Moving right along

For the first time in recent memory I've been making headway on "Lists."

I say I'm not going to make anymore because I never do the things on them and

also because I overbook myself!

Yesterday, after Ethan went home I put house numbers up on the post.

I now see that shadows from the tree make it so they aren't really visible, sigh.

Don't care.

Love the numbers themselves and they "float"!

I finished up all but two pots of flowers-might do those tomorrow.

Still can't set them in their summer homes as it is quite cool-although not freezing-at

night and so WINDY!

Windy enough that I haven't been walking-causes too much allergy problems.

I can't take my allergy meds as they dry out my eyes.

Had to make a trip to the eye doc last week due to pain in the left eye and the feeling that my vision was getting worse, not better.

All caused by super dry and irritated eyes.

She is going to "plug me up" next week.

Who knew that eyes had drains for excess tear production?

Mine must work REALLY well!

She also told me to go buy some readers-which I did and it is so much better not struggling to see well enough to read.

She tells me my eyes will continue to improve even though I'm using them but I might need them some of the time.

Today, I replaced the doorbell.

I can actually hear it now!  Ding-dong!

Bit of touch up paint needed there.

Organized the totes that go to the trailer, as well.

Attempted to change the keypad code on the garage door but that didn't go so well-will have to try again.  Except the keypad might not work!

Topped off the past days with laundry, housework and getting the "H" quilt top sewn together.

Whew!

Busy, I think!

 
It's been a week or so since my last post, I've been busy.

The 8th grade talks (1000 or so 8th graders-over 7 days most days 6 talks per day) ended week before last,  38 talks-I began having trouble remembering what I told each group!  I usually got home about 2, exhausted.  Too tired to even go up to the studio, much less sew.

Then, on the last day of talks, I was home resting-nearly voiceless-when Ethan's day care called and wanted me to come get him.  They have recently closed the unit in the same building as his special needs preschool and although they assured Beth and Lucas that the same workers would be there that was not the case.  Ethan couldn't adjust or they couldn't adjust to Ethan (that's my take on it.)  So, after two weeks of this pick him up he can't come back for x number of days Beth really wanted to keep him out of that space.  For the rest of April and May she will take him to preschool, I will pick him up and keep him until 2 or so.  She works from home but she has to have time without him there!  Some days I will keep him longer, depending on what they need and what I have going on.  I decided that I would go early to get him and get in a walk.  The preschool is inside a huge park and there are two walking/biking loops, I've been taking the one that's about 2 miles for now.  Really need to get this in and haven't been happy with the walks near the house.  Anyway, the two things combined take a chunk out of   the day!

The past couple of days I have been potting up the plants I bought last week, and fixing them to go in and out of the garage until the weather has settled.  It has been VERY windy!  Eventually, even the succulents will go out on the patio.

Four tomato plants, five pepper plants and some herbs. There are some flowers as well but they aren't ready for photos!

Of course it wouldn't be a project of mine without  a slight disaster!   Both planters of cilantro few out of the wagon and well, you can see.

After  cleaning up my mess I hauled the  big, heavy ladder out and painted the post on the front stoop.

Tomorrow, house numbers go up!

Then the ladder came inside to change lightbulbs, not quite finished with that.  It always happens that every bulb in the house burns out once you've move in!

I did manage some sewing!  The "H" quilt in progress, only two more rows to sew then sew the rows together for a top.  I'm having trouble finding more of the grunge fabric in colors that I like for borders-so will have to haul it about to quilt shops.

  

I also finished two of these machine mats.  This is mine the other is somewhere in Australia along with some other gifties.  It is apparently lost, sigh.  Which will teach me never to send international mail through UPS!  Terrible experience.  Forced the address into the US format who knows if we'll ever find it!  Tomorrow, I'll be off to the US Postal Service to begin tracing it-think it's a long shot at the moment.

Blogger is behaving badly so I"m off!

Blue door!

Today, another small chore was finished!
When I was in Ireland I feel in love with the wonderful COLOR on doors and planter boxes.  Plus, Scott and Bri have a brilliant yellow front door which I love.

 The front door and a small space next to it outside were painted dark green.  It was ok, but was needing paint in places and I need to change out the hardware so I could have new keys made.  Now the door is BLUE!  It was too dark to get a picture of the outside space.  I still need to get screws to match for the strike plates as the ones they sent are so long they'd go clear through and look ridiculous!  There is a long skinny window there as well which I am thinking I will etch so no one can see in. (There's another trip to Joann's!)

More paint on the exterior trim, then house numbers.  Also I want to replace the lights with dark sky ones-well that and the fact that the existing ones are tiny!
Other than gardening that's about it for the outside.

Slowly, making it my own.

Nearly Voiceless.

My new best friend!

Since Wednesday I have given 17 talks at the Trails Museum to eight graders(that's the 13-14 year old bunch) on primary source documents, diaries, and letters of the Santa Fe/Oregon/California overland trails.
If it I hadn't had these I would be totally voiceless today~ Hum that could be a good thing.
I have 24 more to give next week.
I have been enjoying it but it is hard on the throat.

I haven't sewn a stitch all week.

Today was a soccer day for two of the boys.

After that and several "to do" stops I mowed the lawn for the first time.  Really tall and thick.  I was about to lose Quinn in it though!  Still wet from last weeks rain so it didn't cut well, it will probably look like it needs mowed again tomorrow!
NOT gonna happen!
Then, I finally took the sandbags out of the truck!  While it still needs washed inside and out it no longer looks like a trash dump.
The back end is tidy and I fixed the latches on the tonto cover.
Busy day, so tired!

