Sewing class and Project Night

Saturday

We woke up around 8. We cuddled for awhile, then got up to start the day. I checked e-mail and read messages. I made a batch of cheese squares and threw in some salsa. I pulled some Christmas fabrics for class today. I threw in a pair of kitchen scissors for the pipe cleaner project. I didn't want them using fabric scissors for that. I made and ate breakfast. I read more e-mail. Chris put together leftovers to make turkey soup. I watered the plants and took out the peelings for compost.

I stopped at the post office. I went to the chapel to set up the machines and iron the newest fabrics. Saronna came with the three younger kids and Erin came with her daughter. All the kids wanted to make the pipe cleaner star but no one was interested in sewing a gift basket. Fair enough. The star as modeled on Youtube was a little tricky for them, but they made their own versions, which was just as good. I made some versions that used fewer pipecleaners and they were better.

After they left, I stayed to iron more fabrics and to cut some kits and straighten the edges of fabric that I might have to cut strips from tonight. The place smelled like a dead mouse, but I couldn't find one.

At 4 I went home. Chris had soup on the stove. I finished up the fiber from this morning, and read e-mail for 30 minutes. Then I jotted notes and had some soup. I unpacked cod liver oil and an infrared light bulb. I read Telegram messages and ate some sweet potato casserole. I looked up how to make divinity. I tried several ways to set up the red light, then used it with the light-on-a-stand and that seemed perfect. It did seem relaxing shining on the back of my head and neck. I experimented with the viewing panel that magnifies a page. But the distance needed was more that the depth of a music stand. I'll have to find a way to clip it to the stand in front of a book. Like marching music.

I worked on my blog. Then I went to the chapel to open up for Project Night. Mikaela and her sister were there to bring in their stuff for Project Poinsettia. She plans to hand out hundreds of gift bags and cards to first responders. I don't see how we can have that many on our tiny little base.

Janet and Lilani came. So we worked on reading rhythms from the Catholic hymn book. Lilani is in first grade and she already knew some of the notes from school. But she said her music teacher did not know the names of the notes. Seemed odd to me.

After ward, they wanted to make the pipecleaner stars so I showed them how and they did. The people that came for Project Night left early. Then Janet and her daughter each made a fabric gift basket. They left so proud!

Casey had invited me to come over for a Game Night since I missed it last night. So I went home and got ready. Then I went to Michelle's house. But she had gone to bed and he had shut down the game thinking I wasn't coming. But he fired it back up. I had about an hour to play. She came out and talked to me, then gave me 4 quarts of goat milk. It was very late, so when I got home, I left the milk in the car. I kissed Chris good night and got ready for bed. I took a swig of silica, and did my yoga stretches, then laid down and was almost asleep when Chris came to bed.

Festival of Trees

Friday

I got up at 8:30. Not much time to get ready. I got dressed, took supplements, and went to Math Morning. Karen came and we went through factoring polynomials. She had a video that showed me a new way to do it. Saronna and kids came but only for 10 minutes or so. They left, Karen and I continued till after 10. Then we locked up and went home.

I checked e-mail, then made the gift bag project. I took pics and then made and ate breakfast. I posted an announcement for Sewing Class to the Facebook pages. I made a shopping list. We went to the commissary for groceries and came home.

The only things I needed from Tooele were non-perishables. So I agreed to go with Jenni to the Festival of Trees in SLC. She wanted to leave at 3, so I went over to her house at that time. I got in her car and we went to Tooele. I needed something from Melanie's and from Joanns. We shopped in both places. There was a lot of waiting at Joanns.

Then we headed to SLC. But we ran into really bad fog. So it slowed us down a lot. Finally it cleared up and we continued on. I had brought a half gallon water bottle and finished more than half. We looked for a place that had a restroom, but were on the highway. So we ended up at the convention center. She dropped me off close to the front door and gave me a ticket. I ran in and waited it line to hand over the ticket and inquire as to the location of the bathrooms. Then I ran across the room to it.

Afterward, I couldn't find her. I watched a young lady doing acrobatics on a ring. She was REALLY good. Jenni called me and we met at the quilts. We looked at rows of quilts, most of which were already sold. Then we looked at trees. Many were sold and a few were gone. Up and down the rows, through throngs of people. She got tired and had to sit down. So I went to the bathroom. When I got back, I suggested we might go home, even though we hadn't seen all the categories. She agreed, then had to buy divinity. So we went to that booth.

