I have gotten through this year. It started out with me just getting out of the nursing home rehabbing from my colon cancer. Little by little throughout the year I have been getting better. I am seeing my surgeon this week and will probably have to go through some tests as a year has gone by since the surgery. I feel pretty good so not too concerned. The only thing that really didn't get all the way back was the muscle in my upper leg that because of laying for 3 months and not walking alot is not back to what it was. I have a more difficult time walking up a step or stairs. Dorothy (sister-in-law) and I went to a really nice quilt show last Sunday. I saw some very beautiful quilts. I did go home with a few small pieces of fabric to put aside for my stash. I also purchased a template to make a quilt using all my scraps. I ordered it so it will be coming through the mail soon, I hope. I am anxious to play with it. Maybe that will give the the push to do some sewing. I have been working on some Christmas gifts but have hit a lazy streak of not feeling like doing anything regarding sewing. I keep going back in the sewing room but only work a few minutes at a time. I need to finish up quite a few projects that I have started. I also need to do some yard work that I keep putting off. My next decision to make is whether or not I am going to put up my Christmas decorations. Part of me wants to and the other part doesn't. It is hard for me to ask people to help with with bringing up my decorations but I just can't do it myself anymore. Only time will tell what I will do. I would like to find an area to put the containers so that I wouldn't have to take them up and down the stairs. It is time for me to clean up the kitchen and finish getting dressed. Carol is coming over for dinner and a movie. Today we are cooking a turkey breast and it is a beautiful sunny day today.

What a surprise I had tonight. I am up in the middle of the night again because I fall asleep too early and then I am up way to early but I will go back to sleep again soon. Anyway back to my surprise, I received an email about my cousin Ellen Ann. I always wondered what happened to her and the email I received was from her daughter-in law, Gayla Bolton. I knew that Ellen Ann had married but never knew if she had any children. I had also heard that she was living on the east coast somewhere. Who would have ever thought that someone would read my blog and it would be someone who knew my family? The miracles of the internet. The email made my day. It is so nice to get unexpected emails like this. Now that I am older it doesn't take much to make my day. LOL This last year has been a hard year. I had colon cancer surgery on September 30, 2011 and was in the hospital for a few days shy of a month. Three weeks of that time I was in ICU. From the hospital I went to a rehab center to strengthen my leg muscles as I hadn't walked in a month and also just to build up my body. I was there for about 2 months and was finally discharged a few days before Christmas. It has taken me months to get back to what I call normal. Oops, not sure I was ever normal. LOL Most things are better now but the breathing problems are worse since the surgery. I do get out to grocery shop and I always enjoy a quilting store or Joann Fabrics as fabric is my passion for many years. I have many lazy days but just as many productive days. Life is good most of the time. I am still sewing and have many projects started. I just finished my embroidered pumpkin and need to finish putting together my Christmas quilt.

It has been a very long time since I posted last. The days go faster the older I get. I am now home more because of my surgery so maybe I can up date the site a bit. I started this blog so that I could write down memories of growing up but I have decided that instead of doing that that I may just start showing some of the things that I am making. I have always been a crafter and sewer. Even in my 70s I am still at crafting and sewing and now there is the web site called Pinterest and I can post all my favorite things so I search the web for wonderful things that I like so that I can post it on my site. I would love to post picture of some of my items but have no idea how to do it. Someday I may figure it out. LOL

This is my carosel horse. I have painted it similiar to what the original one would have looked like. The horse was carved in about 1904-5 by a German carver named Heyn. This horse was not on a brass pole instead it was on a metal stand that rocked back and forth. I am hoping to sell it soon for the right price.

time passes quickly

Time passes by too quickly. It is the weekend and soon it will be next weekend. The older I get the faster it goes. Today I am resting as tomorrow will be a busy day. I am going into the church craft show. I hope I make some money and that we have very little to take home.

