Quilting Frame Will Travel

When I first bought my quilting machine, we were living in Killeen. My parents were alive at that time, and encouraged me to buy the longarm quilter. Mom had been quilting for years and had started paying professional quilters to get her tops quilted. She still hand quilted some of her work; but, mostly the ones that she had put a lot of applique' work into. Unfortunately, she had stacks and stacks of tops that needed quilting.  She told me she would split the price of the machine with me if I would quilt all of her tops for her.  It was a win-win deal for both of us!

Mom and Dad had a free standing garage, which had been used as a wood working shop. They hadn't done any wood working in years, so it had turned into a huge storage room for Dad's carving tools. Basically, a big mess of a room. They offered the shop to me, so the family helped me cleaned it up, paint it, and replace the garage door with french doors. It was perfect; at the time. 

Eventually, Ron and I got tired of living on a cactus and cedar farm, and decided to move to Temple. Luckily, we ended up buying a house that had a room large enough to accommodate a 14ft. quilting frame. So, all of my quilting items were moved to Temple. And... it was perfect again. 

When we retired and sold the house in Temple, Scott offered his garage to use as a quilting room. Once again, Ron and I painted, carpeted, and fixed up yet another room for the quilter. We were using Scott's house as a home base while we lived in the 5th wheel, so it was the perfect solution at the time... again.

Life happens, plans change, and we move on... this time back to Temple. We left the quilter at Scott's and it was okay. But, I soon discovered it was actually inconvenient. When the quilting machine is at the same location as my sewing equipment, I can quilt as I go. Meaning, I can assemble a piece, and immediately quilt it. Thus, only requiring a few hours at a time standing behind the quilter. With the quilter in another location, I was driving over to Scott's with numerous pieces to quilt and coming home with a back ache, sore feet, and grumpy because I was exhausted. I decided I needed to have everything in one place. Unfortunately, none of the rooms in the town house would accommodate the quilting frame.

Originally, I wanted to trade my long frame in on a shorter one. Sadly, the company only takes trades on machines; not frames. So, I listed it on their long arm forum as a possible equal trade for a shorter table. I wasn't surprised to find that most people were like me; wanting to trade a long table for a shorter one. I talked to Scott, who is the smartest person I know, about possibly hiring a welder to cut down my existing frame. His main concern was the fact that part of the frame is steel and part is aluminum, which evidently requires specialized welding equipment. Most of the guys he knows through the fire department aren't able to actually do that type of welding. 

One day I was driving home from Scott's place and noticed a sign on a fence near his house. It advertised a mobile welding service. I decided to call the number and see if the guy could help me out. At first, he couldn't figure out what the heck I was talking about, but was more than willing to look at the frame. Long story short, he said it wouldn't be a problem. So after some trial and error, schedule conflicts, etc... the frame was cut down to 10 ft. and I was able to move it to the town house!

The first thing I had to do was switch the guest bedroom and master bedroom. So, the twin bunks for the grands were moved into the corner of the master bedroom. 

Next, I had to move my the cabinet that Dad made for my mother's sewing room to the town house in Temple. It went into the master bedroom to store notions, threads, books, tools, etc.  

After that, I had to deal with the shelves and shelves of fabric in boxes that had been stored at Scott's garage. All of that needed to be moved over as well. I put most of it on shelves in the master bedroom, and the remainder in shelves inside the guest bedroom closet. 

Some of the fabric is stored in large, Rubbermaid containers that I keep under the quilting frame or under my bed in the guest room. 

Once all of the fabric was moved, and the welder worked his magic on the frame, we got it moved over as well. It fits perfectly in front of the two windows in the room, providing oodles of natural light. 

The best thing about putting the long arm in the master bedroom is the location of the bathroom!! Just steps away from my work station.  I am now a much happier quilter because once again... the room is perfect!

                                 

As I close out this post, I have to thank my family for being so patient with me. We all thought our moving days ended when Ron retired from the Army. Little did I know that my gypsy blood would bubble up and cause so many moves by choice. Honestly, I hope this is our last move for a very, very long time. But, who knows what life will bring or where this crazy quilting machine will end up next!

