TA DA!!!!!!

I thought about this all night...I made and ripped and resized until I woke up this morning. I was so sure when I woke up this morning that I had cut the red inner border the wrong size. So I hopped out of bed, well as much as this body can hop, and cut new pieces. After I sewed half of the first one on, I realized I had the correct measurement to begin with. So much for my math skills!

Diane

Confetti

I have been doing some more work on the Confetti quilt that I showed in the last post.

I liked the green but agree with the comments. The green was just not quite right. I wish I had some orange to try, but honestly until last year while joining a group of ladies using orange in the challenge I didn't own any. I have some now but it is just various fat quarters, not enough of one for even the smallest borderette.

I drew this up in EQ and decided I like it pretty well, and the men in the house agree it looks nice. It is wonderful to get input from the guys as they give honest knee jerk reactions to each little change. "EWW Gross NO WAY!" or "That looks nice, but it is crooked" "yea that looks ok, when is dinner?"
LOL

Diane

Which one do you think?

I really wanted the green to be the inside border, but it just looks kind of flat to me. The red of course looks great. But...does it look great just because it is a stronger color? Maybe this top needs to be more subtle. Not everything needs to be in your face.

I just can't decide. HELP!

I already have one vote red (my oldest son) but he started out liking the green most.

Diane

Home

Home is such a wonderful word. It instantly makes me feel comfy and cozy and warm inside.

I can honestly feel how cozy my bed is and how cool the floor is under my feet when I think of home.

I am home now and I am so glad. I love being at home, and the older I get the more I love it. I have a feeling I may turn into a hermit and leave only when absolutely necessary. I will be the "crazy lady" down the street that wears funny clothes and a floppy hat and sings to herself on the front porch swing. Yes, I want a front porch swing. I have also always wanted a plastic flamingo in my front yard. Of course I will have to move from this neighborhood before I get the swing or flamingo. the HOA would have me arrested. LOL

I have spoke with Moma and she is getting stronger each day. She is not liking the fluid restriction she is on, but other than being thirsty she is good. Daddy on the other hand fell again. He is ok, but he is bruised and sore.

Living 17 hours and four states away is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I am not sure my marriage would have lasted if we had stayed in Houston. My husband has no desire to be there to live ever again. he would if he had to, but he wouldn't be happy. To me, my husbands happiness is very important. I am happy where ever he is, or at least can become happy.

The curse is when I want to see my family (this includes Ray's family) we are usually not able to go due to Ray's work schedule and the distance. Although with the kids pretty much on their own I am more able to travel with Ray and I will get to go to Houston more.

I have been sewing this morning...just putting blocks together that have been in a box for a couple of months.

Does this look familiar? I am hoping to get it to the top state by tonight. I want to play around with machine quilting this weekend...but we all know how the combination of my husband home for three days and me quilting adds up to...a big fat 0!

Oh well I can try anyway.

Later

Diane

still in Houston and I'm sad

Moma is still in the hospital and I am still taking care of Daddy.
Moma is doing much better. Actually she could have come home last night but she asked to stay another day or so. She is tired. Well I might be tired too if I had had the week she had.

Daddy is not having a good morning so far. He can't remember why Moma is gone and why I am here taking care of him instead of her.

My niece and her family came over last evening and brought dinner. Daddy really enjoyed it and the visit.

I didn't sleep much last night as this week is piling up on me. All I can do is wonder what will happen to them when I am gone. No I am not the only child, and no I am not the only one who loves them or cares about them. But I am the only one who has been here all week.
One sister only lives about ten minutes away, but she works so she isn't here. Another sister lives across town and in Houston across town means at least 45 minutes away with no traffic. That sister doesn't work, but I am not sure she drives much.
I on the other hand could be here except I live 17 hours away.

Daddy can't read the paper because the print is too small...he always loved reading the paper. I wonder if they print a large print edition?
He doesn't watch too much television anymore because he can't understand what they say. He loved watching the "idiots" (republicans) debate on the news. He LOVES every sport except cricket and soccer.
So Daddy spends most of his day sleeping or thinking. Telling me he used to work on cars all the time and race his truck and now he can't even drive one. He used to walk 6 miles a day and now he needs a cane to go to the bathroom. How he loved doing carpentry work and now isn't allowed to go into his workshop.
I learned yesterday my Daddy went to college! I never knew that. He went to the local community college after serving in the Army (Korean war) and took a 16 month class in carpentry. I always knew Daddy could build anything but now I know he actually studied it.

Moma may get to come home today but I won't tell Daddy until she is on her way here because it would make him anxious until she arrived.

Today is the day I have to decide if I am staying another week or going home with Ray. I wouldn't mind staying so to get Moma back up and around. But I really want to go home, for many reasons. Every time I come to Houston I remember why I left. Today I deal with guilt for not wanting to be here anymore.

