Christmas quilt

I was amazed to wake up at 7:30. It seemed like a great opportunity to watch the sun rise, but the sky was cloudy. I finished listening to an interview from last night, and read e-mail. I folded laundry between bouts of exercise. I took out the garbage. I juiced veggies, and cleaned up. I wanted to spray the parts off with the hose, thinking it would be faster, but it was raining. I packed a lunch consisting of fermented seed cheese, hummus, and seaweed. I went through my sewing box to see why it was so full, but did not find much that I wasn't going to need. I went to the church late to avoid the funeral they were having. I put more borders on the fish quilt, and finished the rug. Barbara gave me her blocks to turn in at the monthly meeting. Maybe that will remind me to make some. She had some extra college fabric, which Mirna and I shared. I thought I had a third project, but all that was in the bag were the leftovers of that project. I left about 4. I looked at my Christmas fabric to see what might make a nice quilt. Nothing struck me. I looked at large flower prints for ideas that might work like the fish print. I was still undecided. Chris came home. I came up, had some cheese. I ate a large salad outside. I read more e-mail, and listened to some short audios. Then we watched 2 Inspector Lynley episodes before going to bed. 

*  This is Mirna's Christmas quilt  *

Blessing the Kneelers

I took extra time to dress because there was a chance I would have to stand up in front of the church. I arrived later than I meant to. I came early to tweak the kneelers, and Cecelia came too. I popped into the craft room to see the cans that the kids painted. Before the service started, the pastor asked Cecelia and I to come forward. He thanked us publicly for the kneelers and gave us each an envelop. When I opened it later, it contained a gift card to Bonefish Grill. When the choir would normally sing, the kids sang with the pastor. He has a wonderful voice. After the sermon, the kneelers were dedicated. During communion, someone spilled wine on one. She rushed it to the kitchen to dab the spot and it all came out. After the service I talked to Melody to congratulate her and her new husband. She mentioned that they both play trombone. I talked to a few others, too. One lady asked me to recover some cushions for her.  Chris went home, and I was right behind him, but got pulled into a conversation about someone I don't know. I went home, and changed clothes, We went to the library and then the gas station and then to the grocery store. After putting the groceries away, I made bread, and had lunch. I read e-mail, and then we made hummus together with garlic he dug up from the lawn. I mowed the side lawn, and the ditch in front. Then I ironed the fabric that got washed yesterday. I chose fabrics for the border of the fish quilt because it wasn't quite big enough. Then I made a salad for supper. It was almost 7. I started listening to an audio while I ate, but had to stop to watch an Inspector Lynley episode with Chris. We looked up several characters on IMDB, and went to bed.

Getting back to it

I stayed late in bed, for reasons I won't mention. I had hoped to get sewing early, but there was plenty of e-mail to read, and audios to listen to. I exercised because I missed it on Thursday. I juiced up the last of the veggies. Then I fixed breakfast. I am looking forward to not having to clean the juicer tomorrow. There is another kind of juicer called a masticating or cold press juicer. I hear they are quieter, make more juice, and may be easier to clean. I put one on my amazon wish list for later. After breakfast I did my time in the sun. It was nice and hot, just the way I like it. Finally I got to my sewing room. I finished the quilt top started earlier this week. I ran out of the blue, but replaced it with something very similar. Go ahead and look, you can't tell where it is. The sun was going down, so I scooted outside to finish mowing the back yard. I also mowed the side yard. Then I dug young wannabe trees out of the far back part of the yard. It was time for supper. The salad was gone, so I ate meatloaf and spaghetti squash, and frozen fruit for dessert. I listened to an audio on the desktop and made a copy of the pages I got from Beverly. Then I took all my recent fabric purchases to the basement to be clipped and washed. While it washed, I called up the picture of the Lutheran Rose banner on my laptop. Using my rolling ruler as a compass, I drew the circle. I had another ruler for dividing it into 5 equal sections. I drew the rose petals (which look more like dogwoods to me), and the heart and the cross. When I put them all together, it looked about right and I decided it was enough work for one night. Maybe next time I can do it in cardboard for tracing on fabric. Speaking of fabric, mine was washed, so I put it in the dryer and typed up my blog.

Errands

I had to fashion a tampon before going to bed. But it did not last the night and I had to get up and replace it with a commercial one. I hoped to get up early, like 7, but it was 9 when I awoke. I had to make more pads. I read e-mail and made sure to get my exercises done. I found 20 minutes to lay in the sun. Then, since there was no kale left, I juiced broccoli, carrots, celery and the last of the cucumber. I drank it and ran the pulp through the juicer again. Then I made breakfast. After breakfast I made a list of errands to run which required driving. I often don't feel like driving, so I run my errands all at once. It went very well. I stopped at CVS to get a card and mail a package.      

Whole Foods was nearby, so I checked for aloe, but they did not have any. My next destination was Staples, where I got 2 large copies made of sri yantra. Then on to Hancocks to check for fabric with bread printed on it. They did not have it, but I indulged in a few others. On the way home, I passed Creative Sewing, and checked there. They did not have it either, but I bought some fabric anyway. I thought of Hobby Lobby and checked there. Same story. I decided it would be cheaper to buy it online than to keep checking stores and giving in to temptation. So I found some online, but because they offered free shipping for orders over $35, I spent quite some time looking for other fabrics to pad the order. Chris came home and put meatloaf and a spaghetti squash in the oven. He roasted the seeds. I went outside to rake and mow. The backyard seemed the worst so I mowed there. When I came in, he was eating the seeds and I joined him. Then I made a salad with the few things that were leftover. When the meatloaf was done, I had some of that, too. I was enjoying a bag of frozen mango when the squash came out. We were both done, so it went into the fridge for another day. Then we watched two episodes of Warehouse 13, and one of the Inspector Linley mysteries.
*  Yes, yes, more pics from the quilt show last Saturday  *

Troubleshooting her machine

I got up before 8:20, thinking that the thing I have been waiting for and preparing for but half hoping would never happen again has now happened. Again. So then I had to make more pads, and boil them and hang them out to dry. Once in the sewing room, I could not resist working on the quilt top I started yesterday. I stopped myself so I could take out the recyclables, finish e-mail, then juice kale, broccoli, celery, carrots and cucumber. After I drank the juice, I realized that I'd forgotten to exercise. I laid in the sun. Then I cleaned up the juicer, and made breakfast. I called Beverly, and she said to come over. So I changed clothes, googled her address, and drove over there. She showed me quilted stuff she had made and stuff she was finishing that her mother and sister-in-law didn't finish.

