Thank the Lord, it's Friday

It's been a very long week.  Oh, I know it's only 7 days like all the other weeks, it just seemed longer.  Kristin went to the OB on Tuesday, and was told the baby would most likely come this week, but that she should make an appointment for next Tuesday just in case.  But so far -- no baby.  No one is more anxious than Kris is, she is huge, her hands, legs, and feet are swollen, and she's just tired.  She took on more hours at work since her employer doesn't pay maternity leave, and disability isn't an option unless there's a problem with the pregnancy.  Normally George drops Izzy off when Kris has to be at work at 8:00 am, but he has a guy on light duty and has been covering his shift.  This means longer hours for George, and longer hours for Grammy.  Thank Goodness that Izzy is a really good girl, and has started taking an afternoon nap again.  These hours have limited my sewing time, but I've really accomplished a lot this past week.  The baby's quilt top is finished and ready to be quilted.  The log cabin quilts for Bridgett's twin girls (who arrived early in October) are ready to be quilted.  And when I got Mary's Toy Story quilt out to start working on it again, I was thrilled to discover that 8 blocks are ready to be stitched, 3 are traced onto fusible, and only one block needs to be traced.  Not bad.

The quilts aren't quilted yet because I need to give them a good ironing, and for some reason, my lovely iron isn't heating.  I found the cord laying on the floor (I always wrap it up and put it on the buffet), and have a feeling that somehow, someone knocked the iron onto the floor and won't admit it.  So, I have to go and buy a new iron before I can finish these quilts.  Rod said he would check it out, but as of yet "hasn't gotten around to it".  I noticed in my Joann ad that they have irons on sale right now, so hopefully I can find a nice one either tonight or tomorrow.  And then I will again be busy, busy, busy.  Hope you've accomplished a lot too.

36 Years and Still Going Strong

Today is our anniversary.  We were married 36 years ago, on a day that was much like today is predicted to be.  It was warm in the afternoon and our ceremony was at 4:30.  But by the time we ventured outside for photos, it was into the 40's and we were all freezing our various body parts off!  Oh to be that thin again!! We were not permitted to throw rice, because Saturday night mass was scheduled for 6:30.  Nothing like getting the bum's rush.  There wasn't even time for photos there at the church after ceremony.

This is the photo taken of us with Rod's grannies.  Notice the concrete block walls that should tell you right away that they were taken inside the fire hall where our reception was held.

And these are my grandparents.  The lady next to me is my beloved Granny.  She loved the dress she wore, but it was sleeveless. And she didn't want her "jello arms" to be out for public viewing. To make her happy, I bought the sheer fabric, and took some of the fabric left from when I hemmed her dress and made the sleeves with the cuffs.  The gentleman with her is her second husband.  I never knew my Granddad Peters, he passed before I was born.  But she had dated Pap Leonard as a young girl, and then married Granddad. They met again years later at a class reunion and decided to marry.  She was 79 and he was 81.  She was so cute when she announced to me that she would be married.  She had to be sure to tell me that they wouldn't have any children.  Duh,  I was 22 years old and had kind of figured that out.  I really miss her, and wanted to grow up to be the kind of granny she was.  I think I come close.

And so, time marches on and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Busy - busy

Can you say busy, busy, busy in the voice of the late Billy De Wolfe, who did the voice of Professor Hinkle in the Christmas classic, Frosty the Snowman?  Well, that's what I've been this morning.  Jacob's (that's what we'll call him for now) quilt is an ongoing project.  And finally this morning, I put together the background and fused the pieces in place.  I must say that the "quilter's license" continues, and that I didn't place the pieces where they were on the original pattern.  But I like the way it looks, and just felt that the cow and pony should be close to the barn.  I know the picture isn't the greatest quality, but my talents do not and never have extended to photography.

I've been staring at the quilt and trying to decide what colors to use to stitch down the appliques.  Should I use just black or will it be too harsh for a baby quilt.  Or, I could use matching threads.  Or I could use a thread that's a little darker than the applique piece. Kristin just dropped Izzy off to stay with me while Kris goes to her OB appointment, and says I should just use black to stitch down the pieces because it sounds easier.  Let me hear your opinion, please.

After Kris picks Izzy up, I'm hoping to finish up the log cabin blocks for the baby quilts I'm making for Kris's old roommate.  So, I'm moving right along.

Making Some Progress

I'm finally feeling satisfied that I am making progress on my projects.  I told you about the Halloween wall hanging that I finished.  And finally, here's a photo.

