Casino Day - Still Too Hot! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHIL!!

 Sometimes (more often now) I wish we had air conditioning. We don't. Really can't put one in because this was built in 1977 and has heater boards. So, there isn't a vent that we could use to have air conditioning. It sucks! But at least downstairs is cooler. 

Patrick wanted to go to the casino, which surprised me. I thought we were taking a break. First, I had my list of things to do. We stopped and picked up a quilt from the church. They had one done for us. Then we stopped at Phil's to give him his Birthday Gift. He turned 41 today. WOW!! Anyway, gave him his gifts and a hug. Next was the post office to drop off some papers for Bryan. 

We then headed to the casino. It was quiet compared to other days. We did okay for the 5 hours we were there. We lost about $300. Not bad, considering we have lost more than that before. I had Patrick try a couple new games. One was Texas Tea and that was fun. We did better on that then the others. We played our 88 Fortune type games. That wasn't much fun, because that took the money as fast as one put it in. I go to play for a while, not have them take the money in 10 mins. We had supper there and it was pretty good. I had the Club Sandwich. Patrick had eggs and bacon. He didn't want all the fried grease. I wish they didn't have such big meals. I was going to do the Shrimp Louise, but it was $20, so I know it's enough for 2 people. I don't like to bring that home. 

We stopped at moms to drop off the quilt for binding. She told me Mike McCoy was in the hospital in Seattle. He was the one that worked with my dad in Germany. Diane passed away about 2 or 3 years ago. I do miss her. 

Came home and just enjoyed the thunderstorm while playing on my tablet. The TV reset and we had it off for a while. I didn't listen to my book, just enjoy the weather outside. We haven't had thunderstorms in about 20 years here, so it's nice to have. It wasn't as close to us as the one 20 years ago, and I'm okay with that. 

I really need to get back to being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

WAY TOO HOT TODAY

This morning, Patrick went golfing and I went for a walk at 11 am. I went 4 times around the neighborhood. Then came in the house to find sweat rolling off my face. I TOUGHT I was early enough, but NOPE. 

I played games for a bit. Then came into the computer room and worked on my QOV stuff. It's taking a lot longer than I had hoped. Now I know why Debbie was stalling. I also found a Mandatory email for our program. It's supposed to take an hour, but we will see. I signed up for September so I can get it over with. There is a meeting with Cindy this weekend and I'm not sure if I will be able to attend. 

The weather reached over 100 degrees and I'm sweating! I may have to move downstairs to sleep. When it gets this hot, I shut down. Patrick took a nap this afternoon and said the fan in the living room was cooler than in the bedroom. I can see why. 

I have to go to the post office tomorrow as well as the church to pick up a quilt. I will need to drop it off at moms before we go. 

So, I'm way too hot to do anything worth anything and that includes Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

 

Embroidery Meeting Day

This morning I was off to moms. I took both my bags in the house. I wasn't sure what I would do. I pulled out the embroidery piece that I usually work on when I'm waiting for Patrick. I was able to get some leaves done and found I still have another area to work on. 

 The leaves on the top left are done. I moved over to the area on the top right. I will try and get a photo of it later. 

I then helped mom with her Apple TV. She needed to renew her subscription and wanted me to do it. So, I did. Then she said she couldn't get the information on the BritBox and Netflix on her page. I told her I don't do Apple, so she's going to have to check with brother Patrick. 

I stopped at Colleen's and dropped off 2 more quilts. Then I headed home. I had the time to myself since Patrick was off to Safeway and Walmart. 

I came in the computer room and started working on our QOV list that I started when we first started the group in 2018. Patrick ordered a couple thumb drives for me. So, I'm going to make sure I have a copy and work on it, just in case Debbie loses it all again. I've spent a good 3 days on it so far. There is a heck of a lot of information to enter. 

I called it quits after a couple hours and finished the laundry I was doing at the same time. 

At least I broke my record and ended up Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

When Things Go Wrong - UGH

Today I couldn't get up till around 10 am. I'm wondering if I'm a little depressed over not doing anything or able to work on my crafts. I also wondered if it has to do with all the stuff going on with Patrick. I don't know. 

I did work on laundry all day. Got a lot done. Then I decided to do a Cinnamon Babka bread. 

 This is what happens when you do pay attention to your instincts! I had Patrick helping me. WRONG! I wanted to make it for tomorrow but had trouble from the start. I didn't have powdered milk - no big deal. It was only a tablespoon. So, I used milk instead. I had the dough looking good. I actually worked the laying out part like it said. I added the filling and had Patrick add the nuts. No big deal. Told him to roll it like the cinnamon rolls we do and NOT cut it like cinnamon rolls. That didn't work, he cut it in half and asked what size I wanted them. GRRRR  I told him it wasn't supposed to get cut that way and to cut it in half down the roll. So, I did that with 2 parts. I needed to get them back together, but that was a joke. One part was fat and the other was skinny. I did what I could to get it right. Then told him to put it in the bread pan. He got it in. We did the topping and put it on. Let it raise, all's good right?! NOPE. Put it in the oven. Then I was smelling burning in the oven. Well, the crumb mix was dripping off the top. Okay, I need to clean my oven, no big deal. I set the timer. 40 minutes. It said 40-50 minutes and sometimes our oven is a little on the hot side. Not this case! I checked it, added time to the timer. Patrick is looking in the oven to see if it's done yet. Told him it wasn't. I then set the timer again and noticed there was another timer going. Asked Patrick if he knew what it was because I set a 7-minute timer. He didn't. Went down the hall and he's looking in the oven and asking if it's done yet because it's getting dark on the top. Told him to get out of the oven and let it bake. I checked just in case. Set the time for another 5 minutes. OMG!!! It was closer and looked okay to take out - NOT listening to myself of - it's still not done! - So, I had Patrick take it out. It started sinking!! I decided to wait 5 minutes before taking it out of the pan. I worked it, got it out and it fall apart! I wanted to get it back in the pan and cook it longer, but Patrick said no, it was fine. YEAH RIGHT! Dough that wasn't cooked was right in front of our faces. He decides he's going to eat it anyway. OMG! Seriously! I gave up and call it done. I wanted it for tomorrow and it didn't happen. Now I don't have bread to take with me, and I don't have the time to try again. Yet, Patrick is going to eat it anyway! Look at the photo! Can't we all tell it didn't come out right?! 