Then we looked at her machine. It was a lot like mine. The top tension was too tight. I re-threaded it and showed her how to thread the bobbin. She liked it a lot better. But for some reason the tension discs did not disengage when the presser foot was lifted. Then she put on her crossing guard uniform and left. I drove to Huntsville Sew-n-Vac which was on my way home. I bought some fabric and went home. I ate lunch while listening to an audio, then put on the next one and went outside to rake and mow. Chris came home. My audio ended and I came in. We ate supper. I went down to do a little sewing. Chris came down to borrow needle and thread to fix his tie. Then we watched two episodes of Warehouse 13. He checked his e-mail one last time and went to bed. I sang along with today's chanting meditation. It was so good. Om parama prema rupaya namaha.


*  Need I say that these are from the quilt show?  *

Even more quilts from the show

I started the day at 9. It seemed late but I had trouble sleeping last night. I started listening to interviews, and reading e-mail. I got one from my aunt saying that her son died in his sleep. I was shocked, had no idea he had health problems. I called my dad to tell him, but they were rushing to the fitness center. I finished the first audio and started a second. I did my exercises, and put kale in water to plump up. I laid in sun early (as recommended in an earlier audio). This audio was boring and the guy talking slowly, seeming to ramble at times. I juiced the kale with celery and carrots. After drinking, I called Dad again, but there was no answer. As I was cleaning up, Dad called. I told him and talked to Mom but couldn't tell her. Her breathing sounded alarming, but they were still at the fitness center so I guess if she needed intervention, they would have called 911. I ate breakfast, and listened to another audio, while making reservations for our anniversary at Desoto State Park. I took the laptop downstairs to listen while I worked on a wallhanging. Then I got an idea for a quilt using large print fabric. I have been trying to use a fish print that I got last week to make a boy's quilt as requested of our guild. I worked on that all afternoon, even after the battery died and I had to plug it back in upstairs. Chris came home a little early. When he came down to say hello, I told him about Joey's death. We ate supper, then I took a shower and went to choir practice. I gave pastor the eyemask for his wife. I told Jennifer that I will be out of town the sunday that the children and women are singing. I came home after practice. Chris and I watched an Inspector Lewis movie. Then Michele skyped Chris from Osaka. It was good to hear her voice. She is finding out how expensive traveling is.

A new sewing group

I started my day at 8:30 with e-mail. I boiled water to clean the nuts and melt the coconut oil. I did my exercises. I put kale in water for later. I went to the church that had the quilt show on Saturday. I took the special yarn and a crochet hook and knitting needles. I was surprised how many ladies were there, sitting in a room larger than the one we meet in on Mondays. Some had handwork, and others were just talking. Several recognized me from the quilt show. I sat with two ladies, one who crochets and one who knits. They both showed me how to use their specialty with the yarn to make a scarf. I talked to the lady

.in charge about how to make and sew the gold circle for the pulpit cloth. One lady was handquilting a batik jellyroll quilt. She told me how her machine was not working out well. I offered to go to her house sometime and look at it. On the way home, I realized that I was just around the corner from the Asian store which sells kimbap, but only on Tuesdays. So I stopped for kimbap. I also passed a CVS so I got some between-tooth brushes. These things are addictive! When I got home, I juiced the kale, along with carrots and celery. Yuck, needed more carrots. I cleaned the juicer and made breakfast. I ate breakfast, and most of the kimbap. There was no sun today. I listened to one audio upstairs and several more in the sewing room. I meant to go to the farmer's mkt, but forgot all about it when finishing the pillowcase, mending Chris' shirt and shortening the sleeves. I was working on a wallhanging, when Chris came home. He ate supper, and I came up later to make a salad. I researched quilts using large prints and listened to another audio, but paused at 7 so we could watch Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
*  Two more pics from the show  *

Worst. Idea. Ever.

I stayed in bed until almost 9. I read e-mail, folded my laundry, emptied the dishwasher,. I exercised on the rebounder. I had an oops. That hadn't happened since I started taking the vit C. I checked my last bottle of supplements, and there was no vit C in it. I put the Vit. C bottle on top for later. After breakfast, I packed my lunch and sewing box. I got a web in my hair walking to car. I thought I was over my fear of spiders, but that was too close. I drove to the church a little after 11. I set up my sewing machine, worked on the rug. Alice was doing blocks in stripes. Mirna was making arrowhead blocks. Laurie finished her quilt top. Barbara was working on a red, white and blue quilt. Carolyn gave me some of her scraps to use in my rug. Several ladies brought desserts. Some of it went home with me for Chris. At home, I putt some cashews and sunflower seeds in water to soak. I ate some meatloaf. I restacked the dishwasher. I looked for quinoa to soak, but did not find any. I hardboiled 11 eggs, saving one to make more mayonnaise. Chris came home. I was listening to an audio, but I stopped and folded laundry because he kept talking to me. When he was reading his own e-mail, I went back to listening. I made a salad for supper. I made up 8 portions of supplements for the coming week. As I was reading about the benefits of garlic, they said you had to eat it fresh. So Chris peeled me a clove and I ate it. Worst idea ever. My mouth was on fire so I washed it down with the closest liquid, which was coconut water. That put out the fire in my mouth, but not the one in my stomach. I did a lot of tapping, and then laid in bed with a lavender pack on my head until I felt better. I knew I was feeling better when my attention switched from my stomach to planning a strip quilt. When I got up, it was about 7:30. I decided to open and refill the eye mask for the pastor's wife. What came out of it looked like flaxseed with lavender in it. So I had to put some of it back, and then added the new lavender buds. I stitched it shut by hand. Then I looked for an old shirt of Chris' to make a patch for the new one that he ripped. I did not find one, but he gave me one that was too big. By then it was 8, so we sat and watched several episodes of Warehouse 13. Then he went to bed and stayed up to finish an audio by Nadine Artemis. She says sun exposure is good for more than making vit D. The ancient Greeks used it to tone muscle.

