Monday, Quilts, Kids, and Chaos

It's Monday again and although I did make my rainbow quilt and posted about it last week, I've done very little sewing or computer work the past two weeks. I have not responded to people who commented on my recent posts and I apologize for that.

It was pretty chaotic here, as I had at least three grand kids here much of the past two weeks. My husband and I watched Nikki's three oldest kids while she and Zach dealt with some serious family medical issues. Usually when we watch the kids, I can do some sewing in the evening when they go to sleep, but this time it was different. They needed a bit more attention and quite honestly, I was emotionally and physically drained.

The kids all knew and that Bill, Zach's dad was very sick and that really upset them. They also missed their mom and dad and were all out of sorts because of the chaotic schedule they were following. The girls were excited about the new school year starting soon, but since they are going to a new school, they were also apprehensive. We had lots of laughter, but moments of sadness and tears as well.   

Bill was under hospice care when Bonnie (Zach's mom) was taken to the hospital for an emergency. She was in for a little over a week and because Bill's condition, she was released earlier than she really should have been. Bill passed away Wednesday and Bonnie will be returning to the hospital soon so she can have the surgery she needs.   

See what I mean? Crazy chaos!

Sewing always helps me relax and today I took some time to sew.

I was gifted a Koala sewing cabinet a couple of weeks ago and I had not had the opportunity to get it completely set up and ready to use. I needed a new acrylic insert because the one I had did not fit into this cabinet. Also, this cabinet is quite tall and my chair did not raise high enough to allow me to sew comfortably.

With the new insert ready and a new chair purchased, I was set to go. It felt soooooo good!

While doing some rearranging for the new cabinet, I opened up a tub of works in progress and pulled out 24 Friendship Star blocks. I have no idea when they were made, but I know it was a long time ago. I remember looking at these about a year ago and thinking that I needed to do something with them. The problem was that I had the 24 blocks and no coordinating fabrics. I had to think about what I was going to do, and obviously I didn't come up with anything because they went right back in the tub. I pulled them out again this past July 4th and thought I knew what I was going to do, but I didn't have enough of the fabric I wanted to use. So...back to the tub they went.

Today was going to be different. I pulled some fabrics that I thought would work, started some sketching and was excited to sit down and actually sew.

The rows are complete (not all pressed yet) and I'm ready to sew them together. I'm adding a couple of borders and this quilt top will be ready for quilting. My plan is to make it fit the requirements for a Quilt of Valor; and if I did my math correctly (I'm pretty sure I did), once the borders are added, it will be the perfect size. I love the fact that I'll be able to finish this UFO and that it will be used for a wonderful cause.  

Despite all of the stuff going on with Nikki and Zach's family, we did have some good times this past week. On Saturday we celebrated Avery's third birthday. Although Nikki and Zach weren't there, Jack and I took the kids to the party. (The kids wanted to go and Nikki and Zach really needed a day to rest and simply take a deep breath.) 

It was a small gathering, but it was a lot of fun. After eating and opening gifts, the kids were all playing in the back yard and were getting pretty darn hot and sweaty. Ty suggested that perhaps he should get out the sprinkler and let them run through it. It was a wonderful idea and the kids had a blast until they decided that they were not getting wet enough. Ty resolved that problem by getting a plastic tub, filling it with water and giving the kids buckets.

It was hilarious watching them dump water on themselves.

Of course they also chased each other.

They must have played outside for well over an hour before it started to rain. They were already wet and there was no lightening or thunder so we moved the party to the front of the house.

The kids played in the rain while the adults stayed nice and dry in the garage.

Oh the simple pleasures in life!

Schools starts today for Lynn, Ty, and the kids and I hope to get some sewing work done. I have some patterns to write up, but I think I'll run the sewing machine a while longer. I've missed it and it really does make life and its chaos a little easier for me.

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