WEEK 47

 

Memorial Day weekend in the US.  Time to pause and give thanks for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  For those still serving we pray for them to remain safe and for those who have served we thank them also.

Let me tell you about my week.

Monday:  I got a call about 9AM asking if I was available to take my DIL, Tiffany, to the Emergency Department.  Not how I planned on spending my day.  We have a stand alone ED in town and so I took her there for treatment for her migraine.  I was all prepared to sit there for a few hours.  I was so smart and took a book to read.  WRONG!  Once in the room, they turn off all the lights and it is pitch black. Since I have never had a migraine I had no clue that lights were a big trigger.  We were in and out in about 2.5 hours.  Much better than going to a hospital's ED.  Hubby and I also had our A/C get it's bi-annual inspection to keep it in tip top shape.  I was able to get the laundry completed too.  I got my Mother's Day gift today.

My new Mini Trinity bag from Twice Sheared Sheep.  It is perfect to carry a sock or baby hat project in.  LOVE IT!

Tuesday:  We got new tires on our car.  It was not something we had planned on.  I had taken the car to the dealership last week for it's check-up and was informed my tires were down to 1/32" and were a danger to drive on.  They gave me a price to get new tires and I about fainted.  I came home and hubby did some research and found them for $1000 cheaper.  Yes!  there are 3 zeros on that number.  When we took the car to the tire dealership they said I still had 4/32" of tread left.  Hmmmm........kind of made me realize I was handed a bill of goods from the dealership.  But we got the new tires anyway as we would have needed them before the lease is up next year.  Since the tire shop is in the same parking lot as our local bar and grill, we had lunch there while waiting for the car to be done.  Win - Win!

Wednesday:  I had a tele-health appointment with my rheumatologist.  She was very happy with the progress I had made with OT.  No need to go back but just continue the exercises at home to maintain the progress.  Hubby came to me, later in the day, and showed me that he had gone through another heel of a sock.  I started the replacement immediately,

Where I am as of Sunday morning

No, you are not confused.  I had just finished the 'replacement' sock last week for this pair of socks.  Well, the 'old' sock must have felt bad that it was not as bright and pretty and blew out it's heel.  Now when hubby blows out a heel, he does it so well I can not even begin to try and just repair it.  So glad I usually have extra yarn of all his socks.

Thursday:  A very nice and quiet day.  Hubby decided to catch a virus and was feeling pretty puny.  So we just sat and just watched TV for most of the day and I worked on my crafting projects.  I made menus for the coming week and got my grocery pick up list completed too.

Friday:  Hubby is really sick!  No fever but horrible coughing and his nose won't stop running.  I picked up the groceries and got our water jugs filled.  Again, we took it easy so he could get as much rest as he could to try and recover.  It gave me time to work on my crocheting and knitting again too.

Saturday:  Hubby is still under the weather.  I took the time to clean up the kitchen and get things ready for next weeks meals.  I am so bad at getting things cleaned and cut as soon as I get them home from the store.  I had strawberries, watermelon, and green onions to clean and cut.  Once they are done, I love being able to just reach in the fridge and grab.  I will say, I am impressed with the person who picked out my strawberries and watermelon this time.  They are perfect and so yummy!  Much better than when I do it myself.  In the late afternoon, I went to Mass for Pentecost.  It marks the end of our Easter season.

Today:  Hubby seems to be a bit better.  He is still congested but not near as bad.  I do not plan on anything major today.  I am going to cook some pork chops later along with some sweet potatoes and then pecan pie for desert.   I plan on working on the Lego blanket again as well as the RCR and the Lap throw.  I already showed where I am with the RCR.  Here is what I accomplished with the other two.

 Not a huge amount of progress, but still progress.

Finished a color change and started another.  This blanket is going to be quite large!

I was able to lay it over both hubby and myself.  It is almost 6 ft wide and already over 3 ft long.  Very toasty when laying on my lap.  Thank goodness I have a little fan next to where I sit so I don't melt.

That is about all for this week.  I will leave you with a bit of humor.

Until Next Time......................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 46

 

Hello again.  It has been a busy week for me, so let's get to it,

KNITTING

The socks are completed!

