Red Hot Chili Peppers

We had the best Halloween night!

We are going for a ride!

On Monday we went for a walk! Our trip was around the block at Nana's house. Sarah did great and fell asleep shortly after we hit the sidewalk. Emily had just had a bottle before we left and obviously wasn't through eating. So she was a little fussy. Mommy, Mon and Nana went with us. After we got home we took a long nap, going for a walk was fun and we'll do it again soon!

No Time To Sew

As you can see I've been preoccupied! I really don't have any time to sew! (I have been sneaking in a little sewing time but not very much!) Just wanted to show you why you haven't been hearing from me...

Babies At Home

Both of our babies are home now. Sarah had to spend an extra night at the hospital to ensure she was feeding properly. They have a doctor's appointment to be weighed this morning so I'll update when I find out the news.

Here they are! Laying in their new bed at Nana's house! Of course it's pink! Mommy had a doctor appointment yesterday and they stayed at my house for several hours. I had such fun feeding them, changing their clothes and diapers and cuddling both of them! They are so precious.

I do have some quilting news to share. I am fiddling with my Home Sweet Home blocks trying to sew them all together. I had to move a couple of leaves and such so they would fit when I trimmed the blocks. I also got the backings and fat quarters to finish Emily and Sarah's quilt tops. I should have pictures in the next day or so.

I want to thank you all for your sweet comments on my last several posts. I appreciate them all!

Sweetie Pies

Oh my goodness! These are the cutest babies on earth!

Sarah Grace was born first, October 11, 2007 at 6:12 PM. She weighed 4lbs. 13oz. and was 16 inches long with a full head of dark brown hair. Emily Arden came right after her at 6:13 weighing 6lbs. 2oz! She was 17 1/4 inches long and has light brown hair. Sarah looks just like her Daddy and Emily looks just like her Mommy.

Their Mommy will be leaving the hospital today but our darling babies will be staying until they can eat more than they are eating now. We don't expect it to be too many days. They are completely healthy otherwise. We are so lucky to have two perfect preemie babies!

I can not tell you how much I love them already! Just like you all said, my world has changed!

Much more later...

My Sweet Babies

Emily Arden is on the left and Sarah Grace is on the right. They are so precious! I'll be back to tell you all about them. Right now I am on my way to see them and their Mommy!

THE BIG DAY!!!

Tomorrow at 4:00 PM the babies will be here! The next post from me I will be a grandmother!!! Details to follow...

No babies yet...

We're still waiting. Annie has been in the hospital on bed rest for 10 days! Tomorrow she will have another ultrasound to look at the babies' fluid. Last week one baby only had adequate fluid, so this week if it is any worse they will deliver the babies. If everything is still OK in there they will wait until Monday to do an amniocentesis to check on the development of the babies lungs. If they are developed enough to deliver they will take them on Monday. So, basically we are still waiting!

I've started the babies' quilts! I have the middle block done for each one. I'm using some of the Sanctuary line by Moda. I appliqued their names while sitting at the hospital with Annie.


This is the last Home Sweet Home block I have finished. I have another one almost done and one about half way done. The next thing to do is the border applique and piece it all together.

This is a little stitchery I made for the retreat a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't find a frame to put it in so it will have to wait for next year.

This is a quilt Annie started a couple of years ago. She told me it was too hard and wanted me to finish it. So, I finished it! All I had to do was put the blocks together. This quilt is for someone special. I'll tell you who it is after we give it to her.

Edited to add: We gave this quilt to my Mom when she came to help with the babies. She loved it!

The next picture is a Christmas quilt called Ric-Rac Christmas Trees. I added a special touch to the binding.

Some numbers in review.

I had the day off from the hospital today. Actually, I have had a sinus headache that is making me miserable. Annie is doing great but her OB decided not to send her home. That is a really good thing because she is doing so well in the hospital. She had an ultra sound this morning and the doctor said one of the babies has a full head of hair! That has to be from her husband's side because we have always had bald headed babies. Her husband Brian was the cutest baby with lots of dark brown hair so we think one of them will take after him!

So, today, while I was resting I decided to look through my quilting journal and do some number counts:

8 block sets left to make into quilts.
16 UFOs. Well, they are actually WIPs.
38 tops needing quilting. Ty is working hard to get that number down. ;=)
15 Christmas quilts! Lately I have been in some kind of mood to get some Christmas quilts made. I didn't realize I had so many already!

Thanks to all of you who have commented about my daughter! The OB thinks it will be the middle of next week before she has the babies.

Good news!