I went to my tablet and played my game. Mad at myself for listening to Patrick telling me it was time to take the bread out. I was made because I was hot and tired. I am still mad because it didn't work out and now I can't take what I wanted to moms for the group. Frustrated that I let myself get mad. I hate it when I have someone looking over my shoulders and telling me how to cook my breads. I can do it fine myself. UGH

So, wrong day to do bread, wrong day to work on anything BUT laundry and wrong day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Another Day At Ada

This morning, Debbie came at the same time as yesterday. We set the tent back up. 

We spent the day at the car show. Today they must have had 200 classic cars. It turned out a lot better today they yesterday. The money they made there is a scholarship fund for the Senior class that worked the show. Hopefully they made a lot of money. The big money maker for them is the beer they sell later in the day. Trouble was, they (the ones who were to sell it) lost their liquor license, so they couldn't make money off it. 

We called it done around 4:30 pm. Came home and I just sat to play games. I'm tired today. I need to get the tables back to Mary I also need to wash the tablecloth because I spilled my chai tea on it. We gave out about 18 applications. I will need to work on QOV stuff tomorrow and get it updated. 

Yet, another day of not being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

At Ada Today

 This morning I was up at 6 am. Darn sun got me up. Oh, well. 

I waited for Debbie to show up. We have a table and tent that we set up at the Ada car show. There weren't a lot of people there. We arrived at 11 am, and they gave our spot away because we weren't there at 10 am. Debbie had told them we would be there. But they didn't want an open spot, so they put us in the back area. We had a choice of there or by the coffee shop where only the people going for coffee would see up. I was about ready to leave, but they came up and talked us into taking the spot behind the band stand. 

The gal next to us was worried we would be in the way of her dog collars. I told her they would see it through our area. 

We were supposed to be up there where the green tent is. We still had people stopping by. I think we gave out 6 applications. I'm okay with that. I really don't want too many because we don't need to have 100 applications like we did 2 years ago. This is enough. We also got a donation, so all in all it was a good day. We left at 5 pm. I brought Patrick a scone and a chocolate roll. 

I've been playing my game since I got home. Going back tomorrow and staying about the same amount of time. It's going on till about 10 pm tonight. They are doing this as a fund raiser for the Ada High School students. 

So, no, it was another day of not being close to Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Just Not There Yet

This morning, I didn't want to get up. I don't know what my problem is. Lately I would rather stay in bed and sleep. This morning, it was a thunderstorm, and I went back to bed. When I woke an hour later, it was thundering again. I haven't heard a good thunderstorm like that in ages. And I just wanted to sleep. Go figure!

When I did get up, I played a new game I installed. 

Went to the doctors for my foot. They gave me a support for my feet to see if that will help. I don't know if it will but we will see. Then I go back in 2 months. I could have got another shot, but since I just had one 2 weeks ago, he thought I should try the supports. 

Patrick wanted Arby's. So, on my way home, I picked up Arby's. It was too salty for him. I didn't taste the salt but he does. The chemo is affecting his taste again. He doesn't think so, just thinks everything has way too much salt. I hate this stage for him. His taste and smell goes out the door. 

I worked on the excel program to get out information updated. I don't know how far I got, but I know I have a long way to go. Then my cousin called. He wants me to print about 100 pages for him. I told him that's a lot of pages. He needs to cut that down. At this rate I will need to pay for more ink. UGH

Now I'm done, chatting, I'm done playing and I'm done for the day. Not my day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Movie Day

I slept in while Patrick went golfing. I really wasn't in the mood to do anything. So, I waited for him.

We headed to the theater to see the movie "Moana." I really enjoyed it! Well worth seeing. It was a fun movie. Really close to the animated one. 

After that, came home and I pretty much was playing on my tablet. It wasn't a day to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

 

Going On A Casino Break

 Today we were up and headed out. Picked up and dropped off a quilt at the church. Then meet with Martha in Rochester to pick up a top and give her 2 more kits. 

Then we went to the Lucky Eagle Casino. We played for less than 2 hours. We lost a lot of money but are still ahead of what we won a few months back. We got a blanket for the gifts. I wanted the chairs. That may be last. But right now, we decided we are taking a break. The casino was so tight! We didn't win anything and we couldn't play very long on one machine. We like to play on a machine and play for at least a couple hours. Not today. Not last week, and not the week before. So, we are stopping for a while. Who knows, it could be a couple years like before. lol Doubt it because I have money on my card and I will use it before I quit going. 

We were home by 1 pm. I got on the computer and did a few things for QOV. I'm still trying to get our excel program back on track with all the veterans we have honored. I have about 9 months missing. I hope Debbie will bring that to me so I can fill in what we have. I spent the afternoon working on that. 

Now it's close to bedtime and I want to get back in my book. I didn't know if it would be any good, but I'm finding out it's got my interest. 

Not my day for Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Working On Kits

This morning, I was cleaning up. Had the usual stuff to do. 

Then Patrick and I went downstairs to work on kits for QOV. We get tops back a lot faster with kits. I must have about 10 quilt kits out there right now. Hopefully they will start coming back. Patrick picked the colors; I had the patterns ready. They are different than the one we have been doing. I cut the fabric. Then we finished up with 5 kits. There are 2 already in the car, so now I'm at 7 kits. It's a waiting game from there. 

With 7 kits and 7 readied to be quilted, we are doing pretty good. I just hope the keep coming in.  Poor Debbie has a lot going on with her family. Her brother is out of the hospital after 7 weeks, her sister is having family problems (legal) and her sister-in-law has cancer. Not only cancer but she had a stroke the day before yesterday. With all that going on, poor Debbie is busier than she would like. 

