Lost Episode, Lovely Lunch and Tie Dye w/Terry

Hey Everyone!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend.  Mine has been so lovely.  Mother has been in a great mood all day today after being very NOT in a good mood the last few days.  We had a great rain this morning that settled the dust, and Jerry is over mowing the knee-high grass on the pond dam.  A nasty job, but it has to be done.

The craziest thing happened with my Mom!

So funny what "sticks" in the memory of a person with Dementia.

About three days ago, Mom was watching Mash all day long as she always did.  I went in about 5:30 to get her to come to dinner.  That in itself was odd, because she is usually in the kitchen setting the table and asking "what's for dinner" questions that time of evening.

I found her standing in front of her TV with the remote in her hand.  She was stuck somewhere between TV and Recordings trying to find a certain episode of Mash.  I asked her what she was doing.  She said she was really mad at the television because it would NOT show her the "To Be Continued" episode on Mash.

I asked her what the name of the episode was.  She said, "To Be Continued!"

She decided to turn the TV off and come to dinner with me.

As we were walking down the hall she explained that she had been watching the episode of Mash where the boy went to jail, but he was supposed to get out of jail.  She said that someone brought some paper to the jail but it was the carbon copy, and they had to bring a different paper.  THEN, it said "To Be Continued."  She said she waited through all of the sports to see the rest of the story, but it never came on.  (I think "sports" is the commercials.)

So guess what she did?!  I can't believe it and neither can Jerry.

She told us that night at dinner that she was very mad at the people who make Mash, and she was NEVER watching it again.

Since that night, she has not had Mash on AT ALL.  All she watches now is TBN and Daystar.

How is it possible that she remembers she is mad at Mash and what the episode was about?????

Anyway, she seems to be very happy as things are at the moment, and that is all that matters.

I hope Wanda doesn't mind, but I have to show you a few pics I snapped at her luncheon yesterday. This lady is an awesome maker of salads!  She had four different ones for us to enjoy.  She made a secret dressing she said she "just threw together".  I told her she should bottle it and sell it.  It was WONDERFUL!

Wanda loves to decorate her table.  Terry says she changes it a lot even if nobody is coming over.  I think if I had dishes and linens as cute as hers, I would do that too.

Isn't her table gorgeous with the flowers and the fancy jeweled egg centerpiece.  Our very own Terry covered those chairs for her.  Check out the GOLD silverware.  First time EVER I ate with gold silverware.  LOL!  Can you even call it "Silver" ware???

Here's a pic of Terry and her sweet, pretty Mother-in-Law.  Three more salads on the bar, and all the yummiest!  One had nectarines and chicken in it.

Lunch was just perfect and so was the company.  Terry's SIL was there too, but I somehow missed getting a photo of her.  I think she may be a bit camera shy.

Today, I went over to Terry's for Tie Dye Lessons.  I wish I had taken a picture of the darling French Braid quilt Terry is making with the tie dye fabric she has already made.  It is luscious -- like ice cream and sunshine and icees.  I would NEVER have thought of making a quilt out of tie dye fabric. I'll show it to you when she gets it all done.  You will be surprised!

As for MY project.  It is resting inside a plastic bag until four hours is up.  Then I am to rinse it out and wash it.  I'm pretty sure mine is the MOST BORING tie dye fabric ever made, but I'll show it to you when it is done.  As much work as Terry did, I'm not sure it will be a new hobby of mine.  So messy.  When I was leaving, I noticed two streaks of yellow dye on Terry's cheek.  She may have her first tattoo!

Speaking of that, four hours is up in two minutes.  Gotta get.

Be back soon.

Hugs, Joy

My Variegated Spools and Life

Hello everyone!

I just did a VLOG yesterday with my FINISHED Variegated Spools quilt in it.  If you don't want to listen to me blab, just forward near the end and you can see my finished quilt top.  I am real excited to have it done, and I must thank wonderful Edyta Sitar for her Silhouettes for that.

