Hey everyone......I am still here....

Damaged, broken and kinda lost but one foot is still going in front of the other so I am thinking it is a "one step at a time" thing.....Thanks so much for all your overwhelming support. I so appreciate it.....Someones said a voodoo doll.....I love it? Does anyone have one?...I have pins, lotsa pins......

I have been working a lot. It is going to be important for me to do well this month and I sure am giving it a big try....I have a smile plastered on my face at all times. Sometimes I forget I am faking it and it turns real. It gets easier every day. I am trying to get myself in a financial position where it doesnt matter if the %$%$##$%% is here or not. Again, one step at a time...

I also started going to church again about 6 weeks ago...It really helps and it helps me connect to other people. My inclination is to go to bed, pull the covers up and just stay there. We are doing backpacks filled with things for the shelter so I have been working on that.

I participated in the Enchanted Ornament Swap again this month and My partner is Missy. The ornament theme was deer....The best thing was I got to meet her in person and we are going to get together again. She has chickens too!!!! I am planning on using her expertise to help me find some good ones in the Spring.....
Here is what I made Missy.













She in return made me the cutest deer ornaments and a box filled with goodies and the best part? Fresh eggs just to get me inspired.....










I also have continued to make doll clothes for my Blythe doll, Ruth Ann....This outfit I made out of knit, tulle and sari fabric....She is all ready for Thanksgiving.













Victoria asked me to make a portrait of a co workers dog for a gift for her....She sent me the best box of fabrics in return.....I didnt have the best picture....she emailed me one and then I had a different actual picture...Of course I put it away so I would have it and I cant remember where......DUH! I do this kind of stuff all the time.
Anyway, here is Streaker.....











I cant get the original picture to load but I am counting on Victoria to let me know if I captured him.....His picture was very dark with weird lighting....He was a challenge and several times I almost gave up....I really like him now though....Let me know how I did Victoria and if I didnt get him, I would be happy to try again......

off to pluck my eyebrows......then to work...I am trying to get back to you all and if I havent called it is because I dont have very good control of my emotions yet....I dont want to spend a whole phone call sobbing.....xoxooxo melind

Hanging in there........

Maya Angelou: Every woman should…..
June 23, 2007 by seeing

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a youth she’s content to leave behind….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
a feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but its over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

-Maya Angelou

As I sit here at 5:30 am, unable to sleep, I think this poem is speaking just to me. I keep telling myself, "I have been through worse." and I have. It means a lot to me how you all have rallied to support me...I am lucky to know that I am not alone...Thank you so much for caring.......Melinda

Airing my dirty laundry........

Just how personal do you get on a blog? Well, I am about to get there. I have been so grateful for the last year and a half of my life that things were good. When my youngest daughter took the kids back to Portland it was tough, but I had a husband who loved me and was supportive while I went thru piecing my life back together once again. Have you ever had so much misfortune at times that it embarasses you? Well, I come before you all embarassed and humiliated and devastated. On Friday, Don, my husband announced that he was leaving me and going to Oregon. I was blindsided. We have no quarrels about any of the usual stuff. We have been good friends to each other and I thought we loved each other....At first I thought he was joking...he wasnt. He says that he is retired and wants a companion and he is alone too much. Ok, except he is the one who suggested I go back to work full time.
I was speechless...He told me he was going to his sons house....He never went there...He went to Texas instead apparently to get some companionship with a 69 year old woman. The only reason I figured it out was because he left an email and credit card trail. He called tonight with the woman beside him and told me "I will get over it in a few months." I feel abandoned and hopeless.
I try so hard to be a good person. I try to be a good friend, and I know I was a good wife. I have never thought of myself as a victim or pushover, but apparently I must be. My dad and my sister are just sick for me....I havent heard from the kids. I hope I survive this because I have been walking the edge for a long time and I feel broken....thanks for listening.......Melinda

round robin row quilts.....

I joined a Round Robin for Row quilts a while back and I just finished a row for Robin from rislandcrafts.....I thought I would show some of the groups progress. We all picked a theme and colors and you just kind of "go with it"....
Here is Robin's quilt so far....Her theme is shapes and one bright color with white...The hot pink and white row is mine.....















The next one is Barbs from bejeweledquilts and her theme is houses.......My row is on the bottom.

















I love the colors and the blue kind of unifies it...She sent along blue and green fabric for that purpose. I think the picket fence was a great idea too....
Then there is Jenn's from patchwork Jenn....
















I havent done a row for her yet, but I think it is next...The appliqued flowers on the bottow row are so pretty. I always admire everyone's skills!

Hetty's quilt has a water theme and she is the paper piecing master...She started with the birds....My row is the boats. Again it is all so different but it all goes together and is so much fun!














Jeannette also has a Birdhouse row quilt and it is the cutest thing. She did vertical rows, which I thought was really fun. For some reason, I can't get a picture of it on here tonight.....*&^&^%%$@@@


Last of all, my theme was bright stars and I am so lovin' on this quilt so far. I cant even remember how big I made the rows but I cant wait to put it together and display it somewhere fun. It may become a big wall hanging....








I am so glad that I decided to join this group. I would definitely do a Row project again......