Searching High–Searching Low…

Searching for my Quilting Mojo…

I guess I have the quilters equivalent to writers block…

Hopefully it’s just a matter of my having had little to no exposure to fabric over the past 7 months.

Yes – I am now 7 months post surgery!  Last week I went to see a different Orthopedic Dr. to get a fresh opinion of where I am and where I can expect to go with my knee.  He said that he thought I was doing well.  He said that these injuries take a good year of healing before you know just what limitations you will have long term or before you would consider any surgery to remedy anything.  I have been seeing a Chiropractor who uses the ART (Active Release Technique) Therapy (Ortho Dr. thought this was great!).  This type of therapy has been a great help in getting my knee working again.  It’s not just the knee joint and the tendons there that need work… it’s also the muscles (especially the quad) in my thigh that need attention to get back to working correctly.  I’m not an athlete but I want to be able to stand without my leg hurting and walk (faster and further) and hopefully without a limp.  I’m very optimistic that I can get there.

The quilting… well as I said I’m in a big slump.  I did go into the quilt shop Thursday to pick out fabric for the November Calendar Quilts and I also worked the Finish It Friday class and I went back on Saturday to pick out for the December quilt.  I was tired but it felt good.

The quilt shop here is closed this next week for the Town Fair… the streets around the shop are blocked off so it’s a vacation week for the owner.  After that I’ll go back to working twice a week (4 hour days) and see how that is on my knee.  There is a local Shop Hop that runs for the first 2 weeks of October and the Shop Hop up in MA is the weekend of the 15th.  I am really happy to say I will again be coming up to MA to work at Southampton Quilts that weekend! 

I am hoping that this increased exposure to fabric and all the lovely quilty folks will reawaken my desire to make quilts!

I’ll never forget That Blue…

That morning was the most perfect late summer, early fall morning in New England.

It was crisp out… not yet cold – just a hint of the winter to come.  The air was dry and the sky was crystal clear – not even a whisper of a cloud. The sun was gloriously bright - adding just the right amount of warmth.

And That Blue… it was rich and deep – the most beautiful color a sky can be.

Later as I pondered the events of that day I remember thinking “how could something so horrible come out of that glorious sky?”

Eventually…

Eventually I’ll get my body clock adjusted to this eastern time zone!

I arrived home Wednesday afternoon after a long flight with not nearly enough sleep.  I blame my long re-adjustment on the fact that I was gone 5 1/2 weeks… I don’t believe my age has anything to do with it… stop it – I heard that snickering.

I had a wonderful visit with my daughter and grandkids… such a pleasure to watch as everyone settles into the new routine of having a baby in the house again.  My daughter asked the last week I was there if there was something I wanted to do… maybe go to the beach? see some of the Hawaiian sights?  I told her that I had done everything I wanted to do – be right there with her and the kids and hold the baby.  I got a sun tan on my feet from walking down to the park with her and the kids and we had gotten out to eat some good seafood (really good seafood) at a couple different places while I was there.  So I was happy… well as happy as I could be about having to leave.

And oh my – that little one… well take a look – he’s not so little.  Here he is helping me pack on the day I left.

Actually I was trying to see if he would fit in my carry on bag… but he was too big.

Here is a video of Kai explaining how he fell down the stairs and bumped his head and had to go to the hospital.  He had a minor concussion so we just had to keep him quiet (HA HA HA – keep a 2 1/2 year old boy quiet) for a few days.  Honestly I was ready to go buy duct tape…

Describing his fall down the stairs

Fortunately he was only about 3/4’s of the way up to the first landing – goofing off and jumping like a frog.  I was already on the landing when I heard him jump up and looked back to see him tumbling backwards down the carpeted stairs.  His mom was in the living room and heard him and when she looked up all she saw was his landing at the bottom… banging his noggin.  He seemed to be fine but we were worried about his neck – so he and his mom spent 5 hours in the ER… on her birthday… Happy Birthday Mommy!

Tuesday I have to be back on Eastern Time… I need to get back to the gym and I have all kinds of appointments this week.

No, No, No…

I’ve always loved 2 year olds… they are just sooo funny!

I was teaching Kai to sing ‘Where is Thumbkin?’  Then the other day as we were walking into a store he was asking me to sing the Pumpkin song with him… ?  After a bit of back and forth and watching his hands we figured out that he was asking for ‘Where is Thumbkin?’.  I emphasized that it was Thumbkin… see my thumb… Thumbkin… and then we sang as we walked.

Later in the car he again asked for the Pumpkin song…

Mom: Kai… it’s Thumbkin

Kai: No, No, No… this is a guy… this is Pumpkin

Mom:  Kai – look – this is your thumb (wiggles' thumb in the air) – this is Thumbkin

Kai: No, No, No… this is a guy (also holds one thumb up in the air)… this is Pumpkin (holds other thumb up).

Mom (chuckling):  Kai – see my thumb?  This is THUMBKIN!

Kai: No, No, No… THIS is a guy (again holds one thumb up in the air)… THIS is PUMPKIN (holding up other thumb)!

