Stitched

 

yesterday

I got to stitch

for the first time

in about forever

the seating was uncomfortable

the lighting not so good

but I stitched

 

Mom kept watching me

but never asked to help

finally I asked if she wanted to stitch

 

her reply

"not today"

 

so maybe today she will

am taking something different for her

would love it if she

became engaged in something

anything

 

her every thought is of coming home

she asks if I would like to be there

 

I always so of course

a place where they bring me my meds and food

where I can get my hair done

play bingo

and sleep in late

what's not to love

unless you have to be there

 

the therapists

all rave about her progress

so praying it won't be too long

maybe a few more weeks

 

not soon enough for her

she was ready to call a taxi last night

 

spunk

she's full of it!

Giving Thanks

 

 

over the years

I have been very thankful

to come from a family of readers

reading to learn

to laugh

to heal

to relax

to escape...

 

the written word

has brought much to my life

 

lately

I've been reading everything

I can about Alzheimer's

my "go to" place is the

 

Alzheimer's Reading Room

 

founded by Bob DeMarco

this site is wealth of information

from the articles to the comments

I have learned

how to better communicate with Mom

how to be a better

caregiver

a better person

 

~~~~~

 

We had a very nice Thanksgiving today

brunch with my sister and her husband

here at home

they cooked and brought over most of the food

a real treat for both of us

all I did was fried potatoes...

even better is leftovers for lunch tomorrow

you know cooking is not my thing

 

Mom and I spent the rest of the day stitching

watching peaceful TV shows

The National Dog Show

Andy Griffith

American Pickers

Pawn Stars

 

yesterday Melrose and I had a contest

to see who could nap the most

he won...he does have more time to practice

 

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving night...

sweet dreams

 

 

 

 

 

Home

no flowers here

just snow and more snow

the birds were wild about the feeder today

nearly emptying it out 

in a few short hours

with the squirrels dashing around the ground

then trying to get past the baffle

then climbing a small tree...

grand entertainment for Mom

she's been stitching

reading (letters and short articles)

practicing walking without her walker

testing the peanut butter fudge I made

some easy days

that we both enjoy

Counting Down

     only a few more days and I'll be moved in with Mom...her house is being over run with baskets full of this and that...things that aren't easy to pack in a box...

Tuesday the truck from ReStore arrived...with one stop before me the truck was nearly empty....good thing because between oak dressers, painted wood benches and box upon box of prim goodies there was barely room for the old Singer sewing machine in it's cabinet....it started out as grandma Pansy's treadle then eventually my sister had it converted to electric...no longer works but am sure someone will find a use for it...

for sure I don't miss a thing...treasures from family/friends are making the trip...am only allowing myself a few things to store away...downsizing to the essentials for creating and two cats who have no clue at the changes about to happen...

am posting this from my Kindle...barely know how to use it...my new desktop has Windows 8 that is going to take some time too...in the meantime I've been keeping up with a few blogs...and napping every second I can...

a question for you...what black flannel have you used for wool applique?  Mom thinks she's ready to start stitching...

Combined Sewing Room

as I take more and more

of my belongings to Mom's house

she may be seeing an

upside to our sharing

a sewing room

(used to be her bedroom/sewing room)

I was in the back room

when she noticed a tiny small portion

(20-30 balls)

of my Valdani pearl cotton collection

immediately she picked it up

and said

"I'll just take this to my sewing room"

the look on her face

tone of her voice

will be with me always

she is beyond delighted

to have such access to wool and thread

I've found giving her tasks

help her find a purpose

today she made baked beans

and deviled eggs

to share with Dad tomorrow

otherwise known as

"now who is that man we go visit"

Dad is much happier in his new room

his other rooms

were at the end of a hall

this one is in a busy area

no more feeling lonesome

all the little things

have made this a wonderful day

This Boat

I am always saddened to hear

of others in this same boat

I know

 from working

in the hospital

 just how 

common this is...

I do try to find some joy

in each day...

today it was Mom

being amazed by all the wool

I stacked on the shelves

she says she'll

never need to shop again

Ha!

it's only the tip of the iceburg



May As Well Laugh

this was me last night

when I found out they moved Dad

to another room

without family there...

it was planned moved for later this week

we've had enough issues

with his confusion

 this is how Dad feels

am waiting for the movers to get here

moving my big cupboards

and wool racks

can get them organized

before the final move

June 10

I will probably be sleeping on

Mom's couch a few nights

before I move...

I have 5 days off starting Sat

so can be there

in the late afternoon/early evening

when she is most confused...

Dad is motivated to eat more

(lost 30 # in 2 months)

and try harder at therapy

with this move to a long term room

may just be the kick in the butt

that will work

now that he is feeling better!

hugs my friends

Folk Art Applique

a book on my wish list

(aka in my cart at amazon)

Jan Patek image and pattern

I know I've told you before

that mom sitched four of these

Bible Quilts

from the Jan Patek pattern

on a recent visit my sister and BIL

hung my quilt in Mom's living room

she loves to look at it

and keeps saying

she doesn't believe she made it

and three others

I've been moving some things slowly

in to her house...

looking at all my quilts

has been a treat

she says seeing them makes her

want to start stitching again...

tomorrow

 during a Pinterest ramble

this caught my eye

