My Dr's appointment today..Tuesday

This post was drafted on Tuesday 5/29/07.........and again like the previous post - this post is all BABY related - so skip if you don't want to read OT and rather stick to quilty news...

....well I had my appointment today....boy hind-sight is 20/20 had I realized last week when picking to come on Tue or Thur - that Tue would be following a holiday where the Dr's office was closed - I would have NEVER picked today of all days!!!! It was so full!!! Every chair and about 5 others standing. I had to wait almost 2 hours before getting called back and never before has my entire visit taken over an hour!

Anyway, she has a brand new ultrasound machine - the latest in technology... so today's measurements of the babies were quite a bit different than last weeks. Last week A= 6lb 1oz where as today she measured only 5lb 6oz.....? Last week, B=5lb 1oz where as today he was only 4lb 13oz... still the machine can be "off" give or take 14 ounces either way... so still either machine could be right... it is all an estimate anyway.

As of today each Tuesday is when my weeks turn one more... I am exactly 36 weeks and on national average babies at this week weigh an "almost 6lbs" so really they are not too far off for being twins. ;) Olivia's heart rate was 149 and Paul Thomas' heart rate was 137 but much louder to hear :) which, by the way, is the BEST SOUND IN THE WORLD!!! :D :D:D

The Dr. had called us on Saturday at home to discuss pushing us back from Sat the 9th to Monday the 11th b/c of no availability of an anesthesiologist on call during the weekends at either hospital... I wasn't able to make it to the phone in time - so all of this was left on voice mail and of course I tried calling the office back but got their voice mail...

So today at the top of the list of things to discuss - of about 8 topics - was all about the 11th! I don't think I can make it until the 11th and even if I could - I would not want to!! My MIL and GMIL are arriving by plane on the 6th and the whole time we had been planning on the 7th... but if I didn't even go into the hospital until the 11th that would mean they would be here for 5 days twiddling thumbs and then I stay for 2-3 days in hospital, come home and 3 days later on the 17th they fly back to KY!!! I need them to help with the babies longer than 3 days!!! Helllloooooo??!@?!@

She said that the two local hospitals never schedule any "planned surgeries" for Monday's - like open heart, ect.... so for baby's the best possible time for a planned C-section would be a Monday. We are still hoping for a V-delivery but she wants to have the room and staff on hand for "just in case" something comes up and I need it. So I asked her about moving it up a week instead of Mon the 11th how about this coming Monday the 4th? Technically it is only 1 day before I turn 37 weeks which she said I could deliver at 37 weeks...

plus too, come on like I am gonna be able to hold off until the 11th last week I was 3 cm and lost my m-plug on Friday....

So after the ultrasound, and seeing their positions, and then her "checking me" I am dilated between 4 and 5cm today... she laughed and said, "Every detail in my case was so favorable that it wasn't even funny... almost hard to believe b/c everything was so good...." that she agreed that we could do it on Monday the 4th. But I have to arrive there at 4am to get it started early so the babies are born early in the day and it doesn't push her too far back in her appointments for the rest of the day... and that is "if" I don't have them on my own before Monday...

That means the babies will be here on or before only SIX MORE DAYS!!!! eeeek! I am excited and anxious and ready! David on the other hand, got all nervous acting when she said "this Monday" he said he actually got hot and felt faint LOL :D He was like, Woah, I am not ready... he's not ready? what does he have to get ready? LOL He was thinking of his work duties at his job and getting them all lined up before the end of this week so he could take off work...

So I am crossing my fingers and legs and hoping for a Monday delivery!!! :)

Because it was raining cat's and dogs all day - I didn't get out to take the bingo FQ's and only drove to my appointment - and didn't get out of there until almost 5 pm! So I wouldn't have made it to the mailing place anyway. Hopefully tomorrow my friend will be available to go with me as I can not lift the boxes at all... and I gotta not take any risks of going into Labor before Monday or David will totally faint! LOL ;) So lots of resting sitting here by the puter or laying on the sofa until then.

Hope I didn't bore anyone by my update.... ~Bonnie

Our Long weekend!

The following post was drafted up on Tuesday... 5/29/07

OK, a few of you asked for before photos - so here I am and here is my baby bump! ;)

I took advantage of the long Memorial Day Weekend with my husband and GOT A LOT done that so badly needed to be done around the house this weekend! Saturday, David and I pre-registered and toured both hospitals that we may be delivering at. That took all morning Saturday but was worth it - will save us some time and at least now we know where to go - and what door to use after hours.

My best friend also came over Monday and "gave me 3.5 hours" of her time for me to have her do anything we needed! Which was a fantastic gift!!! She's the same friend that came one day last week and helped me do inventory of all 1600 FQ's from the BINGO and get them sorted and bagged up. :)

First, while it was early and before the sun got too hot, she and David spent a good hour putting things up into the attic. He and I had spent two days going thru 10 years of "STUFF" we thought we "needed to keep". It wasn't easy going thru all of that... but both of us have nothing left stored at our parents homes...and until now that room and closet has been our storage space...... so we had to comb thru it all and make decisions on to keep or store or toss. It wasn't easy but HAD to be done so the twins could have a closet!

