As She Says...We are Putting the Fun Back in Dysfunctional

 Self is getting herself together...Am I working on Christmas??  No!  Am I  thinking of traveling next week?  No!! Am I exercising in the pool as required??  No!!  Instead, I am eating cookies  and making potholders...And I am happy as a clam...

Tonight's reveal:

From a ripped vintage top comes two Wonder-undered potholder tops...so thrilled...

From my scrap basket comes some purple fun

And from my Accuquilt die and scrap Australian fabric plus, comes kitty

Living in a mess, sewing away, calling maintenance to unscrew the top of my salt shaker.

Looking forward to a few friends calling tomorrow.

They say they love me and do not care about the mess....

Tonight was an hour of live holiday music... There are many talented people here..

I am so safe and cozy in my little apartment, albeit lazy as all get out..

How could I ever grouse??  I live in a fabric store with five sewing machines

My hairdresser of 30 years came to my patio to cut my hair for the holidays!!  She has been cutting it for so long that she does not even need a mirror...

I  might need a wife, or at least a maid to follow me around picking up and organizing my fabric scraps and other bits and pieces....Other than that, Life is splendid!!..

The Cute Stuff and Other Stuff

 Of all the great pictures, I think this is it.  I loved them so much, I posted them both. Our three year old Aoife at the llama holiday get together.

Tonight's fun..scrappy holiday potholder.

adorable backing

My daughter had given me a bit of this cheater cloth.  Thinking it could be a quick potholder, I quilted it.  Then the  iron broke...Must be time for bed.

A walk through Trader Joe's gave me nostalgia...brussel sprouts cooked on the stem for a lovely holiday family presentation.  I love to entertain my big family...Alas, no more big family, no more big house.  A healthy change of direction for me. a bit sad, but  it is not in me any more.

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would lose strength in my arms.

Cutting out fabric is now difficult for me...AND, if I want to cut large strips on my cool and awesome Accuquilt electric, the dies are too heavy...

And so, with mucho dollars worth of fabric owned by me...., I had to buy these on Black Friday...a sad state of affairs.!!

A busy day for me...lovely lunch with a friend, a lovely two hour, $1000 trip to the dentist, a relaxing stroll through Trader Joe's and home to sew and putter.  Below:  dentist's holiday tree!

I must repeat over and over....I will not and do not have the energy I had when younger..

So there!!!

Carpe diem....

And here:...Mac Barnes, quilter extraordinaire, shows his update on his teaching at Quilt Con 24

https://www.quilt2024.com/mac-barnes

Scrap Success

 

Tonight I made great use of my 10 foot plastic chain.  Trying to figure out how to cut plastic as I can get three lengths out of this one.  Missing my husband and my son.  Will have to ask around here..but I want it now...guess that need is past....Any ideas??  Let me know.  I love the 2.5 inch strips hanging free, unwrinkled.  Finally I have a use for the skinny hooks I bought....with large safety pins I can lift, by color strips, as needed.

Resting by my new fireplace.

Fatigue....I do not understand why I am always so exhausted from doing nothing.  Friends my age do this and that and go and go and they are still not as tired as I am...always tired!!

Just saying....again.....

Unfocused Once Again

 Organizing my scraps leads to working on a random project.

I was looking for a certain large Sawtooth star pattern to start with Alexis Peace quilt for her chemo...when I spied these windmills on my design wall...All of a sudden I was pulling out a drawer of solids looking for lattice for this...hmmm...  What would your choice be?  It is strange how a photo can change an opinion.

IKEA has a new rolling cart, much smaller than the other....So perfect for my thread next to my machine.

Home Depot sold this 10 foot orange plastic chain.....With hooks, I can hang fabric strips on it .

At my age, holidays surely  change.  Instead of the matriarch with the dinner and big tree...a grandma becomes perifery as the children grow up with their own lives and family members die.

I see now that it is the midnight hour and my mind is going dark....Tomorrow will be brighter as I meet with friends and sew....

My cleaning lady came today so I get to crawl into fresh, clean sheets. 

