Saying goodbye

A friend of ours came by today to take down our old TV antenna. And while we were outside talking to him, I was checking out the pond as I always do. I saw the white fish and the little orange fish but the big orange one (named Orangey) was nowhere to be seen. So I poked around a little and sure enough he was at the bottom of the pond...dead. I fished him out and put him in a little box and buried him in the back yard next to the hamster who died a couple of years ago. Rest in peace Orangey!

A special delivery

I had some visitors today. Mom had asked if we would be home this afternoon so she could stop down. I told her yes. Then today the time got away from me and next thing I knew she was at the door. Then I saw Sandy (another blogging friend) standing there too. And mom told me I had a package, which was odd because there's no mail on Sunday. I thought she had just found it sitting on my porch. Then I realized the package had come from Maine and was from Laurie and that's when I knew it had my quilt in it! Laurie had sent it to my mom so she could deliver it in person and get photos of me with it! So if you go to Mom's blog later, you'll see more photos. This is one I took of the quilt and the label. I have to tell you this quilt alone would be more than enough to make me feel loved by all my blogging friends from around the world. The most amazing thing is that there are two more to follow! So thank you to everyone who donated towards this project...blocks, backing, binding, batting, quilting, and to all who also sent along cards and gifts that Laurie included in the box.


I'm still amazed at the generosity and kindness I've found in my blogging friends! There really are no words sufficient to express how I feel sitting under this quilt and looking at all the beautiful blocks. I have to say a special thank you Laurie for all the work she put into this quilt, and the two others she's still working on. Laurie...you're amazing! :0)



All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you! :0)

Just to clarify...

Thank you all for your comments about our kitty. I just want to explain that he's an outdoor kitty, not a house cat. He belonged to our neighbors and lived outdoors when they had him. They moved and asked the kids if they wanted him so he became ours. John and Brian built him a lovely kitty house to sleep in on our front porch. In the winter we fill it with straw and he snuggles up in there. He gets his breakfast on the porch every morning and he has fresh water every day too. He loves it outdoors where he can catch mice and birds and leave pieces of them for me to find in the mornings! So don't feel sad for him being outside. It's where he lives and it's where he's happy! :0)

Our kitty

When I went to the basement a little while ago to fill the woodburner, this is what I saw. This is our kitty, sitting under the deck out of the wind and snow right next to the basement window. It's probably the warmest place outside at the moment as the temperature is 19F and the windchill is 5F. Smart kitty! :0)

Good Old St. Nick

Several years ago I made this Santa. It was the first "doll" I ever made and it's a shame he only gets to come out for one month every year. Maybe someday I can have a Santa shelf and he can be out year round! :0)


Last week I won a giveaway at Blushing Rose and look at all the goodies that were included in the box that came in my mail! Too many lovelies to list, but everything is just wonderful! Thanks so much Marydon! :0)



John went to see the rehab doctor today and he doesn't have to go back now until February. He's also cleared to drive and he has the official OK to get his new leg. That process will take four weeks so since there was no appointment this week, he most likely won't have his leg by Christmas after all. Maybe he'll be able to start the new year off with it though! :0)

And on a less positive note, my monitor has died. I've stolen the monitor off my kids' computer until I can get a new one for myself tomorrow. This one is so small, but at this point any monitor is better than none! LOL

It's the little things

Not much going on here lately. Nothing most people would think of as noteworthy anyway. But on Sunday John put on a pair of jeans for the first time since his accident. And he drove the Jeep. And today he went with me to get some groceries, and walked around the store on his crutches. He even helped unpack the groceries after we got home! All little things, but they all add up to some big steps toward getting John back to a normal life.

We had a little disappointment today. The liner for John's socket was ordered but didn't come in. So no socket fitting this week, which pushes getting the new leg back a week. We know in the grand scheme of things, a week isn't much. But at the moment, that just means another week of waiting...not something John is good at.

Tomorrow we're off to see the rehab doctor. It's sleeting outside now and we're under a winter weather advisory for tonight and a high wind for advisory tomorrow! Nice weather for traveling! LOL

Christmas Cactus

I just wanted to show you my Christmas cactus. I have three but this is the only one in bloom right now. I saw a red one at the store the other day and I really wanted it but I didn't buy it. I don't have room for any more plants. Once I get my plant stand dusted I'll have to take a picture to show you what I mean! LOL

Good news

We went back to Akron today for John to see the surgeon for a follow-up visit. He said the incision and the stump look great and John doesn't need to see him again. So that's one less place for us to go to. The surgeon told John that once he has his new leg and starts using it, the phantom pain should ease up a bit. I hope he's right!

John will see the rehab doctor next week. Not sure how many more times he'll have to see him but we'll find out. I imagine John will have to keep seeing him every month or so until he has his new leg and is able to function normally with it, because this is the doctor that has to release him to go back to work. That will be a while yet.

No sewing going on right now. I have lots of things to work on, but I haven't been able to find any time the past several days. Oh well...tomorrow starts a new month and I'm looking forward to lots of finished before the end of the year! :0)

Our tree

We put up our Christmas tree on Friday, but this morning was the first chance I had to take a picture of it. It's a tall tree but skinny and I like that because it doesn't take up a lot of space in the living room.

Christmas Table Topper

I have another finish for this month, thanks in part to Carol and Mary. Carol made this top and had a giveaway and Mary won it. Then Mary quilted it and had a giveaway and I won it. That was quite some time ago but today I bit the bullet so to speak and finally got the binding on it. I sewed the binding on by machine which I had not done before. It came out OK but don't look too closely at it. I think I need more practice! :0)

A gift in the mail

What a lovely gift I found in my mail yesterday from Tracey! This beautiful stitchery just makes me smile! I know I have a nice hanger in the basement that will look great with this. I just have to find it and then find a place to hang it! Thank you Tracey for thinking of me! :0)

Just one more thing...

As I said in the last post, I have so many things to be thankful for this year. But one of the biggest is all of you...my online and blog friends who have supported me and continue to do so as I find my way on the unexpected journey my life has taken the past couple of months. I would not have fared nearly as well without you. So this graphic is for all of you...thank you! :0)

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow will be a busy day for us, as I'm sure it will be for many of you, so I wanted to post this today. We have much to be thankful for this holiday season. I'm sure you do to. Wishing all my US friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving! :0)