Missing in Action

My Mom, Aunt Beth and Aunt Grier

Sisters

Sorry for not posting in the last week....first I worked nights all weekend and since then I have been helping my mom who is in the hospital.  She is 69 years old and turns 70 this summer.  She is in the hospital AGAIN for pneumonia and her first heart attack.  She has COPD from 40 years of smoking and she requires oxygen 24/7.  I wanted to let everybody know has much she means to me.  She is a special woman....raised me, my brother and sister by herself since I was 7 years old.  She taught me everything I know about sewing and quilting.  She is an amazing talented lady!  It is scary how much we look alike too!  SCARY!!  He sisters are amazing too!  I am very close to all my relatives since we all live in the Washington DC vicinity.  As a matter of fact, all my Aunts are talented beyond belief!  I think I get it from all three of them not to mention from my MiMi (their mom) who passed away a year ago! 

So I just wanted to say that about my mom and let everyone know I am not blogging for a reason...busy and not having time to sew or create lately.  Hope everyone is healthy, happy and being creative in many ways!  Have a great week and I hope to catch up with everything next week. 

When life gives you lemons...

You make lemonade!  I have been nominated by Dee from Dee's Doodles (thequiltingdee) for the prestigious and much sought after Lemonade Stand Award! 

The award is given out for bloggers that show great attitude and gratitude. I want to congratulate Dee for winning this award.  She is a stay at home wife and mom to three boys like me!  She is an avid reader, quilter and gardener.  She even home schools her sons!  She is inspirational and always has a kind word for me.  She always has inspiration posts and you should definately check out her blog!  Thank you Dee for this wonderful award! 
These are the rules of accepting the award.  Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.  Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.  Link the nominees within your post.  Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.  Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.
My nominees are (in no particul

Pat from A Little of This and a Little of Pat
Micki from Irish Muses
Greg from Flat Out Quilting
Lurline at Lurline's Place
Angela at Country Scrap Quilts
Lane at That Man Quilts?
Julie at JulieKQuilts
Peg at Happy in Quilting
Jackie at Canton Village Quilt Works
 Barb at Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Check out these bloggers, they are wonderful people (men and women)!  They have always been there to make comments and give words of encouragement.  Thanks to them for making blogging more interesting!

Antique Red Cross Quilt

Found this antique quilt top on ebay for only $35 and it was well worth it.  The quilt top is in good shape but not the quilting.  The quilt is lovely and only has a few stains and is full of beautiful feedsacks.  Since I am without my sewing machine I decided to take this out of the half-done project pile.  Today I spent all day taking old stitching out so I can redo it myself.  I believe this design is called "Red Cross", but if anyone knows differently, please let me know. I am going to machine quilt it because it is too large to quilt by hand. 

Back to the doctors tomorrow to make sure I am recovering fine from my angiogram.  If all goes well, it's back to work Saturday night.  I am NOT looking forward to it.  I still get winded walking up and down the steps.  Probably because my Hct (blood count) went from 41 to 28.  Oh well, I can't stay home forever. 

Playing with photoshop

Today I spent all day in my recliner with my laptop.  I watched YouTube tutorial videos about PhotoShop Elements (PSE), played with pictures in PSE and visited a very cool digital scrapping site Cottage Arts.   Here you can download paper, embellishments and alphabets to help make your photos more personal.  I am going to try to become a more creative poster.  The above picture was made with digital scapbooking paper and numbers from this site. 

The only other thing I did today was watch the birds outside of my kitchen window.  We have three feeders but the birds love the hulled oilers or sunflower seeds best.  Even the house finches and gold finches are munching out on these and avoiding their usual thistle.  Today I saw a Pileated Woodpecker on the suet feeder.  There is no way I could get a photo of it because everytime I moved, it spooked.  Here is a picture of what it looked like.  I just love this bird, it measures about 16 inches tall!

