Almost a brand new Year

It always amazes me that there is a time and a new chapter where we start a entire new year.Also lots of people make what is called "New Years Resolutions".To each person a brand new year would be different for each one of us. In the dictionary resolution is stated as: the act of resolving something, (B) the result of this, 2. a determining  B.) the thing determined upon;DECISIONS  as to future actions 3. a result quality of mind 4.A formal statement of opinion 5. a solving  or answering : solution.

Sounds kinda awesome , doesn't it? I used to try one new resolution each year - attempting to make me a better person. :)I think that is what I am  going to work towards again this year.:)Plus, I will continue to try to "improve" my sewing skills.

But right now , even though the New Year will come "ringing " in and I am SO tired -it is hard to be in a "celebration " mode. :)

But , I am working on another one of the green tye -dyed shirts, but this one will have short sleeves for this Summer. I am so tickled that I will be one shirt "ahead".  I almost "muffed it" because when I cut the long piece of knit fabric into pieces big enough to cut out a new shirt - when I washed them -one piece of them shrank a little too much and the bottom of the fabric came out to be about 1 inch too short? And IF I had wanted another long sleeve one - there was not enough fabric to make long sleeves , So I am very fortunate. :)   

I hope all of my e-family has a new and wonderful year ahead of us and that we can all have good health!
hugs, Linda

Murder Discovered

Do you guys happen to remember when I told you that something was killing our pigeons -maybe last Spring??? Well , the same thing started happening 3 nights ago,but this morning at 3AM DH went out to feed the stove and as he looked up into the pigeon pen with his flashlight - there was a OWL! He called it a screech owl because it was small and it ran back to the space in the chain link fence that it traveled through and took off. I was AMAZED! This afternoon I took some small mesh fencing and ran it around the bottom of the pen and will see how that does??? :)

DH had tried to shoot it last night but missed all 3 times. I told him that I did not want to kill it because I love owls. That I only wanted to know what it was to satisfy my curiosity and to figure out how to outsmart it. The little owl is just doing his job of hunting and I know food is scare in all this snow. He only ate the heads of his victims?I told him IF it comes down to it again I would move the pigeons back to the wood pen until I could get the money to get some poultry wire to run around the chain link fence.

I did get to finish my new shirt and I am so glad I intended this one to be mine , because that naughty angel was back playing her pranks on me while Maria had her head turned. The very first stitch punched a big hole in the shirt front and it kept breaking threads and occasionally punching holes in the design. It was war all the way and then when I sewed the pieces together even that needle cut a couple of holes in the project.

I was sooo glad to get it finished today! Even with the boo-boos I can wear it in the house working. I really need another long sleeve shirt because the other two I had made for me are getting thread bare because I wash and wear and wash and wear.

My computer is also giving me problems and my Main computer is already almost out of service. It is HUNG and does not want to do anything . That is what happened to my other older computer. Even my sister-in-law has had computer problems. They got them a laptop last year sometime and had been enjoying it and wham - it was out of service too . They always had virus protection -but still it died. I asked her if their computer doctor told them anyway to protect their new laptops that they just gave each other for Christmas and she told me NO.

My oldest son has lots of computer problems because of all the kids in his house and seems like he reformattes it every 6 months or so. I know I should do one of these before they both kick the bucket on me-but it is such a pain in the butt. :)

Love to all! :)

Coming back to life :)

Wow- I don't know what blowed my tires - BUT- I am coming back to life now. :) I came back to the sewing room and started clearing things back to where they belong . I realized that after Christmas there are birthdays coming so I pulled out my last two pieces of knit that I had bought . Then I picked out patterns and took the front and back pieces and laid on the knit fabric. Next I cut it off in big squares so I could "handle" it in the wash machine. I did not want another one of those monster snakes of fabric that wrap all around itself  and is a nightmare to untwist!

I did manage to cut up all the camo blue knit and about half of the tye-dye green double knit that I love so much. I also laid out what I hope to be supper and let it defrost. It will be talapia fish that was given to us-But- I am  having problems with ways to cook it. I don't enjoy a fishie taste and last time I cooked it , I coated it with mayonnaise and then rolled it in Parmesan  cheese .  It was ok , but still looking for a "winner" of a recipe.

While my fabric is washing and drying so it will be pre-shrunk I was going to transfer phone service from one phone to another - But- the phone that had been charging all night long was now dead as a door nail. :(
So I put it back on charge and watched to make sure it was still charging?  DH was "playing " with it last nite - so I am hoping that he just knocked something loose on it. HOPE! HOPE! HOPE!

Well, shoot!
While I was contacting the seller I ran into a note telling us that USPS and UPS are all raising their shipping rates on January 2. :( I guess progress marches on.

Well, when DH got in the house all he had to do was just pick it up and the phone turned right on! Goes to show that machines just do not like me at all. But that made me happy and I emailed and told the seller because he had offered to send me another phone. I think he is "gogreencellphone" and he is a really nice person.

After supper and dishes I headed to the sewing room and got the first green shirt cut out for me. I had managed to cut it exactly how it should be and proceeded to cut the first shirt out for me with long sleeves. Next I moved on to a larger size and discovered that it had shrank too much and that piece was now too small for my sister-in-laws shirt -! Well, I had been secretly hoping that I could get me another shirt in this color with short sleeves for this SUMMER! You know - the Summer that I am missing and yearning for.Dh did say that our oldest son had told him that the days were now getting longer and I told him , yep! That is so true and I LOVE IT!

Every time we get a snow I just come in the sewing room and turn on the bright lights and pretend that it is Summer and I get happy. Guess I have a pretty good imagination? LOL Maybe I should embroider on this first shirt Just in case that machine decides to eat the first one - at least I could use the fabric for the second one to save the first?????

I will definitely use that sticky stabilizer that Nancy-Jane from Quilt Flower  sent to me ! Don't want to take any chances, thanks to her! Thank you so much , dear friend! :)

O shoot, I am back to my boo-boo ways and have put it in the  hoop with the stabilizer in the wrong direction. Hum? I guess some things will never change? Gotta take it off and rehoop it and resew it. :(
But more adventures were on the horizon. Right off the bat it punched a hole right in the fabric! :(  So, I pulled it out and studied the disaster and decided to take a needle and thread and embroider a small flower to match the rest of the design and move on .

Boy, this is taking longer than I had estimated and I am getting soooo tired.Well, we finally finished at 12:30. Whewwwwwwwwwwww! I'm beat. Seems like it feels like we were waging a war between the bad machine and the weary human. But, anothter battle won -does not mean that the war is over. :)
Good night my family! I hear my bed calling.

Well, this day has come and gone

Geez ! Seems like time just flys. By the time I had got up and breakfast out of the way . Then it was time to get ready to go to DH's doctor visit. He actually got a good review , plus he go the results of  some of the tests -which were good also.

