OneThing #33 - Submit Info to VA for Lou

This one is a "partial" success . . . and I don't want to share personal info online. Suffice it to say, this is still at the top of my to-do list, but I cannot do it alone. I have made progress and progress is better than not doing anything!

I will fill this entry with an old thing I did.

There was a display case at New Prague Middle School that had not changed for a long time (think years). It was dusty, faded, and mostly empty (see first pic). A teacher who had been there previously had put derby cars and race results in the case back when kids had tech ed classes.

 

I had brainstormed a list of ideas during 2023-24 with students while subbing in an eighth grade language arts class, but the kids didn't seem very interested in actually making anything happen. I shared my ideas with the assistant principal who said he would talk with the student council.

 

When I started subbing the following school year, I was discouraged to see that nothing had changed. I talked with the new industrial tech / shop teacher (whose classroom was nearby) to see what he wanted. He was fine with me doing whatever with it. Again, I brainstormed some ideas and decided to go with something that could just stay up for a while (since the case is clearly NOT attended to). 

 

I came up with this (see pics two and three) and it was the day before conferences! Several teachers passed by me in the hall as they left work that day. I stayed until 4:30 finishing it . . . can you see why I don't have a full time job any more? I'm not good at just leaving well enough alone. This was back in February 2025.

The tech ed teacher provided most of the objects in the case - cribbage boards, derby cars, etc.  I printed out technology-related and woodworking-related quotations and comics.

OneThing #32 - June Summary

It has been a good month! Busier than I anticipated, but filled with blessings.

The blogging about these things has happened. In a way, they feel undone . . . at least the passport, the quilt journal, and the guest room . . . but is anything ever "done" until life is over? 

The Scripture for June was Colossians 2:6-7. This was one of our unit verses back when I taught Missionettes. I tried to remember the actions I used to teach it to the girls . . . I definitely need to work on my Bible verse memorization again!

 

On Saturday afternoon (6.28.2025), my sister Ann came out so Louie could provide her with some tech support. We spent time in my studio and it felt great to get some stuff done! One of the little things I did was take a panel that our other sister had given me and cut out some square autumn / Thanksgiving messages. I had three small quilt hoops (I don't like quilt hoops, but people give them to me) and I have three nails in my entryway wall. Now the sayings are ready to go in my "Autumn" decoration box! I put the rest of the panel into my "Novelty" fabric bin. It felt so incredibly good to clear up some of my studio work space!

OneThing #31 - Prepare the Guest Room

No pictures . . . I only think of doing "before and after" pics when I'm at the after . . . 

I have been slightly unmotivated this week. After the quilt show, I had dumped a lot of things in my hallway and sewing room. Expecting guests this weekend, I wanted to at least get the guest bedroom ready for them!

My grandsons had been the last people to use the room, so the sheets were still fresh (they sleep close to or on the floor). But I had some of my seasonal decor on the bed that needed to be put in its proper place. I had to set the time on the clock / alarm / CD player (the boys are allowed to play with the buttons . . . )

I removed the two extra dining chairs that I've been storing in there, then vacuumed the floor. 

I had intended to do more deep cleaning in the bathroom, kitchen, etc. but it didn't happen. It's a good thing our friends love us just as we are! (Their home is fabulous, of course. But their kindness is better than a clean house.)

Since I do love pictures, I'll post one from February 18, 2025. I sewed another crib sheet for my grandson's little bed (which is in the guest room!). 

 

I've saved a few "little things" to include if my OneThing doesn't pan out. ;-) 

 

This fabric made me so happy. Again, I don't think my grandson cares but I love it!

OneThing #30 - Update Quilt Journal

I'm blogging this one a day late - no surprise! Louise and I drove up to St. Cloud last Tuesday. I brought my quilt book with me but didn't get it out until Thursday or Friday. A few other quilters were really interested in my little scrapbook-y thing. (Someone had given me this hardcover diary for 1999 and I didn't use it that year) so when I started quilting in 2004, I used it for my "journal." It's very, very scrappy.

I went through it and put post-it notes in places where something was missing (mostly photographs). Then I tucked it away for a few days. Saturday and take-down of the show was quite busy. (I got over 24k steps in that day . . . ) and yesterday after church we went to my brother's house to deliver a mower and do some yard work (not a fabulous choice in 95 degree heat, but it's done!).

So today (Monday), I'm sitting down to print out some photos and add some info to my quilt book. It's not fancy, but it is fun to look through and remember. 

 

I find that I'm taking much too long to do this, so I'll just say I've made progress but have a lot left to do! Honestly, even having the post-it notes for what I need where is helpful. I'll work on it again another day! I was able to remove just three post-it notes, but I've made progress. (Sometimes you just need to focus on moving forward.)

