Roaming through rummage

I woke up early having a dream that my bedroom was under water and I was suffocating. But when I got up and realized that this was not so, I went back to bed. I wondered what it meant until I went back to sleep. I woke again at 8:20. The sun was streaming through the guest room window, so I sat there and did the drybrushing process. Being unclear on some of it, I searched the internet and spent too much time and got sidetracked. I remembered my exercises, and juicing. I stitched up some underwear and took a shower and ate breakfast. I was about to leave when I thought of my supplements. But they'd run out yesterday, so I had to make up another set of doses. I went to the First Christian yard sale. I was hoping to find some shoes like the ones I have. They did not have them, but I got some quilting magazines and fabric. They had paint, too, but not labeled as to color. I came home to get our extra grocery bags for the church sald. The postman was delivering a package for Chris. I ate the rest of my breakfast. Then I went to our church to help out. My experience at the thrift shop in Korea came in handy. I sorted books, magazines and CD's. I also priced purses. Chris was home when I got back. We ate supper (salad and beef). I read the latest e-mail, and searched for pics of math quilts. I ironed strips while waiting for Chris to finish. We watched the sequel to Mannequin. It was no where near as good as the original. Chris looked up some of the actors to see what else they've been in. Then he went to bed, and I decided that Day 5 of the Tapping Summit could wait.

*  This is the Funky Chicken quilt from last Thursday's show-n-tell  *

Time-out

I woke up at 9, which is not bad for having gone to bed after midnight. I read some e-mail, then got dressed and took out the recyclables. I played an audio while juicing. I forgot to exercise and went straight to breakfast. In preparation for sewing away from home, I trimmed up all my Linus blocks, preserving the order. I opened the bag of squares and found that they were not uniform in size, proportion, or fiber content. I sorted them, and threw some back in the bag as a backup project. I rolled my cart out to the car and drove to the Stitch-its house. The tables were full, but they squeezed me in. I talked to Mary as I sewed the blocks in row 1 and row 2. Everything went well until row 3. I had to do a lot of unstitching and restitching and finally it went in time-out. I proceeded to row 4. When I finished row 4, everyone was packing up. So I did, too. When I got home, it was just after 2. I ate lunch, took my supplements, and read e-mail. I raked leaves under the magnolia tree for some fresh air. I would have found more to do, but the sunshine was not as warm as it looked. After checking e-mail one more time, I decided to work on the Linus quilt. The group is starting a new pattern on Sunday and I want to get this one out of the way. I finished rows 5 and 6, then sewed 1 to 2, and 4 to 5 to 6. Row 3 was still in time-out. I came up to greet Chris and get my camera. Then row 3 decided to cooperate and took it's place with the other rows. Chris made two beef roasts for supper. He cut for me the thickest parts which were red inside. Mmmmm. Then I fixed a sprout salad to go with it. We watched The Sting with Robert Redford for our evening entertainment. Chris went to bed, and I stayed up for day 4 of The Tapping Summit.

Out, out, darned spot

I woke up before 9. I started my day with drybrushing. I have had the brush for a week or two now but kept forgetting to use it. It stimulates the lymph system. Then I cleared the first round of e-mail and put an audio on. I did the first round of exercises and tapped while reading e-mail. I got myself a smaller chair to see if it would be more comfortable. I juiced, then made breakfast. After reading the next round of e-mail, I tried to meditate. I have a BWE CD and it was in the CD changer in the living room. But that receiver would not cooperate. So I tried the one in my bedroom. I thought I was listening to waves for an hour, but when the CD changed and the sound went on, I knew it was only static. I punched around the buttons until all of a sudden the second CD was blaring in my headphones. I shut it down and went outside because it was sunny but came back in because it was so cold. I spent the afternoon on and off the computer searching for UVB bulbs (useful for making vitamin D). Lots of places sell the lamps (using proprietary bulbs), but I just want to buy the bulb. The delivery man rang the bell as he dropped off two packages. One was the centimeter quilting ruler. I read a very long page on a site for alternative cancer-fighting practices. It recommended potassium bicarbonate for alkalizing one's PH. It also recommended potassium iodide for skin cancers. So I dabbed some on that annoying spot on my forehead. I tried meditating again and Chris came home. He opened his package and it was a new operating system for his laptop. He fixed himself a bowl of soup. I stitched up some underwear and took a shower. After eating a bowl of soup, it was time for choir practice. When I got to the church, it was full of donated items for our yard sale on Saturday. I went into the sanctuary where the children were finishing their singing. The adults joined them on their last song. Then we had our own practice. As we sang some new stuff, I used my tablet to keep me on pitch. The guy behind me liked the idea, but he doesn't have a tablet. After practice, I looked through the donations. I did not see anything I couldn't live without. When I got home, I checked my e-mail, made some notes to my blog, and then we watched 2 episodes of The Flash. Chris went to bed, but I stayed up for Day 3 of the Tapping Summit.

Dinner out

I woke up after 9, having slept well after a long day. I read a little e-mail, then washed the cake stand and veggie plate and put them away. I did my exercises and read more e-mail. I juiced all the leftover veggies and added a cucumber and a green pepper. I got dressed, grabbed my quilt binding project and headed for the Tuesday group. I sat and talked to one of the ladies. She told me all about a block swap she participated in where the batik quilts did not turn out well. After she left, Jane explained the trip they are planning for Paducah and she encourage me to sign up. On the way home, I stopped at the Asian store for kimbap, sprouts, and persimmons. I might sweeten the next cake with persimmons. When I got home, I read e-mail while eating the kimbap and some kimchi. You'd think I would be full, but then I made my usual breakfast and ate all of that. I turned off the heat and opened the windows. This place smells funky and I don't know why. I hope it is not the couch. When making breakfast I noticed that the flax and chia seeds were getting low. So I ordered more on Amazon. I cleared e-mail and listened to the tapping meditation link that came with one of the audios last night. While listening to another audio, I deleted all the pictures on my camera to make room for more.  Because it was a sunny day, I called up an interview on my tablet to listen to while working outside. I went through three before I found one that would play on the tablet. I raked up pinestraw and leaves for an hour, barefoot. Then it was back inside for another round of e-mail. Chris came home a little early. He made dinner reservations for us and a friend/coworker who was in town for a short time. I ran out of new e-mail so I ran some internet searches on symptoms of potassium-sodium imbalance.

I cleared the sink. I folded two baskets of laundry and put them away. I changed my clothes and we went out to Bonefish Grill to meet Rob. He was some environmental guy that Chris met in Korea. They talked some shop, but it was a nice meal, especially with the lobster special. The dinner broke up about 9. We got home in time to watch one episode of The Flash. Then I listened to the audios for Day 2 of the Tapping Summit: pain relief.

