Happy Memorial Day!

I spent Sunday cleaning--but it was the fun kind of cleaning, if there is such a thing. The plan was to clean the "office" today--the office is where the computer resides, and under the desk (which spans the length of the room) are all my baskets of wool. Then there are other crafty things stored around the room in a dresser and another smaller desk and the closet. I also have a hard desk-type wooden chair that had been collecting magazines, books, and papers, and when I started to move things around for cleaning, I realized that one of the most urgent needs was to sort out the magazines and papers--because I could barely budge the chair, it was so heavy. Since most of the magazines were of the quilting variety, that meant sitting around, looking through magazines, and pulling out patterns I wanted to keep. ALL DAY LONG--or close to it, anyway. See what I mean about the fun kind of cleaning?

So this evening the office looks much the same as it did when I was about 15 minutes into cleaning it this morning, except now there's only a couple of things on the chair. Really, once I get down to the true cleaning, the office won't take long.

Did any of you happen to pop by Gran's blog and see that she suffered a fall on Saturday? She called me tonight and said she had no broken bones but she's pretty sore and bruised. I'm starting to think maybe it's ME--everyone around me seems to be falling! If she's up to it in the morning, we're going to get together for coffee at least--we've hardly seen each other since before Quilt Market other than at tea and embroidery the other day, and I'm sure there must be stories from market that I haven't heard yet.

Hubby's still alive, by the way. He's starting to adjust to being less mobile, although he DID roll over one of the cats in the hallway today. There's not much room to turn the wheelchair, so he was backing down the hallway when we both heard a cat scream. I popped out of the Sweat Shop (where I was "working" on the magazines) and saw both our cats run toward the kitchen. Neither seemed at all flat and both seemed to be running fairly well, so although I couldn't tell who had been rolled over, whoever it was didn't seem adversely affected.

I've also started to adjust to Hubby's current limitations. A friend volunteered to take me to my surgery in a few weeks, so that's one less worry. And Hubby can cook if whatever he needs is assembled for him on the kitchen counter--and I'll still have one hand to do that with--so we're not going to starve. Neither of us will be able to drive for a little bit, but I'm sure Soccer Son will help out if we have to go anywhere or if we need something from the store. So things are falling into place and I'm feeling a little less frantic. It's not ideal, but then when IS it ideal? It always seems like "bad luck" hits in a series, at the most inopportune time, doesn't it? The key, I think, is in realizing it's not the end of the world and learning to cope and adjust.

For those of you in the U.S., I hope you're enjoying the Memorial Day weekend. Traditionally, Memorial Day marks the start of summer, and we could smell the barbecues all over the neighborhood tonight. Personally, I'm feeling a craving for a BBQ'd hamburger coming on and I think I'll have to do something about that tomorrow! Thanks for taking time to stop by and visit with me.

A Day in the Sweat Shop

The title of this post probably sounds a lot nicer than the reality of my day, assuming that you're a reader who knows the Sweat Shop is my sewing haven. Unfortunately, though, I've gotten back to super-cleaning the house, and the Sweat Shop was the room I concentrated my efforts on today. It's such a small room, and it's jam packed with all my stuff, so the furniture rarely gets moved for vacuuming and dusting--and if you're a quilter, you KNOW how much dust comes from textiles. So I did all that and it was a big job, but it's done now for awhile. (And no Roos were sacrificed, nor did I accidentally light anything on fire--woo hooo!)

Once the cleaning was done, I finished stitching down the binding on the red/aqua basket quilt.

I think I mentioned that I'd sorted out my scrap drawers when I talked about bindings yesterday, didn't I? Well, I filled up a box of scraps for you--if you're lucky. If you're a scrappy quilter and would love to add a box of scraps to your stash, leave me a comment telling me you want to be entered. Because of the weight of this box, in order not to bankrupt myself on postage, I need to limit entries to U.S. residents--sorry! Want to take a look inside?

There's all sorts of stuff in there! I'll draw a winner on Monday night and announce the winner on Tuesday's post.

During the last part of the evening, I've been doing a little quilting, and for the past hour or so, Stitch has been very mischevious. He's been trying to get my attention by getting into and onto everything. He's really a cuddly cat, and I think he's telling me it's time to go to bed so I can pet him while I read.

