Oh, I almost forgot

Here are a couple shots of the orange and brown quilt ("Snails Trail 1"). I have the first of two borders on it, and had plans to assemble the back and finish the border while here in Livonia, but I am not certain I am going to get that far this week.

But here it is...as far as it is. Thanks for looking in.

Groovy!

I figured out a way to get my photos loaded - even while here at Gram's.

Yup, I found one of my memory sticks (thumb drives, for you techno geeks) at the bottom of my purse. I figured out I can transfer the photos from the SD card in the camera to the memory drive, then use the thumb drive to get the pictures loaded onto this ol' Mac (which doesn't like my card reader...but will recognize the memory drive).

At any rate, here are some current progress photos of the latest projects.

Dog 1 (as seen above), was something I began last year (I think it was last year) and then, for some reason, I lost interest and began another quilt project (or two) and picked up work on other projects I had long since put away. Well, I am back at work on ALL of those beautiful creatures, and happily fulfilling a promise I made to myself to finish things before taking off on another tangent.

That doesn't mean I am not still planning other colorful quilts to come, it simply means I am trying to clear my decks before creating more work and piles to move from here to there, taking up space and gumming up the works.

The safety pins are my basting tools - simply because I am too lazy to baste the entire quilt with needle and thread, only to apply more stitches to actually quilt it; the pins come out quickly enough as I work through an area. I draw the stippling lines onto the black pieced borders surrounding each dog motif, then quilt them before they can rub off. The stippling adds a great deal of texture and visual dimension to the squares.

Here is how it looks once quilted. The differences between the feathered quilt application on the white, and the tight meandering line of the stippling, makes the little dog patches 'pop!' As you can tell, I machine quilt, BUT I do so free-handed. The imperfections and unevenness gives it a charming look - I think.

Here's a shot at the back - you really get to see the stippling from this side.

I plan to keep working on this one and get as far as I can while I am away from home. At this time, I have three more black borders to stipple (draw out then quilt). From there I will move out to the small white squares and then onto the borders. That should all go very quickly. Once I am through quilting, I will make a sleeve for hanging and apply it just before binding. Hopefully, Dog 1 will be completed before the end of next week!

I have been wanting to post photos...

...of the quilting updates, but being at Gram's I only have email access with the old Mac that is here for our use. I definitely appreciate the Mac being here, otherwise looking for work and keeping up with email and outside communication would be impossible.

To get back to my original point - I cannot post photos while at this location because the Mac says there "is not enough power (?) to operate" the card reader I plug in, to download the photos I have taken, of the current projects.

Whooo! That was a mouthful.

I am very eager to show off the progress, but why can't this thing utilize the card reader?....I don't know. Anyhow, you will see pictures when I get home, so until then words will have to suffice. Ciao for now.

This room is freezing

If they manage to dig us out and take our bodies down from this mountainside, once spring arrives and the snow drifts have melted, I hope my corpse is remarkably well-preserved.

Yes! It's THAT bloody cold in here. It helps very little to turn up the heat in the apartment, as the rooms that receive the bulk of the warmth are the living room, Gram's bedroom (which is good because she needs the heat)...and the bathroom!

Yes, that's right. You read it correctly - the BATHroom. I may just take up sleeping in the tub to keep warm. :^) Bbrrrrrrrrr.......

By the way...

I forgot to mention that I have also gotten back to work on the dog quilt (at long last), as well as making a stab at completing the orange and brown study piece so that I might be able to stretch it soon and get busy quilting it, too.

Too many begun works and not enough finality going on.

While waiting for Karl this week, I got a lot of handwork done so it wasn't all wasted time, and not a lot of gas was used running back and forth, either. I rolled the extra backing material to the front and slip stitched it in place to temporarily cover the edge of the top (to keep it from fraying) and to encase the crap polyester batting so it would stop shredding and getting all over everything (and into my eyes). Normally, I would never use poly batt, but it was in my supplies from years ago, and I couldn't see throwing it away and wasting it when I could use it in the sample wall hanging.

I located the final brown for the outer border for Orange/Brown 1; and yes, if you are keeping score, I have made another change to the way I planned to finish off the border.

What's new, right?

