Monday, May 18, 2020

Day 61 - Almost Like Christmas

I would cruise 365 days a year if I could. But there are two things holding me back:
  1. Our daughter. She lives in the next town over and one of my favorite things in the world is hanging out with her.
  2. Foster Cats. After we had to put our kitty down several years back I started taking in foster kitties. Whenever we’re home, I get baby kittens who aren't yet old enough to adopt and help them get big and strong and ready for adoption. 
As we all know there is now a third reason I’m not always cruising. The dang pandemic has shut down the cruise lines. It’s also shut down hanging with my daughter and shut down the local feline shelter I work with.

But today one of those things changed. Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus and yes Deb, kitties still need temporary mamas. While the Simply Cats shelter is closed to the public, they did have something for me. Well, somethings - as in more than one.

Here's a peek at just one of the little bottle babies I'm transitioning from formula to gruel. Messy, messy. But oh so cute.
All is right with the world when you have this
little one staring up at you on a rainy Monday.
Want to help contribute to the work I do with foster kittens? I have an Amazon wish list right here. These are the things I use again and again, year after year. With daily laundry and frequent cleaning, items have to be replaced often. I’d love anything you’d be willing to send my way!

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Day 60 - Definitely Not Dew Kissed

As I was picking kale in the garden I got a handful of squishy wetness. Could the leaves have been kissed by the morning dew? Nope. Maybe the day's rain had collected in the leaves? Nope.

Nothing but disgusting ickiness. Gross, nasty aphids.
Where are my ladybugs when I need them?

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Day 59 - Two is Too Many

I typically skip breakfast. Occasionally I'll have some Greek yogurt when I get up but for the most part I usually head into the sewing room first thing in the morning. I'll work a while and then come break time eat the yogurt. But today when I woke up I was feeling like I wanted a breakfast burrito. We had the spicy Mexican chorizo. We had the eggs. We had tortillas and cheese.

We also had a husband who decided he was making himself bacon and eggs at the exact same moment a wife was cooking her breakfast at the stove.

At the old stove with not all burners working properly.
Under an old oven hood with a fan that makes a horrendous racket.
On what used to be nonstick pans. He Who Shall Not Be Named long ago scratched the heck out of them, turning them into stick pans.

Under normal conditions having two people cooking separate breakfasts at the same time in front of the stove would be difficult. Add in weeks of living under stay at home orders? Having those two people doing it with the barely working burners, a noisy fan, and crappy pans? Yeah, not so good. I think I see some new purchases in my near future to make kitchen life more manageable. (Probably should keep the hubby, though.)

But despite the morning hiccups, the breakfast burrito was pretty darn good.
Yeah, that's a Halloween plate. Don't judge.

Friday, May 15, 2020

Day 58 - Don't Be a Duck

I had to run out today to pick up a prescription. Thankfully Rite Aid now allows you to prepay for them online so the drive up pick up was a quick and painless transaction. But as usual, between the time I left my house and the time I returned, I witnessed behaviors of people indicative of us not all being in this together. Yeah, it's every man for himself out there.

So when I saw a bumper sticker speaking to me when I was sitting at the stoplight I had to take a picture. It's the round one on the left - the one that definitely doesn't say Don't be a duck. But it does say Don't be a d*ck. (Update: I found the sticker on Amazon here. It actually is quite cutely decorated.)
Dang I wish my phone took better pictures!
On a happier note...actually maybe more of a sadder note...Shutterfly occasionally sends emails reminding me of my memories from years ago. Here was today's emailed memory from six years ago, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge on a cruise ship.
Someday again, I hope. Just not any time soon.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Day 57 - The Quilt Continues

I thought the hardest part of the “Timeless” quilt (AKA the Procrastination Quilt AKA the Fabric Headache Quilt) was behind me.

Over the last month I have:
Picked out all the fabrics.
Traced all the pattern pieces.
Ironed yards and yards and yards of fusible web onto the fabrics.
Cut out each individual fabric piece.
Ironed all the fabric pieces into their proper places.

It has been a huge undertaking and a very time consuming project. One requiring the utmost patience and persistence on my part. But now comes an even harder part - putting it together with a backing and some batting. Oh yeah, then there is the quilting that needs to be done.

Too bad I can’t just leave it as it is right now.  While not yet a true quilt it almost looks like one, doesn’t it?


Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Day 56 - Inconsistencies Will Be the Downfall

It was last week when I wanted to go back into hiding after one day's experience. I had been in the parking lot when Ed was in the medical clinic and watched an extraordinary number of people go in and out the doors with no face coverings and no observance of social distancing. That was followed up by a visit to the home improvement store to pick up some weed spray where, while waiting in line, I again watched and again saw numerous people ignoring social distancing recommendations. And very few masks. It was that day I was on the verge of wanting to stick my foot out as people walked by. I figured if someone was close enough to me to trip over my foot then they were too darn close and they deserved to fall. I came home never wanting to go into public again.

But then we did. We've been doing grocery pick-up since March but sometimes you want to be the one to pick out your own fruits and vegetables and not leave it to someone who doesn't care much about what your celery looks like. Having not been inside a grocery store since our weird visit day there back in March, it was time. So we headed to our local Winco grocery store this week and were pleasantly surprised. Most people with masks and plenty of social distancing. And even a group of young people without masks were being very considerate and moving their cart (and bodies) when around the rest of us older folks. Made me think maybe things will be okay.

Then came the doctor's appointment. They called us ahead of time, letting us know they aren't having patients wait inside the waiting room. Just call us when you arrive and we'll come and get you from your car when there is a room ready. Sounded like a great idea to us.

Until the receptionist came out to the car with the standard paperwork to fill out. On their clipboard with their pen. Did she drop off the paperwork and leave? Nope. She leaned into the car, talking us through it. With no mask on. Seriously, we are going to all this trouble and then someone working in a doctor's office isn't considerate enough to wear a mask when she's talking to us less than a foot from our faces? Grrr.

It's disheartening to see the inconsistencies happening around us. Yep, time to go back into hiding. With no more doctor appointments until next week, we'll stay right where we are. With us both being high risk we just can't, well, risk it with all these people and their behaviors.

The only good thing to come out of the appointment (other than Ed being good to go for two more years!) was the roses out in front of the car while I waited for him. I even captured the reflection in the car hood.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Make a Scrap Fabric Matching Game for Kids - Tutorial Tuesday

It's Tutorial Tuesday and today I have a project to keep your kids busy during this no-school pandemic times. It's an easy sew project using some of your fabric scraps.
Easy Homemade Fabric Matching Game for Children from Fabric Scraps


For this project you will need:
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 sewing and crafting content.

You can find the step-by-step how to directions for this easy homemade scrap fabric matching game sewing project right here: