The start of a baby quilt

When I went to bed last night, the wind was blowing again. But it was still and calm this morning. And cold, freezing. However the temp rose during the day to a respectable 50. I spent the morning tapping, then reading e-mail, then exercising. I was able to put off breakfast until 10, but no longer since I was starving. I checked the basement and it was dry.
I stressed over the Sunday School craft. What can three-year-olds do? They can't cut, draw, color, read, write, count, etc. I had bought some modeling clay at the $ store, but when I handled it, I saw that it was too stiff for young children to manipulate. So I went looking on-line and found a recipe for cloud dough. I have absolutely no idea how to relate it to the story, but apparently kids go nuts for it. That is, playing with it, not eating it. Speaking of eating, I ate my large salad outdoors in the sun. I checked the daffodils for signs of frost bite. No signs, and one was blooming. The collard greens had some frost bite, but the swill chard was just fine.
I worked on the baby quilt, cutting pieces and sewing them together. I made two blocks. Then I decided to redraft the pieces. So I went upstairs for paper and better light. I found myself back on the cloud dough project.
Cloud dough only has two ingredients: flour and oil. So I made a small batch. It was kind of fun to play with, but like wet sand, it doesn't hold its shape very well. I got out my cookie cutters to see if there were any suitable for the kids to play with. It's amazing how many cookie cutters I have: all kinds of Christmas and holiday shapes, plus several sets of the alphabet, animals, and the old-fashioned ones like Grandma had. I put some in a bag, and added a few shaped tins. I am not sure what confection they are for.
I also put in some containers to contain the dough while the kids play, and some small ones for them to take their portion home. Having made progress on that, I went back to the sewing room. I made a third block and some pieces for a fourth, but they were backwards. I am not sure I like them. I quit, and went upstairs where Chris was just getting home from work. We ate chicken soup for supper. I changed the diningroom table cloth from green to bright red. The dark green was just too dark. I shook it outside, then put it in the washing machine with a few other things. They washed and dried while we watched the last episode of Poirot and then the movie Day and Night.

Water in the basement

Last night when I went to bed, a storm was just starting. When I woke up this morning, I heard the wind and rain lashing the windows. It was frightful. Chris got up to go to work and it seems nothing was canceled or delayed. I checked the basement and garage and the basement was dry but water had come in near the garage door. I went back to bed until daylight arrived, which was far too soon. I dressed and took my new umbrella out so I could see the water pooling in the yard by the corner of the house that leaks. I suctioned up the water coming in the front of the garage. It did not return. Then I was awake, so I watched 5 tapping videos on my laptop and exercised. I read e-mail and ate breakfast at 10. I was starving. Bob called to see if there was water in the basement and asked me to call him the moment I saw any. Around lunch time I found water in the corner. I put a towel down to soak it up, and called Bob. All he did was ask about any other places water might be, and promise to call me if and when he heard from the geologist. While listening to another self-help audio, I re-did one corner of the black quilt. Then I folded it and placed in the quilt cabinet. I went downstairs to choose fabric for baby quilt. I came up thinking I had heard the phone ring. Maryann Skyped me. We talked for almost 2 hours. Then she had to go and I had to check the basement again. The water had gotten past the towel and I swept it up, and wrung out the towel. I used my hot glue gun to put a removable barrier to keep the water from spreading to the rest of the basement. I went upstairs to check e-mail and to choose pattern for the quilt. Chris came home and fixed himself supper. I chose a pattern and started cutting. When I realized how late it was, I jumped in the shower, then grabbed my tablet on the way out. It was not raining so I did not need the umbrella. I was surprised to arrive a bit early. I called up the piano app on my tablet and showed it to those who were present. Doris thought it was great. I had forgotten to bring the headphones so I did not use it. After practice, I compared it to the piano and it was half a tone off. I do not know if it would agree with the organ. On the way home, I stopped at the dollar store to see if they had any teddy bears I could use for Sunday School and the Good Samaritan story. In the $1 bin all they had were stuffed alligators. Hmm, how would that go with the story? Christmas stuff was on sale, but no stuffed Santas. That would certainly be an unusual twist to the story. I bought a box of bandaids hoping they would come in handy for treating whatever gets used for the story.
When I got home, Chris and I watched an episode of Poirot. Then he went to bed and I did, too, when I finished my post.
* These are the crocuses in bloom. The daffodils are showing signs of budding too. *

Too much time on the computer

I slept in until 8:30. I started reading e-mail, then remembered to post to my blog. I tapped to 4 or 5 videos about reluctance to exercise. After I exercised (see, it worked), I ate breakfast and read more e-mail. There was plenty of e-mail to read and audios to listen to. After lunch I folded laundry. I did not finish folding it, so something must have come up. I remember going outside to rake leaves barefoot. It was starting to rain, but it stopped when I started raking. I saw crocuses blooming in the garden, and these miniature gourds lying about on the ground. I ate a large salad for supper. I made up supplement doses for next 7 days. Then I put in a Swansons order for the things that were running low. I watched most of Genetic Roulette, a documentary about GMO's. Then Chris and I watched the remainder of the Napoleon documentary, then 2 episodes of Poirot. Chris went to bed. I finished Genetic Roulette and posted to my blog.

Quilting Day

I started the day with e-mail. I had breakfast at 9 because I had to go to quilting. Ok, I didn't HAVE to go, but I was determined to go. The quilt that I machine-sewed binding to on Saturday needed to be whip-stitched down, so I took it with me, leaving my sewing machine at home. That was a good move since so many people showed up and seating was dense. I mentally reviewed everyone's name as I scanned the room. I did this a number of times since people come and go during the day. Roberta brought a pot of soup and the rest of us were invited to bring something too. I brought carrots. So did someone else, so there were plenty. I spent all day sewing the binding on. Carolyn was cleaning out her sewing room and brought in a ton of magazines and some books. I was happy to take some home. I was about to call it a day and started packing up when I realized that I only had several feet to go, so I stayed to finish. I just love to quietly stitch and listen to the others talk. It was 3:45 when I got home. I ate, then raked leaves in back yard. The temperature was in the low 60's, so I took off one shoe and one sock to enjoy the feel of the grass without getting too cold. I swiped the tomato flowers with a Q-tip to pollinate them. I wonder if the tomato was offended. Maybe it was saying "Hey, I'm not THAT kind of tomato." Then I emptied dishwasher and put a few dirty things in. I returned to e-mail and Chris came home from work.