*  quilts from Thursday night  *

The big day

I made the bed after I got up. The time on the microwave was 6:30. I put bread ingredient in the bread machine, tweaking it to make it sweeter and more cake-like. I emptied the dishwasher, and made breakfast. I turned on the Cd player in the livingroom. It has 4 CD's in it. I exercised, and then ate breakfast. I put out a small quilt to let the ladies know this was the right place. I noticed the porch was dirty, so I swept it and then noticed the door. I washed the door as high as I could reach. I vacuumed the den again. I cleaned like there was no tomorrow - because there isn't. By then the motivation will be gone.

I took the risen dough and sectioned it into balls. I had planned to dip them in butter and then sugar and cinnamon, but they were so sticky that I skipped the butter. We did not have any regular sugar, so I put the demarara sugar in the blender. I left the balls of dough in a bundt pan to rise. I cleared the entryway table for purses. I cut up meat and cheeses, arranging it on a platter. I scrubbed the second patio table and set it up with chairs in basement. I found a platter to place cut-up carrots and celery. I put a bowl of hummus in the center of the platter. The baked bread went on a cake plate, and I put out dates. I got out the glasses, and put mugs by the coffee pot. I went down to clean the sewing room, and heard a car horn so I ran back up. Bertha and Alice had arrived. They came in the back door. I turned on the coffee pot. We sat in the dining room to chat, drink coffee and do handwork. Rebecca came later. She brought lemonade and a hedgehog fat quarter. She basted a quilt top on the ping pong table. The ladies ate later. They really enjoyed the bread. But there was a lot left over. Rebecca was the last to leave. She let me look through her lace box, and I let her pick through my lace/ribbon bin. After she left, I put away the meat and cheese cubes, and the carrots and celery. I tried a little piece of the bread. It was ok, but a dollop of coconut cream made it even better. I swept up the threads in the diningroom and returned things to their original positions. I brought in the small quilt. Chris came home and helped me take the patio table out. I put the ironing board away, and the glasses and plates. We ate chicken vegetable soup for supper. He tried the bread with brandy and then with coconut cream. He caught up on all the e-mail and stuff he missed when he was trying to save his laptop yesterday. Then we watched the original version of The Italian Job and then one episode of The Flash. I looked the movie up on IMDB. I had only seen the 2003 remake. Because today was the first day of the Tapping Summit and I did not get a notice, I signed up for it again. Then I played the audios at the end of the link and did the tapping.

Lion Pillows (and the cleaning continues)

Chris got up really early. I only beat the phone alarm by 8 minutes. I started breakfast then took a shower. I ate breakfast while clearing e-mail. There wasn't much. I got dressed and Chris dropped me off at the church. I was early so I talked to Susan about the rummage sale. I checked the craft room and it was set up for the little kids. I was a bit anxious leading a craft that I did not prepare. I was afraid it would not go well and the kids would be disappointed or unoccupied, OR it would go well and the leaders would think calling me at the last minute was a fine idea. I sat in the garden room for the opening session. It seemed a little disorganized because key people came late. Deidre was assigned to help me with crafts and good thing, too, because the kids needed a lot of help tying, gluing and marking. The color of sharpies we had did not show up well. I was afraid we would not have enough stuffing, but it went a long way. No one seemed to be tracking time and the clocks did not agree. When I got to the sanctuary for choir warm-up, they were finished. Chris came back for the service. The service went well. Afterward we left pretty quickly. For some reason people were not lining up to walk out like they usually are. At home we changed clothes and went to the grocery store. We put those away and ate lunch. We washed Chris' car. I vacuumed and dusted in the dining and living rooms. Then finally the kitchen. I washed the cabinet doors and the window sill. Chris made soup, so I took a break to have some and write up the day so far for my blog before I forgot it. Then I cleaned the garage, or rather swept it with a broom and cleared off the cutting mat on the ping pong table. With the daylight almost gone, I turned to the kitchen, cleaning both countertops and walls, and stove top including the burner bowls. I brought in the patio table and put it in the den with chairs. I set up the ironing board by the kitchen. Chris had been working to save his laptop all afternoon. He finally came to a stopping point, and we went downstairs to watch 2 episodes of The Flash. I planned to go on cleaning after the shows, but was tired and went to bed instead.

Cleaning frenzy

I woke up thinking I might be late for Sunday School. I saw on the clock in the kitchen that it was only 7, so I went back to bed to wait for my phone alarm. I could not believe that I hadn't thought about it last night. Then I realized that it was only Saturday. Phew!

I got up again about 9 and took a shower, noticing how slowly the water drained, and how much cleaning the bathroom needed before Monday. I did my exercises in the den, and then read e-mail. I made breakfast and ate part of it. I watched a video on self health care. I went outside in the sunshine to finish breakfast and to forage. I laid in the sun for a little bit. I scrubbed the patio table. Then my attention turned to the bathrooms. I cleaned the sinks, and toilets. I scrubbed my tub, then vacuumed the floor and washed the floor by hand. I don't think I have done that before because I was surprised to find that I could not reach all the way behind the toilet. Oh well. While the floor dried, I watched another video, this one with John Gray. I ordered some organic vegetable seeds. I ate an early supper of liver and pickled garlic. I went back to cleaning, mostly in the dining room. There was a lot of stuff to go through. I ate a sweet potato and a leaf of aloe. I practiced the choir anthem.  Chris started gaming. I listened to another audio and then went downstairs to commit a neatness in my sewing room. Ha, ha. As if that were possible. I joined the edges of the binding on the batik quilt. I sewed a seam that was pinned in fish fabric, then piled all the pieces together and put them away. I made a few edits on the Linus quilt to get it ready for laying out. It went back in the box. Lots of sorting took place. I found a few more boxes that could have gone with Freecycle.  I put a backing on the second paper-pieced project.  I made it bigger than the front so that when I turned it inside out, it would show on the front.  I did not actually clean (one must find a flat surface first), but there is always tomorrow. It was getting near 10 and I found myself taking stitches out of a green strip trimmed from a quilt. I figured I could do that upstairs while on the computer. Chris was finished with the game except for the after-game chat. He got Michele on Skype so I could talk to her. She is over her cold, and enjoying her job. I had to hang up then so I could review the craft for tomorrow and pray that all the prep work has been properly done.

Reuse is better than recycle

Last night after I went to bed, I remembered that the boxes were near the front of the garage and the rain comes in under the door. So I threw on shoes and went down to move them. For a few of them it was too late, but most got rescued and put on the ping pong table. I went back to bed, and couldn't not sleep until the storm ended.

When I woke up, it was 9. I read e-mail, then did my exercises and juiced. I made breakfast, then got dressed and went into the garage. I set the boxes outside and swept the water out. The Freecycle respondents came and introduced themselves. They have an Ebay business so they need boxes and packing material. After they left, I swept out the other side. Then I sat outside to eat my breakfast while the open garage dried out. I came in to read e-mail, and listen to an audio while focusing on being calm and digesting. The audio was suggesting that in each moment you ask yourself :what can I do right now that will make me proud?” I sorted through my download file of quilt pictures, putting them in folders based on how difficult they would be to make. I did some cleaning up in the garage, sweeping leaves out. I picked up here and there around the house, all while listening to audios. Chris came home early and kept me busy for quite some time, He went to play Battletech. I ate the rest of the coconut cream, and some chicken. I cooked liver and leeks. I listened to audios while searching online for a quilting ruler in centimeters. I should have bought one in Korea when I had the chance. I found one at the JoAnns website. They offered free shipping on orders of $50 so I looked for a few more things, but didn't get that much. I cleared out two more e-mails, then was going to work on tie-backs, but then it occurred to me that I should clean while Chris is away. So that is what I did: vacuuming. Then there were all the pics from last night to crop. And now it is time for bed. 

