Quilting At Moms

 I had to stop at Safeway to get salad for mom. She forgot to get it yesterday and wanted it for our meeting. Then headed over to her place. Carmen was already there. 

I forgot to take a photo of mom working on the quilt top we made together. I did take a photo of Penny's mom's BE work though. 

This was one of the pieces she showed me her mom did. Her mother taught herself to do BE when she was in her 80's. I enjoyed looking at the patterns she had. There were kits there as well. All JDR and the thread company. She was really good with her embroidery work. She had a museum pattern that looked like she wanted to do BE work on instead of what they had. I liked the pattern but wasn't going to ask Penny to give my anything since it was her mother's stuff. 

I worked on this while at moms. I got the right cheek partly done. And then called it done. 

Dropped off the backing and batting at Colleen's. Picked up a quilt. She's working on another one. Found the material mom gave me has a quilt top there. So, we have another top done.  Stopped and got gas too.

Came home and played on the tablet. Then got back to my cross stitches. I was able to get a ton done. Makes me Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Cleaning And Casino

This morning, I surprised myself by going back to sleep when Patrick went to take a shower. I was going to get up before he did, but laid there. Then when I woke again it was 30 minutes later. 

Patrick went golfing and told me to be ready to go when he got home. I cut backing and batting for Colleen, cut fabric for Georgie, washed the backing, and baked a cake for Patrick. I also sent emails to the veterans who are to receive a quilt to let them know it would be about 4-6 months. Once all that was done, sat down and played. Patrick walked into the door. Asked if I was ready to go - NOPE! I told him he could wait a bit. 

Then we headed out to Lucky Eagle to the casino. We seem to do better on Thursdays - till today. We went through some money (more than I want to admit) and when we were down to the last $100 we started winning again. We were up to about $300 of what we lost in the first hour of playing. We kept playing for awhile, then went to eat at the deli area. After that, we went back to one of our regular games and brought it back up another $100. Changed to another game and won another $400. So, by the time we were done, I'm happy to say we came out with $700 more than we took. I'm glad about that, because we took a LOT and then pulled some more out of the bank. Now, we have more than we went with and that makes me happy. At this rate, the last 4 times we have been ahead, and the casino is sitting pretty with the money we spent.  Either way, they make their money. 

Finally came home at 8:30 pm and are calling it a day. One the way home I got a text from mom. She's quilting the animal quilt we did together. I will try and post photos tomorrow. As it turned out it wasn't my day to enjoy my crafts. I tend to clean when he's gone, because he's always watching TV and I hate to do anything while the TV is one. I need to learn to clean while he's home and show him how frustrating it can be trying to watch TV with someone cleaning. lol Oh, well. Just wish I could have done a little bit, to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Mom's baby quilt. 

Tall Tell Sign Of Being Older

 This morning, I was up and playing for a bit. I was going to do some laundry but I knew we had to leave. I ended up watching GMA 3. Just because Patrick does. 

We went for 3 rounds around the neighborhood. I would have done more, but Patrick is a lot slower at walking then I am. 

We then headed up to Olympia for yet another doctor appointment. That's when you know you're getting old - having more than one doctor appointment in a week - or even having a doctor appointment once a week. You'd think we wouldn't need doctor appointments, but what do I know. Patrick talked to the surgeon. He's going to wait and get another opinion before he decides. He didn't like what he heard. 

Then we stopped at Wendy's for supper. Safeway on the way home. Safeway didn't give me the savings that I had. I don't know what Patrick did, but it messed up my app and I had to start it all over again. On top of that, we didn't get the points. So, I'm thinking Patrick keyed in the wrong phone number and the points went to someone else. 

I played for a while then gave myself about 45 minutes to work on the cross stitch. As much as I want to finish this, I can't seem to get myself to sit and work on it. Like letting your baby go. I really need to get this done. I'm getting close. I do like how it's coming along. I did take out about 5 stitches - yeah, that seems to be my thing lately - and was glad that was all. I'm having fun once I sit done and work on it, it's just sitting down to work on it. What the heck is wrong with me!?

After a trip to Olympia and coming home, I found I like being home more. Yet another sign of getting old. I would have wanted to go out every chance I got, but not now. Too funny! At least I am trying to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Kind Of A Day To Myself

 This morning, I was enjoying sleeping in. It felt good, but I was still up before 9 am. lol 

Patrick went golfing around noon. Then Debbie called and asked if I would like to go get "coffee" and I told her "sure." So, she picked me up and we went to Dutch Brothers. Then we stopped at the museum, and I paid my dues. I hadn't gotten a reminder, but told Sam I would pay. 

Came home and I was watching my British shows - "Vera" and "Marple" which I like. Patrick doesn't care for those, and I don't blame him. "Vera" can be dark at times. I was glad to finally get to watch them because his being home all day doesn't give me any time to enjoy my shows. I end up watching he's "crap."

Between playing my games and trying to cross stitch, I was able to get more on the face. I noticed it's starting to show. Pictures tell a lot more than what I am looking at. I ended up taking part of the noise out, because it was wrong. If one compares the photo from yesterday and today, I'm sure one will see where the mistake was. 

I'm getting into it. I'm getting more done each day. With every little bit I do, the closer I get. I would have had more done, if I hadn't gone off with Debbie, but I enjoyed it. So, I wasn't by myself all day or afternoon, but at least I had a couple hours of being by myself. It felt good to be on my own for a bit. It's been a long time since I have had that luxury. Even so, I enjoyed being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Meeting Day

 Today was Brazilian embroidery. So, I was running late. I wanted to be on time, but we all know how things go when I plan things. I took my BE bonsai piece and my cross stitching. Really wasn't in the mood to do anything. Sandy E brought her floss to organize. That was working for her. Her daughter came and we haven't seen her in a while. It was really nice to have both Sandy's there and Sandy E's daughter. We chatted more than worked on anything. 

I worked on the noise area and then called it done. I just wasn't doing much. 