I could not get anywhere with the links I was trying to view. The circle kept turning and turning. So I turned to the tablet, but it would not connect to the internet from here (the dining room) even though it always has. I carried it to the computer room. It did connect there, but still would not load the links. I turned to Chris. He tried with his computer and had no trouble. He let me use it to listen to one 20 minute audio. Then I took my laptop to the computer room and that seemed to help. But the connection was given as 78% in both places so I don't know why it worked. I watched a few tapping videos on Youtube as I hope to do every day for the rest of this year. One of them was about getting a good night's sleep. I jumped on the rebounder for two minutes and then we watched Fan Fan de Tulipe, followed by part of a documentary on Napoleon. I was tired so I went straight to bed. I had no trouble falling asleep.
* This first quilt is mine, and the second one is a quilt Joan is working on. *

The STARS of Sunday School

The alarm went off at 8. I was already awake so I got up to check e-mail and have breakfast. Then I took a shower and got dressed. Everything I needed for the craft was already at church so all I took with me was my choir folder and a number puzzle. When I arrived, I spread the necklaces out on the table and turned on the heat. Then I sat in the sanctuary and waited for the opening of Sunday School. I worked on the puzzle until all had assembled. After the opening, Linda came over to see me. She donated some fabric for the back of the Veggie Tales quilt I plan to make with the kids handprints. She gave me a few other things as well. The conversation lasted until it was time for the craft. There were 5 kids, and four of them were girls. I thought the boy would not like the necklace project but he enjoyed the challenge. I showed them how to make 5-pointed stars, then challenged them to make 6-pointed ones. Several did, and added more stars to the necklace they'd already started. I was very pleased with them. Sadly the necklaces were not so hardy and some broke under the twisting. Then I heard the choir practicing so I ran out to join them. Linda stayed with the kids. After we practiced, I got a bulletin and sat in my pew. I realized I was still wearing the green necklace I'd made, but it did not match my dress so I tried to take it off. I had to ask Shannon to help me since it kept getting caught on my earrings. Then Chris arrived and church started. After church Chris left for home. I stayed behind to clean up and look through the craft cabinets to remind myself of what is available for the next craft. I took pics so I wouldn't forget. I asked the vicar if his baby son had a quilt (no), and inquired as to the colors of the nursery. Green and brown. I feel a quilt coming on. Then I went home to find Chris gone to the store. When he returned I was emptying the large jar of kimchi. I helped to put away the groceries. He fried up bacon in the large black pot. I readied a loaf of bread in the machine. I used some of the bacon fat. After the bacon was finished, he cut up vegetables in the pot and added the leftover chicken to make soup. I read e-mail and chatted with Michele on Facebook. I started reading a book and fell asleep. When I woke up, the soup was done. We had supper and I checked e-mail again, and watched a tapping video. We went downstairs to finish the Napoleon DVD's. What an interesting life he had. And yet, he never met Richard Sharpe. Cornwell wrote as if Wellington couldn't have defeated Napoleon without Sharpe, but he is never mentioned in this film. And then it was bedtime, at least for those who have to work tomorrow.

Blanket Bash

Chris came home at midnight last night. I had already gone to bed so I asked him in the morning. He slept late while I checked my e-mail. I ate breakfast around 9:30. I packed for another sewing Saturday with basic supplies, two projects and some seaweed and coconut water for lunch. When I arrived, there were four other ladies present. I sewed binding onto a black and bright quilt, then added two rows to the red, blue and tan quilt top. Before I left, I tried to pull up the app I downloaded yesterday. I was able to get it installed, but couldn't find it after that. Deb found it for me and showed me how to move the icons around. I stopped at the Asian store on the way home to buy sprouts, kimbap, and natto. At home I ate most of the kimbap and read e-mail. I gathered cutting mats, rulers, cutters, and scissors tools, make a way to carry them in a large piece of folded cardboard. I fixed myself a very large salad. After I ate it, I left for church. They were having a blanket bash. I arrived early to show Shannon the new app that simulates one octave of a piano. I saw that the room was set up for action. The tables were labeled as to what state of assembly the blankets on them were in. I started cutting fringe while Shannon cut slits. Other church members arrived and started tying. When the fleece pieces were all are fringed, I moved on to cutting slits. Shannon moved to tying. When the cutting was done, I started pulling each fringe through its slit. This was the slowest part of the process. They joked about passing out M&M's based on how many blankets were finished. And 10 blankets = 1 piece of pizza. Most people were done before the pizza arrived. I helped to pack the finished blankets in garbage bags in sets of 10. As the others were eating pizza, I packed up everything I brought and went home. It took two trips to bring it all in the house. I read e-mail while listening to Chris playing with the voices. Sadly Michele was not amongst them. I researched patterns for teddy bears and dolls thinking that maybe I could make them for the Sunday School kids to bandage for the Good Samaritan story next month.

High- tech troubles

We woke up at 7:30. I don't remember hearing an alarm. The weather outside was reasonable. No precipitation. Chris had a teleconference which he took at his laptop. Then he got dressed for work and left. I read e-mail, jumped on the rebounder and ate breakfast at 10. I folded the latest origami item. So far there has only been one that I could not figure out. That was yesterday's box. Sometime in the late morning it started to rain. I checked the basement and garage but did not find any water. I searched the internet for an app to play individual notes, like on a piano. When I finally found one, I did not know what to do. I downloaded it to my PC, but it was an apk file and my laptop did not know what to do with it. So I wrote to Kurt for help. I called GBnT to change our address on statements. They told me I had to request it through the on-line banking system. Since I did not have and ID or password, a very nice man talked me through setting it up. I worked on my red, blue and tan quilt for awhile. I watched a bunch of tapping audios on the subject of deserving. I poured off the current batch of kombucha into jars and brewed another batch. It is fermenting now. Chris came home early because of the weather. I sewed some more, then fixed a big salad for supper and jumped on my laptop to see if there were any new e-mails. I took the tomato jars to the garage. Chris ate supper then drove to a friend's house to play Battletech. I put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I cleaned up the diningroom table a bit. I scrubbed the sink. I practiced the choir piece one last time. Kurt answered my e-mail, so I answered him back and tried to get the website on the tablet. It was a long webaddress, so I just typed in main part, and scoured the site for the app I wanted. After all, there were less than 2000 pages of apps for my model of tablet. I should have just typed in the whole address. But I eventually found it and tapped the 'download' button. But the screen changed and there was another 'download' button. So did I not just download it? I tapped the second 'download' button. Up came another screen. Then it wanted me to scan a QR code. Well, that would be quite a feat since the QR code is on the screen side of the tablet and the camera is on the other side. Maybe with a system of mirrors.... Sometimes I think I am hopelessly outdated. Technology has passed me by. I need to build a time machine and go back to corded phones and TV's with channel knobs.

Napoleon cheats

I was having a dream about wearing shorts in the winter when I woke up. I read through the morning e-mail. I put a 98th birthday card in mail. I realized that her birthday was yesterday, but figured that if she could wait 98 years, a few more days shouldn't matter. I also put out the recyclables. I forgot to exercise, and had breakfast around 11. It was too nice a day to stay inside, so I finished binding the black stack-n-whack outside. Also, I needed the extra light to sew black binding on a black quilt with black thread. I cleared the dishwasher and re-stacked it. I practiced part of the choir piece for this Sunday. I raked leaves in side yard for a little exercise. I picked some collard greens to go in my big salad. I watched a bunch of tapping videos on Youtube, and searched for a craft for the good Samaritan story. I am open to all ideas. Chris and I watched part of Napoleon (a kind of mini-series). I did not know that he and Josephine both fooled around. Chris said it was common. We stayed up a little later than usual because his work is being delayed 2 hours tomorrow for weather concerns.
* This is the quilt I finished, with the back folded to the front to show the quilting. *

