Let Us Not Forget to Pray For Others

Sometimes in our busy lives that we allow to be interrupted by blogging, talking on the phone, quilting, volunteering for our church & community, we forget to take time to pray. I believe pray is something that should occur naturally, but I am the first to admit it doesn't. Hanging my head in shame I can say that many times days get away from me and I am just lucky enough to say thanks to God as I sleepily drift off to sleep.

I just have no routine right now and that is hard. I work diligently every day to say my prayers and do the right things, but right now I hurt so much to just sit down and type this message is causing pain in my fingers and hips. But if I can diligently blog, I should be able to diligently pray not just for myself, but for others.

We need to pray for the families and people who live in the pathways of Hurricane Gustav, we need to pray for our presidential candidates (whether or not you are republican or democrat), we need to pray for families struggling to make ends meet, that are hurt and have pain in their hearts.

Just take a moment out today and give thanks to God & ask Him to bless others. In the end, you will be the one to receive the blessing!

Go Away Gustav

Well, it appears to me that Gustav may wind up hitting New Orleans & this time I see that they are already beginning the evacuations and trying to do it right this time. I pray for all those in the area that this storm will just GO AWAY! But it doesn't appear that it is going to.

I am still working on quilts promised to people from the last Hurricane, that is how far behind I have gotten. However sad to say, this time I am not going to promise anyone anything because I am feeling so guilty for not having all these complete while another round of hurricane seasons is upon us.

So, maybe, just maybe I will be able this time to complete the projects from the last Hurricane and try to get everything completed.

My fibromyalgia isn't liking mornings any longer. Just getting out of bed is a chore and then to be able to stretch or move for the first 30 minutes causes excruciating pain in my back, hips, knees & feet. It just boggles the mind what this can do to someone.

On the other hand, it makes up for it in the evenings when I am up half the night because I can't sleep. Oh bother!

No Job, Yet

Wow! I am still waiting to hear from the prison even though I know it is a mute point. I did get another turn down letter from the courts in Olympia so I am batting 0 out of at least 60 right now.
I did get the final paper I needed to receive my substitute teaching certificate, but they are so wonderful in Olympia, they called me and told me they were behind right now. I understand that !

So, I can be a substitute pare-pro until that comes in and that is still going to be very sporadic I am afraid as I will only work when someone else can't. It is not helping the bill situation at all. Hubby is still hanging in there like a champ!

I wonder sometimes if people are afraid of my qualifications? I mean, I have no skeletons in my closet, I don't have a record, I haven't even as much as had a parking ticket, so why I can't find a job is beyond me. Hubby thinks these people are discriminating against my age (52). I don't want to believe it, but sooner or later on these state jobs, I may have to ask the governors office to look into it.

So, I sent my apron package off today and I got one of the prizes that Shawnee is giving away, I am so happy about it as I have never won anything at all. I also have one of my quilts posted on the Lazy Days of Summer so I am hoping to win a bit of something for that quilt.

I just love the way the bag came out & think Sunbonnet Sue is beginning to be one of the quilt patterns that I am becoming attached to, she is so cute and you can make so many different styles, it is just adorable.

My apron swap partner loves Ireland, so I made an Ireland theme on he bag and filled it with travel brochures, recipes & Irish folklore.

My mom called me today, she received the pillow I have made for her and was thrilled to pieces over it. That is what it is about, making others happy and reaching out where we can.

Catching Up on UFO's

Well, the last few days I have been busy catching up on projects, mailing out projects and just generally destressing myself as these are getting done. So, in my pile to finish is the cross stitch project (3 years in the works), the NASCAR quilt (will try to sell on Ebay/Etsy), Anita Fowlers crazy quilt. These are all projects that need completion.

Then I have to start other projects like my sons Tee-shirt quilt, write a letter to my son in prison, start winter quilts for my grandson and granddaughter and one for our bed. I also have one in the thinking stages for the dispatcher that was hit by a car several weeks ago.

I may not have a job, but I am catching up on all my projects! Thats a big Yee Haw, Y'all!

It's done, oh yeah, I feel good!

Mailed out tons of things today. Two packages to people who have posted on my blog, 2 quilts to people who are in need of something warm and cuddly & the pillow to my mother. Now I can try to concentrate on the rest of the projects I have to finish.

I got another emergency certificate for school today, however no word from the prison. Everyone (but me) seems to think I have the job or they would not have contacted my references. I don't know what to think anymore.

