Day 656

That's it for the charity quilts for 2012.

22 charity quilts for the year. This one here is headed to Alaska's Operation Kid Comfort.

Day 655

I've decided I like lounging in my PJs on a Sunday. (Guess Pajama Boy is rubbing off on me.)

I guess it isn't exactly lounging if I finish a kid's quilt - complete with quilting. I even took the time to quilt around the designs on the middle piece. Just look how one of the trees came out - proof that my quilting is slowing improving.

This is another one of those Alaska Operation Kid Comfort ones.

Day 654

We don't go out much after dark, especially at this time of year. It is hard for me to see when driving and it is so doggone cold.

But we just so happened to be in Caldwell as the sun was setting. Instead of rushing home before it became pitch dark we decided to go out to Chinese food for dinner. Delicious. Yet it wasn't the Chinese food that became the picture.

It was what we saw when we came out of the restaurant. As we walked across the street to the car we could see Christmas lights down at the end of the block. We took a little post-dinner walk and found something we didn't even know existed. A creek-side park, part of the city's recent revitalization, all decked out in every possible color of light.

A perfect after-dinner detour.

Day 653

Fridays are turning out to be hubby's how-to day. The day he asks to be taught something new. Inspired by yesterday's huge cinnamon rolls at Sunrise Restaurant he wanted to tackle two things.

Sticky buns and cinnamon rolls.

And boy, did he conquer both! I can attest that they both taste as delicious as they look.

Day 652

Hubby first wanted today's picture to be of the cinnamon roll. Sunrise Restaurant has huge ones! Half a cinnamon roll equals most of a plate. Yum! But I wanted today's picture to be of the beautiful bush with red berries on it outside the Mexican restaurant. Yet by the end of the day he wanted the picture to be of his school. The place the kidney specialist has cleared him to return to after the first of the year. Finally.

On hubby's last day of school before summer break - May 21 - we thought he'd have 84 days of summer vacation. 84 days of no kids. As it has turned out, by the time he starts back he will have been gone from work for 226 consecutive days. That's a long time.

He's like a kid at Christmas right now. Happy as a clam.

And partially happy about today's picture. Red berries and cinnamon roll.

Day 651

I'm outnumbered.

Guess who has joined hubby in the it's nice to relax in front of a fireplace on TV club?

Day 650

With hubby growing up around fireplaces and woodstoves he has a different opinion about them than I do. He sees them as comforting, relaxing, and mesmerizing. I've spent the bulk of the last few days in my recliner down with the flu and he keeps asking the same questions: Are you cold? Do you want another log on the fire? He'll even get me to smile a bit when he occasionally moseys up to the fire to get warm.

But we don't have a fireplace.

It's a video on Netflix. Fireplace for Your Home. A solid hour of nothing but logs burning. Another solid hour of logs burning and Christmas music in the background.

It may not put off heat but it does look real. Doesn't do much for me, but he sure is into it.

Day 649

I think hubby was hoping I hadn't already taken today's picture. I think he was hoping I would take a picture of the sock he darned, but I didn't.

I went with the fabric choices for the next kid's quilt. Certainly much prettier than a darned sock.

Day 648

A six year old boy who lives in Alaska. Has a dad in the Army, stationed away from home for the holidays. A dad who, when home, goes fishing with his son.

It looks like that six year old boy will be getting a quilt with pictures of dad - and fish - before Christmas morning.

One of two quilt tops for the Alaska branch of Operation Kid Comfort ready to be quilted.

Day 647

Alfred Hitchcock?

Nope, kitty cat who jumped on the table and sat right in front of the TV.

Day 646

When I was at my mom's place today she told me the picture of the Christmas tree I took on Day 643 would make a perfect Christmas card. She even downloaded the picture onto her computer. And that is when she realized it would be perfect - except for one thing.

The light switch is in the photo.

So I'm back at it tonight, trying to get a picture that doesn't contain a light switch. Not the easiest task in the world, as the other side of the tree has the snowman quilt hanging by it.

Day 645

My personal chef, live in housekeeper, and sewing partner (AKA Pajama Boy, AKA hubby) branched out today. While he enjoys cooking (his new hobby), he has always left the baking to me. Until today.

