Trying To Finish A Few UFO's

 This morning I wanted to sleep all day. I really couldn't get out of bed and slept till 10 am when I heard the beeping of the oven. Patrick made some rolls. I realized I took a couple pills that should have been taken together and it knocked me out. I rarely do that. So, I told Patrick, I won't ever do that again. 

Then I heated up the downstairs. I wanted to get a few things done. First I needed to get to work on the binding for the Christmas quilt I had Bill quilt for me. I got started with that, first by sewing the binding together and then ironing it. I decided not to iron the fabric for Bill yet. Once I got that done, I sewed the binding onto the quilt. That went a lot faster than I thought it would, which made my day. Then I decided to take my half square triangles and sew them up as well. I did 3 different sets. 

Once they were cut, I just needed to iron them. That only went so far. Because I didn't want to spend the rest of the day tearing off the paper, ironing the triangles, and THEN trimming them to size. I did trim about 15 of them, but wasn't interested in continuing. 

I have a good pile to work with. I also have enough of the blue colors. I just need to trim them and start sewing the 9-patch variation together. I have a few blocks already done, just need to get the rest going. 

I called it quits. Then came upstairs to work on the binding. I wanted to stitch the binding down so I can move on to the next project. 

I got started, and was able to get a little more than one side done. I can work on the rest tomorrow. If I decide to go back down and work on the 9-patch variation. I need to get those scraps done and out of here. Trouble is there is more scraps coming in all the time. I really don't know which of the "squirrels" will take me off on a journey. As everyone can tell reading my blog. I tend to go off this way and that. Once in awhile I come back to that project and other times I drop it for months or years. I will keep working on it. It seems to keep me Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

A Little Of This And That

 This morning I was up earlier than I have been getting up. Not to worry. I played a few games and listened to the end of my book. 

Then when Patrick was up and ready to go, we headed over to Safeway. Before we left, I needed to get the bread ready to raise.

 Once that was done we left. We did a little grocery shopping, and I was surprised at how much we spent. Didn't have enough coupons today! Oh, well. Got back home and put everything away. 

Then it was time to get the laundry started - and I do mean started. I headed downstairs to work on my quilt that Bill quilted for me. I wanted to get it trimmed so I can put the binding on it.

I cut the strips for binding. I need to sew them and then iron it to sew around it. I wanted to try out my sewing machine that I got from my sister-in-law's Aunt. I realized I didn't have any feet, oil, or any of the screws etc. I also noticed there wasn't a control foot. So, I ended up going on line to buy a control foot. That cost me $60! I also bought oil and a 1/4" foot for the machine. It's a Juki. I will have to order more stuff to go with it when I get to that point. I will need to clean it up first. So, I put it away till the control foot and stuff come in. 

Next, I folded what laundry I did. I also cut the batting and backing for 2 tops. I put the backing in the wash. That took up 2 loads right there. They are ready to be ironed and put with the tops to go to Bills.

I found another UFO. Actually it was started by my grandmother many years ago. So, I decided to work on it. I had it in the case that my mother-in-law gave me to carry my projects in. 

I decided it's time to work on that. So, I brought it upstairs. 

THEN I came back upstairs to work on my TAST projects, since I missed 2 weeks. 

Once this was done, I pulled out the embroidery table cloth to work on. I realized the stem stitches where not done as the pattern states to do them. I don't mind and will continue the way it's already started. Chances are, I did that over 20 years ago. I must not of read it right at the time. 

I went to work on the top flower. I don't want knots so I'm working it in. Hopefully my statin stitches are getting better. 

My sourdough Basil and Coriander bread turned out awesome! Went great with the crab legs we picked up today. - My night out! So to speak. 

Yep, it was a "squirrel" day for me. One thing to another. I will try to go down tomorrow and get the binding on the quilt. I will also have to iron the backing. I am getting to the point of getting a few UFO's out of hiding and trying to get them done. If I do, that would make me very Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting! 

Quilting Day Again

 This morning I was up and out the door to moms. I arrived early. We had breakfast together. Then Nancy showed up. Once she came the other 2 followed. 

I worked on my quilt that I needed to get finished. 

