I Stayed In Monroe to Rest from the Road

First I went to the LQS. I saw 3 of the ladies from guild that I met last month. The next meeting is coming up this week and I can't wait. It is fun to get together with ladies with common interests.

I was waiting for a friend to call me to go to Antique Alley so decided to take a little detour. Have you been watching Judy pine for chickens? Well I have been pining for a rooster. Pining for a looooong time! Look what I found!!

I had wanted a ceramic rooster. A BIG one. But I had a change of heart because my things tend to get broken by some incident. I had two different roosters in my cart but this one won out due to the color. While I was there I added to the few small decorations I have around the apartment. I bought the orange one to add with the butterfly and bee.

This gazing ball was hard to pass up. For now it sits in the corner of my living room in the sunlight. Beautiful!

I left there and went to Antique Alley. Roads were closed off for a car show. It makes it hard for me being new to the city to navigate but I found my way. I went to at least a dozen shops. Fun. Bought mother a Mother's day gift. The wonderful lady gift wrapped and wrapped to ship it for free! I then went and added to my collection. Vintage costume jewelry.

I went home for a little while and had something to eat and a rest. I had promised dd I would go to the mall to pick up some shoelaces she wanted. I remembered seeing some candles that I love. If you like a good candle check out Circle E. I loved this fragrance so much I bought the biggest jar for my mother and I. I burned through mine quickly. Every time I go to Mom's I light this candle first thing! Here it is.

I was busy but this break helped restore my spirit. Thanks for stopping by!

Stash Report Week #18

Stash In: 10.625

Stash in YTD: 38.125

Stash Out: 0

Stash out YTD: 16

Net Used: -22.125

I stayed in Monroe this week and found the LQS. Cute little shop with lots of nice kits. I had to have a few. Stashbusting isn't in the cards so far but I am more controlled.

So Here Is the Story

I contemplated to tell or not to tell. I decided since I goaded you I should tell.

About three weeks ago I popped up with an abscess on my nether regions. I have been battling this issue since October and usually a round of antibiotics does the trick. This time has been a bit tougher. I took antibiotics for a week and then started having spots show up on my stomach and legs. I had had MRSA in October too and these spots looked a lot like that. I went to the doc and he put me on two more weeks of antibiotics. Even after seeing the doc I had more spots pop up on my back side. I am about 5 days away from being done with the meds and all the spots have finally come to a head except one that is right on my butt cheek. So it has been agonizing to sit for any length of time. Imagine being at work all day then coming home and sitting. I didn't want to do it and was miserable trying to get comfortable. Then imagine a 4 hours drive home 2 x each weekend. Well get ready for the hard part.

I saw the doc on Monday and the Saturday before I was at my sewing group. On the way home it was raining and I noticed that my rear windshield would not come clean. I made a mental note that I needed to replace the wiper blade. I made a few stops on the way home and after my last stop I noticed a sound that I knew was not good. I went to the garage I like to use and ultimately they discovered that my engine was completely empty of oil. I contacted the dealer and got my car up there via a tow. They thought it was only a hose but would thoroughly check it out. I told them I really needed my car Monday and they delivered! It was ready by 9.

Last Monday the 20th (I usually come home on Sunday) I was driving back to Monroe. I had this little cough and just assumed it was allergies. It turned into a killer of a cold. I was sipping cold medicine trying to keep the cough and sore throat at bay. Coughing hard hurt...see above paragraph. I decided I would just stay in Monroe that following weekend so I could sleep and get some much needed rest and try to get over this cold. Monday night I was talking to dh and he told me he had a bad pain in his stomach. I didn't think too much of it as he has pains from time to time. We spoke the next day and he didn't feel any better and could not get comfortable. I told him it sounded like his gall bladder. He called and made a doc appointment and was seen the next day. I got a call at work from dh that the doc wanted him to admit himself. His belly was full of fluid and they didn't know why. I went and told my boss and went straight to the apartment, packed and grabbed lunch as I headed out of town.