If you don't know what they are, go to laundrybasketquilts.com.  Go to her shop or store or whatever she calls it, and look for the Silhouettes.  They are WON-DER-FUL, I promise you.  Worth every penny.  You just pull the paper off the back -- put them where you want them -- and iron them down permanently.  Saves hours of tracing and cutting.

So here is the VLOG if you care to see it:

The VLOG I made the day before has been frozen because one of my darling readers all the way over in Germany pointed out that my address was in plain sight on my refrigerator.  So glad Katrina noticed that.  I imagine if someone wanted to pay a small fee, they could find out where I live, but no sense showing it to the whole world.

My life is quite "variegated" these days.  Half the time, I don't even know what I'm going to be doing from one day to the next.  Not boring, at least.

Tomorrow, I am having my hair dyed in my kitchen by the new stylist who was supposed to work in a salon.  I've been to the salon twice.  Suddenly, she doesn't work there anymore, and you either have to go to her house or have her come to yours.  I really don't like that since my house is NOT a salon and doesn't have the proper sink and equipment.  Thank God, Princess Di left a lot of things here from when she used to come.  Di doesn't do hair anymore, and she was doing that for me as my good friend.  This lady is in business.  I want her to be in a salon I can go to.  Let the salon have the mess.

Also, I found out via Facebook that this girl has two pit bulls at home.  I will NOT be going to her house EVER!

I now have COMPLETE RECALL of why I quit going to salons to have my hair done over 40 years ago.  If I ever liked someone, they ALWAYS quit or moved away.

Friday, I'm doing something so nice.  I can't even believe it is actually happening.

Terry's Mother-in-Law, Wanda, has invited Terry and me to come to lunch at her house.  Wanda is a super neat and organized person.  I was at her house for a few minutes once with Terry, and was delighted by how pretty everything was.  Not only that, she had her dining room table completely set as though she were expecting important company any moment.  Pretty dishes with all the utensils and linens were on the table, but NOBODY was coming.  Terry told me she just likes to have her table decorated, and she changes it all the time.  So I am excited to be invited to her house and have lunch on her pretty dishes.  Terry's SIL lives there too.  I am really looking forward to it.

Jerry was in Oklahoma City today to deliver my two trade-in sewing machines to Bernina.  I gave them the two I bought on Ebay as I paid a whole lot less for those used.  I wasn't about to give them the machines I paid full price for.  That just doesn't make sense to me.  Pay $2600.00 for a machine and give it to Bernina for $400?  I don't think so!

My Mother has been complaining of a back ache for weeks now.  I think it originated from her lifting a heavy wooden foot stool and moving it across her room at the other house.  She had her sitter get me on the phone today -- while I was buying groceries at Walmart -- to demand that I take her to a Chiropractor.  I really didn't want to do that, of course, knowing she could turn into the not-so-nice personality at any moment -- especially, if there are any people or kids around.  I reminded her on the phone that she used to do a certain exercise for her back pain.  She asked me to describe it, so I did.  By the time I got home tonight, she had done the exercise and the pain was all gone!  Praise God!  Best to keep Mom at home at all times.

Jerry has been working for months getting paperwork filled out in order for my Mother to claim her VA benefits for having to have round-the-clock care.  Jerry went to the VA office today in OKC.  The man that he gave the paperwork to was shocked at how thorough it was.  He immediately faxed it to whatever office it was supposed to go to from his.  HOORAY Jerry!  He isn't great with Mom's personal care, but he sure is great with getting other chores done that she requires.  He has a hard time accepting the fact that she really CANNOT REMEMBER things.  He thinks she is just acting in order to get attention.  And that actually is true to a certain extent.

For instance, she will walk into my bedroom in the morning and order me to fix her shake.  She will walk to the table, hang up her walking stick on the chair next to hers, and sit up straight and talk normally.

