Week 38

Happy Birthday to me!

This week included my birthday and I had a nice one. One of the best parts of my special day was that I didn’t have to work! I cleaned house really good the day before so all I had to do was make the bed, clean up after breakfast, etc. Then I knit most of the morning.

Number one daughter came over about noon bearing gifts.

 

She gave me a beautiful sweater in my favorite color — gray. I LOVE sweaters and she knows it. She gives me a sweater almost every year for my birthday. She has great taste. I look forward to getting a new sweater from her when my birthday comes around. She thought she would get me something else one year and, even though I loved what she gave me, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get the sweater.   

She also took me out to lunch. I love the one-on-one time I get to spend with each of my children when I get the chance. With two of the kids living in another city, and #1 daughter very busy with her own family, I don’t get that opportunity often.  So I relish the moments that come along.

We had a great lunch. She took me to Chedders. I’d never been there before. It was absolutely delicious! (Hubby and I will have to go there on our anniversary next month.) We talked non-stop the whole time. Had a ball! She ran me by Dairy Queen so I could get an ice cream cake on the way home. I had mentioned to Hubby that I thought I wanted an ice cream cake this year, and his eyes got all wide and glazed over. He LOVES ice cream!

When I got home with the ice cream cake, Hubby gave me the gift he got for me. It was THREE complete seasons of Survivor.

 

You have to understand that I have to be the #1 biggest fan of Survivor. I LOVE that show! I’m on a quest to get the DVD’s for all the seasons. I now have five of them:

I’ve already started watching them. The only trouble with that is that I get obbessed and can watch a whole season in one evening! (I need to have some self-control!!) I love the commentaries too. I get to find out first hand from some of the survivors what it was like behind the scenes. Very interesting!  

The rest of the afternoon I knit on this: (I don’t know what happened to the picture. The yarn is an off-white color. I’m not sure where this yellow came from.)

Yes, I’ve started another afghan! (I’m hopeless!) It’s not a big afghan, though. It’s called a lap afghan. I was just sitting in my sewing room enjoying the fact that it was all cleaned up and organized again. I reached over and pulled out a Workbasket magazine from my shelf unit. I LOVE to go through my magazines from time to time. I started thumbing through it and, lo and behold, I flipped over a page and there was this lap afghan! I read the material list and said to myself, “Why, I have the perfect yarn for this!” And this would make the perfect gift for my handicap sister for Christmas! She spends a lot of time in bed or her wheelchair.

 I couldn’t get up out of my chair fast enough to hunt up the needles and run out to the garage to find the yarn. I sit right down with it and started knitting! It’s a mock cable pattern. No cable needle needed. I knit till my fingers were so sore I could barely straighten them out. But I like the way it’s coming along.

I also bought myself a couple more kits.

These are quilted wall hangings that I will take turns hanging in my livingroom. One is perfect for the fall and the other one is Americana which is the theme of my livingroom. Now all I have to do is make them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So on that note, I will say so long until next time. Keep those fingers flying!

Week 37

I’ve been Fall cleaning this week. Well, the first half of the week anyway. It started with my sewing room. I had to get that room cleaned up because of the visit from my son and his family. I wound up with a hugh pile of stuff/supplies to take to the garage to store. Well, you all know this already–I think I’m repeating myself.

I got to the garage, and well, what can I say. Things that are no longer needed or wanted for the house have been getting shoved out there all winter. I had a whole shelf unit, plus a little alcove cluttered with “no longer needed stuff”.

I’ve been wanting to get out to the garage for quite some time to clean and re-organize, but it’s just been too hot. It’s turned a little cooler lately, so I thought, “Now’s the time.” 

We moved both cars out which gave me lots of room to work. I started by cleaning off all the shelves on one wall, pulling the shelves out from the wall, sweeping, and then hubby sprayed bug poison. (He’s big on spraying for bugs and does it at least two or three times a year. He hasn’t had a chance to spray the garage for a year, so he wanted to take advantage of my cleaning.)

Then I put things back, but did some re-arranging as I got the shelves re-filled with my “goodies”.  Next, I tackled the second wall. Then the third. We took a truck-load of no-more-needed items to the thrift store. It wound up taking me two full days to get it all done! But, boy, is it neat and clean! I just wish the rest of the house was as clean!

I didn’t have much time to clean the rest of the house before they arrived for the weekend, so I just picked up — mostly my stuff (knitting and cross-stitch projects).

