Other than...

Although most of my time is being taken up by sick kitties and packing, I have managed a few moments here and there to do some sewing.  I've been working on quilting my Cheerio quilt for the last several months and I'm now at the half way point.  I borrowed the quilting design from Judi Madsen's book Quilting Wide Open Spaces.

I also finished some more Gravity blocks.  Although they look complicated (to me), they're actually pretty quick to cut out and piece.  I'm always surprised at how quickly I can make one.

I'm really looking forward to finishing this quilt.  Only 3 months left to go!

Most of my spare sewing time however, has been spent working on more Swoon blocks.  I decided to make my Swoon quilt large enough to fit a full bed.  I already had 9 blocks and needed 3 more.  I went ahead and made 4 because I wasn't sure which arrangement I would like best.  The blocks are so large (24" square), I figured I could use the extra one as a wall hanging or table topper.

It was hard finding a place large enough to arrange/rearrange them.  I also had help from a cat that tried to lay on them every time I turned my back.

I added an extra border made from the scraps to either side to get the length I needed.  I used every 6.5" scrap piece of Miss Kate fabric I had and was only 1" short!  I was shocked to be so close.  I ended up using a leftover piece of my Scrumptious fabric and it blends right in.

Since I am going to be custom quilting the Swoon raffle quilt my mom and I made recently, I'm not going to do anything fancy on this one.  I would really just love to get it finished in time to use it in the new house.

Looking at this post, I realize I've mentioned 4 quilts I'm working on right now.  I feel like I've got quilter's ADD!  I'd like to start one and keep working on it until it's finished, but it usually feels like I have to set it aside to work on something else.  Right now, I've really got to get started quilting the raffle quilt.  My niece actually started school yesterday and I haven't put the first stitch in it yet.  On one hand, I know how I'm going to quilt it.  On the other hand, it's a lot of quilting and will take a while.  However, the packing is almost done and I believe I'll have a lot more free time after that.

I've mentioned before that my parents care for a bunch of feral cats on their property.  I think the count is somewhere around 30 right now.  Fortunately most of them are fixed, but about 6 weeks ago one of them had a litter of 3 black kittens - all adorable.  She kept them pretty well hidden for the first month and no one realized that one of them is a special needs kitty.  Although he acts almost perfectly normal, he was born without back feet.  My parents have since taken him to the vet to make sure he's otherwise OK and have weaned him from his mom.  His name is Moses and he will be a very spoiled house cat for the rest of his life.  He is battling an infection right now in his paws from being outside, so prayers for quick healing would be appreciated. Otherwise, he is an extremely affectionate, happy kitty.

LORD my God, I called to you for help,

and you healed me.

Psalm 30:2 NIV

KittyFest 2015...

I thought about titling this post something more descriptive but held back because 1) I didn't want to gross you out, and 2) I didn't think anyone would read it.

Why is it that every time a cat gets sick, they always pick carpet instead of something easy to clean up?  The past few days have seemed like one never ending festival of kitty vomit.  The entire apartment I'm living in right now has laminate floors with the occasional scattered rug and yet I've done no less than 10 loads of laundry washing those rugs.  Our cat Jack was in last week getting radiation treatment for her hyperthyroidism.  Moses, our Siamese, went through the exact same treatment 2 months ago and had absolutely no side effects.  Jack came home on Thursday and by Friday was extremely sick.  The poor thing wouldn't eat or drink, all she did was sleep and throw up.  I had to give her fluids under her skin just to keep her hydrated.  And of course, she's radioactive for the next two weeks so I had to be extra careful cleaning up after her as well.

And just to join in on the fun, two of our other cats got sick as well.  I think David may have eaten a bug or something that didn't agree with him.  I can count on one hand the number of times in 6 years that he's gotten sick, but he had to choose this weekend to add to that number.

Sam has been grooming herself incessantly lately, so I wasn't overly surprised when she presented me with a hairball.

I'm very pleased to report though that they've all gone 24 hours without an incident.  Jack has finally turned the corner and is on the mend.  She's regained her appetite and is drinking water on her own.  Now that she can handle it, I've been offering her food and treats at every opportunity.  She needs to put on a good bit of weight to get back to normal.  She's nothing but skin and bones right now.

All my cats are indoor only, but my parents take care of about 30 feral cats.  Due to a generous grant, they've been able to get most of them fixed and hopefully will be able to catch and fix the youngest ones in the near future.  It's quite a sight though to see so many cats come running for breakfast in the morning - all sizes and colors.  About 8 of them have taken to sleeping under my dad's truck during the heat of the day.  They're everywhere you look.

I think this one looks like a rag doll...

They clip their left ear when they fix them so you can tell right away who's been fixed and who hasn't.  This little fellow has obviously already been snipped.

My parents have been feeding these cats for years, but their numbers were growing and it was just getting to be too much.  They've paid to have some of them fixed themselves, but it quickly gets way too expensive.  This local grant has been such a blessing to them and to the cats.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. 

Revelation 21:4 (NLT)