Oh MY, It's been a very long time between posts!

I've been missing from blogland long enough that one of my "blogging Buddies' emailed me to be sure I was ok!  (Thanks Ann!)  I'm fine, except for a very bad case of the April Blues due to rain, rain and more rain! There was also snow-on May 2, 1/2 inch officially at the airport but someone reported 2 inches here in Independence.  I'm sure it melted almost as soon as it hit the ground because the 29th and 30th of April is was in the 80's!

Because of the extremely late coming of spring I am severely behind on the yard work!  I hope to be more caught up by the 15th, everything is so wet still it's hard to dig.  BUT, my lettuce and peas are up!  

I didn't quite finish the deep cleaning in April-the blues got me-so I'll have to get in and finish that and the garage is a total disaster!  It will all get done, by me, and I will be tired every night.

Not much sewing done.  I did send three tops off to be quilted, getting them back tomorrow!  So there is binding in my future.  When they are finished I'll post photos.  Two of them are for my granddaughter, Nora, so those will also get packed up and shipped out to California when they are done.  

I spent part of one weekend with Scot and Bri in Columbia- had a great time putting together a "floating credenza" from IKEA parts, and hanging the mirror in the remodeled bath.  By the way, Bri, you still haven't blogged about that!

Last week, I left on Thursday (before the snow) for my brother's home in Denver.  Quinn and I hit a bad patch of snow early on but the weather cleared out and we enjoyed a long but easy drive over the plains!  (Stopped and bought some fabric in Hays-always stop there.)  We came back on Monday after enjoying the time spent, chatting and going to IKEA!  I had a list, having been to Ikea stores before but they had never gone!  I've never heard so much oohing and aahing-along with several comments about the time commitment involved.  It was fun!!!  Coupled with the fact that I showed Jessie something about her Iphone that she didn't know--she who lives with another Geek Boy.  I always get a kick out of doing that, it happens so rarely!  Quinn loved playing with Molly-it was very interesting watching two herding dogs trying to herd one another.  I am so glad I went, have to get the bike out and begin getting ready for the Buffalo Classic Ride in September.

Knees are still not 100% got another round of cortisone injections 10 days ago.  Seems to have helped the right one-although the pain is lurking.  The left one is still hurting, must call the knee doc tomorrow,  it comes and goes but seems to get more everyday.  It may be that the meniscus still has issues.

I guess the biggest news I have is that the court date for finalizing the baby's adoption has been set!  He will then be an official member of the clan, get a new name and everything!  This has been a long, trying process for my daughter and her husband so I am glad it is nearly over.  Now when Brayden asks "Are we going to get to keep him?"  The answer is a resounding "YES!"

Thoughts on Life. . .

Last week saw yet more evidence that humans can be insane towards one another.  In Boston, during a foot race.  Why did that seem to be a good terrorist event?

Then in Texas there was a fire, likely an accident, sigh.  There are of course many different kinds of accidents that can befall us-fall in the bath tub and drown, fall down the steps and break your neck.

Then there are natural disasters, earthquakes that shatter cities and the people within them (Christchurch will never be the same.)  Here in my part of the world there could be an earthquake-the New Madrid fault along the Mississippi River hasn't had even a minor adjustment since the 1950's-but more likely would be an F5 tornado like the one that hit Joplin.  If I lived a bit further to the west I would worry, a lot, about fires.  Then there are floods, hurricanes, blizzards. . .you get the idea.  Accidents and acts of nature while life changing are easier to understand.  We all pick up the pieces the best we can and go on, not really much choice.

Terrorism, wars, mass murder and man's general inhumanity to man are harder to accept.  I really believe with all my heart that humans are good, that all these horrible things are done by a tiny percentage of the total human population of earth.  Boston was created by two brothers, who knows why.  Sandy Hook by one guy having a pity party.  September 11, 2001 by a small group of religious fanatics.  There has been a lot of talk on Facebook about just this, great quotes from Ghandi and Mr Rogers (Love this one-"Look for the helpers, there will always be someone running to the trouble to help." Really true.) While I am saddened by such events I cannot let them rule my life for if I do then not only will I ruin my life but they will have Won.  To quote Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth of England "Keep calm and carry on."  That is the only choice I can make.

Terrorists should take note of the fact that the people of the United States DO NOT give up just because we are frightened, we just come back--stronger.

Another Sunday

This was a week I was glad to see go!  Last Sunday night and all day Monday it rained, 3.5 inches total, which we really need but you can imagine the mud a long-haired double coated sheltie collects!  It's depressing.  Also much cooler, we went from sleeping with the window open and the ceiling fan on to heat and an extra blanket!  On Tuesday morning I got up went into the garage to find something and FOUND a large puddle of water, ugh.  Call the plumber.  Both he and I are mystified.  The water did not come up through the floor drains as it had not come up in the laundry.  There are no cracks in the foundation (there) either the wall or the floor,  an inspection of the outside hose attachment shows dry dirt against the house, and none of the pipes are leaking.  It's raining again, I should go look.

Then Wednesday night as I was ironing, the iron just up and quit!  I've only had this one a year!  So on Thursday I bought a new one-a cheap one!  I've given up reading reviews or spending significant money on a new purchase.  Things don't last any more and price is no indication (nor reviews) that you are buying a quality item.

