I like Thursdays: October 14, 2021

 

Today we celebrate the good in life by participating in "I like Thursdays" sponsored by Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color!  Join us to share the good in the world!

My first like is pretty basic.  I like that I saw the hand doctor last week.  I wrote more extensively about this on my other blog but the long and short of it is I have tendonitis not arthritis.  With steroid injections and a bit of rest, I'm hoping to be back to normal soon!

I love my blog friends!  Then hand thing had me a bit blue because I'm not supposed to go overboard with the use of my hands right now.  I was fretting about finishing my placemats for our guild's community service project (placemats for Meals on Wheels seniors).  

And then magically, Diann at Little Penguin Quilts shared a great link for a tutorial (here) for machine binding  quilts.  I've tried machine binding before and didn't like the results but this process was different.  I gave it a whirl and it worked!  Thanks Diann for referring to that tutorial and thanks Sylvia for a great tutorial!  I tried it on Wednesday and found my first try wasn't perfect but it was acceptable!

I like that the days are cooler.  When it's warm out, I have a brief window of time in the sewing room before it's too hot to work in there.  Now I can sew in the afternoon!  It's great!

Glad to see "Call the Midwives" is back on pbs!  

Wishing you all a safe and pleasant weekend!

I like Thursdays: October 7, 2021

 It's Thursday and time to post the things that have made us happy, grateful, or positive this week!  Join the positive moment by visiting Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color!

This week I'm grateful that my sewing room is a mess.  All it means is that I'm getting things done as I continue to use up scrap fabric.  Speaking of sewing...

My Pfaff sewing machine is repaired and I just got it back!  I like my Featherweight but there's a lot it doesn't do as efficiently as the Pfaff.  Each year my guild collects placemats that we make for Meals on Wheels seniors.  It's a great way to use up scraps and I have a stack of placemats that I want to use the Pfaff to machine quilt!  

Plus I will finish a  little embroidery that I finished and will make into a wall hanging.  I've had this orange and green odd fabric scrap for years but I decided to use it up this year and made this little sunbonnet:

This week the weather has been warm but cloudy.  It's been pretty good walking weather and Scout and I have been enjoying a walk or two in the park each day!

Anyone who has done caregiving knows what a tough job it can be.  I'm so grateful for my brother Jim who shares the responsibility with me.  

My husband Brad is also a big help and often calms me when I am frustrated.  I'm grateful for the two of them and also my friends who are caring for their elderly parents too.  We exchange ideas, vent, and make each other laugh.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I like Thursdays: September 30, 2021

 It's hard to believe that it is the last day of September!  I may be sad that the garden is beginning to fade but I'm grateful for cooler temperatures and have already turned my head to preparations for winter projects.

Today is "I like Thursdays" and time to celebrate the good things in life!  Visit Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color for more fun posts!

I finished the squirrel t-towels for my neighbors.  It's a celebration of squirrels.  The elderly couple don't get many visitors so Scout and I visit them every evening and our dogs bark at the squirrels.  The squirrels really delight the dogs...and my elderly friends.  So making them these towels was a lot of fun.  They loved them!

Now there are new competitors for the peanuts the couple give the squirrels.  Apparently bluejays love peanuts too and they often swoop down to steal peanuts before the baby squirrels can get them.

Jay in the tree

The birds don't try these shenanigans against the adult squirrels though.  My parents had friends from New Zealand that they met abroad.  When the couple came to the states to visit and stay with my folks a few weeks, all they wanted was to photograph squirrels for their nieces and nephews.  Apparently there are no squirrels in New Zealand and the kids really wanted to see what they looked like in their own environment!

It's a clean-up and organize time of year for me.  I'm gradually cleaning out the garden and also the scrap bins and baskets.

 

Scraptember will continue through October.  I've made these blocks and 75 four patches (not including four patches for kid quilts) so far and have so many more to go.  The aqua pinwheels aren't even half finished but I'm hoping to have enough to make a lap quilt.  I'm sure all of you understand that the more you use them up, the more you find.  

For right now, this is enough of a project for me.  Mom is having surgery soon and there are always appointments to schedule.  Tomorrow she gets her covid booster.

My sewing machine isn't back yet so I'm happily piecing these blocks with my featherweight!  When I think of how old this machine is, I just marvel!

