Wait For IT!

I know I fell off the face of the earth once again-but I Really was busy. Yesterday was the Sewing Guild meeting and by the time I got all the chores , both inside and out completed -the day had just flown off and left me.
                                         Wait For It!
The Sewing Guild meeting was lots of fun. By the time they had announcements of all the off-shoot groups and  what they were doing they had some guest speakers. They had brought dolls with them and they passed them around and when you had them in your arms they felt and looked like the "Real-Deal" - minus the diaper changes and the 2AM feedings that we all lived though - or will live through. LOL

The first speaker was the one who had started the Foundation . She was so beautiful and spoke about how she wanted to make a difference for people and that her training in school was the ability to raise money and she was very good at it.

Her Mom was the one that started making the dolls to help raise money for projects for the "working poor". They spoke about when the people come in how depressed they are and they have them write out a "What you would like to achieve". Then a young lady in her early twenties spoke about how she had followed the program , she had dreamed of buying a home of her own and then a business of her own. Now she has started both. She said that the foundation was more like a Family than just a group . She said that she made 15 of these dolls a day and how much she loved it. They charge 55.00 a doll and you can buy them already made or you can attend a workshop and make your own , thus picking out your colors in clothing and she mentioned how it seemed that you  bonded with the baby.

The main lady talked about how she had brought in other groups and were intermingling , thus drawing in  a wider variety of people -like you would go in to purchase home made bread and you would stay for the dolls , ect. The had just purchased a big -big empty building and were in the process of bringing it to life with All of these different interests. She said one young man who came to help was legally blind and he would paint the walls -then he would go get her to see if he had missed spots and how just that was changing his life because he was out and socializing and feeling needed.
                                                                Wait for It! 
By the time I got home and fell in bed and then opened my eyes it was time to roll out of bed and Lynne and I went to some more Shop Hops. There were six shops kinda close together and then a choice of two out of town. One of the two out of town were up our direction in a big old schoolhouse that I really love, and we hit that one first.

They have one X-class room downstairs and it is my Knit room . As I went through the door I hardly recognize the room . The entire center section was changed out with new tables in the center and everything arranged so nice. I got lost in there -poor Lynne was already finished and waiting on a bench for me. LOL I asked Jerry , the owner why he changed the room . He laughed and said that one morning he came in and was at the cash register and he heard the loudest noise and it seemed the entire building shivered. He went to look and the Monster big table had collapsed. I asked him if it was from the earthquake and he said no - from age. LOL

Lynne got to take a picture of the roses at the front door and then we were off to the next 6 shops , all of which had lovely refreshments  to fuel us through the day. It was a lovely sunny day , it had started off cool but was very warm by the end of the evening. Our last shop we turned in our cards that we had to have stamped and they will be put in for a drawing for 6 nice "treat" baskets. At that shop I was captured by a gentleman who had made all these beautiful place-mats, mug rugs and all kinds of lovely rugs by looker hooking. He even showed me how you used a hook that looked like a crochet -hook with a hole in the opposite end . You would pull the strips of fabric through the canvas and then pull the string through all of them. They were all drop dead beautiful . I adored them. All of these beautiful pieces of "eye-candy" were so inspiring.
                                    Well, here it is! LOL
Val, from Life's Little Garden had perked my interest in her crocheting that she has been learning and having so much fun and making such cute things. I like it when you can create things that you could use.  So, I happened to run across a pattern that I thought was cute and just went for it. It has been many years since I picked up my crochet hooks , due to bursitis-but I finished my project and am so tickled with it . It is just one of those things that makes me smile  and since  I was so disappointed in that last shirt not being the size I thought it should -this was a nice distraction.

Vinegar Tips:
The exact composition of a particular vinegar depends on what it was made from.Even apple cider vinegar varies with the kind and condition of the apples. Partly because of this , medical scientists do not always know exactly how or why it promotes healing. They do know it is both antiseptic and antibiotic.

