What I'm up to.

Normally,  I show you the progress I've made on Nora's stocking on Thursday's and I did make some progress but it's slow going right now as I have lots of blending filament to curse at (oops I mean work with.)  Besides, I left it in the studio and I'm too lazy to go down and get it.

I did get a notebook set up for the Splendid Sampler and for the 365Challenge Sampler.  I'm not sure about either of these projects.  The Splendid Sampler has a lot of embroidery and a lot of appliqué.  I can do needle turn appliqué but today's block has three gulls the largest of which is about 3 inches wing tip to wing tip and maybe 1/2 inch in width-I'm not that good.  The designer uses fusible and then stitches it down with the machine-I've tried that without much success. These are 6 inch blocks!  I made the decision to just not do the blocks I felt were beyond me.  I did work on prepping pieces for a block tonight.  The 365 Challenge is one block a day, some are 3 inch, some 6 inch and its says there are a few 12 inch blocks.  There are MANY little pieces in some of those blocks!  My biggest issue there is that I don't know what colors to use.  I had thought I'd do turquoise and brown so I could use it in Ceili but there really isn't enough variation in shading of turquoise to meet the plan.  So at this point I'm printing off the patterns, we'll see.

Otherwise, I had a luncheon today and then the afternoon working on Maps in the Mattes collection at the Trails Museum.  Had to quit a bit early as I needed a magnifying glass and couldn't find one-will need to take one of mine up next week.  I'm halfway through the second drawer, just identifying what is there.  I think I have 5 or 6 more drawers of that to do.  Then I'll sort-some of the folders contain materials that are not oversize so they will need integrating into the boxes.  After that's done, I'll input each piece into the computer followed by the code OS.  Maybe I'll finish that this year!
Tomorrow the truck has an appointment with the mechanic for routine stuff, after that I might go look at Berninas.  Who knows what mischief I'll get up to instead of doing what I'm supposed to do!

Design wall Monday-Not!

This should be a Design Wall post.  However, there is nothing on my design wall!  No point in a photo of a blank white wall.  I did get my sewing machine back last Thursday but between getting caught up on sleep and catching up on three weeks of housework there hasn't been much done on the machine.  I should finish the Raggy block tops tomorrow though, if I'm not too tired.

It snowed on Easter!  Today it was warm enough to leave the door open for Quinn to go in and out.  Don't like the weather in Missouri wait a bit-it'll change!

Three nights now without sleep disturbed by pain or requiring pain meds!  I think it'll be a few more nights before I can say I've bought up on my sleep!  Sleep brought on by drugs just isn't as restful.  That said I'm going to go make up my bed with clean sheets and get in it!

Spring Break with the Boys! (Long Post)

This past week Brayden and Kolby were out of school for Spring Break-

Granna time!

On Monday they had Doctor's appointments so we didn't get together until lunch!

Brayden's favorite place to eat is LaFuentes Mexican and we hadn't been for a good

long while so off we went.  Both boys love their Spanish rice.  (So much that I now buy it when we are having Mexican at home.)

After lunch we headed out to the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure at Fleming Park I wrote about it here.

Everything is so green now especially when compared to the last time I was out here!

Usually the bison stay congregated in the area closest to the parking lot.

They know that people in cars usually bring food! 

Not being foolish critters they like apples and carrots better than grass!  

We did have a couple follow us along the fence-we named them Bruiser and Bob- hoping for a handout.

Now, they are wandering all about the enclosure eating spring grass. They stay close together as herd animals do but I could imagine how they must have looked spread on the prairie.

We walked around the enclosure but not all the way-it's a long walk.

The boys tried to climb every tree we came to!  They really just lack a foot in height to manage it but they did make it up in the crotch of this one.

 Kolby!

Brayden!

Not long after that we met up with Beth (Mommy) and all retreated to their own houses.

Granna being very tired.

Tuesday was another warm day so after hanging at my house until lunch, tomato soup and saltines.

(Don't ask me why but these two love Campbell's tomato soup at my house-won't eat it for their mom!  It may possibly have to do with the saltines.)

We headed to a park with playground equipment. 

 There is a big one in Lees Summit with a giant spider web, zip line etc so we went there.

It was busy, not so busy that we couldn't find a parking place but pretty busy.

Brayden doesn't really like to play when there are tons of kids around, Kolby doesn't much care.

Brayden came and sat by me (mostly to try and get me to haul Kolby off the equipment and go) while we waited for Kolby to be ready to go.

I think I bribed him with ice cream!

Baskin-Robbins!

Then I took them to their house as we were close by and they played with electronic games until Beth and Ethan got home.

Wednesday.  Not only did I have The two big boys, I had requested Ethan as well.  I had planned to take them to a puppet show but tickets were not available so instead we went to the ZOO!

The Kansas City Zoo is a big sprawling place and we didn't get around to everything.

One area is devoted to each of the continents-so Africa, Asia, Australia, etc.

We visited the Orangutans first then the Tigers (go MIZ-ZOU, tiger is sponsored by the UNI)

Then we went to Australia (New Zealand, New Guinea).  In the Aviary we saw a Cocatoo doing pull-ups on a tree branch-big show off!  Then it was singing dogs, wallabies and then the big event the red Kangaroos!  I think the zoo has about 20 and they are sort of free roaming within the exhibit.  Probably the thing we will remember from the trip was this

Boxing kangaroos!  And not even a cartoon!