Back to Sewing

The day started with a plunge. The toilet was objecting to my high-fiber diet. I read e-mail and took breaks to rebound until almost 11, then had breakfast. While listening to a short audio, I worked on binding the black stack-n-whack. I put away the quilts that were not chosen for this past weekend. I unpacked my small suitcase. I checked e-mail again, then folded the laundry, and stabilized the hem of a pair of pants. As long as I was down in the sewing space, I pieced rectangles for the red, tan and blue quilt. I inadvertently took a nap, then raked leaves, and watered the plants in the greenhouse. The plants not in the greenhouse have not frozen so I have to wonder what it is all for. I fixed a large salad, like the ones Olive Garden brings to the table for the whole family. I ate it, and some chicken. I took a shower, and trimmed my nails. After a little more binding, I put on my coat to leave. I went through the garage. I fringed one of the fleece blankets there to see if I could cut through 4 layers with my rotary cutter and the Strips Ahoy ruler. Then I took the ruler and all 7 fleece blankets to church. I showed Tamara how well the ruler worked by fringing another one. I left the ruler there in case she wanted to use it before the blanket party on Saturday. I practiced with the choir. When I got home, I practiced a few musical phrases, then Chris and I went down to watch several episodes of Hercule Poirot. Hugh Fraser was in it and I recognized him as Wellington in the Sharpe movies. Then we were off to bed.
* This is Celeste at the condo *

The Day after the trip

I read a lot of e-mail waiting for time to pass so I could eat breakfast around 11. I did get in some good rebounding. I also started a loaf in the bread machine. I paper-folded what is supposed to be a grasshopper. I had a lot of unread e-mail to go through and I spent all day at it. I took a break to rake leaves in the back yard and get some fresh air. I squared up 7 fleece blankets for the blanket party this Saturday. I really wanted to sew but couldn't get away from the computer. Chris came home about 5. He put a load of laundry in the washer. But the hose wasn't in the drain pipe so it went all over the floor. What's up with that? I heard him using the water suction device. William called from Goodwill to talk about some quilts he found there by Laura Blanchard. So I looked her up online and she is a professional quilt designer and teacher living in Midlothian. Why any of her quilts would end up at Goodwill is a mystery to me. Chris cooked up ground beef for supper. I didn't eat much because I wasn't feeling well. Was it the pickled turnip greens, the leftover sauerkraut, the olives, or the avocado? After supper we watched "Taming of the Shrew" with Elizabeth Taylor courtesy of Netflix. The conversation was hard to follow, but we made it through. Nice costumes. Then ... we went to bed.

* Another pic from Hilton Head *

Tranquil Days at Hilton Head

Friday-

We got up early, packed and then read e-mail while waiting to see what the weather would do. After reading the reports, we decided to go to Augusta as planned. We left about 10, seeing some school traffic because the schools opened late. We listened to a book on CD on the way. We had a little GPS trouble. I wonder if street signs will one day go the way of pay phones. What do you do when the GPS directions differ from the road signs? We arrived in Augusta about 4:30. Ashley let us in to their house. We talked for a bit, then ate some pot roast for supper. Chris drove me to the Lutheran church where the ladies were expecting me. He went to the hotel where Seige of Augusta was being held. Several ladies had brought cutting mats and cutters. There was the leftover red sashing fabric from a memorial quilt that the church had made 7 or 8 years ago with my help. There was also a bolt of white fabric. We cut the white into squares and the red into strips. I explained how the first two quilts were made. These ladies will make a third one to honor those who have died more recently. At 8 the group broke up. I was going to call Chris, but Nancy wanted to drive me over to the hotel to save Chris the trip (and possibly so they wouldn't have to wait for him to arrive before they closed the church). On the way over, I noted many changes to traffic patterns since I lived there. At the hotel, I greeted the players that I knew. I figured Chris was in one of the back rooms, but he had already left for the church. So he had to come back to the hotel to get me. Then we went back to Mary's house. I enjoyed talking with her and Mark. Then we went to bed. I figured to post to my blog the next day. Chris set the alarm for 6:15 EST (which was 5:15 Alabama time).

Saturday-

I did not get up when the alarm went off. It was dark and the bed was warm. However I did get up, clean up, and get dressed before 7. I ate the first of my prepared breakfasts. The plan was for Celeste to pick us up at 7 and head for Hilton Head, stopping at yard sales as necessary. But she was running a little behind. The ground was covered with frost. Mary and I drove around the vicinity scouting ahead for yardsales, but did not see any. When Celeste arrived, we loaded our stuff in the car and headed out. Mary was driving. We found two yardsales before we left Augusta. Celeste had to drop her purchases off at her house because we were so tightly packed. We spent three hours riding to Hilton Head. Silvia called us from a yard sale. We tried to meet her and Linda there, but had trouble programming the GPS. We were using Mary's phone as one GPS to get to the condo. So Silvia and Linda met us on the main highway. We followed them to the condo. It was very nice, and it was in a lovely place. It was quiet and well appointed. The landscaping was very peaceful. Actually we did not see the landscaping on Saturday. Instead, after unpacking the cars, we ate tamales for lunch. Silvia found them at a yard sale. Then we looked for thrift shops. It was 3pm and several were closed. But we found two side by side. We shopped in both, and at the Tuesday Morning next door. Then we found a Goodwill. We parted with some of our money there, too, before heading back to the condo. Silvia made lasagna for supper and we exchanged gifts. I passed out the 4 quilts that I picked out. We talked until quite late. Celeste and Mary slept on the sleeper sofa and Silvia and I had a bedroom with twin beds. The place was quiet, but since the ceiling fan was on all night, maybe there were noises that I didn't hear.

Sunday-

The whole place was quiet when I got up. I thought of posting to my blog, but there was no wifi there. Everyone else seemed to have smart phones, so they didn't need it. I peeked out to hit the bathroom, and then later to take my supplements. No one seemed to be awake but Mary. I figured, like me, she didn't want to wake anyone. But eventually we all woke up. Linda fixed a breakfast egg casserole. I had some and it was good. But I also ate one of my prepared breakfasts. We decided to walk down to the beach. That is when we saw how beautifully the grounds were landscaped. I could sit on one of those benches with a book and read for days. The weather was warm considering that it was January and in South Carolina. The beach was lovely, and hardly anyone there. We walked to the left. I took off my shoes and walked in the surf. If it weren't for the wind, I could have worn shorts and a t-shirt. We spent hours picking up shells, driftwood, and interesting objects. One was an intact horseshoe crab shell. So intact, that when I picked it up, it moved and I dropped it. I yelped and it crawled away. We passed several people walking their dogs. Pets are not allowed in the condo area, so they must have come through the public access. When we got back to the condo, we talked and ate supper. Then I moved my stuff to Celeste's car. Mary's was already packed. Celeste brought her stuff down and we stuffed it all in the trunk and back seat. We hugged Silvia and Linda goodbye. We really didn't want to leave but did not want to keep the men waiting up for us. Celeste drove most of the way, but her eyes got tired, and Mary took over. We arrived at 11:15. Mark and Chris were up, so we talked to them for a bit. I checked my e-mail and saw 236 unread messages. I deleted quite a few, then went to bed without checking any that were left.

Monday-

We woke up about 9. The house was quiet because no one was there. We showered, dressed and ate breakfast. Mark was still at work, and Ashley came in before we left. Mary returned from the gym. So we got to say goodbye to them. Like at the condo, we hated to leave, but there were errands to be run. We listened to another Evanovitch book on the way home, stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch. We just had time to start a third on before we got home. It was not a Stefanie Plum novel, and so not as interesting. We hit Publix on the way home. After unloading the car and putting away the groceries, Chris put two chickens in the oven for supper. We ... had a nap. Then we sat at our laptops to whittle down the unread e-mails. After supper, we watched the last part of Shogun and looked up some of the actors who seemed familiar. Then Chris went to bed while I contemplated how to write up the whole weekend and not leave anything out. I am about to go to bed and I know I shall then think of things I forgot to write here. Pictures will be posted tomorrow, if God is willing.