I asked the doctor were they going to take blood and he said no, not this time. He wants him back in six weeks for blood-work and to see how he is feeling. But he was very pleased that DH feels so much better. I had to laugh because he told the Doc that I was giving him"cancer-tea" and asked  if that was alright. The doc was even  aware of it and said that lots of people tried it also. It was like one of those "dahhhhhh" moments:wife is not trying to kill me and IF the doctor says it is ok - then now it is really ok. LOL

Now he has an appointment for 6 weeks away to do the blood-work.

Of course we did not get back in time that I could do anything sewing, but I did get a phone call from my Tenn. sis and where her Christmas had not arrived and I was about to give up hope and sure enough it arrived today! I am not for sure which of us was the more delighted. :) She had given us a gift card for a Red Robin and we gladly used it today. We would never have made it in that place to eat at if not for the gift! We both almost had a heart attack at the prices!  But we really enjoyed our visit and the people were so very nice. Then you add that I did not have to make supper and wash dishes and I loved that part. Aren't friends the greatest !!!!!!:)

Hi Everybody

I guess I am trying to "get back on track" once again. LOL  As I was sitting here at the computer looking out my window on the bird feeder -I see all of my little feathered friends . They are working so very hard just to get fed .I wish I had somewhere that they could go to just get warm.They are so very sweet and it always lifts my spirits to be allowed a window into their lives. I have just refilled their little feeder and they are sitting in all the trees and bushes wondering if they should trust me. This year is the first time we have ever had the little sparrows come to visit and they seem to enjoy running off the titmice . There is a very handsome red bird and his mate and they are large enough that the sparrows do not bother them. This is also the first year a little bird about the size of a sparrow with a grey back, white underbelly - and it has the cutest little dance it does if the seeds get knocked on the ground.

I guess you might call what I am doing -Chilling - LOL - In more ways than one! Maybe the birds have rubbed off on me because I seem to be flitting from one place to another. I should be old enough to know you can not accomplish a lot IF you have too many irons in the fire. :) Plus, I have this "gosh-aweful" belly-ache. Wonder who gave me this for Christmas???? :)

I was studying DH this morning while we had breakfast. I have often seen him put on a tee shirt and then pull like the devil at the neck. I had asked him why he does he do that and he said he cannot stand anything to rub his neck. OF course by the time he pulls the neck that always makes the back ride up and make him look like a "hunch-back" - which of course he is not.

Then it happened to hit my memory of a patter I have somewhere of a v-neck shirt??? That might be the perfect solution? I remember hearing Lynne say one time that the v-neck gives some people a lot of trouble-and we all know how I feel about TROUBLE! I also know that my dear friend up here in the country -got together for a class and I did not "get it" and she did. For some amazing reason she just took to that design like a duck to water and now she makes all of her scrubs and is so very proud of herself.

To me it is an amazing thing to be able to create something for me to wear. That is still my goal -to have a complete wardrobe of "Created by Linda". The funny part of it is that when I make something for me I usually just love it so much that I take off wearing it and of course wear it out because I have now stuck the "other clothes) back in a storage area.  LOL Maybe I should investigate this further and this would be a good time to donate the things that I think I will never wear and let somebody get some use out of them.

I am so in love with that variegated green shirt I made for Christmas with the little birds on it!!!  I really want to just "live in it" BUT I love it so much that I only want to wear it when we go somewhere and I cannot do both things at once. Yea, I know - I just need to make a few for me to enjoy. There is no law in my neck of the woods that says you cannot have more than a certain number of shirts. LOL

:www.bettysoriginalembroideries.comThis is the link to where I captured those precious little birdies!  Yes, these are embroidery designs - but at the bottom of where they are displayed she shows really great ideas on projects someone has made with them and the ideas are so neat!


Tomorrow is DH's day to go to the doctor  and I am SO hoping for good news. So, we will see what that brings. I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to a whole new week to start dreaming of all those new projects we are going to tackle~~
love to all!

A little "let-down" after a years work.

Well, well? The day has come and gone and no matter how each of us felt about it -we now have a new year facing us to deal with  as we see fit.

I have spent my new day playing catch up - or that is what it feels like. I caught up with the laundry basket and also the "putting - away" of all the laundry which can be a task in itself. Then I worked in the kitchen-dishes were piled up everywhere I looked and there was NO room for me to work. I was just TOO exhausted yesterday when we got home to tackle dishes and since DH is a grazer the stacks just got higher and higher. So, it took me about two hours to get them all done and pluck them from their hiding places.

 Then I moved on to making us a pot of fresh potato soup - which is one thing that DH loves.  Thank goodness for the fact that it is nice and simple and I still need "simple"!

Our snow showers has turned into snowfall of about 6 inches of the pretty white powdery stuff. It is very slick to try to stand up in -but I did get my chores accomplished-but fighting that ice cold whipping wind made breathing outside a chill that hurt. I was so glad to be able to come to the house and start all those chores.

I was feeling a little "bla" until my youngest granddaughter emailed me and thank me for her gifts! That really lifted my spirits! She was my Hero today .

So, if any of you are feeling that "bla" feeling and just need an ear -you are welcome to share it with me. :) I know for me -just starting to count my blessings - usually helps me so much.

Or right now at this moment - Miss Rosie the sewing kitty - has pounced upone a gift that she received from my Tenn. buddy. Rosie was sosoooo tickled to be remembered and she is throwing the little Santa attached to a string high in the air!I think she counts her blessings too. :)

So, Dash Away, Dash Away - Dash Away All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Eve

What an awesome time. When I was little I used to imagine Santa and his sleigh touring all around the world and I could hear the sound of bells floating through the air.As I got older I thought I must make a decision whether to just let Christmas die -OR- to practice Christmas all year long and keep the magic.

There are times when I have discovered that I am such a strange mixture ? I do love to laugh and have fun with my friends . But, I have this serious side that has met all the bumps in the road and got a little bruised along the way.But, I prefer to use those bruises as knowledge to watch for the signs of Others that are struggling and could use a hand every now and then .You know it does not always Have to be something Big- sometimes it can be the smallest gesture which will light the way .

You guys have been that light for me this year. What wonderful, wonderful sweet spirits you are-so very talented and so very generous with your talents.:)

I did finally manage to get my very own shirt for tomorrow, but I only managed to get the design picture because one son needed to borrow my camera for pictures of their baby at Christmas - his very first Christmas and he is a whole Month old. That was more important to me. I have another camera -but I have to charge it up and then read the manual because I can Never remember how to operate it. Throw in my "too tired excuse" and it will not be long before I fall into bed.  I do know that the oldest son has a blackpowder gun for Christmas and DH will be so shocked . He Loves guns the most of anything. His Mama told me that he ALWAYS had to have some kind of a gun as a kid- and then I picked up the slack and could usually manage to add to his collection. But, the last two years our finances have been the pits and I could not pull it off at all. Last year was the first time I disappointed him -so he will be so happy tomorrow. :)Men's toys are Just SO EXPENSIVE. :)

So Merry Christmas my dear friends !

