Crazy Quilt 2014 Quilt Along Winter Block

I am participating in the Crazy Quilt Along 2014 on http://goodearthquilting.com. We are creating four seasonal blocks. I started with my winter block. I used colors that demonstrate colors I see in winter in Alabama. The bright red is a symbol for the red birds/cardinals that frequent our yard. I love to watch the birds that come to our yard and eat, etc. The browns are the ground and dormant grass. Greens stand for the evergreen trees purples, blues, and grays stand for various skies that show up. The gray skies are when it is cloudy. I sure wanted to add some snow on here, but didn't. We still have snow from Tuesday on the grounds, but we don't get it often. The oranges in each corners stand for the beautiful sunset colors that have shown up lately. I hope I did this correctly. Also, I will be doing my first hand embroidery stitches as embellishment on these blocks. Wish me luck!!! I want to find some cute/pretty items to embellish these blocks more. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks!!

Have a great day!

Teresa

Snow Snow Go Away!!!

Now, I know that many of my readers are from the north or various places where snow is a norm for you. Since I live in Alabama, we are not accustomed to much snow or are our cities and counties equipped for this type of weather. We live in north central Alabama, and the forecast was for the middle towards the south part of our state to be hit with snow, ice, etc., and this is very unusual. Normally, if we get snow it shows up in the northern part of our state. So, when approximately 9 AM it started snowing here at my house, and kept snowing, and kept snowing, practically until almost dark, we knew that something was not right. LOL We were expected to get a dusting at best. Well, in our front yard, DH measured 3 inches!! Everything is white! Schools were not scheduled to dismiss, people traveling were not prepared, businesses were not prepared for what happened. We have many stranded on the interstates, and other roadways. People left their cars stranded everywhere to try and get someplace warm. So far, five fatalities have been reported. The weather did move south, but much later in the day. Our son works in Birmingham and lives approximately 34 miles from his job. His wife works in the Gadsden area at the moment. He left work and it took him over seven hours to get home. He left his car stranded on the county road to his house and started walking. His wife also had to leave her car and started walking from the other end of the road. She was picked up by someone in a 4 x 4 and they went and picked up our son. My brother-in-law works at a hospital in Birmingham which is a little over an hour away from his home and it took him 11.5 hours to get home. Had he stayed on his normal route home, he would still be stranded. At least 24 miles of I-20 from not far from our house to Birmingham is closed due to accidents, stranded cars and the ice not allowing people to move. It has been a nightmare! Most roads are impassable. I am going to show you some pictures of around our house and if I can share some from the news agency we watch. Please keep all in prayer. Many children spent the night at school because they couldn't get home. Many people spent the nights at work since they couldn't get home. Many people spent the night in shelters or in their cars. 

The picture above came from a facebook posting tweeted to them by the person listed in the photo. This is just one of the many messes we have. 

Please keep everyone in your prayers. Pray for the families who have lost loved ones during this, too. The sun is now shining, and we all are hoping and praying the roads clear up soon. It is not scheduled to get above freezing temperatures, though, so I'm not sure how it will go as far as thawing the roads.

I'm going to try and sew some today. I'm still having a headache from my sinus issues, so not sure how much I will feel up to doing.

Hugs!
Teresa

What's Happening?

Ever had sinus issues that show up with just a headache and painful cheek bone? Yep, that is what has been going on with me. I haven't done very much sewing lately due to this problem. Just haven't felt well, but I'm not blowing, running, etc., just a headache and a little stuffiness. I am slacking on more than my blog posting, too. Sewing is something I really need to be doing, but haven't sewn since Saturday. Still working on the Day and Night quilt for our son and his wife. She saw some progress I've made on Sunday when we had a nice visit with them. They both said they are liking it. I wound up having to order more white Kona cotton to be able to make the last few blocks I need, then it is all go from there. I have started sewing together all the blocks I have made so far. I think it will look really nice when it is finished. I got much better getting my points to come out right the more blocks I made. I'm waiting for the new fabric to come in where I can finish the blocks, but I'm going to sew today and see what I can get done. I also need to quilt our daughter's and SIL's quilt, plus bind our grandson's. The binding may get done today as well. I am also slacking on laundry and house cleaning. It will get done at some time. LOL 

As I've probably mentioned here before, I sleep using a CPAP due to sleep apnea. I have been having problems finding a new mask that works. I went the end of last week to get a new one, and it wouldn't quit leaking around my nose area. I went back yesterday to swap it for another one. I got another no goer. I couldn't get it to stop leaking around my cheeks, so it made funny rackets most of the night. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with getting a new mask. I have two others which wound up being too large for me. I really need one where I can get a good night's rest again.