Life is so stressful sometimes...
Diane

As Rosanna Rosanna Danna says...It's always something!

I surprised my friends in Mobile by showing up at the monthly meeting on Tuesday. I had such a wonderful day seeing all the ladies and getting hugs from them. I really do love these ladies.

We had a great Show and Tell session. These ladies are very talented.

My poor camera is so old it had a hard time getting the pictures before the ladies started folding them back up but I managed to catch a few beauties.

Wednesday morning a friend came to my hotel and picked me up to go to her house for an all day sew. We were having so much fun eating and laughing and sewing and people dropping in to say hi. I got a few patches sewed on my scrappy project before I got a scary phone call.

My sister calls me. Now to the average person a phone call from their sister may not be a big deal, but me, if I get a phone call from a sister it means either someone has died, or someone is dying.

It is my mom. She is not dead...turns out she is in the hospital having a heart cath done and the doctor as he is feeding the cath in nicks a piece of calcified plaque and her artery ruptures. I won't go into all of the gory details but needless to say I head back to my hotel pack my suitcases and my sweet husband cancels meetings and drives me to Houston. We left Mobile at 3:30 pm and arrived at St. Luke's hospital at 11 pm. I got to see mom in the ICU and headed over to check on my dad who I spoke to earlier and was a basket case. I get to Daddy's at midnight and he is really a basket case. He had mislaid his watch and didn't know what time was but was sure I was dead on the side of the road because I was suppose to be there by midnight at it was at least 4 or 5 am he was sure... He was crying, pacing the floor, nauseated, looked a fright. It took Ray and I a good hour to calm him down.

I decided right then and there Mom was being taken care of quite well at the hospital with all the doctors, nurses and family there she was good. Daddy on the other hand was not doing well alone so I am the self designated keeper of the Dad.

Daddy didn't sleep 15 minutes all night which meant I didn't sleep 15 minutes all night. Poor Ray was trying his best to catch a few minutes all wadded up on the love seat int he den ( the only place that had an air conditioner that Daddy wasn't pacing constantly). My poor husband is so wonderful. So I spent the day (Thursday) doing some cleaning and laundry while Daddy slept.

Daddy had a stroke in October and he has recovered very well but has a limp and balance problems and more than anything depression. He keeps telling me he can't do anything anymore. It really upsets him he can no longer drive, and with the balance problems he thinks he can no longer work in the yard which has been a lifelong passion. I can't do anything about the driving or his limp, but I am going to try to figure out how to get him back in the yard, even if it is just for 10 minutes to deadhead his roses.

Last night was a much better sleep as we took Daddy to the hospital to see Moma and he was up and active for several hours. By the time we got a prescription filled and dinner of his favorite hamburger and french fries, he was pretty much exhausted. I gave him his night meds and we chatted for another 20 or 30 minutes and he went to bed and as far as I know never got up in the night, which is unheard of for my dad.

I am praying today will be a better day for Daddy.

Last night when I got to see Moma she looked a lot better than she did the night before. She had color in her face and was able to talk with me. I pray she continues to get better.

I think with the horrible health issues my grandparents had and my parents now have I will start taking my Fish Oil pills and my baby asprin with regularity instead of "when I remember". I have great health now with no real concerns but so did my parents in their forties.

Later

Diane

Stale chips no more!

In our house we eat chips. Lots of chips. I HATE stale chips so I try to keep clothes pins or chip clips in a drawer in the kitchen. But we all know what happens to the clips huh? The go into the Witness protection program, because the disappear without a trace!

This video I saw on You Tube will help those of us who have missing chip clips and still want to enjoy fresh chips.

I am still without my computer. It has been seven days and I saw on the tracking site that it did make it to the Dell Center, but no word yet on the prognosis.

Just to prove I have been busy I will show you what I have been working on.

This is my niece's new sun dress. I made it reversible in case she gets a a hankering for a new look in the middle of the day.

I think she will be adorable in this! Correction she is adorable no matter what she wears.

Isn't this the cutest eye you ever saw? I promised her parents I wouldn't put her picture on my blog, but they said I could crop a picture so here she is!

I really need to go to bed...it is almost 2am and I am suppose to go shopping tomorrow...we will have to see about that.

Later,

Diane

Day 5

It has been five days since Fed Ex got my computer, and Dell said 7-14 days for me to get mine back. I hope they are right.
I am using Joseph's computer again. He is being very patient, but I know he would rather I didn't keep asking for his to check my email.

I have been sewing a bit on a summer dress for my niece HGF. Maybe I can load some pictures this evening when the sewing looks like something other than a mess.

later
Diane