*  This is one of the prizewinning quilts shown last night.  *

Blocks in progress

I got up at 9:30. I noticed that the house smelled fresh, and discovered a window still open. I swished and read e-mail with the HappyLight. I got one from Chris about thunderstorms and high winds later today. I finished the fish quilt yesterday so I could turn it in tonight, but maybe not with the inclement weather advisory. I exercised and juiced. Then turned off the fan and closed the window. As I left the house with my sewing stuff, I took the recyclables already in tub to the curb. I went to the little house by a church where Stitch-its meets. I turned in the fish quilt to Melissa instead of waiting until tonight. One lady showed me her Flower Ball quilt. It was impressive. There were piles of fabric for the taking. As I was browsing, I got a phone call asking me to do the craft on Sunday. After the call, I selected a few fabrics, then worked on the star blocks, finishing all three. I started work on the Linus quilt only to realize that one piece needed to be re-cut before I could continue. I moved to a paper-pieced project. When that was finished, I packed up and went home. I made breakfast for lunch. I read e-mail, and tried to download the Sunday School project. I got the mail and recycling container. I sat out in the sun to enjoy the mail (mostly ads). I turned on the fan, opened some windows. I kept trying to download the project. When I saw it, I called her back. For some reason the conversation ended with her telling me she'd handle everything and all I needed to do was show up on Sunday. I kept going outside to eat, or sit or listen to an audio. I was not sure I could handle the sun going down. I posted to Freecycle to get rid of all the Swanson boxes. Chris came home. We talked and he cooked barley on the stove. I listened to an audio on longevity. When it was time to leave, I searched the house for my nametag but did not find it. I took the old one. I also took the strips and blocks. When I got there, two ladies followed me in because they had never been there before. I introduced them to the president who was greeting people. I dropped off my bag of strips and asked the collection lady if she needed help. She said yes, as soon as the meeting started. So after dropping off my blocks, I talked to Paula for a bit, then found an end seat so I could duck out when the meeting began. I looked for Monday people but only Jodi was there. So I sat by myself. Elaine came over to tell me about a book called Quilt Lab. When the meeting started, I helped Debbie parse out the strips. She had to leave early to help hold up the latest donations of comfy quilts. I love to watch, but missed it because I was organizing strips. There was a particular strip that I did not want, so when I filled my bag, I took a different pile. I laughed when I got back to my seat because it meant that I got a set with one of my own strips. During the slight intermission between the meeting and the program, I was invited to sit with Marjorie and her friends. So I did. For the program, each of the prize-winning quilts from our guild's last show were held up and a paragraph (or 5) read about the making of the quilt. It was interesting. When I got home, Chris was busy, so I read e-mail until he was ready to watch TV. It was an episode of The Flash. Then he went to bed. I stayed up to write my blog and check out the Quilt Lab book on the internet. I perused the author's blog, hoping for pictures of the quilts in the book. The sound of rain and thunder was ferocious. I wondered if I would be able to sleep.

Something smells fishy

I got up at 9 to read e-mail and sit with my HappyLight. As I cleared e-mail, there was one from Bertha announcing that the quilters would be gathering at my home next Monday. I knew this was the back up plan, but now that it was Plan A, I needed to clean. But what could I clean now that will still be clean on Monday? No idea. At 10 I started my exercises and stretches and an audio. I juiced, killed a cockroach (figured they'd be here when it was cold, not now), and made breakfast. After eating, I took a shower, and then performed an on-line check-in for Great Clips. It announced a 38 minute wait, so I read a few more e-mails before I went there. I worked on a Sudoku puzzle while I waited. Then she cut my hair and I paid. It was only $12. There was an eye center next door, so I dropped in. The walls were covered with frames. I spoke to the lady at the counter. She answered my questions and gave me a card since her phones and computer were down so no appointments could be made. I drove home, put my purse down, and the card was gone. I took my supplements with a glass of vit C water. I made up a weeks worth of supplements. I went to the carport to get the wheelbarrow and there was the card on the cement floor. I tucked it in my bra, and raked in front yard, and back yard. When I came in, I washed my feet. It was so nice outside that I opened some windows and turned on the fan to freshen the house. I read e-mail, then put on an audio and took the laptop downstairs to play while I trimmed the fish quilt. Then I tried putting together scraps to make a backing. I heard Chris come home. There was a package for me with breast massage oil and special shampoo. It was a concoction of essential oils for supporting women's health. Chris was happy to oblige, but I think he used too much.  The scent was very strong.  What was that in the fine print about if it should come into contact with male skin? Anyway, I made a salad, and started an audio. I felt tired and woozy, and sick to my stomach. I decided not to go to choir practice. I watched Inspector Lewis with Chris, and then en episode of The Flash. Chris prepared for tomorrow and went to bed.

First sign of spring

I got up to read e-mail, not sure when. I exercised to classical music, and started a loaf of bread. I juiced, intending to go to the Tuesday sewing group, but then decided not to go. So I made breakfast, and ate it in front of the laptop. I looked again for the HC cream. I did not find it, but I did find some organic silica gel. I tried that. It was a sunny day, so I went outside. I wasn't sure what to do, and then remembered that we now have a wheelbarrow. I used it to move wet leaves to the compost pile. I saw crocuses in the garden.  i did not remember them from last year.  Later I looked back on my blog and saw them.  

The wheelbarrow also came in handy for picking up sticks all over the yard. I got dizzy after awhile from all of the up and down motion. I listened to an audio on hormonal health while folding laundry. I put mine away. To prepare for Thursday, I cut squares of three different fabrics for starstruck blocks. I drew diagonal stitching lines on all the small white ones. Then I assembled borders for the fish quilt. That quilt has been hanging around so long it is beginning to smell (figuratively speaking). I calculated how much border fabric I had and how long the borders needed to be, and divided to find out how wide a border I could get. The answer was 6 inches, but I thought it was too wide for the quilt. So I settled for 4 and cut the strips at 4.5 to include seam allowances. Since the fabric is directional, it was good to have extra so I could cut both ways. I was able to watch 2 or 3 episodes of TQS while sewing. Chris came home. He showed me the bread, which turned out to be a small hard lump at the bottom of the pan. Guess it needed more yeast (more than 0). He cooked sweet potatoes and leaks to go with the chicken. I ate the last of the fish and put the skin over the sweet potatoes. It cooked nicely there. The potatoes left a sugary residue in the bottom of the pan. I mixed it with coconut cream. It was very good, but melted the cream. Later we watched Inspector Lewis. Because it was over by 9, Chris put on the pilot episode of The Flash. It ran longer than he expected and it was after 10:30 when he got to bed.