* Another pic from the quilt show *

More quilts

I put the purple quilt on our bed because the temperature dropped last night. Chris wanted the kingsize one, but I had to tell him it was packed up for the quilt show. I took a shower, and read e-mail while I ate. I was listening to an audio when I realized how late it was. I rushed to get dressed. I had to go to church by myself to get to choir warm-up on time. After the warm-up, I waited for Chris to arrive. We sat through the service. I got dehydrated, so we went home right after the service. We changed clothes and ran errands. First we went to the library to return DVD's and check out some more. Then we put gas in my car and stopped by grocery store. We put the groceries away. I had a salad for lunch. I finished my audio from this morning and read e-mail. Chris cooked chorizo and garlic. I dug up more weeds in the back. I cut a strip of minki for a pillowcase. I worked on Sri Yantra on the desktop, trying to superimpose a grid on top of it so I could get plottable coordinates. I won't know how successful the effort was until I plot them. Then we watched several episodes of Warehouse 13, courtesy of Netflix.

* Pics from the quilt show  *

Never ending audios

During the night the wind blew and it rained heavily. The rain continued steadily through the morning. So the first item of business was to check the basement. It was dry, and the garage was mostly dry. I read e-mail, and listen to audios. I ordered a 4 pack of flax and chia seeds. It was almost 1 when I quit to go to the quilt show at University Baptist Church, which is today and tomorrow. I walked in near the end of a bed turning, although it was just two tables at the bottom of the pile. I walked around, taking pictures. The quilts and quilted items were draped over chairs and tables, eliminating the need to have sleeves

. The group sponsoring the show invited to their Tuesday group, which starts early and breaks up about the time I would arrive. I came home and finished an audio. I played next audio while working on Sri Yantra downstairs using a printout. I talked to Dad on the phone, and was encouraged to hear that Mom is getting acupuncture. I was going to suggest it. I was amused to hear that my mom was called for jury duty. Dad said he needed a note from the Dr., but I think if he brought her, they would understand. I played another audio – where are they all coming from? There seem to be way more than usual. Burt Goldman had a 15 minute quantum jump, so at least that one was short. Chris was gaming by then. He told me that Michele is having a friend meet her in Osaka so she won't be alone. I went outside to eat a peach. Then I picked a pepper. Craig was by his garden so he asked me if I wanted some cayenne peppers. So he picked me a handful. He talked about cleaning up the city's easement at the back of our yards (which he and Glenn did). I tasted one of the peppers, but did not finish it because it was so hot. I listened to a 20 minutes visualization. Then I thought I should pull out the undergowth while the ground was wet. This was near the easement. I wet my pants pulling some of the larger plants. So I had to use a shovel. When I put the shovel away, I noticed that there were 2 spiders in the nearby web. I don't think I have ever seen such a thing before. Having adjoining webs is romantic, but sharing the same web? I cleaned my shoes and went in. I wrote some notes for my blog, and checked e-mail. I used the pingpong table in the garage to lay out Sri Yantra. I measured all the angles, and checked every line, but could not determine why it wasn't working. Finally I got out another piece of paper and laid it out to flatten overnight. Chris was still gaming when I came up. I think I'm going to bed, even if there are more audios.

Woosical the Musical

I could not believe it was 9:30 when I got up. Why am I sleeping so late? I opened my e-mail and read. I did two of the three exercises. I used the remaining carrots and celery plus a few peppers from the garden to make juice. After I cleaned that up, I made breakfast. Now that I have juiced 5 days in a row, I asked myself if I feel any different. Yes, a little bit. I laid out in the sun. Is it my imagination, or are there more low-flying planes and helicopters when I am sunning myself? I showered and changed. I took my laptop in the basement to play audios while I ironed. I brought the cord, too, because there were a lot of audios. I ironed all afternoon. I was almost disappointed when I ran out of fabric to iron. There were 6 pieces of large print fish. Sadly they did not match up, or I could have used them for stack-n-whack. I heard Chris come home early. I ate a bowl of onion soup and went back down to match coordinating fabrics from the pile. Chris left for Battletech sometime after 5:30. I read a bit of e-mail, starting another audio but not finishing it. I was in the bathroom when I heard Roberta drive up. Apparently she called to say she was going to be early, but I did not check my phone. She drove us to Lee High School. She was there early to fix a costume before the musical. I however, had a hard time getting in since the show was sold out and they did not get my e-mail for a ticket. But someone did not show and I got in. We even got to sit together. It was a small venue. But the kids were enthusiastic and knew all their lines and choreography even though they'd only had three weeks to put it together. The little kids in the audience were enthralled. Afterwards we met the cast and all of Roberta's friends. She seems to know everybody. Her daughter and another lady wrote the musical from a collection of books and the author attended the show. I could just imagine that happening to Michele.  Roberta made the costumes.  She got me home by 9:30. I finished the audio and listened to another. There were still so many more, that I gave up. I decided to vacuum up the dust bunnies and go to bed. Chris came home just as I was getting ready to write this blog.

Our quilts are appreciated

I stayed in bed until 9, not sure why I did not want to get up. I started an audio and then assembled and took out the recyclables. I skipped through it, looking for the tapping, but there was very little. It was mostly a sales pitch. So I started another audio. I completed my exercises, juiced carrots and celery, cleaned the juicer, and made breakfast. I started a second sri yantra, but the same intersections were not colinear. I spent my time in the sun. Then I washed the fabric from yesterday in two loads. I took a shower and started ironing, but decided not to finish. I began constructing a quilt backing from leftovers to match the quilt top I wanted to donate tonight. I tried using my hemmer as a cone thread stand and it worked. Chris came home. I ate meatloaf and salad for supper. The quilt backing was 4 inches short of being 8 inches longer than the quilt, so I put one more strip on back. I packed everything I needed into a quilted tote. I went to guild meeting. It was 6:45 when I got there. It was busy and I had trouble finding the tables I needed to visit to turn in the quilt top and backing for comfy quilts, sign up for the walking tour, turn in raffle ticket money, and drop off the red strips (which I will forget to pick up at the end of the evening). I forgot to get a ticket for having my nametag. I sat with Mirna. She was looking at quilt magazines and I looked over her shoulder, snapping pics of quilts I liked. After the business meeting, and show-n-tell, we heard several speakers from the charities we donate quilts to. They were so thankful for the quilts and said that for the children, getting a quilt made a traumatic event much more bearable. The speeches brought tears to my eyes. When I got home, Chris was on Facebook with Michele. I messaged her, too. I also messaged Julia in case she had some advice for Michele. Not that Michele wants any. She is taking a trip to Japan to add 90 days to her visa.  When she was done messaging her father, he and I watched several episodes of Dick Van Dyke.  You know, from back when TV jokes were funny and you could repeat them in polite company.

