Diana Martin

Getting by

2012-01-28T22:23:00.009-05:00

With practically anything to do with computers, I know just enough to get by. I learn something new when I have to, and hope I remember it for the next time I need to use it. When someone changes some small thing I get stuck. Do you remember the quilt I made for my mom when she first showed signs of memory loss? I wanted something to keep her warm when I wasn't there, and something to show her how much I loved her even when I couldn't be where she is. That quilt kept wandering off and getting lost. I would walk past rooms when the doors were open and eventually find it and ask the staff to return it to Mom if it wouldn't upset whoever was using it. I started to make her a new one several months ago, but somehow didn't have the heart to finish it. . . until now.
This time I put her name on the back.
And then I put her name on the back again, even bigger.
Just in case. But she can't see it and doesn't know about it, and doesn't mind what kind of blanket she has as long as she's warm enough. I guess I am really doing this for me. So I know she's wrapped in something I made for her.
All this time that I haven't been blogging I've still been sewing and knitting. Just very quietly.
Wishing you, my dear blog friends, the very best.

Remembering

2012-01-02T14:52:00.002-05:00

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has invited readers to share things they remember about growing up in the Cleveland area, and some of these memories have been published over the holidays. I kept thinking it would be fun to write something, but realizing I'd left it a bit late, am delighted that my blog doesn't have deadlines.

You will be astonished to hear that I have very fond memories of going shopping (of all things!) for back to school clothes. It was the early sixties, and it was a novel experience for us when our mom drove to the Rapid Transit stop at Van Aiken. We got on the Rapid (somewhat between a train and a streetcar) and rode the swaying car into Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland. Arriving, we entered the dark terminal and made our way onto the city streets. We walked to Higbees where Sara and I tried on dresses and skirts and blouses and shoes and coats.

Our brother, Peter, must have hated those outings. He, too, had to try on school clothes, but for boys it probably wasn't much fun. Wasting a beautiful summer day hanging around stores and trying things on is my attitude toward shopping now, but back then it was just plain fun. It may have something to do with the outstanding service. In that place and time if you inquired about raincoats you would either be escorted to the rainwear department, or someone would bring several for you to try on.

Higbees had a a delightful dining room where we ate chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. To this day I still feel special when I am eating a chicken salad sandwich!

After lunch we would venture over to Halle's, the other big department store in Cleveland. There we would get anything we hadn't been able to find at Higbee's. When we were finished in each department, my mom would ask the clerk to "have it sent". Such luxury! Going shopping without having to haul around your purchases. A few days later the big brown UPS truck would pull up in front of our house where the driver would deliver our school clothes.

By the mid sixties we no longer went on those outings. It was much cheaper and easier to shop locally, but I do have very fond memories of those trips into the city to shop at those wonderful stores, which have now been closed for decades.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:19:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Looking ahead to a good year in 2012. My resolution this year is to USE my vacation time from work. I was so busy this past year I only took a few days of vacation time, and though getting paid for the unused time is nice (hello, yarn store!), time off is nicer still.

Let's face it, I'm not irreplaceable - they can get along without me for a couple of weeks!

I always enjoy reading the newspaper recaps of the year, so I thought I'd share some of mine with you.

As you no doubt noticed, I have done far fewer blog posts than in past years, and less sewing as well. My life at work has been particularly busy. We are gradually switching to electronic medical records. Once the process is complete, life should get easier. For now it is anything but easy!

As we retire old paper records to be shredded, we find that though one piece of paper barely weighs anything, hauling armloads of paper up the stairs is a good workout. You can't believe how much paper I have handled this year! And that's not the hard part. All this change is mentally challenging.

Though I haven't had much sewing time, I can always find a few minutes here and there to knit, and have made quite a few pairs of socks. Only one pair has fallen victim to second sock syndrome, and remains unfinished. The yellow lace socks take a lot of concentration and my knitting time is pretty distracted. I feel good that I can turn a sock heel while participating in a conversation and having a cat on my lap. Knitting lace is another matter.

We are happy to have taken care of some major home improvements this year. Our part of the world has exceeded all records for rainfall since record keeping began, by over a foot of rain more than any other year. The water damage to our roof and porch were what prompted these tasks, and it's very nice to have a dry house during all the rain.

I finally found a raincoat - yay! It is pretty and purple, and makes me look remarkably like a 55 year old woman. I don't feel like a 55 year old woman, but the calendar doesn't lie.

Larry and I so enjoyed the three days we spent in Saugituck, Michigan again this year. We loved walking barefoot in the water along the lake shore for miles and miles. Forgetting to take the camera was kind of a blessing - it was nice not to worry about it getting wet or damaged. Climbing to the top of Mount Baldhead (the largest sand dune in the area) by way of 300 stairs was very cool, and skittering down the other side was a blast! We give thanks that our aging bodies allow us to enjoy these activities which make life such fun for us.

Wishing all the best to you and yours for a happy and healthy 2012.

Keeping it off - what works for me.

2011-12-26T03:09:00.003-05:00

Have you ever said to yourself, "My pants are getting tight. They must have shrunk in the wash." Or walked by a mirror in a department store and thought, "That mirror makes me look fat, it must be at an odd angle." Or caught a glimpse of a fat person walking toward you, and it turned out to be your own reflection in a shop window?

Or - and this was perhaps the worst - given your spouse a hug and he said, "We're quite an armful." Realizing how it sounded, he continued, "I said we, that means both of us.

That was what did it. I wanted no part of being "quite an armful". The pants didn't shrink. After being washed once a week for a year, did I really think they were going to shrink now? The department store mirror wasn't lying. It was my own friendly mirror at home that lied. It never caught me by surprise - I knew just how to stand in front of it to look less fat.

So what to do now? I had dieted lots of times, successfully, if a temporary weight loss can be considered successful. I had done Weight Watchers, gleefully reaching my goal weight. I had kept a food journal, also successfully reaching my goal. What happened next was the problem.

"Oh good! I've finished my diet." were the worst words I could have uttered. The old habits came back gradually until I had gained all the weight I had lost, and more. My healthy weight at 5' 7" is 130 pounds. My "armful" weight was 178 pounds. 48 pounds from a couple of years of bad habits. 48 pounds! One stick of butter is a quarter of a pound. Doing the math, it comes to the amount of fat in 192 sticks of butter spread out over my body! I could see three of them dangling from my upper arm, and I don't like to think of the 12 or 15 around each thigh. That unattractive double chin contained several tablespoons of fat.

I knew how to lose weight; I'd done it before. I needed to find a way to keep it off.

I know myself pretty well, having had 55 years to get acquainted. I know I'm not good at groups. I can always think of a reason to stay home. I'm also on a tight budget, and groups nearly always come with a price.

I did need a few tools, starting with a food journal. Not a 98 cent steno notebook where it's too easy to rip out a page when I've had a piggy day. I use a bound journal, and my first one (this time around) was a lovely dark green suede book with lined pages. I couldn't waste that beautiful book even if I did eat six cookies in one day.

I write down every meal, every snack, every sip of anything that isn't water. These days it is easier than ever to keep an accurate food journal. Every packaged food you buy comes with the nutrition information right on the bag, box, can, jar, or bottle.

I started out interested only in calories. You read those labels often enough, and you start noticing other things: sugar, sodium, carbs, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and US RDA.

When you see the lovely display in the produce section of your favorite food store it all looks and smells so good. Beautiful mounds of oranges, apples, bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, grapes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and more. These are really food! They don't come in packages with labels saying one orange has 89 calories, 2.2 grams of protein, 100 mg of vitamin C, 69 mg of calcium (really? in an orange? who knew?) and 330 mg of potassium. That information is all available online, but I use my very favorite cookbook of all time, LAUREL'S KITCHEN by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey.

My copy was a gift from Larry (you know, the "armful" guy) for our very first Christmas as a married couple, in 1980. It is a vegetarian cookbook, and though we are not vegetarians, I use it all the time, mainly for the nutrition tables in the back of the book.

It tells me that a peach (if God made something better than a peach, he kept it for Himself!) is 38 calories. A peach! Juicy and delicious and only 38 calories. It contains 1300 iu of vitamin A, 200 mg of potassium, and even has 9 mg of calcium. You can really get caught up in those nutrition tables.

Of course we all know that part of God's grace is variety, and not every peach is 38 calories, any more than every sweet potato is 160 calories. To get an accurate count you need a food scale that measures in both grams and ounces. I bought mine online for about $20.

When we have sweet potatoes, spinach, and cottage cheese for dinner, I love to share with my family that these colorful and tasty vegetables we are eating are powerful foods, not to mention a very easy dinner to prepare.

I'll share more another time. This is how I lost 48 pounds, and have been able to keep it off for a few years. The bad news? It didn't happen overnight. The good news? It works! The reason I'm sharing? It's 3:00 in the morning and I woke up hungry. I could hear a corn muffin calling from the kitchen. I diligently wrote it down, bringing to mind the question - which day do you write middle of the night eating in? If it's after midnight I go with the next day.

Christmas Blessings!

2011-12-15T03:44:00.005-05:00

Wishing all the best to you and yours as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!
I give thanks for my wonderful family. Here is a photo I took last Sunday when my brother, Peter, and I were visiting our mom. Peter and I have seen more of one another in the last year than in all the previous 30 years put together.
God's handiwork often inspires photography! I love when I see that Suzanne, all the way on the other side of the world, is inspired to photograph the sky the same day I am!
So far I've made 29 bibs for the patients who need them at the nursing home where my mom lives. This one is my favorite!

Wishing all the blessings of this wonderful (and busy!) season to you and yours. I'll be knitting socks and finishing up a few sewing projects.

Warm fuzzies

2011-12-01T21:21:00.006-05:00

Aren't these the funniest mittens? The procedure is called "thrumming" and you just knit some roving (unspun wool) into your mittens at intervals, leaving it poofy on the inside for added warmth. I wore them for the first time today, and my hands were cozy warm. They are far from perfect, but I like them just the way they are. Warm!

When we walked Mom to the dining room on Sunday evening, they were temporarily out of bibs. The tired old striped terry bibs with worn edges were all in the wash, which gave me a splendid idea. I happen to have a bit of fabric on hand, so I decided to make 45 bibs for the patients in the memory unit.

When WalMart was closing their fabric department a year and a half ago, they were selling it all for 75 percent off. I had no idea what I would do with horse fabric; I may have been thinking of another I Spy quilt. It makes a nice bib!

This is printed quilt hexagons, looking for all the world like someone painstakingly pieced them. I'll have more to show you soon. I have some excellent rooster fabric I'm going to use next.

We inherited three Christmas cactuses from a friend who died, and we already had the one I show every year. This is the first to bloom - such beauty!

Wishing you the best, as always.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-21T20:46:00.003-05:00

Here we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving 2012. I love the spirit of dedicating a holiday to being thankful, and I am ever so thankful for my family, our home, my job, and the way our needs are graciously met at every turn. (And you - my blog friends!)

I am thankful that my mom is well cared for. I am thankful for all the things she taught me over the years. This year I have been especially thankful that she taught me how to knit( some 47 years ago). Visiting with her is difficult, since she has no short term memory, and tends to say the same thing or ask the same question countless times throughout a visit. Reading aloud helps a lot, as does having a knitting project to work on and talk about.

Since this holiday of thanks involves a lot of food preparation, I am delighted that I had a day off today to get some things ready. Our office is closed on Sundays, so I started yesterday, before going to visit my mom. I made two kinds of rolls, which are nestled in the freezer, ready for the big day. Today I roasted the turkey, sliced it, and it is also tucked into the freezer. A ham is sliced and ready as well.

I made applesauce and orange cranberry relish today, and just have a few things to do on Thursday. I will be working tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'm thankful for the freezer!

