Getting There.

The story book quilt I'm making for grandsons Jordan and Lucas is almost done. The quilt and a copy of each of the books will be their Christmas present. Each row represents a children's book Dorothy chose for the Nesting Robin she hosted.

Row#1 The Kissing Hand

#2 Harold and the Purple Crayon

#3 The Giving Tree

#4 Make Way for Ducklings

#5 The Polar Express

If you click on the photo you get a better look. If you look closely you will see a outline of Harold in the upstairs window of the house. I drew it with a fabric marker but I'm afraid it looks more like a monkey than Harold :)

I used two different alphabet fabrics for the borders. I will be using some more of the blue alphabet for the backing too. The top is finished except quilting and the Dragons teeth after a couple unsatisfying attempts with embroidery and rickrack I've decided to do the teeth with purple fabric paint. Which I have yet to purchase.

Tomorrow I plan on starting to machine quilt it (a simple meandering). And hope to be done this weekend. I can see a few mistakes but thankfully Lucas and Jordan are not Quilt snobs :)

Death and Dying

Sorry for the depressing subject matter today but my 92 year old DMIL is dying of cancer and I thought writing about it might help me deal. The people in my life that have died always went fast, heart attack, stroke,accident,etc. I have never known anyone to die slowly like this. This is so agonizing for the family. She is very bad her extremities are turning purple, she sleeps all the time moaning in her sleep. It upsets me that she's suffering like this even though hospice assures us she's in no pain. We lived in Spain when my mother went through this with my step-father and her sister. I never realized how hard it must have been on her to watch them go like this. And I can't imagine the agony of parents who have children that die like this. I think I would surely break under such grief.

Think Pink!

After raising four boys and having all our bedrooms guy-sie for years. Sports posters, batman sheets, etc. I thought when the youngest moved out I could do the rooms more feminine. Then one son divorced moved back in with grandson and we were back to boy rooms.
So... now that he's remarried and moved out I can do a girly, girly room. Last week my son from KC was visiting and he painted this room for me. As you see VERY pink. The pink checked fabric lobed across the bed I'm going to make a comforter for it. I bought it at the LQS it's 100% cotton but has a sheen to it like polished cotton. And the raggity throw rug is an OLD real Berber rug I bought when we lived in Spain a long time ago. It's just temp until I find a area rug I like.
I know, I know the room is old fashion Colonial/Early American not California chic that's all the rage. But I'm an old fashion girl and this is what I like. Simple and traditional.

Six Sentence Meme

OK, Sophie didn't tag anyone just suggested and I thought it sounded like fun. So here's mine.
Take a book your currently reading and turn to page 161,then read the 6th sentence and share it . Here's mine
"He flipped it open because Tim might be trying to reach him"
Nothing very profound. But hey it's just Dean Koontz novel what do you want LOL
Sheri

The Polar Express.

"The Polar Express" is the fifth book Dorothy picked for the Nesting Robin. Since I was not fond the third book "The Giving Tree" I almost substituted it with "The Little Engine that Could " Glad I didn't since my DDIL has told me The Polar Express is Lucas's favorite movie. Here is what I have for the row. It's suppose to be pages where the train is going through the dark snowy woods with wolves watching. I made one wolf peeking around a tree but it was too dark with the blue back ground and hard to make out. So I'm going to redo it with a white back ground. We have out of town company so don't know when I'll get back to it. Probably Monday.

How about them Buckeyes!!!

Anyone that lives in Ohio knows that national championships are great and the Rose Bowl is good, but nothing matches the sweet taste of victory over MI. GO BUCKS!

Continuing my quest to have a "Made in China" free Christmas. I decided to make some Pajama pants for the girls in the family. The local quilt shop had some cute bright fabrics on sale. Here's a picture of what what I bought. The smaller pieces will be for trim,pockets and such.

Kay and AJ's new house.

This post is mostly for family and friends that know who I'm talking about .Our #2 son AJ and wife Kay built a new house in Enid this year. They just moved in about six weeks ago.

