Wow! I love the pictures on my last post!

My last post was January 26, 2011. No I didn't fall off the earth, get kidnapped or anything else. That date was the day we put my Dad in a rehab center/nursing home. He had been in the hospital with pneumonia and congestive heart failure for about 2 weeks. We thought after a month of rehab he would be able to return home. That did not happen. Both my Mom and Dad are now in the Nursing home. They are in the same hall, but not the same room. My Dad's roommate is a younger man that is there due to not being able to walk and care for himself. Very nice guy that my Dad liked before he became a resident. So what did that mean for my husband and myself? The house without my parents also living in it made it too large for the two of us. We worked all spring and most of the summer trying to dispose of many years of collected stuff. That was not easy, because some things we didn't know what they were and if it was something we should keep or not. We had problems with too much rain in the spring and too much heat and humidity in the summer. That is why the pictures of the snow in my last post is something that looks nice to me.
Also during all of the sorting and cleaning I was designing
for Quilting Treasures, Little Golden Books - Shy Little Kitten
http://www.quiltingtreasures.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/ad70fc9ed7c752d15c7de07ece0db11b/download/shy_kitten_jan18.pdf

and Fancy Feline http://www.quiltingtreasures.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/fc7fbd11adbcbc17d727ce55abcd8614/download/fancy_felines_1_17_11_b2b.pdf

Several of my patterns are still on their web site.

When loved ones move to a Nursing Home it means going to where they are located as much as possible until they are settled.  Then there are the Care Meetings, fiances, popping in at unusual times to check on the care or lack of it.  Fortunately my parents are in a great facility.  We really like most of the staff and the head of the section really listens to what we say.  The down side is the middle of the night phone calls because of a fall and most of all seeing my parents go down.  Mom celebrated her 86th birthday today.  Early this year they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.  So I have been busy and looking forward again to the cooler weather of fall and winter.

Peggy

What? It is January 26, 2011?

The past two weeks have been lost....I'm sure. Actually not, but I have not accomplished anything. My Dad ended up in the hospital with double pneumonia and congestive heart failure. He was released today from the hospital and is now in the same Nursing home as my Mom. He is there for Physical Therapy and they think he will come home. I'm sure in one sense that will make him happy to be back home, but sad that Mom will not be coming home with him.

On to nicer news. This morning we woke up to a beautiful scene. It started snowing last night right after dark and must have snowed most of the night. Look at the trees. That snow is still on the trees, but will disappear soon.

It is so pretty and bright even with the clouds overhead.

I hope I don't loose any more days this year.

Peggy

I Want A Part II

I just watch the movie "The Notebook". Don't read all of the link if you have not seen the movie. What made me cry was what I saw and heard near the end of the movie and I started to write this post. Part II actual does happen at the end of the movie. I absolutly loved the way the movie ended.

Now why did this movie get to me so much. I'm a softy at heart.....I needed a good cry.....and

My Mom is in a nursing home due to the fact that she has forgot how to walk. She also has dementia. Some days she remembers the past and can talk about it. Other days she is living in the past, doing laundry, cleaning house and cooking dinner....all in her mind. Then there are the days Mom barely knows when we arrive at the nursing home. My Dad goes to visit her every day. Some days Mom is nice, responsive and even loving. Other days she says things or does something that hurts Dad's feelings. He is dedicated to her regardless of how she acts on any particular day.

The Nurses can see what my Dad is going through and do their best to cheer both Mom and Dad up daily. Many of the workers want to know where men like him are today. They want a man in their life as dedicated to them as he is to her.

I don't know the answer to finding that type of dedication other then honesty, working together for the same goal and love. That describes my parents and also my husband Bill and myself. I am so blessed.

Patchwork Times UFO Challenge

Procrastination is part of my makeup.....not the type we put on our face, but the makeup of our being. I always admired quilters who actually finished projects, but I have many, many unfinished quilt related projects. So I am going to join Judy of Patchwork Times UFO challenge. One finish a month done by the number listed and drawn each month.

So here is my list. Some are easy to finish,binding and label, but others will require planning, much sewing and maybe by the end of the year they will be done. I am doing this from memory, because I can not get to the containers tonight and still make the dead line for posting.

Here is my list:

1. Make a quilt using the red and white basket blocks.
2. Bind the red/white/blue Lover's Knot.....ignore the quilting as it was my first
time to use a quilting machine and it has polyester batting.
3. Quilt,bind and label green baby quilt.
4. Finish quilting, bind and label twin retreat quilt.
5. Remember Me Baby Quilt. Four blocks are complete, two blocks just need circles
and three need to be appliqued. Want to complete the quilt.
6. Finish portable ironing board cutting mat carrier.
7. Finish or give away oriental lady applique.
8. Finish piecing, quilting, binding and label Layne's quilt.
9. Finish cat quilt.
10.Finish original design quilt with the brown, gold and yellow green quilt. I know it
sounds awful, but it isn't.
11. Piece quilt in box 1.
12. Piece quilt in box 2.

Eleven and twelve are already cut and some of the piecing is finished. I don't remember the patterns, but they are scrappy and were from an exchange with a quilt group.

Wow! I know this is very ambitious, but I want to finish or get rid of items that I no longer want.

Relapse

I don't know what this "crud" (illness) is that many people have including myself, but I am really tired of coughing, phlegm and just not feeling good. It is not one of the flu's that the flu shot was to help, because my Dad had a flu shot and he has the same thing I have. Now it seems like Mom and Bill are both getting the same "crud". I hope not, but they both are getting something that is not normal.

My last post I thought I was getting better, WRONG!!!! I guess I was just forcing myself to work, but then I ended up stopping all sewing, working on the computer and just doing the general stuff around the house.

With the above said I am hoping the new year will bring us health and I can get back to working on patterns, quilts and making some money again.

Baby it's Cold Outside

Not only is the temperature down by 25 degrees from yesterday, it is snowing and is windy. I took my Dad into town, 18 miles away to see my Mom at the nursing home. I was to go help a friend today, but we cancelled that little trip. When we arrived in town we noticed that the roads were covered with snow, slippery and the first street we went by had an accident. So we just grab a quick breakfast and stopped to see Mom. Then we headed home. We had to detour due to an accident, but we made it without incident.

This is our first snow of the year and I am somewhat in the south. Many people do not know how to drive in the snow and many more just plan don't know how to drive. I am not fooling about that, because daily you need to watch for cars turning into your lane and going at least 15 miles per hour slower then you were going. The same was true today, but they didn't realize that slowing down was more difficult today.

The other problem was the number of pick up trucks that have rear wheel drive, with no weight over the rear tires. Bill, dh, has a pick up with rear wheel drive, but last week he purchased 480 lbs of sand in bags that was placed over his rear axel. So Bill made it home as well as Dad and I. We are glad to be here.

Bill is going to watch sports on his new TV and I am going to sew, because I am so far behind due to being sick.

Maybe I will have some pictures soon.