One Crafting Sheep

Ho ho no

2011-11-12T18:24:00.000-05:00

It's a bit too early for Christmas for me, but I am down with bronchitis and don't have the energy to get my quilting out, or my crocheting or stitching. These ornaments were quick and easy -- right now I need easy. My boys have gotten over their walking pneumonia but one is still struggling with allergic reactions to foods and needed an emergency trip to the doctor yesterday.

My 4-year-old helped smoosh them to make them flat. The little ornaments are simple yo-yos with buttons on front and ribbon attached. My kids each have a tiny personal tree and these are for them.

The snowmen were also simple. I already had everything on hand which is good since I am in no shape to go shopping! I traced three circles onto felt. The largest was a wide spool of satin ribbon, the middle was a smaller spool of narrow satin ribbon, and the smallest one was a votive candle holder. I cut the smallest circles out with regular fabric scissors and the largest with pinking shears.

Next I glued the white circles to the medium circles, followed by the googly eyes. I free-handed the carrots and as I glued them I bent them to look more carrots than triangles. Next I glued the hanging ribbon to the largest circle, and then glued the snowmen on top. In two hours I had six ornaments. Easy peasy and not too taxing for someone who has little to no energy. If you make some, share your pictures with me!

Spotter Saturday

2011-10-29T17:46:00.000-04:00

I finally did it! I took classes at the weather service and became an official SKYWARN Spotter today! It was educational and different and got me out of the house for a while.

My boys and husband all have walking pneumonia, and it was good to be away from the incessant coughing. It has given me so many headaches this week. Both boys needed additional hospital tests. One had his on Thursday, and the other is having his on Tuesday. They both have something else going on medically.

I did have time to quilt this week, and Crow Gossip is nearly finished. :-) Now I can plan my next project -- in my mind, anyway. I still have a Christmas quilt kit from two years ago and have ideas for ornaments and placemats. We'll see. I never plan ahead and take each day as it comes, otherwise I am disappointed in my failure to get everything on my list done. That is a total 180 degree turnaround for me from several years ago!

Hope it is sunny and pleasant where you are... my family is all getting snow and I am SO glad to be in Florida today!!!

Always a good day...

2011-10-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

...when I get this in the mail!!!

I am still chugging along on my hand-quilting project. I have a very sore right middle finger now --this is the one I prick with the needle under the quilt. There is nothing visible, but it hurts like crazy!

I have had a very sick child for over a week now and have not gotten much sleep due to his coughing. Thus, I have not been doing too much in the way of crafts. I have been crocheting and made a local delivery of angels, crosses, and bracelets.

We are still househunting. The roofers are here today -- hey, the leaking has ONLY been going on since May. It will be another happy day indeed when we give this slumlord our notice!

If you have fall where you live, enjoy it for me! Take a deep breath of that crisp air, go out of your way to crunch some leaves, and enjoy the glorious color.

Soggy Saturday

2011-10-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

We've gotten at least 8 inches of rain so far today. It is now pouring through the ceiling fan & light in the Florida room. Since it took 5 months to fix the leaking door, any guesses to how long it will take to fix this??? The garage is still flooding, too.

I picked up my hand-quilting again yesterday, and I am unsure why, but my stitches are much smaller than before. This is my first attempt at hand-quilting and I tried to snap a picture of the front, but with all the rain it is too dark. The flash just whites it out. So I took a shot of the back.

The stitches going northeast-to-southwest were from before. The new ones are headed northwest to southeast. I wonder if it was the angle I was working on? I am left-handed. Picture it flipped over onto the front. Would that make sense? Or do you think it is just practice? I hadn't touched it since last time I posted a picture.

I need to hurry and finish this one up! I was going to do a fall quilt but maybe need to switch to a Christmas one. Call me sllllloooowww...

And soggy!

Fall - Florida style

2011-10-02T19:08:00.000-04:00

It's fall -- for now! Today was only in the low 80s and this morning we had a record low of 59. Usually it is 80-81 degrees when I get up around 5:00 AM, so what a treat the cool air was! I just hope it isn't a sign of a bad fire season.

I took some pictures of a wild vine in the yard. I had seen it growing and told my husband to leave it as I thought it was a vine. It is blooming now and I spent a lot of time on the web today trying to figure out what it is. The leaves are shaped like angels and are very large. I tried going by the leaves to ID the plant and got nowhere.

I also tried to ID it by the flowers. No luck. I could find similar flowers but not with those angel leaves!

I also took this picture, but I know what it is! This is the original pineapple plant. My husband harvested the pineapple but it was tough and inedible. He split the pups off into new pots and cleaned up the original plant, and this is what it looks like now:

SIX more pups! Holy cow, we could have a pineapple farm if we had a yard! Normally you only split the pups after you harvest the fruit. Not sure what to do on this one. I do wish we had a yard!

Hope your weather is fine and you got to enjoy the weekend outdoors!

Local Park

2011-09-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

Living near the beach, some of our local parks are right on the beach. We took the little one to the park today and I snapped some pictures.


Collecting shells


looking east!!

Making sandcastles!


looking north


looking south


looking west

Check

2011-09-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

I don't usually write in detail about house-hunting experiences, but thought this one was worth sharing.

A new house came on the market... an estate sale. My husband wanted to see it, so our realtor friend went first and took pictures. She also called me from the house and described it as she walked through. She sent me the pictures and I looked at them. There was nothing wrong with the pictures, but I did not want to go. It is a 45+ minute ride, which normally doesn't stop me, but I just had a feeling about it.

My husband wanted to go, so I told him to go alone. He insisted I come, as did our realtor. So off we went.

On the outside, it was clear the yard needed work, but nothing too serious. The exterior was in great condition except for the proliferation of junk in the yard. We walked up to the front door and I noticed the screen had a patch in it. Hmm. But the second the realtor opened the door, something was screaming at me NO NO NO!!!

I walked through the house and saw nothing really objectionable besides a strange odor. The back yard was a disaster, again with a patched screen. The kitchen was a bit small with a tiny little pantry and the secondary bedrooms were a bit small. Still, nothing awful... no pink counters... no mold... no holes in the walls...

NO NO NO!!!

I walked all the way through a second time trying to find why I did not like this house. And a third time.

NO NO NO!!!

Okay, Lord, I am listening. Last time we bought a wrong house, you sent an earthquake while we were looking at it (in Florida!!!) and I didn't listen. My first house, You didn't even want me to go in, and I let my husband talk me into it. You keep saying NO, and I don't listen. I am listening this time!

We got in the car, and I told my husband no way on that house. He yelled at me and really hurt my feelings. He said I am asking for too much. So we fought all the way home, and on a whim I went to the property appraiser's website and got the name of the owner. I looked up the name in Google.

This man was an insane alcoholic. He had been charged with numerous felonies, often held high positions in charge of money for several towns, and often abruptly quit under mysterious circumstances. He had shot at a neighbor's child who was playing behind his house... on someone else's property! And the smell... he had just died last week, and the house was already listed for sale. Was the chemical odor from a cleaning crew trying to get the stench of death out of the house? Bad vibes all around.

Check in the Spirit. I am listening this time.

Romans 8:14 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

That verse makes me excited! Thank you, God, for loving me and never giving up on me! I am listening...

The halfway point

2011-09-21T10:42:00.000-04:00

Hope you can see the quilting! I have half the center done. It is doing to be diagonal blocks. It is so much fun!!!

The picture is not that great. The dungeon is dark until just before sunset, and I propped it on the piano. :)

Applique is finished!

2011-09-19T11:58:00.000-04:00

At last... I got to sit and finish this top up. I have started hand-quilting it and have the center almost 1/4 done.

Crow gossip top

This was a lot of fun. I will definitely do more applique in the future! I am enjoying the hand-quilting also. So, my stitches aren't small or even. I don't need to win an award -- I am having fun!!!

I need to thread up my quilting needles. I am threading six at a time for convenience. I'm using the gold ones I picked up in Pennsylvania and they are working out great.

It's high time crafts were fun instead of work!

Info please

2011-09-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

Everyone who reads the blog knows my living conditions are FAR from ideal. The landlord still has not responded to our letter dated September 1st. No leaks have been repaired... no refund of our pest control money... no refund of the rent money.

We have been actively looking for a house. The experience has been nothing but frustration. I would love some input from readers in other parts of the country, or even other parts of Florida, if the situation in their neck of the woods is any different. I know... if I am lucky, I will hear from one person.

We sold our house after trying for four years. It was built at the end of 2003, made of concrete block, had a fully fenced yard, hip roof (shingles), 2100 square feet, 4 beds, 2 baths, 2 car garage. We lost $150000 on this property because it lost value so fast. Bad location, bad neighborhood, etc. Insurance was $900/year. We won't get into taxes because they are sky high compared to other places we have lived.

The first house we "liked" was only 1700 square feet, fireplace, concrete block, tile roof, built in the mid-80s with mid-80s baths and kitchen. It had a pool but no yard at all. Before putting in an offer, I checked insurance prices. Quotes ranged from $3300 to $5900 per year. It is more inland than our last house. Every company said the same thing... the roof is too old even though it is tile. Insurance at the bare minimum, with the taxes and HOA fees, added $800 a month to the mortgage. Forget that one!

Next: 1800 square feet, built in 1990, new roof, frame house, light and bright, fireplace, pool. Insurance quotes: $3300 was the best. Why? Frame house. Roof is not hip.

Third house: new hip roof, built in 1992, concrete block, pool, only 1200 square feet and NO storage at all. Laundry in the garage. Insurance quote: $3600. Why? Replacement cost is too high.

It seems they have an excuse for everything! I know I had a huge house in NC (2500 sq. ft., plus sunroom and huge shed) and insurance was $400 a year. Have things changed elsewhere? What do you pay for homeowner's insurance?

We are ready to run FAR away from this state. High taxes, high prices, high insurance, bottom-of-the-bucket schools and more perverts per square mile than anyplace else I have seen. I like West Coast FL better, but some insurers won't write there at all and the sinkhole coverage is sky high (some people's policies just went up to $7K a YEAR on top of their regular policy.)

Please tell me it is not like this everywhere!

Fall decorations

2011-09-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

I see some parts of the country will have a taste of autumn this week. Not gonna happen here! We have two seasons -- rainy hot and humid, and dry/fire season. I brought out a couple of Fall decorations to try to get my head in a Fall frame of mind. The rest will come later... hopefully in our OWN house.

My fall table runner. I don't remember if I made it last year or the year before. I think it was '09. Believe it or not, it adds some brightness to the room. This apartment is so dark and dingy that it makes you tired just being in it. We have to have all the lights on all day long, except for an hour or two before sunset. So depressing.

The vase was bought a few years ago, but the flowers are from a trip to Michael's back in 2003!!!

We have so had it with this place. It is loaded with bugs, leaks, and gloom. Nothing has been repaired and the landlord says don't bother him, bother the property manager. We hand-delivered a letter to her on the 1st listing the problems and giving receipts for the expenses we have incurred in the Bug Battle. No response. We are actively looking at homes to purchase.

I have lived in Florida for five years now, and never had bugs in my house. This apartment is loaded. Every day there is at least one -- hopefully dead -- nasty bug. You all know I am a clean freak and petrified of most bugs, but especially roaches. I can barely sleep and have to examine everything before even picking it up or taking a step. I can't live like this!!! I don't even craft much because who can see in this dungeon? Say a prayer that we can get out of here -- soon!

September

2011-09-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

I used to love September. The cooler air, hints of color on the trees, crisp apples from the orchard --and all the desserts to make from them, along with my annual candy apple purchase-- breaking out the sweaters, the decorations, etc. Here there is no difference from August to September. We're still hot and humid, still watching the tropics, and no one decorates since leaves don't change color. It is the only month of the year I get a bit homesick.

I've been plodding along with my crafts. I made one square, a couple of rosaries, and worked on my crows. I replaced all the pins with much smaller ones. These don't catch the thread I am sewing with as much as the longer pins, even though I need more of them. My husband saw these in the store for 50% off and picked them up for me.

My hands are doing much, much better. I had a follow-up appointment yesterday and my rheumatologist said I do not need medication at this time. She told me to keep up the dietary changes and the supplements I had added, but to drop the vitamin E. It is too dangerous for smokers and ex-smokers.

Still no action on all the leaks in the apartment here. We sent a letter, quoting Florida law that allows for a rent reduction, and it was ignored. Also asking for a refund for the pest control expenses we had, which were covered by the HOA (though no one told us. They said we needed our own pest control service. $180 out the window, it looks like!) I always seem to move from bad to worse. You would think I would know by now... if the house is for sale or for rent while I am looking, it is because no one in their right mind would want it!

And now to get some sewing in, if I can see. It is so dark out again today, and with barely any windows in this apartment, it is like being in a dungeon.

Birthday

2011-08-28T13:04:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday!!!

18 years ago, my sweet son was born. Labor was super easy and he was a cheerful, cuddly baby. He was an adorable, small little boy with a heart condition and the doctors said he would always be small. Today, he is a fine Christian young man, and taller than both his sister and older brother... my only child taller than me! He started college last Monday and already has 8 credits (yes, he took and passed the Calc. II exam,) and his enthusiasm for auto racing is legendary. He is a talented pianist and classical music fan. He also is a pain in the neck to sneak a surprise past -- so I stayed home from church and baked him cookies today as he knew all his presents. Stay out of my Amazon mail, son!!! The Beethoven statue pictures earlier this week was his gift from us and the books were from his Baby Brother. Happy birthday!

Colorful

2011-08-25T14:19:00.001-04:00

Colorful weather map, eh? But not a drop of rain so far.We brought in the furniture from the courtyard and the wind chimes and wind spinners. Not much else has been needed... though with a new leak in the roof, I do wish the roofer would show up. He was supposed to call at noon. Another typical Florida no-show!

Wednesday photos

2011-08-24T07:55:00.000-04:00

We'll see... hopefully no major damage for anyone, anywhere.


Wildlife sanctuary

Beethoven perched on the piano... a gift for my son, a la Peanuts' Schroeder.


Applique is getting there, AND it's fun!

What a crazy week!

2011-08-22T08:09:00.000-04:00

Last week was absolutely crazy. My son had his University orientation week. This meant multiple trips to the university (about 30 minutes away, with no traffic and good luck with lights) every single day. We also had our daughter down for the week. I had a CT scan on Wednesday, both boys caught a cold, and then my son had two last-minute auditions for a young musicians' organization (they did not take him... he was very nervous.) He had no time to practice. Plus, he had organ lessons, organ practice, made his organist debut at church on Sunday (and I missed it -- BAD mom -- too busy talking in the parish hall and did not even hear him!!!) They had a presentation after church about needing a new organ -- the current one is an old clunker, only one man can repair it and he is only in the county every few months -- and afterward I had him play for me. He also had to serve at a funeral on Saturday. I think you are getting the picture!

My son was invited to take an Advanced Placement exam for Calculus, and he aced it! Four credits before ever starting class -- not bad! He was invited to take the Calc. II exam and did not -- we wish he had. Now he wishes he had since he is recognizing everything in the syllabus. Oh well, he needs an easy class his first semester anyway. If you are homeschooling, I used A Beka math then Saxon Calculus with the DIVE CD. It served us very, very well.

Another hurricane has us in its path -- for now -- so we will wait and see what happens. The last one fizzled into nothing. You do become kind of numb to these things after so many close calls. I know they do not have the science, yet, to know what will happen, especially 4-5 days down the road.

My son is a meteorology major. He is 1 of 8 students in the major and the department wanted to take both group and individual pictures outside. The photographer was setting up his equipment and asked the students if they thought he had enough time to take the photos before it rained. They unanimously said yes. During the second student picture, the skies opened up and they all had to run for cover. I would say they all are in the right field -- wrong already!!! ;-)

My mind is still reeling and needs to calm down after all this craziness. I will have lots of time for crafts now and hope my hands cooperate. Have a blessed week, everyone!