I will post a photo for you before the day is out so you can see where I am with it, and what I am planning. I want to get the back for it assembled while at Gram's and be able to stretch and pin it sometime early February when I can round up a couple sets of willing hands for the process.

I will also post a current photo of the first dog quilt (also a wall hanging) so you can see what has been accomplished with that one, too.

My lovely old friend, Bernina, is behaving badly and really needs an overhaul, but I hate the idea of parting with it for a week, so I am trying to get my piecing out of the way so while it is gone I can keep from sitting around rue-ing the lost time.

I also hate the idea of shelling out more money for repairs on the silly thing when the last repair shop didn't do the repairs right in the first place! All that money, and they went out of business before I went back to complain when the machine begain acting up shortly after getting it home and using it a month!

OK, enough for now...it's way past my bedtime, and I have a bunch to do early tomorrow, so I am out of here for the time being.

I'm ready

Ready for all kinds of things. Getting a job (at long last). Crossing things off of my to-do list. Having the dam* state agency (agencies) finally make good on some of their talk and vague promises and insincere concern regarding Karl. Losing some of this weight, which accumulated during Harvey's reign of terror. Finishing projects - which, truth be told, could be considered the same as "crossing things off of the ol' to-do list," right?

...maybe.

I have actually been crossing stuff off the list for the past couple of weeks (yes! really) - getting little things done here and there around the house, and in the sewing corner. Every time I knock something off the list I get such a sense of accomplishment....and then I sabotage myself for the next thing by wondering WHY I didn't do it before now?! My euphoric phase barely gets off the ground before I kick my own butt over the delaying I managed to do beforehand.

What I need to do is give myself permission to wallow in that accomplishment...really take the time to have pride in the finished work, and enjoy the fact that I managed to get it done, instead of rushing to harsh judgement over having taken so long to just do it in the first place.

I've mentioned before how I always seem to derail whatever task I set about to do by thinking about the other dozen or so things I should be doing instead. I rarely let myself invest fully in something without some bit of guilt about undone work waiting elsewhere.

I finally finished mom's lap quilt - a project I have let slide for a couple of (probably more like a few) years. But, it was packaged and sent on it's way to Marquette last week, and should be in her PO box some time mid-week.

Here are a few photos of the final project.

Pretty simple quilting, an undulating crisscross, and in the corners a large feather motif (an afterthought, more or less).

The colors are some of her favorites - deep greens, and brick red and rusty reds, too. Not my best work, but I began it so long ago, I wanted her to see what I could do and that my quilting wasn't just a way to spend money and waste time.

The overall size of this scrappy quilt is 51" square, and yes, the block pattern is a Log Cabin in the "Barn Raising" or "Town Square" configuration (it depends upon where you are in the USA as to what you may call it).

Anyhow, it's done!! and the boys also finished their Christmas thank you notes to mom, so I was able to stick them in the box for a little extra cheer!

I also finished mending Brian's fitted flannel sheet (something that has been on the mend pile for ages, it seems). Figured I may as well, since all I ever did was shuffle it from the ironing board to my bed during the day, and back to the ironing board when it was time to go to bed. Took up a lot of room and time, and was really just a rotten reminder of what I have been meaning to do but never gotten around to.

So much wasted time over such a long period.

Also managed to get the Christmas ornaments put away. Not only that, but I also sorted the many boxes into appropriate catagories (reds, golds, blues....you get the idea), and all of the boxes are on the shelves and labeled and out of the way!! The trees still need to find their way to the garage for the rest of the year, but I did get the worst of it done...so yea!

Tonight, I cleaned the dickens out of the tub and caulking - which is next on the list (replacing the caulk, that is).

I wandered Home Depot one day while waiting for Karl as he attended yet another 'evaluation' in Southfield (one of four days). I love HD - and Lowes - and even though I couldn't use half of the stuff in those places without lessons, I love the idea of the tools and supplies all lined up on the shelves. So much really cool inspiration and know-how haunting the aisles and waiting for some willing participant to come along and be creative!

