I Like Thursdays: October 29, 2020

Hi there!

How are you doing today?  It is dreary and rainy in Pennsylvania as the remnants of Hurricane Zeta pass through.  Today is "I like Thursday" and we post positive things in order to make the internet a more tolerable place.  Check out other posts by visiting Lee Anna our hostess!

I like new flower pots and planning next spring's garden!  My neighbor gave me some of the pots her late 88 year old mom used and I love them!

My two favorite are below.  I love how weathered they are!

This one is my absolute favorite!  

I can't wait to fill them with flowers!

Speaking of flowers, my backyard mums finally bloomed and then promptly fell over:

Love how this Nikko hydrangea turns a deep rose this time of year...versus the snowball hydrangea which definately would fit into our friend Jocelyn's category of "ugly garden." 

 I love this phrase by Jocelyn (over at Canadian Needle Nana) and I wonder if she realizes how many people she impacted with this description?

Scout's favorite toy has always been Rocky Raccoon.  She received him when she was still a baby and he was bigger than her back then!

This week she finally found out that there was a toy in the toy, a very nice ball that she enjoyed playing with in the living room!

She still loves Rocky best, even if he is just a shell of the toy he once was 😁

I don't have much else to report.  I'm taking care of Hubby (the epidural didn't work) and walking the dog and binding quilts.  

I hope you are all staying safe and well!  Have a great day!

To-Do-Tuesday: October 27, 2020

It's To-Do-Tuesday and time to post our goals for the upcoming week!  Check out Roseanne and Sue's blog, Home Sewn By Us, for more inspiration!

My only goal was to attach binding to quilts and I'm happy to say I've got more done on that front.  Nora's quilt is finished and now is so is Owen's:

I need to mail his quilt this week.  We are seeing an increase of covid in our area and I really want to limit exposure.  So for the coming week, my goals remain to continue binding at least to get Ariana's quilt done.  The kids need to be done first.  Then I can rest my hands (arthritis) and get back to sewing tops.

Have a safe and happy day!

 

I like Thursdays: October 22, 2020

 

Good morning!  It's "I Like Thursday" and time to share positive energy on the internet!  Hosted by LeeAnna, you can find other happy posts by visiting Not Afraid of Color!

Off in the distance at our neighbor's house, there is a skeleton hanging in front of our friend's house.  Poodles are very observant and they often let us know when "something is wrong, something is different!"  Scout stops every single time we go for a walk to gaze at skeletor (as we now call it) because it is just so wrong!😁

We like Alex.  She is a 1 year old Bedlington Terrier that has become friendly with Scout.  She and her mom both immigrated from England.  On Sunday, Alex came for a visit.  She was a wee bit intimidated but soon was exploring the garden!  

I like to organize and get rid of things when I am stressed.  It's cathartic to me.  Clothing and small things I donate right away, but organizations don't want furniture right now.  I like that my neighbor down the hill is doing the same thing, for the same reason.  We put the furniture on the curb with a "free" sign.  The stuff is always picked up right away.  Glad it is going to anyone who needs it!  Here's one piece I put out:

We are in Indian Summer these days and enjoying the last of the warm weather.    I got to see my Aunt/Sister (she's my aunt but my age) last Saturday and gave her a Mary Engelbreit quilt I had made for her a while ago.  We all wore masks and sat at opposite corners in my Mom's large sunroom.  She only pulled her mask down for this photo which I zoomed from the other side of the room.

These meetings will be curtailed now that the Covid is rising and the temps will surely get colder.  But we are grateful to have seen each other once before the long winter!

In other news:  My husband had his epidural yesterday and though it has yet to work, we are glad that another hurdle to surgery passed.

Have a safe and happy day!

 

To-Do-Tuesdays: October 20, 2020

 

Good Morning!  It's an amazing 60 degrees this morning!  Today is "To-Do-Tuesday" when we list our goals for the week.  It's hosted by Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us--be sure to visit them and the other participants for inspiration!

Last week's goal was simply to attach binding to quilts: Done!  I've begun the hand sewing process and finished the 2 doll quilts in one afternoon and half of Nora's quilt.  I need to mail them out as soon as these quilts are completed.  That's pretty much my goal for sewing right now.

Most of what I have been doing is caring for my husband which includes the usual battles of insurance companies and overwhelmed medical staff.  I often end up doing a lot of stress organizing and cleaning.

Hope you have a safe and happy day!

I like Thursdays: October 15, 2020

 Well it's time for another "I like Thursdays" post.  Hosted by Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color, we fill up the internet with positive energy!

Squirrels are always good for Dog TV!  Scout enjoys watching the baby squirrels eat at this tree:

One of my neighbors decorated her house with corn stalks and pumpkins.  To see that the squirrels had a celebration was an understatement!

Every morning I walked Scout, my husband would ask me when I returned home:  What have the squirrels done at Jessica's?

 

The corn was the first to go, we would see cobs all over the neighborhood.  One morning--apparently when the corn was all eaten--we saw a squirrel on the stalks shaking the stalks in frustration 😂

Then they hit the pumpkins:

I don't decorate for Halloween.  It's not my favorite holiday.  That didn't stop squirrels from bringing in decorative pumpkins into my yard and messing up my just cleaned patio:

Some people are afraid of dolls.  This phobia actually has a name, pediophobia.  Across the street from my machine quilter's house, there was an elaborate halloween display.  Forget the ghosts and ghouls, I thought it was hilarious that they included this:

I live in a very liberal neighborhood, nicknamed Bidenville.  There are always entertaining signs posted around here and I photograph them to send to some of my friends.