Surpirse fabric

I was awakened by a series of loud, rapid booms. I looked out the window expecting to see that my car had blown up. I looked out all the windows for smoke or anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I noticed was the time blinking on the microwave. It must have been a transformer (or 5). I read e-mail, and listened to audios. I exercised and cleaned veggies for juicing. This time I used the older juicer to see if it made more juice. And it did. Because the chute was smaller, the kale was more concentrated and got cut up better. However, cleaning up was no easier. Do the engineers that design juicers give any thought to how easy they are to wash? As I was eating breakfast, I got an e-mail from the secretary at church that three boxes of fabric had been donated from another church and did I have any interest in going through them? When I stopped hyperventilating, I called her and told her I'd be right over. I had to dress better, brush my teeth and take my vitamins. As I walked to my car, I saw that two very large webs had been built since yesterday. One of them was so big I had to drive through it. Too bad, so sad. Maybe the spider will think twice before building there again. At the church Linda showed me where it was and pulled the boxes out. I went through three of them, pulling out what I liked, minus what I thought the church could use for costumes. I tried not to be greedy. But when I went to say goodbye and thank her, she talked about me taking the rest to donate to one of my quilting groups. It was after one when I left. When I got home the sun was shining, so I laid out in the back yard. Then, I raked the pinecones out of the front yard and mowed it. A truck came to fix the transformers. The old guy next door sat in his driveway to watch the repairs. Either that, or he was really watching me mow in my bathing suit. Then it was time for a shower. After that, I took my laptop with audio downstairs to play while I cut red strips for tomorrow night's strip exchange. I cut 7 different reds before I realized that the point was to give 7 alike and get back 7 different. I cut more. When I came up, Chris was home and making meatloaf. I helped a little and finished the audio. I also worked on Sri Yantra until the intersections wouldn't match and I decided that I would have to start over.  When the meatloaf was done, I was eating a salad and there wasn't time to eat more before I had to leave for choir practice. I left without my watch. When I got there, I looked at my car clock and it was wrong. Must have happened when they changed the battery. Practice went well. I saw that the benches up front had new seats. Lars told me all about it. He also had the leftover fabric. I took a pic of the new pulpit cloth, then I came home. Chris was ready to watch TV, so we saw two episodes of Warehouse 13. 

*  This pic is from the quilt shop  *

To dilate is better than to die early

I heard Chris leave for work this morning, but somehow fell back asleep until 8:45. I read e-mail, started the exercise process, and finished a video interview with John Gray that I started last night. I c cleaned veggies for juicing, and then read e-mail until 11. I juiced and drank. I called and closed a checking account that will start accruing fees in October. I cleaned up the juicer, not liking the time and effort involved. Then I fixed and ate breakfast. I read more e-mail, and then lay in sun for 20 minutes. I was going to mow, but the heat was getting to me. So I thought I would work downstairs long enough to cool off. While listening to an mp3 of John Gray, I made and sewed labels to three quilts and their pillowcases. When I got to the last one, it was the wrong label, so I had to find the right one and rip it off of the pillowcase I had so painstakingly sewed it to. When the job was completely done, I put the quilts in their cases and moved them out of my way. I wanted to draw Sri Yantra in a 2 foot size. I looked up in the internet how to enlarge drawings. Several Youtube videos explained how to build a projector. But I figured the resulting image would be too indistinct. Then I looked up how to circumscribe a circle around a triangle. I got a piece of packing paper and drew the triangle. I used my newest rolling ruler as a compass. I found the center of the circle, but it was smaller than 2 feet. I moved one side of the triangle until the radius was 12 inches. When I drew the circle, it was right, but went off the edge of the paper. I folded it in half to draw the matching triangle. But I had to come up to review instructions for how to construct the other triangles. It was cooler, so I mowed the lawn, finishing the backyard, and both side yards and inside the fence. I read e-mail, while Chris ate supper. I did the meditation chant for day 7. Then I listened to a funny audio, the FUNdamentals of transformation with Swami Beyondananda. He recommends levity because gravity is a downer. Laughter will dilate your blood vessels, and to dilate is better than to die early. Ha, ha. Then we watched 2 episodes of Warehouse 13 and went to bed.

* No pics today so here is one from the quilt shop last Thursday  *

From this, to this

I got up at 7:30. I read e-mail, and boiled water to clean the nuts for breakfast. I folded laundry, put it away, and exercised. It still wasn't time to eat, so I ran the numbers for a Lutheran Rose in a 5/7 size. I cleaned up some of the sewing items in guest room (from the kneeler project). I read an article about Lily Flag, a Huntsville cow that won the world record for giving butter in 1892. I juiced a bowl of vegetables and was disappointed by the small amount of juice. I emptied the dishwasher, and then ate breakfast. I packed my usual lunch of seaweed and nut cheese and projects for sewing. I loaded it all in the car, but then the car wouldn't start. All the dash lights came one, but no turnover. There was a special light I hadn't seen before, so I looked it up in the owner's manual. It indicated an anti-theft feature where the car won't start if someone tries to start it without the correct key. Since it WAS the correct key, the 'feature' must be malfunctioning. I was so mad. I called the dealership to see if there was some way around it. First I got a voicemail, and when the callback came, the man told me to just have it towed in. I looked up the problem on the internet and found out that a low battery will cause it too. I called a tow truck. He jumpstarted it and said it looked like it was charging, but not to turn the engine off and to get it checked. So I drove to Firestone. They found the battery needed replacing but everything else was fine. With a new battery, I drove to the church for sewing. Only three ladies were there because of a quilt retreat this week. I got to see Maryann's one block wonder in progress, and Lauri's beachy quilt. I worked on my rug. Carolyn left first, and then Maryann. Laurie and I left together about 5. Chris had just gotten home. We ate supper and then I mowed in the back yard. Each time the mower took a break, I ate a tomato or pepper from the garden. Then it was dark. We read e-mail until 8, then watched an Inspector Lewis DVD.  It was very good.

