Hurricane force winds??

Monday, my day off. I slept until 8:30 this morning! That's a record. I took two Tylenol PM last night hoping to get a longer, pain-free sleep. Not that I have a lot of pain, but I have been feeling a bit under the weather. My ankles have been aching along with my left knee. I felt much better today.

Jim and I went to WalMart to do the weekly shopping for Dad. Oh, that was after Jim ran to Dad's to help get him in the car for his bi-weekly bandage change. And so, to the title of this post. I'm so glad Dad called for Jim to come help because the wind was howling! And cold! I'm always a little bit afraid for Dad to be out in the wind with his heart condition and the fact that the wind can actually throw a person down. It nearly knocked me over while walking into WalMart! Now, that's saying a lot!! lol
After putting all the groceries away at Dad's, I came home for a couple of hours. I worked on a few things but didn't really finish much. I went back to Dad's around 3 and was there until Joe got home a little after 5.

After dinner, I sat down and worked on a few more little gifts for my Spring Swap partner. The scissor case is one I've wanted to make for a long time and the coin purse will be added to the Brag Bag. The little shoes will be added to the pile of gifties, too.

These past few nights have been spent trying to decide what else to add to my swap partner's package. When I think I've got an idea, it just doesn't seem to get from my brain to my fingers. Oh yeah, I finished the coin purse, scissor case and shoes, but they're not even things I've been thinking about making for her. I don't know...I just feel a bit disconnected. Does that make sense to anyone? Maybe I need a vacation!

Alright, I've rambled on enough. I need to get to bed. Tomorrow night will be an even earlier night since Wednesday morning will find me up earlier than usual. I'm going with Rob, April and Kerrington to Lubbock to Robert's back doctor app't. Please keep him in your prayers. And pray that the wind is not blowing like it was today!

The day after Rob's birthday..

Happy Birthday, Robert! Well, yesterday. I was going to post a baby picture of Rob, but I didn't get around to scanning one today. Not that I did anything exciting today, except get taxes done, so I thought I'd post a few pictures we took last night at Dad's. I'm still having trouble believing my baby is 25 years old!
Here are the brothers with Uncle Joe holding Kerrington.
We've been trying to get a four-generation picture but our cameras are not cooperating. This is the only pic that came out halfway decent. Maybe Joe can work on getting us a more professional-looking one.

I went to Dad's this morning to fix breakfast. He was actually doing a lot better than he has been. He walked, very strong, to the kitchen. I talked to him on the phone a couple of times during the day and he sounded very strong and animated. I told him I was being lazy today and that I would run to WalMart tomorrow. He was okay with that.

If you hop on over to April and Rob's blog (link in sidebar) you can see pictures of Kerrington's first day at church and their four-generation picture. Very nice. Makes me sad that I have been remiss in my church duties. I'm glad her parents are church-goers. Will be praying for April's grandmother tomorrow when she undergoes brain surgery.

Checking in

I told you I wasn't going to post until after dinner on Saturday night. You didn't believe me, did you? lol I just had to show you what a dear friend of mine sent me. Thank you, Pat H.! It's a photo album cover. Even though it looks handmade, she did not make it. She bought it for me to use for Kerrington pictures and, of course, as a pattern for me to use to make others. How thoughtful is that and does she know me, or what?? I can't wait to make one for a friend of mine who just became a grandmother for the first time.

In the meantime, I'm working on the denim Bronco quilt.
At the moment, it measures 85" x 102". I've run out of the orange flannel. I misjudged when buying it and now need at least 2 to 3 yards more. This thing is going to be warm and heavy! Speaking of warm, it's cold outside! We've been told that we should wake up to snow on the ground, up to 4 inches! We'll see.

It's amazing how quickly the evening passes. It's 11:30 already and time to get to bed. If it does snow tonight, I may have some cancellations tomorrow.

Dad's doing alright. He sure is having trouble walking, though. His leg just won't oooperate. I think we're going to look into taking him somewhere else for another opinion on his spinal stenosis status.

A little bit of sewing going on

Last night (Monday) was spent making this black and white purse for a client. She loved it, but I had to bring it home and add a cell phone pocket. I'd forgotten that she'd requested that.

This is the denim quilt I'm working on for a client. The center of the quilt is a panel from one of those flags you wave at the games. It was actually a double-sided flag so I have another panel that I will turn into a pillow.

