Cleaning day!

 Not by me! Lisa comes once a month and cleans. Does the kitchen, the bathrooms, dusts, vaccums, mops. She's here for about 2 hours. I've had a cleaner for years. It started when Heather was working but not going to school after high school, and she cleaned instead of paying board. Win win situation. When she moved out, my niece took over the job, and did it for years, til the pandemic. After the pandemic we hired Lisa, and she does a great job. 

We are forced to tidy up when Lisa is coming, so she can clean. For years the joke was that having a cleaner kept Ralph alive. 

One of the limoncello fabric bowl cozies is done. The others have the darts in, and just have to be sewn together, which is today's task. I go in the sewing room while Lisa is here so I'm not in her way. This was a kit, and it sewed 2.5 inch strips together. I like the look, but not the extra work. I'll stick with 10 inch squares from now on. 

We're looking forward to dinner tonight to celebrate Julianna!

And as always, F*ck the mysogenistic felonious pediphile, those who protect him, ice, the feeb director, and the supporters of this illegal conflict. 
 

This and that

 Before we went to lunch yesterday, I did a few things in the sewing room, nothing picture worthy.

I fixed a coaster that one seam hadn't caught.

I hemmed the sleeves of a fabric cardigan that Manda made me.

My mom had made a toddler sized denim shirt jacket, I'm not sure who she started it for. The pins in the side seams were so rusted that they broke and I had to use a hemostat to get them out. I did the side seams and hemmed it, and now it can go to Baby Boone.

I sewed the big X's on the bowl cozies that hold the front to the batting. Today I plan to do the darts and maybe start sewing the pieces together.

After lunch, we stopped by the county library. They have a yearly craft swap, which is next week. I had a bunch of panels that I'm not going to ever get to, and some big pieces of corduroy that might have been from Mom's house. They were happy to get the donations.

Last night I watched SNL and the last 3 episodes of Will Trent while I crocheted on the scrap afghan. 

And tomorrow is March 3, which is an eventful day for us. It's my late mom's birthday- she'd be 96! And it's our beautiful granddaughter Julianna's 19th birthday. My mom used to get such a kick out of sharing Jul's birthday parties. And sadly, it's the second anniversary of Jul's other grandpop's death. 

And as always, F*ck the Felon, ice, the supporters of this Iran mess, and the feeb director.  

It's March

 The snow is melting! It's too soon to hope for spring, but I enjoy the warmer temperatures.

 So Welcome to March!

It's Sunday, so lunch with Frank and Charlotte. Today is Frank's birthday, and he picked Olive Garden for lunch. Yum, soup and salad. I love the chicken gnocchi soup. 

And as always, F*ck the Felon, ice, and anyone dumb enough to support them. 

 

 

Bye Bye February

It's going to be in the 50's today and tomorrow, a tease for spring. Then back into the 30's Monday. We've had some melting, but there is probably still over a foot of snow on the ground. 

I worked off and on for 2 hours yesterday, and finished the fabric sorting and organizing! The top picture is in the guest room. Batting on the top. Flannel taking up a full two rows! Then floral, asian, novelty, and on the bottom shelf, large pieces.

The white cabinet holds all the Christmas and other holiday fabrics.

The bottom cabinet, which goes back on both sides, holds black and grays, pinks, reds, blues, greens, neutrals, oranges, yellows, purples, and scenes. I'm so happy to have the project done, it took about 10 hours all together. Now I don't have to root around to find anything.

I made us eggs and bacon for breakfast. I made mine into a taco, with the hidden valley spicy sauce. 

It's the last of February! I stayed within .4 pounds of when the month started, which isn't terrible, but not great. I only read 2 books this month, which is low for me. I got a lot of another scrapghan finished, two strands double crochet with an H hook. I'll run out of scrap yarn before it's done, so it'll get put away for a while.
 

Some melting

 After the snowplow got stuck on our street, they never plowed the street, and there was 2 feet of snow in front of our driveway and property. The next day, I emailed the mayor, and the director and the foreman of public works, explaining my concerns. The biggest concern is that we are in our 70's, and EMS would not be able to reach us. In an hour the street was plowed, and they did a beautiful job. I emailed again to thank all involved.