I needed to quilt around the flowers. The bottom flower was coming off, so I appliqued it down. Then I went back to quilting. I was able to get quiet a bit done considering. I really do need to finish the border I was doing and then figure out what will be next. Sometimes I think that's what's holding me back. The quilt isn't "talking to me" right now. I have to think about it to see what I will do next. 

Came home and went to beading. Patrick was watching "Friends" and I've seen those so much, I'm sick of them. So, I went to beading. 

Three more rows later. I'm getting the noise started. The second eye is almost done. It's getting really big already and I'm not even half way. I was listening to my book. Sometimes I think I bead just so I can listen to books on tape. 

After all that, I decided to try making a sourdough bread with basil and cilantro. So, I pulled out the book by Paul Hollywood. I've got it all mixed and ready to raise. It's in the plastic box to raise over night. I'm excited to see how it will turn out. I'm always happy to make bread. I will have to remember to take a photo when I'm done. Then I'll send it to Katt so she knows I'm using the book. 

 Miss Sophie was giving me the back ears while she was purring. It was comical! Don't know what her problem was! lol 

My day was a good one. I was able to be Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

My Day Changed Fast

 This morning we woke and Patrick went golfing. Before he left, he told me to enjoy the day to myself and just relax. I started vacuuming the bedroom and then the rest of the house. Amazing how much cat hair came up! Then I sat and started watching my Perry Mason shows. 

Dan texted me and said he needed to be at the dentist early and to be there about 1:15 this afternoon. CRAP, I forgot I was taking him to the dentist! So, at 12:30 I left to go get him. He lives in Tumwater, so it's a 30 min drive to his place. He was ready and we headed back to Centralia. With have to have 4 teeth pulled, he thought they were doing that today. Got there, and they took him in. He texted me from the office telling me they were explaining everything to him. Not doing anything as far as his teeth. 

So, I enjoyed myself by relaxing and working on my embroidery. 

I worked on the flower. The lighter part didn't come out like it was supposed to. 

I fixed it, and now I know what I will do differently on the next one. I then started with the cast on (dark pink) that is a lot of fun!

Took Dan back home and then came home. I cooked a sad supper - didn't turn out! Disappointing. UGH. 

Decided to call it a day. I'm beat! The best part of the day is when I was Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day To Relax - And A Finish

 Today we were up early. I had a dental appointment and was getting ready to leave when I received a phone call from the dentist office. They told me they needed to reschedule me because someone in the office was exposed to Covid. They have to shut down for 10 days. I said that was fine (and I was actually glad). We rescheduled for March because I needed to keep the next couple weeks open for when Patrick goes in for surgery. 

Since I didn't have to go to the dentist, I decided to do some beading and listen to my book. 

I was able to get another 7 rows done. I was having a ton of fun. Now I'm starting on the noise and that is keeping me going. I just love seeing the "next" step showing up. It's like cross stitching, each additional stitch makes me want to keep going. 

After that, I decided to stop and watch TV. While waiting TV, I was able to get my embroidery done. 

I was able to finish my Ivo's Bouquet. The French knots were "supposed" to be a dark rose color with white. I thought that would be too much rose, so Patrick suggested yellow. I thought that was a good idea and went ahead with it. I do like the way it came out. 

Today was just a day of waiting, which we have been doing for the last week. Chances are he will get another call in the next day or two. I'm getting nervous about all this. I tend to get a little teary when we talk about the surgery. I guess that makes it more "real." Praying he gets on the study and the surgery is soon. At least today there were not calls, and I was able to relax and be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Trip To UW Again Today

 We were up and out the door. Patrick needed to go to Olympia first, then on to Seattle. Blood tests were in order. It made for a good trip, and things were taken care of. 

We were back home by 3:45 pm. Then it was dinner time. 

While I waited on Patrick, I got the calyx's done. Then I started on the growth. I didn't have much done before we left. I worked on the rest of it tonight. I will go back tomorrow and put the French knots around it, and then it will be done. I will have another finish for the year. I do believe I'm getting ahead of the track. 

It turned out to be a good day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Golfing Monday - I Beaded!

 This morning I played a few games. I was really being lazy for awhile. 

