New Project

Close up of the corner to show color.

It is Sunday and the weekend is quickly coming to a close.  Ken and I went to a horrible movie on Friday.  Haywire was the name of it.  He picked the movie.  I thought it was a bust.

Close up so you can see the green satin stitch.

5 completed blocks!

Yesterday he went to work and I stayed home to sew!  I finally got the stars and trees quilt top put together.  I am very happy with it.  It was my goal to get that done so I could start the big order.  I am doing the bedding for a young lady turning three.  I am starting with the quilt top first.  Then on to the bed skirt, shams, curtains, and throw pillows.  I had run into a few glitches, but I worked through them and I am okay with the way the squares are turning out.  I have five completed.  I think I need eighteen flowers, but some of them will be half flowers I think.  I am designing this as I go. 

I am also trying my hand at some knitting.  I have finished the knitting part of an infant hat, but I don't have it sewn together yet.  Actually, I am not sure exactly how to go about this part.  I will take it to church and Lisa will help me.  She is the knitting lady to go to for help!
Since I am stuck in the knitting I think I will look for a crochet pattern for an infant hat.  I hope I can find an easy one. 

Orthopedic Doctor

I had a doctor appointment in OKC with the orthopedic doctor that replaced my hip.  Next month will be one year!  Time does fly.  So Ken and I were up at our usual time and we were off to OKC.  I thought I would be released from him, but surprise surprise I get to go once a year for 5 years.  Geesh!

The cleanest corner of the room.

We made a few stops looking for pink fabric.  Finally, the third stop yielded 12 yards of three pink materials.  Then we picked up a couple of our favorite bagels from Panera and came on home.

The snowman wall hanging.

Ken and I made dinner and a movie plans for later and off to one of the rent houses he is working on he went.  I took Rusty, the big red dog, with me to the sewing room.  I am still working on those orphan projects.  I tend to iron every seam I sew.  I was doing some piecing.  I would sew several pieces and then need to iron before the next piece was added.  While I sewed Rusty would settle down, but the second he sensed I was  moving to get up he was up running to the door.  I would only go to the ironing board. Then back to sew some more.  About the time he would settle down it was time to press again.  It was not as relaxing as it is if he is elsewhere.  I was able to finish the binding on a wall hanging, which now just needs several buttons sewn on by hand.  I am also working on a quilt top that the pieces have been cut out for  several years.  I was trying to piece the stars today.  It needs 14 star blocks.  I was able to get 7 of them complete.  The trees are complete, so 7 more stars and some setting triangles cut and I will be ready to put this one together. 

Stars and trees for a quilt top.

Today the zebra pattern came in.  That means I can get sewing on a comforter, bed skirt, shams, curtains for two windows, and some throw pillows for a little girl's room.  I am a little nervous about this undertaking.  She just said she wanted zebra and pink and gave me the paint swatches.  And said she would be happy with whatever I do.  Yikes!
Well, Ken is home and he is changing.  It is almost time for our dinner and movie date.

Dogtastrophy

Finally, Ken asked, "Where are the mirrors that were in the hall?"  It hasn't been quite a month since it happened.  While Vicki and Bryn were here their boxer, Rhapsody and Rusty, the big red dog, were playing with a tennis ball.  Then we had a dogtastrophy, they ran into the mirrors at the end of the hall.  Vicki and I spent about an hour cleaning up slivers of glass with many loads going out to the trash can.  She was worried he would be mad at her.  Well, he wasn't mad.  He just wondered where I moved them. 
Last Sunday we had another dogtastrophy.  Rusty, the big red dog, was looking out the bay window and barking.  He somehow made a can of paint fall.  The can hit the dining room floor, the lid popped off, paint went everywhere with a stripe across the rug.  At the time I was unaware this had happened.  I was thinking of my wonderful husband and how hard he was working, it was 3:30 and I decided to go get happy hour drink and take it to him.  I was even thinking how I could take care of dinner.  I went to the dining room to get my purse, I saw the mess, and I will admit I debated not seeing it!  I started cleaning it with rags - up and down, back and forth, to and from the sink.  Then I got, the dust pan.  That made a big dent, but then I was back to rags, up and down, rinse and wipe.  Then I had to get a scrub brush out to get the paint out of the cracks.  Then more wiping.  What a mess!  Then I started trying to scrub the paint out of the rug.  By this time I have about an hour invested in this clean up and the rug cleaning is just making more of a mess on the parquet floor.  So, I call Ken, my question is"Do you mind if we get a new rug in the dining room?"  To his credit he says "no".  I am giving him all kinds of points for hearing the distress in my voice and not giving me a hard time.  Well, it comes out what has happened and he says "Why are you blaming it on my dog?"  I just took away the points!
I bowled tonight.  The first time in ten years or more (and the first time with my new hips).  My shoes didn't fit so much, my ball didn't fit so much, and I was really stiff feeling.  I think I was afraid to bend.  I didn't have very good balance.  I think I will be sore in the morning.
Hip doctor appointment in the morning!

Orphan Projects

I am working hard to finish up some orphan projects in my sewing room.  There are several.  A wall hanging that I worked on yesterday and again today.  I almost got the binding on.  I ran out of thread.  Then I will need to sew on some button. Another one is a throw.  The pieces have been cut out for several years.  All the pieces were no longer there, so I am trying to match colors.  I am still cutting some pieces out.  I have some of the squares together, but I still have some to go.  There is another throw, Quilting a baby blanket is another.  Quilting a Christmas throw, putting together some placements, a table runner, and a couple of quilts are all in some state of creation. 

