just as an FYI . . . Mom is coming along . . . very slowly . . . but she is improving . . . medically she is pretty stable . . . but now it's all the rehab which will be ongoing for several months . . . she is walking about 35 feet a day using a walker . . . and her right hand has come back a little . . . although she does have severe tremors some days . . . luckily she is left handed so she is able to feed herself . . . her speech is still a really big problem . . . although some days she can get out the words she wants to say . . . other days not so much . . .
tomorrow she is going back to Boston to have her kidney tubes replaced . . . this will have to be done every 3 months until they decide if they can make them internal or not . . . and they will be removing her feeding tube tomorrow because she doesn't need it anymore . . . so that is a plus . . .
we have moved her into a really beautiful nursing home/rehab center . . . it is run by the Carmelite nuns . . . and the care is excellent . . . they are so caring and loving . . . and I am so relieved that she is there . . . in a homey atmosphere . . . being well cared for . . .

every year I collect tons of Christmas fabrics . . . I just love them . . . then drive myself crazy trying to decide what I can make with them . . .
in December . . . Nicole from Sisters Choice . . . showcased several of her Christmas quilts . . . and I thought . . . now why do I NOT have any Christmas quilts . . . I love the fabrics . . . collect them every year . . . and never even thought to make a Christmas quilt . . . what is wrong with me !!
so . . . I dug out all my Christmas fabrics . . . and what a ton of them I have . . . found a pattern on the internet for a Christmas tree pattern sort of like the one Nicole had made . . . because I loved it . . . actually my sister-in-law found one for me . . . and I now have 17 of these blocks made . . . I am loving it !! . . . I need to decide on my sashing fabric pretty soon . . . I have some really nice green and white pin-striped that I'm thinking about . . .
Chrismas 2010 . . . I WILL HAVE Christmas quilts to put out around the house . . . thanks Nicole !!