While out swapping my mask, I stopped by a fabric store we have locally looking for some military fabric. They did not have what I needed, so I kept looking around. They are carrying some really nice Riley Blake and some other name brand fabric now. I found their clearance Christmas fabric and fell in love with a piece. Who can turn down nice fabric for $2.25 per yard? Not me if I have the money. So below you will see a picture of what I purchased. I got 2 and 1/8th yards for less than five dollars! It has that primitive tea dyed background and red little designs on it. It is made by Connecting Threads, but I can't remember right off hand who the designer is. What do you think?

Well, this is What's Happening around my house? How are you doing? Are you being quilty or crafty?

Have a blessed day!

Teresa

Work in Progress

From
this
to
this......

How is the quilt looking so far? I haven't sewn these blocks together, but just laid them out on my bed. If you look at the lower right corner, you can see the quilt on our bed showing where there needs to be a block. I have 12 more blocks to create, then I can sew them together and add borders! Wahoo!!! The light at the end of the tunnel can be seen.

I really need to get busy on my crazy quilt blocks for the Crazy Quilt Along 2014 with Carli on her blog (click on her name to link to it). There are several of us who are participating. I have fabric together and my squares cut, but I have trouble working on more than one project at a time. I'm afraid that I won't get anything done by doing that. 

Tell me something, do YOU work on more than one project at a time? How do you manage to get anything completed in a timely manner by doing that? Help me, please!

Hope you have a blessed quilty kind of day! Stay warm

Teresa

Progress!!

I'm here! I've been busy lately and haven't blogged since Monday. I am actually making progress on our son and his wife's quilt that was supposed to be for Christmas. :D I'm still working on the top, but I'm making progress!  These are some of the blocks I've made so far.

I will keep you updated after I get farther along. Say a prayer that I get it done soon.

Hugs,

Teresa

My How Time Flies

Forty years ago today this beautiful lady, my mama, went home to be with her Lord. She had several family members waiting to greet her when she arrived. I was fifteen years old at the time. I still miss her so much today. But, I celebrate the life she lived and the lessons she taught me in the short time I had her. You would never know by looking at her that my mother was blind. She lost her eyesight completely after I had started school, but the main memories I have of her is of her blind. She still kept a clean house, washed our clothes, hung them on the line, cooked for her family, etc. She was a wonderful person and loved the Lord with her whole heart. She and my dad were married 32 years when she passed away, so they had a good life together. Times were not always easy, daddy didn't make much money; we didn't have a fine house, nor did we have a lot of clothes. But what we did have was a lot of love from Mama and Daddy. They raised us in church. My dad, mom and I sang together everywhere we could and enjoyed it so much. My dad played the guitar for us to sing with until I learned how to play the piano.

My mama taught me to love every body and to do whatever I did with my whole heart. She taught me to look inside people and see their good especially since she couldn't see what they "looked like" on the outside. Oh the memories we could share together now. There is so much I need to tell her and share with her my children and my grandson and of course, my husband. Much water has run under the bridge since she left this old world. Many changes have taken place in our world and in the lives of her children. My dad is now with her and many of her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and members of her own family.

Do me a favor. If you still have your mother with you, cherish her, be a blessing to her; take care of her. Love her and tell her that you do. Give her a hug from you, but also from me.

Be blessed my friends,
Teresa

Wake up to Kona Blog Hop!

Do you love Kona cotton as much as I do? I love to sew with it. As a matter of fact, I'm making our DS and DIL a quilt for their bed using only Kona Cotton in black, white, and surf blue. There is a new blog hop starting tomorrow through www.sewwequilt.com. 

+ TWO extra days!