It's one meal I tell myself, and lots of people do it all in one day. I will never again try to cook a turkey the day I plan to serve it. The cookbook says to allow 15-20 minutes of roasting time per pound. Five minutes difference isn't much when you're cooking one pound, but when you multiply it by 14, that's 70 minutes of leeway. Over an hour! Years ago I would optimistically read the instructions and do the math, and have a turkey that was either ready an hour before everything else, or an hour and a half afterwards. I resolved to cook it ahead of time or not at all, and this works well for me. I am a do-it-ahead-when-possible kind of gal.

I wish the best to you and yours during this season of giving thanks.

The thing I do worst.

2011-10-28T21:55:00.007-04:00

Mmmm. . . the Sweet Alyssum have a delightful fragrance, and are still blooming as though it were summer.

Every Sunday afternoon my brother and I visit our mom. He has watched me knit many pairs of socks, so I decided to make a pair for him. Nice chocolate colored socks.

One of my co-workers had a birthday, so I made this charming cat pillow for her.

It is hard to believe that this will ever look like

this, but it's supposed to. I'll keep you posted.

The thing I do worst is shop. I have told you many times that the only way I like to shop is if I can walk to the store. Then I at least have the fun of walking to take away the pain of shopping. Last year you lived through my raincoat saga with me. That same raincoat is one year older and more decrepit this year. I went to a store with the word "coat" in the name (as in Burlington Coat Factory) . Do you think they had raincoats? No, but I did buy a small vacuum cleaner. The cashier asked if I found everything I needed. "I was looking for a raincoat," I told her.

" Well, at least you didn't leave empty handed," she said. (I didn't say "thank you for your help."

The next store I went to has clothes and coats and shoes, so I asked about raincoats. The saleswoman looked surprised, and said, "We don't have raincoats," as though I had asked if they had fishing bait. Excuse me! I live in Northeast Ohio. It rains here. It rains so much that this year we surpassed the all time record high rainfall for the area since the time anyone has kept records for such things. If you like to walk, you need a raincoat. The twelve year old one is all very well for just walking, but many of our walks go among civilized people.

So I ordered one from a catalog. When it arrived someone near and dear to me said, "Is there a reason you ordered that color? Is it supposed to be that long?" I didn't like it either, so I sent it back.

The third try should be the charm, don't you think? I just ordered a different one. Different color, different length, and four inside pockets. We'll see.

Hey - it's the weekend! Enjoy.

Early Fall Colors

2011-09-28T19:36:00.015-04:00

We've been doing some home improvements this year, and we finally replaced our fifty year old kitchen counters. I miss the white counter tops; honestly, you could lose a rubber band or a penny on this color, but it is very pretty, and looks just like autumn.

The cabinet under the sink was worn out beyond ugly, from fifty years of someone standing in front of it washing dishes, and fifty years of occasional water leaks inside it. I love the new look!

Even though summer is over, the begonias are looking very nice.

These should go well with Larry's dark orange flannel shirt and brown corduroy pants. He loves his hand knit socks, even when they're a little - uh - colorful.

I went to Hobby Lobby for more sock yarn, and couldn't pass up this cute little bundle of fat quarters. I do appreciate the way they look like a lovely gift! (A fat quarter is a quarter yard cut the "fat way" rather than a linear quarter yard. It measures 22"x 18")

Larry went to buy a new winter cover for our pool. The salesman said, "We have good, better, and best!" Larry, having replaced many covers in 15 years said, "You mean crappy, mediocre, or may-last-two-years?" He bought the one that may last two years. It's always a sad day when we close the pool for the season.

The purple quilted purse I made three years ago was worn out, so I used some light brown upholstery suede to make a new one, with a tote bag to match. I do not travel light!

The days have started getting shorter, but autumn is really a lovely time of year much of the time. I won't mention that it's been just like November today, with 50 degrees F and rain.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Big Doings

2011-09-20T15:52:00.011-04:00

Our house is having a big birthday this year. It is 50 years old! We have spent the whole summer celebrating. We gave it a nice new roof, complete with new chimney and dryer vent. Woo-hoo!

Socks for party favors (of course).

Every birthday needs some flowers.

A lovely new drain system.

I hope all these tender expressions of our affection show our house how much we love it!

And that's not all! Stay tuned for the inside work to be completed soon. . .

Miracles

2011-08-07T08:32:00.008-04:00

I can tell I'm getting old. I spend Saturday nights sitting outside knitting and watching the flowers grow. These hibuscus flowers are as large as dinner plates. If you scroll back, I show these every year - they are magnificent.Each blossom blooms in miraculous glory for one day, then it withers and falls to the ground. Mother Nature really outdoes herself with these.

We have red ones, too! I have seen them in white and yellow as well.

We really can watch the sunflowers grow and change. They start out as a bundle of green leaves. The lovely yellow petals unfold from the center, then the middle portion, looking so much like a spirograph drawing, starts opening from the outer edge, sending lots of pollen for the bees to wallow in.

We store up the memories of all this glorious color for the winter when the world seems black and white for about four months.

Even if we never get a pumpkin, the yellow blossoms give the side of the house a cheerful look.

I hope your summer is full of miracles, too.

Summer Days

2011-07-23T20:34:00.006-04:00

We are having a delightful summer! Larry and I went back to Saugituck, Michigan for three days, and had an even better time than last year. If only we hadn't forgotten our camera. LOL! My sister, Sara, came for a few days, and we made her grandson a pair of little man socks. It was such fun to knit alongside my sister.

Loving the beautiful colors of summer.

These are Sara's birthday socks. It's been an incredibly hot summer, but she'll enjoy them in a few months.

Our brother, Peter, joined us for dinner one evening. Sara and I were knitting like crazy that evening, because she was leaving the next day and we wanted to finish the socks. Luckily Peter is used to conversing with females who can knit and talk at the same time. We were sorry our sister Janet couldn't be there to knit and chat, but she lives a long way away, and travel is expensive.

I hope you, too, are enjoying the season. Of course for some of you it's winter, but winter in Australia looks a lot like summer here!

Our pool reached it's all time 15 year high temperature of 85 degrees! Pretty sweet.

Hi!

2011-06-25T21:07:00.006-04:00

Do you ever watch those backyard makeover shows on TV? They're pretty inspiring! Somewhere we have a photo of what the side of our garage looked like before Larry decided a makeover was long overdue. Both windows had been victims of errant baseballs, and were covered with plywood. The small deck you see was a tree house Larry made for the boys about twenty years ago. We lost the tree that made it a treehouse in a storm several years ago, but it's a nice sturdy deck. The raccoons and squirrels use it all the time. Underneath was an accumulation of old bricks, flower pots, leftover topsoil, and a big ugly retired pool cover. It will be even prettier when the tiny seedlings are all abloom. Thanks, Larry! We love swimming around in circles and admiring the hanging baskets of flowers as we go by.

If we can't grow a pumpkin this year we're pretty pathetic. Look at all these blossoms! You've been reading our (non) pumpkin saga for several seasons now.

Another pair of socks in the works. I have worked 98 hours in the last two weeks, so progress is slow. My reward is. . . the next six days off! Woohoo!

Wishing joy to you and yours.

Something new!

2011-06-07T20:45:00.002-04:00

I hadn't tried dying anything since I was in high school. I was visiting www.Ravelry.com and saw several references to using Kool-Aid to dye yarn, so I thought I'd give it a try. The Dollar General Store had their drink mixes priced at 10 for $1. Unfortunately they only had red and orange, which actually worked out really well since I'm always trying to find the perfect sunrise color. One ball of yellow yarn (many thanks, Ginny!) and two packages of drink mix produced some lovely hand dyed yarn. Who-hoo!

It is a surprising process to watch. The yarn sucks the color right out of the water, and you are left with completely clear water! If I do it again, I think I will knit the item first and then dye it. It was hard to keep the yarn from getting tangled. The posts did mention that you have to unwind the ball first, or the inner yarn won't be able to absorb the dye.

June

2011-06-03T07:54:00.007-04:00

I love June! I love the long daylight hours and watching things grow. Look - I found some socks growing! I am loving knitting lace socks in Ginny's yellow yarn. Thank you, Ginny! I also used it for a stripe and the toe of Larry's new socks. It knits up so nicely. Knitting a lace pattern is lots of fun, but I can only do it when I have time to pay close attention to what I am doing. "Plain vanilla socks" (as the yarnharlot.com calls them) is for when I'm visiting my mom or watching Jeopardy! with my family.

We're optimistically trying to grow pumpkins again. This year we planted them in full sun, hoping we may actually get a pumpkin this year. We have always gotten lovely greenery and gorgeous flowers, but never a pumpkin. The raspberries are looking good. My dad gave us our raspberry bushes several years ago, and it's fun to remember his gift of growing things long after he has gone.

It's swimming season again! In case you don't see much of me this summer, please know that I am happily occupied with all the joys of summer (and the usual 40 hour work week :>}

Wishing you, my blog friends, all the best!

Remember Bobby?

2011-05-14T15:04:00.005-04:00

In January 2009 so many very talented people sold their marvelous crafts for the Australian bush fire relief fund. I bought Bobby from the very talented Rachel Slater and told myself that someday I would learn how to do something like that.

Rachel's Bobby is on the right. We used the same pattern, but different weights of yarn and sizes of needles, which is why mine came out so much larger. The pattern said to use "oddments" of yarn, and I had no gray oddments, so I used gold for the buckle, buttons, and badge. Yarns and needles have different definitions in different countries, which makes it a bit confusing when the internet makes it so easy to shop internationally. Oh, but I am so glad it does! Fifteen years ago I wouldn't have had any idea how to search for a pattern for an English Bobby. Thanks to Google and Jean Greenhowe I was able to find the pattern right away.

The next Bobby I make will be the smaller size, but I am very pleased with my first attempt. It's not as cute as Rachel's, and the head looks kind of blobby, but I find the badge on his hat very charming.

My reintroduction to knitting started in January 2010 and I've enjoyed it ever so much. I have a lot of people to thank for this, starting with my mom who first taught me how to knit when I was seven years old. Suzanne and her mum sparked my interest when they sent me an adorable Aussie koala, baby sweater and booties, and darling doll, all knitted by Sue's mum. Then there were all the blogs with hand knit socks - Lucy Locket is an amazing knitter! And Lisa Boyer, quilter extraordinaire, was knitting socks, mittens, hats, and sweaters when she wasn't quilting. Ginny has made the most gorgeous shawls you've ever seen. Her daughters fight over who gets to wear them.

I found myself needing a quiet portable project for visiting my mom, and the knitting began. First the snowmen, then a pig, a cat, and two bunnies. I tried a hat; the first time something had to be a particular size. Then the socks - seven pairs! Now Bobby, and then back to more socks. My first sweater is going to be doll sized. This is fun!

Still here. . .

2011-05-11T18:55:00.000-04:00

My nephew once wrote me a thank you note, and the subject line said, "Not dead yet." As you can imagine, it was a rather belated thank you note.

That's how I feel. I'm not dead, just busy.

And it's spring! It's hard to do things inside when the sun is shining and you can finally go outside in shorts and sandals. We wait all year for this - ahhhhh. . .

I'm taking my knitting outside. It's a fun project, but not blog ready just yet.

Paleantology

2011-04-30T11:00:00.004-04:00

In an unusual display of scientific inquiry, the Martin family has pursued the ruins of past life. Instead of the customary procedure of digging down, they chose to dig upward, to the attic, in fact.
The study of dinosaurs has always been a topic of hot debate among the Martins. The skeptic among them (that would be me) feels that it is quite ridiculous to find two or three bone fragments and fit them into an enormous skeleton, bestow skin type and color, assign eating habits and child rearing techniques, and have school children memorize these "facts".

In the same spirit, the above pictured creature was a lover of cheetos - or perhaps carrots - judging by the color of his hands and feet. He ate a lot of dum dum suckers, as evidenced by his tongue. He had access to excellent dental care, as his teeth managed to remain so very white in spite of his poor eating habits.

Cute, isn't he? I made him for David when he was in kindergarten (18 years ago!), and found him in the attic this week.