After that, she and I hung up the wallpaper border up on the walls in the nursery - the room is looking soooo good now! The walls have been painted and ready for over a month now but David and I were "stuck" there b/c he had never did wallpaper before and played the whole "I don't know what to do" act - to get out of having to do it.... I had already come to terms that babies don't know what's on the walls so it won't matter but really was wanting it up....so that when we have visitors they would see a nice looking room.... However, it probably was a good thing that "HE AND I" didn't do it together or it would not have been near as fun as Heidi and I. That is more of a "girlfriend thing" to do together - you won't dare yell at your friend or frustrated as easy as you would with your spouse... ya know?

SIDE-Story here.... I used this photo to share with you for the wallpaper b/c in the bouncy seat is a very special bear - he was made out of an old quilt that use to be at the foot of my elderly neighbor's bed. I visited Ms Gardner a few times every week growing up - her home was the next one down the road and walking there was like going on an adventure. If I was lucky I got there before she had fed her chickens and she would let me help. Anyway after she died... her son threw EVERYTHING out for the garbage men to pick up including this quilt!!

It was on the top of the pile and that is why my mom and I saw it and had been in the rain over the weekend. We brought it home washed it and for year's didn't know what to do with it... it was in bad shape. Who knows how old it is? Anyway my grandmother had a teddy bear pattern but being too afraid to use her machine on such thick layers - had one of her friends with a heavy duty machine make the bears for us. There was just enough quilt to make a total of 3 bears, one for me, one for my grandma and one for the lady who sewed them to keep one. I now have 2 of the bears.... when my grandmother passed away that was one of the things I asked for. One is in the nursery and one is in the hallway on Nora's timeout bench.

It really looks like a nursery now after all the work we did over the weekend. David set up one of the beds in their room (which Nora loves the mobile!) and Heidi and he moved Nora's dresser in there (she'll get a new white one to match her bed soon) and I moved the changing table into the room - drug it... it wasn't heavy. It was fun to go thru Nora's clothes again and get them ready and set up in the dresser. My friend Tracie in GA mailed me two large garbage bags full of boy clothes and that was fun to go thru also. These babies are gonna be the best dresses kidos in Texas!!!

woops - wrong photo - these pink ones were Nora's 0-3 months

Just outside the nursery, I set up a diaper inventory in the small closet - we have a lot of packages but I am afraid we don't have near enough - I read on average twins go thru 120 diapers a week...so based on that, we only have about 3 weeks work in the Newborn size.... but I guess I can exchange larger size boxes for the sizes we need as we received a variety of brands and sizes (up to size 4) from our shower.

I am so glad that we are finished setting up the nursery! What a stress relief! David put the double stroller together and even got the car seats in the van so now we are "ready" to bring them home. Two changing tables set up - one in their room and one downstairs...

Last night we made a trip over to Target and bought some last minute needed things - miscellaneous things like a fan (noise maker) and CD player for the babies' room, mirrors to see them while they ride rear facing in the van...I even bought a stylish diaper bag which I never had with Nora. I'm not sure if I will keep it or not yet... seems so big and I always made fun of the mom's who had to carry a suitcase around with them... can't you just have all that stuff in the car in case you really must have it and just take along a few diapers and change of clothes with you when you go places???

We also bought a bookcase for Nora's room that was on sale (which I HOPE David puts together tonight!) b/c all her books are piled up in the floor and now since her dresser is gone there is no where to set her lamp or CD player.

We still have one more crib to set up in our room that they will sleep together in at first that we didn't get to over the weekend and also I think we need to set up the pack-n-play in the den so I have somewhere to put them while downstairs. This time is going to be more challenging living in a two story home... :(

It is POURING cats and DOGS here right now... and I am waiting for it to let up before I leave to run errands and go to the ship-it-store to mail the FQ Bingo boxes. Until then, I am doing my usual "Monday" chores b/c David was home yesterday and it never seemed like Monday so now I am a day behind... so I have to get a handle on the laundry!! but it is fun to wash up all the baby stuff :)

My other two goals for today are to pack my bag for the hospital and put it in the van and make out the Calling List/email list for announcing that the twins have arrived! :D

I lost something at CVS today

(Photos of Nora, David & I on Easter Weekend 2007)

Today Nora and I made a trip to CVS to get a refill on a prenatal vitamins since I will continue taking them while breastfeeding - and to also pick out some graduation cards for two of my cousins who are graduating High School this year. Actually these two "little cousins" were our flower girl and ring barrier at our wedding 10 years ago!!! It's hard to believe that Rachael & Clay are both graduating!!! Talk about feeling old!

While there at the card section, we saw the Father's Day cards, and it dawned on me I better go ahead and pick those out now while I am able - who knows if I will get a chance to get out after the twins arrive and do this??? ......so I started letting Nora pick Daddy a card, while I tried to look at the "Husband" cards.....

But then suddenly I felt the need to go to the bathroom and "check" so I didn't get my card for David picked out. I walked to the back and asked to be let in to the bathroom - the door has a code thing on it so you have to wait for an employee to let you in....

Yep, I was right -I lost my mucus plug today! Funny thing is, that as I was coming out of the bathroom - I passed by the SAME GUY who helped last week with Nora's "BURPING" eppisode in there and he asked if I need anything cleaned up today while smiling. I said, "No, not today I don't think..." and smiled... he probably woudl have fainted if I told him I just lost my mucus plug LOL It will probably be my luck that if I go back in the next few days, my water will break in there. LOL!

So I called my doctor's office and they confirmed what I already knew... it doesn't really give a for sure indication of when to expect labor to begin - for each person it is different... can be 48 hours or even up to a week. With Nora I forget how many days it was before she was born - I want to say I lost it at work on a Friday and she was born the following Wed.... but not sure.

