We Interrupt This Program …

for this Public Service Announcement (for those of you who are using Blogger for your blogs).

Did you know that Blogger has changed its settings so many of you are requiring your commenters to prove that they’re not robots … even though for years, you didn’t require that?


It was a surprise to me when I saw a few bloggers mention it … my first thought was that it wasn’t affecting MY blog because I turned off “word verification” a looooong time ago.  Then I got to thinking … technically this isn’t “word verification” … it’s “number verification” … or proving that we’re not robots.  So I decided to test it on my blog … and sure enough, any of you who’ve been gracious enough to leave comments have had to go through that rigmarole just to leave me a comment.  <sigh>  I searched all over my dashboard for a setting that would allow me to turn it off, and I did a Google search … all to no avail.  Then the light bulb turned on … the bloggers I follow who didn’t require me to prove that I’m not a robot all had one thing in common … they had their comment section located within (at the bottom of) the post as opposed to a pop-up box or a new screen.  I changed my blog settings (to “embedded”) and sure enough!  No more proving that you all aren’t robots! 



If you all want to make sure that your readers aren’t required to prove that they’re not robots, just go to your dashboard (www.blogger.com) and click on settings and then click on posts and comments … and change your comment location to “embedded”.  Easy peasy.



I’ve got an unexpected/unplanned day off today.  DD has been working the Scholastic Book Fair, and I’ve been watching the Ts for her.  It gives her a chance to get out and spend some time with other adults, it allows her to buy books – LOTS of books – on the cheap, and it allows me some time with the Ts.  It’s a “win-win-win” situation.  ha!

I suspect that most of you can imagine how I’m going to spend this free day … quilting of course!  Starting right now! 


I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

The Weekend Wrap-up (Condensed)

They swam. We cheered. I shopped.

There you have it in a nutshell.

Seriously, it was a crazy busy weekend ... to be followed by perhaps an even crazier busy week (hence the Wrap-up on Monday evening instead of Monday morning).

Friday I spent my day with DD and the Ts. I was enlisted to be a helper on the pottery field trip. Turns out the little ones (the ones I was to supervise/get paint for, etc.) finished up before the two bigger ones ... so I got to do a little painting too. Here's a quick photo of our morning's efforts.



Saturday and Sunday mornings were spent at the swim meet over in West St. Louis county. T#1 dropped times on all but a couple events ... T#2 dropped time on about half her events. I was able to get in a few hours of quilting while we watched the last of the hockey game and It's A Wonderful Life.

Sunday after the meet, DD and I spent the afternoon and a good chunk of the evening together, wrapping up Christmas shopping. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home ... it wasn't a Slow Stitching Sunday at achey Nana. ;-)

I'm not sure if there will be a Slow Stitching Any Day this week with as busy as I'm going to be. DD and my dad keep me busy, and I miss my time with needle and thread ... but I can't say that I regret being able to help them out.

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Finally Friday?

 

It’s been an odd week.  On the one hand, it’s flown by … on the other hand it also feels like it’s been a long week.  Crazy, I know.

 

While I’m waiting for T#3’s fabrics to arrive, I finished piecing together DH’s log cabin top and began the quilting.

The colors are a little washed out in this photo … I took it as I was quilting Wednesday evening … under artificial lighting.  You can get a better idea of the actual colors here.  I’m thinking that I’ll stop working on this quilt when his fabrics arrive so I can get started on his quilt … but maybe I’ll get in a little quilting in the evenings while watching a movie or hockey with DH. 

 

I think I have success on the new doctor front.  Originally my daughter had recommended a family physician … but when I search the database of providers for my insurance, she wasn’t on the list.  It turns out that I searched for the name she goes by (Becky) where my insurance company lists her by her given name (Mary R.).  Not only is she taking new patients, but she doesn’t require an “establish care” appointment before seeing me for a “real” appointment (my well woman exam and mammogram orders).   

 

Insomnia is once again trying to become my new BFF.    Even though I was very tired when I went to bed last night, I tossed and turned for what felt like forever … and I was wide awake this morning at 4:00-ish … I tried to fall back asleep, but I gave up after about 20 minutes.  We’re going to have an early morning tomorrow … T#1 and T#2 have a swim meet over in West St. Louis (about an hour away from here), and we’re going to need to be there by 7:00 - AM.    I suspect it’ll be a very early bedtime tonight.  ha!