I just returned from spending the day at the hospital. Annie is doing so well they might send her home on Wednesday! I think she has realized the benefit of bed rest! We still have a couple of weeks to go before her scheduled C-section on October 16th and the doctor's would like for her to keep the babies as long as possible although they tell us she won't make it to the scheduled date. Saturday they started giving her insulin for her gestational diabetes and her numbers are where they should be now. Her blood pressure seems to be stable and her swelling has greatly diminished. So for now we are all taking a deep breath!

She had an ultra sound this morning and the babies weights are a little over 4# and a little over 3#. The doctor said that is good. They will probably be in NICU for a bit before they'll be able to come home. Their heart beats are robust and both heads are down. We can see them moving around a lot!

I do have some quilt related things to tell about...my husband has taken the camera with him to Florida and he won't return until Thursday so you'll have to wait for pictures. Sorry. I've been busy while I've been sitting at the hospital. My friends are doing a bazaar around the middle of October and I've been helping them by sewing the bindings on a few things. Six so far and I have one more to do. I have finished one Home Sweet Home block and almost finished another block plus started a new one. Sunday when I stayed home all day I actually worked on the Christmas Log Cabin blocks! I'm determined to empty my drawer with Christmas fabric in it.

I'll keep you updated on my daughter's progress. Thanks so much for all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming, we are going to need them. :")

Saturday Update

I've been at the hospital all day. We had a little scare late this afternoon. Annie said she was having trouble taking a deep breath. When the nurse monitored the oxygen in her blood it was low. The nurse told us it might be possible they would deliver the babies. They put her on oxygen, gave her an EKG and a chest x-ray to see if she had a lung obstruction (baby in the way). Around 8 the doctor decided everything was ok and we would wait and see. Whew!!!

Update on Annie and the babies...

Annie was admitted today to Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth. She will probably be there until she delivers. They have given her a steroid shot to speed up the babies lung development. Right now she is being monitored by the nurses and I am relieved to have her under a doctor's watchful eye. I'll let you all know what develops as the days go by.

Camp Broadway Retreat

Here are a few pictures from the retreat.


This is the Christmas Log Cabin block swap. We each made 32 blocks and swapped between six of us. The quilt in the picture is Linda's. She added a redwork Santa up in the corner. We all promised to have our tops done by next September to bring back for show and tell.


Michelle finished this baby quilt top. It turned out so cute!


This is a block Ty had us make. We took a blue and a white fat quarter and made three blocks. Then we had a draw and Ty won all the blocks!


Ty made us each a pair of crotched embellished flip flops. Aren't they cute?


This is the front of the lodge at the campground. We were near the lake but were too busy sewing to go see it! The lodge was so comfortable with leather sofas and comfortable chairs. There was a dining area where we ate our meals. My friends are such good cooks! The sleeping quarters were cozy and we divided the group into the snorers and non-snorers!


This is Yanik's quilt. It is the first time she had done a mitered border. She did a great job.

We had such a great time! I can't wait to go back next year.

Edit: My daughter has been placed on bedrest because of pre-eclampsia. Tomorrow morning she will have another doctor's visit and the doctor will decide whether to keep her at home or put her in the hospital. She is so swollen in her hands, feet and face. I'll let you know soon what the outcome is.

A Stitching For Me...

While I was making all the retreat prizes I made one for myself! This one says:

Stitched, poked, bled, stayed up all night.
Went blind, said one bad word, finished!
Thank you Lord. Amen.
P.S.- Sorry about the bad word.

I think that just about says it all!

Getting Ready For The Retreat

I am going to a four day retreat starting tomorrow afternoon! I've been busy getting ready! I made some things for the door prizes and baked a whole bunch of desserts. I'm not sure how it happened but I was put in charge of all the desserts! So, I made a pound cake (for Ty), a candy bar cake, a lemon 'cheesecake' pie, magic cookie bars, lemon bars (for Mich) and chocolate oatmeal no bakes (for me)! Oh, my goodness!

The door prizes I made are framed stitcherys. One is called How To Make A Quilt. Another is Ripping 101. The other two are Texas themed! On the dark frames first I painted the frames red then black and sanded a little. Then I rubbed some paste wax on them. I also made a bag with embroidery on the pocket. It is Nana Doreen's Sewing Tote from Leanne's House. It turned out so cute even if I did sew the handles on wrong! I'm not fixing them now! I am going to make a tote for me later.



I also made some of Darlene's pincushions for each of us. They turned out so cute! I love the crushed English walnut hulls for stuffing. Great idea Darlene!



The last picture is of two little puffs I found at Walmart for Sarah and Emily. Aren't they the cutest things? The babies aren't here yet but they'll be ready for soaping up at their house and my house now! Don't you love that little picture frame? It's made of wood and an old ceiling tile. (Those are not my babies, but they sure are cute!)

See you all when I get back on Sunday!

The Name Game!

