YOP Week #28 Year #11

 So far my word "finish" is working!  I had lots of goals this week but there were 3 top ones............final finish the 2021 collectable ornaments (yes, I'm terribly behind), cut up  the pumpkins, bake, puree, and freeze, and finish my 2020 Christmas Eve cast on socks.   I did get those 3 goals accomplished but not much else! LOL!    

Here are the socks..............

Here are the ornaments....it's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer but I know it looks a little like a pig...oh well.....the red nose should give it away.............I always make one for myself, that way if I make a mistake I can keep it for myself.....as you can see.....I cut one to close and that is the smaller one...I always make mistakes...................

Here are the backs and I made a mistake there too............one of hearts got put on upside down......

I wished I would have had some of those rusty bells...I need to order some for next year

As for stash....I did get some this week...............some lovely fabric from Temecula Quilt Co.......

and some floss tags.................

I haven't picked out what I'll be working on this coming week or if I will be able to finish anything.  I'll do that today.  I have a busy week ahead as my piano book will be arriving and I will need to schedule my lessons and practice time slots plus one day I will be traveling to Mountain Home for lab work and to drop off a truckload at the Salvation Army.  

Stay tuned for coming attractions!

Happy Trails!!!

Finish Friday

 Finish is my word this year and it just so happened I had Finnish Rye Crisp with avocado for lunch so it was truly a Finish day!  I actually did not fully finish anything today but it's getting close and I'm not stopping until I do have some finishes.  I spent yesterday and today and probably part of tomorrow cooking pumpkin, pureeing it, and freezing it in bags. This is 1/3 of the big pumpkin and yesterday I baked and pureed the little sugar pie pumpkin. They are all baked now and cooling.  I was able to puree and freeze 1/3 but I have 2/3's left for tomorrow.

I did get the pumpkin seeds toasted......

I did some sewing .......finishing up those collectable ornaments don't ya know............

I also did some knitting trying to finish last years Christmas Eve cast on socks!  Hopefully, I will have some finishes for Sunday's Year of Projects!  It's been a very productive day and that always feels good.

Now for some pizza and a movie!  

Happy Trails!!!

We got snow!!!!

 It snowed all morning but it is pretty much gone now....

The birds were all over the feeder today..............

I wanted to thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes too....you are all so sweet..........my daughter sent me another Fox card from a painting.....I am for sure going to frame all my lovely foxes.........

My cousin, Kay, also sent me a Jacquie Lawson e-card that has music and a lovely woodland scene.....those cards are beautiful....thank you dear cousin!

Last night my t.v.  went out.  It was on but getting a strange no signal message AUCUN signal floating across the screen.  I tried rebooting everything and Roku too but nothing worked.  The menu was stuck so I couldn't move it to HDMI1 where it was supposed to be.  So, I spent all morning trying to fix it and finally decided it must be the Roku.  I looked up the different Roku's and then called Walmart.....the guy there was very sharp and said to unplug the  Roku and see if it still happened and then I could eliminate the Roku and it was probably the T.V. ....he was right so I called Specter T.V. which is from Walmart but you can only buy them online.  (BTW, I highly recommend their t.v.s).  They answered right away and I got a person who walked me through getting the menu "unstuck" by using some buttons at the bottom of the t.v that I didn't even know were there......FIXED!!!!  I don't have to buy a new Roku or a new t.v.  PTL!!!  That was the fastest and most knowledgeable customer service I have ever experienced!  Also, I called Walmart the other day because I had a $7 charge from Walmart on my bank account.  I couldn't think what it could be.  They told me what it was and I said okay fine.  She said they would reimburse me and I said, no I did buy that item I just forgot.  Today I got an email from them telling me they are reimbursing me $20!!!  What?  I tried to explain to the gal I did not want a refund.....oh well.  Don't look a gift horse in the mouth , I guess.  I'll call them tomorrow and try and give it back to them! LOL!  They are so good to me!  

I did get some treasures today............some floss holders and she sent me some Smarties and something else that I haven't the slightest idea what it is....

and fabric from Temecula Quilt Co..............1/4 yard of their reds............I still need to order their greens when they come in........they are for a "hotpad" quilt.  It's on their blog.....if you're a quilter, you should check them out.  They have beautiful materials and wonderful patterns and many are free on their blog.

 Happy Birthday to me.....BTW, I celebrate all month...maybe longer....I think you should celebrate as many days as your age.  So, I guess I'll be celebrating for 73 days.  LOL!  Whoopee!

Today was the year anniversary since our capitol was attacked by our own people! I was thinking that instead of jail sentences for the insurrectionists, they should just ship them off to a 3rd world country and then they could really experience what not being free feels like.  Just sayin'.

This was published in some paper and I think it should be published in ALL papers......click on the photo to enlarge it..................

Happy Trails!!!
 

Snow???

  The weather channel is predicting snow but not much.  I'll still be happy if we get some!  Every once is a while we get a good snow storm but not very often.  Thanks to all of you I was able to make the decision to keep the keyboard I have, and order a piano book from Amazon that I had my eye on.  Your advice to look on YouTube was excellent.  There are all sorts of videos there too, and I have my cousin, Kay, as a consultant!  She took piano for years.  So, I feel very good about the path I have chosen.  Now, I just have to practice, practice, practice....as soon as my book comes next week.

Meanwhile, I was able to find a big plastic container, and gather all my cross stitch WIPs together in one place.  Now, I will go through them and organize according to seasonal, holidays, smalls, and miscellaneous.  Once I know what I have I will plan which ones I will work on, and in what kind of rotation.  I will do the same for patterns I have that I haven't started.  

I finished my first book in 2022.  It was started in 2021 but finished the other day............

