Where on Earth has Shirley Been?

The last 6 months have been a long haul and a roller coaster ride like I have never before been on. I never did like roller coasters and this one is a doozie. I guess how this started is that DH is going through Mid Life Crisis and Life Transition Crisis. He's had highs and lows, he's had a emotional affair - which may or may not be continuing via email and text, and is misuse of alcohol is completely out of control. Good news is some days, or during a short period of some days, he seems almost normal.


The good news for me is that while this has all been devastating and confusing, especially at first, it has driven me to look at my codependency issues. It has forced me to become independent and I am beginning to feel like the person I was before that fateful day I said "I do"


I have done some sewing now and then but I have been so immersed in trying to become emotionally healthy again it has taken a back seat to my own recovery.


Last month I started yet another Blog and am basing it on my reading of The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie. I am sharing what I learn and giving my own feelings on what the topics mean to me today. I hope anyone who is interested will take a look at http://codependentme.blogspot.com/


I am using a lot of her books. Presently I am also using the Workbook that goes with Co-dependent No More. I am also doing daily readings in the book Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach and learning from the book The Courage to Be Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Emotional Strength and Self Esteem by Sue Patton Thoele.


I bought myself a Kindle for my birthday and I absolutely love it. I do find it harder on the eyes at my age than print books, more like a computer screen, but it could just be that I'm reading so much each day that my eyes would get tired anyway. I highly recommend Kindle though.


Thanks for reading.

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! Things are still up and down in my life but it's getting better. You know when you hit bumps and rough spots in the road is when you have your greatest growth so even though it's been tough I'm grateful for my personal growth.

I've become much more social in my real life thanks to my church. I hate to see that most people are either my age or older. It's a sad commentary on the future of the church.

I haven't been doing much quilting/sewing for myself lately but I've been enjoying trying new things that can be sold at the bazaar. How many quilts do I need anyway? Most of what I've made are put away in those shrink bags anyway never to see the light of day.

So lately I've made a few fun things. First of all aprons. These are really cute. They are patterns from Four Corners. They are meant to be made with a lining but seeing as we work with donated fabric it seemed a shame to put a lining on them when they don't really need one. It took some modification but I like them. I made mother daughter ones

I also had enough to make one with a sort of african fabric. Love it but I'm not really a sewer so the contrast fabric (which was a knit) kind of stretched on me. But it's still nice. 

I was trying to think of something new to offer and came up with the idea of iPad covers. I don't know how well they'll sell since iPad comes with it's own cover but you never know. I made two of these 

There are patterns on the Moda Bake Shop site but I used this one from - darn, can't find the URL and there are so many new tutorials popping up out there. Anyway, I think they're nice. 

I also made a small (10" x 5" approximately) heat in the microwave bag with a cover. Since we have a lot of older people in our congregation I thought it would be useful for those who have arthritis or something that need heat only in a small area. I've only made one to see if it is a seller. 

My goodness. I went to post this this morning and the Internet went down. So I went shopping and got stuff to make the adult bibs. 

I also bought 2 pair of pants and a sweater. Because of all the stress I've gone from a size 14 to a size 10 and I'm just not gaining anything back. Good excuse to buy new clothes but darned expensive. 

Hospital Bed Tote

I'm not sure quite what to call this. Remember I made those shoe bags for the Fall Bazaar? Well, the larger ones sold but we still had 4 smaller ones left. We were trying to think of what the craft group could make aside from bazaar stuff. We decided perhaps little embroidered bags with a pen, etc to be taken on hospital visits.

Then we saw the shoe bags and thought they would make perfect totes to hang on the side of a hospital bed for holding a magazine, book, glasses, etc. to make it easier for people to reach. And it won't cost anything aside from the cost of the velcro cause I just want to get rid of this fabric so have donated it. So I added straps that can be attached to the rail. I put a piece of velcro on the end of each strap and the opposite piece on the inside top of the bag to fit the straps over the rail. I also added another strap extending from the back of the back onto the front for keeping it closed. It's experimental. I need to get one of our hospital or extended care visitors to take one and try it out to see if I got the straps the right length for the rail. But I really like the idea.

It was a rather tense day yesterday so I didn't get much else done. I think I'm fighting a stomach bug so didn't do much aside from knitting on the prayer shawl I'm making.

Scrubbies

Haven't been around for awhile. Life is up and down but things seem to be going in the right direction anyway.

Now it's time to prepare for our Spring Bazaar. It's so hard to know what to make but this cloth scrubby pattern was suggested by one of our members so I decided to try one. Not too straight but what the heck, it's only my first try:

You can find the pattern for the corner scrubby here

Then I saw some that look  like flowers. These are kind of neat but I have to warn you the daisy scrubby is a lot of work and takes almost a whole ball of crafters cotton. It will be a "one of" unless someone else is interested in making them. Of course I'm about the only one who even comes close to knowing how to knit or crochet so it's a pretty sure thing it will be a one of.