I kept forgetting it was Patrick's Birthday Today! UGH

When I finally decided to get moving, I started getting some bread dough going. I knew we were having hamburger tonight, and wanted to make buns. I looked for a couple recipes to see what the ingredients were. I could go from there, so I really didn't do the instructions. I did read them and went from there. 

I was really happy with the way they came out. I wasn't sure if Patrick wanted all of them with sesames. (sp) It actually tasted like store bought buns. I was really happy with that. I need to put that information on my family cook book so I have what I did. 

Patrick had been gone for about 3 hours by then. I went to work on my beading. 

I had one row done and started the next when Patrick got home. I was back and forth with laundry as well. After he got home, I continued to bead. I was enjoying the audio book as well. I'm about 30 mins to the end. I was able to get 5 rows done all together. It's now at 253/580 done. I was off yesterday because I started on 249 and didn't finish that row yesterday. 

It was a busy day but I was still able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

 

A Birthday Party For Patrick

 This morning I couldn't sleep. I was up at 3:30 am, 4:30 am, 5:45 am, and then at 6:30 am, I got up. I was tired of trying to sleep. I would take 30 mins to go to sleep and another 30 mins of sleep. Not fun! My mind was all over the place. 

So, I got up and beaded. I decided I would bead instead of playing games. 

I was able to get another 4 rows done. I'm now at 249/580 rows done. I'm so excited to get to the second eye and the nose. I keep finding something I'm looking forward to seeing. The squirrel's face is showing now. So cool!

Then I worked on my family history. I got a few newspaper articles for Wiltzius, Wineland and White families. I found that my 2nd great grandfather is a character! He wrote a lot of letters to the paper. Mom and Alice came over. Mom and I were checking out all the newspaper articles on her family. I didn't get to show her the newspapers about her father. He played Polo in Kansas. 

Alice and mom brought a couple pizza's for Patrick's Birthday meal. They also brought him an ice cream cake. We celebrated today, even though his Birthday is tomorrow. He was happy to have family around to celebrate. Made his day. He even had fun chatting with Alice while I kept mom busy. 

Once they left, I worked on my embroidery. 

I finished up the "buds" and started putting calyx under them. I am really close to finishing but I will need to do the fine growth. That will get a few French knots. I don't mind, I'm getting pretty good with them. This is fun. I even have my next project ready to work on when this is done. 

Even with family here, I was able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Visited With Friends - Not Much Got Done

 Today we had the morning to ourselves. Patrick worked on some things, and I started laundry - didn't get far. 

I decided to do some beading before going. It wasn't that easy. I needed to get some bills paid for Gunderson Water and then I went back to my beading. I was only able to get 1 row in. Was hoping for more. 

This is the old photo, but you'll get the idea. Where the eye is, it's starting to finish up. It's going into the face. I will add more rows tomorrow and you will see it better. 

While I had about 45 mins before we left for Nick and Joanne's, I decided to work on the "newspapers.com" for genealogy. I thought I would see what was in the paper for Patrick, just for fun. Instead I found Kerry Wiltzius from Spokane was killed while biking. She was hit by a truck in June last year. I went into shock. She and I have been writing to each other over the family history. Plus we met them when both our kids were young. I think Phil was about 6 and Katt 2. We had lunch with them half way between Spokane and Pullman - when we lived in Pullman. We kept in touch over the years. Now, I find she'd be killed by a truck. She was 65. 

I can't seem to do anything anymore before finding out someone I knew or was related to, has died or is very ill. Diane McCoy has liver cancer. And it goes on. UGH Patrick has his kidney cancer and things are moving along. We hope to know by this week when he will have surgery. 

We went to Nick and Joanne's. It was a fun night of games. I ate too much - and I'm TRYING to lose the fat around the waist. So, eating like I did today won't help! Too funny! Guess I'm not overly worried about it. That's life! Enjoy it while we can! The good thing is I was able to be - for a short time - Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

At Moms Once Again

 This morning I was off to moms. My niece was coming to chat with Patrick before she headed to moms. I got to moms about 9:15 am and scared the crap out of her. She had the door open so figured she would be paying attention to someone coming in. Guess not. 

