Picking up the pieces now that the rush of activity is over

My day started at 8:20. I put the quilt in a USPS box. I had to reboot my computer last night and wondered if I could get all my open windows back. No. Microsoft: I reject your OS and reserve the right to substitute my own.

  I used my laptop to schedule a pickup from the post office since I did not want to stand in line. Then I used the desktop to pay the postage and print out the label. I affixed it to the box. While playing a CD Chris gave me of AMC music, I put stuff away. It seems like I have been running from one engagement to the next without cleaning up or putting back. I read e-mail, but did not exercise. I used my HappyLight because it might be working. I swept the kitchen floor and unstacked and re-stacked the dishwasher. A few dishes had to be washed by hand. Before breakfast the sun was shining so brightly that I went outside to rake in the rays. My back gave me warning signals from time to time so instead of carrying the leaves to the back yard, I raked them onto the sidewalk and left them there. After juicing and breakfast, I folded 2 baskets of laundry. I took some time to meditate and tap. I went to the fish market for raw wild salmon. I was worried about making the left turn to get back home, but the nice lady there pointed out the access to a gas station which allowed me to get back onto Bailey Cove/Carl T. Jones making a right turn. I was so happy. When I got home, I tore into the fish. It was as good as I remembered. I raked more leaves in the last of the sunlight. Then I washed the kitchen floor and dried it with an old towel so it wouldn't be wet when Chris came home, which he did soon after I finished. He fixed his supper and I ate the salad from yesterday, along with my special mixture of hummus, raw garlic, and fermented cod liver oil. Chris looked at my finger and said he thought it was infected and that it should be re-opened and cleaned out.  Ouch!  I hope he's wrong.  Then we watched several episodes of Bones. He went to bed, and I stayed up to blog, but not for long. Oh, and last night I did make the fermented nut cheese before I went to bed.
*  This is the steering wheel cover that Cheryl  gave me  *

The birthday gift that might be done for Christmas

It was 9:15 when I got up. I followed a pretty normal routine. I got an e-mail from Gabriella asking what hymn I would like to play on Sunday. So I picked up my trombone and played a few hymns. I e-mailed her back. Then I used broccoli, a really long cucumber and some carrots for a quick juice. I fixed breakfast next. I change my bandaid, wondering why it was made so sticky that removing it threatens to re-open the wound. I touched the sticky ends of the new bandaid to the sheet to make it less sticky. I packed a lunch, and gathered a months-old project to work on. I went to the church. I passed out the remaining tissue covers, first to those who were not here last week, and then to whomever wanted one. My first task was to audition borders to the small center I had made previously. I really obsessed, which made Maryann feel better. Normally I do my obsessing at home and only bring preplanned work to quilt days. Finally I made a decision, leaving out some strips that seemed important to include but were not long enough to go all the way around. I pinned the first border to the sides, then set up my machine. While looking for thread, I found my lunch so I ate it. Then I sewed the first set of strips on. Then the next set. In fact, it was going so well, I thought that with a little luck it could be done in time for Christmas. I finished it about 5:30.  Mirna agreed to quilt it for me, so I packed up all my stuff and went home to find a backing. In my stash of wide fabrics I found a black that would work. All I had to do was rip off enough for the length and square it up. I laid it out on the pingpong table with the quilt top on top to make sure it would fit. Then I drove back to the church to give it to Mirna. When I got home, I put on the steering wheel cover that Cheryl gave me today. It is pieced and so cute. My car was running low on gas, so we took it to the cheap gas station and filled it up. When we got back, I made a large salad and hummus. The salad was way too large to eat (why do I always make so much?) so I saved most of it for tomorrow. Barbara e-mailed me a pic of her quilt top. I wanted to download it from her message, but we could not find a way in Yahoo to do it. So I sent it to my gmail account. In gmail there was a way to do it, but it did not work. I had to forward it to Chris, who put it on a thumbdrive to transfer it to my computer. Neither one of us had anything nice to say about Yahoo and their recent changes. Or Microsoft. Then we watched 2 episodes of Bones. Chris checked his e-mail one last time, and helped me put some aloe on my finger. Then he went to bed while I posted to my blog and contemplated making fermented nut cheese before going to bed. 

