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Sis Boom Fabrics are to die for!!  I love them all and so wish I had them in my collection of fabrics.  The quilts on her page made from her fabrics are beautiful.  So please check them out.  She has got me really inspired to get my rear to my studio and start quilting.  Have a lot to do this week!!!!

Last Day…..

Here it is the last few hours of my very long 7 week vacation to see my family.  Mom and I will be driving out of here tomorrow morning sometime and heading north to Rochester, MN, where on Monday I will be having a check-up on this cancer thing with my specialist oncologist.  Hopefully I will be able to squeeze all the “good news” and appts. into one day and we will take off to head further north to Minneapolis.  Tuesday we plan on our last day of togetherness at the Mall of America before hopping a plane back to Montana.

I have to say I will miss my Mom and Dad terribly.  My 3 brothers, can’t say that I can miss them anymore than I ever have before.  When I come to visit, they never have any time for me anyway.  They all have their own lifes, their own families, and they don’t even fit into each others even though they live so close to each other.  They have no idea what they are missing.  I guess I am happy to live as far as I do from them, because I couldn’t live this way.  Knowing they were close, but not being close to any of them.   They are all so different and it hurts me to see them so far apart from each other.  I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and never got to spend very much time with any one of them.Maybe one of these days, I will talk further on these relationships, but right now its not worth it.

I am ready to come home….I miss my family there and my puppy, Sheldon and my kitty, Romeo.  And I miss my princess bed, and my house.  And I really ready to get back to the grind of things, AKA, WORK!!

I have a large king size quilt to finish up before Christmas for a customer/friend in Kentucky.  I also have to start restocking my inventory for the holiday season since I have sold several table runners and other items since being on vacation.  I also took an order for a queen size quilt for one of my high school classmates.  Since her and I talked the other day, I am in the designing phase in my head and excited about putting something on paper when I get home!!  I am also excited to start wearing my flannel and fleece jammies since the weather is getting colder!

Its time to cuddle up in my den, with my fireplace turned on, and a good movie on the tube!!  And I will be a happy camper!!

But the downside is I will miss my friends here.  I was so happy that I got to spend the time I did with all of them.  I wish some I could of spent more time, but I’m thankful for what I did get.  I made some wonderful great memories that I will treasure forever.

Well, time to get some packing done, countdown has begun……….100,99,98,97,……I’m counting real slow………

Love to you all, 96,95,94……………………………

Vacation 2012

Here it is Oct. 13……I have been in Illinois since Aug. 29….and I will arrive back in Montana Oct. 24.  Just shy of 2 month of being away from my husband and the rest of my family.  My intentions on this vacation were to spend just a little bit more time with my family than I have been able to before.  I’m happy that I was able to with my Mom and Dad.  I thought maybe I would be able to with my brothers and their families, but it just didn’t happen like I thought.  I know I stepped in to their lifes, their very busy lifes.  But I would take just a few minutes with them to make me happy.  Its not the quanlity, its the quality.   That’s what they tell you when they know you are dying. 

But back to the fun part of this vacation:  I enjoyed my 35th class reunion, I was in 2 different parades, and enjoyed a couple of shopping trips out of town, one being a quilt show.

 

The downfall of the vacation, I’ve been sick with some kind of allergy crud twice.   Yes, 2 times back to back.  This last one I’ve had a hard time kicking it out of my system.  The P.A. that I seen at the health clinic gave me an extra antibiotic script, so I think I better take it.  My Mayo appt is Oct 22, and I’d like to go their without being sick.  I need my flu shot!!!!

I have been trying to keep up with my sewing since being here with the use of Mom’s sewing machine.  Its been doorag after doorag, as this being football season, I sell tons.  Whether they be football or skulls and flames!!!  My hand sewing isn’t as far as I would have liked to gotten done and I brought fabric and a pattern to make a dress for myself(not even started!)  It will all be packed to go back home again.  I have a quilt to finish before Christmas for a customer in Kentucky.  My promise to her…..

Also customers waiting on placemats and table runners…..and of course the time of year to get some inventory for the holiday season!!!  I do love the hustle and bustle of work and seeing friends and family during this time of year.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/triciasquiltsfabricandmore

 

This coming week will be a busy one, I still have to go thru family pics, sew some more doorags, pack some things up to mail back, and also get the craft market applications mailed out.  And tonight we start with a pizza party at the local pizza joint with lots of friends and family!!!!  Can’t wait to see everyone!!!

Now go enjoy each minute of everyday!!!!

Boogie Barb

As most of my friends know, I have a blood cancer called multiple myeloma.  I’ve been fighting this disease for over 3 years now, hoping for a cure.  I also am listed on a cancer site where others like me can ask questions or answer others questions.  We are a community of mmers praying for all hope.  On this board, we had a woman, whom was called Boogie Barb, who had survived with us for over 20 years…..which is a remarkable length of time to live with mm.  She seemed to always be there with comforting words whenever we needed her.

When I had broken my hip in December, she wrote me a pm and had told me how she had broken the same bone and how she dealt with it, and basically told me to get on with life.  She did this with almost everyone on this board.  She was like our mother, our best friend, our mentor, but especially our hope.  Over 20 years with multiple myeloma……she gave me my hope.

Sadly, early yesterday, we lost our Boogie Barb.  She had developed a secondary cancer in the recent months, and was in and out of the hospital a few times.   She passed on in her sleep, very peacefully and not feeling any pain as she went.   But she left pain for most of us on the list.

