MISSOURI DAISY

SAW THIS BLOCK IN THE AUSTRALIAN PATCHWORK AND QUILTING MAGAZINE AND THOUGHT I WOULD TRY TO CONSTRUCT ONE BLOCK AND SEE HOW IT LOOKED. IT HAS BEEN A FUN BLOCK TO CONSTRUCT. I AM ONLY HALF WAY DONE, BUT THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE A PHOTO OF IT SO FAR. I USUALLY DON'T LIKE Y-SEAMS, AND HAVEN'T DONE THEM IN AWHILE, BUT I JUST LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS QUILT, SO TRIED.

THE NEXT STEP IS TO ADD THE SQUARES AND TRIANGLES TO FORM THE BLOCK. HERE IS WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN BLOCK IS STITCHED TOGETHER.














WILL POST MORE BLOCKS AS I GET THEM DONE.

ALSO, HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE "NEW" MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY. HIS NAME IS "COOPER" AND IS A 12-WEEK OLD YELLOW LAB. HE REMINDS ME OF THE COTTONELLE COMMERCIAL...HE IS SCARED OF STAIRS, BUT LOVES HIS NEW BED AND WE ARE COMPLETELY TRILLED TO HAVE HIM HOME. OUR HOUSE WAS JUST TOO QUIET WITHOUT "OREO", SO HAD TO FILL IT WITH ANOTHER LAB!!

I STILL MISS MY "OREO" BUT I THINK HE WOULD BE PRETTY HAPPY WITH "COOPER"!

HUGS,

MARY

APRIL 24, 2008 +++OREO+++

THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT QUILTING/SEWING BUT MORE ABOUT A SPECIAL FRIEND WHO I LOST TODAY. HIS NAME IS OREO AND HE IS A LAB/MIX. HE WAS THE BESTEST FRIEND I COULD EVER HAVE WISHED FOR, HE WAS MY DOG.

I BOUGHT OREO WHEN HE WAS 2 YEARS OLD FROM A PUPPY STORE AT THE MALL. I HAD NEVER OWNED A PET BEFORE, SO WAS VERY NEW TO THE WHOLE PUPPY PROCESS. AT THE TIME, 10 YEARS AGO, MY THREE KIDS WERE OFF ON SPRING BREAK AND WE DECIDED (THIS IS TRUE) TO BUY ONE OF THOSE EXOTIC FISHES BECAUSE MY YOUNGEST EMILY WAS ENTRALLED BY THE MOVIE, "THE LITTLE MERMAID" AND WANTED A FISH THAT LOOKED LIKE "FLOUNDER" FROM THE MOVIE. SO IN WE WENT, MYSELF AND KIDS, BUT YOU HAD TO WALK PAST THE PUPPIES TO GET TO THE FISH...WE NEVER MADE IT BY THE PUPPIES! THERE WAS ONE LITTLE BLACK PUPPY WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BROWN EYES THAT JUST SAT AND LOOKED AT THE 4 OF US WITH THE SADDEST EXPRESSION, SAYING WITH THOSE EYES, "PLEASE TAKE ME". AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DID! WE BOUGHT HIM ON THE SPOT! THEN, I CALLED MY HUSBAND ON THE WAY HOME AND SAID, WELL, WE DIDN'T GET THE FISH, BUT WE GOT A PUPPY!!

OREO WAS NOT A PURE BREED, HE FLUNKED TWICE OBEDIENCE SCHOOL, BUT HE HAD A HEART THAT WAS MADE OUT OF GOLD AND KINDNESS. HE NEVER ONCE SNAPPED AT ANYONE AND WAS JUST SOOOO HAPPY TO BE AMOUNG KIDS WHO (IN THE BEGINNING) DOTTED ON HIM! THEY SOON TIRED OF THEIR NEW TOY, BUT I NEVER DID. HE WAS AMAZING TO ME. HE WAS MY PAL AND WHEN EVERYONE WENT TO SCHOOL, IT WAS JUST OREO AND ME. HE WAS MY SHADOW, MY TRUE BUDDY, MY LOVE! I LOVED OREO LIKE I DID ONE OF MY KIDS. HE BECAME PART OF MY FAMILY SO FAST.

A WEEK AGO HE STARTED GRADUALLY NOT EATING AND THEN ON LAST FRIDAY, URINATED BLOOD. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK HIM TO THE VET WHERE THEY PERFORMED BLOOD TESTS AND TOLD ME HE WAS EXTREMELY ANEMIC AND THAT HE HAD A DISEASE THAT IS SIMILAR TO LUEKEMIA IN HUMANS. THE PROGNOSIS WAS NOT GOOD, BUT THEY REFERRED ME TO AN ANIMAL MEDICAL HOSPITAL ABOUT 20 MILES AWAY, WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK HIM THERE, WHERE WE FOUND OUT THIS DISEASE HAD DAMAGED HIS HEART AND THEY GAVE HIM OXYGEN BUT TOLD US WITH THE RIGHT MEDS, HE MAY HAVE ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO. THERE WAS HOPE, HE CAME HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, BUT EACH DAY BECAME WEAKER AND WEAKER UNTIL TODAY, AT 2:57 HIS HEART STOPPED BEATING. HIS HEAD WAS IN MY LAP AND HE WAS LOOKING AT ME CRY AND THEN HE JUST STOPPED BREATHING.

THAT'S THE TYPE OF DOG OREO WAS. NEVER WANTING ANYTHING, ONLY YOUR HAPPINESS. ALWAYS WANTING TO PLEASE.

