News anchor and music teacher

Angry birds

Momma does NOT like my jerry-rigging her maternity ward.  I made sure she returned to the nest after removing the stool, then secured the can to the hook and tied the pole base to a hole I made in the plastic planter.  It was the only large liner that fit into my planter, so no flowers in that this year!.  

We are expecting heavy downpours today and after yesterday's rain her little can couldn't take any more.  Another hook, a few more bricks, a trash can lid that now has a hole, and I think we tiptoed around her abode with success.  I had to add heavy stainless S hooks on the handle because the can was unbalanced and tilting.  I felt a little silly on the ground reaching up to add a hook, then another, and another, afraid to have a bird beak in my forehead.  The taller hook is not secure in the pot's dirt so we'll have to keep an eye on it.  Next step is getting a piece of wire fencing to surround this. 

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Any progress is good

Between headaches which are rare for me, and trying to adjust to the sun's brightness for the last few days, progress has been minimal.  But on 36 count and more over one, I didn't expect this to be a quick finish.  I should be able to complete the two sections leading to the vase at the bottom tomorrow.

 

The over one words down each side of the sampler's border did not show well on the chart's photo, the apricot color is not easily seen.  I miss out on a lot of nice samplers because so many have more than a little of over one.  I will consider the project if it's limited but on higher counts, no no.  I am liking those words stitched in the dark green rather than the apricot, more noticeable and adds some interest.  Looking at this, I think the blues should be darker, maybe 930 instead of 931 and 924/3768 instead of 928 (which I already switched to 927).  They look so much darker on the original, even for being on a darker linen.  Hmmm.

 

The gray 3024 of the original shows nicely on that color linen, but would not show at all on mine.  I have no intention to change the yellow I subbed for it, but look how much nicer the florals stand out on the original.  Need to think about this before I stitch the opposite side even though I just said I wouldn't change.  Don't ever trust me.

I have two small pieces of 40 count in Heartland and Legacy coming from another shop, anxious to see how close the colors are to the 36 count I just received.

Saw the podiatrist and he is pleased with progress but wrapped it tight again.  Maybe next week we can set that little piggy free.  Having the surgery postponed until now worked out well since I can wear sandals during healing.  Can't get them on yet, but soon enough.  Years ago the surgical shoe was a thick sole with two soft cloth flaps and velcro.  This one is a like a gravity sandal for the space station.

Flashing like a maniac.  They're baaaaack.

Enjoy your Friday folks.  

Thanks for visiting.

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Well that was fast

I just ordered this linen and it was in my box today.  My first Picture This Plus and I must say, it's gorgeous.  I was never thrilled with variegated or mottled linen but this is just so wonderful that I have changed my mind.  My only issue is the color.  I thought PTP Legacy was greenish and Heartland was pretty neutral.  Nope.  The Legacy looks more of a brown and the Heartland is quite green. 

 I do not imagine that any linen dyed like this should be dampened or wet, so dipping the green in a smidge of red to tone it down would be wasting/ruining the entire piece.  It's still a beautiful fabric and I have to learn to deal with my color phobia about undertones.  I'm happy to have a piece of each!  I've had major differences in R&R 18th Century line, hoping PTP runs fairly true to prior dye lots. 

No projects chosen for either, I just wanted to own a little bit of these popular colors.  Will definitely check into another order for additional colors.

Have a good day.

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Three flat cats

Petey practices social distancing ... lest he wants a smackdown.

And a bird in a can.

I saw five tiny eggs in there earlier and decided to take a photo.  Mom was not around, or so I thought.  I had the camera resting on the edge of the metal and flashed that bulb about six times, couldn't figure out why the eggs weren't showing.  After I almost lost an eye to a tiny wren in panic mode, I realized she was sitting on them.  This is right at the back door of the garage where the cats come and go without being seen.  I can't move the can, the stool is on cement making a shepherd's hook impossible for hanging.  Cats and coons can easily climb that stool.  If we get a downpour, she will be flooded.  I need to think of something rather quickly, storms are forecast.

