Hoot if you're a Night Owl

[kimsophia]

Hoot hoot! How are you? I'm taking a break from cross stitching, having just pressed my latest project flat. I'm letting it cool. I still have the bottom portion to stitch but it's more than half done and it looks nice laid out on the ironing board. I can imagine it framed. I'm already psyched up for my next sampler by this designer, a Halloween one. I bought a lot of pretty floss for that one. I like just looking at the colors of the skeins all assembled together.

I will be up late, I'm guessing, as I took an unexpected nap this afternoon. How are you? Send your news!

[jjkaiser]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Well I just got home from work and checking to see all the news I missed on forum today. I finished my scrappy quilt top and started big stitch quilting on it yesterday. The quilt was loads of fun to put together and now I am having even more fun quilting it because I have 12 different fun bright colors to use! I made a block for the back from a pattern in the Mod Block vol. 2, a large star about 20" square. Very astral looking as it is an elongated star and the star points (8) have two different fabrics in each. But the scrappy quilt top has so many seams I think I will just put batting on the back of the star and quilt that separately then stitch it on top of the back after it is quilted. I do have about a three inch pucker on the back from quilting that is not supposed to be there! so my plan is to put it over that to hide my mistake. I sure hope it all works out! I was planning on keeping this one but my dd has been over twice just gushing over it--so I haven't decided if will be hers or mine yet! Guess I could just let my kids fight over it when I die?!!!

I am not much for sewing at this hour, after midnight, I guess the wine I am drinking right now makes me think maybe sewing at this moment will mean I need to look for my seam ripper in the morning lol! You see I have been in this situation before! So what are you other night owls up to tonight?

[bubba]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

I'm shaking in my timber!!! It has been thundering outside something fierce!!! Next to snakes, thunder is probably my second greatest thing I hate! There was some last night, but I fell asleep. Tonight it has been so loud at times and I can't stand it! I even called MM, who was on his way to work, to see if it was too late to call in sick! I just heard some more low rumbling, so maybe it's moving to the distance finally.

We were in the kitchen eating lunch today and there was a LOUD explosion. Then we saw smoke about a block north where our daughter lives. Of course, we had to go check. Another block north and one west of her, a transformer fell off a pole and wires exploded and were flying all over the place and embedding in some peoples yards and starting fires. It was right across from the elementary school Ashtyn and Alex go to, but the last day was this past Friday, or I'm sure there would have been injured kids because those wires were flying into the playground area too. I can't believe no houses caught fire. We did not lose our power, and neither did our daughter, but she did lose her wifi. They had police blocking the roads and a fire truck standing by and several utility trucks working to get everything rewired, so I hope they were able to finish before this storm started.

Here's to hoping my new pillow helps me sleep tonight! Can't wait to try it!

[shawnan]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

I'm working on a BOM - Festival of Stars. I'm not sure I like it as every single piece is dealing with the bias. *whew* I sure hope it gets better or I'll not be doing much more sewing although I am locked into the balance. I'll find somebody who will want to buy the balance of monthly kits. I am pretty determined to get this block finished before I quit, but thankfully I can sleep in in the morning..

Wish me luck.
Nancy

[toggpine]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

I have troubling news in my neck of the woods with some heavy decisions to help Mom make.

Dad (Step variety of nearly 30 years, but family friend for more) is still on the ventilator at the hospital. Scans show no obvious sites of bleeding, but his blood counts keep declining and he has had 2 units of plasma and 1 more of blood. The blood work is also showing signs of infection brewing somewhere. (Probably why the were looking for intestinal perforations.)
While he is on the max settings with the ventilator and they are pushing cardiac drugs, his heart rate, O2 levels, and blood pressure look in the lower range of good. As soon as they start to back him off any of those things, especially the ventilator, his numbers begin to bottom out.
They wanted four days on the ventilator to see if they could balance out his systems. They tried to cut back the air pressure today and it didn't work. They are wanting to take out the tube tomorrow and see if he can make it. By my count (started by the cardiologist) that is only day three. They have not had a staff conference with Mom to give her a full update on Dad's status. Yesterday the GI doctor told us "he's kissed death but should walk away from this." Now the other doctors are saying it doesn't look good. At this point if they pull the tube and he fails, they won't put it back in.
Mom has the final say, as his wife. I have some questions that I want answered before I am even remotely OK with this. Dad is still in there. When they bring him up out of the sedation he hears us and responds with head shakes/nods, hand squeezes, or full arm shakes.
I don't want to make him suffer, but I want to make sure he has had every chance to pull out of this. If the doctors will sit and explain what his status is, then I can explain it and our resulting decisions to everyone else. Because if we let him go, there will be some 'splaining to do. From the sounds of things this evening, his kids won't be there tomorrow.
Any wonder we are having a whopper of a thunderstorm tonight?
God grant me the strength to help Mom tomorrow and the wisdom to make the best decisions.
I may be away for a few days, or hanging here while we wait. Tough to know.

I certainly hope things are much better in your corner of the woods.
Hugs, C

[toggpine]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

I'm working on a BOM - Festival of Stars. I'm not sure I like it as every single piece is dealing with the bias. *whew* I sure hope it gets better or I'll not be doing much more sewing although I am locked into the balance. I'll find somebody who will want to buy the balance of monthly kits. I am pretty determined to get this block finished before I quit, but thankfully I can sleep in in the morning..

Wish me luck.
Nancy

Can you put a lightweight interfacing on the back if the bias is really wigging you out? It's not woven, so it won't have a bias.

[Judy, USMC]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Mine is the same-old same-old. I know you're tired of hearing it ... because I'm tired of saying it! All packed up for an out of town minor surgery appointment. So I may not be hooting around tomorrow night.

There is a benefit, however. I always straighten up the house before I leave and with the amount of 1 and 2 night medical trips lately my home is ready to be photographed by Better Homes and Gardens! Y'all have a great day.

Editing to add: Just read your post C - What a terrible position to be in. I went through the same thing but I had to make the decision about my mother - alone. Dad predeceased and I'm an only child. Mom was in a similar state communicative but not verbal. I asked the doctor to show me at the nurses' station (so she couldn't hear) the xrays, and lab & test results that they based their recommendation on (pneumonia & stomach bleed.) Then I went in and explained it to her and asked her if she wanted to try to get off the vent and that the outlook was glum. She indicated yes. I asked when - today or tomorrow. She said tomorrow. I stayed in her room overnight and the next morning she was failing - even on the vent. She passed without any withdrawal of the vent early afternoon. Whether to let the patient in on the decision making is a personal decision - but I felt it to be in her best interest. And, in her case, nature took its course.

My heart is sore for your mom ....

[toggpine]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Take some photos so you have proof that quilting doesn't mean you can't keep a fancy house!

[MayinJerset]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Hey Pat did you send that thunder out this way? We got a big boom and the air coming in the windows got cold and moist - guess we're in for some rain. Really feel like sewing but that's not a good idea as middle of the night sewing usually means lots of seam ripping in the morning. Would like to finish the quilt for newest great grandson born last week but I think it's best wait for daylight and have at least one cup of coffee first. So I'm just snuggling in my tree hole and waiting out the storm.

Cathy, Pray that you can help your Mom decide what to do,

[mischiefkat]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Cathy, prayers for you &your family. Kathy

[pcbatiks]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Cathy, so sorry to hear what you'll are facing right now with your dad. Hugs and prayers to you.

[Neller]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

We are finally home after a great trip. We went traveled through idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska. It was a great trip but it is good to be home.

Cathy, I am so sorry for the painful decisions you are having to make. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Are you in Washington, or does your mom live elsewhere?

[bubba]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Cathy, I am so sorry for the painful decisions you are having to make. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Are you in Washington, or does your mom live elsewhere?

I'm guessing she is back at the hospital today. She lives about 30 minutes from me, over the Narrows Bridge.

Cathy, my dad was always healthy as a horse. Every birthday he would tell me, this is the last birthday I'm going to have. That went on for about 15 years before he was finally right! I had been out to dinner with him one week and the next, he had died. I knew he was not feeling well when I called him and he said he wanted to go to the emergency room. I was unable to get him there myself and had to call the medics to transport him. This was about 1600hrs and by 0200hrs the next morning, he was gone.

They airlifted him from St. Clare, in Lakewood, up to Harborview. He would have killed my sister and me for that alone! When we were finally taken in to see him at Harborview, he looked entirely different from how he looked at St. Clare. They had also hooked him up to a ventilator, which was something he told us that he would never, ever want. We were given the choice of leaving him on it for a week to see if he would recover, or to take off the life support. It was one of the worse decisions my sister and I ever had to make and I hope never to have to do something like that again. We both know it's what he would have wanted, but that does not make it easier.

If your dad is still able to help you and your mom make the decisions, by all means let him! It's hard, but you will get thru it.

[bubba]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

We are planning on flying to San Diego, stop at a few spots to shop and eat and drive north to San Francisco, San Jose, or Oakland and fly home from there. We'll take about a week to do it and I think we will have fun! I told him I wanted to go to a certain restaurant for my birthday....closest one is in Napa! He had it all plotted out this morning for a week long trip for that! I told him I'd rather do it for his birthday in September (he is turning 60!) since the girls want to take him to Southern California on a daytrip anyway. We can fly into Santa Rosa for mine, have dinner, do wineries then next day then fly home. Should be fun!

[toggpine]

Re: Hoot if you're a Night Owl

Things are going well. They had him doing self directed breathing on the ventilator when we arrived. We talked to the doctors and went ahead with removing it.
He is holding steady and they have stopped his heart medication. He is talking to us. Some of his first words were "I wanna live." Good start.
I thank you for your prayers and support.
I am glad we didn't have a harder decision today. He's still not out of the woods, but this is the first step in the right direction.