Juicing aloe

Our day started around 9, I think. I followed my usual morning routine. I juiced the remaining aloe from last week after hearing that other people have done it. Maybe they peel it first because it was not very good, kind of bitter. Chris read e-mail, worked on the desktop computer and took a shower. The electricity went off, but only for 5 or 10 minutes. I packed a lunch, cut a piece of fabric in two, and took my sewing stuff to church. Glenda showed me the photo book she had made from photos at the October quilt retreat. It looked like a lot of fun. I gave the half  piece of fabric to Laurie. It matched the piece I gave her last week. She asked about the movie and I had to admit that I did not watch it all because of the language. Carolyn had Charlene look at my forehead. She recommended some hydrocortisone 1%.    I set up my machine and worked on the Linus quilt blocks. I took pictures of quilts others had done. Bertha finished a tablerunner for her daughter. Virginia did not come. When the crowd thinned, and there was more room to spread out, I trimmed the batik quilt and sewed the binding onto the front. By then only Bertha and I were there. She packed up and turned off the lights. We were out by 5. I waited for her to pull out before I left since we were the last to leave. When I got home, Chris had chicken in the oven. I ate a piece of raw fish because it won't last much longer. There was a package waiting, from Swanson's containing my latest order. When the chicken was done, I had some of that, too. It was after 7 when we went down to watch an episode of Inspector Lewis. It was still early. Chris and I dressed the bed with clean sheets. Chris packed his lunch for tomorrow. I searched the house for the HC 1% that I swear I have seen recently. After not finding it, I went on to check e-mail, follow links, and tap before going to bed.
pf

What is a blended service?

I heard my phone alarm go off at 8, got up at 8:30 to shower, juice and eat breakfast. I read e-mail while I ate, then got dressed. The director asked the choir to come early to practice, but we weren't early. I practiced while Chris took his shower. Then when we got to church, I sang it through once with the choir (which was already in progress). As we waited for the service to begin, we talked about the meeting afterward concerning having a blended service. The pastor announced that on March 1st there would be a rummage sale, but no clothing was allowed.  That would be some sale. The service went as usual until Jim collapsed at the end of the choir anthem. I started tapping. Haley called 911. He was surrounded by the choir men who apparently knew what to do. They got him on his feet and walked him out to where the ambulance could get him. The pastor gave thanks for all the people who helped and then the service continued. The intern gave a powerful sermon about reconciliation. At the end, we stood in line to shake the pastor's and intern's hands. We went into the fellowship hall for someone's 89^th birthday party. There were not enough tables so I suggested to Jennifer's husband, and he set up another one. Chris got a plate of food, but there was nothing I wanted. A lot of people were there, but did not stay for the meeting. We did. People spoke in favor of and against contemporary music. Some seemed interested in songs using tunes from the 60's. Once a month was suggested. After the meeting, we talked outside with a few people who like traditional music. One man liked a polka service he attended once. Then we went home to change clothes before going to the grocery store. When we got back, and unpacked, I had lunch and read e-mail. We listened to Island in the Sun on Youtube 'cause someone mentioned that he'd like it sung at his funeral. It was a good day to do yard work, but nothing really to do. So I suggested we take a walk. And we did. We passed a lady throwing out a wheelbarrow with a bad wheel. I was interested, but Chris said we could afford a new one. So after our walk, I grabbed a burnt out fluorescent bulb and we went to Home Depot. We got a 10-pack of bulbs, a wheelbarrow, a corded drill, and a weedeater. Now that we are all set for the summer here, just watch: we'll probably have to move. When we got home, I replaced the bulb and its light was not like the others. Sigh. You couldn't tell from the markings on the bulb. We ate the beef for supper, and read on line articles, etc. Chris finished off the cake. I went down to work on another heart block. I had only gotten the pieces cut when Chris came down to watch TV. The movie was called Where Eagles Dare, a WW2 flick with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. After that it was late and we went to bed.

*  This is the bag Bertha made last week.  *

Love and fishes

Last night after posting to my blog, I went down to make the paper-pieced heart block. It has been on my to-do list all week and I wanted to get it done. When I was almost finished, Chris came down to tell me that there had been an earthquake in Augusta, and then he went to bed. So after I finished, I went to my Facebook page to read about things my friends in Augusta said about the earthquake. After awhile, I noticed that the postings were not in chronological order. Some were hours old, and some were days old, all mixed together. No one seemed to be hurt, so I went to bed.

Chris woke me up in the morning with some soothing caresses. When I got up, the sun was shining in the guest room, so I sat in the sunlight and read for 20 minutes. I cleared the first round of e-mail, did my exercises, juiced, and made breakfast. Chris emoted about how messed up the job application system was. After breakfast, I went outside. I picked up sticks, and added leaves to the compost pile. I churned it up a little with my pitchfork. There was a beer can out by the road. I put it in recycling. Then I worked in my sewing room. I put piles of fabric away to make more room to work. I auditioned fabrics for cornerstones and cut up the lucky fabric into squares. I cut the sashing strips, and strips for the exchange Thursday night. Then my cutting table was down to two unfinished projects. I came up about 3:30 to have some seaweed with hummus. Then it was back to the salt mines. I worked on the fish quilt, planning the last section. I came up for supper when I needed a break. Chris was gaming with the voices. After some beef, sweet potato, and chocolate with coconut cream, I laid down for awhile. But the fish quilt would not leave me alone. This time I took my tablet to play while I sewed. The audio was about asking our angels for help. It was after 11 when I heard the game wrap up. I had finished the center and was thinking about borders. I ran upstairs to catch Michele, but she did not answer. Chris thought I had gone to bed, so he did not ask her to talk to me. He went to bed while I was posting to my blog.

There's no water like snow water

I stayed up to tap last night, covering a number of topics. When I went to bed, I could not hear Chris breathing, which is unusual. I extended a hand until I felt his body heat. I was relieved when he moved. I went to sleep.

