I Like Thursdays: January 12, 2023

 Happy Thursday!

Today is the day bloggers post what they like for the week as part of "I like Thursdays" hosted by Lee Anna.  Be sure to visit her blog at Not Afraid of Color for more happy news!

The first good news is that a man was rescued in our city yesterday.  The first clue that was something was wrong was the helicopters circling our area.  Apparently two contractors were working on a water line when the trench collapsed.  One man was freed right away, the other man was freed after 8 hours.  The helicopters were from the local and Philadelphia news crews.  We are all relieved the man made it out and wish him a speedy recovery!

My husband is back to work and now in Texas.  Scout and I are taking advantage of the quiet time and sewing up a storm.  I'm learning to find different ways to do things and not hurt my aching hands.  This week I finished two quilts for the kids by applying all the binding by machine.  I don't like to do this and I'm not great at it but I want to get these done for the little ones in our family.

TV is improved this week.  All Creatures Great and Small is back on PBS and I'm enjoying the new episodes of Maine Cabin Masters and Hometown.

Our prompt for this week's blog post is do we use calendars?  Yes but as the years have gone on, I'm down to one calendar that is hung on the refrigerator.  It's an easy referral for us and my husband can remember where the calendar is!

Best of all, we've had good weather this month.  Scout and I are walking more and hopefully will lose some of the weight we gained the last few weeks!

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I like Thursdays: January 5, 2023

 

Well it's Thursday and time to post the good in life!  "I like Thursdays" is hosted by Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color.  Be sure to visit her and see what other positive things bloggers are sharing!

I'm so grateful the holidays are over and calm resumes!  The weather has been good this past week and we've gotten lots of walks in with the dog.  I'm so grateful we are not dealing with the more inclement weather around the western part of the country.

It's been a busy week but yesterday I took mom to the doctor's and she got a fairly good bill of health.  She needs to have one infusion to increase her iron but other than that, she's doing well!  That's always a blessing!

This week's prompt is: "Is there a class you'd like to take? What would you learn or do in this class? Is there a person you'd like to study with?"

Actually, no.  I do love learning but I'm at a point at my life when my free (aka sewing) time is so infrequent that I don't wish to take on any other responsibilities, much less a class.  

I'm always learning and always curious.  My grandfather once told me, "You don't go to college to learn the answers.  You go to college to learn how to find the answers."  

I actually love researching and self-learning at this point whether it be mundane (when was wrapping paper invented: 1917) or important (current events).

Anyway, that is my answer to the prompt.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Happy New Year!

 

I like Thursdays: December 29, 2022

 

Today is "I like Thursdays" and time to post what is positive in life.  For more happy energy, visit Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color to see what bloggers have posted!

This week's likes:

Katie is engaged!  We are very close with our neighbors and learning that Katie got engaged is thrilling.  We've loved her grow since the day she was born and she often was over her playing with our granddaughter or doing crafts when they were kids.

Katie got engaged the Sunday before Christmas.  We are thrilled for her!  She met her fiancee in college.  He was ROTC and is now doing his time in the U.S. Army.  He's a very nice young man and we always know when he's come to visit because of the huge smile on Katie's face.  Congratulations Katie!

Well no one came home for Christmas (just like the rest of the population) because of the weather.  But we did chat with everyone and my husband, mom, and I had a nice dinner together.  The highlight is the new baby in the family, my great-niece Remi.

This year we didn't know what to get her or her big brother Owen (now 5).  Owen was diagnosed with severe allergies earlier this year and he can't have any kind of pet.  Remi loves cats (she sees her grandmother's cat) and we decided to get the kids robotic pets.  These are the kinds that are often given to dementia patients but it is a good substitute for Owen.

Owen loves dog!

Remi loves her kitty!

And then...Maggie sent me a video with the message:  "Good thing we don't have pets!"

Remi was sitting in between the cat and the dog.  When the cat meowed, she began yelling at the dog and even walloped the poor toy a few times.  She was a wild child!  But then the puppy toy barked---and Remi attacked the kitten toy.  She's hysterical and no one really knows what was going on in her head.