Today, on my day off, is a day that will go down in history for us. I thought the day he first used my sewing machine to make those potholders was miraculous. But today took the cake. Took the bread, I mean. Today is the day he baked bread. For the first time. Ever.

Back on Day 33, I made some delicious rosemary bread. Today he added garlic to the recipe and made some super-delicious rosemary garlic bread. (Beat the taste of mine, that's for sure!) He also ventured into the french bread baking department.

What a guy!

Preparing the French Bread

Rosemary Garlic Bread

The Final Products - French Bread, Rosemary Garlic Bread

Day 644

Any new parent (or grandparent) will tell you their baby is the cutest one out there. I'm starting to fall into that way of thinking about the cat. It probably comes from the empty nest syndrome, but how can you resist such a silly cat?

She thinks she has to protect the gift wrap while I do the wrapping. Just look at those glowing eyes - they'd scare off any wrapping paper thief.

After being disturbed when I kept taking wrapping paper out from under her, she decided the TV needed some protecting, too.

Day 643

Too tired from going to work today, I put off my picture until after dark.

That was a mistake.

I wanted today's picture to be of our Christmas tree. While there aren't any presents under it yet, I thought it would be pretty all lit up. So I snapped my picture after dark with the lights shining bright.

That was a mistake.

It didn't show off the ornaments. The ornaments are important this year. For when we downsized, we downsized Christmas too. All those boxes of ornament sets that I really didn't care much for - gone. All those ornaments that I didn't have much attachment to - gone.

What remains are the ornaments that I absolutely love. The ornaments that have stories behind them. Stories of our lives.

While this picture doesn't showcase all those special ornaments, I did use a special editing tool to give it a 1960s look. Being I was born in the 60s, I imagine that could be story in itself.

Day 642

I intended to get in the sewing room this morning and work on the new kid's quilt I have planned. Unfortunately for me someone else beat me to the room. (It wasn't hubby.)

This little one took over the ironing board, the new fabric I was planning on using, and the little pencil sketch I made of the design.

I didn't have the heart to wake her or pull any items out from under her. She slept there for hours!

Day 641

Years back we bought plum-colored throw pillows for the couch. It didn't take long for us to amass enough green-colored furniture to make the plum pillows obsolete. I whipped up some green slip covers from my fabric stash and we were set.

That was more than ten years ago.

But as of this week those green pillows are no more. With the new dark brown chairs in the living room it was time for another change. Off came the green, but living with the plum again just didn't feel right. Hubby thought about sewing up some brown ones (I think he might actually like sewing!), but I had another idea. 

Pillows to match the quilt that is hanging on the living room wall right now. The quilt from Day 622.

A new joint sewing project between the two of us has resulted in these:

Day 640

It came down to a question my husband posed. Do you want to get better?

As usual, yesterday's appointment with the rheumatologist was a mixture of good news/bad news. The best news was that the ultrasound on my hands showed no new deterioration of the joints. That also meant I didn't have to go back on the chemotherapy and the injections and the anti-malaria drugs for the time being. Unfortunately the ultrasound showed something new. Carpal tunnel syndrome.

It shouldn't be a surprise. With all the typing I do at work and all the sewing I do at home it would be surprising if something didn't show up. But that's only part of the continuation of issues. Pain is still high so he's increased meds for that. My blood work from yesterday still shows way-way-too-high inflammation rates so we're starting something new.

Steroids.

Every time the doctor has brought up steroids I've declined them. The side effects have always worried me and after seeing hubby on them the last few months I've become even more leery. But when hubby asked, Do you want to get better? I only had one answer.

Yes.

So after trying to stave off steroids for years, I guess I'm going down that road. And I'm not happy about it.

The only thing I'm really happy about right now is the next sewing project for us. Some applique, some additional fabric, and a soon-to-be festive set of pillows for the new living room. (If you've been reading the blog over the last month or so you might recognize some of the cut-out pieces and will be able to predict what the design will be.)

Day 639

When I look back to the early days when we first married I sometimes think, why did I do that?

Take Christmas presents for example. Young hubby would shop for me at Christmas, but being he was/is only able to use one hand he found it difficult to wrap presents. Some years he would pay to have things wrapped at the mall, but mostly he brought the presents home unwrapped.

And I would wrap them.

