Day 471

Hubby has been wanting to go to Jackpot since he got out of school last month and I keep putting him off. I've been too busy with work, have no interest in gambling, have too much sewing to get caught up on, and don't really want to be away from home right now.

But I caved. I figured I could spend my time at the pool and swim, swim, swim and take my laptop and school bag and work, work, work. I even tried to find a way to take my sewing machine but with the big bulky juicer in our suitcase something had to give.

So here I sit in Jackpot trying to find a good work/swim/stay-away-from-the-slot machines balance. (Unfortunately I wasn't so good at the slot machine avoidance.) I did get some work done and got some swimming in, though.

As I was sitting by the pool a stray cat appeared. It sat quietly hiding behind the chairs, ventured across the pool deck, and proceeded to drink from the pool.

Win It Wednesday winner...Kristen. Remember, it's a quilt top only (no batting or backing) but if you're still interested in it let me know!

Day 470

Today's blog post is probably the shortest thing I've ever written. It probably has a lot to do with the guilt I feel for not having done more quilts this year. Compared to last year, I'm way behind.

But at least fabrics are picked out for the next three kids' quilts. These will again head to Alaska to their branch of Operation Kid Comfort. Just gotta get started on them!

Day 469: Win It Wednesday

Today's Win It Wednesday prize might look familiar. On Day 394 (yeah, that was in March) I finished up a Cars quilt top for charity.

Guess who never got around to finishing it? My plan was to applique either tires or road signs in the darker gray blocks but it never happened - didn't even pick out fabric for the appliques. I've moved on to other charity quilts, ramping things up to get several out the door by July 1.

Any takers? It's approximately 39" x 46". While I would love it if you finished it up and gave it to charity, you certainly could either give it to someone you know or keep it for yourself. I'd love to see a picture of the finished product no matter what, though!

If you're interested leave a comment on this post. If more than one person wants it, I'll  choose a winner on Friday.

Day 468

The scrapbook sale went well. All but one box sold, but even without that one I netted a bit over $170 dollars. Not bad for stuff I was never using anyway.

The flowers blooming out front aren't too bad, either.

Day 467

Some totally non-related things I learned today (in no particular order):

• The most delicious breakfast in the world - a chorizo burrito at a neighboring town's restaurant - doesn't taste as great as it used to, especially when you've already had a huge glass of kale, etc. juice beforehand.
• Numbing medicine put in your neck hurts.
• Having something removed from your neck in the exact spot where your seat belt hits hurts even more.
• I hate swimsuit shopping.
• I love the sunroof in my car.
• You have to stand your ground with the pharmacist when being overcharged for prescriptions.
• Working full time, trying to finish up charity quilts, and getting ready for a yard sale all at the same time is quite exhausting.
• Naps feel good.
• Hubby is getting comfortable with the camera.

I woke up after my nap in a bit of a panic, worried about not yet having taken a picture for the day. He had it covered. While I was sleeping a grass fire broke out not too far from us. He headed out the back gate and snapped the picture. That house was okay.

Day 466

Even though I've taken a picture every single day for the last 465 days, some days I can't take one. I have to take more.

Patience paid off today. A series of pictures in the miniature roses - one bee, then another one arriving, then both hard at work.

Day 465: Scrapbooking Saturday Sale

Today could have been called either Sell off Scrapbooking Stuff Saturday or Summer Snow Saturday.

All my scrapbooking stuff is now up on ebay, waiting for buyers. I'm embarrassed to say I had a whole cabinet of scrapbooking stuff I never used. It sat there, waiting patiently for me and I never gave it the time of day. So I have to say I'm sorry and wish it luck with its new family. I hope someone else can treasure it in a way I couldn't. (If you're interested in any of it, you can find it here.)

While it technically isn't yet summer, it is summer vacation for hubby. Although you wouldn't know that summer was anywhere close if you happened to look up when the clouds cleared out today. Yup, snow.

 

Day 464

First up...
jirons42 you are the Win It Wednesday winner. Congrats! Use the "Contact Me" button on the lower right side to send me your address.

Second up...
Something happened today for the first time in more than 51 years. For the first time ever, actually.

If you remember, my husband has been going to physical therapy. Being he wants to go salmon fishing in Alaska next month and not make a fool of himself, he has been working hard in therapy on his right arm/hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder. Both he and I are shocked at what is happening to the side affected by cerebral palsy.

