Thursday, March 31, 2011

Still Plugging Along

I REALLY appreciate my dear virtual family's help . Thank you so very much. I was so "Bummed" out yesterday  after my counseling that I just came home and flopped down -trying to regroup. I did spend a good hour researching the group that Cathy sent in and I found lots of links , but nothing to help older people with a bill conflict? That is probably my fault that I just could not find it. I did find help with immigrants and college kids with their loans, ect.  I was so distressed with this phone bill that I probably could not see it , if it was right in front of my face.

My poor counselor let me spend an hour just crying and venting.

But this morning I got up and started on it bright and early . I actually made some progress because the second lady made good sense. (Funny because my counselor had recommended for me to be Sure to take down names and be prepared )  Then this lady checks my account and I take her all the way back to Jan. to where I made the payment and she said they noted that the payment had been returned-to which I told her that it did not show in any of my last 3 band statements where it had been returned?????

So, she told me to send her a copy of my bank statement and she would turn it over to ????? (I forgot the name of the department) and they would research it. She also took off the part of the bill that is being investigated until the investigation is completed. I liked the sound of that.

THEN I brought my statements to the scanner and tried to print them out - ONLY TO Discover that for some reason my drivers to my scanner were GONE! To which I spent another hour trying to replace them - only to discover that the software and drivers were no long available???????

SO next I went and drug to the house a old scanner that my sister -in-law had given me several years ago and I had kept it wrapped up in storage. SOOOO- I was successful getting it installed and when I went to print it - ????? Now the information on the printer was now GONE!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know that these modern TOOLS are like a bad kid running away from home. One minute they are there and the next minute they are gone! SO, it took me another hour to finally find what I needed online and get the printer back up and running. ?????

So, now it is getting dark and I need to go do the last of the chores and I need to push this magic button???? and - NOW IT will not work?????

Can you see me shaking my head - Just a few minutes ago the scanner worked like a pro and I had to re-install the printer and now ?????

I did go out and do the chores and came back in to glare at these machines! But I went ahead and scanned it again and then hit print ! The machine was as mad at me , as I was at it! It started spitting all the papers OUT at me. Then it grabbed them all in one bundle and we had a paper jam! GRRRR! I got that unstopped and refilled it and it spit all  of them out at me again????? I turned it on and off and on again and then refilled the paper and begged it to PLEASE work right and would you believe it took off printing like it was suppose to do the entire time.

My heart is dieing to go to the sewing room as a reward, But- I now have to tackle Bills as that is to be tackled tomorrow??

Soooo - you guys go ahead and create beautiful things and I will catch up with you as soon as I can.
love to all!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A Day Gone Astray!

Well, I had good intentions. I got all the outdoor chores completed and fed us and abandoned the dishes , just so I could have a perfect time with a  new project.At least that was my intentions.

 I rounded up a lot of my mixture of cotton fabrics I had there were "left-over" from previous projects. I really love these fabrics. They just present themselves and I have a love affair with them. Visions of possible get-togethers float through my head. I was pleased with myself for actually remembering where they were

.So I managed to pick out my first "center of attention" , next cut the 4 strips that frame the center. I was so pleased that I was on the right track and things were working out. HUM? I should have known that was a Sign????

My first boo-boo was when I "sandwiched" the top and center and back panel. I ALMOST sewed two back panels instead of one. But I was lucky and caught my mistake before it really "hatched". Shoot? I did not even have to do any "ripping" . LOL

It was about this time that DH passed through and wanted me to ride to the re-cycling place with him, but I begged off because I had all my "stuff" laid out on the cutting table and I could not leave it out because Miss Rosie would have a party if I were gone. Finally he agreed and he took off and I went back to sewing.

 I even managed to work on the "quilting " process.I discovered that Quilting Always gets me in trouble. Even though I had a gallion pins in it - the different layers wanted to walk on me??? I had already taken my Morning Walk and I did not want ANY kind of walking to be going on! So after a good disagreement - it ended up doing fairly good -at least for me??

By now DH had returned home and he carried the mail in. I checked it and decided to open the telephone bill! That was my downfall . For the last Four months we have had trouble with the phone people. They have told lie after lie after lie.I am so sick of fussing with them. They kept me on the phone for two hours -sending me from one department to another department.. The last two departments were financial where I had to tell the same story over AGAIN and he said that he did not do that work because he did not have access to the account -so he sent me over to accounting and she said she was going to send me BACK over to Financial-who had just sent me there???? As she was hunting for the phone number -the battery in my cordless phone went dead! AFTER TWO HOURS!

It left me with a busting headache and still a two-hundred Overcharge on this months bill . I need help. I don't know who you turn to , when the phone company refuses to help . I can't even take it to the office where we got our phones from because I did that two months ago and they said they could not help.So, I was almost in tears.I took a bit to calm down and then went back to the quilting part.

Well, shoot , I am having trouble getting a picture that you can see I actually got the "frame-work" all quilted out nice - I went with 1/4 inch between each quilting row and it came out fairly even. Then I made an X in the center. As you can see my sandwich is squeezing out a little , but I can trim that off.

Now, I need some bias to trim it all out in so I laid out a grid and went to cutting out  the strips to make it from. BUT, now my problem is that I have forgotten how to sew it together ?????? I know that my wee brain is just "FRIED" and it is bedtime???

I have accomplished a little something today, but I feel sure that it could have been better IF I had not had so many distractions.Plus, I still have that phone bill hanging over my head.: ( I don't know what else to do - I have the bills and I have the bank statements that show it was taken out ??????

I hope you guys have all had a better, more co-operative day. I mean it should have been such a wonderful day??? I had the day, I had a plan, I had the ingredients -BUT?????
Love and best wishes to all! : )



Monday, March 28, 2011

This was what greeted me this morning when I opened the front door. Looks like Old Man Winter is jealous of Fair Spring. Of course some are reminding me of the old saying "March -In like a lion - out like a Lamb" -OR "In like a Lamb-Our like a Lion" and that is definitely the way it is looking.

Even my poor little pond looks more like a winter-time scene than a Spring time scene?

For some reason I really let it get to me this time. I wanted to see green grass and pretty flowers.

So, I came up with a plan to pull me out of my "flunk". I shut the door and spent the morning on the computer doing research on Mug Rugs-and I have to admit that I had a wonderful time -while I waited for the sun to come escort Mr. Snow away out of my sight-plus, I had wonderful adventures playing with the mug rugs and there is still more I hope to discover? It is a wild and adventurous world out there with  as many rugs as there are people to invent them. I was truly amazed. So, I guess I should , Thank Mr. Snow" for coming along  and  forcing me to have some fun and learn something new. : -)

I can now say , "bye-bye" to this scene-but I can truly say that it served it purpose-which may not have been what it came here to do :)- but it happened anyhow.

I hope you have had a Lovely day -full of lovely adventures. : )
Love to all!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

One Time a Year.