Crows

2011-08-13T17:54:00.001-04:00

I got my crow appliques cut and pinned on this morning, and this is what it looks like:

Due to the fact that I cannot get wool felt anywhere locally, and I am allergic to wool anyway, I made some changes.

The fence is regular brown cotton quilting fabric. The stems are rick-rack (I did not put them all on yet) and everything else is synthetic felt. I love this prim project! It is so freeing because the shapes don't have to be perfect as it adds to the overall look if they are not!

After an hour + of hand-sewing, this is what it looks like now. If you can tell, I have the left end of the fence appliqued down. I do wish I would quit poking myself with the needle! My skin is going to peel badly (metal allergy) after today.

I like to eat an Edy's frozen fruit bar every night. I tried to eat one a couple of nights ago and it caused MASSIVE pain in my mouth, inside my upper lip. After a few attempts and loud cries of "Ow!", and my husband laughing, I started to scold him and saw the popsicle was covered in blood. And-- skin. I had torn the insides of my mouth inside my upper lip pretty badly. One side was slash-style cut, the right side was missing a chunk of skin which was now stuck to the popsicle!

Yesterday this was pretty swollen. Today it is not that bad, just feels chopped up. The ice crystals had stuck to my lip, and I ripped it apart. I guess it could happen to anyone, just probably more likely to happen to me because of the Sjogren's causing dry mouth. Be careful eating popsicles. And from now on I will rinse them quickly before giving them to my little one.

The Blob and Return of the Blob

2011-08-12T17:24:00.000-04:00

A good photographer I am not. I tried to get pictures of a beautiful sunset the other night, but only got kickback glare of the screen. Then I tried to get one of the orange moon last night, and got this: (It looks like an orange blob in someone's hands, doesn't it?)

Not exactly what I wanted to show you!

I am still slowly cutting pieces for 2 different quilt tops and yesterday decided to dye some muslin. I used coffee and tea to do it. It was late in the afternoon and it was cloudy, and this was the best picture I could get for you:

Yes, it is mottled as I wrapped an elastic around it like the old tie-dying projects back in school. And I did finish the top of that mini-quilt, but now it gets a whole lot of applique. It is one of the projects from the magazine I showed last -- the one with the crows. I would take a pic of the finished piecework, except it is very dark and cloudy again. I don't think it would come out. :(

Any photography advice would be appreciated. My hands do shake but not horribly. I usually have good luck with natural daylight, but what if there isn't any?

I hope to get some good quilt pics soon!

Wednesday

2011-08-10T09:09:00.000-04:00

I just received the fall issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects, and it is a winner! I think I need to subscribe. Just looking through the pages makes me think of brightly colored leaves against blue, blue skies... crisp air... the smells of apples, cinnamon, and a wood-burning fireplace... Living in Florida that is something only in my memory. It was my favorite time of year, the time of year when a sweater was just right and being outside was exhilarating.

Look at the projects in this issue. If you like country or primitives and you do needlework, you should get yourself a copy!

It is a bit strange to live in Florida and trying to homeschool your Florida-born child. He has no concept of "fall", "spring", or "winter". Leaves changing color is meaningless. Snowmen, sleds, and bitter cold are unknown and I have a hard time explaining them. I show him these things on TV, but I wonder if he grasps the concept at all. My mom mailed him some fall leaves last year and he was fascinated with them... anyone have any ideas? I am working through a calendar book with him and having a tough time with the seasons and explaining the pictures.

Yesterday he decided to give me a Hangman puzzle. I think he did a good job for a 4-year-old, don't you? Only his writing is on the board, and he came up with the puzzle on his own. I bought the board and dry-erase crayons at Walmart the other day. The board is black on one side and white on the other. He is having lots of fun with it, but if you have little ones be aware that if they lay the crayons on the sofa, carpet, etc., some of the color will stay behind. Oh, and I did such a good job on this puzzle, without missing any letters, because he told me: "Here is your puzzle. It is 'race cars'."

Cream of the crop

2011-08-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, so there are no crops involved... but these cream colored fabrics are what I cut on Saturday. I did not think I cut too much or for too long, but my hands swelled again. Today I cut one strip off the black dot fabric, subcut that, and cut some smaller squares (maybe a dozen at most) to make some flying geese.

My preferred sewing machine is upstairs, heavy, and in need of oiling. I asked someone to get it for me, but he did not. :(

Oh well.

The sliding glass doors here all stick, are very big and very heavy. My husband was looking at the quilt ruler gripper (on the right in the above picture) and remembered that something similar is sold for moving glass. He found them at the hardware store for $5.99 each, and now the doors are easier to slide with the grippers on them. I might try the grippers on my quilting rulers... they are much cheaper than the made-for-quilting one.

I don't really have enough black fabrics for this project, so today in Walmart I looked for some more. All they had was very modern, and I am not looking for that. I bought our youngest a dry erase marker board and dry erase crayons. It came with an "eraser cloth" but the warn-out, faded, hand-knit cotton facecloth that the dryer chewed on works even better.

It's always good to find a way to recycle/re-purpose things. :-)

Patterns arrived!

2011-08-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

I was so excited that my patterns arrived yesterday. Of course they all arrived at once. I love getting things in the mail so I wish I would have gotten them on separate days -- one of my quirks, I guess.

I love country decorating and like some primitives, too. So I had been eying the patterns on this talented lady's website: Primitive Pieces by Lynda I had been looking at them for over a year and was worried that they are beyond my skill level. I finally decided to order some and I am so glad I did!

I think I will start this one first: Pretty Pansy Posey Patch I considered doing it in lighter colors, but if I have enough blacks to do it, I will make it dark as shown. I actually like the darker colors. I always make things lighter and brighter to satisfy the recipient or for charity (to make them more modern) but why should I for myself?

You all know that I have been griping about hand pain, knee pain, etc. I don't know if I mentioned that last week my rheumatologist said I have bursitis in BOTH knees and arthritis in my right thumb. Well, I have been treating it and not getting any better. Yesterday when I woke up, every joint in both hands was painful, most were swollen, and the joints at the base of my pinky fingers were actually deformed and sticking out so those pinkies could not line up with the rest of the fingers. Yes, I did panic. Whatever was happening was happening fast and it was starting to be obvious to anyone who sees me in person. Normally when I call my rheumy for an appointment I have to wait several days, and once weeks, to get in to see her, but I got in right away.

I had seen her last week and she was shocked to see me back again. (Before this spring, I saw her every 6-12 months.) She wondered why I was back and without saying a word I showed her my hands. Her eyes grew very large and she felt all over my hands, forearms, and elbows; she felt that awful rash on my arm that I get from the sun; and she remembered my knees and felt both of them, even though I was no longer thinking about pain there.

She said, "It looks like RA (rheumatoid arthritis, which runs in my family,) the pain is just like RA, but I think it is autoimmune inflammatory arthritis caused by the Sjogren's." The good news: this arthritis does not lead to permanent deformity like RA. The bad news: it is treated just like RA.

Because of allergies, my two choices were an immunosuppressant (sp?) given to patients after an organ transplant, or a chemotherapy drug. She said she would choose the former if she were me. So, I will be starting this medication as soon as my husband can fill the prescription and I am certain of not being pregnant. This will take my autoimmunity down to zero, so I cannot be around sick people or people with infections as I will not be able to fight any disease. That means... staying home. A lot. If all goes well, I will be on this medication for one year. If it does not, I have to go on the chemotherapy drug.

My Sjogren's has just gotten so far out of control, and there are much worse things that can happen. I don't really want to go there, but I also dislike taking medication. I am a bad patient and at least half my prescriptions go unfilled or untaken except when I am really feeling bad. I wish there was something more natural to take but I think I am stuck on this one. I cannot keep sitting around and doing nothing because my hands and knees won't let me. My patterns, fabric, yarn, and stitchery are calling to me -- no, they are screaming at me, and I am anxious to get back into my usual craft frenzy.

I am quoting Wikipedia here, but they say this material is in the public domain:

Sjögren's syndrome, also known as "Sicca syndrome", is a systemic autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and destroy the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva.

Nine out of ten Sjögren's patients are women and the average age of onset is late 40s, although Sjögren's occurs in all age groups in both women and men. It is estimated to strike as many as 4 million people in the United States alone making it the second most common autoimmune rheumatic disease.

(So why has no one heard of it?)

The hallmark symptom of the disorder is a generalized dryness, typically involving dry mouth and dry eyes (part of what are known as sicca symptoms). In addition, Sjögren's syndrome may affect other organs of the body, including the kidneys, blood vessles, lungs, liver, pancreas, peripheral nervous system, and brain.

There is neither a known cure for Sjögren's syndrome nor a specific treatment to permanently restore gland secretion. Instead, treatment is generally symptomatic and supportive. Moisture replacement therapies (artifiial tears) may ease the symptoms of dry eyes. Additionally, Restasis is available by prescription to help treat chronic dry eye by suppressing the inflammation that disrupts tear secretion. Prescription drugs are also available that help to stimulate salivary flow. NSAIDs may be used to treat musculoskeletal symptoms. For individuals with severe complications, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs may be prescribed. Also, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate may be helpful. Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is another option and is generally considered safer than methotrexate.

Sjögren's can damage vital organs of the body with symptoms that may plateau or worsen, but the disease does not go into remission as with other autoimmune diseases. Some people may experience only the mild symptoms of dry eyes and mouth, while others have symptoms of severe disease. Many patients are able to treat problems symptomatically. Others are forced to cope with blurred vision, constant eye discomfort, recurrent mouth infections, swollen parotid glands, hoarseness, and difficulty in swallowing and eating. Debilitating fatigue and joint pain can seriously impair quality of life. Some patients can develop renal involvement.

Patients with Sjögren's syndrome have a higher rate of non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to both patients with other autoimmune diseases and healthy people. About 5% of patients with Sjögren's syndrome will develop some form of lymphoid malignancy.Patients with severe cases are much more likely to develop lymphomas than patients with mild or moderate cases.

I am fighting getting too depressed about this. I can't let it stop me from enjoying life, and part of my life is doing crafts! I will keep going as long as I possibly can. Think of me when you are sewing, quilting, crocheting, etc. and if you can do it pain-free, thank God that you can. If you can swallow, blow your nose, use mouthwash, etc., be grateful. I am grateful that things are not worse for me, and Lord knows it could be.

And with that, I am off to play with fabric, even if all I can do today is pick it out!

In the Cone

2011-08-01T20:29:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are in the cone on this storm. What will happen in 5 days remains to be seen. I have been rabidly watching this storm for a few days. I have more "Favorites" in my browser's "Weather Nerd" folder than even in my craft folders. My weather fascination goes back to my childhood so why I never became a meteorologist is beyond me. My husband and sons share my nerdiness so it is a frequent topic of discussion at our house... and my son is going to study meteorology this fall at University.

My crafting lately has been confined to making and delivering lots of crocheted squares, a knitted washcloth for my son, and ordering some patterns. The humidity and our heavy sliding doors have left me with sore wrists and fingers on a daily basis, making hand-sewing or embroidery difficult. And to top it off, I broke my toe yesterday!

I hope to get back into piecing and quilting when my patterns arrive this week. They are coming from the next county over so they should be here pretty quickly. Of course I'll share pictures. I have wanted to order some patterns for over a year and felt like they might be beyond me. Finally I felt ready to take the plunge! We'll see how it goes.

And now, back to weather nerding...

A little crochet time

2011-07-26T07:41:00.001-04:00

I have been crocheting squares for a few days now. I have quite a few made (7) and they have been lots of fun to do! (The loop at the top of the flower is an unsewn-in end.) This one was made with ILTY and some RH Kids.

I also made this scrubbie out of nylon mesh. It was tough on the hands. I used a size K hook and next time would go up to an L or even an M. It wants to curl up on itself and I think going up a size or two would take care of that. I think the pattern called for something tiny, like a G. I am such a loose crocheter that I thought jumping up to a K might be overkill -- live and learn!

I went back to the rheumatologist yesterday for my knees, elbows, and thumb pain. I now have bursitis in BOTH knees. My elbows she was unsure of. But my thumbs she was certain is arthritis -- she said she could feel it. Whether it is RA or OA we are not sure. She said she is supposed to tell me not to crochet anymore, but if it makes me happy, she said, you have to live, too. At some point today I will get new knee braces and order some Biofreeze, which is what she recommended. I have been awake for 3 hours already and the pain and stiffness has not gone away yet. The humidity probably has a lot to do with it, I am guessing. I feel like I am too young for arthritis (early 40s) but more and more young people are getting it.

Today will be an on-the-road day -- I may not get much done in the craft department. But I finished a square already so I feel good about that! I hope your day is sunny and pain free!

A little sewing

2011-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I made this skirt and headband set. The fabric is "Melinda" by Fabrics Atlanta.

It was easy to do and I have fabric to make several more skirts. It is so hard to find skirts that I like and fit just right. The pattern is Simplicity 2609.

Quilts and goodies!

2011-07-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

I lost my internet and phone in the middle of this blog post, for the second time in 3 days. The wiring is too old in this townhouse and the cable company cannot replace it because the houses are attached. Lovely.

I am still battling this stomach bug thing, running a fever, and mostly napping all day. But I did want to show pictures!

Preserves, pickles, chow chow, lemon curd, and popcorn! The candle is a flameless one with motion detector. I have wanted one for a while.

Hubby picked out small jars of preserves. I bought the bigger ones last time.

And the popcorn is really good stuff, with no GMOs, and most of it pops unlike the kind I get at the grocery store. I buy it every time we visit the Old Country Store.

A few more things... "Quilts for Sale" is a 1000 piece puzzle. The quilting needles are GOLD, which I have been looking for since I am allergic to the plain metal ones.

We already made the scalloped potatoes from this cookbook and they were good.

And these were some of the goodies awaiting me when I got home. The calendar book and children's book are for the little guy, my mom sent me the cookbook, those are my two missing cross stitch charts, and the magazines are ones I subscribe to. Funny, when you are home and bored nothing good comes in the mail.

And my night light! I have been looking for one like this for a while. I can't get anything like this locally, and online I found one I liked for $13 and $12 shipping! Crazy! This one was only $9.

I enjoyed shopping in this store (I also bought the candle there). I think I could have spent a lot more if I actually had my own house. I loved the light fixtures they sell.

Quilts from the museum: (a whole cloth quilt, diamond-in-a-square, bargello, tumbling block, and some miniatures.) The museum is small and I could not always get back away from the quilt enough to get the whole thing in my lens, even with it zoomed out all the way. I loved the quilting on these! Click on them to blow them up.


Whole cloth quilt


Closeup


closeup of the quilting


Bargello waves


Tumbling blocks


closeup of mini yoyo quilt


Miniatures... the eyeglasses are full-size

I came home from all this fun and beauty to a still unrepaired home. This is what it looks like in the late morning due to a tarp blocking all the light. It does not improve from there. I am actively looking for someplace else to live. :-( Between the faulty wiring, multiple leaks, broken plumbing, bugs, and no work being done on it, I am ready to move on. I have never paid this much for any home I have lived in. The rent here is higher than my mortgage AND HOA fees from my house, and that included taxes and insurance.

A very long road trip...

2011-07-13T07:35:00.000-04:00

My FIL passed away last Sunday morning while the rest of the family was at church. I had stayed home for the repairman who happened to arrive three minutes before I got the phone call. After some frantic panic, we decided we would all go to the funeral, but since I can't fly any more, we had to drive.

Of course we had a full refrigerator of produce and leftovers that we had to get rid of. I gave them to a friend from church, who then gave what she couldn't use to a needy family also from church.

We set off early Tuesday morning. We drove 15 hours to Pennsylvania and stayed there overnight. From there it was only a 5-minute ride to pick up our daughter, then we drove on to Rhode Island to see my parents for a couple of hours before continuing on to Massachusetts. This leg of the trip was 7.5+ hours.

The funeral was Thursday (another hour plus away from where we stayed) and was replete with all the family drama I have come to expect. Afterwards we went to my BIL's house and more drama ensued as certain members of the family decided to tie one on and put a full can of beer into my toddler's hand. I don't think so!!!

I was glad to get out of MA the next morning and we popped in on my parents again. Then we went back to PA to spend a night in PA Dutch Country. Unfortunately it timed out that we drove through NYC at lunchtime and lost 40 minutes in traffic. Our stupid, stupid GPS had us take back roads through NJ and PA and we caught several heavy thunderstorms. It was my first time through the back roads of NJ and I was shocked to see rolling hills and beautiful farms. I am a country girl at heart and was captivated. I called my friend from NJ when I got home (she lives here in FL) and she said everyone who dislikes NJ has only been on the highways or to the airport. She also told me that the taxes prohibit people from moving there or staying there. She was paying $8,000 in taxes on a $70K house back in the '70s! I guess I won't be moving to NJ in my lifetime!

We had a whole cottage to ourselves in PA and it was fantastic. The living room had a gas fireplace which we fired up right away so I could defrost my feet (it was only 71*) and plenty of seating. We had two porches and sat outside to watch Amish buggies going by. Many buggies went by the house and the little man was fascinated with the horses. I did not take any pictures as the Amish do not want their picture taken and I can respect that.

We had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bathroom was as big as my kitchen! The little man saw the size of the tub and insisted on having a bath. Can't say I blame him! Both beds had quilts on them and a close inspection showed they were hand quilted. They were the softest quilts I have ever felt. The little one likes to get into every picture and he snuck into this one. I hate having my picture taken so he did not get that from me! I always say that when I die, there will be no proof I ever lived. ;-)

After seeing and feeling these quilts, I have simply GOT to learn to hand-quilt. I liked them so much better than my machine-quilted ones.

We also had a small kitchen which they had stocked with bottled water for us, crackers and jam, handmade candies, and travel coffee cups that could be refilled throughout the village.

The following morning we went to the restaurant in the Village for a free breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, toast, and fried potatoes, all of which were excellent. Other family members ordered different things and we were eating off each others' plates. Everything was excellent, including the service.

From there we explored the rest of the shops. I think my favorite shop was Tin 'n Treasures. The prices were reasonable and I bought a couple of things there. (No pics yet... I will have some for the next post.) Of course we had to visit the kitchen where you taste your way throughout the store. We bought some pickles, jams, lemon curd, and chow-chow. The kids watched fudge being handmade at Pepper Lane and of course we bought some. Their fudge does not melt (even in the car on a 15+ hour ride in summer!) and is not too terribly sweet. We visited the farm animals and my daughter got a picture of my favorite animal.

We took the little one to the Build-a-friend shop and he built this barn (with help from Sara, a friendly Mennonite lady). He also "built" the fence and got to pick out some farm animals to go with it. Most of the toys in the picture are his own.

Of course I had to go to the Old Country Store and Quilt Museum, and the People's Place Bookstore. I will post about those later. I did get some pics of the quilts in the museum and I know some readers will enjoy those.

I adore Pennsylvania. I love the farmland and the more simple life a lot of people live. My daughter says we could never afford the taxes, though. My grandfather was from PA and I have loved it since I first went there in 1987.

We dropped our daughter off and continued on to Roanoke, VA where we stayed in an upscale hotel for the cheapest price of our many-day journey. In the morning we set out and it was only 66*. Our last stop was in Western SC to visit my dear, dear friend Mary who is more like a sister than a friend. We did not get back to Florida until after midnight.

Our impressions of the trip... no one could stand Connecticut or New York. I know it was only the highways and I know from many trips through CT that it can be quite lovely. The interstate, though, if you did not know better, would make you think that CT is one endless, dirty, old, rundown place and it feels like you are in it forever. Since we took the looooonnng way through SC it felt endless, too. SC can be a pretty place, too (think Charleston) but it is one of those places that I have never wanted to live in. I met too many people from SC when I lived in NC and they were ecstatic to get out of it alive.

NC -- well, we lived there, so it was familiar but strangely I did not miss it at all and it did not feel like home.

Mass. and Rhody are -- well, Mass. and Rhody, and again, considering we were raised there, did not feel like home, just another place to get out of fast. Except for my mom's house, of course.

Western MD is always nice for the brief jaunt through it, and WV is another of those places that we just have no interest in.

GA was full of smoke on the way up (also part of SC) but was clear on the way back. I am glad they got the fires out. Nothing against GA, but again it is another place we are not enamored with. When I think "driving through GA" I think bad odors around mile marker 73 (good ol' pluff mud, I think) and rain! We have driven through there so many times and only once it did not rain. Go figure.

Virginia seems interminable since we take a very long (5+ hours) route through it, BUT we always love it. Something about it screams peaceful and "home", simplicity and closeness to God. It was both hubby's and my favorite. I have always loved the mountains and lived in them for a year (in NC, though). It gets a bit too cold for me in winter, and too damp, and my joints hurt more and Raynaud's acts up constantly. Though we still would consider it because it is so not........ Florida.

I was hoping to get that "home" feeling in Florida, but I did not. Coming "home" was more like "coming back to the familiar" and "coming back to my 'stuff'." More like "we're back in Florida" instead of "we're home at last." Sigh.

Yesterday we had no internet or phone and had to call the cable company to come out, then both hubby and I got violently sick (hence no blog post, and no pictures). I wonder if we got food poisoning as the kids are fine. I am thinking it was our coffee creamer, but it still could be a bug.

Hopefully I will take pics later and post them for you all.

They're outta here!

2011-07-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

This morning I sent my scissors fobs, bag holders and pot holders, and the afghan on their merry way to church for the bazaar. I ended up making two more bag/potholder sets. They were supposed to be delivered on Tuesday, but my FIL is near death and I don't know if I will even be here on Tuesday.


The afghan gets the little one's approval!

I am so glad to be done with that afghan! It took so many hours to make and I bet they will not get much money for it. My hands and wrists were sick of it, too. And it was so heavy to have on my lap for these last few weeks.

Today (so far) I am handsewing a hem on the linen skirt I made some time ago. I hate sewing -- really -- and I always clench my teeth. I am listening to Breakfast Baroque and that always helps. I don't clench my teeth as much. :)

Miscellany

2011-06-27T08:08:00.000-04:00

I have been busy making things... as I said, but now I have taken pictures. They did not come out too hot as it is very cloudy, but here goes...

Some more fobs. They can be used for key chains, scissors, cell phones, cameras, etc. I think I am going to keep one and one is for a friend. The rest will go to the church bazaar... they were going to sell them for $5. For $5 they were not worth my time! Y'all know I have pain and stiffness in my hands, and these were very, very challenging for me to do. For someone else they would be super fast and easy... sigh.

Grocery bag holders and pot holders... the grocery bag holders went together very fast. The most tedious part was ironing the hems, which is never fun for iron-hating me. :)

I have no idea what they will sell these for. The bazaar is getting all the veggie ones since the thrift store gave me the fabric. Again these were tough to photograph. This closeup shows the fabric much better.

I still have a yard of the peppers-only fabric and am not sure what to make with it. How many bag holders can they sell? I don't want to overload the church... what do you think?

And these two puppies... challenging, challenging, challenging. I cannot make a cute face to save myself, unlike my daughter, who makes everything adorable.

Lots of trouble for me, since I can't turn shapes in my mind. Lots of ripping out... but the little one really likes them. He asked me to make two, but he'd better not ask for another! I forgot to take a picture of the two bones I made for them.

And here is the afghan. I have started round one of the borders (it gets two). I was told that the church does not think they can get what I paid for the yarn back, never mind my time. I'll never do this again! I put in countless hours on this one and spent $21 on new yarn for it (not counting my stash or yarn the church gave me.) That's really disappointing for me...another sigh.

And now if you will indulge me for a long moment...

I think I mentioned that my son, who was my baby for 13 years until the little one was born, graduated from high school this spring. He was homeschooled his entire life. The poor kid got one graduation gift (from my parents) and has gotten no acknowledgment... I just want to highlight some of his accomplishments.

He scored a 30 on his ACT. We did not pay for ACT training classes, did not buy any books on how to take the ACT, etc. He worked hard and applied for several scholarships. So far he received one for his grades and massive hours of community service, but a very prestigious technical university gave him their top scholarship and he is going to attend for free. He already took the math placement exam and got a perfect score, so he has been invited to take a higher test to see if he can skip Calculus I.

He is a GOOD kid... he is an altar server and thurifer (the incense-waver that makes you cough!) at church, volunteers in the office and store. He runs around doing things for me when I feel sick or tired or my knee is acting up. He helps me cook and clean. He is respectful to everyone, has a great sense of humor, and I am just so proud of him.

In January 2009, he started taking piano lessons. He had never even sat at the piano and tinkered with it. Now he has mastered very difficult pieces like Chopin's first two Ballades. I asked his teacher if he was playing beyond his means, and she said no, he can outplay her. She has her Ph.D. in music... what a compliment! One of my friends from church came in while he was finishing Ballade #2 and she kept rubbing her arms and her jaw was hanging. She told me later that his playing gives her goosebumps. He is a natural. I keep kicking myself for not giving him lessons sooner, but he was totally not interested.

He also is a self-proclaimed Racing Nerd. He was featured in the Charlotte Observer as the all-knowing teen (I told him he doesn't know everything, and not to get a fat head!) He knows all the stats and has a photographic memory, God bless him.

This is my son who was born with a hole in his heart, and has had numerous biopsies for scar tissue and melanoma. I think he deserves a little recognition. I only get comments from one person, so I may be talking mostly to myself here, but I am so proud of him that my heart could burst.

God bless you always, Sweet Son. Mom loves you always.

Sewing etc

2011-06-22T15:34:00.000-04:00

I have been keeping busy crafting away. I have worked on the afghan quite a bit (a little every day) and only have one stripe left before the borders go on. :)

I have been making lots of scissors fobs. Forgive the photo quality ... with the flash I got glare, and I guess there were too many fobs for the lens to focus on. I have more beads but only one clasp so I need to get some. I found the big clasps at Joann. These are fun to make but my fingers and wrists do not like it at all. I made three this morning and had to quit. From now on, I will try to do only two in a day.

I also made a stuffed puppy for the little one, but did not get any pics. He took it to bed with him last night so I guess he likes it! It took me almost 6 hours to do -- more if you count tracing and cutting the pattern out.

I picked up a bias tape maker the other day and that really helped with this next project. I made two of these today for the church bazaar, and next will make matching grocery bag holders. This was fun to do though a bit thick for my machine (2 layers of cotton fabric, 2 layers of cotton batting, and 1 layer of Insul-bright, then the bias tape handle.) I free-handed the chili peppers in the quilting and think it came out okay.

Next I am going to read some patterns and see what to make next (besides what I am working on.)

Still no repairs done on this townhouse... we are waiting for approval from the HOA. I dislike HOAs to begin with and hope this one changes how I feel. I would HOPE they would put through an emergency repair... rainy season will be coming soon enough, and imagine if there was a hurricane??? Yikes!

Trinity Sunday Part Deux

2011-06-19T19:43:00.000-04:00

The puppy managed to find his way into the trash. Kyle is still asking me to make him one, so I will try to go shopping this week and pick up a pattern for one. I can't find any I like on the web.

I picked up a candle holder at the thrift store a couple of months ago, and finally decided to put it to use. This is what I made:


Crow and sunflower

I have not seen any made like this, but this was the idea I got when I saw the candleholder. It is heavy, so I thought it would be perfect for a pin cushion or decoration since it will stay put as I use it. This is what I did:

1) I flipped the candlestick over on its head :) on some pressed brown cotton fabric. I traced the circle, folded the fabric in half and cut two pieces. I then sewed around the drawn line, leaving an opening for turning. I clipped the edges the turned it right side out and stuffed it with polyfil. *Note: I wish I had used crushed walnut shells or something else heavy. Live and learn. Then sew the opening closed.

2) I sewed the bird. I used one fabric instead of two. The pattern can be found online but I changed the face. I stuffed him *very* firmly with fiberfill and sewed him shut.

3) I took the candle holder and flipped it onto some mustard-yellow felt. I traced around the circle, then free hand drew petals around it. I cut the whole thing out.

4) I took some heavy black thread and a dollmaker's needle and sewed right through all three pieces -- the crow on top, the brown circle in the center, and the petals on the bottom. Then I used hot glue to glue the whole thing to the candle holder, placing glue on the bottom of the flower and on the candle holder too. I stuck a couple of butterfly pins in him and he is done!

Now I have a pincushion that won't flip over and a cute summer decoration too! I paid next-to-nothing for the candle holder and everything else was on hand. I hope you will try making one or maybe you will be inspired to make something similar of your own!

Trinity Sunday

2011-06-19T13:14:00.000-04:00

A blessed Trinity Sunday to everyone!

I have been crafting away, just have not taken any pictures. I have the crochet afghan together and striped, minus two strips. It is so hot to work on -- I have to do it first thing in the morning or late at night, or forget it!

I still did not receive the 2 patterns I am missing for Summer Snapperland, so I have been working on a Quaker pincushion and "Countryside" -- I took the latter to church yesterday and worked on it during our craft group. It was nice -- one person was pinning binding on bibs and the other was doing redwork. I only stayed 90 minutes.

I had cut out some pieces to make a stuffed puppy for my little one. Yesterday was so humid that the disappearing ink I was using to trace the pieces was vanishing before I could finish tracing them! I have had it vanish before I could finish cutting, but not before tracing... Anyway, this puppy is small and the pieces are fiddly -- I won't make this one again! And getting the tiny pieces turned right side out -- yikes!

I am going to make hot pads and grocery bag holders for the church bazaar, and I would like to make myself a wide headband. I also want to make a crow and maybe a watermelon before summer is over! I wanted to do an Americana pillow if I have time before the 4th gets here. The ladies at Craft Group liked the scissor fobs so I may make a few more of those.

The leaking got worse last night and we had to use a huge plastic toy basket PLUS the two buckets to get most of the water. My son mopped for me and also found that water was pouring in through one of the ceiling fans/light fixtures. It leaked through the garage door and the garage wall. I am ready to give up and move! I called the rental agent to tell her and she was very short and almost hung up on me before I could tell her about the garage and ceiling fan. She just muttered that someone will call me and hung up. I am NOT a happy camper about that. Now I hope it doesn't rain, even though we have fires all over. *sigh*

A little rain...

2011-06-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Ridiculous, eh?

HOT!

2011-06-13T15:44:00.001-04:00

I got a LOT of crocheting done between yesterday and so far today...

Two more strips to go, then striping between strips and the final border. I am unsure if anyone will want to buy it at the church bazaar but if not, I do have places I could donate it to.

I am big on Americana decor, so my 4th of July decorations have been up for a while. I have lights in the shape/colors of the American flag, and we brought those out and put them on the railing that divides the dining room from the family room. A few bulbs have burned out since we used it last, but it is still in good shape considering it is pretty old.

Imagine my surprise when I saw it reflected on the sliders in family room... look at the shape! Our chair in front of the railing and blown out bulbs caused this. I think it looks like the contiguous 48!


USA lights reflected on the sliders

The weathermen blew today's forecast... they called for 91 degrees, and it is 97! With the humidity, it feels like a sauna out there. Still no rain in sight. We had thunder/lightning last night with NO rain... not good for the wildfires.

Off to get my kitchen ready for cooking. Tonight I am trying two new recipes... spicy sweet potato wedges and bacon/turkey burgers.

Have a great day/evening!

Multicrafting

2011-06-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

Between yesterday and this morning, I have been a busy bee. My ears are still giving me fits so I have been trying to take it easy. The knee is still not 100%, so it has been a good time to get crafts done.

I did a whole lot of crocheting yesterday. This is the circle afghan. I have two strips finished but they need stripes added to them before they are joined. This does give an idea of how it will go together.

