Did you miss me??? Probably not

I have been busy , getting things done, scrapbooking, quilting, etc etc and before I knew it I had missed a weekend and then another. Yeesh I need to get on track.

I finished the second raffle quilt!! I am so happy that its all done.

when I put it on the bed to take its picture I realized it was barely long enough. I could not leave it that way so I opened up the binding, added some on and made it the proper length. I do not like skimpy quilts. Thankfully I had lots of material so I looks like I intended it all along.

I made posters and tickets and have been selling all that I can. I am not a great ticket seller but I am doing the best I can. I have also recruited some of the no cook girls and we will make a decent showing, I think.

This past weekend was my scrapbooking weekend. We started Friday at noon til midnight, Saturday, 8:30 to midnight and Sunday 8:30 to 3:00. I got 62 pages done, if I remember the number right. I know it was over 60 anyway. Not the full year but I have the greater part of it finished. We have such fun! The Banker, KitKat, her sister and I have a fun weekend of creativity, laughing and good food. I am already looking foreward to next year.

Yes it is always nice to have a nice light portable hobby like scrapbooking. This is not a hobby for the faint of heart and I am so grateful to my friends who help me transport all this stuff. I could do it on my own but I would need a day to load the car and another to unload. I took all my paper and the Banker sorted it by colour for me which she loves to do and I love that it is all done. There is still bags in the entry way waiting to be unpacked. The house elves are on vacation apparently. Little bastards. I also have notes and lists of things I want to do before next year so I am better organized.

We went for our traditional Chinese food supper and then I came home. I promptly got the flu later on Sunday night and was sick as a dog on Monday and Tuesday. Today I am fine but I can tell you I am righteously fed up with getting sick every time I turn around. I can't even talk about it.

 Today I took another yet step on the down hill slide. I knew I was getting old when I could fall asleep sitting up in a chair but today I put the seal on it. This morning when I went to work I took and used a cane. I have finally caved in and given up and admitted its better to use one than to not. I feel more stable outside with it BUT it is a merry old blow to my vanity. Hmmph.

I don't use it inside where I am on a level playing field but outside with the uneven ground, and the ice and the million other things that can kick my feet out from under me, I have succumbed.

I got the cane with my second cat Minou. Her former owner rubbed her belly with it and when she came to me they brought it along so I could continue this practice that she loved. We did the cane thing for a while but she and I both preferred the hand to belly action. Over time the cane got put away, until today. I am grateful that I have it. The ego is a little bruised but it is what it is, I am an old lady with bad legs and I am not as sure footed as I used to be.

When the hell did this happen??? Letters will be written and heads will roll!!

Toodles
Linda

Short and Sweet

I am oh so close to having the second quilt finished, Oh so close. I should have it done tonight and then be able to post a picture tomorrow or the next day or on the weekend. You know, whenever. Seriously I will be posting pictures once it done. I have one end left to bind and then its all done! Yahoo, yippee, drunken monkey dance of joy.

So why am I blogging and not stitching?? Who the hell knows. I was making a point to take some time and order some prints as my scapbooking weekend is getting closer. Then I ordered a little something to make for the Wee Girl. Not sure I will get it done for Christmas but if I don't she can have it later. I keep looking for something to make for Tater Tot but he is a harder customer. So while I was doing that I thought I would crank out a short blog post before I walk away from the computer.

This has been a good weekend. A little sad because I am missing so many people that aren't here anymore. My Mom, my Dad, my oldest brother, a number of dear friends. I have been being sad because things will never be the same again. I am not going to get into it all because it will only make me cry and that is pointless. Things change, time moves on and me boo hooing about never having a family Christmas again where we are all there is NOT GONNA HAPPEN so I need to pack it away and enjoy the now, the present, the fact that we are getting a new baby. Change happens, better to embrace it and roll with it than be sad for all the might have beens.

I am convinced it is never going to snow again this winter. I have both snow shovels and the ice chipper in the house. PLUS I go the light up snowman out of the shed before the door froze shut and I cannot get into it. This stuff never happens. I have had that stupid ice chipper for four or five years and I think I manged to get it into the house once. I also got a snow shovel to keep in the car. I have a little emergency one in there all the time but this is a full sized one. I have had a bit of drama with snow shovels the last two weeks but now I have them all plus an new one. So if it never snows again, you are welcome.

Saturday was lovely. I watched the Remembrance Day service on tv, then went out for coffee in the afternoon with The Hostess and Teddy Bear. A London Fog and a butter tart, so yummy. I do like a tea/coffee break in the afternoon.  We had a lovely visit until the Hostess had to leave to have supper with her brother. Teddy Bear and I decided supper out sounded good so off we went to dine on liver and onions. Not everyone's treat but I love it.

The rest of the weekend was productive. I have soup made for next weeks lunches, pork loin cooked for sandwich meat AND I have the laundry all done (at last). Sidewalks are shoveled. The quilt is nearly finished and the dishwasher has been emptied and is getting refilled. I, in my infinite wisdom made a doctor's appointment early this morning, on my day off no less but it worked in my favour. Teddy Bear always has coffee out in the morning. Her daughter and grandchildren live with her so its a quiet time for her. Well not this morning I butted in and had coffee (plus breakfast) with her. Love me a fast food breakfast, I do.

