Back to Work and My Quilt Needs a Name

Hello Everyone!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you sweet, caring people who sent thoughts, prayers and condolences after my mother passed.  I can't believe a whole week has already gone by.  I appreciate so very much all your prayers.  Even though expected, it is hard to lose your mother.  I was sitting upstairs watching TV with Jerry a few nights ago, and I actually started to get up and "go check on Mom". 

I am back at my store trying to catch up.  It seems every time I just get to the bottom of one stack, three more have formed around me.  We are going to be audited soon, and there is so much we have to be prepared for.  So many forms and documents and schedules! 

It is a ROYAL PITA and we have to PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for the torment.  Oh, the joys of owning your own business.

So even though a lot of the stress in caring for my mother is gone, there seems to be plenty to replace it.

We had to let one employee go and another one starts on Wednesday.  Something else that requires a lot of preparation and paperwork, but we are real excited about our new lady because she is the same lady that has cared for my Mom for the last year, Dorine.  Isn't that awesome!

I want to start making garments again as I don't seem to be losing the 10 pounds I gained back while caring for Mom.  I'll be getting more exercise now, so maybe that will help.  I think I will start right now by going upstairs to walk -- or is it glide -- on the Elliptical. 

And!!!!  I almost forgot to show you.  I finished the scrappy quilt top yesterday.  Ready to put her on the longarm.

Help me think of a name for this, please.

And while I was at it, I decided to get the binding ready for my Bargello.  It turned out turquoise because I couldn't decide if I liked brown or turquoise better, and the turquoise was handier to cut.  This picture makes me think brown would have looked better, but too late to change it now.

I'll be back soon.

Hugs, Joy

Celebrating Mom's New Home

I will be making a video soon, but right now I wanted to just let all of my dear internet friends know that my sweet mother is walking on streets of gold and visiting for the first time with her mother who died giving her birth 90 years ago.

Here she is with "her FAVORITE red head", Terry, after receiving the quilt Terry made just for her.  We sent it with Mom today to be buried with her.  She loved it so much!

I have been in agony for days that my siblings seemed to have no desire to come see her.  I had prayed for the hugest miracle of all time, and God did not let me down.  Two of my siblings showed up just hours before she passed, and my other sibling talked to her as I held my phone up to my mom's ear.

I am so sad to tell you that my mom fell this past Monday at the place I had moved her to, and her hip was broken.  She had also fallen another time and had a cut on her elbow.  I immediately went there, and I stayed with her all night to see why on earth my mom kept falling.

It didn't take long to see that the night time help was HORRIBLE.  I felt like I had majorly failed her.  I moved my mom back home to my house the next morning via ambulance.  I decided that what I had here for her was best after all. 

So many things to share with you, but I am exhausted.  I'll try to get back soon.

Hugs, Joy

My Sweet Hubby and Something New to Cure the Blues

Hello my dear friends all over the world! 

So many of you have sent such sweet comments to me, and I am so very thankful for each and every one of them.  I am believing for the biggest miracle EVER, and that is that someday I will actually get a nice comment from one of my siblings.  But until that miracle happens, I am so touched and blessed by all the nice comments that come from you.

The only consolation in my situation is that I am certainly not alone.  No matter WHO I talk to, I hear the same stories over and over.  One out of several siblings takes on the duty of caring for the aged parent, and the other siblings do nothing but complain and bad mouth the caretaker.  I have only one daughter, so in my case, it will be her or nobody. 

I cannot wait to get back to the Assisted Living Home my Mom is in to see her.  Jerry has been there twice since I've been up here.  First, her TV went out on Friday and nobody there could fix it.  The Directv repairman could not come until Easter Sunday -- of all times -- and I knew Mom wouldn't let the guy into her room  -- especially, if he looked like the one that came to hook it up!  I knew Jerry could fix it, and he did.  He went out Friday after working all day.  He is really good to her.

It was so funny.  I called Mom Friday when I heard her TV wasn't working.  At first, she told me she hadn't been able to watch it for TWO DAYS.  A little bit later, she said she hadn't been able to watch it for THREE DAYS.  A few minutes later, she said she hadn't been able to watch it for FIVE DAYS! 

Then I had to call Jerry yesterday -- Easter -- to go back out to Mom's to fix a broken lamp.  It was a tall lamp that has a little round table going around it.

Dorine found it leaned up against a wall because it wouldn't stand up on its own.  We have NO IDEA what happened to it.

Anyway, Jerry was an angel, and he went out late last night and worked a long time fixing her lamp.

And, YES, I wanted to go home so badly but Jerry is coming up here for a doctor appointment this week, and he wants me here when he arrives.

Please God, do not let anything break while we are both gone!

So today came, and I have been very lonely the last few days.  Didn't see a single person yesterday even though my family is here.  It just didn't feel right since it was Easter.  Haven't had Luke since last week.  I texted Margaret to see if she was home.  She was and she said, "Let's get together!"

We did our favorite thing.  First a steak and a baked potato, and then we went to Von Maur to look at new purses.

Some of you may recall the year I bought the pretty purple purse when I was with Margaret, and she bought a blue one.  Margaret has to get the brakes fixed on her car so she couldn't buy a new purse today, but she had fun helping me find one.

This is it!  Isn't it pretty?  The silver heart, the tassel and the color are what caught my eye.  PLUS it has FOUR pockets on the outside.

I knew immediately it was the one I wanted.

When I got home, I tried it on my shoulder and took a picture for Phylly to see.  She is a major Purse-a-holic!  She has gorgeous purses in all sizes, shapes and colors.  I have a lot, but not compared to Phylly.

Then Margaret said that I should tell Jerry how much money I SAVED because I didn't have to BUY a new blouse.  I could just make one.  So I went through my stash, and look what I found to make a new blouse out of.

I snapped this pic and then immediately cut it out.

Won't keep you.  Time to get my jammies on.  Jerry comes tomorrow!  I haven't seen him for about 10 days.  I miss him SO MUCH!  He had a good vacation too though, and it has been super refreshing for both of us.  I really miss Mom though.

Have a wonderful rest of the week.

Hugs, Joy