Wearing a Hearing Aid Does Not Mean…

After living 50+ years with hearing issues, and the “good” ear declining rapidly the last five years, our health insurance finally paid off and I was able to get a hearing aid. I’ve had it now since June 2015. However, let me explain, wearing a hearing aid does not mean I hear 100%. Given the left ear is basically dead in the water, the hearing aid only services 50% of my hearing in the first place! THEN, when my back is to you, and your back is to me, and you start talking, PLEASE excuse me if I ask you to repeat!

Even if we’re both facing one another,

When I ask, “What did you say?”

Please, do not ask, “Do you have your ear in?”

Wearing a hearing aid does not mean one can hear perfectly.

For me, it has been a life changing event.

I’m still working on learning how to hear.

Sometimes it makes me so nervous because I want to hear perfectly… especially when I’m in a room with poor acoustics like a few weeks ago…

I gave a presentation ~ History of Quilting ~ before a group of ladies. It was in a large high ceiling carpeted room. Once my part of the presentation was over, it was a show and tell time. The ladies would tell the story about the quilt they brought, as Jeanie and I held it up for all to see. I was standing on the stage, Jeanie on the floor level. I would hear someone talking, but I, for the longest time, couldn’t tell where it was coming from, who was sharing their story!

It’s me, too, learning what wearing a hearing does not mean…

I’m trying…

When One Door Closes...

I believe it’s safe to say we’ve all heard ~ at one time or another ~ Alexander Graham Bell’s famous quote:

Three years ago today, my sweet Daddy left this earth. Yes. I do ~ still ~ “look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door…” because I miss my daddy with every fiber of my being. I know I’ll see him again, play dominoes with him again, someday. This assurance feels me with peace.

It’s a shame that in this harsh world, we must have a “house sitter” while family is gone, either during the wake at the funeral home, or at the cemetery burying a loved one. The lowest of the lows, sick deprived people, search the obits for the “perfect” empty house to hit.

So, while making all the funeral arrangements, we thought, who could we call upon? (Not realizing we would get multiple offers from friends to fill this need for us!!!!)

I called upon a friend of mine, Donna, to stay at the house during the funeral.

Again, thank you, Donna.

My sister called a friend of hers for the wake…

My sister (five years older than me) and I grew up living in the same house/neighborhood all of our lives (she was two or three when Momma & Daddy bought the house). A LOT of folks are still in our life that also grew up in this neighborhood. Although most have moved away, our “Oak Cliff” roots remain.

Why my sister thought of calling upon Jeanie (they are the same age), I’m not sure. They hadn’t seen or spoken to one another in over twenty years, but she knew she lived close to Momma’s. She knew ~ if it was at all possible ~ Jeanie would be there.

And, she was.

Again, thank you, Jeanie!

Another story of sisters…

Jeanie and her little sister, Jane, (a year younger than me), grew up several streets over from us.

We all went through elementary, junior high, and high school together. And, we experienced the newly opened Six Flags over Texas together ~ yes, that long ago! For a little while, in the late ‘70’s, Jane and I even worked on the same floor in the federal building! And then, Jane and I lost contact. We have since reconnected through Facebook!

For me and my sister, we knew immediately this new opened door meant reconnecting. Because of our closed door, we went through the opened door…

The four sister’s next stop together, El Fenix!

When Sisters Work Together

I have a story I want to share…

A lady came into Thomas Sewing Center, a place where my sister works part time. This lady told my sister about her sister who had breast cancer and is not doing well at all and asked if my sister would make her sister a pillow. Without catching her name or telephone number, or her sister’s name, my sister created the pillow immediately, and took it back up to the store. It was a good while before the lady came back in to pick it up. When she did, she brought in two pieces of fabric ~ although Thomas’s has lovely fine high quality fabrics ~ she purchased her fabric elsewhere! She asked if my sister would make her sister a quilt. My sister then found out her name ~ Brenda ~ but not her sister’s name.

My sister assured her it would get done for her sister.

My sister called me.

She told me the story and asked if I would make it.

Of course, I told my sister.

While in town last week, my sister gave me the fabric…

One piece was 1.5 yards and the other piece was 2 yards.

They didn’t match.

When Mother & I went to Thomas’s to shop for a new sewing machine, I gave momma the mission to find three pieces of fabric that would match nicely with the 1.5 yard piece – a light, a medium, and a dark. I had already decided to use the 2 yard piece Brenda provided as its backing.

Momma did a great job!

I had an idea how I wanted to make the quilt, but it changed after looking through Nancy’s Notions most recent catalog! It was there I saw this quilt kit:

Then I brought out the graph paper and coloring pencils and modified the pattern to fit my colors:

When I got back from the Dallas trip, I put the sewing table together, then figured out how to operate the new Janome 8900, with my sister’s help via telephone!

This “A Sister’s Quilt” is the first project done on the new machine!

It goes into the quilting frame today! I need to get it done and in the mail back to my sister as soon as possible. My sister will then get it to Brenda’s sister…

We are sisters working together...

Gathering Ideas for Dedicated Sewing Room

While browsing the internet for sewing room organization tips and hacks, I found something Karen, over at Sew Many Ways, wrote: “Look at something not for what it was MADE for...but what it could be USED for.”

I totally agree!

Throughout her blog, she has many examples how to use items unconventionally. I landed this idea, use a mug tree to hang scissors! I absolutely love this because it keeps them together, and uses little surface space! This is a doable!

Oh. My. Goodness. Her post, Sewing/Craft Room Ideas and Updates, is packed full of great ideas! I highly recommend her blog!

By the way, she shares tips for other rooms, and closets, as well!

Although her space is much much larger than I only have in my dreams, many suggestions she offers I can/will incorporate into mine!

Oh… I hope I can find my cheese board…I certainly don’t use it for cheese any longer!

            You ask, Why?  Check out her oversized button wall decoration! See what I mean? Such cleverness! I just love (and appreciate) people who are so creative, then share their ideas. What a blessing!

I just love what/how Karen used a folded ruler… I know Momma used to have one that was her dad’s… I hope I can find it and she’ll let me have it!

I could spend HOURS going through her blog!

And, while watching HGTV “Fixer Upper” when visiting with Momma this past week (we don’t have fancy tv here at the ranch), I fell in love with a craft table Joanna had made for a client. I copied the picture and emailed it home, to Bud… hoping he’ll make it for me someday!

Another find, found on Positively Splendid, and one that he hasn’t yet seen (I don’t want to shock him into total shut down!) is the perfect cabinet to hold my embroidery machine and serger! I know he can make this beautifully and it would be a treasure!

Okay… back to surfing the net for ideas! I hope everyone has a blessed day!

It’s the Game Plan Anyway

When the light bulb goes off in my head, I get beside myself with excitement! However, it’s hard to wait for the actual implementation! I know it won’t happen anytime soon, but God willing it will happen in 2016! It may not be as exciting to you… but… I wanted to share…

I will have a dedicated sewing/quilting space!

We are turning a small bedroom into a room that I can walk out of, shut the door, and not have to move/rearrange anything on a daily basis when it’s winter time or summer time or totally remove things when overnight company visits! Praise the Lord!

I know it’s much larger than what some people manage with and I know I am blessed.

My mother has drawn to scale where I can put everything… including the longarm quilting frame!!!! Then we’ll get our living room back! Double plus!

I’m spending the time until it actually happens: 

• Gathering storage/decorating ideas
• Working through my stash of fabric

Speaking of my stash…

Going to push away from the computer and start continue working on it!

I hope everyone has a blessed day!