Covid has not hit our community as hard as other parts of the city.  People are mostly masked unless they are briskly walking.  Here's an interesting Halloween sign for the times:

My days are pretty much full with caring for Brad these days.  So this is all the entertainment I have.  Hope you have a safea and happy week...duty calls me!

To-Do-Tuesday: October 13, 2020

 

Good Morning!  It's To-Do-Tuesday!  Hosted by Roseanne and Sue at Home Sewn By Us, we list our goals for the week and check to see how we did the following week.  I have to admit, this type of accountability has really helped me get more accomplished! Thanks Roseanne and Sue!

As stated before, our life is a bit upside down now that my husband has been diagnosed with a herniated disk.  Next step for him is epidural injections for him.  He needs to have this treatment before he sees the surgeon.  I feel like trying to get relief for him is kind of like a monopoly board game.  Each week we find a different hurdle and meanwhile he is dependent on pain medication to even get sleep (he can't function even with the meds).

Anyway...last week's goal was to continue my fall cleaning and attach bindings to quilts.  So far so good.  It's my goal for this week too.  I can often only retire to the sewing room for about 20 minutes at a time before hubby or the dog need me.  I'm happy I attached binding to 3 quilts!

I have 4 more pieces that need binding attached.  So that's my goal for the week.  I'm awaiting the delivery of an ott lightbulb so that I can sew in our living room as I sit with him at night and actually begin handsewing the binding.

Meanwhile, I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Stay safe!

I Like Thursday: October 8, 2020

 

It's "I Like Thursday" and time to bring some positive energy to the internet.  Hosted by LeeAnna, be sure to check out all our happy folks here!

I don't like autumn much because it means the end of gardening and the approach of winter.  However, I do love autumn roses.  Roses bloom like crazy around here this time of year and there are places we walk where the fragrance of the flowers is infatuating!

I like the Little Libraries in our neighborhood.  Just across the way, there is an exceptionally nice one:

A three story library with amazing detail on the building:

A place to hang your dog leash:

A bench to sit and read:

A nod to the interesting adventures reading can take one:

This set up makes me happy!

Little girls crack me up.  They have a logic all their own and are often such independent thinkers.  Ariana lives in our neighborhood.  She is just 3 years old and has learned to dress herself.

Ummm...what's outside your leggings Ari?  "My underwear."  Why are you wearing your underwear over your leggings?  "Because the panties are so pretty, they should be seen!"

Sounds logical to me!😂

I hope you are having a nice autumn.  Stay well and safe!

To-Do-Tuesday: October 6, 2020

 

Coolest morning we have woken up to this morning, 43 F degrees!  Today is To-Do-Tuesday and time to post goals for the coming week.  Hosted by dear Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us, you should visit some of the participants for inspiration!

Last week's goals:

 1-Finish assembling 4 patches of asian fabric:  Done!

 2-Bind doll quilts--not done (on purpose).

Hubby went for his MRI last week and we got the results: 2 herniated disks.  He sees the surgeon this Friday.  He's doing okay as long as he has pain management.

So now there's been a bit of change of plans for me.  Not so much sewing wise but I want to get things set up because it is likely Hubby will need surgery.  

I started the Fall cleaning yesterday in anticipation of this.  Normally I do this during the last weekend after  Thanksgiving and then decorate for Christmas (hahahaha, back then I was younger and could do the house in 3-4 days).  Now I do about a room a day to save my back.  I want things set up, food in the freezer ready to go so I can just concentrate on his needs after surgery.  Because of this, the only goal I have for the coming weeks is to attach bindings on quilts I've been stacking up for the winter.  

I dislike binding in the summer because it's just too hot.  But binding in the winter is lovely and so calming to have a nice warm quilt on one's lap!  I think I have 5 on the pile right now and one more at the quilter's.  I also want to make sure I have my embroidery ready and a good lamp by my chair (where hubby sits these days blocks the best light in the living room).

Hope you and yours are all doing well!  Stay safe and have a good day!

I Like Thursdays: October 1, 2020

 

It's I Like Thursday!  Today we fill the internet with positive things!  Sponsored by LeeAnna, be sure to check out other bloggers' posts!

It's been over a month since Brad developed a severe case of sciatica.  The doctor finally took it seriously last week:  ordered the MRI (he had that on Tuesday night) and prescribed decent pain medication.  We are FINALLY both getting sleep.  Hubby is still using a cane (he has a lot of weakness in his left leg) and still spends his days sitting on a hard chair in the living room but we are coping better.  Today I am calling the doctor to request the results of the MRI.

I like autumn walks with my puppy.  

Scout and I visit the park in mid-morning after folks have gone to work.  It's just lovely lately!

Our beautiful girl got groomed 2 weeks ago:

I like puttering in the sewing room and can actually do a little more of this now that Brad is in less pain.  I'm happily using up my asian inspired fabric and threw some Xmas fabric (glittery blender type fabric) in the mix as well.  I'm making the Chinese Magic Quilt but as a wall hanging for me (see here).  

I like that my friend told me she didn't like the pattern.  It doesn't hurt my feelings one bit.  I'm just glad she let me know before I had half the quilt assembled.  I'm assembling the four patches into a 16 patch and will border it for her with black and maybe green if I have enough fabric.

I really don't have much else to report since Brad's care takes so much of my time.  I am way behind on reading blogs but hope to catch up with everyone in the next few days!

Have a safe and happy day!