Even if i only substitute, there is no guarantee how many days I will work & my check comes in the month after I am done working, so I am becoming very very nervous. While I can help others, am patient to the end with teaching others or children, when it comes to playing the waiting game, I don't wait so patiently. I was truly hoping someone would at least call me and say yes or no!

Oh bother!

Fabric Swap Wanted!

Today I have been working on a swap gift today for someone who posted to one of my blogs & I really like the plan, it is coming together nicely. But I keep reading about swaps & decided to have my own...

HELP ME!! I am looking for solid colored fabrics & will swap floral or printed fabrics. It must be at least a fat quarter of any solid color with the exception of white. Brights, muted, Batik, etc.. I just realized today that while I have tons of fabric, most of it is prints and I need solids.

So, if anyone is interested, all you need to do is Email me and we will swap.

Keeping My Mind Busy

So today the mail came and went and I didn't get a letter from the prison department letting me know I did or didn't get the job, so I caved in and called the person that did my second interview and she will be out of town for the rest of the week.

I just don't have any answers and that makes me anxious. So, I got busy and decided to make this sewing organizer to go underneath my machine to hold scissors, thread, trash, etc.. It only took a few hours and was easy to make! I loved the fabric, it reminded me of spring!

This is a view from my chair looking down at the machine. It just fits perfectly under the sewing machine and in front of the table I am using, so it is perfect! The small pocket to the left just comes right off to empty into the trash can when it is full or my project is complete!

I still have no news from the prison, so I guess no news is good news. I hope to hear from them soon as I really think I would do well in this position they have opened.

It is finished

I completed my Sun Bonnet Sue/Sam quilt just a few minutes ago. I originally designed it to sell to make some money for my family, then a tragedy hit a 911 call center and they lost one of their own. I knew at that moment that God wanted me to send this quilt to them. So, once again my hand and heart have been guided to someone who needs a quilt for comfort.

I tried to get a really good picture of it, but the binding didn't come out as well as I had hoped. This quilt just reminds me of the many friends that come into our life and then, without notice, they are gone that quickly. I hope this quilt gives the dispatch center some warmth in their lives.

Here is a little closer shot of the borders I put around it. I just loved to find the grass fabric and the yellow/orange Batik reminded me of the sun.

The surrounding blue Batik, the green floral, purple and cream floral were all fabrics that came to mind as I was putting this quilt together. Let me tell you, the selfish side of me wants to keep this quilt, but I know when I complete a quilt if someone comes to mind that it is the Lords will that I let it go to someone else in need. I didn't know the young dispatcher that passed away & I have never met anyone from the center he was from, but I know what it is like to lose someone and this is my way of trying to reach out to those broken hearts.

This last photo is an up close of the middle section of the quilt. If you look closely, you can see the seed beads I sewed onto Sue's hat to give it a bit more depth. The small green square between the sunflowers on the bottom of the photo is actually a button I found that looked like a packet of seeds, so I put it in Sam's garden.

Tonight I will use a fabric paint and place Friends Are Forever across the top. Then as soon as I get a few extra dollars, I will place it in the mail to its intended receivers. Enjoy today!

Quilt World Magazines get Recycled

We all have things that can be recycled laying around our home. Where do we start is many persons lament, but I am a person that likes organization and I will keep things around until they are no longer useful. Thus, I have begun today tearing apart my 1980's issues of Quilt World magazines. They have been listed on Ebay several times with no buyers & offered on my blog to anyone that would pay for the postage of having them mailed...no takers. So today, I am going through each issue and taking out what I want to keep. They will then go in the recycle trash!

Speaking of recycling, I sold my old V-Tech phone and may also be selling my long black wool coat this week-end, so that is great! I just believe in passing things along that really shouldn't be in the dump piles.

A lazy day today, I should be quilting but I can't seem to get in the mood for it. Usually I love to quilt, but lately I just seem to not have the ambition. Big part of no ambition is I sit on the floor to do most of it and with my fractured foot, it is to painful. Oh how I dream of having an area to do my quilting in someday!

Still Searching....

I have been swamped this week with painting the house and yesterday of course just as we were starting to paint, the rains began. So, our front door is in the living room on saw horses and we have a plastic backed paper sheet and down comforter hanging across the door. We slept last night without a front door & for the first time in years, I wasn't worried about rattle snakes, scorpions, spiders or 2 legged humans that want in my home & I slept like a baby!