I don't remember the last time I posted some memories of when I was growing up. I believe it was when I lived in Florida at "Azalea Courts". We had four motel units. Motels were different in those days as most were not large. Some had separate rooms and some were joined together. Ours were joined together and had a bedroom and a bathroom. There was a small shower, a toilet, and a sink in the bathroom. The bedroom consisted of a bed a lamp and a dresser. The motel was built of cement blocks and none of us had air-conditioning in those days. I don't think air-conditioning existed in those days. Next to the units was an attached building or I should say room that housed the hot water heater. The washing of the linens, towels, etc was done by my mother or I sometimes would be bored and wash the clothes.

The wash machine was outside of our house. It was a wringer type wash machine and there was a rinse tub outside too. Clothes driers didn't yet exist. We would have to hang the sheets, towels, etc on the clothes line. When I would do it it was always difficult me hanging the laundry as I was a kid, maybe 11 years old. I do remember sometimes stepping in a red (fire ant) hill and getting my feet and legs eaten alive until I knocked them off of me.

We had an iron mangler in the home and the sheets and the pillow cases would be ironed that way. I always enjoyed doing the ironing on it. That is when I felt like it.

It was hard on my Mom helping to run the business and then doing the striping of the motel unit and then washing, drying, ironing and cleaning the units just to go back to making hamburgers, chili, etc. She would sometimes work to 1:30 in the morning just to get up and start all over again.

From the time I was 11 years old on, I would always get up by myself in the morning, get washed and dressed and open the business, make breakfast for myself and go to school. Deciding what to wear to school was easy and we always had to wear a dress or a skirt and blouse and I had very few to choose from.

Aunt Fran Funeral

Today was Aunt Fran's funeral. Aunt Dorothy and Uncle George was there. They did not know who I was in the beginning. They look great for being 86 and 89. Aunt Rose was there too. She is 93. That means I have at least 20 years to go. All my cousins were there also. I wish family lived closer. I miss having them around. My cousin Karl who I used to write you when I lived in Florida is married to Peggy now and she seems really nice. I know we would get along fine. Ted and Pat look good also. Ted is really thin and Pat looks the same. I also sat and talked with Frankie who is Randy's age. It was nice talking to him. I didn't go to young Teddy's house as my breathing was getting bad so it was easier for me to go home but I wish I could have visited longer. I sure do miss them all.

A lot of memories were brought up today but too tired to write them down right now. I will write them down later.

Aunt Fran

Aunt Fran passed away a few weeks ago and will be buried tomorrow at Clarendon Hills Cemetary. What a great Aunt she was. She worked for Marshall Fields downtown, the original one on State Street. She was a detective or a floor walker. She watched for "shop lifters" and caught many of them. She also had great stories of the shop lifting episodes. I will miss those stories.

Aunt Fran also loved to dance. At any family function where there was a band, Aunt Fran wanted to jitterbug. She would drag you out on the floor and throw you around. She was always the leader and you would have to follow her steps. She was just a fun aunt.

She was good friends with my mom and really missed her until the day she died. Talking about my Mom would always bring a tear to her eye. When Uncle Ted was alive, Aunt Fran would always be bitching at him about something and she was usually right about the bitching. LOL They would bicker all the time, but they were a wonderful couple. My uncles eyes always twinkled. He always seemed to be full of the devil. I will miss my Aunt Fran and she was my favorite aunt. Some day I will meet her again.

Aunt Fran

This morning my Aunt Fran passed away. What a wonderful aunt she was to me. I missed her when she moved to Colorado and would call her every once in awhile but when she went to the nursing home she wouldn't hear the phone. She was so good to my Mom and they seemed to enjoy each other's company so much. She really missed my Mom after she passed on and would cry every time she would talk about her. Aunt Fran loved to dance and would jitterbug with anyone who would dance with her. She would always be the leader and would throw you around the floor. LOL She was so much fun at parties. She loved life and was a kind and generous person. I know her family will really miss her alot. She was my favorite aunt and I will miss her a whole lot. Rest In Peace Aunt Fran.