In the morning, I heard Chris get in the shower and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, I decided to practice a breathing exercise. I was able to totally relax, but it did not last long after I got up. When I sat down to read e-mail, I found a Valentine card from Chris. It was lovely. Sadly I had nothing for him since I had totally forgotten to make the heart project that was posted over the weekend. I put on an audio while I sat with the HappyLight, and did my exercises in sets to break up all the sitting. I drank my snow water from yesterday and put the last fresh part through the coffee maker. I drank some of it as hot tea, and refrigerated the rest. It tasted very different from tap water. I said a prayer of gratitude. I finished an audio while juicing. I emptied the dishwasher, and restacked it. I made breakfast, and ate half. I cut the raw salmon into 4 pieces, ate some, and put the rest back in the fridge. I read email, and seached for mold on chia, flax, and cacao. Nothing on the first two, and an advertisement for the third. I watched videos of Beautiful Women stories. They all made me cry, but particularly the first one. I drank the last of the snow water when taking my vitamins. In my sewing roon, I made a valentine card with a stencil and stitching on red fabric. Then I sat at my laptop to compose a message. The laptop was running very slowly and probably needed rebooting. Chris came home 2 hours early, right in the middle. I had to tell him “ I love you but I need you to leave”. He went downstairs to watch a movie. I wrote some prose and turned it into rhyme. When I was done, I e-mailed it to myself so I could access it on the desktop to print out. But the desktop was booted in Ubuntu. I rebooted it, but then the mouse did not work. I re-rebooted it several times and then called Chris up. He unplugged it from the back of the tower and plugged it into the front. Problem solved. Then the software wouldn't re-size, etc. Finally I just printed it out and pasted it in the card sideways. I placed it on his computer and joined him downstairs watching Wolverine. When it was over, we came up for supper.  He read the card. We had the beef roast. Then I had a thin piece of cake, as if it were cut with a cheese slicer. Then we read e-mail for awhile. We went down to watch TV. We tried to watch Dickie Roberts but the language was too offensive. So that got replaced with The Philadelphia Experiment, which was much better.

A gift from heaven

It was so quiet last night. Other than the transformer fireworks and the sound of limbs breaking off of trees, there was no sound, especially not traffic. I stayed up to tap, but my phone rang and it was the arsenal trying to tell Chris that they would be closed until 1. I looked outside and thought that was optimistic. I went back to tell him and then it was too easy to go to bed.

When I got up, the snow was still there. Every branch was frosted with snow and ice. The mixing bowl had 4 inches of snow in it.  It was like a gift from heaven.  I took a burger-turner outside to scoop up the top layer of snow. I filled three containers. Chris said only a tenth of the volume would be water. I took a shower while Chris 'attended' a conference, but somehow he never got in. I read e-mail, and then exercised, and juiced and made breakfast. The roads cleared up in the sunshine and the snow melted in the yard. My collection of snow melted slowly. Chris poured off the water into a coffee pot. He ran it through the coffee maker with a filter. I put in a tea ball of dandelion root.  So nice to have clean water.  Not knowing how safe the roads were, I asked Chris to take me to the fish market for wild salmon. The roads were so clear that I asked him if he were going to work, but he preferred to work from home. He reminded me that Monday was a federal holiday and he would be home to bother me then, too. I went downstairs to trim the batik quilt. The original plan was to fold the backing to the front and stitch it down, but when I auditioned it, it did not look right. I tried a few other fabrics as bindings and liked none of them. So, since there was both extra batting and backing all around, I auditioned another border with piping. It seemed to frame the quilt nicely and would give me room to trim it up. I worked on that until Chris announced that the beef roast was ready. I came up for supper. My piece was dripping with blood, just the way I like it. I went back down to finish an audio and the border. I checked e-mail, and took out the recyclables. Then we went down to watch the last episode of Inspector Lewis. Chris will return it to the post library tomorrow – God willing and it doesn't snow again.

Found a recipe

Chris got up before 8 to 'attend' a work conference online via his laptop. I did not want to interrupt, so I stayed in bed. Ha, ha. After the conference, I got up to read e-mail, exercise to music, and juice veggies. Chris stripped the bed and put the sheets in the laundry. I googled how to collect rain water for drinking because it was raining. I looked through our cache of boxes for one that might have spare water filters in it. Then I separated the boxes for Freecycling. I gave up on sweet potato cake and found a nice, gluten-free carrot cake that uses honey instead of sugar.  I asked Chris if he would mind if I practiced making healthy carrot cakes. He said he wouldn't mind if he got to eat it. But what if he HAD to eat it? Chris went to the store for groceries. I finished an audio, and printed the recipe. He came home with groceries, enough for two cakes. He could not find coconut flour, but long ago I had made coconut milk from shredded coconut and saved the solids in the freezer.  They were essentially flour. I put the frozen solids on baking pans to dry in the oven. I put coconut milk solids from a can of coconut milk in the fridge to separate into cream and water. I washed carrots, and soaked dates in bourbon and water. I toasted two batches of pecans and processed one into almost butter. Along the way I took notes. I used the juicer to shred the carrots and put both the pulp and the juice in the bowl. To that were added eggs, vanilla, butter, honey. I should have mixed it by hand because the mixer kept gunning it's engine and sprayed in all directions. I mixed in the pecan butter by hand. I processed the dates and mixed them in by hand also. Also with the dry ingredients. Then I mixed it one last time with the mixer. I baked it in two cake pans. While it was baking, I made the frosting from coconut cream. I left the cakes on the stove to cool. I cleaned up, and there was a lot to clean. I put the mixing bowl out to catch snow. (The rain had turned to snow.)  The layers did not come out of the pans well, even though I had oiled and floured them. So I patched them and put them in the freezer. I had to lay down for awhile to rest.  I could not believe it had taken 5 hours to make a cake!  Then I put a bowl of bean soup (the last of it) and seaweed in the toaster oven for supper. I got the layers out and frosted them. For some inexplicable reason the layers were not the same diameter. We read e-mail. Later we shared some cake, and it was pretty good.  We talked about how it could be improved. We watched an episode of Inspector Lewis, then came up to put sheets on the bed. Even in the dark, the snow was bright, and every branch was frosted. I checked e-mail one last time and wrote to my blog.

...but I can't find a recipe

I stayed up late last night to tap for a friend in trouble. When I woke up, Chris was still in bed because the arsenal was opening late. It had snowed overnight. I was planning to attend the last part of the Tuesday group, but it was canceled. So I read e-mail, boiled water and did part of my exercises before Chris left. Then I started an audio while I finished my exercises. I wanted a healthy cake recipe for next month without a lot of strange ingredients that I will never use again

and I remembered seeing one for sweet potato cupcakes a couple days ago, but I could not find it now. I juiced celery, cucumber, sweet peppers, and arugula. I drank most of the juice, but saved part for mixing with the powdered foods I add to breakfast. I made and ate most of breakfast. I assembled a week's worth of supplements. Chris indicated that he was coming home early and would be willing to stop at the Asian store to buy me kimbap. But when he got there, they were closed. He came home just as I started juicing our 10 lemons. When that was done, I used a quarter cup of the juice to make hummus. I had a bite of kimchi every so often to add probiotics to my gut. I folded laundry as I watched a DVD on Energy Medicine by Donna Eden. Then I put most of it away. Chris worked on our taxes. I gathered charitable donation figures and medical receipts. Turbo Tax drove him crazy. I searched through more sweet potato cake recipes, but still did not find what I needed. I heated a bowl of bean soup in the toaster oven, and added rehydrated seaweed. I rehydrated it myself. I thought it would taste better than the kelp which I had last night, but no, it was about the same. When Chris finished the taxes, we went downstairs. First we watched an episode of Inspector Lewis, and then Knight and Day since we already know that the arsenal will be closed tomorrow.
*  It snowed overnight, but slowly melted away during the day  *

So I agreed to make cake...

