Winter Lingers

It's cold here and has been snowing off and on all day.  Not much more than an inch out on the deck so far but it isn't finished snowing.  Quinn loves it!  I am growing tired of it, even though I love Winter.  I'm also a bit at loose ends as I am sewing machine less!  I took Jane the Janome in for a check up before I went to St Louis, she won't be home until week after next.  Edna the Elna goes next as she is broken, and I have no way to wind a bobbing for Grace the treadle (need to order a rubber ring-wait maybe I can use a bobbin that I wound for Jane!  Hum,  may have to try that tomorrow!)  Oh well, I'll soon be whining because it's hot--that's a pure fact as I hate the hot weather.

So I spent the day reading and recovering from the trip to St Louis, I'm hitting the bed soon even though it's early.  This trip was much better than the last!  The hotel was fantastic!  Such a big room with so many nice extras I really enjoyed my stay, plus it was really close to the hospital.  I wish I'd stayed there earlier.  Also, I was not caught by a cold while there--thank goodness.

Ryan is a little trooper.  He weighs over 7lbs now and is more alert when he's awake, focusing on things.  Super curious-a new voice or sound and his eyes are open and he's checking it out! Strong- pushes his body up and over his boppy during tummy time.  Knows his own mind as well, he'll tolerate being fussed with until you take his feet out of his footed sleepers.  Then watch out cause he's mad! He had his two month birthday while I was there and he acts like a two month old in  spite of being 6 weeks early.  Amazing boy.  I hear he has a special outfit for St Patrick's day-that's also transfer day.  St Paddy's day in Boston--should be fun!  We will all be glad for his treatments to be finished and have them back home in Columbia!

Little Houses

Seven Rows of little houses!  The houses aren't perfect--oh boy are they imperfect--but I think it's kind of cute. Four more to sew together.  I had thought I'd do the machine quilting myself but I've about decided to have it done.  In the interest of it being DONE!  I'm all about finishing things up. And apparently beginning things as well, sigh.

So, tomorrow I'm off the St Louis for one final visit with Ryan and Co before they go to Boston.  They have set back the date for the transfer to March 17th as Ryan is not quite as big as they'd like.  We're also hoping the snow has stopped by then!  Scott and Bri have enough to deal with.

Had my yearly physical today-I guess I'm healthy.  A couple of referrals coming for eyes and one toe but no new meds or even changes to the ones I take.  More importantly, I'm safe to go in the NICU!

Wow, it's Friday already?!

I can't believe it's already Friday!  Not that this past week has been at all exciting but I have been a bit busy.  With the exception of the garage-where it is just too cold to work, the laundry room, and the kitchen my house is pretty clean.  I'll give the kitchen a really good going over tomorrow as I have some cooking to do.  I've also cleared a part of the drive of  snow twice this week.  It's raining-freezing rain-snow out right now, ugh far worse than just straight snow!

I got out the house blocks I made three/four/five years ago-who knows time evaporates! Stuck them up on the design wall, fiddled with the arrangement and took them down in rows.  This will not be a masterpiece!  I am going to try quilting it as I go one row at a time.  Utility quilts keep you warm just as well as the fancy ones and don't make you cringe if the grands use it for tent making or picnics!  I've been making some log cabin blocks each day as well, when I get a few more done I'll put then up on the wall for a photo.  They are totally scrappy.  It's interesting that I'm not really paying much attention to fabric except light/dark and they come out looking pretty cute.  I do have a big pile of strips on the table though!

An Empty Wall

I was going to put up a photo of my design wall--but it's empty!  I finished up the baby quilt I showed last week (I think) and it is now washed and ready to take to my friend.  I'm impressed with myself--the baby's not due until next month!  Now I just need to decide what I want to put on the design wall next.  The blocks that were up there are being trimmed and the sashing cut, but that's a hand piecing job and only needs to go up for me to design then it will come down as that will be a long job.  Then it gets hand quilted--I may really hate that quilt before I'm done!  Everyone says you get faster at the quilting as you go but I am not finding that to be true on Ryan's quilt.  Guess I haven't put in my 10,000 hours yet!  I have started some log cabin blocks to use up 1 1/2 inch strips.  Started cutting for a quilt a long at guild but I don't think I have enough of the right fabric.  I'm thinking those cut pieces will just hit the scrap system, that's twice now I've decided that! I have plenty of projects with out that one!