I was going to take a photo of the two of them but, could not find them.  Asked hubby where they were and he took off his shoes and there was this one.  He had already worn the brown striped ones and they were in the laundry.  Guess he loves his RCR socks.  Two less WIPs hanging around.

I wanted to work on something other than the lap throw and Lego blanket so I did a little casting on...............

Some little preemie hats for the NICU.  I found the yarn for these while doing the decluttering of my craft room.  These are such a quick knit.  Only takes a day or two to make them.

The lap throw and Lego blanket did not see any love this past week.  This coming week looks like a good time to work on them again.  Well, unless the baby hats take over again.

DECLUTTERING

I stayed in the craft room for a couple of days and then headed into our dreaded 'back room'.

Another trip to Goodwill was made on Friday and also the local senior center.  The senior center got the puzzles I showed last week (15 of them) and Goodwill got the rest of the 'stuff'.  There were brand new outdoor games that went including; bocci ball, lawn darts and inflatable corn hole.  I am loving getting things out of the house.  There is so much more that needs to go.  All in good time.

READING

I finished the second book in the DIY mystery series.  I went to go borrow #3 but it is not available yet.  I put a hold on it.  It should be available in a couple of weeks.  In the meantime, I still have my paperback to keep me company.

FUN STUFF

On Mother's Day, our daughter came over for breakfast.  When she left I went into my craftroom to do a bit of decluttering.  When I sat down to rearrange my desk area I found a tiny flamingo sitting on the desk.  As I looked around, I saw more flamingoes sitting around in various spots.  As I walked around the house, I discovered my sweet daughter had put flamingoes all over our house.

After finding several of them, I called her to find out how many were deposited.  She said there were 22 out of 100 here.  So far, we have found 21.  That one lone flamingo is making me a bit crazy.  She promises she only put them in the family room, computer room, guest bathroom and craftroom.  She does not remember putting any in the kitchen but could not swear to that!  I am just thankful she did not put the entire 100 around.

Speaking of fowl.........................

We had a couple of visitors in our pool on Thursday.  We had heard of others finding ducks swimming in their pools but this was our first encounter.  We walked outside and neither of them were bothered with us being there.  Unfortunately, their droppings really mess with the chemicals in the pool.  Their droppings also carry some nasty stuff that can make us humans very ill.  The male left in the late afternoon and hubby went outside and nicely asked the female to go and join him.  We are lucky we do not have any foliage in our backyard or they might have nested and once that happens you are not allowed to move them until the ducklings are able to leave with the 'parents'.

I completed my OT this week.  They remeasured my range of motion and strength from when I started and I had improved more than was expected.  I have a Dr appointment this Thursday and will see if she wants me to continue OT or just continue exercises at home.

And, to make sure you leave with a smile on your face......................

Until Next Time........................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 45

 

Happy Mother's Day to my US moms.   I have a lot to show and tell so let's get started.

Knitting

The needles have been smoking this week with activity.

It is amazing how fast a sock can be done when putting10 rows a day on it.  This one will be done this week for sure.

This one will also be completed this week.  It makes me happy to see two unknown WIPs to be getting accomplished.  I have checked my other 'bins' and did not find any other surprise items languishing in any of them.

The lap throw is finally using the last skein of yarn.

I was amazed at how many rows were knitted with that small amount of speckled yarn I had left last week.  There is a hope this will be done before the end of summer.  I really want to get back to crocheting prayer shawls and not knitting lap throws.

Crochet

The Lego blanket has progressed a bit

I have reached row 120 out of 228 (not to mention the edging).  Now that I have discovered how to crochet without a lot of pain I foresee getting this blanket done before 2027!  

Decluttering

I went back into my craftroom this week to see what else I could pull out of there.

I have removed 17 puzzles I will never do and still have 17 left to work on.  My cleaning girls love puzzles so I am letting them have first pick before the rest of them go to charity.  I am hoping the local senior center will want them.

These 4 crochet books have been with me for years.  I did make several of the snowflake ornaments but no longer work with thread.  The snowflake book has traveled to Indiana to it's new home.  The others are being donated.

These two books were given to me over 30 years ago from my friends grandmother.  They were printed around the1960's.  They have now gone to their new home in Indiana also. I am so glad someone still works with thread and makes gorgeous doilies.

