Oral Surgery...

(Note: To enter my current giveaway, go here!)

Warning!!!  This post contains graphic pictures of dental surgery on a cat.  If this bothers you, you should probably skip it.

Did you know that cats from the same litter can have different fathers?  I think surely that must have happened with our Jack and Sam.  Although they have the same mom, they really couldn't be much different.  Jack is a beautifully dispositioned grey tabby with a trim figure, while Sam is, well, usually cranky, has been dealing with weight issues her whole life and has arthritis.  (Of course, having arthritis and being on a diet would tend to make many humans cranky too!)  Another big difference (in Sam's favor this time) is that she has perfect teeth, while Jack doesn't.  We are very blessed to have a great mobile vet that comes out to our house and so Jack had a dental cleaning (and extraction) yesterday.

Jack after her morphine shot

It's hard to watch them go under anesthesia or have any type of surgery, but it's so much better being there with them the entire time.  Unfortunately, Jack got sick from the morphine shot before it starting to kick in, but then she became very relaxed.  It was obvious right away that one of her canines was infected and would have to be pulled.  See how much longer the one on the upper left is?  The vet explained her body was slowly expelling it from her and it's how the expression "long in the tooth" came about.  It was also very loose and filled with pus.

Jack's infected canine tooth

Did you know that animals don't close their eyes when they're under?  She put a gel in Jack's eyes to keep them lubricated the entire time.

Getting ready for the anaesthesia

I'm going to skip quite a few pictures here because they're just hard to see.  She had the tube put in and her teeth were cleaned.  She had some gingivitis and light bleeding on her gums because of it.  However, this is her first dental cleaning in 12 years, so I was impressed at how white her teeth ended up.  She didn't remove her bad tooth until the end and it was very hard to watch.  I could never be a dentist!  It turns out the root was being eaten away because of infection, so it was a good thing we did this now.  Here's the tooth after it came out...

Jack's rotten tooth

She cleaned it up and gave it to us, but really, what do you do with it?  I'm at a loss.  She cleaned out the cavity and filled it with a bone filler.  It took 4 stitches to close it up.

Jack's stitches where her tooth was

Cats don't use their canines to eat with, only to hunt prey, so she has no food or other restrictions now.  After the stitches, we just had to wait for her to wake up, which took a long time.  She looked so very pitiful lying there.

I brought her inside wrapped like a burrito in some warm towels. She stayed like that for almost an hour before she started to come out of it.  But it took her another couple of hours of weaving and such before she was pretty much back to normal. 

She hadn't eaten since the night before and so she staggered to her food bowl as soon as she could.  She kept sticking her head in the bowl, but her mouth couldn't pick up the food.  It was probably 30 minutes before she was able to eat her first piece of food, then I think she spent the rest of the day eating.

Slowly her eyes became more focused.  She didn't seem to be in any pain and was actually super happy and extremely friendly.

And I'm glad to say she had a great night and is back to normal this morning!

I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. 

Psalm 120:1 (NLT)

Family Sewing Time...

(Note: To enter my current giveaway, go here!)

I love going on vacation to visit my parents and other family just because I enjoy spending time with them.  But as an added bonus, my mom and I generally get to sew together too.  We usually work on the same or similar projects and my most recent trip was no exception.

Because I needed to make another block for my bee's Quilt in a Box swap, I brought it along with me.  My mom recently purchased Monique Dillard's Fit to be Geese ruler and wanted me to show her how to use it, so she decided to make a sample block too.  (Sorry about the bad lighting in the second picture.  The block is much prettier in person!)

My Block for Verna's Box

My Mom's block to try out her new ruler.

After we finished these blocks we got started on a secret project we've been working on for a while.  To date, we've made over 2000 - 2 1/4" HST's.  (It took 4 jelly rolls to get enough.)

A Gazillion HST's.

On this trip, we finally got to start sewing them into blocks!  Yeah!  We made great progress and finished 43 of them while I was there.

We're still not half way done, but we'll each work on them at home and then plan another trip to work on putting them all together.  However, I laid them out to get an idea of how the quilt will look and I'm really liking it so far.  Hopefully the recipient will too! 

Some of the blocks laid out in the pattern.

FYI - the pattern is called 'Magic Triangles' and is in the Strip Therapy 7 book by Brenda Henning.  It's made using a jelly roll (or 4 in our case!)

I don't get to share many pictures of Moses, because her coloring is so dark that she usually doesn't show up very well.  However, the sun was shining and she was actually napping on top of the covers this day and so I managed to get this one.

I hope you're having a blessed day with your family and friends as well!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

Anyone interested in more fabric?

OK, now that I'm back home and everyone's happy again, I figure now's a good time for another giveaway. I shared pictures of some of the prizes with a friend and they wanted me to give away this one next.  Up for grabs is another FQ Bundle called 'Fiesta By The Sea'.  Included are 8 fat quarters in these beautiful shades of blue.

Fiesta By The Sea FQ Bundle

Again this giveaway is open up to anyone living in the US or abroad.  If my post office can figure out how to mail to you, you're eligible.  To enter, do the following:

1. Follow my blog. (Hint: The 'Join this site' button is on the right hand side.)
2. Leave me a comment letting me know you're a follower.  In the same comment, tell me what you're working on right now.  (Doesn't have to be quilting related.  Perhaps it's a good book, or a home improvement project?)

That's all!  I'm going to leave this giveaway open until Sunday, March 17th at noon EST.

