YOP Week #9 Year 12

 Here I am again!  I had a busy and tiring week...but no reason for the tiredness really.  I did get some crafting done.  I forgot to take a picture of the ties for the grands but they were just knitted black ties.  So I wrapped them up and sent them off.  I also sent one of the I Spy quilts to Grayson as I didn't think Sam would appreciate it.  Sam just started high school and Grayson is in 5th grade.  I also sent my daughter the Summer cross stitch pillow I made and a set of crocheted scrubbies. 

Having  finished those projects I got back to my Multnomah shawl........I put a progress keeper in. I think I got about 3 rows in.

I also got some granny squares done.........

I got a few books from Thrift Books.........2 quilting books.....

Sampler September will be starting September 1st where you work on a cross stitch sampler.  I've chosen this one but I still need to get the fabric and floss together.......

I'm still working on my rotation and have some Fall things lined up but it's not written in stone yet.

I hope you all had a good week.  I went to the doctor Friday and he's concerned I'm not getting enough protein so I now eat peanut butter and I need to get some chicken or turkey lunch meat and chop it up finely and put it in my potato soup.  I've lost 17 pounds on this liquid diet!  I should write a book! LOL!

That's all for now.....enjoy the coming week!

Happy Trails!!!

Fall is coming!!!

 I have proof of it too............the first sassafras leaf to turn!  They are the first sign of Fall down here.  It will be awhile before the other trees follow suit but it's a start!

Today I wrapped presents and wrote cards and sent 3 packages off  in the mail....2 for the grands and 1 for a friend.  

I also finished the first 2 books in the Phryne Fisher series........Cocaine Blues and Flying Too High....next is Murder on the Ballarat Train.   These books are excellent mysteries and take place in the late 20's or 30's.  I love that time period....I also love the Maisy Dobb books.  I highly recommend these books if you like a good "who done it" without too much gore.

I can now start my granny squares as the yarn arrived!  It is fingering weight cotton yarn and they have a zillion colors.  I was going to use Lori Holt's Chunky Thread (same weight) but it's pricey and most is never in stock so this should do just fine.  I ordered it from Hobbi in Denmark and they seem to have great service and very reasonable prices.

I will leave you today with this darling picture that will melt your heart.....a baby dachshund..........too cute and those big eyes!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #8 Year 12

 Well, I was humming along when the last three days I started experiencing some pain again.  I called the Home Health nurse and she was actually the nurse that saw me the first time at the hospital.  She told me since it was the weekend (yesterday) that I should go the ER.  My neighbor drove me as they won't give me a pain shot if I am driving.   It just so happened my doctor was doing a rotation at the hospital!  Lucky me!  I got blood work and all the required testing of vitals.  It ended up I had a slight infection again and so I got a pain shot and some "drugs" and I am good to go again.  I was going over in my mind what could have caused it as I have stuck to the diet.  But he had said I could have cream of potato soup about a week ago so I've been pureeing it  (Campbell's) and having that twice a day.  When I got home from the hospital I was going to have some and for some reason, which I have never noticed before...there was black pepper floating on the surface.....I stopped eating it.  Pepper is something you're not supposed to have while you're trying to heal.  I am fairly certain that may have caused it.  So, I am feeling great again and I will be making homemade potato soup today with no pepper or any other spices except salt!  I hope that's what caused it otherwise it's a scary proposition as to when it might happen again.  But I will enjoy a pain-free Sunday!

Up until the other day I was getting a lot done in all areas around the homestead so I have some things to show you today........I final finished my Summer XS...........

I also made one Scrappy Star for my Scrappy Star quilt..............only 80 more blocks to go.....this is a  long range project that I will try and schedule so many blocks per week.  
        

I've been working on Sam's tie and there are only 8 stitches on the needles now and it is 40 inches and I need to get to 58 before I'm done so, once again, hopefully this week!  I finished the 2 sets of scrubbies so I will be wrapping them up and sending them off in the mail this week.........

I did get my supplies for hand quilting my Christmas quilt but the needles are not going to work so I ordered some different ones that should hopefully work better.  I am doing "big stitch" quilting so the regular tiny quilting needles won't work.  I decided to work on some project bags....gosh knows I need them!  I had purchased Lori Holt's bag panels but all I got done was cutting them out.  I think there are 4 small and 4 large and I purchased the matching zippers too.........

There are tags for the bags.........

and last but not least.....I received a beautiful hand painted card from my dear friend Far Side of Fifty............thank you so much, Connie....I think it boosted my immune system!

