2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Wow!! The Sun is Shining Here in Central Illinois!

Good Mornin’ Loves,

I have been doing a little cleaning this morning (emphasis on little). I needed to sit down and take a rest so I used the rest time to call and text people that I try to keep in touch with. I miss talking to my mom so much since she passed away but I have some other “mothers” that need a little conversation every so often.

The sunshine motivates me and makes me feel so hopeful. It’s like I have a shot of energy when I see the sun shining. I may even get some more cleaning done today! But, right at the moment, I just feel like rambling and blogging. I think I need to get me a cup of coffee to help me ramble. Hang on a minute……Oh, that is heavenly. I am addicted to coffee, I admit it. It is mostly Franklin Life Insurance Company’s fault (I worked there years ago and we had COFFEE BREAKS). Oh and my sister in law, Kitty, who lives in San Diego is also guilty of feeding my addiction by serving me STARBUCKS coffee long before it was ever heard of in the Midwest. I found out that I could order it and have it shipped to my home and that did it. Hooked for life!

Here’s how far I have fallen: I actually have a Starbucks coffee mug with a VELVET HANDLE. Not only does the coffee taste sublime, but the way that handle feels is just beyond words. So I can see it, smell it, taste it, and feel it. Oh, and also I can hear it when the coffee maker gives it that last sputter and sigh of relief after it pushes out that black magic.

You fellow coffee addicts understand the obsession. We should start a Coffee Addicts Anonymous. Hello, my name is Darla, and I am a coffee addict.

Enough of that ramble. I need to get something else done today besides boring you with my coffee stories.

My dresser in my bedroom is covered with all sorts of things. When I returned home from my last trip, all the little things that had no place landed on that dresser. So, my next small project is to clear it off and dust it.

There are other big projects that will have to wait until another day. Like, the kitchen cabinets….ugh, I hate to even think of that. I have so many dishes that they won’t all fit in the cabinet.

Ok, I am even boring myself with this uninteresting talk. If anything exciting happens I may post again today but I doubt it. I gotta’ got out of town to the doctor tomorrow, just a check-up on one of my many medical issues. I have a different doctor for every body part!

Enjoy your day! Thank God for sunshine!

Facebook Never Ceases to Amaze Me!

For 25 years I have been trying to find some dear friends that I met while working at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois in the late 70′s. We both lived at the married housing on campus. He was a transfer student from Bangladesh. His wife and I met at the laundry facility one weekend while doing our laundry. They had not been in the US for very long and had not experienced snow before. We talked and laughed while washing and folding our clothes.

Soon after that meeting I had to have surgery (a tonsillectomy). I was 29 yrs old and it was not an easy recovery. The day I came home from the hospital this new acquaintance came to visit me. I was unable to speak because my throat was swelled completely shut, literally. She sat in a chair beside me, neither one of us said a word; but that was one of the best visits I had ever had. Without saying a word, she comforted me by her presence and her shy smile. From that day on we were fast friends.

At the time of our meeting, my son and I lived in an area of the married housing not too near our new friends, but we often walked to their apt and they to ours to spend time together. They had a young daughter who was near my son’s age and they hit it off as playmates.

A short time later, the university called to tell me that my name had come up for an end apartment. The end apts were the biggest and best apts; consequently, it was difficult to get assigned to one, so there was a waiting list. My name had finally been reached and there was a vacancy – right next to our new-found friends! They were in the end apartment on the south side of the building and we were on exactly the same end on the north side.

I have many fond memories of our visits, trips, and meals together. They taught us so much about their culture and lives in Bangladesh. We helped them understand some of the strange customs in the US. (Such as, why on the first warm day of summer, there were young women lying all over the college campus with their bodies exposed!) That was not something they had ever seen in their home country since women there do not wear revealing clothing and also because they do not wish to get a tan. Another difference between their country and the US was the fact that we have speed limits and stop signs, something a traffic ticket or two taught them. LOL! I asked how they kept from having accidents in their country and they said that whoever gets to the intersection first gets to go through first!

That was in the early 80′s. I then met my soon-to-be husband and moved to another town and our friends moved on to Texas for a job opportunity. Unfortunately, we lost each other from that point on.

I often thought about them and wondered how they were, where they were. When we got the internet I started trying to find them but their name was a very common name and I was never able to narrow down the long list of people with the same name.

You know by now where I am going with this post…….I found them on Facebook last Saturday morning. Now we have all re-connected. My son and their daughter have long since grown up, but now they will be able to keep in touch via Facebook and I will likewise be able to talk to my lost friends again.