That camera and I are having a hard time with each other. Every Fall I sit out on the front porch and there is an apple tree that claims that porch as Half his. and the little knotty apples are so easy for me to reach. I pluck a few and sit in my swing and peel and chop the apples and then take them inside and put them and their spices in the crockpot  and let them go to town. HUM???? Just the smell is enough! Then I freeze the mixture and freeze them until the perfect time presents itself to fix fried apple pies.

It is always such a mess and I probably get more ON me than in the pies. : ) I certainly made my share of boo-boos this go round! The first one I dropped in the Trash can as it slipped from my hands. The next one fell apart just as I lowered it into the pan. The next one turned sideways on me and looked just like a fish swimming with its fins sticking up into the air. I was starting to get very disheartened -when they took pity on me and co-operated with me for the rest of the job.

And, timing is every thing. I had the last two coming out of the pan JUST as DH and James came in the house! I like for everyone to get them just as they come out of the pan because they are always better hot. I must have done something right because DH did a lot of HUM and HUM_HUM! : -) So that made it all worth while !

But, these I really made for the young man, James who has come every Sunday this Winter to help DH cut and carry wood. This can never repay him for all that he does to help us, but I do like to try. : )

I hope everybody has had a wonderful weekend!
Love to all!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Pink T-shirt - different hems-blind hems this time

Well, my dear virtual family , another Saturday has come and gone -leaving all of us with adventures to share.Our weather was perfectly beautiful! Tonight they are calling for a mix of snow and rain. It has already started to sprinkle rain and is two degrees above freezing so we are in good shape right now. I told DH that if the ice or snow did come for a visit that he and I would be so blessed as we lie sleeping through the night.I am so grateful that we do not have to be on the highway tonight. What a wonderful blessing !

I have accomplished quiet a lot today so I am very pleased with myself. I got all of the outside chores accomplished bright and early this morning and then straightened the house and ran 3 loads of laundry. I was moving right along  and then DH got hungry. Well, I did too so we had sandwiches. I forgot what he had , but I had a green pepper and cream cheese sandwich. Then he went out to play with his tractor and I went to the sewing room to play!

Remember this shirt from earlier in the week? It is the one with the lettuce hem all around .

And, this one has the kittie that is burping up the Red Feathers! Boy, does that bring back memories. I have always been so determined to find a way to have a "CAT" and a "BIRD" live in harmony. I had a really zealous bird hunter who was a beautiful orange and white kitty. I tryed every trick I could think of . I even got so desperate that I wired mouse traps all over the bird cage AND hung it 8 feet high when we were gone. HE really tried himself  . Since the mice traps were all snapped I knew he had tested himself. So, the next time I put all the mouse traps back on and I wired water ballons all over where there was room to put them between the mouse traps. We came home and I just knew I had outsmarted him. But, no I did not and the picture looked just like this design -with feathers all over the place and in his mouth too.

Well, I was so upset at myself for endangering a precious little bird that time went on for many years before I tried again! DON"T think that I did not want to kick myself in the behind BECAUSE the secret to my success is to use a water gun. Yep, it is that simple. One cat I trained while he was a kitten , and one came as an adult and the younger they are the faster they train, but with patience even an adult can be trained and now we all -human-cat -and bird live happily together! LOL

OK, so for some reason I was not satisfied with the first shirt and then it hit me that I could make another one and see which one I liked the best. There was no law that said I could not satisfy my curiosity????? This fabric is sooo soft and thin and it made it kind of a pain to work with. It wanted to curl up on the edges if you gave it the least little tug.So, I went very slow and tried very hard to get it to co-operate. Plus , on this one I put in a blind hem all around and I do think I like it the best. Then that camera gave me a fit -so I spent a couple of hours disagreeing with it. But, either way I did get it accomplished and I did get a picture (not a good one -but a picture) I kept thinking of Chris at Diet Coke Rocks and her new camera???? LOL

So, this is the blind hem and I really do like it better  and of course ??

Of course this kitty has yellow feathers which do not show up great - another camera/person disagreement.But even if I did have a few miscommunication with my toys it was a perfect evening for me. So the perfect ending to a week that flew by - again?

O, I ran across this blog today and thought of all you making "mug rugs" and thought you might enjoy this post from:    http://freebiesforcrafters.blogspot.com/2011/03/cottage-mug-rub.html

Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday , SO SOON!

How can it really be Friday again so soon? That means another week has just flown off and left me. I am also another week older - that is suppose to mean I am another week "Smarter''? But, I wonder about that??? You know that old saying , "The faster I go - the behinder I get? "  I think there might be a LOT of truth to that? Sometimes our lives are just on top speed for so long that we cannot find time to "listen to us?" We need to check in with "ourselves " at times so we can reaffirm who we are and what we love and just appreciate the gift of this life experience.

I know I have so many things to be grateful for . I have my animals that I love so much and treasure our interactions daily. I love my DH -who after 42 years -is just now becoming tame enough to behave himself some of the time.I appreciate how hard he works to cut wood to keep us warm in the winter time. That is a hard job. When I was much younger I decided to try my hand at that "chainsaw business". There was one little chainsaw that I could actually start. I gave myself a good lecture before I cracked it up. I had heard all the horror stories about chainsaw accidents so I also had a big dose of Respect for this trembling monster that I held in my hands.

I got it cranked and went to cut a small tree that was already down because I wanted to clear off this small pasture to have more grass for my horses. As I thought I "gently" eased the spinning blade down toward the wood it did not agree with my approach and it  bounced from the tree on the ground and next thing I knew it was right at my forehead . Talk about "Scared to death" as I had a moment of seeing it eat into my skull before I would even know what happened?

I was torn between scared to death - a little angry that I let it get to me and just plain stubborn. I did learn to run it well enough to get that little piece of pasture cleaned off and I was proud of myself , boy was is hard on your shoulders and back and arms and hands - and I was only in my twenties?

I have discovered that it just gets harder on your body as you age.Last summer there is a small corner in our yard where I have flowers and the pond and a crabapple tree that hangs over and touches the ground. DH would get mad everytime he mowed because it really is too tight to mow. We had both been ignoring it as the tiny piece of earth started showing the weeds just do not forget when they get a chance to grow. I happened to discover an electric weed eater in the basement and remembered a friend has given it to me. DH Hates electric saws and weed eaters. He says it is because you have to drag that electric cord around with you.I like the idea of something really starting and running for me. So, I pulled it out of the basement and went to town with that little bugger.

Now this is just a small little corner and by the time I had finished it - my arms and hands and shoulders were vibrating like the machine had been. By the time I got in and sat down to have a cold drink my arms felt like they were going to fall off. Then they went dead and would not work at all for me. Thank goodness it was then bed-time and I did not have to explain anything. SO, that gave me a whole new respect for weed-eaters!But, I REALLY LOVE my flowers and I REALLY do not like to upset DH - so we will just see how it goes this year, I hope.