Mom & Granny (both laughing and holding thumbs in the air)  KAI… this is a thumb… (wiggles thumbs for emphasis) THIS is THUMBKIN!

Kai: NO, NO, NO! (now annoyed that both Granny and Mom are so STUPID)… THIS is a GUY (also wiggles thumb up in the air)… THIS IS PUMPKIN (holding up other thumb)!!

…of course by this point both his Mom and I are laughing like the idiots the boy thinks we are.

So it’s official… this is a guy (holds one thumb up) and this is Pumpkin (holds other thumb up)!

Being Prepared…

You know the planning for a long flight to Hawaii takes a bit of thought.

I wanted to be comfortable – so I choose to wear a pair of black light weight knit work out pants, a sleeveless top and a long sleeve very, very light weight knit cardigan.  Because my left foot is still a bit swollen my slip on shoes were the perfect choice.

I charged all my electronic devices, updated my iPod, downloaded a book to read, downloaded a book to listen to, and brought along a Sudoku book and mechanical pencil.

I was all set…

Until the lens fell out of my glasses…

Is it some sort of twisted evil plan that makes an eyeglass manufacturer design glasses that have the screw holding the lens in place inserted from the bottom up?  What’s with that?

And so about an hour into my 9 hour flight… I couldn’t see to read my book or play any games on my iPod.  I could play Sudoku in the book I brought but couldn’t see my little number notes in the corners of the blocks.  I did listen to my audio book – but that made me sleepy and I had to keep backing up the story.

So I decided to sit and Ponder for awhile… then I remembered the extra pair of reading glasses I had packed in with my makeup bag.

Mental note:  Pack an eyeglass repair kit for the next long trip.

Any frustration over my glasses was quickly resolved upon arrival.

The little boy being a little boy…

A very happy big sister…

And a laundry helper that seems to be sleeping on the job!

Aloha!

Saying Aloha…

We have a new grandbaby…

Say Aloha to Keanu…

His older brother just loves holding him…

Everyone is doing well – the kids are especially excited with their new brother!  I’ll have more pictures when my daughter gets her cable service established.  You see - they moved down the street to a bigger house.  Yeah – she went into labor the day the movers came.  LOL – when it rains - it pours… even in paradise.

My quilty weekend was so much fun… we had a great time and got a lot of sewing done.  Our Challenge Quilts were all wonderful – I of course don’t have any pictures so when I do get some I’ll post them.

I worked on a New York Beauty for a shop sample that was printed on foundation fabric.  Of course no matter how many times I looked at it and rearranged… I’m still not excited about the color dispersion.  Oh well.  I think I’d like to do something like this again but using a paper foundation that could be removed.

I also got the Sept. & Oct. Calendar Quilts done…

I’ll have to update that page but that will have to wait.

Now I’ll say Aloha… because my bags are packed and I’m headed to Hawaii first thing Friday morning!  There are 3 grandkids there for me to snuggle… oh and I’m gonna work on my tan too!

Eating Peas…

I had to laugh when the President – in talking about getting this whole debt ceiling issue resolved – said it was something that just needed to be done…  “So we might as well do it now: pull off the Band-Aid, eat our peas. Now is the time to do it. If not now, when?"

The USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council’s response was… “We take President Obama’s comment on the need to ‘eat our peas’ as a reference to the First Lady’s push to get all Americans to eat a more healthy diet as part of the Let’s Move campaign. Eating peas has two clear benefits: they can help close the nutritional loopholes in your diet, and preparation isn't taxing! If tasty and nutritious meals featuring peas are served more frequently in the White House and in the cafeterias of both Houses of Congress, it will contribute to a balanced diet, if not a balanced budget. Eating more lentils couldn’t hurt, either.”  (Closing loopholes… not taxing… balanced budget… very clever!)

That made me laugh too – they could have had their nose out of joint but instead chose the higher road… saw the glass as half full… and made lemonade out of lemons pea soup out of dried peas!

Anyway… I’m at the ‘eat my peas’ point.  My quilty friends will be arriving here day after tomorrow - I can stall no longer… I have to sort thru the remaining clutter and get it put away, the compost heap pile of misc. laundry needs to be caught up, and books and magazines need to be collected and put away.  Then I think I’ll call it done… good news is that I know my friends don’t come to visit or inspect my house.  They will understand that I didn’t wash my curtains because I’m not climbing a ladder to take them down or put them up… and as long as no one writes in the dust – it won’t be noticed either!  LOL

Here’s a picture to ponder… kinda looks like farm fields from the air don’t ya think?

University Update–Calendar Quilts

Finally I’ve gotten some pictures of the May thru August Calendar Quilts.

Individual pictures are posted on the Calendar Quilts Page… just click the link on the right or on the link above.

All of these still need to be quilted… something that won’t happen any time soon.

May & June… I especially like the Ants and Watermelon on June.

July and August…

Four more to go…

And So She Sews…

And boy does that feel good… well outside of the fact that standing still (ironing and cutting) uses my knee differently and made it a bit sore in different places.  But I can at least sit with my feet planted in front of me for a period of time and that felt really good.

Really a post about quilting!  Can you believe it?  Yeah, me neither!

