I Neglected to Post

Somehow I forgot to post pictures of this quilt I made for Quilts of Compassion. Since a big purpose of this blog is to provide a record of quilts I've made, I wanted to get it on the blog. This is not the best picture.  Apparently the day I took it was a cloudy day. These are more of the strip sets I made for an earlier quilt. This time I sashed them in purple and used a border of green with purple flowers. It really does look better in person than it does here. I promise.

See?  This is a truer representation of the colors.

This jungle bird fabric is the backing, and you can get a little look at the binding there as well.

There has been a little progress on the quilt I'm working on right now, but not a whole lot. 

And that is because we have been doing a lot of cleaning, painting and rearranging around here. We've been working on getting Miss Ru's bedroom transformed into my quilting room. That involved repainting her very purple room a much lighter color.

We're not done yet and those quilts will not stay on the quilt frame, but they sure do look pretty on there right now, don't they? That quilt frame is over twelve feet long! It completely takes up one wall, but it will be nice to be able to close the door on it and keep certain four-footed little beasties off the quilts in progress! Dinah, of course, feels sure that the change is purely to benefit her.

Having hard physical work that we want to do helps so much right now. There is still SO much to do. Still lots of "stuff" that will have to be stored, kept, given away, etc. Lots has already been done, but there are still stacks of personal correspondence and things of that sort. Frankly, I'm not ready yet to deal with all that. But one day I will be ready.

Thank you all so much for your sweet messages and emails. That you think of us and pray for us is such a blessing any time, but especially right now.

Hugs and kisses,

Recovering

Sewing helps. I have always liked the Agatha Christie fictional detective Hercule Poirot.  One of his frequent sayings was "method and order". I think of that often as I am piecing quilts. There does have to be method and order, and as my friend Sandy says, sewing is one of the few things we have any control over.

It makes me happy that I can methodically add elements to my design wall and start to see a pattern.

One of the last things Miss Ru asked was that I make a quilt for one of the nurses who had taken care of her. He had surgery while she was still in the hospital and would be off work for a while afterward.  This one will be for David. It is taking longer than usual, but there are extenuating circumstances. I think he will still be touched that her last quilt request was for him. That was Ruthie. She loved people, especially nurses!

I made a couple of these blueberry banana pies for Mr. Muddling's coworkers. They have been so kind to him and to our family. I hear they were happy to see these.  I do know I got nicely cleaned pie plates returned.

Seeing our little flock of chickens roaming the back yard always makes me happy. It is so hot here now that I like to let them find shade and cool wherever they can. 

And of course the flowers and fruits growing out there make me happy, too. I'm glad to see that we have a banana stalk in production, and there are cherry tomatoes, too. Most things have given up and retreated from the heat.

We are doing a lot cleaning and cleaning out. There is still plenty left to do, but we're working on it. You'll be happy to know that a young friend of ours was beyond happy to take all of Miss Ru's high heels. So many of them had never even been worn, but Ruthie did love her shoes. 

And like Miss Lady, we are catching up on our rest. That helps, too.

Thank you for all the sweet messages and comments. I am so thankful for my blog friends. I do hope you are finding plenty to make you happy, too.

Hugs and kisses,

Miss Ru

This is the way I prefer to think of Miss Ru - always that beautiful smile, always a loving sister, a loyal friend, a truly wonderful daughter.  

Miss Ru moved off to heaven and left us last Wednesday night. I know I've been absent from the blog, but it's been almost unbearable. I still expect her to come in and visit with me, ask me why I'm not sewing, and who's getting the next quilt. 

Please don't misunderstand me. I wouldn't bring her back if I could. She spent the last seven and a half weeks of her life in intensive care units. Doctors and medical staff, for the most part, did all they could to get her the help she needed. Cystic fibrosis is a mean disease, and Miss Ru fought it with all that was in her. She never let it define her, but brushed herself off after every battle, put on her makeup and high heels, and got right back to living her life. She was truly the strongest, most courageous person I've ever known. But her little body had just taken all it could take. As the minister at her memorial service said, "Wouldn't you have loved to see her step into heaven and take that first free, unencumbered breath?!" Yes, I would, and I'm so happy she never has to suffer again.

I do not intend to stay in this place of grief, but there do have to be times of tears and laughter as we remember our precious Ruthie. Life will never be the same for Mr. Muddling and me, nor for our other children, but we will see her again and I take great comfort from that. 

Give those you love a big hug. Kiss them and tell them you love them. Be sure that you, too, have the promise of being reunited with loved ones on the other side of this life.

And since I haven't told you lately, I love you. I value your friendship in this blog world. I pray that your home is a happy one and that you find joy in living. With all its disappointments and sorrows, it's still a wonderful life!

Hugs and kisses,