Day 295 of 365

Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. I wished for time in December to work on my health. I might want to take that back.

After a nice little jaunt on the casino bus yesterday with my hubby I turned around and had to get some things done today. A letter from the insurance company informed me that my request for benefits has been denied. Again. The second attempt at trying to get approval for the infusion treatments has now failed, requiring yet another call to the rheumatologist's to file the final appeal.

An attempt to try and delay knee replacement surgery for a bit longer cost me a $1,200 big ole shot of synthetic synovial fluid at the orthopedic surgeon's office. A pain in the pocketbook and a big pain in the knee. If this treatment doesn't work another knee replacement will be looming in the very near future.

Now that I'm on this additional arthritis medication that can cause blindness (an anti-malaria drug, actually) I need to have several new eye tests to establish a baseline. An expensive eye doctor appointment added to my day's list of non-Christmas related expenses.

Thank goodness the casino was good to me. The bus ride, not so much. Hours of cramped knees equaled painful knees. I did have something to keep my mind occupied, though. I believe this sign right below the window was an attempt to use symbols to show me how to either open the window or exit the window during an emergency. I spent quite some time trying to figure it out, but gave up.

Here's hoping someone is better at interpreting than I am.

Day 294 of 365

I don't know if it's a mom thing or a Christmas thing or just a me thing, but I didn't budget my time wisely.

I didn't intend to be this far behind on the quilt I'm making for my daughter for Christmas. (Shh, don't tell her. She doesn't know about it.) I would have expected it to have been put together, quilted, and wrapped under the tree by now. And it should have been.

A couple months back, I had an idea of what December would look like. I'm only contracted for so many days at work which meant December would be a slow month with not much work. It turned out to be much, much busier than I expected. Long days, late nights.

I expected December would be a month of crafting, baking, and sewing. I have done crafting with the tutorials and have done several batches of Christmas cookies and breads. My sewing has turned out to be sewing either for the tutorials or the quilts for charity. While I have spent my time crafting, baking, and sewing it unfortunately has not been all that relaxing. It has been at a frantic pace as I either spend cram sessions on the weekends or late nights and early mornings to get it all done. (Who the heck decorates cookies at 5 in the morning? This person right here.)

December was going to be the month where I could relax and regroup. Get my thoughts in order, clear my head. Focus on my writing. Focus on my health.

It hasn't turned out that way. But now that Christmas break has started and Christmas Day is rapidly approaching  I must, must, must get my daughter's quilt done. I have some of the blocks finished, but there are some special blocks I need to work on before the whole thing can be put together.

Make Homemade Pinwheel Christmas Tree Ornaments - Day 293 of 365, Tutorial Tuesday

A week of firsts and lasts.

For over 20 years I had taken my husband to work every single day. When I started with my multiple surgeries he started getting a ride from our neighbor across the street who works in the same building. She's been sick these last couple days so I've had to take him to school for the first time in almost two years. (Personally I think his favorite part of getting a ride to school from me is that he gets a goodbye kiss before he gets out of the car.)

Today is the last day of school for both of us until January. Hooray for Christmas Break! This week we're taking the bus to Jackpot for the day. Another first - it'll be the first time in years and years and years we're going together.

But another one of my firsts is one I wish didn't happen. Last night was the first night I've taken pain medication since March. I've held out for a long time but after barely being able to move at work yesterday I caved in. Just half a pill, but my long-standing streak of consecutive days without pain medication ended.

Today the last of my Christmas cookies are heading out the door, I got the last of my charity quilts mailed out yesterday, and today's tutorial is the last homemade Christmas ornament of the year.

For this project you will need:

• fabric 
• paper backed fusible web like HeatnBond Ultra Hold
• button
• ribbon
• hot glue
• marking pencil
• iron and ironing surface
• scissors or rotary cutter, cutting ruler, and cutting mat
• printable pinwheel template from the pattern
• optional pinking shears or pinking blade

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Now available in my Etsy shop as a digital download with step by step written directions, color photos, and the printable template. Click to find out more!

If you want a pattern using fusible fleece instead, it's also a no-sew project and it's available in my shop, too. Click to find out more!

Looking for something else? 

Check out some of my other Christmas sewing and crafting projects!

You can find the step-by-step how to tutorial for the homemade fabric pinwheel Christmas tree sewing project right here:

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Day 292 of 365

Every thing is a trade off.

You go away for the weekend and you wish you had stayed home. You stay home and wish you had gone away. You dust before vacuuming and then the vacuum kicks up more dust. You vacuum before dusting and then when you dust it winds up falling to the carpet. You spend your time making quilts for charity and wish you had spent time working on your daughter's quilt. You take pain medication to deal with the pain and it makes you feel ill. You don't take pain medication and you feel ill.