The patterns for the flower scrubbies can be found here

Guess that's it for today. I'm working on a few things right now so will show things as I finish.

Lest We Forget

In school we had to learn In Flanders Field every November. I knew it was written by John McRae but I never knew the story behind the poem. I did a Net search this morning and found it here. I'd would like to share it.

John McRae

Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915

during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium

On May 2, 1915, John McCrae’s close friend and former student Alexis Helmer was killed by a German shell. That evening, in the absence of a Chaplain, John McCrae recited from memory a few passages from the Church of England’s “Order of the Burial of the Dead”. For security reasons Helmer’s burial in Essex Farm Cemetery was performed in complete darkness.

The next day, May 3, 1915, Sergeant-Major Cyril Allinson was delivering mail. McCrae was sitting at the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the YserCanal, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, Belgium.

As John McCrae was writing his In Flanders Fields poem, Allinson silently watched and later recalled, “His face was very tired but calm as he wrote. He looked around from time to time, his eyes straying to Helmer's grave."

Within moments, John McCrae had completed the “In Flanders Fields” poem and when he was done, without a word, McCrae took his mail and handed the poem to Allinson.

Allinson was deeply moved:

“The (Flanders Fields) poem was an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It never occurred to me at that time that it would ever be published. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene."

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Still sewing

This is my most fun thing I made for the bazaar yet. I actually got to make a lap quilt! This one is 45" square and is being sold as a wheelchair lap quilt but it's big enough for anyone to use. I was so excited to find the flowered fabric in the craft group stash and I had just enough of the blue for the sashing and borders. I do have six deer panels that I could make into a men's lap quilt but need to look for co-ordinating fabrics so will leave it for Spring. I'm anxious to get back to my own stuff. I still have a couple more small things I want to get made but they aren't a priority. If I get them done fine, if I don't that's okay too. 

I really want to get back to my daughters quilt that I'm hand quilting. I only have 12 squares left to do. She and her husband are moving this month and it would be nice to have it finished but I can't see being able to. Maybe by Christmas. They have a winter quilt I made them that looks good anyway. They're excited about the move. This town is owned by one man. You can't get an apartment (aside from a basement apartment) that isn't owned by him and he doesn't allow pets. Her mother-in-law and I use the same hair salon and when Clair mentioned to the owner that Lisa and Chris were looking for a place he said he has a carriage house he wants to rent. And he allows cats. Perfect! It's only 3 years old. The place they've been in for the last 3 years is owned by a lady who just wants the property to sell to a developer and is renting out this old house until it sells. She won't do any work on it. So it's been a depressing time living in those conditions. This will be so nice for them. I'm excited about the move too. She'll still be within walking distance of us. 

I've been very busy lately. I decided to join our prayer shawl ministry that's starting up. This Saturday is our second meeting. I don't have any patterns yet. There's one particular pattern that I'd love to make because it is a simple knit 3, purl 3. Doesn't take much concentration and you can't lose where you were when you put it down last. They want afghans as opposed to shawls. Wool is so expensive that they're hoping for donations. I would be willing to pay $30 to make one afghan but not on a continuous basis. I got a ball of Bernat Worsted Yarn that is 400 oz. for $8.00. That's more in my price range. Since I'm not real good at knitting I have no idea if that's enough to make an afghan. I'll have to ask at our meeting. 

I'm also still doing our Fall study at the church and DH signed us up for a course at Elder College. It's a thing that's been set up in our community so seniors (you only have to be 55) can take classes on various subjects. Ours is called The Majestic Universe and is about all sorts of interesting things from Astronomy to Greek Myth. They are 3 hour lectures though so I'm pretty tired when we get out of there. It's kind of heavy duty. University professors volunteer to come out and give the classes so it's not amateur stuff. 

Better get myself moving. I still do have to do housework around here. 

EEEEK MICE!!!!

I don't knit much but I said I'd do a few mice for the bazaar. They have catnip in them. I'm sure glad we don't have a cat anymore. I'd never have gotten them done. They're cute little things though. 

We actually do have mice around here... or more correctly voles. They're kind of like rats but have a really short tail. They're the reason there are so many predatory birds like eagles and hawks flying around and we also have a number of feral cats. I've never been much bothered by the voles but I guess our neighbour has cause he feeds the feral cats to keep them around to keep down the mouse population. He also feeds the racoons to keep them from killing the cats and from eating the cherries off his tree and he feeds the coyotes to keep them from killing the cats. It's kind of like the old lady who swallowed a fly*LOL*

I haven't been around much. I've really slowed down on my sewing for the bazaar. We're having a meeting next week to see if there are any other things we need to make. 

I came down with the worst sinus cold last weekend. I haven't had a cold in years so I was miserable. I'm feeling a lot better but my ears are still plugged, I have a cough and I'm sniffly. But at least I don't feel like my head is going to explode anymore. 

Okay, have a good day everyone.