Vaccine and a road trip

 March 3rd we got our second vaccine shot. So thankful we got it. Mel didn't have any side effects but I did. I had chills, body aches, fever and I was tired. It lasted just over 24 hours.

This past Wednesday my friend called me at 9pm. She told me we are going on a road trip. Brubakers sewing is having a sale! It is a Mennonite store west of us that has quilting fabric and they sell Bernina machines and longarm machines.  They carry many of the name brand fabrics that quilt shops carry for half the price. It was a beautiful sunny day and off we went. Lots of laughs. We always enjoy going there and talking with the people. I found fabric for a low tone quilt I want to make. It was a delightful day. We made plans for another quilt shop road trip. A new shop that has opened just east of us. Carol and I are good at getting in fabric trouble.Unfortunately, Linda could not join us. She recently changed jobs and could not take a day off. 

We have been having wonderful weather for March. Many days in the 60's with lots of sunshine. Then a day with a dusting of snow only to be gone by noon. I am so looking forward to warmer weather. I downsized my flower gardens last fall. I still have to work to do on them and I do look forward to get them finished.

Three years ago my friends, Sarah and Dorothy and I decided to make the Farmers Wife quilt. We divided the blocks into groups of 3. We each made 3 of each of our blocks in our section. We each worked on and off on those blocks. Some did the templates some did the paper piecing of them. This past January I said it's time we finish them. We each had about 6 more to do. The fist part of March we got together and did the exchange. Now it is time for us to each put our quilt together. Of course, Sarah had hers put together in a few days. I haven;t started putting mine together yet. I have projects to finish.

Enjoy spring, which is my favorite season. 

Hugs and happy stitching.

Sadness and that darn controlling Covid!

 So much to post about I don't know where to start.

December was a sad month. We lost a dear friend. She had lung and brain cancer. She smoked back in her teens . Two years ago she woke up confused. Her husband thought she was having stroke. At the hospital it was discovered she had cancer. They did brain surgery and she recovered well from that. Her lung cancer was stage 4. She went through treatments. They were wintering in Gulf Shores when this happened. They stayed there to continue her care. They sold their summer home here in Wisconsin and bought a condo down there. She was the most wonderful friend. I miss her.

Christmas was different. The kids picked their gifts and left our gifts. We each had our own Christmas. I missed everyone being here but it was for all of own health. I really miss the hugs. In spite of being alone we did have a nice Christmas. I do have to admit that I did not miss making a big meal for everyone. 

January brought sadness. My cousins granddaughter (7 yrs old) was having dental work done. (pulling a few teeth) Once they had her sedated she coded! She was taken to the nearest hospital and then air lifted to the children's hospital in Milwaukee. She was  on life support and was having brain seizures through out the following 2 days. A few days later they were told she was brain dead and it was time to let her go. I just can not imagine how difficult that was and still is and will continue to be. Rest in peace Jocelyn!

Mel had his cancer check up. His PSA numbers are in the negative which is awesome! He will continue to have 3 more hormone injections. He is doing good. He has trouble walking any distance and does fall. So far no serious injuries,but, it still is worrisome and scary when it happens. His anxiety and depression is under control. We haven't had days that we are not getting sleep  because of an anxiety attack for almost a year. 

It's been a year since this covid-19 started. Staying home has become the norm. I mainly only go out for groceries and to pick up prescriptions.  I'm not at the quilt shop since this started.  A few galls still work with Kari. I go in to pick up the Block of the Month pattern each month. Then we do a zoom to get updates and discuss the pattern. I do miss seeing everyone. A group of us have been also been working on the Farmers Wife quilt. We are in the home stretch of completing the blocks. We started this about 2 years ago and then took a break and now we are finishing the blocks. Next week we will do our block exchange and then put our quilts together. Finally!

We are missing our southern winters. Our friends bought a home in Lake Havasu City that also has a guest house. We have been invited to spend the winter in their guest house. It is a 2 bedroom home with a full kitchen, 2 baths, laundry room and a private patio! Sadly we won;t be going. Not with covid still raging. It would mean stilling in hotels until we got there and we won;t do that. We have also been invited to Florida to spend time with friends there. Again, covid!

