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

I'm Swooning...

After 14 years in the same house, my husband and I recently decided to start over and build a new house.  So the last couple of months have been non-stop busy with packing, trying to get the house ready to show and a temporary move.  We officially listed the house last week and are so grateful that it's already sold.  We had 3 showings and 3 offers over this past weekend.

All of this has left me with little time to sew recently.  My mom and I had been working on a Swoon quilt to use as a raffle for my niece's school.  I'll confess I only sewed one block and helped with a few others.  My mom did the bulk of the work.  Now that the top is done, I'll be quilting it.  FYI - The fabric in this quilt is Miss Kate by Bonnie & Camille.

Our 4 cats are not handling the move very well.  Of course, they've lived in the same house since they were all kittens so this is a huge transition for them.  I think the vet down here (whom I'm becoming very familiar with) is going to hate to see us go.  I'm sure I've already paid for his summer vacation and am working on his winter one!  In fact, yet another of our cats has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and has to have radiation treatment.  That's 2 cats within 2 months.  You'd think the condition is contagious, but it's not.  Jack goes in for treatment on Monday and she'll continue to be radioactive for another couple of weeks after that.

Jack

Sam has developed acne yet again and her kidney values have gone up.  However, I think she's adjusting the best of all them.  While the others hide when people come over, she's always out and ready to interact with them.

Sam

Moses is and always has been completely neurotic.  She hides under the covers all day and only comes out at night.  However, she loves to explore my dad's garage and is slowly cleaning out the cobwebs from every nook and cranny.

Moses

David was a terrified wreck for the first couple of weeks and hid under the bed most of the time.  He's now growing more comfortable with everyone and his surroundings.

David

Our new house won't be finished until November, so they've got enough time to really settle in before I move them again.  Hopefully they'll handle this 2nd (and last) move better than the first!

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)