There is no turning back now - Christmas is almost upon us. :)

Santa is probably checking out all of his reindeer ., making sure each is healthy  for the big ride. I know after working all year long it is almost time for it to all be over in a brief time frame. I am fairly happy with most , but as usual there are two that I am not satisfied with. But, I am also so tired that I do not have good skills to accomplish my dreams.

Especially since all of this car-sickness is just getting the best of my spirits. I got sick again after our trip to W.Va. and was up till wee hours in the morning and then after I ate breakfast my stomach went into complaining once again. I am not for sure how to handle your stomach when you have had misery and then hours later you are hungry , but scared to eat and when I did , sure enough -misery all over the place again. Maybe now I am just getting nervous "heeby-jeebies" ???????Plus the one friend I care so much about - I just could not find something that would help ease her pain for the horrible year she has had with her DH being so sick and then passing away this Summer. I like to think that we are all out here to help each other along the path, and when I cannot pull it off -I get so disappointed in myself. :(

DH urged me to ride to the store with him to look at something that our oldest son wanted Dad to check out and while there I picked up some Imodium for diarrhea and stomach cramps. I thought , what happened to me -earlier I was working on a shirt that I want to wear to our son's house on Christmas and I was happily working away. I even sat down for a minute just counting my blessings that I would not be "out there" in the crowds and then I ended up out there anyway and sick to boot! Phoo!

Plus, it is blue blazing cold! The temperature says 29 , but those wind gusts are terrible. Once I get cold anyway that causes the Fibromyalgia to rear its ugly head and I just freeze up. Literally and it is miserable. It is like getting cold from the inside out and so hard to get that warmed up.

But, I had a wonderful treat when we came back home -Santa had made a pass at our mailbox and helped to deliver a gift from all the way from Australia! So, check this out:

Isn't this the Cutest little Owl you have ever seen -wait till you see his precious little legs - they really rock. This came all the way from Sue at http://suescharlottescottage.blogspot.com . I am so honored .

check out these precious little legs! I just love him. She did say that I could use him to hold my pins - but - I am afraid if I "prick" him he might cry and I would not want that.  I think he can team up with Maria's little angel to help keep me straight.  Plus, there is something about a friend helping to keep you on the right path. You know if they cared enough to reach across time and space -then you should care enough to push on through your journey.

I love all of you and am hoping for the best holiday that you ever had - as we all "swim along together"!
linda

Well now - that was pretty stupid, wasn't it?

What might that be-you might ask? Well , remember night before last when I pulled that overnighter-I should have know that it is hard for young people - BUT- it is downright painful for us -more Mature folks!  I made it till 7 pm last night and that was all it wrote. I sat down here at the computer going to say Hi , and the next thing I knew I was asleep -falling out of the chair-so I headed to the bed and that was the last I knew until this morning at 7AM. I might add that my back is soooooooo killing me and my hands and eyes are soooooooo swollen . I look like a cartoon character  and might make a good headline of , " Christmas is a Blast". Everyone would think it meant because some folks just like to party - and now as I think of it - I was having my own private sewing party-and yes I did get a lot accomplished that night. NO PHONES ringing and no hubby saying, " I"M STARVINGGGGGGGG"!  LOL  Just me and my machines working through the night - Humm? I think I left out my little brain was co-operating and-yes,  I still do believe that my little angel that Maria sent me is helping train that little mischievous angel that was tricking me so much. And all that made it possible for me to go to the mill and then make it home and do all the critter chores while DH unloaded the car and then come in and hit the living room-moving it all around while I used the steam clearner on it. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dirty since I have been sewing none stop the last few days and having it clean made me feel soooooooooooooooooo much better and lift my tired spirits -until - I sat down to say Hi to you guys and that was the end of the road until I tried to get out of bed this AM . I was so stiff that I needed one of those "old time" oil cans~

So, I have to run again - we are getting ready to go to W.VA. to have our Christmas day with his sister and her hubby . I have already loaded the car with gifts I have worked on all year long-some of them I can't wait to see what they will think of . But then , that is just me and my Christmas! I have already taken my car-sick pill hoping to avoid that mess and puking on my white tennis shoes again-like the last time -last month.

I hope you each have aWonderful -pre-Christmas day , as we rock on down to the seconds till it arrives , and in past history - our baby Jesus was born and changed our world and so many of our lives. :)
Love to one and all!

All Nighter?

I had to start somewhere on Monday morning -so I started working on DH a surprise shirt. Have you ever tried to be sneaky? Well, if so you know the likely result is that you will get caught! So, when he magically appeared in the sewing room - looking over my shoulder - I told him it was for our baby son.  He said he liked the fabric and the deer.

Then when he left I cut out the one for our baby son so I could sneakily have two going at the same time. That was funny because he Always caught me working on his - which he now thought was the sons. :(

It turned into a long day as I decided to make an "all-nighter" out of it and you can see I have already wore out poor little Cowboy the kitten who is keeping my chair warm for me. :) But, no sitting there tonight -back to the sewing room -where the action is! :)

So, this one will be for DH and of Course I made a boo-boo. I cut my neckband too short and had to piece it , but it does not look bad -AND' after it was finished I noticed that my serger was having a loose stitch every now and then. . Plus, I did not like the wrist band - it just did not suit me. But , I guess when you work all night long and fatigue gets to you that you make a few mistakes?

 Then this one if for our baby son - he is a size large , while Pop was a medium, but it was getting too large for him so I changed Pops to a small ? This one does not have any embroidery design on it - I am just curious if he will notice? :)

This was my big disappointment of the night. This picture does not do it justice, as it is a lovely varigated mixture of greens and I normally use the size small (although in store-bought shirts that would be a XL) LOL  and it is so soft and it was to be my Christmas shirt. Plus, I had found this most lovely design at Betty's Embroiders. These little birds are called- It's Cold Outside! and I think they are just cute as a button - but when it was completed - it was a mile too big for me ! GRRRRR ! So, I went back and copied the size small(only in my dreams) LOL and am starting again. But , let me show you how cute these little birds are!

Now, don't you think that they are , "cute as a button" too!And I want a shirt with these little guys on it! :)

Well, it is 7AM and we need to get ready to go get some critter feed and get that out of the way so we can get ready to go to West Virginia tomorrow to have Christmas with DH's sister. So, gotta run! (or that may be stumble????) LOL

I Did It , I Did It ! WHOOPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been about 2 years since my last jacket and I had conveniently forgotten how many details there are to them!DH and I were about over what ever kind of bug that was , just left us weak and tired. But both of us pushed on. He went outdoors to work on firewood and I went back to my jacket project.