While watching football last weekend, I traced off the appliques for the new grandson's quilt.  When I find a pattern that  I really like, I reuse it in different ways.  A few years ago, a girlfriend gave me an unfinished  cross-stitched baby quilt that she got at a thrift store for only $1.00.  I haven't finished it, but it's really cute.  I had traced around the cross stitched pattern to make a coloring quilt for one of Kristin's former roommates and his wife on the birth of their daughter.  But for my newest grandson,  I have traced the pieces in reverse onto fusible web, and have gotten them fused onto fabric.  I'm cheating a little, though.  In an effort to eliminate some of the smaller pieces, I have decided not to do the bunny with the fence, the scarecrow with the fence, and the chicks.  It's a more difficult project than I've undertaken before -- I have bought blue and green fabrics to use for the sky and grass areas, with a white on white for the large cloud.  Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to sew them together.  But, I will persevere, and get it to look the way I want it to. I always like to challenge myself. The fabric I purchased for the border is green with baby farm animals, and cute green tractors.  (His other Pap has John Deere tractors).  I don't remember how much I bought, but I'm hoping that I had the foresight to order extra so that I can make a car seat cover for him.  I'm sure that you've seen them -- they make the car seat look like a little papoose carrier with nothing but the little one's face peeking out.  It saves Mom the hassle of fighting to get a coat or snowsuit on.  Sure wish they had invented these when my twins were little.

And finally, I'm stripping the last 27 blocks for the log cabin quilts I'm making for another of Kristin's roommates from Penn.  She having twins any day now, and they are doing the nursery in pink and brown.  Once the log cabin tops are pieced, I'll post photos.

Things Change -- and Sometimes It's a Good Thing

Let me start with a story.  Years ago there was a little girl named Mary.  Mary loved to play school, but she always had to be the teacher.  And since she was the oldest of four girls, she most always got her way.  >>>>> Fast Forward.  Mary goes to college, and has to decide what her major will be.  It's not an easy decision -- will it be elementary ed. or accounting.  Since all the economists were projecting a bad future for teachers and good careers for accountants, Mary decides to major in accounting.  >>>>>>>> Fast Forward again.  Mary graduates, and gets a job in accounting.  But soon the job involves wearing many hats.  She does customer service, marketing, web design, and some accounting.  And suddenly her company is sold, and Mary must go with the new company.  Many days, Mary isn't happy, but she trudges along.  But life gives you many bum deals, and one November Thursday morning when Mary gets to work, she is informed that her job has been eliminated and she is laid off as of 10 minutes ago.  She is to pack her stuff and go home.  Mary is in shock, but has a good cry and then picks herself up, dusts herself off and prepares to move on.  But she doesn't find a new job.  Most jobs don't pay what she made before, and some even tell her that she is overqualified.  So, she becomes more active in the schools that her kids attend.  She goes to help out with learning centers in her son's class and chaperons school field trips.  She talks to administrators about new learning options for her son.  And she becomes his greatest advocate.  She builds friendships with her children's teachers.  And one day, she learns that her son's aide will not be returning.  So Mary researches what she needs to do to qualify as her son's aide.  But she doesn't have the necessary qualifications.  Just when she thinks there's no hope for a future in education, she learns that our local Intermediate Unit offers a class whereby she can obtain her Certificate for Emergency Substitute Teaching.  Mary signs up for the class, pays the fee, and then waits for the class to be offered.  In the meantime, she obtains all the clearances that will be required, and talks to the guidance counselor (a former high school classmate) and the administrators (some of whom she had as teachers in school) about the possibility of substitute teaching in our school district.  And finally, she gets the call that the class is full and is scheduled for October 12 and 13.  Mary makes all the necessary arrangements for her kids, and takes the class.  She gets the physical and TB test that is required, and submits her paperwork.  Last Friday, she received her certificate in the mail.  And last night at 10:00 pm, she got a phone call asking her if she could sub for the teacher that her daughter had last year.  And so, today my daughter's life is undergoing a serious, but exciting change.  She's returning to a career in education in the school district where she began her education.  And, her mother's heart is bursting with pride to see her daughter set a goal and then work to achieve that goal.  Today, life makes a big change, and for sure, it's a good one.

Fall is in the Air

My favorite time of the year is the fall -- the smell of burning leaves (which you don't smell too much anymore), apple cider, pumpkin pie, and lots of football.  I love the colors of fall -- oranges, golds, browns, and reds.  Rod and I were married in 1974 -- right smack dab in the middle of the crushed velvet era.  This is a photo of me with my sister and sister-in-law that was taken at our wedding.  Yes, those gowns are orange, bright orange.  Under the capes, the dress had a V-neckline.  My sister-in-law, Kathy said that with the cape on she felt like Batman, and with it off, she felt like Irma la Deuce.  The girls carried baskets of straw flowers, and even my bouquet was dried flowers.  Our wedding was on Nov. 9, yep in the fall.  My gown has long since met its end, but take a look at the veil. The Juliet cap ended up pretty crushed, but the veil is still as beautiful.

And here's the happy(?) couple just after the ceremony.  Don't we sort of look like a couple of deer in the headlights!!  Notice the dark green crushed velvet tux that the groom is wearing.  Hey, we were the face of fashion.  We were young, no gray hair.  And we thought we had all the answers in life.  Didn't realize that we didn't even know the questions!  But then again, had we known then what we know now, I wonder if we would have done it all over again. We've had quite a ride, and came through with just a few minor bumps and bruises.

