Choir practice has its rewards

I got up a little after 8. I started my coffee morning, but then paused it to do some stitching so I could turned on the router. I chose fabric for the border of the third block. The strips were already cut, so I sewed on one strip. But instead of cuing music from Youtube, I found something on the desktop to listen to as I continued with exercises and drybrushing and such.
After my meditation morning, I had such energy. I cleaned both bathrooms and the kitchen. I sprinkled baking soda on some tough spots in the oven. I also soaped up the tubs. Then I took a walk, enjoying the sunshine if not the temperature.
When I got back, I filled the tub with hot water and Epsom salts. I soaked in the tub, and washed my hair just before I got out. Then I got dressed and combed my hair. The caffeine buzz was over and I laid down. But then I thought of a question I wanted to look up on the internet, so I got back up.
I made breakfast, then did a search and read results while I ate. Chris came home from work, with nothing to show from the post office. I read e-mail, then ate some leftovers for supper. I played Solitaire for a bit. I was going to make seed crackers, but the oven still had baking soda in it.
I bundled up well and drove to church. My car warned me there could be ice on the road since the temp was 27 at that point. When I got to church, I dropped off the old music from my folder and picked up the three new pieces. I joined Cecelia in the alto row. Jennifer showed me a bag of dried apple slices that she brought me from Canada.
A few more people arrived and we started our warm-up. We practiced the two songs and a hymn. During practice, my phone rang. I could not locate my phone in time, but could tell afterward that the call was from Dad. Did he not have his own choir to practice with? I was going to call him back after practice, but Doris wanted to tell me all about her son's house burning down on Christmas. No one was hurt because they were at church at the time. The artificial tree was suspected of starting the blaze.
After she told me all the details, she went home. I paid Jennifer for the bag of dried apple slices. Then I pawed through my purse looking for my keys. We could not leave until I found them. Then we all remarked on the cold and said goodnight.
I drove home, taking in the view of the city from the top of the hill on Airport Road. Ahh. It was my reward for going to choir practice. That and a bag of apple slices.
Anyway, once I got home, I returned Dad's call, but he did not answer so I left a message. Then I took my evening supplements and Chris and sat down to watch two episodes of Voyager.
It was only 10, but Chris went to bed. I stayed up to write to my blog and send best wishes to my tapping buddy.
* The only ingredient is apples *

Passing it on to Chris

I got up just after 8. Chris was long gone. True to my new years resolution, I headed for my sewing table. Because the purse was finished, I had to think of something else. I pulled out the leaf blocks. I laid them out on point and shifted some around, then took a pic. I decided to take one block at a time, trim it and add a complementary 1” border. Well, the fabric to go with the first block had not been washed. And there went my morning. I had new fabric that hadn't been washed. And I hated to do less than a full load, so I found more. While it washed, I cut some 1.5 inch strips from another fabric and joined them end to end. Thus having stitched, I allowed myself to turn on the computer and read e-mail while the washer ran. I also found a box to mail Michele's purse in. But I had to carefully scratch off two large labels. Then I put the purse in and covered it with paper which I got from the garage (where it was really really cold, like <10F).
I put most of the washed fabric in the dryer and ironed the rest (mostly fat quarters) while it ran. But I had forgotten to set to only mostly dry. When the fabrics came out, they were bone dry. And just as the dryer buzzed, my phone rang. It was Chris telling me he had a slight fever and was coming home and did I want him to get videos from the library?
I had to spritz the fabric while ironing. When Chris arrived, I stopped to talk to him. Then I made and ate breakfast. I read e-mail. I went back to ironing until it was finished.
Then I read articles I had missed before on how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation takes donations from the very rich, and makes grants to large corporations that they either own or have controlling interest in. The comments suggested Bill wants to reduce the world population through vaccines contaminated with birth control drugs.
Tired of all comments, I went back to the leaf blocks. I cut strips from several darkish purple fabrics. I auditioned some and chose one for the first block. I cut segments of exactly 12.5 inches and sewed them on opposite sides. Then I cut 14.5 inch segments for the remaining sides. I performed the same procedure for the second block.
I quit sewing about 6pm. The next step was to chose a border for the third block and I needed daylight for that. Daylight was long gone.
I went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of soup. While it heated in the toaster oven, I washed a bunch of salad greens and sprouts. I added olives and sunflower seeds to my salad. When I had almost finished eating it, the soup was ready. I added some chunks of ham to it. It was quite good.
Then I played several games of Solitaire, waiting for 8 o'clock. Then we watched three episodes of Voyager. Chris was falling asleep during the third one. So he went to bed after it was over. I stayed up to take my evening supplements and write to my blog. I prayed that Chris would be healthy tomorrow and go back to work.
* How to make a square out of 13 blocks *

New Years resolution is right on target.