I also made four bars of soap yesterday. Two are honey and shea butter, and the other two were honey and peach tea. I waited a while before adding the ground up tea, but not long enough as it still sunk to the bottom. I will figure it out eventually!

I have been stitching on Bent Creek's "Countryside" since Summer Snapperland is on hold. I have left the barn because I know I will get sick of the mostly brown and green sections and the red will be a good diversion for me to keep my interest up. I know myself and need to do it this way or it will be a UFO.

I also made five beaded scissors fobs/lanyards. I have to get the clasps but the beading is done.

There was so much racing on TV yesterday (and there is some today) that I have gotten a lot done. I am looking forward to the Grand Prix of Canada today and hope it doesn't rain.

More changes

2011-06-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Back to Summer Snapperland... I decided the aqua water was not working out. I tried all different ways of using it, and in the end it had to go.

I have pictures of Sanibel all over my house and we compared floss to photo, and decided GA Blue Jay was the way to go. So I frogged all the water and put in Blue Jay. As you can see from the pic on the right, the two dye lots are not even close. Some areas I did with the lighter (older) color, some with the newer, and most with a blend. I even turned a thread around to mix it up even more. I also put some Kreinik #4 metallic braid in the water for sparkle.

So... I changed the water, then changed the base of the sailboat to WDW Whitewash(I have never seen a brown base here), changed the beak and feet of the pelican to GA Harvest Moon, (never have seen brown ones here), changed the sand color, and changed the star from greenish gold to WDW Saffron. I also changed the flag from Brick to WDW Liberty.

I am finished for now, until the charts come in for the other two sections (the lighthouse and the whale house.) I do wish they would come soon so I can finish this one up. This is the second shop I have dealt with (in Florida) that you have to keep calling to remind that you have ordered something. You would think they would be anxious to make a sale, given the economy and all. I gave up on the first shop even though I have a $15 credit there.

I have been working on the crochet circle afghan too. It is wrist and yarn intense and I actually need to get more yarn.

My ear is slowly healing. My eardrum tore and hemorrhaged on the flight home. This happened back in 1990 and I have flown a handful of times since then and did not have a problem. My doctor said no more flying for me. This is not good when you have a father-in-law 1400 miles away who is on hospice.

It is dark and cloudy but still no rain in sight. Come on, rainy season, start already! Fires are burning all over and we really need a break.

Plant help needed!

2011-06-08T16:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I showed my mom's beautiful yard. Today, I am showing my sad plants and hope some readers have some advice for me. Surely some of you have green thumbs... This all happened while we were away for 6 days.

This is the other pineapple plant. It is a different variety than the one with a fruit and has always been on the yellowish green side. Now it is almost entirely yellow and sick looking.

This is a citrus tree. The labels fell off so it is a lemon, grapefruit, or orange tree.

It was healthy when we left, and now the leaves look like this. Was it too sunny or hot or not humid enough while we were gone?

My daughter planted it from seed and we would love to see it grow and get planted in the ground when we get a house someday. If it is a disease, please link to the disease because here in Florida we may have to burn it. I may have to check in with my county cooperative extension on this one.

Here is a second shot taken from near the top of the plant.

All these plants are out on my second story balcony. The balcony faces west.

And here is the pineapple most readers would be familiar with. You know it did not look like this!

I spent an hour plus on the internet trying to figure out what happened to this one. The scorched, burned parts are in the middle of the leaves so I am stumped on this one, too.

The only thing I can grow is roses and roses these ain't, so any help would be so appreciated.

I want these little babies to live and thrive. :)

Thanks in advance!

In the garden

2011-06-07T13:48:00.001-04:00

I'm back from New England and wanted to share my mom's beautiful yard/garden with you. Enjoy! (Click to enlarge the photos.)


Dad's favorite flowers


gnomes climbing a tree

We were too late to see the lilacs in bloom.

lemon tree

closeup

St. Anthony


veggie garden just getting going!

Too bad I did not get any pictures of the epic (and futile) battles my dad, husband, and two of my sons had as they tried to defend the Garden from chipmunks...

Soap update

2011-05-31T13:41:00.000-04:00

I have used the green tea/honey/oatmeal/shea butter soap and promised to write about how it worked. I was really disappointed in:

1. The lack of suds. I suppose suds aren't necessary but that was surprising to me.

2. Even though I ground up the oatmeal, it sank to the bottom of the bar. Next time I would add it once thickening begins.

BUT I am beyond thrilled with the results! After two showers using this soap, I am not itchy any more. I went to put on my heavy cream last night and realized my skin was soft and that I hadn't been itchy all day.

I love the smell of it.

And it cost me about 50 cents to make.

I don't think I would use any other soap ever again. Thanks again to Mary for telling me about it!

Call me Froggy

2011-05-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

I received two of the charts for Summer Snapperland and have been working on it this weekend. I had a lot of it done and was just not happy with it. The sun, as stitched per the pattern, is a greenish goldish muck brown color (the same as the seagrass) and the water is that navy color in the border. I frogged it all and chose colors more fitting for someone who lives in Florida (or anyone who just likes brighter colors.) Once I did that, the frogging went on all night. I changed the seashells from dark green to a pinkish beige, changed some of the words to match the changes I made, and decided to make the seahorses yellow instead of two-tone green. I did some researches on seahorses in Florida to help with the color choice and was surprised to find out that they might be added to the endangered species list. Apparantly, one used to find seahorses all the time in the Gulf waters, but no more. They are caught in fishermen's nets and sold very cheaply for home aquariums, or sold to be dried (killed!) and sold in tourist trap shops. Yikes! That did not make me happy at all. I have been to the beaches here enough times and never even knew we had seahorses. It does not get much attention, according to activists, because we don't eat them or otherwise have much contact with them. "Save the seahorses!" might become my motto. I am very big on sealife and farm animals and would hate to see these little guys wiped out.

Anyway, here are my changes. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Changed the word "face" from Gentle Arts Shutter Green to GA Lambswool to match the skintone of the cyclist

Changed the water from GA Brethren Blue to Weeks Dye Works Aqua (not happy with the patchy look and may frog that, too)

Changed the sun from GA Mustard Seed to Harvest Moon

Changed the word "sun" from GA Shutter Green to GA Bittersweet

Changed the seashell from GA Old Hickory to WDW Cherub

Changed the seahorse from GA Baby Spinach and WDW Juniper to GA Poppy and WDW Saffon

Changed "Turn" from GA Shutter Green to GA Poppy

Changed "Shadows" from GA Shutter Green to WDW Gunmetal

Same changes to this seashell.

Yesterday was a crazy day. At about 6:20 AM we heard an explosion and then the power went out. It has gone out here at least 4 times since we moved. I went outside and the neighbor across the street was out and said her power had only flickered and did I hear the bomb go off? The next block had power. It seemed only our side of the street was out. My son called the power company and after a long wait the power was restored. I received an automated call from the power company saying that power had been lost to 27 customers due to a "small animal."

Then the rescue came for or near neighbor. We saw one of them this morning and the poor man may have broken his hip.

Our landlord also stopped by while on a Florida vacation to see the changes to the property since he purchased it. It was a foreclosure in sorry shape and still has a way to go, but it has come a long way and has cost him a pretty penny.

Then there was the Formula 1 race, Indy 500, and Coke 600 to watch. Once a gearhead, always a gearhead.

Hopefully today will be a calmer day. :) I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Parts of an afghan

2011-05-28T17:14:00.000-04:00

These are the parts to the scrapghan I am working on for church. You can see there are many in various stages of completion. I haven't touched it today (I've been stitching instead) but will get to it soon. So much has been going on here that I just don't have time for everything. Normally I am very organized and don't let projects sit untouched for a long time but this is how it is for now.

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=04fa1a45fd510960&hl=en I still can't comment on certain blogs. Many people are having the same problem... the endless sign-in loop.

My team is out of the playoffs now. Just another example of evil beating good, as we see every day when we read the news. It has been a great season, and I look forward to next year (Lord willing). And as we all know, Good wins in the end. :)

Double bubble...

2011-05-27T16:05:00.001-04:00

First, here was my stitching after Saturday's game. I have worked on it since then, but not during games any more. It seemed like the jinx for the Lightning, so I switched to crocheting for the last game. :)

I do need to get a picture of all those crochet parts for that circles scrapghan. They are overflowing my tote bag!

The knee is finally starting to get better. I have been reading a lot as I got a bunch of books from the library. But I read fast... I got 5 out on Wednesday and I am through with them already.

This is what I did today. My friend (hi Mary!) has been telling me how wonderful melt-and-pour soaps are for your skin, so I finally got some supplies and made my own!

These were the first ones I made. Not pretty by any means, but they smell good. I added shea butter, ground oatmeal, and green tea. My skin is so dry that I am itchy and it keeps me awake at night, even though I use a heavy cream.

Do they look good enough to eat? I need to keep them away from my toddler, since he told me he wanted some. He must have thought they were brownies or candies or something.

I told him they were soap, and he asked me to make him some. The two green bars on the right are his. I used spearmint and peppermint and made them green since it is his favorite color.

The other green one is citrus scented, and the purple is lavender with a little tea tree oil.

I will use one in the shower tonight, and post on how it worked. I may crochet some cozies for it to sit on. I saw some patterns online using plastic shopping bags and may try that.

I still can't comment on some blogs (Becky, yours is one!) I don't know what is wrong, but now even Internet Explorer won't let me do it.

And as always, this household is ALL IN!!!

Saturday

2011-05-21T15:41:00.000-04:00

I have been stitching away on a couple of projects. I have two more days of on-the-couch (per doctor's orders) and this has been what is keeping me sane!

It doesn't look like much yet, but use your imagination a little and you can see what it will become. The bottom will have an alphabet (you are looking at a partial O and a P); the greens are grass, the white is a fence, and the red will be a barn. This is how it looked before the game today.

This one has been fun, but the dark green is a bit boring. There is just so much of it! I am using the called-for flosses (Weeks and Gentle Art).

Downtime on the couch gets boring fast, so hubby took me for a ride the other day. I thought we were only going for a 5-minute ride, but it turned into almost 2 hours at the Wetlands Conservation Area near our house. We never even knew it was there until a friend told us.

Since he surprised me, I did not have a camera with me, which stinks! The wildflowers were gorgeous, the butterflies stunning, the birds enchanting, and the gators frightening! You cannot get out of your car this time of year as it is gator mating season, and we got to see 8 of them. Unfortunately the blasted love bugs were still swarming and covering the windshield and car so I would not have been able to take pictures even if I did bring my camera or phone. We saw all kinds of birds from herons and ibises to egrets and blackbirds. I also saw solid red butterflies or moths but cannot find out a thing about them on the web.

My couch time has also included flipping through these two volumes:

I have had this set for years. It is a lovely (and very heavy) boxed set and has been out-of-print for a while. I love these books! If you like samplers or US history or even the history of education, you would enjoy them. I especially get a kick out of the map samplers as the country has changed so much in 300+ years. I think my favorite samplers are the Pennsylvania ones -- but NOT the Philadelphia pictorial ones.

And now, back to the game! :)

Scissors fob

2011-05-18T10:04:00.001-04:00

I decided to venture into making a scissors fob. I made one at least 7 years ago. For this one, I took out an already stitched piece that was sitting in the cross stitch graveyard (where all the finished pieces go to ~~rot~~ wait for finishing. The design is a freebie by Lizzie Kate.

On Sunday, I stitched up a quick back and sewed and stuffed it (using the handy hemostat.) Yesterday I spent hours adding the beads -- a tedious and messy job. (I think I will be vacuuming the seed beads up for months.) But I do like how it turned out.

I did start another stitching project -- Bent Creek's "Countryside". I worked on it during the game last night. The result of the game was ~~evil~~ not good, and the refereeing was deplorable, but we'll get 'em here at the Forum.

Stitching

2011-05-17T16:40:00.002-04:00

I finished the Snapperland border as far as I can go without getting some new Sampler Thread flosses.

I was stitching some of the words the other night during the hockey game when the Bolts scored 3 goals in 85 seconds. *sigh* I had to frog it all - it was "urn your face t" -- so a big section to rip out. But it was okay... the Bolts won. I guess I got too excited to count properly!

The leg that received the cortisone shot yesterday swelled up, I ran a fever, and felt awful. Today I am exhausted but my doctor warned me about that. I have been reading my issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects and can't wait for the knee to heal so I can start cutting fabric for some of them!

Sewing tool

2011-05-16T14:06:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share with you how I have been stuffing the birds and pillows I have been making. I used to have a dog many years ago, and I found his hemostat in the garage. I sterilized it and placed it in my sewing box but never used it, until I started stuffing all these things lately.

WOW!!! I will never stuff anything again without it!

It is so much easier to stuff the object firmly and without lumps using the hemostat, so easy to do. I even used it to pull the polyfil apart.

You can find these in quilt stores for much more than at a pet supply store. Mine is long -- probably 7 or so inches. I know they come shorter and longer.

I have a scissors fob underway, too (already stitched and stuffed) but need to finish it up. I had a shot in my knee today and ouch! I am just staying on the couch. I apologize for no pictures.

Is anyone else having trouble commenting on blogs? Since Firefox updated last week, I can no longer comment. I had this problem in the past but it straightened itself out.

Everyone have a fabulous day!

Sewing pictures &c

2011-05-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

These are the birds I made yesterday. I did not like the face/beak on the original pattern and changed it. I do like this better, but don't care for the "tuft" it creates atop the head. More modifications are in order!

I got to go cross stitch shopping the other day. I picked up this free border pattern and the main charts should be in this week. It makes me happy to work on it, and I love the saying on it. I always like the sayings on Snapperland/Snapperville patterns by Bent Creek.

The pillow I made is in the back. I used the same fabric as the brown bird, and it matched the stitchery perfectly. Up front is my stitching treasures box that I made wayyyy back.

And here are my boys... at the new (albeit used) piano. The movers broke our piano when they moved it in, and gave us a whole $20 for it. We took it to a kind Christian repairman and his estimate was $700 or so to fix it. We bought this one for slightly more than that.

The blanket did not muffle the sound very well, but felt between the hammers and strings did. I had picked up a 2 yard package of felt during a big sale just because it was cheap. That was a few years ago, and now it came in very handy.

Playoffs start today, so you know where I will be tonight... glued to the TV.

GO BOLTS!!!

A room with a view

2011-05-13T18:39:00.000-04:00

We have moved (obviously) and are renting a lovely (but big) townhouse. I took some pictures of the balcony off my bedroom and the view from there. Craft pictures will be forthcoming...

You will recognize this plant...

The balcony...

Straight across the street... I tried to get a pic of the glossy ibis, but could not zoom in enough.

There are golfers out there this evening. I saw more golf carts today than I have ever seen in my life!

To the left... more golf course. It is so quiet here... I think I could live in a townhouse like this except the monthly condo fees are a killer, and you can't plant anything since you have no yard.

I hope to get some stitching time in this evening. I did a bit of sewing today and made a pillow from an old sampler, and two more birds. One is already MIA as the little one loves them.

Have a wonderful evening!

My stitch organizer

2011-05-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share my stitching organizer. It works very, very well. I'll show it and then explain it. (The threads are not tangled masses... I just have not stitched on this piece in a while. This system prevents tangles.)

It is a hinged box. I believe a new laptop plug or battery came in it -- by the address on the box, it was something ordered back in 2005. (When you move as much as I have, it's a good indicator of age!) The computer part was packed in foam.

I took my word processing software and typed in the floss numbers, printed it out, then cut it to fit inside the box. I drew the symbols for each color next to the number, then pinned it to the foam with regular flathead sewing pins.

I threaded a bunch of needles as I was working on this project, and since it changes color frequently I just stuck them in the foam next to the number for that color. So, if I am working along and need to change to color 980, I just grab the needle next to 980, mostly by using the symbol. It is just easier for me that way.

