Thinking Back Over 2011

2011 is almost over...I'm not sorry to say goodbye to this year. What a year it has been!! January filled with pre-transplant tests and preparations, the stem cell transplant and hospitalization through all of February and slow recovery through March, April, May and June. There were days when I thought life would never be the same again and many days when I wondered how to make it through but my Sweetheart was there beside me caring for me and encouraging me the entire time. God was watching over us and we felt Him close. Our precious daughters sustained us and so many dear friends prayed unceasingly. If you ever wonder if the person you are praying for knows about your prayers, be assured, they do...I'm living proof of that and the power of that prayer.

The second half of the year was marked by joy! The news of our expected first grandbaby came in June and we were thrilled!! As I regained strength and my immune system recovered we could go to church and I loved rejoining my friends in my Sunday School class. And then came the great news from my doctor that I am in remission. The fall and holidays have been spent enjoying beautiful weather and making preparations for the new baby and my Sweetheart's retirement in 2012!!

We have been so blessed this year and we thank God for all that He has done in our lives. We are ready for a wonderful new year!

I hope you and those dear to you will have many blessings and joys in this New Year.

Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, wishing you and your family a most wonderful Christmas!

In the words of Tiny Tim "God bless us, every one!"

In My Sewing Room

It's been cold and rainy...perfect for sitting in my cozy sewing room and creating. Here are some receiving blankets and burp cloths from last week's work.






 And my personal favorite!

Despite what I said, I couldn't let the season pass without a little Christmas sewing so I made some mug rugs for friends at church and enjoyed every minute of working with the reds and greens and just seeing what developed!



Hope you and yours are enjoying this time leading to Christmas and you are having happy stitching days!

 

Doing a Happy Dance :)

I was beginning to feel like the perfect poster child for "Technology for Dummies." For several months I had struggled to stay on the internet and opening my favorite quilting blogs, staying on long enough to read and then commenting was a nerve-wracking experience. My Sweetheart updated my computer, did some cleaning out and clearing and I organized and updated my favorites...no change. I kept thinking maybe it was Blogger (many apologies...it wasn't.) Many days I'd start to blog and then give up in exhaustion. Yesterday morning I just couldn't connect at all so I called our phone company and they tried a number of things to fix the problem from their end. They finally decided to send a technician who came within two hours and pronounced it was their equipment...the modem had died!!! Of course, it was out of warranty but we didn't care. A new modem was installed and I can get on the internet, open blogs immediately, comment and even post without restarting the connection every couple of minutes!!!
I'm so relieved it wasn't me doing something wrong...and so grateful for the quick service from Windstream. Hopefully I'm back in business and can read, comment and blog more frequently without the aggravation! I'm doing a happy dance today :)

Hope your day is full of happy dancing,

Thanksgiving is over and the holiday was wonderful.  We had a family dinner and spent the day being thankful for all of our blessings.  This past year has been filled with difficulties and joys but always the assurance that God has everything in His hands.  I am so thankful for God's love and my salvation through Jesus Christ, for my precious Sweetheart who is loving, faithful and a man of character, for my dear daughters and their husbands who are a source of joy and pride, for the coming grandbaby who already has her special place in my heart, for health restored, and for extended family, good friends and my church family who bless my life. 

I haven't been blogging but I have been sewing.  I'm so pleased with the little quilt I made for our expected granddaughter.  I wanted something small to match her newborn size and something in colors to match the pink and lavendar chosen by her mother for her nursery.  I also wanted the quilt to look like the old quilts I treasure and loved as a child...all wrinkled and snuggly.  I did machine quilt for durability expecting this quilt is the right size to be dragged around by a toddler and washed often :) 

It's been laundered and is folded hanging on the end of a little white crib waiting for a baby girl to use it :)

  

The stack of sewing is getting smaller but there are burp cloths, receiving blankets and bibs to finish before I try my hand at some "dressy" diapers.  Also there's a little Winnie the Pooh quilt top calling out to be finished.  No Christmas sewing this year...but, of course, I don't mind. 

There's frost on the ground today and this week should be chilly...highs in the 40s and 50s and beautiful sunshine.  We are having a cycle of rain each week and it is so desperately needed and much appreciated. 
Some of the ponds are beginning to refill and the ranchers are happy to see the water.  The drought has been extreme in Oklahoma...rivaling the 1930's and the Dust Bowl.  Oklahoma is a state of weather extremes...one day a couple of weeks ago we had tornadoes and a record breaking earthquake all at the same time...but life here is never dull.

Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday and are looking forward to the Christmas season.

