All the Horsing Around Here Today is Unbearable.

Puppet production is back in full swing. I have a puppet making schedule. I had fallen behind but now am almost back to where I had hoped to be. The craft sale is coming up fast and I want to have at least 10 of 12 different critters. I have made more of the more popular ones but at the very least 10.

This a basket fast filling up with horses and teddy bears. I need to buy some more wool for the bears as I am going for a colourful assortment this year. Little cinnamon coloured bears did not sell well last time. Just cows and ducks left to do. The cows will be uddered and some udderless.

Busy Busy Busy today but not is a rushed, exhausted, too much to do sort of way. Just a slow steady, getting stuff done kind of way. To start my day,  I rummaged around in the piggy banks  and scrounged up enough to treat myself to a McDonald's breakfast. Yes, yes I am well aware that this is not everyone's treat but I happen to like a fast food breakfast . My mind may have been changed today. After three fumbled attempts for two young people manning the order and delivery windows I still ended up with the wrong thing. Apparently an English muffin looks just like a bagel. Oh well, I ate it anyway and gave serious thought to giving up this little habit. Or at least giving up on that particular restaurant. They rarely get the order right. The usual trick is to leave something out of the bag. I generally don't  leave the window until I have checked my order. I did that this morning but I got caught up in a hash brown debacle and never thought of checking the bagel situation. My error.

It was nice today to do the housework. Not such a big job as I have done bits during the week,This left me time to work on the puppets. I should have been quilting on this:

I got the blocks sewn up last weekend and then cut and arranged into a Bento Box pattern. That was accomplished during the week. I should be quilting it but I am short a quilt batt so next weekend I will get at it. Time was not wasted, I did mountains of laundry and made puppets. I got three of the little critters done today. Three is a day is a good day.

I also harvested my entire tomato crop. I am not sure if I will can, freeze or try to eat it fresh. One would hate to waste the bounty.

I seriously am amazed I got this much. All the abuse I heaped on this poor plant before it even got planted.

Teddy Bear stopped over, bringing back my folding table from her daughter's yard sale. We went out for supper. She had had her grandchildren all day and needs some quiet adult time. She looked beat poor thing.She does an awful lot for her daughter and grandkids.

It will be more of the same around here tomorrow. Laundry ( quilts, towels and clothes makes for many loads) puppet making, maybe some sewing on the next quilt top. A little veranda sitting with some coffee is in my future. The veranda days are numbered so I need to take advantage while I can. Its hot, humid, hazy and smoky from the forest fires but still worth a sit. I think my veranda is my most favorite spot.at my house.

One more week and I have some time off. Not sure what I am going to do. I have been freed from the daily hospital trips but I don't have a lot of cash to splash so it may be little trips or I may just stay home and putter. I do love a good putter!!!

Toodles,
Linda

Snippets

I never realize how much I rely on the computer until I did not have internet access. I tried all the things I knew that the support guy would ask me if I did but I missed unplugging one stupid cord. The modem cord. The nice young man at the help desk was polite enough not to laugh at me when I discovered I had missed that one and was not smart enough to keep this certain fact to myself. I have the internet back, I will check the stupid modem cord first next time and I am moving on.

My leg is healed. I am dressing change, doctor poking things into it, making it bleed and me cry, gauze stuffing, trooping to the hospital daily free. The Dr pronounced my leg solid with no need to see him again and advised me to keep it compressed. This odyssey began 244 days ago. I am so happy to be done with it all, the pain, the mess, the fear, the slow healing process. Its so good to be done. I have two dimples in my shin now as a souvenir of all this. They may fill in in time and I think I will always have a slight scare from getting cut into and stitched up but I have my leg. That is all that matters to me.

I am also getting back to feeling like me again. I know this because I am getting back into the grove of doing stuff. I have started again to do some house work each night. That works so well for me in the past, I decided with my new found energy, I would make it a habit again.  This leaves my weekend  free to do fun things. It coming back with each passing day. I did not know how blech I was but now I do. It was not pretty.

Today I spent the majority of the day sewing quilt squares. This Desi snoozing at my side, I got to work on the next queen sized quilt. I need to get this one  made as it is the one I donate to the church and its already been paid for. If I had had it finished I could have got it delivered this week but I m just starting.  I did make a donation quilt  earlier this year but I had the chance to sell it so I agreed to sell the first one and make another. Its an easy quick pattern, picked out by the person that won the auction so I will have the squares all sewn up by later tonight or tomorrow and then I can assemble them into a top. Thankfully I have the backing on hand but I will need to get the batt. Next time quilt batt goes on sale I hope I can stock up a bit so I have some on hand. I have made four quits and have four more to go.

Desi is my buddy, of the two cats he is the one that just wants to be where I am. Lucy, loves attention but she likes to retire upstairs for her naps. Where as Desi likes to keep an eye on me. Sometimes right by my side, and sometimes on the pile of laundry on the dining room floor. Either way I am guarded.

It was a perfect day for quilt making. It was raining and windy. The first fingers of fall are starting to reach out. The air has changed. The nights are cool, the colours are changing. Autumn is in the air. I love this season it is by far my most favourite time of the year. Cool and crisp, beautiful colour palette. I like it, its quilts, baskets, apples and pumpkins. Its crispy crunchy leaves underfoot and a nip in the air. I just wish it lasted longer.

