WORK ETHICS

 10/25/22

this has been quite a strange few weeks.  

what would you do? 

you work for over 25 years at a job you love.  there have been many changes over the years.  many.

our department added civilian dispatchers in 1999.   the communication center has changed greatly over the years.   we have had some pretty good dispatchers over the years.  and some who found out they were not fit to be 911 dispatchers.   they are all now specially certified.  doesn't mean much with out an ability to have empathy.   eh.

anyway,  we are on my third chief.   I took a promotion from records to accounts payable.  I have had a few bosses and years with out any.   

our union negotiated (i was at the forfront of this) training.   

so here we are at our second training for excel and some of the girls chose not to go .   why?  

quilting

10/6/2025  More: 

This quilt is for Bob A.  I had some uniform shirts from working for him at Ma's Dry cleaning. Some are mine and some are Sarah's.  We left when he sold the business to his seamstress.   

Anyway, the back has several techniques, HST, Squares, simple blocks, the blocks in the center (two rows) are the logo and pocket.   the bottom one is the front of the quilt, just a diamond with HST.

this is ALL made from the shirts, even the binding.   simple quilting done.  I have not given it to Bob yet.  I need to reach out to the girls.  ;)  

10/6/25

BW's kids with their quilts.  firs is BR with the Baltic HST ... this is one of my favorites :)   It is bright and cheerful, strong and unique. Made around 2013?  not sure

next is LR with the Blue Missouri quilt Star Quilt.  This was just a fun Quilt to make. Easy and lovely. Made around 2018? I think 

And finally, Little Archie R,   This is a lap version of the Exploding heart done in blue and green shades.  nothing but love for this little guy!  Finished 9/9/2025

Below is the back of Archie's quilt (exploding heart)  

I do love the backs of these.

9/5/2025

Oh, my goodness, it has been a while.  I need to get a photo of the one I gave to Lincoln Roberts.  

I have one ready for Archie Roberts, just need to bind it.  I also did one for Bob Accomando out of his uniform shirts and one i am working on for Owen and Charlies Granddaddy.

Anyway, I did do some fun pillow covers.  they were easy, i am going to use up a bunch of the t shirts I have ...  (I need pillows hahaha) 

 

6/21/2024

Just a note, I am missing the quilt I made for Rose, Jamie's daughter.  I also have one I made for myself.   I have not finished a couple of them yet.  

9/9/24 update:   I am working on Colin's back of the quilt.   I have added where I am with it below.  

I am working on G3's 3rd daughter's quilt.  i am stuck.  sneak peek below in colins quilt.   

The Bear quilt!  I need to find a photo of it.  :(   

10/27/23

Here is a quilt update.  I am doing just awful in this area. :(  

I did finish the front of Colins quilt.  I may take it to the long Armer.  anyway, this is a 2022 weather quilt.  each day 352 is accounted.  He wants me to put the temperature guide somewhere on this ... hmmm.  update later. 

9/9/24 update:    I am working on Colin's back of the quilt.   I have added where I am with it below. Colin wanted to show a temp chart on the back to show what temp each color is.  My thought was to make it look like pencils with the temperature on the white, maybe using a fabric pen or some other technique I have never done before. ha-ha.  below are mockups of what I am thinking.  

the purple x and o's are G3's daughter Lexi's quilt I have not finished.  

I need to do the back and figure out how to put her name on it.   

I had a baby shower and made this baby quilt. It was a fun one.  they asked for a book rather than a card and I was inspired by the book I got, can you guess? 

Doc Suess :)   ..   they loved it. ;)  

9/28/22

Today hurricane Ian is hitting south Florida.  our friends P&B live near Naples.  my brother in law has a place there also but is not down there yet.  praying for all safety.

anyway, I have been on again and off again stuck on this journey of quilting ..  

I started in 1980 after moving into Newburyport.  JP still has it.   

I also reupholstered my couch and chair.  made curtains for the house.    

