Fanciful Quilts

First and always, the rose. This marks 7 Tuesdays - give or take a Tuesday or two - before my beloved & I are reunited. It's been awhile since I last wrote. Why, I don't know. There were periods of intense longing for my beloved....there were periods of feeling so very much alone....and there were periods when I just wasn't feeling well. I remember the self-advice of counting one's blessings. I find it amusing how we can offer such sage advice to others, but neglect to take one's own advice. My blessings which I have neglected to remember..... * A husband who God gave me to be my soul mate, my friend, my lover, my husband.... * A mother-in-law who is more than a mom-in-law. Though she lost her husband just mere months ago, she has shown great fortitude, strength and love. * Two visits from ladies whom I knew only through emails. Email is a wonderous invention. * The gift of sewing - and seeing quilts emerge from pieces of fabric *The ability to cry over...

Always first up - the 16th of December rose. This one fairly shouted Merry Christmas with springs of Christmas sprigs. Oh yes.... And my beloved - thank you. Today was a fairly nice day - even if it did start off a little rocky. Fell asleep around 10:30pm & woke up promptly at 1:30am. No problem. I can handle those wake up calls with the best of them....unless I.cannot.get.back.to.sleep. Yes, indeed. I couldn't get back to sleep. After 30 minutes of tossing & turning (much to the delight of kitty cat Faith who thought it was a marvelous game of find-the-feet-and-attack), I gave up and actually did some sewing for 3 hours. By 5am, I was wonderfully tired. I slept until 8:30am. Alas, my body wasn't too cooperative at this interrupted sleep business and a headache attached itself until well after 10am. I had pizza with our son at lunch. That's always nice even if he DID have 3 days of pizza prior to mom's invite. Now - that's the epitome of politeness. Dewey...

...before reflecting, I've been remiss in not posting for awhile. Life's ups and downs perhaps....and there was the momentary oh-my-gosh-another-weekend-tournament-I-have-to-deal-with panic. The bright spot in my life is the weekly rose from Riley...and his wonderful messages that accompany the rose. This is the 9 December rose...and each message is a warm hug. Riley - how you manage to be so romantic thousands of miles away in Iraq is ...well, words cannot describe - other than, I love you. Now - on to the reflections of a weekend chess tournament. It was a small tournament - 14 in all. God provided an even number of players in the 2 small sections. At 10:15am, I was starting to have these doubts (sorry, God - but it's the truth) about the uneven number of players in the top rated section. And in walks a young man whose rating is quite high. What a gift! I still have these doubts about running a chess tournament. I don't read the chess rule book like I should (I think ...

First things first....2 December 2008 rose from DH. 11 Tuesdays to go before we are together again. Oh yes! Now - the story of the hand therapy. Let me tell you one thing to always keep in mind: Doctors do not have a clue as to what is done in their therapy clinic. In the event you have not kept up to date on my extremely fascinating life, I learned my sore arm was due to a case of tendonitis. I refused a cortisone shot in his office....something about extreme pain for all of ten seconds (make that agonizing pain) for relief of maybe a week or so just doesn't make sense to me. So he offers something called "sonic therapy" and to go across the hall and make an appointment to come back for treatment. I make the appointment for the following Monday. I showed up at the clinic 5 minutes ahead of schedule...finally was ushered into the sacred hall of pain about 45 minutes later. Ironically, there's a sign next to the 'greeting window' that reads "If you arrive ...

This is the story of what customer service SHOULD be about.... Our chess club is a couple doors down from Spaghetti Warehouse - located at 36 W. 5th Street, Dayton OH. My sister helps me out frequently during the club's open hours (not to mention all the cleaning she does during the club's closed times) .... and of course, we tend to get hungry at odd moments (every 37 seconds in my estimation). This evening sis walked down to the restaurant - and got her usual soup-and-salad. Now mind you - this is the same thing she always orders - carryout or dining in. Soup and salad has always been accompanied with a loaf of their wonderful sourdough bread. When she got the order, she looked inside the bag and commented "I'm sorry - but the bread wasn't included". Conversation went somewhat like this: "It doesn't come with the bread". "But I've always ordered soup and salad and there's always bread with it" "You must have been mistaken...

Having suffered through the past couple of days with a miserable head cold - you know that awful stuffy, I-am-so-miserable-I-could-just-sleep-forever-but-can't head colds.... No? Trust me - it's an ailment you can go through your whole life without experiencing. Where was I.... Oh yes - now that I'm at the tail end of this miserable head cold - or body cold is more like it - I decided to catch up on my blog readings. I have been reacquainted with a few more blogs I'd like to share: http://www.lifeasachristianwoman.com/ I've only read a few of Ms Williams' posts...but I've not read a blog of her that didn't hit home. Her latest one was right on target....we cannot change reality. As my dear husband Riley loves to say "it is what it is". How true. How true. http://blissfullydomestic.com/ Okay, so it's a little busy site. But gotta love how organized this writer is...or maybe writers are? Lots and lots of great ideas here.....but beware - y...

