Trying to Decide

A big thank you to those of you have responded for my request for blue fabric. Thank you so much I really appreciate the help with my request and it means a great deal to me.
Well, the blue fabric for the foundation squares for my moms quilt is here. I still like it but was thinking maybe white would be better. So below is two pics. One with the white as the background and one with the blue that I originally wanted to use. What do you think, is the white better? It has a more crisp clean look than the blue. As I will be using all tpes and shades of blues will the white be better than the blue for the colors showing at their best......I thought I had settled this in my mind but now I don't know. I am going to sleep on it and would appreciate any advice concerning the two. What are your thoughts.

The White Block

 The Blue Block

this is a doodle page out of my art journal

Note to self use darker ink for photo's as the purple does not show up as well. This is a page that I doodled a few days ago while waiting for clothes to dry. Well off to bed I have an early start on tomorrow.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

Pillowcases and More

This guy fabric has turned into five pillowcases for soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. I have had the star wars fabric for a while as I was going to make a quilt for my son, but then he discovered dragons and that was the end of that. So I decided to make these pillowcases for the service men/women who are serving our country and putting their lives on the line for us to have all this wonderful freedom we enjoy. It is a small thing to do and I am so glad to be able to do something for them. My dad is a former seaman who served during the Korean War. This is my way of saying thank you to those who serve. I will be making more of these as time allows. I have posted previously about this project that Debra Spinic you can find it here: http://operationpillowcase.blogspot.com/ is spearheading and she has even set up a blog that you can go to and check out all the other pillowcases being made. While there sign up to make some and know that you are bringing a little bit of sunshine into a soldiers life.

Next up is this wonderful needle case that is the second gift of my prize from Cheryl over at "Willowberry Designs". The first one she made never made it here, so she was kind enough to make me another one. She also sent this great doily with the needle case. I will be using the doily in an upcoming crazy quilt block, maybe the "Peacock Tails" block. Anyhow, a big thank you to Cheryl for the needle case redo.

Look what finally came in the mail! I have been admiring these blocks on several blogs that are making this quilt. I fell instantly in love with this quilt and just knew that I had to make one. I finally got the information to order me a book and it has finally arrived!

Ok so now I have decided that not only am I going to make myself one but I am going to make my mom one also (hers will take precedence over mine at the moment as mine will be a swip). My mom will be turning 76 this coming August and I want to make this basket quilt for her in blue. Those of you who read my blog knows about her having a stroke in Oct. of this past year along with her congestive heart failure. We are so happy just to have her with us and I wanted to do something special for her. She loves blue in all shades so I am going to make the baskets in blues. I am also going to ask those who have some scraps that you may be going to be getting rid of I would love to have them if they are in shades of blue. If you want to donate some stash to this project you can email me at stitchduchess2@yahoo.com and let me know. My stash is very limited on blues so I will be purchasing blue along the way. I have a really pretty blue mottled fabric that I will be using for the background. As soon as it arrives I will post a pic of it. In the meantime I will be gathering blues for her quilt and cutting out baskets. I need 300 baskets for this project so lots of cutting in my future. I figure if I do 20 basket blocks a week it will take me 3 1/2 months to piece if I do so by hand then another month to quilt by hand. So if I start at the beginning of Feb. I should have this quilt finished and ready for her at the beginning of June or middle of July at the latest. That is what I will be shooting for as a finish date. Then I can wrap it and it will be ready for her birthday on August 26th. This will give me a little bit of room if for some reason I do not get 20 baskets done in a week. They are 6" blocks so I should be able to whip them out fairly easy. That would be 4 blocks a day if I have the baskets all cut and ready to go every week. So when the block fabric gets here I will cut out all 300 blocks and then that part will be done. Until then I will be cutting out the baskets from the blue fabric that I already have in my stash. I don't know how many baskets that will be, but it will be a start. And of course if I have them ready and basted I can keep some in a bag to take with me to Dr. appts and such. My hands will be very busy the coming months will this quilt and the rrs that I am participating in. I will post pics of basket progress each week and this will help to keep me on my schedule of blocks. Some days I might be able to do more blocks which will be ok too. As I said earlier in the post mine will be a slow work in progress and I will be doing mine in batiks I think. I should have enough batiks in my stash to do this quilt in a king size for my bed. I don't know what kind of background for mine as of yet maybe black.........or white I don't know yet. I know there is more than one of these in my quilting future because I love the pattern so much. Maybe a wall hanging and table runner..........the possibilities are endless with this pattern.

