An Update

Brandon with Dad and sister

Thank you for all of your kind and caring comments after the events of last week. Your supportive words mean more to me than you'll ever know. Our grandson has had a rough time, as we expected. We met our son and family for dinner on Thursday to celebrate our son's 50th birthday. Because of current restaurant requirements, our party of seven had to sit at two separate tables six feet apart. So my husband and I sat separately and members of the family each came and sat with us for awhile. That was actually fun, and were able to spend some alone time with Brandon. We were glad that he talked about Prescilla and his feelings. He is a strong young man and he will be OK, and that was a big relief for us.

Prescilla's sister Audrey remains in ICU but she is improving every day. Her family is grieving but very thankful for Audrey's fighting spirit. She has not been told about her sister. A Go Fund Me page has been established for the family and over $36,000 has been raised for assistance with funeral and medical expenses. The memorial service is a week from today and will be a "come-and-go" event due to Covid-19 restrictions. The family wants Brandon with them, so that will be a long and emotional day for all. Please add them to your prayers.

Our daughter and family are coming today to spend several days and our son and family will visit tomorrow to celebrate our youngest grandson's first birthday and our son's 50th. It will likely be an emotional day but full of laughter and love. Life goes on.

During my little blogging break, I decided to work on a new blog with a name related to my username on Instagram. I think my current blog has some technical issues with mixed http and https, so hopefully the new one will be accessible to anyone who wants to comment and also that Instagram will allow me to post my website in my profile. I will have a post with a redirect address when that happens, possibly some time next week.

I hope you are planning good times for your Memorial Day weekend, and I'd love to hear all about it. Stay safe and well!

A Beautiful Life

Yesterday, May 15, our grandson's beautiful girlfriend was in a fatal car accident and lost her life. She was 21. Our grandson is devastated, as are her parents, her siblings, and our family. Her sister, who was in the passenger seat, is in critical condition. The driver of the other vehicle drove into her lane and crashed head-on. He also lost his life.

Brandon and Prescilla met at "Fish Camp" the first week of their freshman year at Texas A&M and have been together ever since. They attended church together and went on mission trips instead of partying during spring break. They would both graduate spring of 2021, and Prescilla wanted to be a teacher. Although they were not engaged, they had plans to marry. They were so, so happy together. It is hard to find adequate words to describe how delightful and special she was. She had an unabashed faith in Christ and was the most joyful person I ever met. Our whole family fell in love with her, and our lives will not be the same without her.

This is a post she made on her Instagram account last month:

"I have a secret place that only Jesus and I know about. Where I know my heart will always be taken care of, my mind renewed, and my spirit can soak in the joy found only in His presence.
That's a reminder for me and maybe a spark for you."

Grandma and Papaw drove to College Station to treat them to lunch in January

I will be taking a break from blogging and commenting to concentrate on family. All of you stay safe and hug your loved ones.

Leaving A Quilted Legacy Blog Hop for Paula

Many of you were familiar with the amazing Paula Budinger of Paula B Quilts. I only became aware of her when Janice of Color, Creating, and Quilting posted about Paula's unexpected passing in February. Paula, who would have been 79 this year, had degrees in biology and interior design and led a varied career as a researcher, an occupational therapy aide, and a medical transcriptionist prior to becoming a prolific quilter. She was an enthusiastic, generous, and supportive blogger who often shared her antique quilt research on her blog, Paula B Quilts. Bloggers participating in this three-day blog hop made a quilt for the charity of their choice in Paula's honor. And there are prizes to be had! Please see below for the blog hop schedule, instructions for entries for prize drawings, and a list of the wonderful sponsors and their generous prizes.

I think Paula would approve of my gifting this quilt to Mercyful Quilt Drive, which provides quilts of comfort for those in the process of dying and is hosted by Bernie at Needle and Foot. Bernie began collecting quilts back in 2018 for donation to Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, CA. You can read about the reason Bernie began the quilt drive right here. I have the quilt laundered and ready to send to Bernie to be delivered to just the right recipient! If you would like to donate a quilt to this very worthy hospital, contact Bernie here!

I saw this quick and easy quilt on Pinterest and found the tutorial on the blog of Rachel McDaniel Hayes. Rachel graciously allowed me to post the link to her tutorial. I adjusted the size to lap sized and have included all the quilt details below.

I began by choosing blue-ish fabrics and decided a pop of yellow was desperately needed! On the back I have pieced a big slab of denim-look with a yellow plaid fabric. The yellow plaid also served as the binding.

A close-up of some of the fabrics

A big "Thank You" to Janice and Kate from Smiles From Kate for organizing this blog hop! Be sure to click on the blog links below to read more about Paula and see beautiful quilts and their charity choices by the other blog hop participants.

***IMPORTANT!***
Comments will be open until Friday, May 15! Remember - your comments on any blog wins you an additional chance to win a prize. More comments = more entries! Winners will chosen by random generator after May 15. Those of you who live outside the US will only be eligible for the gift certificates or pattern prizes, but not the fabric prizes due to the cost of postage - sorry!

***ALSO VERY IMPORTANT!***
If you are a "no-reply blogger", please leave your email in your comment if you would like to be entered in the drawing for prizes. If you prefer, you may privately send me your email address at rubymitch12@yahoo.com

BLOG HOP SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, May 6 
Karen @ KaHolly
Kate @ Smiles From Kate
Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of my Quilting Life
Bernie @ Needle and Foot
Linda @ My Sew-Called Quilts
Cathy @ Crazy By Design
Sue @ From the Magpie’s Nest

Thursday, May 7
Kate @ Smiles From Kate
Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts
Rose @ Something Rose Made
Nann @ With Strings Attached
Mari @ The Academic Quilter
Louise @ My Quilt Odyssey
Susan @ Desert Sky Quilts

Friday, May 8
Janice @ Color, Creating and Quilting
Kate @ Smiles From Kate
Joy @ The Joyful Quilter
Susan @ Quilt Fabrication
Edi @ Edi’s Crafting Life
Carol @ Quilt Schmilt
Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

PRIZES!
Lorna, Sew Fresh Quilts, $50 gift certificate for her pattern shop
Yvonne Quilting Jetgirl, 2 PDF patterns of choice
Bernie Needle and Foot, $25 certificate for her shop
A fat quarter bundle from Figo Fabrics
A set of quilty gift cards from Initial Thought by DMF  Note cards set 1
A pattern of choice from Karen, Sugar Free Quilts
A $30 gift certificate for Doris, Cactus Queen Quilt Co
A PDF pattern of choice from Joanne, Canuck Quilter Designs Etsy shop
$25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop, donated by Janice Holton
Book 1 and 2 of The Enlightened Spaniel, donated by the author who is the husband of Kate of Smiles From Kate

Quilt Details:
Finished size (laundered): 54 x 66 inches
Pattern by Rachel McDaniel Hayes

Front:
Fabrics from stash
White Grunge-look from Hobby Lobby

Backing:
Denim Grunge-look from Hobby Lobby
Yellow plaid from stash

Binding:
Yellow plaid from stash

Superior Thread:
Piecing: #50 So Fine in 502 Genoa Gray
Quilting: #50 So Fine in 419 Pineapple