Today, my Cricut is leaving my house also.  It is going home with my Daughter.  She has wanted one for sometime but finances have prevented her from getting one.  I have only used mine about a dozen times and really no longer have an interest in making things with it.

While going through my yarn bins I came across several mini-mini skeins of yarn.  They are 10 grams each and after much thought I have decided to try and make striped socks from them.

Here is the groupings I have decided to try them in.  As soon as hubby's socks are done, I will be casting these on.

Books

Right now I am reading two books at the same time.  One is on my Kindle and is my bedtime reading.  The other goes with me throughout the house to read when I have a few minutes of down time.  Luckily, they are so different I have no issue keeping track of the story lines in each one.

On the Kindle is "Spooked and Spackled".  It is #2 in a series of DIY mysteries.  The 'real' book is "Sworn to Silence" and is a bit grittier than I am used to but still a good read. 

Life

Yesterday, Hubby, Daughter and  I went to the Gray Matters Foundation Raffle.  

The last photo we were told to stick our tongue out to cancer.  Didn't want you to think we are always this rude in photos.  

Our daughter made this basket to go into the raffle.  The paper on the front tells Josh's story and it made all of us tear up reading it.  She is already 'plotting' a basket for next year.

It is Mother's day here in the US.  Our son had us over for a lovely steak dinner on Thursday and gave me a single yellow rose.  Our daughter came over this morning and brought breakfast burritos for us.  She made a cute floral arrangement for me.  It never needs water and will never die!

My flowers.  I know, the yellow rose is hard to see.

Now you can see the yellow rose.  This is my comfort zone in the house.  My book, projects, computer are all  within arms reach.  It is where I plan on spending most of my Mother's Day.

That pretty much covers my week.  I am still in OT and it is working quite well.  YAY!  This coming week is my last 2 sessions until I have a follow up with my Dr.

I will leave you with my weekly chuckle.

Until Next Time.....................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!

WEEK 44

 

Hello my lovelies.  I hope today finds you healthy and happy.  I am doing well and I do thing the OT on my wrist is helping me.  I still have 2 weeks left of therapy so am hoping by the end of that I will be able to just do exercises at home to maintain my progress.  I told my therapist my goal was to be able to crochet again and not just on small items.  I want to be able to work on the Lego blanket and not be in dire pain during and after a row.  Her suggestion to me was to wear the brace I wear at night and try to crochet with that on.

It has metal bars in the top so I can not do a lot of bending of the wrist.  I decided, what the heck, I will give it a try and see what happens.

See the bobbles at the top of the photo?  I did those plus the 2 rows above them in one sitting! I was so excited.  Maybe now I can get some rows added to it each week.  I can not do it for long periods of time as that thing is HOT and it is already A/C weather here.

Back to the brace, it works for crocheting large heavy pieces.  It does NOT work for knitting.  I have a different brace I wear for that. 

This one also works for when I am typing.  I do not wear either of them 100% of the time.  Just when my wrist is going to be doing repetitive movements.  And, before you ask, no, it is not carpal tunnel.  Been there and done that before on my left wrist.  This is 100% RA, according to the x-ray report.  Thankfully, I am a lefty and my right wrist is the issue.  Always look for that silver lining and gratitude!

Of course I worked on the lap throw this week too.  And, no, I have not used up this skein of yarn yet. *sigh*

Can you see the progress keeper?  Last week someone suggested using a progress keeper to show me my progress on large items.  I do use them.  Unfortunately, the one I chose for this project kind of blends into the fabric which is why I used blue dots and arrows last week.  I could change it out to something more visible but I know when I get back to the solid brown, this keeper will show up splendidly.  Not to mention, I am too lazy to pull out my tin of progress keepers and try and decide which one to use.

As you know from last weeks post, I have started my annual decluttering.  Since I am the only one that goes/uses my craftroom, I figured that was the best place to go after the kitchen was completed.  That may have been a massive mistake.  I did not get very far into the room before.........................BAM!  I found two socks that had been made some years ago for hubby.  They were so sad and lonely as their mate had died sometime with heel hole disease.  Luckily, I still had plenty of yarn for each of them to make them a new mate.