I hope you're enjoying the weekend! I'm glad you could stop by for a little visit.

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COMMENTS CLOSED--Winner being selected and will be announced!

The Ties that Bind and the Binds that Wind

It bugs me that "wind" (the stuff that blows air around) and "wind" (what you do with thread and a bobbin) are spelled the same way, because most people, when they read "wind" think the air kind. Did you? That's not what I'm talking about--I'm talking about the other definition. Winding stuff up.

And speaking of being bugged, I still am. Things have not improved, but I'm getting tired of talking about them. For now. No promises for tomorrow. Tomorrow I might have my whine back on.

But tonight I'm thinking about all my quilting friends--those who reside here in Sacramento and those who reside in Blogland. Quilting has bound us together and I feel very lucky for that. Today was tea with Gran at Bearpaws and Hollyhocks, and despite needing a nap rather badly (another night of not a lot of sleep), I knew I needed the companionship of my friends more, so off I went to the quilt shop to chat and stitch and eat and drink tea. Very, very fun. The kind of afternoon that feeds the soul and spirit as well as the body and mind.

You all know by now that Gran and Lindy went off to Quilt Market and left me crying at home, right? Knowing this was going to happen for the last couple months, I've been chanting "Holiday Happy" to Gran over and over again in the hopes that she'd bring some back for me. (Holiday Happy is the new Christmas line Monica Solorio-Snow aka Happy Zombie designed for Lecien.) Guess what Gran handed over to me today? Yep, you guessed it! Wheeeeee!

Seriously, my photo doesn't do the line justice since it was taken at night and one can only do so much with Photoshop, but you can click HERE to get to Monica's blog and then click into her sidebar--she has photos in both her blog and her sidebar. This line will be in shops in the next couple of months--I think it's estimated for around June/July.

Having Holiday Happy fabric to fondle helped improve my mood tremendously. Spending an afternoon with friends helped even more. Confirming with Gran that should the need arise, she'd be right there for me, helping me dig a six-foot deep hole in the backyard--priceless! She's THAT GOOD a friend, and everyone should have at least one (although a couple more would make the digging go faster)!

Here's what I was working on today--sewing down binding.

Doesn't this little quilt look cute with the dishes and things I found at Home Goods a couple weeks ago? If only I could finish REALLY CLEANING the house, I'd be able to get these things into the kitchen instead of sitting on the desk in the Wild Child's former bedroom!

Yet another mood elevator today? A fabric infusion from Hancock's of Paducah was waiting for me when I got home from tea. I love this time of the year when the Halloween and Christmas fabrics are starting to arrive, even if my bank balance doesn't. If you haven't already seen it, check out the border print of the Alexander Henry line, The Ghastlies:

Fun, eh?!

A week or two ago, I commenced a bit of cleaning in the Sweat Shop, and part of that involved sorting through my two big scrap bins. I've always saved my leftover bindings but since I like my bindings cut on the bias, I've never really figured out what to do with the leftovers. Lately I've seen quilts that have used mixed bindings, and so I finally sorted out and wound up my binding bits and pieces. Some rolls have more than one fabric, and all are secured with a quilting pin to keep them from unrolling. (Sorry the photo's a little blurry, but you get the idea.)

I don't know if you noticed, but I used a few different leftover pieces of binding on the little quilt I just finished. I think it's a really fun look for a playful, informal quilt and I'm sure I'll be doing this again. Do you save your leftover binding pieces? Have you found any other uses for them? Inquiring minds are curious and would like you to share if you have any ideas.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Thanks!

I wanted to thank all of you for the supportive comments. It helps a lot!

We went to Hubby's doctor today and he had x-rays taken. The films showed a hairline fracture of the tibia just below the knee--the tibia is the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. Hubby was given a knee immobilizer and an appointment with the orthopedist tomorrow. Oh, and more pain pills.