An early Assyrian medical text described the treatment for ear pain as being the application of vinegar.

Vinegar was used as a healing dressing  on wounds and infectious sores in Biblical times.

Thieves Vinegar got its name during the time of the Great Plague of Europe. Some enterprising thieves are said to have used vinegar to protect them from contamination while they robbed the homes of the plague victims.

Wasted Day On A Search for Garden Man

Yep, wasted an entire day -other than all the necessary things we all have to do. I was so close and the one shirt I had cut Out , I wanted some kind of design that has to do with a man and his garden. Cocoa was so patient -really more patient than I have been.

I Hate to "be on the hunt " for the perfect design. I ramble all over the virtual world just searching and searching and it usually leads you to the very opposite of what you are searching for, at least for me it does.:( I did get the second side of my crochet project done, but now I have to add details, so maybe it is not a complete loss.

I am still not happy with that shirt I completed yesterday. A little voice in my head keeps telling me it will be too tight. Darn it !  Plus while I was searching for a design in my personal collection I learned something very interesting?

Do you happen to remember when I finished this shirt lately for my brother-in-law. Well, I went to store it in my almost empty tote that I keep all of the Christmas projects in and you will never guess ????

LOL - I had forgot all about the blue one that I had made him back in March!Needless to say I am not real happy with my track record so far. Two shirts of the same design for one and a shirt that I suspect is too small for another? GRRRRRR!

I forgot to show you who I am baby-sitting with. His name is Casper  and he is a riot. He talks some and he makes sounds that make me think someone is in the house(errrr- well someone really is) LOL  He likes to be the center of attention and he starts screaming when someone comes in or catches me on the phone. When DH called last night I told him that Casper had to be the "poopingest " bird I had ever cleaned up after. Instead of papers to change - I need a small toilet ! LOL

He is 28 years old and was born in the same year that my youngest son was. I had not known that , until now-so at least I can keep up with his age. About a month ago the family lost their little dog that was his companion and I thought he had been grieving .So when they brought him to visit last week he did not know what to think. Then all of a sudden my crew of doggies came running to see what he was -He took one look at the dogs and his eyes lite up and he started bouncing up and down and started hollering , " What'ssssssssssssssssss You Doing????????????????????????? He was one happy bird. I told them that they needed to go to the dog pound and get a small dog for Casper. LOL

Vinegar Tips: Vinegar Fights Disease
Apple cider vinegar enthusiasts can recite a long list of aliments it is reported to be able to cure or prevent. It is claimed vinegar can banish arthritis, forestall osteoporosis , prevent cancer , kill infection , condition the skin, aid digestion, control weight, preserve memory, and protect the mind from aging.

Can apple cider vinegar possibly do all that is claimed for it? One answer may be: Yes, because it is such a marvelous combination of tart good taste and germ killing acids. Vinegar is fermented from sweet apple cider and takes its honey-gold color from tannins which flow from ruptured cell walls of fresh , ripe apples. When these naturally occurring colorless preservatives come into contact with air they develop the rich , golden color we associate with cider. This is called enzymatic browning . It contributes to the distinctive flavor of cider-a flavor with more spunk than simple apple juice.

Vinegar is made when fresh, naturally sweet cider is fermented into an alcoholic beverage (hard cider). Then it is fermented once again. The result is vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar contains more than thirty important nutrients, a dozen minerals, over half a dozen vitamins and essential acids and several enzymes. Plus, it has a large dose of pectin for a health heart.

When apple cider vinegar is exposed to heat and air, it give off some hints of its character. Take a healthy sniff and what you inhale is the volatile part of vinegar-the portion which will evaporate easily.

Love to all.