We parted ways and I came home to quilt until the paw patrol butted in:

Is a challenge to get anything done with these two knucklheads making their presence known and begging for attention

Who you talking about Mama??

Anyway I should get back at it. I have a load of laundry to fold, finish the binding and then I want to get to bed in good time. Back to work tomorrow.

Toodles,

Linda

Winter Has Come

Its like Mother Nature flipped a switch. We had Halloween and the next day we got snow. Blah. Oh well at least she waited until the kids had there night of tricks and treats. Now we can settle in as the snow settles around us. I love the snow as long as its not so deep you get stuck in it but its the ice I dread. The less stable I am on my feet the less I like to be walking around in the winter. Oh well not much I can do about it, just get on with it.

I has 11 little hobgoblins for Halloween. It was cold out and I am impressed we get any kids seeing as hardly anyone on my street puts their lights on. I love to see the kids so I am grateful for the ones who are brave enough to venture out. The fact that my neighbour has 5 kids helps.

I decided to ignore the snow this weekend, once I got home from running errands on Saturday morning, as more of the white stuff was drifting down fast and furious.

Fuzzy picture because I took it through the screened window, too lazy to actually open the door and take it.

 If the cats had not run out of dry cat food, I would have stayed in the house. My prescription could wait but they were flopping about the house with dramatic abandon in an advanced state of starvation, I went out. I will point out that they have food, wet food, but since I offer both on the menu once one goes missing its their cue to decide I am starving them to death. Drama queens.

Once I got home I rummaged around in the sewing room and came up with enough material to make a quilt backing. Some quick sewing and pinning and I was quilting on the second donation quilt. No trip to the fabric store required and I was thrilled.

I need to get this one done pronto so we can get selling the tickets on it. I also need it to display at our scrapbooking weekend which is coming up very soon. I will  have it done, I always do. not to mention we have a three day weekend coming up which means lots of quilting time for me. Oh that sounds like bliss. It is for sure my happy place.

Right now I have a pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove and my house smells divine. I will also be making a pot of porridge soon. All of this is for next week. I am also cooking a couple of extra chicken breasts for sandwich meal. I need to get into the swing of preparing the meals before hand instead of standing in the kitchen each morning wondering what the heck I am going to eat. I am over that!! Its so annoying when I don't plan ahead. Its not the big things in life that will do me in, its will be the small things that will push me over the edge.

Big news in the family. The Pilot and the Teacher are busy cooking up a little brother or sister for The Wee Girl. I am so happy about that. I love it when babies come. This is so exciting for them. I am starting to peruse Pinterest for baby things. I know better than to just make stuff without checking with the parents first. I have learned that lesson. So rather than waste my time and money, I check first before I make anything. I can still look though. No harm in that.

Second bit of good news, Busy and the Carpenter have sold their house and are moving closed to Miss Mouse, The Farmer and Tater Tot. I am happy for them. They will be so glad to be settled and have the sale over and done with. Having their own place will be great for them, when they are out there for the majority of the spring to fall season anyway. They will be farther away from me but the highway is good from here to there and if the weather is crap, I would not be travelling no matter the distance so its all good. Its a new chapter in life.

Other than that not much happening around here. Starving cats, marathon quilting and watching a lot of cooking shows for some reason. Not that I actually cook, I just watch them on TV.

Hope you  have a lovely week

Toodles,
Linda

Its Monday and I got nothin'

I sat down here this morning and was noodling around on the computer when I decided I should do a blog post. Well I got nothin'. can't think of a thing to post. Not much going on here at all.

I have not decorated for Halloween which is tomorrow so I should get my butt in gear or just not bother. I have not got my treats yet but I will get them at some point today.

The weekend was quiet. Not much blog worthy material. I am still knitting dishcloths and I have not started to quilt the second quilt because I have not got the backing material. Money is the issue as it always is.

So you see not much of anything to say. I will be back when I have something, anything to share.

Toodles,
Linda

Its Sunday Already

Its a beautiful Sunday morning. Warm and golden. These days are treasures. I should be out raking leaves and tidying the yard but we all know that is not going to happen. However things have been happening in the great indoors.

I finished the first of the donation quilts. This one is for the office. I have shown it here before but here it is in all its completed glory:

Pinterest calls the pattern Preppie Plaid. It was quick an easy and worked up a treat. I am so happy to be able to quilt again. I have to watch that I don't over do it but its one of the joys of my life.

I have been back at knitting dishcloths. It feels odd not to have puppets calling my name so I decided to build up the dishcloth stock again. They are great for gifts and they sell really well.

So well I posted this picture on Facebook as my status yesterday and I received some orders for the grey and white ones. They are simply the best dishcloths ever no matter what the colour. I use nothing else. Not to mention they  are fun to knit,  it's an easy pattern that I have done so often I could do it in my sleep. So yesterday I settled in and knit while I binge watched Designated Survivor. For me this is not a bad way to pass an afternoon.

