plans?

seems harmless to jot down things to do, right?  lately my list has turned on me like a mad dog....all set to assemble these into a scrappy top.....

seems harmless enough task right?  derailed by yet another ER run....testing revealed meningioma in cerebellum...huh?  another diagnosis that totally shocked me....grueling 40-minute MRI was reassuring.. now back home after a totally no-fun weekend....almost don't dare to get out of bed anymore...LOL!

and just when all the winter clothes are out the weather turns warmish for another few days...no matter....i'll enjoy it!

have a blessed day!

birthday boy!

today is brother #2's birthday....he is 8 years younger than me so i remember clearly my mother being pregnant with him, her baby shower where she received 4 tiny adorable dresses that were passed on, the day he came home from hospital (halloween) and his growing up years...he was feisty and energetic from day one but has mellowed with age like all of us....

he's a grandfather now, a musician, an author, dad to 3....happy birthday bro!

week ahead wide open so making the list with high hopes...LOL...while rearranging stuff found this...

easy to machine quilt so will get 'er done and out of the waiting pile....

and a spring stitchery kit got pulled together....

last, this pile needs to disappear.....a scrappy top is in the works, just a few hours with miss sunny should do the trick...

and if time permits, hope to start applique on the red/green album-ish top.....after some cooking and house chores!  here's to a blessed week with some good news from DC for a change....

some progress!

waited to post until some finishes ready to show.....tackled some things piled on the sewing table....

the socks....they are a bit roomy but not so much i can't wear them...and they are warm and now done....win/win/win!

a little cross-stitch piece started eons ago...pattern from meredith's blog, pinker n punkin...she is very generous sharing all kinds of little stitcheries....this is winter saltbox and finished ahead of the season for a change....just stuff and add it to the display....

rather than start another new thing, pulled out this piece, added the borders, cut out and pinned the swags...would love this to be finished by christmas but really depends on the fingers....wish i could have made the border a tad wider but limited to the piece on hand...once the applique is done it won't appear as crowded....

signed up for a christmas swap and need to make a couple of things for that, must keep under wraps for now....

feeling sorta rabbity, jumping from one thing to another....it's because i have so much free time....just work on whatever comes to mind at the moment.  really trying to move some UFOs forward while waiting for fine motor touch to return in full...needs must tackle some house chores sooner rather than later...cabin fever isn't fatal but some days seems like it might be....

quilty peep gladi always includes nature photos on her posts...she lives in southern NH so plenty of seasonal change photos....here is one she said i could post....

and since it's the season, i found this on instagram....andrew wyeth...

if you ever find yourself in rockland, maine, the farnsworth museum has an entire building (a former church) chock full of works by all 3 wyeths....definitely worth a trip....the elevator is huge and contains an old church pew!  it's interesting to see the 3 very distinctive styles of their work....

what's shakin'

a squishie arrived the other day, a 'pass along' from an online quilter.  she has been organizing her stash, finding things long buried, adding them to her list.  to say she is overwhelmed is an understatement but making good progress.  she showed these...i started drooling....she graciously sent them to me!

they are fragile but whole...enough for a quilt i'd say....the original pattern idea was sent along too.  as if i needed another project......

our weekly store trip was to walmart and these were already on display....

plus all the decorations and other holiday trappings....i'd say the stores are desperate, especially around here where so many have lost government jobs and things currently look bleak for many more.  so naturally came home and started on a decoration of my own, something that's been swirling around in the gray matter....

also pulled out a few things that needed basting....anxious to catch up on some finishes...

and sock saga?  sock #2 is done and big improvement over #1....not perfect but better, plus made longer in calf so almost knee hi which is good...then took #1 and ripped out half for a do-over...i see why so may make them...they are quick and cozy and the yarns are so colorful....

this is the cog railway in bretton woods NH....the foliage is just breathtaking....maine is past peak now and winter prep efforts being ramped up....thinking about getting out winter clothes this weekend as the heat has been on overnight a few times...a frigid 36 degrees here this morning...that's cold for maryland...there'll be snow on Mt. Washington very soon i'd say....

another weekend ahead....nothing fun to do but hope you have a good one!!