On my way home I stopped and got the car washed and vacuumed. The vacuums were broken on half of them. Someone broke off the piece you use to vacuum in small areas. After all that, I got my Chai tea at Dutch Brothers. 

Came home and Patrick was golfing. So, I played for a bit before Debbie stopped by and we put the fabric away that she had for quilts. She's cleaning out her room and bring back some of the QOV fabrics. It pretty much filled the bookshelves again. We talked about spending some of the money we have for QOV. We need to go get some more panels. So, we are going to go shopping at Gee Gee's next week to get more fabric. Since we are supposed to use the money in our account, and we have a bit more than we really need for a while. It will be fun to get a few more things. We need more fabric for borders as well. 

After a while and after playing my games, I put a few more stitches in on the cross stitching. I was adding more tan colors and the darker part of the hood. It's really getting close to finishing. I really do want to get this done. So, by the end of the day - I was able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Been LAZY Today

I know I didn't write anything on here for yesterday. I really didn't do much. I don't even think I did any stitches in the cross stitch. 

Patrick and I walked about 4 laps and found that's 1.25 miles.  I chatted with Debbie. Oh, and I cleaned up the computer/office area. I put stuff away, got rid of a lot, etc. Then it was time to go to the play. 

We went to the Evergreen Playhouse in Centralia. It's actually been there since 1959. There were some good "old" actors that actually came here to perform. One was the guy that was the detective in "Perry Mason." He was from Vancouver and would come up her to perform. The play was "Charley's Aunt" which started out slow but ended up being pretty good. I did enjoy it. I guess there is a 1941 movie out there too. I will try and pull it up tomorrow or the next day.  It was around 10:30 when we came home, and I called it a night before we even got home. 

Today I enjoyed sleeping in. I got up before Patrick and sat to play my games. Since I didn't get much in yesterday, I decided to do it today. 

When 1 pm showed up, I went to pick Debbie up and go to the Veterans Memorial Museum Annual Meeting. Patrick told me not so sign up for anything. So, I didn't was tempted to get on the board. They didn't talk much about us. I guess they figure we really aren't part of them other than the name. I'm okay with that. 

Came home and Patrick had my pot pie in the oven. I'm not really that hungry lately, but I'm gaining weight. Go figure. since I'm losing a lot of hair, I did order so stuff to try and help me out. We will see who that goes. 

Football was on all day. Then now it's "Funniest Home Video's" and I'm sorry, I'm tired of watching people try and kill themselves. So, I came in here. I do need to work on emails for the veterans as I'm far behind on that as well. 

At least I can look at the things I finished, and hope to finish more! Tomorrow is Brazilian embroidery, which means there isn't any excuse for not being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Back To Stitching

This morning, I was up after Patrick again. Then I realized he was wanting to go golfing. He sat with me for a bit before heading out to meet up with Mike. Once he was gone, I watched TV and played for a bit. Then I pulled out my cross stitching and started to work on it. I watched a TV show that I taped, but wish now I watched one of my British shows instead, since Patrick was gone and lately, that isn't very often. 

I was checking my phone, when this "video" came up and had a memory photos. I was thinking this is last year and the year before - or maybe it was two years ago. I can't remember when, but I did like the way it put it together. There were more, but I get impatient and move on. At least I saved this. 

I worked in this area today. The face is starting to come to life. I'm surprisingly getting tired of all the white and face area. I want to do something else. BUT I'm going to get this done. I had this much done when we headed out to pick up mom. 

We picked mom up and took her to Red Lobster. Then the subject came up about Trump letting out the guy that hurt a DC cop and threatened him. Of course, her replay was "Well, Biden......" and Patrick told her a criminal need to stay in prison. If it was a normal person, we'd be in jail right now for a traffic ticket, and yet Trump is out free. (Okay, stopping there, NO POLITICS here!)

When I got home, I pulled this out and got started again. I'm happy to say the lip area is done, and I worked on the right side as well. I did find a mistake and took it out, but it was only two stitches, so nothing to write home about. I will get back to working on the owl, and HOPE it will get me back into working on the white area. 

Tomorrow we are going to a play later in the evening. Charley's Aunt is playing at the Evergreen Playhouse theater. I hope it's good. lol 

My cutting board is still trying to lay flat. I knew it would take about three days or so to get it to lay flat. It's upstairs so that the heat will help with it unrolling. In the meantime, I'm waiting for it to flatten out. Once it does, I can put it on my cutting table and enjoy using it. Debbie said her bedroom where she sews isn't big enough for the cutting table I wanted to give to her. I was sorry to hear that but remembered how small that room is and agreed with her. I may see if Phil wants it, but don't know where he would put it either. 

Today was fun. I was able to get a lot done and be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day Away

This morning, Patrick was up before me. I guess he was more excited about going to the casino than I was. We got ready. I worked on a couple things before getting ready to go. Debbie wanted to come over, and Patrick wanted to leave, so she decided to come later after we got back. 

We went to Lucky Eagle Casino. We were there close to 6 hours. We won in the beginning. Then we were done to $100. Next thing we knew we were back up there. I ended up winning a jackpot of $1092, which got us up there more. Then we won more jackpots. And called it finished at $1600. We ended up with $1200 from winning. So, right now we are ahead of the game. Don't know how long it will last, but it's playing off the winning of the last 3 times we came back with money. I'm okay with that. 

Came home and the batting was at the door. Debbie came and checked out my cutting board table. I told her it was Dan's grandfather that made it and how I had promised it would be used. I haven't used it and feel bad about it. Hate to give it up, but I need to get a few things out and cleaned up. If she gets it, it's like giving it to family. So, I'm okay with that. She said she needed to clear her room downstairs. Patrick told her he would bring it to her when she's ready. So, I will be sad to see it go, but at least it will be used and not stored. 