The problem with the knee immobilizer is that Hubby can't get in and out of the car or transfer from his wheelchair to anything else (bed, recliner, or toilet) with it on. The doctor wasn't very helpful when we attempted to discuss solutions, and my inquiry about euthanasia merely got a chuckle or two. In the end, we all agreed that if necessary, the immobilizer would be removed briefly for transfers, but Hubby was to remain non-weight bearing, which is pretty much a no brainer because of the pain. Of course, we have no idea how the orthopedist may weigh in tomorrow on the problem--he may think Hubby needs a cast. Then what? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I'm still pretty grumpy because the problems Hubby's injury will cause are somewhat extensive, but I think I just need to have faith that they will be resolved one way or another as they arise. Hubby and I didn't sleep well again last night, but we both took a long nap after we got home from the doctor's office this afternoon. In between taking care of Hubby and myself, I spent a little time in the Sweat Shop, so I should have something to show before too long.

The toilet that Soccer Son replaced is still leaking, despite his attempt to fix it today, but he has another idea he'll try tomorrow--silicone. If it works, maybe he'll go help British Petroleum fix their little leak down in the gulf.

Time for bed--Friday's going to be another busy day. Thanks for stopping in to visit.

Out of Sorts

I'm incredibly grumpy and out of sorts today. Why? There are a couple of reasons. (If you don't want to "listen" to me whine, skip down to the last couple of paragraphs.) For one thing, last night, Hubby went out to dump a bag of garbage, turned his foot on a paving stone, and lost his balance. When he fell, he severely injured his "good" knee. Why does that make me grumpy when HE'S the one in pain?

Well, I'm sure it's terribly self-centered of me and seemingly unsympathetic, but gosh darn it, it always seems like Hubby gets injured doing things he shouldn't be doing in the first place--he knows better! He has muscular dystrophy and is usually in a wheelchair outside because he's not stable enough to walk on uneven ground. So why was he outside in the dark, walking in an area that's not smooth and even? Seriously, the garbage could have waited until this morning.

All night he was in pain, and I don't think either one of us got very much sleep. This morning he called his doctor and had a telephone appointment, but his doctor couldn't see him until tomorrow. So why didn't he push it or have me take him to urgent care? I don't know. And I seriously doubt Hubby explained to his doctor just how limited his mobility is right now with that injured knee--he's pretty much confined to his recliner or his wheelchair, but his wheelchair doesn't fit through the doors of either of our bathrooms, so that presents problems, as you may imagine.

Another thing that's making me grumpy? Hubby and Soccer Son had been planning to replace the toilet in our master bathroom and today was the day. The whole process caused one problem after another. First there were the blue drips going from the bathroom at the back of the house, down the hallway, and out to the garage that were caused by the blue water leaking out of the tank as Soccer Son hauled it out.

Then there was the fact that the water supply hose was too short and despite going to TWO hardware stores, we weren't able to get the right part (customer service sure isn't what it used to be before the economy tanked!); Soccer Son had to come back to our house later in the evening with the right hose to finish the installation.

Then there's the fact that the tank seems to be leaking. When I discovered the leak, Soccer Son was no longer here, Hubby's stuck in the recliner in the living room, and I have no idea how to fix it, so I'm just going to have to get some towels to soak up the water until Soccer Son comes back tomorrow.

And my hands are bothering me. After trying to be fairly careful with the scrubbing and even taking a day off of cleaning yesterday, last night my hands started to get numb and achy.

All this makes me think better of days on which the worst that happens is that I suck up a Roo in the vacuum and cause a lamp to go up in flames. Comparatively speaking, THAT's a good day. And really, I DO know that things could be much worse--to such an extent that today would seem preferable. So I'll quit whining and I'll try to stop feeling annoyed and grumpy. Instead, I'll announce the winners of the Schnibbles patterns, okay?

"No reply" Anita is the winner of Hot Cross--Anita said, "Still a schnibble virgin. The hot cross buns looks like a winner to me!" And "no reply" Marge is the winner of Nice Day--Marge said, "Thank you Kim for giving me another chance at a Schnibbles pattern. I really like 'Nice Day.' I also have had carpal tunnel surgery, good luck and a speedy recovery." Both ladies were the 11th person to comment on each of the two patterns. Anita and Marge, please email me your mailing addresses and I'll get these patterns in the mail to you.

Also for other recent winners on my blog, I'll be getting your winnings in the mail before the end of this week--I haven't gotten to the post office yet, so if you were wondering what's happened to your package, that's the hold up.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me complain! Hopefully I'll snap out of it and have better things to talk about here before long!

