New Plant At Our House

This is the first one of these Hydrangea plants we have ever bought.

I spyed it at the checkout at the grocery store yesterday and then went back

later and bought it.  Don't have a clue how to care for it, but will look it

up on the internet and learn.

Joe has always admired the ones at a house a few blocks from us.

We always slow down when we go past her yard as she has several

lovely flower beds and a few of these on the north side of her house.

So we are going to give it a try and see how we do with a Hydrangea plant.

We will leave it out on the front porch on the table for a while and then

plant in next to the north side of the shed in the back yard.  There

it will get sunshine and some winter protection.



Antique Quilt Finished

Finally, it is finished!! My grandmother on my

Mom's side started this quilt way back in the

late 60's. It was all hand pieced and has a lot

of feed sack material in it.

My cousin ended up with it after buying my

aunt's house and graciously gave me the unfinished

quilt top. I finished the pieces by machine and patched here

and there and got it all ready and sent to the quilter.

I put lime green marble on it for backing and binding,

which may not go with the time frame....but I like it.

I am not really sure what the quilt block is called.

I know in one of Eleanor Burns' books, Underground

Railroad they refer to it as the Crossroads Block.

I have always had a fascination with the feed sack

material and I am so glad my Grammie put some of

it in these blocks.

I also recognize the fabric that is white with the red polka dot

in it from fabric she made a shirt out of in the late

60's. She wore that shirt a lot and I liked it, she would

most generally have a hanky stuffed in her front breast

pocket and a pack of Camel cigarettes. LOL...I don't

even think they had filters back then. Or were they

Pall Malls? Heck I can't remember...Pa Pa smoked one

kind she smoked the other.

Now back to my quilt talking...

The quilter finished it with an older pattern and did

a great job and it is bound and ready to use.

Matter of fact, I cuddled up in my glider with

it last evening. We're having a little cooler

evenings here in Southern Missouri this week.

I thought...mmm.... kinda like having my grandmother's

arms around me, by having this hand stitching

of hers surrounding me.

I am just so thankful my cousin gave it to me

and I actually stuck in there and got it finished.

I think having my Mother get so gravely ill this

winter lit a fire under me so I could see that it

was done and Mom could enjoy looking at what

her Mother had pieced so many years ago.

Antique Milk Cans

I love having my old milk cans around my house.

Last fall I bought this white one for $15!!

Hadn't bought one in years.

I love how it is different than the others

I have sitting around.

See how it says Kansas City at the bottom?

Well the dandelions are gone and I planted

a Hosta by it so I hope it grows and

they look good together. I have never

grown a Hosta plant before.

This oldy has been many colors.

I plan on having it painted bright red

some day. Hopefully I can do it

myself. It sits on our little back porch.

The blue one below is probably the first one I owned and have had around 38 years. It sat on the front porch of the first house I lived in when I left home and married when I was way too young. It was brown back then. Got this oldy when a neighbor moved and just left it behind. I love how you can still read the number on it. My dad and oldest brother drove a milk truck when I was little..under school age. I do remember riding with my brother on his milk route. Mom was with us and he let me eat his cookies out of his lunch box. I put a Boston Fern in it yesterday, so I hope the frost is gone for this spring. I wonder just how many gallons of milk this carried for the farmer who owned it and how many different places it went. Have had this oldy a lot of years too....can't remember for sure where it came from now. How I wish I had kept better track of where and when I got these cans. Like I said before when your young you think you will remember it all.... I try to keep these hens and chicks going in the lid. It doesn't do the best ...but they survive. We had cows and milked till I was around 6. I remember when we started buying milk to drink from town and I thought it was just awful tasting. I remember Mom putting cream in a peanut butter jar and having me roll it all around on the hard wood floor to make butter. I don't really think she was needing that butter that bad.....but it was a good way to keep me busy and out of her way for a while!!

Design Wall Monday....Round Robin

The quilt guild I go to is doing another Round Robin Quilt exchange.

This is the one I drew at the last meeting.

I absolutely love all the brights in this.

Today I am working on surrounding it with lime green

and white nine patches that will be 6 inch when sewn in.

I will break up the nine patches by adding a few white

strips in between on each side.

The next border added by the person drawing it will be

the last border. Next meeting we get to take home our original one.

I love these quilts ...as long as folks keep them square.

Well, this one doesn't look too square but that is just

the way it is sagging on the back of the table cloth hung on

my wall!!

I would love to own this quilt ....but I say that about

all the Round Robin Quilts I work on...you get attached to

them. Some of my favorite quilts are these kind.

Thimble Collection.....20 Years With CFS

I have collected thimbles longer than I have had

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!!!

When friends and family travel I am usually blessed with a

thimble or two ...or more when

they return home.

I wish early on I would have dated and named, who they were

from on each of the thimbles,

but I guess when your young you think you'll remember everything. NOT..

So here in later years I have been marking the inside of

them with a thin line Sharpy.I have over 200 thimbles. These are some of my favorites

and ones from my kids latest vacations.

I said I have been collecting thimbles longer than I have

had CFS and that has been longer than 20 years.

This month marks 20 years that I have lived with

this dreaded disease. It was mid March of 1992 that

I got sick with what at the time I thought was a virus,

bug or something..that then turned into strep.

I was diagnosed in Aug of that year with Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome. Life changed a whole lot after

that. I have never been able to function the same

as I did before then...ever. I was a pretty busy person.

Learning to pace myself did not set well...but was forced

upon me.

There have been times of better health and

times of worse. I was even able to go back to work

part time from 1997 to 2002 and after that

I worked some each week on a fill in or call in

basis till Nov 2006. I miss working. It helped

keep my mind on other things and I was around

other people more often then I am now.

Well, in March of 1992, if someone had said ..you will

be living like this for the next 20 or more years I don't think I would have handled it very well.

Heck...I thought I was going to die that summer I

was so sick.

But I have lived 20 years with it, it's hard, it's just flat

the pits, but you know...I have lived.

I have seen my sons marry.

I have been given 7 grand kids and and looking forward

to a new one.

I went through a divorce because of loosing my health

only to be given the best husband I've ever had.

(SHHs I have had 3)

I recently watched my Mom celebrate her

90th birthday.

I have stood at the graves of friends younger

than me that have died of other illnesses...but I have

lived.

So, even with CFS trying to rule my life at times

I HAVE LIVED. Not like I had planned...but

I have lived.

I do not say this lightly....if not for the prayers

of myself, family and friends I am not sure

I would have.

LIVED

Thank you GOD.