Christmas quilt

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

*  This is Mirna's Christmas quilt  *

Blessing the Kneelers

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

Getting back to it

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

Errands

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

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

Troubleshooting her machine

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

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


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

Even more quilts from the show

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

A new sewing group

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

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