Out of the Mouths of Babes

A few days ago, I was annoyed by the vehicle in front of me that could not decide what to do. I said “please turn” out loud. Once the person turned (thankfully), I turned left so as to have no one in front of me while driving home. 

Aaron noticed my annoyance and said, “Call in an aerial strike.”

 Zach responded with, “Car eliminated. Continue with your safe driving.” 

I laughed out loud. Thank God for kids who understand!

Disclaimer:  I know everyone gets annoyed every now and again so don't leave a shaming comment...it was all in good humor I promise...we would never hurt people purposefully.

Giggles,
Kelly

Early Onset Dementia?

Photo Credit: houseandhometidbits.blogspot.com

I'm not quite sure what is wrong with me....it is a very rare event....so rare in fact that I can not even remember the last time all of these events occurred together...I actually cleaned out my refrigerator, freezer AND pantry yesterday. 

This may not sound odd to any of you....but I was so concerned last night I had to text my sister and ask if she thought it might be early onset dementia and was wondering if I was loosing myself.  Thankfully she assured me that every other part of my personality and mind seemed to be intact.....this was just a rare and strange event and if I were really lucky it might strike again.

What next?  This is very scary for me.....is it possible to domesticate a woman at 52?

I'm going to start counting backwards by 7's from 100...just to be sure I'm OK.

Smiles,

Kelly

It would be nice to drop a fat quarter

I'm not talking about giving away fabric....although I've recently given tons away....I'm referring to the "mo-jo breaks" I've been taking during my sewing.

Here are some of my favorites:
Uptown Funk
Double Dutch Bus
Brick House

After these three I was quickly reminded why I have refrained from busting a move in the last few years.....my left ankle was hurting big time.  Chronic pain is a very ugly reality not only in my life but in the lives of so many of the people I know.  No fun!

My broken ankle was the biggest reason I slowed my blogging and then stopped all together.  I'll share more about that soon.

After taking a long break from sewing I finished two projects in one week....can I get a high five....just one will do you can stop all the party dancing now...LOL.

This is the wall hanging I made for George, Mary Jane's brother.  He is in a nursing home recuperating and I thought it would add some color to his room.
 This is a cheater panel that I picked up from our guilds free table. (Thank you Barb for donating it :)

 I just stitched the outlines...simple.

The other project I finished is a tote bag for Cloe, a gal we are going to visit in France soon.

This is a lined tote bag and I don't like it when the lining goes up to the top so I stitched the outer fabric to the top of the lining fabric.

I did this because I don't like it when the lining fabric shows at the top of the tote.

Naturally my rotary blade was dull and this was denim fabric....so I had to pull out my handy rotary blade sharpener.

This is the only sharpener I have found to really work on my rotary blades.  If you don't have one and need one....you can find it by clicking HERE.  Since blades are expensive I do my best to sharpen and reuse the ones I have before purchasing new blades.


Hope your day is a dandy one!

Smiles,

I discovered a few things today

Most days I discover things....I practice "noticing" frequently....and today....

I discovered that I want to accomplish something....I want to finish a wall hanging I am making for Mary Jane's brother George,  who has been ill.  I don't want to get up to eat or even get a bottle of water.  I just wanted to sew.  In and of itself...that is absolutely amazing for me because I've felt the need to be "quiet" and a desire to grow roots out my bum (a visual here: deep tree roots connecting me to a comfy spot with very little movement).

As I am sitting and sewing on George's wall hanging....I'm thinking....I need to move my body more....this body deserves some zest.  At the same time....I don't want to stop sewing.  Then it came to me....if every hour or so I put on a song that really gets my mo-jo up....I can turn it up loud and dance like no one's watching (and they aren't)....I bust a move for 3-4 minutes....then I can go back to my sewing.  Do you know how many minutes of aerobic exercise that adds up to be?  I don't know either....but I can tell ya....it is a hell of a lot more than I have been getting and I'm heading in the right direction :)

Photo Credit Click Here

You know what else I discovered?  While dancing like a wild woman I saw at least 6 pins I have dropped on the floor and never noticed before now.  I added some dance moves that included bending down and picking them up.  Now....I'm begging you....please don't tell my husband because he will suggest I play music upstairs and clean the house.  I must draw the line somewhere!!!

BTW....I can guarantee you with 100% certainty the only similarities between my dancing and the photo of the female dancing above (found by Google-ing wild dancing) is that I am a female with  two arms and two legs...oh yeah....and I was vertical.

Giggles and Smiles,
Kelly

Just Doin' My Best

Momma always said, "just do the best you can"...so that is what I've been doing.  Not writing a lot....but for now...that's my best! Saddest part is I miss chatting with the friends I've met through blogging. 

