It's been a long month!

Sometimes things just happen. It's a long story so let's just say we had to move because of toxic mold. With a bad immune system, mold is something that must be avoided. I'll miss the covered bridge and the pretty grounds but I had to be safe first.

The house we are in is 3 city blocks down the road from where I started in Lancaster. It's really home with my friends nearby and stores I am used to shopping in. It's not perfect in anyway and we will look to buy a one story rancher in the future, but for now it's home.

My neighbor does have chickens that have perched themselves on my porch. I was able to get my garden ready for the spring planting but the garages are full and we also have a rental garage to empty. Christmas was hit and miss. I did manage to get cookies baked but we are still living among boxes.

Today it's snowing so we won't be doing any garage moving but I did venture to the attic. Steps are not my friend but we are looking for a good used stair chair. I figure once in the attic I'll be staying there for hours anyway.

I can't wait to get the table's and cabinets up to the attic so I can start to sort out things. It will also be home to my many dolls and doll houses. When I look out the attic window I can see across the many farms. I think I'm going to like my space.

Coward's Corner with Luckie: DECEMBER - MONTH OF MEMORIES AND MIRACLES

We've all seen the dancers who take over a mall or train station. I just love to watch the faces on the people who walk by.

 A Friend sent this to me. The voices are certainly "Mall Stoppers" for the shoppers! I had to share this and wish I could have been in this Mall to see and hear it.  Thanks for sharing this Rita!

Coward's Corner with Luckie: DECEMBER - MONTH OF MEMORIES AND MIRACLES

Winter in Pennsylvania

The first year in San Antonio Texas we celebrated having no snow. By year 2 we were missing the leaves turning color, the steam that formed on the window's when you cooked and yes, the snow.

Now I know in Northern Texas they get turning leaves and snow but not in San Antonio. We just moved to the wrong part of Texas I guess.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day but the weather said by night fall snow would move in. You could see it in the sky as the sun went down.  And then came the storm...I forgot how beautiful the first flakes coming down were so gentle. I missed the branches of the tree's each being decorated and when the storm was over and the sun peeked out the tree's lit up like they had diamonds on them.

I'm sure if we get hit with a big storm I'll be saying ugh, but I did enjoy this first snow!

Even Santa Quilts

Happy Thanksgiving

While many of you will watch the New York Thanksgiving Day Parade, Philadelphia's Parade is the oldest in the country.

Wicked bad storm

Just a note. We lost power for 2 days here in Lancaster, Pa. Awful wind and some flooding. The power just came back on at 8 pm. We were lucky compared to our sister States. If you are waiting to hear from friends in NJ or NY, I wouldn't expect them to have power for a few more days. My prayers are with them.

Another nice covered bridge in Lancaster, Pa

This one we rode through. The trees still did not turn all the way here.

Wonderful fall

Fall in Pennsylvania

Not in full color yet, but I'm enjoying the beauty of Pennsylvania in the fall.

Porch decoration...gone wild???

While taking a ride around town today we passed this porch. She is either a very colorful lady or just board with life!

Pain and medicine to control it

I just took my medicine and have to wait for it to start reducing the pain. Maybe writing this will help me get to the point of sleep.

Because of Rheumatoid Arthritis pain is a daily thing but recently I have come down with pain that is not touched with the currant Vicodin I take. I began having pain in the left hip joint back in June. I slowly got to today's level..constant, causing out breaks of severe crying.

I finally ended up at Hershey Medical Center yesterday morning. We won't talk about the experience.

I returned home with eyes swollen like a frog and called my Rheumatologist in Pittsburgh. He will be out of town until Wednesday..GREAT...but to get me through until then he ordered new medicine that hits the nerves and will calm the pain. (GABAPENTIN)

The procedure to fix this problem will mean having a needle inserted and followed with X rays into the joint to block the nerve and put in some cortisone. It sounds bad but I'm so looking forward to no pain. It's eating me alive.

When the medicine came I read on the bottle "Carry or wear medical id that you are taking this medicine". I've never seen that before on any of my medicines. I thought I might read some of the warnings on the sheets of instructions that come with the medicine.