 

Sewing Machine Woes

Sadly I am now without a sewing machine.  My Bernina QE decided to stop working.  It's not like I need my machine everyday, but this week I have off work and I was looking forward to some R&R and no house chores, no cooking, just sewing.  I will have to find something else to do.  My mom  gave me a book when I was in the hospital and I starting reading it.  It's called Blogging for Bliss, crafting your own online journal. 

I am going to try to read this book and see if it can help me learn more about blogging, posting photos and much more.  So far, it tells me my blogging name is too difficult.  What do you guys think?  Should I change my blog name?  Is it too long?  Just wondering.  Anyway, hope everyone has a great week and I promise to take it easy.  Thanks for everyone's concern and well wishes. 

Blue and White Designer Trash Car Bag

Just finished this designer car trash can and made a matching key chain to go along.  The bag hangs on the gear shift or the center column.  It hangs like the one below.  This one is made of scraps of decor fabric.  I like this one.

This is the back of the key fob above and front is below. 

It hangs in the car like this one.  This is mine that I posted previously. 

Go here to buy one for yourself or a friend in our ETSY shop!

Hospitalized

I have been missing in action since Tuesday.  I was hospitalized Tuesday and just discharged today.  Complications arised from the kidney biopsy done last week.  I was bleeding in my kidney causing a huge clot to develop in my bladder, blocking my ability to urinate.  I was admitted for bladder irrigations to break up the clots and when the bleeding would not stop I had to have an angiogram to embolize the bleeding in my kidney.  I lost alot of blood so I am weak and tired but I am happy to be home.  Thanks for everyone's prayers and well wishes.  It looks like I have been diagnosed with something called FSGS, an autoimmune renal disease.  The advanced stage of this disease requires dialysis and transplant but the nephrologists at Hopkins have given me a good prognosis since it has been diagnosed early. 

I have been given a surprise week off work to recover and I am sure I will find some projects I can work on!

Paducah here I come!

I am so excited.  Hubby and I are headed to Paducah in April for the AQS quilt show and contest.  This is his idea because he loves fishing and I love quilting.  We are going to be staying on Kentucky Lake at a marina called Lighthouse Landing.  I just registered for my classes and here they are:

Wednesday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm  
St. Mark's Diamonds with Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy

Wednesday night lecture series  
An Evening with Kaffee Fassett - Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts

Thursday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm     
Surface Design Sampler with Lyric Kinard

Thursday 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm    
Apli-Punto To Go with Lyric Kinard

Friday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm   
Floral Snowball with Kaffe Fassett

Friday 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm   
From Flower Photo to Finished Quilt with Melinda Bula

Saturday 8:30 am - 11:30 am   
Photos on Fabric by Lyric Kinard

I would sure like to know if anyone else plans on attending!  It would be nice to hook up and meet.  Here is the link to information on the AQS quilt show and contest in Paducah April 21-24 2010

Flower Power Purse

Check out this adorable pink and blue purse with matching key fob.  The flowers were done with silk flowers cut off the stem purchased from JoAnn Fabrics and then added with french knots to keep in place.  Pink embroidery for the circle and then  lined.  I think this purse is adorable.  I will take this one to work to see anyone wants it and if not I will post it on Etsy.  I just love it and might have to keep it for myself. 

Prayer Request and Happy New Decade

My lovely husband Kevin decided to surprise me with Baked Blueberry French Toast this morning.  I had a kidney biopsy on Tuesday and got out of the hospital yesterday so it's no lifting for me for a week and lots of rest.  He is very good at taking care of me and it's hard to let him since I am the nurse in the family.  I have been having tests and seeing specialists at Hopkins since November trying to figure out what is going on with my kidney and liver.  They think it's autoimmune but they are not sure, thus the biopsy.  So if you read this and would like to keep me in your prayers, it will be greatly appreciated! 

Meanwhile, if you are interested in making this WONDERFUL decadent blueberry oven french toast, he got it from the internet.  It is by The Liberty Hill Inn in Yarmouth Port Massachusetts.  Here is the link to the recipe.