Getting ready for the weekend

Today it snowed. There wasn't much accumulation, but I could hear it hit the windows. The schools closed early, the quilt guild meeting was canceled, and Chris came home after lunch. I prepared three breakfasts for the weekend and a slew of daily doses of supplements. I alternated checking e-mail with checking the basement for water. The flow has stopped and only one puddle remains. I tried to finish the pickled turnip greens for lunch, but couldn't quite eat the last part. Chris did the laundry. I folded the towels from yesterday and put them away. I cleaned up my sewing table as much as I could. It was covered with boxes from the unit that was moved away from the wall. I trimmed the extra batting from the black quilt and pinned the backing onto the front. I stitched it down while listening to an audio on business. I drank glasses of water while going through some new tapping audios. All of a sudden I felt dizzy and lightheaded, so I laid down and fell asleep. When I woke up, I went down to gather up all the strips of backing. I pressed them, angled the ends, and sewed them end to end. Then I pressed the long strip in half and wound it around a square ruler. By then Chris was ready to watch TV. We saw the rest of part 2, and all of part 3 of Shogun. It has the feel of a soap opera, moves slowly, and involves lots of scowling.
* This is half of the quilt I finished binding last night *

Where's the bucket brigade when you need them?

It has been an interesting and exhausting day. Upon arising, I had to check out the basement. The water was more prevalent than I expected. I suctioned it up, dumping bucket after bucket of water. Then I checked the garage. It, too, was flooded. I had hoped to wait until 9 to call Bob, but I couldn't wait. His wife answered and said she'd call him to come over right away. He had already started working on another job. A little later, they both came, with towels. They surveyed the extent of the water, and proposed sources and solutions. I gave them some RIT dye that has been hanging around for years. She sprinkled it on the water in the corner and we watched as it flowed both west and south. We moved cabinets around to follow it. The color showed up under the dryer. Bob said the water in the garage came from the wall directly behind my little greenhouse. After they left with their wet towels, I shoved the legs of the front of the greenhouse deeper into the ground so that the top would slant forward, instead of backward. Then I got back to work with the carpet steamer. After clearing the basement, I worked in the garage. I moved wet boxes to the carport and got up as much water as I could. The water by the wall dried up, but the water under the pingpong table came back. I had lunch and tried to get through my e-mail, but I had to clear the water in the basement every hour to keep it from flooding. The postman arrived with the black quilt from Cathy. She did a beautiful job quilting it. I wrote her a check and will put it in the mail tomorrow. I took the quilt to the garage to trim it up. I cut it so that I could wrap the backing forward as binding. Then I cut the trimmings into strips to bind two other quilts that also need black binding. I also squared up four lengths of fleece for the Linus project at church. Chris came home for supper. The rain had stopped. I took a shower and was readying to go to a meeting at church. I asked Chris to vacuum the basement in my absence. I took the blankets with me. I got there late, but the meeting was just starting. Tamara went through all the lesson plans for the rest of the church year (until summer vacation). Now I can plans crafts further ahead. The meeting went long. I dropped the blankets in the service project room, and picked up another bag of raw fleece. I headed for choir practice. We worked on one song that didn't go very well. The key changes made it hard to sing. Then we practiced another, and the director decided to sing the second one this Sunday and the harder one next Sunday. Oh well. On the way home, I stopped for gas. I forgot which side of the car had the gas cap. Then I didn't have a pen. So I took the receipt home. I got a pen from the countertop to fill out the gas book. I vacuumed up water in the basement, but there wasn't much. I settled myself in front of my laptop to sew binding while listening to an audio. When Chris was ready, we went down to watch more of Shogun. I took the quilt with me and was able to finish the binding then. About 11 we paused the movie to go to bed.
* This is not the bucket brigade. It is the choir practicing for this Sunday. *

Flooded

It was raining when I got up. It has been raining as long as I can remember. I may have to google a picture of the sun.
I woke up hearing a phone ring, and I thought it was Chris'. So I e-mailed him, and he called to say he had both of his phones. So it was my phone I was hearing. (And for whatever reason, I would continue to hear it ring for the rest of the day.) I called back, and it was the lady in charge of the meeting on Friday. She probably doesn't realize that Alabama is an hour behind Georgia. So I was up anyway, might as well stay up. I exercised a little, read e-mail, and ate breakfast. I took my laptop downstairs to listen while I trimmed the quilt from yesterday. But I couldn't find it. It was not in the sewing room. I checked the garage. Then I checked my car. I checked the garage again, and the sewing room. I checked upstairs. Finally I found it behind a box in the basement. Panic narrowly averted. I trimmed it and started the long, arduous process of auditioning binding. I was amazed to find that the first fabric I tried was good enough. It was green and matched the back perfectly. It went with the top so well that it disappeared, but I decided that that was ok. I cut the binding strips, sewed them together, and pressed the long line in half. I pinned it to the quilt and took a break for lunch. I read more e-mail and played another audio. I had a very large salad, and some Camembert. Then I sewed the binding to the front and pinned about half of it to the back. Chris came home, so I took it upstairs to hand-sew. It was too quiet, so after a while, I brought up CSI on my laptop to watch while I sewed. When Chris was ready to watch TV, I paused it and went downstairs. As we watched Part 1 of Shogun, I noticed water seeping out from under the interior wall. When I could stand it no more, we paused the movie to mop up the water with towels. (When the roaches are gone, you know its bad). There was also water in front of the dryer, and in the NE corner of my sewing room. In fact, the whole runner was soaked. I unpacked the rug cleaner. I suctioned water out of the rug, and off of the floor in several places. We finished the DVD, and then I suctioned the new water that had come in. Chris asked me if I was going to stay up all night doing that. When I had gotten all I could, I decided to take a break to write this blog and then give it one last go before bed.
* This is the previous quilt that I finished binding. Cathy quilted it. *

Special Delivery

I got up when Chris left. I folded today's origami assignment - a Fox on a circle. I plugged in the lights for the greenhouse. I engaged in exercise, then read e-mail until 9 and had breakfast. I stuck felt pads on the legs of my chair. I discovered that the roaches here are getting smarter. They have learned to play dead. I found one hiding behind the door. I smacked it and it lay on its back, motionless. I turned around to get the dustpan, and it was gone. I found it in the diningroom, again on its back and motionless. I swatted it and it revived. A few more swats, and it went into the trash.
I threw the pieces for a quilt top into a bag, and gathered up my general sewing supplies and machine. I wheeled the whole lot through the rain to my car, and loaded it in. I drove to First Christian church and wheeled it all up to the door and inside. There was quite a crowd and I had to squeeze in at a table. I unpacked my machine and moved all unnecessary items to a corner of the room. It was great to see all the projects other women were working on. Several commented on my project. The lady in charge set out food from some church event yesterday. Amongst the offerings were fruit and veggie trays. I had that for lunch. Some ordered take-out from Steak-out. I worked steadily through the afternoon, meaning to stay until I ran out of pieces. Linda called to say she was ready to bring over my quilt. I could easily meet her somewhere, but she wanted to bring it to me at the church. She found it quickly enough. When she came in, she recognized ladies she knew from other places. She showed them my quilt and they asked for her card. She handed out cards and left a few more. I wrote her a check. They invited her to come and sew any Monday. I thanked her for coming so far to deliver my quilt. After she left, I went back to sewing. It did not hit me until later that binding the quilt she delivered was far more important that continuing to sew. Then I packed up my supplies and headed out. The rain was heavier than ever and the temperature had dropped. I drove home, and wheeled my supplies into the garage. But that was as far as I could go since I had locked the door to the basement. Can't be too careful when there are break-ins. I used my key on the backdoor. I was fixing some supper when Chris came home. I read e-mail until he was ready to watch TV. We saw the last Sharpe movie, Sharpe's Peril.