Once I was on the road I called my neighbor and told her what was going on. He couldn't drive because he had some vertigo. He wanted to wait the 4 hours it would take me to drive home. I asked her to take him and she agreed. I called him and told him NOT to wait and to go with her to the ER. I complied. I made calls as I went home to arrange for the kids care until I could get home. I got home and rested for a short time. Took care of the dogs and other little things. Then dd and I headed to the ER to see what the situation was. Without going through all the minutiae he was diagnosed with pancreatitis as a result of passing a gall stone that blocked the ducts for both organs. As an added bonus it super aggravated his liver (he is waiting for a transplant) and caused severe jaundice. I have never seen someone literally yellow like this.
I left the ER and didn't go back until Friday when he thought he was getting out. He ultimately was made to stay another day. As soon as I sat down I fell asleep. Miserable. I repeated the visit the next day after he told me he was ready to get out. He was going to be released the doc that needed to release him just hadn't shown up after being paged 2.5 hours earlier. I fell asleep again. DH took pity on me and just walked out. Some call it self-released.

I have had my gall bladder out and in the process knew to avoid spicy and fatty foods. I told him as much and he ignored my advice. For the next 2 days he ate the fattiest foods and complained of not feeling well.....but I digress.

While dh was in the hospital ds complained of not feeling well and thinking he had caught a cold as well. He missed 2 days of school. We tried to get everything under control and thought we had. I returned to Monroe on Sunday. Monday morning ds calls me short of breath and not feeling well. We ultimately sent him to school as it was TAKS testing (state required tests) and we didn't want him to miss them. We also could use the nurse to help us. She assessed the situation and talked to his doctors. He had to go to the ER. With fighting the cold and diabetes he just couldn't keep the diabetes in control. They worked all day on him and had him to the point where they thought he could go home. Suddenly one of his labs went the wrong way and he spent the night after being admitted. He was released the next day and is fine now.

While all the above is going on my Dad started chemo the same day that my dh went to the ER. I was planning to go see him but will not as long as I am sick. It hurts me that I can't go yet. After 4 months of chemo he will have to have his bladder removed. He found out that he has small cell cancer which is very aggressive. They did a scan before chemo and the scan shows the cancer is still contained in the bladder. That is good news.

Dad's sister was admitted to the hospital with some issues. We are getting very poor news. They feel she has cancer but have not been able to identify where it is. They have drained a lot of fluid and are giving her pain management until they can resolve the issue. My dad is bothered that he isn't getting info and really doesn't need to be in the hospital just having completed chemo. He had a blood test and popped by for a minute but that didn't give him much more information than before.

So...this past Monday while dealing with ds we got the news that dh is now #1 on the liver transplant list. While they were in the process of getting him moved up the list they found something abnormal in a heart test. He will be having a heart cath in the coming weeks to see what the issue is. Once that is done, straight to the top of the list. I have mixed emotions here. Once dh has the transplant he will require 3 months of 24 x 7 care. Not constant nursing but he cannot be left alone. I was trying to figure out what we are going to do about this. My job requires that I be here in Monroe. My boss from the consulting firm showed up on Tuesday. He told me he had gone to my boss at the company I am consulting for and arranged for me to work from home once dh has the transplant. Let me tell you nothing made me teary except them working out this arrangement. I am so relieved and appreciative of them for doing this. They said I had proven myself the times I have had to work from home and they knew they could rely on me.

So my plate has been a little overflowing. I have been miserable. But I feel much better and things are improving in many areas here. Thanks for your ear. I can't wait to be able to sew again!!

Hmmmm..... No One Seems To Notice I Haven't Posted in 10 days......

Week 16 Stash Report

Fabric in: 3.75 yards. All planned purchases
Fabric Out: 0 yards. But I will have a finish this week!

Fabric in YTD: 27.5 yards
Fabric out YTD: -11.5 yards

I picked up a quilt from my LAer. I do plan to finish it this week. I will have my Spring Breeze top done this week and plan to get that off to the LAer soon.

The Mystery Unravels

I am making progress on my mystery quilt Spring Breeze by Dorothy Young. I like how the black sets the red off. The next border is a plain one and I was planning to use the white. I may just go with more black and very wide to make it big enough for my queen bed. Thoughts? One or two more borders? Colors?

Here is the other unravelling mystery. Meet Cracken. He is owned by someone in one of the other apartments here. He was evicted for eating bread. He is loved and fed by many. I am still going to call him Buterball. Here he is enjoying his weekly visit. The black and white kitty's real name is Socks and he was owned by a former tenant in my apartment. People.... Enough said.