One thing about these boys, if there's a rock they climb on it, if there's a pole they swing on it always on the move!

After about 5 hours we went home,  tired!

On Thursday the big boys and I just hung out at my house, had McDonalds for lunch, and waited for Mommy to pick them up. 

They were excited as they were going camping!

I was so tired. Tired clear to my bones!

  So much activity that my nerve issue acted up at night.

While that sciatica pain is much, much better it is still hanging around and interfering with life (especially sleep.) 

 Yesterday, I did the zen with the couch thing and lay like broccoli!

 Went to bed early, slept better.  

Today, I feel better but could still take a nap!

Thursday's Cross-stitch Update

I haven't spent much time with this this past week as I've had the boys,

 and we've been out and about (I'll write about that tomorrow) and I've been tired at night. 

 I don't cross-stitch when I'm tired-I have to un-stitch too much the next day!

I did finish the little mouse on the left and just about have the chimney under the other mouse finished.  

I think it's quite cute and will be even cuter when the back-stitching goes in!

Cross-stitch update.

Last week saw virtually no stitching done so this is really all about this week.

It's coming along.

Especially since I unsewed quite a bit on the left hand mouse.

Still it is coming along and will come on even better as my

sewing machine had to go into the hospital.

It began to have a life of it's own -if it was a fancy computer model I'd say that AI had gone nuts!

Sometimes it wouldn't stitch.

Turn off, turn on, stitch.

Then it wouldn't stop stitching.

Turn off, turn on.

Surely the most amusing event was when I walked away from it for a minute to find it stitching away with me on the other side of the studio!

Turn off.  Pack it up.

Two and a half weeks-  no machine.

I considering the purchase of a second machine.

This one is a Janome and they go from what I have to the very fancy computer models costing big bucks.  I'd never use all that stuff and it's likely to be un-reliable.

On my way home I stopped of at Joanne's (3rd time this week) to look at Viking/Husquvarna.  

There's a  possible there.

Think I'll look at Bernina's before I decide.

Any thoughts?

Pi

Happy Pi Day!

I'm back, sort of.

It has been a very long week. 

 Full of horrid nerve pain, narcotics and sleeping lying on the couch, or just lying on the couch.   

Thank goodness I'm getting better!  

I can even sit in a chair and sew.  

For a little while anyway.  

Of course, I am about to run out of black flannel!

I suspect posting will be erratic until later on in the week.

I hope you are all well and pain free!

I'll be missing for a few days!

I don't know how but I did something on Saturday that caused my sciatia to put on a real display of pain.  Sitting for any length of time is the worst.  So, no sewing and no internet posts for a while.  I hope not too long.  It is getting better an I'm taking fewer pain meds but still it's the pits.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge-Purple

First off let me just say that I am not a big fan of purple.  It does not jump off the shelf and beg to come home with me from the Quilt shop.  So I spent most of last week going thru each and every drawer and box of cotton fabric in the studio.  This tiny heap is what I ended up with (sorry it's blurry, the camera didn't want to focus on the lot!)

I did also manage 9 thimbles and 9 -1 1/2 inch blocks.  So out of this tiny pile I got two pieces for tumblers. 

People have been asking about the tumbler strips-yes they are tiny, 3/4inches wide.  Yes that's kind of insane but a surprising amount of fun as well.  It's going to be interesting.

Anyway, here's what came of my little pile of purple---

Four-four patches and eleven and a half tumblers.

 That's all she wrote for purple folks!

Thursday's Cross stitch update

Sorry about yesterday.  I spent all day on my computer doing this, that, and the other thing--you know paying bills, and what not.  Boring but necessary.  The upshot of all this computer usage was that the VERY LAST thing I had any desire to do was to sit back down at my computer and write a blog post.  Instead, I went to bed with a book.

Today was a museum day, not much ever gets done on those days.

I've decided that I sleep to excess or something because there simply are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.  I'm even beyond the "have to do" stuff (well there's still laundry, dust- housecleaning stuff) but I've finished all the projects on the house, whew!  Now I want to sell it and move.

Here's today's weekly cross-stitch update:

I've made some really good progress this week mostly because there was a large block of white in the sign and the fact that I haven't worked on anything else!  Well, I did cut purple tonight-more on that later.

March

In typical March fashion today was much colder than yesterday, also not windy.  However, we didn't see a drizzle of the rain, possibly mixed with snow, that was forecast.  It is very dry.  There have been lots of grass fires out in farmland.  Although I haven't heard of any in "Town" it's only a matter of time if rain does not come soon. Fire weather advisory has been around for a week and continues through tomorrow at least.  Tomorrow is to be much warmer (again) and windy (again).  The spring weather roller coaster has arrived!  It brought allergies and asthma with it-bummer.

In other signs of spring, the daffys and tulips are well up, not budding yet though.  I noticed  buds on all the shrub roses and actual NEW leaves on one of them.  The Lenten Rose is blooming-during Lent!  Most of my plants bloom at odd times-the Christmas cactus blooms for Valentine's day for example.  The grass is greening up as are the pastures-the trees are still brown and gray, it'll be a couple of weeks yet for them.  I don't know how I feel about spring coming-we didn't really have winter and spring is so short-the HOT weather will be here soon-YUCK.

I was out and about most of today so not much stitching.  Just some work on Nora's sock.  Again, the list went unfinished.  I suppose I should give  Chookyblue's advice a try and MAKE A SHORTER LIST!