Karen is slack!

I haven't written a post for ages. The last time I tried it wouldn't add the photos but I will try again.last time I'd been to retreat and finished a quilt top. I'm trying to find a fabric for the border but the Charisma by Chez Moi is about ten years old and not available in NZ so I have to find something similar.

At the moment I'm making an eye spy kinda quilt for my neighbours who will both have turned 70 by Boxing Day this year. I found Polaroid quilts on Pinterest , each block looks like a Polaroid photo. It's looking good but no photo yet so I will post one when I get it together. I also have to make an eyespy baby quilt before Christmas for their 2nd grandson who is due early December. I love making them and the adults and children love them. Educational too.

We are going through a restructure at work. It's been very stressful as my team have been disestablished. But last Wednesday we found out they have allowed enough new jobs for us so I'm confident I will be okay.  We don't know till February so I can enjoy Christmas.

Speaking of work, I need to go there so I'd better say goodbye and get ready. Have a wonderful day everyone. Karen

Pretty...... Not!

It's been a week since my fall and although the pain is not as intense as it was then, I still have it! My ribs on that side and that side of my hand ache all the time and look out if I Sit down the wrong way. I'm putting oil on my face to prevent scarring but...

8 days later

I've had heaps of attention at work. I told a couple of the guys "nobody pinches my fabric, you want to see the other girl!" Hehe. 

I had to go to the Dr on Friday as I had an earache. Turns out my sinus is probably be infected from the injury to my face and your ears are in the same passage so this is normal? Abs again! Will I ever get back to losing weight again. No exercise at the moment!  

Chris at DietCokeRocks wants to display some of her precious buttons. These are two ideas I've found on the net, Chris. I am Gunna do one. I say Gunna because if I eventually do everything I'm gunna do, I will be here till I'm 150 !  

I love them both but this one is stunning. 4 canvases and paint them 

or even cover them with hand dyed fabric?? 

                 

Well. Short and sweet but I have to go to work! So I will add some more later. 

How to get attention the wrong way!

Last weekend I went to a retreat with about 21 quilters. It's 2 days sewing and awesome fun. 

I finished putting this top together. I love it. I need to find a border fabric for it but because its 9 years old I can't find much in the same fabric. I will look for something else. A friend there told me how to do the refuge pick up, makes it so much quicker.  I'm so pleased with it.

The venue where we have our retreat is an old hospital. Wooden buildings everywhere that have or are being renovated. Huge rooms so everyone is sewing in the same room. Lots of laughs and lots of gentle suggestions and support. I love it because I get to meet so many people. 

So top finished and I packed up to go home at 11.30pm.  The one thing the owners of this retreat haven't got around too yet is lighting in the car park areas. Guess what happened?   I very carefully carried my sewing table down the steps and walked between my car and the concrete curb of the flower bed. I could see the curb as it was light coloured concrete however the car pack was black! I don't know how it happened (I may have caught my table against my car) but nex minit I'm on the ground face first! 

 I ended up in hospital for 5 hours waiting to see Dr, have X-rays on my very painful left hand, and my ribs. I was sure something was broken. I can handle a lot of pain but it was too much. Every time I breathed, sneezed or laughed my face hurts and my ribs grip me with terrible pain. My little finger is really sore and I have bruises in strange places but they will pass.

Luckily nothing is broken, that would really be bad news. I  just hope the owners install lightening before someone else is hurt bad. There are huge potholes everywhere. 

Here is the link for the prize winners at Taupo Symposium.    http://tauposymposium.co.nz/Challenges.aspx

Have a look at these beautiful quilts.  The Viewers Choice quilt is painted onto a quilt.

I

The detail in this quilt is amazing. Painting is not my forte but I admire people who have this talent.

Close up

I just love this quilt. A really modern tree. Just thought I'd share it with you. It was also at Symposium.

Add caption

Nothing to do ?

To correct that, there is heaps I could do but I've got pnuemonia ???  How, where and why I got it, I don't know. I have been in the best health ever after losing 18 kgs  so this is the last thing I need.   I don't have any energy to do anything so sewing is out of the question. It's horrible!!!

Ok I've had my rant! This weekend was going to be a busy sewing weekend too. Boohoo

Welcome to any new blogging friends or passers by from Modern Quilting on Facebook. I thought I would share some of the quilts I saw at the Taupo Symposium last month. They are made by tutors and quilters around New Zealand. There was a lot of ideas and inspiration.

Celebrations

At the end of June my eldest daughter celebrated 20 years since a life saving liver transplant. To mark the occasion she wanted to set herself a challenge so she entered stars in their eyes, a fundraiser for the local primary school. Annette last sang when she was 16  years old in a school production go Grease. She was Sandy and I heard her sing for the first time on stage.

In Stars in their Eyes she portrayed Liza Minelli and sang Cabaret. It was awesome and she got 3rd place.  Annette had been having singing lessons and a friend helped her with choreography.

 This photo was taken on my birthday June 9 when Annette was invited to speak at the annual thanksgiving service for donors families and recipients. It was a very humbling experience but a wonderful opportunity for donors families to see how much their gift of life can do.

 This photo above is also the latest one of me since I've started seriously losing weight. I put on 10 kgs in a year since Myra died and was definitely feeling unwell. My neighbour started going to a place called Healthy Inspirations which has a weight loss programme and a gym circuit. It's a small friendly place and the staff give heaps of support. I love it because living alone makes it hard at times.

This was me when the World Cup was on in New Zealand Sept/Oct 2011.  Our team was Georgia and on Fridays we had to dress in those colours.  

So you can see how much weight I put ON since May 2012. Comfort eating. 

 This photo was in February this year just before I joined HI. I had never been this big before. I hardly cooked proper meals, I was too busy feeling sorry for myself!!!  Selfish ah.

But this week, I've lost 35 lb , the weight of this fish. I have dropped 2. Dress sizes and I feel so well no back ache, my plantar facilities is just a dull ache sometimes and my bp has dropped considerably.  Still a long way to go but I'm determined to get there.  I have wonderful friends who are supporting me and giving comments. I must say that does make me very inspired to keep going. 

On holiday

For the first time in 7  years I have got leave hours to use up before the beginning of the new year1 July. It seems every year since I started I've had some reason to use all my leave and more. I can only roll over 8  days and sp had 5  to  take or lose by the end of the week. No problem. Time to catch up with family and friends. In Napier first, my grandson Alex had his 8 birthday yesterday. Dad made a truck birthday cake. The kids had a great time at Laserforce. Then we went for a refreshing walk around Napiers lighthouse area.

This is a photo from the lighthouse to the port. A patch of blue sky shining on the hilltop houses. 

I'm mot really ofay with ipad blogging yet, 

Here is my granddaughter Olivia with her quilt at last. She has never let me forget she chose  this quilt out of a magazine when she was four. At the time I didn't know anything about raw edge appliqué but I soon learnt it was way out of my comfort zone. So here's Olivia, now 9 with her topiary bush at lasr. 

This is gonna be A day to remember

Today is my 56 birthday, no big deal normally, but today 20 years ago I flew to Brisbane, Aistralia to wait until Annette could get a liver transplant. I had half my 36 birthday in NZ and the rest of it in Brisbane. It was a very happy but emotional time for both of us but I'm glad to say she continues to live life to the max since that day.

I will post photos later its a pain I have to save them to Picassa. Today Annette has been asked to speak at the annual thanksgiving service for donors here in Wellington so she'll be here soon. Im thinking it might be an emotional service so I have tissues! I have never forgotten the experiences we had but it was also a wonderful time being with my 19 year old daughter for nearly 5 months in another country.

Right I better get on to the looking beautiful business. None of my girls or my mum know I've been losing weight so it will be interesting to see if they notice. 14 kgs now (about 30 lb  ).

Have an awesome day everyone.

June is for the Jones girls

Well here I am again! Luckily I have intelligent younger family members and my lovely niece Stacey told me all about the ipad App Blogpress. So now I can put a post up on My Fat Quarter from my Ipad.

Today I'm in Nelson babysitting my beautiful great nephew Isaac. I hadn't seen him since he was 9 months and thought he would be very shy of me but not "Ike" as he calls himself. I got a kiss and a cuddle when I landed and he's been my new friend every time I've seen him since. Right now Isaac is fast asleep in bed and I wish he would wake up. I have to fly home tonight, that is if the airports aren't closed. It's pouring down here in Nelson.

At last my granddaughters quilt is finished. It cost an awful lot to get it quilted but the quilting is amazing. 

My lovely niece spoilt her mother and I with this awesome birthday cake. I'd seen something similar on Facebook and shared it saying it would make a beautiful birthday cake!! Stacey and Dave, her husband put a lot of time into making this bur Raelene and I were so surprised. 

I'm not ofay with this ipad app yet and everything is centreing itself so I'll say Goodbye till next time, which won't be 6 months away. Take care everyone and if you like please leave a comment so I know you've found me again.  

Karen

Ok Ok Okay

Haha I've been "gunna" get back on my blog for weeks but HERE I AM at last!  I bought an Ipad thinking I could update my blog from the comfort of my armchair but it won't put photos up so waste of money ah.  Yeah Nah.  I love my ipad.  It takes gorgeous photos , mainly of quilts!!

I don't know where to start about what I've been doing lately.  It's been 6 months since I posted and I have been busy.. spinning I think.  But I am well and happy and feeling good with life again.  The first six months after Myra died I was a wreck but since her Mum died at Christmas I felt a weight of my shoulders literally.. she is with her Dad and her Mum now and that is awesome.  They will be taking care of each other.  It is a year today since she passed away.  Time has gone fast but she is never far.

Okay, whats exciting?.  I have nearly finished the 5 year Granddaughters quilt.  I hope to have it to the quilter this week but still have to put the borders on tonight.

No not the bloke.  Meet none of them at quilting clubs here haha.  But the fish weighs as much as I've lost in weight over the last 3 months.  I'm seriously trying to lose heaps so I can stay healthy.  But already I dont have a sore back, a sore foot (very often) and my blood pressure has dropped heaps.  I have a lot more energy and its so awesome when people say "wow, you've lost weight".  hehe.  

I'll be back later.  I need to get on the road for my class today.  Hope you're all okay after the shock of this!!  Karen