The Library

My phone alarm went off at 8. I got up to shut it off and started the preparations for breakfast. I showered and dressed. I was thinking of going to church at 9:30 for sunday school in case they needed me. But as it got later, I decided it might send the wrong message, making me appear to be more willing than I am. Instead, we left at 10. It was a little early for the choir warm-up. I talked to Tamara and she had almost all the volunteers she needed. What she really wanted were coordinators to take future lesson blocks. When the adult sunday school left the sanctuary, the choir went in to sing. Then, while waiting for the service to start, I took some blue fabrics and some red fabrics into the parament room to compare with one of the wallhangings. I chose the closest ones. During the service, there was a dedication of the new red hymnals. I am not sure why we needed new hymnals since the music is printed in the bulletin. After the service I went looking for the bench seats that were supposed to be finished on Friday, but they were nowhere to be found. After church we went to Publix for groceries. As we were putting them away, Roberta called to say she'd be over as soon as she had something to eat. So I changed my clothes, put bread fixings in the bread machine, and ate some meatloaf and olives for lunch. I was just sitting down to the quilt in the garage when she drove up. I thought we were going to a musical written by her daughter, but it was just a preview held at the library. Although I was a little disappointed about not seeing the costumes (which I helped her a teensy bit in making), the music was good and the kids were talented. After the preview, we toured the library, which I had never seen before but meant to. It was very nice. I got a library card and picked out some videos that Chris and I might enjoy watching at night. When she dropped me off at home, she told me she'd give me a ride to a real performance next week. When I walked up to the house, I was greeted by the mouth-watering smell of bacon. Mmmmm. I read e-mail and listened to a chanted meditation. I did some tapping outlined in an article. I mowed parts of the lawn. I picked a tomato and a pepper. I watched some tapping videos associated with the article, and ran some quantum clearing codes. I read an article on Dirk Benedict.  We watched a DVD of Dilbert episodes.  Heretofore, we did not know such existed.  They must not have been popular, and now we know why.

Sewing at home

I woke up early, but because Chris wasn't ready, I stayed in bed for awhile. When I got up, I boiled water for breakfast and emptied the dishwasher and restacked it. I listened to an audio, exercised, and then ate breakfast. I laid in the sun as I usually do. Then I went downstairs to work on pillowcases, but had to get stuff cleared out first. I searched for a gray strip for an unfinished project, but there wasn't another one, so I had to substitute. I found denim for the Monday project. My laptop battery ran out so I had to come up to plug it in. I spent time on researching sri yantra, and finally printed one out. I want to make it into a quilt so will have to figure out how to print it bigger. Chris made onion soup and did laundry. I swept the porch and steps. I marked the piece of denim with chalk lines at 2 inch intervals. I looked through my scrap box for suitable scraps for the rug that the denim will become. I listened to another audio, but gave up on it as I wasn't really listening. I did some handquilting in the garage, finishing the third block. The soup was ready so we ate that. I picked some peppers, too. Then for what seemed like a long time, I cut scraps into small strips for the rug. Chris was gaming with the voices. I also made pillowcases with sample squares to submit my quilts in for the quilt show. They will have the required label, but isn't it even better if they look like the quilt that's in them?

*  This is Lauri's quilt  *

A productive day

I got up soon after Chris left. I guess because we went to bed a little early that I did not need as much sleep. I read my e-mail and listened to audios. One of them was a 15 minute mantra meditation. I clipped the corners from the fabric I bought yesterday and put it in the washer. I did a search for gold civil war fabric on internet, hoping to match the piece I bought in January. No luck there. I juiced carrots and celery, and drank a glass before breakfast. I read yesterday that the juice is best on an empty stomach. I hard-boiled a dozen eggs from Wednesday. I even made mayo, and cleaned the juicer while listening to audios. While ironing the fabric dry, I played an interview with Bruce Lipton, a geneticist. It was really good. I folded the fabric and put it away. I was going to cook the last half of a cake of fermented soybeans, but it was moldy. Sure, I like fermented foods, but I prefer to ferment them on purpose. I laid in sun and played another audio. I am not sure how it came up, but I looked up how to draw Sri Yantra. It was not easy. I watched two videos on it, and tried it out. Then I read a pdf of a different method and tried it again. Even with a compass, I still could not get all the intersections to line up. Chris came home and made meat loaf for supper. I had a salad too. After supper I tried drawing Sri Yantra in MS paint, both ways. I looked online for a quilt pattern. Although at least two people have done it, no one seems to be sharing/selling the pattern. We watched two episodes of Warehouse 13 and went to bed.

*  This is Lisa with her stripe quilt.  *

Fabric field trip

I tried to stay awake after Chris left for work. I got out of bed around 7:25. It was too early to eat breakfast. I rebooted my computer, and posted to my blog. Then I checked e-mail, packed a lunch of kimbap and kimchi, and set the recyclables out by the road. Then I sat in the garage, quilting, while I waited for Barbara. I had only just started when she arrived with Alice. I got in and we dropped off a book at someone's house and then picked up Laurie at Stanlios. We went north on Jordan Lane for a long time. Laurie and I talked in the back seat so I didn't see the rest of the route. We went to Goodlettsville (north of Nashville)so Barbara could drop off a quilt for their show. The drop-off point was a quilt shop so we shopped. It had mostly batiks, repro's and Civil War. I brought a piece of Civil War fabric to match, but it wasn't there. The lady in charge wrote down all the info about it and suggested a web site and another quilt shop. While the others were shopping, I went to Barbara's car to eat some of my kimbap. When the others were done, we went to a place called Chef's Market. I held a table while the other three stood in line. They all loved the food and I must admit that it smelled wonderful. Then we drove to Franklin, to Stitcher's Garden. I could not believe the amount of fabric they had. It was impossible to see all the bolts because they were piled so high. I chose a fabric much like the one I needed. Then I picked out grays for my stash. A few other fabrics snuck in, too. Then we piled in Barbara's car for the trip home. It was around 4:30 when I got home. I ate some tongue and made a salad. Chris came home and made his own supper. We read e-mail before watching TV. Netflix sent us another Warehouse 13 DVD, so we watched some of that.
*  One pic of Stitcher's Garden cannot do it justice.  It is crammed full of bolts and other quilting necessities.  *

