Conscience - too often a burden

My day was going along marvelously.  I was crocheting the morning away.  Showered and fancied myself up after lounging around for the past 4 days.  I headed to town to pick up some ingredients for tonight's dinner of Rib Steaks w/garlic smashed potatoes.  I even picked up some ingredients to try out some homemade flavored waters, since I'm terrrrrrible at drinking water!

And even on the way home, I was chuckling when I saw a lady come out of her house in her slippers and bathrobe to get the mail that was just delivered.  At TWO in the afternoon!!!!

But 5 more miles down the road, the day took a turn.
As I was cresting over a hill on a backroad, I saw the mailcar approaching.  The road was icy; I slowed... and then I saw the Springer Spaniel running, following after the mailcar.  There simply wasn't anything I could do; the timing was simply wrong in so many ways.
The dog was in the middle of my lane; the mailcar and I passed each other, but the dog kept running instead of heading for the ditch.  I repeated "please get out of the way, please get out of the way" over and over... and hit the brakes to slow, worried about sliding and colliding with the mailcar or hitting the ditch, and of course, the Springer was a concern too.  There was nowhere to go.  The Springer collided with the front of my van and ended up in the snowbank on the other side of the road.

I was stunned.  The girls witnessed the last bit of the accident after hearing my repeated prayer of 'please get out of the way."  Poor Candace gasped,.... "Mom, is it okay?"

I turned around in the next driveway and headed back up the hill to see how badly she was.  A neighbor was just coming out to retrieve his mail just delivered;  I waved him down to see if the dog was his.  She wasn't his, but he headed over to the other neighbor's.    I knew the house;  it's the house of a former student of mine.  And yes, the Springer was a family pet of his parents.

I grabbed a flannel blanket out of the van to wrap the Springer up in while waiting.  She didn't care for me to touch her; she couldn't stand, but definitely was willing to lift her head to snip at me for attempting to check her over.

The family had been out on a snowmobile and sledding in the yard.  Mom came out, repeating "oh dear, oh dear..."  and some of the rest of the family came to check out the commotion.
I'm crushed!
Within minutes, a car was brought around, the Springer was bundled up and placed in the back seat, and they were going to head to the Vet.  My former student was having difficultly keeping the Springer settled in the back; she kept wanting to sit up.  I want to believe this is a good sign.

I asked him to please keep me posted.

I've tried crocheting to take my mind off.  But truly, with each stitch of the hook, I kept re-seeing the Springer running head-on to the van.  I couldn't do anything.  But still... what an emotional situation that isn't allowing me peace.

Heavy heart this afternoon.
I hope she's okay.

---------------------
UPDATE
Just received a mssg from my former student:
"We just got back from the vet. Sounds like she is going to be okay. No broken bones or internal damage as far as the vet could tell. Normally she never goes on the road. But she circles vehicles when they come in the driveway to check them out so I'm sure she was doing that to the mailmans car after I ran up there with the snowmobile."

I may being able to cook dinner tonight after all now.
Still feeling anxious, but I know that'll go away with some time.

Running Log - 2014 wrap up; 2015 start up

Wellllllllll
2014 wasn't "all-that" when it came to logging tons of miles.  
With most New Year's, resolutions are set and people strive to meet them.  **shrug**
For 2015, I've signed up for a Challenge to start off the year:  2015 #100DayOfMiles on FB
Yup.  It's time to get back to running fitness! Off to an up-down start, and..... I just ordered some new shoes with my Discover Card Rewards points;  they should be arriving next week.  My current shoes have WELL over 433 miles (as shown here) ... they have become my "wear-everywhere" shoes, and not just for my runs.

For what it's worth......

2014 Running Log
Totals: 32.19 miles

3/17/14:  1.50 miles (11:18/mile)
3/31:14: 2.17 miles (11:15/mile)
4/20/14: 1.68 miles (11:46/mile)
5/6/14: 1.63 miles (12:31/mile)
5/20/14: 1.65 miles (14:21/mile)
5/23/14: 1.30 miles (16:41/mile)
5/24/14: 1.23 miles (20:15/mile)
5/24/14: 1.32 miles (10:25/mile)
5/25/14: 1.10 miles (18:32/mile)
5/26/14: 1.00 miles (12:19/mile)
5/28/14: 1.88 miles (10:42/mile)
5/30/14: 2.04 miles (11:02/mile)
5/31/14: 3.02 miles (12:51/mile)
*6/1/14: 3.31 miles (12:07/mile)
6/3/14: 3.32 miles (12:03/mile)
6/3/14: 1.20 miles (15:38/mile)
6/4/14: 1.82 miles (10:01/mile)
10/26/14: 1.02 miles (13:12/mile)

Finishes for 2014

The list is quite a bit smaller this year than in year's past, with more crochet finishes than quilting...

