This week at Summer Trace

This week the Tuesday Bible Study was packed. We were tickled to have Tom join us. We have been praying for Tom's recovery progress and this was the first day he could join us! (Mom's not in this picture though!)

I recruited my neighbor, Ann, to sub for Phil for Wednesday night cards. I was so glad she was able to join us, as the boys needed a fourth person to play euchre. This was Al's first time at cards. We hope to see him every Weds. night! Charlie and Pete are old favorites!

Our friend, Jan, was also able to join us tonight which was a real treat for Mom. She and Jan are buddies.

Little Lucy Grace

Jeni sent me this photo (taken Jan. 12) of another outstanding great-grandchild of Mom's, little Lucy Grace! Yeah Lucy!

Mary's great-grandson, T. J. - Wrestling Star!

Mary's great-grandson, T. J., is a star at wrestling! Robert just sent me these photos and adding them to Mom's blog is a great way to make sure I remember to share them with her, too! (I also have a bunch of great pics Robert's siblings, Jan and Mike, took in San Juan to share with her, too!)

T. J. is the son of my sister, Sarah's oldest son, Robert. This past weekend, T. J. got his 100th career victory at the Pella Youth Wrestling Tournament. He was very happy! T. J. is in his 4th season and it ends next month with the state tournament.

T. J., best wishes in the state tournament!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mom's Valentine's Day started Friday evening at Ted's Montana Grill. Cyndi and Chuck had sent a Valentine card with cash for us to take Mom out for dinner. Since Phil was out of town and Ellen was in town, Ellen and I escorted Mom to Ted's Montana Grill on Chuck and Cyndi. The manager at Ted's, (Andy) treated Mom like royalty and even gave us a quick entrance and exit through the back door closest to handicapped parking. Thank you Ted's! (I didn't take a picture!)

Saturday morning, on Valentine's Day, Ellen accepted Mom's invitation for a visit at her apartment at Summer Trace. (I went in the other room to work on burning a CD of pictures for Ellen on my laptop so Mom could have Ellen's undivided attention, which she enjoyed!) I took these photos when it was time for Ellen to head home.


Mom had Ellen's book, Thread Magic, and the Indy Quilter's Guild newsletter and her gift from Ellen out on her table and ready to share with friends!

(Here's a better picture of the piece that Mom chose yesterday.)

Saying good-bye to Ellen was tough for Mom. Ellen promised to return later this year with one of her greyhounds.

The roses Ellen brought for Mom Thursday night are opening in her kitchen.

And the pretty Valentine Azalea plant Gail and Bill sent looks pretty in the living room window.

A Fun Day with Ellen Anne Eddy

Friday afternoon Mom and I popped into the Workshop Ellen was teaching for the The Quilters Guild of Indianapolis at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. Mom was so anxious to get there she called me and asked me to "Hur-ry!" When we got there and found the room, it looked like a Bernina Convention!

Mom was in "heaven" watching Ellen teach the students!

Ellen has tons of fun fabrics and threads and materials which she deftly stitches and cuts and trims into vivid, vibrant multidimensional images.

Ellen had Mom pick out a piece to keep which she enjoyed studying in detail.

Ellen's work ranges from small to large and each one is unique and exquisite! This dragonfly looks as though it is about to srike up a conversation with Mom!

A truly wonderful evening with Ellen Anne Eddy

Ellen Anne Eddy, an internationally known artist creates who creates amazing fabric and fiber wall art, is in Indianapolis doing a Workshop for the The Quilters Guild of Indianapolis. Ellen invited us to be her guests at her Lecture at Second Presbyterian Church last night as Mom and Ellen have a special relationship that began when our families were neighbors in Streator, IL back in the 60's.

Ellen tells about it best in the Acknowledgments in her book Thread Magic: The Enchanted World of Ellen Anne Eddy: "Many people have helped me through this process; I need to thank them all: Mary Annis for saving my grandmother's quilt from the trash and starting me down this road..." Ellen started her lecture by introducing Mom and the quilt Mom rescued and saved for her. (Mom had had it quilted and gave it to Ellen on her 21st birthday.)

Ellen's very impressive lecture and presentation includes the development and techniques she uses to create the incredible work that she does now which goes beyond the traditional concept of quilting. Check out her web site!


Mom also enjoyed hearing all about the book Ellen is currently developing around a collection of tea towel pieces she created telling a story about the escapades of one of her rescued greyhounds.

Mom carefully examined the book and the towels and got a chuckle out of the one portraying THE END of the story!

Mom also enjoyed sitting with Ellen at a table filled with her colorful arrangement of supplies she brought for the students in her Workshop on Friday.

The greatest thing about the evening for Mom was that, for a moment in time, she was back in the world of quilting which she loves so much and could forget that she had had a stroke.

Thank you, Ellen, for a mini-vacation evening!

See you in a few hours for dinner!

Such a Great Night at Aphasia Support Group

We had such a great night at the Aphasia Support Group this month! A picture is worth a thousand words: Here's Mom joking with one of the other Aphasia group members.

You'll have to click on this photo to enlarge it to see the group members coming in, being greeted by Mary Gospel and greeting one another. It's like a homecoming reunion every time!

Members also warmly greet new "first timers"- this month, a woman who had a stroke at age 55, accompanied by her husband, who is now her caregiver. Her husband then joined the rest of the caregivers who meet in another room to support and encourage one another.

Mom, always preferring to help others, gives an assist with a name tag.

These are the two women who make this support group possible. Ann Harlow, a nurse, and Mary Gospel, a speech professor at Butler University.

Mary's daughter, Ali, has helped her Mom with this group for years and she is a bright spot in the day for the stroke survivors! That's Ali in the purple shirt and big smile.

Mary Gospel had some of her speech students, about 9 from Butler and 2 who drove up on this wintry night from I.U. in Bloomington, join us this month so that the stroke survivors could give them some experience and feedback on what aphasia looks like in real life instead of in just a text book.

In one evening Mary and Ann enhanced the lives of three groups! The stroke survivors, their caregivers, and the new generation of future speech therapists.... make that four groups, the forth group being the people yet to suffer the devastating effects of a stroke who these students will be better equipped to help through Mary Gospel's work!
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Also - I am looking forward to showing Mom a slide show of her great-granddaughter, Brianna's homeschool class learning about clouds. Please note before you click on the "slide show" link,