Today is it -20 and we have wind chills of -38to -40! Good day to stay home. We had a scare this week with our son John. He was tested for covid and thankfully it came back negative. I made chicken soup and cookies and did a porch delivery to their home. Once he got his results I told him, jokingly, to bring back the soup! LOL! We got our first covid shot this week and we are set for the second one. No reaction this time.

Take care, Stay warm. 

Hugs and stitches!

It's a crazy world

 Well, the election is over and time to move on.  This pandemic has everyone going crazy. We have those that believe it is a real pandemic and those that don't. Our numbers in Wisconsin keep going up. I heard the other day the our area, Wausau/Weston, is rated at number 8 in the country for a HOT SPOT. Since last February the only place I have gone is for groceries and to pick up Mel's prescriptions. I have met up with friends in a park and had lunch. Sitting 6 feet apart. The weather has changed and doing that is no longer an option. Although, one friend said we could pick up our lunches and met in parking lot, eat in our cars with the window down and visit. LOL!

Our Thanksgiving will be a quiet one. I will make a turkey breast and a small ham along with all the fixins for just Mel and I. Our son, John is making the family stuffing and will Drop some off Wednesday night for me to make here. I will make dinner rolls and pies and give them some of those in return. 

I keep busy doing things around the house that need to be done and of course my quilting. I worked on a quilt called Cathedral Stars. What a fun quilt.

I have also been been doing quilting on my Bernina. What an awesome machine. I love the stitch regulator. Working with that and doing ruler work is a real pleasure.

Hours have been reduced at the shop and back to doing curbside pickup. If someone really needs to come in for picking out fabrics they make an appointment. It is sad that this has to be done but we all need to be careful. Kari got the virus in spite of being ever so careful. Thankfully she had a mild case. Another quilt friend lost her mother to Covid-19. She also caught it from her mother. She didn't need to go the hospital but said it was horrible. She had never been so sick.

Happy Thanksgiving! Stay home, stay well. Next year we can celebrate with all our family and friends.

Hugs and keep on stitchin!

Catching up

 Mel has finished his radiation treatments for his prostrate cancer. When you think about going to the Cancer Center everyday for 8 weeks, it seems daunting. The time went amazingly fast. I would drop him off at the door and park. I took a book along and would read while watching for him to come out. Treatments took about 15 minutes and he would be out in 25-30 minutes. While reading I would watch for him but sometimes I would get so involved in my book I would miss him coming out. Since he can't walk a far distance we came up with a plan on the second day. He would take my extra key flop and click my door locks when he was on his way out. By the time he got to the door I was usually there waiting for him. On Tuesdays after his treatment he would see the cancer DR.. Tuesdays would be about an hour appointment. They would go over his vitals and ask him about any side effects. The main side effect is diarrhea. After 3 weeks he had that. Medication took care of that right away. Thankfully. Once he was finished with the treatments we waited 3 weeks to see the urologist and have a PSA test done. His PSA is now minus 0.1!!! He also got his second of 3 hormone injections. The hormone injections shrink the tumor. The side effect of those are hot flashes. I just smile at him when he states, "it sure is hot in here!". As women we know, you never get a hot flash when you are cold. He always says he is cold in and wants one then. He has been having some back pain and we asked if this is side effect. They haven't heard of that happening. Due to that his walking is a little more unstable. He also has balance issues which he has had for awhile now. He has fallen but thankfully he hasn't had a serious injury. He will see the cancer DR in January and have another PSA at that time. So far we are going in the right direction.

Here in Wisconsin our Covid-19 numbers are rising by leaps and bounds. Just this past week our county has risen by over 600 new cases!! We have over 1200 active cases. We mainly stay home. I go out for groceries and that's all. I am not working at the quilt shop during this. I miss the people I work with and the customers. We have decided with the way the numbers are going up here we will probably not be able to have family gatherings for Thanksgiving nor Christmas. Sad but being safe.