Happy Stitching Everyone,

Wendy

Another Block: Now "Peacocks Tail"

Remember the peacock fabric that my swap partner from the "Homemade Christmas" swap gave me. Well today I made up a block with it. This will be framed in a shadow box to go in my peacock room. The block is 17x17 inches a really good size block. When I pulled the fabrics for this block I tried to use colors that were actually in the fabric. I think I did pretty well with it. All fabric was shopped from my stash so I did not have to buy any. This block will be encrusted when finished as I love the look of all those beads and goodies that you use when you encrust a block. I really enjoyed the making of this block. I flipped and sewed some and some I hand pieced such as the fans. I also tried the method that Amy Munson uses to piece her fans you can find her here: http://in-the-fold.blogspot.com/  She is very talented and she had shared on CQI how she pieced her fans.  I have always pieced my like I do when I paper piece in traditional or sane quilting. Since crazy quilting is all about thinking outside the box I used a different method this time. I think all four of the fans turned out well and will see how I like them when they are embellished with thread and such. I am not sure I like the raw edges at this point but I am willing to try new techniques. I love the colors of the block and the great thing is I still have some of the fabric so I can make something else as well. Maybe a tablerunner for the room.......stay tuned and see what I make with the remaining fabric at a later date......... Anyhow below is a pic of my block. I will be working on this as a slow work in progress and hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer. That is what I am shooting for as a finish date for this block. Well time to do some reading to relax. Oh I just thought.....I need to come up with a name for this block.........hmmmmm will have to think about it for a little bit........

I just love that peacock fabric.  Some pillows for the room would be nice........okay I'm out of here until tomorrow.

Edited: Thanks to Beena the block now has a name "Peacocks Tail"

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Quilting Gallery Winter Mini Quilt Swap

Quilting Gallery is having sign ups for the Winter Theme Mini Quilt Swap. The registration for this swap closes on January 31st with the mini quilts being mailed out to your partner on March 1st for overseas and March 8 for domestic.  Your partner information will be emailed to you on Feb. 2, 2010.

I have great results from the swaps with this group. I have always recieved great little quilts. If you want to be a part of a fun group and meet new quilting friends then you need to come and join this swap. You will not regret it I promise. Loads of fun is just waiting for you so go on over to the "Gallery" and sign up for this great swap.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

A Redo of Some Gifties

I participated in the Secret Angel Swap again this year and the lovely lady that I sent to never recieved her goodies. I guess they went swimming while crossing the ocean and maybe the whales decided to keep them.lol Anyhow, I have been working on replacing them for her between all the things that happened in the last month or so. They are now ready and I am  sending them out to her and am showing a small peek of what I am sending. I am not showing the main item yet..........because I want it to be a suprise for Jacqueline. It has lots of hand stitching and is in her favorite color of red and is for her kitchen. That is all I can say about it at the moment. The other two are very different and I hope she will like them. I could not get anymore of the original fabric that I used since I shopped my stash. So I made these two items keeping to the rose theme. The kitchen item is not of the rose theme but I know she will like it as it is in her favorite color. Here is the pic of the smaller items sent out to her.

I will post her main gift after she recieves it. Hope you like you gifties Jacqueline.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

What I've Been Up To

I have been piecing blocks for several RR's and have them all ready. I usually hand piece my blocks but this time I decided to flip and sew. I don't particularly like this way of piecing but sometimes change is good. This was one of those times. Over the next few days I will be posting pics of the blocks that I have made recently for the RR's. Todays blocks are for the "Encrusted" DYB over at CQI. They will finish at 6x6 inches when sewn together. I always start with an 8" block to account for shrinkage during the stitching. I am glad that I do this and especially this time as the blocks will be encrusted which causes more shrinkage than normal I have found. I am really excited about this rr and have wanted to do one for a long time. I finally decided on my theme and chose Mardi Gras. Its fun and I can use all my favorite colors. I found some really fun fabric that I used for the centers of each block. I really need to go back and get more fabric to make a sane quilt with the same fabric. I like it that much. Anyhow enjoy the eye candy.