Ok, I have to give up before I even begin.  Why?  Because my laptop that I typically use is with the Geek Squad being repaired (for the second time and it was purchased in March 2015)...so I decide to use my Mac and download photos from the new IPhone I got.  What happened?  It updated my phone (loosing all but two of the voice mails I have saved of my mother's voice) and put the photos into iphoto.  I can't seem to get them into Picasa, which I what I typically use.

Clearly....I'm having issues and each day I get to find out what the new mechanical issue of the day is!

Sorry...and Hello....and I give up trying to post today.

Upside down smiles to Mechanical Devices and Right Side Up Smiles to all my friends!

Kelly

So Sorry....

I dropped out of sight.  Contrary to the word  on the streets, I have not entered any witness protection programs!

I could have been found....here and there......

In Ghirandelli Square with my nephew

 

At the California Academy of Sciences perhaps.....

 Or maybe in Monterey, CA with my daughter and son-in-law.......

 

Under a Redwood Tree ????

 

Could have been between a rock and a hard spot in Yosimite National Park?

Or just hanging with my chronies.....

Oh....there is the top of my head....proof of life!  ROFL

Truthfully....I've been both physically and mentally

 .......................................under re-construction!

Alive and well....I promise!  Something about an infection entering one's blood stream makes one very sick and then very tired.... things are looking up now!!!

Smiles,
Kelly

A Gentle Retreat

I'm not talking about a sewing retreat this morning, I'm referring to a gentle retreat into my surrounds...taking time to NOTICE that which makes my world so special and beautiful.

The boys have only had three days of school since the beginning of the year because of weather conditions.  There have been no complaints at our house....we have all retreated into the warmth of our togetherness and making the most of this beautiful weather.

Monday morning school was canceled because of the snow and we relished the opportunity to go to a local snow hill to sled and enjoy the fire pit at the park.

This morning the boys answered the phone and were squealing with delight when they heard a voice tell them there was a 2 hour delay due to weather conditions.  They did not identify the voice on the other end of the phone as their fathers....ROFL.  Adults prank calling kids....a turn of the tables and it got lots of laughter out of me this morning.  How could they be so gullible?  Giggles

The house got quiet as those gullible little people headed out for school....I sat and looked out the window at the amazing snow.  I thought to myself....how can I capture this magnificent beauty?  Pictures don't always capture what I see with my eye (guess I could learn more about the cameras I own ay?)  Well....I gave it my best and this is what I captured to share with you today:

The close ups of the snow is what I was trying to get....the tiny snow flakes layered on a berry or branch....so beautiful and it is just outside my window....I'm so very grateful.

Something else I'm grateful for is YouTube because I have learned to crochet by watching tutorials posted there.  At long last I have made something larger than a dishcloth....wild laughter.

This started as a prayer shawl that was to be given back to the church who gave me one when my mother was ill.  I found the gift of a prayer shawl so very loving and comforting.  As you can see, it started so nicely....look from the bottom of the picture up about 1/2 way...nice and even...a little decorative stitch at the bottom...nice ay?  Please don't ask me what happened after that....I can not explain.  However...I can laugh and could not stop laughing when I laid it out to take a picture.  A perfectly imperfect shawl to keep someone warm....gotta love it.

Check out the uniqueness of each of the ends:

 I learned a very long time ago to count it all good....and this shawl is indeed GOOD :)  So good as a matter of fact that I have mailed it to my cousin because I know for sure she will treasure it and recognize the love that has been stitched into the shawl.  When she opens the box I guarantee she will let out a howl (laughter) and then wrap herself in it and stay warm in Washington State this winter.

Lets hope I've learned from my "practice"....no calling it mistakes....as I have started an afghan.  Scary thought isn't it?

 No I have not stopped quilting or sewing....as a matter of fact....I have gotten several projects finished recently....I'll post about those soon. 

Smiles,
Kelly

Its Not Caving In....It's Just Falling

I've been told that when things feel like they are falling apart.....perhaps they are just falling together!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!   Mr. McSteamy has been out of the country for 3 weeks, we had a co-worker change schools and all the normal activities of daily living (some how they seem like a giant mountain....I need new glasses :)

 The beautiful Fall leaves help keep everything in perspective.

Gratitude....it certainly is an intoxicant!  Zach was so tickled to be about to go out into a field and pick a "real" pumpkin....not just one purchased from the store.

 

Naturally where there is a pumpkin....there is pumpkin guts.

Aaron started a new school yesterday.  I tried to capture his beautiful smile....but it looks like I pressed the camera too late.  Darn!  Can you believe how tall this fella is?

What else is going on in my life.....Waldo....naturally. Waldo is working on a new quilt using Kaffe Fassett fabrics (many of which I gave her from my stash...what are friends for if they can't use your stash :).  The pattern she is using:

Argyle by Allison Designs

We loosely laid out her blocks to get a look at how the quilt will look.  I may just have to have one of these myself....I just love it!