Tonight I was just curious so I looked up on http://www.webmd.com/ for more information and it gave me the same information as I already knew....

Passage of mucus plug: Either a few days before or at the onset of labor, the mucus plug—the wad of thick, sticky mucus that seals off the cervix during pregnancy and protects your baby from infection—will become dislodged as your cervix begins to dilate. Despite what other pregnancy books may tell you, the loss of your mucus plug is not helpful in predicting with any accuracy the onset of labor.

Oh well, we still don't know how soon - and that is OK - we aren't suppose to know-it-all :) But tomorrow morning we will be making our trips to both the hospital in town and Pt. Arthur to pre-register so that will be out of the way. Plus in Pt. Aurthur there is a I-HOP right next to the hospital so that will be a treat for all of us! We haven't had pancakes in a few months there and Nora LOVES pancakes!

Thanks for everyone's comments :) I really appreciate it a lot! I will try and purdy up tomorrow and have David get a few photos of me and the baby bump. I haven't had a photo of me taken since last month for Easter - but at the top are a few from Easter. I am bigger than that now....

Happy Weekend everyone! ~Bonnie

My Doctor's Visit Yesterday - GREAT NEWS!

I hope no one minds if I cut and past here what I worte up yesterday after getting home form the Dr and sent via email to a friend and also posted on Nora's Webpage for all of our family to read. But I wanted to give all of you an update this monring. :)


Wednesday 5/23/07

It’s just now 5:22pm, but I just got home from my day to the doctor – then picking up Nora and visiting with Heidi and then by the grocery...

WE GOT GREAT NEWS TODAY – Dr. Oliver was very pleased with the ultrasound and said there appears to be no indication or evidence of the babies being affected by my exposure to Fifth Disease!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Their weights are fantastic – Olivia now weighs 6 lb 1 oz and Paul Thomas is 5 lb and I forget the ounces – but Olivia is the largest, which is what we want..... and also she (Baby A) has turned and is head down!!! So it may be possible to do natural delivery after all. All of our prayers have been answered it seems!

After the ultrasound I changed rooms and was told to get undressed... when Dr. Oliver came in she said she had just arranged for us to have an appointment at the Medical Center in Pt. Arthur on Saturday June 9th b/c she wanted to make sure she would be able to be there and that their prenatal unit is level 3 where as in Orange they are only level 1.

But then after she performed the exam.... She said she "didn’t know"... I am already dilated 3 cm so it is possible I may not make it until June 9th! We will have to wait and see what happens.

The plans are to go to the hospital in Orange if I go into labor day or night on my own – otherwise if I can make it until the 9th – to show up at the Medical Center at 8am that morning. So we really don't know what to expect at this point.

Last time with Nora, I was already dilated 3 cm on a Tuesday and she was born the following Wednesday.......so that is a little scary....to think that it could happen that fast....and has put is into panic mode almost.

I think tonight when David gets home from work he will be in the mood to finally help me with the baby’s room!!! Yeaaaaa! Dr. Oliver said to go ahead and pre-register with both hospitals this week and not wait until closer till June – so that is also another indication that it may be soon.

So, we’ll see – I do hope to make it until the 9th though even though for me I will be miserable until then – but it will give the baby’s lungs more time to develop and be able to function properly. I would hate to have to be discharged before they can come home with me.
I had David give me all of his phone numbers and I gave them to Heidi and want to give them to a few other frineds just incase anything were to happen during the day time while he was at work we would have a way to contact him.

None of these do I know by memory so I wrote them all down and put in my wallet too. It would be my luck that my cell phone battery would be dead at the time I needed it the most…

Well after picking up Nora, I went to Kroger and bought frozen lasagna for dinner so I better go get it started. I left all the doors open to the van and Nora sleeping – didn’t feel like lifting her out. I may try and take a nap during the 60 minutes it takes for the food to cook. The last two nights for me have been worse than normal – no sleep – heartburn so bad it has made me vomit....and then with that another mess to clean up off the floor b/c I can’t control my bladder when I am vomiting at 4:30am!

Hey, but on the bright side Heidi’s father-in-law had a walker he let me borrow today so now getting to the bathroom 4 times in the middle of the night may not be as painful for me as it has been!! That will come in so handy the next two weeks - Just wish I had thought of this about a month ago!

For everyone in KY reading this please share the news along that all is OK with the babies concerning the Fifth Disease. We are so greatful for all of your prayers - God is so GOOD!

Love from TX,
~Bonnie

Well this morning I am so happy to report that I got a FULL NIGHT"S SLEEP last night!!!! I can't believe it myself but I didn't once have to get up to go to the bathroom even though I had the walker to assist me! I did get sick again immediately after eatting dinner last night but at least it wasn't in the middle of the night like th past couple nights.

I know there must have been several of you that offered up prayers for me to be able to get some much needed rest and I really appreciate it!!! I do plan on taking it as easy as possible the next few weeks as when I walk I really feel a lot of pressure. Doctor Oliver didn't have to tell me to take it easy, she saw me as I was walking (like a staggering drunk as David puts it) holding on to the hallway yesterday - so I guess she figures I won't try doing more than I can handle. ;c)

This morning Nora and I are off to a Hawaiian Luau Playgroup Party. Storytime eneded last week so Nora has been a little stir crazy this week and I know she will have fun today! ;) Eeeek it is almost 10 now!!! Gotta RUN we're gonna be late!
Bonnie

Counting down the days & nights left!!!