The pic does not do the colors justice on these blocks. They are very fun blocks and I can't wait to see how they come back home all encrusted and beautiful.


edited: the really dark patches on the lower blocks are a really nice blue, the same as the blue in the upper right hand side on the uppper right block.. And the Green on the lower left is actually the same green as the block next to it. I don't know why the colors showed so dark in the pics.
Happy Stitching,
Wendy

First Finishes of 2010

These are my first finishes of the year. They are small but still finishes. I have made 12 postcards and have sent them out. They are all in the mail on the way to their new homes.

I have more coming this next week stay tuned. I have started working on the black and white blocks. And I am working on something very special and will have details on that later also.

On another note Debra from here: http://operationpillowcase.blogspot.com/ is aksing for help in making pillowcases for soldiers. She needs 50 pillowcases by the end of Feb. I have signed up how about you. If you would like to be a part of this great effort go on over and sign up. While there you will want to go to her regular blog and look at all the creative wonderfulness over on her sewing quilting blog. She is greatly talented and does awesome work. Her other blog can be found here:  http://debraspincicdesignstudio.blogspot.com/ 

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

Black/White Blocks Finished

Well all of the blocks are finally all pieced! I was undecided on the handle for the center fan for a while but finally decided to use black instead white and I like it much better. I had wavered between the two for a few days and finally decided that the black velvet looked much better than white satin. I could not find any white velvet around here anywhere and now I am glad. I am happy with the results of todays sewing session. Now to embellish the rest of the blocks. Take a look see.

Closeup of the center block

Happy Stitching Everyone,
Wendy

Progress on Black/White Crazy Quilt

I am making progress on my Black/White crazy quilt. I am almost finished piecing all of the blocks. I made four blocks on yesterday and need to finish two more small ones plus the big middle block. I hope to have it all pieced and ready to embellish by Monday am. I love the black/white combination together. Six of the blocks are from an RR that I just completed on CQI. The rest I will be working on over the next month or so. It has taken me forever to decide on the center block, but finally I have drawn the pattern for the centerpiece onto my muslin. I decided on a central fan and four corner fans for the quilt. I finally came up with a center fan that I am pleased with after many drawings and fussing with the handle I have decided I am happy with it. All the blocks finish at 8" except the center block and it is 17" x 17" and will finish at 16". I was going to piece all the corner fans differently but as you can see from the lower left block and the two upper blocks that I have changed my mind. I am going to go with the upper blocks and will have to redo the outer fabric on the fan on the lower left block. I like the upper fans because they bring cohesiveness to the blocks. The outer fabric is in each of the other blocks as well. Below is a pic of my quilt in progress. I will post again when the other two blocks are finished, the one block is corrected and the center block is complete.

Now back to the sewing room for more work on these blocks. Hopefully I will have these completed in the next day or so. Until then Happy Stitching,

Wendy

I have joined One Project A Month Again This Year!

I enjoyed myself so much last year and was able to complete so many projects that I decided to join in again this year. If you want to join you need to hurry on over as the space is limited this year to 150. You can click the button on my sidebar and it will take you to Kris's place at http://tagalongteddies.blogspot.com/ so you can sign up. Last year I finished projects that I thought would be wip for a long time. So now we begin a new year and I am looking forward to the challenge. I plan to finish a few bed quilts this year along with other projects.                                                                    

Happy Stitiching

Wendy                                      

Great Giveaway

Sue over on Alderwood Quilts is having a 100 followers giveaway here: http://alderwoodquilts.blogspot.com/2010/01/100-followers-and-giveaway.html  Gone on over and check out her blog. The giveaway is some great batik fat quarters and a pattern by Ricky Tims. Of course I hope to win since I love batiks.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Project Update

Hopefully I will be finished with this shawl sometime during the next week. I like the look of this shawl but crocheting it would have been quicker for me. I guess in time you get faster with knitting as you do more projects. I sure hope so. I can say it has been a relaxing project for me and I will post again when finished. There is actually more done than shows in this photo. I just wanted to update this project as it will be my first finish for 2010.