So the kids as usual made the holiday complete and gave us all something to laugh at!

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year's!

Merry Christmas 2022

 

Scout and I wish you the happiest of holidays!

We also wish you warmth and electricity!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

I like Thursdays: December 22, 2022

 

Happy Thursday!

It's "I like Thursdays" and time to celebrate the good in life by posting what we like!  You can visit LeeAnna's website and see all the bloggers participating.  It's a good pick-me-up this week!

I like good books.  This past week, I finished Jennifer Ryan's The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle and Jojo Moyes, The Giver of Stars.  Both were interesting and satisfying books to read.

It's the time of year when hearty food is welcome and I enjoyed making Lasagna with Barilla's No Boil Lasagna noodles.  I'll never go back to using the boiled noodles again.  The recipe we used is here in case you want to try it!

Last week, my hubby and I went to visit my aunt and uncle.  My uncle is just a few years older than me and was more of a big brother throughout my life.  I gave them Brett's cat quilt I had made for him (they are his grandparents).  They will see him over the holidays and make sure it gets delivered.  I might have mentioned Brett's quilt before.  He's 10 and loves cats, stating that he'll not marry but buy a house and fill it with cats!😂😂😂  

I don't have a good photo of the quilt because it's so dark these days but here's what I could photograph:

Today's prompt is about holiday traditions.  I had already written a piece for today about this on my Pennsylvania Piecemaker blog.  You can read it here.

I am so blessed to be a part of the blogging community and am so grateful for that today as well.  I love reading friends' blogs and getting to know the reader of my blogs.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

Merry Christmas!

I Like Thursdays: December 15, 2022

 

It's "I like Thursday" and time to share some positive thoughts!

This week our prompt is to share favorite holiday music.  My favorite song this time of year is "Silent Night" and I love the way the Manhattan Transfer do this song because there are children singing with them.  You can hear it here.  Hearing children this time of year really just makes my heart sing.   I love all different kinds of holiday music but this old standard still means the most to me.

What is good and happy this week?  Well today we are getting some snow but are not expecting a lot of accumulation (supposed to change to rain by later today).

I like pierogies!

Last week, Brad and I found sauerkraut pierogies at our Farmers Market.  My first MIL used to make pierogies at home and also for the Ukrainian church (the church sold them).  The ones we bought were superb and Brad and I are going to stock up on them.  Most people are used to the potato/cheese version of these but believe me, the sauerkraut ones are fantastic!

Speaking of food, last week I mentioned that I love gingerbread cookies.  I can't do cut-out cookies with my hand yet but I have found Archway's gingerbread cookies and they are wonderful!

For the hubby, I made chocolate chip cookies on Wednesday.  He cracks me up.  On Tuesday I set butter on the counter to soften.  He asked me what they were for and I told him Toll House cookies.  When we went to the store, he declined to get any sweets, "I'm getting cookies."  Later on Tuesday, he asked me quizzically when I would start the baking.  He tried to play it cool but was clearly disappointed when I said the dough wouldn't be ready until the following day.  

On Wednesday, his patience seemed thin.  "What are you doing?" he asked as I sewed in the attic.  "I'm sewing."  "Oh I was just wondering," he said nonchalantly (oh yeh right).  I figured I best start the cookies and took a sewing break.  Even as the oven was pre-heating, he came into the kitchen.  "Where are the cookies?"  I guess I could have been annoyed by all this but I just found it amusing as all heck.  At least he loves my baking!

On the sewing front, I'm still whittling down scraps.  I'm finding this very satisfying.  I finished all my square in a square blocks for kids' quilts--264 blocks which will make 8 or 9 kids' quilts (and a good thing to judging by the number of kids I'm sewing for!). 

Now I'm working on Christmas scraps--2.5 inch squares from Christmas quilts of long ago.  I thought it was mostly scraps from 2 holiday quilts I made recently but I'm finding I have scraps that go back to the 1980s!  I want to make 16 patches with them eventually. 