 

It looks like it’s going to rain all. day. long … there’s a front stretching from the Kansas-Colorado border to Louisville, KY.  I think it’ll be a perfect day for sitting in my recliner, quilting.  First, however, I need to run to DD’s … she’s asked for a little help with the Ts on the homeschooling group field trip.  I confess she didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to help out.    A day that has time with my Ts *and* quilting … pretty close to perfect in my book. 

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy.  Have a great day!
Kathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I can’t remember the last time I was able to participate in the Wednesday Hodgepodge … I’m excited to be able to participate in the 200th Hodgepodge.  It seems only fitting since I was able to participate in the inaugural Hodgepodge. 

1. What is something in your life right now that feels a little 'hodgepodge'?
My house is a little hodgepodge-y right now as I’m “collecting” gifts … they’re arriving piecemeal, and I’m going to wait until I have all (or at least most) before I drag up the wrapping paper to wrap them and put them under the tree.

2. What does 'peace on earth, goodwill to men' mean to you?
This doesn’t mean goodwill amongst men or between men as so many think at this time of year.  It doesn’t mean the kind of peace that most of us look for.  Instead, I believe that it tells us that through Jesus Christ, there will be peace and goodwill from God to those who choose to believe in Him. 

3. Which edible treat you are most looking forward to sampling this December?
Spritz cookies.  My daughter and I get together and bake cookies every December, and while we are always on the lookout for new, yummy cookies, Spritz cookies are always on our “must-make” list … at my request.  Not only do they remind me of my Grandma B who made them every year for Christmas, but I love them … they’re not too sweet, they’re small and bite-sized, and they can be pressed and decorate in festive Christmas fashion. 

4. It's that most wonderful time of the year...do you agree, and if so why is it so wonderful?  If not, what would you say is the most wonderful time of the year?
I do love the Christmas season … it’s such a special time for so many reasons.  It’s a time of getting together with family and friends, it’s a time of gift-giving, and most importantly it’s a time where we make a point to remember the most precious gift of all … a Savior. 

for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

5. What was the last word you looked up in a dictionary (actual or online) and why?
I looked up the word “antiphony” last night.  I was listening to music on Pandora and happened to read the description provided for the song I was listening to … and saw “antiphony”.  I didn’t have a clue what it meant … so I looked it up.

6. Besides a Christmas tree, what is your favorite thing to decorate this time of year?
I don’t do a whole lot of Christmas decorating, but I do put up a tree and put out my Christmas village and nativity set, as well as a few other decorations.  I’d have to say that our Christmas village is my second favorite thing to put out for Christmas … it was made by my sister-in-law and was her wedding gift to us. 


7. Share one thing you've learned (about yourself, people, or anything at all) in the Wednesday Hodgepodge, or through blogging in general.
I’ve learned that I don’t have to have met someone “in real life” to be able to call her a friend … I’ve made several close friends while blogging.  I’ve also learned that I’m not the only one with idiosyncrasies and quirks … it’s kind of a nice feeling to know that I’m not alone.   

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We got the tree up and decorated and all the rest of the decorating for Christmas is done.  Whew!  I don’t know why, but getting all the lights connected together so they work is such an ordeal for us (the tree is in three parts, and the lighting has to be connected and then plugged into an electrical outlet).

I’ve been summoned for jury duty next month … this will be probably the 6th time that I’ve been called.  Surely there are plenty of other people who haven’t served … why can’t they call on them? 

DD and T#3 finally came to an agreement on the fabrics for his quilt.  We’re going with a very light gray and a darker gray with a black for the center block and the narrow border (all solids … in spite of gray being so popular right now, it was impossible to find a very light and a darker medium true gray in mottled/marbled prints).  He wants the same quilt that I made for T#1, but with the different fabric, it shouldn’t look too much like a copy-cat quilt.    Hopefully his quilt will work up as quickly as T#1’s did.

