Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Day 315 of 365

My husband is a big help in the mornings.

He knows how much I struggle with getting out of bed, getting dressed, and getting myself to work. He knows it takes me hours before I can even get my socks on. He knows I hurt so much and my body is so stiff that I can't get a bowl out of the cabinet, can't grab a spoon out of the drawer, and can't reach for the cereal box on the shelf. Standing at the stove cooking any kind of breakfast in the morning is never possible. So he helps me out.

He knows that I'm not able to get out of bed to get a drink of water so he fills a water glass for me every night and puts it on the dresser on my side of the bed. In the mornings he wakes me up when he leaves at 6:30. (By waking up at that time it gives me a better chance of being able to be to work at 9:00. Even though I'm awake, I can't do anything but sit and stretch for quite some time. No dressing, no showering, no putting makeup on - those things happen gradually over a couple hours.)

And every morning when I finally get to the dining room, he has two pieces of cooked bacon waiting for me. A cereal bowl, a spoon, and the box of cereal are sitting on the table. On the counter- a loaf of bread, peanut butter, a paper towel and a knife so I can make my peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.

Since he's doing that much for me, the least I can do is make a quilt that will make him look good at the Disaster Auction next month. It still has a ways to go, but it's closer than it was on Monday.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Sew a Fabric Grocery Bag Holder - Day 314 of 365, Tutorial Tuesday

Grocery sacks.

I remember when everything was paper. Then it was a choice of paper or plastic. Then it became all plastic. Now there are communities banning plastic bags. But I still use those plastic bags.

On Day 20 I got this bright idea to stop with the plastic bags. I cut up and sewed some old t-shirts to make reusable grocery sacks. Those t-shirt bags didn't last long. Actually, they did last a long time. They sat - unused - in a chair in the den month after month after month. Finally I put them in the donation box and sent them on their way. I guess those plastic sacks aren't going away for us.

So I made a plastic grocery sack holder. My  husband took the wine bottle one for out in the garage (he asked permission first) and now my daughter has requested one in blue for her new apartment. (I'll be snapping some fabric pictures on my cell phone and sending them her way for her approval.)

Today's tutorial features a bright looking-forward-to-spring one.
Easy Homemade Fabric Plastic Grocery Bag Holder Sewing Project

Looking for something else? Check out some of my other kitchen sewing and crafting projects!

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.

Click below for the step-by-step how to tutorial and learn how to make your own homemade plastic grocery bag holder:

Monday, January 9, 2012

Day 313 of 365

I have to fess up. I started a new project even though my unfinished project basket is still overflowing.

The first Saturday of every February our community has a "Disaster Auction". They help families cover costs associated with hospital or large medical bills, funerals, or fire damage to their homes. In 1961 they raised $6,000 and last year the auction raised over $95,000.

For years I've said I would make a quilt for the auction and for years I haven't followed through. With all my donation/charity work this year I decided this absolutely would be the year I'd make one. But then I looked at some of the pictures of the previous years' quilts and I chickened out. Chickened out because I didn't think my work was impressive enough to join the quilts auctioned off. Chickened out because I didn't want my quilt to be the one fetching the least amount of money.

My husband wasn't happy with me backing out again and expressed his disapproval. I was willing to live with that disapproval, but then I saw a pattern that changed my mind. After I redid my cardboard magazine holders on Day 311, I went through all the magazines. Looked at every page of every magazine and came across a quilt that tickled my fancy.

I'm still working on getting the right colors together, but at least it's a start.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Day 312 of 365

Our cat is just darn weird.

It's not that she bawls at weird times of the day and night. It's not that she still comes running every time I use the can opener. (Her cans of food haven't needed a can opener in years.) It's not that she runs in front of my car every time I pull in the driveway. And it's not because she thinks my ironing board is the best way to jump down from the sewing room window.

It's because of the ponytail situation.