My back and leg problems have gotten worse and I have made changes. I tried to weed my flowerbeds but I just can't do it anymore. I weeded for about an hour and I could barely walk for a couple days I hurt so badly. I made the decision to downsize my flowerbeds. My biggest one by the second garage is done. I contacted people and they came and dug up the plants they wanted. My friend, Angel, who is an angel, came and moved the remaining plants to where I wanted them. She put down the weed stop fabric and planted the hostas and sedums along the side of the garage. It looks great. The holes from plants being dug up were filled and new black dirt was put down for the grass seed. In the spring the flowerbed that is along the back fence will be done. I am so thankful for Angel's help. My newsest problem is my guy that cleans up the leaves in the fall and spring has quit doing that. I have called numerous places and gotten estimates over 400.00!!!! He never charges me over 200.00! I am not sure what I am going to do. We have a new neighbor behinds us and he is also looking. His girlfriend has a Mennonite place do hers and he is going to get information. He also needs his done. Hopefully it works out for both of us.

Yesterday we awoke to snow! It wasn't much. Just enough to track an animal. It was melted by 10:30. I am not looking forward to snow and the cold at all. We both miss our trips to AZ for the winter.

I have been quilting and working on many new projects. Two years ago I won a set of Westlee quilting rulers. I played around with them. Then, I found a shop that was giving instructions on them. I started going and then Covid-19 hit. I was able to purchase the training instruction manual and proceed. The manual was quite expensive but well worth it. When I got my Bernina B570 it also came with Bernina stitch regulator. I love that for the free motion quilting. I bought the ruler foot for the machine also. It works fabulous with Westllee rulers. 

Enjoy your day. We have sunshine today and I am loving it.

Hugs

 

Wisconsin "Stay at Home"

We are entering month 2 of the "Stay at Home" in Wisconsin. We can still go out for essentials, go for walks and drives. The hardest part is not being with family. We can see them...from a distance. As we deliver items to each other, we stay a safe distance apart. I have taken masks I made to the kids and we do exchange things we cook or bake.
We did go out for a drive. We call it a "Field Trip". Through the country roads to pick up quilt items that we arranged a head of time. Then we drove more country roads into a town. Drove about the town. Stopped for some carry out food and headed back home down more country roads. It was a beautiful sunny day. It was good to get Mel out of the house. He doesn't leave the house much at all. Since his few mini strokes he has balance and walking problems. Walking any distance is difficult for him. He prefers to just stay home.
Mel's hormone injection has taken affect and he has HOT flashes. It is rather funny watching him experience these. We laugh together as he asks how I got though those. He is feeling fine but anxious about the radiation treatments. We will get through this together.
Stay well and healthy!

Cancer Center

Mel has his appointment had the Cancer Center. Dr Platta is his doctor. I couldn't go in with him but I waited in the car and they called me and I was able to hear what was going on and ask questions. It was a long appointment...2 hours!  Dr Vivano had told us most of the treatment plan. Dr Platta was very informative. Treatment will start 6 weeks after the hormone injection. He will go back the end of May. At that appointment he they will map out his prostrate, give him tattoos to mark the radiation sites and make a mold of his body. The body mold will make sure he is placed in the same position for the treatment. He will have 40 treatments. Treatments are Monday through Friday for 8 weeks. No weekends or holidays. They will take about 20 minutes each time. On Tuesdays he will have a treatment and also see the DR and have lab work done. The Dr is available anytime he needs to discuss and problems he is having. Few do have side effects. Most common is diarrhea after about 2-3 weeks but it does subside in about a week. Burning and difficulty urinating but they have drugs to help with that. He will need to take calcium and vitamin D3. We can set it up to go in each day at own schedule. Going in each day is the part he is having a hard time with. I'm sure once we get our schedule going he will adapt.

Hormone injection and The Gleason Scale

We saw the urologist and Mel got his hormone shot. The shot decreases his testosterone. The side effects are hot flashes. So far he has not had any. We discussed the upcoming appointment with the cancer center. I asked about this type of cancer and if it was graded in Stages. It is not. It goes on the Gleason scale. The Gleason scale goes from 1-10. Mel is at 8.

We will see Dr Platta at the cancer center this week. We are to expect radiation treatments to begin. He will go everyday M-F for 7-8 weeks.

With this virus going on it is scary thinking about going to a medical facility. I have been making masks like crazy. Sent masks to CA, MN, and MS. I have masks for the family and have friends calling asking for them. I have made over 300 masks so far.

Today is Easter and we wish everyone a very Happy Blessed Easter.  