It's that time again

2011-04-28T07:41:00.006-04:00

Now that spring is here we are enjoying working in the yard, and would love to have it look like this beautiful piece of fabric.

Graduation is looming, and I know a darling girl who will be famous one day. I covered her last name for her privacy. I like to make some of these wall hangings into miniature wall safes, with a secret pocket on the back.

Just right for a little gift.

Wishing you and yours a happy day. I have a new knitting project in mind I will share soon.

Going shopping

2011-04-19T04:48:00.006-04:00

You've heard me say over and over that I am not a shopper. I dislike shopping, and the only way I enjoy it at all is if I can walk to get there.

But. . . you've also heard me say that though I love my sewing machine and it has given me 37 good years, it's tired.

So today, being my day off, I am going sewing machine shopping. Fortunately for me, Jodie is also going shopping and she asked her many readers for recommendations. I read every comment and even took notes so I am ready.

Exciting!

Thank you, Mother Nature!

2011-04-17T20:21:00.008-04:00

I am so happy that spring has come!

The hyacynths smell heavenly.

I got up early this morning and started the bread dough, and let it rise all day. We had warm rolls with our dinner!

We'll have some tasty sandwiches and toast this week.

Yesterday we awoke to howling wind, and while we were exercising, the electricity went out. We are such creatures of habit that even though we KNOW the power is out, and carry a flashlight into a room, when we get there we still flip the light switch. Duh. Luckily my "beauty routine" can be done just as well in the dark, since I had to be at work at 7:15 a.m.

I am thankful for the electricity that we take so much for granted. It was funny to hear the birds chirping away just like always. It didn't interrupt their morning that our lights were off. I'm also thankful that I don't count on hot coffee in the morning - I would have been stuck! Instead I had a cold breakfast and packed my lunch by flashlight. By 8:00 a.m. it was back on, and thankfully my workplace had an uninterrupted power supply. We're quite helpless there without our computers.

Wishing you a great week ahead.

Surprise!

2011-04-11T20:36:00.009-04:00

A great big box came in the mail today from my friend Ginny. Wow! It was full of delightful surprises. Miss Ginny used prickley pear fruit to dye the fleece, then spun this yarn by hand and plied it. What a treasure! Thank you so much, Miss Ginny. It's perfect for socks - and we all know how much I've been enjoying knitting socks. I feel comfortable enough with the pattern now to use really special yarn like this.

Even more sock yarn!

Look at all these beautiful balls of yellow yarn. They can be a shawl, or several pairs of socks, or a lacy sweater. Miss Ginny made two swatches and a hat with a very elaborate lacy pattern. So far that is beyond my skill level, so it is especially nice to see her lovely work.

And all the fabric needed to make a quilt! Such generosity. And who knows better than my blog friends what I like to do. Thank you ever so much, Miss Ginny.

I'm going to have some fun!

Making progress

2011-04-05T21:01:00.002-04:00

I might not be able to stop when I finish 20 of these blocks from the book "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" by Jennifer Chiaverini. My plan had been to stop at 20 and make a small quilt, due to lack of time and space. Seeing as how this is just for fun with no deadline, time isn't really a factor. Space is a problem, but I have room for at least 30!

Charming!

2011-04-03T17:08:00.007-04:00

These six inch quilt blocks from "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" are like little puzzles. This one has 31 pieces!

This one looks very simple, but actually has 24 pieces, and required some concentration to get each piece in the right place.

Please excuse the ragged edges. The blocks will all get sashing when I sew them together, and they'll look much tidier. I'm still being charmed by self patterning sock yarn. You just knit happily along, waiting to see what happens next. Of course the second sock isn't quite so exciting.)

I give loads of credit to whomever discovered how to make a nice three dimentional heel, and then shared that knowledge with the rest of us. I believe people have been doing it the same way for hundreds of years! I am now quite comfortable making heels; at first I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. so I could have an uninterrupted hour to struggle with it. Now I can participate in a conversation and still make heels! I tell you, life still holds some surprises. :>}

The solution. . .

2011-03-30T19:15:00.007-04:00

is to work on Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. What fun! These are both paper pieced, and were great fun to make. I couldn't decide what colors to use, so I decided browns and tans with just a touch of sunrise pink in some of the blocks. I'm just going to make 20 of the 140 blocks to start with, and make a wall hanging size quilt. I have neither the time nor space for large projects, but I love wall hangings!

The problem

2011-03-27T20:21:00.008-04:00

with having a really busy week is that when you finally have a day with absolutely no commitments, you try to do everything.

All at the same time. My mother's beautiful quilt that I made her about 20 months ago has disappeared. Something about the laundry service and her name wasn't on it. I'm trying to make another one, but my heart just isn't in it.

And I wonder if it really matters that the pattern calls for a size 10 1/2 29" circular needle, and I happen to have a size 10 29" circular needle. And I made a little progress on a new sock for Larry, because really, knitting socks is great therapy.

And I try to read three books at the same time.

and I work on my crochet which I am still really very bad at, and still have not found a way to keep the edges the same size for pity's sake.

And then there's the problem of the tax deadline looming. The Federal and Local are finished and submitted, but there's still the State to be done. It's really a problem because I have to sit in the same room with someone who is adding up all the out of state purchases so we can do the Right Thing and pay sales tax on them. And he says things like, "Did you know we made 14 purchases from Amazon.com just in January last year?" and "Is Keepsake Quilting out of state?" I say things like, "We have three birthdays in January, and it is not a good month to go out shopping because it snows every time you even think about going shopping. And anyway I hate to go shopping, and Amazon.com makes it very easy to give nice birthday presents. "

So you can see it's been a problematical weekend. And I had to wear my exercise tights and flannel lined jeans and turtleneck shirt, sweatshirt, and a winter coat, hat, and mittens just to go for a walk even though it has officially been spring for an entire week.

I feel a bit like Alexander in one of my favorite books, and am considering going to Australia.

Just enough

2011-03-21T04:44:00.005-04:00

I wasn't sure I was going to have enough yarn to finish the second sock, but I had some to spare. :0) I also wasn't sure I would remember how to graft the toe, but thankfully that went well, too. This pair is for David.

Mr. Greedy Squirrel thinks there's just enough bird seed for him. He spends a lot of time here.

Hey! It's spring! Yes, of course it snows in late March and April and even early May, but it's spring. Yay!!

Ten out of five

2011-03-13T10:09:00.005-04:00

This amazing book gets 10 out of 5 stars in the rating scale. It actually contains heaps of useful information, while making me laugh so hard I can barely breathe. My sister sent me an Amazon gift card, and I am so happy with the results. Thank you, Sara!

I tried to read the following aloud so Larry could see why I was laughing so hard, but I couldn't do it. He had to read it himself. On pages 64 and 65 she lists reasons to carry a knitting bag. "5. The breath mints you keep in your purse won't have yarn fuzz on them. Just regular purse lint."

While teaching us to analyze our fibers and get correct measurements and knit useful objects, she has us laughing every stitch of the way. Great book!

Remember how I was going to start right in on "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler"? Well one of the gals at work is having another granddaughter. I started making quilts for the babies and grandbabies in our office a few years ago. I have resorted to cheater panels to keep on hand, after painstakingly piecing and quilting the first four quilts. I ran out of time to do anything else. The teddy bear quilt on the left is a ready made panel I just had to bind. The new baby's big sister, age 22 months, likes Dora the Explorer. Thanks to a huge snowstorm that kept me from venturing to the fabric store, I found Dora fabric on ebay. I decided a 22 month old who loves Dora wouldn't care a bit about fancing piecing, so I made her a whole cloth quilt, with very simple four inch grid quilting and a pretty aqua binding. A good evening's work.

Dear Mother Nature,

Please tell whoever invented Daylight Savings Time that it has nothing to do with the sun, moon, stars, birds, trees, or animals. Daylight is when it is regardless of any effort on our part to manipulate it. And I hate losing an hour of my weekend!

Let's see, what hour can I afford to give up? My hour of exercise first thing in the morning? Okay, I admit, that was the first to go. My hour of blogging time on my day off? I don't think so.

This amazing clock on the outside of our porch changes to the correct time all by itself! It must be the same magic that makes cell phones work and other such mysteries. We've had the clock for four or five years, and it is endlessly useful. When we're shoveling the driveway before work it gets us in the house in time to get a shower before leaving. In the summer when we're swimming before work it gets us in the house in time to take a shower. Guess which I like better?

The striking clock on the piano doesn't set itself. The easiest way is to stop it and wait to get caught up. The other way is to take it through the cycles so the striker and the time don't get confused. A confused clock is not a good thing. Don't you keep juggling balls on your piano?

Can't wait to start!

2011-03-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to try this quilt for a while. It has caused quite a sensation in the world of quilters, and people all over the world are making it. I am going to be one of them, but on a smaller scale. I have selected 20 of the blocks to make, and I will keep you posted on my progress.

Larry and I went to the quilt show at Lake Farmpark over the weekend, but I guess quilting etiquette prevents me from sharing any photos with you. I was so disappointed when I read that in a quilting magazine several months ago.

Secret Ingredient

2011-03-08T08:15:00.003-05:00

Our local Aldi store has the friendliest cashier! She always has good ideas for preparing food that she passes on to her customers. On Saturday she shared a really good idea. Just take your favorite cookie or brownie recipe and substitute cooked and pureed beans for the butter or oil and eggs. Can you imagine? As odd as it sounds, it is delicious! She told us to use black beans in chocolate brownies, and the only reason I can't share a photo with you is that they are gone already. It cuts way down on the fat and cholesterol, and adds protein to your dessert. What's not to like?

Getting ready

2011-02-27T18:38:00.006-05:00

I'm not normally a believer in "retail therapy". The exception is planning the garden in February!

Wild flowers are such fun to grow. Something different pops up every day. Last year's peas did so well, we're excited to try them again this year.

We've never grown cantelope before. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Are you planning your garden, too?

Except February

2011-02-21T18:25:00.002-05:00

I was having a conversation with a friend at work this morning. "I like all the seasons," she said, "and I'm trying not to complain that it's snowing again. But WE NEED A BREAK!"

"I like all the seasons, too," I said. "Except for February."

February is a season unto itself. We are tired of winter, tired of snow, tired of scraping ice off the car, tired of shoveling snow, tired of being cold, tired of dark evenings. March starts next week, and with March there is hope. Yes, of course it will snow in March, but we will have some of those days when it's 55 degrees and sunny, and we will know that spring is almost here.

And you know what? We had one of those days on Friday (In February!) I washed windows, and Larry and I washed the car, and we went for a really long walk, and visited my mom, and just had a delightful day. How lucky was that, to have the day off on such a day in February?

The year Daniel was in first grade (21 years ago!) the first week in March was extraordinary.
We walked to school in short sleeved shirts with no jackets the whole week. The next week it was back to 43 degrees and rain, but that was a week I'll never forget. The memory of it gives me hope every year!

Have you ever read "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Whenever I am feeling unusually sorry for myself, I get it out and read it. Yes, it's winter and it's cold, but we have everything we need and then some, and we can get to the store and to work, and to visit family. It's best to read it on a really hot day in July, otherwise you will start to shiver just from reading.

I've started knitting another pair of socks, this time for David. I have been doing a bit of sewing, but since it's for my mother-in-law's birthday and she reads my blog, it will have to remain a secret for now.

Take care, and feel free to show me some lovely sunny beach pictures, you gals from Hawaii and Australia!

News Flash!

2011-02-13T20:11:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! I went to the knitting group at the library on Tuesday, and one very talented knitter showed me how to graft. She not only showed me, she watched while I grafted a whole big cowl another knitter was happy to have someone else graft for her. So now I can graft the toes of socks. Yay!!

Adult bibs are just another form of small quilts, and a very useful project.

We are busier than we've ever been at work, somewhat limiting my time to sew, knit, and blog. I'm actually thankful that it's not summer. I don't mind so much missing out on my playtime when it's cold and icy outside. I hope you have a wonderful week, and a happy Valentine's day!