It snowed here yesterday, maybe two inches, and is to snow again tomorrow, not that much though.  The roads are clear but slick-depending on road conditions I may be staying home again!  My truck only had rear wheel drive and is horrid when it snows.  Every year I say I'm going to get a new vehicle, but it's paid for so I don't do it.  I'm really glad I do not live in Boston!  8 feet of snow, another big storm to hit there tomorrow and possibly one on the weekend.  Scott, Bri and Ryan are scheduled to fly up on March 3rd-well Scott is driving so they have a car there-I really hope the storms stop before then!  Of course, the thaw will likely cause flooding-such a mess.

Feeling so much better.  I'm starting to find my house bit by bit.  Likely have it mostly clean by this time  next week.  I also got back on the bike (inside) and started doing my stretches and exercises again, gearing up for warmer weather!

Thursday's accomplishments

Today, I played with my new blow dryer!  My old one (probably one of the first ones out) just took so long to dry my hair that I didn't ever want to wash it if I had to go somewhere.  I had been watching the daily deals on Amazon for one-I think they have such things pretty regularly-and one came on Tuesday so it arrived today.  Gotta love Prime!  It dried the hair really fast!  So recently I've bought a hair straightener, curling iron and blow dryer--what ever will I buy next?

I also finished the tidy up (except for vacuuming and dusting) in the studio, trimmed some blocks (have to stretch that out as I really hate it) and cut the fabric for a long held small quilt piece.  Oh, and I finished the knitting and bound off the shrug.  Tomorrow, I'll have to sew it up.

That about covers it!

Tomorrow, I'll run some errands and restock the frig.  There's talk of significant snow on Monday, I'm not holding my breath.  I need to go to the sewing machine store for a new quarter inch foot and some oil.  I really need to take my machine in but I don't think I can live without it at the moment.  I'll do that when next I leave for St Louis!  I'm playing with the boys tomorrow night, we'll go eat and then to the gymnastics place for open gym--burn lots of their energy.  Should be fun and Ethan will be asleep before we hit the highway coming home!

Cleaning, at last!

I spent the day in my studio--cleaning.  I've still got another day or so until it's completely clean but at last I managed to do something constructive!  Much fabric was ironed, folded and put away, some blocks were measured and pressed for trimming, my hand work bag was loaded up, baskets of projects (most I couldn't even remember what the fabric was for) were sorted,  I cut backing, got out batting and I did some knitting, Whew!  Tomorrow in the morning and evening I'll work on it some more.  Must remember to take down the dust cloth and the dyson.

Rotten night's sleep last night, the cough arrived.  This cold is really dragging on!  I'm off to fold and hang clothes so I can go to bed early.

The Flimsy is finished!

I cut out this baby quilt for a friend's new grandson last month and finally got around to getting it sewn together!  I think it's kind of cute, bright and happy for a little boy.  Hope she likes it!  Tomorrow I hope to at least get it sandwiched and maybe marked for quilting-nothing fancy there.  The back is blue flannel so it will be soft and warm.

Otherwise I'm busy doing not much of anything.  Can't seem to find the motivation to do much of anything.  It's a good thing I have a dog or I might not get out of bed!

Finished!

I finally finished the bag I began at Quilt guild in January!  I think it is designed to carry quilts,  I don't have enough quilts to carry!  That said here it is drawn up and holding a blanket.

And this is how it looks unfolded.  It does fold up nice and flat for storage.  It was super simple so I might one day make another and take more care with fabric etc. (or not.)

On other fronts, I have been knitting up some yarn into a shrug.  It will be finished when I use all the yarn!  It's dark yarn and I haven't been able to get a good photo yet, I'll have to try tomorrow in the sun so I can show you.  It too is simple and mindless enough that I've been able to work on that even while I was sick.  Mindless projects can be a blessing!

 Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon I go here.  I used to actually get a paycheck from here but now I volunteer.

I work in here:

On these:

The first full set of shelves you see are finished with the exception of two large boxes of things to be filed into other boxes.  Can you see all the sticky notes on the end of boxes?  Those are the ones I have yet to enter to the computer, sigh.  I should be able to just fly through the final step in this project-that of entering it in the database-but no.  I am still finding staples I missed the first time through (they'll rust, the rust will damage the paper, so they must go.)  And I have to photocopy every piece of newsprint, toss the original and file the copy (again, news print damages the other paper in the file so it has to go.)  Today in three hours I finished 5 folders.  Two of those were completely full of newsprint!  I spent a lot of time at the copier!  I hope the rest of the files in the box don't have too many news clippings as I'd really like to finish this entire project in the next few months.  Then I can go off to the mountains with a clear conscience.

Way Behind

I'm still struggling to get over this cold!  Because of that I am also WAY behind on everything!  I hope to get back on track this week, I did get a significant amount of work done today and a bit more will get done before I sleep!  (Must make the bed and put away clean clothes before I can hit the hay.)  For now though I'm off the the studio for Telly viewing and stitching.