I don't know when I got up. My new years resolution was to do some sewing before getting on the internet at least 5 days a week. So I finished up Michele's purse, using the hand wheel to sew around the top and then reinforcing the straps by hand.
Then I took some mimosa pudica and drank a quart of water. I read e-mail for an hour, then made breakfast (even though it was after noon).
I watched an episode of TQS. The guest was an expert in scrap quilts. It gave me some ideas of what to do with the mixed blocks I got from the Thursday group. So then I looked up scrap sampler quilts on Youtube and Pinterest. The answer seems to be extra wide pieced sashing with corner blocks.
I made up 12 days worth of supplements. I placed replacements in my Swansons basket. I had more to do, but the daylight was fading. So I got dressed and went for a walk. It was really cold and somewhat windy so I alternated walking and running to keep warm.
I tried to call Dad but he didn't answer, so I left a message. I read more posts on home remedies for colds, intending to make myself a comprehensive list later.
I made up the evening doses of supplements. I figured how what kind of echinacea to get and added it to my Swansons cart. Then I finalized the order. I heated a bowl of soup in the toaster oven. When it was ready, I threw in a few other things like chunks of ham. I ate it while reading e-mail and Facebook posts.
We watched Lucifer. It confused me because it was some sort of flashback episode. Then we watched several episodes of Voyager. Chris put clean sheets on the bed.
I filled the pan of the bread machine and turned it on. Then I posted to my blog and went to bed.

New Years Eve

It was another long night spent trying to breathe. I got up at some point and did exercises and stretches designed to get lymph moving. A little yoga, too. I put some eucalyptus on my hand to sniff when I went back to bed, but the scent dissipated pretty quickly. The exercises helped enough to partially open one nostril. I also put my knee pillow behind my head so my head and shoulders were elevated and I went to sleep.
When I got up, Chris was already up. He boiled water for tea and for steam. While the tea was steeping, he poured boiling water in the bathroom sink and I added drops of peppermint and eucalyptus. Sadly, even though I had pushed hard on the drain stopper, the water trickled out. So I boiled some more. But that did not stay either. Still, two facials was a nice bonus.
I read a few e-mails and deleted the rest. I took some of the stitching out of the purse lining and re-cut it. Then I went looking for a pair of socks to keep my feet warm. I got sidetracked when I remembered an actor that I wanted to look up. But as it turns out he hadn't been in anything I had seen before.
Then I got dressed and put on socks and earrings. Gotta keep those holes from healing shut. I mixed up more chia/flax for today's breakfast and future breakfasts. Then I made and ate breakfast while listening to an audio and playing solitaire.
Chris took a shower and went to the grocery store. I took advantage of the daylight and worked on the purse. While I was working, he came home, put away the groceries and started a movie called Bright. I resewed the lining. I handstitched two halves of a magnetic clasp to the inside. I made straps by folding strips in towards the center and stitching the folds together. I pinned them to the bag and folded the edges of the inner bag and outer bag to match. Then I went looking for matching thread. As daylight was waning, it got harder to do. I finally decided on a blue-grey thread. I loaded it in the machine with white thread in the bottom. Sewing the edges was going to be tricky so I left it for broad daylight tomorrow.
I sat with Chris and watched the rest of the movie. I had to close my eyes at times. There was violence and constant bad language. But other than that... It had an interesting story line.
I ate a bowl of soup and scrolled through Facebook feeds looking for amusing stuff.
Anna called me on Facebook. We talked to her and Terry and said hello to their kids and the kids from next door. We got to see the Star Wars quilt that Anna made for Terry.
We watched one episode of Travelers and that seemed to be the end of season 2. So we switched to Voyager and watched two episodes.
I needed two games of solitaire before I could focus on my blog. I wrote down what I could remember. And now, are we going to bed, or staying up to greet the new year? Happy New Year, y'all.
* From the quit show *

Everything but the kitchen sink

I think I got up around 8. I felt like I had a cold, mostly congestion in my sinuses. So, I spent pretty much all day looking up cold remedies on the internet.
First Chris boiled some water and put it in the washbowl for me. I put some peppermint oil drops on a small towel in the water and made a tent over it with a big towel. I breathed in the scent until the water ran out. I drank some water and boiled more. I pushed the drain plug in harder. This time I used eucalyptus oil and it worked better. But I still felt sick and the congestion would not entirely go away.
Following an example on the internet, I decided to take one gram of Vitamin C every 6 minutes. I had a little digital timer that made it easy. I mixed 4 different types of powdered C in a small container. As I explored more remedies, I waited for the timer to ring and then put a gram in my mouth and chased it with water.
Next, I boiled some cinnamon in water, adding cloves and diced ginger. When it was done steeping, I added honey and lemon. It was tasty enough, but I still felt sick.
I read about taking a bath with 3 pints of hydrogen peroxide, but I did not have that much. I also read about ionic silver, but I somehow never got around to taking that.
After a while, all that vitamin C got to my stomach. I must have taken 20 grams. I ate a little coconut oil. Then I wrapped myself in my warm fleece bathrobe and laid down on my infrared heating pad to sweat. I listened to an audio and fell asleep. But I did not sweat.
It was hard to find any solutions that I had not already heard of. So I randomly picked things I had and searched for “treat a cold with X “. I took some probiotics. I ate some kimchi and sauerkraut. I listened to a binaural beats audio at a frequency of 1.8. I think it would have worked better if I were laying down, but the laptop had run out of juice while I was laying down before and it still needed to recharge.
There was a baking soda cure which involved dissolving a half tsp of baking soda in a glass of water and drinking it 6 times the first day, 4 on the second and maybe two on the third? It sounded yucky. But in the comments someone said they mixed it with maple syrup instead. So I tried mixing it with local honey. It tasted ok as long as I did not try to savor it. But my stomach did not care for it. Chris made a big pot of soup for me, so I tried to eat some. Maybe because of the baking soda, it did not digest well.
I took a break to work on the purse for Michele. I made the pockets and sewed them into the lining. Then I sewed the lining pieces together and boxed the corners. Then I put the lining inside the bag. The fit did not seem right. I gave up.
I took some propolis and that helped a little. I watched Youtube videos on strange inventions and other 'dramatic' stuff.
At 8 my stomach was feeling better, so I made breakfast. I ate it while watching Travelers with Chris. Again, we watched too many episodes and it was well after 11 when I called time. I took my evening supplements and sat down to write up my blog. Chris went to bed and I am about to join him.
* quilt show *