Ah it is good to be back on the net, talking away to myself,

Toodles,
Linda

Green Means Go!!

One quick call to the wonderful support desk and I have internet access once again. So to those of you who read my blog, all one or two of you besides me , I will be posting again soon.

Whoot Whoot!!!

Toodles
Linda

Red Alert

Can't get onto the internet at home. Hopefully will have the problem fixed and be able to post again soon!!

Broken dishes and material scraps

I did not do all the things I wanted to do on the weekend. I honestly felt that I had wasted my weekend but no one will give me a "do over". I was restless and listless and I never got around to half of the things on my list.

I broke some dishes and finally mosaic tiled the birdhouses. With the left over dishes I did a star and then on Sunday I slapped some grout on those babies and they are ready for display. The star is eventually going into the back yard, once I get the shed painted.

The birdhouses now live on the veranda. The little one is just hanging around:

The bigger one has joined my first mosaic tile projects on the plant stand by the front door. Seeing the nice bright new blue makes me realize I need to clean up the top birdhouse. Its a little dusty.

I finally finished the quilt for my office raffle. If it looks familiar, it is. I did one in the same pattern and almost with the same material earlier this year. I used a plain grey in this one.

Quilt number four done, on to the next one!! For now I am going to go make my lunch for work and then head to bed.

Toodles,
Linda

Breakin a Few Dishes

Its been a busy week. I managed another four days at work full time. I feel my stamina is coming back but like the healing in my leg, its slow. The Nurse and the Entertainer came for a visit. I entertained The Entertainer for a bit while her Mom kept an appointment. She is so easy to have and so fun to be around. We had a great evening, the a quick coffee with The Nurse and they were off home again.

 I was out for supper three times last week. KitKat invited Teddy Bear and I over for potluck, Then the next night, we three went out for cheap burgers and then the next night it was No Cook. I need to get myself organized and start to have these good ladies over to my house for supper. I have not played hostess yet and I have benefited from their good cooking on more than one occasion. Once the Banker gets back, I am going to have them over for a supper/DVD night. I have the One Hundred Foot Journey on DVD and we all want to see it. We also need to watch the second half of Outlander, so that is another couple of nights I could entertain. I best get out the cookbooks and start to agonize now.

I finished the quilt for the office raffle. I have to get the battery in my camera charged and then I can take pictures to share. I will now move onto either the Safe and Warm Shelter raffle quilt or the church raffle quilt or maybe both. I am working on the crib quilt for New Baby and I cannot wait to share it with you, it is so cute.

Some days quilting at my house is a group activity. These two are less than helpful I must say, its a good thing they are cute.

Usual day today, groceries, errands. I had several things I was going to buy this payday but I have convinced myself that they can wait or that I really do not need them. I need to get better and saving money and budgeting, cutting corners and making do. I do like to go out and have the odd meal with my friends so I need to be cutting back in other areas so I can continue to do this. I am working on getting control of my knee jerk reaction to "buy" when something is required. I am trying to stop, and think if I have something that will work or can I come up with a cheaper solution. I am sort of creative, I need to put it to work for me.

I FINALLY found a spot for the garage sale left overs. I got them off the kitchen table and into their new homes and its about time I say. I see somethings I missed the first time around so I have started a list for the next yard sale. The Banker and her Sweet Baboo will have one in the spring. They will have decided what stuff to keep and what to get rid of by then.

I was not in the mood to crochet or knit or work on quilts to day so I broke some dishes instead. This is the result:

I just have to leave them dry overnight and then I can grout them. The bird houses will live on the veranda and the star will eventually hang on the shed. If I ever get it painted. When I get it painted and get the stars on it its gonna be sooo cute.

So I hope to post again tomorrow with a quilt picture.

Toodles,
Linda

Attitude Adjustment Completed

Ok I am fit for company once again. I had my pity party, I am over it and moving onto the hundred other things I need to focus on. I do this sort of thing every now and then, more often than I should, so its something I need to work on about myself. Add it to the "self improvement" list, and move on.

It the long weekend!! Three days off,  I have no plans, just putter around the house. No money makes making plans fairly easy. Stay home. Clean the kitchen, finish the quilt, start another quilt, work on puppets, work on New Baby's quilt, do some cooking for lunches next week,  watch tv, go get my dressing changed, do some mosaic tiling, I have lots to keep me busy should I care to do any of it. I STILL have not remade the beds since Birthday Twin and her granddaughter were here. I washed all the bedding I just never put it back. I, apparently, do not like to rush into anything.

I have two containers full of stuff that I brought back home from the NO COOK yard sale. Now I need to deal with where to put it, or deciding if I really need it or if it can go to the next yard sale. Currently on tub is in the kitchen and the other is in my car, they cannot stay where they are. Things need to move and change. Not having a place to put stuff is a very loud and clear indicator that one may have too much stuff, do you not agree?? I, apparently, know this but pay no attention to it.

So the Banker has officially moved in with her Sweet Baboo. Her house is sold and new people will be moving in. The two of them are off for a month's vacation so we will not see her at No Cook Friday until September some time. We will miss her. I cannot wait to see what she does to his trailer. She has excellent taste, and the energy to make it happen. It will be interesting to see what she does to it.

Well I have chores calling my name, I will get at them. I will be back, maybe with even some pictures to share. Have a lovely weekend.


Toodles
Linda