*  This is Barbara's quilt top  *

The children's Christmas musical

I got up before 8 to check on the tu-tus. The glue had dried, but stuck to the paper underneath. I rubbed the paper with spit to get it off. I put the tu-tus on hangers and took them upstairs. I fixed breakfast and ate it with e-mail. I took a shower after Chris did. Then I got dressed and headed out the door for church. When I got there, the first service was still in session. I went to the garden room where the costumes were laid out. As the kids came in, I dressed them. I shone my flashlight on the new star, but it did nothing in the daylight. Kurt hung it anyway. At 9:28 we herded all the kids into the sanctuary for their Christmas musical. The pews were packed and the kids were fabulous! I'll admit I was worried. I must have chewed my tongue because it was sore for the rest of the day. When it was over, Kurt presented bouquets of flowers to Shannon, myself, Jennifer the piano player, and Jennifer the director. We were all surprised. While the congregation and the kids ate cookies in the fellowship hall, I gathered and folded the costumes and put them in the room they were stored in. I told the 'stars' that they could keep their tu-tus. Chris did not come to church because he was still sick, so I worshipped without him. During the passing of the peace, one man gave me a very firm handshake and my cut finger protested vociferously. I gave four-fingered handshakes after that. There were plenty of people to talk to after church, and I picked up all the things that belonged to me. When I got home, Chris had started the laundry. I ate lunch and procrastinated going to the grocery store alone. But the temp was dropping so I went before 2. I got what was on the list, and a few things that were not, like a leaf of aloe. It looked like it was left over from last week. I hoped it would become a regular item. The clerk asked me how I eat it and I told her. When I got home, Chris helped me put the food away. I hooped Barbara's quilt and put it in a bag. I drove to the storage facility where we meet once a month. One lady was addressing her Christmas cards and the others were looking at magazines. It was all about the conversation. I finished replacing a seam in Kurt's coat, which I wore to the meeting. It was a little big, but surprisingly warm. Then I worked on Barbara's quilt. At 5 we packed up to leave. It was dark and cold. When I got home, I ate supper, and put some nuts and seeds in a jar of water to soak overnight.  While Chris and I watched multiple episodes of Bones, we could hear a critter scratching around between the floors.

Then Chris went to bed and I stayed up to blog.

The last practice

I woke up at 8:30. Chris was still asleep, so I quietly got up to read e-mail, exercise, etc. I juiced all the remaining veggies except what I needed for a salad tonight. I picked some kale, too. I was listening to an audio and that kept me chained to the dining room because I was using headphones so I wouldn't wake up Chris. While I was fixing breakfast, he got up and took a shower., then made coffee. I worked on a wallhanging in my sewing room until 1:40. Then I gathered my stuff and went to church. Iwatched the play practice, helping where needed. I saw the two lame tu-tus fraying, caught on the wands. At one point, all the kids point to a hanging star, but it does not stand out. The man who moved the table with the nativity scene so the kids wouldn't break it, wobbled on the way back and the angel fell off and hit the carpet and shattered. Afterward, I went to Pier One, Party City, Marshalls, and Hobby Lobby looking for a pre-lit star and an angel. I found mirrored star at Marshalls but it was broken. I bought a reflective star at Hobby Lobby and a flameless tealight to go inside. But when I got it home, the tea light would not fit inside and it was too yellow anyway. The best option was a powerful flashlight. I plan to bring a regular one which is all I have. I took the tu-tus to the basement to put a line of glue around the edges to slow down the fraying. I made a salad for supper. Chris was up for just a little bit, long enough for us to change the sheets. Then he laid down again. I went down to work on Kurt's jacket. I wonder if he knows that the rip in the back is not the only problem. I fixed it as best I could. Then I worked on the sleeve. When I came up, it was after 9. I checked a few e-mails and did some tapping, mostly for my finger which is trying to heal, but keeps bumping against things. I put a piece of aloe on it, and a bandaid to hold that on. I called it quits at 11 and decided to blog and go to bed.

*  The 'stars' of our play  *

Life after tu-tus

I woke up before 7:30. I sat down to read e-mail with my HappyLight. Maybe if I start it early, it will help me get to sleep sooner. I took breaks to exercise and meditate. I forgot to clean the juicer yesterday, so I had to clean it before and after juicing today. After breakfast I raked leaves in the side yard. I carried the tablet in my jury-rigger backpack for something to listen to. The laptop would have been warmer. I finished the tu-tus by machine-stitching over the hand-stitching, then clipping all the threads. I put them on small hangers and hung them in the car for tomorrow. Chris came home quite early and said he would not be going to play Battletech tonight. For a bit I was kind of lost without tu-tus to work on. Did I think this day would never come? I cleaned up all the pieces of leftover tulle and shiny fabrics. I folded the laundry from last weekend while listening to the tablet until the battery ran down. I unpacked the basket from yesterday. I noticed that the neighbor next door was home, so we delivered the wreath of bread. Then I folded leftover sri yantra fabrics and the leftover strips. I picked up tiny scraps from the floor and rugs. I worked on an old project to get it out of my sewing room because now I was on a roll. Chris made ground beef with tomatoes for supper. I made a large salad to go with it. I read e-mail waiting for Chris to watch TV. I did not realize he had gone to bed early. I played solitaire until I reached my 3400th and decided to find out what was keeping him. When I saw him in bed, I went down to finish the old project. He came down a little later to watch one episode of Bones. Then he read a bit of e-mail and went back to bed. I finished my project, and wrote my blog post for today. It is not yet 10 so I might work on another unfinished project.
ps - this is not the old project.

The Fourth Party - with Elves!

