SEW-SEW? or SO-SO? SUNDAY!

I'm starting my Sew Sew Sunday a little early...as in Saturday at 8:45 PM, lol.  I won't be finishing the post today, so by the time it hits my blog....the title will fit!

After our usual Saturday morning "breakfast date", Dear Hubby and I took a quick run by my favorite thrift store.  I am planning a "weekly" browse through the store in search of yarn.  I am trying to match the skeins I have used thus far in my guest room blanket.  Since I am determined to supply ALL of the needed yarn at thrift store prices, I know that an exact match isn't very likely. 

But, I lucked out today and found a skein of yellow that is fairly close (it is brighter in real life...the flash seems to have washed it out) and a purple that is pretty darn close, too (also washed out). 

I feel certain that with the intervening stripes between like colors, the tones will seem an even better match.  This is, after all, a utilitarian blanket to be used for warmth! Yes, I want it to go with the existing room decor and "look pretty", but my taste is running more toward "ecclectic" than "matchy-matchy" these days, anyway.  Lucky for me!

I was also searching for a light for the dark corner of our family room.  We have had our current reclining sofa and loveseat combo for seven years now.  Over this time Dear Hubby, J and I have staked out our favorite spots.  One recliner, the left half of the loveseat when facing it, has been typically neglected.  Last weekend I happened to plop myself down in that recliner because Dear Hubby was sitting in MY favorite spot watching TV (amazing the habits we form, lol).  I placed my ice water and bowl of popcorn on the pull down "bar" unit that stands right next to the loveseat, and began to work on my crocheting. 

My duffel bag full of yarn sat conveniently next to me on the other half of the loveseat.  Eureka!  I discovered that the least used seat in the house was the perfect spot for me to simultaneously watch TV with the hubs and work on my blanket!  Everything just felt "right", like an evening scene from Little House...and I imagine I will have even more of a "warm and fuzzy" feeling come winter when we are once again using the fireplace!  There was only one deterrent to claiming the loveseat as my own...there is absolutely NO light in that corner of the family room! 

So, I started my thrift store treasure hunt in the furnishing department where I found the perfect solution to the darkness...a small silver "clip on" lamp, in perfect condition, with a clip that opened wide enough to fit onto one of the wall unit shelves.  At $8 I considered it a steal!  We stopped at Lowes and picked up a 60 watt bulb and my Dear Hubby clipped the lamp to the shelf and, while I sat with my hands at "crocheting height", adjusted the angle of the light to fall right on my handiwork.  He is SUCH a sweetie! Think I'll keep him for the next 100 years or so! 

I'm getting tired so I am off to hit the hay.....

ZZZZzzzzzzzz......

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!  It is a GORGEOUS sunny day here in southeastern Pennsylvania!  The sun is shining brightly, giving me lots and LOTS of incentive.  I woke up at 7:00, took my meds and then headed into the bathroom with a brand new cleaning chemical in hand.  Our shower doors are the PITS.  I absolutely HATE them, but we don't have the money to redo the bathroom yet, and I don't want to replace the doors only to have to redo them again in a couple of years when we refurbish the whole bathroom. 

I was listening to Glenn Haege (The Master Handyman) on the radio and someone called to ask what to use on shower doors.  He recommended "The Works". 

Unfortunately it can't be used on tile, but since my big bug-a-boo is the shower doors, I don't mind.  I have NEVER in all of my married life seen such incredible results.  "The Works" does EXACTLY what it says it will do!  When was the last time an advertisement actually came through on its claims? This COULD be a once in the lifetime event!!!!!!  Next weekend I will hopefully find chemicals to tackle the toilet and floor. 

After washing the shower doors I started the laundry and headed into my sewing room to check my emails and do some more crocheting on Dear Hubby's slippers.  To say I am frustrated is an understatement!  I finished one slipper in Myrtle Beach, intending to finish the second one once we got home.  However, I can't find the instructions ANYWHERE!  I am assuming they are lost...along with the receipt from my mom's Mother's Day present, which was purchased while we were on vacation!  I guess my final "walkthrough" of the condo before I went to the desk to check out wasn't as thorough as I thought! 

 

 I have been attempting to "copy" the increases and decreases I used to get a good fit on the completed slipper.  Considering I have just begun crocheting again after a hiatus of some 25+ years...I'm not GOOD enough to fake it without instructions!  Obviously, my photographic endeavors could use some more work too.  The slippers look like a big, black ugly BLOB.  Wait...they look that way in real life too!  Hopefully you can't see my one thousand mistakes!  Dear Hubby tried them on last night and said the heel on the second slipper was too loose and didn't come up high enough.  I will add another row or two with some decreasing and hope it does the job.  If not, I may just unravel both sippers and search for another pattern!  A simple pair of slippers should NOT cause such consternation!

