Rail Fence

Rail Fence baby quilt with borders.   I love the striped binding I chose!  The soft green minky polka dots on the back...you can't stop touching it!  I didn't do a lot of quilting to it, just some stitch in the ditch grid pattern, and around the border.   

Isn't it precious?   My apologies for the poor quality photos this time around.   

I'm going to try and wash it before sending it off to Baby Samuel in Montreal....wish me luck. It could be disastrous!

Remember to click on each photo to see it bigger!

Two on the Go!

I'm in the middle of two new quilts.  I started a stacked coins quilt using a bunch of my blue stash, and then I decided last minute that I was going to whip up a baby quilt for my new nephew, Samuel.   It's an easy one, kind of a rail fence with a couple of borders in blues, whites, greens and browns.   Stay tuned.  It's lovely!  Details to come.

Doc appointment yesterday to update a month of meds and new diet/exercise regime.  Doc was very please how my numbers came down, but I still have a ways to go.   Doubled my meds, and outlined the next step if this doesn't do the trick.   He also received my insulin numbers back from the lab after our first consult and revealed that I was at a 4, when the average is usually around 15.   (Scale of 1-20 I think).  I don't know what it is, but he said my pancreas releases very very little insulin, which is why I'm so high.  So we'll see what this month reveals.   I'm very proud of myself for stepping up to the reality and doing something about it.   I've introduced a couple of more carbs during the day, as frankly, I can't live on eggs, cheese strings and fat free turkey slices all day. :-)   

  I'm still doing a lower carb approach, but I need to eat more balanced, and since I've started eating a few more servings of food, I'm actually warming up!  Gosh I was so cold it was unbearable!

I really need to get over the psychology that there is something that I can do to solve this problem.  Like I can fix it on my own.   Like it's my fault.   It's not, as the doc says...my pancreas is not working.   But for some reason, I have this guilt that I can't solve it on my own.     And I hate hate hate, living like a number.   I hate that my day is a good day because I got my numbers down lower than before.  I don't want the numbers to define me, yk? 

anyways... enough about the D of my life.  

My quilting frenzy continues.....and while I quilt today, I will watch the inauguration of the new President.  Even though I'm Canadian, I am so proud of this moment in history.  I'm so excited and so inspired.  I know it will be a teary day.   

It's done...needs a name!

So, by far, this is my favourite quilt, along with my d9p.   I love the colours, so bright, crisp and clean.  I love using white.  I'll be using white way more in my quilts in the future.   I'm very proud of my stippling in this quilt, I think I've finally figured some of it out - the tension, the speed the direction and how to manage the bulk. (note - this is a baby quilt size, so not as much bulk as the bigger ones) 

I love the minky fabric I used on the back.  It was fabulous to work with.  I used spray adhesive to give it a bit more grab when I was pin basting, and it held really well.  I love the texture of the stippling on the minky on the back, and the pile gives a little extra forgiveness if there were any problems.  I love this quilt.

Did I mention I love it?  So, you know why there's a few photos then.   These were taken on my snow covered back porch with gusting winds.  It was a reasonable day at -17c rather than the  -30 we've experience for a good part these past few weeks.   The colours are just so much truer

in natural light, you know?

Please click on the images to see a larger, clearer, detailed view.

 

Again, thanks to this blog

for teaching me, inspiring me and motivating me in my quilting progress.  

   

Happy New Year part 2

If you read my post from January 2007 - all of our moving back to BC goals continue.   It will continue till we get back there.   We've had so many ups and downs and "close calls" in 2007, and it continues as we speak.  Waiting for some shuffling to finish up in the org and see if it means dh can shuffle over to bc.   

Need to be back with my family, my friends, my mountains, ocean and trees.   Need my Bellingham fix, my diversity of cultures, my parks and my rain.    Need to meet my friends' little people and reconnect with them.  Need to be where I belong.

As for quilting goals - I was giving myself a hard time about not completing as many as some blogs I read.   When in fact, I'm quite proud that I've completed 5 quilts (2 which need to be quilted). 

 My log cabin is 97% done...I just have to finish the slip stitching the binding, but my eyes are kind of wonky this week, so I'm just giving them a rest at the moment.   (I was reading wayyyy too much over christmas!)  It is SOOO gorgeous.  The soft minky fabric on the back is stunning.  I cannot stop touching it.  It feels like soft rabbit angora.  I love the colours, the white, the soft, the contrasts.  Going to be hard to give it up.  It's girlie and gorgeous.   

Will finish it and take photos outside - when it's not -32 out  like it has been this week.  UGH.

Next quilt will be with blues.

Happy New Year!

I'm so glad 2009 is here!

I finally went and got my bloodwork done to confirm that I am a diabetic.   December 23rd was my diagnosis. Long story of why I put it off so long.. dealing with memories of my mother and wondering if my life was doomed to hers,  fear really.   Just not personally ready to accept and deal with the emotions of this life long disease.   But the week prior to the 23rd I had a real slump of a week where I was so emotional and down in the dumps about Christmas, my mom, etc. Then, I snapped out of it and it was like the light turned on and I was ready.    So here I am.

My numbers are atrocious, and I have read and learned that it's not my fault.   It's genetics and biological/chemical.   I could not eat for a week, and still have high blood sugar readings.  My doc put me on some meds.  I have cut out my carbs severely.  (oh my god I am embarassed at how many carbs and how awful I have been eating this past year...oh. my. god.) So I'm paying for it now, with literal detox of carbs.  Skim milk in my coffee? Gone. bread? gone. fruit? gone. juice? gone.  pasta, potatoes white anything? gone. candy? marshamllow snacks? cookies? baking? gone.

I could write forever about how I've drastically cut things off since the 23rd of December.   But one thing I'm learning...I cannot cut carbs out completely. It's just not doable for my life.   I need to have lots of balance in my life for me to stick with it.  But for now. I'm doing the drastic to help bring my numbers down.   I test AT LEAST 10 times per day.  at least.  My fingers are bruised from the pokes.  Need to talk to doc about that.

I started exercising January 1st, walks on the treadmill and will continue that.  I'm going to order some exercise dvd's too.  All of the literature says that a good diet and daily exercise will help bring the numbers down.

What have I noticed in the 10 days that I have done this?    

Energy.   whoa.  I'm not joking! Holy cow!

I don't get up to pee in the middle of the night.

I sleep deep without interruptions (aside from an annoying 3 year old who still sometimes sneaks into bed without us even noticing)

I cannot even finish a glass of water. My thirst is gone.  I thought it was because of the dry climate here.  I used to down 3-4 glasses in a row easily...several times a day.  I can't even finish one now.  I have to force myself.  

Sex drive is back?  What the?  Not sure if it's related...but I've had some feeling for awhile now that hasn't been there for some time. 

Sugar cravings are gone.  

So. There you have it.   My Christmas present to myself.  Being honest with myself and facing the music.   As awful as it feels to know that this is for life, it also feels good to have lifted the heavy weight on my shoulders.

End of January I meet with doc to re-evaluate my numbers.   I'm very sure that I will not be down to the acceptable ranges then, but I'm sure we'll get there with tweaking the meds.