Hard to believe it has been almost a year and a half since I have been here, but life just keeps on happening. On a personal level, my Mom’s dementia has gotten progressively worse (of course, there is no other way for it to go). Eight months after my last post, my husband and I were in FL, my twin was here to do meds for my mom while we were gone. My Mom got really angry with my sister and tried to hit her. John’s Dad got really bad while we were gone. When we got back, John started going with me to do meds, he would visit with my mom while I was doing my sneaking around (my mom’s words) and fixing her breakfast, feeding the birds, flushing the toilet, moving laundry, etc. He also removed the hasp and lock from the basement door (her trigger) and fixed up a lever on the back side of the door which kept it from opening. Not quite a month after we returned from our trip, John’s Dad was moved to a nursing home and passed 5 days later. That changed several things in our lives, mainly having a little bit of money in savings that we never had before. John missed a few days going with me to my Mom’s during his dad’s passing but for the most part continued to run interference for me and keep my mom on a more even keel, because you know, MEN are just better than women. Flash forward to the following May, it is time for our annual trip to FL and John stated one morning mid week before our leaving on Saturday that it was time to put Mom in memory care, past time. I made arrangements with the memory care in Mooresville and it was decided rather than to have the sisters be on pins and needles waiting for me to get back to take her that twin would take her midweek while we were gone. I can’t say it was a smooth transition, for the first several weeks when she would see us, she would ask if we were there to take her home and sometimes get kind of hateful that we weren’t taking her home. That phase passed fairly quickly with one incident where she lam-blasted me with, if you cared about me at all you wouldn’t leave me here. After about a month, she quit asking about taking her home, seemed to know who we were and was easily “re-directed” (memory care staff use this term a lot and is terminology for her memory isn’t any longer than a second. In December (a week before Christmas) I got a call that she was “bad”. She had an infection, they had given her something to calm her and get her to sleep and she was in bed, mostly unresponsive and hadn’t eating anything in over 36 hours. We made arrangements with hospice and beating the infection did seem to help but her leaving the facility with her friend on Sunday mornings to go to church were over, she could no longer play the piano and is in a wheelchair and diapers. She is only eating because they are feeding her and is still loosing weight. She is on hospice care and has slightly better days but not near what she was bi (before infection).

On the quilt front — have many pictures to post but that will have to wait until later. Am making community quilts for Sleep in Heavenly Peace an organization that builds bed for children in the community between the ages of 3-17 that are sleeping on the floor. I am facilitating making quilts for those beds instead of giving the child a store-bought comforter to go with their bed.

Well, enough for now, have half-way caught this up. Will try to post pics soon and try to get here every week or so (HA!) to post.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted since the middle of February. So the lost is now found is speaking about me, my being lost from here. Sorry about that, I might do better (maybe) if someone else was reading this and saying, gosh, Karen are you okay, have missed you. I keep telling myself if I do a better job of actually getting here a couple of times a week (at least) that maybe I would put myself out there and see if there was any interest.

Needless to say, I have made at least a few quilts since my last post. I need to download some pictures and get my butt in gear. I am going to be gone for 6 days starting the end of next week, so my good intentions may have to wait until I get back.

So, in the meantime, KEEP CALM, KEEP QUILTING AND KEEP PRAYING!!!! (just saying…..)

My intentions were good! I really thought I could get here at least 2 times a week and I overestimated my time management abilities. On the bright side, I have gotten several projects completed. I don’t think I have posted these here yet.

That is all for this batch. I am working on a quilt repair job and when I get that finished I will get back to “community quilting” as I still have 8 quilt tops that were sent to me to quilt, finish and donate. Until the next time —- KEEP CALM! KEEP PRAYING!! AND KEEP QUILTING!!!

Find your favorite lemonade recipe, or lemon cookie recipe OR cupcakes OR……

I have found myself today thinking about the state of the world, my home state, my hometown and wondering how I/We got where we are today. Two years ago, we had heard the word Coronavirus, but it hadn’t yet impacted our lives in any real sense, at least not in January of 2020. Then shut-downs, shelter in place, etc., crept into our lives and our vocabulary. When 2020 was over I think you could hear the “collective sigh”, not even in our wildest dreams thinking that 2021 might not be much better and let me tell you, 2022 isn’t off to a stellar start either.