 

Snowmagedon 2021

As if this year hasn't been insane enough, Mother Nature decided to play a nasty trick on Texas and delivered a butt load of Canadian weather. It started out with a simple cold front that moved in around Valentine's Day. We had a smattering of snow; which closed schools and other nonessential businesses because Texas just isn't equipped to handle snow on roads.  But, what usually falls in the morning and melts by afternoon, quadrupled in amount and lasted for much longer! We ended up with a week of snow and ice, coupled with a failed power grid throughout Texas. Many, many people had to leave their homes and find shelter with friends or in warming stations. Hotels were filled to capacity; but, they too lost power and water! Homes and businesses had water pipes burst, which created flooding in many structures. Some schools has entire floors that were damaged, forcing schools to close yet again. 

Ron and I were greatly blessed. We never lost power, we didn't lose water, and our internet and phone service was adequate. Unfortunately, Leslie's family in Ft. Worth, had rolling power outages and ended up taking refuge in the smallest room in their house because it was the easiest one to keep warm. Rebecca said it really effected hospital personnel getting to and from work. She even volunteered to stay on site to help out. Seth hunkered down in his apartment after Ron did a quick supply drop off for him. Scott was able to continue getting to work by using our truck. I honestly think that massive thing would drive through a hurricane! Molly rode out the storm, working from home. And, luckiest of all, Jamie and Ryan got stranded at Disney in Florida because all flights into Texas were canceled.  In short, we came through with minimal inconveniences.

The community was really hit hard. As I mentioned, hospital personnel had trouble just getting to work. A friend of mine is an administrator at Scott and White. She sent out a public request for anyone with 4 wheel drive to volunteer to pick up medical personnel and transport them to the hospital. Scott said most fire fighters have trucks, etc. so they weren't hit as hard. But, his station was a flooded mess due to busted water pipes! They ended up taking their equipment and trucks to another station until the damage could be repaired.  Supply lines to grocery stores were impacted greatly! The shelves, which had finally started filling up after the initial COVID scarcity, were once again bare. Ron went in search of milk one day and ended up paying over $7 for a gallon at Natural Grocer's! 

Below are some of the pictures I took from either the front or back door of the town house. 

After our initial frosting of snow, the ice fell. It coated EVERYTHING!

The ice covered the sides of houses and cars, as well as the ground.

Even our down spout, froze solid with the small amount of run off we had when the initial snow started to melt.

Most plants were encased in ice. By the time everything thawed, so many were broken and destroyed.

After the ice fell, we started getting our second round of snow. 

Of course, the ice hadn't melted so the snow just covered it.

By evening, the snow had blown into the back patio.

It completely covered Boomer's toilet.

Ron and I were fairly well stocked, as far as groceries went. 
We have learned that we need to develop a taste for powdered milk.
$7.00 a gallon is just insane!

Through it all, friends and neighbors helped one another as much as they could. Facebook became the main form of communication about where food and water could be found. Fire stations, police stations, schools, and various businesses passed out food and water daily.  Ranchers in our area even got to work cutting wood and hauling trailer loads to specific lots in towns for free pick up by people with fireplaces. As I record this in August, it seems a little less nightmarish because of how Texans came together to help each other. 

The whole mess eventually melted after a week or so. Unfortunately, the damage recovery is still taking place. Many homes were ruined when foundations cracked, pipes burst, pools split, and flooding destroyed possessions. Our lawmakers are still debating who is to blame for the power grid failing; and, what can be done about it. 

One thing I know for certain; Texans are hardy folks. We learn from mistakes and prepare for the unexpected to become the new normal. As for my own family, they have all revisited their emergency supplies, food and water storage, and made some big ticket purchases like generators. But honestly, we all hope to never see a winter storm like that one again!

Yes; It Does Snow in Texas

 On Saturday, January 9th, Ron came down from the loft in the townhouse to tell me that the evening weather forecast for Sunday was predicting a wintery mix with an accumulation of up to 8 inches. I stopped reading long enough to look at him and ask, "Did you make sure your phone wasn't set for South Dakota?" (He is known to somehow or another mess up the settings on his "smart" phone. He gave me his assurance that we were, indeed, going to have snow. I simply said, what I always say when I hear an odd weather forecast for our area, "I'll believe it when I see it."  Well,  I saw it!

Sunday's snowfall started out light and steadily grew into what we are calling The Blizzard of 2021. In our area of Texas, it only snows enough for any accumulation every 10-12 years. As a matter of fact, last year, we went up to Ft. Worth and loaded Leslie's family into the truck then drove 2 1/2 hours to Witchita Falls just to play in the snow. Sadly, Leslie's family didn't get any accumulation in Ft. Worth from the Blizzard. But, Gatesville and Waco, where Rebecca and Seth live, both got about 6 inches. Leander, where Ryan, Jamie and the twins live, got 4 inches. Killeen, where Scott and Molly live got about 4 inches. And, we got between 4 and 6 inches; depending on which side of the trees you stand. 

