A very long hiatus!

So very much has happened since I last posted on this blog.  Some wonderful things, some not so great....

I am looking forward to celebrating my mother's 90th birthday on Tuesday.  She is doing fairly well...dementia has pretty much taken over her mind but her body is healthy.  She gets very frustrated once in awhile but she moves on.

I had not been quilting very much since my mother was moved to a nursing home.  I had to get my house cleared out and ready for sale.  Now I have a new little house (Cozy Cottage) and am finally getting my sewing room set up again.  Since this spring, I have finished five quilt tops that are all ready to be quilted.  I am putting the binding on another that I finished awhile back.

I will share one with you now...this quilt is from one of Kari Schell's Mystery Class (please don't look at the mess behind it!)...I will be excited to see it finished!  If you have not taken a class from Kari, I highly recommend it.  She does a great job of writing patterns and gives wonderful instructions.

Summer Hiatus is over...

Well...summer has been very fun, I must say.  Lots of things going on and so many changes in my life.  Best thing first...I have lost 43 pounds!  My weight loss has been due to a number of things...people, really...I have been working with a nutritionist...see www.marianutrition.com for information on her.  She helped me discover that I am gluten intolerant and also helped me ditch sugar.  All very important changes in my life...I am off all of my medications except for the one for arthritis.  My friend, David, is a massage therapist and he has helped me get off the medications as well...my back is so much better and now he is helping me with my knees.  I will be off the arthritis medication as well...shortly.  I can walk and sleep without pain meds...he is truly a Magic Man...then, an acupuncturist, Dona.  Dona is doing wonderful things for me as well.  She has been working on weight loss, edema, pain management, and so much more.  I am so grateful for these people!

My sister is home again and feeling much better.  She will have to have surgery again in about a year to remove an ostomy bag and reconnect her digestive system.  She is getting around better and better.  So nice to have her back from the brink.

I have really let my quilting slide.  It was too hot to work in my sewing room...and I was having much fun outside with my friends.  This summer was so much fun.  I hope the fall and winter are as well.

Happy 4th of July!

Well...busy is an understatement...and this week I get to go to a quilt retreat!  I will be busy picking things together to work on at the retreat...my Dear Jane group retreats to the College of St. Benedicts in St. Joseph every year in July...looking forward to spending time with them.

 And, of course, I have been behind in my Civil War blocks....I have all but this week's block done.  Aren't they pretty?

Behinder and behinder....

It must be summer....I seem to be a busy Diva these days!  Went to the MN Quilt show yesterday and it was wonderful!  I have pictures out on Picasa..if you want to see them, let me know, I will send you the link.  I am 3 weeks behind in the Civil War Block of the Week with one more coming out tomorrow...sigh!  I have a Dear Jane workday tomorrow so I will use that time to cut out the pieces.  More later...one quick thing...my sister is back in the hospital...please pray for her recovery!  I will have more info later.

Oh my! What a fun weekend!

And it isn't even over yet!  I am going to have to do this update in installments...too much to tell!

My friend David's birthday...which included walking tacos in the garden and a trip to Cirque Du Soleil

A trip to my favorite quilt shop, followed by a visit to my friend Dona for acupuncture

A day in the garden and some "spending quality time with a friend in a place where you can buy stuff"...I hate shopping so he tried to disguise it...I was not fooled, mind you....

Steaks on the grill and much fun quilting...but so very behind!

So....more to come on all of this fun stuff...in the meantime...I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day. 

Catching Up - Civil War Blocks

I finished the last two week's blocks just now...and they turned out quite well!  I am going to love this quilt!

 This one is Underground Railroad

This one is New England Block.

Busy Diva!

I have been remiss in posting...and very busy!  Lots to do in the spring, I guess...not so much related to quilting, I am afraid.

My weight loss journey continues...I hit a rough patch there for a bit...was trying to get off medications and took the wrong one off first...now we have that figured out, I am off of two of the three and aiming to get rid of that last one.  Exercise and weight loss have really made a difference in how I feel.  It is amazing!  The other parts of that amazing feeling equation, which made the exercise and weight loss possible are David, Maria and Dona.  Massage, Nutritional guidance and Acupuncture have made such a difference for me!  THANK YOU!  I have been so lucky to have these people enter my life at this time...

