One Flower Wednesday

I had a little extra time on my hands this week, so I made a few extra flowers. 

I also made some yoyo flowers today!

Good Night.... Sunny

Stitching and sewing

Ah yes, the good life! No alarm clocks. I've been managing to keep myself busy.  On Saturday, hubby and I did some house cleaning and laundry, because his brother was coming to stay with us for a few days.  On Sunday, the two of them spent most of the day working on a slight plumbing problem, so I stayed out of the way and stitched!

On Sunday, the two of them ran a few errands, and then went fishing.  I stayed home and did more stitching!

Today they worked on another plumbing project and then went fishing again. I finished the stitchery above, and then spent a couple of hours digging out the sewing table, machine, and ironing board.  One of the above stitcheries was made into a swap item, which I should be able to show next week.  I'm still working on making the other into a finished item for a swap.I hope to have it finished tomorrow.

I've also been working on this cross stitch that I started while hubby was in the hospital.

And I'm a little late in mailing this, but this is the June block I made for Block Swap Adventure.

Remember the tiny white hexies from a couple of weeks ago?  They became snowflakes.  This was another swap item I sent out, and I know that it has been received.

So that about sums up what I've been up to the past few days.   How about you?

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Life's Ups and Downs

Just when we get accustomed to one reality, there is a new reality.  Life is full of ups and downs. Let's start with the downs.

This is what my life has felt like lately.  I knew it was coming, and it was painful.  I lost my job yesterday.  We will lose our health insurance at the end of the month.  If you're a regular reader, you know that might be problematic for Mr. QD.  We're trying to get signed up for his insurance in time for a doctor appointment on July 1.

Now for the ups!

What started as a wonderful job just over 3 years ago, turned into a nightmare about a year ago.  I have suffered much emotional pain and agony for many months.  I'm not a quitter, so I decided to try to ride it out.  However, someone else made the decision for me, and I am now FREE!  And even though there will be no fabric buying sprees in my near future, I have enough fabric and patterns and thread to last a very long time.  STASH is GOOD!  And I'll have lots of time to stitch and sew!  And garden.  And cook.  And spend time with Mr QD.  And clean my house.  And paint my porch.  And catch up on some scrapbooking.  And finish crocheting my pink afghan.  And do some work on my blog.  And catch up on all my swaps.  And exercise.  And make my Christmas cards.  Whew!!  This has been cathartic.  The ups far outweigh the downs (except financially), and my emotional, mental, and physical health will all benefit from this change.  Naturally, I'll spend a lot of time soul searching and job hunting as well. 

On another UP note,I finished my orientation today to become a volunteer for our local Hospice.  I'll be a companion:  sitting with, talking to, listening to, reading for, hand holding, etc.  I think Hospice is such a wonderful concept, and I've thought about doing this for a very long time, but finally made the first phone call a couple of months ago.  Now the process is finished, and I may be assigned my first patient as early as next week.  I hope I can make a positive difference in someone's life as they near the end of their journey.

Counting...and appreciating my many blessings....Sunny

Wordless Wednesday

Counting my blessings....Sunny

More Fun for Me and Fun for You!

Do you remember seeing this little beauty on Shell's blog - The Raspberry Rabbits?  Well it is now hanging on my wall.  If you've never seen any of Shell's stitching, let me tell you that it is totally awesome!  She also sent me a pattern, which was a wonderful surprise.

I actually finished a project over the weekend.  The recipient occasionally reads my blog, but I'm going to post it anyway.

It's a Pat Sloan pattern with a few minor adjustments.
I also finished the blocks for June's Quick Christmas Bee.

And now I guess it's your time for fun!  My Random Number Generator (Mr. QD) drew two names out of a basket.  Is anyone interested in knowing the two names?

#1 is Grethe!

#2 is Deanna!

If you'll each send me your snail mail addresses, I'll get a package off to you.  Also, tell me a little more about your quilting, so I can choose the best pattern to send you.\

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Fun for Me and Fun for You!

