The start of a baby quilt

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

Water in the basement

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

Too much time on the computer

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

Quilting Day

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

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

The STARS of Sunday School

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

Blanket Bash

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

High- tech troubles

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