What a setup, eh?

The alarm went off at 8, and I got up soon after to fix breakfast, shower and dress. I wore my dark blue silk dress made by a tailor in Korea. Since the craft doesn't involve glue, or paint or anything messy, I figured it was safe. I got to church early. I laid out the necklaces on the table. I sat in the back for the opening rituals. Then I had a 15 minute wait for my class to show up. Tamara told me that there were three kids today who had not had their handprints made and that she would send them to me. So I prepared some white paint for handprinting, but those kids did not come. The regular class showed up on time. One of the kids was new, so I painted his hand white and stamped it on a green square. I showed them all how to take a mardigras necklace and twist it into a star, with enough length left to wear it. I thought the boys would object, but they didn't. Several asked to make more stars and I let them. Whereas I thought I had enough necklaces for two classes, now I was down to two. As soon as the kids left, I joined the choir in practicing the anthem. Then I went back to the room Shannon said had more necklaces. I ran into Tamara and she showed me where to find them. I picked out 10 and left them in the craft room for the next class, which will be in two weeks. Then I sat in the sanctuary to wait for church to begin. Chris joined me there. After the service, Chris went home and I followed, after picking up my coat in the craft room. We had ground beef stew for lunch. I folded some laundry and then we went to the grocery store. We only had three bags of groceries, but they cost us $100. What's up with that? I found a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. I vaguely remembered where I had gotten it and that they were meeting on the 2nd sunday of the month. So I called, and she said to come on over. Chris typed the address into GoogleMaps so I could plot the easiest way to drive there. I packed a handstitch project in my tote and drove down Carl T Jones to Weatherly, and then to Memorial. The road ran out before I expected it. I looked around and was tempted to call for more directions. But then I saw the storage building. I punched in the code and walked into a maze-like warren of units. I didn't know where to go, but I walked around until I found a larger hallway with a few card tables. There were two women sitting there, so I joined them. Eventually four more joined us. It was more of a social gathering than a stitching. But make no mistake, these women know the quilting world inside and out. They are Susan Schamber fans. They also know the local news as I've never heard it. I sat, handstitching wedges together, listening intently. After several hours, the group began to break up and the tables and chairs were stored away. Two of the ladies showed me their storage unit. It was full of quilting books, fabric, projects, supplies and a Tin Lizzie. I was quite impressed. They said they've only been into quilting for two years. About 6:30 I headed home in the rain. I intended to take Memorial to Drake, but I was in the wrong lane and ended up exiting early. But I had been there before and could find my way home. Chris was finishing up supper. I elected not to eat since it would mean having a late breakfast tomorrow. I checked e-mail and called Linda about picking up my quilt which is now ready. Then we descended to the basement to watch one of the last two Sharpe movies.

It was faster, but...

We got out of bed about 9:30. I read e-mail and had breakfast. There was an article about the dangers of sitting for long periods of time. They recommend you get up and walk around now and then. Sure, I can get up every 20 minutes and walk into the kitchen. No problem.

Chris was boiling cinnamon in the kitchen to combat the burnt smell. I mopped the kitchen floor. It hasn't been done --- recently, as the dwarves say in Snow White. I noticed that there were leaves all over the lawn. I can't imagine where they came from since our trees have been bare for some time now. Actually, I was kind of glad to see them because it gave me something to do outside. Our neighbor was shooting his son's BB gun and came over to talk to me. He told me there had been break-ins in the neighborhood and what to watch out for. I gave him his Bass Fishing magazine which was delivered to our house. (That was a good thing, too, since I couldn't remember his name and was too embarrassed to ask). Then he went back to the gun, and I went back to raking. When I finished, I came in to check my e-mail (for messages from Cathy who is longarming my black stack-n-whack today), and took my laptop downstairs to listen while I sewed. I finished the binding on the blue and white quilt, and started the binding on the donation quilt. Chris brought down the laundry while I was down there, and I kept it going. Deb had showed our group how to use Elmer's school glue to put on a binding. I was skeptical, but decided to try it on the donation quilt. I came upstairs to get the glue (and hang up Chris' shirts) and forgot. I had supper in the form of a REALLY large salad, because we are going to the grocery store tomorrow and I wanted to use up the greens and sprouts. Chris was gaming with the voices. I sat in the recliner and did 4 of those Sudoku puzzles that have no numbers in them. I thought it might be a good idea to record all the number combinations in a file on my computer, but it occurred to me that it has already been done and is floating around on the internet somewhere. I want to get to the glue and binding now, so decided to write my blog first in case I lose track of time.
Ok, so now I have finished the binding by gluing it to the back and then stitching in the ditch on the front. It was faster. Oh, yes. But after watching Susan Schamber's video on gluing binding, I have to say that it did not get the results she promised. This is the worst binding job I have ever done.

King me

I got up early this morning, thinking to get started sewing. But what with e-mail, and exercise, and breakfast, my plans came to naught. I saw a neat video of a group of men called Straight No Chaser singing a rendition of the 12 days of Christmas. Very creative, whoever wrote that medley. I brewed a pot of tea for making kombucha. I cleaned a pile of raw cacao out of the cupboard. Apparently one of the bags opened up. I wanted to eat it rather than throw it out, but what if it had mice dirt in it? I folded a Beak Lock Box from the origami calendar. I wanted to change chairs because the one I usually sit on is getting loose. But the next one has no felt feet. I was sure we had some somewhere, so I searched all over the house. I did not find any, but I did find a rubber chair leg cap that fit a metal chair which needed one. The postman brought me a box, which contained the blue kaleidoscope quilt. I cut and pinned a binding on it. I cleared the dished out of the sink and stacked the dishwasher. I had nearly fallen asleep in the recliner, listening to a meditation mp3 when Chris came home early. He was supposed to game, but it was called off. So I searched our coupon book and found one for Mei-Wei. At 5 Chris punched the address into the GPS and we left. It was cafeteria-style ordering and seating. When we got back, I machine-stitched the binding on. Then we watched The Man Who Would Be King, courtesy of Netflix, before going to bed.

* The first pic is of all the origami projects for the week. The second pic is the crown made for Sunday School last week. *

Choices, choices

I woke up with Chris, and struggled to stay awake until he left. Then I got up to find or make backing for the quilt top. Finding it turned out to be easy. There was a roll of decorator cloth about quilting weight in a corner of the sewing room. It was wide enough that it didn't need piecing. However, the quilt top had many small seams leading out to the edge. To make sure the edges didn't stretch or seams unravel during the quilting process, I pinned the edges to strips of paper and stay-stitched them. It took me until 9am. Then I had a quick breakfast and skmmed e-mail. It was almost 9:30 when I left the house. I drove to Huntsville Sew and Vac and parked in their lot. I walked around the block to the little old house where they teach the classes. Linda was supposed to meet me there, but she was running late. Still, she got there in time to accept the quilt before her class started. Walking back to my car, I decided to peek in the store, just in case the fabric spoke to me.

