Happy Hallowversary

Yes it’s really Halloween and I’m wishing everyone a safe and satisfying day. I was checking my comments late last night and saw this message from WordPress.

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!You registered on WordPress.com 9 years ago.Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

Made one for us and one for my son

It’s shocking to me that I have been here this long. Is it time to retire now? I’ve given it some thought since so many that I started out with have already done so. I still try to keep in touch with them. I mailed out three more hearts yesterday to former bloggers. I want them to know they may be gone from here but are never forgotten and I miss their input.

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  No two come out alike

We weren’t sure Halloween was going to happen around here as it’s a large community of about 550 manufactured homes and many are older and unwilling to open their doors to strangers. There are a few with children and this year a list was started in our community of those giving out candy. I am one of 52 who signed up. I’m a full mile at the bottom of the hill and these kids and parents still have to walk back up those hills. Quite the price to pay for a little candy.

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  Turned out bigger than expected

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  Fun stitching

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  Close up of center

My daughter and I slipped on our latex gloves and put wrapped chocolate into treat bags and twist tied them shut. Then they were placed in the cauldron to put on the porch in front of the door so I can see through the glass screen who comes and goes in their costumes. We never connect and each child can take one bag of candy without touching anything else. I have orange lights strung along the porch so the kids can see where they are going. We have rarely had more than 10-15 children coming this far down. I’m hoping the map list brings more children this year.

Being safe for the kids

Just so you know, I have not learned to manage the new WP block method and do not like it so if you see something odd here it’s because this is a change I haven’t learned to deal with…yet.

Change is Inevitable. Growth is Optional~John Maxwell

From my heart to yours,

Marlene Herself

A Little Heart

Life has been a three-ring circus for the last month. Spending an extra amount of time getting ready for my son’s visit that was rudely interrupted by local fires and a outrageous amount of smoke was not a great way to start off my 72 year. We had some rain and then a short respite from the smoke.

It came back but not nearly as bad but enough so that outdoor activities for me were curtailed until the inversion layer lifted. In the meantime, my sister came to spend a couple of nights so my daughter could take her to a neighboring community for yet another test my sister needed to have done prior to a three day round trip to San Francisco.

Suzy Q and her very caring, competent friend made the 10-hour drive from my house to San Francisco through some more outrageous smoke to talk to a lung transplant team. Always the intrepid adventurer, my sister is taking on the possibility of getting new lungs while there is time. According to her doctors, her lungs have 6-20 months left. But she is a good candidate for new ones though only 15% of the population has her blood type and only 20% of lungs are viable. Not a lot to be optimistic about but we are giving it our best. So, you see there has been a lot occupying my mind and heart lately. It’s interesting that she spent the beginning of her years here in Oregon in the Forest Service doing a lot of back burning to stop forest fires.

This is what it took to get there and refilled to get back

I have been keeping busy all along to distract my mind from more troublesome thoughts. Perusing Pinterest one day I found something that spoke to me so deeply that I had to give it a try. Paper pieced hearts. I was told it would be too hard for me to learn but decided the struggle would be worth it. It’s my form of puzzle. The results were worth learning a new technique and I get to send out little bits of my heart.

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  Pauline’s Birthday mug rug

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  Back of birthday mug rug

Mug Rugs with Love

Fabric goes on the back and you sew from the front!

I’m also going to show you what the end result looked like for the challenge we were given at my sewing/quilting group since we may not get back there again this year. I started and finished it right away but have been keeping it under wraps until our January meeting that won’t happen now.

Another challenge for my brain. Table Runner.

Back has all the colors of the front

These are the kinds of things that keep me out of bars and off the streets. Everyone has a vice and those, along with reading too many books at once and trying to get blogs read and one written are mine.

Are you finding ways to share a little bit of heart in your life?

From my heart to yours,

I’m always thinking of you

Marlene Herself