We've had some melting, and the weekend temp is predicted to be in the 50's, so a lot should melt.

Organized chaos! I'm working between the closets in the sewing room and guest room, and a freestanding cabinet in the sewing room. When we redid the rooms a few years ago, fabric was just shoved into the closets, with no organization. 

Last week I decided I need to organize! I've been doing an hour per day, because that's all my knees will tolerated. I've been doing about 1500 steps in that hour! 

I can't believe the amound of flannel I have, some from  Mom's house and mostly mine. The plan is more oversized baby blankets, and some rag quilts.

I've got piles in both rooms, while I sort. And bins, and a pile on the ironing board that will be tablecloths that Manda requested. 

I did not watch the eons long speech of the convicted felon and pedophile, and from summaries, did not miss anything. F*ck him, F*ck the feeb director, and ice, and anyone who is twisted enough to support any of them.
 

So much snow!

 There's about 18 inches out there and it's still coming down!

Bottom one is the deck! Next above is Ralph's truck. Above that, the county truck got stuck! We're not a county road, so no idea why they were on our street. Above that is the front steps, and the top is Ralph out with the snowblower.

I can't remember the last time we had this much snow! The entire state is in a state of emergency, so all schools closed, and a travel advisory. And it's still snowing!

When we were at Applebee's yesterday with Frank and Charlotte, I got two kids cheeseburger meals to go, and that will be our dinner tonight. 

So far the electric has blipped twice, but came right back on. Fingers crossed it stays on!

And add the Feeb director to my F*ck it list. He was partying with the teams at the olympics- on our dime! Here's hoping England Andy flips on everyone!
 

It's raining, it's pouring!

 The rain is washing away a lot of the leftover snow/ice that's been here for 3 weeks! Good! And yikes, possibly another snowstorm this weekend! Fingers crossed that it is only a little snow.

This is the current state of the guest room bed! Christmas fabric sorted by background color.

 

Gnomes and birds! I had no idea there were birds for all occasions til Dan told me. He's also a fan of the little birds. He said to google "target birds" and tons came up. This set of 6 is from Amazon, and I already had the gnomes. I used my sewing room hour to redecorate yesterday.

 Last night I started a new scrap afghan. I think this one might use up all of my partial skeins. 

And as always, F*ck the Felon, ice, and their idiot supporters. 

A finish

 Wow, the temperature has been in the 40's, and we can actually see the ground in spots!

 I finished this late last night! Used up some partial skeins, and some new white.

I got ambitious this morning! Changed out V Day for St Patrick's, have to take some pix. When Ralph got home from his weekly breakfast with the Veterans, I hadn't sat down to eat yet. He changed out the wreaths on the front and back doors for me. 

The guest room bed is covered in piles of Christmas fabric, sorted into the colors of the background. After looking at it all, I know what I want to pull for the reversible quilt for Heather and Ed. 

Heather feels a little better, but shaky and hazy. Jules is sleeping. 

And as always, F*ck to the Felon, ice, and their supporters. 

Back to the routine

 It was so lovely to have Steph and Dan home for too short a time, and to see so much of Heather. But the party's over, and we're all back to our real lives. 

Heather now has covid, and Jules has the flu! We seem to be okay, and so are Steph and Dan, knock wood.

 

Another pic of Ralph and I, with Steph and Dan.

I had bought this as a kit, and decided to do it. It's a pain, so much more sewing than just doing 10 inch squares, but the hard part is done. I'll start sewing the darts today. I do love the fabrics. The kit was from Shabby Fabrics in Idaho.  I order from them frequently.

And the usual F*ck to the Felon, ice, and anyone who supports either. I hope to live long enough to see them all prosecuted like the Nuremberg Trials.
 

The party is over

 Steph and Dan flew home to Oregon on Sunday. They were here in the morning, then went to his family for lunch and visiting. Back here to get their Lyft at 3.45 to Philly airport. With the layover in SeaTac, it was 3 a.m. our time when they got to Portland Airport. Luckily they were off Monday, and picked up Mocha from boarding.

