Swaps finished

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This ATC was sent to me by Dianna M. for the PID Red, Pink, and Touch of Green Swap. She also sent a goodie bag of ephemera as a bonus! Thanks, Dianna!

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Earlier I showed a bracelet with four of the charms I made for the Mixed Media Art Charm swap. I finished the last 3 sets, so I thought I would show them all as sets:

Game Pieces: Miniature Alphabet blocks

Fabric/Sewing: Covered buttons with flower brads
and beaded edges

Found Objects: Paper tags
One side is alcohol inks with a stamped face on it;
the other is alcohol inks with acrylic stickers.

Other: Wooden tags
One side has decoupaged roses, the other
side has a stamped design.

Fabric/Sewing: Beaded fabric dangles
One side has roses fused to it, the other
side has the word "Love" stamped on it.

Spring Colors: stacked buttons on wire

Beading: Wire-wrapped glass hearts


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Once these are mailed I will be all caught up with my swaps. I may skip the next month's PID swap to get some other things done. I have been going through books to reduce the number. I have a large box of Boy Scout books that I want to get rid of, I just haven't decided how. I am keeping the books that were my sons' of course. They both made Eagle Scout with palms and were in the Order of the Arrow. A lot of work went into that, both by them and by their Dad and I. They aren't really interested in keeping any of their old things right now, so we will save them in case they do want them later on.

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My elder son is returning from his active duty in Iraq for a two-week leave. He will be home with his wife and children. I wish we could see him, but not this time. He will be back for good in mid-May. I miss him, but at least I do get to talk to him by Instant Messenger every couple of weeks. It will be good to have him on home turf.

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My MIL is physically about the same, but mentally has lost all ability to recognize anyone other than her daily providers. She doesn't seem to notice that her home has been changed to make her care easier, or that we have transferred some of her clothing and valuables to our house for safekeeping. She no longer interacts with her pet chihuahua, either. The poor dog is confused and bewildered by the whole situation.

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Tomorrow is my younger son's 26th birthday. I can remember his birth as if it were last week--it doesn't seem that so much time has passed. My older son will soon turn 29. Oh, boy.

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Great finds!

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I took a day off for myself and made the rounds of the thrift stores. Score!! The photo below shows some of what I brought home.

This is a LARGE drawing board. Other than a couple of scratches in the masonite coating, and one missing latch on the bottom right, it is in great condition. The drawing board lifts up, and there are two large storage compartments underneath. It even has a carrying handle! Ten bucks. Really!

Isn't this lovely? It's in like-new condition, and I fell in love with it. It's about 10" wide by 7" tall by 3" deep. I'll use it to hold return address labels and stamps on my desk.

This fabric was all stuffed in a bag and cost me $3.60. The top piece is a feedsack--it still has the chain stitching in one end. The two blues and the yellow are about a yard each, the green is almost two yards. The prints and solid blue are 100% cotton from Cranston, and the solid yellow may be a blend, but I'll have to do a "burn" test to find out. There were also two pieces of navy, but they were obviously polyester, so out they go.


This beautiful little domed box had a $30.00 price tag on the bottom. I think I paid $2.50 for it. It is about 6" across and 3" deep, japanned steel. I love the subject matter--a fabric seller showing his wares to a fair damsel. Or are they gifts for his beloved?



More finds-- I actually bought the 14" x 18" printed tin tray about a month ago at a thrift store, but the rest I bought today. The blue bottle and the red vase are for a future bottle tree. I love the colors! I bought two Anchor Hocking glass bowls, and three Pyrex bowls for $2.00-3.00 apiece. The Pyrex ones have an aqua tint to the clear glass.


This gorgeous 18" pillow is my final find. Hand-embroidered top with tucking all around, and a zippered back; all on butter-colored fabric that I think is charmeuse, but I'm not sure. $3.95--I kid you not. Who could pass this up? It will look great on a guest room bed.

Needless to say, I had a blast today, until I went grocery shopping. Now my feet are sore from walking. That's not unusual for me, as I have bone spurs in both heels. There are times when it is very difficult for me to walk at all. I bought some Glucosamine and Chondroitin capsules today, I hope they help a little.

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Belinda Spiwak's mmartfriends group on Yahoo is doing a swap of bracelet charms. I signed up to do 7 sets of 6 each, although I am actually doing 10 of each. Here are representatives of my first 4 sets:

and the reverse sides:

1. wire-wrapped glass hearts
2. wooden tags, stamped and decoupaged with roses
3. stacked buttons on wire
4. miniature wooden alphabet blocks with decoupaged sides and a finial on the bottom

These were harder to photograph than to make! The top picture is a scan, the bottom a photo. Neither worked very well. I'll have a whole month to finish the other three sets. I have some ideas, but they are only tentative right now. I'll post more pics when I get the rest done.

I've always loved charm bracelets--I have several that I have bought over the years. This one will be special since the charms will all be handmade. I can hardly wait to see what I get in the swap!