Happy Stitching Everyone,
Wendy

Photos of Some RR's and Swaps

I am having trouble sleeping so I thought I would write up this post that I have been needing to get up. I am tired but not sleepy and I hope I do not misspell any words. Especially since blogger no longer has a spell check. Or maybe it is just mine that does not work anymore. Anyhow, here goes with this post.

With everything that has went on in the past month I have not been able to post about some RR's and swaps that I have been in. I have one swap that was lost in the mail and had to redo the gifties. They are now on the way to their new home and I will post as soon as it arrives at my swap partner Jacqs home. It is traveling across the water to a very cold place in the Netherlands. Hope it arrives soon Jacq.

First up is Marci's Flower Fairy block and this is the last block for me in this RR. I am now finished working on all the blocks in this rr and they are on the way home to Marci. I had a lot of fun working on each of the blocks in this rr. So much so that I joined another Flower Fairy RR that will be starting soon. I hope Marci likes what I have done to the block. This was a DYB which means each person makes six 6" blocks and each person in the rr finishes one whole block. This one is done in purple and blues and I really like the combination.

Next up is the final block in the Black/White RR and this block belongs to Simona in Italy. She had added a red center to her blocks and wanted only the seams finished with red thread. I enjoyed working on her block as well and hope she likes the seam treatments I completed on the block. I actually used some new to me seam treatments, one of which is the snails trail. It took some practice before I was able to get it right but finally it came together and I was able to put it on the block. The other stitch was the blanket stitch used like the feather stitch. It was easy and I will be using this style of feather stitch again. I will be mailing out Simona's blocks to her on today.

Next is the Christmas swap that Heidi hosted called a "Vintage Christmas". My partner was Tanya  and this is what I sent to her:

All wrapped up and ready to go...........But wait.........I just have to put in one more item........

Remember this lapgahn........Well I just had to put it in her box as well. I love to make these and wanted to do something extra special for her.  So I decided to take this out of the shop and give it to a special someone.

This is what she sent to me:

This stocking is gorgeous and the photo does do it any justice. I absolutely love it! She also sent vintage buttons (I can use these in my crazy quilts), vintage textile wash, a gorgeous piece of peacock fabric and a log cabin ruler that I so wanted for Christmas.  There were also some wonderfully creamy candy that went really fast! And some thread. I love all of it and will be using the fabric in an upcoming project. Below is a better photo of the stocking hanging on the wall.......Isn't it wonderful!

I will be posting more pics as soon as the one swap reaches its home. I also have some photos of coming up projects and another swap that is due on the 18th and will post pics of that as soon as the quilt arrives at its new home.

Next is the prize I won from Willowberry Designs. Only one of the packages arrived and here it is. The other one was lost in transit............I guess it is taking the scenic route.lol Anyhow I wanted to show you these wonderful patterns and the fabric and goodies that did arrive at my house.

I don't do the whole new years resolution thingy, but I will be sharing what I would like to accomplish over this next year in the next day or so. Well I am finally getting sleepy so I will say good night or good morning where ever you are. I am off to get some much needed sleep.

May Gods' peace abound in your life

Happy Stitching

Wendy

2009 In Pics

                                                           
A year in pics! These are some of the things I did in 2009. Some were my personal projects, some rr's, some for swaps and gifts. Each item represents time spent stitching and creating. Some are new to me crafts such as knitting and beading. I hope to have even more this coming year.

End of Year Post

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well here we are at the end of another year. It seems as if time flies the older you become which is ok by me. I debated on whether to write a closing out the year post this year as we have had so many hard days behind us. Then I decided that even though this has been a rough year on us, it has also been a year of miracles for us. And not all days and months have been hard or sorrowful ones for us.  As a family we have had some wonderful times along the way this year and as stated in previous posts we had three miracles in one day! We have been truly blessed even during the hard and trying weeks before and during the Christmas holidays. This year has been one of laughter as well as tears that has caused me to reflect on how blessed I truly am. Even in the midst of tragedy God has still been good to my family.  I love this verse from the Word of God:

Romans 8:28

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We may not know why we go through a certain situation, but I do know that God is always there directing our steps and giving us comfort when we need it the most.