 

red letter day!

that would be friday.....arm bandage be gone!

my 12-inch serpentine scar is out there now for all the world to see..but no biggie to me.  just glad ordeal is over--well just about.  still waiting on fingertips to wake up a bit but coming along slowly and they are quite usable for most tasks.  dr said it would be 3-4 months and he was just about right...10 days shy of 3 months.  

after few quick errands saturday, the sewing mojo kicked in and sat down at the machine to finish up some things.  i think my head had to adjust to not being a patient anymore...i could resume a life without nurse visits, gauze and other trappings.  so what did i do?  

first was get the HST border on this panel....one more border and calling it done...most important, it and all the pieces are OFF the sewing table now....

next came this project....

this panel was a donation to our group and since RWB lap robes were requested, this was flung to me to make larger.  there was a cream border on it that got removed but that didn't help a whit squaring it up.  it was woefully wonky, so called on all sewing tricks to get this to the requested size.  the word to remember when working with panels is FUDGE!  a checkerboard border is always a helpful tool...now that and its pieces are off the table as well....rest assured, my next project is NOT a panel!  

second sock coming along nicely....have now decided to rip out the other at the ankle where i made the biggest boo boo....i know every time i put it on it would nag at me...

hand piecing and hand quilting still waiting in the wings...still plenty of things waiting for attention plus a christmas wall quilt is planned.  numbness aside, hugely grateful for the progress thus far and all those who offered prayers and the wide range of professional expertise.  now can i have that vacation please?  yes, i'd gladly go to maine in october....have a blessed day!

a finish!

not quilty but my first sock is done!  it fits, it's funky and it is finished!  few errors still but one biggie related to left/right directions that can be adjusted on the next one.  fortunate i didn't expect perfection...LOL! 

also this weekend worked on the second lap robe flimsy for our group's vets project...and then some cool weather cooking was completed....was given 2 fat red peppers so stuffed peppers it was....

jam packed with fall veggies and in the freezer for quick fall meals.  next up was a pork stew.

was given some boneless chops...trimmed off fat and added to this melange of sweet potato, carrots, celery, onion, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, rosemary and oregano.  really nourishing, very low sodium and satisfying on cool days.  simple tasks but evoke long ago memories of busy kitchens where jams, veggies and fruits were "put by" for the winter ahead by my mom, aunts, great-grandmother.  

today could be the last bandage day.  able to get my watch back on so that's a big help.  nurse visit later in the week.  in two weeks it will be 3 months since onset of this current medical disaster.  so often i thought it would never end.  typing easily with both hands altho a bit of numbness persists.  feel like i can finally breathe a sigh of relief--once the housing issues get settled that is.  i am so overdue for some fun and diversion.

i saw this on instagram....a good reminder but confess i have failed at it already.....but today is a new day and God forgives....no halo for me yet....LOL!  have a coooool Monday!

looky looky!

well it finally happened!  friday took some hand sewing to weekly group and was actually able to do some applique....yowza!   the arm rebelled a tiny bit but then relented....the sorest place is just below the elbow in the widest part of the arm where the incision ends and where the giant clot was...it's slowly recuperating and getting used to moving again....but here's the sewing...

these had been prepped a while ago for 'sometime' which came yesterday.  it was a pleasant afternoon of chit chat and sewing...helps me feel less like a patient and more like a real person again...

i turned in my lap robe flimsy...

as of now i think we have about 18 or so with a goal of 25....next up for me is to utilize the panel and do something with that.  this project is a win/win for me as i get to serve vets in my community and also log these as volunteer hours for the DAR...

the give away tote yielded this light weight linen piece, just big enough for a table topper for christmas....it got hemmed and will snag some holly branches from nearby bushes to make a pretty festive table....it's about 30x34"....

once again find myself in an annoying housing situation where old selfish buzzards do as they please and management could care less.  complex rules work on paper only i guess.  the smoking and noxious air freshener fumes are quite bothersome to me and sometimes sideline me for an entire day.  what gives with these bratty seniors anyway?  with nowhere to go and no funds to take me, seems again trapped in senior housing hell....sheesh...more than irritated and discouraged at this point...was hoping for some enjoyable senior days but still elusive...