I am due (actually a little overdue) for my annual check up and mammogram.  I’ve been wanting to change doctors for some time now, but between I put it off until too late.  I thought I had a doctor selected, and even had an appointment scheduled for next week, but between my experiences and what I’m hearing now from others, I’m not so sure I want to switch to this doctor.  My other option is an internist, but that means I’ll have to get an ob-gyn as well.  I’m almost thinking that I’ll schedule this year’s check up with my current doctor and then make the switch after the first of the year.  I’m thinking that it might just be easier to wait … and avoid the stress of trying to find two new doctors and trying to get worked in with as busy as this month is. 

I’ve got a free day today … one of only a half dozen this month, and I’m going to spend it in the sewing room! 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Welcome to December??

 

December??  What happened to November … or the other 10 months of the year, for that matter?  Time is really flying by!  I imagine December will really fly by as there are only 4-5 days where we don’t have something scheduled. 

 

My Sunday didn’t turn out quite the way I planned it.  My intention was to put up the tree and then work on my Martha Washington’s Flower Garden blocks.  Instead of putting up the tree, I decided to go check the status of the DH’s log cabin quilt and ended up finishing up the last 9 blocks and started piecing the top.  I discovered, much to my chagrin, that the new Bernina quarter inch foot produces a slightly more accurate quarter inch seam than my old … I assumed that since they were both manufactured by Bernina that they’d sew up the same size seam … and we all know what happens when we assume, right?  Although I suppose that it’s entirely possible that the flange on my new one allows me to sew a more accurate quarter inch seam, so that it might be more a matter of operator error?  At any rate, as you can imagine, it doesn’t take a lot of difference to add up when there are 13 pieces in each block.  And since there are 13 pieces in each block and since almost half the finished blocks are a bit smaller, I decided to use them all, tweaking them to fit together.  In hindsight, I probably should have rethought that plan, but I’ve got 6 of the 9 rows pieced together and since this quilt is for DH and will be used a lot (he’s a cover hog, so we each have a quilt to curl up in on the bed … this will be his bed quilt), I’m going to make it work.  Once I’ve got it quilted and washed, I doubt anyone will notice … I’m sure that DH won’t.    I had hoped to take a picture of my progress, but I don’t have enough floor space in the sewing room to lay the top out … not to mention that it was a cloudy, dreary day yesterday when I called it a day in the sewing room.  Here’s a reminder … a photo I took last July (I took the photo as I unpacked from retreat where I started piecing the blocks, so forgive the wrinkles).I’m setting the blocks in a barn-raising pattern.  I had originally planned to do a star setting, but there won’t be enough floor space in the living room to lay out the blocks so I can piece them accurately.  DH is happier with a more traditional setting, and I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a log cabin set in a barn-raising pattern.  I do hope to make a log cabin using the star setting … perhaps on a wall quilt?  In spite of my detour, I did get some more work done on my MWFG.

 

Since I didn’t get the tree up yesterday, today is the day … DH and I got the tree upstairs and set up/lit (that’s always a battle!) … now I just need to decorate the tree and put up the Christmas décor.  For some reason, I’m just not very motivated to decorate for Christmas this year (kind of like with Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving decorating), but I know I’ll regret not doing so at some point.  Since I’ve got a few other non-quilting chores to do today, I think I’ll just get them all crossed off my list today.  I’m hoping that I can get into the sewing room later on this afternoon … or work some more on my MWFG blocks. 

 

Most of you know by now that I’m a bit of a weather geek … and yesterday certainly was right up this weather geek’s alley.  We hit a record high of 72 … and two hours later, our temperatures were flirting with the 30s.  We had sleet/freezing rain overnight/this morning with a low of 28 with more ice in the forecast … a winter weather advisory until noon.  It’s weather like this that makes me wish we could find a job for DSIL somewhere south … way south and near a beach, of course!

 

Here are a couple of pictures taken at Thanksgiving.  The first is a picture of my dad with his great-grandkids, taken after Thanksgiving dinner.  That’s my sister’s grandson there on the far left … the other four are my grands.  The second is a picture of me with my two sisters.

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Whew … Slow Sunday Stitching

Finally!  Life is back to normal.  Don’t get me wrong … I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I had a wonderful visit with my sisters.  But I’m way beyond ready to get back to my normal routine.    I always enjoy company, but I'm always glad, too, when I can get back to my routine.  What can I say?  I'm definitely a creature of habit.  ha!

