A Scrap Quilt

I saw a form of this quilt on a blog Quilting On The Crescent. I made it with 1.5 inch squares, she did it with 1 inch squares. She also did it with strips but because I was really using scraps, I did it with individual squares. It was a fun quilt to make and unfortunately didn't even put a dent in my stash of scraps.

Forgotten Harvest

Today, our Lions Club had the opportunity to volunteer at the Forgotten Harvest Facility in Oak Park, Michigan. Eleven of us, in spite of 5 inches of snow, helped to package "slim Jim" like meat sticks in bags to be distributed to the hungry.  It was fun to work together but since all the meat sticks were frozen, our hands got pretty cold. At the end of our 3 hour shift we had packaged over 2000 pounds of sticks.

Quilt of Valor

Earlier this year, I went for physical therapy for my knee and back. One of the technicians was a young man named Andrew. He was so kind and attentive. He told me he was a veteran and had intended to have a career in the army except he was injured in Iraq and would still need follow-up surgery on his foot. I decided to make him a Quilt of Valor. The Cameo quilt Guild would like us to present him with it at their quilt show.  I don't even know Andrew's last name but I hope he likes the quilt.

Fervor

We have a cat named Fervor.

 He originally belonged to my daughter, Martha. (Like all of our cats they originally belonged to someone else.) About two years ago the vet said that he had some kidney dysfunction and would not last long. Hubby got an expensive prescription for him to increase his appetite and help him to gain weight. We gave him top quality food, eg.  tuna with pumpkin. After six months he was eating and gaining weight and we stopped the medicine. A year ago at his physical his kidney function had not changed.  About six months ago he had a dramatic change in personality. He had always been a cat to hide. If someone entered the house or even rang the doorbell, he was quickly under the bed. He spent most of the time upstairs in our bedroom. We had pet sitters who never saw him.

 Now he spends all of his time on the main floor of the house.  We have to lock him out of the dining room when we eat because otherwise he is on the table. He would fight for a dish of ice cream. When we do confine him he howls in protest.  The other day he was chasing Mindy, our retriever, around the family room. He isn't even afraid of visiting dogs. He is ready to take them on. Anyone who sits down, even visitors, find a cat in their lap. Fervor will be 18 years old this year.

Christmas 2019

Christmas this year was wonderful! Mary and Gretel made dinner on Christmas Eve and gave Dick the night off.The menu was spectacular, antipasto salad, spaghetti marinara, Italian sausage and peppers, grilled fennel and chicken Marsala with cannoli for dessert. Amy was not able to attend because she was ill but Jim, Martha, Mary and Sofie, Gretel,Tom Austin and Molly, Seth, Kameren and Keegan were here.

Sofie decided that even if she is not a really girlie girl, she did like her dress. Molly was busy charming Uncle Jim.

I had asked for some things for my doll house an Mary got me several things including a Christmas tree.

The best present came from Hubby.  A new Bernina sewing machine!!