I woke up slowly, and finally got out of bed at 8:20. I deleted all the e-mails I knew I didn't want, then proceeded to open the rest and delete most of them. I emptied the dishwasher while listening to an interview. I juiced celery, red peppers, a cucumber and a small piece of leek. The leek did not make good juice. Ugh. Then I remembered to do the chi gung and 3-D exercises. Finally I fixed breakfast. After eating, I packed a lunch consisting of hummus, nori, olives stuffed with garlic, and coconut water. My sewing box was packed, but I decided to take the PVC quilt frame. So I pulled it apart and put the pieces in the bag I made for it, then tied it up like the Koreans do for carrying. Unfortunately I laid it down again to open the garage door and forgot it entirely. I put my sewing stuff in the car and drove to First Christian Church. Carolyn saw me come in and gave me a tiny jar of her anti-aging formula. I rubbed some on my forehead. Mirna came later, bringing my quilt. It was nicely done. I wrote her a check, then had to move it so the table could be used for lunch. Joan wanted to taste my coconut water, so I let her pour some into a spoon. She said it was good. Rebecca came later (apparently she went to Panda without me), and I was able to give her the bag of fabric she left last week. I also thought to turn in the scarves to the preschool. There was a sign-up sheet for bringing cake or cupcakes for the monthly celebration of birthdays. I signed up for March, and Rebecca signed up then, too. It seems they all think I am going to bring something weird, healthy and unpalatable. I was going to cut some fabric to make sashing for my Linus blocks, but Lauri saw it and wanted it and was willing to give me something in exchange, so I agreed. She went to Hobby Lobby and bought a yard of blue. I offered to pay her 'cause my piece was less than half a yard, but she refused. I worked on the cross project until she got back, and then cut the blue for sashing. I laid out my blocks in a pleasing manner and then sewed the left side of each block to the sashing strips. They were all connected by thread since I did not cut, so the order was preserved. The bobbin thread ran out 4 inches before I finished the last block. During the process, the top thread jumped out of the take-up lever. I decided the problem was in the springy thing, so I leafed through the manual to find a picture of how the springy thing should look. There were not any good ones, but it seemed to be lower in the diagrams, so I pushed it down with a seam ripper and had no more problems (until the bobbin ran out). Then I packed up, hoping to get home before 5. I got home only minutes before Chris did. I went in through the garage, and so did he. I put a bowl of bean soup in the toaster oven. I finished breakfast, then made more fermented nut cheese. Then the soup was hot. I put a large leaf of kelp in it. After ward I had a square of dark chocolate with blueberries. I put some more cream on the spot on my forehead, wondering for the umteenth time why it is so persistent. Then we watched TV downstairs. It was a Netflix movie called A Sound of Thunder, loosely based on a novel by Ray Bradbury. They never explained how stepping on a butterfly on a dinosaur hunt caused the 21 ^st century to go prehistoric. It was pretty dark, so I asked if we could watch something else to take the edge off. Star Trek to the rescue. Chris prepared for tomorrow, knowing there is a chance snow will close everything. I stayed up to finish my e-mail.

*  this is Bertha's quilt  *

The Snark

We heard my phone alarm at 8, and I got up to turn it off. I told Chris about my dream while we waited for his alarm at 9. I dreamed that Chris wanted to buy a car from a private buyer, so we drove over to the house. But it was on a street at a 75 degree angle – very steep. I opened the car door and fell out. But was hanging on to the seatbelt. I told Chris there was absolutely no way I would live there. We got into the house and they were looking at flooring samples to go with the carpet. I opened the back door and all there was was a long ladder going down, so I climbed down. There was a man who said I was now on his property so I went back up the ladder. But I wasn't not tall enough to grab the door handle from the ladder. Then, to my left was a refrigerator fastened to the wall (because there was no floor). I had something to put in, but no extra hands to open the door. Then the ladder moved. Now the fridge door was open, but I wasn't close enough to close it. That is when my phone alarm went off. Finally I gave up waiting for Chris' phone alarm and got up and took a shower. When I got out it was 9:40, made and ate half of me breakfast. Chris got ready and we went to church. We had a discussion of blended services. After church, we talked to Shannon. Two girl scouts were there selling cookies. Chris bought a box. Then we went home to change clothes. I ate the other half of breakfast, and some kimchi that had been sitting out. It gets better every time. We took my car for gas, and went to the grocery store. It took us half an hour to check out due to the predictions of snow. I ate fish for lunch, and read e-mail. I took my unbound quilt to stitch group. They were talking about tornadoes. I told them I was thinking of giving up wearing bras for Lent. They were ok with that. I talked to Denise in foyer, and then came home. I put a bowl of bean soup in toaster oven. While it heated, I washed cashews and sunflower seeds to soak for tomorrow. We watched an episode of Inspector Lewis. Lewis Carroll's poem about a Snark figured in the episode, so I looked up Snark. It is considered a nonsense poem by some and a mathematical code by others. Chris packed his lunch and set out his clothes for tomorrow before going to bed. 

*  This is the Cross Wall at church  *

Fishing for details

We got up before 9. Chris made coffee while I boiled water for breakfast. I did my exercises, checked e-mail, juiced and ate breakfast, all by 10:30. The cut end of my aloe leaf produced a red fluid.  Thinking it might have healing propertied, I rubbed it on the red spot on my forehead.  The itching went away.  I listened to an audio on iodine deficiency due to bromine in processed foods. I was surprised to learn that iodine deficiency causes brain fog. I saw a paper-pieced heart block on Facebook. Excited to make it, I printed it on the desktop, then went downstairs to make it. The cutting table and ironing board were full of fish quilt pieces, so I finished the fish quilt, then found an extra block that had been left out, so tried to make a new plan to include it in an extra row. I came upstairs when I smelled the pork sausage Chris browned for the bean soup. I saw the sun shining, which was a wonderful and unusual site. The thermometer hasn't moved in days, but this afternoon it rose to 50. I went outside to uproot seedlings. It crossed my mind that that tree had worked hard to reproduce and that I was denying it that chance. I came in about 3. The bean soup was still not ready, so I read e-mail for awhile, and sorted receipts from last year. I was downstairs when supper was ready. After supper I was reading e-mail and thought about how I needed handwork for tomorrow. So I went to the quilt chest to find an unbound quilt. There was only one. I expected more. Anyway, I took it downstairs and looked for an appropriate binding. It did not take long with my extensive stash. I cut the strips, sewed them together, pressed the long strip in half and sewed it to the edges of the quilt. I joined the edges and started the handwork. Then I packed it in a bag for tomorrow. Chris was playing with the voices while I read e-mail and tried a deep breathing exercise. I read an on-line magazine called BeMore!. I downloaded software called F.Lux which eliminates blue light from the computer display after sunset. This should help me sleep better at night by allowing my body to start producing melatonin earlier. When Chris finished gaming, Michele was available to talk via Skype. She told me about her job teaching English. I'll bet she learns as much as they do.

