It's Been Awhile, Hasn't It?!

A couple of you have emailed me to ask if I'm okay and to say you miss me, and I thank you for checking in on me.  I'll catch you up on some of the happenings in my world in a minute.  First, though, I want to share with you the next phase of the Country Homecoming house construction.

Last month, Imelda finished her seventh and eighth houses a few days after I posted photos, so the above houses were from May.

Here are Imelda's June houses, the ninth and tenth houses in the neighborhood.  She said she's not quite done yet, and I think she still has to applique some of the windows and things, but they're looking good!

Janet sent in a photo of her first nine houses, some of which are still under construction.  Her neighborhood, though, is looking bright and beautiful, isn't it?!

Above and below are Sheryn's ninth and tenth houses.  I love the awnings above her windows.

And Tina's ninth and tenth houses--looking kind of beachy to me in the sand and sea tones.

And here are mine.

It's hard to believe that we're nearing completion of our neighborhoods--for those of us making 12 house blocks, we only have two more to go.  You can also check out Tanya's blog to see how she's doing with her construction.  Just click on her name to jump over to her blog. 

Have you been watching World Cup soccer?  Since the USA was playing today, it seemed only right to start the day with a workout using the kettle bell Soccer Son made for me from a soccer ball.  Did I ever show this to you?  It was a gift--I think it must have been a Christmas gift if I remember correctly--from him.  He's so inventive!

So, what have I been doing?  You may remember Hubby fell about a month and a half ago and broke his leg.  He had to have surgery to place a plate in the leg, and when he was ready to be released from the hospital, he was transferred to a nursing home.  Well, after a couple of weeks in the nursing home, Medicare felt he was ready to move on . . . the question was, where would he go and how would we pay for his care?  On the one hand, he didn't need nursing care exactly, but he couldn't be left alone because he still couldn't put any weight on the broken leg, and he was a fall risk for transfers from his wheelchair to anywhere else--recliner, bed, toilet, chair, etc.  We learned that whatever we did, the cost would have to be paid by us.  And the cost of attendant care in our home for 12 hours a day while I worked was steep.  But then so was adult day care in a nursing facility, or placement in a residential care home.  In the end, though, we decided the best option was to have Hubby stay in a residential care home for the next month, and he moved to a home not far from our own house at the end of May.  It's not ideal--the food isn't wonderful and the other resident patients don't make for great company for one reason or another.  The caregivers are kind and attentive to Hubby's needs, but it's not the same as being home.  And the cost is crazy expensive.  But we're now beginning Hubby's last week there--I'll bring him home next Saturday--so the end is in sight.

When I say I'll bring Hubby home, I mean I'll bring him home to stay; he actually HAS come home since he's been in the care home, but only for one day each weekend, as I spend the other weekend day doing chores and running errands.  On the days he comes home, besides the comfort of sitting in his own recliner, he probably most appreciates home cooking.  And by the time I drive him back in the evening, he's tired out and ready to go back, as his energy level isn't quite what it was before the accident.  But he's most certainly looking forward to next weekend's homecoming--and Sunday is his birthday, so it will probably be one of the best birthdays he's ever had!

While Hubby's been recuperating, I've been trying to keep up with my exercise routine as well as taking on the chores Hubby used to do.  And I visit him after work each week day and on the weekends.  So, as you may imagine, where I was having difficulty finding time before to quilt (not to mention BLOG!), my time has been even more limited in the last month or two.

I'm going to take a week's vacation the first week Hubby's home so we can make sure we have plans in place and the household arranged so he can take care of himself when I return to work.  I'm hoping to have a little time to sew during that week's vacation, but it seems that every time I think I might have some time to sew, something else comes up that requires my attention instead; and I already know there will be things to do during that week that don't involve sewing at all.

I'll try to remember to post to my blog every now and then, but in life's prioritized list of things that must be done, I'm afraid blogging isn't terribly high.  But I miss it and I miss all of you and the energy that comes from the exchange of quilting ideas so I definitely want to get back to it when life calms down a little bit. Thanks for checking in!