Several have been asking me when my due date is.... My actual due date @ full term is 6/26/07 but she said from the beginning she would never let me go the full 40 weeks. She had planned to bring them around week 38 but as of my Houston ultrasound she said we could bring them as early as 37 weeks as that is what the other doctor suggested….

So week 37 for me, is anytime on or after Tuesday, June 5th…. But since we are having David’s mom & grandmother fly in from KY on Wednesday we have planned everything to go around delivering them by C-section on June 7th which is Thursday. Thursday is also the day of Nora's play group's trip to Houston to visit "Ole McDonald's Petting Zoo/Farm" so that will work out great for my friend Heidi to take her. Nora is sure to have a fun day with her friends and then all of the grandmas can be with us at the hospital as we get to meet our two new precious babies!

However I say I have been planning all of this..... But I am not scheduled at the hospital yet… my doctor keeps saying it is too soon to do that – but maybe after my appointment tomorrow we will know more definite details.

I am anxious to see them again on the ultrasound tomorrow…. She is going to pay closer attention to their chest cavity sizes to see it they appear abnormally large or not… to see if they were affected by my Fifth Disease exposure we learned about a couple weeks ago. I so can't wait for tomorrow!

I am so counting down the days to June 7th!!! Only 16 more days!!! Last night was terrible as all nights are for me but last night I had heart burn so bad that I found my self yakking up all of my supper around 4:30am in the toilet. Thank goodness I made it to the bathroom and didn’t explode all over the carpet in the bedroom.

(If you have a weak stomach please skip this part)
It was so terrible. I was on the floor and couldn’t not control my bladder while yakking up my food and so I wet all in the floor – and at the same time I started having a Charlie Horse cramp in my leg and was screaming in pain in-between upchucks… and David came running to help me and stepped in the P…. he was so grossed out. Then I began crying b/c I was so sorry…

After I got everything cleaned up including myself – I tried to go back to sleep sitting up in the glider rocker in our room but no luck…. At around 5am I went back to bed and the moment my head hit the pillow the heart burn was back!

I feel like the walking dead today – maybe I can get Nora to watch a Loooooooooooooong 2 hour Disney movie today and I can nap on the sofa perhaps! Wish me luck.

Sorry to share such gross info with you. I hope I didn’t make you sick thinking of all of it – some people have a weak stomach. Sorry.

I am so counting down the next 16 days and nights. I don't know which will be better or worse but I am just ready for the next stage no matter what it may be. Surely my hip joint pain will go away after the babies come, and that will be much better! I honestly feel like I need a walker at nights and if I can find somewhere I can rent one for the next 2 or 3 weeks I may get one. That is on my list to ask Dr. Oliver tomorrow. ~Bonnie

BINGO!!! BINGO!!! FAT QUARTER BINGO!!!!

In case any of you have wondered why I call myself Bingo~Bonnie.... well today I will share a little information with all of you. :c)

2nd Annual 2007 HGTV FAT QUARTER BINGO game!
Who knew Bingo “Quilter’s Style” would be “sew” much fun!!!?

146 players contributed a total of 1600 FQ’s for the jackpots!

Well our game ended today - after 31 days of calling 2 numbers per day except on Sundays. It was a lot of fun this year and for the most part much easier than last year - which was my learning year. Last year we had 117 players put up 770 FQ's for the one and only jackpot and the only way to win was to blackout the whole card. Two players tied on the same day.

This year after many requests for more opportunities for winners... and over twice the amount of FQ's pledged for the Jackpot - I thought up something a little different - I split players up into two groups to play according to how many FQ's they had sent me to play with. For each FQ they got one bingo card to play with.

I also had a Preliminary Prize of 10 FQ's for who ever gets the BIG outer border first in their group and if there are more than one in each group on the same day - each of them would get 10 FQ's....

I think everyone liked the new rules this year - as I didn't get any complaints. :) Also this year, I charged $1 per 5 FQ's you played with with a limit of 30 FQ's for 30 bingo cards. Where as last year I had everyone send one stamp per FQ and I had stamps coming out of my ears!!! It also limited my shipping options to having to use the USPS and you should have seen those boxes to the winners all covered with stamps! fun! fun! NOT! I was at the PO for hours on that day last year...

This year I will use the money that was sent to ship insured of course by which ever carrier is the cheapest. FedEx, UPS or USPS... I will find out next week when I take them in to have them shipped.

Last week in Group A - one person got the outer border on 5/11 and two people tied on 5/15 in group B for the outer border.

Today SIX people tied for the BLACKOUT - three from each group.

It was a very close game indeed this year!!! Here are some stats that I shared with the players today... (I only know this b/c I am a nerd and have it set up in my Excel Spreadsheet and it has filters to tell me this info ;P)

After today's numbers were called there were:
5 blank spaces on their cards = 336 cards
4 blank spaces on their cards = 430 cards
3 blank spaces on their cards = 327 cards
2 blank spaces on their cards = 169 cards
1 blank space on their card = 42 cards
0 blank space on their card = BLACKOUT BINGO = 6 cards!

Congratulations!!!!Congratulations!!!!Congratulations!!!!Congratulations!!!!Congratulations!!!!

It didn't take long for all six of the winners to notify me today :) I am so excited for all of them!

So from the 1600 FQ's in the jackpot here is how they will be divided out.