Once the purchase was made, we went through the inner doors to the outer spaces. Then she had to use the bathroom, so I sat and listened to a woman in a sparkly jacket sing. When Jenni came out, she sat and we waited till the song was done. I was ready to go (not wanting to miss all of Game Night) but the lady was practically in tears because a few people were sitting and listening to her. So we stayed for another song.

Then we went to the parking lot and she couldn't find her car. When we did, she had trouble getting out of the parking space. Then she fiddled with her phone to get directions. We drove around and onto the highway, then she changed her mind and wanted to go the other way because of the fog. After a while she decided that she didn't want to be on the highway and got off somewhere to take 'the old route' back to Dugway. I texted updates to Michelle who would reply with the calculated time of arrival. Finally we were near the base. She stopped to find her ID. It was 10:30 so I told Michelle it was too late. She invited me to come tomorrow instead.

It was after 10:30 when she dropped me off at my car. I was going to pay her but I had to rush home to the bathroom. As it was, I leaked on the way. I took my evening supplements. I complained to Chris about all that had gone wrong. Then he went to bed and I worked on my blog before I went to bed.

Winterfest aka Santa's Workshop

Thursday

I got up just after 7:30, having slept pretty well. Maybe that evening gulp of silica helped. I brushed and got dressed. I checked for messages. I sprayed my car windows and headed to Bible study. I had to stop at the end of the street and wipe the frost off of the windshield. The side windows were fine. When I got to the chapel I realized I had forgotten my Bible. So I went home to get it. Ginger couldn't be there so Chaplain led it. We ended up discussing this and that and didn't do the lesson. But it was interesting and we stayed late.

I went home to parse out supplements. But I wasn't finished when I had to leave. Saronna dropped by with a page magnifier for me to try tonight. Then I went to see Emily at ACS. She helped me figure out how to get into VMIS. We talked about some other things as well.

I went home to finish the supplements. I made breakfast then put on The Highwire while I ate. Afterward, I tried to get into VMIS. It took a little more work than advertised, but I got in and applied for the 4 volunteer positions that she mentioned. She also said I could load all the hours in one of them instead of having to parse them out among the various activities. I jotted notes for my blog. I read e-mail until 3:25

I went to the chapel to open it for Keli, stopping on the way to pick up the mail. When I got there, the chaplain already had it open. So I went in and chatted with him till she got there with her son. They carried out the electric piano and I helped carry music stands. She headed for the community club.

I went home to get my trombone and stand. I met her at the club. She had the piano and stands. I got some chairs and we set up. She and I played a couple songs and decided that we had the right amount of light but that if they turned the lights down to project the lyrics, we'd need more lights.

So I went home and put my other trombone in the car. I printed out the lyrics for Michelle and put them in my music folder which went in the car. I also put the light-on—stand in my car. Then I went to get dressed. My stomach started swelling so I took 4 charcoal tablets. I put on my red dress but it was too tight. Why is this happening now? I texted Michelle about the music and the dress not fitting. She came over with some dresses, but they were just as tight. I pulled out the black dress I wore to the Air Force Ball and threw a red duster over it. I gave her the lyrics and she left.

I grabbed the clip light that Faye gave me but it didn't have batteries. So I put batteries in. Still didn't work. I got new batteries. Nope. I turned the batteries the other way. Still no. Finally I got the plant light because it could double as a stand light. Then I went to the club.

People were gathered outside for the tree lighting ceremony. I went in the club to make sure everything was set up. Keli said they weren't going to turn the lights down so we didn't need any extra lighting. Then she showed me that 2 of the pages of lyrics were short so they were incomplete. Say what? So I took them home and reprinted those two pages and went back.

By now it was 5:30. Someone had moved the chairs so we had to go over the plan again. Then I couldn't find Jenni. But finally we were all together. I asked people if they would take pictures of the band.

I asked Terry if he was going to introduce us before we played. Terry went to get Gary, who made the announcement. We started playing. It went ok. Kids kept running in front of us and I was worried about hitting one of them. Over halfway through, I got dehydrated and had trouble reading the music. So Keli played other songs while I went to get a drink. Then we finished our selections and played We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Everyone clapped.

