Stash Report Week 3

Used this week: 0 yd
Used year to date: 8 1/8 yds
Added this week: 0 yd
Added year to date: 0 yd

I'll do better this week. I have a QD block prepared.

It's been a rough week

I was so full of good intentions on Sunday. I was going to get going on my first MM block and finish my Pretty in Plaid quilt. Well, you know what road is paved with good intentions. I did get my sewing area semi-clean. Does semi count?

I didn't buy any fabric but, unfortunately, I didn't use any this week either. I finished a b**** of a quilt today. It's my guild's raffle quilt and I'm not really sure what they were thinking. I took this when I was doing the stand and stare. I do like the colors though. I looked at it as a challenge, wouldn't you?

Today

I'm 57. Wow. Remember when we were 25 and our parents told us to wait until we were their age? Well, it's happened. There are some differences though. I still color my hair, have most of my teeth and can sit on the floor with my grandson. My Mom stopped playing with me before I was 10 or 11. She had "matured". I don't want to "mature". I tell people that I may be getting older but that doesn't mean I have to grow up. lol

I talked about Magical Medallions. It's slow going because I'm in a pit called no motivation. But here are the fabrics I'm going to use from my stash:

Greens: 10 1/8yd pieces, 5 1/4yd pieces, & 1/2yd of 2 favorite greens.
Purples: 6 1/8yd pieces, 1/4yd of 2 purples and 1/2yd of 1
Pink: 6 1/8yd pieces, 1/4yd of 2 pinks and 1/2 yd of 1
Yellow or Gold: 5 1/8yd pieces, 1/2yd of 1

By my calculations, that's 8 1/8yds. It's not a lot but it does make a dent.
Here's the link to KKB's gallery: http://www.karenkaybuckley.com/gallery Magical Medallions is in the center toward the bottom. I'm doing the first block the Piece O'Cake way. I took a class from Becky Goldsmith so I like that technique.

Happy New Year!

I've been a very bad blogger. It's funny, you know. I love reading about other people and commenting on their blogs. I don't know; I guess I don't think I'm as interesting as those I read. But I am-just as much as they are.

For 2010 I'm going to do this. I may not always have a lot to say but I'm going to say it. I'm sitting here with my new laptop. I'm falling in love with it! DH Mike's hard drive finally died. He's been using a computer we got back in the 90s. So it's pretty old. Our entire financial lives are on that hard drive! He's usually very good about doing backup and he nags Keri and me about it all the time. Well, guess what? Friday night when he was shutting down he thought about backing up everything we'd done that day-our 2010 budget. Nah, wait till tomorrow. Saturday morning came and.............yup. Dead as a doornail.
So he decided that he'll use my desktop and I'll have a laptop. Works for me!! lol
We went to Best Buy on Sunday and got my new little baby. It's an HP with Windows 7. Like I said; I'm falling in love.
I can take it upstairs and do the IQ tutorials, listen to all the downloads I've been saving and check email if I so desire.
We'll see what the future brings with this baby!!!

Visioning Project

I'm a member of SAQA and they're doing a Visioning Project. It's a year long endeavor to help fiber artists achieve goals they've chosen. It's scary putting myself out there for critiques but I really want to go beyond what I do now. I'll work on updating periodically so I can see my progress.
Labor Day is Monday; this was one of the longest summers of my life. I'm glad it's over.

Musings

Still no pictures. Just me. Just thinking.

I keep trying to find inspiration. It's been eluding me for quite a while now. Can one read one's self into being inspired? Can I force it to happen? What about creativity? Are they one and the same? I have lots of ideas, usually in the shower, but they go down the drain with the water.
I think my mind is dulled by too much bombardment. I'm a news and tv addict. I can't turn it off until I go to bed at night. For example, I watched ever minute of Teddy Kennedy's funeral. Just sat and watched hour after hour. This can't be good for anyone. I feel like I'm frozen; there's a wasteland in my brain. How do I start a green shoot?

I just read about doing something for 2 minutes; sit down and just do something I love doing for 2 minutes. It'll make me focus. Can I do it? Something to think about.

I don't want to sound like I'm whining. I'm not. I'm thinking out loud here. I'd like to meditate but how do I turn off my brain? It's spinning like a top.

