Pati Quilts

Full House

2012-01-31T20:12:00.003-05:00

I did it! I finished my first Schnibbles quilt, Full House. I've joined Another Year of Schnibbles hosted by Sherri and Sinta. My Full House was made with 2 charm packs of Bar Harbour by Minick & Simpson and some a couple of pieces that I had in my stash (the red polka dot border and the black binding). It is quilted and bound. But I might add some tiny buttons on the doors for door knobs.

I'm sorry that the picture isn't great but I'm just not a photographer!

I can't wait to see what we are doing next!!!

First Finish of 2012!!!!

2012-01-03T11:42:00.004-05:00

Spencer's quilt is DONE!!!! It now resides with him and Alyssa at his apartment. This quilt only took me 2 years to complete, LOL!! I bought the fabric for it on Black Friday, 2009 and actually started it in January 2010. It is 110" x 110" and is mostly flannel. The mariner's compass is made of black on whites and white on blacks. You can't see it but there is a piano key border all the way around the outside edge. I quilted this one on my Bernina and used 2200 yards of thread in the quilting. Boy, I'm glad this one is done. And after he got home and saw the quilt, he said "Now you've got 7 months to finish my wedding quilt!!"

Spencer, Alyssa and Shaw went to watch the Gator game in Jacksonville yesterday. And on the way back to Shaw's apartment, they were involved in a 6 car accident on I-95. No one was hurt, but Shaw's truck clipped the back end of a Honda Civic when the woman tried to pull over into his lane to avoid an accident that happened in front of her. Thank God that all the kids were uninjured!

Today, I'm working on Orca Bay and I'm going to piece a test block of Midnight Flight by Bonnie Hunter to see if I want to use that block for the wedding quilt. It was in the vol. 4 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

I'm off to quilt! Catch you on the flip side!!!

A Year, Really???

2011-12-30T18:25:00.009-05:00

Its been a year since I last blogged. Where did the time go?

Well.......I still haven't finished that quilt. I'm almost done, but not quite. Just one more border and the binding and it will be done. I've put away everything else and I'm working on just that right now.

I moved back into my parent's house. My husband moved to Tampa where he has a job. I'm still in Orlando because I have a babysitting job 3 times a week that I will not give up! I love the time that I get to spend with my grandson.

I changed jobs......went back to substitute teaching at the junior high school I went to 33 years ago. Its really weird to walk into a classroom as the teacher where I once was a student.

I haven't lost that weight that was one of my goals for last year. So, it goes back on the list for this year. And this year I'm gonna knock it off.

And, I didn't pass that dreaded bar exam again. My BIL unexpectedly passed away on February 16th.....just 7 days before the bar exam. So, that kinda threw me off track right at the end of the study period. I'm going to try again in July 2012.

My goals for this year include:

1) Start running again. I would love to work towards a marathon in February 2013. That will be my 50th birthday and I would love to complete one then. And of course, running will also take care of the weight problem as long as I start eating better!

2) Finish up some UFO's. I have 2 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts that are in pieces and parts. I would like to finish both of those this year.

3) And there are some more personal goals that I'm working on. One of which is to be more of a blogger!

I promise it won't be so long between posts next time! Thanks for sticking with me!

Resolutions

2010-12-27T20:02:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I did. I got to spend the day with my favorite little guy! He was so wound up! I've never seen him with that much energy! He was like the energizer bunny! We had breakfast at my daughter's house and then dinner at my house. And a nice long nap in between!

I've made quite a bit of progress on Spencer's black and white mariner's compass quilt. Here are a couple of pictures of it under the needle of my Bernina. Yes, call me crazy (or thrifty) but I'm quilting this 110 x 110 quilt on my machine! I hope to have this quilt done by January 2nd. Wish me luck!

It really doesn't look this bad....this is just a picture of it wadded up underneath the needle!!

I've been kinda working on Bonnie Hunter's new mystery quilt too. I'm way behind but I will finish it up sometime next year. Speaking of next year, do you have any resolutions? I have a few, so I'm going to post them to see how well I do:

1. Quilt the tops that I have languishing in a box in the garage. I think there are like 30 of them in that box.

2. Finish up some UFO's and donate those tops that I no longer like or want to Quilts of Valor so that they can be finished and given to a military person who has been injured serving our country.

3. Pass that darn bar exam!! It has been haunting me and holding me back for way too long!

4. I want to draw closer to God. (This should really be #1 resolution).

5. I want to spend more time with my Daddy's side of the family. (I haven't really spent much time with them since he passed away when I was 7).

6. And I'm definately going to do my best to loose lots of weight this year. And take better care of myself.

Okay, that's my 2011 Resolutions! What are your's?

What Have I Been Up To?

2010-10-30T13:17:00.006-04:00

Its about time, huh? Its been entirely too long since you've heard from me! So, what have I been doing with all my spare time?

Well, this is one of the people that have been occupying my spare time!

Isn't he just the cutest!! I pick him up from daycare 2-3 days a week because his mommy works till 8:00 pm. So, he gets plenty of Nana Time!!

And, Ive been working on this quilt for my youngest son. Its not complete yet, this is just the center of the quilt.

And, as if that's not enough, I've been bitten by the Hex Bug! Thank you Bonnie! I found a Creative Memories Hex punch from a consultant and went and picked it up this morning.