Many blessings and happy stitching to you,

Glorious Fall

Days pass quickly with so much to do. I've had some trouble with blogger making it difficult to post, read blogs and comment. I'm considering moving back to LiveJournal where I have kept an account. To my blogging friends, please know I'm reading your blogs but commenting isn't working.
The more I work with it, the more frustrated I am and that interferes with the joy of blogging. I'm also in the process of prioritizing and simplifying...making sure I concentrate on what is most important in life and allowing myself to be creative without obligation or comparison. What I love most about blogging are the lovely friends I've made and the enjoyment of their creativity and shared love of family and crafting.

Our cold front came through with gusty north winds and it's sunny and gorgeous today...the air is crisp and golden. There may be frost on the pumpkins tomorrow night! Now if we could have a few rainy gray days, life would be perfect.

I had a great time at Stamp Camp last night. We didn't make Halloween cards so I'll just make some on my own. But the cards were very pretty and I'll enjoy sending them. Here are mine.



We also tried a paper coloring technique using foamy shaving cream and two colors of blue ink. The result is paper that resembles a storm sky or a stormy sea. Every piece is different. It's messy but amazing...and lots of fun.

More sewing today while a pot of chili simmers for supper. Looking forward to a good supper and settling down with my sweetheart to watch another episode of FRINGE. Our daughter recommended the series and gifted the dvds and we watched the first episode...we're hooked!!!

Tickled Pink!

We are so happy!  The doctor says our grandbaby is a baby girl!!!!   The expectant parents are delighted since that is what they were praying for and the entire family is thrilled.

Now the sewing REALLY begins.  I've stocked up on pinks and have visions of ruffles and bows.

I'm off to the sewing room to work on the pink border for the pastel Pooh quilt.  Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings. 

Have a wonderful day,

Ready for Fall!

Labor Day is past and I'm so ready for fall.  We got a little taste of it this weekend when temperatures fell into the 60s at night and 80s for the day...goodness, I had to put on a sweater...quite a contrast from 106!!  We are still praying for rain and for our friends and family in Texas where wildfires are taking lives and homes. 

I finished the first baby quilt. This quilt is meant to be a play quilt...to put in the playpen or on the floor so I made it with higher loft batting and tied it.  My friend, Barbara of Pinelands Treasures, had blogged about her tied quilts and was so generous to explain the process to me.  I was reminded of how my babies used to love to take those tiny fingers and feel of textures so I thought the little ties might appeal.  I really enjoyed tying the quilt especially since this is a very traditional way of finishing a quilt.  I will definitely using tying again. 

I'm still working on the little soft green, yellow and white baby afghan in a shell pattern.  

Hope you had a nice holiday weekend and will have a great week.  Blessings to you and yours.

 Karen



Time for Football!

We've survived the hottest summer in Oklahoma history and a wildfire on our red dirt road this week that came very close to our property...so close I had the car packed and keys in hand.  Sweetheart flew home from work in OKC and we monitored all afternoon...no electricity for many hours as the fire burned utility poles.  Many thanks to the firefighters from surrounding communities (many of them volunteer), sheriff's department, police and tribal police and caring neighbors who warned and fought the fire as well.  About 300 acres on our road burned but only one house (being renovated so no one there) and one barn were lost.  Wildfires are burning across our state daily and only rain will help us.  We are praying fervently!

BUT.....in the face of all this, there is always the promise of fall and football!!!!   High school football in Oklahoma is almost an obsession and college football is all-consuming.   We are big OU Sooner fans so we are looking forward to tomorrow's game with the University of Tulsa.  OU is ranked #1 in the nation in the pre-season polls.  I'm a graduate of the University of Tulsa but I'll be cheering for OU!!! 

I have more news and projects to show but I'll save that for another day. 

Meanwhile, can you hear me  "BOOMER SOONER!  GO OU!"

Wishing you a wonderful day and many blessings!

One Flower Wednesday

I am excited to have joined One Flower Wednesday hosted by Karen.  The idea is to post finished hexagons finishing at least one each Wednesday.  I've just joined so I'm posting some of my latest finishes with more hexagons waiting to be sewn together.  Here are several of my hexagons.

Years ago I made a number of VERY LARGE hexagons and I found them a few days ago while cleaning out a box of UFOs in my sewing room.  Each flower is 16 1/2 inches across and is hand sewn without using paper templates.  These have to be 25 years old as I made them while sitting outside watching my younger daughter riding her tricycle and playing outside (she is now 28 years old!!)  Guess I've loved hexagons all my life!   Pardon the wrinkles...I didn't press them before taking the pictures.  I think I'll have to sew them together and make a table topper or small quilt. 

Thanks, Karen, for the encouragement to finish a new hexagon each Wednesday.  

Many blessings and a happy stitching day to all.

Joy!!!!!!!!!!