There really wasn't time to cross stitch today. As much as I would have liked to. We did eat at the casino and was really happy with the food. We didn't go into the sports area, but the deli area. I had a burger and Patrick had his French Dip. Both of us were happy with what we had. It turned out to be a good day of fun, but not a day of Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

 

Decided To Stay Home

This morning, I was being lazy. I did enjoy sleeping in till about 9 am. It felt good. But then I'm always up till 11:30 pm anyway. Not like Patrick that sleeps from 9:30 pm to about 8:30 am. Sometimes longer. 

I really didn't do much today. I wanted to work on my cross stitching and that's pretty much what I did. It was way too cold. The fog didn't go away till around noon today. The car and ground were icy till then even. 

I pretty much started at this point. 

And finished at this point. I was working on the gold and had about an inch more than what is there. I HATE this gold! I had to take out about 4 or 5 rows. I noticed I messed up by doing a "x" 2x3 lines instead of 2x2. So, of course, I took it out. It wasn't easy! Now I have all that gold that is unraveling, and I need to fix what I did wrong. I will work on it tomorrow. Once I get those gold strands done, I'm going to leave it and come back in the end to finish it. I just hate working with that gold and it's not worth the hassle till I get everything else done. Since this is the staff, it won't matter. I do need to keep going and fretting over the gold isn't going to get me there. It's coming along great otherwise. I worked on the coat a bit more. There is more greenery there as well. So, I have a lot to work on. Plus I need to go back to the right side and work there too. I just tend to work on the left side and go to the right side. May have a lot to do with me being left-handed. 

I saw something on "Kelly Clarkston Show" that talked about dyslexia. She has a child who has it and so did a couple others she brought in. I like what they are doing for dyslexia. But it amazes me that they haven't done more since it was becoming a big thing in the 1970's. Then in the 1980's it was not talked about. I was sorry to see the original actor that played the Hulk die when he did. He was getting schools going for dyslexia. I had to go to the University of Alaska to work on my dyslexia, then when we moved around, I repeated what I learned, which helped. I did hate having to be taken out of classes to read in a small group. I would come back to class, and they had done some fun games while I was gone. I felt like I messed out.  People with dyslexia are more self-aware and worry about what others think. We think we are "dump" at times. We feel like people are looking and talking about us. There is a lot of stuff other than not being able to read or write. I've learned to live with it. I think if I wasn't that way, I would have done more with my life. Hard to say. Not going there. I made my choices, and I will live with them. Life goes on. 

And my life is crafts! Which means I was very Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Another Tuesday - And I'm A Great Aunt Again!

 This morning, we were up early. Neither of us could enjoy the day to sleep in. I would have because the bed was warm, but I just can't stay in bed to stay warm. lol 

I took my time getting ready for the day. When I did, I came in the computer room to work on my recipe blog that I hadn't touched in 3 years. I added a few more recipes to the list. Some sounded good even to me. They are old recipes that came through the generations and from a box I got at an auction. All on cards. Most typed. I think in the 60's it was common to type a recipe one wanted. Mom did that a lot and even the recipes I got from the auction did the same. I will get them typed up yet! I also need to add to the "Letters from the Past" blog I have going. There are just as many letters as there are recipes. 

I received our shipment of backing material for our QOV backings. I'm waiting on the batting, and that should come in tomorrow. 

I love how I can tell them what I want, and he sends it. I give a "vague" idea of what I want, and he hits it out of the park! The ones in the plastic are the ones we got today. I also got 2 bolts for JoAnn to use for pillowcases. She's been getting a lot of those done lately. This will help her out.

I was able to sit and do some cross stitching. 

 Got a couple hours in on cross stitching. Have the mouth done and working on the face to the left. It ended up being that time to head to the movies when I got this far. 

We went to see the movie, "Moana 2" which was really good! A couple families brought their kids and there was a couple couples like us. So, it's not only a movie for kids. I just loved it. It was fun and exciting. Just as good as the first one. Not like some that make it close to the first one. 

Stopped at Safeway and picked up some stuff for tomorrow and Patrick to have breakfast. Then came home. We didn't get out of the parking lot when my brother texted me that his first granddaughter was born today around 6:00 pm our time. He even sent a photo of my nephew, his wife and the baby. It's so cool. He's heading down there for the weekend and then coming back up to head to Australia for his cruise. 

 I didn't get any time to sit and work on my cross stitching, but I'm happy that I could find the time to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day Of Ripping Out Part Of My Stitches

Okay, this morning I was up at a good time. Patrick wasn't far behind me. 

I got laundry going. I wanted to wear my sweatshirt again, but it needed washing. Then I pretty much spend the day stitching.  We did go walking - only 4 laps. It was 30 degrees, so I dressed up. That's why I stayed in the house and stitched. 

I rolled the piece as well. I found I needed to take out several stitches in the middle area. That was the area I left alone yesterday or the day before. I found it wasn't working. I tried to get started on his lips and put the stitches in........then took them out. Put them back in........then took them back out. It was one of those days. The stitches weren't lining up like they were supposed to. So, I worked my pattern, pointing at each line as I went. Then I realized I marked some stitches done and others not. Plus, the area I was in was wrong. So, I went to the right side, worked on a few stitches to see where I went wrong. When I found it, I was taking about 50 stitches or more. Not what I wanted to do today, but it needed to be done. Then I got moving and put some of the stitches back in.  The frog was here, as they say. When I started putting stitches back in and making mistakes, I called it quits! I'm not liking making mistakes. But right now it's back on track and I will have to figure out my pattern where I left off, since it's marked as done. Shouldn't be too hard. 

We watched "Father Brown," and one of Agatha Christie's man. I can't spell it and won't even try since it's French and I'm lucky if I can spell in English. 

Today Trump was put back in office. Not commenting on it. It's just going to be interesting the next four years. They need to stop making the Hitler sign though. 

In the meantime, I'm going to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Getting Colder In The Pacific Northwest - Stay Home Weather!

This morning woke to frost in the yard. It didn't go away till around noon. We had fog pretty much till noon as well. 

I woke at 3:30 am and couldn't sleep for a good 1 1/2 hours. So, I just tried to think of something else then what my brain was on. I finally got up around 8 am. 

