New Quilts

I finished the binding on one and started and completed the other for a total of two additional quilts to be sent to TLC for Angels. These are really fun quilts to make! The colors in both of these just seem so cheerful to me and it was a nice feeling to have something COMPLETED!! Need to do more of that ;)

Never Ask

Never ask "what else could happen?". Why? You will find out. My youngest (and I) were up all Wednesday night because he was sick. He is much, much better today and headed to school. I just hope it either hurries through the rest of the family or stays away. I can't bring my brother here to recuperate if we are all sick!

My niece is scheduled for her cardiac surgery on Monday. The Dr.s say they don't find anything else and expect this to be a very straight forward surgery. She will probably still be there for another 4 weeks, but at least now her Mom has been able to join her. That is a very important part of the process, for both of them!

On a brighter note, I am all signed up for a scrapbooking retreat in April. I can hardly wait! I feel like I am in paper withdrawals. There hasn't been time for me to touch much of my scrap stuff lately. I have made a few cards, but not much else. I picked up 10 rolls from the developer so I really NEED to get busy :). I have gotten some sewing done though. Made great progress on Brandt's denim quilt and finished up a few in progress projects. That feels GREAT!

It continues

My niece was born yesterday, but they have determined that she has what is called transposition of the great artery. Basically her heart has some backwards wiring and so the blood recirculating has not been oxygenated. She will require surgery to fix this and she has been transported to another hospital and the surgery is scheduled for Friday. My SIL will be released from the hospital tomorrow so she can join her daughter.

If all of this seems a bit familiar, this is the same thing my nephew was born with last year. Now keep in mind, this is not genetic. Yeah right! They won't get me believing that anytime soon! It just means they haven't found the marker yet!

Busy, stressful, good

Today was THE day. Transplant day. My sister is receiving a kidney from my brother. Add to that another brother and his wife are at the hospital working to provide me with a new niece. There are some phone calls going back and forth today!!!

The great news is both my brother and sister are out of surgery and seem to be doing very well so far. They are tired, really exhausted is more like it, and have some recovery ahead of them, but so far, so good.

Last I heard, my SIL was being taken in for a C-section. Although I wouldn't wish for this, there is a time when it is just time and this was one of those. My SIL is in fantastic health and shape and will recover quickly. She also has the advantage of a couple of SIL who will be making certain her husband is taking proper care of her during all of this ;).

Well wishes and prayers are welcome, but the news so far is GOOD!!!

Black and White - love it!

I have finished my first rag quilt. It is a style I have wanted to do for a long time, but just haven't. This one is baby sized (36 x 48) and is headed to TLC for Angels. I just love the black and white contrast and can see myself doing this again very, very soon!

Out of the mouths of babes

I got the opportunity to watch that incredible football game Sunday evening - Colts vs Patriots. Toward the end there was a fantastic play by the Colts and it had me cheering. My youngest son, who is 8, turns to me and says "Let me guess, Peyton Manning's laser rocket arm?". The answer in this specific instance also happened to be "Yes".

I still have not stopped giggling about this. Anyone who ever doubts the power of advertising obviously does not have small children.

So, I need a goal?

I actually accomplished my goal of turning out the cookbook shelf. It is not empty despite how much I threw away. Infact, it is still pretty full. However, there are no longer books on top of books :). The next day I accomplished my mini goal of getting some things gathered and completely ready to mail. One more item off my "to do" list. However, on Friday, nothing! I sat and wondered what happened and realized that I hadn't actually made anything my goal for the day. How could I do something if I didn't know what to do? Hmmmmmm the long term problem seems to be defining itself right before my eyes! LOL!

After some thought, I made a mini goal for yesterday, and got it done! Now, I need to figure out what it is for today. Maybe even write a list of 4 or 5 and select on each morning with the flexibility to add to it as I think of things, but not pressure myself on getting it all done. Just one thing at a time.

Goals

I have given this quite a bit of thought and really think that I need to continue in the same vein as last year. If I can work each day on a task that I have put off or finish a started task/item then I will make a lot of progress and much more than I would have otherwise. To select a task daily to complete that is on my list of "projects". Not the entire project, but a step. Eventually, I hope, to be overwhelmed by my progress :).

So, right here I am stating that my goal for today is to turn out the cookbook bookshelf. I did a tiny bit of this before year end by removing the most obvious items. Cook books that I had not used in more than two years. However, this area needs more than just that. Tonight I will empty it, clean it off and selectively restock/organize it.

I am anxious to see how this process of daily goals goes and hope I am able to report a lot of success!!

Recent Comforghan

I completed the assembly of this comfortghan for a woman who's husband passed away and mailed it out just before year end. Didn't I get some beautiful squares to put together?

In Honor of Spc. "Doug" James Lee Bridges

This OPH Comfortghan is being mailed tomorrow morning to the Mother of a young man who was killed in Baghdad while on patrol. This is in honor of Spc. "Doug" James Lee Bridges. I hope she can find a small bit of comfort and peace in this time of loss.

Great Friends

I am very blessed to have some wonderful and amazing people as my friends. Unfortunately, it seems that some of them move away. I guess it is inevitable and part of life, but it is still a big bummer.

One of my very dear friends moved to Alaska. (For those of you that know me, can you see a pattern;)). I would love to see Gayle more often, but am able to keep in touch via email and occasional phone calls.