That's all for this week.  Plans for this coming week are:  I still need to make that rotation schedule, finish Sam's tie, hopefully get some hand quilting done if the needles arrive, final finish another XS, and sew some scrappy stars and some project bags.  It's time to pick out the annual 2022 collectible ornaments for Halloween and Christmas too.  Plus, a crochet project....granny squares?  There's some yarn coming in the mail soon, I hope!

I hope you all had a great week and that this coming week will be even better!

Happy Trails!!!  

A Balanced Life

 In the past I have always done my housework first and although to look at my house you wouldn't think so....lol!  But by the time I get the daily chores done and then do weekly or monthly chores not counting outside work...I am too tired to do what I would really like to do...like sewing.  I can relax in the evening and crochet or knit but to do quilting or sewing requires me to be "up and about" and by the end of the day I am too tired.  So, watching others podcasts and seeing how much they get accomplished in their creative endeavors, I decided to try a new approach.  Now, I do a "chore" and then I do something creative.  It may be reading a chapter in my book, or crocheting a scrubbie.  Plus, I make my list every morning and prioritze what I need to get done....whatever doesn't get done rolls over to the next day.  I find I am getting more done in each area,  and enjoying my days more!

For example, yesterday, not only did I get the daily chores done but I final finished a cross stitch, I wrote a letter, and I cleaned the top of the cupboard in the laundry room.  Since I've gotten older I've realized it is better for me to break jobs into smaller tasks so I don't feel so over whelmed yet I still can look around and see progress.  Anyway, how do you find time to do the things that bring you joy without the house falling down around you?  I'd appreciate any tips or techniques that you utilize.

I did get some treasures this week............

I am still reading Grant (45%)....I am at the part where the war is over and he has just been nominated for President.  What's strange is that the political infighting and the reconstruction going on in the South...with bitterness rampant, sounds an awful lot like our climate today.  Maybe history really does repeat itself.

I am now reading Cocaine Blues which is the first book in the Phryne Fisher murder mystery series.  These are the books  that Miss Fisher Murder Mystery T.V. series is based on.  My daughter left me the first 3 books  when she was here.  They are very good.  A little more explicit than the T.V. series but they're still good mysteries and a wonderful strong female as the main character.

I received a few other books from Thrift Books.............the 3rd and last book in the Mrs. Mike series....I realized the first book was a true story but the next 2 are novels.......loosely based on the same characters

I also got the 2nd book in The Fairhaven Chronicles.   It is supposedly like the Mitford books except it is from an LDS perspective.  At first I thought it spent too much time on the specifics of the LDS religion but I learned from it and then the stories picked up and I really enjoyed it.  So,  I ordered the next book in the series. 

I finished watching Virgin River series (for now) and now I'm watching Stranger Things both are on Netflix.

The other "treasures" I got in the mail were for my hand quilting and some T-pins for blocking.....

I'm hoping to give it a try sometime this week.  What have you been up to?  I can't believe it's Thursday already!

Happy Trails!!!

      

YOP Week #7 Year 12

 I had a productive week for a change!  Feeling really good and I have energy too....which I haven't had in awhile.  I did finish the Giant Granny Square blanket although the edging didn't seem to turn out like my others.  It curled so I washed and dried it but it still curls.  I did not do the last round of the edging pattern but that should not have made a difference as I didn't do that round on the others either.  *Marsha...I forgot to mention that to you if you use that edging pattern*

Anyway, here it is ............actually it is not that wonky and probably looks better folded up or on a bed or chair...........that will probably be the last Giant Granny Square I make.  I think I've had my fill now. 

I'm on to regular granny squares.........

I also finished the ghost doily but it needs blocking and I am waiting for pins and a blocking board.....

I did not finish Sam's tie but I am on the homestretch.  I did the decreases for around the neck and now it is just 8 stitches and garter stitch to the end. It looks awfully long to me but I followed the instructions to a T and it is a Red Heart pattern....hopefully it will fit him alright.

I got my scrubbie yarn in the mail and made 3 of them for my daughter.  I have another 3 to make for a friend's birthday. 

I didn't quite final finish my Summer XS and I had this fabric and this idea but not sure where I'm going with it from here! LOL!  Stay tuned as it should be a final finish by next week, I hope.

Besides my yarn that came in the mail...........

I also got a couple quilting books from Thrift Books.........