Group A = 800 FQ's
Fatquarters won 10 FQ's for outer border.

ithinksew, Downsouth, & mizsam tied for BLACKOUT and will each get 263 FQ's each
....leaving 1 FQ over to be spit in 1/3rds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Group B = 800 FQ's
heidikins & Purple Butterfly won 10 FQ's each -tied for outer border.

bee-ginner, Elanietoo & quiltingnewbie tied for BLACKOUT and will each get 260 FQ's each.

Again, it was a very fun year and I am so happy to see it come to an end - David was getting very worried that he may have to handle it if I were to deliver the twins soon... so the sooner all the FQ's that have been living in the Dining Room get out of the house the better ;)

My good friend Heidi is gonna come over one day this week and help me sort thru all of them and divide them up into groups for the winners. Also she will help me take them to be mailed b/c I can not lift those boxes.

Speaking of boxes, I have rounded up 4 big diaper boxes but I am gonna need more than that.... I better call some Momma friends tomorrow and ask if they have any I can use ;c)

Look for photos to be shared soon :) ~Bonnie

Show-n-tell Saturday!

I am so excited to get to show this with all of you!!! This week I finished up my last block for my 1930's BOM from last year's Quilt Club!!!

Nora has really taken a liking to playing with the buttons and has even requested to go in the sewing room and "play buttons" the past two mornings before breakfast even!!! ;) So, needless to say that was very helpful in having time to sew during the day!

Here is my little "Jackson" sitting in front of the quilt just now. He's our "first child," a miniature schnauzer. For the first time in the 8 years of having him... we shaved him naked for the summer. Funny thing is, that we can tell he feels so much better b/c lately he has been acting like he's 5 years younger! :c)

Just to give you a recap I will post a photo of the 1st half of my 1930's BOM quilt (which is still pinned to the wall upstairs) of months January - June and then under it a photo of what I took today - the 2nd half of the quilt months July thru December. This should give us a preview of what the quilt will look like after I sew the two halfs together ;c) This week, I also got a good start to using up all my scraps for a 1" finished piano key boarder to go around the outside. Not sure about the corners - maybe make some more sawtooth star blocks? since they were used thruout the quilt so much as fillers... here is a photo of my piano keys strips so far. I was working on some chinese coins for Mary and that gave me the idea to do this :)the quilt store had a different final boarder on their quilt. The kit I received included the fabric for it and it would also be a good way to use up scraps, but I have always admired piano key boarders and wanted to do one... I will still do an inner boarder of the white like they did - then add my scrappy piano keys. Here is a photo of their finished quilt. (turned to the side... the right is the top of the quilt starting with Jan at the far right corner) As you can see, only some of my 12" blocks look like theirs (same fabrics.) For the most part, on all the sawtooth stars I did differnt fabrics than what they provided me with in my monthly kit b/c I think it is much easier to use Eleanor Burn's Flying Geese Rulers than to cut squares into triangles then resew them and have to use 1/8" measurements. Also in my monthly 12" blocks I choose all together different fabrics for Jan, June, & September..... and if you look closely, you will see that I changed the block patterns for the paper pieced star for July and also Y-seam star December. My blocks for those months aren't even close to what they used!

The last block for December (on the right) is called Mississippi Star. I found it while surfing Judy Martin's website and looking thru her photo gallery. She writes: "Mississippi Star is a versatile star that can achieve different looks depending on how you color it. With this coloring the dark blue star points look like they are gripping the center square. It's a block I put into a picture frame in order to display it." -Judy Martin

It wasn't difficult to figure out - just a little math and I knew what sizes to cut everything. I only wish I had been able to use higher contrasting fabrics like she did in hers....in the same color family...... and if I remake the block someday the darkest fabric will be like hers to create that woven effect. Here is a photo of her block.

I know my 30's BOM is a very busy quilt and for most who see it will just view it as a lot of mumbo-jumbo but for me I have loved it ever since I first saw it hanging in the quilt store. It just reminds me of my grandmother, "Momma Newt's" quilts and how she would have used up scraps to make herself a quilt....so that is what prompted me to want to do this one.

The BOM Quilt in the store is machine quilted with just a big overall meander I guess you call it type of quilting....and I will probably have the same done for mine since it is already so busy. I need what ever is the cheapest way to get it quilted. :c) I am really hoping my Daddy sends me my usual $100 bill with my birthday card this year, b/c I am planning on putting that towards having it machine quilted as my birthday gift to myself!

I hope the next photo I post of this project will be of the finished top with the piano keys attached! I hope Nora wants to play with the buttons some more this week - b/c the count down for the twins C-section on or around June 7th is only 19 more days!!!! and I have to have this done before then!!!

Also soon, I hope to post details about the FQ Bingo Game we are playing over at the quilter's board on HGTV. Today was day 30 of calling 2 numbers per day.... I have a feeling we will know next week who the lucky winner/s are of the 1600 FQ's in the jackpot!!! :c)

Happy Weekend everyone! ~Bonnie

Thank You ALL for the Prayers!

I wanted to take a moment and give an update and also to THANK everyone for your prayers - they have certainly been felt as I have had a peace and confidence that everything is going to be OK.

Without them I would have pulled out my hair last week... I am terrible when it comes to waiting! Friday I did the blood work expecting results on Monday.

Monday, I call and was told that they were sent to Houston and no one worked in the lab over the weekend to process them so they won't be back until Tuesday.