I love music, especially instrumentals. No words to follow, just a flow of notes over me like waves. There's magic in music. Turn off the tv and turn on the music. That's what I'm going to do. Today is the first day of September, a new season is coming. The air is clear from the stickiness of August humidity.

I started a quilt last year that has haunted me. It's from the cover of the 2008 missalette from my church. It was of a painting that spoke to me. Every Sunday I sat and stared at it . I started but wasn't perfect so I put it away. I'm ready to start again. It needs to be made. I even got permission from the painter. It's time. Maybe my inspiration is there, waiting for me.

This musing has been good for me. It's like journaling. I wrote till I felt better. Today is a beautiful day.

Week 35 Stash Report

I can actually say I've not bought any fabric this week!! I've used a couple of fat quarters so I'm not even going to count them.

I'll take some pics and catch up.

Again, too long. I want to show you what the room looks like and what Tyler looks like now. We've had a busy week here-a wedding, a funeral, a Broadway play, an outdoor concert. I'm going to mourn with the Kennedys today. We've lost a great statesman and Irish-American ally.

We have progress...

The roof is done, the room is painted and the electrician is here putting up my new ceiling fan. The furniture isn't going back in until Friday because David has to come help Mike move the furniture.
I'm feeling very restless today. I can't settle to anything. I should be sewing the binding on a t-shirt quilt for a customer but I've been surfing the net. I have done some of the sewing but my fingers get sore. Yes, I'm doing it by hand. I know, I know. I'm going to learn how to do it by machine; Judy L. put a tutorial on her blog, http://www.patchworktimes.com/2009/06/05/binding-vide/ so I know I can do it.

Giveaway and other news

Head on over to Kathy Ellzey's blog, http://fancystitchingnews.blogspot.com for a giveaway!! Kathy recently took some classes with Jamie Wallen, one of the premier longarm teachers in the US. She learned some great techniques and wants to share.

The roof was done yesterday and it only took one guy until lunchtime to do it. Dang, he was good!! A team of two came to work on the inside. Took out all the old ceiling and went to work on giving us a new room. They're even sanding all the woodwork not just the part with water damage. I'll post pics when it's done.

I finished quilting a t-shirt quilt I made on commission. All I have to do is bind it and it'll be ready to be given as a birthday gift next week. It's been hard focusing ever since the ceiling came down but I did it. It's done.

This may become a habit

Since I can't post on Mary Johnson's blog, I'm trying my own. It's way too early in the morning to be this frustrated. Big breath..............................

The adjuster called last evening with some contractors' names. Since none of them sent up a red flag for me, he's going with the one at the top of the list. He said they have to work in rotation to stay fair. He had very good news for me-since it's only one room, it should only take a few days to get it done. Thank goodness since we're having a BBQ for Tyler to meet our friends and family on July 19th.

Let me go back. Last Thursday, the ceiling in our family room collapsed. There was a leak in the roof above it that we didn't know about. It was a terrible mess but the water mitigation people came in on Friday with their dehumidifier and fans and took out all the wet stuff. It is now dry as a bone in there and I can't wait till this is all over.

The pics didn't go where I wanted but..............you get the idea, right?

OOPS!!! I forgot!!

Here is the newest member of our family: Tyler Owen Keane!! He was born on April 18, 2009 weighing in at 7 lbs and 20 1/2 inches. I love him so much it hurts sometimes. That's our son, David, feeding him a few weeks ago. He changes every day; it is such a joy to have him as part of our lives.

It's been a long time

I read this on one of my Yahoo lists for people with chronic pain. As some may know, I have RSD and fibromyalgia. This letter struck a chord in me, and I wanted to share it someplace personal to me and as a permanent record. Here it is:

Letter to people without RSD:
Having chronic pain means many things change, and a lot of them are invisible.Unlike having cancer or being hurt in an accident, most people do not understand even a little about chronic pain and its effects, and of those that think they know, many are actually misinformed.

