Day 355 of 365

Between complaining about my medication regiment, making cookies for work, having my daughter home, Mr. PJ man, going to work on non-work days, teaching the kitty tricks, getting a new computer, and re-arranging the den, I actually have done something else. Something I deem as the most important thing of all.

The kids quilts. I had the top for this one put together using Quilts for Kids fabric on Day 347, but now it's quilted. I did some tight meandering and I think it's my best quilting work so far. I don't know if it shows up in the picture, but I really like how it puffed up after washing - it looks like it's textured.

How should I celebrate?

Tell me how should I celebrate Day 365. Please leave a comment below - I'd love to hear your ideas!

Day 354 of 365

The other day my daughter told me not to be like Grandma (my mom).

My mom came into a bit of money recently and has been making some purchases. A new laptop. A new sofa, recliner, end tables. A new TV stand and a new TV (darn, that thing is big). She bought new bedding, new curtains, a bedstand, a lamp, and a new phone. (At least those are the things I know about.) Her place looks very nice.

But it's the computer thing that made my daughter give me a warning. Our home computer is probably 10 or so years old and it is showing it. It spins and whirls and freezes. Trying to edit and upload videos take several restarts. Even pictures throw it a curve sometimes and my husband has a hard time doing his grade reports on it. So we bought an external hard drive and moved everything we could onto it, hoping the problem would be cured. No such luck.

When my daughter found out we were contemplating a new computer she said, "Don't be like Grandma".

My daughter changed her mind. When she was home last week she did her taxes online on the old computer. And the computer froze for a while, whirled and spun just as she was submitting. After a brief period of panic, we now have her blessing to replace it.

Today's picture has our new computer, but also the work I did today in the den.  Some things to know (or maybe they're excuses)...

1. The before is a bit messy as I had started moving things then stopped and realized I should do a before and after.
2. The after is a bit messy with the cords and some of the shelves. I'm pooped out from working on it so I didn't get it all finished. Moving a rolltop desk and bookshelves is hard work!
3. Still no curtains up yet.

before

after

Day 353 of 365

I've been watching this show on Animal Planet called My Cat From Hell. It's about a tattooed guy named Jackson who visits homes where cats are out of control. Biting, attacking, hissing. While our cat has none of those issues, it's quite an interesting show. I've learned a lot about cats in general just by watching it. What I find surprising is that you really can train cats. (Too bad training doesn't work to get you-know-who out of his pajamas today.)

So I started training our cat. We have bags of treats we never wind up using, so I decided to use the treats as, well, treats. I'll hold the treat over her head and she'll stand on her back paws. I've trained her to use her front paws to grab my hands and pull the treat into her mouth. She gets the treat along with a "good girl" from me.

My daughter was excited that kitty responded so well when she tried it, too.