Scans

Hubby had his bone scan and his pelvic scan done. On the day of the bone scan it went fast. He only had to walk a short distance from the waiting room. He can't walk any distance so that was good. The next day he had his CT Scan. The lady brought a wheel chair for him to take him back. He went back to a prep room and drank the "kool-aid" and got his IV put in. After an hour a young man took him back for the scan. After it was done the young man walked him back. It was a long way to walk and by the time he got back to the waiting room he was having a hard time walking and was out of breath. Mel said he needed the wheel chair but they didn't know where it went. We sat in waiting room for about 15 minutes before he felt strong enough to leave. As we got up to leave a man brought a lady to the area on a electric golf cart. He asked if he needed a ride and Mel said 'Please". He took him to the door and then we only had to walk about 20 feet to the car. When we got home he was wore out. When he went in for the CT Scan he asked about a scratch test and they said he would be alright. He never had one before and was concerned about the contrast. Well, guess who had a reaction to the contrast? He did. Big time. He had hives all over his torso neck scalp, arms and some on his butt. We went the walk in clinic.  He was put on Prednisone. He can't take Benadryl   because of his prostrate. It took awhile but it clear up. He was miserably. He couldn't sleep cause he itched so bad.
The following Monday he had an appointment with his DR, They called early in the morning to say his appointment would be canceled and the DR would be doing a phone appointment instead. Any patient over 70 are getting phone appt's. due to the virus. Dr called and his scans were clear! Yeah! That was great news. He will see the DR next week for hormone injection. Then 2 weeks later we will go the Cancer Center to see cancer radiologist. We are told it would be 7-8 weeks M-F of radiology treatment. 40 treatments!! As this virus gets worse around the country we will see how his treatments play out. Hopefully everything can go on schedule.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well. We are going through some scary times. Unless we have an appt we stay home. We have some good people that bring us what we need. I did have to go out to pick up Rx's for Mel and I did stop and get a few things at the grocery store. Our son works as an IT tech and travels all over the state. The company he works for will keep the techs on the road as they can. Our son got an email from the company CEO telling the techs that while they are out they should be selling products because "PROFIT" is important. Not the employees health, PROFIT!!!!  This week so far he hasn't had any work because most companies are canceling service due to the virus. I am glad to hear that. He can't come by us since he has been on the road and doesn't know if he is infected. We pray he is not.

Stay well and pray for America and the whole world!

The dreaded call

The Doctor called to let us know it is cancer and unfortunately it is the more aggressive one. Mel with have a bone scan and a pelvic ct scan next week. After that we will see the  DR and discuss radiation treatments and hormonal treatments.  It is an unsettling feeling we are going through, but we will get through this.
I will use this as a place to journal.

Pot Holes

After hubby guy had his mini stroke and then the surgery we went through many changes. Personality changes, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. It was not a fun time. Finally things smoothed out like a fresh paved road. Everything was going so well. Well, until his last blood test. His PSA was up to 28.6.  Normal is 0-4.75. Three days later we were seeing a urologist and scheduling a prostrate biopsy. He had his biopsy on Monday and now we wait for results. If it indicates cancer then they do further testing to see what cancer it is. It could be one of two types. One is a slow growing cancer that they do not do anything with it. Only because it is so slow growing the person will out live it. The second one is a fast growing cancer and will require medical attention. Although the DR did not state what the treatment was.

There were other concerns with his blood work this time but that is the one we are going to focus on for now. He is having panic attacks again and depression. Rough road with lots of pot holes right now.

On a good note. I had my one year recheck after my surgery last year and all is well. What a relief that was to hear. I will have rechecks now every 3 years unless something shows up again.
I was talking to my friend in CA. last night. I had shown her quilting and helped her get started when we were all RVing out in AZ.She told me everyday when see is sewing a quilt she thinks of me. How sweet. Actually, I realized that I think about the person who taught me most every time I sew also.

I post so little here that I thought since no one probably reads this anymore I could put some thoughts down to help me deal with "Pot Holes"

Nano second

Life can change in a nano second. Always be thankful for what you have. Enjoy the sunshine, rain, snow, cloudy days . Take time to enjoy every moment. Listen to the laughter of children and friends. Forgive.

Life changes

It has been a year of many changes.  As we get older change is sometimes hard to deal with but, we go on.
The New Year has in store for me a major surgery. I will fight all the way.
Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!
Hugs to all.

