Puttering along

How is it that after working off and on all day at my projects, the progress seems so slow? Maybe it's because I did just a bit from several projects. I worked on a set of placemats, my name tag for use at the North Jersey Modern Quilt Guild meeting, and secret blocks for the Dots on Dots blog hop which is coming up in September.

The main accomplishment of the day was getting the bindings sewn onto my new placemats. The fabric is Fruit Slice from Anthology Fabrics.

I still have to hand sew the bindings down on the four plaemats. I'm planning to do that next week as car sewing as we head off to Ohio to visit family. It's an 8-9 hour car ride so I need something to keep me occupied when I'm not driving.

Right now the Think Christmas Blog Hop is going on and I've been following along. I definitely recommend it. There are five more days to go. The hostess is Lesley of The Cuddle Quilter

Upcoming Dots on Dots Blog Tour

I've signed up to participate in the Dots on Dots Blog Tour which will take place from September 10-20. See the logo on my sidebar. It will be my second blog tour and the first on this blog. signup end tomorrow 7/27 so there is still a chance to sign up. Go to Corrie's blog to get the information to sign up. Corrie from Quilt Taffy is the host. Of course, make sure to take the tour when the time comes!

I've already started planning some dotty blocks for my tour entry. Here's a hint:

In other news, we got the first squash from our garden. Yes, I know it's very late but we didn't get the garden in until the end of June. That's a month and a half or more later than it should be. Better late than never, I guess.

I shredded the squash in the food processor, cooked for a few minutes with a little olive oil, added grated Parmesan cheese and cooked for a minute or two more. Tasty! I'm on a search for more easy and delicious squash recipes since it looks like we will be getting a lot more very soon.

I'm back! It was a very long absence. I'll try to do better. Since I was last here I finished the degree I was working on-you can now call me Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Phew, I'm glad it's done. I was definitely one of the older graduates.

I've been thinking of my grandparents. None of them graduated from high school. My mother's parents didn't go to to high school at all. Of course things were different then and that was common. My maternal grandmother and her sister decided in old age (in their 70's or 80's, I'm not sure which) to get their GED's.
They succeeded too!

My other big accomplishment is to have finished the top for my 'Tis the Season quilt.

I also did a little cushion from the book.

The book calls it a cushion, but to me it's a pillow. It must be one of those language differences between the US and Australia. Either way, it's a cute little thing and I may make more. I also have a 2nd quilt partly done-it will be a gift. I'd also like to make a few of the other projects in the book. Don't know when; there are so many things I'd like to make.

Mother's Day

I had a lovely Mother's Day with my family. In the morning DS Justin brought me tulips and a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (my favorite). He even brought half-and-half on the side so I could add just the right amount.

Later DH picked flowers from the yard and then made a delicious steak dinner with baked potatoes and green beans with mushrooms. He and DD Emily made lemon squares for dessert. Another favorite! I enjoyed the at home meal more than I would have if we had gone out, so that was perfect.My DS Steve called and we had a long talk, the best we've had in ages. Brian also called and I missed the call; he tried again yesterday and I missed it again! I'll try him tonight after he's home from work

The reason I missed Brian's call yesterday is that I was taking my final exam in the statistics class for this semester. Most of the past couple of weeks has been taken up by the course. Last week a project was due and I had to give a presentation. The projects were done with a partner which was a bit of a pain for adult students. My partner was a young woman who is a biochemist. She already has her degree but was taking the class because she uses statistics in her work. She is originally from Nigeria. It was fascinating to get to know her a bit as we worked together. The professor had the class vote for the best project presentation. Much to my surprise my partner and I won! That was a nice feeling. I wonder if the professor considers that in his grade? Assuming I passed the class, I'll be student teaching in the fall.

Laura's Recital

To go on with the story....

On Sunday, the 10th DH and I drove to Cleveland arriving in late morning. We knew we wouldn't be able to get into the hotel that early, and neither of my sisters were arriving that early. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go to the Cleveland Art Museum and see the exhibit of illuminated manuscripts.