 

This is what a "before" page looks like . . . and then an "after" of the right side. I generally like writing and do a fair amount of that. I'm less good about grabbing swatches of fabric and printing out photos. My printer has some issues, so even the ones I do print out are not great.

 

It's nice to have this, though. Inside the front few pages is a list of where the quilt show has been each year, which committee I was on when I served, and the quilts I've completed. I want to do more sewing!

 

 

OneThing #29 - Send in Passport Renewal

I can't believe how I've dragged my feet on this!

First I had it on my to-do list last year at this time. My first ever passport expired July 17, 2024 . . . and I didn't renew on time. Then I was worried - what would I have to do if I let it expire?!?!

When I went to get my driver's license in April 2025, I asked. The gal gave me the form. I filled it out, went to Walgreen's and got my passport photos, . . . and it sat. What next? It isn't rocket science, but I was concerned about doing something wrong. Louie encouraged me to get my passport and not wait.

So I asked one day at the post office if I needed to make an appointment. I need to learn the lady's name, but she is wonderful! (I love the USPS and especially the Jordan office!) So today I brought my folder with my filled out application, my new passport photos, my expired passport, and my checkbook. 

So easy! A check for $130 to the U.S. Department of State. A check to USPS for $10.10 for the mailing envelope. Bing bang boom! My week's OneThing is done early! 

My secondary thing is to get ready for the quilt show. Next week will be almost all St. Cloud and Minnesota Quilters. Woohoo!

Because I love photos . . . but doesn't mine look like a booking mug? They tell you NOT to smile . . .

OneThing #28 - Donate to Emma Norton

So this was interesting. I am tuned in to "Emma Norton Residence" because my mother-in-law donated to them. But I actually had been hanging on to a newsletter from Sharing and Caring Hands. I had circled the part where they asked for sheets and pots and pans for people who were trying to get established in their own place. I had some bedding set aside . . . 

When I was heading in to St. Paul, I thought I could stop at Emma Norton. I looked at the newsletter I'd been holding on to and saw that it was from Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis. I called to make sure. Yep, I've donated there before. In fact, I've never been to Emma Norton! So I dropped off the items I had set aside. I'm not sure when I got on their mailing list, but I'll probably continue to get their newsletters. 

Ironically, a flyer came the next day for The Dwelling Place (Columbia Heights). I know why I get their newsletters. I went to one of their events when a former co-worker invited me. They do excellent work helping abused women and children find safe housing. All three of these entities do great work! I just can't financially support all of them . . . Prayer is key. God, what do YOU want of me?

I thought about using my spending money to buy a set of brand new pots and pans to donate. But there is so much need and I'm trying to be more prudent with my spending. I'll keep praying and listening for God's leading.

Since I love photos, I'll add one of a blanket I got along with the camo comforter I donated:

OneThing #27 - May Summary

This month was a mixed bag! I started strong and then faltered a bit. Being at our lake place for almost three weeks definitely took me off my stride. 

 

I feel really good about finally making the blog entry about Connie. So far, about forty people have read it.

 

I enjoyed my visit with Lou and recognize that I will probably be spending more time with him in the near future. It's too bad that Joyce is so challenging. She doesn't seem to like logic or problem solving very well.

 

I finally finished my Baby Medora! I need to go over a few directions before I drop it off at MQ on Wednesday, but at least I'm not still stitching on it!

 

I'm *still* not done with the book club book . . . I'm about halfway done reading it.

 

The missions potluck went well today. Praise God!

 

My May 2025 verse was Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." 

 

I am feeling blessed and ready to set the board up for June 2025.

OneThing #26 - Prep for Missions Potluck

Full disclosure: my original OneThing was going to be getting my passport application submitted. 

But I just couldn't do a "FAIL" two weeks in a row! And this was actually my highest priority this week (Another reason to not set goals several weeks in advance . . . ).

Today (June 1, 2025) was for the all-church Missions focus potluck. Besides the food (always easy for someone who enjoys food a lot!), I had planned some decor and games. It wasn't super fantastic; in fact, I think very few people looked at the displays I put up. However, it was a good time and my basket of prizes (mostly candy) was a hit.

Here are the "games" I had (along with a few trivia questions specific to the missionaries we currently support):

It was fun and I was pretty chill about giving out prizes. People visited, ate, talked. 

Praise God for Christian fellowship! And I'm so glad He guided me and prevented me from freaking out and / or making a bigger deal of things than was necessary.

2025 OneThing #25 - Read and Blog Book Club Book (FAIL)

This goal seemed like a no-brainer. We'd be up at the lake for two weeks, so I'd have plenty of time to read and blog. I'd be back in town for book club discussion on May 27 (last night). Perfect. (FYI - I still haven't finished the book completely and it's Wednesday of the next week's OneThing already. I *did* finish all the parts of the Medora Baby Quilt, though!)