When my daughter was younger she always left those rubber-band-y, elastic-y, scrunchy type of ponytail holders around. She left them around and the cat would find them. Find them and play with them. Find them, play with them, and lose them. In the past we've found them under the couch, the refrigerator, and the stove. We thought those days were long gone, but they have started up again.

My daughter comes home ever so often and occasionally she'll take one of those ponytail holders out of her hair and toss it to the cat. The cat absolutely loves it. She particularly likes the black ones and the red ones. She'll toss it with her paw. She'll fetch it. She'll throw it with her mouth. She jump, she'll leap, she'll pounce. She'll hide it under the rug and dig it back out. She'll run into the bedroom, drop it on the bed, and cry for us to play with her. She'll lose it under the chair and bawl for us to get it out. Every morning and every evening it sounds like things being thrown around the house. It's just the cat wrestling around the floor, tables, and furniture with that doggone ponytail holder. Eventually she'll tire out and fall asleep somewhere.

Today's sleeping spot was a small corner of the bed. Today I washed our bedding, all the way to the mattress pad. The cat likes these sheet-changing days because it presents an opportunity to hide in the blankets. Knowing that, as I was waiting for everything to dry, I made sure I piled the linens high enough that she'd keep off of them. Wouldn't you know she found that one small little space that was left open.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Day 311 of 365

I use my daughter's old bedroom with lavender colored walls for my sewing room. I'm not too fond of the color and am contemplating painting over them. As I've been doing some research on craft rooms (not research actually - I've just been looking at pictures of organized craft rooms on the internet) it seems that I like looking at pictures of organized things just about as much as organizing them myself.

In my search for pretty and organized craft rooms I came across a website that featured pictures of organized drawers and shelves and containers and just about anything else you could think of. It was there that I ran across some directions on how to decorate magazine holders.

I have lots of magazine holders, both black plastic ones and primary colored cardboard ones. Black plastic and bright primary colors won't fit with the color scheme I'm thinking of using, so I followed the directions at iheartorganizing to update my cardboard magazine holders.

And what a surprise - I didn't use fabric for a project this time.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Day 310 of 365

I'm not a breakfast person, but my husband is. I'm just fine and dandy if I have a bowl of Chex, Rice Krispies, Special K, or Cheerios. Occasionally I might go for a breakfast burrito or a muffin. For him, cereal is more like something you have if you're still hungry after dinner. Big breakfasts are his thing. Biscuits and gravy. French toast. Omelets. Some kind of egg dish with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in (including some hash browns), then smothered with gravy would probably be his number one choice. But with his higher cholesterol he's been sticking to oatmeal, berries, and walnuts in the mornings.

Once in a while, the idea of breakfast for dinner strikes his fancy. For some reason, I can tolerate breakfast-type meals better in the evening than I can in the morning.

Tonight's end-of-the week breakfast-for-dinner meal was omelets and hash browns. Onions, peppers, and those Little Smokies sausages. Not the best for the calorie watching, but I was more careful today and had some calories to spare.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Day 309 of 365

It ended. The last day of my Christmas break was yesterday and I started back to work today.

After having a horrible last week of school in December, I was in desperate need of a break. The pain I was in during December was the worst pain I could recall since post-surgery pain. I don't know if stress or overworking or what contributed to it, but it was bad. I have pain-filled days every single day, but this was excruciating pain-filled. I don't know how I made it through. But I did.

I made it right into Christmas Break. My plans were to start popping those pain pills again to get some relief. And I did pop those pain pills for a couple days in a row. Yes, they provided relief, but the side effects were again not something I wanted to deal with.

But now, two weeks out - and no pain pills in my system - I'm feeling a bit better than I did. How can one day be so excruciatingly painful and another not? I don't get it.

I just know I'm working on taking better care of myself. I started tracking my food intake for the last few days. Even with being out of town I was still able to keep my calorie count down. Until today.

Going back to work from vacation threw my calorie-counting out of whack. Having cookies sitting on my desk when I showed up today started the downward spiral. It continued with me coming home from work after dark. Being too tired to cook led me to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant where I made poor food choices. I'm afraid to even track the calories I consumed today, but I will. Ugh.

