Looking Back. . . and Ahead

Do you blog?  If you do, do you ever go back and read some of your old posts?  That's what I did today.  It's funny how time repeats itself.  Right now I'm putting off contemplating how to clean and reorganize my sewing room.  As I looked back through my old posts, I found one from August of 2011 where I was doing exactly the same thing. I did clean it once, and now it needs done again.  I contacted my local Good Will and they will gladly accept any quilting magazines or fabrics that I want to donate.  That was good to know.

I found the posts that I made when my Mom passed away.  I reread them and it made me miss her all the more.

Today I'm doing some much neglected paperwork.  I hate paperwork, but at times it needs to be done.

This weekend I need to finish those baby quilts that I started what seems like ages ago.  A few weeks ago one of Mary's friends got a big surprise when she discovered that she was pregnant.  She is thrilled, and since she has two boys, we're hoping for a girl.  So, one of the quilts will be put aside for her.

I'm so looking forward to the warmer temperatures that are being predicted.  The pond is still frozen over. Since we've not had such a cold winter since the pond was built, I'm concerned about my fish.  I looked at the seed catalogs last week, and placed our seed order over the weekend.  We have decided to try sprouting our own plants this year.  We haven't done that since the girls were little, but there were some new items that I wanted to try, like a lemon cucumber (it's shaped and colored like a cucumber and is said to have a milder cucumber flavor).  We are going to try pole beans this year, and a quick growing bush lima bean.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Big Slacker!!

When it comes to blogging lately, I am definitely a big slacker.  I guess I just haven't had much to say, or maybe my mind has been on other things.

 I took a break from the baby quilts that I was working on and started the Delightful Stars quilt.  I am hand piecing the blocks, and it's not easy since I'm using batik fabrics.  Because of the wax resist used in the making of batiks, it's a little more difficult to push the needle through the fabric.  I am currently working on Block 6, and am behind by two lessons.  Pictured above are the first four blocks. The next lesson is on paper piecing.  I'm very apprehensive about this lesson as I've never done any paper piecing.  I understand that I will have to use the sewing machine for this part of the quilt, and hope to start the paper piecing over the weekend.

I had quite a scare last week when my blood sugar spiked at 399.  I walked around the house and pushed fluids, and then started to rethink my life.  What I was doing was clearly not working, and so I need to find an alternative.  I downloaded a new book for my Kindle.  I'm less than halfway through the book and I've already learned more then I ever did from my doctor or the classes that I took.  I've changed my eating habits drastically, and added Plexus Slim to my daily regimen.  My blood sugar numbers are down to nearly normal, and I've lost 5 pounds.  I haven't been using the Victoza because it causes problems with my gall bladder. The Plexus Slim is a natural supplement which does basically what the Victoza did.  Because I feel that my health is most important right now, I have allowed many other things to fall by the wayside.  

I'm trying to decide what to do about my Etsy store.  I have to admit that it's been a huge disappointment.  I don't have the sales that I wanted to have, and have tried most everything that Etsy has suggested to boost my sales.  In the next month or two, I will make the decision as to close or not to close.  But right now, I'm concentrating on my health and praying for guidance.

Woman at Work!

This past week I was busy embroidering blocks for baby quilts.  One of our neighbors had a baby two weeks ago, and I finished the blocks for that quilt.  I also did blocks for a baby Winnie the Pooh quilt, a Noah's Ark quilt, and a Bumble-Bear quilt.  I had already finished the blocks for a sleepy-time Sock Monkey quilt.  On Saturday, I cleaned up my table and Rod took the embroidery machine back to its little nook.  All the fabric that I had ordered for sashing has arrived, and today I will begin cutting the sashings for all the quilts.

Saturday night we had a sleepover with the two older grandkids, Krissy and Bubby.  We watched two of the Star Wars episodes, and then watched Annie.  This coming weekend, our high school will be performing Annie and Krissy is in the orphan chorus.  She had never seen the movie, and as we watched it, she told us which parts were being done in the play.  Rod and I have tickets for the Sunday matinee, which will be the final performance.  I'm excited about seeing it.

The weatherman had threatened predicted a serious snowfall for this past weekend.  Fortunately for us, he was wrong once again, and we probably ended up with only about 2 inches.  With temperatures rising in the middle of the week, the snow should melt enough that Rod can get my scooter out of the basement and into the car.  Keeping my fingers crossed!  Have a great week.