Taking names….

Kicking ass and taking names… isn’t that a line from some movie?  Well,  I don’t think I am really kicking ass so much, but I am indeed taking names.

I am participating in the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative effort by helping create the new exhibit “Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope.”

In order to do my part, I need 53 more names of people who had or have Alzheimer’s disease.  Can you help me?  Give me the name of someone directly affected , I will put it on the quilt for you.

I am adding the names of Carol Woodworth, my friend who now has 24/7 care in her home.  She is a quilting friend, one responsible for getting me involved with quilters locally.

And I will add the name of Lois Brown.  She was my brother in law’s Mom, the Grandma to my nephews Glenn and Steve.  I watched her Alzheimer’s disease progress as she went from artist and University Professor, wife and Mom and Grandma….. to child-like person who was confined to a nursing home for many years before she died.

Please tell me who you would like to honor by adding their name to a comment here.  If you prefer, you may email me directly at mazonsquiltingATcertaintyDOTnet   (replace the at and dot.) with the names instead.

What are you reading?

I have been reading lots more lately.  Okay…. so mostly listening, not reading with my eyes, but listening to audio books.  I can listen while I quilt and feel like superwoman as I multitask!  Gotta love that.

For Christmas I got a new mp3 player.  A Microsoft Zune.  I love it.  It cost me 2 bucks.  Really!  I got $100 off the Zune when I signed up for a year of Audible.  Gosh I love Audible!

Since Christmas, I have listened to Driftless (it was so-so), The Help (loved it!), and most of House of Sand and Fog.  Next up?  The Known World.

I have also been reading with my eyes!  I am half through Lee Child’s The Killing Floor.  I only read a little of  it each day, as it stays in the smallest room of the house.

I spent most of 2 days this week reading the much anticipated Thornridge, The Perfect Season in Black and White by Scott Lynn.  Loved every line of it.

This book may not interest everybody on the planet.  But for those of us who lived through the 1970-71 or 71-72 Thornridge HS Basketball season(s)….. well, it is a fun trip down memory lane!  I graduated from TR in 1971.  I was a Varsity Cheerleader.  I (along with thousands of others) cheered the team to an Illinois State Championship.  It was a glorious day!

By the way, there is a photo of me in the book.  A supposedly “controversial”  photo of me, and a black basketball player holding hands right after we won the championship.  I can honestly say, I had no idea that it was such a big deal to so many at the time.  A few?  yeah.  Did I care?  Not one bit!  It was not a big deal then, nor is it now, that I held the hand of Boyd Batts.      In fact, my reaction now, as then, is that anyone who had/has a problem with it is probably racist.

The main reason I liked the book was that it was honest.  Everyone interviewed talked of the racial tension and how WINNING unified the school and the surrounding communities.  It’s true.  It did.

If you are a basketball fan….. order it.  If you went to Thornridge….. order it. And if you are a Quinn Buckner fan, order it!

available from Scott Lynn

and at Amazon

So…… any suggestions as to what I should read next?

working

Another typical work week with a finish:

Another finish:

And a start:

Wall Wed

I have made lots of progress on UFO’s in the past 10 days or so.   (will have to save the full progress report for another day)

Here is the latest one I pulled out of that UFO cabinet.  It isn’t even my own!  Well, it is now, but was not mine originally.  Last fall when Phylis and I cleaned out Carol’s entire stash and sewing room (she has Alzheimer’s) this is one of Carol’s projects I bought to finish.  I am not a fan of hearts.  But this just looked like Carol and thought it would be a good way to combine my talents with hers and have a memento.

What it looked like…. parts shoved in a bag.

And this is my WALL  on this WEDNESDAY.

See that pink quilt laying there on the right?  Binding in progress.

Above that, pinned to the wall….. blue, black and white blocks for Josh’s quilt.  Maybe next year I will get to that.  I just started it in Dec.

On the left is just some crap I have been playing with.

Spring in a Box

The past week has been crap.  Total crap.

My grandson had pneumonia.  My daughter in law was sick too.

Wayward son is… well…… wayward.  (not MY son,  Steve’s)

My brother in law who I adore is now at stage 4 of cancer and not doing well.

A friend had a brain biopsy, and still needs more testing.  The good news is, it was not cancer.  The bad news is that it may be MS.

My best friend’s husband went to the hospital with chest pain is now going to a bigger hospital tomorrow for a cardiac cath and probable surgery.

Damn.  When does it give?

Oh!  But it did!

Because a box of spring was delivered to our doorstep Friday afternoon.  Oh my goodness, look at THIS!

It is spring in a box!

Steve was SO excited to demonstrate this box of spring happiness!

And guess what else happened?  The sun came out!  We had sunshine part of 2 days.  The snow is melting, we have had temps above freezing parts of 3 days.  Next, we will need to get our bikinis on.

I promise.  I won’t hurt your eyeballs with THAT picture.

Obama blocks

Last year, I joined a group of quilters online that are in the (very long, slow) process of making blocks for a quilt for the Obamas.  It will take years to get this quilt done.  It was planned that way.

Here are my first 6 blocks done:

Names of blocks:

Bee

Kimono with Obi

Blackberry Phone

Basketball

Left and Right

The Pace of Congress

Wed update

Yes, those were button mushrooms.  Steve says they are going to be ready to pick tomorrow or Friday.  I guess I better find some good recipe for them!

Here they are today:

We will be having mushrooms for at least 2 mos, maybe 3.

And I finished the 2nd Dick and Jane quilt.

They are not identical, but very much the same.

Wall Wed

It’s Wednesday, What’s on YOUR Wall?

Here is what mine looks like:

Steve has been enjoying his Christmas present…finding it entertaining:

first photo was last thursday I think.

the next one was Monday.

I guess we are easily amused.

And lest you think we never work… here is what I have been doing for a week.  2 quilts the same.  Not my favorite thing to do 2 alike, but we are glad to have the work.

Woodpeckers

What I saw Monday:

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

See the difference in their heads?

Monday UFO Report

I have joined some of the other quilters on MQResource to start whittling down our quilting UFO (unfinished)  projects.  Why?

This is why.  The hangers are full of quilts of my own that need to be quilted.  To the right of that is a huge box, filled with 2 gal. ziplocks with a project in it.  Some are almost finished.  Some barely started.  And a few kits.  The top shelf?  2 buckets on left are 2.5″ strips.  Big bucket on right?  full of more UFO’s in ziplocks.

UGH.  See why I joined?  I am not counting.  I do not see the point.  It would only make you feel much better about yourself, and worse about/for me.

So….. I started Jan 1 with that resolution mantra of Less is MORE.  Right.  Thinking I could start weeding out my house of all the crap I dont need or want.

and of course on Jan 1 I started an online Mystery quilt.  Thus, giving me yet another UFO, right??  sick sick sick.  I get it.

So here is what I have done since then….

I added the 2 borders (narrow red, then the wider focal print) to my OBW (One Block Wonder) quilt.   It is now hanging up ready to be quilted.  Yeah….. out of the UFO category to the UQ (unquilted) category.  After it is quilted, it will go to the UB (unbound) category.

and….

I added turquoise/brown/turquoise and wide brown borders on the sides, and a narrower brown border to top and bottom of the French Braid quilt.  This one will be for our king size bed when we move our bedroom downstairs some year.

This quilt has also moved to the UQ lineup.

Yay me!  I made progress.