Someone had us walk over and get our picture taken with Santa. Then we started packing up. Keli brought her truck to the door and two guys carried the piano out. Someone came back for the stands. The chaplain went and unlocked the chapel for her. Jenni talked to me about going to see the Festival of Trees with her, but I couldn't understand what she was saying because it was so loud in there.

Then I went looking for Chris. We packed up my stuff and put it in my car. Then we went back in and sat to chat with the chaplain and his wife. Later we went home in separate cars, the way we came. I ate some beef and Chaplain came over with a gift – a Christmas pillow. I changed my clothes and hung up all the clothes I had tried on. I ate some sweet potato casserole. I read e-mail, and my inbox got even smaller – 37 e-mails now fit on the page.

I worked on my blog. I made tea and we watched two episodes of Taxi. Chris went to bed and I stayed up till 11, then went to bed also.

The integration of new supplements

Wednesday

I got up before 8. I brushed and swished. I put on coffee. I did the special exercises then took supplements and read for half an hour. I tapped and meditated. Afterwards, I washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Chris came home to check on the beef he was slow-roasting in the oven. Afterward, I swept and mopped the floor. I dusted the walls and fans. Strangely, I didn't get any dust from the walls.

I took a shower and got dressed. Then I finished vacuuming and emptied the dust cups. I read some e-mail, then went to Connie's house to give a quote. Jamie showed up while I was examining the kitchen. We looked upstairs and came up with $550, which she accepted.

Outside, I showed Jamie my poster, stuck to my car, advertising Winterfest. She was impressed. She typed the info into her phone because she did not know about Winterfest. I stopped at the chapel on my way home to make sure the decoration boxes had been moved out of the sanctuary.

I started trying to integrate the new supplements into my schedule. Suzi called to ask if the swap shop had a CD player. I had gotten one from the swap shop but never used it. So I took it over there. They were surprised and grateful.

I went back to the integration process. It involved a lot of reading to find out when and how much to take of each one. And each document had links to other documents. Then I saw an e-mail from a new guy who needed stuff from the swap shop. We agreed to meet at 4. I practiced my trombone, played each song twice because I forgot to practice yesterday.

I went to the swap shop at 4 and unlocked it. He found a futon and some kitchen stuff. He gave me his address. I looked through my sheets and linens. I went to his house with a extra pillow and case, shower curtain rings, a sheet and some ziplock bags. He asked about a table so I texted Jamie.

When I came home, Chris was home baking pies for tomorrow. I found a table in the garage and e-mailed the new guy. He came over to get it while Chris was gone to Mass. I practiced some more, then went back to integrating.

I worked on my blog, made tea, and we watched TV. Afterward, Chris went to bed. I stayed up to read e-mail and water the indoor plants. Then I went to bed.

Printing my own flyers

Tuesday

I got up before 8. I got ready for the day. I took supplements and drank a quart of water. I checked e-mail and made notes for Giving Tuesday. So many e-mails. Of course many places are continuing Cyber Monday. I looked up Charity Navigator and Give.org to vet the charities. Not all charities are included however.

Chris came home for lunch. He set out some stew meat to thaw. I made and ate breakfast. I went back to reading e-mail and making notes on charities with the intent of picking 10 to donate to.

I called Morgan to ask what time the band is slated to play for Winterfest. I went to open the swap shop for someone. Then I went to the library to ask for a large Winterfest flyer that I could put on my car. Keli showed me the Grinch cave she had built. Cool! Melissa only had one flyer and when she made a b/w copy, the information did not show up well. So Keli took me to the office of the person who prints flyers. But the lady was in a meeting. Keli left her a note.

I went home. I went back to reading e-mail. I got on the old desktop and made up my own flyer. In fact, I made one for Math Morning and Sewing Class as well. I put the flyer in a magnetic sleeve and slapped it on my car.

I got out some pipecleaners and beads. I watched the craft video that Donna posted and made a snowflake. It was not impressive. I continued reading. Chris came home from work. He brought in a big box from outside. I made some donations. I jotted notes. I looked up Heifer International because I always donate to them. But I came across an article saying its not good to give cows to people who don't have the resources to feed and care for them. Huh.