I told mom about our visit to UW regarding Patrick's surgery. I think it's promising, but he has his ups and downs. I just try to be there. Surgery will come very soon. I won't be able to stay with him. We will have to drop off and then go back and pick up. He has to go back on Tuesday for more lab work to see if he will be in the research group. We will see. If not, she'll have him in surgery asap. 

There were 4 quilts waiting for me. Hildi brought 2 quilt tops. So, QOV is going strong. 

While I was there, I decided I wanted to do embroidery and not applique. 

I put the "calyx's" on the rose buds. Then I double checked the instructions because I thought 2 calyx's were a bit much. Sure enough, I got the instructions messed up - thank you dyslexia! So, I took the calyx's out and reworked them. 

I fixed it and when I got home, I added some buds and more calyx's. I do like the way it's coming along. I did make a few mistakes and took them out. This is getting closer to being done! I'm enjoying this!

My day ended up being very Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day Of Being On My Own

 This morning Patrick was up before me. I slept in. I needed it, I think I've been on anxiety for the past week. It felt good to sleep in. 

Patrick went golfing at noon. So, I was on my own. I had about 4 different phone calls. I called my brothers and updated them on Patrick's cancer. Then I got a call from friends. One was Sherry from Olympia asking if I could go to Judy's house and put the bolts of fabric in the car port. Sherry is in Olympia and would take over an hour of her time to do it. I live about 10 mins away, so had no problem doing it for her. Told her we are "sisters" and can help each other. They have donated a lot to us, for QOV. So, I was honored to help them out for all they have done for us. 

Then I got back home to finish working on the beading. I really wanted to get a lot done, but only got about 2 or 3 rows done. 

As you can tell, I didn't get very far. But I was able to get a couple rows in. 

I then played games. lol 

Mom "mother-daughter day" with mom is now at 5 people. Mom asked Hildi to join us because she felt sorry for her. She was in tears with mom, and so she invited her to join us. I told her she needs to stop inviting people because it was only supposed to be the 3 of us. I called and talked to Nancy about it. I was ticked, but mom doesn't seem to care. She told me we could do another day of the week and I told her "no, I have Friday's already picked." Later she called to tell me we will be wearing masks, just for me. I told her that's fine. She said she doesn't want me to bring the virus back to Patrick - shame she didn't think about that a couple weeks ago, because she's known for a couple weeks now. I just don't know what to do. I can pick another day of the week, but it would end up the same - she'd ask someone else to join us. Can't win this one. Not sure why she wants to do a mother-daughter day since she always has someone else there. 

Anyway, today was not what I had hoped it would be, but at least I was Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Trip to UW in Seattle

 Today we were up and getting ready for the trip to Seattle. First Debbie came to pick up her 3 quilts I brought back from Sharon's. 

Once she left, we were TRYING to relax and wait till it was time to leave. We left at 11 am. Travel to Seattle was really good. We ended up in traffic jam right at exit 161, when we needed to take 168. It was stop and go off and on. At least we were early anyway. We made it to UW at 1:05 pm with his appointment at 1:45 p.m. When we got in there, we were told they ask that I wait outside while he went in - all because of covid. Patrick told him he wanted "my wife to hear what is said." They guy said, "ok, if they ask then tell them I am here for instruction on care." They didn't ask and were very nice. Patrick's doctor was awesome. She explained everything about the surgery. We came out of there positive. Time will tell - so will the surgery because anything can happen. 

While we waited to go in I was able to work on my embroidery - 

The cast on rose needed the center piece. I used 3 billons to make the center. I just noticed it's not showing very well, so may have to add another one or 2. 

We finally made it home around 7:30 pm. I did my exercises and then sat to watch TV. I'm enjoying this piece, so I'm going to work on it. I want to finish it. I guess it's because it's relaxing and fun to work on.  I was doing the roses when I decided to call it a night. The rose buds were done while waiting in the doctors office. 

Even though things are tense at times, I can still be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting! 

Trip To Tacoma And Back

 Today we were up by 7 and off to Tacoma at 8. We arrived about 45 mins early. When we went up to the scanning area at Kaiser, we were told I had to wait in the car. So, I ended up waiting for Patrick a half hour. Once he had the shot, we went down to the water front for lunch. We had 3 hours to kill before he had to be back at the radiology. 