So now today, I have to catch up on my Civil War Blocks...I have last week's block to do as well...and I am determined to make a dent in the mess in my sewing room.  I have a Pile-its License that needs to be revoked.  The piles are starting to tumble over.  I am going to lose a dog if I am not careful.

However, there will be a diversion today.  I am so excited for next Friday!  My friend David's birthday will be a big event, ending in a trip to the Cirque d' Soleil...how fun is that?  I already got my hair cut, and some new clothes...need to find some makeup and the proper hardware to go under those new clothes, if you catch my drift....so Katherine and I are headed to Mauled in America this afternoon.  Oh...and shoes...I don't have any fun shoes...I will have to post a picture of the "new" me....it should be very fun and outrageous!

Quilt blocks will happen later tonight and I will post pictures...Have a great weekend!

A beautiful, sunny day!

AND, better still...a vacation day in the middle of the week!  As luck would have it, this is the only sunny day we are expecting for the week so I took advantage!  Went to JoAnn's quilt shop, determined which of the new Carolina line I needed to have (all...no surprise) and signed up for the bus to the Minnesota Quilt show in June...then I went for a lovely bike ride.  What a great day!

As promised, here is the picture of the Missouri Star block...love the fabrics!

I am going to just love this quilt...and I cannot believe that we are 19 weeks into it already!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a beautiful day in Minneapolis!  We have picture perfect skys, lovely temperatures and just a light breeze...perfect for Mother's Day!  I have fun plans...going to make pork tenderloin for Mom, Katherine and my friend, David...some asparagus and some saurkraut will round this out to make a great meal...then Katherine, David and I are going to do some quilt / craft related fun stuff...

Katherine has returned from Europe...she has tons of great stories and I can't wait to see her pictures.

I have my fabrics picked out for this week's civil war block...have to get that one done too!  Better get to work!  I will come back with a picture of the block...

Keeping up...and other news!

I just finshed this week's Civil War block.  Union Square...I like these easy ones!    Jo Morton fabric, as always.  That print that looks like gingham is such fun!

Good news!  My sister is scheduled to come home tomorrow afternoon.  I pray that she will not be disappointed again.  She will be home for her daughter Ashley's birthday.  Diane misses her doggies and they miss her.  They keep going into her closet and sniffing her clothes.

My niece Katherine is still in Europe.  She texted me from Berlin.  She will be there another four days and then to Amsterdam and then home next Saturday.  I pick her up at the airport at 3pm. 

She is home just in time for the "Divas and Desserts" concert by the Twin Cities Women's Choir.  My sister-in-law is a member of the choir.  We just LOVE their concerts!  This one is a particular fave...desserts!  They have always had a gluten free table but I have never had a reason to check it out before.  Well...I bet there will be a lot more people checking out that table this year!  They also have a silent auction which is lots of fun.

I hope everyone had a good weekend...I have a couple of puppies that think they need to check the perimeter for fuzzy tailed rodentials...good thing we have some mature trees those squirrels can climb!

Oh HAPPY Day!

My sister called me a few minutes ago...she is scheduled to leave the hospital at the end of the month!  She has been hospitalized since January 7th.  Yahoo!!!

Happy Easter!

Boy did I fall behind in my Civil War blocks...I have three of them ready to go...pictures are here:

This first one is Fort Sumpter

This one is White House

This one is Comfort Quilt...all in Jo Morton Fabrics.  I am so excited about this Civil War quilt!


I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter!  We have a quiet home today.  My niece Katherine is in Amsterdam right now, going to Bruges, Belgium and then to several cities in Germany.  I have to hold down the fort with Grandma for a couple of weeks.

I have a fun week ahead!  I am so excited that the weather has warmed up.  I took my new bike out for a 30 minute ride...adventured to the neighboring city via bike path.  It was fun!  I love my new bike!