~~~~~~~

over my initial freak out

about Mom

or my dealing with the reality of her

mental status...

there was never any question

that moving in with her was the right decision

now it just seems to be

taking too long...

Dad is doing good

I've been taking him outside

in the mornings to read the paper

he's loving the sunshine and fresh air

Each day brings a new challenge

for all of us...

some bright spots too

Thank you for your prayers

for your emails

your friendship

my time online is a little

bit of peace



Packing Time

Mom and Dad

May 2

they've been married almost 65 years

my sister took this photo

right before he took a nosedive 

out of his chair...

he's fine

that hard headed German skull

has taken more than a few bumps

 July 2011

Dad was in skilled nursing that month

oh the changes in the past 2 years...

boxes are being packed

at my house

I've given my landlord a 2 month notice

the cats and I 

will be moving in with Mom 

by the end of June...

oh the cats!

they are the one fly in the ointment

how to keep them inside

is my issue

Mom will forget 

I don't want to have them closed off

in a bedroom when I'm out of the house

my thinking cap is on

for a solution

this sort of tired I understand

hoping after the move

I'll have more time to enjoy

my wool

 cotton

 and thread

It's a gorgeous morning here

the crab apple trees are blooming wildly

makes all the driving around such a pleasure

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Birds Galore



the bottom row is screaming

HOOK ME!

all those birds are wonderful

the top row is pretty sweet too

~~~~~~~

the parents are doing better

in some ways

worse in others

it's a day by day struggle

my motto has become

Do Your Best

Leave the Rest

Angels Do No more

Army Blanket Green

images from Pinterest

moving my wool around I've

found more vintage army blankets

than expected

the wool is too heavy to hook with

so what to do?

wool applique

Debbie

recently finished a wool quilt

that's been making me want to stitch one too

mine will have to be done

on whole cloth

seams would be too thick

should I use a Cheri pattern

that's been in my stash

or make it up as I go?

the big decision

~~~~~

my folks are getting along okay

Dad is getting stronger daily

mostly there mentally

working on more walking and standing

trouble with a heel wound

not wanting to heal...