I worked on a design I wanted on the back of the jacket and then under it a friend digitized the name Ronald in Chinese. Aren't friends wonderful and so generous.

Next I moved on to a front design.

                                                                                                        And then on to a second front design.

Now came all the little different pieces  that you work your way through to come to a finished project.

This is the way the back came together.

And this is the front and even though I used a medium size -I now know it will swallow him up. He is the skinniest  young adult I have ever met. I asked him when he was going to get some meat on those bones and he said he did not want anymore?? I guess there is less to carry around . :)  Boy, am I glad that is completed. I am totally pooped and the house is totally dirty- LOL - I guess the house is jealous of the attention it was not getting and with all this bad weather our furpuppies have tracked in like a bunch of human kids.

Well, I better go back and check my list and see if I am near to being finished .:)

It seems the closer we get -the less I accomplish :(

It started when I overslept this morning because I could not fall asleep last night. Too many things I wanted to accomplish kept running through my head , yet I knew I was so tired that I would mangle anything I touched.

I finally drug out of bed and fixed us both some oatmeal. I eat mine with fresh apples diced in raw and pour the hot oatmeal over them with cinnamon because I have read that cinnamon helps to regulate your blood sugar - so I use every tip I can to keep mine under control.

Gosh and by the time I got the dishes washed and headed to the sewing room it was already 1pm. I had good luck through and managed to download the design I had picked out to go on the back of the white fleece jacket. I could hardly believe that it sewed out perfect! Talk about a smile on my face! Ever since Cory worked on it - it has done better and better and saved me from quiet a few "white hairs". I am so pleased!

Then I noticed it was time to go do my chores because we had a appointment with one of our neighbors -who was also my school - chum. We try to get together at Christmas each year and spend a couple of hours just playing catch-up!.Then we exchange gifts and she Always gets me the most Amazing things! :) I know it is not the gift - it is the thought that counts - and I am so grateful that we have held onto this friendship through the years.I believe that she has touched many life's due to her work as a nurse! I know one time I was so sick and ended up in the emergency room . I t turned out it was pneumonia and I cannot remember what else- I was so whipped that I had decided to go to the hospital just to die. While I was laying on the little roll around bed I happened to see Patty and my heart just skipped a beat- she looked like an angel of mercy to me! Thanks to her care I did live to fight another day. That was until the day that I fell out in the yard. It was suppose to be just a simple fall on my butt deal - but for some reason as I went down I shattered all the bones in my leg - where you leg gets smaller as it heads toward your ankle - and also all the bones in my ankle when it popped .. I knew it was broken because it sounded like a gun went off. It was horrible . Of course I screamed and cried  and DH found me  and we were lucky as I was just a few feet from the car. I really did not want him to touch me -the pain was so excruciating. When we arrived at the hospital DH went and got a wheel chair for me and we got in a line to check in. Mean while I was still sobbing. They were going to put me in the back of a long line of people-and I just got lucky and my angle was working and we just kinda bumped into each other because she was in charge of the emergency room . She wheeled me right on back and they took an x-ray and gave me pain shots.- and more shots and more pain shots as it was doing nothing to ease the pain. When they had the x-ray read they told me that I had done a really good job - shattering all the bones at one time! :( I do not like Pain!)

The put some kind of casty thing on my leg and ankle and when it had hardened they made me a appointment with a specialist in bones the next day. He was another angel. They said he had been a football star one time and he had nice large hands -and he also had a wonderful Heart. The deal was to wear a boot until he could do the surgery to screw me back together! But - you know how things do not always go as planned. For some reason he was Very upset at the hospital for putting that other thing on me and due to that I took a form of blood poisoning. Where he would have to cut formed what looked like a ankle bracelet all around my ankle and it looked like the prettiest bright red charms dangling from it which looked like tear drops -but were filled with my blood?  He said he could not cut in that because it would put me in more danger-Yet- if he waited too long he would have to break it all over again.:( Not my Idea of fun!

But things worked out good because he got rid of the blood problems and he did get me put back together. He said I would always have a problem with it , but at least I could use it! He was right about that too. But, I am just so grateful to be able to have my independence back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him and how he worked a miracle for me. :)

  But the entire day was not a loss - somewhere between morning and midnight I managed to pull off another pair of lounge pants for one of the grandson's partner. She has had a life with many challenges . Her mother was a person who sits with people but she is evil. When her daughter was 8 months pregnant she beat her with curtain rods - right on her stomach too. She was black and blue the next day. It was horrible - and I wondered how many of these experiences she had lived through in her lifetime? She did carry the baby full term and they have a beautiful baby girl.

I better scram - it seems that DH and I both got sick tonight and we are fighting for the bathroom and a headache to kill you! Tummy ache galore! I am hoping if we get some rest -I will fill better tomorrow , so I can get back on the fleece outfit. Time is flying and I still have more to do and I still want to put up the little artificial tree. It has seen better days and we did get it for the second time around store. Last year it decided not to work and DH would tear it apart and get it going again and again  and again. :)

Love to all!

The last of our week is quickly coming to an end

We ended up with 3 inches of ice. I really hate ice but it did get above freezing today and that was a help. I am so glad that I do not have to be out on the road tonight because of the mess on the road and it will re-freeze again.

We made our trip to town and there were wrecks and yet the people from our neck of the woods were all driving nice and slow and taking precautions. I almost do not know where the evening went to. We ate left-over macaroni and tomatoes with garlic toast . Nice and simple . Then I worked on the dishes - they must have multiplied themselves because I did not remember them being everywhere -like they were hiding from me. :)The house was a little chilly this afternoon so the warm dishwater felt good on my hands. :)

I received a birthday gift from my e-sister in Tenn.

This is the box that it came in - is that not just too cute ? And it feels almost like a plastic or cloth design on it . I just love it !

And look - she made these beautiful cards ! I just love it ! I am so thrilled to see individuals making their own cards these days. I remember when just the factories made cards -but now you have the wonder of so many gifted  people bringing out the talents that they have to make our world so much more interesting plus sharing the love that they have. :)

I spent a couple of hours on the computer tonight searching for the perfect design with my pocketbook in mind to finish up the jacket I am working on to go with the white fleece pants. Finally I ran across a site that I had never visited :Embromix.com , and they had a wide variety of dragons to win the heart of any dragon lover, plus their prices were reasonable . Others were charging 15.00 per design and I found these for one , two and three dollars! Now , to just pull it all together.  :)

O BOY ! I FINALLY DID something Right! :)

We woke up to an icy world and more ice was falling from the sky most all day. Everything is covered in ice and you can hear the music of the ice as it falls from the heavens and collides with the ice already on the ground.  Because it was that way and I was not to anxious to"bust my bottom" going outdoors I stayed in my sewing room and actually got something accomplished. I have completed the fleece pants that I am making for the oldest grandson.