Week 15 Stash Report

Help! I'm in the hole! How the heck did that happen??

Fabric in: 16 yards
Fabric Out: 0 yards

Fabric in YTD: 23.65
Fabric out YTD: 16

Net Used er um bought: -7.65

4 yards were planned but the other 12...total impulse. No excuse. The "aww that is so adorable got me!". I did drop off 2 quilts at the quilter so that will help!

I Get to Work from Home This Week

Had a dental appointment today and get Good Friday off. So what was the point of me driving back and forth for 3 days? They decided it would be ok. I logged in today and no work for us. So I have been waiting and surfing the net. Now work until tomorrow. I did take frequent breaks and got some things done here. Not a total loss.

I have the center of my quilt top together. Now to work on the borders. While I was talking to my LAer I realized this top would be a small queen. I plan to add a larger border so that it fits my bed better. I don't want a topper. I hope to show it here by this weekend.

Week 14 Stash Report

No changes. I dropped a few quilts off to be quilted and expect to drop a third off next weekend. Once I get those back and bound I should show a big decrease!

Fabric Purchased this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Purchased YTD: 7.625 yards

Fabric Busted this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Busted YTD: 16 yards

Net Used YTD: 8.375 yards

Northern LA Quilt Guild and Spring Breeze

I attended my first quilt guild meeting tonight, ever. It was a lot of fun. Everyone was very welcoming. They took care of business first and asked me to introduce myself. Then they had show and tell of a round robin they started. Everyone showed their center medallion and I was assured I would have plenty of time to catch up. They asked me to draw the next row and it was ninepatch. Guess I better get busy!

They wrapped the meeting up with general show and tell. I had two sections of my Spring Breeze to show. There were some very pretty things but one I HAD to take a picture of. It is a completed Garden Twist. I took this picture my buddy Michele. Hope it will inspire her.

Once I got home I went to work on my quilt. Here is a pic of my completed sections. I am short two pinwheels. I will try to cut out the rest of my quilt tomorrow and see what I can get assembled.

March Accomplishments and April Goals

March

I got all of dd's fabric washed and need to press it and my Spring Breeze is not topped. Those were my goals for March. I am glad that I made progress on both this month.

April

• Top Spring Breeze
• Top DD's Bamboo/Pinwheel quilt

Going to continue to keep things simple here until I see what I can accomplish on an ongoing basis. I do have fabric washed for a few other projects so you may see a "zinger" in my list of accomplishments.

I Got the Nicest Phone Call

I got a call from a local gal here that is a member of the guild in Monroe on Monday. She was one of, if not the first, to respond to a message I posted on the guild website asking for information on Monroe. She was asking me about myself and how I was doing. She let me know that she had told other ladies about me since she might be late and that they were expecting me. Wow...expecting me. What a nice welcoming feeling that is.

I had also happened across the blog of another Monroe guild member. I left her a comment and let her know I was in the area. This wonderful lady offered to give me a ride to the meeting. I sure would have taken her up on her offer but I like to explore in my car and am always finding new and interesting places.

Tomorrow is the guild meeting. My first ever guild meeting. They told me to bring show and tell. I have been busily working on my Springe Breeze and hope to have more of my little 3 x 3 units I am making. I need 8 but I am a pinner and it will take me awhile. More is better than not.

Hope you are having a happy springy day.

Getting in the Groove

This is the start of my third week in Monroe. Work has been somewhat slow due to issues with other groups getting the work done with quality so that we can begin our work. Every day we have promises of work to do but so far very little has been delivered. Right now I take advantage of that by leaving early on Friday in order to get home in daylight.

On the apartment front I have a real bed, my kitchen is totally setup and I have t.v., phone and internet service. My living room looks like a college kids apartment since I am using 6 foot banquet tables for the t.v. and my sewing. I have a reclining lawn chair for my living room furniture. I am trying to avoid charging things as long as I can. I feel that I have a livable situation and will add furniture as I go. My next exciting purchases will be a nightstand and lamp and some sort of t.v. stand. All in good time.

