Ahhhh....the lake!

Well, I'm slowly but surely getting back in my routine.  With no dryer I am still catching up with laundry and linen washing.  One load a day to hang in the basement, one load to pick and fold and another to wash but it will all get done eventually.  I have clean underwear and that's what counts! LOL!
Yesterday it rained and I did:
laundry
vacuumed my bedroom
cleaned up the house
blogged (finally!)
started knitting a Christmas present
in the evening I'm finishing up some crocheted squares for a throw/blanket
made a supper of tomato soup and grilled cheese (with avocado and bacon on it too...yum!) and had the last of the watermelon.   I also finished the last piece of strawberry rhubarb pie.  I'm eating up the leftovers from when the kids were here.
I made out some bills and caught up with finances 

After all the hard, heavy and hot work the kids did we all headed for the lake!  It's across the street from me but the beach is on the other side of the lake from me so we loaded up the kids and the floats and the coolers and off we went!  We went every day just about but grandma doesn't own a suit so I sat in the shade and took pictures and had my eye on the grand kids as there are no life guards.  I am not a great swimmer but I made sure my kids were from an early age!

Uriah just turned 7 and he swam all the way out to the float and back!  What a fish he is!  This is Amanda, Sam and Uriah.  Amanda is like an olympian swimmer as she dived off the float doing back flips and jack knives.  I thought I got pictures but evidently not.  I was probably too busy watching her! LOL!

Here's Grayson taking it easy.........

 Uriah.....fish boy....I'm surprised he doesn't have fins!

 Grayson..........this little guy had Grandma in stitches the whole time he was here....a natural born comedian....Amy would sometimes tell me it wasn't so funny but I thought he was hysterical! LOL!  He and grandma are 2 peas in a pod!

The boys loved Uncle Ben throwing them into the water!

Amy did her fair share too as the boys pretended they were beached dolphins and she had to get them back in the water........

After awhile they were all "beached"...there was also a lot of "butt crack" jokes being tossed around and oh how the boys giggled at that!

Amanda........taking advantage of the empty float...........

How you can have this much energy after working in the hot sun all day is amazing to me but back in the day I can remember having energy but I must have used it all up back then because I sure don't have much nowadays! LOL!

Grayson, Sam and Ben.............Amanda in the background on the float............

 Grayson.......

Well, I'm sure you've seen enough by now but they had a ball together and it was just as much fun for me to watch them.  I'm off now to take Nitty to the vet for her allergy shot, pick up a few things at Walmart and so much more!  Hope you all have a great day!
Happy Trails!

They came, they saw and they conquered!

I missed all of you but I am back "online" now and will be blogging about what I/we have been up to the last few weeks...some good, some not so good! LOL!  Ben, Uriah and Amanda (love that girl!) arrived a day early....SURPRISE!  They're lucky I didn't have a heart attack!  They got right to work despite the heat (90's) and heat index (70's).  My yard/weeds got away from me in the Spring with all the rain and then it got so hot and I didn't have a weed whacker etc. so Ben brought his "tools" and after 3 days of non-stop except for hydrating..........they transformed my yard!  Amy and her children, Sam and Grayson arrived 3 days later and helped finish while Grandma "supervised"! LOL!

This is Amanda...what a worker she is!  I had poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak climbing up the house.  Ben was the only one that got it on him and he had to get on steroids when he got home.  I tried organic weed killer which did not work so I am having to go back to the chemicals unfortunately but I can't have that stuff in my yard.

Here's the "worker bee" of the family..........his shirt was soaked with perspiration...they all worked so hard and I sure appreciate it!

Here's my daughter Amy getting to work right after she had gotten up at 3:00 a.m. and driven for 10 hours!  Ahhhh, to be young and energetic again! 

Meanwhile, Grandma had "pool duty"..........

Just last month they were 7, 6 and 3 but now they're 8, 7 and 4.....where does the time go? Uriah is the one without the shirt, Sam in the bigger one with the shirt on and Grayson's the littlest facing the camera.  They had a ball together!