Last November I decided not to participate in our local Shop Hop, because I still had at least two projects purchased the prior year that had yet to be started.  However, I found some laminated cards that listed all the shops with their addresses and phone numbers.  I said Self, that would be a good thing to have in your car.  And it came in handy today.  We made the hour and a half trek back to Baltimore for a post op procedure that took about 2 and a half minutes.  So I decided that we should make the trip worthwhile, and whipped out the card to See if there was a shop nearby.  Not only was there a shop, but they were having  a yard sale! 

Are you ready for this?  I bought 29 patterns for 50 cents each!!!!!  I couldn't decide, and for that price, I just kept throwing them into my basket. 

Single fat quarters were only $1.00, so a few came home with me.

Nothing like a little Quilt Shop therapy to make a girl feel better.  On the way home, we stopped at a new Wegamans in a neighboring town.  It's the first time I've been to Wegamen's, and it was pretty nice.  I found this on my way to the checkout.

I think I remember paying a nickel for these back in the olden days.  They're 99 cents now, but I had to have one.
To top off my fun, I scrolled through a few blogs when I got home, and found out I won this wonderful prize at The Raspberry Rabbits!

Now, I do believe this is Post #200 for me, so I think I should share the fun.  I think I may have 'accidentally' purchased more than one of a few patterns, Please comment on this post to be entered, and tell me what your favorite part of making a quilt is.  Do you have a favorite block?  Do you love to applique?  How about embroidery or crazy quilting.  Are you a master quilter?  Share the best part with me.  Good luck!  Drawing will be held Monday night, and international entries are welcome.

Counting my blessings...and my new patterns...Sunny

He's home in time for One Flower Wednesday!

Mr. QD came home today, and I think he'll recuperate much faster now that he can get more rest and eat my delicious food!  LOL!  I made him some chicken broth tonight, and he said it was much better than the hospital's.

I made seven flowers this week, which is a lot, but not as many as I had expected.  While in the waiting room and then his room, I made flowers and also worked on some cross stitch and actually read for awhile. 

I plan to finish all my June swaps and exchange over the next couple of days.  And it's also time to start thinking about Christmas.....

For as little as I've done the past few days, I'm totally exhausted.  I'm off to bed, with the knowledge that I don't have to get up and drive 1 1/2 hours to the hospital.  Nighty Night.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

All is well

After a very long day, I am happy to report that hubby's surgery went well, although it was a little more extensive than planned.  Better to do that than to have to go back in later.  We were up at 3 am yesterday, and I returned home at about 8:30 pm.  I ate a sandwich and headed for bed.  It wasn't even entirely dark out yet!

I slept for almost 12 hours, did a couple of chores around the house, and now it's time to head down the road again.

At least today won't be stressful or worrisome. I'll just be a quiet companion.

Thank your ALL for your many payers and for your friendship.  You have no idea how much it means to me.

Counting my many, many blessings...Sunny

 

Waiting

Twas the night before surgery, and all through the house, nerves were atwitter.  Now we're just waiting for tomorrow morning to get here.  Early tomorrow morning.  Extremely early.  We need to leave the house by 4:00 am.  DSD is going with us, so I'll have company as we wait again in the Waiting room!  We'll be waiting for as long as 6 hours.  Then we'll be waiting for test results.  I don't expect them tomorrow, but hopefully by the time he's discharged from the hospital.  The results will determine if any further treatment is needed.  Your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated.

counting my blessings....Sunny

Inner Harbor

Earlier is the week, when I asked Mr. QD what he wanted to do on Saturday, he reminded me that the bus trip to Baltimore was this weekend.  We had signed up for it a couple of months ago, and I had totally forgotten about it.  So once again, we got up long before the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning, and set off on our adventure.  We've been to Baltimore many times, so I don't think we saw anything new.  The entire area was revitalized in the 80's from a rat-infested industrial area to a bustling tourist area.  Harbor Place in the Inner Harbor has become an upscale complex of shops and eateries that cater to the nearby hotels and convention center.

Most of the day was hazy and threatening rain, but we didn't actually get wet.  It started to rain just slightly while we were on the Water Taxi, but the rain didn't amount to anything.