We took a walk down the lane. It was a nice walk, but cold. The wind was coming pretty good. At the end of the dock, there were fishermen out. It was fun to watch. Didn't see anyone catch anything. 

This was interesting to see. Something different. 

While I was chatting with Patrick and enjoying the view, I worked on my embroidery. I had a hard time in the garage where the car was. The garage was darker than I like, but then it was light enough to walk around and get to the cars. I did turn the light on for awhile, but didn't want to run the battery out. 

We went back at 1 pm for Patrick to get his scan done. It didn't take long for that. I went up to the floor he was on to hit the bathroom, and when I came back to the car, he was there looking for me. 

Headed back home and stopped to see Sharon and Bill. I got the quilt he quilted for me. Patrick paid for it. Then I got the box of fabric that was donated to our group. 

Really good fabrics and they are big pieces. Patrick was pulling out the fabrics to show me. They are awesome for out group. 

Came home and had my phone conference with my doctor. Then I decided to work on the areas of my embroidery that I was having trouble with while in the garage. 

I finished the leaf while waiting for Patrick the first time. Then I worked on the flower with the center done. When I got home, I finished working on the top flower and started working on the left flower. That one is not done, I have more pistol stitches to put in there. I do like the colors and it's looking good. Tomorrow I can finish that up and start on the roses. That will be the next step. It's coming along great. 

Even though we have been going from on appointment to another, I'm Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day To Myself

This morning Patrick and I went to Olympia for his blood test. We left at 8 am and when we got there, he went in and I sat in the car. He was gone longer than I thought he would be. Come to find out, they didn't open till 9 am, so he didn't come out till 9:30. I waited 45 mins for him. I was okay with that because I was able to work on my embroidery. 

 I was able to get to the last leaf. I worked on three of them. I enjoyed working on it. The sun was getting in my eyes, so I stopped sooner than I wanted to. 

We came back home and Patrick headed out to the golf course. While he was gone, I got laundry going and vacuumed. I also had 3 phone calls that I worked on. That took more time then I was expecting, but lately that happens more often then I would like. 

I gave up after watching 2 Perry Mason's and went to work on my beading. 

I was able to get 4 more rows done. I'm now at 241/580. His eye is almost done. The squirrel is coming along and now we can see the face - sort of. So cool! I finished another audio book and started another one. I listened to one of the "Cat Who.." books. Lillian Jackson Braun books. I started the second to the last in the series. I really do love those books, and I may start listening to them all over again. 

After supper I thought I would get a few stitches in on the quilt. I started, got up and got some tea. Then went back to my chair to find Sophie took it over. I will have to remove her. I ended up going to Patrick's chair to type this. (He's on the couch)

I really can't complain about today. I was able to work on 3 different projects. And that always makes me Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting! 

Another Day To Bead

 This morning I was up and found that Patrick went to Centralia to get donuts and a chicken for supper. I enjoyed a donut - haven't had them in a long time. 

I played a few games, then I sat down to bead. 

I was able to get another 5 rows done today. I can now see the squirrel and the eye is coming along great. I would love to see more of the squirrel but it will come in the next few rows. I also finished a book on audio tape and started another. 

Funny how books work. I was listening to #9 of a series and realized I don't want to listen to it anymore. I went ahead and listened, but I think I'm getting tired of the book series. I believe there are 15 books so far. This one, is about a coffee shop in NY and each and every book talks about coffee. How one blend is different from another.....boring. I don't like coffee, so I guess that could be part of it. Then it gets winded about other things. No wonder the books take 10 hours to listen to. As much as I like the "story" of the book, I don't need to know about how to fix coffee or food. It goes in way too much detail, while my brain is asking, "what about....." which doesn't get answered for another 30 minutes to a hour later. Oh, well. Thinking I will pass on the rest of the series. 

It was a quiet day today. Patrick watched TV or checked out his phone for some TikTok stuff. He looks happy when he watches some of the stuff on there. It makes it easier for me to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Back To Beading

 This morning we were up and just enjoying the morning. Watched the news (hubby is always watching the news) and then cooking shows. 