So, I was "sorta" Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Clean Up Day!

 This morning, both Patrick and I tired. Patrick was on the couch when I got up. Played on the tablet and was falling asleep. So, he went to the bedroom, and I went on the couch. Neither one of us was up before 11 am. I had showered but just couldn't stay awake. Patrick wasn't feeling well, so he slept as well.

I had my game at 1 pm. Then we went downstairs to clean up my QOV room. 

I had him cut the batting and backing for 3 quilts. They are waiting for them to be washed. 

He got all the bolts of fabric put away for me. Now they just need tops to be used for. 

We moved the quilts that need to be quilted over here. There are 5 with 3 more after the backs are washed and dried. I have 2 of them done, so will go down in a few and put 2 from the table with this stack. 

It didn't take long and Patrick was good about helping me put the fabric away where it needed to be. I went through the panels and took out what we won't do. I'll have Colleen add that to the garage sale, when we can do it. Hopefully one of the granges will let us know when the next one is. 

After all that, I came into the computer room and worked on getting copies made for kits. Then I did some genealogy, which helped me find the GIPP family. I even have the date they arrived in the US. After that, I went back to entering the information into excel that has all the veterans we have done. I was able to put 200 veterans into the sheet. I have at least that many more to do as well. I am going to have to copy it and put in all into another spreadsheet because this one is one of the older ones. 

We watched our shows and now I'm ready to call it a night. Still not able to be anywhere close to Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Late Start - Work, Work, Work

 This morning I was woken by mom calling me at 9:45 am. I was shocked. I haven't slept that late in a long time. Which makes the day go a lot faster! Mom had to chat for a good 45 minutes, which I was okay with. Patrick was at a golf tournament, so I had the day pretty much to myself. I didn't get to go walking till about 1:30 pm and it was getting hot. So, I only walked around the block 5 times. 

When I came in, I needed to work on getting our excel program for our QOV presentations. I started it when we started. Debbie lost her file, so we needed to get it back and running. She said yesterday she hasn't had the time in over a year to work on this. So, I told her to bring me what she had, and we would go from there. I decided to get moving on it, since there are at least 200 names and information to enter. There are 51 names per page from our program. I finished one up today and started marking on page 2 the information that it doesn't print out. I think I had 5 pages to print but only printed 3. I will get moving on that. I was working on it when Patrick came home. He thought he could bring the information to excel but after an hour of trying, we figured it wouldn't work. Then we worked on the business cards for QOV. I couldn't get them to go from pdf to png or jpeg. So, after another hour of working on that, we found a website that would do them for us with the pdf. I ordered 500 of Debbies and another 500 for me. So, that should do for a while. I will get them to Val as soon as they come in. Then I pulled the information sheets of the veterans and added the other information I needed to get them entered. This way we can say how many quilts we have given out. It's going to take time, but I can do it. Patrick said it takes away from my genealogy, but it really doesn't. 

I had a sprint on my thumb today to see if I could get it from being used so much. It helped, I believe. 

I have been working with my Seeker's Note game help. They had to compile my 2 games together. Trouble is, my original game had a lot of gems, so I sent a message to see if I could get those gems. It also had a ton of helps stuff, but all I care about is the gems. 

Patrick ate at the golf course. Told me he got a burger and that ticked me off! I would love a burger but had to figure out what to eat instead. I should have gone to BK to get me a burger!! 

Another day of not being Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Presentation Day!

This morning, I left around 10:30 am to head to Dutch Brothers for our drinks. I didn't care for my usual drink; it was watered down. That surprised me. 

Arrived at the museum early to find that Debbie was already there. We had to set everything up today. Which was fine. 

We were hoping for 8 veterans but got 7. we honored Chris Westley, Army, Sharon Sheriff, Navy, Vann Sanders, Air Force, Terrance Julien, Air Force, Dan Parsons, Navy, Mike Moline, in no particular order. 

Patrick came to honor them. He had applications for 3 more veterans. It went really well! I thought it was one of the better ones with the 250ths quilts. It was fun to honor them all. 

Came home and didn't do much. My hand hurt as much as it did the first night of surgery. I'm doing too much with it! I need to stop!

It wasn't my day for Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Quiet Day

 Today, I got back to my laundry. 

Then I tried to make a cake that I found the recipe for in a book. I did it exactly the way it said. Then when I wanted to take it out of the pan, I realized it wasn't cooked enough. I should have cooked it 10 mins longer. Oh, well. I'm hoping tomorrow when I eat some, that it's okay. When the cake starts to run, then I know I screwed up. 

I spent part of the day working on Patrick's family history. I have come to stop on so many family names. I think the names must have changed over the years. I'm not having any luck with a lot of the French, Dutch and other nationalities. 

Then I worked on some of my QOV stuff. Other than that, I didn't do much at all. It would have been nice if I was Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

One Of Those Days

This morning, I started laundry.  Then Patrick got home from golfing. After about an hour, we headed to Olympia - yet again! - for my mammogram. We ended up 45 minutes early because we were expecting construction on I-5 which wasn't there. So, we waited till my appointment time. It didn't take long. I will say, getting your boobs squished isn't fun! 

Then we headed to Lucky Eagle. We played for about 4 hours. It wasn't really our day, but then it usually isn't and we were lucky in April and May. Now we are back to normal. We ate at the "Craft House." The food was pretty good this time. Patrick got shrimp and I got fish and chips. When we get the food at half price, it works out great. Then we picked up the coolers they were giving out this week. We did like the stuff they were listing, so the cooler is the first thing. We will see what next week brings. 

Came home after. Had a hiccup with this week's presentation. We have one who cancelled and are trying to get another one to show up. I'm getting frustrated with him because I'm just needing a yes or no answer. Had to call Patrick and let him know his backup couldn't make it Thursday. So, he called me back to say he will be here. Then I scheduled another person for the one who canceled to find out it put me over the quilts we have for Thursday. Then called the veteran back and asked if he would come in August instead. One thing after another. 