And I've also been drooling over a couple of patterns and can't decide which one I want to make!

Tomorrow is the 7 month anniversary of the passing of my Sissy. And I still miss her so much. I don't know if I will ever recover from the loss of her friendship and love. I still want to pick up the phone every day and call her. But that can't happen because there are no phones in Heaven.

Well, until next time....and I promise it won't be that long! I'm going to try to start posting once a week (at least).

Love and Hugs,

Pati

I'm Really Not a Slacker!!!!

2010-07-04T12:26:00.012-04:00

Okay....okay.....I know I said that I was going to get better at this and I didn't......but I'm gonna try again!

February brought me a new job! Actually, two new jobs! I'm now working at my dear friend Sally's flower shop as the bookkeeper. This is something new for me....I've never done this type of work before. But, Sally is one of my oldest and dearest friends.....we go back to junior high school! She called and asked me if I wanted to work over the Valentine's holiday and I jumped at the chance to get out of the house. Well, after that, she offered me a full time job doing the A/P. I love my job!!! So, I get to be around these all day!!!
My second job came through my son, Shaw. He has decided that he is going to go to law school (just like his mom!) and in order to do that he had to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). He ended up going to the same prep course that I had (unbeknown to me) and met up with my old professor. They started talking and realized that they both knew me. Long story short, Mimi offered me a job working with her husband preparing a bar review course. So, I'm working at that job too and also reviewing to take the bar exam again.

March brought the most devastating blow to me. My little sister and best friend died suddenly of a heart attack. She was here one minute and gone the next. She left behind her loving husband and best friend of 24 years, Trey, and two children, Cory and Jennifer. She was such a good person and I will miss her every day of my life! We were very close and often joked that in our old age she would keep me fed and I would keep us warm. She was an amazing person!

April and May were filled with working two jobs and trying to study for the bar exam. I did start a quilt.....and it has largely gone unfinished until yesterday. I am using one of Bonnie Hunter's patterns, Bricks and Stepping Stones, and using pinks for the bricks with white and mint green for the stepping stones. This is a hugs quilt for me because my sister's favorite color was pink.

June brought another round of surgery for my son Spencer. The surgery was largely unsuccessful. The doctor was trying to reattach his small intestine so that he could function more normally. But there just wasn't enough left after his second surgery in December to do so. He has a great attitude about it and seems to be accepting it all in stride. Pretty amazing for a 20 year old young man.

And my wonderful grandson? Well, he is growing by leaps and bounds! He is now 6 months old and is just a joy!!! Don't you just want to kiss those wonderful pudgy cheeks???

My goal for the next month is to start on Spencer's Mariner's Compass quilt. He wants it in black flannel with the compass in black and white. And I have a couple of small patriotic quilts that I would like to do.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

It's What????

2010-02-01T21:27:00.009-05:00

February 1st already? Where did the time go? It has been a whirlwind for me since my last post ......... in November???? Really? Hmmm....guess I have some explaining to do, huh?

December started off nice and slow. I knew that my son would be having surgery on the 17th (to coincide with his Christmas vacation from school) so I got the tree up, the decorations out, the house was all ready for Christmas. I had my box almost ready to go to my Secret Santa, just a couple more things to finish. Everything was going according to the plan.

Before I knew it, it was the 17th. The day of Spencer's surgery. This was the surgery that was supposed to make him all better. He had been suffering from Ulcerative Coloitis for almost 2 years. His case was so bad that the conventional drug therapies did not help at all. He was even taking Remicade for a period of time. Remicade is for people with rheumatoid arthritis but studies have shown that it has helped on UC patients. But nope, not for this one. So, his only hope was to have a colostomy and iliostomy. His colon was removed and he was given an iliostomy bag. The bag is only temporary until the second surgery, which hooks the small intestine to the rectum. I know....more than you want to know! Well, he did fine with the first surgery and came home on Monday the 21st. Which was also my first day on a new job. I had interviewed for the job a couple of weeks prior. I really didn't want the job, but I figured that some job was better than no job. Ha!

Anyway, this is where it all goes to hell in a handbasket! (By the way, where did that saying come from? My Gram used to say it all the time!) Monday night/Tuesday morning, Spencer starts throwing up and running a high fever. He isn't keeping anything down. I make a frantic call to his doctor at 6:30 am. He started to hyperventilate and if you've never seen someone hyperventilate, it is downright scary! I called 911 and the paramedics got to the house just about the time that his doctor called. The doctor said to go ahead and let the paramedics take him to the hospital and he would call ahead with some orders. My husband went to the hospital with Spencer and I went to my second day at work, with a promise that he would call if things got worse. Spencer went through a battery of tests on Tuesday looking for blood clots or any sign of infection. His white blood count was a little elevated but nothing serious. So the doctor sends him to the ICU with a list of antibiotics and anti-nausea medications.

Wednesday morning at 5:30, my phone rang. It was the ICU nurse and he doesn't have good news for me. Spencer has gotten worse over night and the nurse has called the doctor. So, I jump in the shower and start to get ready to go to the hospital. Spencer's girlfriend is on her way to the house. The doctor called me and told me that things were not looking good for my baby boy. He said that he was going to do emergency surgery and open him back up where they had just been in the week before. Alyssa and I got to the hospital just as he was being wheeled into surgery. They were waiting on me to get there to sign the consent. I gave Spencer a kiss, told him that I loved him and away he went.