For his entire life, that side has been non-functioning. Looking at the arm now it's obvious he's building muscles. As unbelievable as is seems to both of us, thanks to the combination of strength building exercises and some athletic tape to support his wrist, he is gaining function in that hand and arm. Reeling in his own salmon is closer to reality than he ever thought possible.

And something else he never thought possible? That for the first time in his entire life he would open a door with his right hand. A heavy outside door, even. Amazing!

Day 463

You'd never know I've been up to 1 am or so night after night, working on school stuff. I knew things would be busy, but not like this.

Thank goodness I can pull into my driveway in daylight hours and see hedge roses like this.

Day 462: Win It Wednesday

It's a double-down Win It Wednesday. Last week's winner didn't claim her prize so a new winner has been chosen - ytsmom, the crazy chicken wall quilt is yours if you want it! (Use the "Contact Me" button on the lower right of this page.)

Then there's number two, today's new prize. In our downsizing I've decided to get rid of all my scrapbooking things. With as many digital pictures I now take it makes more sense to do photobooks so the scrapbooking must go.

So today we have lots of letters, some punch out kind and some sticker kind, in all different colors, designs, shapes and sizes.

Anyone interested? If more than one person wants to get their hands on these, I'll choose a winner on Friday.

Day 461

The other day Karen commented: who would have thought that you'd be researching last year's photos for info - roses, birds, cakes... wonder what's next

Well, here's what next...


Last year we had just planted 50 bareroot strawberry plants.

This year that pile of dirt has become full of strawberries just ready for the eating.

Or should I say ready for the juicing?

Day 460

Last year we had yellow birds in our trees.

2011

This year, an entirely new different kind of yellow bird. Two years, two types of yellow birds. Thank goodness I take pictures or I would have thought they were the same birds. They are obviously not.

2012

And Lea, still waiting for you to use the "Contact Me" button on the right side of the page so I can get the chicken quilt to you!

Day 459

Kiddo and I stopped by Dairy Queen last night to get her favorite kind of cake - an ice cream cake.  The last time we had an ice cream cake from there was hubby's birthday. Last August, daughter had stopped by DQ on her way home and picked out one she thought dad would like. And now last night she picked out one she liked for herself. When she chose it I thought it looked familiar. I was so sure I had seen that cake somewhere before. It only took some blog searching to find out where.

Happy Birthday, dear daughter. Now I know what kind of cake to get you for next year!

Hubby's birthday cake (chosen by daughter) August 2011

Daughter's birthday cake (chosen by daughter) June 2012

And the delicious inside:

Day 458

Three people, three levels of excitement.

First up, me. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel at work. Granted, it's just a sliver of brightness but come June 29, I'll be out of the work tunnel and back into the nice bright sunshine. Can't wait!

Second up, hubby. Tonight he is going with our daughter's boyfriend to the races at Meridian Speedway. Hubby hasn't been since he was a kid and is anxious to get back. So boys night out, doing guy things.

Third up and most important, tomorrow is kiddo's birthday. When we talk about her birthday, I figure at some point she's going to want to do something different. But that hasn't happened yet. She'll be 24 this year and we'll be doing yet another barbeque here at the house. It's amazing that someone at her age is still excited to come to her parents' house for her birthday.

Three excited people but one uninterested, non-excited cat.

Day 457

After 457 days I sometimes forget what pictures I've posted. I know last year I did lots of rose pictures, but without going back through every single day I don't know if they've all wound up here or not.

Either way, I'm going with today's pictures of my miniature roses. Yesterday I posted a picture of one of my minis next to the bench but today I've taken a close up of that particular bush. I've also taken pictures of the other miniature - some close up, one not. I wish I knew the name of both types of miniatures, but I don't. Doesn't matter as I think they are pretty anyway.

I also hope the winner of this week's Win It Wednesday thinks the prize is pretty when it arrives at her house.

Lea - you are the winner of the crazy chicken quilt. Use the "Contact Me" button on the right side of my page to send your address my way. Congrats!

Day 456

Not much in the way of words today on this last day of May, just a look at some of my flowers in bloom. Guess I'm kind of into the pinks.

Enjoy!

 

Day 455: Win It Wednesday

He gets salmon and you get chicken.

If you've been a reader of my blog for a while you know my husband has cerebral palsy. He's not wheelchair bound, but he does have physical limitations. If you were to watch him walk and interact you might think he was someone who had a stroke, with the right side of his body pretty much immobile.