Chickens, chickens, everywhere

I got up around 8, but it seemed later. I read e-mail, and boiled the water to clean and soak the nuts that go in my breakfast. I set the jar of kimchi out to ferment. I was worried about forgetting to leave on time so I set a timer for 9:30. I exercised and read e-mail, and left on time for Allison's place. I arrived at 10. I don't know if she feels she has to entertain me when I come, but she showed me her chickens. Some were juveniles. She also had young ducks because a number of her ducks have died. She gave me some figs from her tree. She showed me her meal worm farm which she is growing as a treat for her chickens. If her chickens ever want to eat out, they can come to my place and eat spiders. Rentachicken. I left at 11, and did not stop on the way home. I fiixed breakfast, forgetting that I had not done all three exercises. I tasted the kimchi, and the nut cheese and put the nut cheese in the fridge. I cleaned the peach container and put the fresh peaches in it. Then I boiled water in one of the cans to clean and sterilize fabric scraps. I laid in the sun for vitamin D. I washed my windshield, which I noticed last night was obscuring my vision. I took a shower and dressed for choir. I loaded two garbage bags holding 30 cans in my car. I prepared the recyclables for tomorrow. I made a salad for supper. I started handsewing the sleeve on the green quilt. At 5:40 I packed it in a bag with my folder and went to church early. I thought I could help Shannon paint the cans, but when I got there, she had decided to paint them on Saturday. So I finished sewing the sleeve on green quilt. I had time to put it in the care before choir started. We sang through our songs and then the men were dismissed. The women had to practice a song they will sing with the kids choir in October. I went home and watched Minority Report with Chris. Then we checked e-mail one last time and went to bed.

*  This chicken has become very friendly after being fed meal worms.  *

In the Morning

Somebody needs rebooting, so I will post in the morning.

Bless my stars

I got up around 8:15. I ground up the cashews and sunflower seeds that have been soaking since yesterday. I read e-mail, looked up Witch Fingers to see if they are GMO, but they're not. They do have more sugar than regular grapes. I meditated. I called Alison to set a time to get some honey and eggs. She doesn't have duck eggs right now. After exercise and breakfast, I poured the last of the honey out of the jar so I could wash it and return it to her tomorrow. I had to heat the jar to get it out. Then I laid in the sun for 20 minutes. I ripped labels off of cans for Sunday School. The sun made them hot and the glue just melted, so it was easy. At 2:45 I went to the farmer's market. I got a basket of peaches and some small yellow tomatoes. I gave my egg cartons to the tomato seller. He said he would have brought eggs but didn't have any cartons. When I got home, I listened to an audio. I ate two of the peaches and one of the tomatoes. It was too mild for my taste. I got a few things together for the meeting tonight: some quilted bags, the BOM quilt, and the block drawings. Chris came home around 5. I was tapping along with Brad Yates on Youtube. At 5:30 I gathered my purse and stuff and climbed into my car. I took the shortest route to UAH. The parking lot was fuller than I've ever seen it. We met in a smaller room since our usual room is being used for a class now. The meeting went well. I saw a few people that I haven't seen in a while. Rebecca was there and I didn't have her knife. Oh well. She had a beautiful paper-pieced star quilt top.  Deb did a demo on the urban nine-patch. She also brought the ruler I ordered. Now I can make that Stargello quilt I have been drooling over. After the meeting Rebecca and I chatted for a bit. After she left, I drove to the Asian store for kimchi and kimbap. There was one package left and I was happy to get it. When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV. The Forever Knight DVD had gone back to Netflix so we watched Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan. I was able to finish the purple binding during the movie. I ate part of the kimbap and put the rest away. It's always better fresh. And the kimchi is always better fermented. I put it in a jar with the old batch to inoculate it. Then I posted to my blog and went to bed.

This quilt has feet

I got up at 8. I read the latest e-mail, exercised, and folded laundry. I ate my breakfast, and took a shower. I packed my lunch, a thermos of lemon water and tw o projects. I arrived at the church by 11. My first project was to work on the Linus Christmas quilt. I took off the top and bottom borders in order to add an inner border of red. Then I worked on the brown and orange quilt, replacing the new corner edges with newer, closer matching fabric. Bertha gave me her scraps. Roberta gave me scraps of t-shirt material. Dinah brought elongated grapes for lunch called Witch's Fingers. They were such a hit that Alice went to Publix to buy some for all those who wanted their own. I left at 4:15 to cook a cow tongue. The other ladies didn't seem to think they were missing anything. When I got home, I put the tongue in a pot of water. While it was cooking, I ate some tomatoes and fish. I checked e-mail, Chris came home, He made his own supper. I ate some of the tongue and put the rest away. I picked some sweet red peppers for both of us. I made a salad. I put together a small Swanson's order for three things that are running out to take advantage of the free shipping over $50. I made a list of things that need doing so I wouldn't forget later. Then we watched several episodes of Forever Knight. I was surprised to learn that the setting is in Canada.

*  This is the Christmas quilt for Linus project.  The inner border helps, but ...  *

Rally Day

My apologies to those who were looking for my blog last night. It was a long day. Lets see if I can remember it.

My phone alarm went off at 8. I got up soon after to skim e-mail, eat and shower. At 9 I heard Chris' phone alarm. I reminded him that church today was at 9:30. So he got up and showered while I got dressed. I grabbed my trombone and we went to church. We walked around to the back where a tent was set up. But the bulletins were in a basket in the hallway leading out to the tent, so I had to go back for one while Chris checked on the grill. The service started late, but it was ok. The weather was warm and getting warmer. After the service, there were tents with games set up for the kids. The adults played bingo under the big canopy. I was wearing my long green skirt. Even though it was gauzy, it was still hot. I kept ducking inside the building to cool off. I practiced with the music group for later. At noon every one lined up for burgers and hotdogs cooked by Chris and several other men. I moved my trombone on its stand to the front by the keyboard and waited. When everyone was seated and eating, the music started. Jim and I played instruments while Doris and Mark sang. Two songs. Then The Luthermen sang two songs. Someone played a hymn. Baskets were raffled. Then Mary played the keyboard as I played America the Beautiful and My Country tis of thee. I packed up to go home, but I could not find Chris. I looked everywhere except the men's room. When he emerged, we left for the grocery store. We brought our load of food home and put it away. I exchanged the skirt for a pair of shorts. I ate lunch (all I had at church was lettuce, tomatoes and a piece of watermelon). Then I took my handsewing projects and drove to the storage facility where we meet once a month. I sewed binding, one quilted, another traced hexagons, read magazines and we all conversed. I was home just after 6. Chris was watching something in the basement. I ate supper and juiced two glasses of carrots and celery. I watched the end of “Alexander” with Chris. Then he ate his supper while I rested. Then we saw three episodes of “Forever Night”. When they were over, it was 11:30 so we just went to bed.