Two hours later the doctor comes out and tells us that Spencer has about a 50% chance of pulling through. He had a terrible infection caused by gangreen that had apparently started when part of his small intestine folded over on itself after the first surgery. Almost immediately, Spencer's temperature was back to normal, his heart rate went from 170 down to 120 and his other vitals were starting to return to normal. He was on life support, sedated and airlifted from the satellite hospital to the main hospital downtown. That was the 22nd. He spent the next few days in ICU and started to make an amazing recovery. I spent Christmas Day with him in ICU and ate two hospital turkey sandwiches as my Christmas dinner. He was released from the hospital on New Year's Eve. And he had a 13" open surgical incision on his rearend that made it hard for him to do anything for himself.

My job? Well, it lasted 3 weeks. I was let go for a training mistake. His loss, not mine.

If you are still with me at this point, thanks! I'm still at home with Spencer working on his recovery. Everyday is a little better.

On January 11th, which is Spencer's birthday, my first grandchild was born. My daughter was induced a few days early because she is so little and the doctor feared that the baby was getting too big. I was at the hospital with her all day and was able to witness her little angel being born. Ayden Jiovanni Chernes was born at 3:17 pm at 7 lbs and 4 oz. He is perfect and gorgeous! I never knew that the part of my heart that he opened up was there! I only wish that Steph's Daddy Roy was still alive so that he could be here to see his grandson. Steph is at my house just about everyday because her partner works 12 hour days. So, I've had a lot of time to bond with Ayden. Can you tell that I'm totally in love with this baby?

And I think that just about brings us up to date. I've started sewing again in the last week. I'm working on finishing my Red & White Snowball Challenge and Bonnie's Carolina Christmas Mystery. Both of which I'm way overdue on! Oh well, they will get done!

Till next time!

Pati

Weekend Doings

2009-11-22T22:50:00.004-05:00

This was a very productive weekend for me! I finished my blocks in the Oh My Stars! swap that Nancy is running. The swap was to do a 12 1/2" Sawtooth star with a 6 1/2" block in the middle. The background is white Kona Cotton and the rest of the block is done in cool batiks. So, here are the 3 sets of blocks that I did for this swap! I can't wait to see what I get in return. Nancy always runs the best swaps! I need to press them, square them up and ship them off to Ms. Nancy.

Then I worked on my Red & White Snowball Challenge. I finished cutting and sewing all 480 hsts! I didn't do them the way that Evelyn Sloppy shows in her book, instead I used my Easy Angle ruler and cut them out of 2 1/2" strips. Tomorrow I will work on cutting the other sections of the snowballs and putting them together.

And then finally, I chose my fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Christmas Mystery Quilt. I decided not to do Christmas Colors for this quilt. Instead I found a gorgeous blue paisley (and I've never been known to resist a paisley fabric!!) that I plan to use for the border and pulled the colors from it. So, I ended up choosing a black background, a dark green, a light blue and a lime green. I usually am pretty good about choosing colors and I hope that this one will go together nicely. If not, then no one will ever see it!!!

This year, instead of me cooking for 45 of my closest family members, I will be a guest at Shaw & Faith's for Thanksgiving dinner. I only have to bake a Pecan Pie, make Banana Pudding and a Grape Jello salad. These are favorites of my kids and I've been given the easy stuff to do this year. I'm really looking forward to not having to do all the cooking this year! I will also be baking my mom and dad a Pecan Pie and a Cherry Pie.

Tomorrow is another day and I'm off to bed!

Hugs,
Pati

Baby Shower

2009-11-17T10:10:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday, we had a baby shower for my oldest daughter, Stephanie. It wasn't a surprise shower because Stephi does not like surprises. She has always been one of those kids who wants to know everything in advance! The suspense of a surprise just kills her! This is a picture of my two girls, Steph has the darker hair and Ashley is the blonde.

She is decorating Ayden's room in a safari theme because she loves Zebras! Of course, I made her a zebra cake for the shower.

Just 8 more weeks until my first grandson is expected to make his appearance! I can't wait!!

Red & White Snowball Challenge

2009-10-28T08:48:00.002-04:00

Allyson at and Nicole at have come up with a way to use up red & white scraps that we all have hanging around!!! This is going to be a great quilt!!

Birthdays!

2009-09-24T13:24:00.004-04:00

I thought I would share with you a little bit of what I've done the last couple of days. My oldest son, Shaw, turned 24 on the 22nd. Since his favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, I made him a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.

And, my youngest daughter Ashley, turns 16 today. She wanted a vanilla cake and decorated in the Rastafarian colors of red, yellow and green.

Two days it took me to make and decorate the cakes. I'm just tired now!!

Pati

Starting Over

2009-09-10T18:53:00.003-04:00

I know its been a long time since I last blogged. I am going to try to do better now that my crazy life has calmed down a bit ~ well maybe it has!

My mom is doing great and is back home with my dad! Her stay at my house forever changed my relationship with her. We are now very close and talk every day.