One of the many pix taken! Heather, me, Steph, Ralph, and Julianna. 

 

At first Miss Boone didn't know what to do. Then her daddy dipped her finger into the icing, and she caught on real fast! It was such a nice get together. I gave Donna a table runner, I had pix of my dad and Uncle Ted from when they were in the Navy and Army that I gave Mike. And I gave Jacob and Molly a scrapghan for their new house. Molly knits, so she knows how much time goes into an afghan. They were all very appreciative. 

Today we are going to pick up my Rx, then to the bank and the library.  

It's Valentine's Day!

 A busy week! Steph and Dan arrived Wednesday evening, just as the pizza they requested got here. You can't get good pizza in Oregon.

Thursday morning, Heather came up and we all went to First Watch for brunch for a pre birthday celebration for me.

 Thursday Baby Mary Jade Boone Oehrl turned one!

They went to the aquarium!

Friday was my birthday. Heather, Ed, Julianna, Dan and Steph took Ralph and I out to lunch at the Lamp Post, since Steph and Dan had "go to a diner" as one of their trip goals. 

 

I finally got a face embroidered on Sally! It took all of 15 minutes.

Today we're all going to Boone's birthday party, then going to Heather's house to visit. 

I have not been in the sewing room for a few days, but I have been working on the scrapghan each evening. It's probably halfway done. 

And, of course, F to the ice, the felon, and any fool who supports them. 

It's above freezing!

Right now it's 33, and predicted to go all the way up to 38!

Daily reminder to myself- F*ck the Felon, F*ck ice, and F*ck anyone who supports a pedophile grifter.

Nothing done in the sewing room yesterday. I was tidying up the living room, since Steph and Dan will get in tomorrow. 

I did some crocheting on the scrapghan last night. Using up skeins that are half used or more, working double crochet with two strands, one of white and one of leftovers.

I get my sutures removed today, yay. The skin is starting to overgrow, so they need to come out. 
  

I'm so popular!

 The younger kids think I'm great! Grandchildren Amary and Garrett and great nephew Benjamin got their bonus gifts. Garrett loves it when amazon packages are addressed to him, and said the flashlight was cool. I don't think Amary was quite as impressed, but liked hers. Juliette sent me a video of Ben screaming along with the goat, and asked if I was mad at her, LOL. Ben said it was the perfect present. 

After 4.5 hours, the sewing room is clean and organized!

Such a difference! This morning already we did a 5 minute task, cleaning out the coat closet in the dining room. A couple things will be moved to my closet, and a couple will be donated.  So I count that as a win. 

Granddaughter Julianna asked her mom who was playing against the Seahorses in the Super Bowl, so now they will be forever known in the family as the Seahorses. With Manda and Ben living near Seattle, it's their team of choice. 

One of the containers in my sewing room was from Mom's house. It was filled with empty thread spools, and old, faded spools of thread. It all went out in the trash, which freed up a container. 

The coat closet was one of today's goals. The other is to put a face on Sally Snake, now that the markers have been delivered. And to work on the current scrapghan tonight with the TV on in the background. I'm watching Matlock on Paramount, and much enjoying it.

And as always, F*ck the felon, ice, and anyone who supports either. 
 

10 and windy!

 The low today is going to be 5! And terrible winds. The weather forecasters are advising everyone to stay inside if they can. No problem! 

Doesn't it look so nice! I was able to close the doors after I took the picture! So far I'm 2 hours into cleaning. 

I went amazon shopping yesterday. I ordered a screaming goat for great nephew Benjamin as a bonus gift. Garrett loves his- it's only a few inches tall, and when you push a button it screams. LOL, Heather says there are days at the hospital when she needs one.

And I ordered flashlights for Amary and Garrett, a special from deals and steals on facebook. All the bonus gifts will be delivered today, and both moms know they are coming. 

I felt like a breakfast tortilla today, so I made scrambled eggs and bacon. Ralph skipped the tortilla, and I so enjoyed mine.