It is so nice to know you can sleep at night even without a front door and know no harm is going to come to you or your family.

On the flip side of the coin, I am still looking for someone willing to donate a quilt to the dispatcher who was seriously injured in a car wreck last week. I am looking for something more lap to crib/twin size just to comfort her or her family while they are going through so much pain and heart ache at this time.

I have one I am working on to send to a dispatch center in Iowa that just lost another dispatcher and the sad thing is, this young mans dispatch partner had to give CPR instructions over the telephone to his family while he was dying.

Now, if you don't think that is hard, I can tell you that nothing ever prepares you for doing that type of thing in your life. So many things are whirling through your mind and all you can do is focus on the task at hand.

If you don't have a completed quilt and would like to send me a completed top, I will gladly add the batting and back to send off. It is just right now I am so backed up on just he routine daily house chores with the painting task, that I haven't had much time to do anything else!

What Makes News?

I am probably going to make a few people mad at me, but I really don't care. As the saying/song goes, 'You've Got to Stand for Something or You'll Fall For Anything.' As a Christian I must ask what makes Ellen Degeneres's marriage front page news? For that matter, what makes any star front page news unless it is a death or something of significance to help others.

Let me clarify my comment a bit more. Today, Tropical Storm Fay destroyed parts of Haiti and Cuba, the Florida Keys are being evacuated or at least vacationers and visitors are being asked to leave & yet I learned this news from people at church. I get my news via laptop & my headlines this morning was a lesbian marriage? What gives?

I have family and friends in Florida and the southern east coast as well as many other people do, does Yahoo honestly think we wouldn't want news of the storm? No, they put it finally on their news feeds later because Ellen's marriage was important.

Aside from that, I will drop the subject here because my blog isn't about politics or gay marriages, but my question is more on what is really news and what is Hollywood Hype.

Please Help A Dispatcher & Her Family!

Any of you who read this know that I am a retired police dispatcher who still loves the profession and those who are in it. This was in my Email this morning and I know that Kevin and the folks at 911 Cares wouldn't mind me posting it here. If you can help this family and this dispatcher in an small way, I am asking you to do so. Remember, 911 dispatchers are the voice in the dark when you are scared someone is breaking into your home, they are the voice of calm after an accident and you are waiting for the paramedics to arrive, they are the voice of help when your child is choking and they are the ones who do their job most of the time without recognition or thanks. Please, if you feel led, any amount would help. Or, if you would like to send a quilt to keep Patti comforted while she is the hospital please let me know.

Dear 911 CARES supporter:

PSTC and 911 CARES is currently at the APCO national conference in Kansas City. We were advised of the local tragedy below. Please keep Patti in your prayers. We will keep updates posted at www.911cares.com in the activation area.

Posted Monday, August 4th

Last night, APCO member and Whittcom, Washington 9-1-1 Director Patti VonBargen was the victim of a hit and run by an intoxicated driver. The suspect is in custody. She was in a cross walk near the convention center walking home with two InterAct employees. Patti suffered a severely crushed leg and broken arm and is still in surgery this morning. Local news reports say she was dragged up to 100 feet by the suspect vehicle.

**Update at 5pm local time, she is out of surgery and we are awaiting an update. Patti's 18 year old daughter is being flown in to be with her Mom. The local chapter and WA chapter are working closely together to fill the needs of Patti and her family.

911 CARES has offered to pay for both of these costs. We'll keep you updated when there is anything you can do beyond prayer. Friends of Patti are asking that nobody call her room at the hospital as she is in ICU. When she is moved to a private room, we will post it** She does not have life threatening injuries, but she's going to need some significant healing time. She's at the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City . Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

We will keep you updated on this tragic event and post the Truman address when Patti is moved. We went shopping for get well cards tonight and will have them signed at the PSTC booth at APCO. We'll deliver them Tuesday and Wednesday night after conference hours.

Tuesday 8-5 update at 15:38 local time:

911 CARES EVENT UPDATE FOR PATTI VONBARGEN:

Below we have more information from the accident and an address where cards and well wishes can be sent.

Sunday, Patti was walking to her hotel after having dinner with two InterAct employees. One InterAct staffer made it onto the curb, another InterAct staffer was hit by the side of the drunk driver's car and Patti took the full force of the impact. The driver fled after dragging Patti's body but was later arrested.