I want to thank each and every person who has left me wonderful comments not only during our loss of the past week, but all through the year when you post on my work or family issues that I blog about. I read them all and really appreciate them. I try to answer back when possible.

For those of you who commented here or emailed me about our recent loss, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words and the prayers you have sent up for my family. They have helped not only me during this hard time, but my daughter as well.

I do have some good news to share with everyone. My sister was able to bring Mike home before Christmas! Which is such a blessing. He is bed bound and has to have an ambulance to go to Dr. appt. but at least he is home and recovering. It will be another six months before he can put any weight on his hips or feet due to the injuries he sustained in the accident. He grows stronger with each day and only has a couple more drainage tubes from all the surguries to be removed! We thank God daily for what He has done in our family. Mike is upbeat and looking forward to the upcoming new year. Hopefully this next year will see him up and walking by Christmas of 2010. I will continue to update his progress here from time to time.

I have participated in many swaps and rr's this past year and have made many new friends along the way. I am looking forward to the new year and know that all is well and in Gods' hands.

To all my friends in cyber space thank you for your friendship and may this new year be full and prosperous for you. May your quilting and crafting muse be better than ever and challenged in this new year to greater heights. May your homes be blessed and filled with much happiness in the upcoming year.

God bless each of you and have a very Happy New Year!

Wendy

In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory

of

"Payton Ryan Davis"

December 20th, 2009

Heavy Heart

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I am once again asking prayer for my family. This is for my daughter who was expecting a son due in Feb.12th of 2010. The baby has died invitro and will be delivered stillborn this evening. Please keep Frostie and Brian along with their other two children in your prayers please. I will be taking a blog break until after the services for the baby are held sometime next week.

Payton Ryan Davis
Born:December 20th, 2009 7:20 am Died same

3lbs 14oz, 17 1/2"


Rest in the arms of Christ "Payton Ryan Davis" and know that you are loved by those you never got to meet. With all my love, Gran.

Thank you in advance for all your prayers,

Wendy

Update on Mike

Hi everyone, it seems that I am always updating on Mike and no sewing, quilting. Well I will have a quilty post later on today sometime before midnight. Anyhow, about Mike, we thought he was going to get to come home today, but yesterday they had to do emergency exploritory surgery to find a problem causing him to swell. He looked like he was pregnant! Anyhow, they found that his feeding tube in his stomach did not seal and was leaking in his abdomen which was causing the swelling. They fixed it and now we wait. Talk about being dissappointed, both he and my sister were so upset. He has been through so much, now this. He will be in hospital for a while longer. But, at least they found it before he was sent home. Which will give time for a ramp and porch to be built onto their home for him. The hospital bed and hoist was delivered yesterday in prep. for his coming home. All the doors have to be redone to fit a wheelchair. He will be in a wheelchair for the next yr. or more. It will be six months before he can put any weight on either of his legs, so learning to walk will start after he can stand up on them and bear weight. That means he is going to be out of work for a long time and her job does not pay very much. Our family (that is my dh,dd and ds along with me) have decided to forgo gifts this year and will be giving the money we would normally spend to my sister and her husband as they need it more. We have already recieved the best Christmas gift this year in the life of my son being spared  with no major injuries in the accident. As a family we know what is most important in life and that is love and what you do with it. Christmas is a time of giving and each of us love to give, so what better way to show that love than to pool our money and give it to my sister and her husband who happen to be in need. We are so excited to be doing this and some of our other family members will be giving to them as well. We will present them will our gifts in the coming weeks and our deepist wish is that nothing else will go wrong and Mike will be home for Christmas where he belongs. So please keep him and his family in your prayers for a speedy recovery from this surgery. And again thank you to all who have been praying for Mike, we so appreciate it.