"abnormal thoughts, back & forth eye movement, mood changes, worsening mental changes, depression, agitation, aggressiveness"...I think I've read enough. Lets see, where is my stamper. I better stamp this on my chest, arms and...well, maybe just keep the medicine bottle handy.

The doctor told me to take the pill and as soon as I felt some relief, go to bed. I did that. I woke several times last night, I didn't know where I was but fell back to sleep. This morning I woke up, looked at the door knob on the bedroom door and knew I couldn't open it. I don't know how long I sat there just looking at the knob. Finally my son opened the door to check on me. That sort of brought me around and how silly to think I couldn't open the door.  I could feel the pain was beginning to return as I made my way to the kitchen.

As I sat there the banana I had carefully allowed to have a large end so it would hang from the banana keeper..fell...I felt rage come over me. I wanted to throw the banana across the road into the corn field, and then I saw the baby blue kitchen paint, painted by the last tenant. He's an actor, plays Jonah at Sight & Sound. I wanted to drag him off the stage and force him to paint the kitchen and while he was at it push him outside to clean up the garden mess he left behind. I could see myself painting him with HIS baby blue paint and sending him on stage for everyone to see his poor taste.  Then...my son walked in the kitchen..are you okay Mom?  His voice and the pain brought me back to real life.

I had to hold out another hour to take the pill. As I sat there I wondered how many people are sitting in nursing homes because the medicine they take makes them appear nuts. I felt a little nuts when I thought about the things I was feeling.

The next pill I decided to avoid what the doctor said and as soon as I felt better I began doing things, laundry, dishes...and in 3 hours time I was back in horrific pain. I tried to shower and cried out loud through it. It was an awful day. I counted down the hours to take the next pill...It's just starting to control the pain...so I'm crawling into the safety of my bed...and hope I remember in the morning that I can open the door. 

A day at the auction

Me and Dave are going to have to tie our hands together so we can't raise them and sew our wallets shut! Now who could ever use all this lace in one life time?  Oh and the machines, Dave bought the adult ones and my mini machines came hidden in the boxes under all that lace!

Count down begins....

Grandson Jesse will be leaving for boot camp on August 27...just 5 days left to spend with his wife and son. I didn't get to see baby Julian before I left Texas, but Jesse's first leave will be for Christmas. He will be coming to Lancaster for the Holidays!

This past weekend they had a combined birthday party for Jesse's 20 th birthday and a going away party. Julian has grown so much since his arrival! It looks like everything was military themed. Blow out Daddy's candles, Julian!  Good Luck Jesse, can't wait to give you a hug.

Here's the cool kid in his sunglasses

Plow?

Every Farmer in Lancaster has a plow...so I got this one for my son Dave...good luck Dave!

Color choice

I understand guys loving John Deere Green for farm equipment...but when you lay in bed at night this is not the color I want to see...

So I had to go with a more peaceful color...

Dave's shopping trip

Friday night Dave announced that he and his friend Amos were going shopping to look at tools...what ??? I'm exhausted from this move and it's not over yet..shopping???  Are you crazy!  I went to bed and dropped into a deep sleep.

Saturday morning I got up and went on the enclosed porch to open the shades and see if it was still raining. Some how Dave managed to go out the back door, into the garage and around the house to the front porch. At first I didn't see him. Then he said.."Happy Birthday Mom"!  Birthday?  Couldn't be the end of July already...and Oh My!  Love the "tools" he and Amos were shopping for!

Cracker Barrel is not my favorite place to eat because it just seems too much is on the plate, but I LOVE to sit on their rockers and just watch people. Now Dave and Amos can eat there because I can sit at home on my rocker, watch from my porch and eat a salad...Isn't it beautiful!

The rocker is sitting where our pellet stove will sit. The Amish cradle I bought for myself a week ago instead of the bureau I needed....life is fun when you just go for it and ignore the real.

Just have to show you my winter project

I live in the corner house on our road. This is the site I have out my kitchen window. This will just have to become a wall hanging for over my sofa! Maybe a winter scene with a courting buggy going through it.