Carole's friend's husband has been transferred to Cleveland Clinic after numerous errors and false information.  How frustrating when you can't see them or speak face to face with their doctors.  The friend who lost a husband after bringing him home was mine, not Carole's.  

Bad news Mrs. O'Neil, we think your husband may have had a stroke.  

We need to do an MRI.

Next day

Good news Mrs. O'Neil, the MRI shows he did not have a stroke.

Next day

Bad news Mrs. O'Neil, the MRI shows he had a stroke.

How many MRIs did he have?  One.

She has been very pleased with the communication and information from the Clinic, very glad he was moved there.

We need to take Carole next week but only one person is allowed to accompany a patient, so since I can't drive, Mark will take her for the day and I will stay home.  Carole is ticked and plans to call them and ask for a variance.  I told her to let it go, I don't think all three of us need to be exposed to three different departments of testing and such.  They are diligent in disinfecting, but three old farts at one time from a family of only five is not a good idea anyway.

Hope your Memorial Day was good. 

 Various neighbors had large parties this weekend.

Stay safe.

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Memorial Day

Every year on this day I am reminded of the thousands of young men who lay with their fellow soldiers so far away from home.  Far enough that family did not get to visit their grave, honor them with a funeral, quietly tell them they are loved.  The solitude, the silence, many buried where they died in fields.  What would the world be today without their sacrifice so very long ago?

Lorraine in France

And continuing today.

Arlington

Memorial Day.

Hope you all take the day to remember and honor.

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The good the bad and the nasty

Hey buds!  Memorial Day weekend.  Wow.  That's all.  Just wow.

First the good.  I missed out on 123 and other sites shipment of 36 count Heartland PTP because I was waiting for a money transfer.  It came, but the fabric went.  After searching for two days, I found a piece!!  And a piece of Legacy (whatever the hell that is)!!  In stock, happy dance.  Hope I like them.  She has a half yard of 40 Legacy in stock but I got the last of the Heartland in higher count.  If you email her, she will let you know what is in stock for shipping or needs ordered.  Free shipping over $35 for the weekend.  https://stringtheoryneedlearts.com/


The bad.  More cats.  A sweet faced smaller fluffy apricot has been hanging around and crying at the windows.  Mine want to kill her/him and I can't stop Petey either.  They do not want to be in the house once warm weather arrives and they will howl like a banshee.  This beautiful visitor is truly in trouble, but I'm sure other males will be coming around and the fighting will continue, neutered or not.

More bad.  My wonderful state of PA has allowed my Medicare supplement to raise my monthly fee.  I sign a contract for A YEAR in which time I am not allowed (by law) to change providers, drop the plan, or switch to another.  Yet they were given permission by the PA Dept of Insurance to raise the amount I agreed to for the year.  Seven months of increase and I will bet another in the future.  That my friends, is horseshit. Good for gardens, bad for finances.  And allowing generic drugs that were Tier 1 last year to be moved into Tier 3 that carries a $435 deductible is also that horse thing.  Good Rx is free and cheaper, yet we are forced to pay for a Medicare Plan D contract.

Still on bad.  Carole's dear friend has been dealing with the local hospital after her 77 year old husband took a bad fall and broke his hip in three areas.  She can't see him, the staff is limited, he is not getting proper care, help with eating, no one comes when he calls for bathroom assistance, he fell out of bed (no rails were up) on to the broken hip, has had a stroke and bladder infection while there, and she gets no answers.  How many people are dealing with these emergencies and elderly in nursing homes that are on their own.  Terrible.  My friend's husband recently died and she was not allowed in for his final days so she hired a service to remove him from the hospital and once home, he died within hours.  She is thankful she defied the hospital and was able to be with him.

On to nasty.  Our irresponsible residents in an adjoining city decided to party and raised our Covid cases by 18 in one week.  Asymptomatic, only two with slight illness, but because of that increase we are not going to green as all the other counties around us.  So ticked off as the entire county is toward this individual.  How many people did the positive 18 come in contact with before it was known?  No masks, no distancing, just party time.  And he had symptoms at the time!!   Not a source of fertilizer but certainly a horse's ass.