I will post a crafty blog later with photos of some things I have in process and some things I have recieved as well. I am also wanting to do Mike a lap quilt for his wheelchair if you have ideas of a simple pattern and size I would so appreciate it. Maybe I will make him a bed organizer as well to match his quilt. Have a great day and happy stitching!

Wendy

A Great Giveaway

Hi everyone, Cathy over at http://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.com/ is having a great giveaway with some really nice items. She has a total of six lots so go on over and sign up to win one. While there browse her site with all her creative adventures. Here is a pic of the lot I would love to win.

Look at all the great items in this lot! I would love to win this and use in future crazy quilt projects.

Update on Mike: He was put in a step down room today! Praise God! My sisters birthday is tomorrow and what a great present for her. Hopefully over the next week or so they can wean him off the trach and close that up and then the feeding tube hopefully. All surgeries are done. Now will be healing then the intense therapy as he learns to walk again and such. Which the Dr. says will take from 1 1/2 yrs to 2yrs. It will be 3months before he can put any weight on his right ankle that was crushed. Now it is all titanium plates and pins, so it takes that long for the bone to attatch and be strong enough to hold up to working. Everything is healing wonderfully and he has had no more blood loss. Which for us is wonderful, at least we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and now we know that he will live and get better.  Again thank you for all your well wishes and prayers for Mike. Please keep them in your prayers as the long period of recovery is beginning.

Wendy

Gratitudes:
Love of my heavenly Father
Family, Health
For Mikes recovery increasing every day
For giving me my creative ability

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who reads my blog. Just wanted to list a few things that I am thankful for .

That I serve an awesome heavenly Father
The miracle of life that God gave us in the previous month for my Mom, Coy, Elijah and Mike.
For life everlasting
My husband of 21 yrs.
My children and grandchildren
My parents
My health and that of my family
My home
My friends

I could list more but these are just a few. Each member of our family always tells what they are thankful for while we are at the table. Today was no different and we as a family have so much to be thankful for.

Update on Mike: he was in surgery for 10hrs. on yesterday and this will be his last surgery! God has been so good to us. He is gaining strength everyday and is  fighting with all he has. We are looking forward to the day we can bring him home to celebrate.

Wishing each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving
Wendy

Flower Fairy RR Blocks

I tried three times to post this last night and it just would not do it. So, I am giving it a go again this afternoon. I have been working on a few more of the flower fairy rr blocks and have mailed them off. The first one is Cathy's block and I think this is my favorite block of all. Not that this block is prettier than the others, but that each stitch was put in place during the first hours and days of the accident. This little block kept me sane during the long hours of waiting until we knew if Mike would live or not. I have always favored the apple blossom fairies anyhow, but this block was worked on during a trying time for us as a family. I will always think of Mike when I see this particular fairy flitting about. It was really hard to mail this one on, but she is making her way to Marci and eventually home to Cathy to live and give enjoyment. I hope Cathy likes what I have done to her block. I know I enjoyed working on it.

The next block belongs to Karrin and is a pretty block if I do say so myself. I enjoyed working on this block for her and hope she likes what I have added. This was a fun block as well to work on and was also hard to stop adding to it.

I am now working on Marci's block and hope to have it finished by next week-end and in the mail to her. I have mailed out some swap items, but cannot post about them until they reach their new homes. That's it on the crafty side for  today.

Update on Mike: He had a trach put in today to remove the tubes from his mouth and throat area as he has developed thrush from the tubing. They also inserted a feeding tube into his stomach since he cannot eat at this time. The blood clot is still in his lung but shows no signs of movement as they placed an umbrella above and below to keep it from moving. Hopefully after all the surgeries they can try and dissolve the clot. For now he is off all blood thinner because it causes him to bleed out. All in all Misty said he is having a good day today as she is the only one allowed back in his trauma unit to see him at this time. So we sit and wait with her between visitations and someone stays with her at night.

Happy Stitching
Wendy

Gratitudes:
1) That I serve an awesome heavenly Father
2) My loving family
3) Another day granted to me so I can make a difference in someone elses life.