This is Diversity yarn which I have a plethora of.  I still find it one of the best non wool yarns for socks.  Hobby Lobby had one called Comfy Toes I liked, but they decided not to carry it any longer and have now gone to wool sock yarn too.  Cotton Sox by Cascade is ok but looses its shape the minute you put it on and it is a bit thicker than most sock yarns.  So, only short socks will be made with that brand.  

This is Leading Men Fiber Diva yarn.  It is SW wool, nylon, and silk.  Lovely to knit with for sure.  I originally made a shawl out of this yarn and tried to wear it.  But my wool allergy reminded me just how allergic I am to wool.  So I frogged the shawl and made a pair of socks for hubby.  He loved them so much he wore a hole in the heel in 3 years time.  It was unfixable.  The original sock had different colored heels and toes.  There is no more of the contrasting yarn, but who cares!  They are worn in shoes and no on else sees them but us.  So, I started the sock and got to the end of the heel and noticed it looked very different from the original sock.  So, I pulled my crafting journal to see what I did different.  Dang it!  I used a different needle size!  I seldom use a 2.25mm needle but for these I did.  What to do?  I frogged the partial sock and started again.  This yarn is VERY forgiving!  This is the third time it has been knit and still looks fresh and has great stitch definition.  

The decluttering kind of came to a stand still once I found these two sorrowful socks waiting for their mates.  I will be back at decluttering next week though.  It makes my heart happy to minimalize things.  The craftroom is the hardest for me.  I always think "I am going to need that someday" as I sort through things.  In the short 2 days I was in there I have discovered I have so many 'gonna do that soon' projects.  It is embarrassing.  Puzzles, Diamond Art, Cricut Projects, Sewing, Knitting, Crocheting, Ornaments, Cross Stitch and Lego builds.  HELP!  My name is Marsha and I am a craft-a-holic.

I got a new planner this week.  I have used Hobonichi Techno Weeks for several year and really liked it.  This year I decided to try a different planner and after 4 months can honestly say I dislike it greatly.  I was going to get another Hobonichi with an April start but the selection was not to my likeing.  What to do?  Go to Amazon and see what they have to offer.

Looky here!  Looks very similar to the Hobonichi and it is undated so was able to start it the first of May. If I end of loving this as much as I did my Hobonichi I will stay with this as it was less than half the price of the Hobonichi and it came with the protective cover too. Even though I keep my appointments on my phone calendar, I still write down on paper my daily 'chores' I need to complete.  Keeps me more focused and organized.  And at my age, I need all the help I can get.  LOL

I wanted to take just a couple of seconds to explain my header photo that will be used for this month.  May is the Gray Matters Month which bringing awareness to brain cancer.  This is what took the life of our son, Josh, in September last year.  Glioblastoma is so deadly with most patients dieing within 12 - 18 months of diagnosis.  We were blessed to have had 22 months with our son.  So, for the month of May I will honor him with a gray ribbon for my header.

That, my friends, sums up my week.  I will leave you with a chuckle that is so my hubby and myself.

Until Next Time......................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 43 OF 52

 

Three weeks in a row I am posting!  Must be this gorgeous weather we are having that has me up and ready to attack the day.  The sun is shining, there is a cool gentle breeze and my front porch rocking chairs are calling my name.  Soon, sweet chairs, soon.

But first, I did a lot this past week and not all of it was crafting.  First, I will show off my crafting.

Still working on the lap throw.  The blue arrow shows where I was last week.  It is coming along and is not a hard knit but not something I will repeat anytime soon.  I was hoping to start a new skein of brown yarn before today.  Nope, I have this much left of the speckled to go.

SO CLOSE!  This week for sure.

I do have a finish to show.

I crocheted a doily.  It is been ages since I made a doily and I forgot how fun they are to do.  This one is larger than it looks here,  It is to protect my noodle board from being scratched by my 'treat' jars.

This gives you a bit more perspective of the size.  Those are quart mason jars that sit in a wire holder.  We keep our hard candies in them.  There are wintergreen lifesavers, Werther's originals and Dad's root beer barrels.  The family loves to grab a piece or two when they come by.  Can you say Grandma's house?