Not that I suspect or expect anyone to be glued to "Angel45402's View of Life" (other than a curtsey to my DH), but the idea of changing templates every so often is sooo appealing. Are there rules to this blogging? I suppose only if you have followers....(big grin). I have been an ardent follower of 20-30 blogs now...and I have to say, I'm in awe of most of them. Some I read just for the sheer joy of rolling on the floor in laughter - and disbelief. Some I read and marvel over the writing...marvelous, clear & concise. Here are a few of my favorites..... http://quiltdad.blogspot.com/ I love this post...a man who write as well as he quilts .....beautifully! http://daharadreaming.com/blog/ Okay - so this one smacks of nepotism - Dahara Dreaming is my daughter - and very talented - some of the stuff she finds on other blogs are not quite my taste - but I enjoy reading her assessments..... http://knittingbunny.blogspot.com/ ... oh my this woman can KNIT http://the...

Today's picture is my Tuesday's rose from my beloved Riley. Beautiful, is it not? And today is Wednesday. The morning started out wonderfully mundane. Woke up - did 2 loads of laundry - walked for 30 minutes while the laundry spun around merrily in the dryers (ah the joy of not owning a washer and dryer...NOT) - took a shower - planned out my day of errands and then promptly felt the most horrendous stomach cramps ever. Remember the 1979 movie "Alien" and the creature that popped out of the guy's stomach....? That movie should have never ever been released...it will haunt me to the end of my days. At any rate, I think you have a very graphic photo in your head by now....and I'm glad I could share it. The rest of the day was spent in bed - errands be darned - and ate nothing but toast and drank tea. Whatever it was is almost gone - but it has drained the life out of this body and has left behind a low grade headache that would really like its body to be able to...

How many times have you received a really neat email that allows you to post your likes, your dislikes, your favorite movie of all time....??? I love these little "glimpses" of one's life. And then comes the clincher....send this on to ten of your favorite people... Ten people. My mind boggles. I don't really know ten people. I have come to the realization that I know ten people ...maybe even thirty or forty or more. But ten people I could send this nifty little email on and ask them to post their preferences..... No, I honestly cannot think of even one person to pass on this really nifty 'tell all' listing. I don't know if I should find this disturbing or reassuring. Disturbing because I don't have a list of ten people I can automatically pass on these emails to. Reassuring because I am comfortable with not knowing ten people I could pass it on to. I may be disturbed about my reassurance state. I like being alone. There. I said it. I love my husband ...

No doubt about it....cats have it made. What other animal can wake you up at 3:30am and feel absolutely no shame about it. Food bowl is filled - plenty of water - kitty litter box clean .... Nope, it's just a matter of "hey, I was lonely and I think it's time you got your rear in gear and play with me". Kitty gymnastics usually start around 3:30am - and then will escalate into gentle patting on the face with a paw or two.....and by 5:30am, there's the full scale, cat face in my face and purring as such that I swear could only come from a small lion. There is indeed nothing like waking up eyeball-to-eyeball with a cat. It'll take years off your life - trust me. But I'll take this companion over a dog anytime. She greets me affectionately even if I'm gone for five minutes to throw a garbage bag down the chute in the hallway. Within seconds of moving from one place to another, she's right behind me....and settles in until I move on to another...

Everyone has a story. Some stories will make you weep. Some stories will make you sing with joy. Some stories are better left unwritten or unspoken. This story will probably only touch the heart if you're like me - the lady who cries over the old Hallmark card commercials. This is simply....the story of the rose. On 27 July 2008, my beloved Riley & I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary. Yes, there is indeed an account written of our 37th. On the day before he was to leave to go back to Iraq, he disappeared for several hours. No explanation before or after other than "I have something to take care of". Sometimes it is better to just leave things as they are. On the first Tuesday after his departure, there was a knock on the apartment door. I opened the door to find myself facing a middle aged gentleman who held out a single red rose in a vase and with my answer "Yes" to his question "Are you Sharon?", I found myself holding the vase - befuddled ...

