Unexpected Blog Break, But I'm OK

Thank you everyone who has checked in on me after my blog break was heading for the two week mark. I am doing okay... a bit emotional about being 6000 miles away from my parents during a hard time (dad has since all this started had kidney stones and other issues that need to be checked into himself this week, when it rains it pours). I have not been doing well with eating (food is always my crutch under stress), but have thrown myself into swimming, and activities for the girls and kept busy.

I can't really concentrate on a lot of crafting stuff right now, but have been obsessed with my DJ quilting which I can do without thinking, just sitting down and stitching away, so I have done that often...late at night or early in the morning, in between crazy hectic days! Here is a photo of a kite and a few triangles quilted in one of the borders.


I also have been the lucky recipient of a few packages! I did a trade with Jennifer at Moving Hands, I sent a bunch of civil war repro scraps for her Dear Jane blocks and she sent back all these lovely Quiltgate Japanese taupe fabrics, and some other lovely repros for my collection! I love all those muted colors on the taupe fabrics. Thank you so much!


A lady in my Wednesday morning quilting group was clearing out her 1980/90s knitting stash last week and I scored some real Irish pure wool (called bainin...think it still has lanolin in it for Aran waterproof knitting) and some lovely linen cotton yarn. It is a real shame that Irish yarn makers don't seem to make pure wool yarns anymore...I only see acrylic out there with maybe a bit of wool in it...


Yesterday I got a very special package from my dear friend Barbara. We chat often on messenger and skype since meeting in blogland nearly 2 years ago and have visited each other, I can truly say she is a very close friend of mine in real life now. She knew how helpless I was feeling so far away from my family at this time and look what she sent to me. A gorgeously packaged quilt kit using her signature shabby chic floral fabrics. I was crying like a baby in the middle of our village after opening the package. Quilters are such generous people. Thank you so much Barbara from the bottom of my heart. I am glad to call you my friend.

You All Make My Day!

32 comments last week, you are all wonderful with your support and encouragement and prayers for mom and our family. She is still getting all the information gathered... Her MRI says that there is no cancer in any other part of her body, but that their might be one lymph node involved with the cancer, so they are looking into that before a definite course of action is decided. We are all getting used to the idea, and it looks like our trip to Australia might be cancelled so that grandma can get some grandkid therapy this summer. So...my plans for bringing my Dear Jane to Sisters this year, could be back on...we'll see in the next month or two before we make solid plans!

I have finished quilting one of the triangle borders this week, well all the pieced triangles anyway...I am starting to work on the plain tris with a simple quilting pattern. I figured anything complicated would be totally lost on this design intense quilt. What do you think?


I managed to swim 35 lengths or more 3 times this week, and got one walk in. I started Weight Watchers on Wednesday, very depressing amount on that scale, but hope to see it go down soon. Will try to organize a WW page here on the blog soon, along with catching up on my Finished projects, Book list...geesh I have a lot to do!

I finished Dave's slippers and felted them...they are a bit misshapen, but they fit him just fine. I knitted it double stranded so the slippers are more like fraternal twins rather than identical with their patterning...one is more striped and the other more mottled...eek!!


Ruth tagged me with a lovely award, the You Make My Day award. I have to say, it does make my day to receive these kinds of awards that go around blogland. I love to know that people out there enjoy reading my blog!! I've seen this award go around many of the blogs I read several times over, but there are a few out there that I enjoy reading that haven't received it yet, so I'll focus on those ones, but with 178 feeds on my Bloglines, I enjoy many many blogs out there and appreciate every comment that I get. Thank you so much everyone for being such a wonderfully supportive community!

Here are a few favorites of mine, hope you take the award and pass it around to other blog friends that make your day!

• 
  
  Beth Crafts.  A great blogging friend who does some wonderful quilting and knitting, and so many other crafts!!
  
  


• 
  
  Knit One Quilt Too. Another talented knitter and quilter who inspires me with her projects!
  
  


• 
  
  Verry Sherry.  A fellow American quilter in Ireland. A great and witty blogger, also raising 2 gorgeous girls while crafting here.
  
  


• 
  
  Cowgirl Quilter. A prolific quilter with lots of inspiring photos!!
  
