THE WEEK IN REVIEW...

This week has flown by in misty blur.  We have had rain, on top of Rain, on top of RAIN...accompanied by ridiculously high temperatures.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the cool day of the coming week.  Round about Wednesday we could have real-feel temps around 104-105 F.  That is unheard of in this area!  To make it worse, it will likely be a muggy heat too, not the beautiful dry heat of the Southwestern part of our country.  This hot and muggy weather has even led to some tornado warnings in our area!

This hasn't been a particularly good week for me health-wise.  After a three day bout of Trigeminal Neuralgia (someone please numb me from the neck up!) I finally got relief from the TN only to be hit with a day long migraine!  I went to my family physician for a routine check up yesterday and told him I have also been having more "all over" pain this past week...without even starting any weaning of my medication (that starts in 2 weeks and I am DREADING it)!  My doctor wisely pointed out our horrendously hot and muggy weather and commented that many of his patients with rheumatologic disorders have been having a particularly hard time of it this week.  Well....DUH...I made the connection between my pain and the weather over a year ago.  I will blame my memory blip on my Fibro fog, lol. 

I have accomplished a few things this past week.  Remember the doodling I mentioned in my last post?  Well, I finished my "doodle", scanned it into my computer and printed it onto some light gray cotton.  I have decided to use it as the centerpiece of a new pillow...sewn with the super fun fabrics of "Happy Go Lucky" from Moda.  Making things even better, a few weeks ago my Dear Hubby threw out a shirt that was wearing out a bit in the cuffs.  I rescued it from the trashcan and just discovered that it is a perfect match to the green and navy in the "Happy Go Lucky" charm pack.  I think the front placket of the shirt will make an adorable back for the pillow.   Dang, I just noticed that the interfacing I used is wrinkled from folding the cotton.  I sure hope it irons out eventually!


My hope is to embroider the design, although I know it is going to take a very, VERY long time working in teeny "steady hand" chunks.  So yesterday I went to JoAnn's and bought a few skeins of embroidery floss in bright and happy colors...red, yellow, orange, green, gray, navy, and aqua.  They were so bright and cheery that I smiled all the way home from the store! 


When I began having problems doing hand sewing I gave away all of my embroidery supplies.  I was going to buy cards to wind my new floss onto and then thought I would look and see if my new Sizzix Big Shot could supply me with something suitable at no further cost.  The Sizzix is my birthday present from Dear Hubby, but he insisted that I begin using it now rather than waiting a month for my birthday.  Cutting shapes with scissors is really problematic sometimes so he wants me to take advantage of the Big Shot.   

I found just what I needed!  My Big Shot came with a free assortment of dies and embossing plates.  I found the PERFECT frame die in the bundle of accessories.  So I tried out my Big Shot to make sure it works (I can now throw away the shipping box) and I made myself cute little embroidery floss cards in the process! See!  Aren't they cute?  I just wish there was a way to have the Sizzix cut the little slits for starting and ending the winding.  Trying to cut those were the PITS.  I had to squeeze my arms against my sides and press my arms on the tabletop to steady myself enough to cut just those little slits.  Phooey!  My tremor has been really BAD this week; typing and texting has been rife with wrong letters and double strikes.  It just KILLS the transcriptionist in me!  To think I used to type 130 words per minute with 98% accuracy.......ugh......those days are definitely GONE.

In better news, a few days ago I was reading the blog, "Jenny of Elefantz" (fabulous blog by the way!).  In one of her posts she mentioned a delicious Irish Tea Bread that she had found on another blog.  So I followed the link and printed out a copy.  On Thursday night I started the raisins and sugar (I reduced it by about a third) soaking in the tea.  Friday morning I only needed to add some flour and one egg and pour the batter into my cast iron bread pans and bake. 

I hate to admit it, but by last night one whole loaf was gone.  Even Dear Hubby liked it!  In all honesty I probably should have only used one pan instead of two as it made rather short loaves.  But, it was FABULOUS. 