I don't have time to watch tv until the evening.  I was happy to hear that Restoring Galveston (one of my favorite DIY shows) was picked up by the Magnolia channel.  Last night a new show on HGTV interested me:  Houses with History.  It was a good show and I look forward to watching more episodes.

Mostly I'm appreciating the calm days we are experiencing right now.  I hope you are enjoying a peaceful lull too!

Have a safe and happy day!

I like Thursdays: September 22, 2021

 

Greetings and I'm back.  Most of the month's calamities are behind me or repaired and it's good to be touching base again!

Today is Thursday and time to share positive thoughts as part of Lee Anna's brainchild, "I like Thursdays."  If you're needing some happy thoughts, visit her site to see who is all posting this week!

The skyline as we were leaving the park this morning.

Today I'm grateful we live on a hill.  We are expecting a bit of rain today.  City workers are already setting up barriers in case the roads get flooded.  I'm not upset about it, the garden desperately needs a good rain but when one lives surrounded by waterways, it's always good to live near the top of the hill.

Scout and I enjoy our walks at the park and this morning it seemed like all the water fowl were near enough to get decent photos:

Big white duck we call that gal.  She had babies earlier in the summer but she is a whopper of a duck!  She is surrounded in this photo by adult mallards and you can see how big she is in comparison.  We don't see many ducks like that here but it's somewhat fun to see her in this region.  A hundred years ago, there was a Duck Farm at the bottom of our hill.  It's now a park called Union Terrace.

There was even an inn and trolley stop at the Duck Farm.  The Duck Inn is to the left of the photo and still standing today.  It's now an apartment building:

Food!  I like autumn apples and hope to pick up some this week!  I'm not much interested in cooking these days but fortunately my mother has been having fun in the kitchen and sending food my way.  What's not to like about that?

I'm embroidering for the first time since the pandemic began.  I think I just wanted to keep busier for a long time.  These are going to be kitchen towels for the elderly neighbors down the street.  We visit them (outdoors of course) every evening and the dogs like to bark at the squirrels.  These days there are 3 baby squirrels living in the tree in their yard and they are a lot of fun to watch!

My quest to use up my stash continues and with my featherweight machine, I'm assembling some blocks. 

 Much of the fabric I'm using is from the 30s and 40s and was given to me by family members of late quilters, friends, and even guild members.  I'm throwing in some of my own scraps as well because it is supposed to be a deep scrap bag quilt.  The 4.5 inch blocks allow me to use up the really small scraps and be economical as possible. 

Even if I don't assemble the quilt right away, at least the blocks will be completed and take up less space.  One drawer of blocks beats 2 1/2 drawers of scraps any day!

Well, Scout and I are off to check on Mom before the big storms come in.  Have a safe and happy day!

The Universe Has Spoken

 Sometimes you just have to listen to the message sent out by the universe.

My message right now is pretty clear and it is:

"Stay home and scrub your home."

I'm not happy about this message but it's been coming on gradually until this week's avalanche of coincidences.

First our car.  We have two cars but my stepson has been "borrowing" our old beater car for nearly a year.  He keeps sending messages that it will be back soon but I'm not holding my breath.  We spent an awful lot of money on our good SUV this summer and then when things were finally feeling right, the car started choking and spewing.  It took 10 days to get an appointment for the dealer to check it.  And now it's another week while the part is ordered but not arrived yet.

This usually isn't a problem.  My mother has a perfectly good Audi with low mileage because she doesn't drive anymore.  So we keep it maintained just in case we have this very situation occur.  So no problem right?  Uh...but then last Tuesday the check engine light came on.   Her dealer can't check it until next week.

Yes we have a regular mechanic we trust--but both cars need some computer maintenance and he doesn't do that work.

"No problem," I thought.  My husband is working in northern Quebec for a few weeks.  I'm going to sew and sew....And then yesterday my Pfaff broke.  My brother drove me and my machine to our sewing machine shop and of course, everyone is getting their machines serviced for winter sewing.

Today I was reminding myself how to fill bobbins on my featherweight.   Suddenly my large spool/thread rack that hangs on the wall and holds well over a 150 spools--crashed to the ground.  Just like that.  It's unbelievable.

So I'm off to start fall cleaning...mostly because I can't afford any more calamities.  

I sure hope you are having a better September!