The measure of fame.

2011-02-01T07:59:00.002-05:00

What is the coolest way you can think of to be famous? To be mentioned on "Jeopardy" of course! In the winter we love to watch the game show "Jeopardy" on television right after dinner. For those who've never seen it, it's a quiz show in which the answers to a variety of questions are shown on a board. Players select the answer, and then they try to provide the question. Larry is excellent at it, and amazes me with his knowledge. The questions cover every topic you can imagine, and last night one whole row of questions was about Sue Grafton's books. As if she wasn't famous enough!

But something even cooler happened a few days ago. You've heard me mention Stephanie Pearl McPhee, the self proclaimed Yarn Harlot. I visit her blog all the time www.yarnharlot.com and have been inspired to finish my most recent sock in the record time (for me) of five days. The contestants all tell a little something about themselves and the champ from the previous day mentioned that she had participated in the knitting olympics, which was a fun thing the yarn harlot began during the real olympics.

So . . . that is the true measure of fame. I'm quite certain I will never be mentioned on Jeopardy!

The importance of nail polish.

2011-01-31T18:43:00.004-05:00

If you had to guess, would you think I was a nail polish kind of person? Nope, not a bit. Of course I've tried it, what ten year old girl hasn't? I don't like the way it makes my nails feel like they can't breathe. I don't like the way little bits of it chip off, possibly into the bread dough you are kneading. I don't like the way it takes time to put on, dry, and then remove a few days later when it starts to chip.

Nope, I'm not a nail polish person. Nor are my sisters, and my mom never used it either. Imagine my surprise to find that she now wears pink nail polish. At first I was outraged. How can they take a very forgetful lady who can't even see, and paint her nails pink? She didn't look like my mom anymore. I wanted to cry and shout about how wrong it was.

It made it hard to trim her nails - where was I supposed to trim? It looked sloppy when it started chipping off. But then I realized something. I can't be with her all the time. She thrives on attention. While having her nails painted, someone is holding her hand and talking to her. Someone cares enough to ask what color of polish she would like, and then carefully paints it on each nail.

So what if Mom never wore nail polish? She doesn't knead bread anymore. She's 88 years old, and a lady of leisure. If someone is willing to take the time to paint her nails, I'm thankful they are there to care for her.

My condolences to Daisy, who has been going through the same sort of situations with her mom, who has just passed on. Either way it's heartbreaking.

What?

2011-01-28T07:52:00.005-05:00

What costs $5 and gives you three weeks of entertainment? (And then a wearable, useful object!) A nice ball of sock yarn! I love self striping yarn. It knits up beautifully. This color is called "denim" and will look so nice with Larry's jeans. Mary Maxim catalogue had it on sale for half price.

Did I ever show you my homemade sock blocker? I got the idea from a clever You Tuber ( I have absolutely no idea who, which is what comes of cruising around on Ravelry - so much fun!)

Purchased sock blockers are very expensive, so she advised cutting pieces of craft foam the shape of the socks. I have her to thank not only for the sock blockers, costing about 25 cents each, but . . . for the wealth of fabric I found for 75% off when Wal-Mart was closing their fabric department early last summer. I was there for the craft foam and saw the sale sign.

Did you notice the mysterious thing that happened to these socks? I started out trying to make them match, beginning the second sock in the same place in the color rotation as the first one, so the stripes would be the same. Well, as I was happily knitting along I came to a very small knot in the yarn, looking all innocent. The knot was tying on to a new bit of yarn in an altogether different stripe!! The nerve. But what the heck? Stripey socks are just for fun anyway, and it doesn't matter. Although these are for a gift, and I did want them to look, if not professional, at least not like beginner socks. After all, they are my fourth pair!

The color of chocolate

2011-01-23T06:49:00.003-05:00

Another birthday! Since Janary doesn't have much else to recommend it (what with it being the cold and dark season) it's lucky we have so many birthdays around here. David turned 24 yesterday. When he was little he always asked for a bakery cake, and chose the one with the brightest colors on it. Now that he's all grown up he knows the value of a tasty homemade chocolate cake in which brown is the only color. I fell in love with this gorgeous moda fabric at the quilt show we went to a few months ago. The vendor just had two fat quarters and a one yard piece. I bought what she had, and then did some "selvedge research". It's the first time I've ever looked online for fabric by using the information provided by the manufacturer right on the selvedge.

Just by typing in the words above I was able to find more of this beautiful fabric at the Fat Quarter Shop - they do sell more than just fat quarters! (A fat quarter is a quarter yard cut in actual quarters rather than the traditional linear quarter yard cut, and measures 18 by 22 inches).

I made a lovely scrub jacket for work out of the piece I bought, and plan to use the smaller pieces to make a new purse and tote bag. I would show a photo of the jacket, but *someone* seems to have deleted the photo. Yes, yes, I know, digital photos are easy, and I can take another one, which I will. (But not now.)

Thanks to Ginny for prompting me to come back to blogland. As I told her, my mom is not doing well, and I have spent much of my time off from work visiting with her. She has had to move from the assisted living section to the nursing care section of the place where she lives.

The actual moving of her clothes, furniture, and other posessions was the easy part, although we might not have thought that at the time. She has not adjusted well at all, and the fact that she can neither see nor remember has made it just awful for her.

Anymore I dread phone calls - they're nearly always from Nurse M with dire reports on Mom's latest misadventure. Last night Larry and I drove the 25 mile round trip in the dark and the snow, because Nurse M tells us how agitated and miserable Mom is at night. When we got there she was sleeping peacefully. We stayed for close to an hour, but did not disturb her much needed sleep.

My brain swirls round and round wondering what the best thing would be for Mom. We have considered leaving our cozy nest of 30 years to find a home with a room for Mom, but I cannot afford to quit my job, and I do need to sleep at night.

A song by Mary Baker Eddy came to mind the last time I heard from Nurse M.

The title is "Mother's Evening Prayer" and the fourth verse popped into my thoughts during that call.

"Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;

In that sweet secret of the narrow way,

Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:

"Lo, I am with you alway," - watch and pray."

The first verse of the same song begins:

"O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;

O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour, . . ."

You can see why I find comfort in these words.

Guilt free lunch

2011-01-09T13:09:00.007-05:00

We have three birthdays in our family in January. We are firm believers in "Don't skimp on the cake!" which is my favorite birthday greeting. What with eating all this cake, we need to have some guilt free meals. You can make a very tasty lunch by starting with a piece of flat bread.

Spread it with one tablespoon of low fat sour cream.

Sprinkle 1/8 of a cup of low fat shredded mozerella cheese over the sour cream.

Pile on as much fresh spinach as will fit.

Roll it up and cut in two.

Add a delicious clementine, and you have a guilt free and very nourishing lunch!

Now you can have some birthday cake!

Getting organized

2011-01-03T19:23:00.007-05:00

Something about the new year prompts me to get organized. What a mess my desk had become.

Tidying up generated lots of papers to be recycled. One thing always leads to another, and I cleaned the filing cabinet as well, since I could no longer stuff any more papers into the over filled folders.

And then I thought how handy it would be to have a little shelf beside the desk. Mainly because the little shelf sat on top of the printer ever since it was determined to be the wrong size for someone else's project, and - ahem - that person never did anything else with it. Who knew it would take this many tools to install one small shelf?

All done! Thank you, Larry, for the new shelf! In the "after" picture, it's on the right with the camera case and a white box on it.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T07:25:00.003-05:00

I feel confused. How did it get to be 2011? Really. Wasn't it just 1974?

2010 was a pretty good year, for which I am thankful. Larry and I celebrated our 30th anniversary, and took our first vacation in eleven years. We had a marvelous time! Yes it was Michigan instead of Kauai, and was three days instead of ten, but you have to start somewhere. We loved everything about Saugituck, MI, especially the fact that we got to visit Miss Daisy on the way!

I began knitting again after a very long hiatus, and am delighted with not only the results, (17 snowmen with hats and scarves, 1 Larry sized hat, 1 pig, 1 cat, 2 bunnies, 4 mittens, and 6 socks) but the process as well.

I began crocheting and am still at the beginning stages of wobbley edged dishrags, of which I've made 3, but once again you have to start somewhere.

I ended 2010 at the very same weight I started with, which could be worse. Maintaining is just as hard as losing!

I've enjoyed visiting your blogs, although I have slipped in the posting department. I have found I can get so much more accomplished if I stay away from the computer!

My mom is a big part of my life, as she lives in a nursing home and can no longer see or remember, which is a terrible combination. If she could just see, it would be so much easier to know what is going on. If you can't remember where you are or why you're there, it is very confusing. I visit two or three times a week, and am thankful she is comfortable in body if not in mind, and well cared for. It is very very hard to hear her chatting about things that never happened, changing the past in extraordinary ways.

So far, any of the negative things that have happened in my life have made me better at my job. I can understand and sympathize with patients who have the same conditions. Skin cancer wasn't nearly as scary for me the third time around. I'm thankful for a skilled doctor who removes all traces.

The older I get the faster the time goes, and I know it will be June again in a minute, and I'll be able to swim and take walks in shorts and sandals. I wish you a wonderful 2011.

Christmas is. . .

2010-12-24T16:46:00.004-05:00

a time to give thanks.

And a time to remember those who are no longer with us. And a time to bake cookies!

And a time to knit socks for someone you love.

Wishing you and yours all the joys of this Christmas season.

Planning Ahead

2010-12-18T17:28:00.006-05:00

This is pretty much the extent of my Christmas sewing this year. An elderly patient at work likes fans, and she always brings the staff a gift, so I make her something every year. This is tiny, to hang on her tree.

Mother Nature has been much better at planning ahead than I have. Look at all the snow she's made, and winter doesn't even start for another three days. I don't recall ever having a blanket of snow covering the windows like this before. Interesting phenomenom! She's been making ice as well.

We've all pitched in the shovel this week.

Wishing you a happy weekend.

The knitting bug

2010-12-12T10:12:00.005-05:00

(This is a sweater my mom knit for me a good twenty years ago. Didn't she do amazing work?)

Once upon a time there was a remarkable woman named Judith. The people I knew mostly called her "Mom" or "Mrs. Spearing" or "Judy" but her name was Judith, and she liked to be called Judith. One person even called her "Jutsy" which she didn't like at all, but since it was her own mother, she couldn't do much about it.
Judith had many fine talents. She cooked nourishing and delicious meals for her family, she kept the enormous amount of laundry for her family of six under control at all times, she kept the house in good order, worked at the library, wrote stories, and knit the most amazing things. She made sweaters for everyone in the family, as well as hats, mittens, scarves, shawls, and doll clothes. She made LOTS of socks because her husband liked hand knit socks the best.

She also taught Sunday school, was president of the church for two terms, and rose to the occasion admirably when her daughter needed a purple velvet dress to wear to a high school dance.

(This is the latest sock I made for Larry. It only took nine days! But I still have to make the other one, and finish it before Christmas.)

She passed her love of sewing and knitting on to me, one of her four children. When I was about eight, all the girls in the neighborhood decided to learn to knit. "Mrs. Spearing" kindly provided yarn, needles, and endless patient instruction. When we pulled the yarn too tight and the stitches just wouldn't come off the needles, she would knit a row for us to loosen it up so we could continue. When we came to a difficult part she showed us what to do next. We made countless headbands and doll scarves and blankets, and tried a mitten or two. Then summer came and we took ourselves off to the joy of swimming and bike riding, and put aside our knitting. Mom was probably glad to have the time to go back to her story writing.

Many years went by before I knit anything else, but when I was in high school I decided to knit a sweater. A plain navy blue sweater with no designs or stripes or anything at all to relieve the tedium of knitting back and forth, row after row. Mom kindly finished it for me so as not to waste the yarn, when I declared I had never done anything so boring in my life.