Here is the sign just inside the entrance of the bridge

July 2, 2012

What were the chances of us getting this truck to head home in??

I can't say it was a good trip...3 days turned into 6 days...but we are here. In the 2 years we were in San Antonio I only saw one horse. It was pulling a fancy tourist cart in the center of town. I guess I expected to see real horses, like cowboy's and horses. Doesn't matter, we have lots of horses in Lancaster, Pa.! Here are my new neighbor's who live next door.

Cluck, Cluck...

Here's the fat happy Hen for this month. After looking at all the chicken's together, I've decided, somewhere down the line, that these gals will need to have some bling. I most likely won't get to print out and work on July's chicken until late July. We are pretty much down to living with totes for tables and plastic outside chairs.

Oh my...I'm a Great Grandma!

This is my oldest grandson, Jesse, with his new son, Julian. This little guy had a hard time arriving on April 6th, at only 4 1/2 lbs. Today he's much better and is now 7 lbs. It doesn't make me feel old. I feel renewed. We haven't had a baby in this family for 10 years. I hope to get to see him very soon. He lives in Texas! Daddy has joined the Army and will leave for boot camp in August.

Chickens, Chickens & Chickens

I finished May's Chicken and decided I wanted to see what they all looked like together. Looks like this months Chicken is a little bit skinny.

Early Mother's Day Gift

It took a lot of pulling around furniture and we had to resort to the old sewing cabinet for a table, but here it is all set up. If I can't see this I might as well give up!

Dave has been building a new computer system for me. Today my Mom's Day Gift arrived. It's a HUGE 27 inch monitor. Only one problem...I'll have to get a bigger desk to hook it up!

Chicken block day again

Another month, another chicken block.  I got to use the light box for the first time. Looks like I'll have to wait until the weekend to work on this block since I'm out of fusible.

Spring Cleaning

Today I was doing some tossing out. I came upon this old scanner. It almost made it to the trash until I remembered I needed a light box. I found the light stick among the garage mess. A pair made for each other! By the end of the weekend I intend to get my son to gut the scanner and install the light bar for a perfect light box.

pillow bracelet's

I was asked about the bracelet's by several people. While searching for quilted bed runners the matching shams were tied in by using strips of blocks. I'm trying to make my bed easy for the summer. I didn't want to deal with full shams every night to use the pillows.  I had strips of blocks left over from the runner so I decided to make them into "bracelet's"...my own name for them. They do look like bracelet's! I used a ribbon on the center and made it just a little smaller to pull the pillow in a little just for a different look. I used batting in these but I don't think they really need it. They close with velcro.

Here is Aprils Chicken just in time to lay some eggs for Easter Bunny.

Another look

When I went to put the runner on the bed this morning I noticed I had another look and even the pillow bracelet's when turned over matched. This look is actually more like the one in the hotel. Their runner was one piece floral.

Summer bed runner

I bought a new cotton blanket in blue and a dust ruffle for my bed to change it out for the summer. I can't find the bag with the newly washed new bed blanket and ruffle...hope I find it before the summer is over! So this is my winter green blanket with the new bed runner.

I like to tie the pillows in with the spread but I didn't want to deal with full sham's for the summer. I made pillow "bracelett's" for one feature pillow instead.

Sunday walk around the neighborhood

Texas Bluebonnets

Shabby Houses

It was chilly in Texas today after the huge storm we had. I watched a movie and then looked for something to do.

 I have been printing out a shabby house block of the month. I'm trying to get away from making large bed size quilts now. I still have one to layer and quilt and that's enough for right now. I recently bought a cotton flannel sheet blanket for the warmer summer weather. I thought I'd make a foot blanket to dress the bed up and some pillow cases and shams.

In my scraps bin I had one piece of Kona white. This will be the center of the foot blanket. It's needle turn applique and embroidery. I don't have my tiny iron or applique glue to work with so I did a lot of pinning today. I did find my case of silk thread. So here is my start. I'll be adding some kind of blocks. Maybe pin wheels or stars or log cabin.