I also have my beading needles in there, also pre-threaded. There is room for a pair of scissors, the beads, and the pencil I use to color in the chart (and the foam keeps them from sliding around.) I always photocopy my charts and enlarge them, so I can feel free to write on them all I want. Coloring them in helps me keep my place.

When I am finished stitching, I lay my chart on top and close the lid. This box has moved with me several times and is still intact. It could also be useful for quilting projects like hexagons, beading projects, and other types of stitchery.

I hope you find this little idea for recycling useful for something in your life!

Bookmark

2011-05-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

I have been working on this bookmark for the past two days and finished it this morning. I apologize for the picture quality, but the Sunshine State is not very sunny right now! (I do hope it rains!)

I took the flower off a pattern I have, but I changed all the colors. The phrase I added myself -- I got it from searching Google for flower sayings. The stems/leaves, flower center, and blue letters are leftover Needle Necessities overdyed floss that was in my stash. The flower and "joy" are Weeks' Dye Works Begonia, and the letters in "hope" are Gentle Arts Sampler Threads in Spring Grass.

I need bookmarks for my prayer book. The book is new but the ribbon bookmarks were not put in right and fell out the first day. I had someone look at it and she said I needed to see a bookbinder. I'm not about to do that, so I will make myself bookmarks. I still have three bookmarks left -- I bought a bunch a long time ago at a shop in Plymouth, MA that was closing them out.

My husband says the flower looks like Petey Piranha from the Mario Bros. Nintendo games. Ugh, not the look I was going for!

woohoo!

2011-05-05T09:02:00.000-04:00

Last time I did something like this, my photo went rabid across the internet (even ended up forwarded to me!) so this time I am copyrighting my photo...

Bolts sweep Caps... get it???

Weekend update

2011-05-02T09:37:00.000-04:00

There was lots of (fun!) crafting going on this weekend! First, here are some updated pictures of the afghan. I have one row put together so far, and many more "bits" made. :)

And this is the row... I have more borders to do before the rows are joined, but it is a start!

I finished this cross stitch too. It was scrap fabric and some Caron threads that I have had for a few years. It was a lot of fun... now how to finish it?

And I sewed this little bird. I was thinking "pin cushion" the whole way, but my little one thinks it makes a great "stuffie", so today I will make him a green and yellow one. I have already starched and pressed the fabric to make his, plus another.

I dug this fabric out of my stash. It was given to me by the church, so I will use it for the bazaar. I have 31 inches of the fabric on the left, and almost 2 yards of the fabric on the right. I should be able to make something nice for them. Napkins or placemats, maybe? I am still undecided at this point. Suggestions are welcome!

And for the last photo... 'nuff said. GO BOLTS!!!

Afghan

2011-04-29T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is the afghan I have been talking about. I am not sure how to describe it in words, so I took some pictures.

This is the first step:

You crochet this center in one color. I have many centers made already and many more to go! I am using what I have and what I got at the church, so the colors are not my number one choices, but it is supposed to be scrappy.

This is the second step. You add to the circle using a second color. I have a bunch of these ready, too, but, again, many more to go.

The original center piece, because of how you stitch it, is raised. Definitely not boring!

And this is the third part. You join the circles together with yet another color. This is as far as I have gotten for joining. It looks somewhat obscene at this point but it will get better! These will be joined into rows, then many borders added on, and then the rows are joined and a final border added. The safety pin is marking the stitches I will use to join the next circle.

I forgot to take pictures of the cat blankets and the cat quilt that I donated last weekend. Oh well. I like to take pictures so I can remember what I have done already.

My oven is beeping... gotta run!

Quilts, crochet, and cooking!

2011-04-28T18:34:00.000-04:00

I have been working on those circle motifs for the afghan I am making for the church bazaar. I need to snap some pictures for you (and my local friends). Anyone with great bazaar ideas, let me know!

I spent a long time today surfing the internet for craft ideas for bazaars. And I came across this new mag:
http://www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/

I couldn't resist ordering as I love the quilt on the cover! I ordered the first issue and if I ~~like~~ love it I will subscribe.

Hubby set off the smoke alarm tonight while ~~burning~~ making dinner. Between the screeches, this awful, monotone female voice kept repeating "Fire. Fire. Fire." We were stunned! I never heard a talking smoke alarm before. And she was talking, not screaming. She didn't sound worried at all! It was "Fire." not "FIRE!!!"

We are about to have some thunderstorms. I am so saddened by the weather that our country has suffered the past few days. One of my local crafting friends has relatives missing in Alabama and my prayers are especially with her family, even as they are with everyone in the South.

Victory!

2011-04-27T15:42:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday. I am enjoying the Octave immensely! I have had this hymn stuck in my head for days:

Victory 8 8 8 with Alleluias

Palestrina

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The strife is o'er, the battle done;

Now is the victor's triumph won:

O let the song of praise be sung.

Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
On the third morn he rose again,
Glorious in majesty to reign:
O let us swell the joyful strain:
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
O risen Lord, all praise to Thee.
Who from our sin has set us free.
That we may live eternally:
Alleluia!

The alleluia is back!!! Thank God for Easter!

I feel this hymn so much in my life since I have unloaded a lot of *baggage* that has been weighing me down,, both things and people. I feel free and wish it would last, but alas, there will be another Lent. It's just how life is. The important thing is to learn from it and go on, still smiling, still singing the victor's song...

Rebuttal

2011-04-20T06:33:00.000-04:00

I have been asked to make things for the bazaar at church. I think this will be *fun* crafting for a change. I am ready to enjoy myself and make some different things. I feel like my crafting has gotten to be narrow and mandatory -- which kills the pleasure factor for me. I don't want to become one of those old ladies that makes the same old thing with the same old patterns over and over -- or worse, one of those people who brag about how much they make and need to get surgically removed from their sofa.

Wow, with all the hate mail I am getting for this one I had to go back and read what I wrote again to make sure it was not ambiguous. I did NOT say I was not making anything for charity any more. Hellloooo, what does a church bazaar do, put money in MY pocket? Is broadening your horizons and helping LOCALLY such a big deal? I still have local charities that I help year round -- I am not dropping them at all. Did I say I was? Perhaps a remedial reading course is in order!

There are plenty of people whom the above description fits right here in my area. So if you think it fits you and you are happy with yourself, good for you. I see lots of older people here getting into a rut and then they quit altogether because it is no longer fun or stimulating for them -- and they have nothing to do any more and lose their identity. I know one who has to give counts of how much has been donated in order to keep renting the place (gratis) she uses to make the items -- and even with advertising, she is alone, so she has to churn out the items. Not what I want! I can help more people by broadening my craft skills -- and having fun while doing it. I do not want to be spread too thin any more. This is NOT a charity crafting blog -- it is a craft/life blog. It is hard to believe that people get offended if you make something for yourself and have fun while doing it.

While it is still a free country, I can make what I want for whomever I want-- when I want. And if the charity police don't like it, well... I can send you some good ol' Florida sand and you can pound it.

Checkerboard Bunny

2011-04-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

As I have been trying to rest my knee (I mangled it worse last week) I had time to do some crafting that *I* enjoyed. It took me 2 + days to stitch this little guy.

I stitched him on a scrap of 25 count pink Lugana that I have had forever. He was stitched with Gentle Art Sampler Threads. I have the fabric folded under the top -- I would never stitch anything that close to the edge.

In the flurry of packing and moving, I have now wrecked the knee even MORE. So three times since the original injury. It is swollen and the pain is a stinging and sore sort of pain, and the knee pops every time I step forward with the other leg.

I have been asked to make things for the bazaar at church. I think this will be *fun* crafting for a change. I am ready to enjoy myself and make some different things. I feel like my crafting has gotten to be narrow and mandatory -- which kills the pleasure factor for me. I don't want to become one of those old ladies that makes the same old thing with the same old patterns over and over -- or worse, one of those people who brag about how much they make and need to get surgically removed from their sofa.

Another thing about moving (which is great!) is that you get to pare down your belongings. If I don't love it, or haven't used it, out it goes! I am pretty good about doing that year round but I still have trashed some things.

I hope everyone is having a blessed Holy Week. We are moving this week and hopefully will be ready for Easter! {{{hugs}}}

Growth and change

2011-04-10T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is the same pineapple that I showed you 10 days ago. I took this picture yesterday. It is amazing to see it growing every day. I think you can obviously tell now that it is a pineapple. I can't wait to taste it!

This is the slightly rectangular blanket I started a few weeks ago. I do wish I had made it more rectangular. I think it will be for a kitty. A kitty with green or green-yellow eyes will look sweet on it. I am just going to keep at it until I run out of yarn. I have some other colors that are not good for babies that will be good for cats. I still have quilts to bring them, too (same ones from early winter!) but I have not gotten up there lately. I think my last trip up was November.

We have found a place to rent. It is a townhouse and is actually much bigger than our house. It has four full baths (oh, the joy of cleaning those -- NOT!) and very large rooms, except for the kitchen. I will be able to sew there and have my craft stuff. We had looked at other properties to rent or buy and most of our things would have had to be sold or put into storage. So this is good. There are lots of outdoor spaces there, too -- a courtyard, a large balcony (the plants will love it!), and a huge Florida room. It looks like there is an orange and white kitty next door and I hope he is friendly because we love kitties!

I was at the end of my rope and in tears all the time at the thought of being homeless. I just kept praying and God answered my prayers.

Tomorrow will be a trying day as we have a very serious medical appointment. The pediatrician does not like the look of our son's birthmark -- the same cancerous one that was removed last April. We will be seeing the dermatologist and hopefully she will say it is okay -- though it has 3 colors again... Please keep us in your prayers. Those of you that have been praying for us will never know how much it has meant to us.

And now, back to elevating the knee (and oh yes, I had a reaction to the gel, then to the knee brace itself) and crocheting.

Ouch!

2011-04-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

I had a series of horrific muscle spasms the other night. My left leg jerked out straight and up (about 12-18 inches) three times in rapid fire, and it was so violent it made my neck crack and woke my husband up! The next morning my knee was swollen, so I applied RICE.

Tuesday it was no better, so I went to the treatment center. The doctor there said I had pulled ligaments and gave me a prescription for Prednisone. I had an appointment today with my rheumatologist so I did not fill the 'script.

My rheumy was very upset by the prednisone prescription. She said I would experience serious rebound affects once off it since I also have fibromyalgia. She asked to see the knee and touched it so that I nearly hit the ceiling. It is not pulled ligaments, but anserine bursitis. I will have to treat it with rest, ice, compression, and a prescription gel. I'm not crazy about the gel because it causes liver damage, but this is only temporary.

My Sjogren's is flaring, my fibro is flaring, I have a rash from the sun (I never stay in the sun, but going from the car to the house is long enough), and now I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My doctor said I would have been better off if I never sold my house!

I may have to piece some more hexagons. At least I can do that with my leg elevated!

Sampler idea?

2011-04-03T20:56:00.000-04:00

I was reading the January edition of Blackboard Bulletin yesterday and saw this sweet, unaccredited saying:

If you're looking at the sun, you will seldom see the shadows.

I thought, wouldn't this look great on a sampler? Last night I was thinking about it as I was showering and wondering how I would stitch it. (I do like to create my own stitcheries.) Then I started giggling out loud.

Of course you can't see the shadows! You fried your eyeballs by looking at the sun!!!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Rainy Thursday

2011-03-31T19:37:00.000-04:00

Nothing new here on the craft side of things. I did start a crochet rectangle... I have a skein of yarn and some that matches. How big it comes out will determine whether it is for a baby or a pet.

We have had two days of unstable weather. Our area is just getting rain, but other parts have had severe weather. God has blessed our area and everyone still has their power and there have been no local tornadoes.

Last weekend I was looking at the plants on our lanai and this is what I saw!

It is a pineapple!

Both hubby and daughter planted pineapples, and this one is hubby's. He has a pineapple -- hooray! They are very easy to grow and if you live in a colder climate you can grow them in your house. All you need is a store-bought pineapple, a pot and some soil. If anyone is interested, I will post what to do.

Nothing new on the house front. My realtor finally got upset about the referral thing and took matters into her own hands, and she found us a very nice, capable realtor. Unfortunately I am out of time... I think. The appraiser finally got out here but his report is late or someone is holding out on the information. It was supposed to be in today, then we were going to resume the hunt. I don't feel like I should be packing or house hunting when I may have to stay here after all (if the house does not appraise -- another story for another day. The "expert" said it should NOT appraise -- my appraisal showed otherwise (that we are way underpriced.)

Oh well... tomorrow is another day.

More pieces

2011-03-29T14:18:00.000-04:00

A couple more hexagons. It is so hard to do anything when most of my things are already packed up (like my sewing machines!) I went with jewel tones for these. I am not sure how I will use them.

The appraiser came out today, but who knows how long it will be until someone tells us the result? I still need to know whether I have to move or not!

Dolphin

2011-03-27T15:24:00.001-04:00

I have been under a lot of stress, as readers know. So the other night I decided to just surf the web for quilting information. I found a post about a different way (to me) to do applique, and thought, I bet I can do that! So yesterday I broke out some fabric and a pattern I had downloaded (can't get the site to load to create a link to it for you) and set to work. Not bad for a first time ever doing applique by hand -- considering that there was a wildfire very close by while I was sewing!

The fabrics came from my stash, so not the best choices in the world but I was only making a sample so I didn't really care. :) I still need to put an eye on this guy, too, and thought about using a small button.

It's over 90 degrees right now and I am melting! I did make another hexagon patch which I will show very soon. It is too hot to be on the computer or to be sewing. Have a blessed day!

Saturday

2011-03-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

I've been in today trying my hand at something else new, and keeping my eyes on this fire, which has burned 40 acres so far. The house in the picture is mine! There is only one way out of the neighborhood, and it would be past that fire. :(

Hexed!

2011-03-25T15:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a friend who taught me an easy way to make hexagons. Oh, the possibilities! This is the sample I made with her assistance:

It was pretty easy, even for someone as hand-sewing challenged as I am. :)

I needed a couple of hours to forget the whole house situation. This was good to learn, and hubby repaired a sewing machine for her. A nice afternoon indeed.

Don't let this happen to you!

2011-03-23T07:14:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, in 2003, we had sold our house and were looking for somewhere to move to. We wanted to buy a house, but during this time my husband found out he was permanently disabled. So we were trying to find a rental. At the time, we had 3 kids and 2 cats and could not find anyone who would rent to us. Our agent refused to renegotiate the closing date, and said the buyer refused to rent to us for a week while we scrambled to find something. I had a TIA. The day before we were going to be homeless, a rental came up for us. It was a house built in 1820, mice-infested, holes in the walls to the outside, with horsehair plaster (I ended up on THREE allergy pills and my doctor thought I was going to literally die).

This time around, my agent assured me that it was no big deal saying you would accept a VA loan. We balked, but she insisted. Sure enough, these buyers have a VA loan, and WE HAVE TO PAY THEIR CLOSING COSTS!!!!

I asked for a closing date closer to the end of April, and these arrogant creeps asked for before Easter! They want to have Easter in "their" house! Hello, it is MY house!!! And my son should be graduating from high school after that time. Did they care? Nooooo! They asked for the day after Easter, the day my daughter will be flying back to college. Did they care? Nooooo! They wanted to put zero down, and we balked. So they put 1% down and tried to stick us with repair costs. And on and on... it was all about THEM.

I wanted a contingency on me finding a suitable house (to buy or rent). My realtor assured me that we would find something with no problem. She was supposed to hook us up with agents in 3 other counties. Did she? Nooooo.... and here it is, 30 days until closing. I have been on the computer so much I got a boil. She was supposed to get us 2 rental experts to give us rental listings... the first one sent us condos at $3500 a month, and I told her we could not afford those and asked for cheaper ones. Did she send them? Nooooo! The other rental person promised me listings by Monday... you already know what I am going to say... Did she send them? Nooooo!

I went out to the west coast and looked at dumps on Saturday. Nothing there we would buy.