Finished in 2014
Quilting
- Star Struck
- Green Bay Packers - gifted to brother, Christmas 2014
- Berquist Beauty - gifted to sister & brother-in-law, Christmas 2014
Crochet
- Lori's Comfort - gifted to friend, Lori
- Baby Sage
- Drop in the Pond
- Spring has Sprung
- Rainbow View
- Red Rag Rug 
- Mandala Rug (green)
- Fall Ripple
- Random Ripple

"Always Time" quilt top and Taming of the Scraps

Always Time (79 x 103)

Always Time has come together with some dedicated time over Thanksgiving vacation, a couple of weekends and some time during this Christmas vacation.  The blocks are larger, therefore it has been a decently quick quilt top to piece.

Many of the fabrics are from the "Twilight Frost" line that was discontinued to Connecting Threads a couple of years ago.  The pattern is the Rambling Aunt Sukey design from Marti Mitchell (published in the from Jan/Feb '08 Quiltmaker magazine).  

Like many, many others;  it has been folded and added to my ever-growing--never-shrinking pile of quilt tops ready for quilting.

The 2014 Rainbow Scrap Challenge was wrapped up with a final gray block in order to round out the year with twelve blocks :)    

Naturally, it would be right for me to pass up a year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, so.... I'm in for 2015 too!  I don't really have a solid plan in mind (yet), despite spending countless hours last night and this morning searching the net for that perfect idea.

Although, this morning, with my new rotary cutter in-hand, I started trimming up numerous bonus-HSTs in blue (January's color), trimming them to 2".

With a few hours of "Avengers" and "Avengers" in the DVD player, (yup...when it ended, I simply pushed 'Play' again),  I added four scrappy star blocks to four block I had pieced last year during Judy's Scrap Challenge for January.  (All pictured lower left).
Yesterday was a day well spent trying to tame all (some?  a few?) of the scraps I had scattered around the sewing room.  All the while, sew-skyping with buddy Nancy.  It was the first day in a LONG time that I felt my quilting mojo had come back.  It truly felt good using up SOME of the scraps, even through, TRULY, barely a dent was made!!!!

The OMIGOSH blocks (upper left) have been an on-n-off Leader-Ender project of mine for the past couple of years.  The scrappy Talkin' Turkey blocks (upper right) are a Bonnie-design, these done in scrappy though :)

Although I'd love to keep my quilting mojo flowing, I don't know if I want to head back downstairs since I've spent the past couple of hours upstairs, cleaning and decluttering the kitchen and laundry/entryway room.

Maybe some more Gibbs (NCIS marathon on USA) and my crochet hook ?? ;)

Happy New Years everyone!

A homemade Christmas

I'm the youngest of my siblings, and I found it fitting to get a sibling picture with them in front of the tree this year with their Christmas present quilts.

Go Packers!  (73 x 96)

Do you work better (more productive) with deadlines?  The final binding stitches for the Green Bay Packer quilt were sewn the night before heading out to my parents for our Christmas celebration.  The pace for completion of this quilt increased after my brother mentioned at our Thanksgiving holiday that he was wanting a new quilt. "No rush," he had said... 

Ask and ye shall receive...

When giving quilts, I don't have any expectations of reactions, regardless of who is the recipient.   It appears that Gma was a bit saddened that the quilt she claimed "dibbs" on as I was posting its progress on Facebook was given to her son instead of her.  

My sister and BIL knew this quilt was a project with their names on it, literally.  "Berquist Beauty" took its time being made throughout the year, and it appears to have been graciously accepted as a quilt for their king-sized bed.

Berquist Beauty (103 x 103)

  

Gma received her own (smaller) homemade items.  

After volunteering to take care of the dishes during the Thanksgiving visit, I was determined to gift her some new towels that actually absorbed water when used to dry dishes :)  LOL

And a couple of crocheted dish cloths to complete out her present.  I used the Dishie yarn from KnitPics;  I'm pretty pleased with this yarn for dish cloths.

Most of Wisconsin was pretty brown on Christmas Day, but Saturday morning (12/27) changed that picture!  A wet, heavy snow started falling Friday night into Saturday morning, dropping about 4 inches.   My parents have a beautiful cozy place nestled back into some woods.  Cliche-sounding, but true!

I'm in the midst of Christmas Break from school right now;  I figured it was time to give my blog another post update.   I've been sewing most of today away, but.... maybe I'll save that post for tomorrow :D   It could happen!  LOL

New start - Always Time

Bonnie's mystery quilt of 2014 has begun, and of COURSE I'm eager to participate.  I hadn't chosen fabrics, so after arriving home Friday afternoon after celebrating Thanksgiving at my parent's house, I spent some time in the sewing room.  I had a stack of luscious lilacs/sages/olives that I was hoping would fit the bill, but..... *sigh*.... no matter how I sorted them, varied them, added to them.... 