Uriah........

Sam..........

Grayson................. 

That's all for today....I'll be busy trying to catch up with all of you....I truly have missed you so much!

Tomorrow is the birthday party installment! LOL!  And yes, I did manage to get all the presents done....whew!  It was close and the house didn't get all clean but they had fresh linens and beds, food and presents!  TTYL!  

Happy Trails!

I bet you wonder what I've been up to................

Well, the kids are coming to town.....all of them!  Well, all the grands that is and their chaperones! LOL!  I knew my daughter was coming in August but I didn't know my son was coming with his new significant other who I have not met yet.  I have talked to her on the phone though and she is a sweetie!  But I was in the middle of cleaning and organizing and now I need to get "a move on" big time!  Presents to finish and a house to clean and food to prepare.  So, you won't be seeing me out here too much other than to "document my cleaning frenzy"! LOL!
I started organizing my fabrics and sewing things as it has taken over my dining room and I think we might be needing it.
I cleaned out one closet in the middle room and this morning (I was up at 3:30..I think I'm starting to panic) I went to the Dollar Store and got plastic containers to "organize" and/or "divide and conquer".

So far, it seems to be working but I still need more containers...will I ever have enough?  These are great for fat quarters and I love "locking lids".  I need about 3 more though as I have Black, Green and 30's fat quarters.  I may dig up more too before the day is over!

I only have a few charm packs...so far.......

Then there are WIP's which I want to keep the fabric together as it was specifically bought for certain projects.  These containers are working well for those.

It seems I still have "miles to go before I sleep" though..........

Wish me luck! 
Happy Trails!

 

YOP Week #2

I did manage to get my YOP 2015 - 2016 page up this week so that was good!  And I have a finish!

Yes, Uriah's quilt is finally done all except for the quilt label which I was debating.  It also needs to be washed and dried in a dryer (which as you know I do not have at the moment) which means I'll have to take it to the laundromat here in town and then it needs to be wrapped up and a few extras put in and sent off!

Miss Peeps has to be everywhere I am,  so trying to keep her out of the picture is useless.

I would like to make a quilt label but I have more gifts to finish so not sure if I should spend the time but this looked like a fairly quick and simple method...of course, mine would not say "jam" but more like Uriah's name, the date, the occasion and the quilter.  I've never made a stitched one before so any suggestions would certainly be appreciated.

It came from this book which is my favorite crafting book at the moment.  I love every project in it and that is unusual.  I highly recommend it if you are a sewer or "wanna be".  It is "jam" packed (ha! ha!) with the sweetest and cutest projects for yourself or for gifts.  It is by Amy Sinibaldi of the famous blog Nana and Company

Here is what I am working on this week.........(as if you haven't seen these things a zillion times already)

a present which I can only show a peek of..............

I figured out I am still in April for the preemie hats but I'll be in May by this week maybe today.  I have to have all of this stuff done by the time my daughter comes in August.

There are some extra ones that when I was too tired to get up and see what was needed next, I just crocheted one and figured it would be needed at some point regardless of size.

My Hudson Bay Blanket sock is coming along great and I'm now on the foot heading towards the toe and all knit stitch until then.

Someone asked me last week where I got the yarn and it is a custom order from Fishknits. It is her Canadiana yarn.   She did not charge me extra for a custom order but you do have to be patient.

That's all for this week!  Happy Trails!

Friday Finishes

It's been a wild week but nothing terrible just crazy.  But I got a few things "finished".
 I finished this book about the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas back in the early 1900's.  It was mostly about the man who was the weather reporter on the island during that time.   It was a good book and very interesting but one of those that jumps around and I found it confusing.  I would recommend it if you like history or weather or both but it is really sad. I would rate it 4**** out of 5.