Meanwhile, we were trying to move closer to my son's university, and they did not give him enough financial aid to even go there! We have been calling and calling and they are not helping us at all. So where is he going to go to college? We have no idea.

I asked ... in writing... TWICE for the closing to be moved to mid or end of May. My emails were completely ignored.

We found a rental here, closeby, but their appraiser has not been out to the house yet. I have been asking and asking when that will be done, since if the house does not appraise, the deal is off and I would have my mortgage AND a lease to pay. Did anyone get this information? Noooo! So I could not sign a lease, and the house rented over the weekend. It was the only one in our price range.

So it looks like yours truly will be homeless soon... or refusing to vacate her premises and making the buyer go through an eviction. Lovely way to live.

Or I will have another stroke and die.

I take a grand total of 5 tranquilizers a year... I have taken at least 12 the past two weeks, trying not to have another stroke.

Every incidence I have described here is from the same real estate company. And I am ready to name names.

Please pray for our family. Even the little one is crying at the drop of a hat (a child safety cap that was upside down had him in tears yesterday). My son scored in the 98th percentile on his ACT and may not be able to go to college. My husband and I are ready to crack.

Don't let this happen to you. And definitely don't let this happen to you three times like I have.

Moving along...

2011-03-18T07:02:00.000-04:00

Since going to the quilt show, I have not had a chance to craft anything. If anything, I have had to go through my stash and pare it down. Our house is contingent, and the people who are buying it have been a complete pain from Day One. We are waiting for their appraisal to come through, and then it should be a done deal (though you never know with people who think only of themselves.)

I have been spending at least 10 hours a day looking at property, either in person or online. Tomorrow I need to make a 4 hour ride (each way) to look at two properties. Not fun. My nerves are stretched to their extreme, and my asthma is kicking up, and my eyes are buggy from the computer and I am sore from sitting for so long. I am normally very active.

Since I started the Meniere's diet, and have been stressed out to the max, I have lost 20 pounds. 20 lbs in exactly 3 months is pretty good, don't you think? Except that I didn't really have 20 to lose. I am now 7 pounds away from underweight. Last time I was this stressed (a similar move situation), I was en route to becoming a Weight Watchers group leader, and they threw me out!!! They told me to come back when I had gained some weight. So now you have heard everything!!! Imagine getting tossed for losing too much? I also had a TIA... which I don't want or need this time!

I might need to change my blog title to "One Moving Sheep" since I have not been able to craft anything. My friend wants to give me lessons on how to hand piece hexagons, which I would dearly love to learn. And I have been asked to lead a craft group, NOT charity group, at church. Things always seem to go bad for me as far as timing goes.

Is anyone else having trouble with the time change? I have been waking up at 4... my stupid body, instead of being "normal" and waking up an hour later, is waking up two hours earlier. It must be the stress.

My TV broke permanently last night. I tried to watch a hockey game and couldn't see the players' numbers, never mind the score. A 20 inch TV 17 feet away is impossible for someone with good eyes to see, never mind someone who is nearsighted and has residual blur from nerve damage to the left eye.

Bear with me... I'll be crafty again soon. I need to be... it relieves stress.

Quilts!!!

2011-03-11T17:34:00.001-05:00

Guess where I went today? My friend and I had a wonderful time...

I am always in awe of other quilters... and their use of color, piecing, jewels, thread, other fibers, etc. I took lots of pictures and hope you will enjoy seeing all the talent.

You can click on this picture below to see the close-up shots.

Quilt Symposium

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Sonic boom

2011-03-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

The sonic boom from today's space shuttle landing... this one was very quiet compared to normal. Normally the whole house shakes from it.

Holy mackerel!

2011-03-08T15:49:00.000-05:00

I don't have pictures, so you'll just have to trust me on this one!

Yesterday afternoon, my husband rented a power washer and cleaned the front sidewalks and driveway. Then he brought the washer around the back, and my 17 year old cleaned the lanai, screens, and eaves of the house. I was sitting on a lawn chair way in the back of the yard with my husband, and suddenly one of us noticed something on the roof.


Sandhill crane circa 2006

Now, to me, it looked like a giant dead bird. I mean GIANT. We have pelicans, ibises, storks, sandhill cranes, and other big birds here. But in the mess of cleaning, we forgot about it.

I remembered it this morning and looked up the phone number for Florida Fish & Wildlife. If it was a dead crane, they are protected and you can't touch them even if they are dead.

My son looked up for the first time and thought it was a crane. I thought crane, vulture, or turtle, but for the life of me could not figure out why the vultures hadn't eaten it. My husband said he would get the ladder and try to get a better look. Our roof is very high and a hip roof to boot (just what you want for insurance purposes, though) and this corpse was up as high as it could be.

Hubby went up the ladder, and from this angle decided it was a book and a palm frond. From that angle, I thought palm frond and baseball glove. He said since he had gone up that far, he was going up all the way. When he got to the top, he cried out: "It's a..."

FISH!!!

I couldn't believe it, but he was certain it was a huge fish. He kicked it down off the roof onto the lawn, and my son went over and said, "Yup. It's a fish."

The head on this fish was at least 5 inches across! The "palm frond" was its skeletonized body. The fish was, when living, 2 feet long. We have no idea what kind of fish it was.

Good grief and holy mackerel, only in Florida!!

And more!

2011-03-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

This is the last of the crochet pictures. I have more things done, but no ends sewn in.

I think my stack of blocks has doubled since I took this picture! And I did not crochet all weekend. On Saturday I worked as a volunteer at the thrift store, sorting through donated clothes. You get some lovely donations... and then some not so lovely (underarm stains, blood stains, covered in pet fur, etc.) I sorted through 8 large trash bags in the hour before my cell rang. The realtor who was showing the house could not get in, so we had to race home to let him and his client in. They were inside for 25 minutes, and by then my muscles had seized in my upper back. So much for volunteering for the day.

This is another Easter preemie blanket. They are packed and ready to ship, except we had to race home instead of go to the post office. I don't think we will get there today, either.

I liked this pattern... once I ripped out the original, threw that pattern away, and restarted off my ye-olde-standby ripple pattern. I just downsized everything.

And this is the blanket to go with the burial gown that didn't have one yet. I finished this one last week.

So far today I have cleaned and washed the inside of my refrigerator, crocheted a square, scrubbed my kitchen tile with bleach and a toothbrush, and cleaned most of the house. And taught school! I am tired and my upper back is like a brick. Time to rest!

More crocheting!

2011-03-04T18:21:00.000-05:00

I made a couple of preemie Easter blankets like this one. This yarn was fun to use and the colors were cheerful and bright. It gave me Spring Fever -- but I think Spring is here now to stay. (fingers crossed)

Another burial gown, with angel and bracelet. I just finished the blanket yesterday but the picture is still sitting in my camera. ;)

Someone gave me a box of yarn and since I usually make baby things, and this was definitely not baby colors, I made a bunch of squares. I will donate these to be made into afghans. They were fun to make and I made a bunch more... but that picture is still on the camera, too.

I started a scrappy crochet project from a magazine my mom gave me. I didn't take pictures of it yet but I will soon once I get some ends sewn in.

This is so much more fun than the same-old stuff. I had forgotten how much I like to make squares. I hate sewing in ends, but if I do it while my son is doing some classwork it doesn't seem so bad and makes the time go by. So that is how I will do it for now... until he graduates in May! I am already heartbroken about that... he has sat at the table with me for school for the past 14 years. My sweet boy will be off to college in the fall right around his birthday. I still miss my daughter and we are counting down the days until she is home for Spring Break -- 8 more days!

It has been so rewarding to watch both of them grow up, excel on their entrance exams, and watch BOTH of them get full scholarships to universities. And both were big-name tech schools. My house will be empty-feeling without my son and his humor, kindness, quirkiness, and majestic piano playing. (Thanks for playing Prelude No. 15 for Mom and little brother every night, Dear One.) I guess this is just a natural part of them growing up... I never get used to one leaving. It just always hurts. So for now, I am enjoying my boys, and next week, will enjoy my boys AND my girl. :)

Hats

2011-03-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Remember I mentioned being on a hat kick? These are the hats I made.

The trio are all preemie sized. And every one of these patterns ended up in the trash! I was not happy with any of them, so why keep them, forget I didn't like them, and put myself through that again?

I have been throwing away a lot of patterns lately!

This next group are all newborn sized hats. All the knit ones except the purple one were the pattern I always use. The pattern for the purple one -- yes, I threw that one out too!

The blue/brown crocheted one... yes, another in the trash! Oh well... they all fit my newborn sized doll, so they are useful. Just not my favorite hats ever.

Finally got the camera out!

2011-03-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the things I have been working on:

These are more isolette liners. I am out of flannel now (except for scraps) so that will be it for a while.

Another burial gown set. The set is a gown, blanket, angel, and bracelet.

And, a lapghan, the first I have made. Someone gave me some yarn and I just used it until it ran out. I will give it to my friend to bring to her church. They make things for nursing homes mostly, so they will find it a home. It was fun to make something different.

I have more pictures and more things to show... tomorrow. :) It's too nice to sit at the computer!

Finished the skirt!

2011-03-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

And finally wore it, albeit only for a couple of hours this morning as it was too cold out. The skirt is a linen/rayon blend and feels so good on. I started it last fall and have since lost 15 pounds so I really need to adjust the waist to fit now. :)

New project

2011-02-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

No pictures yet, but I have a new project going. I will say it is a crochet project and it is getting really big. It is too warm to have it on my lap right now.

The weather has been hot here for over a week now. We went from cold to hot and my body is having a tough time adjusting to the difference.

I have spent a lot of time lately looking at different patterns and after this one, I will try something new and different to celebrate spring!

Apology

2011-02-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

Warning: There will be no craft content in this long blog post.

I apologize to all my online friends, blog readers, and friends for my lack of posting. I apologize for lack of craft content, and to my friends in my groups for my silence and lack of usual encouragement and humor. I am not dissatisfied with any of you, angry at anyone, and am not going to give up my crafts! I have just been going through a year of h - e - double-hockey-sticks which I will detail here in hopes someone in the future (or unfortunate present) can benefit from my experience.

If you look at the blog archives, it will be obvious when the big trouble started. It started in January, stopped in March, then picked up again. And all my troubles had to do with church -- or a person at church, and the harassment of me and my family and the stalking of my son.

You all know I was very active in my church -- between the Ladies' Guild and other things. I was friends with everyone -- there was no one I disliked there. One person was borderline, and that person was my son's supervisor at the thrift store. She does not work and her only friend pays her bills. She has lots of excuses for why she does not work and is a chronic liar. We tried very hard to show Christian charity to this person, even though no one there liked her at all. She caused hostility between my children and strife in our home. But the big problems started when I was appointed to the vestry.

This horrible woman thought she could control me. She would start calling me about 10 days before every meeting, and would go through her list of what was wrong with the church. Then she would gossip very meanly and hatefully about every last member. Now, I do not gossip nor do I like anyone who does. She would call every day and every night. She would pass notes to me in the meetings saying "You say this:..." which I did not. Finally I went to the rector and told him, and his advice was for ME to quit. I was on my last nerve, so I did quit. You can tell when this happened by the number of posts going up!

This woman very briefly started calling me again when the rector, who she had by a leash, passed away, but it did not last. Her calls would be, "You have the most wonderful son. He is so perfect and you did such a good job raising him. He is just an outstanding young man." Followed by gossip about anyone and everyone at church. This only lasted about a week or two.

She thought my son felt the same about her. In reality, he could not stand her and wanted to quit his job for a long time. He only stayed because she would heap the work on an autistic lady that my son is fond of.

She told him where he needed to go to college, what career he needed. She threw out his water bottle from the school that is not local. When he said he could not afford to go to the university SHE chose, she tried talking him into the junior college. My son scored in the 98th percentile on his ACT -- why would he EVER go to the junior college? This was the last straw for my husband, and he said he never wanted to go to church there again. I stopped going a week or two later.

For me, church is a deeply spiritual experience. And it is like going back home... everyone knows me, comes up to me, and we all are happy to see each other and pray for each other. She was robbing me of that, but I found another church in Florida which broadcasts live over the internet and was watching and enjoying that.

A lovely lady from church passed away, and I attended her funeral. Right after the funeral, I walked to the front of the church and stood talking to the organist and one of the priests. She did not approach me.

Last week, the new rector, who sees through her, fired her. And she started calling again. She lied about why she was fired and wanted to make sure my son would not go to work on Saturday. She then asked me to go into the store and delete the hard drive of the computer! NO WAY! This woman is crazy. My on decided he was going to work anyway, and the following day went to his piano lesson on the church premises. She started calling, wanting to be sure he did not go to work. He was feeling stalked and changed his mind and did not go. No one went. She called them all and told them to stay home or else.

Several friends from church kept emailing me begging me to come back, that things would change, but I did not want to deal with this crackpot. I finally spoke to one on the phone, and she told me to go to the new rector and tell him these things, because he needed to know. So I did. And I was impressed with him. He was sincere and wanted to take immediate action, but I hesitated. He asked us to come back to church.

The next day we ALL went over and worked in the store. It was the first time we actually enjoyed it! It was nonstop work and my body was hurting afterward, but I felt good. I went to church on Sunday and it was like a family reunion after Mass.

My son was serving at the next Mass, and this witch did not attend, but her only friend did. She asked my son if he had gone to work and he said yes because he will not lie. I knew the phone would start ringing. Now, I had not been answering the phone for her. But she destroyed my peace that day and interrupted my prayer. It is like she is sent from satan to steal my joy and my Christian testimony. Ironically, when she called I was praying for someone she hates' son.

I called the rector and let him know that she was harassing us again. Again he wanted to confront her.

Yesterday I talked to several people. Together we decided she has borderline personality disorder AND narcissistic personality disorder. I have not worked as a counselor in a long time but I can still diagnose -- and that was my strong point. We hashed over what I should do. And then the phone rang again -- this time it was her only friend, and she left a BS message about having health information for me. I did not return her call either. But I did speak with the most Christian friend I have and the holiest lady I know -- that's you, Mary!!!-- and I called the rector and told him he can go ahead and confront her.

I don't know if this person is physically dangerous. She is as tall as me but weighs more than twice what I do, and she is off her rocker. But she is not stalking or harassing my son any more. I refuse to deal with her in a kind manner any longer. And hopefully she is out of our lives for GOOD, and we can all go back to normal. I want to get relaxed enough that I can go back to being an encourager, a prolific crafter, a humorous touch to brighten your day.

Pray for us.

And never allow your sense of Christian duty, or compassion, to take over your life when you need to set firm boundaries with people. Your instincts are usually right, and you need to cut the leech out of your life immediately. Do not teach your children to respect ALL elders as there are some unworthy of it, even at church.

For the birds!

2011-02-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

The other night I was on the phone talking to a friend when my husband called me to the lanai. There were thousands of birds heading north. I mean thousands. I am a bird lover, and we rarely see any birds down here except for the usuals -- white ibis, sandhill cranes, mockingbirds, and pelicans. Occasionally I get to see a cardinal or a hummingbird. One of my pleasures in life was to sit in my sunroom in the morning, sipping my coffee, and watching the birds -- cardinals, chickadees, robins, large numbers of hummingbirds, mockingbirds, bluebirds, cowbirds, nuthatches, etc. And the same pleasure could be had at dusk. This was in North Carolina. I have never had this pleasure in Florida.

This morning, the same thousands of birds were heading back South, the direction they had come from. I shot a video of them but once I compressed it, it is not that good. And I shake horribly due to my medical conditions.

I stayed out there for a while, and many ended up landing in my yard. Joy! And they were robins. So I looked up "robins Florida February" and came up with this:

http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%20columns/Robin.Snowbirds.htm

I stood out there freezing (56*) but had to watch and enjoy their song. Now I am inside thawing. :)

A great start to my day!

I'm so blue....

2011-02-16T21:09:00.000-05:00

for many reasons!