Not my favorite day. Too much stress going on. I could have enjoyed myself, but when I have things on my mind, it gets stressful. Oh, well. Patrick scheduled another appointment while we were at Kaiser. The funny part was, when we arrived there was only one check in clerk open. So, the line was long. I went to the Kiosk and signed in. Tried to go to radiology when I was told I had to go check in at the desk. I waited in line for a good 10 minutes, and then was told, since I already signed in, I didn't need to check at the desk. There were a lot of complaints behind me. They were not happy. I just went with the flow. When I went back through security, I told him I was good to go the first time. lol I just had to get that dig in! 

Now, I'm tiring to calm down. Too much stuff and stress right now. I will get through this day! Not much more time and tomorrow is another day! Wasn't Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Embroidery Meeting Day

This morning, I was out the door with a bolt of fabric and some jam for mom. I stopped by her place to drop them off. We were meeting at Georgie's today because of mom having a cleaning lady stop by to clean her place and talk about when she will be coming. Mom walked over to Georgie's for about an hour and walked back. I was proud of her walking! She usually takes her car. Then I realized when I went back to mom's it was because Debbie (cleaning lady) was in her driveway. lol 

We had a good time. Georgie's Birthday was on the 3rd and she had some ice cream cake for everyone. I didn't realize it was coffee or I wouldn't have taken any. I ate it out of respect but hated the flavor. I tried eating some chocolate and a cherry mini cake. That didn't get rid of the flavor. UGH!! 

I am washing this now. But I did finish it. I'm happy to say, it's done. Washing it is going to be awhile since the red dye is coming out. I have 2 color catchers in the water bath. It may take a couple days, but I will get it out. At least it's a finish. My thumb didn't like me working on it, but I did anyway. I'm so tired of not being able to do anything. 

Went to get gas and then go to McDonald's again for supper. Patrick wanted nuggets again. I got the chicken sandwich. I was thinking of the big Mac but may get that next time. Came home and this time the fries were "warm" and not hot enough. Can't win!

I spend the rest of the day playing on my tablet. I didn't think my hand could take more work. Tomorrow, I have a mammogram. Oh, what fun! At least it's once a year again and not every 6 months. 

I will have Patrick frame this piece. I may even enter it in the Fair, since everyone wants me to enter my work. This is the only thing I have done right now. Best part, I was actually Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND

I am a day late on the Happy 4th, but we are all enjoying the weekend for it. 

The last couple of days have been interesting. I have been working on laundry and cleaning, with the help of Patrick picking up stuff I can't pick up. I'm trying to behave, but that's not in my nature. So far, I'm doing good. 

I have been playing on my tablet, walking each day, and enjoying my books on audiotape. Libby is a good library for that. 

I found 50% off on ancestry and I bit the bullet and ordered it. So, the last 2 days, I've been on the computer going over family history. Yesterday I worked on my family, today I worked on Patrick's family. We added a couple names to our line. I am working all the way back to the 1600's. I found Patrick's family was also involved in the King Phillip's War. That was a deadly war! My mother's side of the family lost whole families with the exception of one. Hard to believe what they went through. I can see why the women in those families fought back. I was working on Patrick's CASE, HANDY and BEAMAN families. I add FOX to that BEAMAN line. Some of the names can be several people, so I'm going through books to make sure I get the right one. It's hard to do at times. Since they served our military, it's a little easier to find them. But then again, I have to make sure I have the right one. 

As much as I would love to say, yes, I'm working on a craft, sadly that isn't the case. So, in the meantime, I am working on the family history. I'm still waiting to be able to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Third Days Later - UGH

 The last couple days of just trying to behave have been hard. Since the bandage is off, it's a lot harder than one thinks to not do what we usually do. Even though I'm left-handed, I didn't realize how much I use my right-hand. 

So, I THOUGHT I might be able to do some beading. 

I worked by putting the beads out that I would need and not do them all. Then I set up a row to bead. 

One row added to Sophie. Now we can see the noise. I couldn't do any more to the tapestry. One row was all I could do. 

Yesterday we went to the casino. Lucky Eagle in Rochester, WA has made changes to their rewards system. I can tell you right now, they cut back on the rewards. Then the sent out a letter saying we couldn't take the rewards money as cash, have to use them in the machines. That's fine. BUT they also made the machines TIGHT! We played for about 4 hours, and we lost what we took. I wanted to play, but the wins were not there. The last 2 times we went, the winnings are not there. People around us had the same trouble. Usually there are people out there next to us or around us that are winning pretty well. NOT anymore. I don't think I saw one person who won a big amount. They were all small amounts and didn't last long. We put money in the machine 4x's and there wasn't one bonus. The bonus' are where the money is. It's a joke. Trouble is, we like playing, so it's not going to stop us. Just frustrating that the casino decided they needed the money more. That shouldn't happen. I was reading on FB some of the comments on the site. They had the same feeling we did. 

Today, I went to the ankle and foot doctor and ended up with a shot in the top of my foot. UGH!!! I have to go back in 2 weeks. Then I stopped and picked up 2 quilts from Colleen. I was already at the museum to drop of 6 quilts today, so didn't bother to take them to the museum. We are still moving with quilts! The quilts I dropped off, I forgot to get a photo of. UGH!! 

I put another row on Sophie before heading to bed last night. I can do one row at a time at this rate. May try another row tonight.  At least I can say it was brief, but still Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Stitches Out - 2 More Weeks

Yesterday, I was on my way to Olympia for my stitches to be taken out. First, we went to Kaiser for Patrick's blood tests, then Costco and back to Kaiser for me stitches to come out. I found out, I am not allowed to use my hand for another 2 weeks. UGH! At least not lift anything over a cell phone weight. I have been doing that from day one. I also found out; they were supposed to have made 2 appointments for me after the surgery but only made one. So, I had to schedule another one, but that one had to be with my surgeon. Now I have another appointment for Tacoma after we get back from Tahiti. So, I guess I better behave. I didn't think it would take this long with surgery but oh, well. 

Since my hand isn't wrapped up anymore, I am able to do some typing.  Trouble is that I can't do much. I'm thinking I may pull my cat beads out and work on them. 

I left the doctor's office looking like this. Then by this morning, the tape was gone and I know look a little better. Still stiff. Dry too. 

I spent the morning getting a bill paid and getting stickers for everyone on the water system, to mail out water information. After that, printed certificates for my cousin and have them ready to mail as well. Tomorrow or Thursday I will be going to the post office and mailing them as well as getting stamps. 

Not sure what today will bring. I'm enjoying this book that Phil gave to Patrick - "The House Witch" while Patrick reads it, chapter by chapter, I am listening to it on audiobook. I really like it. I guess there are more books after this, so I'm going to be having fun listening to it for a while. 

Flowers are looking great in our yard. I am thinking of doing a beaded one of our flowers that will work. This will be fun to bead! I'm not sure if it will work but I'm going to try and see which of the photos I have that will work the best. 

I'm still dreaming to be back to Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Still Frustrated - Can't Wait For Monday

 Yesterday we went to casino. We were there 4 hours and lost $300 but that wasn't a lot considering we have won a heck of a lot more in the last couple of months.

I am frustrated at not being able to do much of anything. 

Monday the stitches come out, and fingers crossed. Still frustrating not to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Frustrating - But Getting Along

 Being left-handed does have its perks. I am able to write at least. But in today's world we don't write as much as we used to. 

I ended up doing pit ally stuff. I can't wash dishes, but I can unload the dishwasher. I can't clean out the litter box, but I can scoop when needed. Patrick is getting tired of me asking him to open this or that. Plus, he wasn't happy today to empty the cat litter. I could at least tempt to clean the box.

So, most of my time is just playing one handed on the tablet. I never thought I would say this, but playing games all day is tiresome. I actually went to get early last night. I was tired of playing games and listening to my books.

I did start a bread with the machine today. When I need to shape it, Patrick is going to have to do that. He wasn't thrilled that I couldn't make gyoza's for Father's Day. I asked if he was going to make them and he just looked at me. lol

I am frustrated I can't be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

  

Good Thing I Am Left-Handed

 This week has been one appointment after another. Surgery was Tuesday, Thursday was another trip to Tacoma for my sprained ankle. Today, I had an appointment with Olympia for an ultrasound. 

I am having it hard not being able to use my right hand. Showers get interesting with a bag around my hand. Then when it comes to pulling up my pants - well that's another story! I can't wear jeans, because I can't do the button. So, I'm in sweats~ugh!! Hate going out in public in sweatpants. I know no one cares, but I do.

All week, this is the traffic we have had to deal with! You'd think we were in Tacoma or Seattle! I decided I wasn't going to go to my eye appointment on Monday in Olympia. Rescheduled for August. 

If I was right-handed, I would be in worse condition! So, I listen to my audiobooks and play my games with the tablet on the armchair. I so want to finish that quilt but realized I can't cut on the rotary board. Need presser from my hand. 

Still not Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Thumb Surgery Today

 This morning we headed to Tacoma for my surgery at 6:45 am. We left early just in case. Good thing we did because it too 1 hour 45 minutes to get there.  Usually, it takes an hour 15 minutes to get there.

I ended up waiting in the room for an hour and a half before my surgery. I was awake the whole time.  Luckily it didn't bother me. 

Afterwards we went to the Spaghetti Factory.

I am limited to what I can do. Right now, it's painful. So, I won't be posting daily, till the pain goes away. I can't get it wet for 2 weeks. 

I will try and post in that time, but it's a wait and see thing. I am more upset that I can't be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Embroidery At Moms - At Least She Had Air Conditioning

 This morning, I was up and called MDG to let them know that I picked the wrong fabric for the backings of quilts. I scheduled a pickup and also order more batting and backing. I used the last of the one batting today. Had to start on my "extra" which tells me to order more. Once that was done, I cut the backing and batting for 2 more quilts tops that need to be quilted. Then I hurried out the door to get gas and head to moms. 

I stopped and got a cool drink at DB but found that I really wasn't that crazy about it. I don't think I will order it again. I don't care for strawberries, and this had that in it. It was okay, but not a drink for me. 

Arrived at moms. Georgie, Bonnie, Gerilyn and I were there. Mom was quilting and we had a very good visit. Gerilyn got a couple magazines that were duplicates. She told us about her trips over the last 6 weeks. She's been gone a long time. We enjoyed her stories. I worked on the pink flowers from the Distant Learning class. I was able to get one of the petals all done over, and it's ready. Now I just need to do that to 3 more. I didn't have my bead floss in the bag I take to work on, so I wasn't able to finish the rose piece I was working on. Stopped at Jo's to pick up the 2 quilts for July and went home. 

When I got home, it was cooking HOT!! I was at 89 degrees. And getting hotter. We don't get to the full heat till about 3-4 pm in the afternoon. I was home by 1:30 pm. 

So, I went downstairs. I got the 6 blocks from Georgie that I asked her for. Mom couldn't find the panel, so I used one of the ones I had here. Patrick and I talked about what to do and I got to work on getting that quilt top done. 

The strip on the right will be turned around. I want the red on the inside. I'm going to put that between the star fabrics. There are 6 stars, so top and bottom will have the bigger strip than the ones on the side. The star blocks are 16" so when I'm done it will be 15 1/2". That helps with the size. The gold around the panel will also go around the quilt when it's done. I actually got more done than I thought I would. 

I called it quits and sat down (downstairs) to work on my beadwork for the cross stitch. I was able to do some, but it is hard when the lighting isn't that good AND I didn't have my magnifier to help me make sure I was in the right spot. 