And I had such hope for a great day. With such a pretty sunrise practically rising from the south, how could a day turn out so rotten?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Day 308 of 365

I'm done gambling. Not just done because I'm home from my mom's birthday trip to the casino, but done done. Done for a very long time.

I'm not a very good gambler. I love the thrill of winning - even the anticipation of winning - but the low of losing is just as powerful a feeling. I love having something that I can get so immersed in that I forget about everything else. But the losing times are miserable and I'm not interested in experiencing them anymore. So I'll do what is right.

I'm going to become one of those people who don't like to gamble. A couple of people I met at the casino helped me make that decision.

One gal I've met before. Every time I've been to the casino in the last year I've seen the same lady at the same particular penny machine. Last time I went I struck up a conversation with her and heard her "story". She's on disability and comes to the casino every other week and spends a few days each time. Each trip she plays hour after hour every day on that same slot machine. If I'm heading to the casino, she'll be there - and she was again this trip. I don't want to be that person whose life revolves around the casino, or even the person who is recognized as a regular.

The other gal I met last night. She was sitting at a penny slot machine next to me and kept repeating, "This is stupid." I didn't pay too much attention to her, but saw she had about three dollars in the machine. Then she told me she had put $100 in the machine and hadn't won anything yet. When she got down to a dollar left in the machine, she put in another $20 bill. She still was muttering about it being stupid. (I got the impression she was talking just as much about herself as she was the machine). $120 lost in a penny machine. I don't want to be that person who loses that much on one machine, particularly in pennies.

Knowing myself and my all or nothing way of being, I  made a conscious decision before I left the casino not to return. (At least anytime in the near future.) I have a full life here at home. I have activities that I can immerse in and forget about everything else.

When I got home, a package in the mail confirmed I was making a good decision. My two books ordered from Snapfish. One of all my donation projects for the year and one of my rose garden from this year.

I love the books and am proud of the work I've done and the pictures I've taken. The ten dollars I spent on the books is a much better use of my money than trying my luck with a slot machine.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Make Decorative Binder Clips with Mod Podge - Day 307 of 365, Tutorial Tuesday

Sometimes my husband sees something in my sewing room that he likes.

He saw a clipboard I made and wanted one. I made him his own.

He saw a kids' quilt I made with baseball fabric and wanted it. I made him his own.

He saw a grocery sack holder I made and wanted it. I gave it to him.

But the binder clips from today's tutorial? Yeah, not so much. I was excited about them. I use tons of big black binder clips at work all the time, and I thought maybe my hubby did too. So I told him I'd make him some. I could do star fabric, or red, white and blue, or some patriotic fabric. But he just laughed at me. I think he thought they were the stupidest things he'd ever seen.

I don't care. I like them. I'm using them. And I'm going to make more of them.

Supplies:
Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 
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Decorative Fabric Covered Binder Clips Made with Mod Podge Craft Project


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.

Click on the video for step-by-step how to instructions to make these decorative binder clips from fabric scraps and Mod Podge:

Monday, January 2, 2012

Day 306 of 365

Next week is my mom's birthday. I always struggle with what to get her, especially with her birthday being so close to Christmas. But this year it was easier.

She likes to gamble. When she lived in California she went to the Indian Casinos a lot and made her way to Reno quite a bit, too. She went so frequently that she always got offers for free rooms, but since she moved back to Idaho she hasn't been able to use them. She has been itching to take a trip down to Jackpot. Actually itching probably isn't a strong enough word for her desire to get some gambling in.

So today I'm picking up my mom and taking her on a casino jaunt for her birthday present. She'll get to gamble to her heart's content for the next two days. Since I still have money leftover from my trip with my husband, I'll get to gamble a bit, too. But I also have leftover work that I didn't get finished over the Christmas break, so I'll be bringing my laptop and papers and folders and files and notebooks along with me for a work session.