I've had revolving days of much accomplishment followed by not much at all, sigh.  Guess I should be happy to achieve anything at all!  The yard is cleaned up and the remaining leaves either bagged or really crunched up and spread along the fences in a likely futile attempt to keep Quinn out of the mud!  Not much stitching, though.

On a happy note!  Thursday was Grandparents Day at Kolby's school and that was fun!  He and I made a magnetic photo frame, ate cookies and read books together.  He said I was a good reader.

Tomorrow is Monday and that means I'm off to the Trails Museum to work in the library.  I'm currently processing a large collection and I find it quite entertaining to bring order to chaos.

Have a great week!

Signs of Spring!

 I 've been spending some time each day uncovering my flower gardens.  I don't know why it is that I rake and rake leaves every fall and then I rake leaves again in the spring!  That's a poser for another day!  Here are some signs of spring I found:

Poenies!

Some of these

Lots of these

Redbud tree getting close!

Tiny Primrose, I thought had died

Lenten Rose-This has been blooming since before the first snowstorm!
It's been totally covered by snow three times and it's still blooming madly!

These last two things are also signs of spring!  Yard bags full of leaves!  (It's is unlawful to dispose of yard waste in the landfill here.)

And these pretty yellow flowers-dandylions!  The bane of every lawn!

I still have a good bit of work out there and I think I'll have to have someone come out and treat the front lawn, fertilize etc.  It was just so damaged by last summer's heat and dryness, the weeds are more common than grass, sigh.

The X's are done!

I took the last of the little x's on Bri's stocking while watching "The Hunger Games" tonight!  I also began the outlining back stitching-one little bird is finished!  I hope to have this ready to sew into a stocking by the end of this month!

April is one of two extreme cleaning and gardening months!  I have my housework divided into groups:  daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and biannually.  April and October get them all!  Added to that is the yard cleanup from the winter and I will be a very busy girl!  I have discovered that my knee begins to ache about 2 in the afternoon, so I'll quit work on the big stuff, sit down, put my leg up and stitch.  I should get a bit more done each day that way.  I think the knee will improve as I go along, it's likely just the change in activity level.  On the other hand my volunteering at the school has ended and there are only a few more Wednesday "pick up Kolby and meet the bus" days left before school is out for the summer!  I am feeling less stressed!

Updates!

First, here's a cross stitch update!  Last time:

 And tonight.  Not a great deal of progress but I should be ready for backstitching by Monday, I hope.

 Next for quilting updates-  I'm still plodding along hand quilting the one on the left, not quite half way done.  Hope to finish it in June.

This burgundy and blue quilt is my oldest, quilting, UFO!  Begun sometime in 1993-94, I quilted it by hand using a quilt as you go method so the center is finished.  It's been waiting for borders since 2000!  I just couldn't figure out what to do.  I had four extra blocks but I didn't want to add them to the center for two reasons, one, I HATED that Quilt as you go method and two, the quilt would have been square or very oddly rectangular.  Every so often I take it out and try to figure out what to do, I finally came up with this!

I took apart the four blocks and am using them in this wrap around corner and filled in with the blue background fabric.  I think I'll like it.  I'll especially like the fact that it's finished!  I have the top and bottom borders sewn on and will add the sides tonight, then I'll add the backing and batting.  I wanted to add the backing as I went but this wrap around thing is fiddly to get everything as I want it so I have to work in stages.  After that's done I'll quilt the  borders-  might be done by the end of summer!

I've been making really good progress on the "Secret" and should have the top finished by the end of the month!  Then it'll have to be quilted, by hand I think, but I haven't decided the pattern.  Since it's a wall hanging it will need heavy quilting I think.  Hope to have it finished by fall.

I finally found border fabric, I think, for the two pink quilts.  Once that is on, I'm going to send them out to be long armed.  I've never done that so I'm really going to have my fingers crossed!

I've really been struggling to work at anything since the knee lay off, etc.  I'm still not fully recovered from the cold, in fact I'm actually thinking of calling the Doc, and have been hitting the pillows pretty early.  Add in Daylight Savings Time (which is always a difficult adjustment for me) and the fact that  winter has returned with gray clouds and snow in the forecast!  I just want to bury my head under a pillow and sleep!  Always makes me lazy, on the other hand I get upset with myself for not accomplishing anything-it's a no win situation!

Here's hoping the next week is more productive here at Gail's Place!

I'm back, I think. . .I hope

Today, I actually managed to do some things on my "to do" list!  Yeah me!  I think it's the first time in weeks I've done more than one or two things a day (and those only the things that simply MUST BE DONE!)  I'm still coughing and yes the allergies have begun but over all I'm feeling much better.  I think it helps that it is 65 degrees outside today, the sun is shinning and there's a breeze.  Spring is in the air! Tomorrow is to be even nicer, if that's possible, but then winter returns for a few days, sigh.

I have been stitching the past few days, making slow progress on hand quilting and a bit quicker progress on the "Secret".  Last night I even put a few stitches in the Bri's stocking, so close to being ready for backstitching.

I joined a Quilt Guild on Monday, something I've been intending to do for a while now.  Trying to get out more as I find I've let myself become really isolated.  Sometimes I think technology isolates us more and more-but I love the connections I've made with folks I'd have never had the opportunity to meet. Okay most of them I have never met but you know what I mean!

In case you didn't know---This is Pi Day!  Celebrating all my geek boys, Have a happy Pi Day!