Row by Row Here I Go

It is time for Row by Row!

Quilters will visit shops between now and fall to collect

either free patterns or kits designed by the shop.  This 

introduces them to new shops, lets them visit old favorites

and offers skill building as we try different techniques.

Some quilters will combine their rows into full 

quilts, others will continue on to the contest.

Me, I'm just having fun.

I just completed these two.

One is of the Mississippi River with boats and the 

other is from last season where I visited 

Quilts and Quilts in Branson MO.

I thought this would be hard, but it was so much fun!

You cut out all the little strips that you can see inside the 

US map, sew them together and bond a cut out

of the country on top of them.  The entire area underneath

still has the various fabric strips.

Then you add the letters using a bonding material but

you have to sew around everything to keep it in place

for a long time.

The top two are from last year too

(they have been tucked away in a drawer so need ironing)

The middle two are this year and I have already

discussed HOME.

I hope to visit a couple more shops in St Louis this weekend

and pick up a couple more patterns or kits.

My real quest is to build a Kathy's Life quilt but

the logistics are in the way.  I just can't get to some 

of the places I need to get the kits.  I'd start 

out from when I was born and add rows to get

where I am now.  You actually have to be there,

no ordering on line.

Kansas City, MO  Born there but 4 hours away

Aurora, MO  4-5 hours away

Various ones from St Louis I can do.

Hot Springs, AR where I visit my mom. 

Who knows, maybe they will have a kit left over after

the collecting period is over and I can get one mailed to me.

I tried with Aurora last year but she was out of kits.

The Missouri Row by Row provides a map, printable list of shops

 (Travel List) and images of the rows (Pictures) submitted by shops for 2017,

they also have a Facebook site.

It should be fun!

It's Been Awhile

Gosh, I sure hope this doesn't set the tone for the post!

No, no worries, it's all OK.

While I have had my issues we were able to take off

a day (that was not in a hospital) and drive down to 

Branson, taking my granddaughter to Silver Dollar City.

She's 12 and good company on roller coasters.

Not that I ride them but my husband does so they took the

death defying rides together while I roamed around the shops.

This is at the fish hatchery at Table Rock lake.  I got a kick

out of the buzzards that perched above the tanks hoping to grab a bite or two.

We had a day at Silver Dollar City, played mini-golf, stopped at

Bass Pro in Springfield on the way home and made 

another stop at an outlet place on our way back home.

Since my last post I thought I was out of the woods but ended up with another

 bout of C-Diff that was diagnosed after two ER visits missed it.

I was down to 109 lbs and the doctor had to scope me to figure

it out.  It seems that you don't normally get it in your small 

intestine so it was missed. In a couple weeks I was feeling

much better after the antibiotics took care of it.

I was ordered to gain weight or I wasn't getting my final operation.

Since I have met all my out of pocket expenses I'm not going to miss

that one.  I wish I would have had the order in writing because I would

have framed it!  It was the first time a doctor ever told me to GAIN weight!

So, next operation is on the house in addition to all prescriptions!

I received a text from CVS pharmacy asking me if I wanted to refill

my prescription that started with (they give the first 3 letters).  

I wasn't sure what it was but had a good guess.

"Why yes!  I do indeed want you to fill any and all prescriptions!"

Remember- it's all at no out of pocket expense now.

I'll take anything they want to give me!

Turns out it was my EpiPen that I keep just in case due to the bees.

It's another year with a crappy garden since I have been so sick; 

however, I'm posting some photos of some of my gardens.

Blackberries, cone flowers and elderberry flowers.

I have cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatillos,

zucchini, tomato, peppers and herbs planted.

The bees are still alive but I don't know what the honey yield will be. 

It would nice to get some this year.  Last year we had to leave it all

for them to eat over the winter.

Elderberry flower

I had my 58th birthday on June 19th, another reason

we spent the weekend in Branson.  The 19th was Monday

so I took off work and did some shopping plus

my annual breakfast at Denny's.  This year I had to drive into

town because the Denny's in the closest town, Eureka, burned

and it's not rebuilt yet.  I really like their breakfast!

I'm still limited in my diet but adding new things all the time, 

hoping I don't run into a blockage- my biggest fear with this

ostomy.  That and any leaks that could happen, based on 

what my Facebook group tells me can and eventually will happen.

I love a nice mimosa!

So, I have another operation in August/Sept and that should be it!!

I have been terrible at the internet too.  I seem to get a couple of

comments posted on FB but that's about it.  I'm hoping to start

getting some vegetables and canning/dehydrating or freezing them.

I need to get back to those bucket list activities that I had planned

and learn some new skills but it might have to wait since the next

recovery period will be 3-8 weeks depending on how extensive the 

surgery needs to be.  I sure have missed a lot of work but they

have been very supportive!  I'm pretty lucky.

I hope you all are doing well and will try to catch up on things.