What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Stevens died in hospice yesterday morning.

I'd been anticipating The Call.  At 4 a.m. there was a gurgling sound that seemed to come from his bathroom.  I snoozed a while longer, got up, and made coffee.  I was reading the newspaper when my phone rang at 6:45.  That was the hospice nurse with the news.  I went to the hospital right away and sat in the room with him.  The nurse came in to do paperwork and said she'd write the time of death as 6:40.  I asked if it might have been earlier and ...

 Stevens had laprascopic surgery on Friday afternoon. The results were good.  "I went from one end of the bowel to the other," said the surgeon when he called me, "and there's nothing there."  It's taken S all weekend to recover. He was half-awake when I visited Saturday morning and asleep this afternoon.  Thanks again to all of you for your concern and support.

The thirteen Lake County Round Table P.E.O. chapters held the annual Founder's Day luncheon on Saturday.  I'm round table president so I was the emcee.  This was the second year the ...

 Thank you all for your supportive comments regarding my husband.  The care home assessment was Friday.  His condition is beyond what assisted living/memory care can accommodate.  For now we are increasing in-home care (two caregivers have been recruited to help with the 6 p.m.-bedtime shift (V comes in the morning)).  We have a video visit with his doctor on Tuesday.  

This year's theme is, obviously, India.  

The corridor to the greenhouses featured this display. 

It is impossible to take a bad picture of an orchid.  

The peacock's tail was all orchids. 

Stevens ...

Still no walking, but we did get out Sunday afternoon for the Lake County Symphony Orchestra's winter concert at the College of Lake County.  First act:  Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. Second act:  Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.  Ode to Joy in the fourth movement was performed by a combined choir (Northern Illinois University and local chorales).   Wonderful music just fifteen miles from home and $30 per seat.  

It was a full house with open seating, but we had seats in the ADA accessible row.

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In the studio:  Closet Maid wire basket units hold a lot of fabric.  Unfortunately they are ...

The weather cooperated Saturday morning for the spaghetti dinner delivery.  All our "customers" (neighbors mostly) were appreciative.  We had two of the dinners ourselves -- tasty!  

Saturday afternoon I went to the last hours of an estate sale.  The advertised German nutcrackers were long gone by the time I got there but I got a nice office chair on wheels for $7.00.   The seat-lifter on the Steelcase chair I've had at my sewing machine ...

The cat's cradle blocks are assembled. 

 Justification for a ginormous stash: this floral print and the backing fabric (not shown), both just right.

None of these are the Old Town mystery, obviously.  That box is sitting on ...

Neighbors, relatives, church friends, Rotarians, AAUWs, P.E.O.s, Alpha Gams, FB friends, and QUILTERS! 

more balloons arrived a half hour later

Stevens was surprised at the stacks of cards in the mail each day.  Not only did he appreciate the many personal notes but I did, too.  I am most grateful to all of you!  

Daughter Julie and her boyfriend Josh drove from New Hampshire for the big weekend.  (They're certainly used to winter weather but the lake effect snow around Cleveland was new.) They arrived Thursday evening in time for dinner.  (They ...

The weather hasn't been conducive to walks . . . hope I can get out this week.  Meanwhile, in the studio: 

My 52 Placemats project is underway with these two in pink.   

I came across a design for my 2025 RSC project.  Eight 6-1/2" 9Ps each month.

I started a batch of Ohio Stars just because. 

(I am avoiding dealing with Old Town.) 

 Stevens will be 85 on January 18.  Can you mail him a birthday card?  If you don't have our address, indicate that in your comment and I will PM it to you.  Five years ago he was quite surprised to get so many cards.   This year he's alert but he's declining, so now is the time.  THANK YOU! 

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 My internal calendar was thrown off with Christmas in the middle of the week.  We went to the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service at North Prairie UMC (the "other" Methodist church in town because we didn't want to go out at 9 p.m. for the service at our church).   My sister came for lunch on Christmas Day.  (Her husband is an HVAC guy and had several service calls (gotta have an operating furnace!).)  She and I talk fairly often but we hadn't met in person since last spring.  

The winner is a member of the Naperville branch. She and I will meet up sometime soon for the handoff.

The quilt raised $390 for the AAUW  Greatest Needs Fund (unrestricted support for ...

 Luncheons Tuesday (Zion Woman's Club) and Saturday (Lake County Women's Coalition), both at the same local restaurant.***  I was hostess for ZWC and brought my vintage Christmas tablecloths to decorate (we were in one of the restaurant's small rooms) but I was so busy presiding that I didn't get a good picture. (***Local as in four-tenths of a mile from my house!)  

On Friday we joined friends Bill and Debbie for dinner before going to the high school performing arts center  We all enjoyed the high school's holiday show by the ...

The tree is up.  

The boys are back.  (The big one never went away....)  

My mother started our nutcracker collection in the mid-1980's with one of the twins on the mantel (#2 or #10) and later with #5, #6, and #8. The others came from estate/garage sales and TJMaxx.   They're all German. 

 I try not to acquire more Christmas decorations, but if I come across German nutcrackers at good prices I will indulge.

The November stash report shows that I didn't indulge much compared to earlier this year.    Fabric IN:   60-1/4 yards, $80, average $1 ...