Sophie was happy to be downstairs. She slept next to me the whole time. 

This is one of Jo's quilts she had for me. I love it. One of the better ones. 

I'm tired for some reason. So, I'm calling it a night early. Need to be in Tacoma by 8 am tomorrow. My surgery is shortly after that. It will be interesting. I'm really not worried about it, but by tomorrow morning that may change. I'm told it doesn't take long, about 5-10 minutes but I'm guessing the prep takes longer. We will see. Might not be able to type tomorrow but will try. That way you all know I'm still kicking! lol 

Today was a three way of stitching. From embroidery, to beading, to quilting. That's what make me Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Enjoying Lunch With Friends

This morning, I got some cleaning done. Then I headed to Centralia to meet up with Sandy and her sister JT (Jeannette). We must have talked for over 2 hours. I've missed Sandy since her job moved out by us. She couldn't get her Monday's off. The two of them were checking out downtown Centralia by the time I got there. The restaurant was nice and cool. I could have stayed there all day!

We were in the low 90's today. I believe WA broke records on being so hot today. We have another hot day coming tomorrow. I will be at moms, so at least part of the day I will be cool. We are in a heat wave today, tomorrow and Tuesday. UGH

 Came home after picking up 3 doughnuts at Fullers. Patrick wanted his doughnuts and I decided to get myself one. I had that for "supper/dessert" and now I'm paying for it. There was a reason I didn't eat doughnuts anymore. 

I am so hot that I can't do anything! I played on my tablet but even then, it was hard to do. Sweating isn't lady like! So, I'm cooking in heat and not able to get to Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

QOV Presentation Day

This morning, I was up and getting ready to head out to the museum for our presentation. 

The museum was busy with a car show that had a lot of people showing up. We had to figure out where to park and find a place for mom to park as she's not so steady on her feet. We also had to find a place for the one veteran in a wheelchair. 

We were able to be upstairs, so that was a plus. Our meeting started a little late because Debbie and I were dealing with the quilts. We decided to add 3 more presentation days to our schedule. It will have us going for every other week. But that's what they wanted. We are back to adding August. Then we talked about taking the summer off for sew days. We will start back up in October. 

We will need that sign next month and I'm going to ask the museum to keep it. We were able to honor 7 of the 8 veterans today. It was a really good presentation. Tim did an awesome job filling in for Patrick. I was able to get a few more things done. 

Came home by 2:30 pm and crashed. I played my games and listened to my book on audiotape. I wasn't in the mood to do anything else. Which tells you, I was not Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Yet, One More Trip To Olympa

 I am beginning to think we should move to Olympia at this point. I received a message from Kaiser to get a MRSA test done before I got to Tacoma for my surgery on my trigger thumb. So, I had to run up there today. 

Patrick went golfing this morning and when he came home, said he needed some time before we left. So, while I waited on him, I worked on more beading. 

I added the beads on the right side and got the flower area finished. 

Then I worked on the sash. It was interesting and I kept checking my pattern to make sure I stitched it right. Guess I did. The other side doesn't match the right side, which makes it look like I didn't do it right. Oh, well. 

Then we headed to Olympia for my test. We got on I-5 and it took us 30 minutes to go from Chehalis to Centralia, which are twin cities. There was an accident according to the car information. When we got where it was supposed to be, it was cleared up. Then as we came into Tumwater/Olympia area, we ended up going through almost the same amount of time. It was surprising that it took so long. We were thankful we didn't have an appointment. When we got there, I went to the check-in desk, and they sent me to a nurse that was "available", but we ended up waiting 15 minutes on her. It wasn't even a 5-minute visit for the MRSA test. 

We then came home and I cooked a lasagna to freeze for my meals when Patrick isn't feeling good - like today. I fixed a stir fry for super instead. I have a piece of the lasagna in the frig, but I took something else out for tomorrow. We'll see what I'm interested in tomorrow. I will be at the presentation with a meeting before that. Should be interesting. 

So, I'm happy that I could find time for Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Took The Day Off

I slept in till around 9:30 am. I just didn't want to get up. But I finally did. Patrick went golfing. 

I received a message that I need to get a MRSA test done before Tuesday's surgery. Oh, what fun! 

Went out and walked my 7 laps. I ran into one of my neighbors who asked me how many times I go around the neighborhood. Told him 7 and it comes to about 2.3 miles. He had his corgi dog with him. Really sweet guy. 

Came in and Patrick was back from golfing. I had laundry going all day. I played and listened to my book on audiobooks. It's good enough to keep me interested in the book. Lately I seem to swallow up the books on tape. I can't seem to stop listening to them. 

Then I went out on the deck and trimmed the hanging baskets, as some of them were looking a little poor. I was able to clean them up quite a bit. Hopefully they will start looking better now that they were picked over. 

Some information came in on one of the QOV guys we wanted to award in July. I went ahead and scheduled him for next month. Then I called Diane. She called me later today to say she finally got a hold of the guy we were trying to get that was active duty. She was in tears. He passed away 2 weeks ago. I told her it happens but so far, it's only the 5th one we have missed. He wasn't that old, so I wonder what happened to him. It makes it rough when we try so hard to award a quilt and then they end up gone. That's the hardest part for us. Diane was taking it hard because she still hasn't gotten over her husband's passing 8 years ago. 

My day was ignoring stuff and just playing my games. It wasn't anywhere near Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Casino & Quilts

This morning, I was up and wanting to play my games for a bit. Instead, I went for a walk and made it around the neighborhood 5 times. Patrick wanted to go to the casino early, so we left about 10:15 am. I had a message to Martha to meet us at IGA. Then Colleen said that Jan would be there to. 