Mom is feeling much better

concerning her bronchitis

we had a nice visit with Dad for lunch

and went for a ride

to pick her up a cream puff...

thanks as always for your

thoughts, prayers, emails...

they lift me

Green

looks like most of my green wool has run off

as I'm moving my stash from room to room 

there seems to be very little green

whether off the bolt or hand dyed

green seems to get used first

in all my rugs and applique

especially the drab olives

I'm not saying I need to buy more wool

maybe just find some time to 

do some over dyeing

the sun is shining here today

the folks are having their ups and downs

I'm trying to find balance

time for me

or resr

Wool Room Move

after the big rest yesterday

that recharged me physically

today it's time for a mental fix

spending time moving my wool room from a small bedroom 

to the oversize living room...

two shelving units done

with two more to go plus basket after basket

of smaller pieces of wool

I've been looking for a smaller place to move to

for about a year

so far nothing that's just right

 with the folks needing so much help now

it looks like that is on hold

sorry for the blurry pic

 for now

moving my wool around makes me happy

Melrose too as he checks everything out

Olivia has had her turn 

so she's sleeping in the sun...

yesterday this house was a mess

today it's ten times worse

a good mess really

piles of wool

cats sniffing everything

we've all had a good day

for sure

I could use another nap

instead of going to work

Just Breathing

I keep trying to amuse myself with

photos from Pinterest

I have enough neat old and repro 

cookie cutters to try this...

Lovely old small quilt to reproduce...

cat, book and birds...

always good for a smile

but the reality remains...

I figure a stroke from all this stress is due any minute...

Monday Sunshine

Today my sunshine

 will be wool

on track for delivery 

any minute

did I mention I ordered 3 bundles

of the Moda wool?

reds, blues and neutrals...

not the fat quarter bundles

the yards

oh well, who needs a new computer

Today

Dad is doing great!

everyone stops us in the halls

to say how good he looks

he was off to therapy when I left

Mom is feeling awful

bronchitis is nasty...

Me?

back to work this afternoon

for once I can't wait...

thanks as ever

for your prayers and warm thoughts

they are truly helping

Another Day

photo has nothing to do with post

I just like the quilt

* * * * * * *

long story short

spent most of the day in the ER

with Mom

she has severe bronchitis

she opted to go home

given the choice...

of course

Dad is improving daily

he's anxious for physical therapy 

to get him strong again

as in yesterday isn't soon enough

I go back to work tomorrow

after my "vacation" 

as Dad calls it...

thank God 

for the 

Family Medical Leave Act

it gave me the time I needed

to help my Dad 

physically and mentally

I done my best.

Wool and Olivia

more retail therapy

this is my first time for Moda wool

has anyone ever hooked with it?

do you like it?

this could possibly be what

Melrose would do with a mouse

he never catches one...

this is too gentle for my mighty huntress

she's brought 2 dead mice

to the door in two days

Olivia loves mousing

in the garage

^^^^^^^^^

Dad is off the IV fluids now

so we'll see if that's what brought him back to "him"

or if he's really better...

Mom has a bad cold and can't visit today

arghh...

Retail Therapy

Madeline wool

from

http://www.heavens-to-betsy.com/

the swatches weren't in my hands a minute

when I had to order some of this!!!

plus a few others

audio books are keeping me sane-ish this week

finishing up The Hunger Games series

 on to some mysteries

first one

by 

Carolyn Hart

What the Cat Saw

********

I spent a long time with Dad this morning

in to the early afternoon...

we got the evil eye from some ladies

when we took the good spot next 

to the courtyard door

too cold and rainy to go outside

a perfect spot for reading the newspaper

his back was to them

so he didn't see the evil eye

just as well

he would probably have given raspberries

Diversions

I've taken some Family Medical Leave time

to spend with Dad...

doing all the things an overworked, understaffed

 nursing home staff can't get to...

sleeping is pretty much out of the question right now

no matter what 

my head doesn't stop at night

so I've been gathering more items for the big

animal shelter garage sale later this month

one thing for sure being donated...

that wretched hula hoop that has defeated me!

the other diversion?

what else...

Pinterest

Another Day

image from Pinterest

Yep, I am this tired

another long day with the folks

back and forth

lucky for me their home and Dad's rehab place are close

Mom has the stomach flu 

Dad does better if we spend time with him...

just so you know

turns out I'm not weak as water

(anyone ever watch Are You Being Served?)

right now I'm ready to hit the couch

then call the cats

nap time or bed time