I am beginning to wonder if Spring will really stay around or if she is just going to tease us because the boy at the mill where I get my feed told us today that they are calling for two inches of Snow on Sunday! I really hope he is wrong . I have had Plenty of Winter this year to keep me happy for a long time. IF ONLY we did not have to have a Winter - I would be so happy! 

I guess I can say I " APPRECIATE Winter because then I REALLY ENJOY Spring and Summer and Fall! A friend called today and told me that her  electric bill was going up and her taxes are going up(she pays TWO property taxes - one for the county and one for the city! And I think that stinks!) O, and the groceries are suppose to go up again. Gosh, I don't know how people are going to survive???

After we got home this afternoon DH went to work on his tractor. He had to get a fuel line while we were out . I was glad to see him go because I managed to sneak up to the building and unload all my feed except for one bag. He always gives me grief - but I have tried to tell him that he gets too upset when we do it together and I much rater  appreciate not having to listen to one of his Doug-fits! LOL But, now my back is complaining. Darn this age thing - it sure can be a "handicap". With pretty weather on the horizon I am hoping to Make time to exercise! But, for some reason it just seems like a challenge to Take time to help my health, because there is always something that needs doing -so other things get passed by ????

This "human-gig" is really Challenging! I wish I could get a handle on it.
O , another one of my blessings is all of you ! I have friends who live in this little black box and I can pop in and visit with them any old time and they do not mind one little bit! Now, that is what you call a REAL Friend!
Love to all! : )

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Stormy Weather

We had plenty of rain and wind and rumbles of thunder last night and then today it has been sooo dark and foreboding. I felt rotten when we got up this morning and ate breakfast. As I was sitting in my chair watching the weather I dozed off to sleep and slept for about an hour. That must have revived me and I got warm , that always helps me to come back to life.

DH went outside to work on his tractor and found a line that was broken and I took advantage of this time to tear the living room all to pieces and steam clean the floor -plus run 4 loads of laundry and put them all away. By then I had sweat pouring off of me ?After being so cold first and then this now-it is very confusing to me. It seems to me that I have got so slow doing things now adays -it just does not make sense to me to find myself sweating profusely????

I actually did head to the sewing room, but got sidetracked by a phone call . Then I got sidetracked again when I was looking for papers from last fall when the mailman had threatened not to deliver our mail because the county had hired a company to put new asphalt down . They had left the asphalt  a few inches too high right at our mailbox. They told me to call  VDOT who manages our roads and I did go right straight and call, but they said it was not their problem -for me to call  the company who did the work -which I did and  she told me it was not their problem???  Although when I told her the mailman was not going to deliver our mail -she said o, in that  case  we will send someone with gravels to make it right - Which  they Never did - she had just fibbed at me to get rid of me.

SO, I guess the mailman thinks I did nothing so we received the Same nasty letter yesterday and says if we don't fix it by tomorrow he will not deliver our mail starting Monday. It upsets me because last Fall when DH was really fighting his cancer -he went to the creek and dug some gravels out of the creek and put them where the state had made this mess.  Of course we don't have the money to pay somebody to fix it  and since we did not ask for it and DH was so mad at the company because they had made such a problem  to start with.I don't know what to do, but I do know that it always upsets me when people just pass the buck all the time.So maybe this could have a bright side to the story - no more bills! LOL

You know how the best laid plans are - always seem to go astray! : )

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

So Sorry

that I did not post last night. I worked outdoors ALL day long and when I came in at dark - I could just barely move long enough to take a shower and eat a sandwich.My Fibromyalgia really hates me when I try to accomplish so many things. But, I HATE it just as much as it hates me.

I raked a lot of tree litter and burned part of it and part of it I have in a trash can until I figure out what to do with it. Then DH moved a chain link kennel and I spent a major part of the evening  working on that. I went to a flower bed and ripped out  my mangled  poultry wire fence that was around it. Then I worked so hard trying to straighten it  out  where it had been stepped on and DH had ran his mower into it a few times. After I got it usable I took it to the new pigeon to be pen. I wired it around two sides of the pen-which leaves me two sides left to finish as I am trying to outsmart that little owl from raiding my pigeons !

I had a terrible time attempting to work right on the ground. From age, I was so stiff that I had a terrible time using wire to tie the fence wire and the poultry wire to the metal bar that runs along the bottom. The first time I got down and almost could not get up - so the second time I got smarter and dragged a small plastic stool around the lot with me so when I wanted up to move I could drag the stool in front of me and then put my weight on it and use that to help me lift myself. This getting older stuff is definitely not for sissies. Of course I know part of it is my own fault because I have not exercised all Winter long.

I have 3 little chickens that are my Pets and they stay in the heated building through the Winter. I took each one out and trimmed toenails and put them in the lot I was working on. They had so much fun scratching in the fresh dirt looking for worms and bugs and I had so much fun just watching them. It made the project go better just having them to laugh at .

Then I moved on to a project I had hinted to DH about ever since last summer. He had built me a little 'dove-house" many years ago and I dearly love it. But I had noticed that the roof was leaking lately. Now, I am scared to death of heights and I walked  around it  trying to figure out how I could manage to take some  plastic stuff we have -onto the roof?

Finally I figured I would just start  gathering the supplies I would need and that was a job in itself.  I drug the big ladder down first , then went back for the smaller ladder. Next , I looked for nails and the hammer-of course I could not find them so I went in the house and pulled out the one I keep hidden( O, come on ladies - you know we have to do that! )

I looked for nails and could only find 6 crooked ones that had been pulled out of some project and I beat on them until I got them straighter. Last but not least I drug the piece of plastic sheeting down to the house. I stood there studying how in the world I was going to pull this off. I decided to put the big ladder up first and when I did that the ladder just sank into the wood roof because it was so rotten? Hum? That really was not good?

AS I went back around studying how in the world?????? I ran across a crooked pole that had probably fallen off of one of the trees and I had a light bulb go off. I bunched up the plastic and poked the pole in the middle of the mess and lifted it up towards the roof - discovering that IT was Heavy! I heaved and hoed and stopped for breath and to give my aching shoulders a break. It took me a few times but I finally got it headed in the right direction.

I pulled from the back trying to straighten it up and then I went to the front and had a talk with this big ladder. I bravely took one step on the first rung and remembered in the movies where they say "don't look down"! That was my plan and I stuck to it. Of course now that I was actually up in the air =- I was so stiff and scared I did not manage much of a good job of making it all straight. Then it took all of my strenght to  hammer on the nails that I had put in the board before I got up there. That was a  big help.

Finally I  could get down -that was tough too. That being stiff and also being scared is  not a good combination-but I finally managed to  get my feet back on solid ground.