 I also finished this book.  It is good but it would be very unenjoyable for me to follow her regimen.  I sometimes take parts of tips but her "diet" would be hard for me to follow as I try to eat healthy but not to extremes.  I guess if my RA and Graves was really interfering with my lifestyle I would follow it but I have gotten pretty good at monitoring, exercising and eating sensibly.  I may buy a copy of the book later as you would have to own it as there are recipes etc. and I couldn't remember all of the info by borrowing it from the library.  I would rate it 4**** out of 5 if you have autoimmune issues.

I finished reading my first issue of ROL magazine.  It is a great resource but so much of the items and/or ingredients for recipes are not available here.  I though it a little presumptuous  of the magazine to assume we have great farmer's markets or access to those types of things.  It seemed to apply more to people living closer to metropolitan areas and also with a nice income! LOL! I would rate it 3*** out of 5

I finished The Stillmeadow Road by Gladys Tabor.  I love her writing and her lifestyle.  It's not  really a story but more a journal of her life of a particular year by month and of her farm Stillmeadow
It would be hard to give a synopsis of the book other to say it is peaceful and wonderful for me.  I love to read about rural living as it takes me back and hopefully forward again too. I get lost in it and it gives me lovely thoughts as I drift off to sleep. 4**** out of 5

This was a finish but not mine..........we had a female visitor who came to lay her eggs........if she looks like she is focused and straining....she is.  I did not realize at the time I took this picture that she was laying her eggs.  As soon as I realized it I left her alone and came back later...........

 She had dug through stones, mulch and mud to lay her eggs and then she left never to see her young that she brought into the world.  That's alright because so many times they get dug up by the armadillos and eaten.  It's just as well she doesn't look back.

In parting, here's a picture of Miss Peeps with her new friend.  I've been lecturing her about biting living things so now she's taken up with attacking Mr. Orangutan.  He doesn't seem to mind like the rest of us do.  My legs are finally healing and I may actually be able to shave them again before the end of summer LOL!   She's very lucky that we are all so tolerant in this family.  She's even taken over Annie's bed and Annie gets out and lets her have it...the bed that is.

I hope you have a nice weekend!  Happy Trails!

YOP Week #1

This is the first week of the Year of Projects 2015-2016 season on Ravelry!  I am participating again but this year will be a little different for me as I am "cleaning house" both literally and figuratively.  I am planning on moving back to my home state of Illinois hopefully before Christmas therefore I am focusing all my efforts on "downsizing" and getting this house ready to sell.  The only projects I will be working on until then will the the ones I didn't finish from previous years! LOL!  Plus, gifts for Christmas and birthdays which I can't always show.  I did have a good year but I've noticed the more finishes I have the longer my list gets too ie; there's no way I will ever finish all the projects I would like to make unless I clone myself. 
I have lists for each YOP year on the right side of my blog that I try and keep updated and that is why I don't list them here each week other than what I am currently working on.  I will have some new projects listed but they probably won't get started until after the New Year.  I have not published my YOP 2015-2016 list there yet but it will be out there later this week.  I have some deadlines for birthday presents that I need to meet.  July is almost as bad as Christmas in my family when it comes to birthdays....busy month!  So, until my list is up, here is what I am working on (not counting secret presents I can't show as my daughter (3 birthdays and 1 anniversary right there)  reads my blog now!) LOL!  I will post them after they have received them though.
An apology to my usual blog readers also as this month has been "something else".  I think Mercury is in retrograde which might account for some of it but I've had car troubles, my dryer broke and then the air conditioning went out and the modem and the internet!  Plus, I had some financial business which required some special bank signature which I spent a week just trying to get that taken care of.....it's been nuts!  On top of that hanging clothes in the basement and taking care of a new kitten has definitely taken up any free time I might have had to do other things.  That being said, I will try and get "back on track this week". 
Here is one of my sweet "time consumers" who has now been wormed, went from 7 ounces to 14 and has had her first shot of a series.  Oh, she is now called Miss Peeps since Mr. Peeps didn't really fit HER! LOL!