A Maryland blue crab?

USS Constellation

She served for 100 years, intercepting slave ships and chasing Confederate raiders, and training Navy midshipmen.

a fun mode of transportation around the harbor, taken from another water taxi.

National Aquarium with the Lightship Chesapeake in front of it.

Seven Foot Knoll, a lighthouse that once served out in the Chesapeake Bay

The dominant icon on the skyline

The far left unit is for sale.  Wouldn't this be a great place to live?

This Coast Guard ship is the last remaining ship from Pearl Harbor

The fountain outside the Aquarium

a little cooling refreshment for tired tootsies.

Of course our very first stop was Barnes and Noble, to I got my book fix, and I crocheted on the bus, so I got my daily crafty fix.

On tap for Sunday is a farmer's market and a nice craft show.  Monday is the day for hubby's surgery.  More on that later.

counting my blessings.....Sunny

 

How Does My Garden Grow?

Why, with the help of my friends, of course!  It's been a good week for growing flowers - lots of sun following plenty of rain.

This flower is made from fabric that Gina sent me; leftover from one of the flowers in the beautiful flower basket block that she made me for BSA.

Linda may recognize the center of these.  She sent me 14 little squares with the lovely pincushion that I won.  14 squares are enough for two flowers, but I decided to use them all for centers. I basted them all one night, and then sorted through my fabric for 'petals' to coordinate.  I've put 2 together so far, and have several others cut out and in my project bag.

And my other dear friend Linda sent me some fabric just because.  I mentioned it in an earlier post, but was unable to post pictures that night.  Now you can see it as the petals of these flowers.  And again, I have several others cut out in my project bag.

Yes, the center of the bottom one does actually coordinate.  Not so much in the picture.

thanks ladies! Ii counted my flowers tonight, and I have 65 finished, and 10 more cut out.  I'll be starting on stepping stones soon, because I have no idea how many I will need to make a useful quilt.  I did see a quilt in an antique store a couple of weeks ago, and I got a great idea for a border.   If you'd like to see more hexie flower gardens, visit our One Flower Wednesday hostess, Karen, to follow links to more gardens.  Won't you join us sometime?  Anyone can join.

counting my blessings......Sunny

Surprise!

I (we) received a surprise package in the mail today from my friend Linda of Little Bits 'n Pieces.  I opened it to find some lovely fabrics, which will surely find their way into my hexie flower garden. 

Apparently blogger is being obstinate again tonight, so picture will follow later.  There was also a card in the envelope, which I started to open, but then realized it wasn't for me - it was for Mr. QD!  Sorry, there's not picture of that tonight, either.  He was really touched.

It hurts me to hit 'post' when there are no pictures.  Please forgive me!  LOL.

counting my blessings..(if not my pictures)..Sunny

The Perfect Saturday

This has been the perfect day.  I slept in embarrassingly late.  So late in fact that we skipped breakfast and started our day with lunch.  Then we loaded up the kayaks and off we went.  It was a perfect day..not too hot, mostly sunny.....

We went to Lake Marburg in Pennsylvania.  The water was higher than we've ever seen.  We paddled into two areas of the lake that have only been mud holes in the past.  The air was beautifully perfumed by the honeysuckle lining the banks.

I was able to get very close to some geese, a turtle, and several dragonflies.

Later, found another flock of geese, and a few more wildflowers.

As we paddled under a small bridge, we saw a bunch of swallows' nests. 

And then the rains came!  We were probably a mile or more from our take out, so we paddled like crazy to get back.  And we got soaked.  But there wasn't any lightening or thunder, so no harm done.  We saw several herons after that, but the cameras had to be put away.  On the way home, we saw these!  Hubby googled to see what they were, and I found this picture online.  The ability to google something while you're driving down the road is a wonderful thing..   They're Scottish Highlands.  Aren't you glad I'm so easily amused?

I've never seen long-haired cattle before.  I think these guys need to have their bangs cut. 

We then met friends for dinner and had a good time.  And now of course, I'm blogging and will soon be sewing.  It doesn't get better than that.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny