Canterbury Tales

Taking a Break

2010-01-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

I think I am officially taking a break from posting. I may pick it up again later when my hand is completely healed and I can type with both hands again.

So MUCH later . . .

Weekend

2010-01-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

YUM

We received lemons from our neighbors again and made three lemon meringue pies. They turned out beautiful - we gave one to the neighbors in thanks for the lemons (will get some next year too). Kathy, Max and I went to Volcano so Kathy could work on Max's mom's computer and Max could repair a broken ceiling fan. It was a quick but fun trip. The rest of the weekend was kind of kicked back.

I purchased some curtain rods and a cookie sheet and Max glued them for me (one handed I would end with up glue everywhere - which now that I think about it I do with two hands). It is a really cool idea for a cheap tray for my quilting machine. Other than watching some movies and Tivo programs the weekend was quiet and peaceful.

Later . . .

BORED!

2010-01-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

It is official - I am bored to death. The limitations imposed by this cast and the surgery are driving me crazy. I guess I can be grateful that the resultant pain from movements I am NOT suppose to be doing is in fact keeping me from doing them (probably more accurate to say - keeping me from completing them). I am talking I can't even fold clothes unless it is something small that does not weight much and I can handle with one hand. Of course quilting, sewing, cutting fabric and all that stuff is on hold. I am not liking this situation very much at all. So needless to say I have not been doing much to write about.

Later . . .

Finally the New Year

2010-01-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

We brought an end to all the Christmas celebrations with dinner and presents on New Years Day. Jesse had the kids for New Years (he gets every other Christmas) so Kathy cooked a fab dinner of prime rib, baked potatoes, yorkshire pudding, salad, corn, garlic bread and ended it with cheesecake topped with cherries and chocolate! The entire Lawson family was here and we had a great time (no work for me with "the hand"). It goes without saying the kids (Katie and JD) had a great time cause it was all about them when the presents came out!

The family went to see "AVATAR" on Saturday and I have to say I was amazed by the movie - awesome! Well worth seeing and we are going to see it again at the iMax. Michael was in Redbluff this last week so we will see it again with him. I usually do not ever want to see a movie more than once, but I am ready to see it again. I loved that movie - go see it!

We got the house "undecorated" Saturday morning. I did a lot of one handed carrying, but Max got the brunt of it all. Debby came over today to help her get the stuff back up in the rafters - no lifting more than a pound for me!

Max has one more day before she has to go back to work. Hard to believe it is 2010 and another birthday is staring me in the face.

Later . . .

Clearing things up . . .

2009-12-30T18:22:00.000-08:00

I was told my last post was a bit confusing regarding the ability to email post. What happened is when I sent the email it automatically posted, but the text was all out of alignment and I had to spend a lot of time trying to fix it - so what is the point? You still have to upload the pictures - so what I thought would be handy is not gonna do the job for me - unless I am missing some component.

Later . . .

Email Posts

2009-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

I don't think I will be using the email posts because they transfer over all out of format. It would have been handy, but the old way works just fine.

Later . . .

Catching Up

2009-12-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

Well I have my cast and I wish I could say that all is well, but I am still having some pain associated with the thumb joint. It is really hard not using the hand, but I just can't use it. I am trying my best to not use it and the pain does remind me to stop! I got the stitches (and there were many) out and am now sporting a purple and pink cast. It is scheduled to come off on the 21st.

Duane and Denise came up the weekend before Christmas and we had a great time with them and the grandkids. We basically bought games for the kids and we spent most of our time playing games with them. The weekend went by rapidly as they arrived on Friday night and left on Sunday afternoon. We had our Christmas on Saturday. The kids had never been here for Christmas (we have always gone to their house) and it was really nice to have them here. We don't have any extra room, but we got out the air mattresses and it worked out.

Max and I took a couple of days and drove up to Reno - had some snow on the way, but not too bad. We had a really nice time just messing around and doing some gambling. We came back on Christmas Eve as Max's mom was having surgery on that day. All went well with the surgery
and she got to do the out-patient thing and went home that night. We spent the day at Debby's having snacks and watching movies (The Hangover and Four Christmases). For anyone who is interested, The Hangover was a total HOOT! Max ended up sick to her stomach and did not feel good for a couple of days.

We are having another Christmas on New Year's Day. Kathy is fixing dinner at our house and all the Lawson family will be here. Jesse only gets the kids for Christmas every other year and this was his off year - thus New Years.

I am experiencing some severe boredom due to the fact I can't do anything that I normally do. No sewing, no quilting and nothing around the house really. Not a whole lot you can do with one hand. I am sure Max will be happy when the cast is off and the PT starts.

Later . . .

Testing Email Posting

2009-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

This is just a test for email posting.

No Infection

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

I corresponded with my surgeon today and he said that after checking all my test results, I did not have any infections. He said it must have been bruising or a reaction to the soap they used during the surgery. I guess still better safe than sorry, but all the blood taken and the IV was not much fun. He also indicated the bandages were probably fine unless I was having some severe discomfort (discomfort -yes, severe discomfort - no). The main problem I seem to be having is the darn itching! Ahhhhh well - suffer on.

Later . . .

OUCH MY THUMB

2009-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

My hand is pretty swollen as you can see from the picture. Not going to be easy doing this post with one hand - I have never been a hunt and peck kind of typist. I could use the fingers of my other hand except it hurts like hell to move them. The surgery went well according to the doctor. It was delayed a bit and we did not get back home until around 6:30. I am still in more pain than I would like to be in. I was sent home with strict instructions to take pain medications every 4 hours for the first 48 hours. That schedule ended up having me sleeping or nodding off most of the time, but the pain level was pretty high so that was probably my best treatment.

We settled in to watch some TV last night and while we were watching Law & Order SVU someone in the program jumped out and scared me - you know that feeling when your whole body tenses up? Well I am here to tell you even with the half cast there was room for tension that resulted in unbelievable PAIN. OMG the tears were rolling down my cheeks and another pain pill was popped immediately! I declared at that time there would be no scary movies or surprises.

I progressed into Saturday doing pretty well. Not as much pain and feeling better and moving around more. Did not have much of an appetite and ended up being sick a couple of times. We then noticed the "oh please don't really be there" redness growing out from under my bandage. Started taking my temp and it was slowly rising with the redness spreading. Needless to say that required a trip to the emergency room. They took a bunch of blood and started me on IV antibiotics. Unfortunately, they had to remove the "very well placed bandage" from my surgeon to check the actual incision sites for infection. What an additional pain! So I was sent home with 10 days of antiobiotics and an email to my surgeon. The replacement bandage does not feel like the one they took off and I would not be opposed to going back and having my surgeon replace it again.

Soon this will be over. Max is doing a very good job taking care of me, but she does have to go back to work on Monday.

Later . . .

Sewing Machine

2009-12-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

I finally got my sewing machine back from the factory - AGAIN. I had the chance to sew on it today and I am very happy to announce that it is working quite well. The machine sewed like I knew it always should have. I did this design on one of the shirts that I already had decorated for Christmas. It was over 55k stitches and I only had the thread break twice. That it a fricking miracle as previously I could not get 100 stitches without having the thread break or shred.

Kathy finished with the binding and now only has to do the hand work and make a label.

My doctor was very pleased with the way my nose is healing and said I should be healed in 2-3 weeks as opposed to 5-6. I will wait and see what the final result is to make the decision if I want to do anything cosmetically.

So I guess I am ready for the hand surgery tomorrow. I think I will play some video games tonight just to get some "thumb time" in before the surgery. Kathy is going to keep Max company tomorrow during my surgery. I have to be at the hospital at 10:15 for a scheduled 11:15 surgery. The surgery should take about 1 1/2 hours and with recovery time I should be home around 3:30 or 4:00.

Later . . .

I did my part . . .

2009-12-08T19:47:00.001-08:00

My part is finished and it really turned out nice. Kathy is going to come over tomorrow and get the binding on. I have a doctor's appointment to check out the nose tomorrow, but it is progressing nicely.

Later . . .

Ready, set, go . . .

2009-12-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Kathy's quilt is on the frame and I am ready to start quilting. The decision has been made for loops and stars.

Later . . .

Bandage Off

2009-12-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

It was not near as bad as I was expecting. Kathy came over this AM to play Dr. Ahre and help take the bandages off and proceed to clean the "holes". I was expecting more trauma than actually occurred. The tape pulled somewhat and was not pleasant getting off, but the cleaning of the "holes" with the hydrogen peroxide was practically painless. Getting the Aquaphor to stay in the "holes" is going to prove a challenge. It fills in good, but as my body heats it tends to slip out. I am not sure what the answer to that is. I can put bandages on the "holes", but the Aquaphor still seems to seep out. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday so I will be able to ask the doctor about what I am suppose to be doing. I can breathe a bit better, but I am still a bit stuffed up and that is likely to continue for a while cause blowing my nose is not going to be an option.

Looks like we are a go to work on Kathy's quilt tomorrow. I got the other quilt off the frame and hopefully will be able to get Kathy's on the frame tomorrow or Tuesday for sure.

Later . . .

Christmas Decorations Up

2009-12-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

We had a somewhat lazy day today. We got the house decorated for Christmas. It looks very cute and I am happy we put up all the decorations. Max is having her office Christmas party here on the 16th and then Duane and family will be coming up the weekend of the 18th. It will be totally fun to have the grandkids here for Christmas. We usually make a trip to their house for an extra Christmas and it will be nice to have everyone here this time.

Kathy, Paul and Michael were over for dinner. I bought a new cookbook with all casseroles and I tried out one on them tonight. It was a chicken, mushroom, water chestnut, cheese, soup and bread kind of thing. It was a make the day before type and it turned out really tasty. We then watched "Night at the Museum - Return to the Smithsonian" which was really cute. Had brownies, hot fudge and ice cream for dessert.

Still not looking forward to the bandage removal, but also will be glad to have it done. I am really tired of not being able to breathe and I really don't see that improving a great deal in the near future. Time will tell.

Later . . .

Quilts

2009-12-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Considering I have not been feeling all that great (nose pain). I am making progress on the quilting front. The quilt that needs to come off (above) is almost done. I only have three squares to quilt and it can come off. Kathy's quilt, the one that needs to go on (below) is ready. Kathy just has to get the backing sewn together and we should have a completed quilt the first of the week. Of course Kathy will have to add the binding and then she will have a completed quilt. Diesel (Kathy's new kitten) will be so happy as the quilt is for him.

Tomorrow I get to take the bandages off my nose and I have mixed feelings about that. I am totally ready to have the bandages off, but pulling the tape off my face is not going to be a pleasant experience. I also do not think the cleaning and putting medication on my "holes" is going to be much of a pleasant experience either. However, be assured that I will blog about it and let everyone know how it went!

Later . . .

Skin Cancer Surgery

2009-12-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

Max took the day off work to take me in for my nose surgery. She was a very brave soldier (as was I) and tried to be as supportive as possible (they let her be in the room for the cancer removal), but the ordeal was a bit much - she almost passed out and came close to throwing up). She was very good when it was over and we were waiting for the results - she turned into a surprisingly good lair. When I asked her if I had BIG holes in my nose she convincing told me they were not so big and the problem she had during the surgery was with the smell of the burning skin when the doctor was cauterizing the blood vessels. Truthfully, that smell is horrid, but it was the size of the pieces of "meat" he removed from my nose that completely grossed her out. She was sure that I would have a through and through hole in the side of my nose. It was hard for me to judge by feel how much he was taking out, but when I saw the holes - I was genuinely shocked. It took all I had not to burst into tears on the spot. I hated the procedure of shooting my nose full of Novocaine - that is the worst cause ALL the shots HURT!

So my doctor, AKA McDreamy/Steamy Hottie Hottington (OMG he is a young, gorgeously sexy , latte skinned, curly headed stud with melted dark chocolate pools for eyes) explained my options regarding my recovery and the holes. His recommendation is to treat the wounds for the next 5 weeks with hopes they will fill in naturally (He says there has been great success with this method). The other option was to graft tips of my cheek skin into the holes leaving the skin attached and then separating the skin once it had grafted. The option we chose was to treat the wounds (clean daily with hydrogen peroxide and fill with Aquaphor) and see what they look like in 5 weeks. If I am not happy with the results, I can choose to have the cheek skin grafts at that time. I am not very happy with the whole matter, but as Max says, "You are cancer free and that feels good". Of course, I am grateful to be cancer free and also that we have good insurance. I am a swollen mess and my nose HURTS, but I know it will pass and all will be good in a couple of days.

Next is the thumb surgery one week from today and I know that is going to be painful. At least I am getting things taken care of and it will all be for the better when it is over. I will be in a splint for 10 days and then in a cast for weeks (not sure how many). Due to having the thumb surgery next week, my priority this next week is to get Kathy's quilt on my frame and finished before I have my thumb surgery.

I plan to post a picture of Kathy's quilt and my Christmas quilt in the next few days and then will post again when I have completed the quilting. Since this was Kathy's first quilt, I know she is anxious to have it finished (and I don't blame her for that - I would feel the same way) . Unfortunately, the stupid swine flu set me back on my progress completing the "cheater" quilt I have on my frame now, but I should be able to finish it in the next few days and move on to Kathy's.

I am tired and in pain. Time for ice on the face/nose and perhaps another pain pill. I had a nice nap this afternoon and might do the same while Max watches football.

Later . . .

Hello Again

2009-11-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm there seems to be a pattern emerging here - posting about once a month. I really wish I would do better, but I just don't seem to find the time or want to do it; however, right now I have nothing but time on my hands because I am sick with the flu. This has forced me to a "do nothing" few days (at least I hope it will only last for a few days). Well that was wishful thinking - I haven't even had the energy to type or think. I swear it was not until today that I actually feel like my brain is functioning. So the update on "the flu" is that I got the swine flu and have never been so sick in my life. I do believe that my fever finally broke and I am on the road to recovery (please God).

My main concern right now is getting my energy and stamina back to be able to do the SF Ghost Hunt Walking Tour, which Debby has scheduled for us to do on this coming Saturday. We have all been wanting to do it for quite some time and it should be really fun (providing I can breath).

I am sure there is no way I will be able to remember what has happened in the month I have been gone. I did have a good time with my sister Joy visiting. Joy, Kathy and I hit the quilt show two days and spent MUCH money and bought some beautiful stuff. Kathy decided that she would try quilting and I promised her "IF" she did not like quilting I would make all her projects for her. This last week she actually made her first quilt top that turned out really beautiful. I don't have a picture of it, but I will post one later. I am going to do the quilting for her (I don't want to frustrate her too much trying to do it on her machine). We had a good time "playing" together and she is a quick learner (she has much sewing experience and is very precise which helps with with quilting).

In the process of getting ready to help Kathy learn quilting I ended up with two more quilt tops. I have a large "cheater quilt" on my frame that I am practicing on to try different things. I was having a great time with that and then getting knocked on my butt with the flu and left that untouched for almost two weeks! I have to get that done and off the frame so I can get some of these tops that are stacking up taken care of. I do know Kathy is anxious to actually have a completed quilt in her hands too.

Ummmm what else? Oh yeah - I ended up packing up my stupid sewing machine and sending it back to the factory. They seriously have to get it right this time! They have had it since 11/4 and I am choosing to take that as a positive sign that are COMPLETELY going through the thing and don't darn send it back unless it works PERFECTLY! Of course I am not holding my breath on that one.

Well yesterday I thought I was heading back to a real life, but today - not so much. I feel like I am catching a fricking cold - ah go figure! Perhaps I am just letting go of some of the mucus that has been collecting. I am taking medication to break up the congestion in my chest and I think I am stretching my wishful think about as far as I can go. The whole SF trip is not looking good so good at this point

Anyway, I think it is time for me to hit the publish button and send this on it's way.

Later . . .

Fast Week

2009-10-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

Well the week is coming to an end and we will be heading back home tomorrow. Joy and I have had a really good time sewing and generally messing around. We have visited with friends, but mainly the time has been spent in her sewing room. I completed a "strip" quilt that I really love. I have been wanting to do one and it really helped to have her show me what to do (I did the whole thing myself with her guidance). The binding is sewn on, but the hand work still has to be done.

Next project was to make a pillow case. We had made one years ago and I had completely forgotten how to do it. So we both made one at the same time and they turned out really cute. I want to be able to make some more by myself and I now feel confident enough to do it.

We moved on to place mats. I have been wanting to do place mats for a long so Joy showed me two different ways to do them. One way is to sew and turn and the other is to quilt and then bind. The quilt and bind is really professional looking - more time consuming, but worth it once the project is finished. I have to take the place mats home and complete them there. I also bought some material to do some autumn type mats that I think will be beautiful and perfect for Thanksgiving.

We will have sewing to do when we are home at my house and I am looking forward to being home. It is always nice to visit, but there no place like HOME!

Later . . .

Geez . . . .

2009-10-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

WELL - I certainly have not been doing a good job of keeping up with the blog. I want to blame Facebook, but maybe I am just being lazy. I really put out an effort to keep posting while Debby was in Iraq, but since she has been home - no posts.

I am thinking a lot has happened since the last post and I know I have pictures connected with it, but I am on my Macbook and the pictures are on my Mac (I am visiting with my sister Joy for a week in Ventura). At least she now has wireless access - thus this blog.

Kathy, Paul, Debby, Max and I all went to our Timeshare in Nevada the first part of September. We finally got to fish in Red Lake. Max and I have been wanting to fish there for a long time and the last time we were going to fish there it was solid ice. We had the float tubes and it was a beautiful and calm day. I caught one fish and got one bite, but I took a book along with me and when I got tired of fishing I just floated around and read - ahhhh the life! We did a lot of exploring in Paul's new Ford truck. We found some beautiful lakes in the area and were able to fish in some. That fishing trip is what prompted the purchase of our new Ford Escape - the need for a 4x4 to get to some of the fishing spots. We went out in search of wild horses and THAT required a 4x4 for sure. We did get to see some, but it was from quite a distance, but it was still fun.

We ventured off to Sacramento for a birthday gathering for Katie and JD. That turned into a "thing" as the keys to Max's mother's car were lost. We did the key search for a while and then called AAA to come out. Before they arrived Max & Paul managed to get the car open (there was some hope the keys just might be in the trunk). No luck for keys in the trunk so we used AAA to have a locksmith come out and when he arrived (an hour and a half after the 45 minute wait for the tow truck) he informed us that it might take him up to 3 hours to get a key made because it was some special chipped key! The decision was made to just drive Annette home and have her come back the next day with the extra key to get the car. I think we managed to leave around 9:00 PM (we had started to leave about 5:00 PM). We had to stay because it was our AAA card.

Oh I forgot that Max and I went to Fremont for her to do a photo session with the teacher she has found to help her progress in her photography. That was fun - I sat and worked on the binding for a quilt while they took pictures and were messing around with lighting. The guy is very nice and seems to be a very good teacher - patient and clear.

The next weekend Paul, Max and I took our old mattress and box spring to Max's mother and then went fishing the next morning. We got up EARLY and headed out to be there when the sun came up. Max used her float tube, but I got lazy and just did not feel like going through the motions to get out in the water. I fished from shore throwing lures. I managed to hook 9 nice trout and fall in the lake once. The water was not too cold and thankfully I was able to change into my waders and let my clothes dry out. Max and Paul got lots of hits, but did not manage to hook any fish. I was very happy and the experience brought back the thrill of fishing again.

I got my new car just in time to make the trip to my sister's house in Ventura. I am really happy with the car and the way it drives. It is equipped with bluetooth and that is very cool for using the cell phone. It also came with 6 months of Sirius radio which was awesome - never lost a signal the entire drive. We are having fun sewing (I am in the process of making a really cool flannel strip quilt). I had to take my mondo expensive Creative Vision to the shop so they could send it back to the factory. This is the second machine that has gone hey-wire on me. I sent a very frustrated email to my dealer and she forwarded it up the food chain. The president of the company stepped in and I got a phone call from the head of quality control and was assured that they would take my machine and completly go over it and promised when I got it back it would be working perfectly. All I can say is it better. I have been very patient but VERY frustrated with the machine since I first got it.

I wish I had some pictures to post, but sadly the narrative will have to be it for now. I am going to put some effort into keeping up with the blog if I only do a weekly entry. I like having it and it is really nice to go back and see what was happening before. Easy to forget things as time passes.

Later . . .

Niners & Raiders

2009-08-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well thank goodness Debby is safely home from Iraq! In a way it seems like the year went by quickly and in another way it seemed to drag. The family (Kathy, Paul, Michael, Debby, Max and I) got together for the Niner/Raider game. Everyone except Max and I are Niner fans and Max and Debby bet on the teams every year - who will win the most games - who wins the pre-season game (which was the Niners). Thank goodness it was a close game! It was just fun to be at Debby's and have her home and be able to have a friendly rivalry over the game. We had a simple dinner of hot dogs and potato salad. She just arrived home Saturday morning, so she was very tired and we left her to get some sleep after the game was over.

We bought chilles (from Hatch New Mexico) and have to do some roasting. Ya can't really roast the chilles on a gas BBQ so we ended up picking up a decent sized grill. Hate to do it for once a year, but decided it would be the backup in case we run out of propane (which happens to be the case right now - both tanks are empty). We have room to store it in the shed and it will not be in the way since we are not getting the lawn mower in and out (gardeners). OMG the house smells soooooooooooo good right now with all the chilles sitting on the counter waiting to be bagged and put in the freezer!

I was able to get the binding sewn on one of the baby quilts that I had done while watching the game. I finished a quilt for Sunny (Debby's Yellow Lab) and gave it to Debby today. I have a quilt on the frame ready to be quilted, but probably will not get to it until the beginning of the week. At least it is loaded. The part I hate the most about the quilting process is cutting the backing for the quilt top. I am getting better at doing it and working better with larger sized material that has to be squared, but it is still something I consider a hassle. It probably also is that I never know what to use. With the dog quilts it is difficult to pick a patterned material and I have been using plain muslin, which seems to do the trick and look good. I am anxious to actually get one of my good quilts on the frame to quilt - time just seems to get away from me.

We are going to Genoa this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a wedding. Max is taking pictures of the bridesmaids getting their hair done and getting ready for the wedding. The wedding is on Friday - so we will be coming home on Saturday. Then the next week we will be going back to Genoa for a week of fishing and general vacation relaxation.

Later . . .

Weekend

2009-08-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Had a fun Friday - Michael's 26th BD. He actually had his "party" Thursday night at the Karaoke Bar he and his work friends like to go to on Thursdays. Since Karaoke does not start until 9:30, Max and I skipped the drinking and singing part of the celebration. We all went out to dinner at his favorite Mexican place and then came back to our house for a good session of Rock Band II. Mike loves to place the drums!

Max and I both had "training sessions" on Saturday. I took an embroidery stabilizer class in Sunnyvale and she did a 2 hour session with a photographer (Kathy tagged along as her model). We were both pleased with what we learned. Max found this guy that she really likes in Fremont who gives lessons at his studio for $50 an hour - amazing since most people she looked up were charging in the hundreds!

We are having our typical "do nothing Sunday", but I did run across a problem when I looked in my fabric cabinet and found that one of my bottles of distilled water was EMPTY (Yes,it was a new bottle). Needless to say I had a bunch of molded fabric and a mess on the bottom of the cabinet. I had to unload the entire cabinet (Yes it was FULL of material) to check the flooring behind and under the cabinet. Everything looked okay, but I am guessing it had to have leaked some onto the flooring. We had to "un-earthquake" the cabinet to be able to move it - what a pain in the butt.

Ahhhhhh well back to do nothing Sunday - all the fabric can wait until tomorrow. I do think this is a good opportunity to do some rearranging and thinning out of stuff I have in my sewing room. Less really is better sometimes! I have so much stuff that it is hard to make a decision as to what I am going to sew next. I have so much material I have a hard time deciding what to use. This will be a great opportunity to get rid of anything that is not 100% cotton AND something that I think I will actually use in the NEAR future.

Later . . .

----------------
Now playing: Rob Thomas - Her Diamonds
via FoxyTunes

Not Quilting Yet

2009-08-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

When I did the embroidery before my machine was acting up a bit - so I decided that instead of quilting I should do some more embroidery and see if my machine would behave. I decided to put a design on the front of the shirt that I put the fairy on the back. Then Max asked me to put a cloud and rainbow on one of her shirts. They both turned out nice - I added the hummingbird as an additional touch to the flowers. It seemed to do okay except it cuts threads sometimes and then sometimes it doesn't. It is frustrating to have a machine that cost that much money and have it not do the things that it is suppose to do (and is why it cost so much money). I will say it does do a nice job of sewing and embroidery and the bells and whistles that don't work are not that big of an issue - merely an annoyance!

I am still missing the grand kids, but adjusting to the quiet and loneliness. They certainly kept me focused and busy. Right now I am working on losing the 6 pounds I gained while they were here. So much easier to put on than take off. Also much easier to be watching what I eat when I am not feeding kids.

Later . . .

Missing the Grandkids

2009-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Glad I didn't decide to slice the top of my finger off while the kids where here. I managed to do it in a spot that if I bent my finger it would come open. I took a pretty good slice right at the top of the knuckle - opps! I was cleaning the drain in the sink and slipped. It is having a difficult time healing because of the bend. To keep it from bending, we made a splint from a card reader that would not work with my memory sticks.

After the grandkids left, we knew that Jesse was coming down with his kids so we left the pools up with water. It is amazing the attraction of that little pool! Jesse went swimming with the kids and they had a blast in the bigger pool.

I have my sewing room back and did some embroidery yesterday (I would give it up again to have the kids - the house is quiet and LONELY). I made the horse shirt to donate for a silent auction that is being held for R.E.A.C.H. I am doing it for the benefit of Michael. I am also making a dog quilt and a baby quilt. I added the spools of thread to the front of the shirt that I had previously put "When Life Gives You Scraps - Make Quilts" on the back. I am hoping to get something on my quilt machine today and get back in the grove of quilting. I am thinking I would like to try to use a pantograph and see how that works out. I have sooooooooooo many things to learn and try.

Our fishing trip is just around the corner September 4th - 11th) and we are all looking forward to taking off for a week. Max and Paul are looking forward to not only float tubing in the lakes, but being able to fly fish in the Carson River. Time will tell how my knee will hold up for tubing.

Later . . .

Time Flies

2009-08-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Things have pretty much remained the same - swimming, board games, video games, baking cookies and eating breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert (they eat all the time). We have run across some really good games and some really not so good games) above Chutes and Ladders, Hungry Hungry Hippos and Crazy Crab). Deanna fell in love with "Crazy Crab" and "Hungry, Hungry Hippos". Chutes and Ladders was a success along with some OLD game called "Spooky Old Tree". There was another game that was only for two players - "Guess Who" that everyone liked. It is nice that the kids can all play board games and Deanna does excellent for "almost" four.

The time has flown by and Denise will be arriving today to take them home tomorrow. I have loved having them here, but it is a handful and VERY time consuming and patience trying. Makes a big difference in my life when I am used to being home alone every day. All that said, Max and I are going to miss them like crazy once they are gone. IF ONLY we lived closer, we could have them more often for shorter periods of time.

All I can say is that the pool was the best $25 investment I have made in a long time. They spent hours in the pool almost every day. Yesterday was the only day that it was actually too cool for them to go swimming (go figure Livermore in August).

Later . . .

Mustang Building Saturday

2009-08-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Max and Devin set down to work on the Mustang project. It turned out to be quite the challenge, but turned out really well. Devin had a great time building it and Max was very patient and let him do it himself (with gentle guidance and help where actually needed. He decorated it (with some sticker placement help from Max) and then played with it both inside and out. Of course it does seem to run better on the kitchen floor than on the carpet or the bricks of our patio. There is one place around the side of the house that has a long run of cement, but short turning radius. He really loves the car (and I think I will have to buy one for Max).

Between the swimming and 30 minutes each of video games, I have been able to finally get the binding on two baby quilts and my queen size quilt. At this moment I only have one baby quilt left to bind. Too bad I have MANY quilt tops that need to be quilted and then that means more binding! I seem to always poke holes in my fingers when I am sewing binding because I just can't use a thimble.

Last night we tried playing some games that we had never played before - some were good and some were - NOT! Shark was rejected, M&M Party Game is still under consideration (a bit too much for Deanna) and everyone liked Kerplunk. Because M&M took so long, we did not get too Chutes and Ladders. It was a general consensus that Kerplunk was a keeper. We have more games to explore this afternoon. Max got pictures of us playing games, but they are on her computer and I will have to get some copies (I was busy playing and did not have my camera).

Max has a bridal shower that she is going to shoot this afternoon and she wants us to wait to play games until she gets back. We always have stuff happening - so no problem on that request.
We have video games and the pool and of course EATING which seems to be a constant around here (smile).

Later . . .

Family Craft Night

2009-08-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Kathy, Paul and Michael came over for "family craft night". This is where we all get together and work on our chosen craft. After we had a "picnic" in the backyard of McDonald's, we all set down around the table to do our things. Max was teaching Desirae how to tie flies while Paul was tying flies. Kathy was helping Devin and Deanna make beaded necklaces and bracelets. I was doing hand work on one of my quilts trying to get the binding done. After a bit Devin, Michael and I switched to Rock Band. Devin on bass, Mike on drums and me on guitar. We actually did quite well and progressed to getting our "Tour Van".

Everyone had a really good time (I love craft nights). Right now Max and Devin are working on his car - that will be another post.

Later . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX!

2009-07-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

What a fun filled day! We played video games, played in the pools, had a delicious dinner, had a great cake with ice cream and enjoyed a phone call from Debby (who is about ready to come home from Iraq). Max barbecued tri-tips for dinner and Kathy, Paul and Michael joined us.

The day before Max took Devin with her for a photo shoot she had to do for a friend and then to Radio Shack to find a "work" project they could do together. They ended up with the coolest 1965 Ford Mustang radio controlled car they are going to build. While they were gone, Desirae, Deanna and I baked the cake and did cards and decorations for the next day. Desirae decided the best places to put the decorations and cards (all over the bathroom mirror so she would see it when she first got up, all over the house and around her computer).

As an added note - this may be the sweetest thing in the world, BUT you end up paying the price when she is WIDE awake in the evening and does not stop talking, playing, kicking the wall etc. until around midnight. Desirae can fall asleep with tons of noise and she does not care, but poor Devin, Max and I paid the price for my afternoon snuggle. To give Devin some peace of mind and rest, we moved him to a room of his own. Of course, the night we changed him Deanna was asleep as soon as her little head hit her pillow!

The plans for tonight are that Paul, Max and Desirae and going to tie flies while Kathy, Devin, Deanna and I do some crafts. Max and Devin plan to build the car on Saturday. More pictures after the evening is over.

Later . . .

Max's Birthday

2009-07-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Max called in sick on Wednesday (she took the day off for Thursday) and her "peeps" at work set up her desk for a birthday surprise. She works with a great bunch of people and they did themselves proud. Max felt awful after she saw the pictures of what they had done and she did not show up. They picked out "special" cupcakes just for her!

She is very special . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAXINE!

Later . . .

Another day done

2009-07-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today was another good day. We had beautiful weather and the kids swam while I cleaned the hot tub cover. We have been blessed with some really nice weather - it is hot, but not unbearable hot. Max surprised us all by popping in for lunch and that was a nice change of pace. Max barbecued hot dogs for dinner and that was a treat for me (have not had a hot dog in a long time). Thank goodness it really cooled off so heating the oven for baking cookies was not miserable. I missed the opportunity to get pictures of the cookies before they were eaten and also the left over chocolate on the faces of three happy kids.

The days are long, but they are a lot of fun. I love watching them grow.

Later . . .

The Grandchildren

2009-07-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

I must say they are keeping me busy. Now I completely understand why one has children when they are younger. Actually things have been going quite well. The age difference shows up a bit when it comes to playing in the pool. Deanna wants to play, but is not as confident in the water environment as the other two. She tends to stay in the little pool and entertain herself - with dog toys it seems. The pool is their major attraction and it is what they want to do all the time. I wish we had one that was bigger so I could actually get in with them and teach them how to swim.

We all watched a movie yesterday "Flushables", which was quite interesting and really pretty cute. I am taking the opportunity to work on hand work (sewing on binding) while they are playing in the pool, playing video games or watching a movie. It has not been so hot lately so sitting outside with them is easier to do. If it is really hot, I just sit inside by the sliding glass door so I can see them while they play in the water. I will not let in the hot tub unless I am right there with them - too easy to fall in there.

Max decided to paint the girls' fingernails on Sunday night - Desirae chose green sparkle and Deanna choose red like my toe nails. Hardest part was having them sit still until they dried - which Desirae accomplished and Deanna did not.

We have thawed out cookie dough to make cookies tonight. We also need to make a cake for Max's birthday, but that will be on Wednesday (not her birthday, but the cake making). Max is taking Thursday off for her birthday and we are having Kathy, Paul and Michael over for a barbecue. We are also considering going to a matinee Thursday afternoon. The movie of choice will either be "Return of the Ice Age" or "Up".

Later . . .

Max's New Toys

2009-07-26T18:02:00.001-07:00

Max was cruising eBay and ran across a fly tying vise that she has been wanting. It is one step down from the one Paul has and is "totally cool" (her words not mine). We decided to bid on it and give it a "snipe". Figured if we could get the vise plus all the extras for the price of a new one we would be ahead of the game. As luck would have it (or crafty sniping) she won the bid. Great bunch of stuff and more than she expected. Unfortunately, the vise had a knob that broke off during shipping, but it can be drilled out and replaced - so no harm and we are still ahead of the game.

Max is looking forward to tying flies with Desirae while they are here visiting. Of course Paul and Max will get together to tie before we go fishing in September (and that vacation is just around the corner).

Later . . .

The Grandkids have arrived

2009-07-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Max and I make the drive to Cal City after she got off work on Thrusday. With the 5:00 PM traffic it was about 10:45 before we arrived in Cal City. We had a nice day on Friday with Denise and the kids and then we were able to spend a little time with Duane Friday night. We packed up the kids and headed home around 11:00 AM on Saturday.

We got them settled in and the adventure begins! It is such a MAJOR help to have Max around to help out - I will be missing her a lot this week. After a good pancake breakfast, we set up their new swimming pool. While we were filling the pool they all took a dip in the "no so hot" hot tub. I had turned the temperature down a while ago because we don't really use it when it is hot. Then enjoyed themselves and once Devin got over his fear of falling they had some fun - especially with the jets! Desirae was especially happy because she had never been in a "hot tub" before (and she still hasn't been in a HOT one).

They transferred to the other pool - which is much larger than the one we had last year and had some fun. My battery went dead on my camera, but I will get pictures tomorrow. The new pool has much more room for splashing and playing, but Deanna tends to bail when a lot of splashing is happening. I did get out the little plastic one and she played in that for a bit by herself.

It is GREAT to have them here, but I must admit it is a major adjustment on my part.

Later . . .

Flight Day for Warren

2009-07-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Warren, Ann and Jesse came down for dinner on Friday night and then Max cooked breakfast for everyone before we took off at 0800 to make the drive to Sonoma for Warren to take his airplane ride. We wanted to arrive when they opened and get Warren in the air before it got too hot. We were warned the plane he would be flying was enclosed with glass windows and it gets pretty hot in there if it is hot outside.

We arrived early enough for Warren to be the first in line to fly the "Texan" that he wanted to fly. The people there were extremely nice. Warren had a wonderful time with the pilot doing loops and rolls and such. Warren was given the controls and he got to fly quite a bit over the area. Initially they were going to fly to the coast, but when they arrived it was really foggy, hence they came back to our area; which was nice because we got to watch. Max got some really great shots. I got most of the adventure on video, but I cannot get it on my Mac. I need to go buy a firewire cable that has 4 pins on one end and 6 on the other (I have one that is 4 and 4, but it will not work with my Mac).

Warren had such a good time and he was VERY happy. He was given a certificate and a t-shirt. I am sure it is something that he will treasure for a long time. He told me it was the BEST father's day he had ever had! It actually looked like it would be fun to take a flight with them. Don't think I would be up for the loops and rolls, but going in an open bi-plane might be fun.

Anyway, that was the weekend and it turned out well. Kathy and Paul did not go with us as Michael had to work and Paul was working on the bathroom. We did see everyone for a bit on Friday night after Kathy came back from Red Bluff with Michael (he was vacationing with his grandparents while we were in Vegas and stayed on for another week).

We are gearing up for the grandkids. We are driving down on Thrusday after Max gets off work and then coming back on Saturday - that will give Max a day off with the kids before she has to go back to work. We are going to keep them until mid-week so that Max can have a weekend with them. I know they will keep me busy, but I will try to blog with pictures of the kids while they are here.

Later . . .

Home from Vegas

2009-07-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Now that we are home I have some additional pictures to post from Vegas.

When we were in the Bellagio they had a section of ceiling at the reception lobby that was made of blown glass flowers - it was awesome to see and the picture does not do it justice. The Bellegio had some amazing things in there garden area. We got to see all the little love birds snuggled up together (2x2) in their bird house sleeping. It was adorable.

There was also the most amazing motorcycle on display at Treasure Island. It was made of metal and it was all woman - from the head right down to the boots on her feet going back to the back tire. It was hard to get good shots, but I did get photos of all the different parts using my flash.

When we went to the Stratosphere and out to the top - the wind was really blowing. It was a clear night and the lights of the city were great. Max was doing all she could to get some shots since she did not have her tripod with her it was a challenge (as you can see). We really had a nice time at the Stratosphere.

We had a great time overall, but the strip is a bit busy for my liking. Fremont Street was fun and even though there were a lot of people it was not as crazy packed like the strip. The light show was very cool and I am in awe that someone actually had to program that whole thing! We stayed up way to late on Thursday night, but we managed to get up and out of the condo by 10:00 AM for the quick flight back to SFO.

Later . . .

More Vacation

2009-07-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

We all slept in yesterday - staying up way to late running around Vegas. It is much nicer to be out and about at night when the sun is not cooking your brain. Paul took Kathy to Lawry's for her birthday dinner and Max and I got to join them. OMG I really have to say that was probably the best meal I have had - EVER. They are famous for prime rib for a reason. They served everything at the table and the chef cut each piece of prime rib cooked the way we requested it. The meal came with salad, mashed potatoes and gravy and Yorkshire pudding. You could order veggies and stuff if you wanted and also lobster to go with your prime rib. They also had some of the best creme brulee I have ever tasted. It was a real treat for everyone - Happy Birthday Kathy!

We then caught the bus and headed downtown to the Circus Circus and Slots of Fun. We gambled for a while and then headed home early (that would be around midnight). It is nice to have a condo to come back to. Gives us the opportunity to sit around and chat and relax before we headed to bed.

Today is our last day here and this is the day we are doing the Fremont Street Experience. I love the laser light show and then we will have our "last chance" to strike it rich (haha).

Later . . .

More Vegas

2009-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have been having a really good time. Considering the heat we have been doing really well walking all over the place and checking out ALL the casinos. Monday we did the walking trip to Paris, Bally's, Bellegio, Caesers Palace, Flamingo, Palazzo, Treasure Island, Venetian, Wynn's O'Sheas and the Casino Royale. We stopped at the Flamingo and went to Jimmy Buffett's Margritaville for Volcano Nachos. OMG check them out.

The Bellagio, Venetian and the Paalazzo were amazing places. The stores and such were incredible. We saw some blackjack tables that the MINIMUM bet was $1k. We put some money in the slots in all the places and had fun. This guy is a real person doing the painted no movement thing and swear we thought he was real when we first saw him at the Venetian.

Last night we grabbed a bus and went down further down the strip to the Stratosphere where we had a buffet dinner that was excellent and saw"The American Experience" which was a show with people singing impersonations of Elvis, Brittney Spears, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood and Michael Jackson. It was a really good show and we all enjoyed it a lot. We then made our way to the top of the Stratosphere to see the night view of Vegas which also amazing. We took pictures, but they are still on the stick cause there were not really enough to make a disk.

Today we are slow playing it until we go to dinner for Kathy's BD at Lawry's for what is said to be amazing prime rib. Then we plan to go to the Circus Circus and Slots of Fun this evening. Tomorrow we are doing the Fremont Street experience and then Friday it will be homeward bound.

More Vegas

2009-07-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great time yesterday. Started off the day with a good breakfast made by Paul (sausage, eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice). We managed to walk about and see New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay and the Tropicanna. We had "pub grub" in New York New York at the "Nine Fine Irishmen". It was good, but not like REAL pub grub from Ireland.

Either everyone was hung over and not out and about or they were leaving after the weekend. It was nice that there were not so many people to work our way through. As the day progressed more people showed up.

Max and I had a Timeshare tour of the facility (Polo Towers). It is part of the Resort we own and they are adding another tower. We got some perks for going and we really wanted to see the rest of the resort. It is pretty nice - a little out of the way, but very nice.

I could not find any place to buy a memory reader or cable. Since we don't have a car we are a bit limited. I will keep looking, but I found a Walgreens that I can get my photos put on a disk for $2.99. I will do that this evening for sure and then be able to get some pictures posted tomorrow (or later this evening depending on the time we arrive back to the condo).

Not sure what we are going to do today, but I think we are going to venture further down the strip. We can get a bus pass that will allow us to go back and forth for 24 hours.

Later . . .

Vegas

2009-07-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

We arrived in a very hot Vegas after a quick flight from SFO. OMG we thought for a bit we were not going to make it at all. Our flight was scheduled for 1325 hours. We left for the airport at 1100 to HORRID traffic. We arrived an hour early to check in, but the line for security was UNBELIEVABLE! I have never been at the airport when the lines for security are that long. We had to be escorted to the front of the line by our airlines so we could catch our plane on time. I guess we all forgot that Friday was a holiday and MANY people would be on the roads and at the airport.

The condo is really nice and we settled in and then went to do some exploring. We did some gambling at Planet Hollywood cause it was the closest in walking distance from us. It is amazing how many people are in Vegas for this weekend. We are hoping that it thins out after Sunday.

This AM our condo provided a shuttle to Albertsons to do shopping and we picked up some groceries. Difficult being without a car, but public transportation is good and with the condo providing the shuttle for shopping - it is all good.

I took some pictures, but I fogot to bring the connection for my computer. If I can find something cheap at Walgreens I may pick one up so I can load some pictures. Otherwise - sorry. Max and I are both taking pictures and she also forgot her cable to hook her camera up to the TV for a slide show - ahhhhhh well.

We had a good day of being out and about today - hot, but bearable. None of us are doing much in the gambling area. I am not much of a slot player and all the tables have been raised to a minimum of at least $10 and I don't like spending that much money at one time. We are just hoping that things will back off once the weekend is over. We have all kinds of plans to venture out and about during the week. We had a really good lunch/dinner in the MGM Grand at the Rainforest Cafe. We had thunder and lightening and rain - it was actually a really cool place. We also spent some time watching the lions. They have a male and female that they feed and play with on the hour. The male is massive and very impressive and the female is equally impressive. I took a video of her playing that I hope turns out okay. Not sure what the pictures will actually look like because of the glass enclosure was pretty dirty (I tried to shoot in clean spots).

The big disappointment is the fireworks. This year they are not doing fireworks like in the past. Last year the firworks caught the Monte Carlo on fire and they changed the fire codes since then. What we were told that all the fireworks displays will be at ground level this year. We made it back to the condo by dark are were able to see quite a bit of the displays because we are on the 12th floor and have a good view from our windows. Not what we expected, but it was still nice.

I am going to sign off to the sound of many sirens. The cops are going to be busy tonight because the town is packed and the drinking is heavy!

Later . . .

Off to Vegas

2009-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

We are off to Vegas for the week. Should be a fun weekend - the 4th in Vegas and they are suppose to have some awesome fireworks (provided we can get Kathy out of the Casino). We have no real plans except to have fun and celebrate Kathy's 50th BD.

I am taking my computer and camera - so hopefully I can find a Wi-Fi connection and be able to post something for the blog. If I don't, I will catch up when we get home.

Paul has made great progress on the bathroom. Max got the plumbing stuff done and Kathy has picked out all her stuff.

Later . . .

Doing some embroidery

2009-06-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

A friend is having a bridal shower and has some aprons that she wants me to embroider names on for her. I have not done any embroidery for some time because I seem to be putting all my focus on quilting. I decided I better get the unit out and see if I could still remember what the heck I am doing. I have six aprons to get done before August 1st. Really should be easy - placement will be the only difficult part as long as my machine behaves and does do the "freak" on me like it has been known to do in the past. I decided to do something on the back of a shirt to get back in the grove. I manipulated a design to make it bigger and sewed it out - turned out darn cute if I do say so myself.

Max is still working with Paul on the bathroom and we are counting the days until we are off to Vegas.

Later . . .

Computer Problems

2009-06-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get a post done, but I have been having some computer issue. One would think that if you have NUMEROUS computers in the house it would not be that difficult to get to one and do some posting. I have been changing my backups on my desktop and my notebook is doing a freak-out with the mouse that I don't understand. The mouse is jumping all over the place and I can't even get it any place to click. I am going to mess with it again today and if I can't get anywhere with it I will call Apple of make a trip to the store. Opps, I might have to make a trip to Frys cause that is where I bought it and that is where it is under extended warranty. I just turned it off and choose to be in denial about the whole thing! I completely forgot the fact that I have a PC connected to my embroidery machine that works just fine AND Max has two computers that I could access. Ahhhhhh well.

So Max has been busy helping Paul with his bathroom remodel - I know that I should have been over there taking pictures, but I stayed home and did sewing. The room is gutted now and they are nearing the end - still a BUNCH of labor intensive stuff to be done, but it will be really great when completed. It has not helped that the weather turned HOT this last week and they are essentially working in an even hotter room with no air circulation.

Max was going to help Paul on Sunday afternoon, but Paul's parents came down from Red Bluff and the work was canceled. Therefore, Max and I took a drive to Palo Alto and she picked up the new Canon lens she has been wanting (50 1.4). She decided to go for the cheaper of the two she has been looking at. It is a very nice lens and seems to take nice shots in lower light.

We are on the countdown for Kathy's birthday and "Vegas Baby". We are leaving this coming Friday and will be back the next Friday. Should be fun. HOT, but fun. I think I will take my notebook - provided I can get it to stop freaking out.

Sorry I have no pictures to post.

Later . . .

Family Weekend

2009-06-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

We had a nice, but busy, weekend. We had a Party Lite party Saturday afternoon. Friends and family showed up and the house smelled REALLY good with all the candles and different scents.

Kathy, Paul, Michael, Maxine and I (we missed you Debby) took Ann and Warren out to dinner and gave Warren his father's day gift. Everyone pitched in and he is getting a 40 minute ride in a 1942 North American SNJ-4 "Texan" from Vintage Aircraft. Needless to say when he was given the information (the actual flight is going to take place July 18th), he was VERY surprised and also VERY happy.

Ann and Warren came over for Max's most excellent waffles on Sunday morning. We had a nice visit and then they made their way back to Volcano.

I did another quilt and tried to mix things up a bit. I had some bobbin trouble that I did not catch soon enough and have a bit that I am going to have to remove the stitches and do again, but I am pleased with my progress. I am building up the confidence to actually put my good quilt tops on the frame and get them quilted.

Our Las Vegas trip is coming up and everyone is getting excited about that (July 3rd - the 10th).

Later . . .

Quilts

2009-06-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

I spent the day quilting and having a good time doing so. I put to use some of the panels that I bought in Salt Lake. I finished one this morning and then Max went over to help Paul destroy his bathroom (they are doing a remodel). While Max was gone I worked on another quilt. Unfortunately, I have to put binding on both of them and that is really the most time consuming part. The above quilt was practice on flowers and loops and the below quilt was practice for loops and hearts. I am happy with both.