Still Making Progress and Watching It Rain from Lee

Man - I have Never seen it rain so hard. I made it to the critter building and got caught there and the rain on the tin roof was so loud that it hurt my ears . It was raining so hard that I could not see out the door. Talk about getting a read "scrub-down" - Mother Earth sure did get it. : )

After I got back in the house and dryed off I decided that Val, from Life's Little Garden had given me a case of the "want-tos" by showing her crochet work. I had ran across a pattern that I wanted to try so I pulled my crochet hooks back into action while it gave me a chance to rest.This was what I came up with to start the day-

Aaaahhh - it felt so good to exercise those crochet hooks. I only worked for approximately 45 minutes and my shoulder started to hurt because of  my bursitis so I decided to hop on the next sewing project. I am narrowing down on them, but I am fearful that this one might not be big enough for one of the boys . It says it is a XL , but it is for one of those modeling bodies and this young man has a chubby tummy. Shoot.

Well, shoot ,let me try again.

See, he's really cute. Darn these sizes and my wee little brain trying to figure it out. I think I am going to have to give up on my Burda pattern except for my DH and my brother-in-law . They are both slender , but most of the rest of us have that extra tire around the center.

I have had such a nice day , minding my own business and having fun.

Vinegar Tips:
Soothe tired or sprained muscles by wrapping the afflicted area with a cloth wrung out of apple cider vinegar. Leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes and repeat as needed. For extra special relief, add a good dash of cayenne pepper to the vinegar.

Banish the discomfort of nausea or vomiting by placing a cloth wrung out of warm apple cider vinegar on the stomach. Replace with another warm cloth when it cools.

Nice To Have Someone Keeping An Eye On Me

For sure because even Blondie seems to know that I need help keeping me straight. But, you know I could not start  one of my projects without" a fly in the buttermilk."

I thought most of my grief was over with when the design I was working with sewed out with only a couple of broken threads. I was starting to relax and enjoy myself with the creative process. I finished the design and laid the front shirt piece on the table and picked up the back piece  and laid it on top -going to Pin the shoulders and sew them together.But,Something sure looked funny with that neck line. I stood and studied it for a minute and then realized the reason it was Oval shaped was _ " I had forgot to cut the neckline out"! LOL  At least that is no Big thing , so I grabbed the scissors  and the pattern and remedied that real quick.

O My Goodness - this material just does not like having its picture taken! OK, it says "When Dragons Fly" and it is for a grandson. I bought the fabric because it looked like something good for all the guys, but it has me wondering now. It is very thin and I put the short sleeves on it and both DH and youngest son said it was too hot for the summer and now I am putting long sleeves on them and IF I find out that it is too cool for Fall and Winter I might want to shoot it.  It seems every year is new lessons on the knit family of fabrics and it seems not all of the lessons are good ones. One thing good is that I started sewing to exercise my brain and I can promise you - that is Definitely being done! : )

Would you believe that I have 3, yes - 3 - lights on this piece and you still cannot see it from the picture??? But, I do promise you that it has that black dragon on it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I look outdoors from my computer I can see we have a steady rain moving in from the remnants of Hurricane Lee. We are suppose to get rain for 3 days and since everything is bone dry here it might help, if it just stays steady and does not go wild on us. I always worry about a big walnut tree that hangs over our house???

I saw on the news this morning that they were having wildfires in Texas and it really looked horrible. They even said a young mother and her baby were killed in it so far and that they were trying to get the word out. Such a horrible tragedy.

Vinegar Tips:
If a headache will not go away, try a paper bag hat. Soak the bottom of the open edges of a brown paper bag in apple cider vinegar. Put the bag on the head (like a chef's hat) and tie it in place with a long scarf. The headache should be relieved in 45 minutes.


Those plagued with nighttime leg cramps can find relief by supplementing meals with a glass of water, fortified with apple cider vinegar.


Prevent leg cramps by combining 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon calcium lactate in 1/2 glass of water. This is taken once a day. 