My strip  of plastic had only covered Half of the roof top , so I went looking for another piece for the other side and I raided one that DH had  used to cover  a piece of the wood pile. I was about to go look for a tape measure when DH caught me . He was mad at me because he now thought that I was bothering him while he was working on something else. So, the war was on the whole time it took for us to get the second piece on the other side of the roof. But, this time it was Almost worth listen to him cussing as HE moved the ladder and got the second piece in place. I think he was really shocked to see that the whole roof is rotten. I did not want it falling in on my doves and hurting them.

He was almost over his fit when we finally came to the house until he realized that I had turned the white side out and now he thought that looked bad and it should have been the green side. I told him that white would not be as hot on them in the Summer time. But, it was like giving a dog a bone and he had to chew on that for a while! : )

I was just glad that the job was done and neither of us had fallen and got hurt. : ) O, Mentioning bones. When I was raking in one of my flower beds you would not dream of how many Bones that my furbabies had buried in there! It was really funny -they had found themselves a good storage area. LOL

So , you can see I had a really full day and when my head hit the pillow I was really gone. Of course I needed a crane to help me get out of bed this morning. : )

Well, I better run and slice my bread . I have a counseling session this afternoon , so I better get hopping (but not hopping too high! )
love to all!

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Case of the Pink Cotton Soft Jersey?

Another day of digging in my "stash" has provided this shirt for me this Summer. It will definitely be COOL because it is so light-weight that you do not even feel like you have clothing on! I like that!This is the new design that I tried that went from a 30 minute job to a two hour job-so it is nice that I can enjoy it after all that effort. : )

What I am not enjoying is the dumb camera! Everything on it is breaking down! When you have to open a little door about a half an inch and Peek inside there and Hope you are in the right spot -That is not a happy experience!

then the first time I downloaded several pictures of what it took to accomplish it -and after they were all "OUT" of the camera - they just up and disappeared from the face of the earth? Then I tried for a new picture of just the shirt and you see how dog-gone dark it is. I am not for sure if you can even tell that it is a  kitty-cat with red feathers in his mouth and in the air -where he had dined on a "redbird"? The one thing I am not pleased with is the hem. I worked a lettuce hem on the bottom and the sleeves-but after I had finished it I was unhappy with it. I am thinking about making another shirt and then put the blind hem on it and see how I feel about it then??????????

The NEAT thing about this red-bird post is that there is a beautiful RED-BIRD peeking in the window at me right now! : ) How cool can that be!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

You Would Be Amazed ?

At how long you can get "sucked into an embroidery project"!What should have only taken about 45 minutes has turned into 2 hours. It would have been 3 hours but I took an hour off for a break because I discovered a Celtic special on tv and DH happened to doze off to sleep just in time! This group was called Celtic Thunder and they sure won my heart. They were all different ages and each one got to do an individual special and I liked that . I think that might have been the "best part " of my day.

I was having visions of a day sewing when the grandkids showed up to help Pawpaw cut wood again. Boy, these Sundays sure do roll around fast. I did not have beans ready so I went to the basement and raided my potato bucket . They had started growing like crazy. They do not keep as well down there since DH ran the heat vents two years ago.

I took them up and peeled for a while and then fixed the biggest pot that I have Full of potato soup. When they all came in I sat the peanut butter out if they wanted sandwiches. After they left I did my evening chores and headed to the sewing room for what I thought was some fun. But it turned out that the embroidery machine was up for another fight. It broke threads about every 15 stitches. It was totally miserable, but I had already started - too late to turn back now.

I snapped a couple of pictures , but when I went to post them - the BATTERY in the camera was dead-so I am charging it!????

Well, I might have lost a few battles -but I have won the war -it is now finished the design! I am pooped so I am going to "shut up" and say good nite before I mess up something else . I will look forward to tomorrow and hope I will be able to complete this project without any more challenges. One thing that might give me trouble is this material is a piece of jersey knit I picked up before Wal-mart quit selling fabrics -for a dollar a yard. It is VERY THIN and it is VERY SOFT - so it might just give me trouble hemming it???HUMMM??? I might just consider giving it the lettuce hem? I like it, but not so many people do, but since this is to be a summer shirt for me it is safe to test it out????

Sending love to all!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Today is the last day of Winter!

So, let bygones be bygones as I say Good Buy to Old Man Winter and Hello and Welcome to Spring! : - )
Sure I know we still have cold days to come , but at least it will not be below zero any more! I can hardly believe it is really behind us.

I have had a wonderfully pleasant day and accomplished so much! Yea! I know the secret . It was because after I posted last night I got sick. I don't know what HOPPED on me but I was miserable. DH said it was where we went walking and I Hate to think that might have been what caused it- but - my body just better "get with the program" because I will be doing more of that . But, I had not had pain like that since they put me on my fibromyalgia pain meds -and I am hoping it does not show its ugly face to me again! But after the pain hit and the chilling and the exhaustion and then I was falling out of my chair when DH happened to pass by and told me to go to bed. Somehow I made it to the bed and then I was dead! I don't think I moved a muscle until 6AM. That was great!

So I sneaked out of the house so as to not awaken DH and I went and did all the chores outdoors. I love getting them out of the way, so I do not have to worry about something getting in my way of getting to them. I just feel better when I know all the animals have fresh food and water.

I came back in and treated DH to biscuits. See what having energy can do for you! : - ) After we ate and DH went and borrowed our neighbor's tiller that fits on the back of a tractor and he tilled again. While he was doing that I ran the vacuum  to collect all the doggies fur  in the floor . Then  I headed toward the sewing room . I knew I had a piece of  fabric that I could turn into something neat.

Disgusting ! This camera is no good at showing colors because this piece of knit is snow-white with little red and green flowers all over it and it feels like thermal. I thought I had enough to do 2 shirts , but when I opened it up it was very narrow so I had to settle for one shirt.

But to start with I decide to alter a shirt pattern to better fit my sister-in-law. She has narrow shoulders but she wears a 2x to a 3x. So I put down the pattern I had been using and then drawed on a completely different shoulder but kept the bottom width. It took me an hour to resize the pattern , but now I have it all drawed out and that will save me time the next go round.

This is how it turned out, but gee whiz ! You cannot see how pretty it REALLY turned out.But my day did not end with this . I also did 3 loads of laundry and put them all away. Then DH had an adventure too.

You see this little critter? Well, she is a guinea , just in case you have not met one before. I call her Henny Penny and I did  have her mate - Lavender - who I adored.But of course the hawk got him right out in the front yard! I was so upset!

But, some people have them to eat bugs out of the garden because they do not scratch up your plants. She has always been so funny -BUT -today she almost met her death . DH was on his tractor and he said he saw her and she was fussing -but the next thing he  knew - SHE attacked him on the tractor! I have seen her threaten vehicles before , but he said she flogged him on the tractor and the bar on the tractor was what saved him from being hit in the face. We were both stunned and bewildered.At least he did not fly off the handle like he did in his younger days. He even took me outdoors to watch her stalk him and I could hardly believe what my eyes were telling me? He tried to figure it out all evening ? Finally he took off a blue work shirt and went out in his normal white tee shirt and she did not bother him at all. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO hoping that it was the SHIRT that caused the uproar?????????