The things we find on the internet

I got up at 8 or 9 to read e-mail. I put check in the mail that I wrote yesterday. On the way back from the mailbox I found a box of 6 cans of coconut milk on the porch. It was an automatic shipment from Amazon. All 6 were dented, just like last month. I plan to cancel future shipments. I ate breakfast, then lay in the sun. I finished mowing the back lawn and the grass inside the fence. With my sweaty activities over, I took a shower, dressed, and drove to the mall. The home-grown beef people were there and I picked up my order of liver, tongue and ground beef. When I got home, I practiced my trombone for tomorrow. I sewed a hanging sleeve for my green star quilt and pinned it to the back. Then I went to the church to practice with the organist and trumpet player. When I got home, Chris had fish in the oven. I read e-mail until supper was ready. I listened to an audio while he gamed with the voices, then cut and sewed strips for a binding on a purple quilt. I sewed it to the front of the quilt, then started handsewing to the back. I packed it for tomorrow afternoon. I used our copier/printer/fax to copy America the Beautiful sheet music for tomorrow. Back on my laptop, I found myself reading about historical menstrual habit. Apparently some women used sheepskin, some used cotton from the cotton fields and some used what might have been milkweed silk. Others used nothing at all. 

*  This is my ugly Christmas quilt for Linus.  I am thinking that an inner border might help.  *

The last one

I got up at 8. I was dreaming about Michele at the White House. I was reading e-mail when my phone rang. It was Alice with bags of large cans for Sunday School. I waited outside to greet her and put the bags in the carport. I listened to an audio of Rikka. Bertha called to give me the name of Synthrapol to get the pink dye out of fabric. I tried boiling some water to help get the pink out. I think it worked on one piece. I did all my exercises in a short time so I could put the rebounder away. I ate breakfast while listening to the last CD of the book. I was kind of sad that the story was over, but glad to hear some of the bad guys get what they deserved. After breakfast, I laid in the sun. I also mowed, but can't remember where. In our driveway was a paper. I looked through it. Then I worked on making pads, getting all the layers right. I used an eyedropper to test permeability and absorbency. I heard Chris come home. My laptop battery ran out so I went upstairs to recharge. Chris was eating supper. I ate supper, too, then returned to pad construction. It was getting dark so I mowed the side yard and part of the back until the mower stopped. I practiced the songs for Sunday. Then I listened to another audio until 8. We watched the last three episodes of Chuck season 5. It was sad to think there are no more episodes – and the library is closed for another month.

*  This is the last graduation picture  *

Got my wish

I got up about 8:15. I was thinking how nice it might be to spend a day NOT on the computer. When I sat to read e-mail, it would not load. I tried opening it under IE, nope. I tried it on the desktop, FF wouldn't open for the longest time, but when it did, the e-mails would not open. I posted to my blog, which I neglected to do last night. When I checked e-mail again, the problem was still there. I guess I got my wish. I took out the recyclables. I used a plastic bag to make a new cover for the gear shift assembly. I took a peach basket and filled it with the items rolling around in front of the passenger seat. One of those items was a baggie with two bubble bottles. One had leaked, so I poured it back in, but the cap did not fit tightly so it went back in the baggie. I squeezed out the fabric that had been soaking to get the dye bleed out. There was still some pink, so I refreshed the borax and water solution. I exercised and had breakfast. I folded the laundry while listening to another CD from the book. I laid in the sun and mowed part of the lawn.  I found a website for making a sanitary belt from an old bra. I played a video in basement while selecting and cutting up an old bra. But the battery ran down before the video finished. I took it upstairs to recharge. Soon the video was over and I started another one. I paused it to go downstairs and finish the belt. I heard Chris come in. I cut and sewed layers of cotton/hemp to make a pad. When I went upstairs, he was having supper. I practiced and checked e-mail. Then I ran out for a second mowing.  I mowed until I couldn't see the grass lines anymore. 

Then I did some tapping while waiting for Chris to finish what he was doing so we could watch TV. It was late, but he came down and we watched 2 episodes of Chuck before going to bed.
*  Could not resist one more graduation pic  *

More graduaion pictures

I got up at 9, not sure why I slept so late. I read e-mail, and started the list of audios. I checked the mailbox since I did not do it yesterday. The DVD I was expecting was there. I exercised and practiced, and then ate breakfast. Later I spent my 20 minutes in the sun. I finished another audio and mowed the lawn. I was tired of the grass needing mowing so soon, so I lowered the deck just a tiny bit. I did not get nearly as much grass covered as last time. And it was slightly wet. Then it was time to put my sewing room back together. I was going to ask Chris to help me move the furniture, but decided to do what I could first. I moved the wooden structure that the dresser sits on. Not too bad. Then I 'walked' the dresser from the garage to the sewing room. It was slow but doable. I added the nine drawers, and took a break. The only thing left was the desk, and it was heavy. Part of the problem was that it wasn't built to carry its own weight , i.e. if you grab it by a shelf or the top, it's own weight could pull it apart. I got a rolling cart under one side. I was able to pick up the other side and roll about 6 inches at a time. I got it in front of the stairs, but it ran into the washing machine. I was tempted to give up. But by tipping it on its side (taking a chance), somehow there was just enough room to turn the corner and get it into the room. I flipped it right side up, trying not to let it bang on the tile, but it did. Well, better than on my foot. I knew I had taken a chance with my back so I laid down on the couch. Chris came home sometime later and started laundry. When I went up, I finished a video I started earlier. We ate supper. Staring out at the yard, I realized that the overgrowth by the back fence was gone! I went out to see it up close. Yep. Someone razed the whole section up to the culvert. Must have been the guys who took down the tree next door. On the way back I picked some nearly ripe tomatoes. Then I showered, dressed and went to choir practice. There was a stack of folders but none with my name in it, so I decided to wait until after practice to get one of the leftovers. We practiced for an hour. One man was singing an octave below the bass line, even when it went low. I liked it. After we were dismissed, some stayed to practice music for Rally Day. If they had told me, I would have brought my trombone. I listened and then picked up a folder to go. Mary came over to tell me that I'd only have to play an intro and conclusion to the songs I'd practiced, because the others would be singing it. Then Jennifer asked if we would do the patriotic songs again. And we will be singing and playing while the congregation is getting their picnic lunch. Okay. I came home to find Chris on his laptop. He showed me all the pics he took at graduation, which he had then erased from the camera. We transferred them to my laptop. He was too tired to watch TV, so we just went to bed.