Bye, Bye November

 Tom, age 90 lives above me...His hobby is tatting...Lucky, lucky me was a recipient this year.

Aoife sewing at pre-school.

Random vintage fabric I bought online.

Adorable, but unfortunately not usable on quilts...The fabric is way too thin.

I framed a snapshot of Tom's gift to make into a thank you card.

Grateful for a printer....grateful for the present.!

A quick secret snapshost of my girl and her beloved Rosie.

I took it during our Facetime chat.

Sew busy on Black Friday!!!

My PayPal finger is sore.

I bought a fireplace to keep my sewing room cozy.

Our  visit to IKEA to celebrate Sherry's birthday brought a box of  yummy Swedish gingerbread cookies.  I opened them tonight...so could not wait till December.  They are displayed on one of my new fabric pieces.  My dear husband buys me new fabric every single Christmas...I love him so.

Another IKEA find...

Tonight's surprise visit from Charlene..She selected a bag for her baggies.

Charlene's great smile made my evening  brighter. She gifted me with a pretty Poinsettia.

One more exhausting day...made so much better with friends.

Happy Birthday Sherry...big thanks for spending it with us.

AND for putting together my fireplace and hanging my IKEA storage.

So very grateful today!!

Winter Has Come to Charlotte

In Portland, Oregon, Aoife and Rosie are ready for their nightly walk. 

Warning!!! Danger!!!  

When Lynsey and I went to Aldi the other day, I bought these..

My body said NO, my lack of will power said YES!!

They were so very delicious that in just a few hours they were all gone...Amazing...

Wonder who in the world ate them???

Here is the Black Friday bargain flannel peace sign fabric for the back of a chemo quilt for my niece. .Tuesday she is having  testing...so we should know more then.

Alexis is crazy about peace signs.

Potholder relaxation just never stops.  I gave 4 away today...OMG..

My latest chicken quilt is now bound.  Mary Jerz does my quilting., my arthritis refuses.

It has been sitting around my lazy bones for months now...Tonight ..all done but the thread snipping.

I really love it.  I bound it with plaid, cuz it is a country quilt.  The chickens are from Spoonflower.

Tomorrow we are going to IKEA on a field trip..

God help me.

It is cold and my body aches....a few laughs with friends should be the best cure.

So Thankful

 Happy Thanksgiving...No matter  how  difficult this Thanksgiving was, I am amazed at how long my gratitude list is.

Aoife called her grandmother and was able to say: "Happy Thanksgiving"!!

Above, the adorable family hands for 2023 Thanksgiving.

Dylan and Lynsey spent the night last night.  Lynsey found my 50 year old ceramic tree from Miami.  It was a gift from a friend's mother....still has a chip on the side...making it even so much more endearing.

This is the first year Lynsey decided that the tree should have only white and  yellow lights...a great idea, dear girl.

The stress of what is and what was, eventually drove me to the sewing machine.

While watching a zoom meeting, I finished 4 potholders...

As my sister said, my 5 sewing machines are all in perfect working condition.

Amazing what sewing does to one's disposition.!!

My dear friend, arthritis, forgot that today was a holiday.

It was however, a beautifully sunny crisp day to eat pancakes at IHOP with

two grands and my dearest DIL.

Lucky for us, tomorrow is a brand new day.

Grateful.

Things That Make me Happy

 Aoife enjoying fall in Oregon

Potholder makings

Fabric creative opportunities.

Tea with a peach honey stick

Friends, family, fabric and my safe and cozy new apartment.

Here I go Again

 Below is my fall door decoration...

Tonight's potholder:

Tonight's not quite finished potholder:

My oldest granddaughter....three months shy of 15.  She is writing her book.

Things are sooo much better now that she is being homeschooled and has no phone...

Yay, my girl and yay, her mother!!!!

Productive day inspite of my joint  pain.

Did my  pool exercises

Went to the library

Ate lunch and dinner with friends here at my grande dining room

Got my 
RSV shot...or RVS...etc... no pain, no sore arm...so done!!

Finished some sewing above

Now prepping for Sit and Sew tomorrow.

and bed...my lovely quilty bed.