I am trying very hard not to feel the loss and pain and the empty feeling in my heart for losing someone I had never met in person.  And the reason why, Barb wouldn’t have wanted that.  I can hear her fingers tap-tapping away on the keyboard writing all of us messages and telling us not to feel sorry for her and not to mourn for her.

One of her favorite lines was to get on with your life and she told several of us to that, and I can hear her now, saying that very same thing.  You have lots to live for, life is short(whether you have cancer or not), so drag yourself out of bed, get on your feet, and LIVE.  LIVE LIFE!

I will not grieve today or tomorrow or the next day…..I am going to live my life with gusto…..because who knows………..I hope that all that read this, can do the same thing.

I love you Boogie Barb!!  I will raise my glass high in the air for you.  I will celebrate your life instead of grieving it.  You are now at rest.

Rest peacefully.  We will all be ok.

A Couple Weeks Later……..

A couple weeks ago on a facebook post, I had promised to tell everyone a story about a yard sale that I stopped at.  Corina(my sister in law) and I had traveled over to Anaconda to the Art in the Park.  My intentions were to try to find a lamp like the one I had bought a couple years ago.  The vendor at the time had said that was one of only two shows that she goes to, so I assumed she would be there!  Well, nope, she wasn’t there, and I was very disappointed that I didn’t get to buy a new lamp. They are homemade with lots of crystals and character.

I ended up buying a stained glass figurine of  a fairy under a flower.And then a heart which is made out of corrugated metal that I want to hang on the outside by my door.  (will I ever get Rob to agree on this, this is a major question)

So after we walked thru all the vendors and got the couple things we purchased into the SUV, we start to head back to Butte.

The day before I had read in the newspaper that there was a large yard sale in Ramsey(a very teeny town on the outskirts of Butte), so at the last minute I pulled off the freeway and into the little town.  I had no idea where this yard sale was, had no address, but knew it wouldn’t be hard when the town only has 4 streets going north and south and about that many going east and west!!  As we drove around the perimeter, we found it on the far end of town.

I got out(Corina decided to stay in the car where the air was on) and started looking around at the massive amt of stuff there was.  The ppl in the garage said HI as I wondered around.  Lots of cute knick knacks especially for holidays.  A lot of crafty stuff to be had !!  I seen some things that I thought I would purchase but wondered over to a table with curtains and more stuff.  As I turned and looked over a table, there was a patriotic table runner lying there, and as it would be, it was one that I had made!!

I wondered back over to the knick knacks that I decided to get, but asked the ppl sitting there, how much they were, no prices on anything(I hate that).  The lady starts to come over with some bags and said 10 cents to 50 cents, so I started putting some stuff in the bags.  I finally said, see that table runner, I made that.  She then asked my name, told her, and she started laughing and said I have a story for you.

This was her sister house and all of her stuff that they were selling.  Her sister had recently passed away from some kind of colon something and had died very quickly after being dx’d.  She then said that her sister loved my stuff and used to always buy something from me, and that her whole house was decorated with things that I had made that her sister bought for her!  I think we were totally shocked.  She asked me if I wanted the runner back, but I said no, try to make some money from it!

I’m not sure if you know what “Jim Shore” statues are.  I’ve only seen them at Hallmark, but they are very cute with little quilt designs on them.  And expensive.  There was one sitting on the table and still had the $25 price tag on it, so it was brand new.  I asked the lady how much for it and she said let me figure a price for all the things you got.  3 bags of knick knacks for the holidays.  I went and got my billfold and she said $3 for everything and we are giving you this statue because you were someone that made her sister happy!

So thats my little story….I feel that everything has some kind of meaning to it, and I was meant to meet these people who were having a yard sale.  Do you think this woman who had passed on, was looking down and sending me by her place to meet her mom, her sister, and brother in law?  They were definitely some of the nicest people that I have met!!

Now, onward to a good nights sleep for another day of living!!

Can I say “FINALLY”…….

Can I say “FINALLY”……..

Can I say “FINALLY”…….

I’ve been thinking about this blog for awhile now.  Not only to help me with my quilting business, but to help keep track of what this cancer thing is doing to me.  I will hopefully be able to write some stories of the past so my family has something to read and pics from the past.  But it will be mainly my quilting and what I have been doing!!

Tomorrow morn, I will pick my sister in law up and we are going to head over to the annual  ”Art in the Park” event in Anaconda, MT.  It is a 3 day event with 80 vendors offering handmade crafts.  They also have music throughout the day and lots of food!!  I always crave my shakin lemonade and a funnel cake with lots of powered sugar!!!  Since I’m driving, there will be a stop at Starbucks for my special coffee!!!

I’ve been wanting another lamp like what I purchased a couple years ago, and I know she only shows at this particular show every year.  I want something small to put on my foyer table.  And she makes them with the bling that I love!

And then when getting home, the rest of the weekend will be putting doorags together for a music fest on next Wednesday night.  This fest is something I am very proud of because my son and daughter in laws’ production company has put it together.  They have some major music acts, daredevil acts, magic acts!!!    I can’t wait for the festival, but I’m definitely not ready as far as….not having enough doorags done.  I’ve been working on some new purses that I think customers are going to love.

Well, this is a short blog since its my first, but I think I’m going to head to bed and hopefully get a good nights sleep.  Its hot and muggy in this house and I want to go lie on my bed with the cool air blowing in the window and the fan blowing over the bed!!!

So till the next time…..and there will be a next time!!