Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A little bit of sewing tonight

Wanted to change the linens tonight.  Got the quilts all washed and dried, then went upstairs.  I sewed together a set of waterbed sheets from two full size flat sheets and some squares of material for the corners.  It's always nice to sleep on 'new' sheets.  Plus, Ev had a lousy night last night, tossed and turned from three til five.  Maybe new clean linens will help him sleep well tonight.

It was a very good day today for me.  Ever since Gram's house sold, it's been really good.  Seems like such a burden has been lifted, in so many ways.

Took Ivy for a walk tonight when I got home from work.  She's doing really well.  Shadowcat has also become quite the lover kitty lately, too.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Night night

About ready to hit the hay.  I got another hour of sewing done on the baby quilt.  It will be good to have one, or even just a top, ready in case I need one in a hurry.  Ev and I took Nick out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant.  He enjoyed it.  We all did.

I got all my laundry washed.  Have one more load to throw into the dryer and it's all done.  The washer held up with some leaking, but not any more than usual.  I thawed out the apples, but didn't get the pie done.  That will be a project for tomorrow, but at least I have the pie crusts.

Been snowing again today.  Old Man Winter just does not want to give up easily.

An hour's worth of sewing done

Ev and I met Johanna and Ben for lunch.  We had gyro's at the only restaurant around that serves the real thing.  It was a nice lunch.  Came home and went up to do some sewing.  I worked more on the baby quilt, even though Mom doesn't need it anymore.  I'm going to at least get the top finished and then maybe set it aside and work on the Roll Roll Cotton Boll top.

Things I want to do today

It's early Saturday morning and I'm thinking about all the things I want to get done today and tomorrow.  I should get up out of bed and get moving on them, but right now I'm content to just sit here for a little while longer.  I have a load of jeans in the washer, so I should wait until they are done before I can get in the shower. 

Going to have a lot of laundry to do today.  I hope the washer holds up and doesn't give out completely.  It seems to do alright if I only was a load here and there, but anything else and it's leaking like a sieve.  I'll get the important loads washed first, just in case.

I would like to go over to the shop in Staunton and see what kind of dollar a yard material they have out.  I don't need any material, that's for sure, but at a dollar a yard....  sigh.  If I get there, fine, if not, that's fine too.  I also need to pick up some pie crust from either IGA or Wal Mart or wherever I happen to be closest today.  I promised Uncle Ray a pie this weekend.

Mom called last night to let me know she wasn't going to need the baby quilt because her friend lost the baby.  That's sad.  I hope she wasn't too far along in the pregnancy.  Mom offered to pay for the quilt, again, but I don't want that. 

Lori and Diane and I all went out to eat last night.  We ended up at an Italian restaurant over in the next town.  It was pretty good.  I had fettuccini alfredo.  It was pretty rich and I didn't eat a lot of it.  We weren't out late, as Diane wasn't feeling too good and Lori wanted to get home to watch her grandchild.

Johanna and Ben seem to be getting along well these days.  He is thinking about buying a motorcycle.  This scares me, as I don't want either one of them to get hurt in an accident on a bike.  But I have no control over this.

Friday, March 25, 2011

A new day

It's a new day and I haven't maimed or injured any animals....  Thankfully! 


Woke up to snow.  This is a picture of a stand of trees I pass on my way to work every day.  It always looks so pretty when it snows.  I'm guessing this is Winter's last hurrah, but you never know.  A few days ago it was in the 80's, so go figure.  Kinda weird to see snow on the ground among tall blades of grass. 

We ordered Ev's new lawn mower Monday.  Guess he won't need it for a few days.  haha.  It's a riding mower and we purchased it from Sears.  I hope it's a good one, because he deserves to have something nice.

I'm tossing around the idea of getting a new serger.  My old serger only has three threads, so there isn't a 'seam', just the overcast edges.  That makes it time consuming because I have to sew the seam on the regular machine then serge the edges on another.  I think I would use the serger a lot more if it made the seam also.  I'm just in the beginning stages of looking at them, and there certainly is no rush.  I'm saving up for the Nolting, and I'm determined not to cut into that savings for any other 'toys'.

Planning to go out to dinner with Diane and Lori tonight.  Not sure where we will be going, but really looking forward to going out.  Haven't been out with these gals in a while.  We are all busy going in different directions so it's hard for the three of us to connect sometimes.  We may go to DeCamp or Bamboo Garden, but anywhere we go, I'm sure will be fun.