And here's my progress albeit slow.  I found more errors and am ignoring them.  I also changed the 928 to 927 for contrast and used the wrong blue for the G.  Don't care.  I plan to continue with the border next, a break from the eyelet stitches.

Thank you Marlene for the ripper with the rubber suggestion, getting one this afternoon.  Yes ladies, it's a stitch ripper with a rubber tip.  If I could find my silicone finger I'll bet that would work very well also.  I bought them for protection from the iron when pressing small items and for some reason, they disappeared.  How could that be?

Hope you all have decent weather this weekend and enjoy sitting outside.

Stay well, be safe!
Thanks for visiting.

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I was wrong

assuming the over one would continue to go well.  Who is the trickster of needlework?  The one that hears your confidence and sets you straight.  That makes you miss that one thread of linen.  That tricks your eyes into counting one more or less on paper and fabric.  Hides your needle.  Moves your floss out of order.  Does she have a name?  My mom called me Flossy long before I ever had an interest.  Is that too kind?  How about Needler?  Shall we name a stitching trickster?

I have never had this issue with DMC before but it is shredding like hash browns.  Ending with a feathery piece of floss and a ball on the backside is very frustrating.  There is no way to frog on this count without it happening and the green monster appeared for every word since the last post.  Not only did some of the linen color lighten in those spots, I can't get the dark floss color out.  Tried tape, tweezers, and removed the majority, what's left isn't that noticeable (in sh).  Very difficult in the tiny spaces between over one stitches.

I made some progress and I do like the over one being prominent with the change to dark floss.  The chart color is the apricot of C and D.  The light 712 for the eyelet isn't showing well but I don't plan to change that.  I need to make a decision on the wonky upper alphabet before too long.

I thought I would be moving my baskets into larger pots and tubs today.  But I did not expect this much pain.  It will be much better in a year or so, I'm sure.

Have a good day folks!

Thanks for visiting.

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36 over one

And I did it.  I didn't like it.  But I did it.  How many times have we said that during our lifetime?

There isn't a lot, just a few words down each side and I thought it best to stitch them as I continue the border rather than all at once.  It is pretty tedious for me but I think I finally have it right.  I didn't lose the floss behind the linen even once.  But frogging over one on 36 is the beans.  Called for color is a beautiful apricot but I had such a hard time because there wasn't enough contrast to see the linen threads well.  I tried a little darker, but ended up with the darkest color in the sampler in order to make it doable.

I'm having my postponed toe surgery early tomorrow morning and will be with ice and raised foot the majority of the day, hope to make some progress now that colors are set.

I got my Bubble Gums and sweet potato vines, flowers completed.  The Amish greenhouses are plentiful and beautiful, better than my local nursery.  My large baskets were $13 and 4" pots $2.50.  The great majority are mixed flowers or colors which are beautiful but I'm leery of trying anything new.  The one time I did, they were spindly and half dead in July, too late to get replacements.  It was a real crabby summer.

Part of the book order came in today, the rest is vacationing in Pittsburgh for the last three days.  First time I was disappointed in the condition and threw out a few.  I am still waiting for a medical shipment that has been stuck in Orlando since May 7.   DHL, not the post office fault.

I have two pulleys found many years ago and thought I would use them as hangers this year.  Not sure what will hang from which, could be wind chimes, flowers, birdhouses.  The large rusty green one is hard to see with the greenery background so I plan to spatter some red paint in with the rust.

I wanted to place an order with 123 for a few linen colors but I didn't have enough in my Paypal so I have to wait a few days for a transfer.  I prefer to pay from a balance instead of linked bank or card.  Hopefully it won't sell out before the order goes in.

Going to bed early tonight since my surgery is scheduled for 7:30.  I am so grateful that this doctor does minor surgeries in the office, no outpatient stuff to go through.  After you pass out from the pain of the deep injections between the toes, it's not too bad.

Be well and stay safe everyone.