The other day a package arrived from her that I was not expecting. I opened it and found this beautiful advent calendar she had made. All of the stitching is hand done. She has to have spent hours on this. It is wonderful and I love it! Needless to say, the minute I opened the box and saw it I began to bawl like a big ol' baby. She really made me feel special and important. Thank you so much Gayle for the wonderful gift of your friendship!!!

In Honor of Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker

This OPH comfort afghan is being sent to the parents of Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker. I can not imagine the pain of their loss and the difficulty this time of year must bring. I truly hope they find some comfort in knowing others care.

Basketball

We went to the season opening game for the Idaho Stampede basketball team. Well, I use the word team loosely as they really seem to be a bunch of guys who want to shoot the ball, but not play defense or follow through on any of the shots. They have some potential, but the game we saw was a bit sad.
My youngest son had a fantastic time and I think this is going to turn into a good family activity for us. With the age gap of the boys and that the whole family (except me) is boys and all our varied interests, finding things we can all enjoy is a bit difficult. This one seems to be a winner!

Got Flowers?

I love, love, love the Prima flowers. I know, you are wondering what I do with them with a house full of boys. I have gotten pretty creative about using flowers, ribbon and sparkle on my scrapbook pages. I also have two (soon to be three) nieces so that helps :). For cards they are always a welcome addition.
I have found it a bit hard to use entire bottles of colors though. I like the assortments, but they don't always have a new mix of combinations. I am so excited to share my recent find with you!

Cafe Prima!!!!

She has free shipping on minimum orders and you can literally order one flower at a time. I you only need six leaves, then order six! How cool is that? She has some neat assortments as well and even better, a monthly kit club!!!! Look at the past assortments and you can see she definitely has a knack for combinations. What fun!!!!!! I think this is a FABULOUS idea and hope she is extremely successful! WTG Jennifer!!!

What does a word mean?

Especially if the word is "clean"? I have been reminded, once more, that the definition of a word is sometimes situational. In general, I keep my house clean. It is by no means spotless, we definitely live here and it shows, but the general cleaning is kept up. Dishes done, floors swept and vacuumed, etc. This is day to day clean.
Then there is friends and family coming over clean. The run around and pick up some of the lived in look. The toys on the floor and magazines on the edge of the couch (2 months worth that I keep meaning to finish reading).
There is however an entirely different level of clean when company is coming who is not as familiar. People who you doesn't know well, have never been to your house before and may never be again. That requires the assistance of the entire family and a room that you know the door will stay closed for a bit of dash and stash :). Your eyes suddenly see things they have never noticed before. You become aware of the fact that just because you keep something on the floor in the corner, and the same place all the time, it is not the same as the item truly having a home. That is not really a "place" and you currently don't have a "place". Hence the dash and stash!
Now, I have to admit that things look pretty great cleared off. Until I bring out all the stuff that has been piled in the room with the door closed. Now what? Well basically, there is just too much stuff and some things need to go! This is the real project and what requires the real cleaning. So, my ongoing challenge is to reduce the amount of stuff in our house. Then the family level of clean will be pretty much the same as the unknown company level of clean. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Eyes Wide Open

Yesterday my family and I visited an exhibit that was very sobering. It is called Eyes Wide Open and it a visual display to represent the National Guardsmen who's lives have been lost in the Iraq War. Regardless of your thoughts or opinion of the war, this is a powerful exhibit. There are a pair of combat boots displayed for each soldier. Locally they also included a pair for every Idaho soldier that has been lost. I was emotional, but holding it all together until I found the boots for 3 of "my soldiers". These were three different Idaho soldiers that I assembled OPH comfortghans for their families. At that point I lost it and the tears began to flow.
As I walked around I was reminded of a comment my oldest son made several years ago. We visited a traveling representation of the Vietnam Wall Memorial. As we walked the memorial and read the names on the wall and the letters left by loved ones my son turned to me and said "Mom, I think that anyone who is looking at sending people to war should have to write all of these names first. Maybe then they will remember what happens during war." WOW! If only the adults could be as intelligent as the children.
If you get a chance, do visit this memorial. Eyes Wide Open is a wonderful tribute to those who have paid such a high price.

Mailing some comfort

I completed assembling and mailed two comfortghans for HeartMade Blessings. The fall colors is for a gentleman who lost his father and the pastels is for a young mother who has been widowed.

Boy layout about friendship

I guess it doesn't have to be for boys, but I like the idea of a friendship theme that could be used for boys. We think about this with girls, but friendships are just as important for the little boys as well :). The colors in this are so beautiful. A deep red and turquoise blue. The chipboard coasters by Gin-X are soooooooooo fun!!! The one between the "U" and "I" has an & in red in the center and the outside ring has friendship things like "friends always", etc.

More Auction Items

Here is another layout for the auction. I am pretty please with how this one turned out. I wish the photo resolution was better, but........... Anyway, this is in black and tan and the paper is by Diane's Daughters - love this stuff!!!

Auction items

The local scrapping group I am in holds a Charity Crop each year. As a group we decide on the Charity we want to raise money for and then get busy :). Members donate items for silent auction. There are also raffle items available and then a day full of fun! The crop is in Nov. and I have been working on some layouts to donate. Here are a couple of the ones I have completed.