Reading

 Hello Friends

Hope you are all doing well.  I can't believe how fast summer has gone.  But when you are grieving, there is no such thing as time.  At least for me anyway.  The past almost 8 months have been a blur.  But I feel like I am coming out of the fog.  For those of you who have lost someone close, you may understand.  Since mom passed in January, I have not done much in the crafting area.  I am hoping to change that as the weather changes.  We had a taste of fall last week and I found myself at the sewing machine.  I am currently working on a jelly roll rug.  I am also making a felt stocking for my daughter to be.  Yes, my son is engaged!  We absolutely love her.  She came with 2 dogs and recently got a third.  They are the best!

I do have some quilting that I need to work on.  I need to bind a quilt and I need to get backing together for 5 other quilt tops.  I found a long armer in a neighboring town and they did great work on my latest quilt.  I would like to take more to them, but I am not sure I will have anything ready before the Christmas rush.  I don't need these done that fast. I have Legendary by Elizabeth Hartman cut out and ready to sew.  This will be for my son.  I also found a pattern to make a quilt for my daughter to be.  Those will have to wait until next year. I also have 2 scrap quilts that need backing.  Those I may quilt myself.

But let's talk about reading.  I made a goal this year to read 6 books. I have just started book 14.  I can't believe I have read that much.  In January when mom was in the hospital, I finished the first book in the ACOTAR series. I have read consistently since then.  I bought myself a kindle in July and have been using Libby.  I am reading a quilt murder mystery series.  There are 20 books in the series but I am only on book 4.  I will probably take a break from that after this one.  I have other books I would like to read.  I try to keep my reading light and not read anything too heavy. I have 8 paperbacks that are pilling up that I need to dig into. Earlier this summer I was reading 3 books at one time.  It got a little confusing so I have stopped that and just stick to one.  How many do you read at a time? Do you enjoy audio books?  Four of the books I have 'read' were audio books while I was sewing.  Do you think audio books count as reading?  I do.

I will leave you with this picture.  I made this a few years ago.  My bestie Marilyn and I did a block swap. Fall is my favorite season. 

Blessings

Amy

What I have been working on

 Hello Friends

I have been sewing.  Even before mom's passing I was sewing.  Spending all day in the hospital is hard so I would come home at night and go to the sewing room.  Before she went to the hospital I took a Saturday to myself and made this unicorn pillow.  It was for the Project Quilting 16.1 challenge-Mythical Creature.

It was big.  It's 26x26.  It's called Lisa the Unicorn by Elizabeth Hartman.  My sister is Lisa so this will go to her.

I also worked on my word for the year.  I had picked my word in October of last year and thought about changing it when my Aunt and Mom passed.  But I decided to keep the word.  This is also for Project Quilting 16.2-Ombre.

Time fades.  I know that more than ever know. The letters were made with my book from Sam Hunter called Quilt Talk.  I use that book for all of my lettering.  I bought a light pad from Amazon to trace the letters so I didn't have to use a copier.

I also made 2 baby quilts for friends.

I have made 4 baby quilts in the last few months.  And I almost hate to say it, but I had all of the supplies and didn't need to buy anything to finish them. It's almost sad really.  But I suppose some people would be happy that they didn't need to shop.  I like to shop, I just can't justify it when I have all of this fabric.  I am working on 2 scrap quilts right now.  I hope to give one to my Bestie soon for her retirement.  It's long over due that she gets a quilt.  

I do have a quilt retreat with my quilt guild in April.  Maybe I can do some quilting on it then.  I also have 2 quilt kits that I need to get cut up and ready to sew.

My mom would have been 78 on Monday March 3.  I took the day off last year so I could take her out to lunch.  I am keeping the day off and going to do something for me.  Maybe quilt shop?  LOL!  Like I need to buy more fabric!  I am in the process of rearranging and purging my sewing room.  Hopefully my next post has updated pictures.

Talk soon!

Blessings

Amy

New Year New Challenges

 Hello All

I had every intention on sharing my goals for this year and wrapping up last year, but some very sad things happened at the end of Nov and continued through into this year.  My Aunt who is also my God Mother, passed away shortly after visiting with her Nov 19. I was devastated.  She meant a lot to me and it was a struggle to get through.  Also that week, my son lost his grandpa and great aunt on his dad's side.  

We gathered together for Christmas.  My uncle was able to attend.  It was nice to see him visit with mom.  We didn't know at the time, but it was a blessing for them to see each other.

January 10th mom hit her lifeline button because she couldn't breathe.  She had high potassium and needed dialysis.  She has been a dialysis patient for 6 1/2 years.  She needed a little more dialysis on Saturday and my sister took her to that.  She was in a lot of pain all over but she told her she would be fine.  On Sunday the 12th at 1 in the morning, she called me and asked me to help her get from her chair to her bed.  Her back was hurting and she couldn't get up.  I went down to her house right away.  Got her some Tylenol and got her in to bed.  I tried to wake her at 9 but she was so tired I let her sleep until 10am. When I took her CPAP off, she was moaning terribly.  I asked her where her pain was and she pointed to her chest.  I knew right away she was having a heart attack.  I called 911. She was having a heart attack.  The hospital was overloaded with Influenza A patients so they didn't have a bed for her.  She was sent to a Madison WI hospital. They discovered she had a staph infection. With staph, you have to find it and take it out.  Just treating it doesn't work.  So they thought it was in her shoulder but it could have been in her heart, knee replacements or anywhere.  Her heart was not strong enough to operate if it was in her shoulder.  They needed to take her to the cath lab but couldn't because of the infection.  Every time she got dialysis her heart rate would go into the 200s and so would her blood pressure. That Thursday it was decided to stop all treatment.  Switch to comfort care.  That was the hardest thing we had to do.  She was not ready but her body said no more.  Her brother came to say good-bye and I called my son to come home too.  They told us 2-3 days or less than a week.  Well, one thing about my mom, she was a fighter!  The following Wednesday they moved her to a different floor.  She was on palliative care but the hospice place did not have a bed.  By Friday they did and she was moved to Agrace hospice that afternoon. After 13 days in the hospital.  We spent most of Saturday with her and she passed on Sunday morning the 26th. We were not with her but she was sleeping.  It was a long road.  I only worked 6 days in January. We had her funeral on Feb 3 and buried her on the 4th.  I came back to work on the 5th.

Tonight we will turn in the keys to her apartment.  I have been working every night to bring things to my house and empty out the apartment.  It is bittersweet. I was always in that town to do her shopping and cooking.  It will really be a change to not have to go there.  I currently have about 8 boxes of her things in my kitchen.  I am hoping to go through a box every night and also purge some of my stuff.  It's amazing what we accumulate. 

While I was home at night after visiting all day in the hospital, I did so some sewing.  I finished my word of the year and did a big pillow for Project Quilting season 16.  I will post those soon.

I hope you all had a good start to the year.  At least a better start than we have had.  I sure do miss her.

Take care,

Blessings,

Amy