A Trip Down Memory Lane

Sometimes not living in Lubbock really bothers me, especially times like these. You can go to Ann's blog to read about the recent happenings with my grandma.

We are all realizing quickly she is no longer the wife, mother or grandma we grew up with. That wonderful lady is gone and has been replaced with someone we hardly know. Ann is exactly right in everything she says. It is time we look at doing something different for her and my grandpa. I don't think either of them can survive much longer the way things are.

Grandma is still a little bit recognizable in one aspect. She is still making quilts. I have no idea when I got my first quilt from her. I know she made me my bedspread, throw pillows and curtains when I was little. I think after I moved out of that bed I might have got my first quilt.

I still have the quilt that I consider "my first." Just looking at the design I am amazed. When I was growing up I didn't think much of it, but now I can't look at it without being fascinated with the pattern. My favorite part of this quilt is the pink butterfly. Can you imagine how long it took to make the butterfly?

My second quilt came when Jaime and I got married. I got to pick out the colors and pick the pattern . At the time grandma could still make anything. She really didn't need a pattern. She was just that amazing. Jaime and I have slept under this quilt since the day we got married. Grandma even "autographed" this quilt for me.
My next quilt came about a year and a half ago. The disease had already started affecting her, but not too much. She was still close to the grandma I grew up with. She was having a harder time doing things she normally did. Quilting was one of those things. She had finished all the quilts for other grandchildren so I asked for another one. This one was made out of scraps. I love it because there are pieces of material in there from dresses Doneece and I had when we were growing up. It is fun to look at the pieces and remember what they are from. This quilt started with a pattern, but didn't end up in a pattern. You can kind of see the pattern forming and then it is gone. I still love it even thought the pattern may not be exactly right.

It is a lot easier for grandma to make baby quilts these days. They are smaller and don't always have a pattern. Sometimes she can just block a piece of material. I know some of you have given up on us having kids, but I promise some day we will. I wanted my kids to have quilts made by their great-grandmother. I asked grandma to make me some baby quilts. I never told her that someday they would be my kids quilts and I never will. It would kill her to know I was asking for them now in fear that she not remember how to make the quilts by the time we have kids.

She started out with a quilt for a little boy. It turned out perfectly. She quilted to pieces of material and didn't have to cut blocks or follow a pattern.
Next came the quilt for a little girl. This one was not so easy. I picked out three pieces of material, which is the minimum she can use for blocks. This should have been fairly easy, but she had a really hard time. It was a family effort to get this quilt done. A lot of people spent many hours at her house fixing mistakes and pinning pieces of material back in the correct spot. One day she said it was finished and I was so relieved. I know it took a lot for her to make this quilt. Unfortunately, this quilt wasn't right. I will never tell grandma that the pattern is wrong. It would kill her as much as it kills me to see it wrong. A few years ago she would have never let a quilt leave her house with a mistake. Now she doesn't even realize.
Please just pray for our family especially my mom and grandpa. This disease is probably the hardest on them. Please pray that the Lord just leads us to do the best possible thing for Grandma and Grandpa. They are two wonderful people who helped raise us girls. They deserve nothing but the best.