Speaking of leftovers, I finished up my flower quilt. Yay! 5 years late, though.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Day 305 of 365

I almost started a new sewing project today, but I stopped myself. I made a conscious decision not embark on any new sewing projects right now.

I have plenty of leftovers.

Leftover, unfinished projects from years back fill a basket in my sewing room. The basket has bugged me on a daily basis year after year. Every day I sew I see that basket. Every day I sew I put that basket out of my mind.

But not today. Today I picked up one of those unfinished projects (my favorite one of the bunch) and got to work on it. Finally after a few years I now have the applique part finished.

With any New Year's Day luck I might be able to get it quilted before the day is over. And this one is going nowhere. It's staying right here with me to hang on a wall somewhere.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Day 304 of 365

I'm not one for New Year's parties. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions either.

Just looking back over 2011 I could never have predicted how my life would have changed.

A year ago this week I had yet another surgery. A lengthy one-armed recovery at my daughter's apartment. Months of even more physical therapy. When the therapy stopped, I counted. Thanks to the back issues and surgeries, 17 of the previous 18 months were spent in physical therapy.

I started a blog. I've been writing and taking a picture every day.

I was able to return to work part-time. I promised myself I wouldn't overwork myself but I did.

I sewed like crazy for kids' and military causes. I did more sewing this year than all my other years combined. When given a choice on my birthday of a new sewing machine or a heck of a lot of quilt batting, I chose the batting. I started filming how-to videos of crafts and cookies and posted them on You Tube.

We grew a vegetable garden and I was able to can and freeze things from the garden. Thanks to my two new post-surgery shoulders I could hang up my laundry on the clothes line for the first time in a couple years. I spent a lot of time sitting on the patio watching momma hummingbird feed her baby.

I had to start giving myself extremely expensive shots to combat arthritis. My hair started falling out. My arthritis didn't get better. I rode an exercise bike every single day. And then I stopped biking and started walking. And then I tried exercise videos, and eventually I stopped exercising at all.

I stayed up late with my daughter taking pictures of lightning. I traveled to the casino by myself and spent the night. I hated it and came home. I started riding the bus to the casino for the day and liked it much better, well enough to go back a couple more times.

I de-cluttered and then stopped. Then I started up again. Then I bought new things and got rid of some old things.

I realized some people are interested in what I'm doing and what I'm saying. Over 15,000 people have visited here so far this year. (A sincere thank you to those who have been here for the sometimes bumpy ride.)

There would have been no way to predict where I would be right now. So no resolutions, no promises, and no hopes for the new year. Just something I found when I was cleaning up some papers this morning. I have no idea when I cut it out or where it came from, but it obviously struck a chord with me then and it still does now.

I'll be going into the New Year with this in mind.

And to you, I hope you have a safe and joyous New Year.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Day 303 of 365

Out with the old, in with the new.

Yesterday I was lamenting about not getting any after-Christmas shopping done. Not 10 minutes after writing about it, boxes started arriving. (I forgot that I did some after-Christmas shopping online. It's pretty sad when you buy things and forget.) But how could I forget these things? Some of my before-Christmas things finally arrived yesterday, too. I've never quite a delivery day like it.

Box number one came in the mail. It was a box of things - all free - ordered from Vista Print. A wall calendar using pictures I'd taken and used on the blog. 250 business cards. (While I didn't need that many, I did need some. And these free ones are prettier than anything I could make myself.) A mug for my husband and a tote bag for me.

Box numbers two and three came by UPS. Two separate orders placed on two separate days arrived in two separate boxes at the same time. A new bag for work to hold all the files I transport back and forth. (Now my mom can have her bag back that I borrowed in August.) Also, a new binder. Maybe a new coupon binder to replace my other one?

Box number four came by Fed Ex. The first generation iPod that has been sitting in a desk drawer for a couple years since it doesn't work has been recalled by Apple because of a battery/fire hazard. They are replacing them with a sixth generation iPod, so box number four was the empty box I use to return it in. (As soon as they get this old one, they'll send me the other one.)