We had a nice snowfall Wednesday … although it would have been nicer had I been able to stay inside and watch the snow fall while stitching some hexies together.    But the snow didn’t really interfere with our trip to the airport to pick up my sister L. 

Preparing our Thanksgiving meal was a comedy of errors.  I don’t know how, but when DD and I were doing our pre-Thanksgiving preparations on Tuesday, I must have input the wrong size turkey on that online turkey calculator … I determined that our bird needed to cook for 6-1/2 to 7 hours … neither one of us thought anything of it as it was a larger bird than usual.  I don’t know why (other than perhaps it seemed like the turkey was browning up a little more quickly than I was expecting for 7 hours in the oven), but I reran the calculator Thanksgiving morning … and sure enough, it was only supposed to take 4-1/2 to 5 hours.    Not only was the turkey going to be done hours sooner than anticipated (we had family coming as far as 3 hours away – my sister K and her crew), but we could have easily slept another hour or two!!!!  We had prepared our casseroles right after we put the turkey in the oven … but forgot to take them out of the refrigerator as soon as the turkey was done so that they’d be room temperature when they went into the oven … so the sides that should have only baked for 30 minutes had to bake for 60 minutes!  But even with all of that drama, everything turned out perfectly … and our guests all were able to have a nice long visit before we sat down to eat.

We spent Friday at my dad’s, hooking up his new TV.  We moved his “old” TV to his bedroom  and set up the new TV in his living room.  Everything is fine with his new TV, but we had some issues with the old TV.  It’s not connected to a satellite receiver but will draw in satellite programming when tuned to channel 73.  Unfortunately, when the TV is turned back on, it defaults to channel 1.  We gave my dad some easy instructions on how to tune to channel 73 using TV mode and then switch the remote to operate on satellite mode, but he reported this morning that he was unable to get it to work … I’m sure it’s a user issue, as my dad (at 91 y.o.) isn’t the most technologically adept person. 

My sister L left Friday afternoon and my sister K and her crew (her S.O. and her grandson) left earlier this afternoon.  The house certainly seems quiet, but as I said, it sure feels good to get back to our normal routine … and first on my list is to get in some time with needle and thread. 

Speaking of time with needle and thread, that’s on today’s agenda … and tomorrow’s too (that and perhaps putting up our Christmas tree and décor … IF I’m recovered enough by then … it’s been a week since I had any time to just sit down and take it easy – ha!).  As such, I’ll be linking up with Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching tomorrow. 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Slow Stitching Weekend

As I mentioned, T#1 is swimming a pretty important meet this weekend … the regional USA Swimming A-time Championships.  Making A times means that on the 7 events for which he made A time, he ranks in the top 15% of 11-12 year old boys in our region (which includes southern Illinois and eastern Missouri … which includes St. Louis) … pretty impressive, if I do say so myself (I’ll be honest and tell you that I am totally biased when it comes to my Ts).  And I have to say that he did not disappoint his proud-as-could-be grandparents!  He was ranked 16th for his 200 IM Friday evening and dropped 10+ seconds off his personal best to finish 5th!   Here he’s swimming the breast and then the free (forgive the blurriness … I didn’t think to grab my camera … all I had was my iPhone).


Saturday morning he finished better than seeded and dropped time on all 3 events he swam, even qualifying for the finals this evening in his 100 fly (he was seeded 13th and finished 6th).  We couldn’t be prouder of him.

He’s got 3 more events tomorrow, including the 50 fly, his strongest event, where he’s seeded 6th. 



Like I said, this is a slow stitching weekend.  Warm-ups at the meet start about an hour and a half before the first event and T#1 swims in just 3 of the approximately 30 events each day.  That means there’s a lot of sitting and waiting … perfect time to work on some hexies!
And of course, we have some down time here at home (one of the benefits of the new Aquatic Complex built in the nearby small city … we’re only 20 minutes away, so we can go back home to crash), so I’ll be continuing to work on my hexies while I watch the first two periods of the hockey game before we head back for the finals tonight.

Rinse and repeat tomorrow. 



I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy