We almost bought this house for my mom and sister this morning. We had gone so far as to write an earnest money check and take a stack of papers to the lender. But then I woke up in a cold sweat thinking about who was going to water all that grass? And, really, did Steve and I have time (and money) to fix everything in this house that needs fixing. And not just fixing later, fixing right away?

Steve woke up about then (before the sun was up) and we decided that we just didn't need to do this right now. This house is just too big for mom and Christy. After talking to each of them we all decided that this was not the right house. I'm so glad we talked it out before we signed a contract!

So the new plan is to look for something small for them to rent in Sherman until mom's house in OKC sells. Mom's house won't even be on the market (probably) until we get them moved. It is still true that everything is trying to happen all at once but I am breathing easier knowing that we are not taking on the responsibility for buying a house while still owning another. I do hope we can find the right rental property soon and get them moved!

The Cotton Patch Quilt Guild in Bakersfield, CA, used blocks from My Whimsical Quilt Garden in their new raffle quilt. Lynn Douglass contacted us beforehand to ask for permission to use the blocks which we were happy to give. She sent this photo of the finished quilt and I thought you all might enjoy seeing it too!

Click here to go to Lynn's blog with more details on the quilt. Look especially at the fun quilting designs in the block backgrounds – nicely done!

I read a very informative article written by Jim Salinas in American Quilt Retailer that detailed just why the prices of our beloved cotton yardage is going up. You probably have never read AQR unless you own a quilt shop but let me tell you, it's a very fine publication. At any rate they have released this aritcle for us to share with quilters who buy cotton from quilt shops. Click here and on the next link to read lots more.

Download UnderstandingCottonPrices_Customers

In other news, my family saga continues. I went to OKC on Monday to visit mom and sister. Christy and I met with a realtor and I am encouraged. As she went through the house we could tell that she thinks this is a house that is going to sell. Mom lives in a neighborhood where the houses sell. Hers is on the small side for the neighborhood, it hasn't been upgraded yet which is good. The buyer will want to remodel anyway and this way they won't pay for work they don't want. Her back yard is huge (great for adding on to the house) and there isn'a crack in any wall. That's really good for a house on a slab in OKC. And the house is in great shape!

We did have an event when I was in OKC. At 3:48 Tuesday morning the phone woke me up. It was the nursing home saying that mom had cut her hand and was going to have to go to the ER for stitches. I met her there and it was busy. We waited about 4 hours for a room.

Mom has not slept well at night for a long time. She's been getting up and walking the halls which is fine except that she decided to work a puzzle in a physical therapy room. She couldn't pull a chair over so she sat on a rolling stool. Oh my. She managed to slip off the stool and as she was grabbing for something to hold onto she managed to cut herself. Luckily she missed the tendons and didn't mess up her back. She said it took her a while to manage to get back up and toddle down the hall. If she hadn't been bleeding I think she'd have gone back to her room without a word.

I figured this might be a set back that would keep her in the the nursing home longer but it's not. She made a mistake which can happen. They think she'll be able to go home in a couple of weeks. I agree, I think she'll be good at home with some help as well. I know she'll be happier. So the house hunt in Sherman is ON.

Mom and Christy have to move before the house can go on the market (we can't really show the house around them). I met with a realtor here in Sherman late yesterday and I think by the end of the weekend we'll have chosen a house and be moving forward.

It is stunning just how fast things can happen. One month ago mom was anticipating having a better back and being home and things being normal a week after surgery. Really, you just never know what lies ahead.

Linda and I are woking on a new book and there's not a lot I can show because I wouldn't want to ruin the surprises! But I thought I could share this little bit of piecing:

It feels like spring! This block is set with courthouse steps. The black and white dot behind those leaves (upper left) is something I bought recently. The dark fabric at the bottom and right edges has been in my stash for a while. The big dots on white and the daisies on the blue are from our Daisies & Dots collection and the white dot with the 'eyelash' is in a new collection that will be out in a few months.

I'm loving the way the blues in Daisies & Dots work together and with fabric from my stash. For those of you who have bought some of this fabric, I hope you are finding the same thing. So now I've got to get back to work!

FYI – the streets here are almost clear. Amazing what some sunshine can do!

You know, Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, host of the SuperBowl? The man with more money than… well certainly more money than you or I? THAT Jerry Jones? The weather here in north Texas has been extreme for us. Sure, we get ice and snow but usually things warm up and it's gone in 1-2 days. Not this time! Jerry is probably praying and cussing at the same time over this weather!

We had to turn off the pool pump a couple of days ago because of the power outages so the pool has about 1/2" of ice on it, maybe more. We had 3-6" of snow overnight. This morning it was hard to find the edge of the pool and it made me nervous to walk around it – so I mostly didn't walk around it!

Our street has had very little traffic but all the reports say that if you drive you are certifiably crazy. Snow on top of ice is just too much for us here. We don't have enough equipmet to deal with it. Schools and businesses have mostly been closed since Tuesday – although Austin College did open for classes today. And it's Super Bowl week in Dallas – where traffic is not moving well at all and it is colder than it's been in a very long time. Those of you keeping up with the Super Bowl news are surely seeing reports of this storm.

These native yaupons are really pretty this time of year. It's the only reason I don't dig them up because they spread and are hard to keep contained the rest of the year. But the birds at our feeders are happy! I took the photo below out of our kitchen window – amazing how clear it is with the window and screen between me and the bird.

The rosy finch (I think that's what it is) and the yellow-throated bird below it are both outside the kitchen window. My husband, the biologist, who tells me what these birds are is probably shaking his head as he reads this. Steve, you know me, I have too many other things in my head to remember bird names. Except cardinals, vultures, and red-tailed hawks – those I reliably remember.

And I do have lots of cardinals, male and female both, at the back feeder.

I'm not really complaining about being snow-bound. I've been able to get a lot done and I only had to get out twice yesterday. I do hope the roads are clear on Monday morning, though, because I get a crown on my tooth at 8:00 and then braces on my front teeth at 9:00. Then it's off to Oklahoma City to see mom and Christy for a couple of days.

We live within walking distance (1-2 miles) from Austin College. The streets are still iced over so Steve has been walking to campus. Here he is, all bundled up yesterday morning:

That green down parka has been around since his college days. He doesn't get to wear it often (Texas is not usually cold enough for it) but it's there when he needs it. I suppose, now that it's come in handy yet again, it will continue to live in our closet for several more years.

We had rolling blackouts yesterday so I didn't have my computer on much. We may have more today. Because of the blackouts, and the ice, Sherman has pretty much shut down for the 3rd day in a row. Austin College called off classes for the 2nd day in a row today and that is an institutional first. Since the majority of students live on campus, classes are never rarely cancelled. But the blackouts caused safety issues that could not be ignored.

I am about to venture out in the car to go to the eye doctor. I've had pink eye for almost 2 weeks and the medicine does not seem to be killing it. If I didn't have a headache that seems to be coming from my eye I'd ignore it another day but the headache is wearing me down. I hope everyone on the road with me is moving very slowly…

After the doctor:

I got there and back without any problems but it was really icy. Scary driving and not many people on the road which was good. I don't think I'll be going anywhere tomorrow.

I did, in fact, still have an eye infection. I have stronger drops and have to use them for 2 weeks. I'm glad I went and I'm glad I'm home!