In the spirit of informing those who wish to understand: These are the things that I would like you to understand about me before you judge me. Please understand that being sick doesn't mean I'm not still a human being.I have to spend most of my day in considerable pain and exhaustion, and if you visit, sometimes I probably don't seem like much fun to be with, but I'm still me, stuck inside this body. I still worry about school, my family, my friends, and most of the time, I'd still like to hear you talk about yours, too. Please understand the difference between "happy" and "healthy". When you've got the flu, you probably feel miserable with it, but I'vebeen sick for years. I can't be miserable all the time. In fact, I work hard at not being miserable. So, if you're talking to me and I sound happy, it means I'm happy; that's all. It doesn't mean that I'm not in a lot of pain, or extremely tired, or that I'm getting better, or any of those things. Please don't say, "Oh, you're sounding better!" or "But you look so healthy!" I am merely coping. I am sounding happy and trying to look normal. If you want to comment on that, you're welcome to. Please understand that being able to stand up for ten minutes doesn't necessarily mean that I can stand up for twenty minutes, or an hour. Just because I managed to stand up for thirty minutes yesterday doesn't mean that I can do the same today. With a lot of diseases you're either paralyzed, or you can move. With this one, it gets more confusing everyday. It can be like a yo-yo. I never know from day to day, how I am going to feel when I wake up. In most cases, I never know from minute to minute. That is one of the hardest and most frustrating components of chronic pain.

Please repeat the above paragraph substituting, "sitting", "walking", "thinking", "concentrating", "being sociable" and so on, it applies to everything. That's what chronic pain does to you. Please understand that chronic pain is variable. It's quite possible (for many, it's common) that one day I am able to walk to the park and back, while the next day I'll have trouble getting to the next room. Please don't attack me when I'm ill by saying, "But you did it before!" or "Oh, come on, I know you can do this!"If you want me to do something, then ask if I can. In a similar vein, I may need to cancel a previous commitment at the last minute.If this happens, please do not take it personally. If you are able, please try to always remember how very lucky you are-to be physically able to do all of the things that you can do. Please understand that "getting out and doing things" does not make mefeel better, and can often make me seriously worse. You don't know what I go through or how I suffer in my own private time. Telling me that I need to exercise, or do some things to "get my mind off of it", may frustrate me to tears, and is not correct. If I was capable of doing some things any or all of the time, don't you know that I would?

I am working with my doctors and I am doing what I am supposed to do. Another statement that hurts is, "You just need to push yourself more, try harder". Obviously, chronic pain can deal with the whole body, or be localizedto specific areas. Sometimes participating in a single activity for a short or a long period of time can cause more damage and physical pain than you could ever imagine.Not to mention the recovery time, which can be intense. You can't always read it on my face or in my body language. Also, chronic pain may cause secondary depression(wouldn't you get depressed and down if you were hurting constantlyfor months or years?),but it is not created by depression. Please understand that if I say I have to sit down, lie down, stay inbed, or take these pills now, that probably means that I do have to do it right now, it can't be put off or forgotten just because I'm somewhere, or I'm right in the middle of doing something. Chronic pain does not forgive, nor does it wait for anyone. If you want to suggest a cure to me, please don't. It's not because I don't appreciate the thought, and it's not becauseI don't want to get well. Lord knows that isn't true. In all likelihood, if you've heard of itor tried it, so have I. In some cases, I have been made sicker, not better. This can involve side effects or allergic reactions, as is the case with herbal remedies.It also includes failure, which in and of itself can make me feel even lower.If there were something that cured, or even helped people with my formof chronic pain, then we'd know about it.There is worldwide networking (both on and off the Internet) between people with chronic pain. If something worked, we would KNOW. It's definitely not for lack of trying.

If, after reading this, you still feel the need to suggest a cure,then so be it. I may take what you said and discuss it with my doctor. If I seem touchy, it's probably because I am. It's not how I try to be. As a matter of fact, I try very hard to be normal. I hope you will try to understand. I have been, and am still, going through a lot. Chronic pain is hard for you to understand unless you have had it. It wreaks havoc on the body and the mind. It is exhausting and exasperating. Almost all the time, I know that I am doing my best to cope with this, and live my life to the best of my ability. I ask you to bear with me, and accept me as I am. I know that you cannot literally understand my situation unless you have been in my shoes, but as much as is possible, I am asking you totry to be understanding in general. In many ways I depend on you, people who are not sick. I need you to visit me when I am too sick to go out. Sometimes I need you help me with the shopping, the cooking or the cleaning. I may need you to take me to the doctor, or to the store. You are my link to the "normalcy" of life. You can help me to keep in touch with the parts of life that I miss and fully intend to undertake again, just as soon as I am able.