Stairway to heaven

I'm not sure when I got up because I went straight to the laptop to do an internet search. When I came up for air, it was a little after 9. I did my exercises at 10, but it was after 11 when the juicing started, and noon for breakfast. In that time I listened to another interview from the ReThink Pink summit. The theme of the summit is that breast cancer PREVENTION needs a LOT more attention, and that the cancer can be (and has been) reversed without pharmaceuticals and radiation. There was another audio on the effect of subconscious agreements about money and relationships.

Sometimes I feel like I have to earn the right to sew by doing housework. So I used the Kirby on the steps into the basement. Then, to make sure I did sew and did not go back to my laptop, I got a bucket of hot soapy water and washed the steps from top to bottom. I had to sew until the steps dried. The blue lace blocks were the lucky objects of my attention. I came upstairs when I heard Chris come home, wondering how it had gotten so late. But he was let out early and it was only 3:45. We talked a bit, then I went back down to sew the half blocks together and to trim them. I turned to the fish quilt. I got a few pieces sewn on it before Chris announced that the sweet potatoes were ready. I came up to eat one while heating curry in one of the oven-safe Korean bowls. I listened to another interview, and then we watched 2 episodes of Inspector Lewis, and Chris went to bed.

By golly it's fixed

I slept later than I intended. I woke up thinking about last night's episode and wondering how the pieces fit the story. When I got up, it was almost 9:30. I dressed and took the recyclables to the curb. Then I read e-mail by my HappyLight and swished. I watched an interview with a doctor who said that the body's self-repair mechanism only works during the relaxation response. She recommended tapping to relieve stress. I performed my exercises. I knelt on the cushion and got very little water out, so I placed it near the heating vent and resolved to return it to the couch tomorrow.  I saw the recycling truck go by followed by the mail truck. So I was surprised to hear the doorbell ring. It was Bob's son-in-law coming to fix the garage door. I let him in and led him to the garage. But then I returned to the warm upstairs. I read some articles and when I noticed the time (noon), started the juicing process. I ate a slice of aloe, then started making breakfast. Darren rang the doorbell at 12:35 to say he was finished and leaving. I finished eating the first part of breakfast, then meditated, using my relaxation response to absorb nutrients and self-repair. I checked the garage door and did not see the patch. But the holes in the ceiling were patched with paneling pieces. There was another piece that looked like it might fall down any time. Bob told me he did not do preventative maintenance. I wanted to stabilize the wood around the screw with a flat piece of metal. I found one out by the heating unit, left behind during the installation. I tried to put a hole in that piece with a hammer and nail, but it was too strong. I found a piece of wood and a longer screw with the same thread spacing. I screwed it in place, as best I could, but it seemed barely sufficient. I searched through my bin of lace for the closest thing to battenburg. I took a pic, and went upstairs to download the pic. I finished the second half of breakfast, and listened to an audio on estrogen imbalance. Raspberries and dark cherries were recommended. I took my laptop downstairs for another audio while I put all the laces back in the box, and continued work on some blue lace stack-n-whacks. When the audio was over, Chris was home and eating supper. I ate my supper and looked at the mail – a quilt magazine. We watched Streets of Fire, something Chris got from Netflix that he remembered from his youth. Then he prepared for the morning and went to bed.

*  These blocks look better on the screen than in real life   *

Some flowers are better at arm's length

When I got up about 8, the first thing I saw was the check lying on my laptop, so I got dressed and took it out to the mailbox. On the way I dropped two bags of recyclables in the bin and put some things on top of my car (because it was locked). Then I read e-mail. One article was about the high level of pesticides on cut flowers, and sickness among florists. So there's a downside to smelling the roses, unless you grow your own. I started a loaf of bread for Chris. I cleaned the countertop under the flour and oatmeal. I did the 3-D and chi gung exercises. I juiced carrots, celery and zucchini. Then it was time for breakfast, reading e-mail as I ate. I washed my comb with boiling water, and put another pot of boiling water down the drain. It seemed to help the flow. My laptop was being uncooperative so I used the desktop to play an audio, but when it stopped, I did not restart it. I ate some olives, and then cleaned the shelves in the area where we keep food in jars. I went outside to get daylight and pull seedlings, but came in when my hands got too cold. I called Sharon and was able to leave a message about getting the garage door fixed. I knelt on the cushion and got wet spots on the towel underneath. At least the wet spots are smaller than yesterday. I finished the audio on the desktop. While I was there listening, I used Electric Quilter to design a bunch of virtual quilts. I searched the house and fabric area for battenburg lace for MaryAnn. Nothing. I tried to replace the filter in the shower, but the filter would not come off. I had some supper, and meditated. When I realized that it was 6:00, I called Chris to find out where he was. He was at a going-away party. I reassembled the shower head to take a shower. It seemed odd that I needed 90% hot water to 10% cold to get a hot shower. Is the water heater slipping up? Chris came home after I was dressed and checking e-mail. He had no trouble getting the old shower filter off and putting the new one on. I grabbed my choir folder and tablet and went to church. It was really cold outside. We sang through our pieces and some new liturgy. The tablet came in handy. When I got home, Chris was not ready to watch TV yet, so I checked my e-mail and wrote part of my blog. Then we watched an episode of Inspector Lewis where he is thinking of retiring. I stayed up to respond to Michele's post and Chris went to bed, hoping I would join him.
*  this is the arrangement from the quilt group for Barbara's funeral  *

Breast health

I woke up before 8 but went back to bed for a short snooze. I was imagining working on the Linus quilt, or the fish quilt, but knew that when I got up, I would be reading e-mail. And that is what happened. I used my HappyLight. I did my 3-D exercises. I sat on the cushion to squeeze more water out. I called Sharon about the garage door, but I got voicemail and her box was full and not accepting messages. I was washing veggies to juice when I noticed black birds with red chests fighting to drink water that collected in the chair seat outside. So I put a plastic container of filtered water on the picnic table. I went on with my juicing watching for them to come back, but they didn't. Then, when I looked up from cleaning up afterwards, there they were, but they were having trouble leaning over the edge of the container. So I traded it for a plate. But the birds never came back (as far as I noticed). After drinking the juice, I fixed breakfast. Before I ate it, I remembered to do my chi gung exercises. I ate half of my breakfast, and watched an episode of TQS. The guest used a special ruler that allows her to cut triangles, diamonds and hexagons that all fit together. I thought it would be really helpful, so I clicked on the link, but it was $17. It seemed like a lot for this small diamond of acrylic. Then I listened to an audio on women's health. I learned that 93% of breast tumors had a root canal on the same side. What smoking is to lungs, wearing a bra is to breasts x 4. Breast massage was highly recommended. While listening I was able to sort the recyclables and hopefully remember to put them out on Thursday. I also wrote a check. I found a valentine card from MaryAnn, which probably came yesterday. I went downstairs to find fabric to finish the Linus quilt. It took a while to find something that looked right for sashing. Then I had to find lookalikes for the ones I was running out of. The time seemed to stand still until I realized I could hear Chris walking around upstairs. I told Chris about the interview on women's health. He took it well, and showed great interest in helping me prevent breast cancer. After supper I knelt on the large cushion to get more water out. Will this process ever be over? We watched another episode of Inspector Lewis. I found a splinter in my thumb, which is perplexing since I did not rake today.  Then Chris went to bed, but I stayed up to hear another interview about breast health. It mentioned all the same recommendations, including thermograms instead of mammograms, and not wearing bras whenever possible.

