WEDNESDAY, January 31st

[purrfect-lady]

Good morning,

I am loving the nice weather we've been having but it looks like Chriss's rainstorm is headed our way for later this week. Generous of her to share.

VAL - I'm glad to hear Josiah got his shunt. It WAS the shunt, right? Praying all goes well and you get those little nails clipped. Couldn't you use just a small nail clippers in a pinch? Glad you are taking a few days off. Your plate is overloaded!

CHRISS - Ditto you! Overloaded plate. Is today Jerry's brother's visit? How far away does he live? It was thoughtful of him to tell you to go do errands while he is there. And I think Jerry will enjoy the Super Bowl game with Richard even if he does sleep through it. We sleep through our football games, too, so no reason why Jerry should stay awake.

FLO - Thanks for info. Since we never had a chicken coop growing up, but let our chickens range, I'd never heard that term. We did have a pig house, though.

TINA B - you brought two smiles to me! Now I just wish I could remember them! lol!

TINA R - since the vaccines work mainly by reducing the severity of the symptoms of Covid, not to prevent it, as sick as you are I would imagine you would be in deep do-do if you hadn't been vaccinated. So glad you got those shots!

JANA - I bet you can find some red and white fabrics around your house someplace! You are right about our modern conveniences. I try not to take them for granted, and yet I generally do. I remember my mom doing laundry in a washtub on a scrub board in the yard, rinsing in a second tub, hand-wringing, and then hanging them on the lines. There were 6 kids in our family. Imagine the laundry. We lived on a farm, played in the dirt, and my dad and brothers worked in the woods and on machinery. We were a dirty bunch! My poor mom. All that being said, I sure am missing my dishwasher!!

MARY Q - you are one of the saints that walk among us. You do so much for KC. And your reward was seing those packed boxes in her living room! One, because it means that she really is moving - eventually. And two, because you didn't have to pack them! I have heard of messages getting hung up somewhere and not arriving for days, but not generally years! Once, back in early 70's, I was making a phone call from home and my line crossed with someone else making a call. And I recognised that voice - it was the gal I worked with at Weyerheauser and our desks abutted up against each other at work! We were in different parts of the town making our calls - not a party line either. (remember those??). So we had a short conversation and then hung up to try our other calls later. Weird!

LYN - What restaurant were you in for lunch? In Corpus? We went to one there about 4 years ago with friends and they also had oysters on the half-shell (double ick!) and said they were very good. Can't recall the name of the place but they had a huge stuffed alligator on the wall over our table. Good tip about Neosporin. I hadn't heard that.

DIANE - how many kits did you get cut yesterday? Do you just cut lengths of fabric or do you actually cut the pieces for specific quilts?

Yesterday was another day at the fun factory! And I think Amara took two tiny steps. So fast and so small I wasn't sure there were two. We sat on the floor and played with toys but when we came to her toy vacuum cleaner that lit up, made a little vacuum sound, and then talked about cleaning rugs and picking up toys, she started to cry. And every time she saw that vacuum, she cried. We finally had to hide it away under a chair! lol! I don't think she's going to grow up to be anybody's maid!

After we got back to camp, we were sitting outside and just said hi to a lady walking by. Got to talking and she and her hubby are from Bremerton, lived down the street from our DD, worked with our DSIL at the Ship Yard. All about 30 miles from our house. Her own DD is in medical school in Yakima and one of our good friends is a doctor and teaches at that school and taught her DD cardiac classes. The world is small! And we are both here visiting our kids who live here.

Back to work today. Maybe we'll do some more steppin'!

Wishing us all full bobbins and the time to empty them!

mary z
>^+^<

[grammiequilts]

Good Morning Mary I am up got laundry going, I have a lot to do today,,,And Ken actually packed yesterday,,,Ithink I scared him when i said if he forgets anything then he will have to go shopping for it with 3 women,,,me my sister and our friend...he has everything packed except the last minute stuff.
I might try to get my shoes in the suitcase today...I did pair down the number of shirts I am taking, and I still have to decide on the shoes...I love my shoes...but I did give a bunch away to the thrift shop...
Today I will finish the laundry and clean where i can...empty the fridge, My son will take much of the perishables to his lady friends house, We also come home to an empty house but I did freeze some soups and they might be supper when we get home...We love home cooked after 3 days on the road eating out...
I finished all the sewing last night and there are 2 Christmas quilts in the que,,,I will do the other 2 when I get home and then quilt all 4 of them...I will vacuum the sewing room again and button that room up for the month...It is what I miss most about being away from home. My sewing room.
here hoping you get a walking baby before you leave...She is walking earlier than most. I always say becareful what you wish for...A mobile baby is even more work...My kids always had a sand box when they were growing up...Ken made all the kids and grands a sand boxes which we filled with play sand...it was a neighborhood favorite...I do believe it may be where all my soup spoons are still buried.. Tonka trucks did a lot of construction work in those boxes...and when someone added water there was always fun to be had,,,I used to hang clothes on the line while they played in the sand box...and sit an chat with the neighbors...in those days before i went to nursing school..I was a stay at home mom for about 7 yrs...when my youngest went to school I went back to school too but the sand box was around for a lot of years after that,,Colleen was not a sand box kid but her kids were, They were sad when they took out the sand box at their house...
Well the washer is done and the dryer says get busy,,,hope you have a great day,,,,XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo

[Marilynsgrammy]

Good morning. I woke up way too early, just not sleeping well. I have a baby monitor so that I can hear Jerry, I couldn't hear him, so I got up.

He saw me, had a sip of water and told me his breathing wasn't too good. He said I need to get the DNR paperwork out of the safe and be ready. He also said I don't have to live the rest of my life alone. Sad but expected.

Last night he ate almost a whole chicken pot pie, said it was his favorite. He also told me how to put his robe on him, seems the white tag goes on the inside, who knew. I am so thankful that God sticks some comedy in this situation here and there.

And he said he was glad his brother was coming and that he's glad the other siblings aren't.

I think it might be a long few days here. or it might be a long few minutes. I pray it's minutes so he can be at peace.

Jerry has one sister, Phyllis, who lives in Washington state. When their parents died, about 18-20 years ago, she borrowed her brother's (Jack) truck and loaded it with her mom's clothes so that she could take the clothes and other items from Concord, Ca to wherever in WA she lived (can't remember, don't care) because she knew a lady there who could use the clothes. On the way from CA to WA the transmission went out in the loaded down truck. She was also going through things before the mom died. Jerry's parents weren't rich or even well off. they were barely making it and didn't have anything of value. But Phyllis looked at the bottom of each nick knack to see if it was worth millions. Each said made in China. So, I kept saying it's imported. She really thought she was going to find the gold bricks. Jerry just told me that he always wanted to paint some bricks gold just for her.

His sister Debbie lives in Fairfield, CA and is a miserable shrew of a woman who I pray finds some happy in her life. She married into money and had to pretty much do whatever her in-laws wanted to do, this meant every holiday and event. And in the end had to be a caregiver to her in-laws. Very difficult for a selfish all about me person to care for someone else.

His brother Jack is just a plain old jerk. Jack lives in Redding, CA. When the mom was in the hospital dying, I stayed the night with her and made a lot of progress. Got them to do things she wanted to do, PT, eat anything she wanted, etc. When Jack got there I was excited, and I wanted to tell him about it. He was just hateful to me, he could have said that's great and walked on but didn't.

These three siblings are younger than Jerry. Phyllis' husband worked for the post office. He retired, they moved from WA to CA, sold their house and are back in WA renting a place. Debbies in-laws have passed away and her husband is on the edge. He weighs close to 400 pounds and has lots of health issues. And Jack, he had tons of money, owned his own cabinet making business and was married to a sweet girl. He's now divorced, lost his business and 1/2 of his wealth and is remarried to a lady with daughters so that he gets to raise kids all over again. The moral of the story is, be a polite person of good character and it won't bite you in the butt.

Jerry's brother Tim, the one who is coming out here from Texas is a blustery forceful commanding person, who is a complete teddy bear. He thinks he's tough but it's just a facade. He is a retired army officer. His wife is sort of a prima donna, but she can be. and she isn't hateful.

Jerry says he sees the door to heaven. He says the door is closed. I told him maybe he should knock. I think he's just waiting to see Tim. Jerry is awake now and drinking a coke and eating applesauce. mmmmm, do I know how to fix breakfast or what.

Maryz, We haven't seen a storm yet, it is being held off until tomorrow. Right now it's 4:20 am, 60 degrees and cloudy. Rather warm for this time of the morning.

Judi, you are to shoes like I am to purses/totes. I have an easy 10 purses and some have never been used by me. I loved your sand box story, what a memory to have grandpa make sand boxes. Ken really is a sweetie isn't he? he clearly loves his family. A special heart in that man.

I did get into my sewing room yesterday and got it straightened up. And a friend who was grocery shopping at Costco called me yesterday to ask if I needed anything. I had her bring me some hamburger. Not quite sure what I will make with it. Jerry says burgers, I have no buns. I think spaghetti, I have no sourdough for garlic bread, I'm thinking tamale pie but not sure if I have corn. We will see what I come up with. Maybe some kind of a mac N cheese with hamburger in it. Perhaps, if I am an awful cook Tim will go home early, LOL.

You girls have a fabulous day, smile as much as possible and get your happy on.