Here you see the back of the center of the Bronco quilt. I can't believe I found the perfect orange. The sashings are just a plain navy blue, front and back.
The pile of blocks is only about half of what I will add to the center. I'm just stitching an X on the blocks to "marry" the denim and the orange flannel. I hope to have all the blocks sewn by this weekend and maybe I can start putting them all together next week. The quilt needs to be done by May, but I really don't want to put it off. Dad's doing ok right now, so I need to do as much as I can while he doesn't need me after the caregiver goes home. Once I get his lunch and visit with him for a couple of hours, I get him to bed for a nap and I come on home. Most days, that is. Sometimes I stay with him until Joe or Judy get there.

Wow, I got a bit off subject there, didn't I? Anyway, looking forward to seeing Kerrington, Rob and April on Saturday, Rob's birthday. Still wondering what I should get him for his 25th birthday. 25??!! I'm still in denial..lol

I probably won't post again until after the weekend. Then again, I may have something to say between now and then.

Happy Spring!

The first day of Spring. I have to admit that it is not my favorite time of year. Oh, I love to see all the flowers and trees coming to life again, but all I can think of is summer right around the corner. Maybe it's my time of life, maybe it's the fact that I need to lose about 100 pounds, but it is going to be a hot time in the old town this summer! I'm already breaking out in a sweat! Ah well, there's a new kid in town and she will help to lessen the aggravation of the hot, muggy days to come.

Speaking of, Judy and I ran over to see Miss Kerrington last night. Here are a few pics we took while visiting with her and her oh, so proud, parents. April was not feeling well so I hope we didn't overstay our welcome. But, we got to hear Kerri cry! And, yes, it is such a sweet cry. I am SO looking forward to being able to care for her, if only two days a week, once her mama goes back to work.




On a different note, Dad is doing ok. Yesterday, Jim was kind enough to get up early and go help the caregiver get Dad in the car for his usual trip to get his bandages changed. Dad sure is having a time with his spinal stenosis. His legs just don't want to move. He has moments when the legs will do as he dictates, but I worry that they will ultimately give out on him while walking with his walker. So, his cardiologist has recommended, and prescribed, that we get him a motorized wheelchair to help get around the house. The wheels are in motion (no pun intended) and we should be getting a chair in the next week or two. We must come to the realization that he will not ever get much better than he is right now and so we must work to improve his quality of life in order to keep him happy. That's what the cardiologist says. He told Dad that he is like an old car. "Your engine is good but your chassis's falling apart!" The doctor is partial to Dad since he has saved his life twice in the last two years. He has become much more relaxed and personal with us now.

On a quilty note, I am feverishly working, cutting up old jeans to make a quilt for a client. I hope to spend time with the blocks this weekend. I'm also working on a little wallhanging with Kerrington as the focal point. Pictures when I'm done with the hand embroidery.

The first day of Spring and it's time to get ready for a busy Friday. Have a good weekend!

Restful weekend?

I don't like to have a post without pictures, but it has been a busy weekend, with no pictures taken. Mostly because I am out of AA batteries for my camera. lol But, I have posted a picture of a quilt I'll tell you about later in this post.

I spent the weekend at the local Home and Garden show. My director and I set up our Scentsy and had a very productive, er, lucrative, two days. I'm not sure how many people passed through the doors the two days but we were told that there had been 1900 paid entrants on Saturday alone. That's not bad for little ol' Clovis!

I want to thank those of you that helped me get through the two days. Leota, who took care of my Saturday clients and came out on Sunday to take over my spot while I ran to the high school to eat lunch. The church was having their annual St. Patrick's day dinner. Joe, who also came out for a while to help with the crowd (I thought he might be a good draw for the young ladies since he's such a good-looking charmer with his curly hair and stands tall above the crowd, lol). Judy, who picked me up on Sunday to go to the dinner and brought me back to the show. And, last, but certainly not least, thanks to Jim for keeping the home fires burning and helping Rob and April and Kerrington get home and for getting me to the show in the first place with all my "stuff" and for checking up on me periodically to make sure things were running smoothly.

On Saturday, I had to leave Natalie and her daughter alone for a few hours while I picked Dad up to take him to the ER. He was having quite a bit of pain in his right shoulder and arm and couldn't move it without excruciating pain. It had been getting progressively worse for the last three days, so I thought it was time to go. They thought at first that it was a bad case of osteoarthritis but then the ER doc called me back later to tell me he and another doc had reviewed his case and they think he has a torn rotator cuff. Oh boy. Oh, Joe helped me get him to the ER and once Judy arrived to relieve me, I headed back to the H & G show. They gave Dad a shot that greatly relieved his pain and he was able to move his arm later that night and yesterday. I will probably still have to take him to see another doc concerning the shoulder if it continues to be bothersome.