The first photo is the only one taken after the landscaping was done. For those that know how much the landscaping cost. I assure you there's more than you can see in the picture. Like some good size trees along the drive.

They have three acres of land here.. There is a small area in the back fenced off for the dog and a little privacy when barbecuing, sunbathing and such.

As you can see OK is big sky country,I love it. I love the many big trees we have here in Ohio but I grew up a prarie girl and sometimes miss those wide open spaces and being able to see for miles.

Blue and White

We spent yesterday driving to Eastern Ohio to visit seriously ill DMIL along with our son AJ , his wife Kay, and our youngest son Michael. Kay and AJ drove from Enid OK just for the one day visit and are heading back today. My sweet DDIL brought me these dishes. If you know me very well you know I love blue and white and especially dishes. I took a close up of the cake plate to show the lacy edges.

LEAVES!

My sis lives in Nebraska and doesn't understand why we rake leaves in the fall. "Daryl has never raked leaves " Well Patty dear....here's why. And the lawn service has already been out and picked them up twice. We're not allowed to burn them(not sure why, they do in MI a mile away) Instead they tell us to pile by the street like this . Sometimes these piles get 5 and 6 foot tall. And if your one of the luckey ones the city will come around and pick them up in Nov. Because we live at the VERY edge (next to the last house)of the city our street is usually forgotton. They turn into huge frozen mounds that sit there looking ughly until spring when the city (after many nagging phone calls) comes around and picks them up. Leaving a patch of dead grass next to the street.

Pay It Forward Challenge

I will send a handmade gift to the first three people that leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange.
I don't know what the gift will be yet. My intention is to make something you will know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week but you will receive it within the next 365 days. That is my promise.
The only thing you have to do in return is to Pay It Forward by making the same promise on your blog.
Sheri

Veterans Day

My mother's family came from Norway only about 100 years ago but my father's family arrived in Beverly MA from England in 1660. And some grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother, husband, son or grandson has served in the military every generation since. The list is too long to name everyone so here's the latest two, our grandsons Nick and Damian.

I hate war but we have to admire the young men and women that are willing to step up to the plate and serve their country. No matter how you feel about the war we owe them our respect, support and gratitude.

Milisa's Quilt

This is the Christmas gift quilt I made for Milisa. I bought the pattern about three years ago.Finally finished it this fall. It still needs binding,no problem that won't take long. No one is here to hold it up so I threw it over the stair rail. Will try to get a better picture after I bind it.

No, Milisa doesn't read my blog so the cat won't be out of the bag :)

Birthday girl.

Vicky talked about their birthday season. Our family has become so big with four sons, their wives, and ten grandchildren every month is birthday season.(I don't even want to think about cousins etc) I think April and August are the only two months we don't have a birthday. This is our granddaughter Milisa the Nov. birthday girl. She has worked as first mate on her grandfathers fishing boat every summer since she was twelve. She loves it. This year she got her own Captains license.

The Nesting Robin

This is my fourth row for the nesting Robin. The book Dorothy picked was "The Giving Tree" No offense to Dorothy or ya-ll that love it but I did not find the book endearing. In fact I thought it was sad and a little depressing. I think bed time stories should be warm and fuzzy.But that's just me.
Anyhow here's my row. Vicky gave me the inspiration when she said while reading the story her granddaughter pointed out how the little boy had grown. I decided to have the tree grow too. I intended to have a stump at the end but like the duckings ran out of room.
I used Christine Thresh's "Kate & Friends" pattern to make a little boy ,an adolescent, a grown man in the prim of life and an old gray balding man. I made the little boy a towhead ,then the hair getting a little darker as he grew older like my boys did. To make the teenager I used her little boy Dolph and just made the legs a little longer. I was originally going to make the old man in bright plaid pants and a white T shirt. Then it occurred to me that most grandfathers now days wear golf shirts and khakis.
This row has been a real hell march with so many interruptions. Ever morning I'd get up thinking "today I finish it". Then life would get in the way.
The next and final book is "The Polar Express" This row will be a no brainier just a long train in the snow with children looking out the windows. But with DMIL so ill and out of town company coming who knows how long this one will take.