OT has discharged me and with few nurse visits left, could be finished sooner rather than later...one tiny spot still draining some but not for long.  anxious for this long, horrific saga to wrap up, fingers crossed that maryland will inflict its havoc elsewhere.  though it has been quite miserable, the excellent caregivers have been huge blessings and expertise to me...i could hug every one!

autumn is here and foliage up north has exploded...now would be a great time to have that stolen vacation in new england, don't you think???    blessings to all today!

ho-hum monday

predicted to be summer like but monday starting out gray and cool....weather almost never matters to me...whatever i need to do doesn't depend on it...lately it can't decide between summer or fall...

at our senior center is a large tote with all kinds of fabric pieces up for grabs...i always practice restraint but came home with these, each with a definite plan...

on the left is a turquoise scrap destined for 'wensleydale'....middle is a good size yellow cotton needed for a set of placemats and right is a 1.5 yard good for backing piece...

since the arm limits my sewing and use time, been keeping occupied with books and movies....my walmart subscription gives me paramount+ for free and occasionally i find a good movie there that's probably been overlooked....

based on a true story about a math teacher in a small, fading town.  he retires with no real plans on how to keep occupied.  then he discovers a flaw in a massachusetts lottery game, rallies his neighbors and the fun and winnings begin with amusing and lucrative results...

and this is the current read, a legal thriller by the master john grisham....never go wrong with one of his courtroom sagas....have to say didn't care for his 'camino' series as much....this one is about the coal industry in appalachia and its effects on ordinary people...

i wish i had more sewing progress to show....i'm down to one nurse visit a week and doing bandage changes myself.  OT comes today.  the arm is improving, nearly healed, but muscles and nerves need to catch up.  more use means more discomfort and that annoys me.  hoping to get back to the machine today.  my new sock start is coming along very well...so glad i ripped the practice one out.  i can see why they are popular as the work up fairly quick and colorful yarns make them unique...

off to start the day....have a good one!

getting in the groove

This is the day the Lord has made!  

now that wound vac gone and apartment tidied, have been slowly returning to pre-surgery routine....friday went back to quilty group.  took some hand work with me but arm rebels after just so long, not much got done.  our current project is lap robes for vets' hospice and red/white/blue color scheme requested.  i brought home enough to make two...saturday i started the first...

my stash is mostly fat quarters so nothing big enough for needed size of 50x60...this is the center of the first one.  and i had done a couple of quilts with panels for them to sell, which they did, so another was flung my way...

this is good size so not much will need to be added...first trim off top and bottom as it's a finished piece...i've enough scrappy on hand for this one.  i don't have to quilt them, just bring in tops...

arm still not quite healed....a couple of spots being stubborn....still draining tiny amount so may have to get a bit more aggressive to get this puppy completely healed.  discomfort has ramped up quite a bit no doubt due to increased use with freedom from vac.  i found using cane for support caused extreme discomfort in the forearm...fingers slowly, very slowly, improving...hoping i can quilt soon...a half day of sewing, household stuff and some baking was the limit...

and another steal from instagram...where i spend way too much time....

have a blessed day!

 

finally fall!

and certainly time to dig this out and finish it somehow...

this has been in the stash pile for some time and came close to donating but then.....so it's finish or out it goes....and with a hint of crisp air it was a good day for this...

apple crisp....when God gives you apples right?  

and since you asked (LOL), here is the sock just about done....

a great learning tool....does it fit?  sorta...really too big....do i like it?  nope....all my mistakes are glaring at me so will bite the bullet and pull it all out, start over now that i have the lay of the land, so to speak.  they are quite obvious even to the un-sock trained eye i'm sure.  i knitted too much tho and awoke in the night with arm pain, so taking it slower, but should still be done in time for cold weather here.

nurse just left....visits short and sweet now...one more this week then once next week...got mini-lesson in dressing change in case of drainage, but once that stops it's band-aids only!  it was exactly 2 months ago, july 21st, a monday before train trip, first symptoms started...now I need a real vacation!!

scarred for life now i guess, but it will fade some over time...eh, no biggie.  definitely huge sighs of relief....have a delightful day!