You know that feeling when you have been down with a bug for a while and you finally feel better? That happy feeling of being able to have normal days, doing normal things? And it feels so good to just be back to normal? Well that is kind of how this week feels.
It has been three weeks since Mom’s heart surgery. This week she has made some really big improvements and is feeling so much better. She looks wonderful and is up and doing little things here and there. Consequently, we all feel better! I don’t know if this is how all families are, but when one of us is down, we each have this sympathetic /empathetic thing that causes the rest of us to be down. And we know this about each other. When Mom was in the hospital, moving from bed to chair to walker was intense. It was so hard and it really hurt. The first couple of times the nurse came in to tell her it was time to get up and move from chair to bed, Mom would tell us to leave the room for a minute. She would say, “If you watch, you’ll hurt too. No need for that.” She knew how hard it was for us to be watching her. But now, three weeks later, she is on the road to recovery and looking great. Such a relief! We are endlessly, completely grateful for her good health.
Today I did normal stuff. Enjoyed cleaning my house and catching up on laundry! (Pretty exciting, right? Honestly, it was.) I also decided I had better do something with the apples that have been sitting in my basement for more than a month now.
My in-laws have a small apple orchard and we went and picked apples a long while back. I made a large pot of applesauce with the last of the apples. Yum. Our family loves homemade applesauce, chunky with lots of cinnamon.
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Even our hens were happy about this. They get all the scraps. Lucky girls.
I have also been back in the sewing room. Finally! This week I have been workng on my blocks for the brown row of my Classic Stitches BOM quilt. The blocks are so cute. I started out making 3″ blocks. This was two weeks ago. My brain couldn’t deal with the small, fiddly (as Mari says) pieces. I just couldn’t come up with consistent blocks. It took me forever to get two finished. So, I gave up and went back to 6″ blocks and they are great.
I will get these finished up in the next day or so and stitch them together. The last color of the year is bright green. This is an easy one for me – I love green and have a big tub of scraps to go through. I need to go check in with Mari and see what sort of block she has planned for us this month. It is really crazy that we are coming to the end of this project already!
Lastly, while making applesauce today I was watching the finches. We have lots of them. This little guy settled in way up at the tiptop of our spruce tree.
Hope you are having a wonderfully healthy week filled with the ordinary pleasures of life.
Linking to Let’s Bee Social – the link is at the top of the page, under Link Ups.
Oh, your mother looks so beautiful! I’m glad to know she’s doing so well and that the good feelings are spilling over to the rest of you, too. Your apples look yummy. My mother made wonderful applesauce, but I’ve never gotten in the habit of it. I do saute apples sometimes and put them in little pastry shells–usually when my husband declares a batch of apples as “not crunchy enough.” Happy sewing. It’s good to see you back to normal things.
Thanks Janine. Mom does look great, doesn’t she? I love making applesauce because it freezes so well. I have about 1/2 dozen pints in the freezer which will be nice this winter. I am with your husband on the not-crunchy apples. They are usually thrown into applesauce or muffins. I’ve been thinking of you and your newest grandbaby. I hope all is well and you are getting to spend some time with him. 🙂
The photograph of the finch is glorious – he seems to be singing the joy that you are feeling in your heart and sharing here. I am so thankful to hear about the progress your mom and family have made, that is wonderful news. And I think that 6″ blocks are much more reasonable (and less fiddly) than 3″ blocks; great choice!
Thank you for your sweet words. We are a happy family these days!
I went a little nuts with the three inch blocks. When you are piecing with one inch squares, there is no margin for error and I couldn’t get them to come out right. I see quilters making them wonderful projects with tiny scraps and pieces, but that isn’t for me!
Your mom looks terrific! You are a really good apple peeler, apples that I peel are *not* photo ready by any means. 🙂
Thank you Heather! I have never been complimented on my apple peeling skills! This was just a good day all the way around.
Best,
Bernie
Your beautiful mother is absolutely glowing in this photo! 🙂 Sweet little finch posing there for you. AND I am so glad to find out that you are normal. Meaning, when I read people’s post where they say their block finished at 2 or 3 inches, my head explodes, lol…
You make me laugh Deb. I am sooo normal. I just couldn’t get it together for a 3″ block with so many little pieces. I tried strip piecing and that helped a bit but I think it just isn’t my thing!
Your mom looks so great! How happy you all must be.
Your blocks look great too, and the applesauce. Just a pick-me-up kind of a day, isn’t it? 🙂
You bet. We are all so happy!
This has been a great week. Lots of regular days and great fall weather. Rainy and cold. Yahoo!
Your post is wonderfully upbeat – a real heartwarming reminder to be thankful for ordinary, normal, everyday blessings and pleasures. Thank you for taking the time to share ☺
That is so true. There is always so much to be thankful for in just regular life. I’m glad you liked the post.
Best,
Bernie
Your Mom is just beautiful! She sounds like a wonderful person.
There is nothing more wonderful than normal life! It is just the best.
I used to visit my Mom and step-Dad in Riverside, and they had brilliant blue birds that my step-Dad said were blue finches. Love the yellow on that one!
I LOVE homemade applesauce. I bet yours is excellent. Do you use the stove or a crock-pot?
Thank you Linda. I bet she will love reading your comment! (she is a faithful follower!) I love our little finches. They are always bright yellow.
Usually my applesauce is done on the stove. Yum. 🙂
Hope all is well with you.
B.