I have finished 2 quilts since the last time I posted what I was working on. I will post pictures here soon. Promise. Until then, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Kkkkkeeeeeeppppp Quilting!

So hard to believe, where does time go? I got the “grow with me” baby quilt done for my great niece. Audrey is due next week. Here is the quilt I made for her and shipped to Wisconsin.

I have a jelly roll ready to start putting rows together for a red, white and blue quilt. That will be donated and when I finish that I will start working on the 16 community quilt tops that were sent to me earlier this week.

I need to finish the guild newsletter but am missing at least one piece, luckily, it always the same format and always fills a page, so I can go ahead and work around it. I try to have that email out late on Sunday or early on Monday. So, it may very well end up being early Monday morning before I get it sent.

I have had my first inquiry about quilt repair, actually it is a referral, have made contact but haven’t heard back from the customer and I may not, we will see.

Church is going to be via Zoom in the morning due to Covid and Covid concerns. I like zoom lots better than Facebook.

All is well, we are staying healthy, both of us have been vaccinated (2 doses) and now boosted.

Am going to try to get here more often to post, may do a webinar on here about doing a website, especially if I do really get into the quilt repair business.

In the meantime, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

I’m not, 2021 was slightly better than 2020, however, it still wasn’t anything like what I hope the new normal will be. Not being able to sit around the table and share Thanksgiving was a bummer, Christmas was a little better but still missing 7 of the immediate family with Covid and at least one family member who is not vaccinated. I got my booster right before Thanksgiving, John got his yesterday. The two youngest Grands (8 and 5) are now vaccinated and their dad will be getting his booster soon.

In case I don’t get here again tomorrow, this may have to count as my end of the year send off in words. During 2021 I finished 34 quilts which were donated. 5 of those I did all the work on, pieced, quilted, trimmed and bound. 29 of those were quilt tops donated (or blocks) and I quilted, trimmed and bound. I also quilted 8 tops for guild members that were donated–they were all Red, White and Blue quilts and were donated to Spirit of 45. I made 3 quilts that were gifts and quilted one that was just flannel sheets quilted with a piece of flannel in between that I did for my twins’ friend in Omaha. I also made a fabric panel doll house, 2 double sided minky blankets for the youngest grands, and about a dozen decorative storage boxes. I am just finishing a growing into quilt for a great niece that is due the middle of January and then will cut and put together a cat quilt for the twin for our early February birthday.

My new year’s goal is to return to the water class at the Y since I am now fully vaccinated and boosted. My mom’s morning med schedule has changes and I have Wednesday morning and Saturday morning free, and think I will try to get to those classes sooner rather than later in January. Will post pics of baby quilt as soon as completed and photographed. Oh, I did a quilt repair class and may get a few referrals from that as she is cutting back on the quilts she does. Also, I am expecting another package of community quilt tops soon.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2022! If I don’t get back tomorrow, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

Now, it has become a train wreck, over 2 weeks since my last post. In my defense, it is December, I am a procrastinator and have ALL kinds of projects to be finished before next Saturday.

So things I have gotten done this month include, finishing chocolate making, made 5 decorator storage boxes, have 3 more done except for attaching buttons. Completed the four corner blocks (16 pieces each) heart blocks plus row with name for the baby quilt that I will be working on after I have all my Christmas projects done. Finished a fabric doll house with many, many little bitty pieces. Did an online class on quilt repair (my next time sucking activity) that might actually bring in a few dollars.

Oh, and my mom’s other caregiver came down with Covid over Thanksgiving, so my 5 Xs a week out there to do meds is at least 7 times a week, hopefully to resume normal schedule soon.

Currently, I am working on two 48X60 minky blankets, hemming a gown for my mom and when I finish those and get the buttons on the 3 fabric storage boxes, my only other prep for Christmas day is wrapping (oh, still need to go to the bookstore and pick up a couple of books for the youngest grands). Have a pitch in on Tuesday that will require me making a side (hash brown casserole). If I can get all that done by Wednesday or so, I may have one down day before heading to our son’s house on Friday evening (about a half hour away) so he and the two youngest grands can open their gifts. Oh, and the tree still isn’t up!

