I feel like it was yesterday since I last wrote a post - and it has been nearly a year. The time has just flown by - yet it has been a trying and stressful year. We did finally finish the basement after the flooding and it was looking really good. It was a very very hard winter - for us a nearly record snowfall and harsh temperatures plus winter didn't ease it's hold until late in May. My Azalea never did bloom as it was simply too cold for it. Hopefully it will bloom again next year.

The summer has been unusually cool which helped with the electric bill, but we didn't really have a summer. Early in the summer, my husband hurt his neck and arm and was unable to do anything for the pain. He couldn't even drive. So many things I normally do had to be set aside to care for him. Three doctors later we found one who could actually help him, but he said it would take 3 - 4 months. Here we are 3 1/2 months later and he is so much better - he can drive for extended periods of time, he can start the lawn mover and he can do other things he was unable to do in June. He is not completely back to where he was in May, but he is well on his way and I am so grateful.

We wanted to go to a could of reunions this summer and visit Gettysburg and Manassass but that was not possible this summer. We are planning a day trip to Chicago to visit our grandson and go to the museum - he wants to take his Grampa to the new U-boat exhibit. I'm not into tight enclosed spaces, so I will opt out and go for the doll house or the electric train display.

 I have completed a couple of quilts this year:

This is Sunbonnet Sue around the year and was a gift to my sister.

This is the Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt and was a gift to my Brother.

I am working on several others and hopefully will have more completed soon.

New Block of the Week

Just what I needed was another Block of the Week or Block of the month, but I couldn't resist.  I have the Underground Railroad quilt ready to quilt - this is more or less a companion piece called Loyal Union Sampler.  I am really excited about it and I am determined to do this one in the 6" blocks.  I've completed two blocks.

This is the first one I completed last week - it is called Abel's Favorite.  I have one to make up as I started at the end of the second week - but I will get it together.

This was this weeks block and is called Winged Square.  I'm using material from an 1800's quilt that I just completed and some Thimbleberries fabric that looks like 1800's fabric.  Hopefully I won't have to buy too much more fabric.  

We have had 4 or 5 really beautiful days in a row.  Sunny, relatively warm considering it is October and beautiful.  I love this time of year.  I'm hoping the good weather lasts a bit longer as we want to take a ride to look for fall foliage and I don't want to do that in to rain or if it is cloudy.  Tomorrow we are having a new water heater installed so that is out and Tuesday they are talking about rain and I have quilt club that morning - I'm leaning toward Thursday - hopefully it will be Sunny.

Woman of Proverbs 31 Block

It is a beautiful day - as was yesterday - Sunday we really won't discuss as it was cloudy, rainy and COLD!! But I am learning to be grateful for each day that dawns, whether Sunny or Rainy to rejoice in it and to praise God for it!

Woman of Proverbs 31

I remember, as a young wife and mother, struggling to be the perfect Proverbs 31 woman.  I wanted to do all that she did, I wanted to be what she was, I wanted to make everyone proud of me and I failed miserably.  Now, so many years later I'm beginning to realize that her actions aren't what we are to emulate - the spinning and the weaving and the planting and harvesting.  It is her inner self.  It is her wisdom and common sense that I am to follow.  Her planning ahead and always being prepared that I am to emulate.  I must always look to the future and not agonize over the past.  I must care for those placed in my charge and see lovingly to their needs.

Widow of Zarapath

Rizpah

These are two more of my completed blocks - The Widow of Zarapath and Rizpah.  I never read Rizpah's story before and it truly saddened me - I'm still not sure I learned anything from her story - maybe later I will try reading it again to glean something from it.

We are still trying to get our basement put back together after all the flooding this spring.  I should have taken pictures before we started, but I really don't want to remember what it was like.  I did take some pictures a couple of weeks ago as we were ripping up tile on the floor - that was a job in and of itself.  Note to self - don't use tile adhesive if there is even a slim possibility that you are going to want to take this tile up again!!

This is going to be my quilting studio and miniature (doll house) work room.  It has a long way to go, but I'm really excited about it.  I'll post more pictures as I can.