I walked all around the inside, looking at every bolt. None of it spoke to me. I was offended. What unfriendly fabric! So I bought thread instead. I was almost out of dark blue and it is popular color. I also bought a pair of free-motion quilting gloves. I drove home. Because the house still smelled burnt, I turned off the heat, opened some windows and turned on the fan. I read the origami directions to fold a rudimentary flower. I spent several hours reading e-mail and following links. I ordered the sequel to the book I finished the other day. It was a rather wet day, so the only thing I did outside was pick dandelion for my salad. I tentatively selected a pattern, and cut strips of the fabric recently washed. I sewed them in pairs and cross cut, then laid them out in various designs to see which was best. I boiled water to rehydrate coconut flakes. While they were soaking, Chris came home. He put chicken in the oven with onions, potatoes and sweet peppers. I put the flakes through the blender and kept them in a separate jar to feed to my fermentation jar.

Then I decanted most of the latest batch of kombucha into jars. There was an overabundance of scobys in the bottom. I fed at least half of the mass to the blender and then it went to the leaf pile to promote the composting process. Following a link in one of the e-mails, I came across a tutorial for making a double-knotted scarf out of t-shirt material. I am not a scarf person, but it is just so cute! And the lady who wrote the tutorial as part of her blog, is very amusing. I am afraid if I gave you her blog addy you would start reading hers instead of mine. Promise me that you'll come back. Ok. http://www.putapuredukes.com/
I went down to do some more sewing and auditioning. Chris came down to watch the last Sharpe DVD. It wasn't an adventure, but a retelling of all the adventures from the point of view of one of Sharpe's men. Then Chris went to bed, while I stayed up to ponder what I did all day.

* So, here are 4 of my 6 choices. What do you think? *

Many errands out of the way

It was a productive day. It started with e-mail (both reading them and writing them), then exercise and breakfast. I booked a room near Paducah for the show. I washed and ironed the fabric from yesterday. My latest order of nuts arrived. I put in a Swanson's order for supplements. I bled off some of the latest batch of kombucha. I emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it. I folded a boat from the origami calendar (there was no object for yesterday). I finished drawing the pattern for the iron caddy. I darned Chris' sock. I found a quilt top in my sewing room that could serve me well in the next two weeks if I can get it quilted, and Linda said she could pick it up tomorrow. (Now I need to get a backing put together by tomorrow morning). I put together a binding for the donation quilt and pinned it on. Chris came home at 5 and I came up for supper. I heated some spaghetti squash in the oven with sun-dried tomato butter. I showered and dressed for choir, then had a bite of supper before heading out. It had rained all day and was still raining when I left. I was just a bit early for choir. But by the time we started, there were only a handful of women. The tenor and bass sections, however, were bigger than I've ever seen them. A new organist was auditioning. He looked so young he could have been in high school. After practice, I stopped at the dollar store on the way home. I picked up more cheap beaded necklaces for the Sunday school class. When I got home, Chris was on his laptop. I went downstairs to find a backing fabric for the top. Chris came down soon after, ready to watch TV. We saw Sharpe's Waterloo. Then he went to bed, and I must get ready for tomorrow.
* I saw this wallhanging in the first quilt shop. Surely one of my readers will appreciate it. *

Tuesday Meetin'

It was a lovely day. I postponed breakfast by reading e-mail and jumping on the rebounder. I didn't think my ankle would be too happy about it, but it was fine. I also folded laundry and put mine away. Breakfast was after 10:30. Barbara called to see if I wanted a ride to Quilter's Combo, and could I meet her and Bertha at the church at 1pm. I was thrilled because I had never been there and heard that it was hard to find. I spent hours searching online for a way to disable an keystroke combination which results in deleting text. All I could find was a way to disable ALL combination keystrokes and shortcuts. I was sketching out a iron caddy pattern when MaryAnn skyped me at 12:30. We had a brief chat before I had to leave. Bertha and Barbara were waiting for me. They had come together, so I hopped in the car and away we went. Bertha showed me the back way since she knew I wouldn't want to drive on 565. When we got there, I had to agree that it was hard to find. It was a small shop underneath a shopping center. The selection of fabrics and patterns was very nice. Down a hallway was the classroom. We all bought something there, and then headed back. Since I hadn't been to Patches and Stitches either, they took me there. This shop was much bigger, but at least half of the space was given over to needlepoint and embroidery items.

They dropped me off at the church and went home, as did I. There was still daylight, so I stayed outside. I tried a few forward headrolls on the lawn. I was surprised to find that each one made me dizzy and nauseous. I suppose I shall have to work up to it. Then I raked up more leaves and put them with yesterdays leaves in a box to dump on the leaf pile. Chris came home early with the new registration for our cars. I put mine on and came in. Chris warmed up a spaghetti squash and ham for supper. But the oven had stuff on the element which gave off a great deal of smoke and caught on fire. The fire alarm screamed at us, and Chris had to unscrew it from the wall to stop it. Then he turned off the heat and opened the windows to clear the air. We had to huddle for warmth in the bedroom... At 5:30 we ate supper. I put some sun-dried tomato butter on the spaghetti squash and it was very good. Then I gathered my show-n-tell items and headed to the guild meeting. I was a little late and apparently missed the part where everyone paid their dues, which were being collected for the first time. Jen gave me a baggie of batik triangle leftovers from her project. Linda brought the donation quilt, now quilted. All I have to do is bind it to turn it in to the other guild. At the meeting we discussed going to Paducah, and how all the rental houses and most of the lodging rooms were already taken. This was quite a shock to me as I have been planned to go and rent a house with a bunch of quilting friends. After show-n-tell we talked about approving the by-laws that several people had 'borrowed' from two other guilds. It did not set well with me. They wanted to add in a juvenile membership clause and talked about whether it was ok for people to bring their kids and how much they would have to pay. And also about how many times a person could come to a meeting or Sewing Saturday before being asked to pay dues or leave. Then there was the whole thing about the president changing the name of the group on Facebook, but since the facebook e-mail address wouldn't change, she deleted the whole group and started another one, and moved all our names over, but the notifications didn't get transferred or something, so I didn't get any more messages from the group. This added to her deleting the Yahoo group (which cut off those who weren't on Facebook) just set me off. I spoke my mind and when she asked why was I there, I got up to leave. Jen told me not to leave and said we could work it all out. Deb said all guilds have such by-laws and worse. I think she started the kind of group she wanted to join, and I just never knew that dues and by-laws and deciding who was or wasn't part of it were part of her grand vision. I thought I was joining a social club, freely sharing information and ideas to whomever wanted to come. And since we are not paying for the room we meet in, why were the $12 dues we voted on raised to $20? Maybe I over-reacted, but at least I told them what I thought. After the meeting, I presented the block of the month for both December and January. As the ladies filed out, one lady took me aside and said that I wasn't the only one who felt that way, just the only one brave enough to stand up and say it. She said some wanted to form another group. We turned off the lights and went home. I stopped on the way to buy some sprouts and kimbap at the Asian store. Chris was waiting for me at home. We went down to watch another Richard Sharpe DVD. It was a very difficult movie to watch as he was lied about and mislead and villified by the wife who took all of his money and left him for another man. Afterwards I stayed up to post this message and he went to bed.