Patti went through extensive surgery Monday but she is in serious condition. PLEASE keep Patti, the Washington Chapter of APCO and all of the staff at Whittcom and InterAct in your prayers. Today, 911 CARES team members Richard Behr and Kevin Willett went through the vendor area and asked vendors to sign cards and give us "vendor gifts". We filled a big bag of goodies that Patti will enjoy when she gets better. We also spoke with Peggy at Grays Harbor 9-1-1 to reinforce our financial and emotional support for Patti, her agency and her family. We have spoken to Conference Chair Robin Tieman and members of WA APCO reassuring them of our ongoing support!

One last note, if there is any question of rumors, let us address them. We are 1000% supportive and appreciative of everything that Willis Carter, all Chapters of APCO, individual members and the local conference committee have done. Please do what you can to send your love and support to Patti. See the update below provided by Washington APCO.

Tuesday Update: Patti's son Jeremy has arrived and is being briefed this morning by the medical staff. We're continuing to make other flight and housing arrangements for her other son and daughter to join her. I don't have an update on her condition except to say that she is still in ICU, is in a lot of pain and needs her rest. Cards are welcome
but since she is still in ICU, she is not able to receive flowers and her family asks that you please do not call yet as she is trying to rest. We appreciate all the well wishes and I know they are being passed on to her and her family. If you have any questions, please
don't hesitate to ask.

Cards may be sent to:
Patti VonBargen
c/o Truman Medical Center
2301 Holmes
ICU Room 204 bed 1
Kansas City , MO 64108

Continue to keep her in your prayers...deb

Deb Welsh
Assistant Director - Skagit 911
(360) 428-3200

1730 local time:

InterAct has informed us that the staff member that was hit in Patti's accident is now safely home. We also delivered the first batch of well wishes and cards to the nursing station for Patti’s unit. We didn’t want to bother the family but the nurse was happy to deliver the cards for us. --911 CARES

As Promised, The Lake Trip

If anyone knows how to combine 2 blogs, please let me know as I would like to combine mine all into one & save myself some time. In the meantime, here are some pics of the kids at the lake and they took to Kayaking like ducks to water, plus they swam and were super duper kids. Not one complaint from any of them!

The Kayak picture above is our neighbor in one and my 5 year old grandson in the other one all by himself, he did an amazing job and the only one that flipped into the drink was the neighbor & of course, my camera at that exact time quit working. Oh well, I am sure he wouldn't want me to post his picture here that is why I posted this one as it is from a distance. No, I am not in any of these. I am behind the camera!

Here is one of the 3 of them swimming. I was so shocked that the water was so shallow, but I wouldn't let them in the water without an adult since I am still wearing the air cast for another few weeks.

I would love to post more, but we are prepping our home for painting and hubby told me I needed to get the scraper and get busy! He is on the roof doing more than his share!

Happiness Abounds

I sent Judy off her goodies package this past week for being on of my first three posters on my site. I hope she likes the things I packaged up as I am new to this trading thing, but I am having fun and it makes me happy to be thrifty!

Next, I must get Rebecca's off, but I am looking around for something special for her gift. There is still some time to post to this site and get yourself a little goodies package from me!

On a side note, it is cloudy out today, but I don't think that matters. We are going up to the lake today with some neighbors and they are taking the babies out Kayaking for the first time. I will post pictures here if I don't forget my camera!

************************HELP PLEASE***********************************************
I am in desperate need of someone taking my resume and making it look better than it does and shows what I can do. Mine is old and tired! So if you write resumes or know someone who does and they are willing to do it for gratis I can sure use a boost to finding work.

Also, please pray for my family. We are hanging on by our toenails while the bills pile up, my credit union has cancelled my credit card, cancelled my overdraft protection and refuses to help out at all during this most difficult period in my life. While most of the companies I owe have been super to step up and help until I find work, my credit union has told me NO, NO & oh yeah, NO!!

Pray that I will find the job the Lord wants me to have soon!

Quilt Magazines for Sale

Up for sale on Ebay, I have 3 listings for quilt magazines and they are all in fantastic shape.
11 Editions of Quilt World from 1989-1990, 14 issues of Lady's Circle Patchwork Quilts. These magazines were well cared for by the person I got them from and I have so many, I cannot possibly keep them all.

Check out my selling at Ebay by going to seller oilman85037 and you will see I am an honest seller.
Some of these issues are selling for over $3 each on Ebay and my prices are less than $1 per magazine.

These aren't all I have either, I have 2 bins full of vintage magazines. If you are looking for something you can't find, ask me, I just may have it.