Today at 6pm, I will be hugging my beloved once again before he flies back to Iraq. This time - it's a little harder to say 'see you soon' than it was in July when he was home. Perhaps because his dad isn't with us any longer - or perhaps because we just enjoyed being together so much. We saw a touching movie "Fireproof" yesterday. This is a movie that every married couple should see - or anyone thinking of getting married. Yes, it's a faith-based movie and it carries a beautiful message of what marriage is meant to be. This movie gave me pause to think about love. Love transcends all - and if there's always love in thought, word & deed, how could we not succeed ? No one said it would ever be easy. You'll always face someone or something that demands more love than you think you could ever give....but if it's there, deeply cemented within, the more you give - the more you'll be filled with it. I see now that my beloved husband has a lov...

On Thursday, 9 October 2008 at 6:30am, my cell phone rang. I knew in my heart this wasn't going to be an ordinary call. No "good" calls come early in the morning. Indeed, this call was not a good one. It was my mother-in-law. It's time to try to get Riley, my beloved husband, home from Iraq as soon as possible. The hospice nurse believed dad had less than 48 hours left. Red Cross was contacted by 7am - information relayed as best I knew. A call was placed to Riley's unit - Riley was contacted and the cell phone was ringing off and on for the next five hours. Riley's stateside company was called .... phones were buzzing all over the world to get Riley on a plane home. I decided I would leave early Friday morning. That plan was quickly cancelled. At 4:30pm, the call came through from one of Riley's brothers. Dad was gone. By 5pm, our son & I were on our way to Wellington, with a quick stop in a suburb of Columbus to our daughter's & ...

On the 30 th of October, my sister & I went to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Now there's a drive for you. Yahoo directions took us through scenic Ohio, then Indiana and then Kentucky...or was it Kentucky, Indiana and back through Kentucky? It seemed like a very, very long trip - a scenic one though. It's a beautiful place - very clean, very well done. A little pricey ($23 for adults.... but children under 5 gain free access - but I imagine they have to be with their parents....!) And to the right of the building is the botanical garden. We were there for perhaps three hours or more - saw everything that was to be seen - including the bookstore and a great 22 minute film entitled "Men In White". Film presented a good case for creation vs evolution . It was shown in a reality theater. Never having the pleasure of being in a reality theater before, I was quite startled when the seats moved when thunder on the screen rolled - and when it rained on screen, we were...

Today was my first day of pottery class. Seriously one of the most hilarious days of my life. There are five of us - four females and one male - who left early to cut up trees felled by the wrath of Ike. After checking out the beautiful pottery made by other students, I was given a bag of twenty-five pounds of clay and given my first assignment. Ah this looks so easy. First piece of art - make a "pinch pot" - which is, roll the clay - stick your thumb in and gently round it out until it comes a nice little bowl. Uh huh. That certainly is easy enough. After building a pot that collapsed on itself three time & thereby smooshing it back into a ball three times, I found it takes PATIENCE to slowly round it out. Finally, I got it. I was so pleased with myself. Never mind the lady on the other side of me just finished a BUST of Frank Lloyd Wright and the lady across the room is working on a bas relief of some Greek goddesss and the other one is making a free form serving dis...

DAD'S PRAYER QUILT Yesterday I drove to Columbus, all of 85 miles away from Dayton, to pick up daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter. From there, son #2 drove us to Wellington, another 92 miles away. It is there we saw my father-in-law, daughter's grandfather, grand daughter's great grandfather. My father-in-law is simply 'dad'. I've been blessed to have three fathers - my heavenly Father, my dad and my husband's dad. And now my dad will soon be leaving us to move to a much better place. He's been in pain for awhile now as a result of a medication he's been on for years that has rendered his bones very brittle. He bent over one day and ended up with multiple fractures in his back. I didn't see this frail man lying in the hospital bed in the living room. Instead, I saw the man my husband referrred to privately as "the little stallion" - a name his dad's coworkers called him many times. This is the man who worked hard all his life i...

There are times when a quilt comes together quicker than anticipated. No stutters or stops or what-if-I-do-that pondering. The young man's preferences were simple...His mom wrote "blue and green, trucks, bull dozers, tractors, trains and loves dirt"....ah the stuff 3 year olds are made of. Three themed fabrics and a sky blue blender and I was all set to go. Pieces cut.... and then the blocks start to grow..... And the quilt somehow magically comes together..... The backing & the label (alas, not easy to pick up digitally) And finally the pocket prayer quilt....2 brass frogs attached... This has to be the journey of miracles. Just enough fabric to complete it and finished it in three days. God's hand was on this quilt....and I felt His presence with me the entire time. I quilt. Angel45402

Meet once again, Faith. This is her "I wasn't on the table, honest, and I sure didn't eat your cornflakes" look. But then, it could be mistaken for her "You think I would actually knock YOUR African Violet off the window ledge???" look. Then again, it could be the "oh for pete's sake - I didn't touch your tv remote" look. You got to hand it to cats. They're typically aloof - independent - will let you know if they want to be touched - and pretty much fuss free.... Until....this cat. Aloof? Living with me just about a week now, I could only wish. Independent? I think not.. not when she bounces up and down on my chest while I'm trying to read and won't stop until I get up to fill her food dish. How much can one tiny cat eat, anyway???? Fuss free? Try not cleaning out the litter box for 6 hours. And forget about that touching thing. She'll relentlessly bat me with her paws until I rub, scratch or pick her up. Pet her once and y...