As soon as the aide, Christy, arrives, Mom suddenly gets very weak.  When Christy helps her up from the kitchen table to go to her room, Mom takes itty bitty steps not lifting her feet off the floor, and  she makes Christy hold her elbow on one side as she uses the cane on the other side.  Before I "lost" the walker, she used to make Christy get the walker before she could go down the hall.   She whines and murmurs so you can hardly understand her.  Christy knows it too.  She said she has seen Mom walking all over her room with no assistance at all.  She sees Christy, and the show resumes.  I guess Mom figures she should get her money's worth, lol.

In Mom's defense, she can get around easily when there is furniture or a bed close by for her to lean on or hold onto.  It is walking in wide open spaces that cause her to fear falling.  Since she has fallen so many times in the past, I certainly can understand her need for stability; and truly, I am thankful that she does take precautions.

I think it is time to snap a still photo of my quilt, and start practicing quilt designs on it.  I think I will probably echo all the appliques.  We shall see.

Stay tuned.

Hugs, Joy

Variegated Spools, Lost Sheets and Lost Coins

Hi Everyone!

Watched Cornerstone on my computer this morning while Mom watched TBN in her room.  Fixed lunch for us, did some laundry and worked on my new quilt.  Mom watched more TBN.  Later, we went outside for a walk and to sit on the patio.  She sits on the glider and I, of course, swing.

 

I have been sitting on my electric bed since finishing the dinner dishes trying to find SOMETHING to watch on the internet, when it dawned on my lighting fast mind that I have a BLOG, and I can talk to all of you here.

Let me run upstairs -- I sure need the exercise -- and snap a quick pic of the Variegated Spools.  Hold on ..........

I did a video yesterday -- or was it the day before -- talking about my new quilt.  Here it is if you haven't seen it.  You can watch it while I go get the picture for you.

Okay.  Here is what I have done as of this very minute on the V-Spools:

I am so glad I took this picture.  I see I have two yellows together.  I spent over an hour "shuffling" these spools so the colors wouldn't be together.  There are eight different color combos. The first two rows are already sewn, but I can still move the rest around.

The borders and appliques really make this quilt.  I am anxious to get to that part.

My Mom is so funny tonight!  Her bedroom is all the way down the hall from mine.  She keeps walking up and down the hall looking for me, and she is walking WITHOUT her cane.  We have put the walker away in another room as she is not using it at all.    

She came in awhile ago and told me she needed me right away.  She said she could NOT find where her new sheets were.  I told her they where in her bathroom in the linen closet.  She said she looked EVERYWHERE, and they weren't there.  I followed her back to her room and into the bath and opened the linen closet doors to show her the new lavender sheets.  She was very happy.  Then she walked out into her bedroom with me, and I started to leave.   

She said, "WHERE are you going?"

"I'm going to my room, Mom."

"And WHAT are you going to do when you get there?"   She was right in front of me, face to face, and she broke into the cutest smile  -- like she had just said something funny.

I swear, if it wasn't for her mixed-up brain, she is in really good shape.  She actually ran a little ways down the hall after me yesterday.  I go to sleep at 9:30.  She goes to sleep at 10:30 or 11.  

Mom has ALWAYS been a fanatic about the laundry.  She loves to fold clothes.  She wanders down the hall many times a day into the laundry room to see if there is anything washing or drying.  Late this afternoon she opened the dryer to see what was going around in it.  She found a very CLEAN quarter and dime that had fallen out of Jerry's jeans that were still going around inside the dryer.  She came to find me to ask me what to do with the 35 cents.  I told her to just put it on the bar in the kitchen.  

Later, when I was fixing dinner, she told me that she had LOST 35 cents and asked if I had seen it.  I told her she didn't have 35 cents.  She said she DID have 35 cents and it was in HER pants.  She asked if she could go look in the dryer for it.  I told her that Jerry's pants were in the dryer -- not hers. 

It is several hours later now and she just came down the hall again.  She wants to know if I have seen some BRAND NEW change that was in her pants.  It was 35 cents and was very shiny.  (-;

If she asks me again, I'll just go get it out of my purse and give it to her.  So cute!

Nothing else to tell you tonight.  All is well in my world, and I hope you can say the same about yours!  

Until next time, enjoy each brand new day.

Hugs, Joy