I got up about 8:30.  The sun was shining so brightly it must be warm, but the thermometer disagreed.  So I stayed in to read e-mail with my HappyLight.  I did take out the recyclables and the cold reminded me of Korea.  Since the Thursday group normally starts at 10, and I was bringing the game, I figured I should be on time, or close to it.  So I had time to juice or have breakfast, but not both.  I juiced: broccoli, celery, and a very long, narrow cucumber.  That made a lot of juice.  Yesterday I used some kale from outside, but skipped that today.  After drinking the juice, I cut up meat and cheese on a plate, and grabbed my basket of fat quarters and some tu-tus to work on.  I got to the church about 10:30.  Everyone was sewing, so I did, too.  I ripped the 6 tulle layers from the band of the new tu-tu, then repositioned it to 3 longer layers and basted them back together.  Several people passed out gifts.  I wished I could too, but there wasn't time to make anything.  Around noon we ate potluck.  Later we played the trading game.  16 people stood around the pingpong table and threw fat quarters in the center.  I threw in 4 from the basket.  I would have thrown in more if I had known we'd only play it once.  After everyone had had one chance to roll the dice, there were two fq's left.  Rather than go part way around, they gave them to me since I did not play (figuring there ought to be an even number of players).  Then they thanked me and went back to sewing and chatting.  They really seemed to like the game and one lady tried to find out where she could buy a set of such dice.  When I finished all I could do by hand, I packed up and went home.  I fixed and ate my usual breakfast, and checked e-mail.  I started watching "Anatomy of an Illness" which is about Norman Cousins healing himself of ankylosing spondilitis with intravenous vitamin C, and funny movies.  I took the third bread wreath out of the freezer to thaw.  I went out to enjoy the sunlight by raking leaves.  By 4 it was hard to find the sun.  When I came in, I watched some more of the movie, and then meditated.  It was fully dark and Chris was not home.  I warmed the oven to rise the bread and finished the movie.  He came home about 6:30.  We discussed interviews and referral lists and our possible futures.  Then he changed his clothes and ate supper. I baked the bread and then we watched one episode of Bones. It was funny because she was considering running for president.  Then Chris went to bed, not feeling 100%.  I put hydrogen peroxide in my ears to keep myself at 100%.  I watched one last video and wrote my blog in Microsoft Word.  I was about to post it when the screen went crazy and scrolled to the bottom and became completely unresponsive. I could not get my blog post back.  Finally I had to recreate it in Blogger.

Too much tu-tu

I tapped before I went to bed last night so it was late when I turned in.  I woke up at 9:30 with the thought that now I can devote my full time and attention to finishing the tu-tus.  But of course I had to read my e-mail, and the normal morning line-up.  And the sunshine outside was so inviting.  I did lay out the blue netting to be cut on the dining room table.  But even with the lights on, and a 200 watt lamp and the HappyLight, I still had trouble seeing the layers of netting because they are so sheer.  After exercising, I took a shower.  I noticed that the cut on my pinky finger (which was fine all night) kept bumping into things while doing normal activities around the house.  Breakfast was late, and then I went outside to rake leaves and listen to an audio on the tablet.  When I came in, I devoted my full attention to the tu-tus.  I finished cutting out the blue tulle.  I hand-basted the layers together.  Downstairs, I sewed the ends together and machine-gathered it.  I put gathering stitches in the blue sparkly circle.  I did the same for the silver lame.  I serged the silver lame, but it did not turn out any better than the gold lame did.  I took a break to cut up a sweet potato and melt some coconut oil.  I pinned and stitched the lame and gathered white tulle to the silver band.  I started pinning the blue, but there wasn’t time to finish.  I poured the oil on the potato and ate it.  Then I gathered all the tu-tus and left for church.  I kept chanting “Calmly, quietly, quickly” so I could relax and not be late.  When I got there, April was there with the tu-tu she had made.  But the tulle was not fluffy like the others.  She had to leave for work.  Inside, practice had started.  I examined her tu-tu and surmised that I had not properly explained to her how to sew the six circles into 3 layers.  There wasn’t much gathering so it did not fluff.  During practice, I finished the blue tu-tu.  The girl who was supposed to wear it did not come.  Then I gathered up one of the layers of tulle under the new tu-tu, like a bubble skirt, to help  it fluff.  When practice was over, Jennifer and I went through the costumes to make sure we had everything we needed, and we did.  I promised to add volume to the new tu-tu.  She gave me a pointsettia, and I just love pointsettias.  When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV.  But I wanted to give a gift to the nice neighbor next door.  I wrapped up a bread wreath and took it over. I rang the doorbell and knocked, but no one answered.  I guess he put the lights on and left.  Chris and I watched one episode of Bones, and he went to bed.  He is not feeling well.  I will put hydrogen peroxide in my ears to ward off whatever he’s got.

*  This is Jen's quilt from show-n-tell last night.  I think she called it Quilt on Crack.  *