Gift card, a Quilt Shop & RV Quilter's

It has been crazy weather around here. We have had so much rain this year my toes are starting to web together. Angel was going to come over today to help me with some gardening stuff but the skies opened up and canceled our plans. I am having a hard time keeping up the flower garden due to my back and leg problem. I am currently doing the KST treatments, which seem to be the only thing helping me so far. PT made things so much worse. I could hardly walk and the medication I was taking made me ornery. LOL! Stopped taking that. Things are improving , thankfully.

For Mother;s Day my son gave me a gift card for  The Fat Quarter Quilt Shop.  Here is what I bought with it.

AURIfil thread!!! If you quilt , you know this thread is the cat's meow! Seams lie flat, low lint. Needed some pastel colors.

They also have 80 weight that is great for applique. This will work well with the applique project I am working on.

Great for tracing those pieces to applique.

Just because I thought this was a cute pattern.

In my last post I wrote about going to the Quilted Dog Quilt Shop In Colquet, MN.
Wonderful shop with a lot of quilts hanging around for samples. I didn't buy any fabric. I had just gone through and sorted out fabric and got rid of a lot. I did find these goodies though.

A pattern for these button boats! She had some made up in the shop and they were adorable. I bought the kit.

I love Red Button patterns. This was a kit that also included their buttons to go with it. A cute little table topper.

Last but not least, these adorable little wool projects. I love doing these. Sitting in the evening and doing hand stitching is relaxing for me. I also bought the holder for these.
I almost forgot.

I got these also. Thought they were so cute. I bought 2 more also. One for Jessie and one for her sister. I have quite a collection of quilting mugs. I bought a few of the Connecting Threads mugs in the 2 different colors, another form Primitive Gatherings and now these.

This past weekend Kay and I went to Plover to visit Antoinette's Quilt Shop. We were going to pick out the fabrics for our Judy Neumeyer pattern we are doing. We stopped at Cottage Cafe for breakfast. Great food and quite the story about the house the cafe is in. It is haunted. The owner told of the encounter they have with the ghosts that live i the house. Nothing bad. They polished a floor one night for them. LOL! The cafe also has Mystery nights. It includes a dinner and a ghost mystery. Much the same as a Mystery Theater. Sounds like fun. We enjoyed hearing her stories and we will go back. We are thinking our quilt group should do a mystery night. We did get our fabrics picked out and had one hilarious time doing it. Antoinette's is a great shop. You always feel welcomed there. The help is a hoot, if you're looking for help . It was a great day trip.

Melissa is working on the RV Quilter's Get Together. September looks to be when it will happening. She will have a date as soon as she gets all the info from the campground. This should be a lot of fun. So many of us are looking forward to it again.

You have a wonder 4th of July.

Piece!

Lying doesn't make you look smarter.

RVing and quilting

We left home Tuesday and headed west into Minnesota. Arriving in Cloquet, MN.. Jessie and LeRoy have been here sine Monday. A beautiful park on an island. No mosquitoes! The temps have been in the 80's during the day and 50's at night. Being by the water we are enjoying the time outside and being cool. The 2 sites next to us are also quilters. How awesome! Jessie, Judy and I headed out to the quilt shop. Quilted Dog Quilt Shop. What an amazing shop. So many samples made and many kits of them or you can just buy the pattern. I forgot my camera, darn it. I got a few wool projects, and pattern called "Button Boats". It is like a small dish to hold whatever. Cute and quite a simple pattern. I also bought a really cute coffee mug. I will take pictures once I get home.

I love going to "Trunk Shows". You learn so much from the designers and see their amazing work. I have gone to a lot of them. Locally in my home town and around Wisconsin and even one in Texas. Designers have so many interesting stories to tell and share much information about the craft ad they are so entertaining. I am looking to some that will be coming up around Wisconsin that I plan to attend. Kaye England is always a wonderful show. New to me will be Nancy Clark McNally, Judy Niemeyer, Linda Pool and a mystery show!

I am starting a another Buggy Barn Crazies. Hearts and Stars. It will be done in Lynette Johnson's fabric line. (Kitties) Looking forward to getting it done. I have also been working on card wallets and ditty bags. So fun and fast to make. Do you use scraps to make rag rugs? I just got a pattern and tool to make them. I can;t wait to try that.