Ho, Ho, Ho……..it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas morning will see 4 out of 5 families (plus possibly my mom) coming to the house to open gift cards and cash cards and eat cinnamon rolls and orange danish (thank you Pillsbury). Hopefully, everyone will be gone before lunch time (as I have no plans to feed anyone beyond Pillsbury that day except me and John).

So, if I don’t get back here until after the 25th(ish)—-Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Happy Holidays, whatever it is you celebrate. Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying, and Keep Quilting.

I’m not ready, are you? I have several things bought, several more to buy or make and then comes the wrapping. But before the wrapping, I am finishing up my Christmas Chocolates and since I sending 5 boxes to MN, 1 to Missouri and 1 to Texas, need to finish up by the end of the weekend. I was going to mail everything on Monday, but with one of my Mom’s health care providers out with Covid, that means a daily trip out there (and sometimes 2 like yesterday) and I can’t forget that I have a Zoom Quilt Repair workshop on Monday afternoon. Candy:

Turtles Done, cake batter truffles Done, Peanut Butter Cups Done, Orange meltaways Done, Chocolate Covered Cherries Done, Butter Finger Bites Done, Caramel wrapped and coated Done. Almond Bark Done.

Left to do: Peppermint Patties, Raspberry and Strawberry Cream Centers and Coat Marshmallow.

I’m getting there, it is doable (as long as I do something each day). So, wish me luck because I have LOTS to get done before December 24. Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting.

Can’t believe tomorrow is the 29th day of November. Less than a month until Christmas. It has been a fairly busy few days. Got my name row for the baby quilt pieced, made my peanut butter cup filling, peppermint patties filling and 2 flavors of cream center filling. Made 4 batches of caramel — 3 made into turtles (1 1/2 still to be coated with chocolate) and 1 batch is still in the pan and will be cut into pieces and either wrapped or coated in chocolate. My twin came over and we made 4 flavors of cake batter truffles, about 80 chocolate covered cherries, butterfinger bites and orange meltaways. I also have 1/2 a batch of marshmallow to cut into pieces and coat with chocolate. Tonight I will coat the 100+ turtles in chocolate. Not sure what I will work on next but the PB cups and cream centers take the longest. Need to get candy made so I can get back to sewing. Got several things that need to be done by Christmas or immediate afterward. Hope to get the rest of the candy made by the end of this next week so I can get those boxes that have to be shipped out in the mail early next week.

Having my sister here is both a pleasure and a PIA. She is pretty bossy and kind of a slob (not unlike me) but it ticks me off a little that she never seems to have her hands in the sink washing dishes or even picking up after herself.

Oh well, it really does help to have a second set of hands for some of the candy making.

Well, will close for now so I can get starting on getting those naked turtles covered up with Chocolate. Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

Doesn’t seem like I can get here twice a week, but I am trying. I just finished my baking for Thanksgiving tomorrow. We will celebrate, just the two of us, with a Turkey with trimmings meal being delivered to my daughter and her family. I did the same thing last year. We really did consider doing a family gathering but there are at least a couple of the immediate family that have not been vaccinated. And, when everyone is here, we are all crammed around the dining room table, no social distancing here. We will (hopefully) be able to do Christmas, however, the kids don’t show up at the same time, Jeremy and the girls will not be here as the girls will be with their mom and Jeremy is heading to Orland Park to spend Christmas and they next week with Kristin. So, while that leaves 3 plus families, plus Josh, they won’t likely be here all at once and they can spread out over two rooms. We won’t have a “all sit down at the same time” meal, we do cinnamon rolls and orange danish on Christmas morning.

Tried a new yeast roll recipe. Only makes 12 and I made two batches. The first one turned out a little different from the second, but both will suffice for us tomorrow. John isn’t really a yeast roll person, would be happy with a biscuit. I also made a pumpkin pie. Earlier today I made pumpkin bread and cream cheese frosting to take to Jeremy and he will take to Kristin’s when he goes up tomorrow for the long weekend.

I am working on the name letters of a baby quilt. I also need to get several other projects done for Christmas, however, the next week to ten days will be devoted to making chocolates. Will seem strange not to mail some to JoAnne, however, I’m sure someone else will be glad to get her share. I do have several packages to mail to folks for Christmas.

Until the next post, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!