The apartment is nice and the neighbors are too. I have heard very little noise from them so it seems like a well insulated place. I have put in a few service requests. Nothing too major though. When dd was here she noticed a dusty substance coming up from the floor. I ran the vacuum and there was a white chalky substance in the carpet. I found it in several areas of the apartment. I think it is carpet deodarizer that you sprinkle then vacuum up. I mentioned this to the management office and they are sending the carpet cleaner to clean the carpets. I spent last night cleaning the apartment so that I had everything off the floor. I think this will mark the last of someone coming into my apartment to do something to it for awhile.

I have a neighbor on the downstairs level to the side that has his patio covered with bird feeders. It is really nice to wake up and see all different birds outside my window. I have tried taking a few pictures but they are not the greatest. I will continue to take them and see if I can improve. Here are a few varieties I have seen so far.

Week 13 Stash Report

OK I havent done a stash report in a few weeks. Been a little busy so here goes and there was an increase for the Dallas show.

Fabric Purchased this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Purchased YTD: 7.625 yards

Fabric Busted this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Busted YTD: 16 yards

Net Used YTD: 8.375 yards

Dallas Quilt Show 2009 Booty





6.5 yards of fabric, Ficklesticks book and accessories, sewing machine screwdriver, 3 patterns, 2 Bunnyhill pincushion patterns (not shown) and bo nash bonding powder with pressing sheet (also not shown).

Dallas Quilt Show

I met up with my long time quiltchat friends.

michele, purplefiend, scooter, swooze and arachnea.

I also got to meet new friends from various yahoogroups.

Safety Concerns

I got a strongly worded email from one of my blog readers and friend. She felt I was putting myself at risk by showing my apartment complex online and also my office. While I don't necessarily agree with the reaction my family does and got a little upset so I have removed those identifying photos.

If you would like to see the pictures email me and I will share with you if I know you.

Butterball and Max

Butterball greets me when I get home. Max won't let me touch him but he is curious about me. Someone who shall remain nameless let Butterball in my apartment so guess who thinks he lives with me now???

Inside the Apartment

I was trying for a yellow and purple color theme. No pans in those colors so we did red. I now have a red crockpot too :).



Louisiana Stash.



Sewing area.



My stash consists of my kitted fabric. Should I bring more? My sewing area is in my living room for now.

Work and the Roads There

Spanish Moss



Bayou



Another Bayou

These are the sights on the way to work.

Community Kitty

There are two cats hanging out near my apartment. They are not skinny by any means but do not seem to belong to anyone as they are outside at all hours. Should I put out cat food? Should I put out water? I know some of the neighbors are putting scraps out for them.

Thoughts?

Hello My Faithful Fans

Please bear with me. I am still trying to get a computer setup at the apartment. The roadblock is deciding what to get. More than likely no pictures until then and not many other updates.

I made the 300 mile drive home over the weekend. It takes me about 4 hours and is a pretty straight shot. That reminds me...I better check the gas tank!

The time at home was too short. So much to do in so few hours. I did manage to pack up my sewing room, well a portion of it, and carry it home with me. It took me an hour to unload everything. I have to climb a flight of stairs and some of the things were very heavy. I even had to lay down for a few minutes (no chairs yet) to catch my breath.

I was good and setup and put away everything I brought. I pulled out fabric for my next quilt and washed it along with other laundry last night. I will have to setup the ironing board and iron and see how I like them. Both new. Tonight I will more than likely just sew on my Spring Breeze to get that top done.

So here is an interesting fact about me. I have never lived alone. Last night was my first night alone in the apartment. I locked my bedroom door. I fell fast asleep and slept hard. I will be fine. I took an upstairs apartment on purpose. I think it is safer for me. My mother asked me if I am lonely. So far, no. I think I will enjoy the peace and quiet. I will be talking with lots of folks and try to catch up on past friendships. In other words, I plan to make the most of my time.

Hello from Monroe, LA

I arrived safely this past Sunday. Checked into a hotel and found something to eat. What did we eat? Wow I can't even remember now. Taco Bell? DD and her friend are with me. DD wanted to be here to help choose the apartment and furnishings.

We drove around to look at the two apartment complexes I was interested in. Before I arrived I was more interested in one than the other. After seeing them my mind shifted to the opposite. I am using hubby's GPS. Their directions are....interesting. Let me just say they are close enough. At both complexes I met a resident and asked about the place. Both received good reviews.