We had a war game going against another kingdom. So, I was able to play. It worked out great. I got the points I wanted to get, and I held one of the towers. My leader thought I would be taken out a couple times, but I wasn't. Kept adding more troops to keep me alive. Then I played a little bit longer before cleaning time. 

I took the mat in the bathroom and washed it like I wash white clothes. It worked out great. I also cleaned the kitty box because it's the week we put garbage out. When that week comes around, I dump her litter, then wash the litter box and spray with chlorine. Once it's clean, I add her litter and call it good. Since it's just Sophie, I only wash her litter box every other week. Then I got to work on something else (can't remember) that I rarely do. And last was vacuuming the house. 

Then it was time to work on my cross stitching. I was able to get the right shoulder done a bit. I worked on the owls tail as well. Filled in some beard and also worked on the left side adding more greenery. I found I made a mistake with the greenery and fixed that. I seem to have been making a few mistakes lately. Thinking I might have done those mistakes on the same day and am just getting back to work in that area. Frustrating that I would make that much mistakes. At least I'm taking it out and fixing them. I will roll the bars here pretty soon. I am about half done where it is now. Hoping it will keep going smoothly when I get to the face. I found some half stitches that I'm going to do whole. They are the same color, just marked for both halves. The backstitching will be fine. 

Now it's getting colder. The weather box Patrick has, says it's 26 degrees right now. I guess I can be thankful we aren't in MI with his family - it's 0 degrees there. This weather is interesting to say the least. We did cancel tomorrow because everyone has something going on. Which means it's weather that is great for staying home and being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

One Cold Saturday!

This morning, I was up early. I wanted to sleep in but wasn't feeling it. So, I was up early and enjoying my time - all of a half hour before Patrick got up. 

I got the laundry going, baked a cake, and picked up a bit. Not getting a ton of stuff done, but at least today the laundry is empty - till tomorrow when Patrick does he's cleaning. Then I will have sheets, towels and whatever else he finds that needs cleaning. 

I worked on my cross stitching. I wanted to get some more done. 

I decided to work in this area first. I found I was off in a couple areas, so worked on the red and then worked my way in on the off-white area. It's not a lot of white in this area, which confused me at first, then I realized I wasn't paying attention to the changes. 

So, I decided to work off the right side. UNTIL I realized I messed this up as well. I ended up taking the grey's out. This was what I had added, then had to take out. RIP, RIP., RIP. 

Then I went back and corrected my mistakes. I was a row off and it was driving me crazy. The red didn't line up with the grey, so it had to be removed. Once I got that done, then I was on my way again. I did add about 10 stitches to this after I took a photo. I'm working on it. 

We watched our usual shows tonight and I did my stretching. I need to get back out and walk, but when it's in the 20-30 degrees, I have no interest in doing that. I did notice later in the afternoon it was around 50, but still wasn't in the mood. The sun came out, and yet, that didn't help either. So, I'm just enjoying my time in the house. I really don't want to go out in the cold weather, no matter what! We are having embroidery on Monday, even though it's a Holiday. I may find out we may end up canceling it again but won't know till tomorrow. It looks like just Sandy and myself. 

Time to call it a night, with the bed warmers on! At least in a warm bed (maybe) I can dream of being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Time At Moms

This morning, I was up early to play on my war game. Since I have a higher level it was fun to be able to win. lol 

Then I got ready and headed out to go to moms. She was there, but no one had arrived yet. It's weird but it's looking like there are only 4 of us at times. At least Penny arrived to make it 5. Mom wanted me and everyone else to figure out her design and what colors to use. 

She's into pastels and it's looking more like a pastel quilt than a bright quilt. At least the leaves are bright enough. lol Phil and Emily helped mom with a rabbit design. This is the design they did for her. It's really cute. We had to enlarge it a bit. It was 6 1/2" but that wasn't big enough. So, I went ahead and put it on the computer and made it 25% bigger. This works better. She has a blue/grey material that she going to make the rabbit out of. We also chatted about the border. By the time she's done, the border will be brighter than the flower. 

After all that, I decided to work on the moss again. I have about 5 more to do and then it's done. I will be putting the beads on it later. There are a few more things I need to do on this as well. So, I will get to work on it. May try and get it done for Emily's Birthday. Hard to say. I may do something else for her. 

Stopped at Rite Aid for Patrick on my way home. Had to wait 30 minutes for the medication. It was weird because they sent the medication order in the morning. Patrick called me when I arrived at moms. I was at Rite Aid by 2:30 pm and had to wait. I was surprised I had to wait since the order was placed in the morning. 

Came home, and decided to just sit and enjoy the afternoon. I had to watch "Friends" for a bit, which I'm so tired of watching. I saw them when they were on the air and then the repeats. Oh, well. It would be nice if I could watch a couple of my shows once in awhile. At this point, I wish he would go golfing more, so I can. lol 

I decided to order a cutting board for my top downstairs. I want one big enough that I don't have 3 of them butted up against each other. The seams make it hard to cut sometimes. I also order more batting and backing, so I needed something that would make it easier for me. I used the money mom gave me for it. It was expensive but hopefully worth it. I need something down there. Plus, I need to clear my counter top off so I can put it there. I put too much stuff down there and I seriously need to put my stuff away. I may do that this weekend. Hard to say. lol 

I've been playing games. Now that it's time to call it a night, I can look back over the day and be greatful I was able to be Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Another Trip To Olympia - Then Casino

This morning, I waited on Patrick while he went go get a couple things done. He had to get chlorine for the well. That's a monthly thing. 

When he got home, we headed to Olympia for me to get a test done. Then we headed to Lucky Eagle casino to play for a bit. We got there around noon and played till 3 pm, since he needed to get back for a district meeting. We actually did good this time. We came home with $1200 more than we thought we would. It will keep us going for a while when we go to the casinos. lol 

Came home and got supper before he headed out to the District Meeting. Before that his oncologist called and was worried about some of the things going on. I guess he called Patrick back when he was at the meeting. At first, they were going to stop some of the meds he's taking. But after looking over Patrick's chart, he called and told him to continue with the meds after all. I didn't have a good feeling with the call I heard. But that's life. Patrick is still going to talk to the surgeon and see if the meds (Chemo) is what is the problem. 