Tuesday, I call and get the nurse who confirms that "yes, the test results are back from the lab... but that the doctor hasn't read them yet and won't get a chance to until that day after she is finished seeing patients... that the Dr. will call me tomorrow." - (Wed)

Wednesday, I wait and wait - and no call. Left the house and got home to a voice mail from the receptionist confirming my next appointment for Thursday...

Thursday was my regular 2 week appointment so I get to go in and speak to the HORSES MOUTH ;) Whew - it's been nearly a week of waiting!!! Up to this point I have been trying to convince myself of my mother's old saying, "No News is GOOD News."

At my appointment Thursday I found out the blood work results = I tested positive for Fifth disease and appears that I do not have immunity. The doctor told me not to be concerned at this point, and a follow-up blood work in two weeks and an ultrasound is scheduled to confirm that there are no complications. We are hoping that the next round of blood work the numbers will have gone down. Also on the ultrasound she is gonna pay special attention to the measurements of the babies chest cavity size. If they appear to be abnormally large in size that would be a sign of complications of the Fifth disease..

Other than the fifth disease test everything was positive including my own health.

She assured me that at this time there is no need to worry and with each of my questions she just simply stated it is too early to tell yet and that we don’t need to worry until that time comes.

We will continue to keep everyone informed as we know more. Until now, I have to wait 2 weeks until my blood work and ultrasound on Wednesday 5/23….then wait for results from the blood work sometime that following week.

Thanks again for all of your prayers – I have certainly felt them as I have not been as panicked about this situation as I may have been without the prayers. I know that it is all in God's hands!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, David and Nora are having a Fun day together. They just left in the van about 30 minutes ago on a trip to the Home Depot and then to go eat at Dairy Queen. David couldn't believe I was gonna pass up a trip to the DQ - but I really want the time to myself in the sewing room to work on block 12 of 12 of my 1930's BOM. I had hoped to have it done by now but I wasn't as productive in April as I had hoped to be.

So I am gonna run for now and enjoy some along time in the sewing room!!! Maybe I will have photos to share by tonight or tomorrow...?

Happy Weekend to everyone! ~Bonnie

Who knew buttons could be so entertaining?!!?!

Lately it has been hard to find time for sewing. I have "had the time" but just haven't been able to get upstairs b/c Nora is so into her movies she checks out form the library each week and I can not take the risk of leaving her downstairs to watch them while I am upstairs sewing.


A month or so ago I had bought special Crayola® Markers and Dora book - these special markers will only write on that paper and I thought this would be perfect for the quilting room - something to keep her busy only after one day she thought it was more fun to wear the tops of the markers on the ends of her fingers and could care less about the coloring book.... so that didn't last long. :(


However today we were upstairs putting away laundry and I took advantage of the opportunity and lured her into the sewing room. :) She was opening drawers and looking and found a bag of buttons. "Pleeeeeeeease Momma, pleeeeeeeeeeease!" So I thought why not? Well that was the best thing ever!!! She spent an hour playing with those buttons! She put them into a little bowl and stirred them up and then sorted them into her tea cups by colors and served me pretend "apples" and "pizza" and I go to SEW!!! Who knew buttons could be so entertaining for an almost 3 year old?!!?! :c)




Look how much I accomplished for the April/May Heartstrings Chinese Coins Project I got sewn together today while Nora played with her buttons! The photo on the left is before trimming to the 5.5" size and the pic on the Right is of the coins all neat and trimmed....yes that is a bag of Chips-a-hoy cookies...3/4's gone you see by my cutting mat at the top of the photo. ;c) A recent craving for the twins.... I just know I am gonna double in size the next four weeks!


I do want David to bring my sewing room downstairs so I can get it set up in the dining room - until now I have been using the dining room table to sort my monthly noodle swap but last month was my "last" month to host until the fall. I am on "maternity hostess leave" ;c) Having my machine downstairs will give me more time to sew both during the day and at night. I will only be one wall away form Nora playing... that is unless she is at the table with me :c)

This is what the Noodle Buffet looked like for the "True Blue" swap for April before I began exchanging out noodles. Under the table you get a peak of the FQ's for the Bingo.... which this week - each day the game is getting very close to having someone call BINGO!



Plus another benefit to having my machine set up in the dining room is that I need to get the sewing/guest bedroom cleaned out and ready for the grandparents who will be coming in June to help with the twins. Only a few more weeks and still so much to do!!! I keep trying to come to terms that not everything is gonna get done in time - although I would so like for it to be!!! But really will the babies really know if everything is so so?


Last weekend we should have got the wallpaper boarder up but we didn't. Instead Saturday, we spent the morning at the park playing with Nora and that afternoon went to the circus sponsored by the SHRINER'S HOSPITAL. I had two coupons - one for free child admission and one for a BOGO Free Adult. Nora had such a great time!!! and after all, once the twins arrive, we won't be available to go and do stuff like that for quite some time.... so it was good for all of us and Nora loved seeing the elephants, cammels and horses! Just wish I had taken my camera along to capture the fun! ~Bonnie

Project Hokie Help

OwenJulesMommy = A friend of mine from the HGTV quilter's board, posted today something she found on a myspace page called Project Hokie Hope for the families who lost loved ones that were students at Virginia Tech.

Here is a little info about the project - but you can learn more about it on the link above and also see photos of the quilt blocks that she has received.

I just wanted to help spread the word in my little corner of the quilting world. :c) ~Bonnie



Project Hokie Hope

I am an alumna of Virginia Tech (PhD finally finished in '03) and was, with the whole country, horrified by last week's events on that beautiful campus. In my effort to ease some of my own feelings of sorrow and helplessness, I have started an effort to make Hokie Hope quilts for each of the families who lost a loved one.

