It's about time...........

that I did a blogpost!!!!  Heard from a couple of you that said you are missing my posts, so here ya go ........ the big "catch-up blogpost"!!!!!!  This post will be loaded with photos and lots of thank you's!!! 
So, where should I begin? Well, I'll start with ....... I'm doing well and getting lots of rest and not "over-doing" it At All!  I have taken up residence in the little "sitting room" that is part of the master bedroom on the first floor in our house. This is my view from my comfy red chair..................

 And here is what I am working on.................

There are 23 "mostly finished" crazy quilt blocks in that pile and I am determined to put the finishing touches on them over the next three months (I want them sewn together by the end of 2012!!!).  Each block has a different crocheted heart on it that I bought on some trip or received as a gift. I started the blocks in 2000 when we organized our crazy quilting group at the Scott County Historical Society in Shakopee, MN (and if you live in the area and want to know more about the group, just e-mail me!).  I have had lots of time to stitch while I recover as my husband picked up the cooking, cleaning and laundry duties. And he was helped out in the cooking department by my friend, Barb, who brought us soup and muffins and this yummy Crescent Roll casserole that had a taco flavor to it. We ate this for dinner on Easter Sunday. Yummy! Thanks, Barb!!

A few days later, my neighbor Kathy called and said she'd like to make dinner for us and it was Crescent Roll Chicken Hotdish. Also yummy!!

I only do Crescent Rolls as 'rolls' and these were both so good that I think I need to check out some recipes for things to make with Crescent Rolls. Do you suppose there is a recipe that would involve chocolate and whipped cream and Crescent Rolls?? Sounds good and might be as tasty as Kathy's Rhubarb Crisp dessert that topped off the chicken hotdish. Thanks, Kathy!!

My friend, Doris, stopped by and brought pretty red roses and muffins. The muffins were good but, oh, how I loved the roses!! My husband is not a "flower guy" so I dearly love it when I get flowers.  They had such a lovely scent and I liked walking through the living room just get a whiff of the "scent of roses".  :-)  Thanks, Doris!!

The flowers that my daughter and son-in-law sent when I was in the hospital lasted almost two weeks before I had to remove the big lily flowers.  They started to crumble but the carnations and daisies are still looking good. I'm amazed they are lasting into a third week!

A couple weeks before I went in for surgery my daughter gave me a gift that she intended to give me at Christmas. Do you ever do that? You know, buy a gift, then set it aside and find it long after the date.  Collette and I do that all the time!!!!! So anyway, here's the bag she gave me.............

and it's one of those expandable totes from Thirty-One gifts (you'll find the bag here). She thought it would be great for me to fill it with quilts when I present my quilting program. I agree!

Inside the bag, were all these neat gifts which came in handy for making notes and writing thank you's when I was at the hospital. Thanks, Collette!

At about the same time, Collette gave me her gifts, my sister, Judy, sent a package with OREOS!!!! Yay!! and this lovely journal where I have kept some notes of this interesting health related journey. The journal is from the Ellie Claire line and can be found here.

I ate all the OREOS long before I went to the hospital so I can't show you what they look like but I am guessing you all know anyway. LOL!  Judy also does the "buy a gift and forget to give it thing".  Must run in the family.  She found this old-fashioned Ball canning jar that has a modern touch! Some folks are so clever! Just add a lotion pump and Voila!! it's a hand-lotion dispenser!!  Very handy to keep next to my sewing chair. Thanks, Judy!

So, as noted, with all this food and gifts, and the husband doing the usual housework, I had time to stitch........so, I finished the hand-quilting on this 30's print tablerunner!! With a project finished, this means I can start something new!

So I decided to play with my beading stuff and made some bracelets and earrings. I love the bead aisle at Michael's and treat myself to a strand of beads every so often. Mostly, I make things just for me or my daughter although I made a couple pieces for my sister and for a giveaway. I am a novice at this and worry that my pieces will fall apart although..........so far, so good. :-)

I spent a couple nights working with beads and both nights we were getting rain. One band of showers left behind this pretty rainbow.....