Enjoy that spring weather!

Busy, fun weekend!

Boy, oh boy do I have fun plans!  I started my weekend with a massage...and as usual, came home Friday night feeling wonderful!  My friend David is absolutely MAGICAL!  I hope everyone who has aches and pains can find someone like David to help them work through those "issues"....

Let's see...today started out with cookery and hopefully will end in a quilty fashion.  Katherine made quiches for breakfast...then we freeze the rest for week day breakfasts...wonderful!  A trip to Costco and we are set for the rest of the month with meat and vegetables...lucky us!  I hope to get my Civil War blocks done...I have two weeks to do.

Tomorrow is a BIG day...my friend David is coming over and we are going to work on a quilt for him.  He is redecorating his space and needs something quilty for his bed.  His house has a decoration on the front...I noticed it was a quilt block standing on point...Puss in the Corner!  How fun is that?  I think that Puss in the Corner will have to be a second quilt somewhere down the road.

More later on Shipshe, and hopefully the Civil War blocks.  Katherine has laid out her graduation quilt so now I have to start putting that puppy together.  It will be a beautiful quilt!

Inspiration and Affirmation

My visits to Shipshewana are inspiring always.  I get to visit with people I only see once a year.  I also get to see all kinds of quilts and all kinds of quilters.  One of the people I see is Rebecca Haarer.  I mentioned her name in one of the shops and the shop keeper said that she read Rebecca's blog...well, I got all excited and when I saw Rebecca, I asked about her blog, wanting to become a follower.  There is no blog at this point, much to my dismay.  Rebecca has such a gift with words.  I want to share with you an email she sent me ( I have her permission) that will inspire me for years to come.  We only saw each other for maybe a total of 15 minutes during the time I was in Shipshewana, but she made an observation that has me glowing...what follows is an affirmation of the work I have been doing for the last three months, with my friend Maria, a nutritionist, and my friend David, a massage therapist.  Here is Rebecca's note.

Hi Deb! I am barely awake it seems as I check my email after several very fun and busy days! I got in too late last night to check email, as I had a birthday party cookout to attend after work yesterday. I promised myself when I dropped into bed early this am, that I would "sleep in" but here, I am. Not to worry though....soon, I will turn this lap top off, set it aside, and roll over, and go back to sleep!


I am still very happy inside and out, from the happiness of having you and all the other beautiful quilters here. It just feeds my Soul and Spirit to have all of your creativity and enthusiasm sprinkled around the community. There is nothing better than to have a group of quilters in the shop laughing, discussing, and being excited, in general about quilts. I LOVE it!!!


Thank you So much for sending your blog to me. I enjoyed reading quite a bit of it!!! I wanted to tell you when you first walked into the shop, how radiant you look. Your "energy" has really shifted... in some way, and I couldn't put my finger on it but having read your blog....I know in part, it is the weight loss! wow. Congratulations on your committment to a healthier life style. You are an inspiration to me. (this is something I too need to address!) I have to say, that even though you have lost weight, there is MORE to you, in terms of energy, or something! You do look and feel radiant!


Also, I am sending prayers to your sister. Thank you for sharing her journey...what a journey, and I pray for her and her family. Witnessing a family member friend go thru this is a huge task. I feel for you as well. God's grace, to you all.


I also enjoyed seeing your quilt blocks. What fun blog sharing. I don't know if I will set up a blog....I don't quilt. I don't know If I would have something consistent to share. Probably my posts would be "all over the place!" But, If I do set up a blog.....I will thank YOU for your encouragement.

Now, back to sleep. Hope everything I have written makes sense...as there is still plenty of "sleep" in my brain!


Thank you Deb!


Be well! Rebecca Haarer


Now isn't that inspirational?  I have to thank Maria, David and my niece for their support and guidance in this journey I am on to a healthier me.  Life style changes take a whole lot of support and patience!  But, I am finding these changes worthwhile...
 
More on Shipshe later when I get caught up!

Sadness....last full day at the retreat!