Anyhow, I bought caulk and a caulking gun, which I will put to use as soon as I return from Gram's. So to prepare, I cleaned the gunk as best I could, and will strip the old cracked caulk when I get home, just lightly cleaning all the surfaces once more to be 100% ready to put down the new bead. Tonight's prep was to make the next cleaning a breeze (plus, it looks so purdy). I even went to the extreme of taking down the poorly hung shower curtain rod and re-installing it correctly with new anchors and all! I felt pretty doggone handy afterwards, and I enlisted Karl's help while performing the rod work - much handier and more efficient (not to mention, not as aggravating) having somebody there to hand you things and take over the screwdriver work when you wrists and forearm get tired. Plus, he had fun doing that little bit of manual labor (and no complaints!) and working with me. Even though there is still the tiniest little bit of a dip to the rod (but nothing like it was), I am perfectly happy to have the liner not draping along the bottom of the tub and coming in contact with the exterior curtain as it gets wet during a shower. It always wicked the water straight to the floor, and the boys never noticed this until they stepped out of the tub after their showers into a mini lake or a soaked bath mat.

I just feel so empowered and happy with my little improvements and accomplishments! They may have been a long time in the off-ing, but they are ticks on my checklist in the "done" column.

Yes sir, I am ready!

Tah-dah!

What? You didn't just see me pull a rabbit out of my hat? Well, then you missed it and you will have to wait another year before it happens again.

Next time, don't fall for the mis-direction.

;^)

Due to horrible weather and driving conditions...

Brian did not get to Detroit for the interview early Monday afternoon. There were accidents EVERYwhere along the route from home to the D, and a triple fatality accident on Clarkston Road, which simply had us wigged out and overly cautious.

I feel horribly advising him to call and ask for another interview date, but I think it was a good decision.

TODAY IS THE INTERVIEW DAY!!

Please think good thoughts and send out positive vibes for Brian - both for the trip down there and for a good interview.

Thank you!

By the way

Brian found out last week that the owner of the place he works in the mall has decided not renew his lease, and is closing up shop by mid-month.

Impetus?

Within an hour of that sad news, he called again, excited to have an interview with a newer publication group. They are looking for an inker/illustrator for a comic book.

Fingers crossed and prayers being said...his interview is Monday afternoon, before he picks me up.

There's food in the fridge

That's about the only good thing to report.

Gram isn't doing well, but she is still getting up and around on her own...well, with the aide of her trusty walker. Her confusion is evident more and more, and she clearly believes she isn't in her own place...and not in her own bed sleeping.

Today, I am starting the day with very little sleep, as she needs a lot of assistance to go from bed to the loo - and there are many trips throughout the night.

About a week ago she fell to the floor trying to get back into bed after an early morning jaunt to the toily, and I can't imagine what sort of help she was getting after that.

I have found it easiest to get her to an upright position from laying down, by having her wrap her arms around my neck and hanging on while I right both of us at once. It seems to help her, and it is quickest and most sure (at least to keep her steady and keep her from falling again until she can move around more freely and on her own). Once she gets to her feet, she is pretty capable and self-sustaining. Additionally, I remind her that her legs are strong, and that she should count on them and USE THEM to get up and down, and not pull or push herself solely with her weak arms. Do your exercises in your chair instead of simply sitting there.

My plan is to keep her moving and getting up and down frequently to keep her "limber" instead of compacently atrophy-ing in a chair or in her bed. Lots of liquids and certainly food when she is hungry.

We have decided I will stay an extra day this time, leaving on Monday afternoon instead of Sunday, just for the added mental bliss, and so I can speak to whomever might be getting her to an appointment - so they have a good understanding of her complaints and what she has been accomplishing.

Keep good thoughts, and take care of your own selves. More another time.

Two Oh One Oh

Certainly is January first, alright.

Big deal.

I thought I would come in here and simply tell you all "Happy New Year," but I am just not feeling it.

It isn't that you lovely people, who stop by and read, aren't worth it, it's just that disillusionment has completely grabbed ahold of my heartstrings and thoughts and words, and nothing comes out cheery or worthwhile. What with all of the outside garbage going 'round and 'round out there, I figure why add to it.

Moms all over say this - and with good reason:

"If you haven't got anything nice to say...don't say anything at all."

So......Mmmfffff Ffmff Ffffmmf.