Another One Bites The Dust

How many of you remember that "catchy" little song?? LOL Showing my age I guess?
This shirt will be for DH - I struggled to do the V neck- I think I had MORE trouble with this one than I did the first one. I even turned the neckband UPSIDE DOWN  and sewed it on once. Of course I am an "expert" RIPPER by now. Someone suggested I should write a manual on DO AS I SAY - NOT AS I DO for sewing.. LOL

I decided to test out another design

You can barely see it , but that is ok, because DH will use it to hunt in and he cannot say I got it too flashy. LOL I am afraid to test a design with too many stitches because the machine did not like this design either.  It's a shame that the Brother Company would not  trade me a new machine in order to shut my mouth from complaining. ?????

It is hard for me to understand how a machine can just sit on the table and then decide it does not want to sew the next time you use it.

I am also wondering how many years it will take me to "get" this V neck down ???? OK, now for some fun:
VINEGAR TIPS:Hiccups will disappear if you sip, very slowly, a glass of warm water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar in it. This works even better if you sip from the far side of the glass! ( I haven't quiet figured that one out yet)

An unsettled stomach will calm down if you sip quietly on a glass of very warm water to which has been added 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon vinegar. This is also good for easing gas.

Bye for now and I hope we all stay safe. : )

Wonderful Day

Today was so beautiful  because one of my oldest buddies came for a visit. We have not had a day to play "catch-up" it seems like forever. We did a little "walk-about " to catch her up on all of the animals. They we went in and just yacked and yacked.

I asked her if she would mind to take me to the bank  .  After we did that we hit a Goodwill and we laughed and looked at everything in the store. I actully found some toys for Mocha. There is only one type of toy she loves to play with and that is something small that makes noise. She has an elephant that I got her several years ago and would you believe I found her another one , plus three more toys. I also found Two doggie sweaters that are brand new -still in their pack. I have been meaning to make her some kind of coat  for 4 years now and have not succeeded.

While we were in the Goodwill a Wild thundarstorm came and we got drenched and that rain was down right COLD! So, we took off for home and then I took an umbrella outdoors to do evening chores with -just to get them  out of the way.

I came in and fixed me an pepper and cream cheese sandwich and Debbie had given me a bag of barbq chips.So I had them with my sandwich. DH does not like that flavor - so the only time I ever have any is when we two get together. Of course from what I have seen they are not good for you anyway-it's just I love the crunch

Then I made it to the sewing room and tackled a tee shirt for DH , but it is that V neck and of course I had to mess that neckband up . I will have to rip it all out , but I am too tired to tonight. I had thought with DH gone with his sister that I would accomplish more and get in bed sooner to get more rest  and straighten out my days and nights I messed up from staying up too late -HUM- but I still am not pulling that off either.

It is calling for rain this week -coming from a tropical storm called Lee and we are suppose to get some Really heavy rain from it . I don't enjoy "puddling "around in mud and water - I am hoping to catch a few calm moments to do the work outside. But, time will tell - for sure.

If you are curious about the wild dragon picture??? Well I did  hoop the fabric that I am using to do these Christmas presents  as a test run -after my disaster the other day. Would you believe that the design sewed out perfectly??? So, now I know it must have been some kind of defect in the design. Talk about learn everything the hard way - that is me for sure!

O shoot - I still have to pay those dumb bills ???? Well, I better go fall in bed !
Happy Trails to you~~

Project that was the PITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am So sorry that I just fell off the face of the earth! I got totally buried and did not see it coming-so I could not prepare for it. I Hate those kind of days or weeks??

I started on this project on Tues, while DH had a young friend here to help him work on a car. I was so pleased to have a few hours to work on this Christmas project for my oldest son. When I loaded the design from the computer to the embroidery machine I happen to notice it said 61 MINUTES! I pondered that for a few minutes -thinking that seemed like a long time for a project that did not look like it had that many stitches to me???? BOY- WAS I WRONG!  Some days it just does not pay for me to try to put my brain in gear to work on anything .If I had ANY inkling of what was before me , I would have just dug a hole and crawled down into it instead!