Many years later I had a little child who loved to be read aloud to. Everything we read about he wanted to try, or have me try. Knitting was no exception, and when he was about four I made this scarf for him because we'd been reading a book which included something about knitting.

Many more years went by, and then in early 2010 I got bitten by The Knitting Bug. Wow! I have made 15 snowmen, a cat, a pig, two bunnies, four mittens, and five socks. I have neglected my quilting and especially my blogging, but I have found knitting the perfectly PERFECT portable project.

Now I take it when I visit my mom. She can no longer see to knit, and doesn't remember that she taught all the little neighborhood girls how. She often doesn't know who I am, but I sit beside her knitting while she tells me about a past that never happened. Her quietly brilliant mind has let her down, along with her eyes.

Her four children all have good memories of the things she knew and taught us, and we all have hats and sweaters she made for us.

Random thoughts

2010-11-27T21:37:00.003-05:00

The problem with blogging for nearly three years, is that I do the same things every year. This is probably the third time I have posted pictures of our Christmas cactus in bloom. I am amazed that something green and kind of odd looking can turn into this most magnificent, glorious thing of beauty. Mother Nature, you rock!

(Please observe Mr. Cat, as usual right in the middle of the project at hand.)
Larry and I went to a nature themed quilt show the Metro Park in Rocky River was hosting. I took lots of photos, but have been hesitant to share them due to an article I read in a quilting magazine. I guess the rules of quilting etiquette state that one does not post photos of other peoples' work without their permission, and this includes someone's design that another person has made. Including my own work, using another's pattern. AAK! It kind of spoils the fun of blogging.

Many of the quilts I've posted photos of have been my own designs, but I sometimes do use a pattern, and give credit where it is due. According to the article, that is not enough. You must also get permission from the designer. Well, phooey, that just makes it too hard.

As I'm typing, a remark my nephew has made, comes to mind. TLDR. It stands for "too long, didn't read" which I can picture this post becoming. LOL!

I'm sure you are being bombarded with advertising, as I am, in your email and your letter box. "Last chance to save!" they proclaim, just as though they're not going to send you another message the next day. When you see the photos of more and more stuff, much of which will end up in a landfill within a few years, it's sobering.

Of course we want to give our loved ones gifts, but not something that will just become part of the overcrowded landfills. Ideally, gifts become cherished posessions, but if they even end up at Goodwill or the used book store I won't feel too badly. At least someone else gets the chance to enjoy them. But that orange Christmas tree made in China and bought by some misguided buyer for an American store is truly not going to be cherished for long by anyone. What were they thinking?

Tomorrow we will celebrate my mom's 88th birthday. The chocolate cake just came out of the oven, and is cooling so I can frost it. When I was growing up she liked lemon cake and orange cake and sponge cake. Now she likes chocolate cake, just like I do!

AWOL

2010-11-12T20:25:00.002-05:00

I have found that I can get a lot more done if I stay away from the computer! One of the doctors I work for is retiring and moving to sunny Florida. I made this wall hanging for him.

I have been having a great time knitting more snowmen. I was going to give him some to take along, because Florida is well known for its lack of snow. One of the gals at the library knitting group I attend (who doesn't let politeness get in the way of truth) said, "He won't take those with him."

Oh. Of course I wasn't going to give him all the snowmen. I am keeping some, and have plans for the others. I know when someone is relocating it is hard enough to decide what to take without having unwanted snowmen thrust upon them. So what do you think? Shall I give him some snowmen?

Many thanks to David for sharing his computer with me. The "D" won't work on ours, and when your name is ladydi you need the "D".

Do you do this?

2010-11-06T19:19:00.003-04:00

Do you take perfectly good recipes and change them so much that you barely recognize them? And then your family says how much they like it but you can't remember what you did? That happens to me all the time. I was going to make pumpkin muffins, but the whole pouring the batter into separate cups, and then washing the muffin pan with cooked on batter on the edges, seemed like way too much work. Especially for something we are just going to eat. So I made pumpkin bread. I am going to try really hard to remember what I did, and share it with you. This pumpkin bread is the best!

Pumpkin Bread

3/4 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (or of course you can cook your own)

2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
chopped walnuts (I have no idea how much - maybe 3/4 cup)
raisins (whatever was left in the box - maybe 1/2 cup)

Blend dry ingredients with wire whisk. Blend moist ingredients with a spoon, then stir into blended dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees F in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan for an undetermined amount of time (about 40 minutes) until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Try not to burn your tongue on the raisins by eating it straight out of the oven.

Though I am not complaining, I must say that I have had a very strange week. I feel as though all I did was go to work, come home, and go back again. Which is exactly what I did. Someone is out sick but we are not allowed to work (or at least get paid for) overtime. I worked a split shift where I went to work in the morning, came home, went back in the evening, came home, went back in the morning, came home, went back in the evening, etc. Of course afternoons off are very nice, but you can't truly relax knowing you just have to get back out there and do it all again. I never slept well, coming home after 10 pm, and being back on the job at 7:30 am. I hope next week will be more normal. I made soup and pumpkin bread yesterday between shifts.

Memories

2010-10-29T21:41:00.002-04:00

I love leaves! I love them in the spring when they're new and green. I love them all summer when they offer shade on a hot day. I especially love them in the fall when they turn yellow, orange, red, and brown. I love when they go dancing down the street in swirls, and make a satisfying crunch underfoot.

I love to rake leaves, too. We compost them behind our garage. A massive pile in the fall gets rained on and snowed on, and by spring, is just a little mound waiting to become useful garden soil.

When I was a child we had a big stone wall along the hill in the side yard, which extended into the neighbors yard as well. The wall was part of FDR's work program during the Depression, and we kids had more fun than you can imagine. It was built into a hill, and was wide, 12-15 inches across and ranging from about 5 feet high at the lowest point to maybe 10 feet high at the highest point. It had steps 6-8 feet apart, making it interesting for games of all sorts. In the summer we sat on it, dangling our legs over the side, and sometimes daringly jumping off. We walked along the edge, pretending we were circus performers on the tightrope.

The best fun of all was leaf raking season. We gathered all the leaves from the yard and made a big pile at the bottom of the wall. We leaped off - swoop - into the pile, then climbed back up and did it all over again. An afternoon of five or six kids doing that left the leaves in crumbs, and kids covered in leaves from head to toe. Great memories!

Sometimes we drive by that house and yard with so many of my childhood memories. The wall is still there, and we even got to go inside the house a few years ago. I hadn't been inside since our family moved in 1975. The community was having a garage sale, and the family who lived there participated. We went, and mentioned that I had grown up in that house. Well! The people who live there now could not have been nicer. They invited us inside and gave us a tour. They showed us the pantry door where my mom had recorded our heights as we grew up. They had refinished the door, but preserved those markings. Such kindness brought tears to my eyes.

Query

2010-10-27T20:51:00.003-04:00

Do you interrupt someone who is diligently practicing Irish songs in preparation for a gig next month, so he can try on his new socks for a blogger photo shoot?
Or do you just try them on yourself? These socks were great therapy - they got me through Larry's emergency room and short hospital stay, a bad day my mom was having, and a really bad weekend at work. I wish I had renewed my interest in knitting years ago! It's VERY therapeutic.
Now I'm back to knitting snowmen, which is where I started in January. These size six needles seem huge after using size 2 on the four socks it took me 4 and a half months to knit. It's amazing how much faster the project goes with heavier yarn and larger needles. We have some friends who are retiring and moving to sunny Florida. When trying to think of a suitable gift, snowmen came to mind. Choosing hats and scarves for them is going to be fun!

What color is it?

2010-10-26T20:50:00.008-04:00

I started organizing my fabric by color. It seemed like a good idea, except sometimes it's hard to figure out what color something is. Is it blue? Or green?Is it brown?
I finally decided to have a separate container for the fabrics that have a theme, like dogs, frogs, ducks, horses, chickens, etc.
I can't wait to use this stone fabric - I have a plan!
I like these clear boxes so I can see what colors are in them. I have all shades of red and pink in one box.
Brown, yellow, orange, and cream are in another box.

I have a box for blues and one for greens, and one for black, white, and gray, and even a small box for purple and lavender. It was fun to handle all my fabric. The only problem now is finding a place for all those boxes. :0) A very nice problem to have!

We felt like idiots!

2010-10-20T15:30:00.005-04:00

Larry and I visited lovely Brandywine Falls last weekend. Although it is just seven miles from our home, we only get there once or twice a year. There are some lovely hiking trails which we enjoy. People from all over the world come here, as there is a youth hostel within the park. We saw cars with license plates from Maryland, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
The trails can be a bit confusing, so at one point when we weren't quite sure of our bearings, we asked two young men if they knew which direction we should take.
With very heavy accents they told us if we followed this path we wouldn't get lost. They were probably visiting from Austria or Poland or somewhere, and here we ignorant locals were asking them for directions. "If anyone asks," Larry said, "we're from Wisconsin." LOL!

Paper Piecing

2010-10-17T00:22:00.006-04:00

Someday I'd like to make this cornucopia a bit larger. It contains 36 pieces (or maybe 37) and is 9 by 12 centimeters (3 1/2 by 4 3/4 inches). The apple leaf is about 1/4". I must say I was pleased to have some grape fabric on hand!
Mr. Turkey still needs someone to sew on his beady little eye.
I probably should have chosen a pattern with larger pieces for my first paper piecing project. The turkey alone has 37 pieces, and it only measures 2 3/4" by 5 3/4" .
I rarely use patterns, and when I do, I don't usually follow the color guides. But this wall hanging came out looking much like the pattern!
This is the back. Removing the tissue paper after it had been stitched down in so many places was a royal pain. (so I left some of it - my bad.)
This gives you an idea of the process. I had to use fabric pieces much larger than the finished piece, such as the apple stem, and it seemed like an awful waste of fabric. It is not a method I'm likely to try again anytime soon, but it was kind of fun. Sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

The glory of October

2010-10-13T16:10:00.005-04:00

October has plenty of charm, even if the colors aren't as vibrant as they are in July. The hydrangea has a rosy color that is lovely.Homemade applesauce is tasty, and the apples have been excellent this year.
I wish you could see how beautiful these orange berries are - the color didn't come out nearly as bright as they actually are. Unfortunately they aren't edible, and I don't think the birds eat them either, or there wouldn't be this many!
The leaves are turning yellow, orange, red, and brown, and we try hard to enjoy the delights of October without lamenting that winter is coming.
Life has been too busy to get much crafting done, but it is great to have time to play outside. Larry and I walked down to the field at the end of the street and played trac-ball a week or so ago. It was such fun, and made me feel about 7 years old.

:0/

2010-10-09T23:03:00.002-04:00

Did you ever have the kind of day where so many things went wrong that you stopped counting? But the people who helped you deal with it all were so helpful and funny that it didn't seem so bad after all? And then you got to come home early and sit in the sun and knit? That's the kind of day I had.

Raincoat survey

2010-10-05T17:40:00.004-04:00

I love almost everything about my raincoat. I love the zip out lining, making it useful for much of the year.
I love the nice big pockets with room for my mittens.
I love the hood which helps me stay dry when we walk in the rain.
The only thing I don't like is the way it makes me look like a bag lady. It is eleven years old, and fit me 45 pounds ago. I am thinking about replacing it. What do you think?

A Challenge

2010-10-02T17:36:00.004-04:00

I agreed to sew two blocks for a quilt to be auctioned at a charity raffle in the distant future. When they arrived I was horrified to see the numerous pointy points, which are not my strong point. I took the center portion apart three times, and finally decided that this is as good as it is going to get. Not perfect, but acceptable.
This one was much easier. I hope I get to see the finished quilt at some point.

I'm going to try foundation piecing this weekend. I was watching some YouTube videos, and it looks like something I can do. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Generation gap. . .