Paperwork

I don't have room in this house for my big office desk-it's in the garage awaiting a sale-and my other desk is too small to work on.

So, I've been working on the big table.

Not good.

Big mess and I can never find anything.

Needed a better system.

After some online shopping I headed to IKEA.

I try not to go there very often-dangerous!

I bought a small drawer unit.

Three small drawers and one for hanging files.

It's from IKEA so that means

Assembly!

I've put together so many IKEA cabinets at this point that I don't find them difficult at all!

Finally, all together it fits between the wall and the sofa.

A bit taller that usual but actually seem the perfect height for my tea cup!

I haven't quite dealt with  all the stuff on the table but it's pretty close.

A good days project which will help create order!

Road Trip!

After a week (or more) of gray skies that dripped occasionally and I had had ENOUGH!

Time to get out on the road again.

Quinn and I loaded up and headed for Hamilton, Missouri.

Home of Missouri Star Quilt Co.

We hit the highway headed north.

Through Lees Summit,

Through Independence,

Over the Missouri River on the Liberty Bend Bridge

The north bound lanes travel on a narrow historic bridge.

I think MDot wanted to tear it down and build those plain boring ones when they widened the highway to four lanes but folks put up such a fuss that they built the south bound lanes to echo the older side.  I've always loved this bridge so to still have it is great.

Once across the river we turned east on Hwy 210 towards Missouri City and eventually Richmond.

My Father build a house for my Great Aunt Pearl and Uncle Jimmy on their truck farm on the River near Missouri City ca 1962.

So we went often that year and several times in later years.

It was where I first learned to asked which bowl of mashed white stuff was potatoes (yum) and which was turnips (Yuck).

I have great memories of walking the watermelon patch (like 5 acres maybe) all of us kids following along behind Uncle Jimmy and Dad.  Uncle Jimmy would cut open a watermelon, offer my Dad a taste of the heart, we kids would get a taste and then it would be on to the next one leaving the first to rot in the field.  I always thought it a great waste of watermelon!

It's been years since I was there last and the farm passed out of the family ages ago so I couldn't find it.

They've moved the highway north of the river more too so it won't flood when the river does.

The grass along the route was quite green and close up the trees and shrubs are showing some green but not enough for the ridges and hills to show more than the usual bare gray of winter.

I know spring is coming.

I've seen the Great Blue Herons flying lately, trailing their long legs behind them!

Back to the trip.

We headed north again towards places like Polo and then Hamilton.

Little, near dead towns.

I read the other day that more people are dying than are being born in many counties in this part of the county. (Others too) Plus folks are moving away looking for work-if you don't own a farm there's not much else.

Almost to Hamilton on a two lane road I was passed by three cattle trucks.

Not really remarkable except that the second one ran me off onto the shoulder!

He started drifting my way as soon as his cab cleared the front end of the truck.

I've had this happen before so I'm always extra alert around semis.

The rest of this story is that for once there was law enforcement at that exact place in the road!

(That never happens!)

The sheriff pulled off, turned in behind me and at the next passing lane passed me to pull him over!

I was still shaking but I cheered!

In Hamilton, Quinn and I took a walk and checked the place out.

When I was last here several years ago they had one store now they fill nearly all the historic downtown.  There was no place to eat and now there are several!  Big changes.

That said I bought very little, although I did wish I had gone up there when I was buying the fabric for Ethan's quilt-so much conversation fabric.

A few photos of Hamilton. 

On the way home we took the Interstate as far as Liberty and then down 291 again towards home.

When we arrived Quinn and I checked the mail to find a lovely surprise!

A package from Ann at A Good Yarn!

Inside were goodies all the way from Australia!

Ann and I have been emailing back and forth for at least 6 years and I've learned so much about life in Australia!

I often email her a question about language differences-we may all speak English but we do not speak the same language!

Australia has always been on my bucket list of places to visit~ I hope to meet Ann when I go!

Such a BAD blogger!

I know, I know, I have been a very bad blogger!  

Just really haven't had anything to say.  

The end of winter when will Spring finally get here blahs, I guess.

Second check on the eyes showed them improving and healing nicely.

I still have trouble reading small print or things without great contrast, but I am able to read smaller print and do some things without a magnifying glass.

Progress!

Daylight sayings time set me back,

as it always does. 

 Disrupts my sleep SO much I have a hard time resetting the body clock.

I have been busy in the studio though.

I finished both the red and black flannel rag quilts-thank goodness.

Such a slippery mess.

I love using flannel for quilt backs.

Just adds that extra punch of comfort,

but I don't ever want to do another full flannel quilt.

I also pieced the "H" blocks in the top photo.

Tomorrow I hope to lay them out there are multiple blocks in each color.

I've also made a few more blocks on the Splendid Quilt.

I want to do one each day-all blue and white.

Lastly, I finished an "I Spy" snowball quilt for Ethan.

Apparently, he is quite taken with the jet planes!

He did tell me that there were "kitties" on it though.

It was fun and quick to make.

I spent this afternoon cleaning and re-arrangling the studio.

I have both sewing machines set up now!

Plus things are orderly.

It had gotten so that I couldn't find anything-including space to work!

I nearly have the garage organized!

It won't really be finished until after the city-wide garage sale the first of June.

Anything that doesn't sell gets given away after that.

I have been looking at everything with a view to meeting my goal of a

fifty percent reduction in the stuff I own.

I sorted out quite a bit when I unpacked but I'm looking at things again.

When I leave this house I want no more than will fit in my truck!

Traveling light from here on out.