Amazing grace! Thank you Facebook!

(There was a crab apple tree right next to our patio on Eastern’s campus where my son played with their daughter in the spring and summer and where we had picnics together. That is why I have posted a picture of a crab apple tree in bloom.)

Sorrow & Joy: Mom died, No More Pain for her.

It has been a long time since I have posted here. During the last 4 months many things have changed, some sorrowful, some joyful.

My mother, Mary Maupin, passed away on Dec 18th, 2010, after an extended illness. I am happy for her, but sad for me. We have spoken by phone practically every day for many years. I will miss those conversations. I was by her side when she passed. So were my siblings and many of her grandchildren. She knew we were there and that she was loved. We knew that she loved us. That knowledge is a wonderful comfort.

My brother and sister-in-law took me with them for an extended vacation to Florida. We spent the entire month of January in the “Sunshine State”. It was pretty close to being in heaven I think. It was warm,I went swimming,  I got a tan. What else could I need?

Thanks to Facebook and my brother, I had a glorious reunion with my good buddy from junior high (Kathy Roberts Alderman) who now lives in Florida (she was smarter than me, obviously, since she escaped the tundra). We had not seen each other for 40 yrs! We had such a wonderful time together, reminiscing and catching up. I stayed with Kathy and her husband, Russ, for a couple of days (not nearly long enough). We laughed and cried, and ate some great food that Russ cooked. I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully next year.

I am back home in the deep freeze that is Central Illinois. It was -5 degrees here this morning. My plan is to stay inside where it is warm as much as possible until the spring thaw – about April or May. I will be quilting and drinking coffee, and blogging about random things.

Listening to the Thunder Roll & Procrastinating from my Rocking Chair

I had all good intentions of getting an early start on doing some cleaning today, then quilting on the queen-sized white on white that I have been working on off & on for oh……about 10 yrs or so.

But it is raining, and thundering. For some reason, when it rains and thunders my butt just can’t seem to get in gear. I think it is psychological……or psychotic? One or the other.

Besides, it is Saturday morning. There’s another good excuse for getting nothing done.

I woke up at 5 AM for no good reason. Watched a little tv, checked on Caleb Brown’s status on Facebook. (2 yr old critically injured in a hiking accident last Saturday). Prayers offered up for him, then back to sleep.

My phone rang around 8. It was Lakeisha (dear friend of the family who helps take care of my mother). She said that Mom was being taken to the hospital and that she (Lakeisha) was going up there to be with her. I wish I were there.

My mom lives 4 1/2 hrs away in Cape Girardeau MO (my hometown). She has been in poor health for some time now and lives in an assisted living facility. My brother, Jack, also lives in Cape so he is also at the hospital with Mom.

I talked to Jack. They are doing some testing on Mom. Now I am waiting to hear further details. If necessary I will pack up and go down there.

In the meantime, I am killing time. I could start something (like cleaning) but I feel like I am glued to this chair, in an altered state, awaiting word on Mom.

I have appointed myself the family “town crier” when it comes to Mom’s condition so I have texted everyone to let them know that she is at the hospital. Many of them are praying for her as they have so many times in the last few years. Mom is 86 (will be 87 on Nov 7th). She has chronic health issues as do most people her age.

Anyway, while I am waiting, I decided to blog. I have had just about all the election talk I can stomach on TV. I do hope that many in the US congress will be heading back home to look for jobs come next month.

On a different subject, I can barely wait to go to a warmer climate in January. We have not had any cold weather here yet but already I am dreading it. I am such a wuss when it comes to snow and ice. I would not miss it one bit if it never snowed again in Illinois. But, hey, so far “global warming” has not progressed far enough here. (Oh no, there’s another political subject.) Since global warming has been debunked by factual revelations in the past year, the terminology has been changed to “climate change”.  Whatever it’s called, I need me some warm weather from December until about April.

My brother, Tim, and his wife, Patty, will take me away from this Illinois weather, at least temporarily, in January. We will head for Florida, the Sunshine State, and will stay for an entire month. I look so forward to being with them and to being in a warm climate and missing out on some of that nasty snow and ice. It puts me in the mind of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe where the white witch curses Narnia with it being “always winter, but never Christmas”. I love the part when the curse is broken and the snow starts to melt and the streams begin to flow after having been frozen for so many years.

Well, I still have not gotten an update on Mom and I am feeling increasingly guilty for sitting here doing nothing so I guess I will go do something. Be back later with an update.

Update: Mom is back at the assisted living. She was given medication and is scheduled to see the doctor on Thursday.