I got laundry going, then I decided to take the afternoon and bead. 

I did another 5 rows. It's now 236/580 done. I can see the squirrel coming along - the ear and eye are showing on the right side. The bird on the left has the eye done, and the snowman's eye is starting to be worked out. I'm almost done with the hat. Looking really good. I'm loving this. 

I did go downstairs and pull out another Brazilian embroidery kit and put it with the piece I'm working on. This week will be waiting on Patrick while he has appointments. So, I'm all set. 

The good news is that today was a good day of being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Finished The Quilt Block

 Today I was up and out the door. Headed to moms first. Then when Nancy came, we headed to Carmen's house. She lives out past Ada's High School. 

We worked on our applique. I got busy to try and finish the quilt block for Nona. 

Sunbonnet Sue is done. I was happy with the way it came out. Better than I thought, and I did a good job on it. Can't say that about all the ones I do. 

While we were appliqueing - Carmen's dog "Max" came and wanted attention. Love this dog!!

He was so much fun and fluffy!

I had to leave about noon. So, I headed back home. Patrick wanted to go to Costco because we needed cat litter. 

We headed up to Costco by 12:45 pm and we got a lot of what we needed. Turbo tax as well. I bought an electric toothbrush that was on sale. Patrick doesn't believe in them, but they do work for me. Dropped off stuff at moms and Phil's on the way back. 

I wanted to play games today. So, I was on the tablet playing games. I also had to get a couple things for Faye, so I was busy today. I will continue to play games and then hit the hay. I will work on my beading tomorrow. At least I was Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Getting Things In Order

 

This morning Faye and Debbie came over so I could get them set up on all the stuff I do for QOV. Faye will do the presentation stuff and Debbie will do the collection of veterans needing quilts. I gave her a lot of my stuff so that while I'm having to deal with Patrick, they can keep QOV going for us. I still have the backing and batting here, so I can cut those when needed. 

Then I went over to moms to visit with my niece. She came up for a visit with mom. They have the 2 quilts ready to work on. It will be fun to see them finished. She also took some blocks I had that she wanted to put together. I was thrilled about that. I will sign her up on QOV under our group when the dues comes in. 

Came home around 4 pm. I then decided it's been a long time since I did the letters on my blog - Letters From the Past. They are mostly letters from my 2nd great grandfather. I even put a couple letters on that were 100 years old. Amazing! I found some information in them that is awesome. I have a ton more to do, but I'm back at putting the letters on the web. 

All in all, today wasn't a day were I would be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting. 

Not One Of My Better Days

 This morning we were up early because of texts and phone calls. Text were "sex" texts that I would love to see be illegal. Yet, phone companies won't stop them. 

I wasn't feeling good today. I think my sinus' were driving my head crazy. I had to take medication for it, and then I asked Patrick to give me a few before we left for Olympia. I ended up sleeping another hour before we went up there. 

Came home around noon to 1 pm. I played a few games. Got back to laundry. But even with all that I wasn't feeling good. 

Finally decided I needed to work on something. So, I went and put a couple rows in on the beading. 

I can't remember what row I'm on. I think I start row 131 next but not sure. In the last 3 days I've only gotten 4 rows done. Not my best. 

Then after supper I needed to work on my wordchart. I wanted to get the rows numbered before I got behind. So far I've gotten about 20 pages ahead, but I want to keep up on that. 

It really doesn't take long, I just need to count. I did find the one I was working on today had a couple rows that were wrong. It wasn't hard to figure out, so it wasn't that big a deal. At least it saves me time having that on there before I get there. 

Even though I wasn't up to "par," I was still able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Interesting Day

 Today I was doing laundry. Patrick had a dental appointment, so I had 5 phone calls while he was gone. Then Patrick was back. 

We watched a couple Disney shows. I played games. I was going to do some beading, but just couldn't get there. 

After the day went by without doing much, I decided to work on my "TAST" (Try a Stitch Tuesday). 

The chain stitch is from last week, the other one is this week. Fly Stitch is what this one is. 