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I have been using my Wii, although I have to admit that I enjoy Animal Crossing a lot more than I do Wii Sports! I want to get the Wii Fit for my birthday next month, and at least try to do some yoga or other balance training on it. I have a tendency to fall (usually on my knees!) and hope to prevent any further injuries. I don't really expect to lose any weight using the Wii, although that would be welcome! But improving my overall fitness is my main goal.

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Back at it...

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I have been busy on various projects the past two weeks. I thought I'd show a few:

This is a purse I made just to take to Eastern Star. I don't need much there, so I wanted a smaller purse. The loop slips over my wrist for carrying. It's lined, with pockets inside.

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I spent one of my gift cards to buy this Zutter Bind-It-All book-binding machine. I've played with it a little, but I haven't used it properly yet. It will eventually get lots of use.

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This ATC was made for a Red, Pink, and Green challenge. The one below is for a "Be ....." mingle. They were both made from an old embossed Valentine card that I lightly sanded with an emery board. I love the way the embossing stands out.

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The ATC below is for a Hearts and Polka Dots mingle.

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The February monthly image is Isabella. Here are my 6 ATCs for this swap. I will keep the one with Discover on it--it covers too much of her face. I may change it out eventually. I tried to place the large word where it could be seen the best.

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My MIL no longer recognizes my husband, or at least he doesn't think so. Otherwise she remains in the same condition. It astounds us how much different she is from just 6 months ago, when she was walking around and talking normally. She now talks only when she has to, mostly to express her needs and wants. Conversation in almost totally gone.

I just finished reading a book called "Still Alice," by Lisa Genova. It describes Alzheimer's from the inside--a fascinating book. I read it in one sitting; couldn't put it down.

We have been slowly going through photos and documents, clippings and cards. I wish we had done this when she could identify people for us. We will eventually put these into albums and scrapbooks. For now they are sorted and are back in her house for storage.

I have decided that the best way to deal with all this is to continue our normal routine as much as possible. I have been getting back to my arts and crafts as time permits, and I find that it eases the stress considerably. DH gets the same results through his gardening.

We went to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" last night, and laughed all the way through it. I can recommend it for quick escapism. We then went out to eat and had a good time.

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After Christmas

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I received my Sophia ATCs from the PIDSwap group.

by Sarah W.

by Lee H.

by Elena V.

by Debby B.

by Annie L.

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This Sarah card is the last one from the December swap:

by Lee H.

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My MIL is still hanging on. We took her Christmas gifts to her, but she was too weak to open them, so we opened them for her. She said they were nice, then promptly lost all interest in them. At first she didn't even know it was Christmas. She asked her provider to help her get dressed and get out of bed, which she did. As soon as MIL was in her recliner, she went back to sleep--leaving us sitting there awkwardly. It was a sad visit, especially for my son and DIL.

We did get a phone call from my DS in Iraq. It was so good to hear his voice! He was in good spirits, and said he is doing well. I miss him terribly, and hope his tour of duty will end this spring as scheduled. His children need him.

I also talked to my eldest sister on the phone. She was all alone for Christmas Day, and I think just wanted to hear other voices. We had a good talk, and I was left feeling that no matter the troubles we are having, our lives could be worse.

I got lots of gift cards for Christmas--I will have fun doing a lot of shopping in the days and weeks to come! My DH was so delighted with the garden cart I gave him that he immediately went to work putting it together. He is putting in a large bed of Amaryllids at the local Botanical Gardens, and the cart will certainly come in handy.

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Catching up

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I haven't posted in awhile. I realized that when I got a card from a cousin (thanks, Kristin!) who follows this blog. I have been so busy with my MIL's illness that I haven't done any quilting or art.

My MIL is in the final stages of Alzheimer's. She doesn't always recognize us; sometimes she is unresponsive. The doctor insisted on seeing her this last week, and even he was shocked by her rapid decline. He saw her a month ago, and she was walking with help, talking, answering appropriately, and appeared alert. This time we wheeled her in, and she could barely stand long enough for the nurse to weigh her. The entire visit she sat in the wheelchair moaning and groaning. She kept saying, "I want to go home." We're no longer sure if she is speaking literally or metaphysically.

This decline has finally made it clear to my DH that his mother is dying. It has hit us hard, especially since he is an only child. He is doing all he can for her, but it really isn't making much difference. All we can do is try to keep her comfortable, and we can't tell whether she is or not.

DH is going through years of paperwork, making final arrangements, and dealing with the providers, all of which is stressful to the extreme. It is amazing the things you can discover about a person you thought you knew well. MIL was always a very private person; if she had her faculties she would be furious at the invasion of her privacy.

MIL liked to go to garage sales, and her favorite item to look for was stuffed toys. She would buy them from kids, and make sure they got the money. She had thousands of them in her garage, all sorted into bins and carefully stored. Many were brand new, with the tags still attached. I have spent the last three weeks going through them one by one, sorting any stained, soiled or ragged ones out to send to Goodwill, and the new and clean ones were donated to a children's charity for their Christmas giveaway. We donated several kitchen trash bags full. Each child was given a chance to talk to Santa, then was allowed to pick their own stuffed toy. We are told that the toys were the main attraction, and that each child went away happy. We also donated some bags to local fire and police stations to give out in domestic situations. I think MIL would be delighted at the distribution.