God Bless,
Chriss

[grammiequilts]

Morning Chris I am so glad to hear Jerry's story...Will Tim be bringing his wife also? I am glad that Jerry is coming to terms with his journey,,,,It will make it so much easier for you in the long and short run...I wish I could hug you in person. But sending (((((((((((hugs))))))))) as best I can..I was also glad to hear that Jerry is able to talk to you a little about where he is headed,,,that make it easier for you to let him go when the time comes...And yes Ken is a very special person...Ken loves his kids and grandkids to a fault...when they make mistakes he does look the other way,,,but unconditional love is the best kind....God has that for you and Jerry too,,,XXXXXOOOOO

[patches4]

Good morning to one and all,
Well it’s Wednesday, hump day and the 31st of January. Eleven more months to get my resewlutions done. Not off to a good start though. So far 31 days of no sewing. My machine at home must think I abandoned it. I did finish my Valentine’s table runner made by Jack Dempsey. Now am starting on the Sunbonnet Babies only twelve blocks that I hope to have all embroidered (stamped already) then will hopefully finish into a baby quilt when I get home.
Prayers to all, love and Gods love and strength to so many dealing with so much. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.
Off to empty dishwasher,and do some laundry, then to my hand sewing.
Trying to help DD out where I can. She enjoys us being here and loves me doing the cooking as she is in many things and often doesn’t cook a meal each night.Things going well.
Blessings to all,
TinaB
I saw this yesterday and sharing again,
I rescue fabric trapped in a store. I am not a hoarder but a HERO!
Have a good day.

[FlorenceM]

Morning
Chriss it's sad hiw siblings grow apart. I used to idolize my oldest brother. A few years ago I asked him when he was going to visit me out here. His response was there is nothing out here for him to see...when I replied how about your sister, his jaw dropped and couldn't respond. That showed me where I stand with them...I have 6 siblings and none of them have been here. But my hubby's siblings are planning a visit next year when they retire, shocks me but makes me happy.
Maryq, my girls Lay brown eggs. The blue eggs are from Easter Eggers, and they don't like the bitter cold so we would need a heated coop with a skylight for them. Maybe in the future.

[WeeOne]

Cool on the coast, but should warm to 70° later, if you believe the weatherman.

Chriss, I'm sorry you are having trouble sleeping, but understand why. A baby monitor is a good idea. When I told someone about my turning garage into sewing room, they mentioned a monitor. I hope Tim and Jerry have a good visit. Tim's from where in Texas? Some of Jerry's siblings were cut from the same cloth as the 2 middle kids in Garry's family. Garry's oldest, Marilyn is baby, she's the quilter, and has a heart of gold. The brother & sister are worthless, give me give me people. Isn't it odd how kids can be raised by the same parents and turn out so different. Hope you can get a nap.

MaryZ, We rarely go eat in Corpus. We have many good restaurants around here that are closer. We went to Paradise Keys, which is between Aransas Pass and Rockport. It's at Conn Brown Harbor and you can watch the small fishing boats come and go. Does Amara like the big vacuum or does it scare her, too? Is your phone camera broke? Hint hint. :D

Judi, If Ken is packed, sounds like y'all are ready to hit the road. Does your sister and friend ride with you or do you caravan? Safe travels.

Tinab, I liked your sayings, they did give me a smile. Thanks! A bet your Sunbonnet Sue's will be cute. I read your question about the quilt photos. The oneies is a sheep head. I didn't see it until I looked at the black sheep in the lower corner.

Valerie, I read your comment about the quilt photos. Maybe they think ‘Reserve’ sounds better than ‘Second Place’. :lol:

Flo, When I lived in Utah, my siblings didn't visit. But, we were all raising kids and working.

The Chiropractor helped both of us yesterday. He's a faithful man and this may sound odd, but he asks God for guidance when adjusting a person. He would like to come up with a computer program that would show how not getting adjusted can affect a person. For some reason my brother Larry came to mind and I told him of a program that Larry came up with to track helicopter maintenance. Doc was thrilled to hear it. His son is in college, studying computer stuff. He was going to talk to him about designing a program.

We talked to the friend that's heading for the house. She will arrive Friday or Saturday. That's good. Give me an extra day working on quilt here. Warning ⚠️ I washed the flannel that will be the backing. I think I messed up and washed on warm, not cold. Shrank like crazy!! The 2 yards of green shrank 2 1/2" in length and an inch in width. But it gets worse. The 7 yards was 42" wide, that's what the board it was wrapped on said, is now 40" wide. Now I'm not sure if I will have enough backing. 😕 Bought it at JoAnn's.

Time to see what I can get done. Prayers continue for the needs here.
Lyn

[auntjana]

Good morning!