We have downsized from a 6 bedroom/4 bath house to a 3 bedroom/2 bath house. Most of my quilting stuff is in the garage in plastic totes. There are 24 totes of my stash fabrics, 18 totes of UFO's, and 11 boxes of books. I did have all of the UFO's and books listed on a spreadsheet but then my laptop blew a motherboard and took the memory with it. Do you think I had it backed up on another source? Nooooooooooo.........

I've been quilting (or attempting to)......my oldest daughter is expecting my first grandchild in January. His name is going to be Ayden Jiovanni Chernes. I can't wait to meet him!!

I spent two weeks in NC in July/August taking care of Richard's mom who had knee replacement surgery. I was about 30 minutes away from Mary Jo's soooooo.........yes, I went on a side trip! For those of you who have never been to Mary Jo's, it is an experience! I even got to meet Mary Jo! She is a hoot!

I'm ready for some cooler weather here in Florida! The days of it being in the 90's are killing me! I feel like a vampire only going out at night.

I will leave you with a picture of the 2nd quilt that I've started for Ayden. The first one is on the sewing machine being sewn. I will show you that one after the stitching is done. I found this quilt in Fons and Porters Baby Quilts magazine. Stephi and JC fell in love with it so I made it for them.

Until next time! And I promise it won't be 7 months!!!

Long Overdue Update

2009-02-13T11:11:00.004-05:00

Okay, I know it's been a while since I last wrote. I've been taking care of mom....and little else. She is coming along great! I expect that she will be moving back to her house in the next month. We have been to her house a couple of times and she has been able to maneuver the two steps up into her house. Her PT tells us not to do it, but she is so determined to be back in her house that she does it anyways!

We are moving again! When we bought this house 2 years ago, we needed this 6 bedroom/4 bath house because we had 4 young adult/teenagers at home. Now, we have 2 so there is no need for a 6 bedroom house anymore. So, we are downsizing to a 3 bedroom/2 bath. We are staying in the same general area so that the youngest doesn't have to change schools. Now, this means that I'm packing my studio. So far I have 24 totes of folded fabric, 7 totes of yarn (yes, I knit and crochet too), 9 totes of UFO's and I'm not done yet. The anal retentive part of me is making a list of all of the UFO's and in what tote they are located. I have tons of books and magazines that need to be packed and moved too. I am going through the magazines and if I see any patterns or articles that I want to keep, I'm removing them from the magazines and pitching the rest of the magazine. I'm also going through my books and making a spreadsheet of the books that I have. And I know that I have about 12 sewing machines.....I need to make a spreadsheet of those too.

I took pictures but for some reason my computer isn't recognizing the card from my digital camera today. And I don't have the patience to try to fix it right now.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night.....

2009-01-17T19:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, so that was intended to be funny. That was a song by the Bay City Rollers from somewhere in my teenage years.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhdwvx_qcAg

I know, I never posted pictures of the Christmas decorations all up. Hmmm.....somehow, time just got away from me. I guess that happens when you are caring for a sick parent (or child). But, we did make it through Christmas and into 2009. Of course, I was catching as much sleep as possible during the mom's naps.

Speaking of mom, she is doing fabulous!! She is now walking across the room with the aid of a walker. I think she thought that she would never walk again (much less make it out of the hospital). Yesterday, I took her to Walmart to get her out of the house. We tooled around Walmart in her wheelchair. And no, she has not forgotten how to use her credit card! *Grin*

I've moved my sewing machine and some fabric down to the living room/dining room area so that I can sit down here and sew and be with mom at the same time. I've worked on a couple of projects. I made my mitten blocks for a swap that I'm in and they went off to the hostess, Nancy, near Philadelphia , yesterday. And I've been working on Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt, Double Delight. I'm way behind but I just printed off the patterns and I know what the end quilt looks like. I just didn't have time to sit and sew non-stop.

Many of you may remember that I lost my job back in June 2008 and haven't been able to find another one in my field. Well, this past Monday (the 12th), my husband lost his job of 15 years. Budget cuts......pretty soon the whole nation is going to come to a screeching halt because everyone will be unemployed. Not quite, but you get the idea. Now, I have a problem with health insurance. You see, my 19 year old son has ulcerative coloitis. This is a chronic disease which invades the colon and is manageable with medications. He takes 19 pills a day. Yes, you read that right. Most of his medications come in generic form except for Lialda. He takes 4 of those pills a day to the tune of $550 a month. Now, we could get the COBRA insurance, but it is $1,072 a month and then the medication will only be $543 for a three month supply. I've looked into the drug company giving him the medication, but there is a catch. They go off last year's income tax return. Well.....the last one that I have completed is 2007. I was single, worked full time and it looked like I made a lot of money that year. I haven't done 2008's yet because I haven't gotten all the documentation to complete it. And 2008 will look okay because my husband was also working. But now, it is 2009 and neither of us have a job. Do you see where this is going? I guess I need to just sit down and write a letter and include all of this to the drug company. Sorry about rambling, but this was on my mind tonight. Thanks for listening.

And enjoy your Saturday night!!!