Once again, good luck and have a fantastic week!  It's actually supposed to warm up a bit here, so perhaps I can take off a couple pairs of socks.  Maybe spring is finally on the way!

M is for Mittens...

And I hope to soon be able to pack mine away for another year.  Not today though.  It was cold and very windy and we even saw a stray snow flake or two.

M is for Mittens Block

I had a lot of fun working on this latest block of the Snowmen A to ZZZZ quilt.  (FYI - The pattern is by Crabapple Hill Studios.)  It didn't take very long to embroider and it also means I've now passed the halfway point on these blocks!

Mittens Block closeup

I've already started on 'N is for Noel' and it looks like another quick one as well.  Both of them are a nice change after all the lights on the last block.  I'm going to finish this next one before taking a break and working on some applique.  It's about time I got some of my ships out of dry dock for my Ladies of the Sea quilt. (I think it's been about a year since I've worked on them.  Yikes!)

Now that we've returned home, this one is so much happier!  But I don't think she's ever going to let me take her on vacation again.

Sam - Happy to be back home!

I've just been reminded that this Sunday starts Daylight Savings Time whereby we'll set our locks forward an hour.  Does anyone know if any other countries do something similar?  Just wondering...

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. 

Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

Worst Vacation Ever!!!

Note: This post was written by a guest blogger, my cat Sam (aka Miss Crabby Pants).

Mom has taken me on another vacation to visit Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Usually that means I get lots of rest, food, treats and attention.  While Mom and Grandma sew, I also spend time with them in the sewing room.

But this vacation sucks!  My Grandma's cat has turned crazy and keeps trying to beat me up.  She's supposed to hide out in their closet when I come, but this time she's decided to stand up for herself and attack me.  She won't let me near her food or treats.  I don't know what's gotten into her, but I don't like it!

Grandma and Grandpa are also letting all these cats come in from outside during the day.  They steal MY food and sleep on MY bed.  I'm getting no rest because I have to keep a constant eye on them.  They don't know that I'm supposed to be in charge and they won't listen to anything I say!

These young whippersnappers just don't understand how things work around here and they're showing me no respect!

I've been in a very bad mood since we got here and I can't wait to go home!  I keep telling mom on them, but she's not doing anything about it.  This really is the worst vacation ever!

Giveaway Winner...

I wanted to quickly stop by and announce the winner of the Sultry Mystique FQ Bundle I was giving away this week.  Congratulations Karrie S.!  I've sent you an email.  Since I'm still out of town, I'm going to wait a little bit to start another giveaway.  My thinking is next weekend, but be on the lookout because I might change my mind and decide to do it earlier!

In any case, have a wonderful week.  I also hope some good weather is headed your way wherever that might be.  (I'm so, so ready for spring!)

Hampton Quilt Show (Goodies!)...

(Note: To enter my current giveaway, go here!)

In my last post, I shared some of the beautiful quilts at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, but to be honest, half the fun of going to a quilt show is visiting the vendors!  I can remember the first few times I went, I was overwhelmed by the booths and had far too many impulse buys.  Now I generally go armed with a list and a budget.  I'll spend the first day looking for the items on my list and other things I'm interested in and on the second day, I'll make my purchases.  Usually several vendors sell the same items and by not buying at the first one, I give myself time to find the best price!  (Doesn't that make me sound kind of boring and frugal?)

My big shopping list items this year (like last year) were thread and quilting rulers, but I also knew I needed a 1/2" grid stencil to help with quilting things like Diane-shiko.  However, I also found some great Halloween stencils that could come in very handy quilting my Baltimore Halloween quilt.  I don't know if I'll use them all, but they should be a good jumping off point.  (I'm determined to finish that quilt in time for Halloween this year!)  It was hard to get a clear picture of them, but there are pumpkins, ghosts, witches, spiders, spider webs and leaves.

New Quilting Stencils

This is the quilt I hope to use some of them on...

My Baltimore Halloween Quilt Top

My main purchase at the show was more thread for my frame.  I bought Superior Threads So Fine 50 wt. and Rainbows 40 wt.  This thread works really well on my machine and they always have a good deal on it at the show.  I also got a couple more thread charts.  I haven't tried the metallic threads yet, but it's on my list of future things to do.  Perhaps even for the Halloween quilt?  I was thinking it could make for some interesting spider webs.

Stuff from the Superior Threads booth

At each show I go to, I try to pick up one or two Creative Grids rulers.  I'm slowly trying to replace my existing rulers with these, because I like them so much better.  They're easier to read and I just love that they have the grippy stuff on the back so they don't slide around on fabric.  This time I bought the 6.5" x 24.5" ruler and a 3.5" square ruler that I'll need for the HST swap my bee is starting.  Other than that, I picked up a couple of patterns, a charm pack and a few fat quarters.

New Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Ruler

The rest of my haul

Overall, I was extremely practical in my shopping this year.  No quilt kits or fabric bundles for me.  I think I just have so many UFO's right now that it seemed crazy to consider purchasing another!  It was also a bit of a sticker shock to see some places selling fat quarters for as much as $3.50 each.  Wow!  Doesn't that seem really high?

It really was a lot of walking around and looking at all the vendors.  There were some unusual ones there as well - a couple for knitters and several selling beads and charms.  I think the ones that are the most interesting to me though are those selling things I can't buy locally.  All in all, it was another great trip and one I hope to repeat next year!

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” 

Luke 6:32 (NIV)