 He had asked for his name to be on the legs and this is his last name and I put his first name on the other side.

I added the dragon at the bottom of both legs. While I was working on this the ice was just pouring down outside. It was so heavy at times that it looked like a shower curtain hanging up-but you could hear it .

For the cord I added those little cord locks to not let it get pulled into the casing and also to add a little bit of trim to match the black embroidery.

 I used a blind hem stitch on the legs and that was the part I was so thrilled with. I was so tickled to sew some perfect stitches that I wanted to pop! LOL

Now it is time to start on the jacket. I learned one valuable piece of advice in the four years I have been sewing. I treated myself to a very nice Gingher pair of scissors and I was madly in love with them. They were a big step up from the dollar pairs I had always had.

Then I fell in love with working with fleece and I made everybody in our family fleece jackets. The next year they started giving me trouble and I took them to a man to be sharpened at a JoAnn's fabric store. I had to do that the next year also. The third year we took a road trip and went to North Carolina to a fabric store I had heard wonderful things about. I was talking to one of the employees there and asked her about how they maintained their scissors . She told me to ALWAYS have two pair of scissors -one for general sewing and one STRICTLY for fleece because fleece was so hard of your scissors??? By then my Ginghers were getting so very loose and the next man tightened them up - but within a weeks time they had worked loose again. :(

I also have a pair of Tonic -spring loaded scissors that my youngest son gave me for Christmas 4 years ago. When I first got them and showed them to Lynne she did not think much of them -because she had scissors that she loved and none of them were spring loaded. I did have problems with them to start with because they seemed to have a bur on the tip and it  made them grab the fabric before I could get them under the fabric to cut it. Buy now that they have some age on them -they do not do that and they are the only pair that cuts through fleece like it is butter and I have never sharpened  them and I use them all the time IF I am cutting several layers of fabric. So, I have not decided IF they are really great scissors - OR - IF it is because my son gave them to me?????? Either way I love them!  :) I just really felt so honored that he took the effort to think what would Mama use in her sewing and came up with the scissors. It is such an honor when someone cares enough about you to pay attention to you. :)

I hope everyone has had a SAFE day -and I wish we could send some of this cold stuff over to Australia and New Zealand . Imagine not ever having snow - LOL - that would be GREAT for me! LOL

Gosh, Hump Day Already

This is just one of those COLD days -the highest the temperature went up to was 23 . I was lucky enough to have my counseling session this afternoon and we were coming through our small town and I looked at the sign on the bank and saw  23 and when I told DH that -he looked and it was 22-making a complete liar out of me!
There were signs up on the interstate that was warning everybody that a storm watch is in effect. We also stopped at a Lowes building supplies store and DH went to check out the price on some tool and I went to admire the Christmas pretties. When I went through the door to where the flowers were at -there was this heavenly aroma that just took my breath. I knew I would have to track down that scent. I was meandering  looking at all the pretty things with flashing colors I ran right smack into the rolling cart that has Asiatic Lillies . AAAAHHHH - that most wonderful of odors .If I had money these beautiful plants would be at my every turn at home. I did get lucky enough to have two of them -one is at the back of the house were I come out to do all my chores and I had planted it up against the grapevine support -so I can tye it to he support and not let the wind blow it over as they are very fragile to strong winds.The second one is going through the gate into the garden - again where there is supports I can tye it to. I had forgot all about planting them and then this past summer - I came out of the house and was transformed by this smell and then It hit me that I REALLY had one of these plants . It was a wondrous adventure-to have something that you love so much. :)

OF course while I was lost in thought I happened to see all the beautiful Christmas cactus and they were blooming in all colors. I am lucky enough to have a yellow one -which they did not have -AND- my sister-in-law gave me a baby red one last summer and it was full of blooms a couple of weeks ago-maybe it was wanting to be a Thanksgiving Cactus????? :) I don't care - I love them all. I have never met a flower that I did not love.

I have decided that my counselor is an angel and it took a car wreck and post traumatic stress to force me to open up a "can of worms" . So, if you get to the point where you lose yourself -getting help is a gift. We are only human , with human frailties and sometimes it helps to have someone to reach out a hand in time of need-especially if you have lived through traumatic experiences . Shoot, sometimes I would say you do not even have to do that - life is a treasure , but sometimes the burden of tackling lessons we all had done just gets so heavy that we can not seem to carry it with us. I do believe that is why so many people drink or do drugs or cut themselves -they are just seeking  answers. We all end up on our own path -searching for answers as we go along.

I felt really weak today , but still managed to work on one more project . Time is getting short - just in case somebody has not noticed !

I have decided that making clothing still has one problem that buying ready made clothes has. I used to find a style of something I would love and the color RED would always pop up and RED is not my favorite color with my red hair (with silver showing). Plus, my Mom always told me to stay away from red. LOL

So, I used to think if ONLY I could sew I could use the colors that I love and make me feel happy - WELL , I am here to tell you that does not work a LOT of the time . So, I guess it is another lesson learned.:)

This set of lounge pants DH picked out was due to the colors -we just had to accept that there is a design that is of ugly faces in there -but we still loved the colors and it is for a guy-so we are hoping for the best. This one will go to the young man that lives between our two sons . He had a horrible bike accident and it left him damaged  -over coming brain damage. But , I really think he is so great and consider him as "one of my kids". This past summer we let him have space to have his very own garden. He fell madly in love with his garden . DH took his tiller over for him to use and I wish you could have seen what all he grew and you could tell , just the gardening process was totally amazing him. It was so nice to see something so simple make him so happy-and that was a gift to see it have that effect on him. :)

It is calling for snow our way and they have the signs posted on the interstate , so I guess they are taking it seriously -while I am hoping that it goes some other direction.

So, I must bid you farewell and send love to all! :)

Burrrrrrrrrrr - It sure is cold here!

Yes, and I HATE , HATE, Hate the cold! When I went out to do the chores today it actually hurt me to breath it in. I wanted to turn right around and go back in the house -but I marched ahead with the wind about to blow me away. That is one thing that makes the cold feel even worse.

I have been working on the white fleece set some today. I kept getting confused so have been trying to pay attention ! I think it is one of those cases of the harder I try - the worse it seems to get. :)

I did make a little REAL progress. When I was looking at the flannels in JoANN's fabric store I fell in love with this piece of mottled gray . One reason was because my DIL loves grays -but mainly because it was SOOOOOOO Soft. I believe it was the softest in the store.

