Monday, July 27, 2009

Pictures!



I thought I'd give pictures a try. Here's one of me, Ted and our fantabulous DD. She's 8 and really shouldn't be carried any more, but every once in a while, Daddy will oblige her.

Now that I know I don't need to use Flickr to show pics, we're off to the races!

This was taken at my Dad's 74th.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Week 30 done - week 31 abbreviated

07/27/09 – It’s now the beginning of Week 31. On a side note, I certainly hope that all of you have seen the highlights of the fantastic PERFECT game thrown by Buehrle of the White Sox. If you haven’t go read about it right now. I’ll wait.

And now for my progress:

Sandwich curtain panels – I got one long column quilted. It’s a start.
For the barnyard GFG flower, I got the 4th strip on and have started on the fifth.
For the 2 books goal, I did start Walden. Like only 3 pages, but I started.
No meatless meals this week.
Wannabees RR – Ute – Nothing done.
Wannabees RR – Julie – Halfway done. I have tried to progress twice and screwed up twice.
60 Mellie blocks – I have 40 done and am working on the next 10. I need to buy some more fabrics.

Since I am headed up to Patsy’s this Thursday, I’m cutting off Week 31 on Thursday morning. Week 31 goals:

Quilt one curtain panel.
Pack for Patsy’s.
Start DH’s 401k – Go through the big basket of paperwork and find what I need.
Pass CPCU 530 – Study through chapter 7.
Use up 100 yards in 2009 – There’s some yardage in the sandwiched pile. See if the Christmas BRB can be sandwiched this week as well.
Communicate with my DH’s grandma once a month – When I’m going through that big basket of paperwork, I will also pull out all of Renee’s school photos so that I can get those mailers ready as well.
Unrelated: Renew CPA Registration!!!! This only comes up once every 3 years and it’s due 09/30/09, so I thought I’d put it on here just in case.
Wannabees RR – Ute – started
Wannabees RR – Julie – mailed
60 Mellie blocks – 40 done – get to 60 done

Monday, July 20, 2009

Week 30

07/20/09 – I just realized by reading the 07/07 post, that the goal was to have a meatless dinner tonight and well, the stew meat is already in the crock pot. Whoops.

We’re now somewhere in Week 30, and I have enjoyed and relaxed over these past 10 days or so. While Ted and Renee were both at various overnight events, I had a really bad 4 day migraine, but once that subsided (which is when Ted came home), I did start getting some things accomplished. Not all on my 101 list, but things nonetheless.

And now for my progress:

Sandwich curtain panels – Done! They are sitting upstairs near the sewing machine that can handle that heavy duty quilting.

Finish the green GFG flower – Done! I just decided (while waiting for my health meter to recharge on a video game – don’t laugh, OK?) to sew it together and call it a day.

Finish strips on the barnyard flower – Done! They are hanging at work outside my cube. There are 9 strips to a flower and I am sewing the fourth one on. I sew this flower at lunch.

Find the 2 books I want to read – Haven’t started to read. Walden is one and I still have not made it to the library. I may just read this Star Trek book that Ted gave me to read.

2 meatless meals – Half-Done! Got one done on 07/07. Total is 2 down and 7 to go.

Wannabees RR – Ute – Nothing done.

Wannabees RR – Julie – Halfway done. I have 4 pieced boarders to add and then they need a coordinating border to go with. That is all I can write – Julie reads this blog!!!

60 Mellie blocks – I have 40 done and am working on the next 10.

Review Ted’s CD purchases – Only 4 CD’s left. Ted bought Thriller while at ALA. It seemed like a good idea, with all the hoopla and such. So now we need 3.

Pay $120 to the student loan – this has not been happening.

Candles – Researched some supplies.

And lastly my goals for the time between now and Friday morning:

101 goals:

GFG Barnyard Flower – finish the fourth strip and attach the fifth.
The 2 books – Try to read twice this week on Thoreau.
Start DH’s 401k – Go through the big basket of paperwork and find what I need.
Pass CPCU 530 – Study through chapter 5.
Use up 100 yards in 2009 – There’s some yardage in the sandwiched pile. See if the Christmas BRB can be sandwiched this week as well.
Communicate with my DH’s grandma once a month – When I’m going through that big basket of paperwork, I will also pull out all of Renee’s school photos so that I can get those mailers ready as well.
Unrelated: Renew CPA Registration!!!! This only comes up once every 3 years and it’s due 09/30/09, so I thought I’d put it on here just in case.
Wannabees RR – Ute – started
Wannabees RR – Julie – mailed
60 Mellie blocks – 40 done – get to 60 done

Monday, July 13, 2009

Migraines

You’d think that many days without a husband or a child underfoot I would have achieved a lot.

Except I had a 4 day migraine. And there went the concept of progress.

Yesterday was the first day I felt I could function for longer than an hour without retreating to a dark room. Saturday, I did drive DD to Chicago so she could spend the week with her aunt, but it was a very painful drive up and a very painful one home. I am just grateful it was achieved.

I also unplugged my phone. I just couldn’t stand the jarring ring every time I could fall asleep to end the migraine.

So while I had all of these grandiose plans to get so very much done as of Wednesday night to the present, very little has been achieved. I did get the kitchen to an acceptable level, as well as the rest of my main floor. This is key; then anyone can walk in. I of course have been living on that floor this week, so it needs maybe 10 minutes of love, but otherwise I am in good shape. (The dry cleaning lying on the floor is really the issue. Dry cleaning is such a pain in the butt.)

I did also start and accomplish a significant amount of the laundry. There are something like 10 loads that need to be done, and Ted comes home tonight (a day early!) and he’ll be bringing his. Hopefully we can stay on top of this. I have been folding as they are complete (and shamelessly watching the Michael Jackson tribute whilst doing so), so folding is remaining current.

I also did finally get downstairs to sew. After declaring that there was absolutely NOTHING on TV on Sunday, I headed down there. I fired up the Friday Night Lights and got through about 5 episodes. I also got 40 blocks down for the Mellie swap (1/3) and sandwiched a curtain panel, which was no small endeavor. That thing was a monster (4 feet by 7 feet just for the top, so you can imagine the rest), but now that one is sandwiched, there’s only one more left to be sandwiched and then the quilting can begin. I also am developing a way to sandwich large quilts via my ironing board, and if it holds true for the second curtain panel, then I will attempt to sandwich the Christmas BRB this way. Then I will have something like 6 quilts ready to be quilted, which is a good and beautiful thing.

And I just remembered to buy tickets and ride bracelets for the county fair! Yay!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Prayers

This is a non-quilty post.

I have decided to bookmark and follow the 3 blogs that made me so emotionally fragile a few weeks ago. They are women who have walked the hard road of grief, but their lives have moved forward (some people just make shrines…). Anyway, one of them has posted a link to a young girl’s story of fighting a brain tumor.

Diagnosed just last week, Kate is 5, loves pink and is fighting an aggressive brain tumor. Their family has been turned upside down. If you pray, pray for these people. This is a shitty thing to go through and no little kid should have to.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

OK, one quilty note: I got nothing done yesterday, save 15 minutes of handwork on the barnyard GFG flower.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

DD is Sewing!

07/07/09 – We did eat meatless last night!!! Quesadillas, beans and rice and fresh broccoli for DD! Next week, I’m the only one home on Meatless Monday, so it will no doubt take a hiatus. I’m eating whatever I want when people are not around! So we are 2 for 9.

DD and I are also working on skirts. Check out the last June project at the Moda Bake Shop (www.modabakeshop.com) and that is what we are making. Hers is blue and mine is pink. This is the most motivated she has ever been to sew, so it really depends on the project.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Week 29? 30? Bueller?

I’m not so sure what week it is, but here are my goals. I’m making this list to get me all the way to July 17. I am considering the July 17 to be the start of week 30 (to get myself back on track).

Sandwich curtain panels
Finish the green GFG flower
Finish strips on the barnyard flower
Find the 2 books I want to read
2 meatless meals

And here are some more goals:
Wannabees RR – Ute
Wannabees RR – Julie
60 Mellie blocks

And my progress from last week:

Review Ted’s CD purchases – I did check with him and nothing else has been purchased besides the Genesis packs. So we need to buy 4 more.

Pay $120 to the student loan – this has not been happening. It is very possible that I will not make this one by Ted’s 40th, but sometime in his 40th year.

Sandwich curtain panels – I actually got one panel sewn, so the process is beginning.

Finish the green GFG flower – I have only one white strip to sew on.

Finish strips on the barnyard flower – all done and waiting in my cube to go.

Find the 2 books I want to read – I actually have some thoughts on this. One is Walden by Thoreau. My sister gave me some other ideas.

Potholders – completed and given to my sister.

Ted and DD will be gone for a while, with everyone back under one roof on Friday, July 17, late that night. So I plan to get lots of annoying things done during that time.