January 7

Just Let Me Quilt

Sparrow in Flight

Geta’s Quilting Studio

How ART You

Desertsky Quilts

January 8

Stitchin’ By The Lake

That’s Sew Julie

Living With Purpose

Nini’s Patchwork Blog

Quilts My Way

Jane’s Quilting

Quilt Matters

January 9

Ridge Top Quilts

Marjorie’s Busy Corner

A Stitch In Time

Freemotion by the River

Everyone Deserves A Quilt

January 10

Life in the Scrapatch

Vroomans Quilts

Bumbleberry Stitches

Upstairs Hobby Room

Sew Many Yarns

Easy Patchwork

Beaquilter

January 13

Creatin’ In The Sticks

Meadowbrook

Cathy’s Chatter

Selina Quilts

Sew Fresh Quilts

The Sassy Quilter

January 14

Sew Me Something Good

Sew Peace to Peace

Quilting Prolifically

Linda D. (shown on Just Let Me Quilt)

In The Boon Docks

The Cosmic Quilter

January 15

Thimblemouse & Spouse

Daisy Days

My Addiction to Quilting

Mountain Mist Designs

Hill Valley Quilter

Malini’s Quilts

Englating

January 16

I Piece 2-Mary

A Reformed Heath’n

From This To That

A Quilting Sheep

CeLynn’s Sunflower Patch

Robin’s Fabric Nest

Quilted Delights

January 17

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Words & Stitches

Marla’s Crafts

Lisa In Port Hope

Transitions for Meee

One English Teacher

Debby Kratovil Quilts

January 20

More Stars in Comanche

Buzzing and Bumbling

Quilting Quietly

Grammie Q’s

The Quilted Cat

The Quilting Queen Online

Lauraluvsloons

Sew Incredibly Crazy

January 21

Just Sew Sue

Pigtales and Quilts

Miss Priss Quilts

Charlottes Creation

Childlike Fascination

Renee Luvs Quilting

Cherry Blossoms

Sew We Quilt

Make sure you check out the blogs each day. You never know when they might have a giveaway. Carol at Just Let Me Quilt is the cheerleader for the hop. 

I posted this already this morning, but it disappeared. It may show up twice. Twice is good, right?

I really need to get into my sewing room today. Maybe I can stay warm if I sew. Have a blessed day and stay warm!

Hugs,

Teresa

RIP Dusty

On December 26, 2013, we took our two fur babies to the vet to have their ears checked and since Dusty had been acting sick for several days to see what was going on with her. Especially the fact that she had stopped eating cheese and drinking a lot of water. You may recall me telling you about them being diagnosed with Hepatozoonosis at the beginning of 2013. If you go to the website or Google the term, you will learn that it is a serious parasitic disease. Both of our fur babies have it, but Dusty just never seemed to get over it. We made the mistake not taking her in to have more blood work done. She had her days where she acted like she did not feel well, but we figured it was like any other dog. Over Christmas, she started acting sick, stopped eating, and drinking a lot of water. We thought she was running a fever. When I told the vet about her water drinking, he became very serious and said that drinking a lot of water usually indicates a serious problem. On the 27th, he sedated Dusty to draw her blood. Since the dogs were staying for a little bit anyway, we decided to go visit our daughter and her family for a few days. The vet called us while we were on our trip to let us know that she was in liver failure and had been for some time. All her blood work was out of whack and her white blood count was high. So we had to make a difficult decision when he said he felt that she would not recover since her liver had been failing for quite some time. 

We went on Jan. 3rd to pick up Blaze, he has been so lost and looks for Dusty everywhere. He has stayed in the house even at night because it was cold, and he is sticking to us like glue. The weather is going to be really bad/cold starting this evening, so he will be in the house most of the time. I've been sleeping in the living room with him the past two nights, but I'm going to try to sleep in our bed tonight and leave him in here. Say a prayer he does fine and doesn't have an accident. He is missing Dusty so bad. Our heart is broken, so I can imagine he is very confused at why we brought him home, but not Dusty. I pray he gets back to himself soon and realizes his buddy isn't coming.


Quilting wise I'm still working on our children's quilts for their beds. I plan to try and sew some today. I've been lazy recovering from our trip and from losing Dusty the past two days. I've also been doing laundry getting ready for the cold weather. Here is a preview of a block or two. 

Grandson's quilt

two blocks of son and DIL's quilt

Back of daughter and SIL's quilt

New Christmas fabric gift to me

New fabric for my Christmas gift to me. Coordinates with the squares above.

Another coordinate to go with the gray fabric.

Have a blessed day,
Teresa

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

From the Nance family to you and yours, we wish you a Happy New Year! I pray God's blessings on you. May you be healthy, happy and safe.







Hugs!
Teresa