He's Baaaaack!

I got up around 8. I read e-mail, drank 2 glasses of water, and listened to an audio while stitching a sleeve to my kingsize quilt. Bob arrived a bit after 9. His helper sprayed the desk and dresser with Kilz, and then they drove off. I exercised, stitched more, and had breakfast. I got an e-mail from Chris that he was in the Detroit airport waiting for a flight to Huntsville. I finished the CD from last night which for some reason stopped playing in mid-sentence. I practiced, spent some time in the sun, heard another audio, and took a shower. After lunch I put my brown and orange quilt top in a bag. I looked up the airport area on the internet to explore different ways to get there. I decided to go early to avoid 5 o'clock traffic. So I went to Quilter's Combo (in the airport area) to find matching fabric for the quilt. She had lots of not-quite choices. I bought some of each. Then I went to a nearby thrift shop, and spent lots of time there 'cause it wasn't time to pick up Chris yet. I visited the Korean market next door. Then I sat in my car, running quantum clearing codes. Chris still hadn't called yet. I saw that the gear shift dust cover was falling apart. I picked the pieces of it out of the gear shift unit with a pair of chopsticks from my purse. Chris called, first when deboarding, then after picking up his baggage. I followed the route that the QC lady gave me. There was lots of traffic and stop lights along the way. I did not realize how commercial that area was. Chris was waiting for me on the arrival and departure lane. I let him drive home. We talked about his trip on the way. When we got home, he unpacked and gave me the 12 new pairs of underwear, 10 pairs of footlets, and 6 cones of thread that he got for me in Korea. I cut the tags off and put the underwear in the hamper. We spent some time together and he fell asleep. I ate supper and listened to another couple of audios. I finished stitching the sleeve onto the quilt, and folded it up to see how big a pillow case I will need in order to submit it to the quilt show. Chris was still asleep, so I decided to post and go to bed. Or maybe listen to one of the book CD's and then go to bed.

*  What?  You'd rather see the cones of thread?  *

Bertha's is better

There was a big storm last night but I must have gone right back to sleep.  Thunder, lightning, the works.  I felt good in the morning when I woke up.  I wondered if it was due to sleeping with the purple earthing mat.  I read e-mail, exercised, practiced, and fixed breakfast.  When it was time to get dressed, I was going to wear pants, but the temp was too hot.  I had turned the AC off last night because I was cold (at 78), but turned the AC back on this morning even though it was only 77.  I packed lunch consisting of kimchi, nut cheese and seaweed. Then I went to the church. Not many women there. Several had their granddaughters with them because of the holiday. First I helped Roberta make parts of costumes for a play. Then I worked on the panel quilt top. Ran out of grey and hoped I had a few more inches at home. Then I cut squares and rectangles of Christmas fabric to make the quilt top from yesterday bigger. One by one all the ladies left except Virginia. She and I left together around 5:30. I went home to have supper. I listened to an audio while I ate. Then I took my laptop and went downstairs to wash a cabinet with vinegar in preparation for Bob's visit tomorrow. Then I cut two sleeves for the kingsize quilt on my bed. I started sewing it on when that audio ended. I started another one and continued to sew, this time in the dining room. I got an e-mail from Chris who was sitting in the Inchon airport waiting to board. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him to say goodbye to Michele. That audio ended and I started another one. When I realized it was after 10, I paused it for tomorrow.

*  This is Bertha's version of the Christmas quilt.  Makes mine look pretty sorry.  *

Sewing for Linus

I slept cross-ways on the bed because I could hear something crawling around in the headboard/window area. I also did not sleep well because I was afraid the phone alarm would not ring. I got up at 7:30. I laid down again after reading the time. But then I tried the trick I learned yesterday of squeezing the front of the head to the back of the head on the inbreath and releasing on the outbreath. In a few breaths I was up and out of the bedroom. I read e-mail, and fixed breakfast. I showered before I ate it because it was so early. I brought a bag of fabric with me to church. It had fabrics that I thought might go with the rose banner. But when I got there, it was not hanging. I sat in our usual pew. After the service, I checked out the baskets for raffle. I put the roll of fabric in Cecelia's car. Susan showed me where the banner was and I compared my fabrics. Mary gave me music for next Sunday. Jennifer reminded me to come to the first choir practice of the season on Wednesday night. When I went home, I changed my clothes and ate lunch. Then I rolled my sewing machine and tools to the car. I drove to the Renegades meeting where they make quilts for Linus. They were making Christmas quilts this month. Barbara had already cut large squares of her fabric for the project for anyone to use. I took 6 and followed the pattern. When the top was assembled, I cut small squares and rectangles for a border. About 4:30 I left, following Mirna who lives in the same direction I do. I made it to Memorial pky, but somehow missed my exit. I had to circle back. When I got home, I left my stuff in the car for tomorrow. I had leftovers for supper and the last of the salad fixings. I read e-mail and listened to audios. One lady recommended writing out your frustrations on a piece of paper. Nothing new there. But she says if you write them on top of each other so that you can't read them, you are less likely to censor yourself. I listened to parts of two audio downloads while handquilting. I chose some Christmas fabric to take along tomorrow. I finished the second audio while sitting with my salt lamp for the negative ions. I had thought to blog and go to bed, but its only 8:50. 

*  This quilt was on the wall.  Apparently I did not get a pic of a Christmas quilt  *