Update on Mike

Well I have some updating to do on RR and such, but first I want to give an update on Mike. Last Monday they called all the family in not expecting Mike to make it through the night. God has once again pulled him through. He has taken a turn for the better praise God! After having bottomed out and losing so much blood ( he has needed 28 pints thus far) the dr. did not have much hope. But he has come through and is doing much better. Mike has went from 100% on the respirator to 10%, which is very good. They have brought him out of the drug induced coma and he is alert although unable to talk due to the vent. They did another surgery on him yesterday to put a rod in his femur. All went well and no complications from surgery like the last time. He is alert although in pain, which for us and him is great news. They did another xray on his right hip as it was to be done in surgery next, but the Dr. said it looked like it had algned itself and was knitting back together like it should! Praise God! Some may not believe like we do, but we know that God has set that hip and started the healing process. So that leaves only three more surgeries to go. Both on his ankles and the lower right leg. Things are looking up. Yes there is going to be a long process of these surgeries and then rehab as he will have to learn to walk again, but at least he is alive and able to do so. It could have been much worse. God is still God and He has done miraculous things for our family during all this. For those of you who have commented and said prayers for us thank you. We appreciate all the prayers and thoughts of all of you. They mean so much to us as a family and my sister and her family. God is so good to us!  Please continue to keep Mike and his family in your prayers as his progress goes forth. I will be updating on him weekly to let those who want to know about his recovery. You can come here if you like. I am so glad that my big bear of a brother is doing so much better. He is well loved by all of us and we can't wait until we can bring him home again. Again thank you for all the prayers and comments.

Wendy

Secret Angel Stitcher Gifts Arrived/ Update on Mike

Hi everyone, first let me give an update on Mike. They did surgery on him yesterday to stabalize his femur in his left leg. It is broken in two places and had nicked his aorta artery which is why he kept losing blood. As of yesterday post surgery he has had eight pints of blood. They did not fix the bone they just stabalized it and repaired the artery. Tomorrow they will be going back into surgery to rebrake his pelvic bone and reset it. As long as he stays stable they will continue with the surgeries until all is completed. Which means four more to go after tomorrows surgery to fix both hips, a crushed ankle, a broken ankle and another broken leg (lower small bone on this one). Please continue to keep him in your prayers. As it stands now, the Dr.s are hoping to get all these surgeries completed so Mike will have a better chance of walking again. The longer it takes the worse the prognosis. But we serve a big God and we know that He is still in control. We are praying for a complete recovery. Please also pray for my sister Misty as she will not leave his side. She was supposed to go for a second mamogram on this Friday as they had found a large mass in her breast. Their family is under a lot of stress at the moment and need all your prayers. Thank you so much to those who have emailed or left a comment on my blog about them. We truly appreciate your prayers.

Now for my crafty part of this post. Today in the mail I recieved my gift box from my Stitchers Angel swap partner. Her name is Gina and I was and still am totally blowed away. She just blessed my socks off is all I can say. Everything in my package is Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And she made everything according to my tastes and what I love. Everyone who has ever visited my blog knows I have a love affair with batik fabric and peacocks. My box was full of peacocks and batiks. I cannot say enough about how beautiful and thoughtful each gift is. I will treasure them always. Take a look at my bountiful blessing for today. Again thank you Gina. This is all of them before I opened them. Also there was some candy, but we have already eaten that!

Soap and a Scrubber

all the gifties again

A wonderful crocheted pot holder

A candle, look at the little flowers.

Gorgeous Batik fabric!

A peacock pin in my birthstone color

A peacock blue stocking

The most Gorgeously Beautiful Peacock Quilt!!!!!!!!!

A wonderful pin cushion.

last but not least a peacock hair barrette! The pic does not do it justice!

Gina has been the best ever stitchers angel swap partner! I love it all and I will treasure each item that you made for me. The quilt will become a family treasure to pass down through the generations. It looks lovely in my peacock room. Thank you again.