We are frantically sewing and I am still behind.  I have two projects with me that I have not even touched yet!  I did finish sewing my niece's graduation quilt blocks...she gets to crawl on the floor when I get home and lay it out.  Finally! 

I am having a great time with my friends...

Here we are, standing in the rain in front of a quilt shop.  Cindy took the picture and refused to have her picture taken...harumph!

We went from here to Gene Stratton-Porter's cabin...so there will be more pictures to folllow!

Adventure!!!

What a fun day!  We started out the morning with a wonderful breakfast at the 5 and 20 Restaurant...then went to Rome City and found Carolines Country Quilts...what a cute shop!  I was forced to buy some fabric and a pattern for slippers.  Then we went on to Gene Stratton-Porter's cabin.  Oh my gosh!  What a fabulous place!  I have lots of pictures but will have to take some time to label them, etc.  I will share them later...for now, here is the group, minus Cindy (who insists she is in the witness protection program)....

Cold and rainy!  We saw mute swans and heard Candian Geese...it was a lovely place.

More to come!

Oh yeah, I was forced to go to Lolly's and spend a bunch of money there.  Oh my...too bad for me!

Too excited for words!

I actually slept last night (except for the personal, private, tropical vacation I had at 3am)...I hate hot flashes!  I think tonight may be another story all together...

JoAnn tells me that she is going to be all done packing and get to bed at a decent hour.  Her clothes were packed by the time I talked to her at 5pm...it was just to get the projects pulled together.  What a challenge!

We are all set as far as I can tell.  I can't wait!  I feel like a little kid!

Oh dear! Mixed feelings!

I am packing my heart out...and I know I will forget stuff...and take too much....and wish I had brought something else.  Oh well, I am sure I will have friends there that can lend me what I forgot, right?

I am so excited to be going and yet nervous to leave...I want to be sure I cover every base and make everything OK before I go...but that can't happen.  So, jittery I will have to be.

This year is so different from previous years.  I haven't felt this good for many years and it will be different to be in this place I enjoy so much and be able to enjoy myself!  Hard to express how I am feeling.  Anyway...thanks to my friends for their part in my improved health...the Diva is on the right path now!

Is it Tuesday yet?  I believe we are leaving at 6:30AM which means I may be fired right off the bat.  JoAnn is NOT a morning person!  Oh well, by the time we get to Chicago, she will appreciate me again....since I am the driver.

Here is a preview of one quilt I will be working on:

I love basket quilts...this one will have a double handle on each basket.  The fabrics come from the Nottingham collection which is one of my favorites.

I am looking forward to finishing my niece's graduation quilt at the retreat...she reminds me on a regular basis that she graduated in 2005...AND 2010....sigh....

And I plan to work on, hopefully finish, the mystery quilt I started the end of February.  That one will be extraordinary...pinks and browns...Jo Morton fabric.

Then, just in case I get bored, or need to converse...I have several of my blocks from the Heart in Hand applique that I hope to finish.

What do you think?  Do I need to bring more?  Aren't we there for 4 and 1/2 days?  I need to clear my schedule so I can get to David's quilt...that will be wonderful!

Fun day!

Oh what a fun day I have had!  Met a friend for breakfast and then off to the quilt shop to look at fabric...We are cooking up a new quilt for him.  I am really excited about this!

I am in the midst of packing to go to Shipshewana next week...and I had to stop to make the Barbara Brackman BOW...cute block...Jo Morton fabrics, of course!

This one is called Fox and Geese...I used some new and some old fabrics...my stash is getting some exercise here!

I have a really neat setting picked out...these blocks on point with setting blocks that are half light and half dark...not log cabins, more like quarter square triangles, but more angular.  I am excited to get this one finished!

I hope everyone has fun plans for the weekend!

I am going to visit my sister in the hospital tomorrow and continue to work on packing for the trip.  Oooh!  I can't wait!

Basket!

Here is this week's Barbara Brackman block.  I used some of my favorite fabrics here...just love the look of this block!  Now I have to start pulling stuff together for my trip to Shipshe in less than two weeks!  I am so excited!  Can you tell?