Just about everybody came to see what all the ruckus was all about? Here is Miss Danny the turkey-she wants to know what all is going on??

Even Yukon  the donkey wanted  to know what all the fuss was about????

Of course , Snowball came to check it out also?

Finally DH was able to complete what he was working on which was leveling a little spot for me to move my pigeon run to. I  took his bread out of the bread machine and went to his shop where the little "meat slicer" turned bread slicer is located and sliced his bread. I took the trimmings and gave them to the parakeets. They love them as a treat.

So peace rules at last ! All because I got a wonderful night's sleep. I just wish we did not have to sleep and eat! Think of how much money we could save and then how much more work we could get accomplished??? LOL !

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! : -)
Love to all!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Boy Toy

Remember the old saying , The Only Difference Between a Man and a Boy is the price of his toys! I have certainly come to believe that this is one of the most true saying I have met. : )

This is my last piece of the blue camo and you cannot even see the design ? That disappoints me.  So , let me try to capture the design because I liked it.

Well! Kiss my Grits! But this is intended to be for one of the step-grandsons.  Boy, I think that Everything that could go wrong Went wrong with this project. I was about ready to throw all my "toys" out in the yard!I would have had it finished 2 days ago IF it had not been for equipment failure! Finally today I conned DH into working on it ! He got a little upset with the serger also , but he got it usable.

This day was so beautiful -up to 70. Suppose to be like this for 5 more days and then go back down in 30's. Me and my flowers will not appreciate that.

I got another little pile of yard trash raked up today. We had to go to town and we took two sandwiches to eat at the park. The park is so lovely and one of my favorite places.We did a practice walk of approximately a half mile. I thought I was doing good until I sat down in the vehicle coming home and started getting stiff. Next we made it in the house and I sat down sewing and pain engulfed me. I  had not had this amount of pain since they put me on my medicine for the fibromyalgia.It was absolutely horrible . I took a pain pill but it did not even dent it. I HATE PAIN!

But , with my guardian angel's help I did get the shirt completed. Yea!

DH borrowed our neighbor's tiller that goes on a tractor and he tilled 3 gardens up. The new space this year is down at the road and he plans to put potatoes in there. I don't think I will visit that garden much because it is right on the highway and I don't like to be seen. But, DH is a very sociable person and he enjoys that . Today when he was working down there it sounded like grand central station where everyone was blowing at him! We creatures are strange things. : -)

I think my antibiotics are starting to kick in because it is not quiet as painful as it has been and that tickles me to death.

I hate that my camera is giving me such fits. It is one of those small camcorders and you are suppose to look in the little door to see what you are aiming at-but - you can only open it about an inch now and that is not good with my old age eyeballs!

You should see our MOON tonight! They were even talking about it on the news, except I could not hear what they were saying because DH was picking on me. But, it is really Big and so Beautiful! I was wishing I had a chair to sit out in the pasture and just gaze at the moon. : - 0

I am SO very happy to have that shirt completed! I hope each of you has had a perfect day!
Love to all!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Beginning to wonder about this project?

Can you believe the differences in these two samples? On the navy colored one the serger stitches look good to me-but on the camo fabic it turns into a Big Mess and that camo is the shirt that I am not attempting to trim and hem , but it is not being very co-operative with me.

I have fought with that machine for about an hour. I knew this was going to take me a long time to resolve. Machines hate me for some reason and I just do not have the common sense to figure out what is wrong when they are unhappy!

The day has flown by once again and I knew bedtime was upon me.
It has been a busy day as I had that doctor appointment today. I like the new young lady doctor , she put me on a thyroid medicine and she also gave me some antibiotics for the infection in my gums or  sinuses ?? I got confused - I just hope they help.

I also went in Jo-Ann's fabrics while we were out to see if they had any camo knits and they did not. They had fleece and denim, but no knits. You would know when I figure out what everybody likes that it would be hard to find?

But considering the fight I am having with the serger -it might take a long time until I need more fabric??????

I also got another small pile of trash raked up in the yard. The weather was so beautiful and we are suppose to have 3 more days of it- YEA!

Gotta run and lock up the chickens before I forget them. Don't want any foxes or coyotes or raccoons getting any bright ideas about a midnight snack! LOL
Love to all!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Best Laid Plans?

Even Cocoa had trouble helping me keep to the plan. I started off with the plan to feed DH, go outdoors and do chores -get ready to go to counseling -come home and finish the next shirt.I did get the first part completed.But when it came to finishing the shirt and posting a blog -that is where it took a left turn south?

DH was working on his ATV and discovered a part was broken beyond being fixed so I put him on E-bay thinking that would take him an hour or so- WRONG- it did not take him 5 minutes and then he wanted me to pay for it. Well??? His computer is the newest one that came from the surplus shop and it turned out I had not even got around to getting all the correct information in it.Then he turned on the tv and was on a story I had wanted to see so I was between watching the program and running back in the kitchen during commercials and hunting the information I needed. Which of course cost me about 2 hours  before I got it completed for him.

Back in the sewing room it is now midnight and of course  I cannot finish the shirt because when DH  hollered at me the serger had  Just  gone on strike and I was in the process of rethreading it and have threads hanging  of in all directions. So, it would be hopeless to fix it and then hope it would co-operate  long enough to finish the shirt-with my luck - NO  WAY ! So, I am not going to make the mistake of making a sewing mess and having to work on that  another day.

I am just too stubborn  for my own good sometimes. I had been having a discussion with the serger for a  couple days now and  had made decent progress . I had complained to DH that I was having trouble with the stitches -and to you guys too about how challenging it is for me to  reorganize the serger once it gets mad at me.  DH had even suggested I change the needle thread because the thread of the stitches was showing through on the right side . But  , I had said no - I would try all the different angles first. Then today when  Everything went wrong I did change the needle thread and low and behold - all of a sudden you could not see them?????? DAH?????????????????????????  Of course that was when it decided to break the threads and cut the fabric and that was when we came to an abrupt halt.

Next I wanted to take a picture and of course I had left my camera plugged up downloading and it was a DEAD BATTERY! So, I have that charging now.

But , you know I had an interesting lesson this morning as I was heading toward the house? My broken ankle was hurting from the walking and I found a nice big rock to park myself on . Since I was nice and low to the ground the view was very different. I pondered how many of us are always in a rush and we are only looking near the ground at what we were attempting to accomplish ? My eyes went up toward the heavens -with all the clouds changing shapes and positions and I became mesmerized with my view. I can remember being a kid and laying in the grass watching how many shapes I could figure out. And now that I am definitely GROWN - I do not take the time to do that?

As I was studying this lesson and my neck got tired of looking up so I eased it down thinking about always looking down - I had good laugh -BECAUSE - now that I was so close to the ground -the view was very different down here -all the different little pebbles and little weeds and even little critters in a world all their own and even though  I do look at the ground Most of the time - here was a whole different world -in my world- that I was missing out on too!