Back to the C

I got up at 7:40. I took some mimosa pudica. I turned on 'the router and folded laundry and put mine away. Then I drank a quart of water and read e-mail. I got dressed.
At 9 my tapping buddy called. We talked and tapped for 2 hours, but it seemed to resolve the issue.
After the call, I made and ate my breakfast. I read more e-mail and listened to an audio on intuition. Then I took advantage of the daylight and sewed beads on the purse in progress. I also joined the edges of the little bows. It was getting late, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I passed a van of people trying to catch their dog. The girl kept screaming for me to catch the dog. But it would not come close enough for me to get it's collar and I did not want to tackle a strange dog.
I wished them luck and finished my walk. I filled a bottle with salt water and changed my clothes. Chris came home from work. He said interview did not go well and to forget going to California.
I bundled up and took the bottle of water with me. I drove down the access road to my massage. Traffic was backed up on the parkway. I got there right at the time she said, but her previous person was still in the room getting dressed. So I sat near the front window and waited.
After bit she came to get me and we put clean sheets on the massage bed. I told her how I had been sick for a day but ended it with lots of vitamin C. She gave me the toe to head massage. Then we talked about some Chinese stretch that she keeps recommending but forgetting to send the link to. After the massage, I paid her and set up another appointment. Then I went home.
When I got home, I checked e-mail, then put a bowl of onion soup in the toaster oven to heat. Then I fried up a carton of sliced mushrooms and half a squash in a pan on the stove. They finished about the same time. I ate the mushrooms first and then the onion soup. I watched videos on how to build a 3-D hologram projector for a cell phone.
When Chris was ready, we watched three episodes of Travelers, which was one episode too many because it ended at 11:30. I started sneezing and coughing. So I started loading up on vitamin C. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Still no pics, so here is one from the quilt show. *

The audit

I allowed myself to sleep in because I didn't get any sleep the night before. I woke up feeling back to normal. I unloaded the dishwasher while I swished. I read e-mail for a bit, then I boiled some ginger slices in a quart of water on the stove and dissolved a cup of Himalayan salt into it. I added that to a tub of hot water, along with almost 2 cups of Epsom salts. I relaxed in the bath while listening to an interview.
When the water cooled off, I washed up and got dressed. I made and ate breakfast, then grabbed my tablet and some scratch paper.
I drove to Stitchits. There wasn't time to sew but I got to chat with a few people and I handed out lip balms. Then I raced off to the library to do an audit with the treasurer of the local chapter of the modern quilt guild. Neither one of us had any experience with accounting, but she had a print out from her sister on auditing for small groups. So we went line by line. For some things, it was suggested just to take a random sample. So we did. And when we filled out the balance form, it all added up, including the one mistake we found for 20 cents which we think was a bank error. I realized that audits are not about the math. Then we talked about health issues before we split up.
On the way home, I stopped at the bank to deposit the check Cecily gave me for Christmas and to get cash for my massage. I decided it was easier just to cash the check. Then afterward, I realized that there was probably no paper trail. How do accountants keep track of such things?
When I got home, Chris told me William had called, so I called him back. I opened the package Chris had picked up at the post office. Then I read e-mail for a bit. I went out to get the house mail, which was mostly ads. I put some leftovers in a bowl to heat for supper. I started listening to an interview. The man spoke about the energy of Tesla's purple plates. So I looked into it and decided to buy the smallest disc available to try it out.
Then I turned my attention to the purse. It was too dark to work on the trim (black thread on black fabric) so I looked up the directions for the inside of the purse. I chose some fabric for the pockets and cut them out.
Then Chris had the latest DVD from Netflix cued up. So we watched all the episodes of F-Troop on it. In one episode, there was a character who was too much like Maxwell Smart to be a coincidence. When we were done watching the DVD, Chris went to bed while I looked into which came first: F-Troop or Get Smart. They both started in 1965. But according to Wikipedia, the F-Troop character B Wise, was a parody of Maxwell Smart.
Then I focused on writing up my day so I could go to bed.
* I didn't take any pics today because I left my phone at home. *