I went through all my fabrics and sorted and folded. Decided what I woud keep and what I did not want anymore. I sent a good sized box to Katrina in Ohio. She is our friends daughter and does all her piecing and quilting by hand. Amazing workmanship. I will be going through books and patterns when we return home. This downsizing stuff isn't easy.

Have a wonderful day and week end.

PIECE!
The person you think is your enemy, may be the only person trying to save you!

The Search

We have always had a cat. I love cats. After our last cat was put down I said I can't do this again. Now, I want a cat again. I am starting a search.

Until the  "purr"fect one finds me, I will enjoy Crookshank and Wiggles our grand kitties.

This past week has been busy running around getting errands done and shopping for things we need. This weekend our roof is being done on our second garage. One of the guys that works for our contractor needed a weekend project. He arrived on Friday afternoon about 2. By 8:00 that night he had one side done.

We started the coach this week, It has been sitting in it's spot for a year and 2 months. It started right up. We took it out for drive. Mel is doing the un-winterizing on it now. We hope in the next week or two to head up to visit friends in northern Minnesota. We have trips in the planning stage. An RV friend we haven't met yet and only know through FB is wanting a get together. She lives in Michigan. We will plan out a trip to meet up sometime this summer.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend.
Till next time....Piece!

May is almost gone!

Time flies! Only 10 days left in May.
Mother's Day was great. We had a beautiful sunny spring day. DIL Rose and granddaughter Rachel came by. We had a nice visit and they brought me some wonderful gifts.

This plant hanger and a hanging plant. I love it. It even has a shelf to add another pot or whatever you want to put down there. Cool!

A cute bird feeder. I will hang it outside but not fill the feeder. We have so many squirrels the birds don't have a chance to get something to eat. I do feed the hummingbirds.

Now I can make 2 different pies in one. Mel loves apple pie and I love razzelberry. Now we can both be happy. How cool is that!

Later son John  and Sara came over. They brought flowers.

Pretty! I also got a really nice gift card from them from the Fat Quarter shop. I will post pictures when my goodies arrive.
John also came on Monday and brought us dinner. Sara had to work late. That was also really nice.
Mel took me out for dinner on Mother's Day. Then we had a quite evening.

Monday was crazy. We had guys here installing our new air conditioner. We are getting a new furnace and a/c. The past 3 years we have had to have the a/c re-charged. Time for a new one. The furnace is 18 years old so we may as well do that also. The furnace wasn't due in till Thursday but they had the a/c on hand so they came and installed that. Good thing. We had temps in the 80's  and very humid weather Monday through Wednesday. We used that a/c and it was fabulous. Thursday morning we woke to 38 degrees and turned on the furnace to heat up the house before the guys came back to install the new furnace. They arrived about 9. We had 3 guys here working all day. We actually had a lot of fun. I had made a rhubarb cake in the morning. I gave them each some in the afternoon. It is a recipe from my grandma. I have never seen anyone else make this and it is always a hit. The guys loved it. Once the furnace was installed Eric came to check everything out and do readings to make sure it was putting out accurately. The guys told him about the cake so I gave him some also. ( I got a call the next day asking for the recipe. All 4 guys wanted it.) Randy came back the next day with a case of filters. This new furnace takes a 20x20x4 inch filter. According to the manufacturer of our Ruud furnace we only need to change the filter every 9-12 months unless we have pets. Then it should be changed every 6-9. We don;t have pets so with the case of filters they brought the new one in the furnace we have a 7 year supply!

I am working a new system of cutting and piecing for quilting. I love the system and made a small project to try my hand at it.

It finishes at 25x25. The coolest thing about this is the points come out perfect every time.

I love this system and will be testing out another project with it. Flying geese come out perfect. I love this.

Saturday was a big day for our grandson Alexander. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin and has a degree as an engineer in paper science. He did 2 internships in Rhinelaner, WI and last fall was offered a full time job after graduation. He will move into his apartment soon and join the working world on June 1.

He is in the middle of the picture looking at us.

We are very proud of him.
Granddaughter, Rachel will graduate from UW Milwaukee in December with a degree in Journalism. She got her Associate degree in one year from the UW Marathon campus in 2015 and then went on to Milwaukee.She will complete her college education in less than 3 years!!