My mind wandered back to last night when I had gone out to lock up the chickens and the sky was solid black and I realized that I could not even see - THE Little PINHOLES in Heaven were not shining their light because of the dark overcast clouds.

So, I thought it was a nice reminder for all of us that we have so many different views of our life and sometimes just changing your position gives you a whole new perspective on things. : )

Love to all and hope to see you tomorrow. : )

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Rainy Tuesday

But I think it is beautiful as it is rain - NOT SNOW! Makes me know that Spring is only a week away! Yea! I just cannot believe that we made it through another winter.When I was a little girl I remember wondering If my family would Ever make it through a Winter without a death in the family. I was starting to believe that people only died in the winter-time?Hum? Wonder if that does have anything to do with me not appreciating Winter??

After I had completed my outdoor chores and feed us-I went to the sewing room . Wondering what kind of trouble can I get myself into??? I had scrapes of the blue camo left over so I remembered I had this baby pattern -so I pulled it out to check it out. I then discovered that someone had already cut one piece out and that would have been the size small . Well, at least that would be the size I needed? I studied my pattern for a while and realized that I did not have any snaps for the project and it was then as I got ready to put everything back in the envelope that I discovered whoever had cut the small size out had ACTUALLY left the rest of the cut out other sizes with the envelope. I thought well, It might not be my favorite way , but I could actually be VERY careful and not tear the tissue paper and I would be able to rebuild the other sizes.

But, I was somewhat intimidated  with the  thought  of working  on something baby????? As I was studying the camo pieces and measuring them - I discovered that I had Exactly enough to make one more t-shirt -so I drug out my pattern and proceeded to cut out a size men's medium.

Next of course was to decide upon a design??? So, that took some looking-but I got lucky and found one that was very easy to embroider. Now I was making some good progress. I got the design completed and as I turned to the serger I realized that it was not quiet happy with me. But , I trudged along and tried sweet-talking . The seam did not please me as I did the shoulders -so I went back across the shoulders with my regular sewing machine-just to reinforce it.

As my eyes gazed out the window I noticed it was getting dark on me so I took off the lock up my chickens and feed the guinea pigs and gather the eggs. I found another guinea pig dead and it makes me so mad because in my heart I know it is this different brand of food that I bought them. Spending money to kill off what you are trying to feed makes me VERY unhappy. I did call the vets and ask them about the situation and  the young man told me that having the feed tested would be VERY Expensive? IF I had the money I would gladly have it tested to help prevent others having this problem. Tomorrow is my counseling day and I am planning to go by a different store to see if I can get a different brand of feed that I used to use , hoping to save the few I have left.

While I was coming back to the house I got caught in a good downpour of rain. DH was on the phone when I came in and our youngest son had bought us some groceries and wanted to know if we could come get them. His wife had started her new job today and he was telling us his adventure . He had taken her to work because he wanted to keep the truck at home - just in case something would happen to the baby. He is the one with the terrible back problem. He said that when he got home he sat in the vehicle trying to figure out how he was going to get the baby in the house?? He finally took him out of his car seat and popped him under his arm like a bag of potatoes and the other hand using his cane and they both managed to make it in the house. I told him that he needed an elevator. : )

Meagan was telling me that the store policy is very strict about employees shopping there. It is a Goodwill store and she is not allowed to even shop there on the days she works. If someone comes through the line that is family  she has to call for someone else to check them out. IF she goes to another Goodwill store she has to notify the clerk that she is an employee of the Goodwill ???? Sounds crazy to me - but I am sure they have their reasons?

It is amazing how hapy groceries make you ! We were taking a bit on everything like a couple of kids. Matter of fact it reminded me of when I was little and Mama & I would carry the groceries in the house and I wanted to eat it all up. LOL He even bought me the biggest bag of frozen blueberries I had ever seen. Boy, I can have blueberry oatmeal for breakfast now! LOL I need the blueberries because of my eye problems . Blueberries are suppose to help with that. Of course I never met a blue-berry that I did not like! : )

We have such wonderful kids that I do SO appreciate!
Love to all

Monday, March 14, 2011

O MY? Not Another Boo-Boo?

That was how I felt this morning when I started work on the John Deere t-shirt. I had sewn the shoulders together and was having trouble with the serger stitches showing themselves when you turned the fabric right side out and gave a little tug to the seam? : ( I remembered that Lynne had told me that she always went over a serge seam in places of stress? I had already spent hours trying to sweet talk that serger and it had got to the point where I could Just use it again?So, I gave in and used the sewing machine to ever so carefully reinforce the shoulder seams!

It seems that I have a "knack" for getting myself in trouble. I was Paying such close attention to my reinforcing seams and patting myself on the back for doing so good! As I finished the shoulders I looked for another nice LONG seam to practice on and the side seams looked promising? SO off I went down the sides and was patting myself on the back AGAIN when I came to that point where that O NOOOOOOOOOOOO hit!
I had been so involved with the stitches that I had plum forgotten about the Sleeves? : (  I sat and studied my predicament , first considering I could RIP the side seams out and go back and insert the sleeves first and then resew the side seams???

But that step was not meeting with my approval , even though I am the "world's best RIPPER"? Gathering my courage I decided to go ahead and sew the seams on the sleeves and then insert them in the arm holds kinda like I do the collar and would you believe that it actually Worked????? Whew!!!!!!!!! Gosh, but when I am working on a project -I have a tendency to lose myself and time just escapes me.

So this is the design of a tractor and I just changed the colors out a little bit to make it make you think of  John Deere colors. DH definitely loves his "deere"-he loves the other kind too, so I hope he does not get confused and shoot the "Wrong Deere"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks kinda like he is driving it in heaven with all those colors and the blue makes me think of the clouds.LOL

Well, another beautiful day has come and gone . How fast they do that! I need to be much faster - OR - they need to be much slower?????????

Love to all and hope you have had a precious day TOO! : - )



Sunday, March 13, 2011

A New Week Already?

Busy, busy, busy - We were just finishing eating this morning when the grandkids and their friends showed up and the went with Pawpaw to cut wood while I went out and did outdoor chores.The weather was so beautiful that it makes me never what to see cold again-lol - like I have a choice in the matter????? No, just dreams . : )

I came in and straightened up and then checked the beans that I had put in the crock--pot last night. I was hoing to have some butter to season them with, but there was just a film left in the container so I melted that down and got about a teaspoon to add to the beans along with some salt. If they are kind enough to come work for free-then I have to find something to feed them. I fixed a big container of cornmeal and they all came out of the woods just as I pulled it out of the oven. Talk about perfect timing?