I guess I am blue-d to death as far as yarn goes! I finally finished that hat and gown and they are waiting to be washed. I started a pink blanket instead. :) I did finish the multi-colored ones I was doing (3 of them) and I did enjoy working with those cheery colors.

Got feedback from the latest showing -- though my realtor practically had to pull teeth. You all saw my kitchen on the 3rd of this month... the feedback was that the kitchen was cold, lacking cabinets, and they hated the floor plan. I have never owned or lived in a house with this many cabinets! On the opposite wall from the stove (not in the pictures) I have a huge pantry and a huge closet. The closet alone is at least 4 feet wide by 3 feet deep, with shelving. The kitchen showed similarly to what I pictured, except I had a homemade heart-shaped cake on the counter, a loaf of Easter bread beside it. I also had Valentine's decorations out -- (pictured Feb 5, 2009) -- the hearts on the chandelier are on doorknobs throughout the house, the conversation hearts and candle were on a large red plate atop the blue doily (Dec 4 2010) on my kitchen table with one heart hanging from the kitchen chandelier. The Valentine's banner was hanging on the blue kitchen wall. So, do you think it is too cold? Are colors of the beach bad in the kitchen (I live 5 miles from the ocean)? Opinions and remedies are appreciated, so leave a comment please.

Adventures in Stitchery

2011-02-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

My favorite craft ever is any involving needle and thread. Counted thread embroidery, pulled work, drawn work, cut work, crewel, primitive stitchery, etc. This was the first craft I embraced back in 1991. Followers of the blog will notice there is not much stitching going on here! There are a few reasons why. (If you receive needlework publications, you may recognize some of these stories as I have had them appear in print. Sorry.)

I have had several mishaps with stitching throughout the years. A couple of them involved my feline companions.

I was in the living room one day and could hear cat commotion in the kitchen. Nothing new there... probably chasing each other around the table as they did love to chase each other. But wait a second... in the kitchen? The kitties only stayed in the kitchen long enough to eat, so this warranted further investigation. And what did I find? The kitties had been playing soccer... or weaving... or something... with a ball of perle cotton!!! It was woven and tangled through the legs of the chairs in hopeless knots. Those two cats are lucky they lived to a ripe old age after that one! I would assume they are happily playing soccer, or weaving, or whatever... swatting balls of perle cotton around in heaven.

One of these cats never learned. I was starting a new Christmas stitchery kit in silk threads on linen and had sorted my threads out on top of my bed when nature called. I was gone for probably 90 seconds at the most. As I was carding the silk threads I realized... wait a second... where's the only piece that is overdyed? And there, sitting at the foot of the bed, was the culprit. Happily licking his paws after a feast on overdyed silk! I could replace the other colors from my stash of kit leftovers, but not this one (expensive) thread. A call to my local shop, where I had bought the kit, caught the always-a-crab-and-rude owner in one of her moods where she told me it was my problem and would not call the company. (No wonder she went out of business!) So, I made the call to the company... who laughed a LOT... and kindly sent me the replacement silk at no cost.

I have no kitties these days due to allergies, but I do have children. My kids have wanted to "help" me stitch from Day One. Three of them are too old to bother anymore, but when they were smaller it was tough. They all went through the phase of staring intently at my work (I hate having anyone stare at me like that), and then the phase of having to pull the needle through the topside (always unthreading it, of course), of wanting to play with the pretty colors, and, for the son who used to be my youngest, adding a touch of Hardanger (cutwork embroidery) to an autumn sampler done in silks on linen. He cut a huge hole and a few smaller ones in my sampler! Where was I? Bathroom again! All that coffee, you know. Miss Always-a-Crab did talk me through how to hide it with stitches, but you can still see a small hole out beyond the border of the sampler.

And now my little guy... he has to take ALL my craft tools apart -- in case they are interesting, you know. My stitch markers for knitting, row counters, rulers, tape measures, bobbins of floss, etc. are all toys for him. AND, he is at the pulling the needle through the top of the fabric stage. Only now I am older and threading the needle is not as easy as it was back when the others were little. Hence, I hate taking my things out, and setting up, only to end up aggravated.

I have purchased gold needles to see if they help with my other problem... the skin peeling off my fingers due to metal allergy. The allergy has gotten far, far worse. From sewing in ends yesterday (and you know how quickly that goes) I have peeling in both index fingers today.

I would love to sit, listening to Baroque music, needle and thread in one hand, linen in the other, and peacefully stitch the day away. But it is not going to happen any time soon. :)

Catch up Day

2011-02-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days where I just try to catch up with craft projects. Ends to sew in, paint to put on, ribbons to tie, etc. Lately most of the crafty things have been yarn projects, including baby hats.

I have a gown started and I hate the pattern. Getting through it is torture! Don't you hate when that happens? I also have a hat started and a blanket. I am painting a memory box that one of the ladies at church makes -- so far I have painted a rose on it. And I'm bored with all of it.

I promised to talk about my "diet" -- since I lost so much weight. First, I was not overweight to begin with, but was heavier than I like to be. Secondly, the diet was recommended -- no, demanded -- by my physician.

It is a very easy diet to follow.

1) Drink 1.5 liters of water a day, every day.

2) Do not consume more than 1800 mg sodium.

It sounds easy, and it is. The problem is, you might be surprised how much sodium is in your breakfast cereal, or favorite cookie, etc. And, you CANNOT go out to eat. Period. I have not found any restaurant that would keep me in these guidelines. That's okay... I am eating healthier.

You need to give it at least 6 weeks. Right about at the six week mark, I felt improvement in my hearing. So if you have Meniere's or are in need of losing a few pounds, you should give this a try.

Don't say it's too hard, or you can't add up milligrams, etc. Or, "It didn't work," when you stuck to it for two days, cheated for several, stuck to it for one day. You will not get any sympathy from me. I have heard it all before from very overweight friends and family members. I translate that as, "I don't want to bother. Give me a magic pill and pass the chips and ice cream."

My doctor told me that almost every woman who goes on this diet will lose 10 pounds, so why not give it a try? You just need to put in a very little effort, and your body will thank you for it, even if you don't lose an ounce. Flushing all that extra sodium out of your system will make your organs happy.

Back to my yarn penance...

Shells

2011-02-05T17:36:00.000-05:00

I played with seashells and beads today, and this is what I came up with. :)

I also played with paint, but didn't get a picture yet. Tomorrow, when the sun is up. It was about 84 degrees today and it felt so good. It's been a long time since we have had a warm weather streak like this.

Help, please!

2011-02-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

This time it's the kitchen. But the wall is bare! I do have my Valentine's banner up for now, but I am looking for suggestions on what to put on the wall. It needs to keep that Florida casual/breezy feel, and I would prefer it to use things I have on hand!

Good news... I went back to the doctor yesterday, and my MRI was clear and I have recovered my hearing entirely in my right ear, and mostly in my left ear. So, the diet worked! Not only did I lose all that weight, but my hearing is back! I wish the underwater/clogged feeling would go away, but the doc said it could take 2-3 months, or may never happen.

I have another hat on my knitting needles, and I am getting that same angled swirly color block look like I got on the one I posted a couple of weeks ago. Does anyone know why this is happening? Is it my tension, needle size, fact that I am working in the round? I sure could use some help on this one.

I will post more on the diet in the future. It is the talk of my AI group right now!

Busy end to January

2011-01-31T20:46:00.001-05:00

Today I did some more decorating. I made a set of napkin rings out of wire, beads, and two old pins from my childhood. One is a turtle and the other a fish. I also redid the dining table. I'm not happy with it yet, but it is a work in progress.

I painted a box that I have had for years and am not too happy with it either. We'll see what becomes of it!

I also finished a cross stitch that I had done in 2004. It is up for Valentine's Day.

And I made a seashell garland, but forgot to take pictures. I want to make more of them, but the Dremel bit already bit the dust!

I started this frame last night and finished it today. The picture is only propped behind it for now. I am too tired to finish it up. I started by mixing my own paint color, and put on a coat of that. When that dried, I whitewashed the frame. Next I mixed another custom color and stenciled the words on. Then a coat of glaze, and finally the seashells were cemented on.

And I helped my husband paint part of the kitchen wall. Oh yeah, and I taught school this morning! And cooked dinner.

I am about done in! I am ready for a muscle relaxer and bed!

Have a good, restful night.

Edit: I forgot that I framed four pictures and redid the hallway table! It had winter decorations on it before.

Bye bye, yucky yellow!

2011-01-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

Before: My yellow rooms. They had been blue, and my realtor told me if I painted them yellow, my house would sell. That was four years ago!

Understand: I hate yellow. Hate it. Maybe others feel the same way, because no one bought the house!

All the work we put into these rooms -- the floors, window trim, and beadboard -- just died on the yucky yellow. The rooms were originally blue because I love blue.

Even the kids hated these rooms!

And here is the after:

Back to blue! Huzzah!

And oh, the crafty possibilities now!

Couldn't you see a seascape/beach-themed tablescape?

I would love to cover the beat up chairs with short white chair skirts.

I will enjoy relaxing in the chair and listening to my son play the piano. I have a list of favorites he plays for me... Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Chopin's Preludes #4 and #15, etc. It will be fun to relax in a room that doesn't make me grit my teeth!

I think the pictures and the beadboard just pop out at you now.

And how about the window trim? It really pops now.

I have a bunch of seashells from Sanibel Island that I could use for crafts. I also have some fake sea glass, and stones. If I run out, the beach is only 8 minutes away.

Did you see the banner at the Moda blog today? I just had to make one. Mine is very different. I had squares of batting cut for that QAYG project that I scrapped, and I was able to use some here. The banner letters are held together with Lollipop binding. from: http://www.popsbindings.com/. I got one at the quilt retreat last year, and finally got to use it. I should buy a bunch more. They are so convenient and the possibilities are endless!

Maybe I should do a beach-themed banner?!

Important to note: If you are a fan of Kilz Colors paint like I am, Walmart is no longer going to carry it. My husband bought the blue paint on Thursday, and they did not tell him that then. When he went to get another can yesterday, they were out of the base. He had to drive to another Walmart, where he was able to get the last can. If you have wanted to do a little painting and like this paint, RUN to the store while they still have it.

Be back soon!

Mezzo e mezzo

2011-01-24T20:37:00.000-05:00

The day started off great! Those of you who know me know the story, others will not. When I was a month or so pregnant with my toddler, I injured my ankle somehow (still don't know what I did.) I was first put into a cast, then a brace, then a boot, and ordered off my feet for the whole nine months. I did lots of crocheting and knitting... and gained a LOT of weight. My little one was 9 pounds, 12.2 ounces. Not very little! And I lost a bunch of weight right off (40 pounds) but then stagnated. In desperation, I gave away all my clothes save one pair of capris and my favorite jeans. I vowed to wear them again.

Today, I wore those jeans! Proudly!

That doesn't say much for my wardrobe. All my clothes have been falling off lately. I had started losing a lot back at the end of November and have lost 15 pounds so far. My size 12's were replaced with 2 pairs of 10's at Christmas but I still am wearing them... and I need a size 6 Tall! I can get them off without unbuttoning them or unzipping them, and spend all day hiking them up. They twist and turn when I walk and rub the spot where both the spinal tap and blood patch were done, irritating it.

I had saved a few shirts including my son's boys' size hockey jersey. I told him I would wear it someday and I plan on wearing it tomorrow night during the game... barring the bad weather we are supposed to have.

I think I need some clothes, fast!

I made two more hats out of that skein of yarn and had enough for the cuff of another. I can knit now without my wrists or shoulders bothering me -- another good thing.

The bad thing... crocheting still hurts like crazy, and I had to rip the prayer shawl apart. It has been going sooo slowly, and I finally decided to measure it. Instead of being 62 inches across, mine was 86!!! Yes, 86 inches, not a typo! I had only done 17 rows and this was over a skein of yarn. I knew I crocheted loosely, but that's ridiculous! So, I will now feel free to start a more manageable crochet project.

No sewing today. School takes up a bunch of my days during the week so that usually waits for the weekend or an uncontrollable urge to play with fabric.

Wishing you a day filled with more ups than downs!

Donating locally

2011-01-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

All of these quilts and hats were donated locally this past Thursday. There were two of the flannel-backed quilt (from an earlier post) and a few other items that were not photographed. The one with cherries was my first on-my-own-with-no-teacher quilt. The large pink floral centered one was from last year's retreat. It just doesn't match a single thing in my house, and I hate pink. :)

I brought them to a Catholic Mission to migrant farm workers. They give the items to families in need and do not sell them. I have donated to a local pregnancy center but they sell my items -- and they sell fast -- and have lots of blankets and quilts in stock. If I wanted to sell my things, I would sell them myself.

The church serves many, many migrant families in need. I know they are not the most popular group living here in Florida, but they work hard and with all the freezes of late are out of work. I would rather serve my brothers and sisters in Christ than fatten someone's pocketbook. And, I didn't have to pay for shipping -- just a pleasant ride on an 84 degree day! I will not go into the hateful things that have been said recently about people without a big bank account, but God loves us all -- even me.

That said, it is 37 degrees right now, and another hard night for crops. We really need a break from all this cold.

I have decided to work on whatever I feel like working on, and to stop putting off things my family needs to work on charity projects. I have done that for over 6 years, and it is time for a break. A big break.

My first project was a hat... for an older toddler. I used some fun colors and don't even have a place to send it to (unless the freezes keep up.) I can always donate it to my mom's church that helps the needy -- they donate over 1,000 items a year, and it is never enough.

I enjoyed working on a project "just because" -- and banged this one out in under a day.

My next project was long overdue. My little one loved a pillow my daughter and I had made (about 10 or more years ago) for the back of our rocking chair. The problem was, it was a dark blue small floral print. I had been wanting to make a new cover for it for the past couple of years, and finally decided my poor little man had been waiting long enough. So yesterday I made this (with math help from my dh) and he immediately carted it off to his room before I could even snap a picture!

I have a baby hat on my knitting needles, and next I would like to make a table runner for Valentine's Day. I am slowly working on having one for every season/holiday.

My dearest friend suggested I have a month dedicated to myself and what I feel like doing. A dear relative suggested something similar. Maybe it is not a bad idea. I already feel better just thinking about it!

Sewing and knitting

2011-01-19T17:33:00.000-05:00

This is one of the quilts that I was writing about in my last post. The second is still just a top. And these are the two hats -- finished. The one on the right will fit a small toddler and the one on the left a larger toddler (it fits my 4-year-old.) Where I am bringing them will remain a mystery for now. I don't like the stripy affect the yarn made in the hat cuff on the left. Not sure why that happened.

The quilt was all remnants from other quilts I have made -- charity quilts and the ones for my twin nephews.

My toddler and I also made a rosary today. We finished a pink one that we had started when Sissy (my daughter) was home from college for Christmas.

Would you believe it was 81 degrees today? I spent a bit of it outside picking up dead leaves from freeze damage to my cordylines and blasting weeds with weed killer. And watching people do drive-by's on my house.

I hope it was sunny and pleasant where you are, if not downright warm.

Some crafts, some nerve!

2011-01-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

I have been busy making different things but have not had time to take pictures. I finished a knit hat, and have one complete quilt top and one unfinished one. I have another hat on my needles and the shawl on my hooks.

It has been soooo hard since the house has been showing a lot. But today, I put my foot down (for once) and I think you will cheer with me.

That same nasty realtor who showed the house weeks ago, then sent an email saying it was way overpriced, sent another saying she wanted to come back. She included all the different houses she has seen that are cheaper. Helllooo, if this house is so overpriced and your clients didn't like it, why do you want to come back? Because you are trying to set me up to take much, much less than my asking price. I told my agent that she could tell this woman she knew where to find my --- and to kiss it. My agent (nicely) passed the message along, saying you cannot compare an abandoned foreclosure, which has sat through who-knows-how-many months and seasons with no electricity, no air conditioning, exposed to the elements, with a well-cared for, QUALITY home, and that if her clients weren't prepared to offer at or close to list price, not to waste my time. (Her words.) Suddenly they were no longer interested. Good riddance!