Box number five came from another Fed Ex van. I ordered a copy of a Children's Writer's Market book (a serious writer needs good resources) and a Roku, a thing I've had my eyes on for quite a while. It plays videos from the internet so I now can watch movies in my bedroom while my husband is downstairs watching his sports. Woo hoo!

So in the last week the out with the old, in with the new tally:
  • 2011 calendar out, 2012 in.
  • Old coupon binder out, new coupon binder in.
  • Old work bag out (back to my mom), new one in.
  • Thanks to a Christmas present, an old iron out, new iron in.
  • Thanks to another Christmas present, old slippers out, new slippers in.
  • Old Writer's book out, new in.
  • Goodbye Sonicare toothbrush, hello Oral B rechargeable.
  • Old iPod out, new iPod in. 
  • Old haircut out, new haircut in. 

I have been growing my hair long (from the previous short, short, spiky cut) so I could cover some of my balding/thinning/receding hairline issues caused by the chemotherapy drugs. But I've grown tired of so much long hair falling out everywhere. While I didn't return to my short, spiky locks, I did go with a much shorter cut than I've been wearing. A cut just long enough on top to hide what needs to be hidden on my head.

I was going to add "out with the rain and in with the sun" to the list but had to retract that. As I was in town the rain clouds started moving out in a very definitive line and the sun started moving in. Unfortunately the pollution from the factory clouded my picture a bit.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Day 302 of 365

It has been four days since I've been in the fresh air.

I haven't left the house since I went for that walk on Christmas Day. Haven't stepped one foot out the door. No walks to the mailbox, no trips to get something from the car. The closest I've come to being outside is when I opened the door for the cat to go out yesterday.

I can see it's cloudy, and I can see it's rainy. I suspect it's not all that cold out there because our heat isn't kicking on as much. But I don't know for sure.

I'm off from work this week and have no reason to head out the door. Hubby is also home all week. Having a husband around me 24-7 might be the best reason to head out the door, but I can't summon enough energy to get to those after Christmas sales. Can't even get myself to the grocery store.

Having all this time in the house did give me a chance to get his quilt finished. After I took the picture I realized I had the quilt turned upside down. Before I had a chance to retake the picture, he already had taken it to the basement with him to watch TV. Guess he really was looking forward to his belated Christmas present.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Day 301 of 365

I think my husband considers himself a foodie. He watches the Food Network and Travel Channel to find the best places to eat around the country. And when we were in Hawaii a few years back, we went on a food tour. We went to places we never would have discovered as tourists and ate things that wouldn't have been on our radar. Spam sushi anyone? (It actually was pretty decent.)

While I'm not a foodie, there are foods that I enjoy. There are also those places that served the best of the best:
  • The best french dip sandwich was at the Tulalip Casino outside of Seattle.
  • The best berry cobbler was at the Gallery Restaurant in Sisters, Oregon.
  • Best root beer shake is at Frosty Palace in Homedale, Idaho.
  • Best pizza is at Flying Pie Pizzeria in Boise, Idaho.
  • Best hamburger was at the Night Owl Cafe (no longer in business) outside of Burns, Oregon.

While now is not really ice cream season, the best root beer float is right here at my house.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Make Snowman Magnets from Leftover Buttons - Day 300 of 365

Handmade Snowman Magnets Made from Buttons Craft Project

Wouldn't you know the 300th day of this blog thing falls on a Tutorial Tuesday?!

65 days to go. I can't believe I'm getting so close to a full year. It started out as a day at a time thing - a reason to get out of bed, a reason to do something, a reason to look around me. All in search of that sometimes elusive picture.

But here a couple days after Christmas my schedule is all thrown off in a way it hasn't been before. Christmas Eve on a Saturday, Christmas on Sunday, and my daughter and her boyfriend not going home until Monday left me without a tutorial. So today it's a truly Tuesday tutorial, filmed on a Tuesday.