I decided to take out the stitches above. Then I wanted to do a better way to show the different stitches without it looking like a sample piece. Except anything I do will look like a sample piece. There isn't much one can do with samples. So, I decided I would try this. I will fill in the hexagons and see if they will look better. Hard to say. I saw some other ways of doing the samples but didn't want to copy. This may work. 

At least I was able to get to the point of being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Trying To Be Positive

 Today started out okay. We were waiting for Patrick's doctor to call. In the mean time I decided to try and bead. 

I was able to get 2 rows done before the call came in. 

So, on December 28th when I was with Patrick in Olympia for his CT scan, he ended up in the Urgent Care unit. It was a 7 hour trip that ended up with Patrick having kidney cancer. 

Fast forward to today. He is going to have to go to UW medical. They will have to remove his right kidney and later remove part of the left. So, things went down hill from there. I'm trying to stay positive and praying he will be fine once all this is over. It's a "tetter-totter" (sp) thing. He does not have C4 but he doesn't have C1 either. He's healthy and I pray things will work out. Time will tell. So, I'm having to ask my QOV group to take over for me. Patrick is talking about getting ready. He wants to start downsizing and "getting you settled." I have a hard time with that. But I will do whatever it takes to make him feel better about this. Life goes on. I pray his does too. 

In other words, it wasn't a good day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Another Quiet Sunday - Thanks To Covid

 Today started out really well. Patrick started cleaning and I got busy getting the cat litter cleaned as well as laundry going. 

Debbie stopped by and dropped off my quilt from Bill. I gave her some 6" half square triangles for her to use on her daughters quilt. It was good to see her. 

Then after things got moving, Patrick went outside to work on whatever he works on. I then went to my beading. I wanted to see how much I could get done. When I'm listening to my books on tape, time goes by faster sometimes. 

I was able to get another 5 rows done today. I quit a little earlier than I did yesterday. But then I didn't start as early either, otherwise I could of had more rows done. At this rate, it won't take forever to finish. I was listening to the end of "Gone with the Whisker" by Laurie Cass. Then I started listening to "Death of an Outsider" by M. C. Beaton. So, I enjoyed the day with a good book or 2. 

Then it was time to sit and enjoy time with Patrick in front of the TV. 

So, out comes the quilt. This is the quilt I'm trying to finish quilting on the last 2 borders. I'm not sure what I will do for the outer border, but I will think about it. I may just do the log cabin design that the block are made of. I can just follow the piece with quilting. I don't know yet. It will talk to me one of these days. I was thinking leaves, but I saw the stars in the corners and may have to change my mind. 

It turned out to be another good day of being Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Time For UFO's To Get Done

 This morning I went to Starbucks and then McDonald's for breakfast. I brought it all back home for Patrick and I. I was really surprised that it wasn't as good as I remembered. Didn't eat it all, but I did eat most of it. 

Then I played a few games. I wasn't in the mood to do much. 

Till I finally got up! I went to get all my beading stuff out to work on the Snowman. I was happy to finally get back to working on it after a couple weeks without. 

To my surprised, I was having so much fun. I ended up doing 7 rows! I haven't done that many rows in a long time. I love the way this is coming along. The antler is coming in view as well as the next bird. It will be fun to see when I get to the eyes of the Snowman. I'm now ready to start row 222/580. Not quiet half way but getting there. 

Then it was time to enjoy watching TV with Patrick. Actually I wanted to watch the last quarter of the Seahawks game. They haven't done very well all year, so it didn't surprise either of us that they lost. I was really disappointed with Russell Wilson this year. He didn't play like he was "in the game" much. 

So, I decided to pull out my quilt that I've been quilting for over 25 years. I started it way back when, and haven't finished it yet. I think I posted a photo a while ago. But when I went looking for one, I couldn't find it. I will take a photo tomorrow before I work on it, so I have something so show. One would think after 11 years of blogging, it would be on here. lol 

I took out the quilting I started to put in the pink and flowered area. I couldn't see the design to quilt it, so I decided to take it out. I'm doing more straight lines on this part. On the outer border I will do a leaf design with a big flower in the four corners. At least that is what I'm thinking right now. This poor quilt has a few stains on it. I'll have to really clean it up when it's done. I still don't know what I'm going to bind it with, since I don't have those fabrics anymore. I will have to figure something out. May try for a solid green that matches the one in the quilt. Hard to say. I seriously need to have bindings made for each top, just so I know I have it when the time comes it gets quilted. 