And while I'm talking about weddings, this is one of Mary's wedding photos.  This wedding was done on a budget.  They told us in April that they wanted to be married in July.  She wanted to be married in Steeler black and gold.  I told her I'd make the dresses, but refused to put their names on the back.  LOL.  I made all the dresses in this photo. Mary's dress cost about $27.00.  Definitely made on a budget.  My girlfriend did the flowers, and Rod and I catered all the food.  His family all pitched in as kitchen staff, keeping the food table stocked, and washing all the dishes.  But notice Mary's veil.  Yes, it's mine minus the cap.
 

And here's a photo from Kris's wedding.  I made her gown, and the gowns for the flower girls.  Kristin always loved red and black.  In fact, she always said that she would be married in red and the attendants could wear white.  She compromised.  But the dress was trimmed with red and black, even the beads that I hand sewed onto the hem and the sleeves. Cost for her dress -- about $250.  It was brocade, and the trims were a good bit of the cost.   And see her veil -- mine again.  How cool is it that both my girls (and one of my nieces) wore my veil at their weddings.

But, now back to my love of fall.  There's a crispness in the air, the brightly colored leaves are falling fast, the garden is finished, and in the morning there's frost on the grass.  So, this weekend I'm having a mock Thanksgiving.  We've bought the turkey breast, I have leftover buns to make into stuffing, and the makings for  a couple of pumpkin pies are in the pantry.  And the squirty whipped cream is in the frig.  And I'm dreaming of turkey dinner, hot turkey sandwiches, and homemade turkey pot pie.  Wanna come over for dinner???

Turning Sixty

On Thursday, I turned sixty.  Sixty. . . Sixty.  Just doesn't seem like sixty should be a word used to describe me.  I remember when my Dad was sixty.  I shouldn't be that old.  I don't feel old - at least not today.  But I'm sixty.  My granddad died at 56.  I've passed that.  My dad died at 66.  Will I make it that long?  My great grandma, on whose birthday I was born, lived to the ripe old age of 94.  And my wonderful granny lived to be 93.  Did I inherit those genes?

Turning 30 was easy.  I had just had twins. Add in a 3 and  a 4 year old, and I was too busy to even think about thirty. I had a really difficult time handling turning 40.  My dad was in intensive care, and although my girls had planned a special dinner, my mom and sister chose to go to play cards at my aunt's.  I was so hurt that day that told my sister that I would not celebrate her 40th birthday.  Should never have said it -- she died at age 37.  I learned that year to keep my vindictive threats to myself.  Fifty didn't seem to be a big deal.  And I just wasn't sure how I felt about sixty.  Other than a word, it didn't seem to matter much.  But everyone else seemed to think it should be a big deal, after all it was another milestone.

So, Mary and her sisters decided a soup supper/birthday party would be a good way to celebrate.  We've done soup suppers before and they are always a lot of fun.  Pam bought decorations and put them up on the back deck.  Mary sent the invites, and specified that each family was to bring a pot of their favorite soup.  And the planning began.  Mary made Carrot/Ginger soup, a soup that we had at Boma in Walt Disney World.  She also made chili and sangria.  Mmm.  A good start.  Pam and Pat made wedding soup and super large pot of hot cocoa.  Delicious.  Kristin made pumpkin soup with cinnamon raisin croutons.  Loved it.  Rod's sister Kathy and the two of her girls that she lives with brought kielbasi soup.  It has the kielbasi, potatoes, onions, stewed tomatoes and buttermilk in it and it was a speciality of my late brother-in-law's.  Niece Becky contributed her version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana, and her mother-in-law made homemade vegetable soup that tasted a great deal like my granny's (minus the fat on the meat).  I made a pot of hot caramel apple cider.  It was also a hit. And we had some really good breads - Italian, Pugliese, cornbread and cranberry walnut bread.  It was a good night for a soup supper, by the time everyone left we were into the 40's.  We had a really nice time and laughed a lot, which I think keeps one young.  We were all to stubborn to let the cold win, and the crackling fire that Rod built helped.  Pam and Pat had bought 3 kinds of sausage from our local butcher and some hot dogs to go along with the soups. They tasted good cooked over the fire.  

I had requested no gifts -- nobody listened.  Rod had gotten me the Kindle and Mary's family and the twins got me the orange lighted cover that I had asked for.  Kristin's family gave me two DVDs -- A Hard Day's Night and The Great Outdoors.  Kathy's family gave me a beautiful burgundy chrysanthemum.  Nephew Tim and wife Julie gave me a beautiful nutcracker for my collection.  He stands over 3 feet tall, and also gave me a Burt Bee's manicure collection.  Becky's in laws gave me a gorgeous fall wreath.  And Patti and Al gave me 5 scratch-off lottery tickets.  I've got to be one of the unluckiest people in the world -- didn't win a single dollar on them.  It was a great thought, though.  What kind and generous friends and family members I have.

And so another birthday has come and gone.  I'm sixty, and I don't feel one bit older than  I did at 59. But since it's supposed to be a milestone, how about a quilt pattern called Turning Sixty.  Hmmm, I'll have to get on that - someday.