Max is home tired and sweaty and just jumped in the shower.

Later . . .

Long time

2009-06-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

Gosh - I was shocked to see the date of the last entry. Where does the time go? I know that I was trying hard to keep up with the blog for Debby and then she was home for a couple of weeks and I let it go while she was here, but dang!

I am not even sure what has transpired since the last time I updated. I know we went to "Wally World" for a few days with Debby and had some family get together dinners, but I am at a loss. Annette and Jessie were down for a few days and we did have a good visit. I know we (Paul, Kathy, Jesse, Michael, Max and I) went shopping. We ended up spending a couple of hours at Khol's.

My sisters (Joy & Kay) and I spent a week in Salt Lake City and had a really good time. We did some shopping and ended up buying TOO MUCH fabric. I am pretty much a firm believer that you can never have too much fabric, but we all had to buy additional suit cases to get the stuff home. We stuffed like crazy but could not manage to get it all in one bag and be under the 50 pound weight limit for the airlines. We even took Joy's case to the weight room and put her and the suitcase on the scales - she was not over the limit, but there was no way she could get everything home with her. Kay knew from the gate she would need another case and thought "maybe" I could get by, but the whole stuffing thing was an ordeal.

We had scattered thunder showers the entire week we were there. It really did not slow us down much. There were a couple of times that we got caught in a real down pour, but mostly we did not need to use the umbrellas much.
We did not actually do much tourist type activity because of Kay's knees. We did get the chance to walk down to Temple Square, which was quite beautiful, and got a look at all there was to see from the outside.

While I was gone, Max made herself busy and busted out the old porch step that was left behind by our contractors when we did the addition. I was VERY pleased to have the concrete busted out, but now I have to get it to the dump. I think my gardener will take it away - for a price. Considering the back strain Max suffering, the price will be right!

I am glad to be home, but because of the things I purchased while in Salt Lake I have had to do some cleaning. I have a policy that if something new comes into my closet something old has to leave. Thank God I have not made that a policy with fabric! I do have to do some cleaning and arranging and then hopefully I can get busy doing some quilting.

Later . . .

Relaxed Weekend

2009-04-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

The weekend went by with plans going awry, but still it was a pleasant one. We (Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max and I) had planned on going to a "swap meet" in the parking lot of a fly shop in Pleasanthill and missed the time frame on that because we wanted to go to a "swap meet" in San Leandro for the VFW. We showed up for the VFW (which was suppose to end at 4:00PM) at about 2:30 because we waited for Michael to get off work and there was really no one left there. We misunderstood the fly shop information and they closed at 4:00 also (no time to get there from San Leandro). So we decided to go to our favorite Mexican joint for lunch. There just happens to be a 31 Flavors right next door - so ice cream for dessert. That all happened on Saturday.

Sunday we went over to Kathy and Paul's with Papa John's pizza to get together with them, Michael and Jesse to watch "The Day The Earth Stood Still". It had some great affects, but I did not think if was that great of a movie.

Last night everyone was here because Max was having computer problems and Kathy was going to help her out. Paul, Mike, Jesse and I ended up playing Rock Band. We had a great time and I sang for the first time EVER. Not so bad, but I prefer the guitar or drums.

In case anyone is interested, the sod that we planted a while ago has taken and the back yard is nice and green (it is not all that smooth, but it looks good). My jasmine plants that have not been blooming for the last couple of years is flowering like crazy. It looks beautiful and smells wonderful (not sure it is so good for Max's allergies).

I finished the quilt top that I was working on. This is paper pieced squares that Joy and I made together. It turned out really nice and I really do like the whole paper piecing way of scrap quilting. I like the idea of the color blending and would like to do a red one. I am going to do a paper pieced scrap Christmas quilt before this next Christmas.

This picture is for Debby to get a look at Chloe. She has turned into such a good little thing. She has sooooooooooooo many mannerisms similar to Kodi that I really find myself drawn to her personality. Now that she has energy she does "crazy dog" just like he used to do - running around like crazy very happy.

Later . . .

Weekend

2009-04-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well I do seem to be running a week behind. I am sitting in the gargage being a model for Max to practice with her lighting and decided to do a blog concerning last weekend before it is time to do a blog for this weekend.

We went to Geona and had a really nice relaxing time. We did some gambling at different places and mostly did well. We had forgotten it was Easter weekend, but we went out to a really nice dinner at the new steakhouse in Fandango's. Interesting thing happened on Sunday - Carson City had a power blowout and all the lights went off. We were in a casino that did not have any backup generators and that was a trip. Thankfully we both only had a couple dollars in the slots and decided to just give it up and leave. There were a lot of people there who had a bunch of money in the slots and they just had to patiently await the return of the electricity. We left and went to another casino that had a backup generator and were able to play their machines and also the tables.

They have a really cool camera shop in Carson City (Gordon's Photo) and the owner is super nice. We checked it out and they happened to have a brand of camera bag that we had never seen before (Thinktank). Max and I were both impressed with the rolling bag they had, but it was not big enough. She checked it out online and found a larger size that she had them order. Good excuse to head back up to Carson City for a weekend!

Our stay at David Walley's was nice and we had fun watching three families of geese and their babies. The babies were all fluffy fur and as cute as they could be. Don't know which parent was the super protective one, but there was one of the pair of parents that kept a really close eye on us while we were taking pictures and just watching.

We drove around and checked out the drive time limits from David Walley's to some of the lakes in the area. Staying there will be a close shot to the river and the lakes to do some fishing on the California side. We have a trip planned for September that will be a fishing trip and there is a little lake that we want to put our float tubes in. Max and Paul have been waiting not so patiently for their new boats to arrive.

Later . . .

Last Weekend

2009-04-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Before we are off for this weekend, I thought I better get something up connected with last weekend. Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max and I went up to Max's mom's after Michael and Max got off work on Saturday. Warren's BD was on Friday so we took "food" up for a barbecue family get together. We took them a propane tank so they could haul out their new JenAir gas grill. Paul grilled steaks and portabella mushrooms and some hamburgers for the kids. It was a beautiful day and we all spent time outside. Of course Max was running around with her camera and got some great pictures. It was a fun time had by all, but everyone missed Debby not being there. She will be coming home for R&R in about 4 weeks. Hooahhhhhhhhhh!

Max and her mother were showing off poses to hide their "excess" chin area. They were both very cute playing around while Kathy was hiding out in the background. Jesse had his friend, Angie, there so the family could get to know her a bit. The kids had fun playing with their dad and the dogs.

Max and I are off to Genoa for a couple of days now that she is done with the 12-hour days of overtime. We will do a little gambling and mainly just R&R for Max to recoup from the long hours and lack of sleep. This past couple of weeks has been directed toward refinancing the house and we completed that process yesterday. We were able to drop our house payment over $200 per month with a 4.5% rate. NICE!

I have been working on paper piecing of quilts and I finished putting together some blocks that Joy gave me. I love the quilt and I like paper piecing. I did get a call from the sewing machine shop and I will be able to get my machine back next week.

Later . . .

Before it is a new weekend . . .

2009-04-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

At least I am not weeks behind this time. We had a nice weekend considering it was packed with stuff. Max worked on Friday and her Mom, Jesse and the kids came down Friday night for dinner and then Kathy, Paul and Michael came over for a visit. We all went to the Special Olympics to watch Michael play and his team did really well. They took a Silver! Max really got some great shots of the game (on her computer). I took some shots with my camera, but there is no comparison to the shots she took - only you get to see mine cause they are on my computer.

We did some running around a bit on Saturday looking for camera bags. In the process we stopped by Frys and picked up a 1TB Seagate external drive for Max. She was in desperate need of something to backup up her pictures. Great price ($107) and unbelievalbe how they have gone down in price. We ended up finding a new camera store in Palo Alto that we did know was there (Keeble & Shuchat). The place was awesome and huge - two buildings. Their prices were a bit high, but they sure had the products to see. Max only has one more week to be doing the 12-hours and she and I are both looking forward to the end of that.