I had a piece of the second loaf this morning with my coffee.  The recipe said that the bread gets even better the longer it sits.  Oh yea....it was even yummier this morning!  I am going to try to eat just a skinny little slice with my coffee every morning to try to see at which point "post baking" it reaches its peak taste.  Do we think it will last that long?  Hehehe...I doubt it!  The next time I make it I am going to reduce the sugar even further and maybe even cut back a bit on the raisins.  I have found that most recipes can be adjusted quite a bit before it starts to mess up the end result. 

The other big news around here is that I have gotten my half of our anniversary gift...an IPAD!  I have wanted one that I can use when I am out and about, or when I'm waiting in doctor's offices, etc., and on our vacation every year.  I have been using a Netbook that Dear Hubby won a few years back, but it is not working properly and has a mind of its own...usually losing whatever I am typing or reading!  As it was a very inexpensive, very low end model (hey, what did I expect it was a door prize!) I can't say it owes me one penny.  I have used it long and hard for quite a few years and it has earned its retirement.  Dear Hubby will also be getting some type of tablet for his half of our anniversary gift.  However, as he wants to use his for doing work on our vacations (yes he works every day we are away, lol) and for traveling to the UK for work, he has to wait until the IT Department tells him the exact specs he needs.  They are doing a lot of upgrades and he doesn't want to buy his anniversary gift and then find out it isn't compatible with the specs.  

So, that is my week in a nutshell.  I am sure there are a few other "happenings" that I have forgotten to mention.  Knowing how bad my memory can be, I had intended to keep a running list of things I wanted to tell you.  But, thanks to my lousy memory I forgot to start the list, lol.  Oh well, no big loss.  It's not like I hit the lottery and forgot to mention it!

A SNEAK PEEK (and a request for direction)

Many, many years ago I was very involved in crafting of all types.  I crocheted oodles of handbags, afghans, hats and scarves.  I made enough to keep my family warm twice over!  I also loved to embroider and cross stitch.  I made a glut of tea towels, Christmas decors, framed pieces to hang on the walls, etc.  I doodled constantly (ask my mom about the covers of my school books, lol) and even embroidered some of my doodles!  

Then I grew up, life intervened and, despite loving handwork, my interests changed.  I was a wife, mother and business owner.  Crafting took a back seat to living.   Thinking back over the years I realize that I have not embroidered anything since 1988! WOW!  I can hardly believe it has been 25 years since I have picked up an embroidery needle!

Now that I am retired I have re-discovered my love of handcrafts.  Of course the timing is LOUSY (never let it be said I do things the easy way), given my Essential Tremor and inability to hold a needle most days.   Occasionally, though, I will have a short tremor free period and during those rare instances I have once again picked up a needle...CAREFULLY, lol.  I haven't accomplished very much hand sewing, but...Oh!...the joy in holding a needle and thread once more.

A few days ago, while talking on the phone, I found myself doodling.  As the doodles grew I began to fall in love with the design.  

Maybe it is time to turn my doodles into pretty little stitcheries?  I know it will take months and months and MONTHS to finish this tiny design by hand, but a small voice inside says it is a joy worth attempting....even in teeny, tiny bites (Band-Aids at the ready, lol). 

So, for now I will give you a sneak peek into a creative endeavor that brings back joys of the past and hopes for the future.  Will I ever be able to complete this tiny stitchery?  Only time will tell.  But the excitement of seeing the designs swirling through my head flow onto paper may be all the incentive I need!

Just in case I am unable to hand stitch this design, if anyone out there in Blogland knows how to digitize a drawing to a PES format to use on my Baby Lock....please leave a comment and point me in the right direction to transfer my designs.  I would love to know what is involved in the process.  Thank you!

MY FIRST CHRISTMAS 2013 GIFT IS DONE!

My mom's sewing box is one of those padded boxes, with a handle on each side, that can be used as a footstool.  My Dear Hubby had given it to me years ago and, although I loved it, it was just too bulky for me.  When my grandmother's sewing box finally fell apart last year I offered the footstool type sewing box to my mom.  She loved it and the cute apple pattern it was covered in.  

The day I finished my prototype Collapsible Craft Container my mom and dad happened to be over the house.  They both loved it.  I told my mom that I was going to use it as a thread catcher in my EPP box.  We commiserated on the problem of the tiny pieces of thread never staying where you put them until you eventually tossed only half the amount of threads in the trash...and then spent the rest of the day picking up the tiny runaways!  A light bulb went on above my head (good thing they didn't see it, lol)...I could make one for my mom to match her sewing box!  