Pumpkins,Puppies and Squirrels

A couple years ago the neighborhood squirrels discovered there is some good eating inside pumpkins. They chew a hole big enough to get their head in and eat out all the seeds and pulp. This year I thought putting them on the back porch where the dogs patrol would discourage them. HA, no problem they just work around the dogs . Our two Jack Russell's, Buddy, aka Fatty Arbuckle and Jack, aka Jocko Bean, Jack O lantern, Jack Sprat,(I could go on for pages of Jack-ums ) Are determined to bag one of the little red devils but so far no luck. Like DH says if they ever do catch one they'll have a whole new respect for the bushy tailed little rats..












Buddy, AKA Fatty Arbuckle and Jack

Environmental Success Story

As we traveled to Eastern Ohio Sat. I snapped this picture of the Cuyahoga Valley as we barreled down the highway at 70 miles an hour.(not allowed to stop on the bridge) The Cuyahoga River can be seen on upper right. Thirty years ago the river was so polluted by industrial waste that the river was dead. Rummor was that it would actually catch on fire. Well through environmental efforts its been brought back and people are fishing in it again. It occurred to me that maybe China's taking all our industrial jobs but on the up side they'll take the pollution with them.

The farm grandpa built

In the 1950's and early 60's DFIL built this farm. The barn and out buildings he built single handed. The house I'm not sure. I know he did a lot of it. Poured his own cinder block for the basement, framed the house ,and put in the woodwork. Not sure if he laid the brick or plastered though. The white rail fence was one of the last things he built before he died 20+ years ago. I rode along in the truck to get the wood from his own grove and take it to the mill to be cut for the fence.
Grandpa's whole life was a prayer. He was always slow to criticize and quick to encourage .He worked selflessly always to provide for his family. Even after his four children married he gave them a side of beef every six months. Maple syrup in the spring. Sweet corn in the summer. Pumpkins, bushels of apples, and jugs of apple cider in the fall.
Ninety two year old DMIL is very ill and I have a feeling the old place won't be in the family long. None of the children or grandchildren are interested in farming. I hope who ever buys it will keep it up. But the house is small by today's standards in the US. Someone is likely to tear it down and build a McMansion.

Red Sky in the Morning Sailor's Warning

Red Sky in the Morning Sailor's Warning
RedSky at Night Sailors Delight.

Or is it just global warming?

Early yesterday morning DH called me into the bedroom to point out this red sun rise. I quickly grabbed my camera and took these. Had to walk to the four lane road because the trees are so dense around here it's hard to get a picture of the horizon. A few years ago my neighbor's mom came to visit her from Utah.When she returned home her family ask if she didn't miss the mountians. She laughed and said "the trees are so thick and tall there I could not have seen the mountians anyway"


Ninety two year old DMIL is very ill so we spent the rest of the day driving to her farm in Eastern Ohio. It was long day but the scenery was gorgeous. The tree's fall colors were at their peak over there.

PS-I've mentioned this before but once again the date on my camera is wrong I DID TAKE THESE PICTURES YESTERDAY. Someday when I get time I must figuare out how to change the date. Maybe that will be todays mission.

Puppies on an unmade bed

Jack Russells are suppose to be hyperactive dogs. Our two, Jack

the brown and white and Buddy the black and white are no exception. But they are not morning people. These lazy little putz's will lull around in our bed until 9:30 or 10:00 every morning.

Flashback Friday

Thirty years ago we lived in Teheran Iran. My neighbor a photographer took this picture in a small village in NE Iran. I loved the picture so much he sold it to me for $2. I think her clothing is so beautiful. So different from the plain black chador the women in our area wore.

The day after Halloween

We live at the VERY EDGE of the city with no street lights. So we don't get many trick or treaters but I always buy lots of candy "just in case." Here's what we have left over this year. No problem DH will soon eat them all.