WE WERE SPARRED HAVING TO HAVE HIM PUT TO SLEEP, GOD JUST CALLED HIM AND LIKE THE GREAT DOG HE WAS, HE WENT QUIETLY.

MY HEART IS BROKEN, BUT I KNOW HE IS IN THE BEST PLACE POSSIBLE, WITH GOD AND MY DAD WHO, WHILE HE WAS ALIVE, ALSO LOVED OREO!

I WILL MISS MY PAL, BUT HE WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE IN MY HEART. YOU SEE, OREO, YOU CAN GO, BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME...I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT BUDDY.

SECRET SWAPPER IS REVEALED!!!!

TODAY I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO RECEIVE MY SPRING SWAP FROM MY SECRET SWAP SISTER....DEBBIE IN NEW YORK!!!! WHAT BEAUTIFUL "SPRING" THINGS I RECEIVED. COASTERS, T-TOWEL, PINCUSHION AND LOTS MORE!! IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS IN APRIL!!!!

WEATHER HERE IS FINALLY GETTING WARMER, SO AM BACK AT WALKING MY "OREO" AFTER DINNER AND IT FEELS SOOOOO GOOD! MY NEIGHBOR'S DAFFODILS HAVE ERUPTED AND THEIR COLOR IS SO BEAUTIFUL! MY DAY LILIES ARE STARTING TO PEEK OUT OF THE DIRT, SO AM ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THEIR ARRIVAL. ISN'T IT FUNNY THAT LITTLE SURPRISES CAN MAKE YOU SO HAPPY?

SPRING IS SUCH A GREAT TIME WHEN ALL OF NATURE SEEMS TO START OUT WITH A CLEAN SLATE! I WISH HUMANS COULD DO THAT EACH SPRING, WOULDN'T THAT BE SO COOL? JUST WIPE CLEAN ALL THE MISTAKES YOU MADE THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND START NEW. MAYBE I SHOULD TRY THAT...MAYBE THAT IS WHY GOD GAVE US SPRING. TO HAVE NEW OUTLOOKS, SEE PAST PEOPLES IMPERFECTIONS, SEE PAST OUR IMPERFECTIONS, CHANGE BEHAVIOR (LIKE GAINING PATIENCE), OH THAT WOULD BE A GREAT ONE FOR ME! BE KINDER TO ONE ANOTHER, LAUGH MORE, PRAY MORE! APPRECIATE EVERYTHING I HAVE BEEN GIVEN, MORE! MAYBE I WILL MARK MY CALENDAR (AS OF TODAY) TO START "MY" SPRING CLEANING... YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD THING TO DO! AFTER ALL, YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE...

LOTS OF HUGS TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BLOG....AND A SPECIAL "THANK-YOU" TO DEBBIE IN NY...YOU BRIGHTENED UP MY DAY WITH ALL YOUR "SPRING" SURPRISES!

MARY

SPRING SECRET SWAP WITH PAT SLOAN'S YAHOO GROUP

HI FELLOW BLOGGERS!!

HAPPY FRIDAY! TODAY I FINISHED MY COASTERS TO BE SENT TO MY SPRING SECRET SWAPPER! I ALSO ADDED SOME "SPRINGY" THINGS TO SEND TO MY SECRET LADY! THIS SWAP IS BEING DONE BY PAT SLOAN YAHOO GROUP, AND ONCE WE GOT OUR "SECRET SWAP QUILT SISTER" WE WERE TO MAKE EITHER A T-TOWEL OR COASTERS. SO....I PICKED COASTERS! I HAND AND MACHINE APPLIQUED THESE LITTLE DARLINGS AS MY SWAPPER LOVES FLOWERS. THEN I FOUND IN CRATE & BARREL THESE T-TOWELS, AND WELL, I JUST HAD TO BUY THESE FOR HER. I ALSO FOUND THE BLUE BOX AT MICHAELS AND HAVE BEEN FILLING IT ALL WEEK WITH "SPRING THINGS"!!
OH SOOOO MUCH FUN! I DID ADD SOME CANDY, BUT COULD NOT TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT, AS THEN IT WOULD GIVE IT AWAY.

I WILL POST NEXT WEEK HER FIRST NAME AND WHY I PICKED THE COLOR "BLUE", HINT, HINT AND THE FLOWERS, ANOTHER BIG HINT, HINT.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

HUGS,

MARY

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO!!!!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Happy Saturday!! Hubby took Saturday off to spend some quality time with family. Yeah! The two oldest were home from college for weekend and youngest did not have anything planned, Yet, so we took them to the Art Institute!

Because I am "digital" here are some pictures from our day.

The first two are "lovely children in car"... (why are there two pictures? you ask, because Oldest Diva had to take sunglasses off)

Now, back to the road, Oh Wait! We must stop for breakfast...they have to have their Mocha's and Pie, so... here we are at Baker's Square...why are they hitting one another with the menu's? Oh, sooo much fun, did I tell them they were young adults? Oh, I must have fogotten to tell them...Darn! I knew I forgot something to teach them!

Now on to the Art Institute... Here is the front, some inside shots of exhibits, one of my and the girls, and now that we have been "cultured", we are heading home...

They are now screaming for me to put away camera, but they didn't know I was behind them and took this one anyway...

Oh, and I forgot lovely shots of Lake Michigan...

This one I just have to add, before we left I took this picture of a man's backside on a bench. I call it "Butt on Bench" (actually did not know camera was on...and I snapped it, mistakenly), yeah, right?

So stayed tuned for next month's adventure when "Hubby takes Off Work" where we will end up!!

Hugs,

Mary

Opps, Oldest says I never put her on my blog...well, here ya go Sweetie!