A Calmer Day

There were no catastrophies today because I decided to take a break from cleaning and hang out in the Sweat Shop instead. I'm trying hard to balance the need to get everything cleaned and organized with the need to not overdo it with my hands, so it seemed wise to take the day off. (Besides, I'm always pretty good at justifying whatever I want to do, remember?!)

So what DID I do? You know what? I'm not really sure! It seems like I spent just about the whole day in the Sweat Shop and only made two blocks. It's weird how time speeds up and slows down that way, isn't it? Yesterday the new block pattern for the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along was posted, and it's a neat one! I made two versions of the block today--and I suppose embroidering the design on the first one DID take some time, so I guess that's where half my day got sucked up now that I think about it.

The embroidery design is called Bat Boy, and it's a free pattern on the blog of Andrea Zuill. (Click HERE to get to her blog, and while you're there, check out her embroidered dog portraits--really cool! You can also click into "free patterns" in her side bar under "categories.") After finishing that block, I wanted to make a second one using the same pattern but with no embroidery, so I pieced a pumpkin for the center of the second block:

Eventually I'd like to end up with 16 blocks for a four-by-four block setting. And since I've been playing with the idea of using a twist-and-turn setting for these, tonight I started to think about ordering some extra fabric while it's still available here and there, and guess what? I found a source online that had several fabrics from the Spooktacular line at just under $3 a yard. SCORE! I ordered enough to use it as a backing too. I love finding bargains on something I really like, don't you?!

I think it's back to cleaning tomorrow, but I hope I won't have any catastrophies to report by the end of the day. Thanks for stopping by to visit!

A Moment of Silence, Please

Really, it's not safe to leave me unattended. I always seem to get into trouble. It's been a little crazy today.

First I'll tell you the good part. Then the bad part. Then I'll tell you another good part so you'll feel happy when you're done.

Today was another cleaning day--today it was the master bedroom. Between cleaning stuff, I took breaks in the Sweat Shop and made this little quilt top to coordinate with the other one--you can see them both on the wall; the new one is the one to the left. I had most of those half square triangles left from making the baskets plus the scraps I needed to make a few more, so it was pretty simple. I suspect I'll use the larger one on the kitchen table and the smaller one on the drawers in the kitchen.

See? When it comes to quilting, I'm pretty safe. Cleaning, though, is another story. I think I wasn't meant to clean.

Let me back track a second and explain the cleaning thing. Remember I'm supposed to have surgery on my right wrist/hand? Well, that's scheduled for June 22nd. The Wild Child is moving back home in mid-August to go back to college. I'm not sure how long it will take me to recover from surgery, so I want to get the house super-clean and organized NOW so it will be easier when the Wild Child moves back. Really, that's one of the main reasons behind the crazy cleaning lately.

So today it was the master bedroom, and that included weeding out all the clothes I no longer wear, storing the winter clothes, etc. I also have a large bookshelf of books I haven't read--some of them have been on the shelf for years and years, and I thought it was about time to get rid of the books I'm NEVER going to read. Then, of course, all the book dusting and shelf cleaning, etc. So you can imagine between those two chores and the rest of the cleaning, it took me most of the day and part of the night.

As I was getting near the end of the job--and it was getting rather late at night--I was finally down to the vacuuming. And here's a kind of funny thing. I needed to empty the vacuum "tank" before I started so I took it out to the garbage can which was down at the curb for pick up tomorrow. After I emptied it and turned back to the house, I saw Hubby standing there watching me. When I told him cleaning house wasn't a spectator sport, he said he'd had a sense of catastrophy and thought he'd better see what I was doing. Huh.

Anyway, I hauled the vacuum cleaner to the bedroom and started it up. I was really getting into the job, moving furniture and using all the cleaning attachments, but just as I was reaching the vacuum wand to clean behind a desk, the sound of the motor changed. I turned it off and switched the control over from "cleaning tools" to carpet and turned it back on. It still sounded odd. Then it started to smell bad and white puffy stuff came out from under the vacuum cleaner. Yikes! Of course I turned it off again and hauled it out to the garage for Hubby to look at.