After he left, I cleaned up the kitchen and got the dishwasher emptied. Then I picked up a few things around the house and put them away. I had to be busy for a bit. I even cleaned the kitty litter that I forgot to do yesterday. Took the trash out. By the time I sat down, Patrick was back from his meeting. 

I played my games and called it a night. Wasn't in the mood to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

 

Early Trip To Olympia

 This morning, we were woken by the phone. I tried calling Kaiser back but no answer, so called oncology because I had an appointment this afternoon. I figured they were going to cancel my appointment. When I finally got on, they asked if I could be there this morning. It was 8:30 am, so I told them I could be there at 10:30 am. We got ready and headed out the door by 9:30 am. 

We arrived on time and the good news is that I'm doing great with my (not) breast cancer. It will be 1 year since they made sure they had it all out. I'm just on the meds. I asked about the headaches I was getting and the bones in my hips. Was told that's usually not because of the meds. I talked about my hair falling out and she told me there was a 3% chance that is because of the meds. UGH! I'm to keep an eye on it, and see if my hair grows back when my stress level is down. Good question when that will be. 

After my appointment we headed to Costco and picked up a few things we needed. It was a quick trip. We decided to get a slice of pizza from there. I don't know what they did to change the cheese, but that piece we had was awful! I couldn't eat more than 3 bites. Patrick ate around the crust and I did the same. Whatever cheese they used was not "pizza cheese" to me. Almost like some preservative or something in the cheese. 

We dropped off Phil's order and then came home. We put everything away and sat to enjoy the TV. We watched another British show. Then had supper and back to watching TV. While we watched TV, I decided to get a few stitches in on my cross stitching. 

I was working on the left side. I did the right side yesterday after I posted on here. I have a few stitches to fill in and then I can keep going. I believe the lips of Santa are coming up. I'm looking forward to getting started on the face. I'm thinking of making smaller stitches for the face. It will be fun to see how it goes. It will take longer, but I think it will look a lot better. 

It helped to have an earlier trip to Olympia. It went fast and easy. But now, I'm going to have to go back up tomorrow to get a test done. I had to get on the Kaiser app to ask for it. It wasn't as easy as they make it out to be. At least I can get it done though. 

So, my day went well with being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Feels Like Saturday

 This morning, Patrick went golfing (goof'n) and I stayed home. Woo Hoo! I played for a bit and then went out to walk. I ended up stopping to talk to the neighbors and even got a couple phone calls. It was a busy walk, that ended up at 5 laps because it was way too cold for me to do more. 

Then we enjoyed a couple "Marple" shows. While that was on, I played games and decided to get back to my cross stitching.

I was able to get a couple hours in on this. The white was filled in and I worked on more stitches on the right. It's coming along nicely and I'm having fun working on it. 

My phone was ringing today from one thing to another. I had to change a doctor appointment since they called me to do that. Then I chatted with Debbie. I had another phone call but can't remember what that was about. I was going to order fabric and batting, but that slipped my mind till it was too late. I sent a text and think he was already gone. I will work on it tomorrow. Hopefully before we head to Olympia. 

Today felt like a Saturday, other than the part of phone calls. It a day where I could just sit and relax. Even after my walk. At least I could find time to enjoy being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting! 

Embroidery With Friends

This morning, I needed stop and get gas before heading to the Grange. I got gas and coffee for Sandy. Once that was done, I headed to the Grange. Sandy E had just arrived when I did. So, we chatted for a while. Then Sandy V arrived, and we had a good visit. Poor Sandy E wasn't in the mood to work on anything, so she chatted. Mom can in about 30 minutes after we did. It was a good visit, and mom had the baby quilt about half done already. She wanted me to draw the bunny rabbit. I haven't done a bunny rabbit in FOREVER. I used to do my dad's rabbits, but after a while quit drawing them. Now I can't remember and the rabbit I drew was awful. 

I worked on my moss again today. Got 2 of them done. The needle and threads were set up to work on the next one, but I called it quits. I am happy with the way it's looking. I may get them done yet! They are taking a bit longer than I was hoping. But then again, they are fun to do. I was telling them about the silk threads I was thinking of getting. I think the silk threads will work on one I want to do. I will wait and see. Sandy V was working on a wedding initial for the ring barres (sp) pillow. It was pretty. She was using DMC floss and it really wasn't coming out as pretty as it could. I told her to get the silk threads in white and work with that. She changed the letters a little. I like the original initial that was on paper. She was changing it a bit. Most of it had satin stitches, and I think I would have done it differently, but Sandy is so good at doing that sort of thing. Chances are it will turn out awesome no matter what she does. 

On my way home, I stopped a Colleens and gave her the 2 quilt tops to be quilted. I also gave her all the blocks I had from Georgie, Geralyn and mom. Those she can work on and may get quilts done faster with all the blocks. She told me the box that Connie gave her, had blocks in there too. I told her they were blocks that Connie was going to use in a scrap quilt like the other 2 she did. I guess Connie is giving back a lot of the stuff we gave her to work on. Trouble is, she has a ton more of our fabrics. I'm not sure if she is giving up on QOV or cutting back. I do know she is with Kristi and Val working on Linus Quilts. Which is fine with me. I gave Val a bag of quilt tops for Linus that was part of the stuff we got when we picked up the donation of fabrics. What we didn't take, the group for Madigan Army Hospital took the rest for quilts for veterans in the hospital. I really don't know who that's going, because I never was part of that group. Mom was in the beginning. So, Colleen was happy to see all that. I told her there is NO rush on any of it. She wanted to know if she could send some to her sister, and I told her that was fine. We love volunteers that help us with making quilt tops. Her sister and her are quick with making tops. I'm betting they will have a couple of them done by the end of the month. 