About a year ago I received some material from a fellow Freecycler.  I knew I had some scraps of apple material in the mix and was pretty certain the scraps were big enough to cover 1" hexies.   I had just enough of the apple pattern to cover 14 hexies and my mom's Christmas gift started to develop.  

It took quite a few days to complete, but I can now chalk one gift off my list.  Now to find a place to hide it so mom doesn't accidentally see it when she comes into my sewing room, but it is a logical enough location that I can remember my hiding place, lol. 

Five months to go and Christmas planning has finally begun!

MY PROTOTYPE WORKED OUT EVEN BETTER THAN I HAD HOPED !!!!!

SUCCESS!!!  I am just SO excited!!

About 10 days ago I mentioned that I had an idea to solve one of my sewing annoyances and that I had begun to make some more hexies to try to solve the problem. 

I continued making hexies and sewing them together, watching the vision in my head take shape on the table before me.   It took over a week to do the stitching, but I kept at it any time I was able.

Of course I wouldn't know until my prototype was completely finished whether or not my brilliant design would truly work as I had hoped.

Well, I finally finished the stitching and it works BEAUTIFULLY!  I am so happy with how it turned out!  I will soon be making another one as a Christmas gift for my mom, or maybe another one for me before I start hers, (giggle); this time photographing the process and writing up my first pattern as I go along. 

Since this is my first pattern I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to start, but I figure I will learn as I go along.  After all, necessity is the mother of invention and this one ROCKS!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...

Since the clarity I gained yesterday into the REAL meaning of appreciating life, I've been trying really hard to stop and enjoy the mundane experiences in my day. 

When my Dear Dad had lung surgery a short while ago, a sweet relative sent him a gift basket of Wolferman's breads, jam and coffee.  My mom and dad are really more tea people than coffee, so they happily passed the package of coffee on to me.  Hmmm...it is just WONDERFUL coffee and free to me...even better!  So I decided to make myself a cup of coffee, rock in my chair for a while and read a good book.  Slowing down and ENJOYING my day.  I made myself a cup in my Keurig coffee maker, using the "as seen on TV" filter I had purchased a few weeks ago.  I am so glad that I purchased this filter as it allows me to use any type of coffee in my Keurig. 

When I stopped into the grocery store a few Sundays ago for a few "necessities",  I had a coupon for a free bottle of International Delight creamer  I love ID creamer, but don't buy it often because of the sugar content and calories.  Plus, I am, at heart, a black coffee drinker.  At checkout the cashier read the coupon wrong and told me I couldn't use it to get the creamer free.  Not wanting to hold up the line I told her to just ring it up normally.  I was going to keep it in the fridge for when my mom comes to visit, but decided that I needed a bit of pampering with my coffee yesterday.  Mmmmm... it is just SO good!  I checked the coupon out with my son and it was an error on the cashier's part.  So next time I am in a store I will pick up a FREE creamer for my mom.

This is the coffee mug I use all the time.  My Dear Hubby bought it for me a few months back.  It keeps the coffee or tea (or even cold drinks) at temperature for HOURS.  But the best part is that the drinking opening on the lid doesn't open unless the blue button is depressed.  Perfect for me now that the tremors are progressing.  No more worries about dropping the mug and spilling hot coffee all over myself.  Of course, my Dear Sweet Hubby was thinking of a way to make my life easier.  He is ALWAYS thinking of me...and I love him for being so caring.  I couldn't have a better husband!

Yesterday I had a short period of steady hands, so I used the time to work on my hexie project prototype.  The steadiness didn't last long, but I got a few inches of hand sewing done with only ONE Band-Aid needed.  I can take a hint...it was time to stop, lol. 

