Two more finishes, I'm on a roll!

Last night I took the final stitches in Nora's "Pretty in Pink" quilt! It's big enough for a bedspread now and for a bigger bed later.  I finished the smaller "Cuddle Up" quilt earlier in the week.  I really hope that she and her parents like them!

Again I'm just catching up!

Sometimes I wonder why I write this thing!

This past month has been a bit challenging!  I hurt? my left thumb in July and can not bend it!  Do you know how hard it is to do even simple things without two opposable thumbs?  Added to that it hurts!  I've been to see my hand doc (Love Dr Elton!) , she x-rayed it and it's not broken.  I have a large bone spur in the last joint and she thinks I broke off a bit and it's floating about causing mischief, so one cortisone shot (OUCH!) and I'm wearing a lovely splint!  Looks like a cast, as to immobilize the thumb involves the hand and wrist.  Makes for very interesting typing!  The Splint kept adding spaces so I took it off.  Haven't tried to sew yet, hum, that could provide me with an excuse for not picking up the needle!!!

I have an appointment with the knee doc on Monday, sigh.  Really, I may just have to learn to live with it.

The mold count went sky high and my asthma kicked me in the hinney!  Caused chest pain that made me think I was having a heart attack-nearly headed off to the Emergency Room one night before I thought to try my inhaler.  One day I slept like 14 hours and just sat the rest of the day!  New meds for that!  The good thing about all this rest I got being so tired trying to breathe-my knee quit hurting for a while!

Lastly, in January my Primary Care Doc changed me from brand name thyroid meds to generic (my insurance doesn't cover it) and I've been feeling more and more tired as the months go on, plus the crankies moved in (which I hate), and I could not lose weight!  Even though the numbers where good I went back on the brand name as many people just feel better on it-started it today will see how it goes.

I almost forgot, I had a cardiac stress test yesterday!  Because of those chest pains.  Will hear about that in the next week or two.

Things are getting better, I think, as I'm not waiting for approval for the specialists while in pain.  Perhaps I'll find more things to blog about in the future?

Still have two quilts needing bindings!  I did finish one of the pink ones but will wait to add a photo when the other is done as they are the same pattern.  Those go off to Nora in California.  Other than that I've been re-reading books, napping, etc and getting nothing done!  The house is a wreck!  I have peppers from the garden to freeze and a few tomatoes to do something with.  I really must get my act together!!

Missouri State Fair!

I went to the Missouri State Fair yesterday.  I had never been, not even when I was in 4-H and exhibiting things did I go.  I might not have gone but the weather has been so lovely and cool for August and I needed to get away from home for the day.  It's about an hour drive to Sedalia, home of the state fair, then I had to find it which wasn't at all hard.  Admission is charged but when I started to pull out my wallet I was told it was free for me.  Huh?  Women in Agriculture day, all women get in free!  So free admission plus free parking, not a bad deal.  I was a bit disappointed, I somehow expected more.  It's an agricultural fair and so I expected to see animals, lots of different animals, but no.  The sheep had already been judged and taken home and the goats had not yet come, the poultry was gone but there were several hundred rabbits!  So of those duds are BIG, and how does one choose a "Best in Show" for a breed of rabbit?  There were only four kinds of horses on the grounds; Belgiums, Percherons, Halfinlger and Gypsy.  The Gypsy were why I choose Thursday, so I got to see the Gypsy horse show.  Then I went to the horse barn and met a few in person as well as their owner from Thorn Hill Farms.  I drive past Thorn Hill every time I go to Beth's house and I've fallen in love with these gorgeous animals!  They were bigger than I thought but much smaller than the Draft horses-Belgiums and Percherons are HUGE-and traditionally were used to pull the Gypsy traveling wagons.  They have a really gentle disposition too.  Just a beautiful up close and personal!

I walked through the exhibit buildings, saw some quilts-one made by the woman do does long arm quilting for me!  Just beautiful.  Again, it seemed like there were fewer entries than could have been expected but I don't have a frame of reference.

I ate fair food!  Corn dogs, corn on the cob and funnel cakes! No fair is complete without those, although I can say for sure I won't be buying a funnel cake at Santa-Cali-Gon!  Too much sugar=headache.

All in all, I certainly won't go every year but I might try the Iowa State Fair!  It's supposed to be the biggest and best of all!

Finally, I finished something!

I began this Holiday Quilt last January while I was participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The top was finished that month and I even had the binding ready.  I spent a few months hunting backing fabric (and why is that SO hard for me) then it all hung on a hanger for several months until I decided to send it off to a longarmer for quilting.  It came back like two months ago! I finished sewing the binding down last night, so HUZZAH!

 Here's a close up of the quilting!  Robin does an amazing job!

 And a close up of one of the blocks!

So I can add it to the finished side bar and work on the next one!  I have three more that need binding, two just need the binding stitched down.  Hope to be photographing them soon!

Garden experiments

Every year I fool around and experiment with growing something from something I brought home from the store.  Last year it was a pineapple plant from the top of a pineapple.  I started with two, one took and even though I tried to kill it over the winter it is still growing.  I started another one, but it isn't ready for a pot yet.  This year I decided to try growing the seeds from citrus fruits and cherries.

These are lemon trees.  I have no idea but I think 30 or 40 seeds sprouted! They will need to be thinned and repotted soon.  Lemons anyone?  Unfortunately, the cherry pits and the tangerine/clementine seeds have not sprouted.  Oh well, it only took a little time and the use of a pot!

Cross-Stitch update

I haven't posted one of these in a very long time!  When last you saw Bri's stocking it looked like this:

 Now it looks like this!

I can't say that it's finished as I am having difficulty finding the green(or red) cording I use as trim on the edges and to make a loop.  I'm hoping that as Christmas trims become more available I'll be able to find some.  When I do I'm buying enough for the last three!

I plan to get the threads, fabric and pattern for Kolby's out tonight, I hope to have it done by Christmas. Notice I said HOPE!