I hope everybody has had a perfect day. You do know that Santa is checking his list and checking it twice -trying to see who has been naughty or nice???????????????????? :)

Just Part of the Process

It feels like a wasted day , but sometimes hunting for the perfect design can get to be quiet a problem. It seems that the designs do not realize that you have other jobs waiting for you , like dishes and laundry and floors, ect. They just do not care and it seems that sometimes they deliberately hide from you. I used to wonder why my Ddl #1 would say she could not remember where she put something in the computer????? Well, it did not take too long to have the experience for myself and I discovered it is no fun.

Maybe I could blame the COLD WEATHER ? It is just too cold to be able to function????? Well, that might be true if I had to work outdoors, but I am hunkered down on top of one of the vents -so I do not have that problem unless I go back outdoors.

I did get my flashdrive organized where I am saving all the gifts I make for my family , so I will not make something after I have made it before-unless someone wants me to. Plus, it kinda helps me watch out for sizes.

But that did not help me in my search for the perfect dragon for a grandson? I have a feeling it might be like what I have heard the deer hunters say: they are right there in front of you until deer season and then they just disappear. Well, that seems appropriate for the dragons - they were right there in a folder until now that I need them and they have disappeared.?????

But, I did manage to go one other project finished today - so it is not a total loss.

We were drawn to the colors at the start and then it seemed appropriate for some of the young guys. I guess I need to go hunt some more for that run a way dragon-he is just faster than I am . LOL

DH has been patching up every hole he can find in the house because it is suppose to be below 0 tonight. I HATE winter time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

The start of a new weeek

My downfall this morning was that I was feeling all exhausted and dazed. I was disappointed because I wanted a productive day. The simple reason this had befallen me was the fact that I stayed up too late and did not get enough sleep. Anytime I do that - I am not worth a hill of beans the next day.:(

Then the weather was clear but with warning clouds and as the day went on it threatened to snow. I went out and did the critter chores a little early so I would not have to be out in the "rain " - that they were calling for.(RIGHT)

When I went back in I made us a nice pot of veggie soup and for some reason it was delicious. I told DH that was very strange because the last couple of pots I had made were not that good and I had used the very same ingredients? You could even tell this one was going to be good because it smelled so good. Nothing like a good pot of soup on a cold -cloudy day.

I was still feeling like I was in a daze and I kinda "puttered" about-but did end up getting one pair of lounge pants accomplished and off of my wee little brain. :)

This next pair is for another granddaughter who is 17 and just had a baby boy. These youngsters seem to be in such a hurry to just "grow up" and it worries me so much.

On this pair of lounge pants I tried to attach a pair of beads to the cord around the waist - just so as to add a little touch of something different?

Another  note is now that it is dark the wind has really picked up so that the cold just seems to blow right through your clothing and send chills racing over your body.  Then you toss in what looks like a shower of snow flurries and Burrrrr! If I could only get a good nites sleep - that would help my concentration a lot.  You know how it is with "kids" -no matter what age they are-when you know something that they are dealing with you just want to solve it for them -and - sometimes they just have to do it themselves? But, still we worry. :)

So I will bid you "good night" - OR - good morning and have a wonderful day - OR a wonderful sleep. :)

Dear Husband is in for a surprise too. :)

Lounge pants are so funny here in our house. I made DH's first pair 3 years ago - so this will be his third pair. The funny part is IF I would have called the PJ's he would never have touched them-BUT- because lounge pants are now popular to "lounge" in he really loves his. He will take his shower and then put on his lounge pants and that means it is time to just "chill-out"!

This is the design on DH's and the funny part is on Black Friday he took me to JoAnn's Fabric store and they have their flannel reduced . That is the day I wait for  and I had DH looking for designs for all the different guys in our family and he was doing a really great job! I think it always helps to get your information straight from the "horse's mouth".

We were making good progress and one of the young ladies saw us and brought us a buggy to put our treasures in. She was funny and as she passed by she held up this piece of flannel and made the comment that I should make DH something out of this BECAUSE sometimes men drive women "BANANAS " !  So, that is why he will be receiving a pair out of this . LOL  Plus, sometimes he is like a little monkey - always into something! :)

We had a really beautiful day today. The temperature was in the 40's and that was Wonderful! It melted a LOT of the snow and one of the grandson's and two of his friends came up and helped DH cut our firewood. Then they lifted the big pieces and used our log splitter to bust them up to make them manageable. I fixed them beans and fresh cornbread . They had worked up a good appetite and wolfed them down. There was two bowls left so DH and I had them for supper.

I told hubby that I hated we did not even have money to give them for their gas. That stuff called money is the pits and it is not just us. Our youngest son (the one that had the baby lately) lost his water and they all got together yesterday and pulled the pump up - only to discover that the pump had burnt up.:( He checked how much one would cost and it is 400.00. I also know that they have received a termination notice on their light bill.With his back still out -he kinda has his  back up against the wall. We have given him a little money each month - but not enough to support a family and then this had to happen. :(

As I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where to find a money tree -one of his friends stopped by . They talked about money and Emmett did not want to borrow the money he offered -so the boy told him that he knew Emmett was a good shot with a gun -and they were having a shooting match tonight. He told Emmett that he would pay all the fees to shoot and IF they won anything they would split it. Emmett has his heart set on winning that jackpot. I did not want him to get his hopes up -only to be disappointed -plus , I wondered how he would manage with his back and crutches? I am sure a lot of the men would be more than happy to help him along-but I am like my son & really have my hopes high too. I even offered to sell my wedding rings-but he and DH said they did not want me to do that. I would not want to , but my children are more important to me than the rings and maybe that that is why I have them? I will just wait and see how it goes tonight. :)

Our weather is suppose to have a cold rain tomorrow. Burrrrr. But that is better than snow in my eyes. I like snow for Christmas and that is it  because it is hard to get around in , both in the car (for people going to work) and outdoors for me as I do my chores, plus it makes it difficult for the animals.

Last night DH went to bed early and after he had gone to sleep I sat in my chair for a bit-just counting my blessings. We have a roof over our head and our little house is warm  - thanks to all of DH's hard work. All of my little furbabies were either curled up on me -or - beside me and we were all warm and happy. To me - that means the world because I know there are people out there that have no home and out in the weather and that breaks my heart. All of my children and grandchildren and great grand children are all mostly healthy . There is love in our family and that is a biggie!  I have the computer that lets me learn how to do so much  and my friends really do live in there! :)

As I was thinking and thanking my Father in Heaven I started to get drowsy so I waddled off to bed with my furbabies leading the way for a good nights sleep.:)

As my mind was roaming as my eyes were getting heavy I thought of all my dear friends and the ability we have to communicate through our blogs -I know how important that is. We have the freedom to walk through the doors and visit with each other as often as we want and we do not bother the other person because we are both doing it at our convenience and I like that too. I do not have to worry about intruding at the wrong time. I do know I am So  blessed and my  blog family means the world to me. :)
Love to all!

