Are you a lister? By that, I mean, do you keep a list of things you need to do, should do, must do, either written down on a piece of paper or in your head? I am very obsessive compulsive about MAKING lists of things I need to do. But when it comes to actually DOING those things, well, that is a different story. Sometimes I feel like I will literally die if I don’t have that list in my pocket. But there are some things on that list that have been on it for years!
Now that you know that particular thing about me, maybe knowing it will let you understand how happy I am that I actually accomplished one of those things this week. A major thing.
The item that has been on my list of things to do for the longest was the first thing I accomplished this week. You see, seven years ago I bought the fabric to make a quilt for my stepdaughter, Becky. I can remember the day I showed her the pattern and the fabrics I had picked out. She was excited about it, and happy that I was going to be making it for her. She was going to use it in the guest room of her first house that she had just bought. Five years ago, I actually cut out the pieces for the top and sewed them together. The top has been folded neatly and stored under my bed ever since then. It has traveled with me to Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and back to Georgia. She has moved on to a new home, with no guest room. Hmmm, could that in itself be a hint?
The last time I said anything to Becky about it, she said, “Don’t tell me anything else about that quilt. I am never going to get it, and you know it, so just hush.” It’s not that I didn’t want her to have it. I really love her; she has been in my life for more than 16 years. And while we didn’t see eye to eye when I first became her stepmother, we have become closer and have had some fun together since then.
And, that quilt top lying unfinished has prevented me from starting on a couple of other projects I have to do. How can I finish the quilt I made for Becca, my daughter, when the one for Becky just lies there, accusing me of being the procrastinator I am turning out to be? How can I start on any other thing when I have not completed that one? And now, after all these years, it is a matter of pride, a matter of proving that I do really mean for Becky to have that quilt. So, on Monday, I took it to the quilt shop and dropped it off to be machine quilted. I can hardly wait to get it back so I can put on the binding and sign it:
“To Becky, from your loving stepmother, Karen. May your days be as cheerful as these colors are bright, may your dreams be happy throughout night.”
That is a very nice quilt! You tried to get me to start my own Blog a month or so ago and I told you I just didn’t have the time. So today, I’m going to be guest blogger on your site. For those of you that don’t know me, I am Fabgrandma’s cousin. I’m the one that changed her life by telling her about my gluten problem and that it was hereditary. She then tried going without gluten and she is feeling better than she has been in a long time. I have a little story for everyone this morning and it has nothing to do with Gluten. here goes:
While at work last week a co-worker and I walked by a friend’s office in Headline News and he had posters advertising Robin Meade’s Morning Express show on Headline News from 6am-10am. My friend Tom told Jerry that he would like to have a poster of Robin. I chimed in and said I would like one also. Tom jokingly said that he wanted his autographed. Jerry, who is the Director of Coverage for Headline News, told us he wasn’t sure if there were enough for us to get one. He said that if there were enough left, He would try to save us one. We later ran in to Jerry again and he said that there were enough posters and if we dropped by his office, there were 2 posters, one with each of our names on it.
So, a couple of days later, we ran into Jerry again. He asked us if we had put out posters up on our office wall yet. We both told him we had been busy and had not had time. He said that we should hurry and hang the poster because he had heard a rumor that someone special was going to come by our office and autograph the posters. Jerry left and Tom and I looked at each other and said “Was he trying to say Robbin was going to autograph our posters?” We then came back down to earth and decided that Jerry was just messin’ with us. There was no way an anchor would come by our office to autograph a poster. We then went on with our work.
The next Wednesday, Tom and I had a meeting at 10am and Jerry was in the meeting. Tom and I jokingly told Jerry that we had the posters up but no one had come to autograph them. He just smiled and said that Robin does a weekly podcast on Wednesdays and if she was willing they, part of the podcast would be of her autographing our posters. Her producer was going to send him an email if she was going to out office. The meeting ran over and I had forgotten about the autograph and Robin. Jerry leaned over and handed me his Blackberry. On the screen was an email from Robbin Meade’s producer saying they were heading up to my office! I quickly handed the Blackberry to Tom for him to read and excused myself from the meeting. Tom said for me to go ahead and he would be up later. Right! As soon as the elevator door opened for me get on, I saw a flash run by me. It was Tom and he said he was going too! When I got to my office, I put my notebook and papers from the meeting on my desk and turned around to see a co-worker just grinning at me. I thought this to be very strange so, I thought to myself, what the heck is his problem? I walked out of my office and saw that someone had cut a speech bubble out of paper and put it on my Robin poster! It said” I Love Jimmy’s Grits!” I began to try to get it off without ripping the poster before Robin showed up. Luckily it was tapeed and the poster was glossy so, it came right off and did not damage the poster. A side story here is that I had given my Creamy Cheese Grits recipe to a co-worker a couple of weeks back and he had tried them and liked them a lot. He was the culprit. I went to his office and told him Robin was going to come sign the poster and a few minutes and he should not have done that. He laughed at me and said “Sure she is??”
Well, about that time, the door open to our department and Robin Meade walked in yelling ”Where is Tom and Jimmy?” She came over to my cube and talked with me a minute and autographed the poster and gave me a hug! Then she found Tom and autographed his poster and gave him a hug and then hugged me gain and left. What a day! Now it is up on the CNN web site for everyone to see. Just go to http://cnn.com/Robin\ and click on the link on the right at the top that says: Watch this week’s podcast! When you click the link to play the poscast, it will bring up a Quicktime player window and it may take a minute for it to load. Be patient. You may need Quiktime player installed to play it. A star is born!
Gluten Free Jimmy
Karen, It is beautiful! Who did you take it to to be quilted?
I am spending this weekend working on one for Justin and Heather and have not even started on Jeremy and Amys.
Love the quilt! Jody
gorgeous quilt. yes, it is such an amazing accomplishment when we finish one project so we can fully move on to the next. and happy camping to you, what a wonderful journey.
My Seester….I loved that quilt the day you showed it to me, 5 years ago when it was just big pieces of fabric and I still love it today…perhaps one day you will make a quilt for your loving Seester who spent many a cold winter’s night heating my feet in the middle of your back 😉 Love, Your Seester
My mom is a quilter, and I think that it is an amazing talent! They quilt is beautiful, but not as beautiful as the dedication that goes with it.
Love your new look!
fabulous quilt…
HI
grandma,
Remember me after a long long time, my hubbies aunt loves to make quilts and they look so warm and cosy .
I am a lister just like you, have to have my list of things to do and i have to carry it wherever i go, and about following the list hummmmmmmm
hi
grandma
i have replied to your comments on my blog …
Thanks for visiting me…
Beautiful!!!!!