While they were eating and talking with PawPaw I came in the sewing room and cut out a second shirt from the camo blue that I had . This one will be for DH , so I have to be a little sneaky and that will be tough. It seems like whenever I work on something for him that he can just "smell"it and he will show up every little while and I have to hide my work quickly??? Shoot , it used to be at Christmas when I had his presents wrapped that he would hold them up and wiggle them this way and that and then he would tell me everytime what was in the package.


I guess that was when it became a contest of seeing when I could fool him? One Christmas I put a box in a box and a box in a box and a box in a box until it got to the note. Now , since he could not read I drawed out a map with clues and he had to follow the map all over the farm until he found his treasure - some kind of gun? 


But there was the time that I got him a rotor to put on the roof so that he could rotate the antenna for the television because I had got tired of him sticking my top part of the body out the window to turn the antenna! I thought I was being smart -UNTIL - I opened his gift to me which was a new tv and at the bottom was the payment book to go along with it-so a year later I could finally call it mine! LOL


SO , after they all ate and the kids scattered DH took off to the back of the property to do some kind of work and I poured my efforts into completing the embroidery design- I had found a "tractor" design and then resized it to be larger. I did it up in the green and yellow colors of the John Deere -which he has and is his 'baby". But I had just got it all finished when I heard him coming so I had to stash it until I can get some privacy to pull it all off????

It can be very difficult to be SNEAKY and cunning around here ! LOL
Love to all ! : 0

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Intended for a brother-in-law

Can someone please tell me where my day has run off and left me to????It's just not fair for these days to disappear so fast.I got up and neither DH or I was feeling too great so we took our time eating. After he went out to cut some wood, I cleaned the dishes and vacuumed the house.By then I was so tired I could barely move so I sat down to rest and drink a glass of lemon aid . When I got my second wind I went outdoors and did all the critter chores.

As I was heading back to the house I spotted a job I had been putting off. My peony was showing its little self and I needed to transplant it because it fills up that space in the Summer and I decided that I wanted to put some small herbs there since it is headed into the kitchen.I managed to get 4 starts from that one clump and hope they all survive.

I headed back to the house and spotted this weed that loves to take over the world right in my flower bed. So, it was my duty to stop and try to evict that booger. It was tougher than I figured so I got the shovel and slid it right under the pest and piled them all in a lump which turned out to be a treat for all the guinea pigs and some of the chickens.I told myself I was not going to over do this year -I do not want any more pain to have to fight with-so that small area is looking good for this day.

Came back in the house and fixed us supper which consisted of baked tilapia and green beans and coleslaw and DH came through the door just as it was ready. Talk about timing? After we ate I cleaned it up AGAIN and headed to the sewing room.

Back to that shirt and yes , I did finish it . So, that will be a Christmas present for my brother-in-law .

I had played with the idea of trying Etsy or Ebay-but while I was hemmin I noticed a small hole in one of the seams that the needle had punched in it and then I discovered that the seams under the arm just did not line up perfectly like I wished it would.

This is the design I settled for and I really do like it. This is a size medium in men's sizes.Well, my body is "pooped " once again . I hope everybody has had a day just perfect for you.
hugs

Friday, March 11, 2011

Saturday Evening Going Down

http://diet-coke-rocks.blogspot.com - Last night when I was visiting at Chris's blog -that is the address at the beginning , my computer would not let me do it the way I wanted to???? - She had a picture of a cute little treasure she had just found and it made me remember this little piece that I found at a thrift shop last year. Chris said hers could be used as a necklace or a pin . I got such a kick out of mine too -this one has a teeny little base that makes me think of a spoon and all the pretties are glued to that . I like it because you could collect anything that is special to you. I love buttons and I love yo-yos.Everyone laughs at me because they are so labor intensive -but there is something about their simplicity that really warms my heart. Plus I have a little tool that turns out "butterfly yo-yos". I haven't got to play with it yet -but I keep thinking one of these days???? : )

We spent the most of the day out . I picked up a 50lb bag of flour for the bread machine today and that was 23.00???? That is the only size they sell at the mill and we were out. Seems that we are always "out" of something this year. We caught DH a bucket of ice cream for 5.00 and he LOVES ice cream-I cannot have any because of my teeth? I wanted oranges and blueberries but the store did not have any that we stopped at.Then we boogied home so the ice cream would not melt.

Then it hit me how very tired I was and I dozed off to sleep in my chair while trying to eat a bite?? The phone woke me up and DH was on the  country road coming back from visiting a neighbor and a tire had come completely off of his truck and rolled across the road as he was driving home.

Next I hit the sewing room and started working on the knit t-shirt but I noticed that the serger was not behaving itself. After you sewed it and tugged at he seam on the right side -it would pull loose and look terrible. I was miffed at it because I knew it would take me forever to get it back in adjustment and I was so tired that I knew that would complicate matters-so I am just going to call it quits for the night.

love to all!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

I have had an exciting evening

This beautiful day started out with a light rain when I went out to do morning chores, so I hurried and did the outside chores first. Back indoors about an hour later and I fixed DH and I some oatmeal, his was plain and mine had my beloved blueberries in it.I had caught the blueberries on sale last month and froze them. That way I don't lose them , plus I love them frozen as treats. I would have them every day if I could afford them -especially since I have learned that they are so good for my eye problems.

My next treat was  heading to the sewing room  . Yesterday I had cut out a shirt pattern for my brother-in-law for Christmas. Yes, I am starting on my Christmas list already, but I have pondered about putting the shirt on E-bay or Etsy ? I wish there was a simple, honest sewing that I could do from home and support myself


I was so grateful that the pieces were already cut and the design already picked out . I had enlarged the design. That is one feature that I love about this machine - I can sew out larger designs! I so carefully made the sandwich of knit , stabilizers and sprayed it in place-then hooped it all together and went to town. What  a wonderful feeling of mixing fabrics and threads and turning it into something that someone can use! : -)

I love watching the design "come to life" right before your eyes.  The next part to sew out would take some time so DH and I had our supper while it was sewing out.Before our oldest son fixed this machine I would not have DARED to walk out of the room and leave this machine alone!  We had our vegetable soup and sandwiches just in time for this design to finish up and I had to call it quits for the day. It was time for me to get ready to go with Lynne to The Sewing Guild meeting.

DH drove me out to meet Lynne and then he went to visit with our kids . It was so wonderful to get to see Lynne and catch up with her adventures . I am still hoping just by being around her that some of her talent will rub off on me. : )

The meeting was so much fun with so many wonderful ladies - plus a couple of DH"s too. It turned out that one of the pretty , sweet gals had brought her DH, who was a doctor and he gave a presentation about kite making.But, these kites were a far different cry from my grocery store kite in my past.  He talked about some of the history of kites and then about all the different styles and about the pros and cons of different fabrics , plus the options for the spines of the kites. It was amazing. He even spoke about flying kites on the beaches because there is usually a 'steady' wind there. He had one kite that amazed me because it was unlike anything I had ever seen. It made them think of a maze turned into the shape of a arrowhead. He said it did not fly that great - but I would have hung it outdoors like you would a windsox. He appeared to be a "perfectionist " like Lynne because every detail was so finished.