Wrap them with a twist. Hubby wanted me to be surprised on Christmas so I would wrap presents blindfolded. (Do you know how hard that can be?!) We still joke about that now, but now I have also gotten wiser. I wrap my own presents not blindfolded, but only if I've bought them myself. (Otherwise he uses a gift bag.)

I bought these sewing scissors for Christmas and they just arrived in the mail today. I'll soon have them wrapped and under the tree but I just had to take a picture first.

The most beautiful pair of scissors I've ever owned!

Day 638

What do you get when you have a husband whose new hobby is cooking? A husband who is tired of the run-down potholders? A husband who decided to pick out fabric for some new ones?

A husband who decided he wanted to learn how to sew?

You get these. Every stitch sewn by him. 

First time ever using the rotary cutter and the seam ripper, but the most impressive - the first time he ever used a sewing machine. I never thought this day would come.

Day 637

Hello, my name is Deb and I'm obsessed with taking pictures. Of frost. Again.

Another rose bush...

A spiderweb in the tree...

Black-eyed Susan...

 Kale...

Windshield of the car under the carport.

Day 636

It isn't the picture I take that I regret. It's the picture I don't take that causes me to wonder why didn't I?

So despite the foggy, cold, very frosty morning I headed outside before sunrise, before work, to take pictures that could only be found on such a day.

First, the burning bush.

Then the roses. You know how they say no two snowflakes are alike? I believe the same can be said about ice crystals on the leaves of rosebushes.

Day 635

Every time I opened my mouth today, no matter what words came out, hubby said that's a song. And he was right. About any combination of words is an actual true song. But no more true than when he started singing a Five Man Electrical Band song after I took today's picture.

Sign Sign everywhere a sign 
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind 
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

What kind of picture would spur someone to break out in these lyrics? How about this one I took while waiting to be let through by the flagger.

Day 634

Hubby's trying to grow a mustache.

He's had beards and goatees during our time together but for the most part has kept his face clean-shaven. With no facial hair he's always had a young looking baby face, but now, with all this illness, he's looking very old.

The mustache isn't going to help things much. It seems that the majority of it is coming in white. Not light brown, not gray. White. I even took a picture. It is going to be a time-lapse of sorts. From stubble to full mustache. (If it gets that far.)

But I don't dare put that picture up today. I'm going for something much more colorful. Day 625 pieces turned into blocks on Day 626 and now have turned into a quilt top. Almost a quilt top, that is. The pattern calls for an additional border with some more applique. I just don't have the energy (or patience) to finish it yet.

I'm too busy with hubby having me count the white hair/brown hair ratio on the mustache.

Day 633

It took kitty no time at all to figure out my chair was the best place to be on a rainy day.

Day 632

If there was a world record for the greatest number of hours spent in brand new recliners, I think hubby and I would be in contention for breaking it. Since the chairs have shown up, that's where you'll find us. But spending hour after hour in the chairs have limited the pictures available for today.

I could have taken a picture of the geese flying over the river. Except the hunters are out and I would be afraid of capturing the very moment a goose started plummeting to the ground.

I could have taken a picture of us lounging in our chairs. Except our eyes were closed more than they were open.

So I took a picture of hubby's fireplace. Except it's not a fireplace.

He wishes we had one so he could sit in his new chair by a warm crackling fire, but we don't have a fireplace anywhere in the house. He found the next best thing - a candle. (Yeah, I don't get it either, but whatever...) I won't be surprised if he winds up using this picture on cold days as a backdrop on his computer screen!

Day 631

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you get to enjoy time with family and food.

I know I enjoyed the mashed potatoes.

Day 630

I intended to love my living room, but after several years of continuing to add random pieces of furniture I grew to dislike it. End tables and lamps we bought in 1985. Chairs from the department store. A coffee table bought online way back when shopping first hit the internet. An immaculate thrift-store couch. I kept telling myself it was all going to come together but unfortunately it never did.

Fast forward to this afternoon. Out goes the over-sized plush green chair (if you're reading this, live around here, and know someone who might want it I'm more than happy to sell it super cheap) and out goes the striped chair (to the sewing room for that one). With a bit of furniture moving and the addition of two new rocker recliners I can finally say it's starting to come together. It appears those bookshelves need some attention, though. Nothing like a picture to show what things really look like!