Yesterday being the first day of 2012 I had planned to write a post.  That didn't happen.  First, I stayed up too late the night before chatting with new friends, so I was tired.  We went into town for breakfast and to see our adopted family.  Ashlee was working as our waitress and usually her husband brings their 11 month old son in so we can see him.  We were also hoping he would bring in his daughter so we could say good bye to her before she left to go home in AL.  We learn in chatting with Ashlee that she had been sick since we last saw her on Christmas day. She also told us her son was cutting his back teeth and is not sleeping or eating.  So the father, son and his daughter were staying home.

We did a little bit of shopping and then Bill decided to go see the rest of our adopted family.  We got home about10 or 10:30am.  I was sitting checking my mail and catching up on news when I heard noises in the back of the house.  I knew Bill was back there, but thought he was just doing something in the kitchen.   Remember I was tired and the conversation we had had in the restaurant didn't make me figure out the noise.  The noise continued so I finally got up to see what was going on in the back.

To help you make some sense of all of this a little background information is needed.  Bill and I thought we were going to move back in June.  We were bidding on a house, was going to have an auction at our house and we thought for a while we might be living in two different states for a while.  Packing would need to be done here and someone would need to supervise repairs that needed to be done at the house in WI.  We were shopping one day and saw a friend of ours was standing by the TV's.  He was buying a 50" TV for his child's family as their TV died.  He was telling us what an incredible buy the TV was and since a friend of ours works there we asked him about the TV.  He looked over the specks and agreed it was a good buy.  Since we had the truck and the back still had the sand in it for winter weight we went home to get the van.  This was going to be the TV for the new house and our other TV would stay here until we finished moving.  While at home I checked the TV out on the internet and it had good ratings.  We went back and bought the TV,  stored it in the back room and that is where it stayed.  Needless to say the house deal fell through and we didn't take the offer made on our house.  So the TV has been in the back room for over 6 months.

The noise in the back room was Bill getting the "new" TV out.  We had talked about this in the restaurant earlier, but I have been hearing that we needed to get that TV out for over a month.  So guess who had to connect the new TV!!!!  You are right, ME!  I knew it was wrong the first time,  so I tried again.....no luck.  We were trying to bypass the DVD player.  That could not be done and I could not figure out why Bill wanted it that way.  Then he said we could not use the DVD because he lost the remote.  I sat on the couch and looked over to the table and there was the remote to the DVD player.  Then he said he needed the other remote also.  He needed the remote to the TV to be able to put the TV in the right mode.  Guess what.  He no longer needs that remote.....new TV!

Well I did get the TV connected and it is a nice TV.  It has a better picture then the other TV.  Now do you know why it was so important to get the TV hooked up yesterday?  Wisconsin is playing in the Rose Bowl today.  It would just be a shame to have to watch that ball game on a little smaller, but still nice TV.

Today I guess I get to put the TV box away....move the old TV to a new home within this house and cook.  Well the cooking is started.  I put the ingredients for two loafs of bread in the breadmaker.  The dough should be ready to make into loaves shortly.  I don't bake in the bread maker.
I also have pea soup in the crock pot.  If Bill doesn't want that for dinner he can have left overs.  I already have had my breakfast, made a dessert for Bill last night, so once I get the bread into the loaf pans I can move on to other things.....like the TV and box.

Bill went to town.  He won't be back for a couple of hours due to the fact he must wait for a couple of places to open.

I do hope everyone has a great 2012.  I plan to continue to pack things we don't need and sell things we really don't need at all.  I am also working on some patterns.

GO BADGERS

Merry Christmas

Christmas being the celebration of the birth of Christ makes it an important day in many religions.  I hope all who celebrate Christmas remember  why it is being celebrated.

Bill and I are going to go visit our little adopted family today.  I must take food for Bill to eat, because his Gallbladder needs to be removed after the holidays.  So instead of all the great foods that will be offered today he will have mashed potatoes, peas that I will thicken the juice so he can use them as gravy and some gelatine.  If they have venison he may have some of that as long as it is a shoulder as it doesn't have much fat.

Need to get going, as I need to get things ready.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.  To everyone else I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your family and friends.

Peggy

Dad's Birthday

Today was my Dad's Birthday and he had a visitor in the nursing home. Layne is the 9 month old son of a very special family we have "Adopted" since our families live in other states.  This was Lanye and his 16 year old step sister's first visit with Dad.

I am mad at myself.  As I was leaving work today I was informed that I would be layed off or is it laid off at least until mid to late January.  I was shocked, but not really upset, by being layed off and forgot to visit Dad before going home.  I will see him tomorrow.  I guess he will just need to forgive me.

While I was driving the 18 miles home I was trying to decide what I wanted to do to help generate some more money.  Since it is winter and I need to get back to my quilt pattern designing, testing and launching them to get my business going again.  I will be offering some free patterns right here and announcing new patterns.  Actually I have many patterns ready, I just need to review them and maybe make a new sample. 

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Peggy

 

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.