The photo was taken from our upstairs bedroom window. By the time I got downstairs and outside for a photo...........the rainbow was barely there.  They are so pretty and they last such a short time!
One thing that will last a long time is all the cards and good wishes that I received the last three weeks. I hung a picture frame in the family room where I kept tucking the cards and as you can see, I ran out of room!!

Thank you all so much for the good wishes. They really lifted my spirits!!!
I figured that was about the end of the cards but then yesterday.........and just when I was thinking, "I cannot do one more word search puzzle!!!"..... I walked out to the mailbox and found a big package that I wasn't expecting...........

And then I saw it was from Sharon at Daisy*Cottage*Quilting and inside was her signature polka dot tissue paper wrapped around...........

these lovely gifts!!! I was so surprised and I squealed when I saw that zippered bag. I am such a "pink lady" and just love it!!! Sharon is a blogging friend that I've never met in person but it hasn't stopped us from being friends. BFF's, you know, just like Paris Hilton. :-)  Thanks so much, Sharon!!!

Okay, a couple more "gifts" and this card with those sweet red, white and blue fabrics comes from Linda in Virginia who is in my Seasons BOM Yahoo group. And, just like Sharon, I've never met Linda but when I started blogging and hosting the Yahoo groups, I started adding friends from all over the U.S. and "across the pond", and "down under" and "over here" and "over there" and it has been fantastic! Thanks, Linda!!!

When I went to mailbox today, there was another unexpected package. This one came from Jacquelynne at The*Noble*Wife blog.  You all may remember that Jacquelynne has shared fabrics from her collection and several of you won a few charm packs and patterns. I have a project and giveaway planned for this summer that will involve Jacquelynne's fabrics so there will be another chance to win. Thanks, Jacquelynne for the card and great CD!

Okay, so are you still with me?? Yes, this is a long blogpost but I had lots of "catch-up" to do. And speaking of "catch-up", here is a tiny project that I took along to stitch on when I was in the hospital................

You can see by the size of my Tracphone that this is a tiny quilt. It's not pieced but instead is a piece of white cotton muslin that I drew the quilt design on and then carefully colored it with markers. It was a project that we did in the Midwest*Miniature*Guild back in the late 1980's. SO, talk about a project that needed some "catch-up"!! This one was it!!  I am very carefully hand-quilting the little piece and it will eventually go on a bed in the dollhouse that my dad built about the same time I started this quilt. So that I'll finish this, I have placed it in a basket on the kitchen table so I can pick it up and regulary add a few stitches. There was one other thing I brought along to the hospital.........a book, Marie*Bostwick's newest novel called "Ties That Bind".

I received the copy just two days before I went for surgery and kept it for a treat after the surgery was over. Did I enjoy the book? Well........... I can't tell you just yet.......because, you will have to visit my blog next Thursday, April 26th to find out!  That's because the book was sent to me to review as I'll be part of Michele's Quilting*Gallery Book Blog Hop next week and there will be lots of chances for you to win a copy of the book!!!   Many of you are very familiar with Michele of Quilting*Gallery fame. She hosts great contests for quilters, connects us with great products, shops and quilters, and has a new feature The*Learning*Center that is hosted by Pat*Sloan. Check back on Monday and I will give you all the details on the blogs who will be hosting a giveaway for the book. Plus, there's a free quilt pattern available!!

And you just might want to stop back on Sunday to see what I might share then because.............I was supposed to go to retreat at Villa Maria this weekend but due to my surgery, I had to make a decision and knew that I should not go, just stay home and recover. But, I will have a little something to share, so check in on Sunday and see what's up.  :-)  In the meantime, have a great weekend!!

And thanks one more time for all the cards, gifts, food and well-wishes you all shared!
Sandi

What's on the line? - Two Years of quilts!!!

I didn't have anything new "on the line" so I thought I'd share this quilt that you've seen many times before..........