This is fun! Try it! (I think the Happy Zombie started this.)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Max Accura

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Vanilla Tassie

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
J-KJO

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Blue Tzu

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Lynn Kosciusko

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Kjo-ju

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Red Crush

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Bernard Carlton

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),
Jasmine Butterfinger

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
JoAnn Rayford

And a few more…

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Rugerio Rapid

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Christmas Peony

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Bananna Shorty

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Yoplait Myrtle

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Pieceful Rain Tour

A Day At The Dallas Aquarium

On Saturday Brian, Annie and I went to the Dallas Aquarium. It was so crowded! We had fun anyway. It was very interesting to see all the creatures which included a beautiful jet black jaguar. The fences and railings were all made from bamboo, tied together with rope. The concrete and rock paths had impressions of leaves from the forest. It was so pretty! It was also a "little humid". Duh, it's the jungle!

Before we came home we stopped at The House Of Blues and had lunch. Yummy! I had a chopped salad, Brian had a mushroom and pasta dish and Annie had a pizza. I don't know what possessed us to order dessert but we did. Oh, my! I got a chocolate mousse cheesecake and Annie got a triple layer chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Neither one of us is supposed to have sugar, but we just couldn't help ourselves!

The last picture is of Annie and Brian in their new-to-them 2001 (or is it 2002?) Cadillac! It is so nice! They wanted a safe car for the babies and I think they got one. Leather seats, AC back and front, seat warmers back and front and too many other goodies to remember!

Doesn't Annie look cute? I tried hard to get a side view for you all but she was having none of it. I did get a picture of her from behind as she was fussing at me for taking her picture. I'm too nice of a Momma to show that one though. I just think she looks so cute. We might as well enjoy the sight of her pregnancy because it isn't happening again and besides, she will make sure she looses this weight after she is done. We need pictures!

I'm off to Weatherford to sew with my friends. Pictures to come...

What a special daughter I have! This weekend she brought me these flowers, a bag full of grandmother goodies and the sweetest thank you card! I just love her to pieces!


On a quilty note, I started a new project! Have you ever seen the quilt 13 Lucky Cats? I've always wanted to make this. I have five cats appliqued now. I guess I am just in a fall kind of mood. For some reason, I want to work with Halloween colors!

And this...

Isn't this wonderful? My daughter's friend Jane gave this thread rack to me when we were having the baby shower! She had it all decorated with pink thread, ribbons and two finger puppet fairies.

I took all the decorations off and put my cotton applique thread on it and set it by my chair where I do handwork. It is very old and has a metal base with three tiers of wooden spool holders. I just love it!

Baby Shower

What a wonderful time we had! Pink balloons were tied to the mailbox to let guests know where the party was. Twenty-nine guests arrived around 1:00 and were greeted by a very pink wreath hanging on the door filled with everything baby girl! Do you see the two pairs of little pink sneakers? Those are my favorite!Even two rabbit blankies with the babies names around their necks...Sarah and Emily.

When the guests entered the house we gave each person five little clothes pins to clip on their shirt. If they said the words twins or cute someone else would take a clothes pin from them. If they heard the words they could take a clothes pin from someone else. The one with the most clothespins at the end of the party won a gift. That little ice cream dish with the ribbon tied around it has all the pink, blue, yellow and green tiny clothes pins in it.





The centerpiece of the table was a diaper cake tied with pink ribbons, decorated with pink rose buds and topped with two pink binkies. A swag of girlie clothes hung on the sideboard. Corsages made from two pink baby socks were given to Mommy, Great Grandmother, two Grandmothers and two Aunts. That is Mommy putting on her corsage. (Remember, she was only 28 weeks.)






The table was set with so many goodies to choose from. The crystal plates are antique snack sets with cups to match. We had petit fours shaped like baby blocks, strawberries dipped in pink chocolate, lemon wedding cookies, cookie dough truffles and lemon squares. Also, shrimp and chicken filled phyllo cups, round cucumber sandwiches and square cherry and cream cheese sandwiches. We also had fruits and veggies with dips. To drink,we had raspberry punch served in my mother's crystal punch bowl and tea.

This is Annie opening her presents with my sister, Kathy, helping (on the floor) and Grandma Leslie writing down who gave what in her baby shower book.

It took and hour and twenty minutes to open the presents! Annie got so many nice things. I think she is just about set to bring the babies home.

On the left is my mother, Joann (the great-grandmother), Ty (honorary grandmother 'cause she is one of my bestest friends!),and Grandma Leslie (Annie's mother-in-law).

My mother fixing some of the goodies.

Aunt Kathy helping Aunt Misha with her corsage. Misha is Annie's sister-in-law. We played one last game where the guests guessed how 'big-around' the middle Annie is. That was hilarious as most people way over estimated!

That's all folks!!! Wish you could have been here to celebrate with us!