The Consequences of Huffing Inhalants

Earlier this fall Daniel, the 27-year-old son of Ted's cousin Kay, died from huffing. Huffing is the breathing in of  an inhalant, such as the propellant gases found in aerosol cans like hairspray, whipped cream, and cooking sprays. It is a very, very dangerous activity, and of those who die from it, one in three were trying it for the first time. It's estimated that in 2008, more than a million teenagers tried it.

Daniel's family has very bravely shared their experiences with his substance abuse. The links below will take you to two articles, the first has a video. We hope that by sharing this story those who are unfamiliar with the huffing phenomenon might learn to recognize its symptoms:

Death by Duster — this first article has a video link
Mom urges parents who suspect 'huffing' to seek help

Other Two Quilts

Thought I would add pictures of the other two quilts I just finished.

The first is one I did for my sister in law, Marsha. The focal fabric is 1940s bathing beauties, then surrounded by tropical flowers and ferns. It's a duplicate of a quilt I did for a friend of my father's who was living in a veterans home in Western Illinois. Marsha will put hers in the family room that has a tropical theme.

The second quilt is Harry Potter, which I did for my nephew, Tyler. He loves the books and when I saw the fabric it called to me. (Click to enlarge image, and then zoom in to see all the Harry Potter prints.)

It's big enough for a twin bed. The center is a purchased panel with 12" blocks all around. Joanne is helping me set up a blog page for quilting. I'll post there, in future, as soon as I can figure out what I'm doing. :)


Moots (Box House Mom)

Quilting

Joanne asked me to occasionally mention my quilting progress. I've just completed three of them, my favorite being the kitty quilt I did for Ted and the kitties. The blocks came from a swap I did with one of my online quilting groups, Quilters Who care. Works like a cookie exchange. I added a photo block with a picture taken of Bella and Seamus when they first came to live with us last year.

The quilt is big enough for two people to snuggle under and two cats to sit on top!

Moots (Box House Mom)

Whim and Folly Handmade Greeting Cards

Who doesn't love a handmade gift?

Ted's cousin Kristine has opened an Etsy shop with the most adorable greeting cards, mini notebooks, bookmarks, gift tags, and more. Her goal is "to give people the option to avoid mass produced, impersonal greeting cards" and to "utilize recycled materials and create cards that will be treasured."

She's currently running a buy one get one free sale, so be sure to check out her shop: Whim and Folly.