After I am finished the laundry I will take a quick shower and head to the grocery store.  Yes, you read that right...I'm heading to the grocery store, ALONE!  I am only going for a few absolute necessities, some needed for our dinner tonight.  Dear Hubby and I had intended to do the shopping yesterday (he bends and reaches and loads and unloads), but after a few errands we both hurt too badly to walk the grocery store.  We have been trying to use up what is in the house and have not really grocery shopped in weeks and weeks...over a month or two I am sure.  Now I am COMPLETELY out of the basics... milk, bread, eggs, cheese, margarine, cereal, yogurt, etc.  OUT, as in not even one in the house!  I am planning on hamburgers cooked on my Cuisinart (the BBQ grill has not been put outside yet) for dinner, corn on the cob and potato salad.   Not easy to make the meal without rolls, cheese, margarine or butter for the corn and potato salad!  And the bananas, strawberries and blueberries I picked up at the farmers market yesterday can't be made into smoothies without milk and yogurt!  So shopping today is a necessity.  Dear Hubby is working IN the office today...so I am stuck going alone.  J is working today so maybe he can arrange for a cart boy to help me get the stuff into my car.  Oh to be healthy again!!!!!!!!  By the time I have done the shower doors, 3 loads of laundry and shopped for the essentials I will probably be in too much pain to cook! 

I was really hoping to get more sewing done on my guest room quilt, but sometimes wants have to be superseded by needs.  Maybe later tonight I can make some headway...

VACATION...

Dear Hubby and I arrived at our seaside vacation destination on Wednesday evening, May 1st. 

It was a dreary evening, with occasional "spritzzles" (our word for something a little more than "spitting", but less than "drizzling").  Even the outdoor pool area was totally empty, quite unusual!  But, we were in North Myrtle Beach...and therefore ALL was right with our world, lol.  Before we even bothered going to the condo to check in, we headed to Walmart and did a quick food shop, purchasing cereal, milk and some munchies.  We then checked in and, after putting the food away, had a quick bite to eat at the condo restaurant.  As soon as we got back to the condo we headed for bed.  We were BOTH totally exhausted. 

For this vacation we rented a one bedroom condo as we were only staying for 10 nights.  The bedroom had a wonderful king sized bed.  The blue pillows are our pillows from home.  We learned the hard way that sleeping on "uncomfortable" pillows for anything over a couple of nights could make for some grumpy mornings.  The tubing you see on both night tables are our CPAP machines.  Yes, we take them with us when we travel.  Heck, we even use them for quick naps during the day.  My doctor calls me the "poster child" for CPAP usage, lol.  One of the things I missed in this smaller condo was a bedroom balcony.  The two and three bedroom units have balconies off the living room and master bedroom.  We usually leave the balcony sliding door cracked so that we can fall asleep with the sounds of the ocean.  I missed the ocean sounds!

The condo bathroom was pretty much "the usual".  This condo only had one bathroom, accessible from the hall.  The two and three bedroom condos have master bathrooms and hall bathrooms.  Again, nice when it is more than just two people staying there.

 

All of the condos have stacked washers and dryers by Bosch.  They are nice in that there is no "vent"to have to worry about clogging and causing fires.  At one point in time I understood how it works (something having to do with condensation), but I have forgotten the particulars.  As long as my clothing is clean and dry I'm happy!  We only bring 3 days worth of clothing in our suitcase and I do laundry several times during our vacations.  Doing laundry with the ocean in the background is relaxing!

Ah, the kitchen...  My biggest complaint about this condo.  There is NO counter space at all.  The cabinets are all filled with the kitchen supplies such as dishes, glasses, pots and pans, small appliances, etc. leaving absolutely NO room to store food, and the small counter top is almost completely occupied by the coffee maker so there is absolutely NO prep room.  When we stay for two weeks I do cook meals in the two bedroom condo to keep our costs down.  I couldn't do that in this condo.  It was difficult just readying our cereal, juice and coffee in the morning!

 

 

 

The  living room area was pretty much as expected.  It had a sofa, chair, two end tables with lamps, a coffee table, a dresser, a TV, VCR/DVD player and a table and four chairs.  The sofa was a sleeper sofa. 

For extra sleeping capacity the room also had a "murphy" pull-down wall bed.   Since we had no intention of using it, we moved the table and chairs to that side of the room so we could watch the news and vacation channel while playing on the computer.  Dear hubby spent every morning going through his work emails and handling emergencies.  Yes, he was on vacation...but dealing with tons of emails and emergencies on vacation is better for him than having it all hit him the first day back to work. 

So, all in all the condo was "nice", but it definitely lacked in the kitchen area!  Our next vacation in November will probably also be in the one bedroom condo since we will only be going for 10 nights again.  In 2014 we will probably spend two weeks in a 2 bedroom condo.  

Up until Monday the weather was really dreary and drizzly and "spritzzley"!  Since the weather wasn't too nice we spent most of the day in the condo.  Dear Hubby spent his time reading or watching TV. 

I spent my time working on crocheting a pair of slippers for him, or crocheting a bobble afghan for our guest room.

After a few so-so days the sun finally showed its face.  What a beautiful day it was!  Lots more people on the beach and a few people by the pool!

 

I spent lots of relaxing time...water or wine in hand, crocheting on the balcony.  Heaven!  

 

Dear sweet hubby took me to a local yarn store to pick up some stitch markers and a stitch counter you wear on your finger.  It definitely made things easier!  He also took me to my favorite quilting store, but those purchases will be in a separate post.

Ahhhhh....sunset at the beach!  The best vantage point is on the "city" side of the building and since we are only in a one bedroom we didn't have a room with that view.  But the slight pinkish sky on our side of the building was pretty anyway! 

I can't wait for our next trip back to North Myrtle Beach!!!