It is really tough to get an idea about this quilt when we laid it on top of this quilt:

Yep....that's Waldo's bed quilt....a eye popping Kaffe Fassett quilt.  I've warned her more than once to sleep with the quilt tucked under her feet....because I could just break in and snatch it right off of her!

Giggles and Smiles,
Kelly

Progress

My PA quilt top is finished....almost!  Yes, I used Mary Jane's beautiful Bernina 820 to finish this top...thank you for all the encouragement and support! 

This pattern is the absolute best for scrappy quilt making because it really doesn't matter what fabric you use as long as the center blocks are lighter.  Christmas mixed with Halloween and add some Easter...who cares....the only thing that shows is the light and dark patterns.

I want to add a thin inner border and a little wider border on the outside.  Wouldn't you know that not a single piece of fabric that I own looks good for the outside border....is that crazy or what?  You know I'm not going out to buy fabric.....I'm going to hit up some local friends and if need be, long distance friends after that.  I've already been through Waldo's stash and that is where I got the lighter inner border.

More progress on the organization front as well.  I've been looking for a shelf to put behind my machine to hold some of my fun sewing items.  The problem is the wall is cement and I don't want to have to put holes into the wall.  Hanging shelving from the ceiling is certainly an option and I was ready to pull the trigger on that project.....then I walked into a consignment store and found the neatest narrow shelf:

It came with 6 shelves total and some were sagging in the middle (don't even think about the my sagging middle) so I have some books on those shelves to straighten them out.  Sure wish it were that easy to straighten myself out...LOL  The shelf was $15 and I was thrilled because buying the materials for hanging shelves would have been much more.

Quick Flamingo Update:

A friendly soccer game with the opposing team wearing shirts.  Too funny.

Naturally their parents would be cheering them on from the sidelines.

That is all from here....hope all is well with you and yours!

Smiles,
Kelly

Ambulatory and Mostly Continent

My definition of a good day this week....ambulatory and mostly continent..yikes!  (truth)  What ever "it" is that I have/had.....if you see "it" (dark, painful and ugly) either shoot it square or run like a dickens.  Body aches (that's putting it mildly), fever (102.8), cough, pain in my ears chest....and after three treatments with the Zpac stuff...I'm ambulatory and mostly continent....ROFL.  I will however take this over any more time with what ever "it" is/was :)

         DIRT...yep...it's DIRT ...oh go on and smile...it won't ruin ya!

Today I opened my computer and I have Yahoo as my home page....and I see this post about "Dirt"...I watch it...I loved it and enjoyed every second of watching the video.  HERE is the link if you want to smile...see happy young people playing in Dirt and a song about the sacredness of our surroundings.

By the way, I've had a few people ask me why on earth I would have such low prices for the Christmas in July Sale....and in case you are wondering....this is the reason:

When I have the opportunity to get things at a good price,  the first thing I want to do is share it with others...(yes I'm a people person and if great books, notions and supplies are like good drugs in your opinion (it is in mine)) then that is my goal....to put a smile on someone's face by being able to afford to buy as many books, notions, fabrics etc.  as they would like without going without their next meal or having to mortgage the house.  I also need to reduce the insane amount of inventory if I ever hope to move...which one day...I would like to do that.

my hair today after being sick since Sunday

(just wait for Gene to see this really bad job of cropping....he will laugh his bum off and it will have been well worth the posted pix)

NO I'm NOT CRAZY....how do I know this?  Because in my book,  crazy IS paying top dollar for everything weather or not you can afford to do this.  Why am I frugal?  Not because I'm cheap....it's because I know there is always a need somewhere that I will have the money for because I've not spent every last dollar I've earned.  Just call me old fashion...I don't care....I've been sick...so clearly there is a lot I don't care about....like my house, my hair right now...and telling everyone on the planet that I'm mostly continent today...ROFL.

Wild Hair Smiles,
Kelly

Taking it as it comes aka Surrender

I was all excited and ready to head to PA to visit with my dear friend....except for...on Sunday I started with body aches and pains and by Monday....I hurt so bad I was panting.  A visit to the Urgent Care was required and I'm on meds now.

Day three and I'm feeling no better.  The flu swab came back negative and the Dr. told me I have an ear infection (I didn't ask but the Dr. looked about 19).  Hmmmmm....no matter what I have...it is rotten and so far no one else here has it....so it must not be viral. 

Thankfully I was able to box up about 15 orders of books and Lauren, my mail guy, picked them up on Monday.  Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow when I feel like I can more again.

By the way, do you know what a great friends says to another when one is very sick?  Call me anytime if you want to cough in my ear, cry or just want to complain.  ROFL....no kidding.  My dear friend Jean called during the writing of this post and that's what she said.  Now....that is brilliant. 

Upside Down Sick Smiles,
Kelly