Came home and pretty much played games. I wasn't in the mood for much. We watched a few shows we had taped. I wanted to watch a British show, but that wasn't going to happen. 

I called my doctors for an appointment since I forgot to call 3 months ago and was supposed to see him next week. They told me they couldn't get me in, and I have to call next week to see if April's calendar is up yet. So, I'm probably in trouble for not calling sooner and getting in. Oh, well. Life goes on. 

I've been busy for 2 days. I'm looking forward to relaxing tomorrow. Wednesday will be another trip to Olympia for medical stuff. Now I know why everyone retires - so they can keep going to the doctor for this or that! I feel like I'm back at work - but not going to work - going to the doctors! Such fun getting older!

At least today, I found the time to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Another PLANNED Day That Got Messed Up

 This morning, I was up and enjoying my time for a bit. Unfortunately, Patrick got up shortly after and wanted to remind me of things I said I would do. 

My plan today was to get downstairs and work on getting the quilt done. Instead, I sat upstairs till 1 pm watching a Paul Newman movie. Then went downstairs to get started. 

I was working on the quilt about an hour or so, when mom called to ask what I was doing. After telling her, she decided to come over and get some help on a design she wanted to do for Zach and Jorden's baby quilt, since they are expecting in February, and she was behind. I kept working till she arrived. 

I was working on the outer board stars. The single ones. I had the center part already done and was adding the star border. Then she came. 

We looked over her design that she copied from the computer. I told her to be careful because some people get upset with copyrights. By the time she was done, it was changed so much that it was "inspired by" and not copied. Which is a lot better now a days. It's cute. She didn't like the rabbit that was on it. So, she watched YouTube to find out how to draw a rabbit. It's a cute rabbit too. So, we changed a couple things and instead of the face of the rabbit, she's going to do the whole rabbit. It should be cute. Then she asked Patrick about colors. The fabrics she had were a little off. So, I ended up pulling fabrics from my stash for her. We found a good color for the rabbit that is "fluffy." 

After a couple hours, she left. Then I went back to work. I didn't realize it was 5 pm till Patrick came done. I had the quilt top to the stage above. 

At that point I was tired of it. I asked what color for the border and he picked the blue. The trouble with the blue is that it's a blend, and I didn't realize it till I was working on it today. I didn't want the blend on the outer boarder. So, Patrick picked the stars in blue. I goes, but not my favorite. Again, I was tired of it by this point. So, the border is on it. Now the backing is getting dried and will be ready to drop off at Colleen's tomorrow with another quilt. I'm behind on washing the backings. I need to put a sticky there for me to remember to make sure they are out of the drying tonight - and if I forget, I will pull them out tomorrow. 

It turned out to be a lot longer day then I wanted. I wanted to just be down there 3 hours and call it good. Instead it went to 4 1/2 hours. Patrick didn't mind. BUT he waited on me to fix supper! I figured it wasn't that hard to fry burgers but apparently it was. I ended up going back down after supper to pick up and get everything ready for tomorrow. Val is coming to pick up stuff and I'm heading to the embroidery meeting. On the way back I will be stopping at Colleens. 

Even though it was busy, I can't say I wasn't Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Had Fun Today

This morning, it felt good to sleep in. I think it was because I took a sinus pill. lol I usually can sleep really well when I do. 

Got up and got the laundry that was left over from yesterday done. I had to run it though the dryer one more time. Then I sat to play on my tablet. 

After I finally got up and got moving, I took a walk. Going around the neighborhood 7 times. It felt good to walk because my headache wasn't very comfortable. I don't know why, but lately, I'm getting a headache more often than I care to admit. 

Came in and cut the bread I baked the other day into squares. I made croutons for Patrick. He got a lot out of it this time. I realized I had the bread raising overnight and that doesn't work unless I'm going to reshape it.  I know not to do that. Sometimes it happens with cinnamon buns as well. That's why I let them raise downstairs since it's a lot cooler down there. 

Once all that was done, I decided I didn't want to go downstairs to finish a quilt top. So, I pulled out my cross stitching and got to work. 

Like I said before, the white was easy to fill in, once I had the off-white and beige done. I still have more to do, but need to fill in the white. This was where I thought I would quit, till I realized my tablet needed to be recharged. 

So, while I was just sitting there, I had to do something! I pulled the piece out again, and added the grey, red and dark brown stitches. I think that's about another 100 stitches, since I added a few more off-white and beige stitches in the red area. I thought I had them done, but realized I needed to add more. I have 2 empty spots in the beard and will fill them in later. I just wanted to get to work around the red area again. I'm getting tired of white. Plus, the off-white is hard to put on because it blends into the background, and I don't realize my "x" isn't an "x" till it's too late. That's when I have to take it out. So, the magnifier comes in handy at times. At least it keeps me Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Things Are Looking Up

 This morning, I was busy cleaning, picking up, getting laundry started and getting some stuff filed with the State for the water. 

I took a few minutes to cross stitch before heading over to moms to take her out to eat. We then went to Dick's Deli in Ground Mound area. We tend to go there when Patrick is hunger for steak. He always gets the French Dip. I got a Reubin Sandwich and more got a brat. 

Came home and I pretty much played on my tablet till about an hour before calling it a night. 

Good news is that I was able to get some of the white filled in. So, I'm getting there. I'm now working above the bear's ear, but since it's almost the same color as the background, it's hard to see. Sophie was giving me a look while I was trying to cross stitch. 

Patrick thought that's what she was doing. He could see her looking my way. I had to laugh! 

It's getting there and things are looking up. If Patrick keeps wanting to go out to eat, that's a really good sign. As for me, I'm just going to have to live with the fact my body doesn't want to lose weight. It sucks, but that's life. And yet, I can still be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Presentation Day

This morning, I was up and not ready for the day to start. I did get moving though because I needed to get to the museum for our presentation. 