  


• Sew much fabric, sew little time, sew true!  She's at home in South Africa at the moment, but she does lots of lovely projects and really inspires


• Alabama Fiber Dreams. A talented knitter who makes great projects and dyes yarn as well!


• Lucy Locket Recycled Her Pocket.  A multitalented mommy crafter who always has great projects going on!


• Musings from my Soul. An American in South Africa, with great stories and great crafting...

Oh What a Day...

Yesterday was a day alright.

 It started like this:


Ireland doesn't get snow very often, and this snow was gone by noon, followed by torrential rain, followed by blinding sun by 1pm. Aine and I made a snow queen and had a snowball fight. We seized the day and had some snowy fun, it might be the last time here for a year or 2!!?? Afterwards, we came in for a nice cup of hot dodo, as Aisling calls it (better known as hot cocoa/chocolate to you and me!) Here is our queen followed by her demise just a few hours later...


In the afternoon we went to see Enchanted with some friends. Very cute movie.

In the evening, I got some not so nice news. My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a small lump, and they will fight first with radiation and lumpectomy, but it caught us all by surprise. I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers you could send her way.

Now just to end on a positive note, here is one of the babies who recently received some of my crafting work, 2 little onesies/baby vests:

The babies name is Catherine Mary, what a great name, lol! (mine is Catherine Marie, lol) She was named after her grandmother and great grandmother, but I like to think she was named after me, hee hee! I loaned Catherine's mommy the moses basket I made before Aine was born. I love to see it being used by other friends and family! I really need to get back into basket making, I haven't done it since I finished this basket.

I was really thrown for a loop with mom's news yesterday, but now 24 hours on, it sounds bad, but not as bad as I was imagining yesterday. So many people survive breast cancer, but it is never easy to go through, I am sure.

Keep on Rolling!

Got a few things finished today! Figured I was on a roll with blog posting and with crafting, so I'd keep going.  Here is the bear I made for a friend from her mother's robe and a skirt for the bow. I've had the clothes since last year and am glad I finally focused on it and got it done. I hope she'll be able to squeeze this squishy bear and get some comfort from the fabrics she saw her mom in.

Dave's first slipper is done now as well...will get started on its mate tomorrow, but won't felt them till I have both, so they shrink evenly.

I have a partner in crime for Weight Watchers here next week, that should help me stay motivated, I hope! I stood on the scale yesterday, I was sad to see that my weight wasn't even 175, but 181.6, I have a long road ahead of me.

I haven't finished my DJ triangle for today. I need to get a good rhythm with it going if I want the time to get the quilt finished. I think it will take more time than I think rather than less, so want to keep ahead of the curve. Guess my focus tomorrow will be to get caught up on my quilting. Too tired to do any more tonight!

Off to a Good Start!

I  got everything done I said I wanted to do and I have photos to show it!

1. 
   
   Eat healthy throughout the day, and drink 1 1/2-2 liters of water!! I did sneak in a little bread and nutella tonight, but drank 1 liter of water and ate healthily today, much better than I usually do!
   
   


2. 
   
   Quilt a Dear Jane Triangle. Got one done!
   
   
   

1. 
   
   Sew a gift for a friend. Got a few or 6 baby vests/onesies done for my fertile friends! Baby Catherine arrived last night, twins Paige and Holly and little Dorothy arrived in November…they each got their initials as design elements on the onesies. I also managed to get started on my friends memory bear.
   
   


2. 
   
   Knit Dave’s felted slippers. Got more done! Here is Aine modeling.
   
   
   


3. 
   
   Going to pull out the rag rug that I bought 10 or more years ago!! Took a minute to remember how, but got back into it tonight
   
   
   


4. 
   
   Go for a walk. Walked with the kids down to the park. Lost sense of taste again tonight with head cold though.
   
   


5. 
   
   Use my dishcloths and scrubbies instead of sponges and paper towels. Check.
   
   


6. 
   
   Read a book in bed by 11pm. Katy thinks this is the only one I won’t be able to do…hmmm…seeing as its 11:06pm as I type, I think she may be right, but will continue to try for this…there just aren’t enough hours in the day!
   
   

Tomorrow I hope to continue working on the teddy bear, the DJ triangles and the slipper. Dave is back to work, but kids and I still have our lazy days till next Monday!