Mammogram Results

Today was wonderful!  My trio of boys were outstanding.  Well, actually, one was absent and the other two were so good that we all had such a good day.  We are doing activities that go around the books The Mitten and The Hat.  We are having fun with all of the silly animals in both these stories and adding in some patterning, odd and even, and designing mittens.

The Christmas decorations are coming down very slowly.  I am planning on getting a bunch done tomorrow night.  It is old man night, but I think I can get most of it packed up.  I also have to get the clutter picked up for the new cleaning ladies.  Woohoo!

I went a week ago and had a 6 month mammogram.  Today I went back to the surgeon for the results.  He examined me and said the mammogram looked good and he didn't feel anything.  So, Ken and I took a big breath of air today!  Now it starts again.  In 6 months we will do this again.  

Ken worked late at one of the rent houses.  He has two houses to get ready to rent, a dishwasher issue at another, and a heater issue at yet another.

This is one of the projects I am working on.  I haven't crocheted in many years.  I am slowly getting the crochet lingo underway.  I am making a baby afghan.  I love the chevron look of it.  This has two rows of white then two rows of the pink.  This pink is several shades of pink, some white, and some lime green.  So, the pink rows never look the same.  It is kind of fun!

The New Year Is Under Way

What a busy first week of January we have had! Ken has been working nights,but somehow managed to complete the first floor roof. Hooray! We were worried with the onset of winter that if he didn't get it done before the bad weather came we might have bigger problems. We ran to the city yesterday and took care of important business. My embroidery machine is messing up. Now it is not! We went out to Olive Garden, thanks to a Christmas gift from one of the kids. Yummy! Ken slept in this morning,he hasn't been feeling good. The rest helped him. We rested today. Ken went back to work about 6:00. Before he left he fixed a great potato soup. I usually have Christmas down the day after, but we went to Mom's in Arizona. I know he is working nights and all, but I can't wait any longer! After he left for work, I started pulling the tubs out of the attic. They are still upstairs,but it is the first step toward getting it put up! I will get them downstairs and start packing Christmas away. School went okay. We will be doing things centered around two books The Hat and Thee Mitten for the next couple of weeks. That will be fun. I meant to go up this weekend, but I decided I would rather spend it at home.

Sewing Room

First day back at school.  It was a great day.  The kids were easy to get back in the routine and we got all our activities completed.  Win win day!
I am still trying to decide just how to go about organizing the sewing room.  I have several ideas to take care of little things but I am not sure I have enough ideas to take care of the big picture.  One thing I want to do is hang all the hoops.  I also want Ken to turn  about a fourth or third of my shelves into cubbies. I want to have some stuff hung.  I need some drawers and shelves added.  Well, one thing leads to another.
I have a new edition of Photo Shop and I am having trouble figuring out how to use it.  I worked through putting pictures in catalogs and tagging faces.  Next to conquer will be making a scrapbook page.
I got to have another mammogram yesterday morning.  They took the usual pictures on both sides and then I got to wait while they checked them.  That led to more pictures.  Yeah!  The picture taker really felt like the mass was just a cyst.  They took another three pictures.  She felt sure that after my doctor saw them he would want a sonogram.  Hooray!  So now I am waiting for the letter in the mail or the doctor to call.  As I left she mentioned something about seeing her in another six months.  Can't wait!

Sewing Is So Fun!

We made it home from Arizona late New Year's Eve.  We called and ordered a pizza on the way home and picked it up on the way to the house.  We arrived home, unpacked the car, and finally sat down for dinner about 10:30.  This year it was easy to stay up to see the new year!  I was wound up from all the sitting.  This will be a great year!  I just know our (my) health issues are behind us.  We are strong in our faith in God and our love for each other.  We both love what we do and we have family, friends, and hobbies to keep us busy.

Speaking of hobbies I spent my day doing to hobbies I really like, sewing and reading.  I finished the eighth book in the eight book series that I was reading.  It was hard for it to come to an end.  I was really involved with this family.  I also did some sewing.  I found some pieces I had cut out (so long ago I don't actually remember when) for a quilt I had planned to make.  I started putting them together and got eighteen of the thirty squares put together.  I also have big hopes to get the sewing room organized this year.  I started by cleaning off the cutting table, then I started on the sewing counter on the south wall and moved around to the sewing counter on the west wall.  When I got done the sewing counter looked pretty good, but the cutting table now needs to be cleaned again!  The tree and stars quilt top, a wall hanging, and a baby quilt are three projects that I rediscovered that I would like to finish.  I have about three other projects that come to mind that I need to finish also.  I had a good day in the sewing room and reading today.

Tomorrow I get to go back to school.  We will have a professional day.  I will miss a little bit in the morning while I go get a mammogram.  The kids start back on Wednesday.  I can't wait!  I love this nine weeks.  There aren't many days off and we do a lot of learning after we settle down.  I will have to get the report cards done next week.  I think all my screening is done.

I am watching the OSU game and they just recovered the fumble in the third quarter.  They are down by one touchdown.  I think that will change soon.