And finally, F*ck the orange Felon, and F*ck ice. 
 

 

Cleaning, the before

 My sewing room looks like a tornado went thru it, so the next few days sewing room time will be cleaning it. Here's the before:

 You could barely walk or stand at the work table! I was in the mood for some rage cleaning after seeing more about the Epstein Files and the ice latest atrocities. F*ck ice and F*ck all in the current regime of rapists, grifters and liars. I hope I'm alive to see the equivilant of the Nuremberg Trials.

Back to blogging- so I worked an hour in the sewing room yesterday, and plan to do more today. 

 I took time to browse baby swimsuits, and ordered this one for Boone's birthday. 

 Ralph took my phone and took pix from the dining room window. It's hard to see, but feral cats Lucy and Friday are perched on the trash cans, surveying their realm. It's sunny, so they emerged from their heated place to be outside for a while.

Another cold one

 Right now it's 19, with a projected high of 30. Next week we should see some warming, all the way up into the 40's! It's looking good for Steph and Dan to come visit. 

 I did another fabric wreath last night, this one a round one. It's probably going to be another birthday gift for Boone, to hang in her room. Her party is going to be on Valentine's Day at noon, at Mike and Donna's house. I was talking to my brother Mike yesterday, we usually talk once a week. He's such a good guy, and Joey and Boone are lucky to have him and Donna as grandparents. 

Today's time in the sewing room is going to be cleaning up! It looks like a hurricane hit it at the moment.  

 

MOHS surgery

 I had yet another area of basal cell carcinoma removed from my face this morning. I think this is #5.

 Even as she was stitching up the area, the dermatologist said there was swelling and bruising. She predicts I'll have a black eye. Stitches come out next Tuesday.

 In progress and finished! About a 3 hour project while watching TV, not counting cutting the 2x7 strips. I'm pleased with it. It was a kit that I got from Shabby Fabrics. Now I have the pattern!

I ordered non toxic markers to make Sally Snake's face, they should come tomorrow. 

And let me add myself to all the content creators who are announcing "F*ck Ice". Anyone who supports the brutal actions of ice and supports a rapist, grifting loser of a man, I don't want to associate with.  

Hello February!

 January seemed to go on forever! I'm hoping February will be kinder. Steph tries to come in for my birthday, and this year Dan is coming with her. Weather permitting. 

 I love these calendars! Steph did this years, so she, Manda, Heather and I all have the same calendar. That and the family chat on whatsapp make us all feel closer, even with Steph and Dan, Manda and Ben and kids being 3000 miles away.

I've finished the body of Sally 2.0, and I'm working on the tail. Then all that will be left will be her expression.

 

The  look on the star's face is what I'm aiming for. I'm thinking 3 strands of embroidery floss. 

Lunch with Frank and Charlotte today is Applebee's. I'm thinking chicken tenders and a house salad. I'd bought a package of frozen smash burgers from Walmart grocery, and we made them on the George Forman grill last night, with fries in the air fryer. The burgers came out really well, and I'll get them again. We each had one with cheese, and I was teasing Ralph that 30 years ago he'd have had at least 2, possibly 3.  

January is on the way out the door!

 Has it been January forever? It sure seems like it,  and I'm glad to see it gone.

 This is our current fireplace. It was wood burning when we bought the house, and years ago we had it converted to gas. It's been rarely used for a couple of reasons. When it's on, it makes the rest of the house colder. And Ralph would have me move everything ten feet away for fear of burning the house down. I love the mantle, it's got Valentine Gnomes on it and some birds.

So I contacted Reilly, who is engaged to one of my many great nephews, and works in The Fireplace Store, to see if we can convert it again, to electric this time. She sent me some brochures.

 I like this look. I would not change my brick, but I like the insert, so I just texted her pix with measurements. The process isn't mission critical, to quote Ralph, but I'd like to get it going.

I made more progress on Sally 2.0 last night, and hope to finish her today or tomorrow so I can get working on the Valentine's Day wreath. 

And I downloaded a couple of Melt the Ice hat patterns, so that may be the next crochet project.