Monday Quiltin'

I stayed in bed late 'cause it seemed too cold to get out of bed. I went through the usual e-mail and breakfast. I forgot to exercise. I don't think I am ready to jump yet, but there are calisthenics I could do. I put my tablerunner and partially bound quilt in the car, along with the sewing box and machine. I arrived at First Christian Church around 10:30. We had a large group today. Half of them disappeared for lunch and returned. Some only stopped by for a short time. Two new ladies came, so Barbara had everyone wear a nametag. I found that very helpful. I showed the tablerunner to Dinah, the lady who gave the fabric that started it all. I also got some pics of quilts other ladies were working on. As for my quilt, I used the machine to joined the ends of the binding, then spent the rest of the time handsewing it to the back. When I finished that, I packed up to go. It was after 3. I ate some ham and a salad for lunch. Then raked up leaves and pinestraw in the side yard. When I came in, Chris was home. We had leftovers for supper. I remembered to make today's origami object, which was a cone (paper cup). I read some more e-mail and then relaxed in a recliner and finished the rest of the Star Trek book. It surprised me by ending in a cliffhanger. Now I shall have to find the sequel. Half a page before I finished, Chris was ready to watch TV. So the adventures of Captain Kirk were followed by another adventure of Richard Sharpe. And now to view the adventures behind my eyelids...

Auditioning binding

Chris set the alarm for 8am. I didn't feel like getting up, but had too much to do to stay in bed. I fixed breakfast and then took a shower and dressed for church. I gathered the stickers and such for Sunday School, and I was on my way. I got there about 15 minutes before the opening ceremony. I was going to use the time to clean up the room but I passed another lady in back of the sanctuary and she talked to me the whole time. I put on the crown I made last night and sat in the back of the church while the kids sang songs, rehearsed the 10 commandments and yelled BUILD, GROW, SERVE. Then I had 20 minutes to clean the room and get it set up for crown-making while the kids went to their first center. I had the youngest ones, and they had storytime first. However, when I quizzed them, they seemed as though they had never heard the story. Ah well. I told them that the wisemen did the wise thing by not returning to Herod after finding baby Jesus. And that they could make and wear a crown to remind them to do wise things, too. Each one got a strip of yellow bulletin board border, which has a scalloped edge. It kind of looks like a crown all by itself, but I gave them stickers and markers and glitter glue to decorate them. One set of stickers had lots of snowflakes. I thought they would look decorative on a crown. But there were two snowmen on that sheet and that is what the youngest ones wanted on their crowns. One boy there had never done his handprint on fabric, so I painted his hand orange and pressed it to a green square. Then I had to take him to the bathroom to wash it all off. When we came back, the other kids were gone. The choir director wanted them to practice before the service. So I let him go, then grabbed my music and joined the choir ladies. After a short practice, I cleaned up the room somewhat and sat in the sanctuary to wait for Chris. He arrived just as the pastor started talking. The sermon was about how just a little bit of light can show the way. After church Chris went home and I stayed to finish cleaning up the room for next week. I wish I had a pic of the crown, but I left it on the table. I had taken the plugs out of the glitter glue tubes before the class, and now had to put them back in so the glue would not dry out. I don't think we'll be using them again since the kids need a project that is ready to take with them and the glue takes too long to dry. Maybe there is such a thing as glitter markers?
I drove home and changed clothes and ate lunch. Then we went to the grocery store together. We got a ham and a chicken. Chris put the ham in the oven with pineapple rings. I read e-mail for awhile, then my book. Then I went down to count the handprint squares and mark off the names of those kids so see who was missing. Then I made a binding decision. I cut and sewed binding on a quilt that has needed binding for 2 years. Chris came down when he was ready to watch TV. We saw two episodes of Richard Sharpe. One was called Sharpe's Seige, but I don't know the name of the other one. Now Chris has gone to bed, and soon I shall remove my D-link (so no one can remotely reboot my computer while I'm sleeping. I hate that. There oughta be a law against it) and head to bed myself.

Fleecing Party

After waking me up, Chris went to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast. I took a shower and got dressed. I fixed breakfast and skimmed e-mail. There were no origami critters to be made over the weekend:( Then I collected a few items like a cutting board and rotary cutter. I threw in some seaweed and kombucha. I arrived at church about 20 minutes late, but no one seemed to notice. They were all busy cutting fleece blankets for the Linus project. I had brought a pack of 3 scissors and those got handed out pretty quickly. I was put to work squaring off the edges with a yardstick and cutting out 4 inch corners. Other ladies cut the edges into 1 x 4 inch fringes and still others cut small slits into the center of each fringe strip. I enjoyed my part using a rotary cutter, but the ladies with scissors got tired hands. Around lunch time people started leaving. There were only 4 blankets left to square up and I decided to take them home where I could do a better job with a larger mat and rulers. Shannon gave me a jar of sun-dried tomato butter. It sounded amazing. I was going to clean up the craft room for tomorrow but then forgot. I went straight home. Chris was on his laptop and doing laundry. I spent a little time outside trying to attach the bagger to the lawnmower, but it wouldn't fit. So I mowed without it for a bit, but it seemed pointless if not picking up the few remaining leaves. I found an instruction manual on-line. It didn't help alot, but did confirm that I have the right bag for that mower. So I went back and forced it to fit. Chris tuned into the voices for gaming. Michele was on, too, which made me very happy. I tried to watch a quilting DVD on my laptop, but the computer refused to recognize the disk. I tried it on Chris' laptop, and it worked fine. So I went down and watched it on the TV. When I came up, supper was almost ready. I cooked up the quinoa that has been soaking since yesterday. I finished the last few bites of duck, and then we ate organic ground beef with tomatoes. I read a Star Trek book for hours, listening to the gaming. When it was over, I spoke with Michele. She really likes the black and silver top from Faye. And the pecan pie arrived in reasonable condition. She ate it in two days, finishing it just before she had to go to the airport. I made a proto-type crown for Sunday School tomorrow. Then it was almost 10pm. There wasn't time to watch a Sharpe movie, so Chris went to the CBS website and we watched two episodes of Big Bang Theory before we went to bed.
* This is the raincoat from Thursday *

Flying through errands

I began the day with e-mail as usual. I found a bit of energy for a few squats and pushups before breakfast. It has been bothering me that Blogger stamps my posts with the time and date in Korea, not Alabama. I had tried to change this before with no luck, but today I hunted a little harder and found the right setting. Hopefully, it will be the right time from now on. I also added some pictures to the Christmas Day posting. I wanted to add a short video of my father playing his accordion, but there is no longer a way to do that in Blogger.
The origami calendar had directions for an airplane, which I made. After a bit more e-mail, I found my stash of glitter glue and tried to revive it. Then I went shopping at Hobby Lobby to get fresh ones, and stickers for the craft this Sunday. Maybe a few more things fell into my hands before I checked out. Then I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to see if they had any refill wax on sale. I did not get any wax, but I did get a phone call freeing me up on a certain Saturday. I proceeded to Target. I was hoping to get some Christmas lights as a backup for the ones in the greenhouse, but I didn't find any. I did find a pair of gloves with a special fingertip that allows the wearer to use a touch screen. I found a pair of socks in the right color, but had to buy them in a multicolored 6-pack. When I got home, I folded the laundry. Then for some outdoor time, I picked up sticks, gathered leaves from garage, and replanted the tomato growing in the greenhouse. It was in a container and I planted it in the ground. The tomato is blooming and needs more room. I would be excited, but can't see how it can get pollinated to produce fruit. I auditioned fabrics for binding on one of the quilts from Korea. I was there when Chris came home. We had leftovers and a salad for supper. I listened to a tapping audio and then we watched the next two Richard Sharpe movies.