... they weren't working out with Bonnie's requests.

And, in a weird silly moment, I begged the silent aura of Bonnie for forgiveness.  I chose to push pause on her mystery.  I needed to work with these fabrics!

Friday evening, I spent in front of the television with stacks and stacks of quilt magazines.  I'm thankful I've been able to ignore the little voice in my head that often tells me  I need to reduce my pile of magazines, thinking I'll NEVER make a quilt from a pattern.  By the time I headed to bed, I had narrowed my choices to four that I felt would work with the fabric amounts on hand.

Saturday morning, I finalized it to the Ramblin' Aunt Sukey pattern.  I've made this pattern before for Cathy's Aunt Sukey, back in 2008.  It's a lovely, elegant pattern. 

The morning was spent cutting up most of the units.  It's crazy how much time it takes to cut all of these pieces, but yet...... there's SO little to show!

I would have loved to begin sewing, but I had a wedding to attend of a very special young lady.

Bright and 5:00 early this morning though, I was up raring to dive into the project.

Hours later (7?), the blocks are completed and are resting on the carpeted area, waiting to be sewn into a quilt top.  Today was a wonderfully productive day :D  After working on it for hours, I think it'll suitable fit the name, Always Time.

My Green Bay Packer scrap leader-ender project is growing nicely on the design wall.  I have no definite size in mind;  I'll just keep adding until it reaches (no larger than) a queen size.

Now, I have decisions to make!  I would love to continue tackling this collection of yarn odds-n-ends in a new 'Scrap Ripple' afghan, but, sadly, I think my school work needs to take some precedence.  (At least long enough for me to know what I'm planning to do tomorrow!)  And soon---the Packer game is on!

Fall finishes [Crochet]

Such a sight is long behind us already in the northern parts of Wisconsin. Cassie captured this image during the first weeks of October; a sure sign that winter was nearing.

...And crochet projects got underway for the changing season. 

 Cailtyn's Hat [free Ravelry pattern]

Cassie's wristers [free Ravelry pattern]

And yes, we wrapped up the tomato harvest as well -- JUST in time for the snow to come.

We have two cases of spaghetti sauce and a couple cases of pizza sauce.  In fact, I just made up a batch of lasagna yesterday with one of the last jars from last year's harvest. 

Somewhere amidst the end of summer, the Fall Ripple was finished but never blogged about.  

Candace had chosen the colors and order of the yarns for the afghan.  She wants to claim it as hers, but she can't get EVERY afghan I make.

This is a larger afghan, finishing at 68" x 90" and fitting a queen sized bed decently.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was in a creative slump -- I didn't care to work on ANY projects I had underway, crochet nor quilting!  I know I'm not alone when it comes to starting a new project;  after all, that's usually why (and how) we have so many UFOs floating around ;)

However, this one kept me motivated...

... and I put the final stitches in this afternoon while watching a Harry Potter movie with the girls.

The yarns used were extras I purchased for the Trip Out West afghan (hmm.... did I ever blog officially about that???)

Random Ripple Afghan (54" x 67")

At first, I started out with the standard ripple pattern, alternating colors after one back-n-forth path.  But then, I tried out a random strip generator, and followed a sample there for awhile.  Sadly, I ran out of the darker gray yarn midway and refused to buy any new yarns! (GASP!)  So, I threw in a charcoal grey towards the end just to get another 'dark' in the afghan before wrapping it up for good.

Roughly, this afghan took 20-25 hours to complete;  not too shabby.

Changing of the seasons...

Blogging continues to be on my mind, but the act of brining my thoughts to life on my blog was more of a challenge lately than not.  Two months gone.  Two months to catch up on (?).  THAT would take a while.

Instead, I send out my greetings to anyone still following and reading me despite my departure from the blogging world for the past 2 months.

Today marked the first day off from school since it started;  it's been a long time coming.  We have the entire upcoming week off;  partly due to Thanksgiving, but mostly due to the Wisconsin deer hunting season.

Cassie is out with Paul this year;  I'm really not sure who is more excited!  It's been a quiet day so far...so I've heard.  

Therefore, it was FINALLLLLY possible to spend some time cleaning, tidying and getting back to work in my sewing room.

Angela's Rainbow Scrap Challenge received all of my attention today.  All eleven months' colors are complete;  another year of color tackled!

Additionally, I pieced backing for my Hawaii Sunset AND Celtic Solstice quilts.  They have been folded and added to my growing pile of "must-quilt-SOON" projects.

It's a beautiful 35 degrees out today;  the other two girls have stayed home with me and are playing outside, rolling in the snow;  excellent packing snow today!  For the evening, we have movies prepped and ready to go... and I'll continue to work on a new ripple crochet afghan I started a couple of weeks ago.  Who knows... MAYBE I'll get another update typed up for tomorrow too.

;)

Thanks for still being out there,

-Amy