I made a few more donations, then had a bite of supper. I posted for yesterday. I made tea and we watched three episodes of Taxi. Chris went to bed and I intended to practice my trombone, but I forgot. I read e-mail and watched three tapping videos, then headed to bed.

Ground is frozen

Monday

I got up around 8. I washed up and brushed. I had had a hard time falling asleep because of my stomach, so I went through the evening supplements and moved the ones that weren't for sleep to the morning slot. Then I made a quart of solé water and took the supplements. I made a list of things to do today. I looked through e-mail and realized today is Cyber Monday so all the sales e-mails are coming in full force. Sigh. I watered the plants. I put on a tapping Masterclass. While it played, I put chia seed in a bowl to soak. I picked and scanned some hymns for next Sunday. The masterclass turned out to be mostly hype for selling their program.

Chris came home for lunch with a pile of Black Friday boxes. I posted to Facebook for band. I made breakfast mix, then breakfast. I ate breakfast and add-ons including a tomato from my plant. It looks kind of Christmassy with red tomatoes on it.

I looked through sales e-mails and ordered some felt and crepe paper. I steamed 11 eggs. I took egg shell water from last week out to the side yard to share with the gophers. However the ground was frozen so I could not find the holes or tunnels under the mounds.

I put the steamed eggs in an ice bath. I washed dishes in the sink. I peeled the eggs, but lots of egg came off with the peels. I unpacked all the boxes and put the cardboard and brown paper in recycling.

At 6, I went to the chapel for band. Keli, Jenni, Michelle and Sophia came. Since Saronna wasn't there to play her part on Angels we have heard on High, Michelle was going to sing it and I thought I would sing the alto part. But according to Keli, Michelle was singing it a third lower. Mathematically that doesn't work. She and the piano sounded ok, but my alto part did not fit at all. So strange.

We played through our two hymns and all the Christmas music. We chatted and then turned the lights out and left. When I got home, I heated supper and jotted notes for my blog and tracking journal. I made tea and we watched three episodes of Taxi. Chris went to bed. I stayed up to work on open tabs and then went to bed.

Decorating the sanctuary

Sunday

I got up late. I read e-mail. Chris surprised me by going to the LDS church. He said it was to keep in touch with the community. I look at sales on plant lights. I made and ate breakfast, then got ready for church. I misplaced my keys, which made me late. Finally I went to the chapel and realized I didn't have the snack. There wasn't time to go home.

We sang three praise songs. Then the chaplain preached. Then the band played two hymns. Afterward, Mikeala asked for volunteers to help bake stuff for the first responders – next Sunday morning. And the chaplain asked when people could help decorate the church. I suggested this afternoon.

I went home to change, picked up the snack, and went back to church to decorate. Keli and I unpacked the big tree and started fluffing the lowest layer. Then Karen and Tom came to help. He is tall and we needed him. Then Michelle arrived and kind of took over the tree. We also decorated all the little fake trees around the worship area. Some people put garland around and Tom put up the wreaths. Casey came to add some nails to hold up the garland.

At 5, Michelle gave me a large piece of cashew cheese cake. We all went home. Chris had supper ready for me. Ground beef, mushrooms and cabbage. I also had some leftover sweet potato. I ate while the game was in play. We delivered a necromancer to Yarl Freya and were rewarded with a feast and some expensive arm bands. Then we interrupted a vampire and she turned to mist and vanished. Gravewarden and Arnie went to track her. I interviewed the hiring official and checked out her space. We found letters which I took to Yarl Freya to read. She asked us to check them out.

After the game, I worked on my blog. We watched three episodes of Taxi. Chris went to bed. I stayed up to play through the Christmas music. I stopped at Angels we have heard on High to find a version in D for Michelle, but all the books I had had it written in F. I messaged her then finished the line-up, one at a time, answering her responses in between. I had trouble reading the music.

Finally I was ready to go to bed, but then realized Chris left the bread machine out for me and I had forgotten to fill it. So I did that and got it started. Then I remembered the grow lights I had seen earlier so I went online to finalize that purchase and realized I had chosen the wrong length. So I went through the options again and spent more time than I anticipated before making the purchase and going to bed.