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Today, it's yellow

After many color tries to replace the 3024 that doesn't show very well, yellow may be the one.  The last option was a light teal and I liked it, so why did I move on to yellow?  Because color choice creates a brain blockage.  A hindrance to progress.  Usually changes are implemented rather quickly but several options worked so well here that I am in a pickle.  I may go back to the light teal which looked really nice with the 975.  Damn.

I've been seeing old sampler charts that I really like and may find one day, or not.  Doesn't matter really.  I remember thinking I had so much stash ...  until .... Flosstube happened.  I'm not even in the Junior League.  But still enough to keep me busy.  Now about the linen.

I watched the Attic's video and was really surprised, and confused, at the difference in color between thread counts.  I need to educate myself and take a few reference notes for future orders.  This screen shot from the video shows the vast difference of the same color in different counts.  Parchment (front) and Old Gold (back) in 40 and 46.  Newcastle is the name of 40 count like Cashel is 28 and Belfast 32?  Why would Newcastle and Bristol dye so differently if the linen is the same except for count?   I thought Newcastle was a type of linen, but it refers to the count?  Can't we just say the brand, like Wichelt or Zweigart, and a color name and count?  Are they named because they are woven with different threads, thickness, or texture?  Am I the only one clueless?

I'm so glad they showed this, not that I would be adding 46 count to my linen drawer, but it sort of explains why my 28 and 35 count of the same color, aren't.  Or does it?  I just don't understand why.   And as I said, I need to familiarize myself more with terminology and names.  I heard "Legacy linen" so often in videos and I don't know if that is a color, a type, or a count!  And what is Silkweaver?  Another company that dyes their own like PTP and WDW?  Where the hell is my notebook.

Today was a beautiful warm May day but wearing a mask in a greenhouse was like a humid August day.  I couldn't stay very long and kept going outside for air.  Three Amish places and all said this past Saturday was the most crowded they have EVER been since starting their business.  I buckled and got my usual Bubble Gum tunias, simply because other varieties do not grow as well for me, and I want instant gratification.  Planting a variety of smaller plants in the barrels test my patience.  Neighbors probably wonder why they hear a crazed woman screaming grow you little bastards.  One place had a few left, everyone else was sold out, so I got two and a larger one with the three Vista colors.  And guess what?  I'm going back tomorrow for the last two baskets.  I love the Silverberry but I need color. 

My sister lost 14#!!  That's exactly what I found.  I was hoping to have the books for her by now, but I don't.  I ordered from a store in Toledo Ohio, about 3 hours away thinking they would get here quicker.  Tracking shows - from Toledo, to Glendale Height IL, to York PA (they just passed Pittsburgh), to Harrisburg PA, to Warrendale PA, to Pittsburgh PA.  I'm east of Toledo.  The books went west to IL, then shot east past Warrendale and Pittsburgh to York and Harrisburg in central PA, then back west to Warrendale and Pittsburgh.  Both orders from two stores followed the same path.  I expect delays since the PO is overloaded and busier than ever, but five distribution centers seem like a huge waste of man hours.  And gas.

Oh that hurts my brain.

Have a good week!

Stay safe.

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Wake up and drink the coffee

Hiya.  Can't believe we are mid May already, and as offices start to reopen, I've got a slew of appointments in the next several weeks.  These last days have been puzzling.  Maybe it's the autoimmune, but I am feeling exhausted.  Completely spent.  So barely a task was attempted.  

I did pick up the needle and decide to continue the left border rather than waste my time deciding on the alphabet.  I need a few changes and nothing has worked to my liking.  Once the border is finished I can count down to work on the second alphabet while delaying the first.  Trying to order some linen colors I saw on Flosstube but everyone is out right now along with an old sampler design I am interested in.  This morning I viewed more videos and saw A Most Noble Pursuit collaboration from years ago.  Mistakenly thought they would be small enough for individual tree ornaments, they are not.  Thank goodness for the description alerting me to the size or I would have spent $40 and been very disappointed.  If you are looking for this old chart, I found one here.  Haven't found it anywhere else, maybe there is only one, or maybe it's been re-released??