September's reading list:

Fiber & Brimstone by Laura Childs

Eye of the Beholder by Jayne Ann Krentz

Knit, Purl, Die by Anna Canadeo

An Order for Death by Susanna Gregory

High Five by Janet Evanovich

Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz

All of this months list are by favorite authors.  Janet Evanovich I've been listing to on CD as I drive in the car or work on my quilts.  I truly think I like Susanna Gregory the best this month.  Her setting in 1300's Cambridge has all the Medieval flavor you could want and is historically accurate to the time.  That is important to me as I am a historian.  

Anyway - That's about it for today - may God's Blessing fall abundantly on each of you.

Mary's Block

I finally completed Mary’s block for my Women of the Bible Quilt. It took me a while to figure out a way to construct it that worked for me. I ended up with a mixture of Machine Paper Piecing and hand piecing, but I’m very pleased with the result.

Bethlehem Star - Mary Mother of Jesus 

As I think about Mary and her service as the Mother of Jesus I thought of my own Mother. Today would have been her 97th birthday. She wasn’t perfect, but which of us is? But she was there for me when I needed her, and I tried to be there when she needed me. She was often my traveling companion. We took several trips to Pennsylvania to visit family, one trip to North Carolina, a trip to Yellowstone and the oddessy of all trips when she was 91 to visit her cousins, sister-in-law and niece scattered from Holland, Michigan to Winter Park, Florida. We also spend 3 wonderful days in St Augustine, Florida. I drove a total of 7500 miles on that trip, ended up with a case of shingles by the time I got home, and truly had a wonderful time. It was also the last time I saw my mother. She died less than 2 years later and due to health reasons I was unable to go back to visit before then.

 I’ve also completed two other blocks for this sampler quilt.

Heart's Desire - Shluammite Woman
From Song of Solomon

Grandmother's Own - Athaliah & Jesosheba

 The basement project is coming along well. I did the last of the painting for the shelves today and maybe we will get the wallboard up so hubby can set his worktable up and clear his things off my sewing table. We have a couple of tables to construct of me - a moveable work table and a large cutting table. There is still a lot of work, and I have no idea what we are going to do for the floors. Anyone has any great ideas - please let me know!!! LOL

August’s book list is completed:

Steak & Eggs by Laura Childs
Pirate King by Laurie R. King
Black Wind by Clive Cussler
Death Climbs a Tree by Sara Hoskinson Frommer
Burn by Nevada Barr

All the authors are old favorites - I think the two I enjoyed most this time were Pirate King by Laurie R King - what a fun adventure for Mary and Holmes - not what I normally expect from a Mary Russell book but good never the less. I also liked? Enjoyed? Shivered with fear? Anyway - Burn by Nevada Barr. Anna Pigeon is on leave from the NPS in New Orleans when everything that can go wrong in Cajun Country does go wrong. Very Very good book.

End of Summer.

I have no idea where this summer has gone.  It seems like just yesterday we were crying in our flooded basement - that was back in April.  Now it is the last day of August.  The basement is now dry - it took them until July to get to us to do the work that needed to be done.  We now have channels around the inner basement walls - a sump pump with a marine battery backup, and a dehumidifier and air purifier to hold down the mold and mildew in the air.  We have started rebuilding my quilt studio and Dave's work room, but it is a long process.  The walls have to be put back in.  Everything has to be repainted we have to make sure ALL the black mold is out and my back keeps going out.  What a pain!!

I did get some reading done in July -

For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen
Sweet Starfire by Jane Ann Krantz
Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci
The Tale of Castle Cottage by Susan Wittig Albert
Home For a Spell by Madeline Alt
Finger Lickin Dead by Riley Adams

All of the authors are old favorites - I sort of needed the security of old favorites when everything is in such an upheaval.  Have any of you watched King and Maxwell - The TV show based on David Baldacci's characters from several of his books?  I love the show and was really disappointed that they only made 10 episodes.  I really hope they pick it up again and made a lot more.