We arrived at about 10:55 am, and both of them just arrived as well. Jan took 2 of the kits for quilts, while Martha took 2 as well. Then we headed to the casino to play. Neither one of us were really "excited" about going. Arriving around 11:15 am, we played till 2 pm. By that time, we were done with playing the slots. I won the mega again on the machine. Which by the time we were tired of playing, we had $1,200 coming home with us. Weird how we have been winning lately. I'm so used to us playing and losing money that this is getting interesting. We figure we are over $4k ahead this year. It's nice to have the money to play. Not that we need it, since we don't do much to spend our money in the first place. 

Came home and I fixed stroganoff. I froze what was left, since Patrick doesn't eat it. He wanted a burger, so I got it ready to cook.  I asked if he wanted soup or the burger and he said he wasn't ready yet. Then said, "Let me know when you want to eat." I told him I wanted to eat now, since mine was done. He came in the kitchen, and I handed him the bag with the burger. He looked at me and said, "I thought you would fix it for me." SERIOUSLY, wait till my food is hot and then make me cook his burger. NOPE! He ended up cooking his own. I was fine with that. 

When we got home, 2 quilts and a box of fabric were at the door. I didn't realize I got flower fabric for batting. OOPS. 

It will just have to be for a female's quilt. Or we may sale it at the garage sale to get our money back. It will be up to the group. 

I was trying for something different on the backs of the quilts. I like this pattern. 

I ended up labeling 8 quilts. This one is for next month. The good news is that I have 3 quilts that will work great for Saturday. Panels are coming in. I will pick up 2 of the anniversary quilts from Jo on Monday. 

I don't know if sewing labels on quilts count for being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

We Seem To Live In Olympia These Days

 This morning, I woke to find Patrick on the couch. He didn't have a good night sleep. He wasn't feeling the best. 

I went walking and missed a round. I must have done 6 thinking it was 7. I will fix that tomorrow. 

Spent the morning playing. I was chatting with good friends. Then it was time to head back up to Olympia for my visit. 

Since I'm having to take medication for my cholesterol, I had to go see the nurse to see how to inject the medication into my tummy. I wasn't too thrilled about it, but I didn't get myself worked up. At least I didn't think so. It was a really good visit. The nurse told me all I needed to know. When I pushed it in my tummy, it didn't work, but she made sure I didn't remove it to do it again. She helped push harder and then I could hear the click and feel it. Not my favorite thing, but I am so glad I was instructed how to work the pin. I did get a little woozy, but I did good. I stayed and had to chat with her for a while. She wanted to make sure I didn't react to the medication. I know what to look for and I'm good. I don't look forward to doing this every 2 weeks, but I need to, so I will. 

We stopped and dropped off some fabric for Colleen. Then Patrick got me a burger since he wasn't hungry and didn't want anything. 

Then we came home and I had to make a few phone calls. I was setting us up for the Fair and getting QOV meeting notes for Saturday. I kept busy with QOV emails to let the veterans know we haven't forgotten them. I must have sent out 50 emails - at least it felt that way. 

Now I'm done, and I want to call it a day. I'm done. I wish I was but ended up not even close to being Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Trip To The Vets And Stitching

 This morning, I took Sophie to the vets. We stopped at the credit union before heading there. I ended up spending a good 15-20 minutes there. Good thing I left early. I wanted to get some tea before getting there, but my time ran out and I ended up getting it on the way back. Sophie was good. She just wanted to hide. It was good seeing Bob again. He's wanting to go to Europe soon. I would love to go, but that won't happen with Patrick. Sophie was quiet when we got there. She meowed the whole time to the vets. Then we walked in and she shut up. When we were coming home, she didn't say a word. lol 

It was just a checkup, so it went well. 

Came home and listened to my book and played my games. I'm trying to decide if I want to continue playing the war games. It's not fair anymore. People who play on that game send thousands of dollars to get powerful things. Those of us that don't pay to play are left in the dust. If they offer things to win, then the powerful ones pay to win them. Never ending circle. 

After supper, I pulled the cross stitching out and got to work on it. I was surprised at how many stitches I missed on the cross-stitching part. 

I worked on the left side and then headed to the middle. I'm almost done with the middle area, then I need to add more to the right side. I rolled it once, but I may need to roll it again. It's coming along. I do like it. But it does have a TON, and I mean a TON of beads. There is a lot more to do. Then I will have to outline it as well, the closer I get to the top part of the body. UGH But I do like what I'm doing. 

At least I made myself get back to stitching so I could be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Game Play & Beading

This morning, I was happy to see the "Kingdom vs Kingdom" fight was on around 9 am our time. I rarely get to play. I played today. Wasn't my favorite time because there wasn't a rhyme or reason to what was going on. We played for points in honor of our playmate that passed away this week. All our names have been changed to honor her. Not sure how long that will last. I had my icon changed with her in the background of my hawk. I will change my name back later. 

Then I went for my walk. The best part was the earbuds arrived just before I headed out there. I wanted a separate pair, so I didn't have to go in my phone or tablet to disconnect the earbuds and reconnect to the device I was listening to. These are green and from a different brand. I like them but I like my other ones better. This one, has the volume/voice a little different than I like. I do like the green - so I can tell them apart. The green is for my phone and then other is for my tablet. I have been listening to my phone all afternoon because I needed to recharge my tablet around 1 pm. That was a good excuse to get some stitching done! YEAH!

It's closer to getting halfway done. It's amazing how much work this is! The beads take forever. 

Since the floss came in yesterday, I stitched the leaves in. It was easy to do. I enjoyed being able to do something other than beads. I have more outlining coming up, and that will break up the beading. 

I am now working on this side of the dress. I have a lot to do, but at least I did a lot today! I'm happy with the results. Tomorrow is another day. 

I have to take Sophie to the vets tomorrow. She's not going to like me. lol 

At least for today, it was Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Spent The Day With Georgie & Mom

This morning, I was up and ready to get ready for mom and Georgie to come over. I had to work on the cake I messed up yesterday on. I did the chocolate ganache. Then I put it in the frig till after mom left. 

Mom and Georgie arrived around 10:30 am. Mom was going to bring lunch but that didn't happen, so I had to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. 