I really liked the busy work of hand sewing the quilt  I took an old sheet and sewed patches of old clothing to it.  I was making a sunshine, multi colored.   after i was done, I took an old blanket and another sheet and sandwiched them together and sewed the pieces.    it lasted many years.   in 2020 I took the sandwiched pieces apart and sewed the torn pieces and reworked the quilt putting a new backing on it for Jen.   

When my son Ben was in kindergarten or first grade .. his teacher was pregnant.  I was able to substitute during that period of time and got to substitute for the art teacher. so i had each of the kids draw a picture for the teacher and I took the drawings and transferred them to blocks of fabric and made a baby quilt for her.  I wish i had pictures. :(   So,   

Here is the quilt I made for Maddie. While pregnant with Maddie, her mom would go to Balboa park and look at the lilies in the pond.   This was such a great picture. I decided to try to replicate it.  It has aplique lillies and the pads, the background is half square triangles and the boarder has a french type binding on it.  I used a template to quilt dragonflies on it.  

The inspiration 

this next quilt is one I did with Kaley when she was 8, I think she was around that age.  It is called the pinwheel.  so fun to do.     

So when we started this she wanted me to give it to her dad, but I surprised her with it at christmas.  

It was such a pleasure to make.

2008 or so. 

This one I made for TJ.  Made out of Jeans from the kids, myself and Terry.  

I completed these around 2005 or 2006  ....  #2 Quilt

This is the one I made for Ben 

#3 quilt...    Nothing like a jean quilt.  

Back side of Ben's

Wyatt's quilt:   this was so much fun to make, I made the design myself.  the whale is sewn in not appliqued.  the boarder is a piano style and I love it.  Let's see, I think this one was made in 2014. 

Colin's Quilt, made from left over squares from the Irish chain quilt.  quick and easy.  it is not done like the nine patch, I just took all my leftovers and sewed them.  Made in 2013.   

Irish Chain Quilt for Sarah.  My friend Barbara helped me with this one.  I had Sandy Matthews long arm it.  she is so good.  at the wedding someone spilt wine on it.  it has never seen the light of day since.  they are no longer together.  I have the quilt with me.  I will give it to the baby girl CM when she is older.  2013

Rian's quilt.  He picked out the pattern and the material. He still uses it to this day :)

This was done in 2010.  I will have to check on that.  

Made for Aunt Mary Lou and Uncle Carl.  they had no idea.  when I brought it by the family was there ready to celebrate Carl and Mary Lou's anniversary.   good timing.  

I made this to try out the pattern and loved it.  so, when I finished, I decided to give it to Mary Lou and Carl.  

The pattern was a Missouri quilt pattern. 

Made in 2016 

this one I was hired to make twins a memory quilt.  they wanted the outfits displayed on the quilt.  

It was tough to do since I did not have a plan of action.   It took me a bit to figure out what I wanted to do for this.   I think this was 2014.  it could have been later.  I am not sure, i will have to look at the camera date. 

I made this for Dean 

Baby Quilt I made for my Grand Nephew So, to add to this, the blue flannel is my dad's shirt. he passed May 2015. the right lower corner is my mom's handkerchief (a corner of it) She passed July 2015 and was close to all the grandkids. so this was a special happy quilt to make.

I helped one of Sarah's friends make this one for her neighbor. 

Made this one for Charlotte Rose,  I did add my Dad's and mom's fabric in this also

Made this one for Harlow's baby shower.  Soon after we learned she had a genetic defect.

Harlow passed away at 11 days.  She had a genetic condition which affected her brain stem.

I am not totally sure about all of it. but it was the saddest thing ever. 

Made this one for Hadley.  She is Grant 3's daughter.  

Mia Ann Whiteway quilt :)  so cute

10/7/25:  This one is going to Lexi Whiteway.  I have to mail it in 

This one was made for Jamie.  I love this one so much.  I am going to try to make more!  the different typs of red fabric.  so cool. 

This one I made for Kaley.  I gave it to her at her graduation party from High School

It took me a little over a year to make this.  It is Bonnie Hunters Mystery Quilt and is queen size.