I am loving my Juki machine. I finally got my hand speed and machine speed together and can stitch 10-12 stitches per inch!  Perfect! I still have quilting rulers from when I had my longarm machine. I have also played with them on the Juki also. This is going to be an awesome machine to work on and do quilting.



****I will never apologize to you, for YOU being untruthful.  My attitude is a result of your actions. If you don't like me, blame yourself!



Piece!

A Crazy Busy Week

In our younger years we had a group of friends that hung out with every chance we could. Then life hits. Marriage, children and before you know it you just don;t get together much anymore and we each develop new friendships. Last we got together with Danny and Dawn was about 5-6 years ago. We got caught up in each others lives.  They were spending summers at Wisconsin Dells in their permanent trailer at a camp ground and traveling in their coach to Gulf Shores every winter. This past winter they came back to Wisconsin in December for a family situation. Dawn contacted me through Facebook in April. She said they were in Rib Mountain and we should get together. She called and when I asked where she was she said, " we rented a duplex over here on Big Pine in January". That is about a half a block away from me. We knew exactly where they were. We picked them up and off to lunch we went to catch up. We spent almost 6 hours doing just that. The following Friday they were driving back to Gulf Shores to pick up their coach and bring it back. Dawn brought her plants over for me take care of while they were gone. They came back for about a week. We got together again and now they off to South Dakota to visit friends till the 19th. We keep in touch most days. What a wonderful surprise to get reunited again. Mel and Danny go back a long way.

Last Thursday morning I got up really early, picked up "Chicklet" (Linda) and we were off to Beaver Dam to the Nancy's Notions warehouse sale. We had a blast. We each  found what we were looking for.

My "loot". The floor lamp was a door buster. ( will work well in our coach)  A circle cutter, pattern, 2 books, a travel bag for a travel iron that I also bought, coasters with quilts printed on them, steam a seam and 32 fat quarters. All for just over 100.00!!! Oh! and a bottle of Retayne. I need that if I am working with Red, dark blue or black fabric. I also saw a neighbor of mine there along with a friend from Madison.  After, we headed over to Applebees for lunch. It was a great day. Lots of laughs.

Friday, Sarah Bohman came over. We went through some fabric she was looking for. She stole my latest quilt top and said" I want to quilt this one!". She is awesome and a real hoot to be around. We both have dreams of going to Italy and we are actually getting a game plan together.

Saturday was quiet. I cleaned house, did laundry. Hung all the light stuff outside. My last 2 loads were jeans and towels. I went down to get the jeans out of the dryer and they were cold and wet. Arg! The thermal fuse blew! Happened about 10 years ago also. I hung the jeans on my drying rack. Called my neighbor and took the towels to her house to dry in her dryer.

Sunday was also quiet. I did some sewing and played with quilting on my new Juki machine.

Monday was my usual errand day. Got going early and was done by noon. My friend Melissa from the southern part of the state set up a group chat for planning an RV quilting retreat. We have about 9 people already signed up. Melissa did this last year and had 20 people. She said it got out of hand with that many. This year the most will be 15. We will have potlucks for lunch and dinners. Dinners will include our husbands. Melissa has 2 campgrounds that she is checking into that will work for our retreat. Looking at north of the Madison area. Makes for a central place for all to meet.

Tuesday was getting the rest of my errands done.You see, Tuesday is senior day at our grocery store. Gotta get that discount.  We also picked up the new thermal fuse and got the dryer put back together.

Wednesday I sewed all day. ALL DAY! It was wonderful. I have been working on some new things besides quilts. I am making these wallets. They are fabulous for credit cards, quilt shop punch cards and stashing money for those quilt shops.

It is amazing how much stuff they hold.

When we met with Dawn she was showing me a "ditty" bag she uses while she does her knitting. She also spins. She does the most beautiful knitting and you should see the beautiful yarns she spins. Anyway, she uses the ditty bag to put in a small project along with her needles and yarn. Wherever she is she can just pull out her project and work on it while leaving the yarn in the bag so it doesn't get dirty. Here is what those look like. I made 2.

The bag stays on her wrist while she knits.

Today, Lois are I are heading off to Paquette's for our annual plant shopping.