Wendy

Updating and an Award

Good morning everyone, it seems I have adopted a get up before daylight policy!lol. I have already had a few cuppas and decided to go ahead and post while I had the oportunity as I will be keeping my grannephew while Mike has surgery on today. They are going to put a rod in his thigh and rebuild his right ankle that was crushed on today. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts. This is a pic of my son, I did promise not to show the pic of his side and stomach where he was burned by the asphalt. But I did want to share this pic of him today. His glasses were destroyed in the accident so he can't see very well and the flash did not help any. He gets his new ones next week. Hard to believe he is my youngest. They grow up so fast.

Here is a pic of Bliss, she is my middle daughter and is a wonderful daughter also. These are the last at home, my oldest daughter is living in Georgia since the summer and I have no recent pics of her. She is expecting her third child in Feb. as of yet we still do not know if we are having a boy or girl.

Ok now for crafty and bloggy stuff.......My friend Martine was my secret angel last year in the Stitchers Angel swap. She has sent me the cutest little gnome for my birthday which is Friday. Yes I did open it early but just a little early. Anyhow, I wanted to post a pic of this and say a big thank you to Martine for my lovely gift and for thinking of me. Martine is very talented and you should go on over to her blog which is here: http://martinejannaas.web-log.nl/  and check out her work. She is making basket quilts to just drool over. Lots of eye candy. Thank you again Martine for my lovely little gnome.

I have recieved part of my parcel from Cheryl over at "Willowberry Designs" from her drawing. I will wait to post pics until the balance of the package arrives so I can show it all at one time. Let me tell you though, the prize is full of yummy fabrics and great patterns can't wait to share with you. I do have some stitching to share, but will have to post pics later as Dewi has arrived with the baby. Will post again soon to update on the Flower Fairy RR and of course the Black/White RR. Until then happy stitching. Also, Gerry has given me the Kreative Blogger award and I will be doing that on my next post also. Thank you for the award Gerry.

Wendy

Gratitudes:

1.) that I serve an all powerful God!

2.) my family and friends

3.) that no matter what happens in my day I am still blessed!

A Miracle For Our Family x3

Hello everyone. I just had to take a moment this morning to tell of a miracle that happened for our family on yesterday. As everyone knows this has been a hard month on my family and yesterday it rained down on us again. But in the midst of our troubles God has given us three miracles in one day. On yesterday morning my son, my nephew and my wonderful brother-in-law was in a head on crash. A lady fell asleep at the wheel while driving at a high rate of speed and came into their lane and hit them head on at the same time they were hit from behind causing the truck they were in to roll. My son was sitting next to the door on the passenger side while Elijah was in the middle with Mike driving. None had seatbelts on! which for my son has never happened before. (when questioned he said he just felt like he shouldn't put it on at the time so he didn't) The state trooper said had he had his seat belt on he would have been killed on impact of the roll over. As you can see from the pics his side was completely crushed to level of the window. You see I say a miracle times 3 for this reason. All three are alive. The boys have no major injuries. They are sore today. Coy had a 10" road rash on his right side, a small black eye and a chin bruise and cut. Elijah has a headache and is sore! Thats two miracles, that is the only injuries that these two young men recieved. Mike was not as lucky in injuries. His injuries are as follows: both hips have multiple fractures, pelvice is fractured, left femure in his thigh is broken, left ankle is broken, right lower leg is broken, right ankle is crushed, cut deep into the muscle on his upper right arm, an aortic bleed requiring 3pints of blood and brusing and scratches all over. Yet with all that he is miracle 3. They should all be dead, yet by the grace of the God that we serve they are all alive. Although yesterday was a hard day it was a good day for us. Our children are alive and Mike will recover. All because God had His hand upon our loved ones. When we got to the scene of the accident my son said " God is so good"! And He is so good to us. I thank Him for the three miracles that He gave us on yesterday. The month of October has been a hard one on us, but I will not complain as God is in control of all things. And I am so thankful that through it all God is the constant faithful and peaceful force of our lives. Everyday we encounter many things in our lives that we are not even aware of that God protects us from. And when He openly gives us a miracle, I will be faithful to openly praise Him and give Him the glory for His works in our lives. So thank you God for the three miracles on yesterday and for the miracle of my mom on last week. You are forever my strong tower and protector! There is no denying that there is a God who cares for His children and I give HIM praise for keeping my family alive on yesterday!                

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Wendy