on hiatus...

holding off blogging until life levels out a bit....

not just today.....

but every day is mother's day to me....so blessed my mom is hale and hearty; her four children, now nearly all senior citizens, still need her!  she grew up without her own mother, and it breaks my heart to know she didn't have the nurturing and love i have had all these years....can you imagine this adorable little girl without a mom to snuggle and kiss her?  me either.....

probably my mom's best mother's day gift was brother #1....yep, he was born on her special day...how cool is that?   and  this mom was hoping to spend the day with her daughter but alas, no housing yet.  soo very discouraging, surely it must come soon....it just HAS to.....say a prayer, won't you?

another header photo

a cute little spool wallhanging devoted to my love of sewing.  the spools were hand pieced and, of course, the machine and its details hand appliqued. still on sewing hiatus but not for long i hope....

tart wannabe?

my throwback thursday photo is a summer one....ideal for an early summer day like today....me in a sundress, off the shoulder no less, and posing for dad probably, age 4 or 5....except for my sister, we 3 started out with platinum blonde hair that has darkened through the years.  my youngest brother had nearly white hair and it is now brown.....course, mom's hair is still nearly gray/white less with her dirty blonde locks, unbelievable at age 88....but it's genetic.  we think it's from the blueberries down east as my grandfather had salt/pepper hair until he died, even after chemo treatment for severe psoriasis when it fell out, came back white fluff, then back to its natural color.  ***  trying to keep busy and my mind occupied while continue to wait for an apartment....vacillate between resignation and rage, neither of which are productive, and fortunately don't last long. so thankful for health, my family, mobility and an income....life is good!

RIP little herb....

some time between 8-11 am yesterday morning, little herb went to that big sheep pen in the sky...no visible trauma or injury, seemed fine at 8 am....state vet will inspect and see if can determine cause....he is missed....

say hello to.....

peaches and herb! these are my brother's brand new lambs, boy and a girl (left to right), and they are sooo darn cute!  they are now scampering around the pen and playing like little toddlers....leap frog too! course, they are never far from mom katie  (aka the feedbag) but they are just so fun to watch.  not nearly as much fun as sewing or quilting but a different kind of fun.  *** thankfully, it seems spring HAS arrived with flowers now blooming and temps far above freezing.  course i am still living the vagabond life but there are perks and have settled into a routine of sorts.  still very thankful for all the blessings in my life and praying for those who face trials and discouragements.....life is good!

throwback thursday

without any quilty photos of mine to show YET.....decided to post this photo of my paternal great-grandfather, joseph, with his wife, annette, and baby son charles f, my paternal grandfather.  joseph is the civil war vet on my father's side of the family, was at Appomattox when lee surrendered.  easy to see where the good looks come from...he was quite dashing for his day i would think.  so very proud of all those who served on both sides of my family.  ***  another nice early spring day, still on the cool side and occasional gray skies.  good day to do just about anything.   ***  lamenting being so far behind in my "stars in a time warp" sewalong but pretty sure can catch up quick once all accoutrements are at hand.  this week is paisley and i absolutely LOVE paisley fabrics, have a collection of them so no problem getting these done.  *** even tho currently without my own housing, acutely aware of how fortunate i am and how much worse things could be.  like snow, for instance, and a host of other complications.  so whatever your situation, try and stay positive.  yeah, i know, it's a job all by itself.....

diversion therapy

woefully behind on my stars sew-along, mostly due to fabric packed and in storage, but also as i had no ombres or printed plaids (? not sure) in a box someplace.  anyway, decided to make a quick and necessary (aren't they all?) visit to cyndi's shop chock full of all things reproduction.  she generously shared some printed plaid scraps with me and i picked up 2 ombre prints.  and delightfully found some jo mortons on sale that got added to my collection.  now to find space/place to sew after assembling the necessary notions etc.  did find that the rotary cutter and some rulers are with me and of course, phoebe is along too.  not sure if there is a mat in phoebe's case or not....will have to search.   apparently for some mysterious reason i am not allowed to move where i want when i want like so many others do (she says very sarcastically).  happily, tho, can sew anywhere if space and tools are at hand even without having reached contentment  (sorry st. paul...).   *** special prayer today for myra who so gallantly returned a lost wallet with all items intact.  i promised her i would say a prayer for her every day that she may find a blessing and feel the hand of God in her life somehow.  it's the very most i can do to repay her.....

a bonnie quilt

this is orca bay by bonnie hunter, our scrappy pattern guru....this top got donated as well...for purely selfish reasons....it was too big for my usual needs and with so many seams, tough to hand quilt.  i love the pattern and the colors i chose but somebody else is enjoying its warmth, which is fine by me.  *** brief pity party before cruising blogs and finding cancer, MS, a disabled husband and other situations much worse than mine.  snapped me back to reality and how fortunate i am even with current life glitches.  a quick "thank you" to God for a safe stop on my way even tho missing my sewing but hoping can remedy that soon.  ***  remnants of winter linger in nippy breezes and overcast skies.   can't last as summer must come eventually, which will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.  now where ARE those shorts and swimsuit????

new header photo

back in 2012 i was in a small quilt swap and the recipient requested "something geometric in black and white"....so this is what i made and sent along.  i never heard a word from the recipient whether she liked or disliked the piece, but i thought it fit her request.  one of the few times i've had a less than good result from a swap.  the other was when i never received any swap blocks back after sending mine along.  that's a pretty good track record i think....i don't do a lot of swaps now because of postage costs, but i think they are fun.  ***  brrr....temps stuck in the 50s with gray skies and intermittent sun/showers...not quite warm enough for my liking yet.  *** not yet back to sewing which is distressing but can't come soon enough...it's my respite and relaxing place and i do miss it every day.