 She's in the house now too and wreaking havoc!  The girls are all very tolerant and Nitty (the Rottweiller) has pretty much adopted her...she's the "cat herder".  Grace (my other cat) doesn't really want anything to do with her....I think her nose is out of joint about not being the only cat in the house now so I have to spend time reassuring her.  Annie, the miniature dachsund has been extremely tolerant as Miss Peeps takes over her bed, jumps on her back and bites her tail!  They're all getting their exercise that's for sure and I made the mistake of wearing crop pants one day and now I look like I have leprosy!    I'll be wearing long pants this summer!  But we love her and she gets better each day.  She's sure given me a lot of laughs with her antics.  I wish I could have gotten a video of her "riding the dachsund"! LOL!
Here's what I am working on presently when I get a moment............the preemie hats!  I need 52 by the time my daughter comes next month.  I need to corral them, count them and see where I am.

I love how my Hudson Bay Blanket socks are turning out and my sock skills have definitely improved this year big time!  I have actually turned the heel and am working on the gusset since this picture was taken.

I'm hurrying towards the finish line on this quilt and finally got the quilt trimmed and the binding sewn.  I started sewing it to the quilt last night and the seam in the binding ended up right at the corner and corners are hard enough so I ripped it out and will redo it today when I am "fresh".  I should know better than to try and do anything in the evening....I'm toast by then.

My Sunday chores are usually change my sheets, do laundry and iron and now without a dryer I am doing laundry much more often as it has to line dry in my basement and there is more ironing.  I may have to put out the $400 for the dryer as line drying indoors does not get rid of "fuzz" on anything and it's driving me crazy when I dry my face or hands etc.  Where does "fuzz" come from anyway? LOL!
I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday weekend if you are in the States.  I watched The Capitol 4th on PBS and that was my 4th of July celebration. 
Happy Trails!

More gifts came in the mail!

Yesterday I got a package from my daughter in the mail!  She always sends the neatest things.....take a look and see if you don't agree...........
I love these old style potato mashers.  They do a better job than my kitchen aide and I don't dirty as many dishes

 I guess I'll be the sheriff in my home town.....my daughter said I've always been the sheriff...rustlin' up the bad guys! LOL!  And just in case I hurt myself doing it I've got some official cowboy bandaids to take care of my "owies"!

She's out of school for the summer now and she and the boys have been scouring some garage sales.  I think they found some real "treasures"!  She knows I used to read the Bobbsey Twins when I was a little girl. 

Maybe I'll read this to the boys when they come this summer.  It looks like a good one!

Look at these awesome buttons (like I don't have enough....can anyone really have enough buttons?)  I about fainted thinking she had spent that amount on buttons but she assured me she only paid .25 per card...whew!  She is THE BEST garage sale shopper although all my children are as I dragged them with me all those years ago. LOL!  They learned from a master! Ha! Ha!

And look at these wool threads on their original vintage cards.....LOVE!!!!

Do I not have the sweetest daughter in the whole wide world?  I think so and that's all that matters.
Thank you dear daughter!
Yesterday was Walmart in the morning and it was garbage day and I proudly took out 4 bags full!  Normally I'm a one-bagger but cleaning out I could definitely tell that progress was made this past week.  I was going to take Mr. Peeps to the vet but by the time I got home and put everything away the storm clouds were moving in so I decided to wait.  Plus, I was tired.  I got everything put away and cleaned up the house and made a rustic pizza for supper. 
This time it was provolone, pepperoni, leftover cauliflower and some mozzarella.  I used a Martha White pizza crust mix I had in the cupboard.  I am trying to use up food I have from cupboards and freezer.

Today there is more cleaning out of the middle bedroom, bills to pay and I have leftover apricot filling so I need to make more dough for the fold overs.  I need to finish middle bedroom clean out this week and pack one box a day to stay on schedule for my move.  I guess I better get going!
Happy Trails!