We spent two weeks up at the lake to build our pole barn. The cement slab was in place last fall. We had ordered materials. We had Louie's brother Mike (a construction worker) and our son Nick (the engineer who made our plans) as well as our son Alex for a weekend.

For over a solid week, we all worked hard. I stayed on the ground and fetched things and handed things up. I cooked and did dishes. I ran errands. I did not have much time to read. Over Memorial Day weekend, Morgan and his boys came up. I switched to playing with my grandsons while still cooking and doing dishes. 

 

Over those two weeks, Louie and the guys did this:

 

2025 OneThing #24 - Put Binding on Medora Quilt

I'm blogging Tuesday, but I had the binding on by Sunday. I had hoped to also have the label and hanging sleeve on it, but that hasn't happened yet. My "true" one thing was helping with building the pole barn. It has been much more time-intensive than I could have imagined!

 

I won this pattern at an MQ meeting and decided to make the crib sized quilt to see if I liked the pattern well enough to make a bigger quilt with different fabrics. I used fabric that I already had in my stash.

 

The top went together pretty quickly at a quilt retreat in March. I went to my friend Rose's house in April to longarm it. That took longer than I expected for such a small quilt!

 

I had made the binding at that retreat, so trimming the quilt and sewing the binding on was done before we came to the lake. I was able to do some stitching each day to sew the binding down on the back side.  I really did think I'd get the label done and sewn on as well as the hanging sleeve for the June show. Oh well.

What I worked on instead was helping with construction of a different kind! I am too chicken to climb up on the scaffolding, but I held things and carried things and fetched things. I shoveled a lot of dirt to fill in some of the ruts left by the telehandler. (That thing is a beast!)

I'm so grateful to my brother-in-law Mike and my sons for helping us get this pole barn built. Today (May 20) is for attaching purlins (the horizontal boards that connect to the uprights and provide a surface for attaching the siding).

2025 OneThing #23 - Spend time with Lou

I set this as my goal because I knew I wouldn't have many opportunities to see him in the weeks ahead. I haven't talked with Joyce much over the last month . . . for a variety of reasons. But I called her and offered to come over to spend time with Lou so she could go and do whatever she wants. I offered to come either Friday or Saturday afternoon and she said Friday (9 May 2025).

When I got there, Lou was eating his lunch and Joyce went on an errand. I read my book for a bit so that Lou could focus on eating. (He's generally too polite to eat when company comes, so I told him to go ahead and finish and I would read my book.)

When he was done, I helped with clearing his dishes and we chatted a bit. I had brought my Cursillo song book, so we sang together. It was clear he didn't remember the words and was having trouble reading them in the book, but he belted out the chorus. (Why can't I remember which song it was right now?)

I don't remember what we were talking about, but he said he's "too busy" to deal with something. I asked him what he's busy with and he gave me his same story about projects he's working on. (For the past decade plus, it has been sleep apnea machine, VA benefits, insurance, rent, etc.) He's always working on a deal!

It was really nice to spend time with him. When Joyce got home, she did a bit of her yelling at him routine. Although it makes me sad / mad, I just bit my tongue. I need to go over more often to listen and talk and give her "away" time. My hair looks weird in the picture because it was hot out and I had it in a ponytail.

2025 OneThing #22 - Blog About Connie

I have finally done this!

I can't believe it has taken me almost four years to finally do this. My blog entry is right before this one. Nothing to add. Read about Connie, my friend.

My Friend Connie

Connie Ann Mills was born January 31, 1966 and left earth on June 2, 2021. I met her in seventh grade at Penn Junior High in Bloomington, Minnesota. Her obituary said she died of a pulmonary embolism.

When we met in seventh grade, Connie earned the moniker "Dear Abby." (Ironically, she had a sister named Abbe, but we were referring to the advice columnist.) Connie was a good listener and a compassionate friend. She made you feel valued and cared about. I spilled many a girlhood challenges into her listening ears.

We were both in theatre (her in seventh grade; me not until eighth grade) and loved being part of plays. We bonded over our experiences and shared many common friends.

When Bloomington Lincoln High School closed, she went to Jefferson HS and I went to cross-town rival Kennedy. We kept in touch, attending one another's shows and doing the summer musicals together. One of my (rare) parties that I hosted was a costume party. I don't remember what character she dressed as, but she looked so beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's her senior pic and what she wrote on the back. She really was one of my closest friends in my teen years. I'm thankful I had someone kind and loving in my inner circle! (The inscription says, "Jeanne, I love you. The times we've shared have been great. We are really graduating together (in our hearts). I care. Keep in touch. Love, Connie.")

Sometime during the summer of 1984 (after HS graduation), Connie and I drove up to her grandparents' cabin near Ely, Minnesota. When we got to Duluth, I tried teaching her how to drive a stick shift. My car at the time was a Chevrolet Chevette. Learning how to drive a stick on the hills of Duluth was not a brilliant idea! Connie kept stalling the car and I ended up doing all the driving. 