Found a real easy recipe for dog treats yesterday that I want to try.  I need to make some small treats to put in that new toy of Ivy's.  It's a heavy rubber material and the opening for the treat is small.  She loves those toys where we hide treats in them.  They seem to keep her busy, which is my way of saying she's not tearing up the couch.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Oy what a month!

March has not been a good month for me with regards to animals.  Today, as I was driving to work, a dog ran out in front of my car and I hit it!  I was going very slow at the time because I had seen the dog run into the street a moment before, but then it ran back into the yard, but behind something I could not see around.  I thought it would stay in the yard and started forward again and it darted right out in front of the car!  I felt the crunch when I hit it and it makes me sick to think of it!  I did not kill it, thankfully, just broke a bone in the front leg.  The owner was there and took care of the dog.  I went on to work but on my way home I stopped and asked about the dog.  It's going to be okay.  The break was clean and it will heal okay.  What a lousy month to be an animal around me.

Went to dinner with Uncle Ray tonight.  We went to Crossroads and had pork chops.  They were pretty good.  He enjoys going out to dinner, I think.  We drove through the cemetery after dinner.  He wanted to see what kind of flowers were on Mammy and Grandpa's graves.  I think he wants to get some new ones for Easter.

Came home and put a taco casserole in the oven from the freezer.  I think that will be good for Ev tonight.  Supposed to go out with Lori and Diane tomorrow night.  We all are ready for a night out, I think!

Haven't done any sewing for a while.  Just having a bit of trouble getting back in the groove.

Sure am glad tomorrow is Friday.  But then, I think I'm glad when the weekend comes just about every Friday!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Lawn mower shopping

Ev and I went lawnmower shopping today.  We have been to several different places and have settled on a Craftsman Riding Mower.  As it looks now, we will be getting it this coming Friday.  Ev's excited about it.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Still on cloud nine

Yeah, I'm still feeling pretty good!  Mom went home around 3 today, about the same time Ev went to work and Nick went to give lessons.  I went upstairs and made a crayon roll for Johnathon's Easter bag.  It turned out really cute.  I think I'll make a couple more for some other kiddos.

Friday, March 18, 2011

A wonderful day

Well, Mom came down and we went to the closing, and guess what?  The house is sold!  The buyers went through with it, and we are done.  I can't believe it.  Still seems like a dream to me.  I'm very happy today.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Change of plans/Ode to Cheetah

So Mom was not going to come down, because of the cancellation of the sale of the house, but now she is coming tonight anyway.  I'm glad I'm going to get to see here.  I'll take the day off tomorrow and we can just have a mother/daughter day together.  The people that were going to buy the house are pulling some kind of game, hemming and hawing about it.  So, if Mom doesn't come down and they decided to close, she would be in breach of contract by not being there.  She is coming, and we will go down to St. Louis to sign some papers to cover all bases.  Then I think we may just end up at Lotawata....  woohoo!

On a sad note, I think Cheetah Bear is gone.  He was not looking so good yesterday and had several bouts of vomiting again.  I let him out when I was home for lunch, and usually he just stays on the porch for a couple hours and wants back in.  When Ev went to work, Cheetah didn't want in (it was a nice day to lay in the sunshine, if you're a cat..).  When I got home he was no where to be found.  He was gone all night, which is very unusual for him.  I went home at lunch time again today and Ev and I looked all over for him.  There is one place he might still be, but if he is there, he's not of this world anymore.  He used to get up in the rafters of the outside shed, but neither Ev nor I think he can climb up there anymore, so it's doubtful he's in there.  We were out there calling him and he didn't answer.  So when I get home from work tonight I guess I'll screw up my courage and look up there, unless Nick does it before he goes to give guitar lessons tonight.

Cheetah has been with us for 11 years.  He came to us as a stray with another cat we named Sox.  Both were half grown males we think were littermates.  Someone had them at one time, because both were neutered.  When he came to us, he was skin and bones.  You could count every bone in his body.  Sox was the dominant cat of the pair and he would always eat from the food bowl first.  After Sox was done, Cheetah would eat.  We used to feed the two of them on the front porch and not let them inside.  We had Nakia (dog) and Figaro (cat) inside at the time and did not want two more cats in the house.  Well, if anyone has ever fed a cat on their front porch they probably know that this creates a whole host of issues that most of us would like to avoid. 