A beautiful day here, again. But only today. Storms are rolling in , rain mostly on me, snow in the mountains. That's what the proverbial they say are designer storms, we get the snow needed and we don't have to shovel!

Chriss - thanks for sharing Jerry's story. That door, hard to say, will open, when he knocks, but there will be someone, a loved one, who he knows,, to guide him on the next step in his journey. He won't be alone. An end for us, temporarily, but a new, glorious beginning of the next learning experience for him.

My day willbe the usual Wednesday run with Ethan to orchestra. And there's no snow to drive in! Didn't make itinto the Batt Cave yesterday, hopefully maybe today.

Stay safe, warm and lots of hugs and prayers ,
Jana

[maryq]

Good Morning Girls

Oh so nice to see the sun this morning!!! Alexa says we are going to get up to 55*!!! It will be so warm I maybe will open a window for a little while!! I could even go out and clean the garage! But, nah, I think I'll sew instead !!!

Maryz.. Oh yes I do remember party lines!!! I've had cell phone conversations that I've heard other people on!!! How fun to run into someone from home! And it is such a small world after all isn't it! My DB and SIL run into folks from MN all the time--- but then a lot of MN'ans escape to Texas in the winter. KC has a truck coming on Feb 17 to pick up her stuff and move it all to Arkansas... Now she just has to figure out a way to get herself there! Oh what a challenge that will be---as she has to take the cat with here. She says it's a service cat!! She won't get anywhere without a valid ID so I hope she gets that taken care of first!!

Judi... How about getting a bigger suitcase? Did you try putting stuff into zippie bags and squeezing the air out? that might save room. Do you take a little sewing machine with you? When I went to Alaska last summer I didn't think I'd be able to survive without sewing something, but I did... but was a little shaky by the time I got home.

Chriss... Surprised to see you this early!!! So good to see you and to hear how things are going. Good news that Jerry ate well last night. And oh yes, a little humor here and there is good! My Mom was crackin' jokes all afternoon the day we sat with her. Both my folks had a great attitude about death for they knew they were going Home.. and Mom knew that she would be reunited with so many she loved. The nice thing about the social worker we had was that she facilitated a time when all 7 of us kid could be together and we could talk openly open our feelings for our Mom. I hope that Jerry will have a GREAT visit with his brother and that it will be a great memory for him, his brother and you!

Tinab ... a whole month without sewing? OMG How are you doing, do you feel shaky and kind of out of sorts? I bet the hand work helps yes? I have that saying "I Rescue Fabric, I'm Kind of a Hero" as an embroidery design and I'm going to stitch it on a couple T-shirts for Katie and I!!

Flo... One of the things that we promised my Mom that day we were all together is that us kids would stay close. And we really try. Greg Travels all winter, David is "the only child" as he rarely reaches out to anybody, Then there's me, then Chris who we lost in 2012, Tim I'm close with and my Sister Annie, then Bill. But we try to have a big HANSON FEST in the summer at Bill's farm. I miss my sibs and try to do a check in once in while.

Lyn... Oh my gosh, that's a lot of shrinkage!! I bought some flannel at Joann the other day and it's now $10... for icky flannel, not even the good stuff. I needed 40" but bought 1 & 1/2 yards... just in case. I'm really disappointed in all of Joann fabric lately. You used to be able to get some relatively decent stuff, it just seems so much thinner now. Not that I NEED more fabric, but I think from now on I'll go to the LQS or the fabric warehouse! OR Katie's garage!!

Guess I better get in gear, shower up and get busy. I did get Kayla's quilt quilted yesterday so this morning I'll get the binding on. I bought some wood shelves for my furnace closet the other day and think I might paint them today, hopefully Shawn can put them up this weekend. It's almost warm enough to paint them outside... but not quite!

Wishing you all the very best today. with lots of prayers for all!

[WeSignificant]

Good morning world, going to visit at hospital today so quick drive by to update you all. After 23 Days in ICU, Josiah is on a regular floor. The tag on his bed indicates it is likely a rehab bed but I will find out when I get there. I wish he was more tolerant of the staff but he just doesn't understand. He did though give a fist bump and a high five to the the NP and PA who stopped by to check on him. They were in regular street clothes so he must have thought they were just stopping by. They didn't touch him (guess the word is out!). He took a couple of wobbly steps yesterday (grandpa and PT were right there) and then threw a complete temper tantrum when the head of rehab came in. So he is now acting 2! Kinda funny, she was teaching what I think is new dr and said "see how he can move all this extremities, he can cross midline, "and so on all the while Josiah was having a fit! She was not able to really give a prognosis at this time but did say they will stay on his case even when he goes back to Nevada. Dr. told DD yesterday maybe a couple more weeks in the hospital for rehab. So things are still unsettled but progressing.

Nothing much else is new.

Getting late so I best get, will check in as I can.