had to use a recognizable amount of the red bandana fabric (the border) in the quilt and it had to use the theme "the wild, wild West." I saw this in a magazine and decided that instead of French "Ooh LA LA" I would make it wild Western women.

The South Carolina quilt is one that the Ducks (my splinter group from the Cobblestone Quilt Guild in Charleston) did for me. A couple of years ago, 26 of us decided to make 26 of the same block (something that depicted South Carolina) and have a swap. This is one of only two of the quilts that have been finished. The other was done for my good friend Ann, when she was having bone marrow transplant. I am very honored to have this quilt. Both quilts are being entered in our quilt show to be held in October.

Happy 81st birthday Dad

Yes, today is my Dad's 81st birtday. We are taking him out to dinner (again....we already celebrated with some of the family on Friday and more on Saturday)tonight to celebrate.

Mom had her first injection for her macular degeneration treatment. She has a big patch over her eye, just as a precaution, and has to use drops several times a day. This is the first of 3 injections and then they will do a laser treatment again.

July 29th

After weeks of trying to log back into this blog, I have finally figured out what is going on, and can begin to post again, which should make several of my friends very happy.

The trip to South Carolina was wonderful (gosh, it has been a long time since the last post). Sean, my son, and Andrea, his girlfriend and I spent a total of 4 long days in the car together and came back still speaking to each other, and liking each other. She is a wonderful girl and so much fun. Sean had a great time showing off all the sights, and I had a great time just vegging on the screened in porch and visiting with my Kindred Spirits.

Got back late Saturday afternoon and had to put my Dad in the hospital on Sunday morning. Another bout of internal bleeding and anemia. After 3 days and 2 units of blood, he was a new man and was able to come home. He hasn't seemed to bounce back as well as normal, and I am worried about him. He has a hard time catching his breath and is very tired all the time. The doctors don't seem to know what is causing the shortness of breath and we are looking into that again this week.

Mom is having the unpleasant experience of having injections in her eye starting this week. She have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration. These injections will, hopefully, stop any further damage. Please pray for her.

I have been busy finishing up a quilt top, which I am entering in our guild's quilt show in October. It will be the first time I have entered anything in a show, so I am kind of excited. I am also volunteering at my church one morning a week as a receptionist. It is really great to finally be able to do some things like that. Also am involved in a Beth Moore Bible Study on the Book of Daniel. Wow, what a wild ride that has been.

I promise to try to do better with my postings. Keep an eye on the blog, you never know.

I am seeing more and more why I am back in Texas. I don't know what my family has done without me....Just Kidding! A couple of weeks ago, I was with my sister-in-law while my brother was in the hospital having Prostrate surgery. (Be sure to have all the over fifty guys in your life get tested.) Yes, Pete had cancer, and they removed the prostrate. We will know in 7 weeks if he will have to have chemo or radiation treatments. Please keep him in your prayers.

Over the weekend, I had the privilege to attend the Zephyr, Texas High School reunion/homecoming with my parents. Dad graduated from there 65 years ago. There were only 12 students in his class...only 3 of which were guys. The 3 guys were the only ones able to make this year's reunion. It was quite an experience, and a lot of fun. I don't think too many of us get to attend the 65th reunion of our parent's graduation.

This week, I am dog sitting for my sister Pam and her husband Jack. Jack's Dad passed away last Thursday and they had to fly to New Jersey. My 12 year old niece, Dani, and I are in Round Rock taking care of Nick, who is a large collie.

I will be home Wednesday evening, have Thursday to turn around and Sean, Andrea and I leave Friday morning for Edisto Beach, just outside of Charleston, SC. I can't wait to see all my great friends that have been so supportive of me for so many years. I know that the Charleston YaYa needs this time at the beach so much more than the rest of us....and the rest of us need time with her. It will be a great time of rest, relaxation and good times.

Another incredible gift

God has given me another incredible gift. My bestest friend, "Charlestonyaya" received news today that the masses on her liver are not cancer. This is fantastic news, because just last Friday morning the doctors were sure that the masses were hard and probably malignant. But, the power of prayer was at work and they were not the hard masses that were expected and are not cancerous. We just have to find out what is going on with her liver, but in the meantime she/we will have a wonderful week together at Edisto Beach in South Carolina. I am so excited to be given this wonderful news, and the gift of our time together. I have a lot to do in the next week to get ready, but that is ok.....

Mom, Dad and I are traveling to Brownwood, TX this weekend to attend the 60+ (I can't remember how many) reunion/homecoming for Dad's high school. There were only 13 in his graduating class because so many of the guys had already gone off to war. 4 years ago all 13 were still living. I think that is just amazing because I doubt many of us can say the same about our high school classes. I hope they are all there again this year.

The garden continues to grow and grow and grow. I picked the first tomato this morning. The squash that got squashed the other day are ok, and so is Mom....just a little black and blue.

What a wonderful gift I have been given by my very dear friend. She is the one who talked me into starting a blog, and then she had it designed for me. I just wish I lived closer to her, so that I could be there to help with all the "stuff" she is going through. She knows I will pick up and go, if she needs me.

This has been a crazy week. My brother was diagnosed with Prostrate cancer a couple of weeks ago. He had surgery on Wednesday, and I was able to be there for him and to help his wife. Being able to be there for my family is one of the many reasons I have moved back to Texas. In the meantime, my above mentioned friend was going through all these medical tests, and not knowing what was going on. I am so grateful for her tremendous faith, and the seeds she has sown to make my faith grow. This week was also the 15th anniversary of the death of my husband. A real roller coaster of emotions went by this week.

God is so good. I had not been back home for more than a short time when I received word that my Mom had fallen in the garden. (I was at Walmart getting my brother's prescriptions.) Thankfully, she only bruised her elbow and a couple of squash plants. I guess we need to keep her out of the garden.

So, you can see, that I have been putting the pieces together all week, and entwining them with my faith in God to protect us all.

First Post--Blog Design Day!

This blog is a gift, from one friend to another. Friends, wanting to keep in touch, support, share, and extend networks of friends.

Maggie of www. 5purposedriven.wordpress.com is writing this post, in order to do some blog work. Thanks for viewing!