The first thing to happen was that a neighborhood call went out to all stray cats that there was food on our porch, so an all night battle went on, with every stray vying for a place at the food bowl. 

Next came the opposum.  Did you know those freaky little you-know-whats aren't very afraid of grown women in bathrobes?  I remember opening the front door to shoo yet another stray off the porch, when this young opposum looked up at me with those weird eyes, then bent right back down to the bowl and continued to munch!

At this point, I convinced Ev to at least let me bring the food bowl inside and let Sox and Cheetah in just to eat.  He was accepting of this idea, having had to live trap the marsupial and release its nasty self out on the outskirts of town.  It still makes me smile when I remember him trying to open that live trap and jump back from it like it had electrocuted him!  So the food bowl came inside and so did Sox and Cheetah. 

Sox did not like being inside with Nakia.  Nakia could care less about the two cats, having learned at early puppyhood that if there is a cat in the house to just give it a wide berth.  But somewhere along the line Sox decided he would find a home elsewhere and soon we had Cheetah Bear inside along with Figaro and Nakia. 

Well, Mr. Cheetah soon realized that the food bowl was now his, all his (Figaro was not a big eater and had her own bowl).  Cheetah started eating and didn't stop until he hit the 20 pound mark!  He was a fat and sassy cat and loved to curl up next to me at night in bed.  He would snuggle up alongside me and then flip his girth over so he was on his back and I would absentmindedly rub his belly in my sleep.

In the mornings, he would get up with me and wait, sometimes not so patiently, for me to let the dogs out, then demand water from the bathroom faucet.  He loved to drink running water from the tap.  Up until the past year he could jump onto the vanity by himself but this past year or so he needed me to pick him up and put him up there for his morning drink.  When he wasn't drinking from a running tap, he would drink from the water bowl only by dipping his paw into it and making a cup out of the pads of his foot!  He was certainly a character!

Wrigley used to have fun with Cheetah.  When Wrigley was a pup, and Cheetah had not yet reached his maximum weight, you could say to Wrigley "get kitty!" and watch the fun begin!  See, Cheetah was very mellow.  He tolerated all kinds of nonsense, including a slobbering pup grabbing him by the back of the neck and dragging him through three rooms of the house, or across half the yard, or even (gasp) down a few steps!  There really was never a dull moment around our house back then!

Now, today, I believe that all the animals I mentioned in this post up to this point have passed.  I know in my heart that Figaro and Nakia passed at an old age and were ready to go.  The wound is still too fresh to speak of with Wrigley, but scroll back to last week for that so very sad tale.  And now my fat cat, beloved Cheetah Bear, fat-harry-uss, fatty-us the catty-us, and whatever silly goofy names we had for him appears to have left this world.  I hope you didn't suffer, kitty.  See you on the other side!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Long day at work

I don't know if it was the time change or the fact that it's been a little slow at work, but this week has really been dragging at work.  It just makes for a really long day.

I did take Ivy out for a walk when i got home from work tonight.  I have been asking strangers to give her treats when we are out, to get her used to people more.  Donna came over tonight and Ivy didn't jump as much as she had previously.  Donna made the comment that she was much better than the last time she came over.  That meant a lot to me.  Gonna keep working with her.

Totally blew my diet today.  It seemed like I just wanted to eat everything and anything all day long.  Then I ordered pizza for supper.  Well, tomorrow is another day.

So is anyone going to Paducah this April for the quilt show?  I'm getting excited about it.  Been there a couple times already, but each time is always fun.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Somewhat of a disappointment

Well, crumbs.  The buyer for Gram's house backed out at the last minute.  We were so close to the end of all this, and then the bottom drops out.  Oh well, I just have to have faith that another buyer will come along and that this was all for the best.  Things happen for a reason.

I didn't get the baby quilt done, but since Mom won't be coming down this weekend I have a little more time.  I'll get it done soon and mail it to her.

Nick is planning on moving out this week.  I just hope he can keep his school work up okay.  I finally got both kids' FAFSA completed for the year, as well as their Fed and State taxes.  That's always a chore every year.  I'm glad I'm done with it.

Ivy is doing better, knock on wood!  Ev allowed her to stay inside when he left work, and she didn't cause any destruction.  I don't completely trust her alone inside again yet, but I think it won't be long and she will be 100%.  Took her for a short walk right after work tonight.  It was cold and starting to rain, so it was not as long as it has been the past few days, but it was something.  She is getting better on the leash every time I take her out.