Around 3:00 yesterday afternoon I was reading my book, rocking away in my favorite chair.  I got up to walk to the bathroom and the amusement ride started.  My vertigo kicked in with a vengeance.  I grabbed the table for support and eased myself back into the chair.  The spinning quickly subsided.  But, I was left sick to my stomach, incredibly weak and sweaty.  For 10 minutes I sat in the chair hoping I would feel better.  If anything I was feeling worse.  For the first time it hit me that I am ALONE in my home.  My Dear Hubby works an hour away in a different state, my Dear Dad has had a complication from his cataract surgery and can't drive until they do a follow up laser on Monday, my Dear Aunt was 20 minutes away at work and my Dear Son J is 5 minutes away at work!  

So I tried to think logically and prepare myself for any eventuality.  I had worked in the medical field for over 30 years before I retired, had been a CPR instructor and still have, to this day, a pretty good handle on medicine in general.  I grabbed my purse that contains my identification, insurance information and list of medicines and slowly walked down the steps.  As I passed the front door I opened it, just in case I had to call 911 (My first call to 911 was when J was only 5 years old and we were home alone...he handled it like a pro!).  I grabbed a bottle of water as I passed the kitchen, sat down in the recliner and raised the legs.  

J gets out of work at 3:30 so I texted him and asked him to please come straight here when he got out of work as I was feeling horrible.  All of my life I have had problems with my blood pressure dropping too low so I asked him to grab a bag of potato chips on the way out of the store.  At 3:45 he flew in the front door.  Besides being my wonderful and caring son with a bright head on his shoulders, he has taken the courses to prepare for the Emergency Medical Technician certification.  Unfortunately, due to an injury on the job, his "preceptor" was unable to finish J's "live call" requirement and J could not sit for the exam.  The process has since been changed to prevent such an occurrence from happening again!  Even if not certified, he has a pool of EMT knowledge to pull from.  He said I was white as a ghost and he went upstairs to get my BP cuff (darn, I didn't remember everything, lol).  Long story short, after eating half a bag of chips and drinking water my color came back, I was able to walk around again and J headed home to his fiance.  I am SO thankful for my wonderful, loving and caring son.

And yes...you read that right!  FIANCE (or is it fiancee?).  That is the exciting news I have been dying to share!!!!  I had to wait until the whole family knew just in case someone read it.  Either way, fiance or fiancee, it's the same...they are officially engaged!  I am so thankful to be getting a warm, wonderful, caring daughter.  Welcome to the family, K!  Oh, her ring is just LOVELY...J has good taste!  Guess he got that from his MOM, lol. 

 

This morning I had about an hour of steady hands so I got a bit more work done on my prototype.  After the second stick I decided to call it quits before I bled all over, lol.  I'm now heading to my rocker to continue reading the first book in the Elm Creek series by Jennifer Chiaverini.  Dear Hubby has an appointment with a new Orthopaedic Surgeon today so he will be home from work shortly after lunch.  Please keep him in your thoughts.  We need to get to the bottom of his problem and FIX IT.  The pain is causing him to miss out on too much of life.  

I'm off to rock and read, thankful for my family, friends, life and love.  I am truly blessed...

SLOWING DOWN TO SMELL THE ROSES...GOD'S GOT MY BACK

This morning, as usual, I stopped by to read the wonderfully crafty, hooky, idyllic blog of Lucy at Attic24.  What struck me most today was the joy she obviously felt in the tiny bits and pieces of life that she so beautifully documented on her blog.  She truly was taking time to stop and smell the roses!  Her post highlighted for me the stark difference between savoring life and simply rushing through it!  Even though I have to take things VERY slowly some days because my body simply won't cooperate, I can honestly say that my mind is still in go-Go-GO! mode.  I'm still ruminating over the thousands of things I need or want to do...and getting more and more frustrated by my inability to do it right then and there.  My ToDo list is longer than my right arm; and when I CAN accomplish something I'm rushing through it to get on to the next thing on the list.  SUCH A WASTE!!!

God gave me 52+ (so far, hopefully more) years on this beautiful earth and I have spent SO much of my life just whizzing through it without taking the time to really and truthfully APPRECIATE each little nuance of life and love that surrounds me.  SHAME ON ME!!!