He had a question and answer session and then it was a Sew and Tell where members brought what they had worked on and there was some Lovely items.One lady had worked with smocking on a child's dress and one had made a heirloom gown for a child . It was beautiful and  looked so dainty. Another had made   Mother and Daughter  aprons with some cute goose designed fabric. One lady had made a lightweight jacket out of denim, but she said  she could not wear it because it would leave a ring around her neck of black from the dyes? It was a lot of fun seeing what others were working on.

The meeting broke up and they had deserts and we came home. It was a lovely afternoon spent in good company. When DH and I got home we stopped at the mailbox and it was full -but not all bills this time. As we came up the driveway I started to get sick again. I came in the house and sorted the mail and I could feel the sick spreading over me so I dashed out the door just in time to barf all over the place.  This burden of getting sick just about every time I have to ride in the car is starting to wear on me?

After the bad was all over I came back in to ponder about a small package that had come in the mail? This very dear friend was from the land of snow and she has a sewing business centering around pet clothing which she enjoys so much. Hum???? Wonder what it could be?????

Well! Isn't he just the Cutest little owl that you ever laid eyes on - AND- he promised me that he will not eat my pigeons ! Doesn't that just make him too perfect! LOL Now, isn't that just the perfect ending to a perfect day. Aren't friends just the greatest gift we can have.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Sewers Block Lifted

It has been pouring down rain here today. I think the Earth has had a really good shower. : ) DH took over the tv and was watching an all day program on KILL IT  CLEAN IT EAT IT . It was all about introducing Young people to what they eat and how it happens. It was very educational-but being an animal lover , it was just not my cup of tea , today.

So I mossied into the sewing room and decided on a different technique. Instead of hoping a project would jump out in front of me I pulled out the fabric container and ran across this fabric. I had used it at Christmas and I really love it. This camera does not do it justice because it is pretty shades of blues and grays. Well , that got my wheels to turning and I pulled out my Christmas list to review who it would best represent ?

Once I had selected which person -I moved on to the pattern that was their size - only to realize that I needed to make adjustments to the size because at Christmas their shirt was too big in the shoulders . Once I pondered it I decided that I should just redraw the entire pattern , which I did and then marked one as the Person's name and the first one as a Regular Medium size.That took me a good hour

Now that I have it cut out and know who it will be for I must decide on a design?So, with a wing and a prayer I started poking through all my designs. I need to get better organized. I did pretty good on keeping up with my designs but I need to put the finished projects into which person a folder. That way I would not have to wonder IF I really did already make that design for them. As big as this beautiful world is - I want them to have a new adventure with each gift. : )

I did stop long enough to feed us -about an hour- and then came right back to continue. It is certainly true that you make better progress when you are rested because I am now tired and know I will have to feed us again ! So, I better stop and clean up most of my mess and try to organize things. I have located my design and I had to change the size of it. Got that completed and filed it right on the front of the desktop so I won't have to spend a week hunting for it. : )

I still have to feed us and that is going to be an experiment because it is going to be eggs and a bean sausage? I found the spices last week and just want to experiment with running the beans through a grinder with the spices. I have already had it draining for about an hour. This time maybe it won't turn to mush.LOL Maybe I should crush up some cornflakes that we have leftover, not enough for a person but maybe just enough for a sausage bean patty???????????? LOL I think I'll go find out? Curiosity might have killed the cat-but satisfaction brough him back -And-you know how that curiosity is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

This has really been a wonderful day for me. DH was occupied and I was not in a hurry so I took it slow and easy and not make as many mistakes as I have been known to do. The world outside is soaking wet so I know that our Mother Earth needs it. So, I would say this has been a perfect day , doing something that I love. : -)

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Sewers Block OR Lost in My Mind????

As you can see my assistant, the Sewing  Kitty - Miss Rosie is checking out all of our sewing tools and questioning me about what my problem is? I tried to explain to her that I am considering my options and searching for the new path. That I just have not got there YET. She is a very impatient master, but I don't blame her . I feel that way too, but maybe this brief "interlude" is a good thing. It gives me time to think , which I am not really good at. I just have this "gotta get busy" feeling , but have not put 2 +2 together yet. Ahhhhh - see just from visiting with you guys a "vision" is coming -knocking at my wee brain. I think this might be viable.

Other than that I have not had a lot to accomplish today. The weather was nice and I got all my outdoor chores accomplished . I wish there was some way to have the chores outside done in the morning before the rain starts that they are calling for -2 days of heavy rains? They have already started to lower two of the lakes in our area , Claytor Lake and Smith Mountain Lake -so maybe that will be prepared. I have seen two bad floods since we have lived here and once the lakes would get too much water it would spill over into our rivers and then that gets scary.So maybe we won't have to worry about that this time?

Actually we do not have to worry about those flood waters and I sometimes feel that my grandparents were looking out for us because my uncle burnt down their house and when we moved here I tried to put our house as close to the position of their house as I could and it just so happens that when we get hard rains the valleys on both side of us flood  and run into our creek down at the road -but our house sits in the perfect position that it does not  get flooded.Yea!  I think they must have been really smart people. : )

O Shoot - here it is midnight once again! Every time I try to get myself on a schedule - I flunk! : )
Well , love to  all and keep safe
hugs, Linda

Monday, March 7, 2011

Monday going down

Another Monday has come and gone-leaving me to wonder how do they go so far.Seems like I just get up and fix a few meals and clean up dishes and laundry and it has already run off and left me before I can figure out a battle plan and it is time to fall in bed  to hopefully go to sleep.

I did look thru some fabric to see if I had a big enough piece to work on that purse for the UPS lady as a surprise.But, alas I have not determined that yet?

I am beginning to think this weariness is still because of that bug that DH and I  got  hit with. I told him today was exactly a MONTH that we had fought this mess. I still have the cough that is so deep, and I am just bone tired. I fell asleep in the chair this morning and then peeked at DH and he was asleep in his chair too. By waking up I managed to do two loads of laundry, so that helps to get a burden off my back.

I had noticed that along the way I caught the subject of after you finish a project -OR- more That sometimes It leaves a "lull" until you figure out what your next project will be, and that has left me wondering if Everybody has that problem? I have noticed that I seem to have that problem also-UNLESS - if I am searching for fabric and run across something that just stands out to me -to make a certain person pop in my brain and know that fabric was created Just for them - OR- If I am searching for a design and I run across a design that had to be created just for someone in my life.

I do have a question ? A friend today was telling me that she intended to make all of her family dishtowels for Christmas. She said she had some unbleached muslin and wondered IF that would make good towels?? Well, I did not have any idea -but that is something that I would like to know very much. I told her to cut a small sample and first use it to wipe up spills and see how absorbent it was then wash it and see how that comes out?  If any of you have any knowledge of this idea - please do share with me.: )

Love to all
Linda