DH and I were both interested in the geometric sculpture outside the museum.

My sisters and their husbands called us as they arrived in town. It turns out that the museum is walking distance from the hotel. They parked at the hotel and met us at the museum where we had lunch.Clockwise from front left: my sister Linda, me, my sister Marie, Marie's husband Richard, and Linda's husband Joe. My DH was taking the picture.

We wandered over to the hotel, the Glidden House. It was lovely, in a historical building. We got into our rooms around 2 so we were able to unload our luggage. Then it was time to head over to the church for the recital.
We got to see Laura and her husband John before the recital, but they were both too busy to take much time to talk. I enjoyed the music, but am not knowledgeable about organ music. Apparently something technical went wrong with the organ, but I couldn't tell the difference. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Laura that she would want me to post. Too bad, because she's lost some weight and has been exercising-she looks great. After the recital there was a reception, so we got to meet some of Laura's professors, classmates and friends. After everything was over, and cleaned up the group of us went out for dinner, then back to the hotel where we talked until late. I hadn't seen any of the others since last summer so it was wonderful to catch up.

The next morning we all met for breakfast at the hotel. My DH and I had to be on the road by 8 because I had a test in my college course at 5:30 that afternoon. I studied all day as DH drove and we went straight to campus arriving around 4:30. Cutting it close weren't we? Studying all day in the car worked well, I did very well on the test!

It was a hectic and tiring few days, but I'm so glad we went. Since then my in-laws have moved into assisted living. My MIL isn't doing great, but it could be a lot worse. An older friend told me that getting old isn't for sissies and I guess she's right.

A quick trip

The days have really gotten away from me. I've want to be a better blogger than this!

We took our trip out to Ohio and it was a whirlwind. First we went to see my in-laws and then to Cleveland for my niece's Master's Recital.

My MIL was still in the hospital and still in a lot of pain. One thing that concerned me is that she was acting very helpless, more helpless than she really was. That's not like her at all. It was almost as if she's given up and that isn't good at all. Even though she's had some real problems the past couple of years, she has a strong constitution and I think could possibly keep going for a number of years. I know that a broken leg is not a small thing, I've been through it myself. It's just so hard to see her acting as if she can't do a thing to help herself.

As it turns out things were in progress for my in-laws to move into assisted living. The unit is right near the hospital where my Brother-in-law works and is less than a mile from their home. My MIL is very happy to move but my FIL is having trouble with it. He keeps saying that he thought they'd live in their house until they died. It's a little strange, I think most people who live into old age have to eventually go into a nursing home, or assisted living or at least move in with relatives. Realistic or not, he had the idea in his head and is having trouble giving it up. Fortunately the facility they are moving to is quite nice. DH and I stopped by unannounced asking for a tour and they accommodated us. I thought that was a good sign. We stopped by at lunchtime and not surprisingly noticed that the vast majority of residents are women. I don't know if FIL will like that or not.

Of course the unit they will be in is much smaller than their house. Fortunately they will not give up the house quite yet so will have some time to reduce their possessions. When we visited MIL in the hospital she kept saying things like, "take some crystal, take some vases, take anything you want." We were there with a very small car so weren't about to take much! In a couple of weeks DH will rent a truck and go out with one of our DS's and take a few pieces of furniture.

This is getting long, so I'll continue with the tale of our trip within the next few days. Meanwhile, here is a picture of our daffodils-they are one of my favorite flowers.


They really need to be thinned out before they stop blooming so well. That's a project for later this summer.

Worrisome News

My husband got an e-mail from his brother tonight saying their mother had fallen and broken her leg. We are very concerned because my MIL is elderly and somewhat frail these days. The bone she broke is the thigh bone which I think is called the femur. We'll be heading out to Ohio late next week.

We were already planning to go for my niece's Master's recital which is April 10 in Cleveland. This will just extend the trip a bit. I'm very concerned about my MIL.