It turned out to be a good day of being Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

My Usual Fridays At Moms

 This morning I was running late. Had to make a trip to the bank, then got a Chai tea before heading to moms. I arrived to find Nancy at the post boxes, so went around the corner. Stopped to see what she was doing and she couldn't get her packages because the key wasn't working. I got it to work, and she had 2 boxes. We both then headed to moms. I arrived to find that Carmen was already there, but delivering food across the street. 

We all pretty much arrived at the same time. I took the block that I am working on for Nona. 

I worked on the arm. I had to cut the piece a couple times before I was happy with it. It's the fleece (or something like it) fabric. Once I had it appliqued on, then I cut a piece of pink to go above the arm. I cut a piece of pink fabric, folded it in half, right sides together. Hand stitch the the 2 sides closed. Then turned it inside out and ironed it. Once that was done, I took the basting thread and brought the needle up at the beginning point. Then I did a basting stitch across the ironed piece and put the needle down at the end area. I tightened it so that it would ruffle. Next I basted the sleeve onto the piece. Next step was to applique that piece over the ruffle. It went well. I like how it came out. Next is the hat. I put the light blue on for the inside of the hat. Now, I need to applique the pink hat on, then add the band on the hat. Once that is done, I want to find a ribbon that will go with this. I will then stitch it on, make it into a bow, and then put a bead in the middle of the bow. I may add a bead on the end of the ribbon. I will think about it when I get the ribbon. 

Before I left, mom gave me a couple things to take to Phil. I did and told him I don't care what he does with them. She had a Santa as well, and I really don't need it. So, I will figure out who wants it. I also brought her 2 paper threaders for the dump. Patrick told me to dump it in their dumpster, but I forgot and ended up bringing them home. Patrick said he will take care of them. Mom had dad's phone, and I dropped that off with Phil to see if he can get the photos off the phone. It needs cleaned up. 

I fixed the 2 spots that I missed on the cross stitch. Once that was done, I cleaned up the frames. Put them away. Then I throw away the threads and patterns. I didn't want to mess with trying to find someone that wanted them. The truth is, I have enough stuff and I need to cut back. The less I have the better. 

After supper, I pulled my embroidery out and worked on it. 

 I worked on the leaves. I wanted to use the variegated thread for leaves. I think it makes it look more natural that way. I was able to get 4 of the leaves done in about 45 mins. I will work on the others later. It just felt good to be Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching! 

First Finish Of The Year!

 Today Patrick was off golfing. I was enjoying a chat with my son and a friend. My day was going fast for just me being home. 

After Patrick left, Sophie did a "first" too! She got in front of the TV and was watching it. That was unusual for her. It wasn't long, but it was a surprised when I looked up and found her there. 

After I finally got the time I needed to sit down, I did. 

I got to work on finishing this up. It needed to be done, and I need (want) to move on. I have others I can do, and will check them out later. Right now, I just needed to finish this. I like it. I had fun working on it. It looks a lot better with the outlining done. It turned out really cute. 

No clue what I will do with it. I will probably wash it and add it to the other pieces that aren't framed. I just had fun working on it. It wasn't the best, but it was fun to do. 

I took a break before I got the last few stitches in by making some date bars. Patrick asked for them yesterday. I didn't want to do it while he was gone, so I made them after supper. 

Tomorrow I'm off to moms. Not sure how many of use will be there. Hoping it's no more then 4 of us. I really don't want to have a group going again. Hildi might show up. Our mother daughter day is becoming another quilt group day. UGH

As you can see, I was checking the news about what happened yesterday in the Capital. I really "hurt" for what happened. This isn't what my ancestors built for us. I'm mad, sad, and hurt by the mess that went on yesterday! I pray we can come together as a country and be the country we are meant to be. Tears come when I think of what the mop did! They need to be in prison. We as a country has let everything go....people get away with way too much!

Okay, the good news today is I finished! Woo Hoo! That is what I want to be - Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!