Anyhoo – this is what I’m working with…

This is the 3rd year for a gathering of quilters here at my house – we call it Howdy’s HoeDown.  Hokey I know – but it is what it is!  LOL  The Challenge this year was to use the fabrics handed out in a quilt top.  I had selected 3 fabrics (yellow, green & pink) and then combined 2 of them in each package -  a 2 yard cut of one fabric and a half yard cut of another.  You can add whatever else you need to end up with a 60 x 60ish size quilt.  My fabrics are the yellow and green and although I had a plan and other fabrics picked out last summer – I shifted gears and selected an easier design and picked up new fabrics last week to work with.  I have the blocks completed and into rows.  Today I’ll have a top… and I’m happy with it!  But I can’t show you pictures of it until after the gathering!

I have turned in both the July and August Calendar Quilts… but I only have a picture of one of them.  This is August.  I’ll get better pictures – those bees really are yellow.  Although I had quilted the first 4 – those done since I busted up my knee are just assembled and fused – I’ve not done any of the decorative stitching nor quilted them.  Next week I’ll go back to the shop and get the fabric picked out for Sept. & Oct. so I can get them going.

I’ll have to update my Quilt University list next week when I get some pictures.  Actually I need to go in and refresh my memory as to what I wanted to work on – I think I’d like to try and catch up by attending ‘summer school’… LOL

Only a quick note about my knee… I saw the Dr. this past week – 4 months post surgery.  He said I’m doing very well considering the extent of my injury.  So I continue with PT – I’m now at 125 degrees of bend – with them pushing on it.  Functionally what I can easily bend it to with my own lame muscles is about 115.  I’m not content to stop there… I want my knee back… I want it all back.  I still have swelling and discomfort but that’s all part of the therapy – I’m challenging it every day so it stays a bit annoyed at me.  The water therapy I’m doing at the gym is wonderful for all of me and I’m slowly adding to the ‘circuit machine’ exercises I do – I really need to add ‘core’ exercises and now that I’m stronger in general I can do that – PT has now OK’d my adding some of the leg machines in as well since we started those this past week in therapy. 

I don’t think I’ve ever exercised this much in my whole life.

Building Strength and Flexibility

Slowly but surely I’m gaining my strength back.

I am adding to my daily schedule as I get stronger.  Last week I started going to a water therapy class at the gym to help improve my overall strength.  I’m still going to Physical Therapy 3 times a week and am slowly and continually gaining flexibility in my knee.  Nothing magical about it – just plain old hard painful stretching.  I am now at 115 degrees…

There was so much that I took for granted before I busted up my knee… who knew I’d ‘want’ to be able to do laundry, shopping, and cleaning?  I can run the little vacuum around and although I’m usually pretty flexible (ha, ha, ha – flexible!) about some clutter – the accumulation is starting to bother me.  To clear up things it requires multiple trips in and out of various rooms and up and down the stairs – I’ve only got one good hand to use but carrying a lot of stuff throws my balance off – which is scary on the stairs.  Going to the store for more than just a few items is exhaustive – I’m so glad I shop at one of those old fashion ‘small town’ grocery stores – it’s not even open on Sunday.  I haven’t been in a ‘super store’ in ages and I don’t miss it.

Adding the water therapy class into my routine last week resulted in the need of an afternoon rest/nap each day.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for naps… but I’d rather take one because I want too… not because I need to.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m overweight… but this knee – well it's not my knee.  The whole leg doesn’t look like my leg – which is weird.  The muscles are misshapen and the therapy keeps everything swollen.  Sure wish fat had melted away as quickly as muscle mass did… LOL!

OK enough of that…

Let’s talk gardening!  The strawberries are dying out there on the plants.  I just can’t spend much time picking as I can’t squat or use the garden stool that I used last year and I can only bend over for so long.  I didn’t get the water pipes set up so it’s up to Mother Nature to water… and although she provided quite a bit of water a couple weeks ago… here recently - not so much.  Besides – if I did pick them I’d have to do something with them and I still have frozen strawberries from last year.  I did buy some tomato plants to put in – but they are now dead… shriveled up sitting right there by the faucet - I didn’t water them and apparently they didn’t water themselves either.  My daughter and granddaughter helped put in some onions and they are holding their own back there in the raised beds – the lettuce plants they helped with are also doing well – I’ll be picking and eating some of that soon.  Hmmm – let’s see… oh I also put in a couple basil plants that are holding their own so far.  I wish I had found a new rosemary plant to replace the one that didn’t survive the winter snow… I’ll have to go out to the herb place and check there for one.  Otherwise my perennial plants are doing just what they are suppose to… and that is making me happy.  The Engineer is doing all the yard work so far… I know he’ll be happy when I can get back on the tractor and at least mow the back yard – that would knock an hour off his time. 

I have done no sewing since I finished the last pair of Calendar Quilts… I haven’t even gone up to my sewing room.  I will work on the July Calendar Quilt this weekend.  I spent a couple hours at the shop Thursday picking out fabric for it.  The time I spent at the shop convinced me that I am no where near ready to go back to work.  I was exhausted… those bolts got heavier while I was away.