And it snowed in October

Here is the view from my bedroom window this morning ....

The term "frost on the pumpkin" takes on a whole new meaning.  I think I would have preferred frost over the snow, especially since this is coming from Hurricane Sandy.

It is still snowing and it is a wet, heavy snow that accumulates fast.  It was 80 degrees here last week, so I am very surprised that it is sticking on the ground.  I guess it was cold just long enough that the snow did not melt when it started falling.  I just say that this first little snowfall in October is already more snow than we had all last winter.  We had one little snow that never even covered the ground.

A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth

Fall in Kentucky ..... I do love living in a place where there are four very distinct seasons.  We are having a very colorful autumn season this year....

Life Lesson #1,496,732

Life lession #1,496,732. When you are looking to purchase a new washer and dryer ... go ahead and ooooh and aaaaah over the pretty ones. You know the ones I am talking about ... every little thing that could make your life simpler and make laundry less of a chore and just think about how sweet it will look in your laundry room and all your neighbors will have laundry envy. After you have ooooohed and aaaaaahed, move on down to the inexpensive ones ------ the washer with three wash cycles and the dryer with three heat cycles. Period. Just do it. Trust me, the cheaper ones outlast the expensive ones and they get your laundry just as clean and dry. Luckily, the nice man from Big Store Appliance Repair was able to work a little magic today and get my Elec*****x dryer working again (less than two years old). Before that one, my Sam***g dryer tore up four times in three years. The matching Sam***g washer is still working, but only after three service calls (and the rinse and spin only cycle does not work). If the nice man from Big Store Appliance Repair had NOT been able to work a little magic today, you would have seen a giant bonfire in the McCormick front yard in Dogwood estates with some crazy woman running around it screaming. Sanity saved for one more day. I am finished ranting now.

Stitched with love

My sweet mom made a baby quilt for each of my three children when I was pregnant with them.  With my first child, she bought a coloring book and traced patterns to embroider.  I loved it the first time I saw it .... loved that she made it, loved that my child would have a quilt made by their mamaw, loved it when I wrapped my son in it, loved it when he would not go to sleep without out ..... just loved it.  I was not a quilter at the time but even then could see how much time and love she poured into that quilt for her first grandchild. 

I look at the embroidery, all those satin stitches, the thought she put into the colors, the hand quilting .... I wish she was here so I could tell her again how much I love this.  She also made a quilt for my other two children and I have them all on a quilt rack in my bedroom.  The thing that really amazes me about these quilts is that she really was not a "quilter" in the sense that I consider myself (addicted, consumed, passionate about quilting).  The thing she loved the most was crocheting doilies.  She used the tiniest crochet hooks and fine thread to make some of the most beautiful doilies, dresser scarves, and tablecloths I have ever seen.  These baby quilts hold so many memories for me and I am very thankful that she took the time to make them.  To me, their worth is immeasurable.

Pleasantly confused

Wow, has the family unit changed in my house over the past two weeks.  There is a lot of old history to the story, but I am not going to get into that here.   When I need to really scream, I have a couple of blogger buddies (you know who you are and I thank you) that I can email.  My mother-in-law has come to live with us.  She has early Alzheimer's in addition to some other medical issues.  Over the past few months to a year, we knew she was having some issues when we talked to her on the phone.  She had some "medication mishaps" and ended up in a state of acute delirium over the course of a week or so and had not been taking care of her hygiene or eating properly (perhaps not eating at all) and she ended up in a very bad state and was hospitalized.  After a two week stay and starting on three medications for Alzheimer's, she has stabilized quite nicely.  It was determined by her doctors that she could no longer live independently.  She was not happy about that, but really she has gotten to the point where she cannot make those decisions on her own.   She is what the doctors call "pleasantly confused", meaning she does not have any violent behavior and some of the things she says and does are quite amusing.  I work at home, so the bulk of the caregiving has fallen to me.  I have called upon my husband to step it up on weekends and do most of her care (other than helping with her shower).  As much as I love my husband, he would be content to sit back and let me do it all.  But, if I am going to keep any shred of sanity, I am going to need a break on weekends.   I think the hardest part for me is having someone in my home all the time.  We want her to feel at home and not feel like a guest, but for years now it has been me and my husband, then one child, then two children.  They are in college and one moved out and came back and then the other moved out with friends.  I admit it, I am having a difficult time feeling at home in my own home these days.  I am really trying to work on this, but I am finding it hard to relax.  We have one bedroom on the first floor, which was ours.  Since she cannot physically climb stairs, she now has our bedroom (and master bath and closet) and we have taken my daughter's previous room upstairs.  I am having a VERY hard time getting my work accomplished in a timely fashion.  I cannot shut my office door because she may need me.  I always cook supper but now have added breakfast and lunch.  Add extra laundry, extra dishes, extra cleaning, and lots of interruptions throughout the day and I am up until midnight or 1 a.m. getting my work finished.  For instance, on Thursday she pulled all my husband's clean and folded tee-shirts out of the dresser and told me they smelled bad and needed to be washed.  I really do not mean to come across as whining.  I married my husband for better or worse, yes I did.  I think I just needed to blow off some steam this evening and kind of put my feelings (good or bad) in writing and get it off my chest.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.  I am going to clean my sewing room after church and then lock myself in and quilt all evening tomorrow. 

Yes, I am still here

To all my quilting blogging friends --- I am still here.  We have had some major changes in our household.  My mother-in-law has come to stay with us.  I will write a more detailed post later.  She has had some health issues and it seems she will no longer be able to live alone any longer.  We have had to move our bedroom upstairs and do a little remodeling and my days (and nights) have been crazy.  I still take 10 minutes and pop in and read your posts and look at all your lovely pictures.  Please keep my family in your prayers ... a lot of changes are going on and I need some extra doses of patience and compassion.