That's it for this week.  My goals for next week will be to finish Sam's tie, final finish the Summer XS, make 3 more scrubbies and some granny squares.  I have ordered a quilting hoop, and needles to maybe try hand quilting my Christmas quilt.  I also have plans for working on the quilt for my bed and making some blocks for a Scrappy Star quilt....we shall see!  Plus, once I finish Sam's tie I will pull out the old Multnomah...this will be the 3rd time I'll be trying to make it....3rd time is charm they say.  I also need to make a rotation schedule for cross stitch, and all my other crafts.

I hope you have all had a happy and creative week and I wish you the same for this coming week!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #6 Year 12

 For those of you who only check my YOP posts.  I have been ill and in the hospital that's why I have been absent.  I have diverticulitis and almost had to have surgery but I dodged that bullet.  I was sick at home for a week and then spent another week in the hospital but hopefully I am on the mend now.

Needless to say I did not do any  handwork, or even read until I started feeling better.  This week was the first time I did anything so you won't see a lot of progress but I will probably have a few finishes next week if all goes well.

I only have one more round on the border of the Giant Granny Square blanket.  I may have to chose another color for the last round as I'm not sure I have enough left of the gray.  This will definitely be finished by next week.  I'll have to hang it on the clothesline outside in order to show you the entire blanket...it's big!

I have been back working on the ghost doily for my daughter's birthday which has come and gone.  She surprised me and walked into my hospital room....I told her not to come down (she lives in Iowa) but she didn't listen.  So we spent her birthday in the hospital together just like the day she was born! As it ended up I don't know what I would have done without her especially after I got out of the hospital.  

I should have this done on Tuesday as I have been crocheting one round each day.  It will definitely need to be blocked too...

I did order some yarn for some future projects..........

In other areas, I have been on a liquid diet other than some Ensure and yesterday I made some Campbells cream of potato soup which was a real treat after broth and jello!  I had to puree it in the blender since I am not supposed to have any chunks of anything.  I had 2 micro abrasions on my colon that were the reason I almost had surgery but the surgeon and the radiologist felt I could bypass the surgery but I have to take it slow in order to heal.  That's fine with me if I can avoid surgery and not have that pain again!   Actually, without having to cook it's freed up my time.  While Amy was here she did some trimming outside, and some cleaning inside, in addition to shopping for my new "diet".   She took one of my cats home with her since my 2 cats don't get along and her boys wanted a cat.  She also packed her car with my stuff to go to Goodwill so that was a big help too.  I've still been packing and cleaning and organizing and it shows.  That makes me very happy! So, I've been catching up on chores which I had fallen behind on while I was sick.  I am just so grateful to be feeling good again.   

This coming week my YOP goals are finish the Giant Granny blanket, finish the ghost doily, hopefully finish Sam's tie, and I have another birthday gift to make, and some scrubbies.  I also need to start back with my cross stitch and final finish my Summer XS.
 I hope you are all doing well!

Happy Trails!!!

Great storm this morning!

 I love a good storm and we had one this morning.  Lightening, thunder, driving rain...it started right when I got up about 5:00 and lasted all morning.  It was dark, and cozy as I journaled and had my tea....yes, no caffeine for me either so I am drinking green tea with raspberry .

I got a lot done today too which feels so good.  I shook rugs and washed them, washed another load, ordered some groceries and went and picked them up, disinfected and put them away.  By the time I had to pick the groceries up the sun was shining and the sky was blue!  I only needed a few things; broth, jello, Werther's hard candies, cream of potato soup...but lots of them as that's all I eat besides Boost (like Ensure).  I haven't had the potato soup but I think the doc said I could have that.  I'll have to check with my daughter....she took notes!  I don't need my dishwasher as I dirty very few dishes so I am just washing them by hand and since I am not "cooking" I have more time to do other things plus only one cat to care for.

.I also ironed and cut some material for a final finish on a cross stitch piece.  

I was catching up on my reading when I was in the hospital.  I read this book which was wonderful!

The beloved real-life story of a woman in the Alaskan wilderness, the children she taught, and the man she loved.

“From the time I’d been a girl, I’d been thrilled with the idea of living on a frontier. So when I was offered the job of teaching school in a gold-mining settlement called Chicken, I accepted right away.”
 