I know that I ask a lot from you, and I do thank you for listening.It really does mean a lot.

God Bless America!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is truly a new day for our country. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, like I've received the greatest gift-a bright light on the horizon.
President Barack Obama!! Doesn't it have a ring to it? OH YES!!!!

I consider myself blessed. I have a great husband, 2 wonderful children, a very sweet DIL and a grandbaby on the way.
Plus, I'm going to start workshops with Leni Wiener; http://blog.leniwiener.com/
Her work is out of this world and I can't wait to start.

Today's Election Day. After almost 2 years, it's finally over. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the first day of real change in Washington DC. Our son says his vote won't matter but he's so wrong. This is probably one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. The world is waiting and watching. Vote with your heart and conscience; I know I will.

Gee, I didn't realize it's been forever since I posted here. I never feel like writing but I probably should; otherwise it's all bottled up inside.

Let's see......what's happened since I last wrote? Well, Mike and I found out the Precious Twins(you remember them, don't you?)are going to make us grandparents in April!!!! Trust me, once that happens you'll get sick of seeing me.LOL

I went to a Ricky Tims Super Seminar last spring and it opened my eyes to so many possibilities. I'll probably always make traditional quilts for our beds but I'm very intrigued by art quilting and all it can represent. I finished and entered 2 quilts in my guild's show.


This first one's called Global Warming. I used a convergence for the center and the sun was my own design. I was going to enter it into the AQS online show but I didn't get permission from Ricky for the convergence part in time.















Remember this one? It's my Stone Portal quilt from the Esterita Austin class I took in 2007.

I was blessed enough to get a second place on the Stone Portal and a third on the Global Warming. There were some really awesome quilts in that show, let me tell you.










As for the rest of me, I'm still on Workers Comp and going for another hearing on the 10th. I've had both a physical and a psychological exam to see if I'm still injured and depressed. Heck, I got hurt in 2005, of course I'm depressed. DUH!!!!!!!

I'm still longarming, God is providing and I have a steady stream of quilts. It's down from last year big time but then so is the economy. It's rare to go out and not see "Going out of Business" signs on even big stores.

The main reason I'm writing, other than to let you know that I'm still kicking, is to try to get back into the Stashbusters ring and to make a commitment to Stashbusting in 2009!!! Judy, if you see this, I'm finally ready. Let's go for it!!

Starting Something new again

A couple of years ago, I joined Judy's Stash Quilts ring. I tried, I really did. I just couldn't keep up with all the quilts. This time, I'm not working outside the house, I need some stimulation and I have some really cool Orange fabric I want to put into a quilt.
I find that, as I get older, I want to experiment more. I'm so bored with the traditional ways.
So, here I am. I'm going to make Bonnie Hunter's newest Mystery quilt. Wish me luck.

Still Kickin'

Here's a quilt I've started, It's a convergence quilt from the Ricky Tims book.

I've not been interested in blogging. I've really got nothing to say. I have never been one to journal or write in a diary. I'm going to keep it going in the hope that I will write again someday.

My computer crashed a few weeks ago and I lost my address book, passwords, everything. So I'm working my way back into the virtual world.

If you want to get in touch with me, please email me. I'm still here somewhere.

Using my Stash!!

Finally. I pulled, washed, pressed and am going to use a few fabrics from my stash. I'm making a convergence quilt from Ricky Tims' book of the same name. It's not a lot but hey, it's something. I have had major computer problems the past few weeks, so I lost all my pictures. They're locked in the hard drive of my old cpu. Dang!! Plus now I've run out of internal memory on the camera. I am going to have to learn how to work with that too.
I'm using 1 3/4 yards for the center of this quilt. I won't know about the border until this part is done. So stay tuned. If we can get all our little electronic ducks in line, I may even be able to post a picture.

Blogging

I'm sorry that I haven't written much lately. It's hard for me to type, I transpose letters, forget what I'm trying to say, and a multitude of other very frustrating things. I'm not looking for pity or anyone feeling sorry for me.
I have fibromyalgia in addition to my work injury. It makes me foggy sometimes, and at other times I just ache all over.
So, if you don't hear from me, be patient. I'll be back.