Heading Back to My Rocking Chair

Before March 13, 2009 I was so very content to sit in my rocking chair and do my hand-quilting, but not since then. What happened on March 13, 2009?

I attended a gathering of approximately 300-400 people in Springfield, Illinois, at the Route 66 Hotel. From that day on, I put down my thimble and have very seldom sat in my rocking chair since.

March 13, 2009 marked the beginning of the 9/12 Project as explained by Glenn Beck of Fox News. On that day I decided to join the effort to educate first myself and then others on the history of my home country. I was concerned about the direction we as Americans seemed to be heading. I considered myself a 9/12′er (as we have come to call ourselves), based on the 9 principles and 12 values presented as the guide for positive action on behalf of America.

I have been actively involved in the 9/12 Project for over a year and I plan to continue that effort.

BUT, I think that the time has come for me to re-visit the simple pleasure of quilting while sitting in my rocking chair, enjoying a slow cup of coffee in the morning, posting on this blog about faith, family, and quilts (of course) while, at the same time, drawing as near to God as I possibly can. I am so grateful to be an American where I am free to do these things.

From now on, this blog will be random, according to whatever is on my mind. It may be interesting or very boring. If you have comments, please be brave enough to type in that little box down below the post and hit the “Submit” button. If I like your comment, I will approve it. If I don’t like it, I will delete it. Simple.

Letter to My Fellow 9/12 Watchdogs

Yesterday morning was one of those days! My post for today is a copy of my email to my cohorts in crime, the Central Illinois 9/12 Project Watchdogs:

Just so you know guys, I am at the visitor center due to the fact that we have no wi-fi in our expensive resort condo here, even though my brother paid $100 a week for it…..grrrrrr! Of all the mornings to have no internet connection! So I had to drag my lazy butt out to this remote location to see what happened last night. I crashed at 8:30 last night. Man, I couldn’t wait to read whatever a certain anon watchdog dug up while I was sleeping. I was not disappointed when I finally got to my email…thanks and WOW!

I must tell you though that it was no easy task to get to this email this am. Even on a good day here I can’t get a signal in my room. I have to go to my brother’s room which means I must get a key to his room before going to bed. So this morning key in hand I go in very very early. My brother and sis-in-law are still sleeping of course. I fire up the laptop and “no internet connection available” appears. I think this can’t be true so i go thru the usual routine of troubleshooting all to no avail. So I call the front desk, they say they will connect me to tech support. I am ready to give them a piece of my already too small mind when I hear a fax machine screaming in my ear. I hang up, call the front desk back. A different person answers of course. I explain, she puts me on hold, then comes back with an 800 # for me. Fine, now I can give them whatfor. I dial the 800 number, guess what? another fax machine! I am not happy. I call the front desk for the 3rd time….did I mention that I am extremely persistent? Yet another person answers (do they have a full room of phone answerers at 6 am?) She puts me on hold, comes back and says someone will have to reset the internet connection. But only a manager can do that and he won’t be in till 9…..oh my, I think steam came out of my head.  So then she tells me I can come to the visitor center and use the internet. I said great but that won’t do me any good b/c I can’t use my laptop there. She says yes you can. Just come to the front desk and ask for a wire.

So then all I have to do is GET DRESSED, wake my brother and wife up at 6 am to get the keys to the van, pack up all my medical needs and my computer and drive down to the visitor center. OK, so I do that. I am in such a hurry so I skip the shower and the all important CUP OF STARBUCKS. I drive down, go to the front desk where all the people I just talked to plus a few more are standing there watching me drag my extremely heavy bag up to the desk. I say in a not too nice voice “I need a wire”. So then we must go through the red tape of filling out the proper form of course. They give me a cable, then tell me I must go outside (where, by the way it is raining) then follow the sidewalk and go back in a door, get on an elevator and go to the second floor. That’s easy right.

They forgot to tell me that there is more than one door. Eeny, meeny, miny mo. Here comes a housekeeper, I ask her. She says I have to go around the corner to another door, then use my room key to open the door, take the elevator to second floor. I do that. Find the room with only one dirty old man in it on the computer. Did I say that out loud?

I unload the laptop, only to discover that I FORGOT MY MOUSE. Ugh. So then I try to rob a mouse from one of the other computers. The problem is the mouse is hardwired in to the keyboard. In my not too calm state of mind, I just unplug the entire keyboard from the other computer, then discover that my notebook does not have the correct port to plug it in to. So, put the other computer back together. Then start looking for the port to plug into the net. About this time a couple comes in, sees me in the floor with wires all around me and says “You can just plug in over here”.

from google images - not really me - I look a lot worse!