2010-09-29T07:37:00.003-04:00

or gender gap? "Someone" needed a notebook. He drove to the store, using perhaps 50 cents worth of gas to get there and back. He selected his notebook from the clearance rack and took it to the checkout. He never carries cash, just uses his debit card for all purchases. Even when the purchase is for THREE CENTS!
For those who are not familiar with our monetary system, three cents is like giving it away for free. Printing the receipt probably cost more than three cents, not to mention the cashier's time.

This person of whom I'm speaking has change in his car. You know, the odd quarter, nickel, dime, and yes, a few pennies. But he was at the checkout, the change was in the car, he had the notebook in hand, and just wanted to continue on his way.

Does this signify a generation gap, or gender gap? Both. I don't even have a debit card, but I do have a purse which always has at least three cents in it. :>}

(But if I found notebooks for three cents you can be assured I would have purchased more than one!)

Someone knows. . .

2010-09-26T15:49:00.005-04:00

how to grow pumpkins and gourds, even if we don't. Next year we're going to try planting them in full sun, but for this year we were able to buy some. Aren't they beautiful? Don't you love the goose shaped gourd??
Making progress on Larry's socks. I used up the first ball of yarn before the first sock was finished. I started the second sock with the second ball just in case I couldn't match it. In that case I was going to knit the toes in a complementary color. Hurray - I was able to get a third ball to match, but that explains why I have two partially finished socks. :>}
A friend at work loves to bake, and she's having a birthday, so I'm hoping she'll like her apron.
Larry's dad is also having a birthday. He likes airplanes, and was in the US Air Force during WWII. I am hoping he will like his new pajamas.
I have to step outside of my comfort zone for my next project. I'll keep you posted.

Life is too short. . .

2010-09-19T09:36:00.009-04:00

to use a nasty dishrag. Yesterday I got out the hand knit dishrag. It's great!
I have no idea yet what I'm doing with these.

It may be fall, but the petunias and sweet alysum still look good.
We put some mums in this fall. Every time I see them I remember my after school job at Hough Bakeries. All the fall cakes had lovely frosting mums on them.
Such pretty colors! Thanks to Larry for buying them and planting them. The gal at the store (Aldi) told us, "When you see the ad saying we'll have mums, you have to get here at 9:00 when we open. If you wait until 9:15 they'll be gone." Larry got there a minute or two before the store opened, and eight people were ahead of him. When the door opened they all zoomed over to the flower display, and within minutes they were all gone. Of course other stores in town have more, but you can't beat $3 per plant.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

It's a good thing. . .

2010-09-12T18:48:00.003-04:00

that remarks about the weather don't actually affect it. Otherwise I would be even more unhappy that our swimming season ended rather abruptly. Right after I mentioned the heat in my last post the temperature dropped. The pool water went down to 62 degrees, and there's no recovering from that once the daylight hours are shorter.

Closing the pool is a lot of work, and no fun at all. Fortunately it's done for another year. This time of year I always fantasize about having an indoor pool. Totally expensive and out of the question, but fun to think about.

On the bright side, it was one of our best swimming seasons ever! I logged about 58 miles, one 18 foot lap at a time. All that turning is very good exercise. LOL! Last year the water was pretty cold most of the summer, and I doubt if I swam more than ten miles. The strange thing is, I feel like I'm flying when I swim, but it takes me 42 minutes to swim a mile. It takes 20 minutes to walk a mile. How can that be?

I have started knitting another pair of socks, this time for Larry. I hope this pair won't take three months like the last one did. If it does they'll be ready just in time for Christmas. Do you believe that Christmas is in just over three months? Time to get busy with our projects. :>}

I hope you have a lovely week!

It always. . .

2010-09-02T05:47:00.003-04:00

gets hot just when school starts. She's so hot she left her skin off.
And Mrs. Spider got so hot she decided to go for a swim.

3 months in the making

2010-08-28T21:15:00.003-04:00

After only three months I have knitted a pair of socks. My very first socks! This is a really big deal for me. I know, I know, socks are cheap to buy and three months in an incredibly long time to spend knitting one pair of socks. But I'm so excited! I have some new skills - if I can remember them. I learned to turn a heel, and then I had to learn all over again for the second one, since two months had elapsed and I forgot what I did the first time. I just needed an hour and a half of quiet uninterrupted time to concentrate on what I was doing. Stay tuned for my next knitting project. . .

Good deals

2010-08-28T08:13:00.006-04:00

This lovely fabric was part of Wal-Mart's 75% off sale when they were closing their fabric department. It was exactly enough to make a jacket for work.

This little guy got a very good deal when Larry and David rescued him after he had fallen from his nest and been abandoned by his mother. They built a make shift nest and hung it from the tree, but mama mourning dove never came to take care of her nestling. Larry and Daniel took him to the Lake Erie Nature Preserve where he will be cared for properly until old enough to live on his (or her) own.

Larry and I found this guitar at a garage sale. It is a popular 50's model in fairly good condition. Larry bought and installed new tuning pegs and strings and sold it on ebay (for 32 times what he paid for it) as part of the benefit for his friend, Rich.
Do you remember the part in "The Sound of Music" where Maria is dancing down the street carrying her guitar? That's what we felt like, because we had walked to the garage sale, and had about a two mile walk home carrying this guitar!

My kind of project

2010-08-22T16:04:00.004-04:00

Of all the things I like to make (and I really am going to finish knitting those socks!) making things for dolls is among my favorites. I love these colors.
This is for a benefit auction to help a friend who is fighting a nasty battle with the dreaded C word.
I hope a little child will like it as much as I do!

People who. . .

2010-08-17T21:25:00.003-04:00

. . . spend their days off sewing
and going to the beach
and visiting people in a nursing home. . .

shouldn't be surprised when their house becomes in dire need of cleaning. :>}

What if. . .

2010-08-13T19:32:00.006-04:00

a very good friend sends you a beautiful card she made herself, just for you!
And she also made you a fabulous notebook cover using the most gorgeous fabric, and her brand new sewing machine.
And inside it is another cover with a place to keep pens, pencils, or. . . maybe knitting needles.
Is it rude to take this perfectly beautiful notebook cover and use it for knitting supplies?
Thank you, Suzanne! I love it, and I was wondering what I could make to store my knitting supplies in. If you don't mind, I will use your lovely gift. It is so perfect!

Hello!

2010-08-08T20:31:00.005-04:00

You've all heard me rave about the buzzards swooping, dipping, and weaving at the outdoor concerts. It's happened more than once, and I just know they come to dance. I was so disappointed when they didn't come this evening because this was the best concert yet. The band is "Chance" and they were fabulous!

Then I remembered. It's also Twins Days down the road in Twinsburg, and surely the buzzards had to put in an appearance there. They have live music and dancing, too, and just like the rest of us, the buzzards can't be in two places at once. Perhaps my dancing buzzard theory hasn't been disproved after all. ;0)

I really have been sewing things, but somehow the ones that were for gifts got given away before I photographed them, so I can't show you. I'll tell you about them. Larry's parents celebrated their 66th anniversary, so I made them six place mats. They are in the log cabin pattern, and they match the pillow I made my father-in-law for Father's Day. They also just happen to match the table runner and coasters I made for their anniversary last year. :>}

My sister had a birthday, and I gave her a copy of my favorite vegetarian cookbook, "Laurel's Kitchen". I made her some lovely table napkins also.

I am working on a few things for a charity auction that will be held on Labor Day weekend. I am going to donate two baby quilts, a wall hanging, and a doll bed complete with mattress, pillow, and of course a quilt. I'll try to remember to get a photo after I finish it.

We have some family birthdays in August, so I don't believe I'll show you what I'm making for them just yet. My nephews and my brother are quiet about it, but they do visit my blog sometimes.

I greedily bought 12 pints of blueberries when Marc's had them on sale for $1 each. This morning we had blueberry pancakes - yummy! I also made blueberry cobbler, which has pretty much the same ingredients as the pancakes, but in different proportions. Lots more blueberries!

We had some beans left from our vegan week, so I made a huge pan of corn pone. It was simply delicious!

One of my co-workers had the misfortune to fall off her bicycle last Sunday and broke her wrist. She is to have surgery on it Tuesday, and will be out for a while. Selfishly, I'm glad I was able to get my vacation in before that happened because I am going to be very busy until she gets back.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I do treasure blogger buddies!

:>}

2010-08-03T07:39:00.002-04:00

My sister, Sara, is a vegan, and we spent her visit eating the most healthy things! These are tomatoes from our garden, and some homemade whole grain bread. She absolutely never eats any junk food ever, and has no desire to. I wonder if I could ever get to that stage? I do love cookies. I could get along fine without meat, but giving up chocolate? Unlikely.
Does this mean I have to eat the fabric??

Family Time

2010-08-01T21:35:00.005-04:00

My sister, Sara, is in town from Knoxville, Tennessee. We took a walk on the bike path this morning. The sign by the bridge made us laugh. I think we're below the 5 ton weight limit. ;0)
We saw lots of Queen Anne's Lace, and the butterflies were everywhere. So pretty!
We walked through the park and found a turtle to sit on.
When we went to visit our mom, our brother, Peter, kindly joined us, and even brought his Segway. Have you ever tried one? It is such fun!
Peter rides this nifty vehicle to work every day, then when he arrives he rides it right onto the elevator and into his office. So cool!

The great unfolding

2010-07-28T07:47:00.009-04:00

God must have had a lot of fun making these hibiscus flowers! They unfold so neatly into big beautiful blooms. The pink one is about eight inches (21 cm) across.
Every morning He is busy unfurling all the morning glory blossoms.
Magnificent!
The ruler shows the width of this gorgeous flower.

We keep saying that we're just going to sit and watch the flowers open up. They start in little cones, and pretty soon they look like this. So far we've never witnessed the actual unfolding, but I am fascinated by the neatness of it all. Thanks be to God for all this beauty!

Lazy Days of Summer

2010-07-24T23:26:00.003-04:00

Cool Cars

2010-07-18T07:45:00.007-04:00

Larry and I saw some amazing cars last weekend at the antique car show. The people who own these beauties have put hundreds and hundreds of hours of labor into restoring them.It reminded me of a quilt show! It's a lucky individual who finds something they love to do, and have the time and resources to do it. I count myself among the lucky ones.
The hoods were up to show the immaculate state of the engine and all those other car parts that I find quite mysterious.
I wish I'd taken notes about the year, make and model of these treasures.
Aren't they spectacular?
Unlike a quilt show, the owner was often sitting on a lawn chair beside his vehicle to answer questions and talk cars with anyone interested. Very impressive!

Feeding the wildlife

2010-07-17T18:48:00.004-04:00

Good morning, Mrs. Deer. I'm so glad to see you didn't have to skip dessert. I'm sure the lily flowers made a very nice addition to your meal of tender morning glory leaves.
And Mrs. Beetle, it was so kind of you to hold your banquet here in our garden. What lovely lace you have created from the morning glory leaves.

I caved

2010-07-10T21:05:00.008-04:00

The Cleveland Plain Dealer had an article in the business section yesterday on the importance of shopping at independently owned local shops. The writer suggested that we select the three stores we would miss the most if they had to close, and go spend some money there. I certainly wouldn't want to be held responsible for the button shop closing! I found a snail, a beach ball, a turtle, and a seashell. Ahem. I found some other things for future projects. You know. Just to keep them in business.

Hallie cat loves the beach ball!
Another interpretation of a sunrise. This one is a bookmark.
My first sock is being blocked in my homemade sock blocker. I saw some in the store for over $20. Whoa! In the first place I don't need two. This first sock has lots of time to block while I knit the second one. I just used a sheet of inexpensive craft foam and cut it out the shape of the sock. Or at least it would have been inexpensive if I hadn't seen the sign next to it that all the remaining fabric in Wal-Mart's diminishing supply was 75% off. (And Wal-Mart was clearly not what they meant by independently owned local shop.) But really - I was there to do a good deed. David had had his car's oil changed and needed a ride to pick it up. So I just scooted in to get my craft foam. And scooted out TWO HOURS later, with a large sack of future projects. The long line at the cutting table was loaded with cheerful quilters and stitchers, all delighted to be getting a bargain. It was like a party!
I wish the place where I went from one needle to the other didn't show so much on the foot. Larry put it well. He said, "Will your foot care?" No, as a matter of fact, my foot won't mind a bit. :>}

What do you think?