I made a few portabella mushroom caps under the broiler for dinner.  Also had a salad and a baked sweet potato.  I put a white potato in the oven and then mashed it up with a piece of that laughing cow type cheese.  It was pretty good.  Made Ev a meatloaf.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Not getting things done that I want to get done!

Sigh.  It's Sunday morning and instead of sewing I'm being lazy and sitting in the bedroom on the computer.  Waiting for Ev to wake up and take me to breakfast!  heehee.  We are planning to go out to eat with Johanna and Ben this evening, so I don't know if we will go to bfast or not. 

Nick has not been home much these past few days.  He is planning to move out with his friends to a house in Litchfield.  I'm happy about this.He is really excited.  I think it will be a good thing.

Ivy seems to be adjusting better now.  I have been taking her on daily walks, which we both really enjoy.  Yesterday, for the first time in a few days, I allowed her to stay in the house while I was gone for an hour.  She did not destruct anything!  What a pleasant surprise.  I'm thinking if we just give her lots of attention, she will feel secure and relax again.  The walks are a real good thing because I'm teaching her to not tug on the leash so bad and to walk with me easily.

With the time change this weekend, it will be nice to have some extra daylight when I get home from work.  Not looking forward to leaving in the almost dark in the morning, but that won't be forever.

Need to get busy on the laundry today.  I can't do load after load like I had been because I'm afraid of that washer completely going out on me.  I need to space them out, so really need to get started.  sigh.  Can you tell how utterly excited I am about it?  haha.

Joe may come down with Mom this week.  He wants to see Gram's house one more time.  I guess it's just one last goodbye for him.

So I was bad yesterday...  A friend told me that the quilt shop over in Staunton is having a clearance sale on some fabric for a dollar a yard.  Yes, a dollar a yard!  I could not pass it up.  I went over there to check it out.  There were not many fabrics at all at that price, but there were a few.  I ended up buying about 60 yards.  Yes, 60 yards!  It was a little more retail therapy to cheer me up, plus our state tax return came in, so it was guilt free.  Well, guilt free except for the fact that I'm not telling Ev how much I bought!  haha.  Good thing he doesn't read the blog!

One of the favorite fabrics I picked up was a cream color with a simple design running through it of a vine and flower.  It will make a beautiful quilt back.  I also picked up some flannel that will go well in baby quilts.  And another flannel that caught my eye was a print with cards and casino chips on it.  I thought at some point in the future I would put together a simple throw for Mom out of it. She would get a kick out of it.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Ivy is protesting

Ivy is having a hard time adjusting to being an only dog.  She went into destruction mode yesterday.  In addition to the remote, she ate my Farmer's Almanac, my winter hat, and destroyed the back cushion of the couch.  Tonight she took it one step further and defecated on my bed.  I'm not a happy camper.

I took her for a walk as soon as I got home, so I'm not sure when she performed her act of defiance.  I'm hoping that it was a one time thing, because that is just not someplace we are going to go.  Been leaving her outside when Ev goes to work because of her destructive behavior, so maybe she is protesting that too.  I don't know, but I'm sure we will work this out too.

And, as expected, I have the blankets in the washer and dryer as I'm typing this.  At least we will sleep good tonight on clean sheets!

Mom is planning to come down next Thursday for the scheduled closing on Gram's house.  I need to work on that baby quilt this weekend so that I can send it back with her.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Self Explanatory



Welcome to DISH Network Chat.
Charles: How may I help you today?

TK: hi charles, i need a replacement remote for t.v. 1.
Charles: I'd be happy to assist you with your request.
Charles: Please give me just 1-2 minutes while I check on that for you.
TK: no problem
Charles: Your account is set up for bundled billing through your telephone company and unfortunately I do not have sufficient access to this account type. I would like to transfer you to another department for further assistance. Please be online.
Anna: Thank you for your patience. Please give me a moment to review your previous conversation and access your account.
TK: hi anna. pretty simple. i need a replacement remote for t.v. 1
Anna: I can help you with this.
Anna: What is going on with our current remote?
TK: labrador
Anna: I understand.
Anna: Typically a replacement remote for this issue is $20 plus taxes. Since you are a valued customer I can send you a replacement remote at no cost as a one time courtesy.
TK: anna, you are the greatest!
Anna: Thank you.
Anna: The RA Number is xxx. There will be no return shipping labels. Do not return the defective/malfunctioning remote to us. We are shipping your equipment by UPS BLUE 2ND DAY and you should receive it in 2 days.
TK: i really appreciate your help with this. thank you!
Anna: I’m sorry I wasn’t able to resolve your technical issue over chat, but the replacement equipment should resolve the problem. Thank you for Chatting with DISH Network.
TK: i think the only resolution includes a muzzle....
Anna: I understand.