Yea - a few moments

Yea, the house is mine - ALL- mine for a little while. The house is cruddy -I think everything in it is dirty-dishes, floor -laundry and probably me too. I just got DH out the door to go to our youngest son's house to attempt to help with his frozen water again.

I had dishes in the sink and the wash machine running and I am attempting to work on lounge pants again. I just finished this one for my brother-in-law  - but I have a feeling that I do not like the legs????? They look a little too wide to me and I was debating taking the hem out and going inside and taking a seam to make them look a tad more trim????

HUMMM??? Well I did that and can you tell any difference?

Well, maybe a tad  OR maybe my mind just wants to believe what I told it! :) Well, either way I am off running once again! We are now at 40 degrees - that is a heat wave to what we have struggled through this past week and they say that starting Sunday it will turn even colder than this week.

I would not fuss about the winter at all if we could just stay in the house and enjoy it, But with DH out cutting and hauling firewood to keep us warm - and - he feeding that hungry stove every few hours - EVEN - through the night - I am so fearful for him. Not only this stupid cancer that has come back to show its ugly face - but also the thought that he might slip on the ice and get hurt bad. I guess I will just have to keep him covered in my prayers  and JUST WORRY FOR HIM. I know we are not suppose to worry about things that we cannot change-maybe the difference is that I really am hoping for a change. I am still waiting for that cancer tea that I ordered for him from California . I think we will start that to begin with and then he has a checkup on this new medicine the week after Christmas . After the New Year I am thinking of putting him on a flush. We did that one time before 3 years ago and it made a big difference in his psa levels. I don't think either of us has ever just "taken " something at face value without giving it our best shot.

I am praying that each of you is having a wonderful "count down to Christmas" and watching those smiling faces.
love to all! :)

Maybe Tomorrow????????????

Maybe tomorrow I will be able to take a deep breath and get to work on my projects! It seems like so far this week my presents have been tossed to the side due to a Lack of TIME!  I loved when Dena from Threads to Fabric called them "hiccups"! Because that is surely what it feels like!

We did make the two hour trip to pick up DH's new dentures and I had settled in for a long wait while they worked with him. Shoot -I had just got into some good reading when out he popped! LOL He had pretty good luck with them most of the day -but then right before bed time he acquired two new sores . Shoot -again!

We made it home and sat down to have some lunch . He had left over turkey sandwiches and I had a snack that a lady taught me Many years ago. You take a can of cream of celery and add a can of tuna and heat . Then I had mine over the chow mein noodles and DH usually has his over toast.  Nice and fast and simple when you are on the run.

Out to do chores and change all of those water bowls again. We are suppose to warm up going into this weekend and have a cold rain-I don't know if I like that because that could mean icy roads for people who have to be out?

I actually got to hang out with Lynne for a couple of hours tonight and that was wonderful. Spending time with dear friends is what I consider to be a very special gift . I will Always owe her all of my gratitude because she opened this big door to the magical world of sewing for me and I am sure that nobody else would have tackled that job because of my learning challenge that I believe comes from the fibromyalgia. That fog is what I call the PITTS! I want to learn and I want to be great -but it is a struggle . I believe it is going on 6 years since Lynne took me under her wing and even today when I am puzzling over a sewing challenge - I can pull up some little bit of knowledge that she said ! It is very remarkable to me and I will keep on Striving - hoping to prove that her effort was not in vain and that she was not wasting time on me-because it was not just a case of just a one time thing - it is a passion that grows within me daily.

Well, I actually did get another pair of lounge pants completed -so I am still moving forward with my gifts-and since Christmas is not moving BACKWARDS any - that means time is "marching on" and I am striving to accomplish my goals in the short time we have left - and trying to avoid those "hiccups"! . :)

This one will be for one of the grandsons.

I might add that today made two days that our youngest son with the new baby has not had any water -because it either froze up -OR- maybe the pump went bad. DH is going over tomorrow and meet with Meagan's dad and see IF they can figure out for sure what the problem is. They are hoping it might just be a wire that has come loose? If only it could be something so simple because between all of us - money -is so tight! I know how terrible it can be to not have water-because then you realize how much you use water in your daily life.

Well, kidos - I am going to shut my flap and say "good night" to you as I chase my eyeballs across the floor heading to the bed! :)
Love to all !

Hump Day already-no wonder I'm getting older every day???

On top of a Busy Day - I managed to pull off this set of lounge pants that looks a lot like outdoors - Snowflakes! :) This set will go to daughter-in-law # 2 who  just had the baby and the green will kinda match Emmett's green with lizards. Weeeellllll - I am still in the green family. :)

Such a busy day-we got up early and took off the 2 hour drive to get DH's dentures adjusted-but -nothing can ever be simple. They tried adjusting them for him -but ran into problems- so they decided to make him a whole new set and we have to go back tomorrow to pick them up?

While in the waiting room I worked up my courage to ask the sweet gal at the front desk - about what the dentist had said about fixing the tooth that he broke when he pulled the one beside it. She said , No Problem-just go to your dentist and have him fix it and bring them the bill. I told her that was the problem - I just could not find the money to go to the dentist-so she said to tell the dentist up front to send him the bill?

Since I do not have a regular dentist -I kept wondering how in the world would one dentist know if I was telling the truth???? Everything seems so complicate to me? I did look at the partials today and was amazed at how nice they looked and boy, would I Love to fill up that big hole I have right in the front center! :(

We Had to wait a while till they could give DH back his old set of dentures and it was so pretty outside blowing snow-like a winter wonderland.I was so grateful to have DH to share in this beauty with. We came home and I was able to go get all of the frozen water bowls from the chickens and pigeons  while it was daylight! YEA! I washed them all up and carried fresh warm water and they all dived in and I had to laugh-they made me think of DH drinking his coffee and I was so pleased to know that they are all alright.:)

I came in the house and was just about to sink into a chair to catch my breath from that cold wind that was whipping -but DS called and asked us to come over because he had groceries for us. Never turn down free groceries! While we was there we got to see baby Emmett and he woke up good and hungry! Meagan took him in the bedroom to nurse him because there was several guys in the room. I am SOOOO proud of her for nursing her baby. I think it takes a lot of courage . She and I had talked about it before hand and I told her that I had nursed all 3 of mine and it was a lovely experience -plus, no bottles to wash and the milk is never too hot or too cold.  :)

We came home and the Christmas lights were on in our little town and they were really pretty. I am just sooo tired . I checked my email and tomorrow evening is my first Sewing Guild meeting as a new member IF we make it back in time. I emailed Lynne and told her that I had a problem about going to pick up DH's dentures and making it back on time to catch a ride with Lynne. I am so excited about getting to do this.

I know it is not "just me" that is getting slammed with too much to accomplish before Christmas. So I wanted to encourage each of you in all of your holiday endeavors. Love will carry us all through! :) I say this as my brain is telling me that the bills I was suppose to put in the mail today is still setting on the tv?  :)

Love to one and all! :)

Seems like ten blinks of my eyes and a day is gone.