Thank goodness I was able to scramble and now have a snowman magnet tutorial ready to share today. It's not like we got snow (Boise did, though), but the snowman theme is something that continues after Christmas.

Happy 300th day to me.

Looking for something else? 
Check out some of my other Christmas sewing and crafting projects!

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.

You can find the step-by-step how to tutorial for making the homemade snowman button magnets craft project right here:

Monday, December 26, 2011

Day 299 of 365

After posting a picture of a pelican on Christmas Day I started wondering what I was thinking.

A pelican for my Christmas picture. Really? No pictures of decorated trees or other folks' Christmas lights, no picture of the table set for dinner, no pictures of presents or the Nativity Scene from the park? Nope, I had to take a picture of a pelican.

But I think I found a connection.

Swans-a-swimming. Geese-a-laying.  Calling birds. French hens. Turtle doves. And a partridge in a pear tree.

At the park yesterday I didn't see any swans, but I did see a blue heron. Lots of geese (just not a-laying, unless you consider laying down). No calling birds but plenty of quacking ducks. No french hens, but some bird that looked somewhat like a guinea hen. Instead of turtle doves, pigeons in the shed across the road. And a pelican swimming in the pond.

My own version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Now those Twelve Days of Christmas are over. The tree is down, the decorations have been put away, and it is time to move on to my husband's quilt. A belated Christmas present.

Fabric I bought at the quilt show on Day 115 turned into a kids' quilt on Day 245. My husband saw the fabric in that quilt and wanted something for himself. I cut the blocks an entire month ago on Day 264.

Then that kaput iron on Day 276. It has now been replaced with a brand new Rowenta iron for Christmas (from my mom). Combine that with a husband who likes winding bobbins for me and I now have a work-in-progress quilt top. A true work-in-progress quilt because after I took the picture and saw it from afar, I wasn't too pleased with the layout of the blocks. I may be doing some rearranging before it's all said and done.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Day 298 of 365

Christmas was nice.

Stockings full of things from Santa. Thoughtful presents for all. Christmas Cards in the tree. A tasty Christmas meal with my daughter and her boyfriend.

A pleasant after-meal walk in the park by the river. Lots of ducks and geese, a blue heron, and what I think might be a pelican. Who knew I lived so close to such great sights!

Here's hoping you and yours have a great Christmas time with family. Merry Christmas.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Day 297 of 365

The pies are made, the rolls are rising. The To Die For blueberry muffins are ready for tomorrow's traditional muffins and juice breakfast.

Our Christmas Eve tradition will be starting soon. Our daughter will be heading out from work at six this evening, picking up Chinese food on her way for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Then we'll be opening up just one present this evening - a book. We'll all sit by the tree in the living room and read tonight.

First thing tomorrow morning we'll see what Santa has brought each of us, then we'll start opening presents.

I'm happy to say the quilt I made for my daughter is wrapped and under the tree. I can't wait to see what she thinks. She loves her cat dearly so I imagine she'll be quite pleased.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Day 296 of 365

The cat got let out of the bag.

With me at work two days this week, then working furiously on my daughter's quilt blocks, us heading to the casino, yesterday being a full day of doctor stuff and last minute grocery shopping, and my daughter coming home for the night, I forgot.

I forgot to hide the blocks I was making for her quilt (Day 294). My repeated insinuations that it was a "girl's quilt" (implying it was for charity) didn't appear to carry much weight with her. I think she knows it's hers because of the kitties in the middle of the blocks. It didn't help that I had texted her last week asking her favorite color (pink).

But she doesn't know the part of the quilt she'll like the most. It won't be revealed to her until she opens the wrapped present on Christmas morning. It isn't quite done so no picture yet, but it better be done by tomorrow!

I already have a picture for today, anyway. My daughter wanted my help making some cookies for her work. A joint mother-daughter baking-decorating session. Good job kiddo.