That sums up the crafting this week.  I got struck by the declutter bug.  Hubby continues helping a friend clean out her Aunt's house and after I went through the house I immediately came home and decided it was time to really get serious about getting my house in order too.  I spent the entire week doing the kitchen.  This is my domain and so I knew what I wanted to keep and what had out lived or no longer had a purpose for me.

The first photo completely filled my SUV's trunk, back seat and front seat.  The second photo has not been put into boxes yet so not sure how much room it will take up.  All I know is I am very happy with getting rid of so much 'stuff'.  It is so freeing!

Last night, hubby and I were talking about which room I should do next.  There are 2 rooms that will require him to join me in going through.  So, I think I will either do the craft room or the room that Josie used as she was growing up.  I also have decided I am not going to hang on to my mom's Hummel figurines and plates.  She tried to sell them on eBay and I have tried many consignment shops here and no one wants them.  I even put them in a garage sale and no takers.  I will keep one figurine as a memento of my mom and offer one to each or the kids, grandkids and great grandkids also.  If they do not want one, the boxes of them will be donated to Goodwill.  I hate to do it but I can not keep housing items that no one has an interest in.  They have been in my home for over 10 years taking up space.  Time for them to go on their way.

I finished up a book last week and have started the last one in the series.  There were 13 books and I loved all of them.  Now I am looking for recommendations for my next read.  I love cozy mysteries as well as biographies and novelists like Kristin Hannah.  If you have any recommends, leave them in the comment section.  Please and thank you.

I started OT this past week.  I think it is going to be a big help with my wrist.  Right now they are working on getting more range of motion and then we will go on to strengthening.  I have daily exercises I am doing and already can tell a bit of difference in the lack of pain upon movement!  Hooray!

I do have a little chuckle for you this week too.

Until Next Time..........................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 42

 

Whoa! Updating my blog 2 weeks in a row.  Do I get a gold star for that?

It was an interesting week for us.  Also a productive week for my crafts.

I finished my RCR socks.

Matter of fact, I am wearing them today!  These were done on Tuesday.  That meant I either needed to cast on something new or pick up on of my WIP's that are laying around.  I decided to pick up a WIP.

Remember the lap throw I started ages ago?  I decided to pick it back up and work on it.  I put a progress keeper on it before I started back on it.  Luckily I am able to work this Portuguese style knitting, so it is much easier on my wrists and hands.  I am hoping to complete this skein of yarn this week and then attach the last skein of brown which will finish it.........eventually.

I went to my Rheumatologist this past week.  She did have me go and get an x-ray of my wrist.  NO FRACTURE!  But, it is loaded with arthritis.  I am starting occupational therapy this coming week.  I am hoping it will help me so I can get back to crocheting again.  After all, I have a Lego blanket I need to finish and get out of my home!

Hubby has been very busy this week helping a friend clean out her Aunt's home.  He has worked 6 hours a day with her for the past week.  After walking through her house and seeing all the STUFF that is there, I now know I need to start getting rid of all my stuff BEFORE I leave this world.  On my!  This lady's house would have made a great episode on Hoarders.  Only, this hoarding is all high end items.  (golf clubs, shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc)  He will be going back this week again to continue helping.

Yesterday, hubby and I were getting ready to walk out the door to go to Mass when the doorbell rang.  SURPRISE!!  Hubby's brother, from Las Vegas, and his friend decided to come and pay us a visit.  It was nice to see him again but I had to scramble to get the guest bed ready for someone to sleep there.  That is where we put 'stuff' until we get time to find a final place for it.  They left this morning, so it was a quick trip for them.

The Brother

His friend is a huge historian and loves looking into where hubby and his siblings grew up.  It was in a small copper mining town in Arizona.  The history of that town is very interesting.  The mine started in 1872 and is still operating today!  They predict it still has another 20 years of production.  

The rest of today will be just kicking back and enjoying the day.  I will be working on the lap throw while watching some TV with hubby. I am also close to finishing the book on my kindle.  So, will read a bit too. There will be homemade taco salad for dinner tonight.  A quick and easy meal with leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

That wraps it up for me.  Here is your weekly chuckle.

Until Next Time.............................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!