What a short day. We got up early 5 AM to go get DH's dentures fixed-but - it was SOOOOO Cold that our outdoor woodstove was not working right.It has a temperature gauge that tells you how hot the water inside it is and it was way down -yet burning all the wood that you could cram in it. The wind also was part of what was making it so brutal. And, I was SOOOOO sleepy that I just could not keep my eyes open. DH decided we better stay home and let him fight with the stove. I was soooo grateful to oblige that I stumbled back to bed and was sound asleep before my head ever hit the pillow.

When I awakened it was late and we did not have the average breakfast foods -so I fixed us cornbread to go with our "peas and potatoes" cooked and creamed to go over the cornbread. My girlfriend shared this recipe with me many years ago and even though It is so appreciated when times are lean - it seems like "comfort food" to me.

DH then reminded me that I had to go try to get my drivers license renewed and I sure did not want to let it lapse and have to take the test all over again. The cold and my fibromyalgia just DO NOT play good together. When I get cold - I start to go numb -like you would be tranquilized and slowly you "freeze up". I cannot think or even work and when it gets to that stage I usually pass out and have to sleep until my body temperature returns to normal. Then I come too and feel like a tractor trailer ran over me. And, that does not count that my brain just will not function and the harder I try to force it to concentrate -the worse it gets.

Like when we went to the Division of Motor Vehicles and I got chilled just from walking across their parking lot. By the time I was called to come up front - I was already showing signs -not only counting I was nervous. So, when it came to filling out the paper-work my hands were already starting to shake. I got lucky and the lady was very nice - so that helped. If it would have been a "grumpy - grump" I believe I would have broke down in tears.

So, we were on our way and had to stop and get supplies for the chainsaw. Finally we were on our way home and it was getting dark and that worried me because the water bowls were frozen all day and I was anxious to get everybody some warm water.

We made it home and I went out to do the chores and I was so grateful to get them accomplished.But, by the time I had finished -I was getting that "freezing up " feeling -good think we have heat in that other critter building! That helped me a lot.

I am beginning to think that Fibromyalgia acts just like a spoiled brat-it hates the cold and it hates being too hot - so there is just no way to please it.And when all these things happen to you - it steals all of your strength. BAD, BAD Fibromyalgia - this is definitely the wrong time of the year to lose your energy! Too much needs to be done yet.

But! Somehow I have managed to create another pair of those lounge pants. These will be for my youngest son - I do not know why there can be so much difference in flannel, but this pair is really soft. I do know that DH likes his so much from last year that sometimes he uses  them like long johns under his clothes he wears outdoors.  I do know that one pair I was working on the other day I had to try them on to get a guesstimate of the size.I was amazed at how soft and lightweight they were. But, I am relieved that I accomplished one more gift.:)

I hear the dishes calling me and I HAVE to work on the bills and Have to try to get to bed early enough to get up and the morning and try to get his dentures worked on.My counselor  wants me to speak to the dentist who broke my tooth and see what he says about getting it fixed - but I do not like confirmations of any kind -so I do not know if I can or not. I guess I will just have to get some sleep under my belt and see what the day brings.

I hope everybody is staying warm. I don't think I have to worry about my friends in New Zealand or Australia because they are enjoying the heat.If only we could share with each other -we could mix and cold and the hot and come up with a really comfortable temperature!  Not so here - it is 15 degrees - I HATE the COLD!

Love to each and every one of my blog-family! :)

O GOSH ! How time is flying!

O Gosh , I wish I could have more minutes in a day-. That old saying , "the hurried I go - the behinder I get"! sure fits right for me.And Cold - I HATE Cold -or maybe I should say my fibromyalgia Hates Cold. It was 15 this morning  and that was fine as long as I did not have to leave the house. But around Lunch time I went out to do critter chores -water pans were all frozen and I carried fresh hay for the guinea pigs that are out doors so they can make their own little beds.

Then DH said he Had to go to town to get some kind of a blade and a furnace filter and I needed that bulb for the flashlight that our older son gave me, and I needed to go to the post office-but I just did not want to go.But, go we did and then we stopped at the post office last. It was kind of a sad visit because I had never purchased anything from the post office before and I had one gift that was an odd size and I could not find anything to ship it in. The regular gal was talking on the phone and she hollered at a girl cleaning to go help me? I would have done alright - but she came flying and I showed her the gifts that I was trying to ship. She tried so hard and tested all different kinds of things and finally decided on just getting me a plain brown box and shipping it someway . So we moved to the counter and she was tapeing the box and then she changed her mind and had to do it a different way , so she had to pull off this special tape and I was filling out these forms for customs. I had never shipped anything out of the USA before and then DH came in to check on me and of course that made her more nervous and he said something about it taking so long and I could see she was already frantic and by then I had signed the paper on the wrong spot -so she gave me 3 more papers to sign and I realized she was about to put the wrong sticker on the wrong box. By then more people had come in - so she decided that she would just charge me and then she would fix them all up after the people were gone. I am a little worried about these 3 gifts - but it broke my heart to see her trying sooo hard . I wondered why the regular post mistress did not come and help bale both of us out -or at least help the line that was forming . I do know that feeling of being overwhelmed  and I Hated to see her feelings hurt . So, we headed for home! YEA!

We were both hungry and DH had said something about sloppy joes -so I took some of the deer venison and made him homemade sloppy joes over homemade bread and I ate the last of the fish soup. I am glad it is gone because that can of fish was disgusting! We had bought 4 cans of it last winter and it tasted TERRIBLE and it looked TERRIBLE . It was not the right color or the right texture or the right smell. I wanted to take it back to the store and in order for me to say take something back - you know it has to be TERRIBLE!  But food is slim so I decided to just eat it and shut up! YUCK! DH was the one that suggested that maybe they had just put in a different fish than the mackerel and I think he is on to something!  Then clean up some dishes and hit the sewing room! YEA!

 These are the bibs that I was able to get from the left over flannel scraps from cutting out the lounge pants. The pink one is for the only little girl born this year and the other 3 are all boys. Talk about the "Year of the Boy" - this was certainly it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See, I even managed to get them wrapped and recorded and started on a new project!

These lounge pants are for my youngest female granddaughter -somewhere in the teenage years. There are getting to be so many "kids" of all ages and all sizes that I am beginning to become bewildered! Now you see why I HAVE to work on Christmas all year long. I would never pull it off otherwise - and because my Mama made Christmas so special to me - I love to do something for somebody else- and I could be wrong - but I belive that handmade gifts are special.???

I am beginning to think that my little angel "Maria" -is helping straighten out that mischievous sewing angel -because I am having better luck!  !

Love to all!