https://www.ceciliassamplers.com/whatsnew/whatsnew.asp

I did  manage to slide a few cupboards into different rooms and need your opinion.  I can't stand open clutter, I don't care how organized or attractive, so I will make doors for the top and close them.  This corner is not used, the room is tiny and more of a walk through than usable space.  It fits here, although I do think it's too much (I'm being a minimalist), (except for my body).  It needs to be painted over the dull taupe.  So what color?  A very light sage seems to be the hot color and I like that, or maybe grayish.  So what say you?  How do you pull together a small room with two different painted cupboards?  My only thought is to use a neutral, several shades lighter on one and darker on the second.  Yes, one thought is my limit.  If the room was larger and had additional furnishings it wouldn't be an issue.

 

Thanks for the Kindle idea of downloading from my laptop for Carole.  I don't have a Kindle, but could probably download to her slow as heck tablet. It is on her (flip) cell phone contract, but she can't do anything right and I spend many hours on the phone trying to help her.  I ordered a dozen used from Abe Books and they will be delivered Monday but I know they will not be right.  Nothing ever is!!  Like mother, like daughter.  But I do plan to try the downloads for her, even though she wants a book in hand.  

Stitching tonight, flower shopping tomorrow.  Then a ride and DD stop for cappuccino.  

I hope your week is swell.

Thanks for visiting.

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Out my window

I can't believe how many we have.  Six males at one time on several feeders.

  We had to go to Lowe's, Carole wanted a new hand held shower with a magnetic dock.  I hate to order all these items she wants online because they're never what she expects, so I would rather shop local.  During that outing I went to Kraynak's outdoor center and found just want I wanted.  Well, I wanted the larger one with a jelly bowl in the center but Mark thought this was enough.

 Checking it out....

We're pretty excited to have seen them in time to offer food and they accepted our invitation to stay.  One pair would have been great, had no idea there would be so many.

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Is it May?

Really?  Visited Amish greenhouses today because Carole needed her Vista Bubblegum petunias and they go really fast.  Froze my rear gear off.  Four left at three nurseries so I'm glad we didn't put it off.  Mixing other flowers or other colors with the Bubblegum is plentiful but she prefers single color baskets.  I found only one greenhouse with the Vista Silverberry and it outperforms the pink.  Really.  

Massive amount of blooms and very dense growth, flowers are slightly smaller and more sturdy.  So instead of the yearly red geranium parade in the front, these beauties will stand out against the dark siding.  We will go back next week when I decide what I would like for the deck.  Hopefully, I won't need a winter coat and gloves.  I was so very cold.

We have seen five male Orioles at one time on this hook.  Usually just a few glimpses a year, but we caught sight early and put out oranges.  I had no idea we would get this many!  My bag of oranges is so sweet but I can't eat them.  No kiwi, oranges, grapefruit, nothing that I used to devour when in season.  So my new friends will.  I had no idea they also love suet .

The Grosbeaks are here too and they also love the orange, several fights throughout the day.

Petey has been eating better, maybe because I am sprinkling catnip on the dry food.  Nit and Bud both loved to eat the crushed leaves and the vet claims it does help with appetite.  Worked like a charm.  When I crush into powder, some of the hard stems will pierce my skin so I try to remove them, worried he may get one stuck in his mouth.  I used a colander and the heavier catnip was sewn into a little sack.

I've made quite a few more masks and also ordered these very comfortable lightweight black neoprene.  Found on Etsy, very reasonable.  The blue one is from a shopping bag.