Update on Mom

2008-12-21T23:35:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday, the physical therapy people came out to my parents' house to make sure that it was safe for mom to go home to. They quickly determined that the doorways were too small, the hallway was not wide enough and that the bathroom was not wide enough for mom to maneuver through the house in her wheelchair. It seems that houses built in the 1950's that have not been renovated have 23" wide doors. Whereas, the doorways in newer houses are 33"-36" and the hallways are at least 36" wide and bathrooms have to be big enough to accomodate a wheelchair. So, seeing that this was leading to a situation where mom might not have been able to leave the hospital, I quickly spoke up and told the PTers that I had a brand new house, that mom could have her own room and bathroom downstairs and that it was an open floor plan so there would be not doorways and halls for her to be blocked out of certain areas of the house. So, they came over to my house and quickly approved it as Mom's Hangout. On Thursday she was released from the hospital and brought to Chez Elliott for her recouperation. I have become mom's 24/7 nurse (a job that I wouldn't trade for the world). She is making tremendous progress in the few short days that she has been here. We have been working on her transferring from the bed to the wheelchair and back again. At first it was a major job transferring her and in just a few short days, she has been able to make the transfer a lot easier. Tonight she surprised me by being able to wiggle herself up into her bed whereas, the last few nights Richard and I have had to move her up with the draw sheet (that is a sheet that goes under the patient and allows a person on either side to pick the patient up with the sheet). I turned around to do something and while I was doing it, she just scooted herself right up the bed. I was so tickled with her that I almost started crying! And, she sat at the dining room table tonight and made me a list of things that I need to do tomorrow!! LOL!!! We used the bed risers that you can buy to make a bed higher and put them under the dining room table and she can sit at the table comfortably. She's come a long way since May 26th!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!!

2008-12-16T12:19:00.002-05:00

After 6 1/2 long months, my mom is finally being released from the hospital. We expect to have her home either Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts. This would have been a very different Christmas for us if things had gone the way the doctors first predicted. So, let it be said that I believe in miracles!!

Hugs to all,

Pati

A Long Overdue Blog

2008-12-08T15:14:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I'm not very good at timely blogging!! My excuse is that I've been busy! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! *Grin*

Let's start with Thanksgiving. I had 40 of my closest relatives (or should I say DH's closest relatives) here for Thanksgiving Dinner. My mom, dad, and sister had Thanksgiving at Sis's house because there were way too many people here for mom. Mom was given a day pass from rehab to go to dinner. I fixed 2 Turkeys and a spiral ham, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, scalloped corn, green bean, cornbread stuffing, field peas, sweet potatos, blueberry jello salad, and banana pudding. Others brought green bean casserole, carrot cake, pumpkin pie and apple pie for desert. Even though I'm really a very private person, I enjoyed having all of DH's side of the family (including his 95 year old grandfather) at the house. I think I've been elected to do it again next year. *Grin*

My mom. I know that I haven't blogged about her in a while. She is doing EXCELLENT!!! She is in a rehab center and has been there since September 4th. She has had her trach removed and her feeding tube. She is learning to walk again and should be home in time for Christmas!! AMAZING!!! And to think that several doctors told my sister, my dad and I that we should make her comfortable and let her go. My brother, his wife, my sister and I have been working in their house. We've pulled up all the old carpet, painted the living room, dining room and hallway and tiled the living room, dining room and hall. It looks positively awesome in the house now! She will have a nice comfortable house to come home to. Its hard to believe that she has been in the hospital since May 26th. Yep, you read that right, May 26th. Here is a picture of her and her middle sister, Helene. Aunt Helene lives in Providence, Massachusetts and came down to visit her daughter and granddaughter for Thanksgiving and took a side trip to visit with mom. So glad she made the trip.

I've pulled all my Christmas decorations out to start decorating the house. I've done minimal decorating (a barely decorated Christmas tree most years) for the last 6 years (I was in retail and it was the worst time of the year for me). So, now I've got the time (ha ha .... okay, so I'm unemployed) and the energy to decorate the house. So, here are some pictures of the boxes and boxes of stuff that I am going to work through in the next few days. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Hugs,

Autumn Quilt

2008-10-24T11:32:00.003-04:00

I've been working on an Autumn Quilt to put on the couch for those nights when the a/c is too cold. Being in Florida, we almost never turn off the a/c...LOL!!!! I took two Moda charm packs from last year, put a 2.5" sashing between them and put them together. I found this great paisley (I LOVE paisley) print that ties all the colors together. I still have 2 jelly rolls of the same line and I want to make something with them, but I'm not sure what. Its a twin size and I'm trying to decide if I'm brave enough to quilt it on my machine.

More Quilts.......

2008-10-12T13:56:00.005-04:00

I finally finished my niece's quilt today. I made this from Bonnie Hunter's Patches and Pinwheels pattern that was in Quiltmaker and also on her website. My niece wanted blue as the only color. So, I used lots of blues and white, off-white and beige. I think it turned out nice. Now, I have to wait until I can afford to have it quilted. So, it goes in the flimsy pile.

My next quilt is going to be for my friend Kim. She got married 3 years ago and we all wore matching Hawaiian shirts to her wedding. She wanted a quilt made out of those shirts. So, I'm taking the shirts apart and adding green, white, yellow and pink fabrics and making a quilt for her. The green, white and yellow are for the flowers and leaves on the shirts and the pink is for the beautiful Don Cesar hotel that you see in the background.

That's all I know for today.