What is it about knitting that soothes the soul? I can have the most miserable of days and after ten minutes of knitting, all seems right with the world. I love the feel of the needle in each hand - wooden or bamboo only please (those metal needles are like scratching one's fingernails on a chalkboard) - and seeing the rows grow and grow. My endeavors have been limited - a few hats and tons of wash/dish cloths. Speaking of knitted clothes... this one is my absolute favorite! This one has caused quite a few double takes.....and temporarily raised my cool factor with the younger set. No, it's not what you think. It's a Canadian Maple motif cloth. However....it still remains my favorite. And no, you can't bake it & smoke the residue. And the "Five of Hearts".....a very pale one at that..... A very pink butterfly.... A large heart - which goes to show that using varigated yarn is not a very good idea for most motifs. Oh yes - I will ...

Well - the long awaited kitty....Took over an hour to get her from the rescue shelter - but well worth it. She took very well to the cardboard carrier - but didn't seem too unhappy to get out once I got her inside the apartment. Already, plants have moved to higher grounds...and wow - can she ever jump. She's already managed the daring back of the couch to dining room table leap. What an athlete..... She's a mover, ok - took me 15 minutes to capture her on film. Got lots of shots of her backside, tail, and several very nice surreal blurs. More shots later.... In the meantime..... I quilt! (once the excitement of Ms Faith being home subsides...) Angel45402

There is no doubt about it - knitting is not just a past time - nor a way to kill time - nor a passing fancy. Once you're hooked (apologies to those who crochet - that would have been a great pun though) you're hooked. One skein of yarn will lead to another...and another ..... Next thing you know, the yarn is fighting the quilting fabric for space. My knitting is not elaborate. No fancy capes, elegant sweaters or jazzy socks - yet. Just functional down-to-earth knitting - washcloths. Yes, functional knitted cloths that can be used as washcloths or dishcloths. These are not your Auntie Em's dishcloths.....no sir. Suitable for framing, lol. Oh yes, it's a flamingo. You gotta love the way this one knits up ....from the bottom up, the legs just go on & on & on....... And oh yes, the heart one here is lopsided. It will serve as constant reminder that two glasses of wine and knitting do not mix. However, it did have an element of humor to it. Have a couple mor...

Last night after traipsing sis down to the bike shop to get her wheel fixed (drat those nails on the sidewalks), then being forced to eat at the nearby Chinese buffet and then with full bellies, waddling back to the car and coming home....I heard this pitiful voice from the 2nd bedroom - AKA sewing room/den - that kept calling to me "please, please - I need to sew...I must sew". Well, not one to ignore voices as pitiful as this, I spent the next hour or more sewing a purse for granddaughter. I know she will adore it. I'll be driving to Columbus to spend a day or two - maybe three - and I'll be hand delivering the purse. I just love this pattern. It can be made from squares of all sizes - and a snap to put together! Oh yes - it's also reversible! I really do need to learn to take better photos - or at least learn how to post them correctly. Just take my word for it - it's very pretty! By the time I was done and a 2nd one is in the making, I no long...

This is the story of a quilt that grew until done...... This quilt is for a young girl who loves pink with a little purple thrown in - Hannah Montana - playing "cheer leader" - and likes daises - and she's 5. Going through the ever infamous stash, I found pinks - a couple of purples .... however, no large pieces. Ah ha - perhaps 2" strips to make up a block.... After trimming, it measured 10". Nope - looked too much like a pot holder.... Out comes the seam ripper - grab more fabric - sew more strips together - and the 6 1/2" squares are birthed.... I got so carried away with sewing them together, I neglected to photograph the remaining process! So - imagine these squares put together, alternating vertical with horizontal. Got it? Okay - now imagine a deranged woman looking for "Hannah Montana" fabric. Not a pretty picture. Ahhh - yes! The ever saving WalMart had a purple Hannah Montana fabric.... Now the cheerleading thing. Found 4" sq...