This is a vintage quilt top, not a fully quilted quilt but it is the first item that I shared when I began my Monday feature ......... "What's on the line?" You can find that first post here. 
Give me a couple of weeks and I'll have something new on the line soon. I am recovering from my surgery quite nicely but taking it slow and easy. I might not post much this week but I thought I'd do a little giveaway while I am recuperating. My last giveaway of fabric trash and the pink trash can was sooooooo successful so I thought I'd try something similar. This time there won't be a trash can but I will take a USPS Flat Rate box and fill it with my scraps and some patterns and other fun stuff. That will be for US residents only but.........I'll fill an envelope with scraps and a pattern or two to send anywhere overseas. It's all in celebration of two years of my "What's on the line?" feature. Just leave your name and e-mail link/address for a chance to win. Winners will be announced next Monday, April 16!
Have a good Monday!
Sandi
WINNERS are..........Lindah for the U.S. box of scraps and Robin in Canada for the envelope of scraps!

Happy Easter!

The flowers my daughter brought me when I was in the hospital are looking lovely on our coffee table. I'm glad I took a photo of them as they don't last forever.  So pretty and such a touch of spring!
I am feeling good, doing a little hand-sewing and a bit of napping. :-)  Before I went into the hospital, though, I had been doing a lot of sorting and cleaning in my sewing room. As I was sorting through a box of papers, I found a tiny bunny that I thought I'd lost forever...........

She is part of a family of bunnies that I made sometime in the 1980's. She's been missing for at least five years. The rest of her family has been in their wooden bunny that I set out every year at Easter.  

I'm so glad she's been found and can return to her family.............

I made bunches of these bunnies when my daughter, Collette was little. Perhaps next year, I'll share the pattern and you can make a basket of bunnies for your Easter celebration. Hope you are all enjoying a lovely Sunday and a Happy Easter to all of you!
Sandi

Room with a view........

That's right......... a room with a view is what I had during my recent surgery at Immanuel St. Joseph Hospital in Mankato, MN.

I had the best doctor/surgeon and wonderful nurses during my stay. Now I'm home and recovering nicely. I don't mind walking and sitting but that getting up and down out of chairs or the bed is still a wee bit uncomfortable. Every day, every hour, actually gets better. I'm getting lots of rest and did a tiny bit of hand-quilting. I have my nose in a really good book that I'll be telling you about later this month. Going off to read some more on it right now. I'll be back soon. Thanks for your well-wishes and prayers. They were so appreciated and I could feel them all!
Sandi

Sweet Spring!!!

Spring is in the air! and Easter is just days away! I have fond memories of dressing up on Easter Sunday and heading off to church and the Easter baskets filled with chocolates. I thought of those memories when I designed a project several years ago.  I made little Easter egg pins from Woolfelt. I gave the pattern to my friends and asked if they would please make an egg for my "egg tree". And they did............

Each egg is made by a different quilting friend and somewhere I have a piece of paper that tells me exactly who made which eggs. I really need to tape it to the back of this frame! I hung it in my entry this year and think I will keep it up til Mother's Day ....... just because I like looking at it and being reminded of my quilty friends.

So, you may have noticed that there is nothing "on the line" this week. I decided to take a break from my "on the line" feature until after I recover from my surgery. As I write this, I am just hours away from going to the hospital and am looking forward to the surgery and getting back to my old self. To help pass the time today, I decided to make a spring wreath and decorate the front porch. I picked up a bunch of flowers at Dollar Tree last week and had fun putting them into a wreath and that yellow bucket........

I love the polka dot ribbon that I found at either Michael's or Joann's. The yellow bucket was one my grandson used to play with and I decided it would look good holding the artificial flowers that I am so good at growing. LOL!

The little bunny on the chair was a garage sale find. He's tied to the chair so he won't blow away in any spring wind or rainstorm. :-)

It was easy to just wrap some leaf vine around the wreath and then I cut apart the flower bunches and stuck them here and there in the wreath and voila! it was done! 

And just as I was taking these pictures, my friend Barb and her husband Tom, pulled into the driveway. They were bringing food so we can enjoy some nice meals after I get home from the hospital. We are going to enjoy muffins and a Crescent Roll Casserole and some Beef Barley Soup. I can hardly wait! Barb is a really good cook so this is a real gift!

Time to close this post and say ..........I'll be gone for a few days but will be back soon!

Have a great Monday!

Sandi

Calling Dr. Sandi!

