"Pay It Forward 2011" Facebook Challenge

Someone issued a "Pay It Forward" challenge on facebook a couple of weeks ago and my DD listed it on her status.

Here are the rules:
Pay it forward 2011: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They in turn must post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

I signed up under DD, then posted on my status and had two sign up under me- my DD and my cousin, Lorene.

Here is my Pay It Forward gift from my DD. I named him PIF (pay it forward)!

In turn, I gave her this wall hanging and four coasters that I made.

I sent my cousin Lorene a set as well but quilted in a different pattern.






















It would have been nice if more people would have joined in on this but we all lead busy lives. . . I really enjoyed it.

BANK ACCOUNT!!!

I really like this. Words of Wisdom to live by:


This is AWESOME .... something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved
perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After
many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled
sweetly when told his room was ready..

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is
arranged .... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.
'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;
I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the
parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful
for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.
I am still depositing.
'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries..
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Respiratory Infection and My Sewing Room.

I have been busy in my sewing room for the last week despite this upper respiratory infection that my HD and I acquired and is hanging on and on and on. . .

First I need to show you my overstuffed sewing closet. I am working to use up the material but as you can see, it WILL take awhile!

You know if you put enough fabric on the shelves, the stacks CAN'T fall over! :o)

The top shelf is reserved for my Christmas fabric and it is stacked all the way to the ceiling!


I had some baby quilts sandwiched and ready to machine  quilt. I got some of those done as well as some doll quilts. Here are a few pictures of the ones I have finished..

Woody baby quilt

Thomas the train baby quilt

Tweety & Bunny baby quilt

Horses wall hanging

 Doll Quilts

 

 I had finished my Texas quilter's basket, a sew 'n go organizer and the small pin cushions a while back but finally managed to get pictures and get them listed on Etsy.
 I have more in the works that will be donated. I have two baby quilts laid out, one teddy bears and one Woody and a twin sized Thomas quilt.
I just finished  working on a quilt for a special puppy and put it in today's mail to his owner. In my large family we just can't help spoiling our fuzzy little babies - they are so cute!! They are members of our family.

Epidemic or Greed ?

OK now, let me climb up on my soapbox!

Have you noticed that there seems to be an epidemic of GERD (acid reflux) in this country. What is causing this? Is it the way we eat? Is it all the chemicals they put into our foods "to keep us safe" (preservatives).

Are the doctors being paid by the drug companies to get us started on all these acid blockers- Nexium, Protonix, Zantac, Prilosec - too many to list and more coming out all the time. Once you get on them, it's almost impossible to get off - at least for some people. Seems like the reflux is worse than when you first started taking it.

Why do the doctors TREAT the problem instead of FIXING it? Change the diet or use natural products to help until diet changes take place. The drugs stop acid production- it is my understanding that our stomachs need the acid to process what we eat.

That is just one example. Seems everyone I talk to is taking drugs for cholesterol. I am sure that really high cholesterol is not good for a person but how can they say that each and every persons should be this particular reading or less. Are we not all different?? My reading may be a tiny bit over THEIR guidelines but I don't care to take these drugs that can cause depression, mood swings, and muscle aches so bad you can hardly get out of bed or walk.

Another topic on my list is blood pressure medication. I don't think you need it if your BP just goes up when you enter the doctor's office. Just thinking about what they charge and how much you pay for insurance sends mine shooting up some.

While I'm at it, what about the cost of some of these drugs? I cannot believe it costs so much to make them. For one tiny little tube of ointment, less than the length and thickness of my little finger, with very little in it costs $144.00 ! ! ! That is OUTRAGEOUS ! Even with good insurance it was $40 bucks.

And all the drugs they advertise now! Take this one to take care of ONE specific problem- it only has these TWENTY-FIVE side effects!! So do you have to take MORE drugs to take care of them??

It is a scary world these days.

Climbing down off my soapbox now . . .

I Can Share Now . . .

This was my offering for our Amarillo Ladies Chinese gift exchange. As you can see, they are reversible so if you get tired of one side, just flip them over.