I Like Thursdays: September 9, 2021

 

Good Morning!  Today is "I like Thursdays" and time to post some positive news on our blogs.  For more happy thoughts, check out our hostess Lee Anna's blog!

My husband left early this morning for a business trip and although I will miss him, I'm enjoying the quiet and catching up with home chores.  Today is wash day.

I am so happy that we got our gate back up!  The gate was fine but the posts had deteriorated at the bottom of the posts.  My husband and I are both sore and tired but it's done.  Our dog stays in our backyard and no dogs get in!  Yipppeeee

I like autumn roses which are just starting to bloom again:

I'm really enjoying a new season of "Restoring Galveston" on the DIY channel.  The show features a young charming couple who adore saving old houses.  What's not to like about that?

I am grateful for the Covid-19 vaccine.

It has likely saved my niece's life.  She came down with Covid after cutting the hair of an unvaccinated client who chose to go to the salon even though the client knew she was sick.  

So my niece was diagnosed with Covid last week.  When she broke out in oozing sores and began to swell, she was rushed to the hospital.  The Philadelphia doctors hadn't seen symptoms like hers and consulted with some kind of International Association of Covid Doctors and Researchers.  A Covid Dermatologist (who knew?) diagnosed it and relayed that only the most severe cases of Covid produces these kinds of symptoms.  

But here's the great part:  The vaccine did it's job.  She was told by the specialist that she was lucky she had been vaccinated.  She is home with medication, resting and recovering.  That is my biggest relief this week.  God Bless our Doctors and Scientists!

Have a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursdays: September 2, 2021

I have not posted much lately.  Apologies but I was recovering from vertigo.  I'm doing better now.  Today is Thursday and time to post positive things.  Lee Anna is our hostess with the most-ess and if you want to read more happy posts, visit here blog here.

 

I Like Squirrel TV!  Scout and her friend Tinkerbell enjoy this channel more than we do.  Even when it was stifling hot, it provided the dogs with a lot of stimulation and entertainment!

Our neighbors adopted two young kittens.  The kittens have acclimated and are now checking out the world from the safety of the window next door.  This is also very entertaining for Scout who barks at them.  The kittens are unimpressed.  I had a nice photo of the kitties but unfortunately, I can't seem to transfer it to my computer.

I like getting something done in the sewing room.  Once the vertigo eased, I put together an I-Spy quilt top for my neighbor's grandson.  I had a ton of 4 inch squares and decided to make four-patches for later quilts.  Actually I would like to get all my novelty juvenile fabric arranged/cut/sewn for easier quilt top assembly.  I have a few more kids to sew for and I think this will make things easier!

That's it for today.  Hope everyone has made it through the Ida mess okay!

Have a safe and happy day!

I like Thursdays: August 12, 2021

 

These days, my get up and go has got up and gone.  

Maybe you aren't very motivated either.  For me it's just the end of the summer and the time when the garden starts to look sad.  High temps these days aren't helping either.  It's even too hot to work in the sewing room early in the morning.  But today is "I like Thursday" and time to post some positive things.  You can catch other bloggers here at Lee Anna's!

I like evening thunderstorms which makes the heatwave tolerable because I don't have to water numerous times during the day.

I like the new HGTV show, "Cheap Old Houses."  The couple is cute, knowledgeable and as they put it, "simply celebrating old houses."

I like all the fresh produce we are getting these days!  

I like using this uncreative time to organize some of my good junk!

So that's all I have for now.  I know there's more good things I've forgotten but for now, I just wish you a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursdays: August 5, 2021

 

It's "I like Thursday" sponsored by Lee Anna.  Here is what is good in our corner of the world!

I'm so happy I got to see my niece's stepchildren!  It's been over a year.  I was masked up (even though I'm vaccinated and pretty much hibernating).  I got to give Sasha her quilt that I made her!

I had mailed Owen's quilt to him earlier in the year.  Anyway, he appreciated the wooden dinosaurs we got him more!

Scout was sleeping the other week and I burst into laughter!  Is she going Goth on me?  It looks like she is sporting black lipstick!

I haven't been sewing much.  The weather had been good and I've been walking Scout at the park, gardening and reorganizing the house.

I only have two cleomes (the pink flowers) in the back garden this year but I like how they flank the stairs in the garden!

Have a safe and happy day!