Well, unbeknownst to me, I guess while I was using the vacuum wand, the main part of the vacuum cleaner rolled forward and sucked up a Roo. (These are little purple kangaroos that were given away free with the hairspray I use, and Stitch LOVES to play with them--he has a few.) Poor Roo. Don't look at the carnage if you're sensitive. Can we have a moment of silence for Roo, please?

While Hubby was removing what was left of Roo and hunting down a new vacuum belt, I continued to clean. What happened next was one of those crazy things you never expect to happen. I thought the light bulb in Hubby's bedside lamp needed a quick swipe with the sponge to get the dust off. POP! The bulb exploded and flames shot up. Luckily, though, the flames died when the lamp shorted out. Seriously, the hardest part was trying to convince Hubby it was HIS FAULT since he was the one with the premonition, and he was the one who did nothing to keep me safe. Huh.

Now I'm in serious need of a good soak in the (sparkling clean!) bathtub, but before I go do that, I wanted to start another little giveaway. Again, two Schnibbles patterns that are contained in Carrie Nelson's new Schnibbles book: Hot Cross and Nice Day.

Same rules as last time:

You are eligible to enter the drawing if (1) you are new to Schnibbles; (2) you don't have and don't so far plan to get the new Schnibbles book; and (3) you're able to make up your mind between the two patterns shown above--because when you comment, you have to tell me which drawing you want to be entered in and you can only enter one. A couple other details? Only one entry per person please. I'll draw the winners on Wednesday night and post the names on Thursday's blog post--and you must come back to visit to claim your prize. If either pattern is unclaimed within a week, it will go into another drawing.

Good luck!

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Comments closed--winners to be announced shortly.

Ditto

You know yesterday's post? I could pretty much repeat it to describe today. Made coffee, waited for everyone to come help clean, no one showed up, I cleaned the second bathroom, and I worked on the basket quilt during periods of grime soaking.

Not only did I not get to go to Quilt Market, but I spent much of the time in my bathrooms, inhaling fumes that are undoubtedly detrimental to my health. I live a glamorous life, marked by one high point after another.

But there's a small glimmer of happiness in my day--the Picnic quilt top. Shall I show you? Okay, you twisted my arm.

Remember the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray lived the same day over and over again? Well, I still have the livingroom, two bedrooms, an office, the Sweat Shop, and the kitchen left to clean. I'll have the coffee ready at 9 a.m. No, I won't hold my breath.

Ah! That's Better!

Where WERE you this morning? I waited and waited and drank cup after cup of coffee waiting for all of you to show up and help me clean, but no one came! Sheesh!

Thank you, though, for your cleaning tips. They helped a bunch! Really, between all the waiting and all the coffee drinking (and then all the running to the bathroom that naturally follows all the coffee drinking), and considering the lack of help, I only really got one of the bathrooms bright and shiny clean and that was a heck of a lot of work. A few days ago, before I asked you for tips, I'd checked the internet about those hard water stains and mineral build up, and I tried out the method where you stick vinegar-soaked cloths over the areas, hope for the best, and then scrub and scrub, but that didn't get all of it so I asked you.

Today I first tried the Scrubbing Bubbles. That worked okay for the soap scum, and it's something I'll probably use every few weeks, but it didn't get rid of all of it. Then came the Mr. Clean Eraser, and it worked pretty darn well! I'm glad I used the larger, stronger bathroom one because by the end of the job, it was pretty much falling apart. I still had a little bit of stuff that Mr. Clean wasn't able to cope with, so then I used the baking soda soak. And then the vinegar soak again. And then I carefully scraped off what was left--I felt like a dental hygenist scraping teeth! FINALLY, finally, the bathtub looked pretty good, so then I tried another tip I'd read online--I used a car polish on it so water will bead up and run off instead of leaving more hard water deposits.

After that, I cleaned the rest of the bathroom. And can I just voice my opinion that women over 40 shouldn't have to get down on their knees and scrub anything? I think their children should do it for them. I think I'll have bruises for awhile.

But do you know what the hardest part was? When I got all done, I took a bath and for the first time in awhile, I could clearly see myself in the chrome fixtures. Egad!