I am vowing right here and now to SLOW DOWN AND SMELL THE ROSES AND BE TRULY THANKFUL FOR THE INCREDIBLE LIFE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN!!!!!!!!  I'm my own worst enemy manufacturing my own ridiculous and miniscule list of things to worry and fret about.  No need!  I learned years ago during a life threatening health crisis to just "let go, let GOD"...and I have done pretty well in turning that aspect of my life and worries over to HIM.  But God is there for each and every aspect of my life and in Him I should have NO worries. 

So...Thank You, Lord God, for having my back.

It's time to SAVOR my life...

I SPLURGED!....BUT OMG THE SCORE!

 

Yesterday was the monthly sale at my favorite thrift shop.  I was spending the day with my mom and dad, so I asked if they would mind if we did a quick run through one of the 5 storefronts that make up the thrift shop.  Mom and Dad were more than eager.  

Within the first 5 feet into the shop we hit a WALL of people, but my mom and I started spotting "treasures" right away.  I knew how to navigate this sale as I have done it twice in the past.  Mom was trying to casually browse around while I made a bee-line for the sewing/crafting area.  The technique is grab first...decide second, lol!  If you wait even 5 minutes to decide if something fits your needs, there is a really good chance it will have already flown off the shelf.  The store had only been open for 30 minutes and the line reached the back wall and people's carts were overflowing.  

I had only grabbed a shopping basket and quickly realized my mistake.  

At the back of the store, in the overlap of the crafting and storage sections I spotted a portion of a small black "cubbie" organizer.  I had to wait for the man in front of me to finish gathering his items before I could grab madly for the cabinet.  Oh, PLEASE, don't let him want that little chest.  Fortunately he had focused on an old electrician's tool box.  Phew...that was close!

With both hands I reached out for the little cabinet.  Visions of the State Farm commercial flashed through my head.  "Hello, beautiful!".  I picked it up and was AMAZED at the weight and construction!  It was marked $14.50 but I am sure sold for MUCH more in a regular store.  Even better, there was a second cabinet behind it!  Unfortunately that cabinet was marked at $9.50 because it was missing a drawer pull.  No matter, I was sure I could find one somewhere.  I quickly handed one cabinet to my dad and I carried the other as we stepped into line.  After moving only a few feet my dad said, "There's another up there!".  I grabbed the intact cabinet off of the shelf and slid the damaged cabinet into it's place.  SCORE. 

My dad and I continued inching forward while my mom "browsed" around the aisles we had zoomed right on by.  

 

Within just a few minutes my mom was weaving her way back to us, something shiny silver cradled in her arms.  "Look!  Isn't this nice?"  OMG, it was a shiny chrome kitchen scale!!!!!  I had been wanting a new kitchen scale to replace my crappy plastic one for AGES, but had been unwilling to spend the $50 it would cost to make one mine.  The cost of this one....drum roll please...$12.50....and it WORKS!

We had only moved past one more aisle when I spotted the side of another black cubbie.  Could it be?  I handed Dad my second one and pulled the third one off the shelf.  I was back in line debating with myself whether I had enough cash on me to even buy three cabinets when the lady next to me chimed in.  "Today's the big sale.  Remember?  Everything is half price!"  OMG, how could I have forgotten???  I was just so overwhelmed with the fabulous items I had found at such wonderful prices that I totally forgot the reason for the crowds!  

At check out the woman asked me if I needed any more of the little cabinets.  She had just put out a few and had more in the back.  Wow, they may have been a close out item donated by a larger retail store!  For a moment my heart skipped a beat and I almost said yes.  But, as I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to use them...picking up any more would have been greedy!  Happily I paid my money and wove my way out of the store. (Of course I am STILL questioning the wisdom of leaving cabinets behind!)

So, my "quick run through the thrift shop" led to my biggest thrifting score to date.  Fifty-six dollars worth of treasures (that I KNOW sold for at least double that amount retail!) for a mere $28 dollars.  While the cubbies aren't perfect, they are incredibly heavy and beautifully made...and the imperfections are nothing that a little soap and water and permanent black marker won't fix.  And my scale, well it is just perfect the way it is.  Heavy, well crafted, accurate and shiny, shiny, SHINY, lol.  Of course, I have to cut the tag off....but then again maybe I will leave it on for a while as a reminder of my greatest score yet!

And, talking about GREAT....some exciting news is soon to be shared!  Stay tuned....