The doctor visit today was good.  A vascular surgeon, he will perform another ultrasound on my legs to see why I am "needing" so many Varithena treatments, and his fee for sclerotherapy is 1/3 of my doctor.  So I am switching and anxious to see the test result.  As for the hair, I have lost around 60% and am a candidate for the transplant.  Two surgical methods and I chose the less expensive.  He recommended I try the PRP injections first to help stop the loss because if it continues, it won't be long before I am in the same position with only the grafts left.  Again, his costs is 1/3 of my other doctor!!  I really really like him as I did 35 years ago when he worked on my veins.  So the transplant will be mid to late fall and because of the number of people getting them, must schedule now.  I am relieved, but also afraid of progression.  One day at a time.  This may be related to the auto immune bullshit from that fricking flu shot.  And what will happen if the Covid vaccine is mandatory?   After these last several weeks of misery following a week long illness, I can only imagine how my immune system will react.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day.  Soon you'll all be able to hug your grandkids.  Or at least see them in person.  Some local stores have opened and I have to get Carole some books.  She is a voracious reader but can't afford the prices of paperbacks, we have no used book stores, the library is closed.  She doesn't have a computer or a smart phone for downloads, but would prefer book in hand anyway.  A locally owned shop offers discounted books I never heard of but they're better than nothing.  She absolutely loved the Jan Karon series and read them all.

Haven't stitched.  Not sure what to do.  I do not like the light colors and was hoping to work one thread on the 36 count but it needs two for the satin.  Maybe.  Haven't decided!  Got my Fragments and LOVE them.  Ordering some linen and threads from 123, a few small charts, and am happy to wait for the delayed shipment.  The pants I ordered from Macy's weren't even shipped yet, online sales are really brisk.  

It's time to get a Jamoca from the freezer and stare at the chart and linen again.  My nightly routine.

Hope the week starts well for everyone, can't believe we're approaching MID MAY!!

Stay well.

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Too thin or too thick

One of these, I am not.

As I continue with stitching, I'm questioning whether I should use two strands for the satin stitch on this 36 count.  Definitely will be changing the other very light 3024 to something darker.  First alphabet is satin stitch and very nicely charted making placement easy to follow.

The back is more prominent so I'm thinking two threads would be better but I need to test that.  Never tried it on this high of a count.  I have quite a few reproductions with very light threads, not really visible, but these days I prefer all the stitching to be easily seen.  It does not bother me at all (as you've known) to alter a repro in balance, size, or color.

I previously asked if anyone had information on American Country magazine.  Emails and texts went unanswered for months, and although the publication was supposedly sent to print in February after waiting a year, it wasn't.  I was concerned about her health but then saw she is selling online and still keeping up with Ye Country Mercantile.  Now the magazine's website is closed and anyone waiting for the $45 subscription refund will be out $45.  Very unprofessional and inconsiderate to leave everyone hanging without answers and ignore inquiries.  I wouldn't trust a merchandise purchase either. The BBB has a pattern of complaints concerning delivery of merchandise and customer service, they have not received a reply from the merchant.

How many calories do you think throwing clothes in a washer and dryer burn?  I store my chocolate in a microwave in the basement kitchen, within twenty feet of the washer.  The treadmill is about thirty feet.  That's a long way.

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And so it begins

So far, one color change and three errors.  Another wonderful reproduction capable of hiding a multitude of sins.  The bird is 928 and not showing well for my taste, so it may be upgraded a shade or two.  Having much difficulty with vision, but I think this Gigi R will be a fun stitch.

 Mary Ann Hickling.

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Soup's on

Hello people.  Good thing winter clothes weren't put away because it's damn cold here.  I do need to shop online for spring clothes since not a thing fits me.  My super long tunics that normally hide the bulge and saddlebags are no longer swinging freely.   They now accentuate the hysterectobelly and hip rings and could pass for colorful duct tape.  I can't blame this on the hysterectomy though.  This time of year should be spent buying plants, not pants.  It's too cold for one and too upsetting for the other!  I'm assuming Amish greenhouses will be open. Carole wants 4 ferns and 4 Bubblegum petunias which fills the entire cargo area and seat so a second trip will be needed for mine.  Traffic here has increased dramatically yet nothing has opened so I am wondering where everyone is going.  Dunkin Donuts like me???

Carole called Cleveland and rather than her scheduled virtual visit, she wants to go.  Instead of having her testing done here ahead of time, they scheduled echo and ekg for the same day so we will be there early morning until late afternoon.  Her doctor told me she can certainly have any testing done here but for some reason her usual lion's roar turns into a timid mouse squeak when dealing with anything medical.  She won't ask them to send testing orders here which would be limited contact, not an entire day in a crowded lobby as large as the Clinic's.  