This story is a little harder to write about. "Life Settling Down" was hard enough. Missing my soul mate, my best friend and husband hurts the heart a little - but I know we'll be together again soon. This story is about family. Perhaps members of my family will not be happy about this post - perhaps it will go unnoticed - perhaps I am making more of it than should be. I discovered about two months ago I have a half-sister. Her name is Jill - she lives in England - and her 3 week visit with my parents will be coming to a close next week. Riley and I did visit my folks - and Jill - while Riley was home for 20 days. She's interesting, funny, out spoken - and I like her. It was not the best of visits. It was a short visit and my attention was focused on being back with my husband. I had so little time to get to know my second sister. I now have two sisters. That's an amazing statement in itself. Everyone's life is composed of short stories. Some stories never hav...

Riley is now back in Iraq....and it's been more difficult than I had bargained for. Twenty days we spent together - which seemed like a long time, but in reality - it's a blimp on the clock. Little things like eating breakfast at home, driving around and holding hands in the car, sitting next to each other at church, watching the series "Monk" on borrowed DVDs from the library.... normal every day stuff seemed brighter, more joyful and yet peaceful to the soul. Why is it we take things for granted every single day...until the day those things are temporarily gone and then the heart breaks just a little. On the day we drove to the airport to see him off, I thought to myself - this was good - this was a great vacation together. Until it was time to really say "see you later", the tears welled up and then l I walked into the apartment and discovered the quiet. Even if your spouse doesn't utter a single word in a couple of hours, you're still with ...

Oh boy, slap on the forehead with one hand. I had thought I had written a very moving account of Riley & I renewing our vows on the 27th of July - our 37th wedding anniversary. Must have been one heck of a great dream since I couldn't find word one on the event. So to backtrack.... On July 27th, Riley & I renewed our vows in our church after the service. Friends & family witnessed the renewal - and many photos were taken. It was quite an event. After our pastor read several passages from the bible (please don't quiz me - I haven't a clue what was said by the pastor - sorry, pastor....nervousness does that to me), Riley read a beautiful piece he wrote - and I read mine. Riley's words..... Sharon From the time you gave me a note in a matchbox with the single word “chance” Which led to a kiss under a tree To 6 weeks later when you thought I was going to ask you to go steady. Instead I asked, "Do you want to get married in 1 wee...

Surprise: to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly. That about sums it up. Life is full of surprises - most of which we do not expect. Hence - the definition of surprise. Suddenly and unexpectedly. Through a series of emails back & forth from my dad, I learned I have a half-sister. Riley & I met her just two days ago when we flew up to visit my parents. Jill arrived almost two weeks earlier from England and is spending three weeks with my folks. This was her first meeting with her father, my dad - correction: our dad - and mom. It was also her first visit to the U.S. - first visit with any of her siblings (one brother and two sisters). Being an only child, I can imagine her delight (okay I am assuming much here) in finding she has two sisters and a brother. I found her to be friendly, charming and pretty gutsy. I admire the fact she came here to the states to meet the family - not knowing how she would be greeted. I admire the fact she has met life head on....

Another quilt finished. Of all the quilts I've made, this had to be the most challenging. The young man likes dogs, horses and baseball. Good Heavens....how does one combine all these into one quilt... Now that I look back, I know an easiest was to back the quilt with baseball fabric. Ha - too obvious to overlook! T he horse panel - no problem. Simply frame it. A little on the skimpy side. Then I added the dogs - having to fussy cut each dog, using a modified Amish block. A little on the difficult side - lost a few noses a couple of times. Completed those..and that left baseball. Hmmmm...okay, only thing left was to add strips of the fabric...and thus born.... Caleb's Quilt.... Definitely a sew-as -I go quilt. Amazing how everything just fit together. And of course - the pocket prayer quilt to go with it...... When making this quilt, I thought of God's plan for each of us. Putting this quilt together made me realize how everyday we do the little things that keep adding ...

"Project Unicorn" wasn't completed quite yet... Label on the back had to sewn on...and now it is done & waiting for name & address to mail the quilt. While sewing the label to the back of the quilt, I thought about what it takes to make a marriage. I suppose there's a connection there somewhere - but I don't question any more what the Holy Spirit lays on my heart. It's easy to go with the flow than to argue. And who can argue successfully with the Holy Spirit! On the 27th of July, Riley & I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary. We eloped on the 27th of July to Marshall, Texas - just over the Louisiana border - and told my parents that evening. Twenty-five years later, we renewed our vows in church. Bridesmaids, groomsmen, dad walking me down the aisle - the whole nine yards. And now on our 37th anniversary, we hope to renew our vows in our church. Riley emailed me the question I was not anticipating ... "what will you say?". I had ...