Dear Jane Row B

2008-10-05T12:15:00.005-04:00

Here is my Row B of Dear Jane Blocks. Don't look too closely......they aren't perfect.

More Wedding Pics

2008-10-05T12:05:00.004-04:00

This is a picture of Shaw and Faith with our side of the family.
This is me and Richard.

Shaw and Faith.

The Wedding

2008-09-14T22:48:00.004-04:00

DS Shaw married Faith on 2/5/2008. The wedding was great! It was a very casual affair at Faith's parent's house. Mostly immediate family and a few close friends. They wanted something with no stress and lots of fun! And that is exactly what happened. I've only got a few pictures on my camera, but I will get some of the pictures from my sister's camera and some from DD Stephi's camera.

This picture is the groom's cake. My DS is a HUGE BoSocks fan. I thought that it was only fitting that he should have a Boston cake.

This is the wedding cake that Alyssa and I made. It was yummy and very heavy.

Shaw and I were talking about something here, but I can't remember what. He sure does look happy, huh?

During the ceremony the bagpiper played Amazing Grace for the members of the family that had predeceased the ceremony. Faith had pictures of all four of her grandparents and Shaw had a picture of his dad, Roy. This is a picture of the Shaw, Stephanie and Spencer with the picture of their dad, Roy Steven Ashley. You would have been proud Roy.

Dear Jane Row A

2008-09-14T11:21:00.005-04:00

As promised, I'm posting pictures of my Dear Jane blocks. I'm only putting up one row at a time so that you don't get bored. Being the obsessive compulsive person that I am, I'm doing the blocks in order. The first blocks are not that great, but they are done. Don't tell me if you think they are bad.....once I get the quilt done, you won't notice the individual blocks. LOL!!!

Visit with Aunt

2008-08-20T21:39:00.002-04:00

My sister Helen (dark blue shirt) and I had the pleasure of visiting with one of my Aunt's this past weekend. She is our biological father's twin sister. Aunt Ene and our dad were born on Mary 14, 1944. There were 9 kids in the family (5 boys and 4 girls). Our father died when I was 7 and Helen was 4 in May 1970. I haven't seen Aunt Ene since my grandfather died in 1995 so it was good to see her, however brief the visit.

My Other Passion

2008-08-20T21:28:00.003-04:00

I have developed another passion. Cake Decorating!!! I took the Wilton method of cake decorating classes at Joann's (when I worked there) and totally enjoyed them. My family is getting tired of eating all the cakes that I make though. LOL!!! Spencer's girlfriend, Alyssa, is also an awesome decorator. Shaw and Faith have asked us to make their wedding cake. And, of course, we made the bridal shower cake. This is a picture of it. The flowers are in the wedding colors, burnt orange and cranberry. Alyssa did all of the piping work and I made the flowers. I can't wait to do the wedding cake in 2 weeks.

Shaw's Wedding Quilt

2008-08-20T21:20:00.005-04:00

Shaw and Faith's wedding quilt is done and has been taken to the quilter for quilting. I'm glad to finally have this one done! It is a big one too! I should have it back sometime next week so that I can get the binding on and wrapped for the wedding. The first picture is the front and the second picture is the back.

Next Project

2008-07-19T16:34:00.000-04:00

I may have mentioned that my oldest DS is getting married in September. So, what does every quilter mother give their child for a wedding present? A quilt, right? I have a grand idea to make a double wedding ring quilt in the colors of their wedding....but they won't get that for the wedding....maybe for their first anniversary. So, I decided to make a quilt in the color of their bedroom, chocolate brown and baby blue. So, to EQ5 to design a simple block that can be twisted and turned to make a phenomenal quilt. Branky actually gave me the idea for this block with a quilt that she had made. All I did was change the colors.

You can see that I made half the block brown (it is a controlled scrappy) and half the block baby blue.

And this is what the final quilt will be. Its just a matter of turning the blocks and making sure they are where you want them to be. Easy, huh? I'm actually making this quilt 102 x 102. Not a small one.....but then, when have I ever been known to do anything small??? LOL!!!

I've found a new starch that I'm just loving! I've already gone through 4 bottles of it. The best thing about this starch is that it doesn't clog like the aerosol cans do.

So, this is what is keeping me busy right now.....well, this and my job hunt and my mother.

Speaking of Mom, last week she did a terrible nosedive again. She has a second case of pneumonia and her blood became septic. I saw the doctor on Sunday morning and he told me that she was is very critical condition but that he hadn't given up hope on her yet. He said that she was a very strong woman and he had seen her come through some other things that he didn't know if she would make it through. So, we agreed that he would continue doing everything possible for Mom. Two hours later the fill in doctor for her Kidney doctor called me at home and told me that I needed to think about just making my mom comfortable and letting her pass. I asked this doctor if he had talked to Dr. Vu. He said that he had and that Dr. Vu agreed with him. Needless to say, I got Dr. Vu back on the phone and he told me that he did not agree with this yo-yo doctor and that as far as he was concerned, nothing had changed since we talked. The next day, my sister is at the hospital and the nurses are talking about how Dr. Vu got into a heated conversation with the other doctor. Needless to say, I haven't seen that doctor again. And Mom has taken several steps towards getting better. Dr. Vu says that she is now in critical condition but is improving little by little. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Her name is Pat Edwards.