Here's what I'm asking people to contribute: 12 1/2" blocks, any pattern, in the VT school colors of maroon and orange, plus white/cream and brown/black as accent and background colors. Please sign your name and your city and state on your block.

.....To make 33 quilts, we need a total of 396 blocks. I know we can accomplish this goal! I have been sewing, knitting, and cross-stitching for my whole life, but I just started quilting this year. I have never known ANYTHING as remarkable as the passion in the quilting community.

Please note that I haven't established a "deadline" for this project. Sooner is better so we can get started with assembly, but I don't want anybody to feel so rushed that they can't help "in time."

Maybe it will take a whole year - then we'll give the quilts at the memorial service next April. However long it takes, we can do our tiny part in helping these families remember that there is goodness and hope in our world.

I'll use this blog to post updates about my progress on this project.Please email me or post a comment here if you need any additional information. Thank you so very much.

Peace,
Angelina

Still waiting.....

I have never been very good at waiting.... but it seems I have no choice.

Friday when I went to do the blood work I thought I would find out Monday the results.

Monday, I called and they told me that all the test results were sent to Houston for processing and since no one was there to work over the weekend they would not be processed until Monday and that they would be back on Tuesday.

Well, today is Tuesday and on our way home from the park this morning I called the Dr to see - hoping that I woudl get the good news I have been hoping for....

I left a voice mail and a little later before I got home the cell phone rang... it was the nurse saying that "Yes, the test results are back but.... she isn't allowed to read them and that the Dr won't have time to read them today until after she is done seeing patients and will call me TOMORROW with the results."

URGH! I feel so silly senting out dozens fo emails to all those who have responded to my prayer request without any information to tell them yet - only that I don't know.... but I hate keeping them waiting like me. I hope they don't think I forgot to tell them the news.

I do appreciate all the thoughts & prayers for me and the twins. I do feel at peace that what ever the results - it will all be OK. God is in control! :c) ~Bonnie

On a lighter note..

Sorry to leave all of you in a state of worry with my prvious post. I don't want to be a downer so on a lighter note I will also cut and paste here with all of you what I just emailed out yesterday to all of our family and firneds about mine and Nora's day - Wednesday 5/2.

I'm sorry I posted this in backwards sequence... Bonnie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007
Just wanted to share with you two photos that I took today of Nora. We had our weekly story time in Bridge City today and on the way over I talked to Nora telling her after the library we would go shopping and she could pick out her own Jesus. I forget the name of the store but it is right beside Pizza Hut in Bridge City. I am glad I had my camera with me in my purse and could take photos of Nora and “her Jesus” in the store and capture the true pride she felt today!

At the ACTS retreat I shared how each morning when we come down stairs we venerate the cross - I kiss the feet of Jesus while Nora kisses the wall below – and so I thought we would shop for her one to hang down low at her level. The store had a few to pick from hanging on the wall and while I was looking at the smaller wooden ones she kept saying, “No Momma, I want the big Jesus!” Looking at the large ones on the wall I knew they were not in my price range, plus they were much larger than what we already have in the front hall..… and very breakable looking…. And I kept telling her, “No Nora, lets pick a little one for you.” But she kept insisting “the BIG Jesus Momma, I want the BIG Jesus!”

Finally she said, “LOOK at my Jesus Momma!” and I looked down to find her proudly holding this crucifix which was indeed a much larger one that the ones I had been taking off the wall and looking at. There on the floor at her level was a bucket full of a dozen or so of this silver and gold metal looking crucifix. They were all marked down to $5 - which the cheapest of the small wooden ones I had looked at were around $28. So I thought “even better! and it is the one she wants!”

Nora had picked her own Jesus! She spent the remainder of the time in the store holding it “close to her heart” as I instructed so that she wouldn’t’ use it to knock off anything off the shelves. The whole ride home she sang to Him – “Open the Eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart – I want to see you… I want to seeeeeee you!” It was a very special moment.

I told her we would hang him under the big one by the front door and stairs when we got home and that she could kiss his feet each morning like Mommy does – but she had other ideas. “No, Mommy. I want to put him outside with my Mary.” So after we pulled into the garage and was getting out of the van she had me hold Him for her until she could get down out of her car seat.

She was so excited and went running out to take him to Mary (our Mary statue is just by the garage door in the flower bed along the font walk) and in the excitement of it all, she decided to dance with Him and in her second go-around she tripped and fell down.

Yes, you guessed it – She had just picked out and purchased her very own Jesus just 20-25 minutes before and now she had just broke Him before entering the house. It nearly broke my heart to see her little face so saddened and hear the compassion in her voice as she said to Him - “Oh NO, oh NO Jesus! I broke your arm! Ouchie, Ouchie! I am so sorry! Mommy make it better with her sticky tape, Mommy make it better with her sticky tape! I am sorry, I am sorry….it will feel better....”

So if I can find my glue gun (which I have not used in ages) I will try and glue him back together and fix him or we will go back to BC and buy another one for her tomorrow.

I just had to share with you this story and how proud she was to hold her Jesus today – doesn’t she look like a future Altar Server!?

Love from Texas!!
~Bonnie -----(who is only 5 weeks away from delivering the TWINS!)

Prayer Request for our twins!

I just finished sending out the following email to every praying person I know. I hope you don't mind if I share it with all of you who stop by for a visit. It is nothing quilty - and is rather long to read.