I started the morning by folding a raincoat from the origami calendar. I removed last year's quilting calendar and hung up the new one. I read e-mail, did a little exercise, and started fixing breakfast. Then I realized that this is recycling day, so I quickly dressed and put the recyclables out by the road. Then breakfast could continue. After breakfast I called Jane who is in a later time zone. I read e-mail, and worked on the dried gluesticks. One site recommended microwaving them for 5 seconds. It does loosen them up, but they are only sticky as long as they are warm. When they cool off, they are duds again. So I went back to the internet and found another site that recommends putting them in a ziplock bag with water overnight. This is what I'm doing now. After that I had an early lunch. I went downstairs to hem the tablerunner. Then I went outside to pick up sticks. Looking around at the yard, you can't see them. But walk around with your head down, and they are everywhere. I watered my greenhouse garden and uncovered the other one a little. I did not have a audio to play while doing yardwork, so I got to thinking. Why do fairytales target old women? Some day I will be one. Will there be a fairytale about me? It might go like this:

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

She had so much fabric that she didn't know what to do.

So she stacked it and whacked it and sewed it with thread,

then quilted it all and covered her bed."

(I'm gonna need a BIG shoe.)

Anyway, thinking about that got me to thinking that maybe I should give some of my quilts as presents. So I pulled them out and stared at them for awhile. I just don't know what people like and no one told me they wanted a quilt. But all my quilting friends made quilts as presents, so people must want quilts even if they don't ask for them. Chris came home, so I gave up on that. We had leftover duck and salad for supper. I tried to watch the latest TQS video, but it kept starting and stopping. Its like the whole internet is slow. Download times have increased and it makes me want to just walk away from the computer. But then I tried watching on Chris' laptop, and it played beautifully.

We went down to watch Sharpe's Battle on DVD from the library. When we came up, he checked my laptop for things that might slow it down. He tried the video and it played fine for him. I checked my phone and saw that Dad had called. I called him back. He was uncertain how to dip Mom's hand. He also told me it took her four hours to take her pills and eat supper. Then he had to get her ready for bed.

I wrote my blog and watched more of the video.

Koala bear

I went to bed a little early last night. I must have been tired because I did not get up early this morning. It was wet outside as though it had just stopped raining. I read e-mail, made an origami critter and had breakfast. My one must-do for the day was to mail a quilt top to Cathy. But that kept getting put off. She and I e-mailed back and forth all morning. I wanted to be sure I sent whatever else was needed and then I found another quilt top. While waiting for a reply as to whether she had time for a second top, I went down to quilt the tablerunner. It did not take as long as I thought it would. I finished the whole thing. Then, even though I had not gotten a reply (she can't sit by her computer all day either), I added the top to the box anyway, and a backing too. Then I drove to Rite-aid. I had heard that they mail packages there. And it is only half as far as the post office. Indeed, there was a little postal outlet in the store. I was so happy to see it and to be done with the mailing that I treated myself to a visit to the new Michaels right around the corner. I hoped to find something for the sunday school craft, but I didn't. I got a skein of that new yarn which has me stymied as to how one can crochet with it but it expands like papertwist. I also got the #3 pearl cotton that Ricky Tims used to make the most elegant piping. They also had pairs of childrens gloves for .25 each, so I got four pairs to go with the hats and scarves I made. I was back home in an hour. The outdoors was somewhat drier, so I raked up a box of pinestraw and cones. The box was too heavy to carry (and falling apart) so I got out the adaptable handtruck and rolled the box to the pile I wished to dump it on. By then it was after 4. I read the latest e-mail, and heard Chris drive up. For supper we had leftover duck and newly fried asparagus. I also had my usual large salad. I spent some time looking on-line at suitable crafts for this Sunday, then bundled up for the trip to choir practice. I brought all my hats and scarves in a bag. When I got to church I saw that the previous hats and scarves had not been delivered yet. So I added my bag to the lot. Then I headed to the craft closet to get the glue sticks. I wanted to rejuvenate them 'cause most were hardened and dried. The room was full of women preparing lengths of fleece for the kids to make into blankets as their service project. I thought we were going to do it Saturday, but no one told me they were starting tonight. Anyway, they gave me the glue sticks, and assured me that there would be plenty left to do on Saturday. They had asked for donations to cover the cost of the fleece, and so many people donated that they had forty more than they were prepared for.

Then it was time for choir. We had more people than before, so were short on some music. Shannon and I had to share. She kept making amusing comments. We came up with the idea of having our music on a tablet to make page turning easier, plus being able to read it in the dark. I asked if there was an app so that we could get our notes delivered through headphones to help us keep up with the key changes. She thought there might be one. Choir practice ended right at 8. That is also when Hobby Lobby closes. Too bad for them, 'cause I would stop on my way home if they were open. When I got home, Chris and I watched Sharpe's Gold. Chris went to bed and soon so shall I.

Now we know why

We slept in just because we could. Chris got up for breakfast and I took a shower. I meant to exercise but my abs were sore from yesterday. I got out the origami calendar that Faye gave me for my birthday. I set it up and folded the first item- a nightingale. While I was reading my e-mail, I skyped Kurt to see if he had opened his geode. He hadn't, but then he did it on skype just so I could see it. The inside looked like sparkling salt. I read e-mail until midafternoon. Then I put on an audio and went downstairs to sew. I added borders to the tablerunner, auditioned triangles for the ends, prepared a backing and found a piece of batting that was just the right length and width. I pinned it all together. Then I came up, drawn by the smell of a roasting duck. It was 6:30 and the duck wasn't finished, but Chris had cooked the heart, neck, gizzard, and liver in a pot on the stove. I ate that and fixed a large salad. Later we ate part of the duck. I watched a 2 hour video by Ricky Tims on quilting. It took longer than that because the download was so slow. I prepared 8 days worth of vitamins and supplements, and organized the recyclables.
When we bought the duck, it was right next to a Tur-duc-hen. In case anyone doesn't know, that is a turkey, duck and chicken all in one. It made me think of the poem 'There was an old lady who swallowed a fly...". My brain came up with new verses.
"There was an old lady who swallowed a turkey. She had to be perky to swallow a turkey. She swallowed the turkey to get the duck. It's a wonder it didn't get stuck. She swallowed the duck to get the hen. I don't know why she swallowed the hen, because she can? "
I know, I know, don't quit my day job.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about the fly. Swallowing it didn't kill her, the horse probably did. But the fly was like a gateway drug, it lead to bigger and more powerful animals. So should swallowing flies be made illegal because they lead to swallowing horses? And I imagine she lived next to the old lady who lived in a shoe and had so many kids she didn't know what to do. This raises a lot more questions. Why did she live in a shoe? If she was old, why did she have young children? Were they hers? Why are fairytales picking on old women, why isn't there an old man with too many kids? I can just imagine one of the boys coming home to say "Billy just dared the old lady next door to swallow a fly, and SHE DID! It was so cool! Tomorrow he's going to dare her to eat a spider."
Maybe I'd better keep my mind on quilting.