2023 I completed this memory quilt for Jackie's grandmother.  This is in memory of Chuck Pritchard

This quilt starts with a picture in the middle of Chuck.  then you go around the quilt and each block represent a part of his life and history.  the peacock is for his work on the NBC logo, the Navey Seal, and the ship he was on.  the poppies for being a veteran.  The logo of O'Connors True Value store where he worked after retirement and enjoyed it so very much.  the feathers are for his heritage as an American Indian.  the Rose for the many he gave to his wife, the flower of sunshine, because he was, the crow is a symbol of love and always being there when needed.   this took a long time.  i had a plan mapped out, but the peacock I made first was just awful, I found this one and it is a paper pieced block that was very time consuming but came out so beautifully.  I wanted to carry the colors though out each of the blocks.  he was an artist and loved primary colors.  the feathers are also paper pieced with the black feather having flying crows symbolizing his flight to heaven.   the true value block is the actual shirt and the left-over pieces from the tee shirt that had chucks picture on it.  the ship was my first try at the 'cricket' machine and it is ironed on and sewn in, as well as the poppies.  the crow, one of my favorites.  I was at a standstill with the crow design and was telling a friend about the quilt and bouncing ideas off of her.  when i realized I needed to bring the colors in.  so I took the small pieces of fabric I had left over from the feathers and the peacock and used those to make the crow.   There was a bit more to that one with tracing and cutting.   

I restored this one I had made in 1980

This was my first quilt.  #1   

And this one for Mia, Grant 3's second daughter. 

2019

This one for Lincoln, Brittney's second son.  2018

colin took some of my cuts and made his own

This one was for Blake, made in 2018

This one was an impromptu for Wyatt.  hand sewn and tied.  

This one was done for my niece, she, (my niece TC,) collected her daughter's drawings from K-8th grade and had them put onto fabric.  I found some beautiful fabric and put it together.  

Made for Oscar Le Roy, inspired by Oscar's mom, Jackie's grandfather. 

I will have to post the picture of the boat Prichard painted on the computer.

Made for Terry

Made for Bo.  this is Harlow's big brother and my nephew's (TP) son

This is a picture of my very first attempt at quilting in 1981. I finished it in 1987. It has been used by all four of my kids and the dog as they grew up. my oldest ended up with it. i took the back off, (i used a sheet for the back and a very thin wool blanket for the middle) the top is hand sewn on a sheet. my daughter asked me not to add any fabric to the top and just sew down the pieces that are loose, but gave me the okay to change the back. memories. lol

RAISING PIGS

 FROM A RECORDING I TOOK SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

GRANT

GINNY ASKED IF THE BOYS FOUGHT 

GRANT 'OH NO'

Things my kids never asked but I answered anyway. B

 

October 17, 2022 This is from Ancestry,  so I figured I would answer and see if I can get TP to do the same. We have seven conversation starters to help you create and capture the fascinating details and memories that make up your family story. Ask a parent, have kids interview grandparents, or record your answers yourself for future generations.