Facebook exploded with pictures of friends and their families building snowmen, making snow angels, and eating snow cones or snow cream. Ron and I huddles warm and cozy in our little home; watching with wonder and amazement as our crazy Texas town became a winter wonderland. Lucky for us, our dog, Boomer, hates the snow and was perfectly happy to stay warm and dry inside. 

I knew I had to record this crazy weather event on the blog. After all, snow storms only comes around every 10 years or so. The first few pictures were taken early Sunday morning when the wintry mix began. We were surprised that it started to stick to the ground; but, thankful that the roads were staying clear. Boomer was content to watch from the front porch. 

After about an hour, I stopped reading again and glanced out the window. I was shocked that the rain had disappeared from the wintry mix and we had actual snowfall that was starting to stick to the edges of the road. The sky looked so much like what we were used to seeing during snow storms we had when we lived in Germany!

About the time that the real snow started falling, friends were posting pictures of their families making snowmen. I figured I would make one and post as well. Mine was only about 6 inches tall and sat on the top of a fence post. I don't think there is an actual height requirement to be called a snowman. And, since I couldn't find any coal for his eyes, I just stuck a couple of chocolate chips in there. A few sprigs of Rosemary made perfect little arms.

By mid afternoon, the Blizzard had officially hit. The trees had been blocking the snowfall, which was blowing in from the North. But now, even the dry spots on the south side of them were starting to fill with snow. The streets and sidewalks were covered and traffic had slowed greatly. Mostly, it was people trying to get home from work before dark. Because this is Texas, everything started shutting down. City offices and schools in the surrounding areas all canceled business hours for Monday. 

The first few pictures were taken from the front porch. We have a school and a cornfield across the road from the townhouse. There were a few brave people that actually went out and walked around in the snow. But, honestly, I don't think very many people have boots or jackets to wear in this kind of weather! A friend of mine put gallon ziplock bags over her daughter's feet just so she could play in the snow. 

I decided to go upstairs and take a couple of pictures from the windows on the front and the back of the house.  I thought I could get some pretty good shots because you can normally see much farther away. Unfortunately, there was so much snow falling that visibility was not what it normally is. Needless to say, no one around here owns a snow shovel, so side walks and drive ways stayed snow covered. My neighbor next door was out with his grandchildren. He was using a broom to try to sweep it off his drive. He gave up after a while. I don't think he needed to really worry about it. After all, it would melt the next day.

 

So, the Great Blizzard of 2021 has come and is now quickly melting. By Monday afternoon, roads were dry, side walks were clear, traffic picked up, and the only snow left was what was hiding in the shade of buildings. I normally hate snow; but, I actually don't mind snow storms in Texas. After all, they are here today and gone tomorrow. 

Pandemic 2020 Fall and Winter - Making the Best of Things

 Ordinarily, our family will gather together several times during the fall and winter months. We would ooo and ahh over the grandchildren's new Halloween costumes and Trick or Treat at one of the their neighborhoods. We would support our Church's Trunk or Treat, and maybe participate in a Chili Cook-off. Leslie and I would set up the Etsy shop at a Sami Show. We would plan around school and work schedules to make the 8 hour trek to Palo Duro Canyon State Park for days spent hiking the canyons and evening gathered around the camp fire. We would either have our Thanksgiving meal at the Canyon; or, we would meet at someone's house and gorge on delicious food, play silly games, and plan our Black Friday shopping spree. Christmas would, once again, be scheduled around school, work, and our in-law's family celebrations. And, somewhere amidst the hustle and bustle, we would squeeze in a cruise. 

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic had us avoiding family gatherings, canceling our cruise and camping trip, canceling the Sami Show, practicing social distancing, participating self-quarantine, doing extensive hand washing and house sanitizing daily, taking advantage of grocery pick up, and attending church services online. 