2010-07-09T03:08:00.008-04:00

Last week's activities prompted me to make this wall hanging. When I was sewing on the lighthouse button I accidentally pricked myself and got a drop of blood on it. Oops. Of course I could wash it out.
Or I could cover it up. Do you like the foot buttons?
Or the lion?
How about a monkey?
Perhaps a snowman in the sand?
A zebra always lends a nice touch. Maybe I should go to the party store and get a little paper umbrella to stitch on. I can't go to the button store to look for a toy boat. The last time I went there I spent way too much money. :>}

What do you think?

Gracious Gifts

2010-07-04T11:48:00.007-04:00

Larry's mother, Betty, bought several raffle tickets for a chance to win this lovely quilt. She's been supporting the organization for over two decades, and this year she was the lucky winner. More precisely, we are the lucky winners, because she gave it to us! The colors are exquisite, for some reason blogger doesn't do them justice here. It is hand quilted with beautiful stitching, and fits our bed perfectly. Thank you, Betty, for this gracious gift.

Among God's many gracious gifts are the spectacular sunrises and sunsets He shares every single day to anyone watching. Larry and I view the sunset over our garage most evenings, and often wish we could see it without trees or buildings in the way.
Our favorite part of our trip was getting to see these magnificent sunsets.
Each day was different, all stunning.

Summer Vacation!

2010-07-02T17:15:00.010-04:00

We took our first vacation in 11 years this week, and what fun we had! It got off to a wonderful start when Daisy agreed to meet us for lunch in the park near her home. Wasn't she brave to meet us? You know what they say about people you meet on the internet - they could be scam artists or ax murderers. I was so excited when I saw her drive up in her darling little red car. She arrived bearing gifts! Let me tell you, after a day of hiking and swimming, coming back to relax with a good magazine and caramel filled chocolates was a treat indeed.
Daisy often shows pictures from the park where she walks most every day. I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to see it in real life. Their community provides the perfect place for the whole family. Two playgrounds, a pool, ball fields, and lots of walking paths. We ate lunch in the park.
Don't we look like sisters?

After lunch Daisy had to go back to work, so we continued on our way. Our final destination was the Lake Shore Resort in Saugituck, Michigan. It was a pleasant ride through a lot of corn country. Now I love trees as much as anyone, but seeing the big big sky surrounded by corn was a real treat, without the usual trees to block the sky.
The resort has a heated pool which we used all three days we were there.
Just across the street and down 83 stairs (!!) was a lovely beach on Lake Michigan. We spent a lot of time there, and even tried kayaking for the first time. We could see the lake from our room.
The sunset over the lake each evening was stunning. This photo doesn't come near to doing it justice. I took dozens of photos to give me models for future quilt projects.
Buzzards are my favorite birds - angels in the sky. I was pleased to see that they came on vacation, too! Now that our trip is over and the washing machine is getting the sand out of our clothes, we have some wonderful memories to go with all the pictures we took.

Out of practice

2010-06-27T13:00:00.005-04:00

Larry and I are dusting off our suitcases (not sure they qualify as luggage) and planning our first trip in eleven years! We had been fantasizing about visiting Kauai, but we're starting a little closer to home.
Part of the reason we never go anywhere is pictured above. We love to swim in our own backyard, even though it takes 300 laps to swim a mile. LOL.

Our destination of Saugatuck, Michigan comes with a delightful bonus. We will be driving near our blog friend Daisy's hometown, and finally get to meet this charming gal!

What do you think I should pack? Swimsuit - check. Books - check. Knitting - check. Sewing project - check. Chocolate - check. Oh, do you think I should take a few changes of clothes and a toothbrush? Okay.

The best book for the job.

2010-06-23T06:30:00.004-04:00

I just discovered this book at the library. It turns out that this is one of a series covering every subject you might want to teach yourself. There are countless editions on computer use and programs to learn, as well as yoga, weight lifting, sewing and quilting, of course, and many other topics. Besides not assuming I'm a "dummy" or a "complete idiot" as some books do, it explains things so even someone completely stuck by the word "turn" can figure out what comes next. Imagine knitting along happily on the heel, using 32 stitches. Suddenly the instructions say: K18, K2tog, K1, turn. Whoa! Turn? How can I turn when I've only used 21 of my 32 stitches? Turn left? Turn right? What, what , what??? This fine book says, "turn work without finishing row". That was helpful, but Dorrit on YouTube was even more helpful. She said, "Turn the work right around without finishing the row," and did so while demonstrating. If the book had gone on to say, "...so the needle that was in your left hand is now in your right hand and vice versa," I would really have gotten it. Of course I should have just taken a sock class, but I don't know of a place closer than 12 miles away that teaches sock knitting. After work I'm just too tired to drive 12 miles, knit for two hours, and drive 12 miles home.
See?? I have a successfully turned heel. My next challenge will be to graft the toe.

My apologies to those of you not the least bit interested in knitting. I wasn't either until a few months ago. It's funny how it sneaks up on you. It was those January snowmen that got me hooked. :>}

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T22:06:00.006-04:00

I hope Larry's dad isn't getting tired of pillows for Father's Day. This must be the fourth year in a row that I've made one for him. Like guitars, you can never have too many pillows. :>}
We certainly appreciate the fact that our Christmas cactus finally decided to bloom.
But we don't get quite as excited about it as we would in December, when we don't have all these other lovely flowers in bloom. :>}
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Two more days until the Summer Solstice! It's my favorite day of the year, with daylight from 5:20 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. It really doesn't get better than that!

small miracles

2010-06-14T20:44:00.003-04:00

It's been ever so much fun watching the peas grow. First small green leaves, then little tendrils, then blossoms, then a tiny flat pod emerging from the blossom. Pretty soon the pod gets longer, then puffs out, and . . .
we have peas to eat! Yummy! I ate one of these before Larry suggested I take its photo. Our peas will never make it to the cooking pot. We love to eat them raw. Mmmm - so tasty!

Sewing is my hobby, not my job.

2010-06-13T13:11:00.007-04:00

I had some time for my hobby this weekend. :>} Thanks to Suzanne I have a new mantra. Sewing is my hobby, not my job. I replaced the last zipper I ever plan to replace for anyone outside the family. After that was finished, whoo-eee!One of my co-workers just graduated from nursing school. She had a really tough way to go, having to postpone her dreams for many years due to serious family illness.
Her name isn't really Clara Barton, I think she deserves her privacy. Look at the cute buttons my sister sent. So perfect for this project! When I finished this one Larry liked the color combination so well I made the one above for him, complete with a charming black cat.
My mother-in-law gave me this beautiful sweatshirt. I love the colors, which didn't come out as well on camera as it really is. I've always been fond of lighthouses, and cool summer evenings are more comfortable with a cozy sweatshirt. Of course I plan to wear it all fall and winter as well. :>}

Awesome!

2010-06-12T18:57:00.002-04:00

This self striping yarn is awesome! I love knitting along and seeing what will happen next. The only problem is that it's hard to stop. This is my very first sock. Ever. In my life. I trust Mr. You Tube will be a big help when it's time to turn the heel, and again when it's time to graft the toe. :>

Just a really tiny venting memo. Why do people think that just because I sew I am available to alter their suits, replace their zippers, and modify their hoodies? One time someone I barely knew said, "How much would you charge to make a wedding dress?" The answer, "Nothing, because I wouldn't do it." I tell you they were just stunned. As though, you sew, of course you'd do it. This vent does not include family - I am happy to do my family's sewing - that's part of being a family. Thank you for listening.

The Clock Diet

2010-06-08T03:19:00.003-04:00

I haven't done much crafting of late. The Stitch Clique is having its monthly meeting at the library this evening, and I would really like to go and work on a project. I so enjoyed hand quilting Lisa's Baby Honu pattern, but I don't have anything else ready to hand quilt just yet. Perhaps I'll finally start knitting socks!

Since my sister kindly mentioned the word "skinny" in her comment, I thought I'd share a diet I made up. I keep a food journal and try not to eat more than 2200 calories in a day. That sounds like a lot, I know, but I often have even more. AAK! If I don't write it down who knows how high I could go? I eat breakfast around 6:30 (after exercising for an hour), and cannot go over 650 calories, because it's only six and a half hours into the day. On work days I have lunch at 1:00, 1300 hours in military time. In diet time it's 1300 calories for the day by the time I finish lunch. Or I can save some calories for later. I always need a snack around 4:00, by which time my blood sugar level has dropped to my toes, or thereabouts.

I usually go to bed before 10, or 2200 calories for the day. Some days I'm already up to 1800 or 1900 BEFORE dinner, so we have to have a really light supper! We have two favorites for these occasions. Sweet potatoes are very nourishing and delicious, and conveniently low in calories. They're quick and easy for a busy day. Just microwave until soft, add a dollop of cottage cheese, a big plate of fresh spinach, and you have a guilt free dinner! Our other favorite is a big salad made up primarily of fresh spinach. You can have an enormous plate of spinach for only 40 calories. We usually add some walnuts for protein, which are very high in calories, but also very good for you. We add a few carrots, maybe some cheese or chicken, and presto! Another low calorie easy dinner.

There's only one problem with this diet. What happens when you wake up hungry and find yourself eating buttered toast and ice cream at 3:00 a.m.? Which is what I'm doing now. LOL.

Good times

2010-06-01T19:37:00.005-04:00

Larry and I went to the Memorial Day parade yesterday in the town where I grew up. Bagpipes are the best part of any parade! See the little piper towards the back? What a cutie! I heard his mother tell someone he is three.
This is my friend, Jane Babinsky. She is a marvelous piper!
I don't know who this young piper is, but he surely charmed everyone watching the parade. He's getting a little help from his mom here. He's not used to dealing with a kilt.
I stopped at the library on my way home from work today. This book should be a big help!
Inquiry: Do you suppose the library staff prefer patrons to use the self checkout, or wait for a staff member to do it? I know the cashiers at the grocery store don't care for self check out, because it is a way of eliminating one more job. The staff at the library always seem like they have plenty to do, so I usually check out the books myself.

Memorial Weekend

2010-05-30T15:16:00.004-04:00

Many thanks to the brave men and women who serve their countries so gallantly.We saw this display on our walk this morning. It speaks volumes.
Larry is taking such good care of our garden. These are the peas he planted back in late March.
They have their first blossoms!
God provides the water which comes down the downspout and into the rain barrel.
We planted lots of flower seeds last weekend. These are little bitty daisies getting started. A small maple tree has joined them. Maple tree seedlings are everywhere.

Did you ever have a spur of the moment absolutely fun date? Yesterday was a work day for me, beginning at 7:15 a.m. Larry and I took a walk to McDonald's at 6:00 where we bought fruit parfaits to have for breakfast. It was already daylight, and delightful. I hope you have a great weekend!

Suppose. . .

2010-05-22T19:20:00.006-04:00

it is Saturday night. You've worked all day. Your dh is out making music with his band, and the friend you invited to come over for craft night had a previous engagement. In Texas. (Hi, Liz!)
You really really want to work on your adorable turtle quilt. See! They have eyes. They're swimming in a circle, and are just waiting for some nice quilted waves.
Second choice in the lineup is a new knitting project. Do you suppose I'll have as much trouble learning how to turn a heel as I did making thumbs?
Near the bottom of the list is replacing the zipper in a pair of pants for someone at work.
At the very bottom of the list is 58 pages of reading to do for work.
What would you do? Exactly! Leave it all behind and go for a walk instead. :>}

Charming!