We also had to remove most of her clothing from her room, to make sure she had the kind of things she can still wear (nightgowns, and a sweatsuit for going to the doctor.) I found bags of beautiful lingerie, much of it still tagged, that will go to my granddaughters after Christmas. They are about the same size as my MIL. She had lots of lacy stuff. We still have about 7 large bins to go through, and haven't even touched the clothes hanging in her closet.

I had been reading Ami Simm's blog (www.amisimms.wordpress.com) dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's struggles, and am saddened by the news of her mother's death. Her story parallels ours in so many ways. We know what is ahead; we just don't know when.

I have to admit to mixed feelings. It is hard seeing her suffer (and I believe she is suffering.) I want her to be at peace. On the other hand, she is the only grandmother my sons have ever known; and although she and I haven't been particularly close, you can't care for someone day in and day out without becoming fond of them. She has been a part of my life for 30 years. Her death will make my own mortality that much more real. I find myself imagining being in her place, aged and confused, and it saddens me immeasurably.

When she does pass away, our lives will be forever changed. My DH wants to move us back to the area where we grew up, which would be wonderful except that it is completely unrecognizable. I know a great adventure awaits us, but I am a little frightened at the prospect. Sort of like the feeling one must get before skydiving, or shooting some rapids, or base jumping. Once you take that first step, there's no going back; the die is cast. You may have a bad experience or a tremendously fabulous experience ahead--no way to be sure until you go for it. It would be so easy to do the safe thing and stay the way we are. But DH has his mind made up, and where he goes, I must follow.

I may not post regularly for awhile, but I will try. Life is just in too much upheaval right now to plan ahead.

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ATC Swaps

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Below are 4 Sarah ATCs that I received in the November swap at the PaperImageryDesigns Yahoo group. We use a different image each month, but Sarah is one of the prettiest.

by Karen M.

by Dianna M.

by Kim S.

by Brenda S.

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This ATC uses Nia and was for the October swap.

by Elena V.

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These are Ralph, my cards for January.
(I showed the December cards, using Sophia, in the last post.)

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What I am thankful for...

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I am thankful that I finished this quilt top this past week. It's the "Fabric Gal" pattern from Eleanor Burns' book, "Still Stripping After 25 Years." The 'peppers' fabric will be the backing for it. I like the color combination, which I took from the border fabric. I also put in a narrow strip of purple faux piping between the blocks and the border. The quilt top is 39" square, and is intended for a tabletopper.

I am also thankful that I finished my next swap ATC's, which use the image called 'Sophia' by PID. You can't see it in the pictures, but they have a wash of glitter on them that makes them seem almost holographic.


My MIL now has a daily provider, and today she got her to eat more than she usually eats in a week. My MIL is happy with her, and as long as this progress continues, we will feel a lot less stress over her condition. That really is something to be thankful for. DH admits that we should have done this a long time ago.

My Eastern Star chapter is having their annual rummage sale this next weekend, and I have cleaned out my clothes closet for things to donate. My sons and I were Trekkies during their teenage years, and I had all the TV episodes from the original series, as well as TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise on VHS. I no longer have any interest in them, my older DS doesn't want them either, and my younger DS has them on DVD; so they are all going into the rummage sale as well. These are home-taped videos, not production videos--but some trekkie might like to have them. We'll see! At least I've freed up a lot of space in my video cabinets! More to be thankful for!

The weather has been cool and rainy the last few days, and it has felt really good. I've been staying at home as much as possible, because my heel spurs have been acting up again, making it very painful to walk for more than a few feet. I have been taking lots of ibuprofen, which helps some. Not so thankful for the pain, but hurray for meds!

We had planned to get take-out meals for Thanksgiving this year, but the expense will be too much; I'm going to my fall-back plan--deli-sliced turkey with all the fixings. I simply don't have enough room in my tiny galley kitchen to deal with a turkey or ham. We'll cook the fixings here, then take them over to my MIL's house for the meal. Thanks be for deli turkey!

We have been teaching Copper to talk. To get any table scraps he has to say, "I want it!" or as close as his little doggy voice can get. He tries really hard, sometimes having a whole conversation with us before he gets something out that sounds anywhere close to "I want it!"
But he has gotten the idea, and DH thinks we have created a monster. When he tries to eat his morning donut, Copper asks for continual bites and it comes out perfectly clear. DH wonders if he will get to eat any of his own donut from now on! Copper also loves ice cream, which he proclaims is "nummi-nummi-num!" I think so too, Copper. I am so thankful that we found you at the shelter--you were worth every penny we spent, and so much more.

I am also thankful for my DH's continued remission from his cancer; for friends and family; for continued good health except for my feet; and for a roof (however leaky) over our heads. I am thankful for my DS in Iraq staying safe, and my DS here for his help and support.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

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