Okay, its back to the sewing machine for me. I have about 3 more hours before bed and I would like to get some of these blocks done.

Carolina Crossroads Done

2008-07-04T16:09:00.000-04:00

Today I finished the Carolina Crossroads top (maybe known as Life's Crossroads) for my daughter Stephanie. She graduated from high school last year and this is her graduation quilt. Her room is done in bright pink, lime green and zebra print. So, you see all of those elements here. This was a fun mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter. Now to finish the back and then to decide whether I'm going to quilt it myself or send it out to be quilted.

Changes

2008-07-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

Life changes rather expectedly or unexpectedly. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But through all of these changes there is quilting. It has been my shelter in many storms.....some little and some big. It has carried me through several location moves, through several job changes and a terrible divorce. And now it carries me through my mom's illness and recovery and through another job change.

Last Friday was something that I saw coming but was unprepared for. I changed jobs in March after being at Joann's for five years. There never was enough work to keep me busy but still the attorney took a chance and hired me. Most days I spent sitting at my desk doing nothing. Well, the attorney decided that he could no longer pay me to do nothing. So, I was let go. Now its back to the job search again. I dread looking for another job. I absolutely hate doing it, but do it I must.

My mom continues to improve. She has now been in the hospital for 5 weeks. She is on a ventilator but breathing on her own. She is still sedated and will be for a little while longer. Her pneumonia and MRSA are slowly getting better.

Thank goodness I have my quilting. It is keeping me sane at this point.

Tuesday

2008-06-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

Mom continues to improve. Yesterday they took her Bipap machine off during the day (she only has to wear it at night now) and dismissed the kidney doctor from her case. I even got to talk to her on the phone. What a huge step for her.

My youngest son Spencer continues to be sick though. He has been diagnosed with colitis. It is a "no cause, no cure" condition that he will live with for the rest of his life. I'm waiting to hear how his doctor visit goes this morning.

I have finally picked got all the blocks done on my Orange Crush (Blueberry Crush) quilt. Now to put them all together. This one is for my niece Jennifer, who graduated from high school last year. I'm also trying to get the borders on the Carolina Crossroad (At the Crossroad) quilt for Stephi. She also graduated from high school last year. One of these days I will have time to finish them.

My mom's sister (Aunt Carol) is coming to visit for a week on Thursday night. I can't wait to see her and spend some time with her!

I met up with a high school friend on Saturday. Sally and I drifted apart due life and distance (me moving away from Orlando). We had a great visit and I hope that we can pick up where we left off.

I'm off to work. Have a great day!!!

Mom Update

2008-06-14T07:39:00.000-04:00

Mom is improving! Her CO2 level is down and her kidneys are starting to function again!! She still has a way to go, but she is getting better. Thanks to all for your prayers.

I'm hoping soon that I will get back to work on quilty projects.

Thursday Tears

2008-06-12T20:44:00.000-04:00

Today was a very emotional day. My mom has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and today was the worst day of those 3 weeks. Her blood pressure dropped, her CO2 level went up and her kidneys aren't working because of the CO2 level. She is in critical condition but stable right now. The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can. Please just pray for her. I love you mom.......

"Weighing" In

2008-06-01T12:27:00.001-04:00

Okay, its been a while......but I'm doing really good! I've lost a total of 10.5 lbs in 3 weeks. The best thing is that I'm off caffeine, sugars and carbs. I've never felt better in my life. What an amazing difference!!

Life has been kinda crazy for me the last few weeks. My mom is in the hospital and will soon be going to rehab and my youngest son is sick and will be starting a new regime of medicines that will go on for the rest of his life. If it weren't for my amazing and wonderful husband, I don't know how I would handle the things that I'm going through right now.

They say that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.....well, I thought I was pretty strong before all of this........

On the quilty side of life, I've managed to stay on top of Orange Crush and I've been working on ideas for quilts for Shaw's wedding. I can't decide whether I'm going to have the double wedding ring finished before the wedding or after. If it is before, then I really need to get started on it, so I suspect, he will get it sometime after the wedding.

Sorry, no pictures this time!! Love to all.......

A "Weighty" Issue

2008-05-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

Those of you who have known me for the last 10 or so years (has it really been that long??) know that I've really struggled with my weight. At one point I was running and was down to a very healthy weight. I was strong and I worked hard to get there. Well, I've let myself go, my weight has crept up to the highest that its ever been, my blood pressure is high, my cholesterol is high and I get winded walking up the stairs (which is hard, because I have them in my house). So, its time to take the proverbial bull by the horns and do something about it.

I've started on the South Beach Diet. No caffeine, no sugars, low carbs.....lots and lots of water. For someone who has existed on caffeine, sugar and carbs most of their adult life, this is hard. But, I'm going to do it.

So, wish me luck, say a prayer for me and I'll let you know how I'm doing and when I hit certain milestones.

Mystery Quilts and more........

2008-04-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

I promised to show you the fabrics that I'm using for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts. This is the fabric to the first one.....Carolina Crossroads. I'm using a lime green paisley, a bright pink and a black on white. This one is for my daughter Stephi. I will probably put a zebra print border on it.