In between all of this, my daughter in law , Sara has come over to help go through everything in the house for downsizing. We have gotten a lot taken care of. We pack up things to go to Goodwill and things she and John want. I think she has taken more home than I take to Goodwill. I am not doing garage sales anymore so it goes to Goodwill. It is just to difficult for me to set them up with my health situation.  The house is sold  as soon as we are ready to surrender it to an easier life in an apartment or condo. Nice knowing we do not have to worry about that.

 Have a wonderful day. Till next time.... Piece!

BTW: soon I will be going through my quilting stuff and downsizing that also. Fabric, rulers, books etc.. I am trying to decide what to do with the items I no longer need. If you know of anyone wanting any quilting items they can contact me through this blog.

What happen! And quilting!

After a friend read my post she suggested I explain what happen to  Mel. About 5 years ago he had what we call a "mini" stroke. We were eating out when he tried to tell me something and his speech was  slurred to the point I could not understand him. Then after testing was done he also had a blocked carotid artery on his left  side. Surgery was scheduled. When we hear "mini" stroke we usually do not think much about it but, it is as dangerous as a full blown stroke.  It causes damage and changes to the brain. I noticed changes in him after the surgery. He had some personality changes and anxiety about things that never would have bothered him before. It got worse through the past couple years along with depression. We saw a neurologist that our doctor recommended. He said the brain goes through changes after a stroke. Most changes he sees are people either get overly joyous, tearful or depression and anxiety. Mel got the latter. Now that we found a drug that appears to be working for him, things are improving.  He is actually wanting to go places and see people.

I am still working on my quilting. I enjoy being able to sew and make quilts to share with my family and friends. I have been working on my Farmers Wife quilt. Slowly! Actually we have a group of 4 that are doing it. We divided the blocks up and we each make 4 of the blocks in the grouping we are in. One of the ladies found paper piecing patterns for them. She gave us all copies. I like to paper piece but I found these horrible to do. So I am doing it by using the templates. I also working on other quilts while doing this. Another friend, Kay and I are also doing a Judy Niemeyer wall hanging. She has a unique way of paper piecing and I know why it is suggested you take one of her courses to under her technique. Between the 2 of us we will figuring this out. LOL 
Here are a few pictures of some quilts I have made since my posts a few years ago.

 A table topper I made from fabrics I fell in love with. I just decided to make 9 patches and go from there.

 Using the Strip Smart ruler. A fun project.

My Daughter-in-law found this pattern. She picked out the fabrics. That's my handsome son John and his wife,  Sara, peaking around the other side.

More to come next time. Till then... Piece and Hugs

 

It has been a long time.

I has been a long time since I blogged. I went back and read all my posts. Wonderful memories. Then I thought, why not just use this as a journal. I really don't mind if anyone reads my words. I am not one to value myself on how many people read my blog or how many friends I have on Facebook. I am me.
So I will journal. Many of my thoughts. Some maybe nice thoughts and some may not be nice thoughts. But, they are my thoughts.
Last April (2016) we arrived home form a winter of snow birding the south. It was a good time. We spent a lot of time in Florida. We started out going to Mandeville, LA. to met up with friends for Christmas and the New Year. Worked our way east form there slowly. 
Once we arrived home in April we parked the coach and it has sat there ever since. We did take it out for rides, just to exercise it.  We spent the winter home. Mel has had some medical issues and it was decided we would spend the winter home. It was a long winter. Through the grace of God and our friends and family that came and helped, visited and just gave encouragement to Mel , the time went by. I has been a tough road. Not only for Mel but for me also. It is difficult when your spouse is 13 years older than you and is losing the ability to do so many things. Most upkeep around here was up to me. I did it the best I could. We had conversations about selling the house, moving into an apartment. Mel is not ready to do that yet. Although, I am. We have started to do some downsizing. I have taken many a load to Goodwill after our kids go through what we are getting rid of.
I still do my quilting. it is my "me" time. I enjoy it very much when I can get in my room and just create.
Mels health is slowly improving and I think we finally found the right medication. We are making plans for our summer trips. Our friends in northern MN are anxiously waiting for us to do a camping trip. We also have a trip to Iowa to see friends Ron and Jan. We will also do a road trip with them. We have other trips planned and we will see how many we get to.
I am looking forward to summer. Camping, seeing friends and relatives and traveling.
Till next time..... Piece!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas.
 May your day be joyous and may you find peace in your heart.