The hardest part is not spending time with family. We haven't gathered together as a family since Jamie hosted a toned down Christmas in July. Life for each unit of the family is very different this year. The grands, even Seth, are trying to complete school assignments in either totally virtual, in-class, or hybrid models of instruction. Ron and I are still working hard to make life style changes that will help him extend his life after being diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and pretty much turning into hermits. Jamie is working from home exclusively while trying to keep her mother from sneaking out to play Bingo or go shopping. Ryan wasn't given a new contract at his old school, so he has completing his Honey-do list, helping with the twins in school, and searching for a middle school teaching assignment.  (Which he found; 8th grade math! Yay!!) The twins are in the virtual format for school and seem to be thriving. Molly is working for the state from home and trying to get to Georgetown often to visit with her parents. Scott is still healthy; but, the fire department shifts are starting to feel the effects of the COVID virus and are beginning to be undermanned.  Plus, the two of them are trying to figure out how to have a wedding with all of the crazy pandemic precautions. Seth is adjusting to living on his own in Waco, working at Dick's Sporting Goods, and going to school to complete his welding certification. Rebecca is trying to move on in life; but, having a terrible time tracking down her husband and getting divorce papers served. Leslie is trying to figure out how to provide speech services to a mixed bag of students who are constantly switching from face to face instruction, virtual instruction, or on quarantine. Gerson has taken a new position with a different HR company; which, luckily, is closer to home. But, because they both have to work on site,  they are trying to support their girls in virtual classes. Life is challenging. And, missing family stinks!!

I've been saying the same thing that I have heard many friends say: "The year 2020 just needs to end!" Sadly, I do not believe the end of 2020 will actually end the pandemic. I am hopeful that it will begin to have closure sometime in 2021; but, I totally expect another major world-wide event to rock our lives. After all, these are the end of times.  However, the end of 2020 brings the Christmas season. Many, many people feel the same way I do: WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS! RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE!

Throughout our new neighborhood, people started hanging holiday decorations in early November. Ordinarily, I would think that's insane. But, not this year! I would have been right there with them if we still had any Christmas decorations. When we downsized to the RV, I either gave most of our decorations to the kids; or, sold it in a yard sale. Because I wanted to bring the Spirit of Christmas into our home, I decided to actually buy a tree.

My collection of ornaments fits in a gallon zip lock bag. I really didn't want to buy a bunch of new ornaments; so, I found a pre-lit, slim tree with pine cones and holly berries, on Amazon. It wasn't supposed to be in until the 14th. But, I think God knew I needed it sooner. It arrive on the first. I spent a few days working on decorating the living room and kitchen area. Our townhouse is small and I didn't want to overwhelm the place. I really love the minimalist life style. Plus, everything we own now has personal meaning to it. Here are some pictures I took this morning, just for the blog. 

The tree sits in front of the living room window. Which, makes it really hard to get a good picture. It is 6 1/2 feet tall and no wider than a pizza pan. The ornaments are mostly the hand carved Santa heads, and a few hand made ornaments from my Mother and Grandmother. Leslie had a few extra wooden Christmas trees and bells, that she gave me. They fill ups some empty space and look nice on the tree. 

I found a couple of $10 pillows on sale at Target. They were bright and festive, so I caved in and bought them for the side chairs. 

The last few years that we lived in the house, I collected the pieces for the Willow Tree Nativity. We don't have room for the entire set, so I used some of Dad's carved boxes and set up the important pieces on the side table in the living room.

I gave my Pete Jr. cookie jar a cute bow to put him in the Christmas spirit.

We have always had a long, rectangular table. But, that's in Leslie's house now. We bought this small, square table when we moved into the townhouse. I bought a clearance table runner at Hobby Lobby and used some fabric to turn it into 4 place mats. Dad's carved trivet sits in the middle of the table. 

I have had this cute little guy for YEARS! Mom and Dad used to have an arts and crafts wood working business. It was one of the things they would have sold; but, Mom gave it to me for Christmas one year. One of his antlers broke of somewhere along the line; but, I hang him every year to remind me of my parents. 

This is one of the carved ornaments that Dad gave me. 

This cute little wooden ornament was in a craft kit that my Grandma Veach bought when I was young.  She gave it to me when Ron and I got married. I can still remember her saying, "Gwendy. This is for your first tree. I think of you and Ron when I see it."

Dad also carven some odd things from time to time. One year he gave me this enormous carved spoon.  At the time I thought, "Man! This thing is UGLY! But, now that he is gone, I'm sure glad I have it. 


I'm not really sure what our family Christmas celebration will be like this year. I hope there is some family time; but, if not, at least our snug little home feels like Christmas. I will focus on my Savior, enjoy the beauty of my sentimental tree, reflect on happy memories, and pray for a brighter future.