We finished the border on one quilt. Mom was doing the sewing on my machine. I was cutting and getting things ready to sew together. Then I worked on the backing and batting for 4 quilts. I had to sew the 2 sides of the border on the anniversary quilt because mom and Georgie were saying how lose it was. So, I worked on it and got them done. If Georgie hadn't come, we probably wouldn't have gotten very far. Both of them worked on getting fabric for 3 of the panels. They are set to do 3 more panel quilts. I was showing them how to decide on what to do. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. 

This is one of the quilts we finished. It's pretty when you see it live. I gave it to Colleen to have one of the gals quilt it, but then I realized after I did, that the backing wasn't with it, because it was in the dryer. I was washing the backings to go with each of the quilts. 

This is how I cut the batting and backing material. It's on the floor with my cutting matt. It takes a lot to do it this way, but the batting doesn't fit on my table, and this is the easiest way to do it. I also measure the backing and cut it this way as well. It can wear me out getting up and down for several quilts. I let Colleen know I have 6 quilts that are ready to be quilted. She will be working with a couple of the quilters to see if she can use their machines. It will be interesting to say the least. It will be a good month before she will have a machine to quilt at her place. 

After mom and Georgie left, I finished up the cake with a mouse and frosting. I will say this much that cake was WAY TOO MUCH for the 2 of us. It was a mess when I was done, but a 3-layer cake is just too much. We even agreed on not doing Ganche again. I think I would make it with 2-layers and just put the stuff in the middle of the 2 layers. It was way too much work and a big mess. If the cake came out right, I may think differently, but all the time and effect into the cake, I was disappointed. It's way too much chocolate for me, and that's saying something. Since I love chocolate. 

I called it a night after that. Bryan called and we chatted for 2 hours. I was done. I'm ready to crash! At least today was a day of Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!

Rainy Day - And Not My Day

This morning, Patrick was golfing and I was sleeping in. Then I finally got out the door to walk. Only made it 3 laps before the rain started to pour. Just as I got into the house the water was fast and strong coming down. I would have been even more soaked than I was. 

I needed to go to the grocery store for some things to make dessert. Mom said she needed me to come to the Bazaar so she could give me the quilt top that was done. So, I headed down the street to the Bazaar. They were doing okay with the sales when I got there. It wasn't really busy, but it was getting some interest. They sold a few plates and a few of the wreaths we made. I will ask mom tomorrow when her and Georgie come over. I bought a couple cinnamon rolls that one of the gals was selling. Then I headed to Safeway. I didn't have much luck with coupons. That didn't make me happy. lol I picked up a lot of stuff and then come home. Patrick helped me unload. 

I wanted to bake a cake from scratch. I did pretty good, till I forgot to put the eggs in the batter. So, I added the eggs and mixed it up. Then I told Patrick not to worry about the pan and just go ahead and oil/flour it. Of course, he had to do that since I was putting the dough in the pans when he asked if I added the eggs. OMG! I didn't! So, fixing that issue and then trying to get them in pans, well that's another issue. Of course, when they were cooked and coming out, I couldn't get them out of the pan. So, of course they broke apart and I will have to repair them when I put the frosting on. UGH!! After we had such a hard time, Patrick reminded me that I could have put parchment paper down on the pans first. REALLY! Now you tell me! Okay, in honesty, I haven't baked a cake in a long time using the round tins. The 13x8" pans work great for me. But this was a cake that was rounds, so of course, I had to make it right. We put them in the frig downstairs for tonight. I will work on the frosting tomorrow; there are like 3 kinds to this one. Lord help me, that I can fix it and it doesn't look like a cow pie. I will let you know tomorrow. 

I got the patter back that I was looking for that I bought for QOV. Now I have it, I'm going to get a couple kits ready for it. It's a simple pattern that will us up our big eagle fabric we have. Even the flag pattern fabrics will work. It works great for fat quarters too. So, when I get to the point of fat quarters, I will use them. 

I was trying to measure the quilt for batting and backing. Miss Sophie decides she wants to play with it. She was climbing under it and playing. So, I had to measure somewhere where she wouldn't get to it. 

It turned out, my days was more of "oops" than anything else, so I wasn't in the mood for Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!

Part Casino Day

This morning, I was up and walking. I didn't get but one round in when I ran into one of my neighbors. We chatted for a while. Then as I was going for the next round, Raymond my next-door neighbor was driving by and chatted. Found out one of our neighbors passed away last week. Found out another neighbor has cancer. Things aren't looking good on the street. We must have chatted for a total of an hour between the two. So, I went and finished my walk after chatting with Raymond. 

Patrick got home shortly after. I didn't get far. I did get some paperwork in the mail and had to take care of that. I sent off stuff to QOVF. 

Then we headed to the casino but had to stop at the post office first. We arrive around 12:30 pm or 1 pm. Not sure. I figured we stayed for about 3 hours. We played our games and it was funny, both Patrick and I weren't really in the mood since we have been on the run for the whole week. So, we decided we would be done at 4 pm so we could get a pizza before coming home. It was fun, but we just weren't into it that much. Surprisingly, it didn't matter because Patrick won another MEGA for $900 +. By the time we decided to call it done, we were ahead by $1000+. I'm happy with that. Funny, I know our winning streak will be over but so far, we are doing great. 

On the way home, we stopped at Colleen's and gave her the 2 quilts back so she could bind them. Her quilt machine died, so now she has to get it first. In the meantime, she is working on quilt tops. She had 3 quilt tops from a couple of our volunteers. 

Bought them home and I measured them. Showed Patrick what they looked like, and he didn't like a couple of them. Yet, he was the one that picked the colors. I may change a color on some if I don't care for the combination because he has been known to be a little off at times. I'm waiting to do more kits. I want the pattern that one of the gals has but hasn't brought back. I kick myself that I didn't make a copy at the time! Even with all that, I didn't get anywhere near Happy Quilting/Happy Stitching!