The girls went to check out the pool at the hotel. Covered and closed. Oh well.

Monday I reported to work. Had an orientation of sorts. Had my badge made. Drove to a nearby lab for a drug screen. I returned to the office and had lunch while waiting for my supervisor to get ready for us. We had a meeting to go over some things to get setup with access etc. Once that was over they let me leave to go look at the apartments.

My original first choice only had 2 bedroom apartments. The other was full with nothing open until May. Both apartments are on train tracks and the apartment I was shown backs up to the track. I asked how frequently and when the trains passed. There was some vague response and then here comes a train. Very slow moving, quiet and only an engine and one car. I felt it would be ok and signed the lease.

Tuesday we checked out of the hotel and moved into the apartment. We went shopping and got a lot of things. Still had a long list left to buy but got the bare necessities so that we could shower and have something to eat. Wednesday the girls roughed it with no electronics. I did meet the cable guy at lunch time and he got t.v. service started. Phone and internet will be setup next Thursday. Things are slow going there.

Wednesday night another night of shopping for more stuff for the apartment. We got home and went to do laundry. 4 loads after only 3 nights here. Sigh... Did find out the machines are nice and efficient. Very quick. Went home and fell into bed.

So here it is Thursday. I have been in a 3 day meeting and am picking up some things. Refreshing my knowledge on some items so that I can hit the ground running when it is time. I leave tomorrow for home. I have a list of things to bring back from the house and hope to get back to sewing. It has been a very busy, exhausting week and look forward to getting my real schedule established so things become more routine here.

I will take pics to share with a post this weekend. More later.....

Digging Out

I didn't want my last week to go as it has been. Still digging out from the stacks of stuff that I sorted out. I have 2 days planned at the Dallas quilt show too. I leave Sunday for the new job. No pressure....no pressure......HELP!!

Week 10 Stash Report

No change. I will more than likely be buying at the Dallas Quilt show next weekend.

Fabric Purchased this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Purchased YTD: 1.125 yards

Fabric Busted this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Busted YTD: 16 yards

Net Used YTD: 14.875 yards

HST Update

They are all pressed now. I will be working to sew them into pairs tomorrow at least. If it goes quickly I will make them into complete blocks as well. Ahhhh progress!

HSTs Trimmed

I have all my HSTs trimmed now. I did use the 28mm cutter and liked the control I have. Now to press them all which is tomorrows task. There are about 90 or so. Should go pretty quickly.

How Big Is Your Rotary Cutter?

I use a 45 mm rotary cutter. For awhile there I thought I had gone out and bought a 60mm and been using that but then one day a friend sent me a pack of rotary blades without any discussion of size. When I got them, it brought me back to my reality.

I bought a 28 mm recently to use with some slotted rulers I bought. During my big sort out today I found one that I already owned.....sigh... It will get used, no worries.

So here is a question for you. I am currently trimming HSTs. I watch a friend of mine trim scraps. When she does this she uses a 28mm cutter. She seems to have good control with it so I plan to try trimming the rest of my HSTs with the smaller cutter to see if that works better for me. Things seem to slip around on me with the 45mm.

When you trim what size cutter do you use??

February Accomplishments and March Goals

February

• finish ds' blooming ninepatch top DONE
• baste all the waiting tops (not including the blooming 9p) nope
• quilt something! Anything! nope
• start my Spring Breeze top Started
• start dd's quilt I found her lost project. Does that count?

March

• Top the Spring Breeze
• Prep dd's Bamboo/Pinwheel Asian Quilt

With everything else going on in my life right now I am going to keep it really simple.

Nickel Update

I have now cut all my nickels down the middle between the sewn lines. I have them stacked in sets of 10 and am currently trimming them. When I get bored with the trimming I sew a little. Nothing exciting to see at this point.

I am still decluttering and getting things in order here. I reached a point over the weekend where I feel I can accomplish all that I had hoped before I leave on the 15th this month. Keep sending me positive thoughts that I can do all that I want in this remaining week and a half.

Week 9 Stash Report


Broken record here.

Fabric Purchased this Week: 0 yards

Fabric Purchased YTD: 1.125 yards

Fabric Busted this Week: 0 yards

Fabric Busted YTD: 16 yards

Net Used YTD: 14.875 yards