First, I needed to get my rugs from the bathroom into the washing machine, since I got water on the one while in the shower. Then I started putting the ornaments on the tree away. Patrick had asked the other day, and I wasn't in the mood to keep it up, since I hadn't been in the spirit last year. I also got busy on getting the stuff ready to take to the museum. I was about to load them up in the car, when Debbie asked if she could drive us to the museum since we both were going out to eat after. I agreed. 

So, she came, and I had to stop at the bank for Gunderson stuff, then we went to Dutch Brothers for the 30 points. Once we did that, we headed to the museum and started getting everything done. We had the quilts pulled and ready. Then checked on Smiley and he was doing good. He said he thought he could do the presentation, which he could. We got everything ready, and I reminded the ladies not to eat the treats till after the veterans and their families had them. It was comical. 

We got going on the presentation and were able to get out 5 more quilts. 

They were given to (not in order) Dennis Hollinger, Marine, Norman Belanger, Army, Alex Carro, Marine, Andrew Bissell, Marine, and Will Koenig, Air Force. The one in the middle is a State Trooper who came from work. 

After the presentation, Debbie and I went to the new Panda Express for supper. We ordered and were surprised at how busy it was. There must have been 30 workers in the back. Their opening day is tomorrow. The Bearcats (WF West) are signed up for donations that day. I need to get us signed up again for donation. 

It didn't turn out to be a day of Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Trip To Olympia

 This morning, I was up and ready to go. I went for my walk and Patrick went to renew his driver's license with the new enhanced. They told him his passport was good enough. But he went ahead and renewed it with the enhanced. He was able to renew for 8 years. That's good. I don't renew mine till next year. 

He came back about the time I was done walking. Didn't take long for him. Appointments do help. I did clean the kitty litter and worked on the certificates for the veterans we are honoring tomorrow. Debbie called about that time to say Smiley had a stroke and Jim may have to do his part. I told her if Jim doesn't do it, we have Skip. It's going to be interesting who's doing Jim's part. I didn't know about his stroke. I also got another call from a gal that works out of DC but lives around her. She wants to know when we honor female veterans so she can honor them as well. Told her the one to know about that was Carol since Nancy no longer does that. 

Then we headed up to Olympia for Patrick's 2 pm appointment. He's going to have to have surgery for another issue that is a problem. He still thinks he can do the sound wave treatment at Swedish, so it's going to be interesting to see what will happen. It's a time issue as well as a life issue. I was told not to say anything to anyone till we know more. But surgery is "for sure." 

Came home and just wanted to play on my tablet. I wanted to get lost in my gaming world. I didn't even think about doing any cross stitching today. 

Tomorrow is another day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Day At The Casino

 This morning when we woke, we got ready to go down to Iloni past Kelso/Longview. It's about an hour drive. But I tend to like it down there better than at the Lucky Eagle outside of Rochester WA. 

We had a good time. We spend our money, and then started winning. By the time we were done, we had played on their money and came out even. I'm okay with that. We tried a couple new games. One of which I won $400 on one spin. Then I turned around and won another $250. It was a fun game to place. We tried out another and ended up winning on that one as well. We were down there a good 4 hours. 

I hadn't played on my games all day - but then if you count the casino, I guess I had. We stopped at Safeway on the way home and picked up some chicken. I love their fried chicken. 

Came home and I played the rest of the night. So, it really wasn't a productive day at all. As much as I would have liked to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Taking Time To Get Out Of The House

 This morning we were up and moving. I played my games for a bit before heading out to walk 5 laps. I got my time messed up for my game, so didn't show up in time. 

Then we went to the cemetery and bought a plot for us. We went out to see where we wanted to be buried. It didn't seem to affect me as much as it normally does. I usually get teary, but I didn't this time. Thinking of what's to come take a little out of one. Patrick pretty much picked the place, as I really didn't seem to worry about it. The gal was telling me that since the owners next to the cemetery took out the trees there, some of the family was wanting to move the family to another cemetery. I couldn't believe it! Once your buried, it should be final. I do notice in some of my family history that some graves were moved because of flooding the area, or the town moved, or something in that direction. It was the whole cemetery, not the individual grave. I was shocked. I figure if I'm buried there, I wouldn't notice the trees are gone. I'll be gone. My body will be there, but my soul may be somewhere completely away from my body. At least that's what I think. I don't think I would stay in the cemetery and enjoy all the people left there. I will probably be somewhere else. Just my thought. 

Came home and worked on my cross stitching and game playing. 

I was able to do more in the beard. I got a good 300 stitches in today. I was working on the off white areas so I could just fill in the white. I will start moving toward the right side. May get out of the beard yet! lol My pattern is folded right at the top of this work. So, I will keep going and when I need to unfold and refold, so I can see that pattern, I will do that. 

It turned out to be a good day. Got a few things done that we won't have to worry about. And I was able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

A Quiet Sunday

This morning I was up and ready to be lazy. 😜

Patrick had other ideas. While I went walking, he cleaned. I got 7 laps in. On my last lap he came out with the trash to be picked up tomorrow.  Then he told me he dumped the litter box and left it for me to clean.  I do it every other Sunday. So, got in and washed Sophie's box before putting the litter back in. Patrick pretty much had all the cleaning done. Love it when he does that! lol

I played my games before taking a break to stitch.

I added more gold and worked on the off white areas. Next step will be the white and it will go faster when I add it in. I was taking some of it out as I went because I was off. I am now back on track. I was Stitching while watching the Seahawks win. I wish they had a chance in the playoffs, but at least they were close. 

Sandy just canceled tomorrow, so guess I need to stitch at home. 😄😜 Back to being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

What To Do On A Saturday

This morning, Patrick and I were up earlier than usual. I played while I waited to have breakfast. I have my thyroid medication that I have to wait a half hour before eating anything. Sometimes I wait an hour. Depends on the day. 

Today, I waited, then Patrick left to get some papers shredded. They had a shredding day at the transit site. So, he and I cleaned out the file cabinet yesterday and today he took it all to be shredded. While he did that, I got moving with laundry. 

Then I was trying to decide what I wanted to do. 

 Decided to work on the cross stitching. I'm surprised at how much easier it was to work on it today. I was actually on track and didn't need to take any stitches out. That felt good to know! 

I worked on getting the left side done to the top of the folded pattern. I then started working on the beard. It's coming along great now. I've gotten it so I can follow the directions better than I could yesterday. I even worked on it a few hours. I believe I was able to get about 400 stitches done today. Felt good to do that. 

Then after supper, decided to enjoy my games. They keep my mind off of real life at times. Patrick had an issue come up and now we are waiting to hear from one of his many doctors. I'm hoping it isn't serious, but that way things go, it could be. He's on it, and I'm just going to go for a ride. What happens, happens. 

Cancer isn't something we can "deal" with. It has it's ups and downs. I try to stay even along the way. When the times comes, I will probably break down. Till then, I'm trying to keep on open mind and go with what happens. Patrick is doing better than most. He's positive and he's working hard to enjoy his time. We talk from time to time, but he wants to keep a lot of it bottled. When we have talked for about 20 mins, then he says, "Okay, that enough of that talk, talk about something else." or "Please, let's not talk about it." I do get teary eyed when the "C" word is mentioned. Who can't. I feel for all those children that have it, because they are way to young. Patrick would have handled it better if he was 70 years old. But he's not. So, we move on. 

Think Positive, Live Positive, and hope for the best. We will see - at least I have time to take a deep breath and be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Getting Back To Meetings

 This morning, Patrick left for Olympia and I headed to moms for quilting. And yet, I didn't quilt. I arrived early and she needed me to order some clothes for her. She can't remember her sizes, so I ordered the size she thought she needed. Wonder if those will be going back. I did go get gas and drinks for mom and I before I got there.  

There was only 4 of us today. We decided not to do a lunch, but to snack on the stuff that was brought. Mom worked on her quilt, Nancy and Carmen on their quilts. I just played games on my tablet. I needed to be on at 10 am, so just stayed on. They left earlier than we normally do, and I was glad to be able to leave sooner than normal. 

Came home and worked on my cross stitching. But I ended up taking out as much as I put in. 

I was working on the beard up by the red. I ended up taking it out at least 3 times. I kept making the mistake of going too far on the material, giving myself a BIG "x" or a sloppy "x" or even too small. So, I pulled the magnifier and had to work with that. I had a big mess. Then I called it done. I will try again tomorrow. 

Patrick got us some ice cream and Sophie went to her feeding dish. lol 

Lately, she goes to her dishes when we eat. She was giving Patrick that look to feed her. It's so funny!! This isn't the first time. She just started doing this! It's so funny Patrick and I talk about her and she gives us this look. 

The good thing is that I'm still working at being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

It's 2025 - And I'm Still On Track

 Today I thought it was Friday, so I got up and was ready to go out the door to moms. Patrick looked at me and said, "Where are you going?" I said to moms. Then he said, "Why? It's not Friday." So, I took my coat off and put my keys away. I was so messed up! 

I was asked if I wanted to take over someone else's castle that was at the highest level. I said I did, so I was able to get it transferred to me.  I was surprised at some of the stuff that wasn't done. But that makes it more fun for me. I will be working on upgrading it and then I will get a higher spot with everyone else. I'm still working my lvl 20 castle, but having a lvl 34 is even better. lol 

We went shopping this afternoon. Wanted to get a few things that we needed. It felt good to get out. Picked up a few things for tomorrow as well. 

Came home and decided I needed to get back on my cross stitch and stop playing games. 

I got to work on the left side. I took out some gold because I made a "x" too big. Then I started working on the red area up above. I added some white and found I put the tan and off white stitches in the wrong place. I'm going to leave them and try to get back on track as I go. It's just 1 stitch over, so who is going to know, unless you took the pattern and checked that way. I hate it when I do that. Most of the time I take it out, but this had too much done that I decided it's staying. That's when I called it done for the night. I will try and get it straightened out tomorrow. If I can. 

We are meeting at moms tomorrow for quilting. I really don't know why I go, since I really don't work on much, other than mom's BOM. I should start working on my own BOM but haven't gotten there yet. I also should work on the white on white quilt that needs quilting. BUT I need to finish this first!! I keep telling myself that!

Life is good, this year is good (so far), and I'm ready to keep going day by day. That's why I like being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I was woken a couple times with fireworks. lol - We called it a night early. I was listening to an audio book and playing games till about 11 pm. Then called it a night. 

Was sorry to hear there was terror at the big gatherings.  Makes you wonder what life is coming to. 

I went walking 7 laps around the neighborhood. It felt good to get out and walk. Patrick went to meet with his golfing buddies to find out what is going on with the golf course. I guess they are raising prices, stopping yearly passes, and fixing things up. Which means they are going to out price themselves when everyone goes to another golf course. Patrick's group is talking about going up to Tumwater to golf. Plus they said a couple groups that were regulars haven't been showing up. Be interesting to see where that goes with the new owners. 

I decided to work on my cross stitching today. I'm a determined to get this done. I have quilting at moms, so I probably won't be taking it with me to work on. 

I did have to work on my magnifier when working on the white, tan and off white. I get off on my stitches and end up taking it out to fix it. I did that a couple times today. I did work more on the green and then work on the gold. I'm getting there. I found the gold was a little easier to work with. But I did get off on that too, and took some of that out as well. That gold is a staff. I got a lot of the beard done as well. I'm thinking of moving over to the right side and working there, but decided I can work from the left just as easily. 

I am praying this year is better than last year. 2024 wasn't a good year for us. If we can just get through this year without too much bother, it would be wonderful. Patrick's Birthday is the 25th, so let's hope we can get there without too much bother. lol 

After supper I was playing on my tablet. So, I didn't get back to working on this, as much as I wanted to. But that's okay, I was at least Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!