Last weekend, I stopped to see one of my favorite neighbor girls, Sarah. I brought her some Easter socks and she thought they were really cute. Then she whispered in her mom's ear and I heard her mom say "yes" and then Sarah ran to her room and came back with a teddy bear. It was a very tired, injured looking teddy bear. He only had one eye and he had a gaping hole in his neck and at his right ankle (yes, bears have ankles). He had a red bow that was very worn. Sarah asked if I could fix her bear and soooo.........calling Dr. Sandi!! I said yes and brought him home. Here's what the little bear looked like after I washed and mended him. Yep, he made a trip through the washing machine. And then he tumbled in the dryer. He needed a little stuffing, so I plumped him up and stitched his neck and ankle wounds closed. Then I added a plaid bow tie. I had to sort through a lot of buttons to find one that was a close match for that left eye. And so here he is, all clean and sweet..........

I had an extra little fleece blanket that my mother had made so I wrapped the little bear so he would be warm until he could be returned to Sarah. My mom punches holes all around the edge of fleece squares and then begins crocheting a border in the holes. Pretty cool, huh?

This afternoon, I called Sarah's house and left a message ...... "This is Dr. Sandi calling and the patient, little Mr. Bear, has been mended and is fully recovered so you can come by to pick him up". That got a good laugh from Sarah's Dad. :-)  Within an hour they stopped by and here is Sarah, very happy to have her bear.

I asked if the bear had a name and she said it was Corduroy because he looks like Corduroy from the bear books for kids. While the little bear has been around for awhile, Sarah hasn't had him long because he is sort of a "rescue bear". You see, she found him on the street a couple weeks ago. As noted, he was in pretty sad shape but that bath and some stitching and a new eye gave him "new life". Somewhere, it's possible some child is missing a favorite bear but he is now in good hands! This is the third time I have "rescued" a stuffed animal for someone. It's kind of fun. And, so, yes, I think this has earned me the title.......Dr. Sandi, SAR (Stuffed Animal Resuscitator).   :-)

And it also proves that .........
"There is something to love in everyone" ....
just like this cross stitch piece says. My daughter, Collette, stitched this for me several years ago and I love the saying. I wish I knew the designer's name but I don't know where Collette found the design. Anyway, sometimes we are all a little bit worn and wounded but thank goodness there is someone to love us. I think it's really sweet that Sarah loved the worn little bear enough to want to make him well again. Just made me smile to be the one to help that happen.

Have a good day everyone!

Sandi

Got the Blues!!!

That's right. I've "got the blues" but I'm not sad. Nope. I'm glad. If you read my last post, you know that I mentioned, I was going to make another sampler quilt in all blue fabrics. I had found a basket full of blue fabrics that I had pulled together some time ago.

At the top of the fabrics in the basket was a bundle wrapped in a pretty blue fabric and when I unwrapped that bundle, here's what I found...........

I had already cut the pieces for eight blocks and chose the fabric for the final four!!  WOW! My work was almost done! I can barely remember cutting these fabrics but I must have. Either that or the Good Fabric Fairy was playing in my stash. LOL! I had even started sewing this one...........

The fan was stitched and all I had to do was add the lace trim and applique the fan to the backing square. I finished it by adding the side strips and corners. I am not sure how I will set the blocks together but I'll figure that out when they are finished. All the blocks were wrapped in the pretty blue fabric that the block is sitting on. I think I will use it as a border and also the backing. So, as you can see, I "got the blues" yesterday but they were happy blues!!

There was no time to sew another block today as I had a doctor's appointment and then when I got home, I finalized the letter for our class reunion and printed it out on some colorful paper. It's our 45th for the Class of '67 at Central Webster in Burnside, Iowa!! Letters will go out tomorrow! Yay! I am having a hard time believing that it has been 45 years since I graduated from high school. That sounds soooooooo long ago! :-)
The doctor appointment was the final one before surgery next Monday. I'll be going in to have that ovarian cyst removed. I am looking forward to it because I'll sleep through it. Harder part will be the liquid diet I have to do this weekend prior to surgery. This means no chocolate chip cookies!!!! I'll survive. At this point, I will do anything to feel better and get back to my old self. Am prepared for a six week recovery. Projects are lined up and I am ready to stitch while my husband brings me tea and crumpets. wink wink  :-)

Look for another blue block soon.............
Sandi