We had a great weekend with the kids here!

 

I love to play with the grandbabies.

  

We were supposed to go to a fish fry at my s-i-l’s house, but that fizzled out. We just stayed home, visited, watched movies and played with the grandbabies.

The next day we went to my in-laws for a visit.

Little Zak had a ball trying out all of Great Grandpa’s kid toys. The baby was happy to sit with Momma in the swing. It was a beautiful day. We had a wonderful visit.

Later that afternoon, all of them took off to visit with some friends of the d-i-l via the internet. It was “family time” so our son went too. He wasn’t looking forward to it, I’m sure, but he’s a trooper so he went along. They said they actually had a pretty good time, however.

The next day was going-home day. They didn’t leave until early afternoon, so we managed some time in the back yard. I brought out some bubbles for the little one, but I think Momma and Daddy had just as much fun with them!

We won’t see them again until Christmas unless we get a wild urge and start off for KC on a moment’s notice. I think those are the best kind of mini-vacations!

Well, I need to pick up toys and move them back to the garage, wash sheets, and put our house back in order from their visit; so I’d better get to it. Then I’ll be sitting down with some stitching until time to go to work at 4:00. Until next time, keep those fingers busy!

Week 36

Well, guess what I’ve been doing all week? Knitting! I haven’t worked on Willie. I haven’t worked on the Christmas ornaments. And I haven’t worked on cleaning up my sewing room! Well, I did START cleaning up my sewing room. Until I came across a UFO that I’d started at least several years ago! It’s a jacket with a quilted front and the arms, back, and ribbed trimming is all in knitting. I had all the knitting done except half of the last sleeve. Sooooo, I sit down right then and there and started knitting on it. It took a few days, but I got it done. Now, I need to make the quilted front. I’ve never done anything like this before, so you know how I handle projects like this, right? I PROCRASTINATE! It’s really, really, really neat-looking and I’d like to get it done before the daughter(s) and I go to the craft fairs in Ark. in Oct. I hope that that’s the motivation I need to work on it.

As I’ve mentioned eariler, I WAS working on the sewing room to get it cleaned up before the son and his family get here on Sat. I started by putting stuff/supplies in a pile to take back to the garage. I can’t believe how much stuff I’ve been dragging in from their (temporary) home in the garage.

 

I don’t even know now why I’ve been bringing all that stuff in because all I’ve been working on are kits and UFO’s from the closet. Go figure. Unfortunately, the UFO’s are going to have to go back into the closet once again. At least until after this weekend.

Actually, some of the stuff/supplies that are going to the garage are new boxes and sacks of yarn that I’ve been purchasing the last several weeks.

(Isn’t this ribbon yarn beautiful! I have no idea what I’ll make from it. )

                                               

That wonderful place, Herrshner’s, just keeps having yarn sales! Of course you all know that that is one of my biggest weaknesses. But, oh!  Some of the prettiest yarn and good bargains they have!!! All I’ve got to say is that it’s really a good thing that I don’t work there!

Here’s an exciting thing that happened to me this week.

I got recognized for putting in 20 years at Wal-Mart! They had a meeting to tell everyone and give me a plaque, an achievement award, a 20-year pin, and a handshake!

It was nice and I have to admit that I was a little proud of myself for sticking it out for so long. Of course, I’ve had so many different jobs with-in the same company and worked at four different stores, that that’s probably the reason I haven’t gotten too bored with it. Besides all the friends I’ve made have truly been a blessing in my life. I still keep in touch with some friends from one of the other stores I worked in. Also, I truly believe that working all these years has made me a better person.

My actual anniversary day is not until Sept. 26. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been with Wal-Mart for 20 years. I started when I was 40 years old on Sept. 20 of that year. Now I’ll be 61 on my birthday this year! Wow! It doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years, but it really does when I look back at all the changes (at W-M and in our personal lives) that have happened in those 20 years. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be there. My manager said that she’s looking forward to presenting me with a 30-year pin and award later on down the road. I hope not! I’d like to retire and still be young enough to enjoy it someday. One lady I work with is almost 80 years old!!

We’re in the process of becoming a Super Center. We’re supposed to have our Grand Re-opening in Oct. of next year. I’d like to work at least that long and see what it’s like to work in a Super Center. One of the stores I worked in for just seven weeks was a Super Center. It seemed large and the people cold. Of course, that wasn’t really long enough to get to know anyone and get the “feel” of the place. Number 1 daughter worked there at the time and we shared a locker. I didn’t get to see her much, but we did get to have a few breaks together. That was fun.