Anne Hobbs was only nineteen in 1927 when she came to harsh and beautiful Alaska. Running a ramshackle schoolhouse would expose her to more than just the elements. After she allowed Native American children into her class and fell in love with a half-Inuit man, she would learn the meanings of prejudice and perseverance, irrational hatred and unconditional love. “People get as mean as the weather,” she discovered, but they were also capable of great good.
 
As told to Robert Specht, Anne Hobbs’s true story has captivated generations of readers. Now this beautiful new edition is available to inspire many more.
 
“The memoir reads like an old-fashioned novel, a heartwarming love story with the added interest of frontier hardships and vividly portrayed characters.”—Publishers Weekly

Then I read this one............another great true story and there are 3 in the series! 

'Mrs. Mike' is a love story, a true story; the story of Katherine Mary O’Fallon, a sixteen year-old Irish girl from Boston, and Sergeant Mike Flannigan of the Canadian Mounted Police who meet at her uncle’s ranch in Alberta, Canada where she is sent to recover from pleurisy. They meet, they court, they marry and, following Mike’s orders, move to Hudson’s Hope far into the interior of Alberta.
But it is more than a love story between two people: it is also a love story of the land and animals, of the beavers and the ice, the northern lights and the fires, of whooping cough and whiskey running. It is a love story of the First Peoples and their struggles, the immigrants and their hopes and all the people who came and went through Mike and Kathy’s lives.

I'm still trying to finish reading Mystery on Hidden Lane and I am 89% done.  I will probably finish it tonight but it's not held my interest...too many characters and very confusing.  

 I'm still reading Grant  but it is a slow go...very good but over 1,000 pages so it will be awhile.

As for t.v. I watched All Creatures Great and Small on Prime which was excellent!  I also watched Grantchester which is ongoing.  Also, very good.  I re-signed up for Netflix and I'm catching up on Virgin River and then I want to watch Ozark which Far Side of Fifty recommended.  I ordered the next book in the Mrs. Mike series and a couple other books.

What have you been reading and/or watching?  

Happy Trails!!!

Getting back in the groove!

 Things are looking up and I am feeling like my old self!  I'm back to my routine and it feels good!\

I even did some crocheting.  I'm slowly but surely finishing the border on the giant Granny Square blanket and working on a belated birthday gift for my daughter.  She spent her birthday in the hospital with me just like on the day she was born.  She missed Grayson's birthday too but he is planning a big bash at the Play Station so he'll still get to celebrate his birthday.

Amy took Grace, my cat, home with her.  She and Miss Peeps do not get along and I was having to keep Grace in the basement which wasn't fair to her.  Amy's cat passed away a while ago and the boys were wanting another cat so it was a win-win.  Grace knows them, she will get lots more attention and I won't have to go  up and down the stairs.

Every night, Grayson would call and Amy would read him a story ...Miss Peeps enjoyed it too....I hope she doesn't expect me to read to her every night!

Amy caught this awesome photo in my back yard.....3 young bucks!  They  must be young or they wouldn't be hanging out together.

 

Yesterday, I did laundry, put some groceries away that we had stocked up on for me...broth, jello, Boost, and Gator Aid.  I filled water bottles, wrote thank you notes to both hospitals that took such great care of me, sent back an Amazon purchase, cleaned up the kitchen, brought the garbage can in, and filled out a survey from the hospital.  It was a productive day!  Yay!!!

Happy Trails!!!

I'm alive!

 I am so sorry I have been absent but I was sick for days and then finally called 911 and got a ride to the hospital.  I was admitted.  It was diverticulitis...again but I didn't have the same symptoms.  Anyway, I was in the hospital for several days with iv's and so much more.  I had several CT scans and they finally decided I needed to be transported to Baxter Regional Hospital in Mountain Home where they might operate on me.  I was there for several days and the radiologist and the surgeon decided that I might be able to heal without surgery....PTL!  I have lost 10 lbs. on a liquid diet.....still on it.  But I am no longer in pain and hopefully healing.  I've been back for a checkup, the Home Health Nurse stops by and all seems well.   Last time they think after I finished the antibiotics that the infection wasn't totally gone and so I had a relapse.  I just finished the antibiotics this time so I pray all is healed.  Although this time I was on iv antibiotics in the hospital for days.

My daughter surprised me and came down and just left this morning.  I have no idea what I would have done without her.  She was wonderful!

I am not sure when I will be back blogging again full-time but I will try.  This is my first day all by myself and I am trying to do my daily chores and a bit more.  I hope you are all fine and I can't wait to visit and find out what you all have been doing!

Happy Trails!!!