Between all the soaking parts of the cleaning, I worked a bit on the basket blocks. Then I worked on them some more this evening. Yes, I think Sinta is an incredibly wise Schnibbler. I like this positioning of the colors much better than what I first tried.

I still have several baskets left to make, but then I have another bathroom to clean tomorrow, so there will be more time between soaking for sewing. I'll have the coffee on by 9 a.m., so if you feel like helping out, come on by!

I Guess I Should Blog

Remember my post several days ago asking anyone going to Quilt Market to be on the lookout for Lindy and Gran? Well, I had a comment this evening on that post that said, "I found them!! They were dancing fools tonight at the Moda dinner!! I couldn't get them off the dance floor!" Unfortunately the commenter was "no reply," so I couldn't get any details, but that launched me on a search of blogs, Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook for Quilt Market photos to see if I could spot them. No luck so far.

But you know how time magically telescopes when you're on the computer? Suddenly a couple hours had gone by and I realized I'd better blog soon, or I'd be sleeping on the keyboard. So here I am.

I wanted to thank all of you for the cleaning tips. Late this afternoon, I made a list of everything you mentioned and hit the grocery store to round up all the products I might possibly need, including several you didn't mention. I now have a plethora of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I actually had ONE package under the sink that had been there for years and never been used, but since I wasn't certain about the shelf life of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I thought I'd be better off buying another package. Shucks! They had Mr. Clean Magic Eraser EXTRA POWER (50% stronger) and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for the BATH (30% LARGER and more durable)! Since I couldn't decide between the two, I thought I'd get both and test them--I'll let you know. (BTW, they had one for stoves too, but I thought three of these products was enough. I DO draw the line somewhere!)

That's not all my cleaning products though. I'd been to the OTHER grocery store a couple days ago and came home with several products that Hubby moved out to the garage, so they didn't get their photograph taken. Suffice it to say that with all the stuff I have, I'm pretty sure all I need to do is go to bed tonight, and the products will clean the house themselves. Hubby laughs at me. I don't know why. Just in case, though, you're still welcome to come over at 9 a.m.--I'll have the coffee on and if the house has cleaned itself, we can just drink coffee and chat.

Also earlier in the day, I was doing a little blog surfing and read Moose on the Porch's post about not going to Quilt Market (I know the feeling!) and asking what those of us not going were doing instead. That reminded me that tonight was Friday Night Sew In night! Not quite as good as Market, but not too bad either.

Well remember my aqua and red fabric piles and my plan to make the Schnibbles Picnic quilt? I tested out some blocks the other day and was quite disappointed at how anemic they looked. Here's a photo of them stuck up on the design wall with some sashing and setting triangles:

I figured I really had used the wrong background fabric but it was the only thing I had on hand at the time, so I went to Bearpaws & Hollyhocks yesterday to find some other background fabric. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that wasn't my only problem. I think working with these colors can be a little tricky!

What finally occurred to me was something Sinta (the co-Queen of the Schnibbles Parade) had suggested--using aqua for the background and red for the baskets with red and white for the accents. Yep, THAT would keep them from looking anemic! So I spent Friday Night Sew In cutting out new pieces for the Picnic Schnibbles quilt. I got most of the half square triangles sewn and have started trimming them to size.

If I still don't like it, I'm going to revert to what I was thinking before I got sidetracked by that luscious aqua and red pile of fabric--using Sweetwater's Make Life charms for this quilt. It would still have aqua and red in it, but it would also have several other colors in it. So we'll see--first I'll make a few blocks with what I've been working on tonight.

I must say you've all been remarkably patient reading through all the stuff above to get to this point where I tell you who has won the two Schnibbles patterns. The winner of the Little Red pattern is #11, Anonymous Cindy, and the winner of the Plan C pattern is #22, Lady of the Cloth. Congratulations ladies! Please email me your mailing addresses and I'll get them in the mail in the next few days. For those of you who didn't win this time, check back--I'll be giving away a couple more Schnibbles patterns soon as well as another scrappy prize.

Thanks for stopping in to visit, and if you happen to be at Quilt Market, don't forget to watch for Lindy and Gran! I'd love to hear about any sightings and I'd love even more to see some photos!