His limitations have impacted our lives. He doesn't drive and so every time he wants/needs to go somewhere - to work, the doctor's office, the store - he has to be driven. He can't tie his own shoes or the ties he wears to work every day. He has trouble using a can opener, putting on a belt, and can't cut his own steak.

But bless his little heart, he has decided to go to physical therapy to try and build some strength on his affected side. For years I've tried to get him there and now he's doing it. All because of the salmon. He wants to go salmon fishing when we go to Alaska this summer, wants to hold the pole with two hands and try and reel the fish in himself. What a great reason to be motivated, huh?

So he'll have the salmon. And I'll give you the chicken.

Today's Win It Wednesday is an applique wall quilt I made some time ago with some crazy chickens. It measures 40" x 48". I love it, but because of my downsizing initiative I have to rid myself of it. Believe me, it's a hard one to give up.

If you're interested in these crazy chickens, post a comment here. If more than one person is interested, I'll randomly pick a winner on Friday.

Day 454

I am fessing up today. Occasionally I might take a couple pictures in the same day and use one for the following day. It's rare that it happens, but it does every once in a while. I thought I was going to get away with it today, but I can't.

The picture I'm posting today is raindrops in one of my poppies. Being there was no rain today (darn!) I can't say it was from today. But I like it and it's going here anyway.

Day 453

I almost went into work today but I talked myself out of it. It's a bad time of year at work, a time that takes all my time. I knew going into this job it would be this way, but it probably doesn't help that I'm trying to get ready for a yard sale, too.

So while I didn't go into work today, I did work from home on not fun work stuff. But I also did home stuff. I went through books for the yard sale and put some more fabric up on ebay. I picked out the Win It Wednesday prize for this week (if you like chickens you might like this one) and got working on another kids' quilt.

And I'm cleaning up my dinner diet and am planning on having juice for dinner instead of having it for lunch. At lunch I had tuna fish on double fiber bread with some veggie chips on the side. Interesting-looking veggie chips. Who knew a taro root chip would look like this?

Day 452

Who, on their way home from the grocery store, stops in a Kmart parking lot at 7:30 in the morning to get a picture for the day? That would be me. Something about a car carrier with a mixture of old and new vehicles was interesting.

I'm just waffling on how to best tie it in to today. Is it because today is a "car" day? We'll be watching both the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 on TV - that's over 1,000 miles of cars going 'round and 'round.

But today's picture probably better represents how I'm feeling. Although we still juice twice a day, going out to dinner almost every night is getting the best of me. I'm starting to feel like the vehicle on the left. It's time to clean up my dinner diet so I can start feeling nice and shiny like the vehicle on the right.

Tinted windows, here I come! (I don't really know what that means but it sounded cool.)

Day 451

Knowing we're wanting to downsize - and knowing hubby is on board - is making it easier.

Easier to get rid of all my old accumulated teaching materials. Easier to get rid of clothes that don't fit, decorative knick knacks I'll never use, Christmas decorations I don't absolutely love. It has also made it easier to get rid of fabric scraps.

Every time I made a quilt in the past year, I wound up with a stack of scraps. I even used those scraps to make crumb quilts (like this one on Day 107), but I'm tired of the scraps. I'm making some new quilts and will wind up with even more scraps, so I figured it was time for the old ones to go. I wound up with a large flat rate boxed stuffed full. Go figure.

Yard sale them? Nope. I am jumping (back) into the ebay realm as a seller. Hopefully someone can find a good use for them.

If you're interested, you can find the auction here.

Day 450

After I wrote yesterday's blog about it being Mother's Day around our house, I got a present.

Since I'm a salt and pepper shaker collector, my daughter presented me with two new pair. Snoopy on the doghouse and Lucy doing her thing. Love them!

Speaking of presents, a Win It Wednesday gift is going to amyrdh. Amy, use the "Contact Me" button on the right side of the page to send me your address and I'll send those blocks your way!

Day 449

We got around to celebrating Mother's Day today. Kiddo came home and we've been hanging out, planting flowers and getting all the long grass out of the strawberry bed. Except we found out it wasn't long grass that was growing in there. Last fall we used straw to mulch the bed and I guess there were some seeds left in that straw.

If we hadn't caught it now, I think we would have wound up grinding our own wheat into flour soon.