* Here are 4 of my Linus blocks.  I think they will look better with sashing between them.  *

Regular Monday sewing

I got up about 8, waking from a bad dream about having had a second child and leaving her in Korea for someone else to raise. I read my e-mail. I sat on the couch cushion to get more of the water out. I read with the HappyLight, and swished with coconut oil. I performed some chi gung and 3-D exercises. The doorbell rang and I rushed to put my robe on before opening the door. It was the bug man making his monthly rounds. I juiced non-cruciferous veggies. I made and ate half of my breakfast, using up the last of the maca powder. I took my supplements, and I packed my lunch with seaweed and nut cheese. I searched for teal fabric in my sewing room, but did not find it. I put other fabric in my box, and carried the box to my car which already contained my sewing machine. I drove to the church, and the ladies started setting up for lunch. Maryann made chili and I ate a bowl of it and then my lunch. I worked on blocks for the Linus quilts. I squeezed 18 blocks out of the fabric I had. It was almost 5 when I packed up. Rebecca left a bag of Linus fabric, so I took it with me for safekeeping. I left it in the car so it would not get too comfortable in my house. Chris was talking to Faye over Skype on my laptop. So he gave it over to me and had his supper. I finished my breakfast while talking to Faye (and Kevin). Chris brought in my sewing machine from the car. After I hung up with Faye, I had a bowl of the curry. Then we watched an episode of Inspector Lewis. Chris soon went to bed. I looked up IFF to see if it was a real insomnia disorder, and it was. Then I search the web for places to buy schisandra berry powder. When I found something affordable in price and shipping, I ordered it. 

*  this is Lauri's quilt  *

New meeting place for Renegades

9am came and went, but I did not get up until 9:20 because it was warmer under the covers than above them. I boiled water for breakfast, then put hydrogen peroxide in my ears and swished. I prepared my breakfast and ate it in front of my laptop. After eating half, I realized I needed to leave the house in 5 minutes to get to the choir warm-up on time. I put on my go-to dress, and then pantyhose. There was a run in the front, but I figured no one will notice. I got to church in time to warm up. The choir was singing Merciful God, and he was, 'cause he got me there in time. I went out to get a bulletin and ran into Cecelia, who noticed Chris in church by himself last week. I was sitting in the pew when Chris arrived. Then the pastor made some announcements, one of which was that a movie clip would be shown during the sermon. Chris got up and left. I stayed. The movie clip was of Jesus being presented at the temple and meeting Simeon and Anna. I was struck by how intently the congregation watched. No sermon or choir anthem inspired such quiet attention. After the service, 4 teens were collecting donations for the hungry. Two can were decorated with football team images (Souper Bowl sunday), and two were more bland. I put a bill in the can of one of the general cans and the boy shouted to his friends “I got $10”. So much for giving anonymously. When I got home, Chris was at his laptop. We had a discussion, and then we went for groceries. I got lots of veggies to juice, but avoided all the cruciferous ones. At the checkout, the clerk remarked on the aloe branch. I explained how I eat it and use it. Then it occurred to me that every time I buy one, someone asks about it. When we got home, we put the groceries away. Chris carried my machine out to my car. I drove to the corner church where Mirna goes. I wasn't sure where the Renegade ladies were sewing, but I saw a light on and followed it. Keril set me up with a table near Rebecca. I turned in the teal and yellow top.  Keril asked me to make a backing for it. One lady gave me a long piece of teal fabric. I cut two long pieces off and sewed them together. Then I was at a loss for something to do. I went to the fabric table and sorted through it hoping for an idea. I came back to my seat with a pile of coordinated prints. It came to me to do partial piecing blocks. So I cut and sewed and cut some more. I finished 3 complete blocks before running out of one of the fabrics. I put together as many more blocks as I could with out the 5^th fabric. Everyone was packing up, so I did too. I helped to put away tables and sweep. Isadly I dropped a table on my foot. t was still raining when I got home. Chris had a big pot of chicken curry on the stove. I ate a bowl (very good) followed by some kimchi. I listened to an interview about breast cancer and how diet makes all the difference, but the big cancer research promoters will not report that because all they are interested in is a drug cure. We watched The Virgin Queen, with Joan Collins and Bette Davis. Then, since it was still early, we saw an episode of Inspector Lewis. Chris looked up all of the familiar-looking actors and then we went to bed.

*  This is Keril's quilt.  She used a high-loft batting which really shows off the machine quilting.  She said it wasn't easy to use.  *

Barbara's service

I heard Chris get up early to have breakfast and go get his car serviced. I got up before 8, and started reading e-mail. I came across a video of 3-D exercises designed to promote maximum joint movement. I tried them out. I meditated and listened to audios. I made breakfast. I squeezed the cushion onto towels to get some water out. I even sat on the cushion. Then I took a shower, and dressed in black. It was early yet so I listened to an audio on the tablet outside in the sun. It was a beautiful day. I came in to jot down a few notes for my blog and to stock my purse with tissues. I left for the church at 12:10. I met Virginia and Bertha on my way in. We walked around the tables of pictures of Barbara. We sat in the quilters pew (actually there were two pews of us). Bertha and I shared a hymnal. Some of Barbara's quilts were displayed at the front of the church, as well as the quilts we selected to give to the grandchildren. One of the speakers was Barbara's stepmother. She spoke well which amazed me under the circumstances. Then the pastor spoke, and he was very good. He related anecdotes from the family. In one, Barbara's husband asked her to hem a pair of jeans, and she told him that asking a quilter to hem jeans is like asking Picasso to paint a house.  He also spoke of all the ways she served in the church. 

After the service there was food in the commons area. I moved outside with a few quilters and we talked, enjoying the fresh air. Bertha went back in but I left from there, telling her she could have my cookie. When I got home I finished breakfast, and changed my clothes. I folded two baskets of laundry, then cut Chris' hair. There were two of his shirts hanging on my sewing chair because the arms were too long. So I shortened the cuffs on one shirt. Chris started gaming with the voices. I ate supper, and then shortened the cuffs on the second shirt (third one this week). I read e-mail and drank some tea. I took my laptop in the bedroom to have some quiet while I listened to another audio. When the game was over, I talked with Michele over Skype. Now I am going to turn in for the night.
*  This is the front door way at Carolyn's house.  All the black seemed fitting for this day.  *