2010-05-18T22:06:00.002-04:00

Aren't these turtles charming? They're Lisa Boyer's pattern. Of course I'm not quite finished yet, but it's been a busy few days.
When Larry and I go for walks, one of our favorite things to do is walk along waterways where turtles like to sun themselves on rocks or logs. Sometimes they're all lined up, and when they see humans, they plop into the water one by one, much like dominoes falling. Cute! If we wait quietly, they slowly clamber back upon the log to resume their enjoyment of the sunshine.

I bought this pattern a whole year ago, and am just now putting it together. What fun!

Joys of Spring and Knitting SOS

2010-05-13T20:37:00.006-04:00

Here is the mama robin, watching carefully as we photograph her family. (She's the one who built the untidy nest from a few posts ago.)
They're growing up fast. It looks like a jumble of feathers and beaks. She started out with three eggs, and we can't tell if she has two or three babies.
The rhododendron is looking well. Larry has been working very hard in the garden.
Don't laugh. We actually needed mittens the last few days. April was much warmer than May has been. Now you knitters, I need some help. The instructions were free from Ravelry, and perhaps not quite as clear as a beginner like me needs. As you can see, my thumbs have gotten better with practice, but they still need work. I was knitting along happily, finishing the cuff and increasing for the thumb gusset.

The next part left me uncertain. It says, "K2, CO5st, place 9 stitches on a stitch holder and knit to the end of the round." Does this mean I knit two, cast on 5 stitches, and put the next nine on the holder, or include the two plus five I was just working with? That's how I did it the first three times, but each time it didn't seem right, although I like the location of the thumb, and it reverses nicely so the left and right mittens are interchangeable, which is always a convenience.

I went to the Stitch Clique at the library Tuesday evening, and one person there suggested that maybe the CO5st actually means to cast off. The mittens are already fairly narrow, so I don't think that's the case. When I cast on the five and then keep knitting around I end up with an opening in addition the the thumb opening I already had. For all three so far I have just used a yarn needle and yarn and sewed the opening closed. I know for sure that's not the way to do it.

Suggestions welcome! I'm getting close to the next thumb opening.

Many many thanks, mainly for caring enough to read this even if you don't care a whit about knitting. LOL.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T17:35:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing moms! I hope you have had a delightful day.
Two of my favorite authors have just had new books published. Once again I got to go hear Jennifer Chiaverini talk about her book and read an excerpt from it. I do love hearing authors read their own work. She was charming as always. This is the fifth time in five years I've gotten to do this, so I'm beginning to feel like a friend of the family! Her mother introduces her, and then she amuses her audience with insights into writing and researching. Research for this book required four trips to Hawaii. The poor thing, such a hardship, and twice she had to miss out on some of Wisconsin's snowy winter to do her island research. :>}
A member of our extended family had a brand new baby girl last week. I didn't hear about it until after the fact, at which time I inquired about color preference. When told pink and purple, I looked through my stash. I had lots of pink and a little purple, but not a lot that went together. A little trip to the store yielded this printed panel that was already quilted. All I had to do was cut out some strips in a matching color and add binding. 45 minutes to make a quilt.
Not my usual way of making a quilt, but it's pretty cute. It's also much lighter weight than the ones I usually make, which could be a good thing.

Growing Things

2010-05-06T13:52:00.004-04:00

It's the time of year when we plant things. I plant things inside.Larry planted peas. Mmmm, my favorite vegetable. They're the one thing we can plant around here early in the season. They don't mind a bit of cold, in fact they like it. Once the temperature climbs into the 80's for extended periods, the peas are finished for the year.
Mother Nature planted a lot of maple seeds. She must think we need even more maple trees. We find tiny baby maple trees growing everywhere. Truly - everywhere! They grow on the roof, in the gutters, in tiny cracks in the driveway, and of course in every available patch of soil.

Wishing you and yours the very best.

What the well dressed skeleton is wearing

2010-04-29T19:27:00.003-04:00

This season, the well dressed skeleton is wearing a prom dress. It is prom season, you know. (Tee hee)You do have a skeleton at your work place, don't you?
Please observe her lovely wrist corsage, adding a bit of charm to her rather bony arm.
Just so you know what I've been sewing this week!

Not one bit

2010-04-25T19:52:00.004-04:00

I have not done one bit of sewing or knitting all week. :0/ I looked around and decided my free time really needed to be spent cleaning. This is most unusual for me, especially since we weren't even expecting company!

Do you have a place in your house you would never never never photograph for your blog, because, well, even after spending four hours cleaning it is still a disaster? I admit I don't clean our porch nearly often enough. You see, every single time I get it reasonably tidy, someone brings something large into the household, and decides the porch is the best place to store it.

I accumulated several bags of cardboard and paper to take to the recycling center, a few bags to take to Goodwill, and yes, some things that no one would have any use for at all, that went into the trash.

I also cleaned our closet and found something I hadn't seen in years. It is made from shirt sleeves, cut into three inch squares. Years ago I worked for a uniform company. Sometimes perfectly good long sleeved shirts needed to become short sleeved shirts. I got to keep the sleeves, and made quite a few things out of them. Baby quilts for co-workers, place mats, pillows, and a doll quilt, as shown, just for fun.

Larry and I had a GREAT walk this morning. We started out just going to the Post Office to mail our letters - er, bills. Yes, as my nephew kindly pointed out, they do make house calls, but we like our walks. Once we arrived we decided to take a different route home, so we could see all the flowering trees in the cemetery. Once there, we strayed further from our planned route, and ended up walking for two hours and twenty minutes! I do wish we had taken the camera. We saw one lovely sight right after another, such as a beautiful small lake with ducks, geese, and a swan gliding majestically along. It had a lovely walking path alongside which we thoroughly enjoyed.

I hope I'll do some sewing this week!

Do you like. . .?

2010-04-22T20:01:00.007-04:00

Yellow?Or pink and yellow?
Or just pink?
or blue?
or white?
The colors are magnificent this year.

Global Economy

2010-04-19T22:02:00.005-04:00

I got a really fun surprise in the mail today. Look what Heather sent from Ireland! Her crochet work is just outstanding. I hope I can learn to do that. I love the gift tag she made, too. I feel so badly that air travel has been halted for so many days. I know it is creating a hardship in ways I wouldn't have thought of.
Another vote of confidence for the doctor who said the soon to be born grandchild of a co-worker will be a girl.
I had lots of fun with this!
I started it after work on Friday, and finished it yesterday afternoon. My shoulders ached by the time the last stitch was in place. Would you like to hear a really lazy method of binding a quilt? I've done this a lot. I make sure the backing is at least one inch bigger all the way around than the top. After it is all quilted I just fold the backing over the edge, pin in place, and stitch. Presto - a neatly bound quilt. I forgot to take a picture of the back, and I already delivered it, so it's too late now. The back is solid animal print fabric with a border of a brown print , which is the binding you see.

Wet weekend projects

2010-04-18T09:36:00.005-04:00

In the summer I hope a wet weekend will be all about swimming. For now a wet weekend means we find things to do inside. I had a lot of trouble with this mitten, and had to amputate the thumb four times. I am so wishing I had paid attention when Mom was still able to knit. She was a master, and could knit anything. My sister is another master, but she lives 700 miles away. I doubt if she'll be dropping by to help me with this thumb!In my optimistic way I started a new mitten. Now it would have been sensible to make the second one out of the same yarn so I would eventually have a pair, but I just wanted to see how this yarn would knit up.
We're having another baby at work. The ultrasound technician said it's a boy. The doctor said it's a girl. I was going to wait until its arrival so I would know for sure, but what if it's sunny and warm then, and I want to play outside? I'm making it mostly unisex with a few small pink squares thrown in to side with the doctor.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you want a cool geography lesson go visit Jodie. www.vintagericrac.blogspot.com

Do you fly?

2010-04-16T19:08:00.003-04:00

The last time I defied the laws of gravity and rode in a conveyance several hundred feet above the earth was in 1973. Back then you could take anything on the plane. People still smoked in planes back then, and yes, I did knit on board, using those big dangerous knitting needles, and (gasp!) scissors. You see, though I love to read, there are times when I can't. Such as when I'm defying the laws of gravity. Or when a no doubt very skillful surgeon is operating on a loved one. When I'm a bit (or a lot) uneasy I can't enjoy reading. I need to do something like knitting. Or sewing. Which both require dangerous weaponry, or at least needles and scissors.

You know and I know that a plane full of happily occupied passengers is much safer than one filled with bored and testy passengers. Knitting needles are no more dangerous than a pencil or pen, but don't say it out loud, or we may not even be able to write on the next flight.

My counted cross stitch needle isn't the least bit sharp, and I suppose I could use my teeth to cut the thread.

Well, bloggers, what do you do when you fly? We have a little fantasy of visiting the Aloha state, but we can't get there without defying gravity.

This is the stool sample I told you about. A little office humor. Cute, isn't it?

Non-gift

2010-04-12T18:32:00.002-04:00

This is the non-gift I decided on. It's a bookmark for a gal who loves to read. I got the cross stitch pattern from a library book, pictured below. It took about two hours to stitch and put together, and the supplies came to less than $1, and were out of my stash, so really didn't cost a thing. Many thanks to my sister, Sara, who gave me the idea to make bookmarks. She made one for our mom a year or so ago. Every time I read aloud to Mom we use Sara's pretty bookmark. I'll be making more!
This book has some delightful patterns in it. Don't you love libraries where everything is free, and you don't have to find a permanent home for it. Of course you do have to give it back, but then someone else gets to borrow it. :>}

Inquiry

2010-04-11T12:09:00.002-04:00

What to do?

Have you ever received an invitation to a party that says, "No gifts"? And then when you get there find that there are not only gifts, but a designated table to hold them?

And what if you have a previous commitment and cannot attend? Do you send a non gift anyway?

Untidy houseguests

2010-04-11T11:58:00.002-04:00

Our cat is not quite sure what to do about the houseguests. It's a problem for him because he stays inside and they stay outside. They have spent a lot of time building
a really untidy house. Lots of flying back and forth. Lots of carrying building supplies. There is a very neat little nest at the top. I wonder if they think all this trailing debris somehow camouflages their home, making it invisible to predators?

Do you remember?

2010-04-10T06:28:00.003-04:00

Do you remember when we used to get out a piece of notebook paper, or if we'd just had a birthday, a pretty piece of stationery, and write - with a pen! - a letter to a friend or family member? We'd find an envelope, look up their address, write it on the envelope, attach a stamp, and take it to the mailbox. A few days later it would arrive in their mailbox. I miss that. It must explain why I enjoy books of essays, or better yet, letters!

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and "Daddy Long Legs" are two of my favorite books. They are made up entirely of letters. I also enjoy books of essays, which are almost like letters.

In honor of a tradition that is nearly extinct, this blog post is a letter to you, my blog friends.

Hi there!

It's 6:30 on Saturday morning, and I have to leave for work at 7. I am eating my cereal while typing, and have yet to pack my lunch, so this will be short. The daffodils did get their third snowfall yesterday, but they're tougher than they look, and manage to bob back up again, with a smile on their faces.

I went to visit Mom yesterday and found her quite well. When I visited on Tuesday we spent the whole time outside in the sunshine and 82 degrees. Yesterday we watched the snow out the window and read aloud. Her memory is not good, so a book of essays is a good choice. She doesn't have to follow a plot.

Have you read any of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books? They're wonderful! She's the Lisa Boyer of knitting. Lisa has written two marvelous books of essays on quilting, and Stephanie is entertaining us with her insights on knitting.

One of our patients at work brought in some darling little plastic bottles with typed labels saying "stool sample". We see a lot of that in our office, as you can imagine, but these sample bottles had cute little wooden stools with four legs! They're about 3/4 of an inch across and tall, and are adorable. A little medical office humor!

We've had four out of four cars in our family in the shop in the last month. Of course we like to do our part to keep the economy going, but it's much more fun to do so via the quilt shop or yarn shop.

Hoping all is well with you and yours, and do have a delightful weekend. Imagine this arriving in your mailbox in a cheerful green envelope.

Lots of love,
Diana