Amazon states "It has been over twenty years since the publication of The Ragamuffin Gospel, a book many claim as the shattering of God’s grace into their lives. Since that time, Brennan Manning has been dazzingly faithful in preaching and writing variations on that singular theme –   

“Yes, Abba is very fond of you!”

But today the crowds are gone and the lights are dim, the patches on his knees have faded. If he ever was a ragamuffin, truly it is now. In this his final book, Brennan roves back his past, honoring the lives of the people closest to him, family and friends who’ve known the saint and the sinner, the boy and the man. Far from some chronological timeline, these memories are witness to the truth of life by one who has lived it – All Is Grace."

I gave this book a 3 out 5.  I think it would have better had I read some of his previous books.  He died in 2013.  He had a rough life and couldn't help himself but was able to help many others....R.I.P.

 That's all for today.

Happy Trails!!!

The best laid plans................

 Well, I turn 73 tonight about 10:30 p.m. from what I understand.  I was all excited to start my piano lessons but I spent the day yesterday after hours and hours (I will spare you the details) only to find out that my keyboard will not hook up to my pc which is required by most of the online piano lessons I was interested in.  So, I thought I would return it and get a "bundle" which includes the keyboard and the lessons from Playground Sessions which is the number one highly rated online piano lesson company.  My neighbor mentioned to me this morning why didn't I just get a book and teach myself.  I did look for a book and found one but I'm afraid if it doesn't work then I am stuck with a keyboard that I can't use for any of the online lessons.  I am torn as to what to do.....any advice would be appreciated.   So, no piano lessons for me....yet. 

 I was still dealing with it this morning looking for books.  Then I decided to window shop a long list of Etsy shops that Cynthia Brewer (Stitching in the Light) floss tube podcast mentioned in her wrap up of her 2021 finishes.  She had 50 finishes and that is in spite of getting Covid and being hospitalized and her mother passing away!  She is my new role model!  I have decided to work on smaller projects too. She also gave links to some darling free XS patterns!  So, of course, I printed them off.

I did start on my birthday XS start.............Ida Mae Crow......

and I received my first book for 2022............I sat and read the first chapter......

I decided not to make the crab legs today...I had to cook up some pork chops I had defrosted so I'm having pork chops and gravy and green beans.  It's a favorite so I won't be disappointed.  

Oh, also, my word for this year is FINISH.......was that my word last year? It will be my word until it no longer resonates with me.....that could take many years!

I was up early this morning so I am getting tuckered out and I think I'll get my jammies on and go relax until supper's ready. 

Happy Trails!!!

 

YOP Week #27

I goofed last week and said it  was Week #25 when it was really Week #26.....sorry if I confused anyone.

I had such good intentions this week and thought I had plenty of time but from Thanksgiving on the time seems to run away with me and before I know it it is the New Year and, once again, I am not prepared.  I did not update Ravelry or my YOP plans for the remainder of the year.  I'm thinking next week as this coming week should be getting back to normal.  I also received a piano keyboard for my birthday so I will be spending time this coming year learning to play!  I will be taking online lessons and so far Playground Sessions sounds very promising but if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.

Meanwhile I did have some starts in the cross stitch arena and I worked on my socks and I am hoping to do the toes this week and wrap that project up.....

I did finish all the ornaments but no final finish...yet......

I also put their initials and the year on each one......
   

My New Year start was very small and I had to order some floss as the required floss is just not available...........

I had to start in the bottom left corner because of the lack of floss............

This is my Winter stitch...Stu  the Snowman by Teresa Kogut................

If you want to see the difference between regular floss and hand-dyed...the brown, black, and white are all solid DMC colors.....the sand (yellow color in the outline of his body) is hand-dyed floss and you can see the variation in color...it gives you the effect of shading, I think........

I forgot to open my "stocking" that my daughter sent me.........but what a wonderful surprise when I did....(that "stocking"will be a future project bag me thinks).....

Here's what was inside......

Some Penzey's spices, some washi tape, a jar of orange zest that my SIL grated for me and a bag of precious milkweed seeds that my daughter collected!  Am I lucky or what? 

The Iowa Hawkeyes lost to Kentucky yesterday at the Citrus Bowl in the last few minutes of the game!  So sad.  The Chicago Bears play today at noon so I'll be listening to that on the radio.  I hope you all had a safe and happy new year and that it continues throughout the entire year!

Oh, by the way, last night when I went to bed it was 55 F...today it is 22 F..........brrrrrrrrrr!

Happy Trails!!!

Happy New Year!!!

I was in bed way before midnight.  The weather radio went off twice in the night.  Once for a severe thunderstorm and once for a flood warning.  It's still in the high 50's and raining so I don't think the cold front came through yet.  There are no warnings out now so we're good.  Northerners are going to get a big snowstorm and my family in Iowa are very excited!  I wish I could be there as we all love snow!

I got a BIG, I mean HUGE surprise delivered to me via FedEx yesterday...........I was in shock and so happy!  My daughter and I had been talking and I told her I didn't have much left on my bucket list as I've scrapped all travel plans.  I am now a fully-fledged homebody!  But the next 3 things on my list were learning to play the piano, learning a language (probably Spanish), and getting a train...as in model train.  I've wanted a train ever since I was a child.  So...mark the piano off my list!  My grandsons put some of their own money towards it too!  I'm still in shock but so excited to start learning.  There are some good online courses out there.  If anyone has any recommendations  please let me know.  I put it together this morning and I'm so glad it came yesterday while the weather was nice otherwise it would be soaked!  I have some stuff to do today but as soon as possible I will be signing up for lessons! I am SO excited!  Thank you Iowa gang!

 Let's start the New Year out with a little humor..........

I hope you had a good New Year's Eve and that all your dreams come true in 2022!

 Happy Trails!!!