Okay, back to the picture of the quilt. I made this quilt the year Mom died. I showed her the finished top at Easter (she died in Dec.) and her first comment was, "You should give this one to the church". I finally got it quilted not too long after she left us but I could not bear to part with it. After sitting on a shelf at Dad's for nearly four years, it has found it's way to the church. One of the Altar Society ladies asked me to help make a quilt for a raffle they wanted to hold to raise money for scholarships and new church pews. As soon as she said that, I knew what I would do. I told her I already had a quilt for them. She was ecstatic, to say the least. They had it hanging at the St. Patrick's Day dinner, which was the reason I really wanted to have lunch there yesterday. I think they are selling a lot of tickets.

The new family is doing well. I didn't get to see little Kerrington yesterday but I suppose that's ok. They need time to adjust to being at home and seem to be doing very well on their own. Daddy Robert had a busy night Saturday night, they tell me. They'll get the hang of it.

Time to pay some bills and get ready to go to Lubbock. Have a good week, ya'll!

More Kerrington pictures

I ran by the hospital after work today and got to hold baby Kerrington while mom and dad went for a walk in the halls. She was a good baby with her grama! Here are a few more pictures for your enjoyment...ok, my enjoyment! lol

Welcome to the world, Kerrington Alysse Goff!!

Daddy and baby have a moment together. I don't have a shot of mom in this post because she was hesitant to have her picture made so soon after her ordeal. Maybe I can get a good one tonight.
An hour or so old.


Grama V. and BG (aka, Kerrington Alyssa)
Grampa Jim and Kerrington

And, last, but not least, Aunti Judy and Kerrington. It didn't take long before we were both able to hold her.
Daddy Robert had the honor of changing the first poopy diaper with Grama and Auntie assisting. lol It took all three of us while Mom April supervised. I won't show you those pictures. A bit graphic! lol

I plan on going back to the hospital later this afternoon. April thinks she might want some soup from the local Shogun's. I think she deserves it!

Waiting, waiting...

I don't know if it's worse waiting for a baby to make an appearance on her own or knowing what time she'll be here. Tomorrow morning is the big day. Rob and April will head to the hospital early, early and we won't be far behind. Once they get April prepped and ready for the C-section, we should be well encamped in the waiting room. We both have been nervous all night long! So hard for us to believe our baby boy is having a baby of his own. I know that April's folks must feel the same way. But, that's life and we are so excited to welcome the new, little life into ours.

I haven't been able to concentrate on much tonight so I decided to make another pair of booties. These are reversible booties (click on the words to get to the site) then scroll down and find "free patterns" on the right side of the page. They're called "Bitty Booties". They're not as cute as the others I've made, but they're REVERSIBLE! lol

Judy insists that I find a way to put bows on them. I told her, they're REVERSIBLE! lol Maybe a removable bow...
This book was waiting on the front porch when I got home today. Coincidence? I think not! Yeah, yeah, I've ordered all books baby-themed that were thrown my way. I'm sure I'll outgrow this phase and go on to toddler then young lady patterns. lol The new baby has enough quilts, I think. But, there are still a couple more I plan to make.

It's almost 10 p.m. and I still need to get my clothes together for the morning. We got Jim ready and now I must press my jeans. Gotta look good for pictures with BG! Surely by tomorrow night we'll know her "real" name! If not, she'll be "BG" until we do. Or, sweetie, baby doll, punkin, etc... Off to dream of sweet-smelling, smiling babies.

Just staying busy

Where the heck does time go?? Here it is, nearly another week since I last posted. This time change doesn't help, either. I didn't wake up until 8:30 today! Good thing it's Monday and my day off. I don't have to take Dad to Lubbock today but we are going to a new chiropractor in Portales this afternoon. In the meantime, I've GOT to pay bills and run get a copy of his x-rays. He is doing a bit better than what I reported in my last post. He's getting around easier with his walker instead of having to use the wheelchair from bedroom to kitchen. We'll see how he does on his trek to have his leg bandages changed this morning.

