More distractions

Tonight I shared a collection of fabric postcards I have received over a number of years through exchanges . The ladies staying at the Lodge along with one gentleman came to view them and were all quite impressed with these little pieces of art . None of them had even heard of these fabric postcards and were shocked that they had come through the mail in this manner . I also took a few minutes to explain how they are constructed and you just never know maybe someone else will catch this bug lol .
  When you are staying here going through treatments simple little activities like this help pass the time as well as distract from the reason they are here . It felt good to give them a reason to smile .
 Thanks for stopping by .
 Hugs Sheila

Little distractions

Have you ever heard of prayer flags ? Well apparently they are seen everywhere in Tibet or other countries where Buddhism is common . I took a little workshop recently a Healing Arts Program and we made these prayer flags .

These are the traditional colours,  yellow represents earth ; green / water ; red/ fire ; white /air and blue for spirit or space . They are a simple construction of rectangles of fabric each with a prayer or quote and of course you could decorate them as much or as little as you wish . Due to time restraints we simply wrote a quote on each and did a running stitch on a piece of ribbon to hold them all together . Making them and allowing the messages to sink into my somewhat overwhelmed brain gave me a sense of peace. They will hang outside our home until nature decides to take them away along with the messages they each contain . I have made more elaborate prayer flags for an exchange years ago but these simple flags will also bring messages of hope , love and faith into the universe.
 This journey we are on is challenging to say the least and things are very uncomfortable for Bill now and of course that also affects me . Please pray for us both . Thank you .
 Blessings Sheila

Life has taken another turn

Since i last posted in January our life has dramatically changed.  Bill was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his neck and also at the back of his tongue . After many appointments he had surgery on February 28th to remove all the visible cancer cells . On march 4th we returned home with me driving in a bad storm , i hate driving in bad weather but you do whst you have to do. The next day our friend plowed us out and i asked him if he would mind turning the vehicles for me . Both vehicles are large and those who know our driveway  would understand why i asked . Well it turned out that was a really great request as just as iwas about to serve supper Bill was washing up when i heard him say "oh no" , i knew almost immediately what was happening so i ran iinto the bathroom where Bill was hemmoraging . I called 911and as is their policy they started asking questions.  I decided i didn't have time to answer nor did we have time for them to get there so i told them i was taking him myself . They said so you are ending this call , yes i replied and hung up . As quickly as possible i got Bill out to the vehicle and then i drove to the hospital as quickly as possible.  We live about 5minutes away if i was doing normal speed . We met the ambulance quite close to the hospital , apparently they must check it out anyway so my decision was right , they still had at least 4pm minutes to go .

 Bill was airlifted to the hospital where the original surgery took place and subsequently spent several more days in the hospital. He is now under going radiation therapy to take care of the small cells that were not visible.

 This journey had taught me so much , most importantly what is most important and the value of a loving family who came to be at our side during this very challenging time, i don't think i could have done it without them . I also learned i am tougher than i thought and can think quickly when time is of the essence.  I do think i had some heavenly guidance when i needed it most .

 I don't have any quilting to share at the moment , as i am sure you understand sewing has taken a backseat for now .I did bring along some handwork this week though.

 Thanks for stopping by please keep us in your thoughts  .

hugs Sheila

2019 , can it really be true ?

Yes I find it hard to believe we have now entered the year 2019 , how quickly 2018 flew by even though I wasn't having fun . I am happy to leave that year behind me and hope this year will be much improved .
 I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with their families and friends and have now openly embraced this new year which is already into its second week .
 So what have I been up to , hmm let me think , I have been sewing some , not as much as I'd like but doing as much as my poor body will allow .
 I am working on the Bonnie Hunters mystery quilt but don't have a lot to share , just bits and pieces of hsts and four patch blocks , I am a long way from finished . I am also still working on the Moda Blockheads BOW, here are the most recent on my design wall

Now I have a confession to make , i have decided for my own sanity to only choose blocks I like or that won't take me forever to piece so my completed quilt will be different than the original but I am okay with that , better done than quitting . So I have replaced a couple of blocks so far with blocks I felt I could manage at this time .
 I recently joined in a weekly challenge by Darlene D'eon on the Nova Scotia online quilters FB page . Why in the world would I take on something else when I have two quilts on the go you may be asking yourself . Well simple answer is I am easily convinced especially when it  involves using up the many many scraps I have seemed to accumulate , do you think they may breed at night ? It's actually a fun block and quick to make , another bonus plus it works really well as a leader and ender block . It is the jewel box block and mine will be truly scrappy . Here are four blocks,  yes I know we are only in week two but you know how it is , you get carried away or maybe that is just me .

 Super scrappy indeed but hey it will keep someone nice and warm when it is finished . 

 Well that's all my news for now I really just wanted to touch base and wish each of you all the best for 2019 , let's make it out best year ever . 

 Hugs Sheila