Not Hiding, Just Overwhelmed

It's quite out of character, but I've posted no new patterns and no blogs in a full month. I'm just starting to find time to sew after a very difficult month.

My husband has been very ill, and I'm afraid we have reached that age when I'll be a caretaker for the foreseeable future. Here's the story.

It all began on October 17th, the day after I posted the final pattern in the Christmas Elves quilt.

My husband fell in the garage shortly before noon. Fortunately, I went out to see what was taking him so long. There he was on the floor and unable to lift himself at all.  He asked me to help him up, but I couldn't budge him. I called 911. Sirens, paramedics, ambulance, neighbors offering to help - the whole bit. He spent the next week in the hospital and three additional days in rehab. Who knew a kidney stone could cause so many problems? Fever, infection, and more. When a person is elderly and in poor health to start with, illness is so much more complicated.

The kidney stone is gone now, as is the infection. Fred's recovery has been slow. The whole ordeal left him totally exhausted. He's just beginning to feel and act more like himself, and life is slowly returning to somewhat normal. I'm afraid to leave him alone for more than a few minutes at a time, though. I think of what may have happened had I been out having lunch with a friend when he fell, and it terrifies me. 

I can't work in my sewing room for long stretches at a time quite yet, so my latest project is going very slowly.

I'm stitching up some very simple holiday place mats. I'm trying to make eight of them using only fabrics I already have on hand. Since I need eight place mats, finding enough fabrics in my stash has become a challenge and I've had to completely revamp my pattern idea.  The stash of green Christmas scraps is dwindling, and I'm totally out of silvery grays. I am going to try to make these without binding. For one thing, I don't have enough of any matching fabrics to use for the binding.  It will also speed the process along, and I would like to move on to other things soon.

This is what the tops will look like. As I said, very simple.

I'll post a tutorial for you as soon as I've finished. Next week, I hope.

Thanksgiving is coming, and my children and grandchildren will all be gathered around my table. I'm counting my blessings. 

Wishing you and yours a wonderful ad blessed Thanksgiving.

Here's to a calm November!