I did a little crocheting as well. The Sailor asked me to make some Christmas themed button flowers for her. She wants them to dress up some Christmas gifts and cards. So I quickly made these up.

These silly little things are so fun to make. Its like eating salted peanuts, you can't stop at just one. I have a jar full of the little darlings in all sorts of colours just right for scrapbooking and card making.

That was my day yesterday. I had visitors, The Banker, Teddy Bear and KitKat were all seen over the course of the day. Today has been quiet. I have managed breakfast and that's about it, so far. I am hoping to get the kitchen tidied up and I do have to go out to get cat food at some point today. The rest of the day will be finishing a quilt top, and more knitting. I still have 5 episodes of Designated Survivor until I am caught up to present.

Right now I am going to go grab a cup of coffee and sit on my veranda for a bit. I want to take advantage of these glorious fall days. Its my favourite season and right now its putting on its best show.

I am not talking about my leg anymore. Its better but not totally healed and I am sick to the back teeth of dwelling on it. So there.


Toodles,
Linda

Craft Sale and more Antibiotics

This past weekend was the big Craft Sale. The one I have been making puppets for for an entire year and its only thanks to my wonderful friends that I made it there this year. I had a great sale and most thankfully The Banker had a good sale too. The first time she tried this with me, she did kids clothes and never sold a thing. This year she had framed vintage pictures and handmade purses. She sold well and declared that she was pleased and had no regrets.

The No Cook girls helped us to haul everything into the arena and set up our booth. My guardian angels were on my side because when we pulled up to unload there was not a soul in sight and we got right up by the door. Our booth was located in short order and instantly thing got going.

Its good to have minions !!

In  no time at all the booths were set up and all ready for the big sale.

This was the banker's side of the booth

This was my side. We even got our picture taken and got onto the local radio station Facebook page. We felt like celebrities!! Every other picture was of the product, we were the only people.

These are the minions taking an amazing amount of time doing some weird sort of musical chairs, trying to get settled so we could take their picture.

I sold 3/4's of my inventory which made me very happy. The No Cooks showed up to dismantle the booths once the sale was over and then we all went out for Chinese food. All in all a great weekend.

In other news, My cellulitis has not gone away. I have another course of antibiotics and I am off work for yet another 7 days in the hopes that this round works.  So I am not a happy bunny but it is what it is. I just have to hang in there and work at getting better.

All this trouble I have been having with my legs makes me so tired.

Toodles
Linda

Antibiotics Round ...........I can't keep track

I am not sure who's cornflakes I spit in but it must have been someone with some clout because things are not going at all the way I want them too recently.  I am doing my level best to demolish my good leg. So let me catch you up to speed because I am indulging in feeling a tad sorry for myself and when one is feeling whinny and miserable they like nothing more than sharing their misery.

Number one: we still have the pinched nerve situation in the good leg. I have been taking my pain pills like a good girl and it appears that the druggist was correct. They take a month to kick in and I think now I am finally feeling them doing something. Even though I am totally aware that with nerve pain you are never pain free but manageable will be warmly received. This started back in May so manageable would be wonderful

Number two: I took a header in the coffee room at the office. Caught my foot on a credenza and went down like a ton of bricks, all my considerable weight on my good knee. I ended up with the Mother of all bruises.

The knee

The right side

looks much the same on the left

The back of my chubby leg

Impressive No???

My knee cap is so tender and so swollen but the leg still works. I tend to smash my knee cap into solid objects regularly just so I can remind myself of the pain. Its soooo much fun

Number three: I am having another visit from my old friend cellulitis. Not in the left leg where it first took hold but in the right. Thankfully I am not as foolish as I was the first time round, I got myself to the doctor and got a round of antibiotics. I think this is the third course I have had this year. I am off work for this week and am keeping my leg up and iced. Taking my pills and doing as I am told. I want it to go away!!!

I am so tired of one thing after another, They aren't big things, many many people are far worse off than I but right now I am not a happy bunny. Walking is  such a big part of one;s day and when every step hurts it can wear on you.

I am determined to be better for the weekend. Its the big craft sale and I cannot miss out on that money. That;s not even up for negotiation. My wonderful, wonderful, so good I don't deserve them friends have already volunteered to man the booth if I can't but that is too much to ask. When you only get two days off a week you should not have to give them up to sell stuff for someone else. Not to mention I enjoy doing the sale. I like to see the people and all the wonderful things other people have made. I am just going to have to be better by then. My antibiotics take two to three days to work. I really wish they could make more pills that acted instantly.

Enough of the misery. I had a good Thanksgiving weekend. I did not cook my turkey in the end, it just seemed like too much work but I spent two days quilting which makes me happier than I can say. I have to get some more material because I did not get enough for the backing. I talked myself out of it and now I have to go back. hmmph. That will teach me, better too much than too little.

On Sunday the day started out just the best way, I got to facetime with The Pilot, The Teacher, the Wee Girl, Busy and the Carpenter. So nice to see them all even if the connection was not that great. Next best thing to being there. On Monday The Banker invited Teddy Bear, KitKat and I up to binge watch the current season of Game of Thrones. We had the best day. Good food, The Banker had gifts for us and we just had a really good time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Toodles,
Linda