I haven't gotten a lot of my blocks made for my Women of the Bible Quilt this summer.  I just can't seem to keep up with anything right now - of course the sewing is strewn from one end of the house to the other so it is really hard to find what I need.  Anyway, I did get a few new one's done.  Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have some more done - this redo of the basement has slowed things down a lot.!

Bathsheba

Women of Endor

Abigail - Wife of David

Queen of Sheba

Esther Queen of Persia

Gomar

Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist

Jazabel

Woman of Abel

Tamar Daughter of David

More on the flood of 2013

Yesterday hubby and I took a drive out to see what the flood looked like - it was supposed to be cresting - whether it did or not I don't know yet, but it was certainly high enough.  There were places where I had never seen flood water before and roads that I don't ever remember being closed.

Antique mall & Flee Market in Coal Valley

Intersection of 150 and 6 in Moline

Adding more barriers to intersection of 150 & 6

Across from the barricades on Route 6.  

Paddling Home

Road beside Ben Franklin that normally leads to Harold's Landing

Standing in the parking Lot of Ben Franklin looking across Harold's Landing to the Rock River
The last set of pictures were taken standing by the pillars in the foreground.

Another boat for residents along the Rock River who did not move out to higher ground.

Park bench in the river.

view down Ben Butterworth Parkway from the Celebration Belle Parking Lot

No Picnics today

Another shot looking down River Drive From the Parking Lot.

Looking for an Ark

I've decided I need to start gathering up two of everything and then start building that ark. In the last 3 weeks or so we've had something in the neighborhood of 8 - 10 inches of rain, 6 of it coming in 48 hours last week. Our basement is flooded and we have been unable to get anyone out here to do anything about it. The sumps are working overtime and the ball valve gave out yesterday - what a MESS!! All is sort of working again, but we still are waiting for someone to come and give us an estimate on the basement. The mold continues to grow and I am extremely sensitive to it, so I don't sleep particularly well, and I don't feel up to par.

 Told my Granddaughter last night that I was ready to run away and asked if she would like to come with me. I've had to move my quilting studio up to the dining room table so of course I'm not getting nearly as much done. I can't find things, and I just don't have as much room. My fabric and supplies are in plastic crates so they are all fine - but not as accessible as I would like.

The other day I went out and was amazed at the flooding - and the Rock River isn't due to flood until Sunday and I don't know when the Mississippi is due to Crest.

Old Collapsed Barn on the Back Road

The Bridge on Coal Creek at Highway 150 and Indian Bluff Road

The Parking Lot at the Corn Crib Market

The road beside Ben Franklin ahead is the Park for Harrold's Landing and beyond that the Rock River

This is at the edge of the Airport on Highway 150.  ShyShy calls this the little Rock River - there is a small drainage ditch near where the telephone pole is, it is not small anymore

The creek in front of my house is actually a very small creek and is in the background of this shot - the rest is flood into someone's yard.

The sun is actually shining today, but it is very cold out - but believe me, I will take the sunshine no matter what the temperature!!

March Book List:
Flood Tide by Clive Cussler 
Fruit of the Poisoned Tree by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn Hart 
The Sixth Man by David Baldacci 
Whose Death is it Anyway? By Elizabeth Daniels Squire
The Chase by Clive Cussler
Threadbare by Monica Ferris
While my Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo

I'm still on my Clive Cussler Marathon - and a new Hero in Isaac Bell.  Set in the turn of the 1900's it is a really good and interesting read - and of course Clive Cussler made a Cameo appearance!  Anne Canadeo is a new author to my list - I enjoyed the book and plan on reading the next.  The format is very similar to Maggie Shefton's knitting series so I will have to watch it.  Carolyn Hart's Ghost series is a lot of fun and I love Elizabeth Daniels Squire Peaches Dann who can't seem to stay out of trouble.  Monica Ferris always come forth with a winner and I've enjoyed the second outting with Joyce and Jim Lavene's series on Botanist Peggy Lee.  David Baldacci is always a winner in my accounting - always fast paced and he keeps you going from beginning to end.  There is a new TV series coming out in June based on his characters, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell - looking forward to watching it.

Hopefully tomorrow or Monday I will have some quilt blocks to post.