You decorate sugar cookies and they're cute. You try and be even cuter and put sparkly sugars on them and then they're too sweet.

After decorating last night with a follow up 5 a.m. decorating session this morning my new snowman cookies are kind of cute. I attempted to replicate what Bakerella did but I didn't have blue tic tacs, orange chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, or snowflake candies. So I used what I had - icing and colored sugars. I've never used sparkly sugars before and now I know why. They make the cookie just too darn sweet! Granted, it was 7 in the morning when I taste tested but it stopped me from eating any more for sure.

Anyone eating one of these on tomorrow's treat day will be guaranteed a major sugar rush.

Day 291 of 365

Ever since we were first married, I longed for a baking center. In every rental apartment and house we've lived in I've attempted to create one. A place to keep all my ingredients. A place to keep my mixer without having to take it out every time I've needed it.

When we moved into this house years ago, I was able to officially set up that baking center. It's just a kitchen cabinet next to the refrigerator, but it's brimming with all those necessities for baking. My KitchenAid mixer is housed on the counter right below. As I'm mixing up something in the mixer all I have to do is pull the ingredient out of the cabinet, measure it, and put it right back. Super easy clean up.

I'm so appreciative to have that cabinet. It's a time saver and a kitchen clean-up helper. I'm also so appreciate of my mixer, especially at this time of year.

Today's total: 
*Three loaves of zucchini bread from our garden's zucchini. (I had shredded and frozen it.)
*Four loaves of pumpkin bread from our garden's pumpkin. (I had cooked up the pumpkin and froze it, too.)
*A couple more dozen Christmas cookies. Tuesday is treat day at work and I'm making a version of those snowman cookies I made on Day 286. But thanks to how Bakerella decorated her snowmen my  new batch should be a hipper, cooler looking version. (I hope.)
*A few snowglobe cookies. My plan was to use them to make the tutorial for this upcoming week, but I ran out of time. I need to perfect them a little more, anyway. (I need to find better snowman than the ones I found at the craft store. I added a bit of black food coloring for eyes on one of them, but why would they make sugar snowman without eyes?)

Day 290 of 365

On TV they have been doing year-end wrap ups. Televisions shows and movies of the year, highest paid actors, biggest news stories. Just a few days ago even Barbara Walters did a year-end list with her Most Fascinating People of 2011.

Although the year isn't quite over, I'm doing a 2011 wrap up of sorts. I'm getting ready to close a chapter in the quilting-for-charity category - just until after the first of the year, that is.

In looking back at 2011, I've done more sewing this year than all the other years of my life combined. Here's a recap of the non-charity project days:

• Days 1 and 195: Pincushions
• Day 8: Fabric Memory Game
• Day 14: Camera bag 
• Day 20: T-shirt grocery bags
• Day 29: Clothespin bag
• Day 34: Potholders
• Day 35: Makeup bag for my daughter
• Days 38 and 188 : Breadbasket liners
• Days 41 and 153: Fabric covered buttons and magnets
• Day 167: Pocket tissue holder
• Day 244: Gift card holder
• Day 251: Fabric covered clipboard
• Day 258: Drawstring bags
• Christmas Tree ornaments on Days 272, 276, 279
• Day 265 : Fabric covered bookmarks
• Day 287: Fabric covered bulletin board

But here is the most important list of all. The list of items I've made for charity.

• Day 3: Flag quilt top
• Day 11: Baby quilt for Calling All Angels
• Day 17: Presentation Cases for Quilts of Valor
• Day 27: more Presentation Cases for Quilts of Valor
• Quilts for the Quilts for Kids organization on Days 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 101, 107, 120, 121, 122, 164, 176, 179, 236, 238, 243
• Day 234: Baby quilt top
• Day 86:  Spinning Star quilt top
• Turtle Pillows for the Painted Turtle Hole-in-the Wall Camp on Days 132, 144, 150, 152, 154
• Stockings for Soldiers on Days 214, 215, 219, 221, 222, 237
• Pillows for Operation Kid Comfort on Days 233, 277  
• Quilts for Operation Kid Comfort on Days 196, 198, 203, 245, 246, 253, 254, 280, and today.

Today I can add two more quilts to the Operation Kid Comfort quilt list. Here on Day 290 another two quilts are finished and ready to head out the door. Being that a couple of my pictures (including today's) have more than one quilt in the picture, I think that makes 30+ kids quilts for charity this year.

Here's today's picture, but keep looking. I have all my charity work pictures for 2011 compiled together right below.

I always hear about how one person can make a difference. I hope I'm getting close to being one of those "ones".