Thank you in advance to any an dall prayers you can lift up for our babies!
Love from Texas,
Bonnie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear family and friends, we ask you to pray for us – especially our unborn twins ASAP!

Today it was brought to my attention that both Nora and I have defiantly been exposed to a viral illness called “Fifth Disease”. It is also known as “slapped cheek disease” because of the distinctive rash that some people develop on the face. Now, before I go any further rest assured Nora is OK and will be OK – we are just waiting for her to break out with the rash in the next few days and then get over this.

We attend both Story Time and our weekly playgroup with the same 10 kids each week. Last Wednesday my friend Melanie and her two boys came to my home after Story Time so we could cut fabric out for her quilt. Later that night, the boys mom called me asking if there was any way that her 1 year old could have gotten into any chemicals while they were at my home b/c Levi had a large bright red rash all across his face that night. – No, all of my stuff was locked behind child proof locks.

While I was at the ACTS retreat, David said that Nora began getting runny nose and week feeling on Saturday… at that time we just figured it must be allergies since it is that time of year right? He said that she had not had any fever at all. On Sunday – my return home from the retreat I immediately knew Nora was sick and not feeling like herself b/c she didn’t react to seeing me like I had anticipated all weekend. During church, David said she was very lethargic and tired. He thought it may have had something to do with the candle light service the night before and staying up later than her usual bed time. Nora didn’t even go up for a children bulletin at the end of Mass – which she loves to do!!! After mass was over when I got to see her she didn’t want to even look at me, much less come to me. Very not herself!

Every day this week Nora’s nose has continued to run but no fever so no need to call the doctor I thought… we even went to Story Time Wednesday. However, last night she began coughing a lot – again I am thinking allergies… drainage… today more coughing but it cleared up after she at breakfast but her nose has been runny again all day. Thinking maybe it would be best to stay home today and not go to playgroup I called Lisa the hostess to tell her… – but she asked if she had fever and I said no – so she assured me it would all be ok and to go ahead and come. So we did.

We were 30 minutes late getting there and our friend Melanie (Levi’s mom) had already told everyone of her experience last week of his face breaking out and then her taking him to the Doctor before I arrived – so when I got there Lisa quietly pulled me into another room to explain….she told me that Melanie took Levi to the Dr. last Thursday about his rash he got on his face and that he was diagnosed as having Fifth Disease and then showed me two sheets she had printed out from WebMD explaining what the “fifth disease” is and how harmful it can be to unborn babies.


Taken from WebMD:
Fifth disease, is much more common in children than adults and mostly spread by coughs and sneezes. Generally, people can spread the fifth disease only when flu like symptoms are present and before a rash develops. The incubation period – the time from exposure to the virus until symptoms develop – is 4 to 20 days. Initial symptoms usually resemble a mild flue (generally without fever), sometimes followed by a bright red rash on the face and later a lace-like rash on the body. The rash usually fades within 2 to 5 days. After the rash appears the child is no longer contagious and can return to school or daycare. http://children.webmd.com/tc/Fifth-Disease-Topic-Overview

Also Lisa gave me a page about Pregnancy Complications from the fifth disease which I will cut and paste at the bottom of this message.

Well since Levi was diagnosed, there is no doubt that Nora has been exposed b/c we are so close to them and participating in the same weekly activities. Since Levi is 1 and teething they never thought anything about his runny nose the days before his break out…..that’s the bad thing of this virus – children have no idea they are exposed until after the fact!

So today I called my Dr’s office and talked to the nurse who later called me back to tell me that Dr. Oliver herself would be calling me this evening after she was done seeing patients.

When Dr. Oliver called this evening, I told her of our friend’s child having it and our close interaction with him… and she told me to have little to no contact with Nora for the time being. Little did she know that Nora was lying across my shoulder sleeping and breathing her “sick-smell” breath on my face at that very moment of the phone call!

I am to go in for blood work tomorrow (5/4) and unfortunately will not know anything until Monday as their lab pick ups on Friday are late afternoon and don’t allow for same day results.

She said if we learn Monday it is positive we will go from there… but didn’t go into any details she said she would tell me about it at that time but not to worry for now. Also she said even with a negative result I will have to go back in 3 weeks for a second test b/c incubation period if from 4 to 20 days.

We will keep everyone updated as soon as we know more. Until then, your prayers for Olivia Maelee and Paul Thomas are appreciated more than you know!

Your sister in Christ,
Bonnie Minor



Pregnancy Complications from Fifth Disease (from WebMD)

For women who have not previously had fifth disease, contracting the illness during pregnancy can increase the risk for certain complications. Pregnant women who have been exposed to the illness should contact their health professional right away.

A very small number of pregnant women who get fifth disease will have a miscarriage.

In extremely rare cases, the infection can cause a condition called fetal hydrops, in which the fetus develops life-threatening anemia and severe swelling throughout the body. The mother and fetus should be closely monitored with fetal ultrasounds to detect this condition.

When fetal hydrops is detected, the fetus may be treated with blood transfusions while in the uterus, although this is not usually necessary. Some babies born to mothers who were infected with fifth disease during pregnancy may also be treated with blood transfusions.

Fetal parvovirus B19 infections do not cause birth defects.

Author Colleen Cronin Editor Renée Spengler, RN, BSN Associate Editor Lisa Shaw Primary Medical Reviewer Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Specialist Medical Reviewer W. David Colby, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Last Updated: April 25, 2005
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
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