I got an appt with the hair doctor for this Monday, so glad they called with an earlier opening and am anxious to hear his recommendation.  Hoping I am a candidate and he can help.  Rather than touching up my roots, I have been using Loreal Magic root touch up.  It works.  I don't care for how strong the blast is and it takes some time to gain control of the spray (you have to move it along quickly).  I'm wondering if it would blend well enough while growing out the gray.  I can't cut it short because there is nothing on top and I am needing the "comb over".  Brenda (Sampler Stitcher) looks great with really short hair.  I DO NOT!

I thought I read quite some time ago that Em-li's owns Sheepish Designs and was to re-release many of their charts.  Do they have them all including Sheepish Antique charts?  I always get requests for info on the header photo (manipulated) which is from their Yellow House Sampler.  I offered the chart in a giveaway along with the McCarthy Sampler last year.  

Here is a little tip if you don't have a nose piece in your mask and would like one.  The plastic closure tab on the pound coffee bags and some cracker products are perfect.  I cut it in half , trimmed sharp edges, and it can easily be sewn down the center.  Works perfectly.

Making cauliflower soup today in sweat clothes with the furnace running.

Hope your day is safe and warm, but not too tight!

Be careful!

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Not much happening

Pottery Barn had BOGO on faux greenery and stems.  I love the green shade of sweet potato vines as in these berry clusters.

Finally worked out a mask for claustrophobics (and heavy beards) in the family.  Rather than follow the fitting curve beneath the chin, cut straight down.  Still close, but not feeling smothered.  Yes I know the print direction is different but that gave me more masks to the bandana.

And something I do not need.  I can't believe how big I am.  It's not all from the last two months because I was making an attempt to lose before that.  I have never been this heavy.

I believe Petey has a condition after online research and a call to our vet.  His paws will swell terribly overnight causing him to limp for a few days, and then we notice blood between the pads and some hair loss.  He had one paw after another until all were affected within a short time.  This just started recently along with weight loss.  Paws are fine now and if what the vet suspects is true, he would need daily antibiotics for a long period.  How would that be possible?  We're trying a new box for him that I can easily access with the trap.  That's the way we caught the other three.  When they were asleep in the box, we put a piece of plywood over the opening and lined up the trap.  As soon as the plywood lifted they bolted from the box directly into the trap.  Not pleasant at all for them but necessary.  Even after trapping and a vet visit, I doubt I will be able to hold him and shove meds in his mouth.

That's it for me.  I still can't see anything clearly no matter what drops I try, hoping this will settle down soon.  I did another search on Ebay and found the other Fragments chart I wanted.  Anxious to get them.  I was playing with the linen for the new project and changed the Lambswool to Winter Brew.  The lighter floss will show better.  That doesn't count as indecisiveness!  Just better judgement.

Have a safe day folks!

Thanks for visiting.

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No Sulky but not sulking

Hiya friends.  Guess how many walnut sundaes (vanilla ice cream, walnuts, reduced maple syrup) I had today.  Guess how many pounds continue to add up as I fail to control myself.  Guess who can't fit into any pants!  Stores will be opening soon and I don't have pants!

I've been wanting five of the Fragments in Time 2017 for some time.  My cart held them at 123 for various times as one became unavailable, then another.  Trying to save on postage, I decided to place the order when all were in stock.  They would send me an in stock notice, I would go to the site and before I clicked to place the order, another would become unavailable.  Today was the last time and I can't take the chance any longer that I would get all five.  An online scramble ensued and I found one on sale for half price, shipping was $7.50 for a $2.50 chart.  No thanks.  Etsy failed, other shops failed, so it was on to the Bay of Evil where I found four.  They will be here in a week.  But no Sulky until the next online shop order.  

One day I will learn to stop procrastinating or taking chances to save a few bucks on shipping.  Not the first time it's happened, hope I've learned my lesson.  

Hoping to sleep well tonight.

Stay safe!!

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