There is a port right on the wall! I feel like a total idiot but am so thankful that they rescued me. I was just about to have a mental melt-down with only a dirty old man to assist me! Ok, he might not have been a dirty old man but I was just in the mood to accuse anyone of anything at this point.

again, not really "my" dirty old man

I plug in and still don’t have a connection. Why am I not surprised? Then the nice couple told me I had plugged in to the only port that did not work. I am really batting 100 today. So I change ports and now here I am…on line at last. Oh what joy! So….

thats my story and I’m stickin with it and you guys were the lucky ones that I had to vent to today. I feel better now.
Well, now I can go back and brew that much-needed cup of Starbucks and maybe even take a shower (as I said, I couldn’t wait to get my fix). These poor people in this computer room have to deal with my lack of grooming.

It’s 9 now so maybe the manager has plugged in that loose connection by now….Will be in touch and it will be shorter next time, I promise.

Gonna’ Ramble Today

Vacation Village in Kissimmee, Florida

I am in one of my favorite places on the face of the earth – Orlando, Florida.

We (me, my brother, and my sister-in-law) have been here for about a week….it is Sunday morning. I would normally be getting ready for church back home in Illinois. But today I am lazing around drinking coffee, breathing in the warm Florida air, and thanking God for how wonderful the humid air makes me feel. I know that sounds weird to most people – that HUMID AIR makes me feel good. But I grew up very near the banks of the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, so my sinuses are programmed for WET AIR. I am lovin’ it!

We made the trip by van from Illinois to Orlando, leaving on Jan 7th, arriving on the 9th. It was relatively cold (according to the locals) when we arrived here but for us it felt like a heat wave. We checked in to our condo and got settled in right away.

We then made a trip farther south on the Gulf side to visit friends in Bonita Springs. From there we headed to Sanibel Island & Captiva Island, where we ate at the Mucky Duck located on the beach. Fantastic beach atmosphere and good food were enjoyed there.

Here are some pics I found on Google Images of the area we visited (I forgot to bring my USB cable to upload my own pics) :

The Mucky Duck located on the beach at Captiva Island FL

swamp creatures along the way

sea oats along the beach

Paducah or Bust!!

I am getting ready to go to the quilt show in Paducah Kentucky. My sister-in-law and I leave tomorrow. The show starts Wednesday. I can’t wait to see all those beautiful quilts!

Beatrix Potter Baby Quilt (aka “The Royal Quilt”)

Last fall my buddy Jill asked me to make a baby quilt and some baby toys for her soon-to-be-born great nephew. It is finished and delivered to the parents. Jill sent me some pics of them receiving the gifts.

Here are some pics:

Steph and Dennis opening quilt

Dennis, Steph, and Aunt Jill

And here are some more pics with details: (click on the pics for a larger image)

And here are some pics of the fabric book and the baby blocks:

Steph and her Aunt Jill

baby blocks

I had a ball making this quilt and was so pleased with the finished product. It went with me from Illinois, through Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida and all the way back again. Jill lives in West Virginia so upon completion it was shipped to her. The baby will be living in South Carolina so this quilt has quite a travelling history so far. After they received the quilt I got an email from Jill that blessed my socks off! Here is an excerpt:

“what a stir the “Royal Quit” caused at the baby shower! She said everyone loved it and the toys. She said they finally had to put it away for everyone keep rubbing it and saying how soft and many wanted to just rub it on their face and she wasn’t letting any makeup get on it…LOL..So they passed it around one time and everyone loved the materisl and one older lady she teaches with is a quilter and actually got a measuring tape out of her purse and announced the amount of stitches per inch on average and said “This was done by a real quilter! She knew what she was doing!” So you were the talk of the shower. The older lady had also made material toys before but have never thought of putting bells in the blocks but said they would have them from now on!…So Joy finally took it back to her laundrry room behind her kitchen and when she went in to get coffee refills 2 of the ladies were back there looking at it again!…So I think you can rest assured you actually did make the Royal Quilt!…Joy is buying all the things for the nursey she is setting up in her house after she ges down there in the colors to match the quilt. She is going to be the official baby sitter when Steph goes back to work after her 6 weeks off so she is setting up a complete nursery in her house too and evrything is now going to be done in the quilt colors with a bunny theme!…So ya done good!..Way more than good!..Thank ye, Thank ye, Thank ye!!……Jill”

It was my pleasure, Jill. Can’t wait to see that baby!