 

When we were at her grandparents' cabin, it was just the two of us. Being such daring teenage girls, we decided to sunbathe topless. No tan lines, right? What a huge mistake! I had the worst sunburn of my life on a part of my body that had never before seen sunlight! Many years later, a sister-in-law suggested topless sunbathing. My answer was a resounding, "No!" She thought I was being a prude; I was simply remembering a lesson Connie and I had learned the hard way back in 1984!

 

My mom took a picture of me the following week. Wearing polyester and working in a hot kitchen with sunburn all over was NOT a pleasant experience. I honestly don't remember how much sun Connie got that weekend . . . and I don't have photos of her from that week. I don't think this photo adequately shows the pain I was in!

As college students, we went to see a play by Emile Zola. It blew my mind! We discussed it, thinking we were such intellectuals. I believe it was "Germinal," but I'm not 100% sure.

 

When I got married in 1986, she and Lisa Middag were my personal attendants, helping me to get ready and stay calm. She sang at our wedding. I've posted clips before, but I'm adding links here for posterity's sake. 

 

She sang Make Me a Channel of Your Peace and Annie's Song. I hope I'm not violating any copyright laws by uploading these! The quality isn't the best because I used the VHS tape from over thirty years ago to digitize, then uploaded these clips to YouTube. To me, she was such a wonderful singer! I was surprised that she was nervous on the day. What a gift she gave me by being willing to sing.

I don't remember when we had our first conversation about faith. We had both grown up attending Catholic churches (Connie at St. Edward's and me at Assumption, then St. Joan of Arc in Mpls) with our families and we both had some interesting family dynamics. Whether we were teenagers or young women, I just remember saying something about how pointless hermits were. My perspective was that they didn't do anyone any good sitting somewhere isolated to just pray. She really taught me about the importance of prayer and focusing on God alone. Sometimes people need to be by themselves to get serious about prayer. Connie was such a blessing!

 

We didn't connect quite as much in the 1990s and early 2000s because I was pretty focused on raising my kids and teaching. I went to see her show "I Remember Mama" that she directed in White Bear Lake. 

 

Sometimes, she, Jenifer Beaudoin, Leslie Byzewski, and I got together for lunch or an outing. Golf was a hoot! It was so nice to reconnect and catch up. This picture is from Todd Koopman's wedding. Louie and I had a different wedding to go to (Rebecca and Alex) so I just dropped off a gift and wished Todd and his husband well. Going out on a boat on Lake Minnetonka and then being south of Belle Plaine a few hours later just wasn't going to work!

 

In more recent years, I visited her at her home in St. Paul periodically. She lived on the top floor (condo) of a three story house! Good exercise going up the stairs, though she still smoked cigarettes. I brought Joshua over to visit with her when he was little. We sat outside on the grass and had lunch. She was so happy that I had a grandchild. (She was one of Morgan's "godparents," along with Brad and Amy Gustafson.)

 

She often had a pet. Daphne was her beloved dog. She had a black cat who looked like a vampire!

 

For her birthday in 2021, my sisters and I stopped by the condo after the St. Paul Winter Carnival puzzle contest. I had a gift for her. She didn't answer her phone or come to the door. I was concerned about her and left voice mails. I ended up dropping the gift off later in the week at her sister's house in Edina (I forget which sister lived there).

 

I saved screenshots of our last text exchanges that I have on my phone still. The first one is from Sunday, May 17, 2020. She had sent me photos of her black cat. I don't remember his name . . . The "blue" text on the right is me. The ones aligned left in white are Connie's.

I last saw Connie less than two months before she died.

She was always such an encourager!

 

I keep wanting to write more stories, find more photos, draw this out . . . but it's already been almost four years since she died. I'll hold her in my heart as long as I'm alive and my memory still works. I loved her dearly and am still a little shocked that she's gone. I love you, Connie.

 

So here I am on 10 June 2025, adding a story. I was with my sister Ann when I remembered this.

Ann's workplace (Wilder Foundation) was hosting a reception for a display of Ann's artwork. Louise and I had helped with setup, hanging art, getting food, etc. when we learned that Ann had not widely promoted / invited people. Her co-workers would be there (for the free food, according to her) and a few friends. She is such a talented artist and she had quite a range of pieces! "Who do I know who lives close enough to St. Paul to come to the reception?" Well, Connie came to mind right away. I called her and explained the situation. She came! As Connie was looking at Ann's artwork, she stayed in front of one (sorry I don't have a photo of it) that was basically a "please don't smoke" mobile / display. It really struck Connie. I don't remember the conversation we had about it, but I remember her saying that it was a powerful piece. If I can find a picture of it, I'll add it later. But I love that Connie took the time to come to Ann's reception and to look at her art work. She had such a loving heart!