Session ended.

Ash Wednesday

Today is the start of Lent.  Easter will be here before you know it.  I mentioned to Johanna that I will have to get busy and make the kids all bags for the holiday.  I didn't make them for Valentine's Day like I usually do.  Might scale that tradition back to Christmas, Easter, and possibly birthdays.  Except for Johnathon... he gets a goodie bag whenever I want to make him one!  Haha.

Back at work today.  I'd rather be home sewing!  I got all the flannel washed, dried, and folded last night.  Want to get busy cutting tonight.  I figured out how to put this quilt together by strip pieceing some of it.  That will speed up the assembly process.

Last night I was sitting on the couch watching t.v. and I hear something in the basement that sounds like glass breaking.  Well, if you want to know the truth, someone breaking a window didn't even enter into my mind, which it was not, by the way, so I called Ivy and grabbed a flashlight and headed downstairs to see what was up.  Shadow cat was down there and she had knocked over the box with my ceramic Nativity Scene for Christmas in it.  Of course some pieces broke, so I will be replacing that set this upcoming Christmas.

I was pretty tired last night and went to bed fairly early, about 8, and was just laying in bed watching more t.v. - I don't usually watch a lot of television, but lately seem to be.  Anyway, I was dozing off when I hear someone come up on the porch and knock on the door at 9pm.  Now, this is more than unusual, especially since Nick is still in Georgia.  So I holler "just a minute", throw on a wrap 'cause my p.j.'s are kinda beat up, and again call Ivy to go with me to the front door.  I looked out the window and no one was there, but I see the UPS truck pulling away!  At 9pm!  The package was not unexpected, but the time of delivery sure was.  I think we must have a new UPS person because around Christmas when I was waiting for a gift I had ordered online I had trouble with them.  Their website had said the package was delivered when it had not been, and when I called they started looking into it, but the delivery person then showed up with the package.  And UPS did not know that, so I'm thinking their delivery person is still learning the route and has had to cover their tracks when making mistakes.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I'm back

We  did what had to be done this morning, early.  Now I'm back online and determined to put this all behind me now.  I jump started the process by going to see Johanna this morning (she is on Spring Break).  We went to Joann Fabrics and she helped me pick out colors for a baby quilt.  We went to lunch at Lotawata.  These are two of my favorite things to do, and they were made extra special by being with my lovely daughter.  It was a good thing for me to do.

I picked up several different flannels and am working on a pattern to make a simple but cute baby quilt.  Mom will be down on the 18th or 25th of this month, so I will get to work on it soon.

Took Ivy out for a walk today before the rain started.  I'm really going to work on getting her to walk well on a leash.  I would like to walk with her every night after work, if possible.  It will be good for both of us.  I had intended to walk again tonight, but it's been raining for a while now and they are not expecting it to move out any time soon.  At least we got one good walk in.  The weather will be getting nice soon.

Really getting excited about the upcoming sale of Gram's house.  That will be a good thing.

Sunday Ev and I went to breakfast with Johanna, Ben, and Johnathon.  Johnathon had to go to the bathroom while we were at breakfast and Ev volunteered to take him.  Right when he went to pick him up, Ben says, oh he probably has to pooh.  Ev's eyes got as big as saucers and he looked at me with a look of terror on his face.  I laughed so hard!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Friday night lightening

We are getting a thunderstorm here.  Quite a bit of lightening and thunder.  Nick is on his way to Georgia.  His flight was supposed to leave an hour ago, so I'm hoping he got out ahead of the storm.  He will be home next Thursday.

Kind of holding our own until next week.  Stomach mostly in knots, but getting through.  Just saying lots of prayers.  Convincing myself that the dog had a small stroke and that was why she behaved badly.  Doesn't change what we have to do, but helping me to feel a little better about it.

Went to supper with Uncle Ray.  He wanted to try out Route 66's fish dinner.  I don't think he was disappointed!  Topped it off with a piece of pie.  Was a good meal.

Not doing any sewing right now.  I probably should, just can't seem to find my mojo.  I think I lost it in the hole I've crawled into.  I will pull myself out of it, just need a little more time.  I won't stay there.