Hi from This Quilter

Change of plans....we are now leaving Sunday.  Turns out we need a HASMAT team to come to the house before we can safely enter.  Scary.  The name of one of the groups we contacted was "The Suicide Crew."  Now, that is totally sad to me.  Where is the gentleness?  The, well, vagueness so it won't be so awful when these folks have to enter a home...it is also an assumption that anyone who dies outside the confines of a hospital committed suicide.  Where is that kinder, gentler mindset?

Happy Thanksgiving from this Quilter

Blessings and best wishes to all of you.  I am leaving to check on Mother's house. Please keep those good, sweet thoughts and prayers headed my way.  I seem to be in the market for those a lot these days.

The Week From Hell

Another phone call.  My brother, Don, just called to say that the police in Alabama had found both our Mother and her husband, Gene, dead in their home.  Apparently Gene had a heart attack going into check on Mother.  When Gene did not show up for his doctor's visit, the office called the police in to check on them.  They found Gene, dead on the floor and Mother gasping for breath.  Emergency services were called but Mother died before they arrived. 

This week is now the anniversary of our Dad's death, our sister's, and our Mother's.  I am officially declaring November a non-month and skipping straight to December from October.  It is the only way I can keep what little sanity I have..........

One More Teensy Weensy Post

Jeez, look at the time.  Even my writing is all slanty.  Oh well, I have been playing with the colors on the earlier design, "Gabby's Roses" and we all know what happens to time when a computer is involved.................................................

Quilter Hears Sleigh Bells

I swear I could hear those bells ringing, today as I walked into the mall.  Oh yeah, that is the normal ringing in my ears.  But, talk about getting in the Christmas spirit.  The sales that are already going on right now, attempting to lure us innocents into their shops.  IT WORKS.  I naively walked towards the mall from the parking lot.  There in huge letters, it said SALE.  It was like driving "past" a donut shop.... just not gonna happen.  There I was hours later with my goodie bag.  At least most of it will be Christmas gifts...just because I know what is in my pac....um, I mean, in their packages, well, Merry Christmas to us all, heh heh.

Quilter's YIKES

It seems like "Yikes" and "Eek" are becoming part of my every day, every hour vocabulary.  Take today.   I woke up after my usual two hours sleep thinking, "Great.  I have a few hours before I have to get ready for my meeting...I am even going to have time to do my walk, check on that quilt top I am working on, and, with any luck, play on the computer a bit." HAHAHAHHA.  My next thought, at least that what it felt like, was, YIKES!  I have fifteen mintues to get ready.

There was no walk.  O.K, there was a tiny bit of checking in on the quilt top.  Mostly, there was "playing on the computer."  It is a friggin' addiction!   YIKES.  I  now have three minutes to get ready. Seeya.

Survival of the Quiltest

I honestly do feel a lot better, today.  I survived the weekend.  Something interesting happened.  Up until now, seeing things that were either my sister's or a gift from her had made me crumble into a pile of sadness.  This weekend, I reached for my sister's coffee cup (that I gave her) so I could feel her presence.  Up until now, I have avoided looking at her things, touching her things, wearing her things.  I am praying that this new sensation of wanting to hold onto her through holding her possessions is the beginning of less sadness, less heartache.  Thank you all who sent warm comforting thoughts, good karma, and great vibes.  They were needed and appreciated...

Now, let me give you a peek into what I have been doing for the last two weeks....Here are some completely new designs.  Whatchathink?

Sad Sad Quilter

It seems like all I do lately is apologize to you guys.  I am in such a funk, you should be thankful that I am not writing.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of my sister's death.  I am almost non-functional and certainly do not need to drag all of you sweeties down with me.  So, please bear with me.  I will be back in the next couple of days.  Thanks for the support, the virtual hugs, the lovely thoughts....it does help.

Undeserving Quilter

Oh, boy, I am so undeserving of all of you terrific folks who support me .  I have majorly neglected this Thread for lo' these many days.  I wish it were quilting that has been keeping me away from my writing but, no, I cannot even figure out for sure what the problem is.   It matters not that I have been to the dentist for two days in a row, finished a quilt top, prepared a dinner for 12, worked on more fabric designs......  Mostly, I think it is because I am having a particularly difficult time this month doing much of anything.  This will be one year since my sister died.  I am usually fairly good about being in a state of Denial but for some reason, my GPS won't take me there lately.

Where the GPS did take me last week was T.J. Maxx.  I always try on a bajillion things and this time was no exception.  One of the things I tried on was a bra.  It was be-U-ti-ful to say the least.  My boobies looked great.  Suggestion:  Avoid looking at the prices until after you try on the garment so if it looks reallllly great, you can come up with some type of convincing rationale for purchasing items that might formerly have kept you from the Dressing Room and Clothing Bliss.  (We must specifiy the type of Bliss onaccounta Bliss can happen in other venues, heh heh)

Anyway, I definitely gotta have this bra.  How much it this baby?  Here I am squinting and concentrating while trying to read the price tag without my glasses.  Dang, my eyes have gotten a lot worse....the numbers are so blurry it looks like three  digits.  So, I reach for my glasses....

OHMYGOSH.  They must have the wrong price tag on it.  No, same company.....same everything......No, no gold leaf anywhere.....jeez.  Who puts their girls in a bra that costs $358 ??!???!!?!?!??!  Oh yeah, I am in T.J. Maxx.  You betcha, I bought it. The "girls" and I are going to go Minnie Pearl style and love every second of it--this, for those of you too young to know, means wearing the bra on the outside of the clothes with the price tag still in place.

See You Soon..... 

One Lucky Quilter

Amazing, simply amazing how lucky one gal can be.  I mean, here you guys are, coming for a visit...lucky me.  Now, top that off with my good fortune at Market.  I met the nicest people this time.  I mean, there are always nice folks there, it is just that this time I hit the Nice Person/People Lottery.  Not only did I meet one gal, Phyllis, who gave the most incredible testimonial I have ever heard, but that was only part of my blessings....enter into my life, Gabby and her sweet husband, Tom.  Gabby is someone I loved from the moment I met her.  Shoot, I saw her in her booth and I thought, "Isn't she lovely?"  Then, I met her and I was completely blown away.  It is as if we had known each other all of our lives.  We have so much in common that we felt like sisters.  She is helping to fill the HUGE void that my beautiful sister, Debbie, has left in my heart.  Of course, no one can ever truly fill that void.  The truth be known, each of you who are out there, caring how I am, reading my thoughts and letting me know you are together with me in my days, are my sisters.

But, Gabby, well, she has touched my heart at a really deep level.  I hope to have as many of you out there get to know her, too.  As soon as she and her delightful husband, Tom (again, amazing that her husband has the same name as my husband...), send pictures, I will post them and give you the privilege of getting to know her, too.  The truth is, everyone I spoke to who had met her felt they had met someone who was a treasure so it is probably more like a Duh moment when I say, "You are just gonna love Gabby." 

"Some folks come into our lives and quickly go....others come and leave footprints on our hearts."