There's lots of joy in our little home on our red dirt road.  Maybe these pictures of my latest purchases and projects will give you a hint :) 

Our baby is expecting a baby!  Our younger daughter, Maggie, and her husband are expecting their first baby in early February.  And this will be our first grandbaby!  Many of you will understand the joy we are feeling.  I dearly wanted our two babies and delighted in them.  I've been told that the joy of a grandbaby is that delight multiplied many times over and I can't wait for that experience.  

So other projects will have to wait while I indulge in knitting and crocheting tiny sweaters and hats, sewing bibs and burp cloths, making diaper covers and baby quilts and helping my sweetheart refinish saved baby furniture including Maggie's own bassinet and the bedding I made for her. 

We won't know the baby's gender until fall so, for now, I'm using mainly yellow and green as I did for my own girls (back in the days when you didn't know gender until the baby arrived!) but I'm going to do a bit of  pink and blue just because.

Thank you for understanding while I do my happy dance and, from time to time, share my "grandmother passion!"

My choice in Christian music is gospel and my favorite Southern gospel group is the Southern Prophets out of Patrick Springs and Stuart, Virginia.  You can hear a sample of their music here and see them here and here.  One of their songs I love is "Drinking From My Saucer."   This is the chorus:

"And I thank God for all His blessings on me

And the mercy He's bestowed.

I'll keep drinking from my saucer, Lord,

Cause my cup has overflowed."

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings on our family. 

Praying that your blessings will abound and that you will be drinking from your saucer as you keep stitching.

Karen

God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July!!  What a privilege to be an American in the "Land of the free and the home of the brave!"  Thank you to all those who founded this republic and those who have served to protect this country and preserve our liberties.  I pray that God will continue to bless America.

The month of June just flew by!  May was a month of real recovery and June has been a month of gaining strength.  In fact, I have felt so much better that I slowly cleaned the house...such a pleasure to get things back to normal.   Most of my time was spent on the house with just a little bit of sewing.  I got a number of hexagons made for the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  Those little hexies are the perfect project for evenings when I'm tired after housework. 

I did have my "Betsy Ross" moment this month!! Actually many moments as I completed this flag wall hanging made from a Connecting Threads kit.  Sewing so many curved seams and matching the seams on the long rows was a challenge...spent lots of time taking out stitching and repositioning but I'm so happy with the final project.  Here's the little quilt hanging on our front door.

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Memorial Day 2011

On this Memorial Day we remember

It's the soldier, not the reporter who has given us

Freedom of the Press.

It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us

Freedom of Speech.

It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the

Freedom to Demonstrate.

It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the

Right to a Fair Trial.

It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag,

Who gives the protestor the right to burn the flag.

~Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Heavenly Father, please bless all those who have served and are serving our country in the uniform of our armed forces sacrificing their time, fortunes and, often their lives, to keep protect all of us.  Bless their families and give them strength and comfort.

May we be vigilant in preserving the foundational beliefs and heritage of the United States of America, restoring the liberty with which we were blessed, and protecting this great nation from her enemies, both at home and abroad. 

Best wishes on this Memorial Day,

Karen

Still Strippin' and Stitchin'

With that title I feel a little like Eleanor Burns "Still Stripping After All These Years!" These scrap strips are such fun...think I'm addicted :) It's so nice to be able to start and stop without losing my place in a pattern. I have my little Featherweight on a small table in the living room so I can sew awhile and then rest on the sofa awhile.

I work on these triangles with the white centers that form stars once the block is sewn together. 










Then I make a few of these strip blocks.













 When I want to do something different, I work on the Grandmother's Flower Garden hexagons.

Or I cut 2 1/2 " squares for the English paper piecing. 

This was a difficult week for many people in the midwest.  Tuesday was Oklahoma's turn for the severe storms and tornadoes that have been so destructive this spring.  We are so thankful for the skilled meteorologists who warned us for several days that Tuesday would be a very dangerous weather day.  The media was conscientious in broadcasting warnings from Sunday through Tuesday morning to be alert and aware.  The prediction was for storms to begin to develop early afternoon and, exactly on cue, storms fired up in western Oklahoma and moved into central Oklahoma mid-afternoon.  Our meteorologist daughter, Maggie, and her husband were storm chasing and kept us updated.  Sweetheart left work early to come on home...many businesses, medical facilities and even state offices closed early fearing that storms would come into metro Oklahoma City at rush hour.  A tornado passed just north and west of us but we had no damage. Two tornadoes just missed Maggie's home...one about 2 miles north and another about 2 miles southeast...both did tremendous damage.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the ten people who died and all of those who lost property and precious possessions.  Our hearts go out to all those across so many states who have been affected by the tornadoes and floods. 

Wishing everyone a nice Memorial Day weekend.  Hope your holiday includes some stitching time!

Blessings,