	•	What was your childhood home like?     We lived on Parker street.  A Cape with two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen, living room and den on the main floor.  It was a great neighborhood with lots of kids. We lived a short walk from elementary school and walked home for lunch in 1st and 2nd grade.  The kitchen had red and white tiled floors.  The staircase going upstairs was my most favorite place to sit and watch my parents and their friends gather.   The 'den' was my parents bedroom.  we had one bathroom.  My dad made us take 'military' showers, five minutes at the most.
	•	Why did your parents give you your name?     I was named  after Aunt Betty Whiteway.  She was the wife of my great uncle Bruce Whiteway.
	•	What were your parents’ occupations? My mom was a stay at home mother.  she did work prior to getting married. But stayed at home.  She did sell queensway clothing from home. I remember the clothes and modeling them.  When we all got older she worked at the Holiday Inn in the laundry room, then Stoffers Inn in Bedford.   She then worked at the High School as a custodian, where she was in a union, when they had layoffs, they laid off all the women and she fought it ..   they reinstated the women with back pay and laid off lass hired ....      My dad was an accountant.  I remember he sold insurance first though.  He worked at places like Sylvania, Microsystems, Lilton (I think) and Start to Finish.  He did a bunch of smaller jobs and tried to start his own side company with his friends.   He was a good accountant.  But I don't think that was his dream job.
	•	What is your earliest memory?     Rolling of the bed onto the floor.  falling onto a hard surface outside.  this was all in the little house before parker street.   on parker street, it was walking to school.  fainting in the gym on the first day of school.  My first-grade teacher.
	•	What makes you the happiest? Quiet, sitting out on my deck, my kids coming over and just hanging with us.
	•	What has changed the most since you were a child? Everything.  The way people talk to each other.  TV, Computers, Phones, Work.   purchasing food and clothing.
	•	What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done? Getting up in front of people and talking ...  I was in DECA and was on the NE board.  I got to speak in front of many students.  Terrifying.   How did you meet Dad?             So, I had just graduated high school and was paying rent at my parents' house.  I worked at a company called Tranti Systems.   It was a good job.   one day, my mother told my older sister and I we had to pay more rent money or get out and we had till October.  So, I found a couple of girls who were looking for an apartment.  We decided to move in together in a two bedroom.  (I got the single room while they shared a room).   I was the first one to move into the apartment.  as I was moving in there was a handsome man holding the door open for me.  We met later on at my apartment and the girls and I and other neighbors in the apartment all played monopoly ...  and that is how I met your father.  We started dating soon after. What’s the hardest thing about raising children?  Not knowing what I was doing.  trying hard to raise my kids differently than how I was raised.  Tell me about the day I was born.  Jen:  Dad had a very important meeting on 9/13... it was a Tuesday.    His boss told him he needed to be there.  haha.   I had some light contractions and was tired.  I went to bed around 8 or 9 pm on Monday night.   I was not in the room for very long when my water broke.  I was scared!  Your dad and I grabbed the bag I packed, and he took me on the 45 min drive to Lowell hospital, I think it was St Johns.   You were born on Tuesday morning; the doctor delivered you using forceps.  I had an epidural.   you were handed to me and you were as beautiful as you are now.  ............................................................................................................. TJ:  Saturday morning, terry went off to work. we lived at 651/2 north end boulevard in Sailsbury mass.   Mid-Summer.  My contractions started around 9 am. called terry and my parents.  Terry got to the house around 10 am, we drove to the Anna Jaques, my friend stayed with Jen till my parents came.  tj was born at 11:45 am.    Ben:      What did you want to be when you were growing up?  I wanted to design windows at different stores.  and I loved that my grandmother wanted to have a bed and breakfast or a run a hotel with my grandfather, I still would love to run a B&B.  not a hotel. ha-ha.     If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be and why?  Well, I think i would have saved my money ... had a nest egg.  taught my kids how to save money.    What is one thing you know to be true?   What were you going to name me if I was the opposite sex?  Jenifr would have been Terrence, Tj.  would have been Sarah.  Ben, well, no name chosen.  Sarah would have been William Who was your first girlfriend/boyfriend? blah What was your favorite band growing up?  Jim Croce  What was your first car?  dodge dart What are your fears? What do you think the greatest invention has been during your lifetime?  computer, changed the world Did you ever get arrested? If not, what did you do that you should have been arrested for?  No.   How much money does a person need to love life? What is your most embarrassing moment? What was the best gift I ever gave you? How would others describe you in middle school, high school and/or college? How many times were you in love? Were your parents strict? Was your Mom or Dad the strictest? What are the 3 happiest times in your life? If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? Do you think money can buy happiness? What did I do as a child that frustrated you and what did I do that you loved? What is your dream job? If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be? What’s the hardest/easiest thing about being an adult? If your life was a reality show, what would it be called? Describe a moment in American history that you will never forget. What do you like/dislike about your generation? What is your wish for your children/grandchildren? Who is someone you admire? Why?

 Once you have your answers, be sure to document and share your stories on Ancestry^®.