The scrap table that I set up before surgery is getting clearer.  Last week I showed you this photo.  Now some of those containers are completely empty!  Whoo-hoo!  Good thing too because I need the space for the holiday scraps!

Scout is really funny these days and I wrote about her antics on my other blog last Friday.  You can read it here.

So that is our quiet life.  Wishing you a safe and peaceful weekend!

I Like Thursdays: December 8, 2022

 

Happy Thursday!  On Thursdays, many of us bloggers celebrate the good in life by posting "I Like Thursdays" and expressing gratitude, merriment, or just good vibes.  If you need more of that in your life, be sure to visit our hostess LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more posts!

I like laughing!

My husband and I often make each other laugh.  He recently sent me this meme.  I'm so guilty of this:

We don't often drive at night anymore but during the day, we often talk about the deflated inflatable holiday decorations on people's lawns.  Then I found this hilarious meme:

Miss Scout makes me giggle because she is so transparent.  Whenever I bind a quilt, I always have a little companion vying for my attention.  She even leaves gifts on my quilt:

And if I continue to bind the quilt, she shows me how loud her gift can squeak!

Tuesday evening, our quilt guild had our yearly pot luck dinner.  It had been planned that we would play bingo as the program but a last minute change occurred and instead a group of 10 women from the Lehigh Valley Chorus came in and sang holiday songs for us, it was...magical.  

I do like the programs that are offered at guild but I love most of all the comradery of the members; it was a perfect evening!

This week's prompt is on our favorite holiday cookies!  It doesn't matter the wide variety of cookies I've made, the first one folks in my family reach for are chocolate chips.  I long ago realized that all men love this flavor cookie and it's the recipe I've memorized the most.  My personal favorite is gingerbread cookies--using Mrs. Field's Cookie Book recipe.  I haven't made them in years because I'm the one who ends up eating them :D

I started physical therapy Monday for my hand.  It's healing but I still can't make a fist and it is often uncomfortable.  The therapist assured me this is normal.  Still I like having something I can do right now and I'm working away on quilt blocks for children's quilts.  I especially like making progress on scraps! 

 I've gone from this:

To this:

And have over 200 blocks done!

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Stay warm!

I like Thursdays: December 1, 2022

I can't believe it is December already!

Today is "I like Thursdays" and time to share positive things on the internet!  Hosted by Lee Anna at Not Afraid of Color, please visit her website and fill your happiness cup with all the blogs that participate!

I love my baby.  She's been very patient during my hand recovery.  Fortunately hubby's doing some walks but not as many as she and I normally take.  I do take her to visit her friend Tinkerbell each evening.  Both picky eaters, the dogs actually eat when they are together; I'm sure it's some sort of competitive thing.  Scout and I headed home one evening and Scout stopped at a tree.  The squirrels were screeching and I looked up and saw a cat in the tree.  The cat seemed quite content as it annoyed the squirrels. But eventually it tired of Scout sniffing the bottom of the tree and arched it's back so we retreated.  I didn't need Scout getting attacked by a feral cat.

I'm so grateful my hand surgery went well.  It's going to take a little longer to heal than I expected and I do need physical therapy (still can't make a fist).  

Happily, my husband is home to help.  I am grateful that I was warned about some of the challenges of the surgery by my friend who underwent the surgery in September.  

I cut tons of fabric for projects beforehand (I knew that would be one task I wasn't capable of afterwards).  Whenever the spirit moves me, I head up to the sewing room and assemble some square in a square blocks for kids' quilts down the line.  

Our prompt for this week's post is favorite holiday movies.  I don't really have a favorite but I enjoyed watching my Dad watch "A Christmas Story" written and narrated by Jean Shepherd.  I can still hear him laugh while he watched the movie.  My Dad was a big Jean Shepherd fan from way back when Shepherd did radio shows.  

In a weird twist of fate, one of the older vets and I got in a discussion of favorite books while he was caring for Scout.  He recommended I read Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters.  He too remembers how much his Dad loved Jean Shepherd and recommended Shepherd's book.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!