First off the bobbin White thread was being Pulled to the front of the design. NOT a good sign for me! I had not had this problem since Oldest son had fixed the machine for me . I tried to remember what in the world did it take to fix that problem.?  Naturally my wee brain slammed the door shut on me . So I had to start from scratch trying different threads , different bobbin threads until I finally found a bobbin with the right thread that it appreciated . Heave a Big Sign of Relief! I thought I had it made now (two hours later of course)

While I had been working with the bobbins somehow I had lost the bobbin case cover and that took me another two hours of looking for me -but the highlight of that search was that I got to clean all of my work space off ! YEA! But, I still had not found that cover. I was getting desperate so I decided to check and see If  I could still sew anyway. I loaded everything back up on the embroidery machine and when it made its first stitch, as the arm moved - It spit out the little plastic cover -from under the arm of the machine! IF I had not got so desperate to move forward with my project_- I cannot imagine how I would ever have found it???

Thrilled once again - I put that little trouble maker back in the machine and held my breath and HOPED for the best! YES, no white bobbine thread showing - I was thrilled! Too thrilled maybe- because now it started Breaking the top threads!!!!!!!!!!! So , I tried new top threads but to my defeat.

I remember speaking with a dealer at our sewing guild. She was the one who came and gave us a Wonderful demonstration and I highly regarded  her knowledge. I had told her about the two dealers I had been to before that had not fixed my machine and it ended up being my older son who had fixed it. She did say that her husband had told her that the large general problem with machines is dirt. So, believe me -I Made Sure that ALL dirt was evicted.  Even I was shocked at how much lint I found .


Now that the inner workings of the machine looked like new money and I have wasted 4 more hours of my precious time , I throw everything back together and hold my breath as I turn the machine on. With each stitch I grow more and more hopeful - starting to let my breath go and then YEP- it breaks the thread. 


Believe me when I tell you - I wanted to cry so bad. So, I reverted to the old trick of just rethreading it about every 5 stitches. It makes you want to pull your hair out-but I had attempted every option I could think of .


By now I had twelve hours invested in this 61 minute project! (Plus it is not perfect - it has some puckers in it . I am going to get this one together and then pull out some scrap fabric and Test to see if  it ever works again? Maybe it is just the design! I will pull out a design that normally works and just see what happens?


By the time I went through all of this adventure it was now midnight and I was totally Bushed!I had to fix it somehow because I was afraid to turn the blasted thing off -affraid of losing my place and after all that time and effort I would not sacrifice my effort .


Then yesterday was ONE of those days when you have to go to town-from one thing to another and I declare it was midnight when we made it home. Another day -shot. But it had to be because today was the day that DH and his sister and her husband have gone to Eastern VA. -a 4 hour ride. DH is suppose to put down two different floors for his cousin and uncle and then there will be a family reunion! They will have fun playing catch-up with all of their kin.


I , on the other hand will have a BEAUTIFUL Perfect week to do what ever my little heart desires. It is a truly mind bloggleing experience. I am so Over whelmed at my options I don't know where to start- To sew my little heart out  - OR - to Clean all of those places that you cannot clean when DH is in his chair watching TV and does not want any noise ( vacumn cleaners for instance) to disturb  hearing his programs !


I do know I am suppose to lose electricity this after noon at 4:30pm - because they need to do some kind of work on the lines since that storm and some winds. So, I pondered my options and decided my number one priority was to check in with my blog family!  I Hate missing days with you guys because you are that important to me.

 VINEGAR TIPS:
Relieve the discomfort and unsightliness of varicose veins by wrapping the legs with a cloth wrung out of apple cider vinegar. Leave this on, withthe legs propped up, for 30 minutes, morning and evening . Considerable relief will be noticed within 6 weeks. . To speed up the healing process, follow each treatment wtih a glass of warm water, to which a tesspoon of apple cider vinegar has been added. Sip slowly and add  a teaspoon of honey if feeling overtired.

Headaches will fade away IF you follow this simple procedure:  add a dash of apple cider vinegar to the water  in a vaporizer and inhale the vapors for 5 minutes. Lay quietly and the headache should be relieved in 20 minutes.