Better get back to that sewing room. I hope I don’t get side-tracked again or Son and family may have to sleep in the living room on the fold-out couch! Keep crafting and see ya next week.

Week 35

Week 35

Happy Sept. everyone! This is one of my two favorite months of the year. One reason being that it’s the month that Fall starts. The other reason is that’s it’s my Birthday Month! I know, I know, each birthday just makes me one year older, but I’ve never looked at birthdays that way. When I think of a birthday, whether it’s mine or anyone else’s, the first thing I think about is “this is the day that your were BORN!” I’m so thankful for being born and living all the time that I’ve lived so far. I don’t even think about how “OLD” a person is! Because of this, I really enjoy having birthdays and celebrating the birthdays of others.

I’ve actually crossed-stitched on Willie this week. I was going along pretty good and was so proud of myself when I got his head done and started on the scarf around his neck. Ooooops!! I counted wrong and put his head one row lower than it was supposed to be. Darn it! I hate it when that happens! I tried to see how it would do if I worked around it, but alas! However I tried to visualize it, it just wasn’t going to happen. So, frog his head I must.

To make it double the trouble, I was using a filament thread with the floss to give his body and head a bit of a shine. I used all the filament thread except for a yard or so to finish his head. That would have been ok because I was through with his body so I wouldn’t need any more filament. But nooooow…. If I rip it out carefully, I’ll be able to re-use the filament. If not, well…… Needless to say, Willie has been patiently waiting for me to come back to him. I’m just going to have to use a little of that small amount of will-power I have and get back to him sometime this week.

I don’t get the urge to clean house very often, but the bug has been biting me lately. (I’m not a clean freak, but I like to keep things picked up and relatively clean on a daily basis.) I’m talking about the “spring-cleaning” type of clean. We’ve been in this house for eight years. One of the first things I did when we moved in was re-do the bedroom. I took out the old carpet down to the wood floor. I sanded and re-finished the wood floor (that was a hard job for this old lady!) I papered the plain-painted walls with a pretty wallpaper, and hung curtains that had been in another bedroom. We ordered new furniture, but it came before I had a chance to get the trim around the windows painted. So that job was put on hold. By then I was getting so tired of working on the bedroom. Well, I decided that I would get the trim painted finally, so that’s what I did over the Labor Day weekend. I HAD to wash the mini-blinds, windows, and the curtains too! Wow! I wonder why I put it off so long! They look great!

Nothing would do then but to take everything I could move out of the room, clean all the furniture, (I even cleaned out all the drawers and got rid of some more clothes etc.), give the floor a good bath, wiped down all the walls and pretties on the walls and even re-arranged a little. (And I do mean A LITTLE! Our room is just big enough for what furniture we have in there and there’s not much room left to “play” with it.) But now it’s done and I LOVE the result. It even looks like the room is bigger!

 

I WILL start on my sewing room next. Gads! What a mess I’ve made in there!! Our son and his family will be coming down from KC in a couple of weeks, and since the sewing room is also the guest room, it will HAVE to be cleaned up. Sometimes I need some motivation to get me to do what needs to be done. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is for me. I’m betting a lot of you out there are  a little like that too, right? (Please say “yes”, so I don’t feel like such a lazy procrastinator.)

When I sit down in the evenings, I pick up another cross-stitch kit for Christmas ornaments that I’ve been working on for a couple of weeks.

 

The kit is supposed to make only five ornaments.  Instead of using the aida cloth for the backings, I’m going to use some printed Christmas fabric. That leaves me enough aida cloth for 14 ornaments all together. I have about half of them done so far. I’ll keep you posted.

My hubby likes to surf the net and he came across a show called Talk Shoe. He found one that he thought I might like. It’s called Crafticast. This is a couple of ladies that sit and chat about knitting and other crafts. I like their “valley talk” style of talking and the fact that it’s like sitting with them at the table with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s a little informative and very entertaining to say the least. He downloaded some of their entries on his ipod and I can listen to them as I craft. I thought I would pass along the information in case anyone is interested. Check it out, I think you’ll like it. This is a site I will visit again.

Well, better get started on that sewing room! Happy crafting and see you here again next week.