Time for Borders

This is the wonky charity quilt I made to help keep someone warm and get me out of a rut.  I made the border separately and will add it later today.  This was a great stash busting project.  Naturally I'll be glad to see it finished and get on to using up other fabrics in my stash. 

Check out the gift Aaron brought me from his neighborhood romp.  He hid it behind his back and popped it out like it was a bouquet of flowers.  Melted my heart for sure.

Hope you have a wonderful surprise in your day as well!

Smiles,
Kelly

The Spirit of Love

Before you read further, please know I am aware there is false news everywhere.  I did my due diligence and searched to learn this man is a real person and he has an address in the same city as the article states.  Suffice to say, this story appears to be real.

Please read the story of Mohamed Bzeek, the only foster parent in LA county who accepts terminally ill children.

I read this today and thought to myself, this is the true spirit of love and Mr. Bzeek is not he first person I have met that embodied this spirit.

What many of you don't know about me is that I was a Case-manager and Psychologist and  had the extreme pleasure of serving the developmentally disabled community.  I met people who embodied the spirit of real love and acceptance and served others with dignity and honor.

Know these people exist and they are not super-human....they are just simply living out their truth. That "truth" is we all matter, we all count and we are all important. 


Kelly

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A few days ago, I was annoyed by the vehicle in front of me that could not decide what to do. I said “please turn” out loud. Once the person turned (thankfully), I turned left so as to have no one in front of me while driving home. 

Aaron noticed my annoyance and said, “Call in an aerial strike.”

 Zach responded with, “Car eliminated. Continue with your safe driving.” 

I laughed out loud. Thank God for kids who understand!

Disclaimer:  I know everyone gets annoyed every now and again so don't leave a shaming comment...it was all in good humor I promise...we would never hurt people purposefully.

Giggles,
Kelly

Perrysburg's "Flamingo Family"

Elijah Johnson has made a video and the stars of the show, The Flamingos!




I loved what Elijah has done to share the story of the Flamingo Family.  The wind was blowing the day I was interviewed and I was trying to focus on looking at Elijah and not at the camera....wish I had smiled.  Thank you Elijah for focusing on the positive in our neighborhood.


Smiles,
Kelly

Charity Quilting....Getting Out of This Rut

I've been in this deep rut and I'm working to get out.  With much encouragement from friends I decided to sew.  When Beth suggested I sew something new and I thought she was nuts.  I have so many UFO's how could I start something new?  Then Rosemary/Waldo offered to make a charity quilt and insisted I make one too.  Karin continually sends me photos of her projects that are inspiring and finally a miracle occurred....I started to sew.

Note to self: When in a rut, one can not always see clearly or know what may be helpful, consider trusting your friends. 

I just paper pieced this wonky twin quilt top.  Initially I used paper Waldo gave me as the foundation and then I noticed that a cheap tearaway machine embroidery stabilizer worked perfectly (very little need to pick at tiny pieces of paper that can get stuck).  I highly recommend the cheap tearaway stabilizer and of course shortening the stitch length.

I used the Westminster 2 /12 inch strips I  won a few years ago.  I thought the bright fabrics might bring some fun to a person who is in need of cheering up with a free warm quilt.

So many scraps remain I decided to try piano keys along the border.  The width has not been decided yet but the photo above is just a trial to see how I like it.  What do you think?

On the subject of what do you think.....do you like or love your washer and dryer?  We are in need of both and I have to say we have been highly dissatisfied with machines for quite some time. 

This is the front of our washing machine.  It is a Kenmore Catalyst Cleaning Action King Size Capacity Plus Quiet Pak 4.  We bought at Sears approximately 8 years ago.  It has required 4 or more repairs in the past 8 years (not cheap to have a repair person to the house).  The power button wore down rather quickly and that was disappointing as well.

The heating element on the dryer has gone out and I recognize it can be replaced but the machine has been repaired once before.  Repair bills are now very close to the purchase price of a new machine.  

One problem with shopping local stores is the machines are not plugged in and you can't test them before purchasing.  No one tells you how quickly the buttons break or if there are secret re-set codes that are only provided to the service repair people.  

We once had a man come and push a few buttons and the washer began working again.  When it broke later, Rick had to pay to get the codes from the internet.  Other times a code would not suffice so we phoned a repair company.

My question to you is, do you love your washer and dryer?  If so, can you tell me briefly what it is you really like about yours and the brand/model you purchased? 

We have reviewed Consumer Reports and we did then when purchasing the Kenmore's 8 years ago.  This time, I'm going with a friends advise....I trust my friends to tell me what they honestly think.  

What happened to the good ole days where things were actually built to last and there were no secret codes requiring purchase?

Superbowl Sunday....I hope your team wins!  I have no team....but I thoroughly enjoy the 1/2 time show!

Smiles,

Kelly

A Surprise That Made Me Smile

Ya just never know when something will arrive in your e-mail that will tickle you.  This morning I took the time to open an e-mail from Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts.  I have lost contact with Edyta and her husband Mike over the past few years.  That's what happens for me when life bangs on my hood, I retreat.

This is what I discovered inside the e-mail:

What a delight it was to see Edyta again and tickled to see she is making videos.  I'm a visual learner so videos work wonders for me. 

Given my distress over recent events in my life, I have had little desire to create or sew.  I have done some hand stitching on my little hexies however.

I was working on this piece while Mr. McSteamy drove.  Hexies make a wonderful car project, or so I was told by Mary Jane...that's who got me started.  I'm so glad she didn't encourage me to do base jumping....ya know I would have done it...LOL.

Speaking of Mr. McSteamy, he has taken pity on me and spent several hours putting things away in my sewing area.  I know he wants to see me  get back to sewing so he cleared a path for me.  I'm guilty of just setting things down and walking away when I'm "retreating." 

On Saturday afternoon McSteamy was in his woodworking shop and he caught a glimpse of me sitting down to a sewing machine.  I'm sure he thought he was hallucinating...but nope...it is true...I turned on a sewing machine. 

Now sure if you recall how crazy I am about fleece socks.  Yes, during the cold winter months I'm a huge fan of wildly colorful fleece socks.   I've had this pair sitting on a pile in my sewing area for 2 years just because the side seam had come out.  Your eyes have not failed you, they sat for TWO years because of a simple side seam!  One seam is perhaps not worthy of accolades, however each journey begins by taking the first step, right?

Occasional Smiles,
Kelly