The second mystery quilt I'm working on is Bonnie Hunter's Orange Crush. I'm using a medium green and cream on white for the first step. And for the rest of the colors, I'm using dark green, brown, orange and a bright blue. Then for the border, I'm using a blue floral that will tie all the fabrics together.

And right now I'm working on these curtains for my ex-husband's girlfriend. Don't ask.....its a wierd situation. I have 12 more panels to complete. They are sheer white with sparkles on it. Not my choice....but then again, neither is my ex-husband!!! What can I say, she is good to my children.

Just "Ducky"

2008-04-08T21:20:00.000-04:00

We have a Mallard duck that laid her eggs in our front yard again this year. We didn't think that she was going to come back this year but she did. She laid 15 eggs this year. Every day I would stay "good morning momma duck" as I passed by her to go to work. Well, a couple of days ago I saw that she kicked a couple of the eggs out. Evidently those were ones that she knew wouldn't be hatching. So, this morning as I'm heading out to the car, I looked down and said "good morning momma duck" and to my surprise I saw broken eggs. I looked a little closer and the babies were hatching!!! So, Stephi has been taking pictures all day. Momma duck took the babies over to the pond this afternoon. So, now if I want to see the babies, I have to go over to the pond and look at them. But here are the other pictures of the babies.

Here Momma Duck is taking her babies to the pond. One little baby had a hard time getting up on the curb and had to be helped.

And now Momma and the babies are swimming in the pond.

Weekend Doings

2008-03-30T19:53:00.000-04:00

This weekend I was determined to sew. And sew I did!! I've started Stephi's graduation quilt (she graduated from high school last year). I've had a hard time determining what pattern, what fabrics, etc. to use. I saw Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Carolina Crossroads and decided that the pattern was something that I really liked. However, I'm just not a scrappy person. So, I decided to use just 3 fabrics. I'm using a lime green paisley fabric where she uses blue, a bright pink where she uses red and for the light I'm using a black on white print. I've finished step 1 and am working on those 100 9-patches for step 2.

Other than working on this quilt, I've not done much else.

My Babies

2008-03-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

This is my son Shaw and his girlfriend Faith. Shaw is 22 years old and will be graduating from UCF in May with a degree in Legal Studies (like his mom) and then going to law school (again, like his mom). He is a very caring and responsible young man.

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This is Stephanie. She is 19 and a Freshman in college. She hasn't quite decided what she wants to do when she grows up. She is a great daughter. Very sensitive and caring. And she loves her mom!!! Right now she is partial to Zebra print fabrics. I haven't quite made her a quilter yet.

This is Spencer #1. He is a junior in high school. He is 6'7" and plays basketball (ya think?). Not only does he play basketball, but he eats, sleeps, lives and breathes basketball and just about any other sport. He knows all the stats on players, all the records, etc. He says he wants to be a coach and/or athletic director.

Spencer #2. He is Richard's so. 18 days younger than Spencer #1. Spencer is a senior in high school and will be heading off to community college in the fall.

Weston. Richard's youngest son. He is a junior in high school. He loves to skateboard and is great at it.

Ashley. My 14 yr old daughter. She is a great student! She loves animals and wants to be either a vet or a marine biologist. She loves to go to the mall on Friday nights.

Monday, Monday

2008-03-17T18:44:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I finished bonding down 2 blocks from a BOM that I was in back in 2004. It was a patriotic BOM from Great American Quilt Company. But, do you think that I can find the setting directions??? No. That was 3 moves ago. They are somewhere, but who knows where? Not I........If I end up not being able to find them, I will just set them in some random setting and be done with it. Done is better than perfect, right?

Today I accompanied my boss to Viera (don't kill me Bobbi!!!) to attend a hearing. It was definately nice to get out of the office for several hours today. Honey is on his way home and I guess that means that I had better get downstairs and make dinner.

I finally did it!!!

2008-03-16T12:55:00.000-04:00

I've created a blog! I've been reading other blogs and I find them fascinating. Hopefully mine will be the same.

Yesterday I did quilt for National Quilt Day. I finished a UFO which was a BOM from Joanns. I also started to work on another BOM from Great American Quilt Company from 2004. It is a Patriotic Sampler that was their Saturday Sampler. I can't find the finishing instructions for the BOM. I've sent an email to GAQC in hopes that they can send me another finishing instruction. If not, then I will have to figure out a way to set it.

A little bit about me. I'm married to my high school sweetheart. Our marriage is like a fairy tale. Although we were high school sweethearts, we broke up in college and married others. I married Roy, the father of 3 of my children. And he married Karen, the mother of his two boys. I also married Danny (after Roy's death) and together we adopted my 4th child, his niece. After my divorce from Danny (in 2001) and his from Karen (in 2000), I ran into his father in Ocala. We hadn't seen each other since 1988 (after a chance meeting at Home Depot) and didn't see each other again until 2003. I called him in October 2003 and the rest they say, is history. We've been together ever since and got married on 2/22/2008.

I'm a law clerk at a small law firm in Orlando. I graduated from law school in 1999 but never passed the bar. So, I went to work full time at Joann Fabrics in order to take care of my kids. I just recently left that job and went back into the legal field. I'm going to attempt to take the bar exam again sometime down the road.

Okay, that's enough for the first post.