Meanwhile, I had gotten pretty stressed out over the whole thing. And then today, the weather looked like this:

Yes, a tornado warning! Right before we were supposed to leave the house for some other people who were coming to look.

My poor craft projects keep getting stashed, and then I am so tired from running around cleaning that I can't take them back out for usually 2 whole days. Such is the life of someone with multiple autoimmune diseases.

I have been on the Meniere's diet for my hearing loss since December 23rd, with no cheating, and no improvement. I think my hearing has gotten worse, and I am not a happy camper.

I hope the weather is bright and sunny wherever you are, and the storm clouds stay out of your life. And that you never get an autoimmune disease!

25!!!!

2011-01-12T08:07:00.000-05:00

First, the crafts, then I will explain the 25.

I made this pair of baby scratch mitts yesterday for charity. They were a pain in the neck! You have to sew around the outside to make the casing for the elastic, and NO sewing machine arm is that skinny, so it was a battle. And inside-outing these, because they were lined, was very painful for my hands. I may make scratch mitts again, but not from this pattern. I just need to think through an easier way to do them.

And the 25 is not the degrees out here... though we got down to 40. The 25 is because 25 years ago, my honey and I were married! Not many people our age make it that far, so it is an achievement. I was a child bride... married at age 4. ;) Okay, not much over the legal age, though.

Bear in mind... I am not a whale. I wear a size 8 and am 5'8". I do have all my teeth, my eyes are light green with blue rims, and my hair is normally much curlier but the dry weather flattens it out.

I hope to have a good day with no real estate showings, unless someone is going to buy the house. Stay warm, snuggle under a quilt or afghan, have a nice cup of tea or cocoa, and do what you love today. {{hugs}}

Finished Quilt

2011-01-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the Stained Glass Snowball quilt! I did specialty stitches between the blocks and used the remnants of the blocks to make the binding.

I wanted to finish up another quilt, but I need to free-motion on it and my machine is not working right. Someone broke the tension disk (not me!!!) and it is fine for piecing but not for quilting.

I did want to show the back of the quilt. I cannot afford to buy yardage for backing (at least until this house sells and I move someplace with a more reasonable cost-of-living) so I wanted to piece together fabrics that had been dumped at the thrift store. My son works there, so sometimes -- once in a blue moon -- they send the fabric home with him. These are not fabrics I particularly like, so this would use them up instead of allowing them to take up space.

I was puzzling over how to do it when my husband offered to do the math for me. Then he decided to piece it together. So I guess my crafting fairy did come after all! This is what he came up with.

He would never quilt, but figuring out how to use up stuff is up his alley. Go figure. "I" may do all my backs like this from now on. ;)

I had another fairy -- temporarily -- in my daughter. She pressed the blocks for me. So this quilt fairly flew together. It was more a matter of my health holding together to feel up to sewing on it.

My hearing has gotten much, much worse lately. The low-sodium diet is not helping at all. I think my birthday cake may have triggered something -- maybe the sugar?

I need to cook dinner, so I'm off! Stay warm and stay inside if you are getting snow or sleet.

Birthday blues

2011-01-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

I woke up yesterday in the mood to cry. Not particularly because it was my birthday, since the day before I had the blues bad, too.

I received a lovely email from a friend and just started crying. With Sjogren's that is a feat in itself (and leaves me with burning, hurting eyes afterwards.) I missed my best friend so much at that moment (she passed away in January TEN years ago) and had been feeling so down about the house not selling.

My next email was from my realtor asking my opinion on the feedback from the last showing. It was a nastygram from the showing agent saying the house was 30K overpriced. If she was right, the house would be worth LESS than my downpayment on it! I told her I was not worrying about idiots and I did not want to hear any more about it on my birthday. She then sent me a nice card and dropped it.

I told my husband, "All I want to do today is sew!" He bought me a sewing machine at Walmart with all the fancy stitches I had been wanting. So I set it up and started doing some crazy quilt stitches on my Stained Glass Snowball quilt in between teaching my boys when the phone rang. You all know who it was.

Someone wanted to see the house. You read that right.

I agreed but refused to clean since I had less than an hour's notice. This buyer is a cash buyer and wants to move in quickly. So... I got to sew for a total of FIVE minutes. They gave a window of 12:30 to 1:30, since I have a no-showings-weekdays-after-2 policy. My agent let them know it was my birthday and to please be prompt as we did not plan on showing the house.

We went to the store so I could buy some big votive candles. I spent under 10 dollars. Then we went to the grocery store to pick up my cake. I had forgotten I chose a pudding center, so I called the realtor to see if the people had come and gone yet (it was 10 past 1). They had not!

We sat in the parking lot of our neighborhood park and my realtor called me back at 1:24. They were supposedly on their way and knew I had a cake in the car that needed refrigeration. We got into the car and drove by the house, and they had just arrived. So, for the first time, we parked in a neighbor's driveway and decided to observe what went on while they were here.

Sure enough, we knew they had gone outside because the barking, whining dogs next door made a stink. I hate those dogs. Their barks are high pitched and shrill, and they are always killing rabbits, birds, and squirrels. One often escapes into our yard (through our fence!) and then gets aggressive when my dh tries to shoo it back to its own yard, so my little one cannot play in his own yard. The *&^% dog is vicious.

I figured it was over at this point, but they did not come out. Meanwhile, my oldest called and I was trying to talk to him. And I needed the rest room... bad! I kept saying, "If you're not buying it, leave already!" My poor son must think his mom went nuts because I could not concentrate on what he was saying. I really needed the rest room!!!

They did not leave until 1:59!!! My poor cake and poor bladder!

I noticed they kept staring at the mess of a house next door. I figure that house and its dogs was the deal-killer. The "buyers" did ask a couple of questions of us later but I am guessing we will never hear from them again.

By the time I got home, raced into the bathroom, and got over the rudeness of the buyers or their agent, I was not in the mood to sew any more. Maybe today. *sigh*

All in all, it was not a good birthday. Maybe today will be better. I hope and pray.

Good grief!

2011-01-05T06:31:00.000-05:00

My quilt sandwich is pinned, and I rolled it up on clips. And what do you think happens? Of course, a phone call for a showing at 4 PM!

Since my dining room serves as my classroom and sewing room, it was a disaster. One sewing machine was on a chair, the quilt was on another, my other sewing machine was on the floor (along with all those bits of thread that go everyplace no matter how careful you are!), my sewing bin was on the floor, etc. You get the idea! And I had some fabric on the kitchen counter (my cutting area... it's the best height to cut at as far as back pain goes) for the next project, along with the binding for the quilt-in-progress.

The phone call means scrambling to put it all away (and finding places for it!)

By the time the showing was over, and dinner was done, I was not about to drag it all back out. I am sitting here wondering if it is "safe" to bring it out today. I hate living like this!

Oh well, there are worse things in life. At least people are still looking at the house. I do wish I had a sewing room! If you have one, count your blessings!

Another quilt top

2011-01-03T12:41:00.000-05:00

I like this one much better. Both for the colors, and because I decided to try using the same fabric for the center of the 9-patch as I used on the snowballs. I think it works. It gives a more circular look to the pattern, and it looks like stained glass.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

A happy, healthy, blessed, and prosperous New Year to all! Here are some pictures I took at the Shrine the other day on our outing... enjoy!

PS I had to get out of my house TODAY, yes today, for a showing.

More Quilts +

2010-12-29T19:43:00.000-05:00

I finished these two today. The fabric was printed with a quilt design, so I just backed them and quilted them. They are very lightweight but should be good for typical Florida weather.

I mentioned wanting a crafting fairy the other day. This is what I would have her do:

Cut and press all my fabric, and press my quilt blocks as I go. I absolutely hate pressing! She could pin for me, too.

She could get all the knots out of my skeins of yarn, and sew in all my ends.

She could thread all my embroidery needles.

She could wind all my bobbins and cut all my loose threads. She could also frog my sewing and embroidery mistakes.

She could waste hours on the internet looking for that perfect, new, interesting pattern.

She could clean up after I make candles.

She could lug my sewing machine out, along with all my other supplies. Maybe even build me a craft room!

She could sew all my buttons and buttonholes. I still have two dresses waiting for both.

She could tie knots in my baby bracelets.

She could help make rosaries when my wrists have had it (and I get sick of wearing gloves due to metal allergy.)

I am sure there is more that could keep her busy! Since Christmas is past, should I ask for one for my birthday? Hint hint!

Two quilts

2010-12-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

I sewed the binding onto my Snowball quilt this morning, and got it washed and dried. It is doubled up on my lap as I type this. I am happy with how this one came out. I did not do any fancy quilting on it, but I still think it is nice. I may throw it on my bed tonight for a little extra warmth. I am looking forward to warmer temperatures (Friday and Saturday are supposed to be in the upper 70s) but I do enjoy snuggling under a quilt. I am cold in the low 70s so the quilt will get lots of use in the next few months. I wish I could say I am done with that fabric, but there are still a few bits lurking about.

This next quilt was started last summer. I used what was left of the binding for the snowball quilt on it. This one is for charity but I am not sure where yet.

I also have two others ready to be quilted. I used panels on them, which I have never done before. I guess I'll find out if I like it. I backed them with flannel to make them light enough for typical Florida weather. They are both baby girl prints and I backed them in pink flannel.

Is anyone else disappointed in the post-Christmas fabric sales? The prices are much higher than last year. I was able to get some good bargains on fleece and baby fabrics last year, but have not gotten anything so far this year.

I am stuck on the couch for a while. My left arch is killing me, and the more I rest, the more it hurts. But walking on it also makes it bad. I have a boot from my ankle injury when I was pregnant with the little one, and I am wearing that. I will wear a brace to bed. I guess I have overdone it with exercise and standing lately. Lots of standing while cutting and pressing fabric, and I am a big walker (I do fast walking while talking on the phone, etc.) I did a LOT of walking and standing on Christmas while wearing a bit of a heel, so I guess I was asking for it. I will be stuck on the sofa here for a few hours so I will try to get more knitting in. Have a great evening, everyone, and stay warm.

PS Becky, put more quilts on your side tonight!

Brrrrrr!

2010-12-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

It's darn cold here! My plants are dying, I'm freezing, and I've been keeping warm by crafting!

Here is the scarf, finally finished. My daughter liked it so much, she made one for her boyfriend. Now I am working on a hat for her... when I can pry myself away from the sewing machine. She gave me 25 bobbins for my machine for Christmas, and I am so happy to have them! I only had the 5 it came with and was constantly having to unwind a full one to put on a different color thread. I am so glad I can prewind a bunch for a project!

I have been able to finish up a few cat quilts (minus the quilting.) I thought my daughter might like to play around with some free-motion quilting and might like to try it on these. If not, I will finish them or my little niece would like to learn.

These are also backed with fleece remnants. You might recognize some of the fabrics from other projects. I will be glad to be finished with these scraps -- I feel like I have had them forever! I backed both of these in bright yellow fleece. I don't know when the rescue will have another adoption day. I have emailed them but not heard back yet.

This last one is just a quilt top so far. It was made entirely from scraps, too. I wanted something different this time. I looked around on the internet until I found an easy cat pattern that was not huge. I still think this one came out too big for the crates, but it will be nice when kitty goes home. I am not sure how I will back this one because the only fleece remnant I have that is big enough is lime green!

And here you see the bits off my Snowball/9-patch quilt. I am using them at the beginning and end of my chain piecing, and have a good-sized bag full of them already. I am unsure of what will happen with them, as I don't like to work with small pieces too much, but maybe someday I will make them into something. I think they will only be about an inch square when they are pressed and trimmed. Yikes, that is small!

And here is the Snowball quilt, with borders sewn on. I did have to buy the fabric for them (25% off!) as I had nothing in the house that matched (and I had enough of). I ended up piecing a backing that doesn't really match the front, but it is for us and not in a contest! This has been taking a lot of my time up lately. I took this picture earlier today and now it is quilted and trimmed and waiting to be bound.

And yet another project. I decided to try my hand at making the little one pajamas. This is my first attempt at them, and he loves them. They were super easy to make and I would definitely make them again. I am not brave enough to try making a top yet, though.

In the background you can see my other son, the Great Pianist. He has not been taking lessons for even two years yet, but he has mastered some Chopin already. His teacher says he is exceptionally talented. He plays Chopin for me every morning. :)

And now, for an unrelated picture. Since finances are dire, my husband and I decided we would not buy each other any Christmas gifts. All right, I did buy him a pair of NFL Team sunglasses. So when we were out shopping for the kids, I saw this watch and loved it, and he bought it for me. My only gifts this year were shoes, a nightgown, and two pairs of badly needed pants from my mom (I really needed the pants as I have dropped a few sizes), a much-loved magazine subscription from my pianist son, a calendar from the wee one, and the bobbins and a beautiful Precious Moments figurine from my daughter. Period. It was still a good Christmas. I didn't really need anything else anyway, and I love what I did get. I have food to eat and a roof over my head and I am warm (relatively speaking)... what more could I ask for?

Okay, I could ask for a Crafting Fairy. But that's another post.

Stay warm, y'all!

Christmas disaster

2010-12-27T07:10:00.000-05:00

Last night my husband asked if I had blogged about our Christmas dinner. I said I had not, and he said I should.

Our dinner was to be peas and onions, butternut squash, rolls, and rib roast. I am not a big eater and we are not fussy carrot cake and a lime pie), my son made the rolls, and my husband made the roast and the squash.

Disaster was brewing from the beginning as I had used all the brown sugar for an apple pie. We always put sugar in the squash, as my mom did. Then my husband decided to make it worse by not using any butter. I am on a sodium-restricted diet as a test for Meneire's, but I hardly ate anything and he could have used the butter! By the time it got to the table, the squash was cold and disgusting.

I burned the peas and onions. I walked away from the stove and when I got back my husband informed me that my pan was making a lot of noise. He was standing in front of the stove and never looked at it. Burned. Badly.

My son made the rolls. Something went wrong during the big gap in time that ensued before they made it to the table and they flattened.

The roast was removed from the oven and I pronounced it NOT cooked! Back in it went (which is why the bread fell) and when it was taken out the second time it was still raw. He did not plan it well nor time it well. Back in it went (again) -- by now it was past 6 -- and finally we had overcooked rib roast. Blech.

The carrot cake was moist, my from-scratch cream cheese frosting was awesome, but I put in too many raisins and the cake falls apart.

They said the pie was good. I was not eating anything else by this point.

For Christmas, I ate a piece of carrot cake, 2 rolls, and a tiny piece of meat. Joy!

I'll be posting about crafts a bit later. Time for my second cup of coffee!

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-25T19:53:00.001-05:00

from our house to yours!

(excessive decorating with lights by Son #2) :) Please forgive the mess... my house never looks this bad. And that's the Outer Limits on the TV, a favorite of Son #2. :)

Lap quilt

2010-12-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

I haven't done too much on the scarf, and even less on the crochet project. I decided to make my family another lap quilt. I could not find a pattern I like, so I did some net surfing and saw a computerized layout of nine-patches and snowballs. I couldn't find a pattern, so just did some math and this is what I came up with.

This is still the fabric from the quilt retreat... it's like the gift that keeps on giving! -- and I have had enough of this fabric! It doesn't match any room in my house, but I wanted to use it up. I still have some, but am not sure if there is enough for a border.
I started this on Sunday and just finished it a little while ago. My back, wrists, and ankle are hurting -- so I need to rest for a bit. My next thing will be to measure what I have left of this fabric and then cut borders if there is enough, and measure and sew a backing. I am tired just thinking of it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. We will be staying home where it will hopefully be quiet (I pray! We have awful neighbors who always go out of their way to wreck every holiday as they "don't believe in them" for religious reasons -- ie it is a convenient excuse to be jerks. They don't follow their "religion" for anything else.) I will be baking for the next few days and having a long MRI, so I may not be able to post. Christmas blessings to all!