Here's what I've been doing on the quilting front...
Doesn't look like much, does it? But, it takes a while to cut up all those old jeans! I don't have these blocks where I ultimately want them and some of them will be embroidered. Not to mention that there will be about 15 more squares added once she brings me more jeans. I hope my Janome 6600 is up to the challenge!

This brag bag is part of a group of items that will go to my Spring Swap partner.
That's why you can't see her name :-) You can't tell in this picture that the bottom part of the bag will hold pictures, if she so chooses. There are plastic vinyl panels sewn in. Jim and Judy both commented on the fact that the yo yo-s do not match the bag. But, they are made from a marbled fabric and, yes, there was some orange in it. I think it looks fine. Adds some interest is my reasoning.

Yesterday afternoon was spent working on taxes at Judy's. We got a preliminary draft done but still have to find more paperwork.

Only two more sleeps before Baby Goff makes her appearance! I had a dream just before I woke up that I was bugging April to let me "see" and feel where the baby is in her tummy. All of a sudden, I look at April's back, and there, pressed up against her mama's skin, I can see the outline of a beautiful little smiling face! It made me smile in my dream and it makes me smile now. In my dream, I grabbed my camera to take a picture and then woke up. I can still see it now, though! Aren't dreams funny?

Good Monday to you all and now I'm off to do chores. Until next time and I hope it won't be a full week before I post again. Hopefully, I will be back on Wednesday with pictures of my beautiful new granddaughter! (No name, yet)

March

Thank you, Zlaty, for checking up on me! lol I did notice that it's been a week since I've blogged. The above picture is what I've been doing. But, there have been other things happening inbetween...

I've made two more sets of bibs and burp cloths, and three more "bibs only" for friends.
I still want to make a few more, but I've got other, more pressing, projects to attend to. For instance, I've signed on to make a jeans quilt for a client and to finish a quilt for another. Oh, and to work on the March redwork wallhangings.

Now, the main reason I haven't blogged or sewn more. Those of you who read notes on QOR have read this, so you might want to fast forward. :-) I spent two nights with Dad since my oldest son (who lives with him) was out of town for a few days. Well, after watching him get to and from the bathroom about 5 times on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, I slept for a few minutes before waking up again. Across the hall, in his room, I noticed that the walker was slightly askew and not where it should be if he's in bed. I got up and what did I find? He's laid out on the floor!! Apparently, he had been on his way to the potty, again, and he just fell backwards. He's ok, let me add quickly. Anyway, I tried to wake him as he lay there. I could tell he was breathing, but he wouldn't respond. I dialed 911 (I have no hesitation doing that anymore) and tried to wake him while waiting. He finally came around before the EMTs arrived but he seemed a bit out of it. The guys came in and took all his vitals and they were good (the vitals). Finally, the EMT working on him said, "Ma'am, what do you want us to do?" LOL That's what they're here for! How did they expect me to make a decision with adrenaline raging through my body? At any rate, I told them we'd wait since we were supposed to go in to the hospital for an antibiotic infusion.

Long story short...(too late, huh? lol). We have decided that the new antibiotic he's on, two infusions so far, has begun to have an adverse effect. We decided we did not want to wait as long as we did the last time an antibiotic rendered him nearly immobile. I called the doc in Lubbock who prescribed it and he agreed. So, no more antibiotic until further notice and we'll have someone with him around the clock until we get him back to his old self.

On Monday morning, his homemaker and I took him to have his leg bandages changed. Then we stopped by the chiropractor's office so Dad could have an adjustment that he sorely needed after the fall. Well, the good doctor took one look at him and decided Dad needed a CT scan. We left, drove to his heart doctor's office and that doc concurred, called the ER for us and off we went to the hospital. We spent all day in the ER while they did a CT scan, x-rays of his hips, blood work, etc. Everything came back negative! Thank You, Lord. But, the question remains, why are his legs still not working very well? So, after talking to the chiropractor again, we all feel that the spinal stenosis that he suffers from is acting up again, big time. Funny thing is that he doesn't seem to have much pain, just weakness in the knees and hips. I'm not sure what the next step will be. In the meantime, we have someone with him around the clock just to make sure he doesn't fall again.

I need to use my time wisely and it's already 8 o'clock. I planned on tracing the March stitcherys (my spell check says this is the write way to make "stitchery" plural) so I can have something to work on at Dad's in the afternoon. No more coming home by 3 or 4, at least for a while. So, now that I've had your attention for a few minutes, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. :-)