Later . . .

Late Again . . .

2009-03-27T11:34:00.001-07:00

I really do have the best of intentions, but I just don't seem to be doing a good job of posting in a timely manner. Where to start ???????? I think we were headed off to Napa the last time I posted. We had a great weekend and The Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park and Cemetery was absolutely beautiful. We checked out the memorial and got a look at Kodi's registry. We had a nice relaxing weekend and were treated to wonderful dinner and breakfast too. I think I drank some bad orange juice cause it certainly did not sit well on my stomach. While in the area, we checked out a couple of Indian Casinos - they are everywhere. We were both amazed that Napa really is only about an hour or so from home. Will have to make that trip again.

Max is doing the 12-hour thing so nothing much is happening during the week. She traded Friday for Saturday and we went to San Jose to check out some camera shops doing research on tripods and heads. The research ended in purchase - she got a Gitzo head and Manafrotto legs. I was completely amazed at how lightweight they both were - very sturdy, but I guess alloy. She is a happy camper as the tripod goes sideways and will be good for shooting with her macro lens for those close close shots.

She also got a really good deal on a used Nikon Repro-Copy Outfit PF-4. Will be the only Nikon thing in the house, but Duane will appreciate that.

Jesse had his graduation ceremony on Saturday (he is now a certified Medical Assistant). Kathy, Paul, Michael, Max, Ann, Warren and I went to the graduation and then we all went to Marie Callender's for lunch/dinner (corn bread YUM). Forgot my camera, but Max got a bunch of pictures.

This weekend Jesse, the kids and Ann are coming down for Michael's Special Olympics (basketball). We will have them here for dinner tonight and then we will all be at Kathy's for dinner on Saturday. Max is really looking forward to using her new tripod for pictures of Mike and his game playing.

My sewing machine is now at the Pfaff dealer in Walnut Creek. Hopefully I will get it back soon and all this silly machine crap will be DONE!

Debby is coming home for her 2 weeks soon (the first of May) and we are all very excited about seeing her.

I think that is it for now.

Later . . .

This picture Max made for Duane . . . :)

Away for the Weekend

2009-03-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

We are off to Napa tomorrow for a much needed 3 day weekend. Max starts working 12 hours coming Monday so it will be nice to have this weekend. In the hills of Napa is where Kodi's ashes were spread and his name is in the register at the pet cemetery there and I have been wanting to go see where he is. We are staying at the Vino Bello Resort for a free weekend through our Shell Timeshare (we also get $100 for dinner). Hopefully we will have some decent weather and be able to spend time outdoors and Max will be able to get some good photos.

I finished my cheater quilt and it was a good experience for me. Quilting is just much harder than it looks like it would be. I guess the ticket is just to contiue to practice and it will come. I worked on leaves, flowers, feathers and some basic loops. The quilt looks good as long as you don't look to closely (smile).

Later . . .

Weekend

2009-03-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

We had a good weekend even though Max had to work on Saturday morning. After she came home from work we packed up and headed out for a picnic and a photo shoot with her new Mark II. It was a beautiful day and we did some hiking and just enjoyed the great outdoors and the clear air. After lunch Max and Paul took off for the Fly Fishing Show at the Fair Grounds. They both came home very excited about new boats that are out. Paul picked up a two seater that can be converted to a one seater and Max got a new one seater. Max got the Outlaw and Paul got the Outlaw Avenger. They both got really good prices due to the show special. They are being shipped free with no sales tax - nice. We have float tubes that we have really enjoyed, but now Max will have one that sits higher and out of the water and Paul is giving me his old one that also sits higher and out of the water. Our previous tubes were powered with flippers and now we will both have oars, which is a lot better cause there were times when the wind picked up and we really had to struggle to get back to shore.

Kathy, Paul, Michael, Carl and Nancy came over for dinner on Saturday night. Kathy brought the dinner - pork tamales, rice, beans and salad followed by coffee and cheese cake. It was a very enjoyable evening. Sunday was our usual kick back day of catching up on TV shows and we also watched "DeJaVue" which was a pretty good movie.

I am in the process of trying to do some quilting on my machine and I am having some difficulties. Max adjusted the legs to make it higher and I think that will help with my back aches and I can see my work area much better. I am having some thread breakage problems and I think it might have been because I did not have the needle exactly straight - it is a difficult task cause the needle for this machine does not have the flat side like all the other machines to get the needle lined up. I have been practicing on a "cheater" quilt because I have not done any quilting since mid November. The flow is coming back and I am getting the hang of it again. It is great fun, but a task nonetheless.

Later . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS MAX

2009-02-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

Finally Max got her Canon 5D Mark 2. OMG I am sure she thought it was never going to happen. They have been back ordered FOREVER and most of the camera places are not even taking orders or names for a waiting list. I ordered her camera locally from Wolf Camera, but she was surfing the web and found ONE at Best Buy. She bought it quickly because it was listed as in stock and went to the store to pick it up. Luckily she was able to get someone on the phone to actually grab the camera and hold it for her. Needless to say she is one happy camper right now!

This weekend we wanted to get the sprinklers in order since we laid the sod in the back yard and the rain is going to stop sooner or later. Ha - simple project - NOT! We had not really looked at the sprinklers since we had the addition and unfortunately we had some pipes that had been cut (the ones running to the garden) and they did not get capped before they were buried under the BRICKS! Well now two are capped and the other was extended to add a sprinkler head at the corner of the new sod. The bricks went back in better than was expected - hassle to get them out and hassle to put them back.

On Friday we (Max, Kathy, Paul, Michael and I) took Jesse's car to him in Volcano. He fixed us hamburgers - which were great). He was very happy with his vehicle and it drove very nicely up there. Handled the freeway just fine and the mountains equally well. Not bad gas mileage and comfortable.

I finished a quilt top I have been working on (Denise will love it cause it is from purple scraps of material). It was a new pattern and the border was suppose to be something different, but all the pieces and diamonds and half diamonds were a bit much for me and I decided to throw in the towel and just go with a traditional border. I really like the pattern of the quilt and it would be fun to do a truly scrap quilt that way.

Later . . .

Busy Times

2009-02-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

Wow - where to start . . . I guess with the above picture of my crooked sewing machine. Geez - after getting my old one replaced because it was just not working properly, I then decided to do some quilt work instead of embroidery and found that I could not make a 1/4 inch seam because the foot was crooked on my machine. No matter how hard I tried there was no way to get a 1/4 inch seam with my 1/4 inch foot. Needless to say I was not very happy about that one. It is in the works right now that hopefully I will be able to get it fixed here instead of the need to go to Palmdale! I am keeping my fingers crossed about that. Pretty frustrated with the luck I seem to be having with my sewing machine.

We had a nice Valentine's day - we worked in the back yard most of the day and then went out to dinner. Since the addition on the house we have had a messed up lawn - the grass in front of the hot tub was almost non-existant, so this weekend we decided to do something about it. We (mainly Max, who has the blisters to show for it) scrapped off what was left of the old dying grass and laid some sod. We used some of the usable parts we removed to hopefully plug some holes where the dogs (maily Miss Chloe) had dug up the grass. Hopefully it will all take and thus elimanate the MUD that is in the back yard and the dogs so readily want to track in the house.

The search for a car for Jesse is finally over. Max and Kathy found a very cool '84 Olds Omega with only 44k original miles on it. It runs really great and looks great too. After a bit of work (new muffler, tires, brakes, oil change, head light, wipers, smog and back registration) she is ready to be given to Jesse. He had limited money to spend on a vehicle and this is good old heavy car that should be safe to drive. We are planning to take it to him this weekend. He just finished with his schooling (medical assistant) and can start actively looking for a job now that he will have transportation.

Lastly (Debby will be sooooooo proud), Max finished earthquaking everything in the house. She has been wanting to get the hutch in the dining room done for some time and it is finally accomplished. If we were to have an earthquake the top part of that hutch would surely move - might not come all the way off, but it is full of all the crystal and stuff from my mother and I would hate to have it all broken. Might break anyway, but at least the top is secured to the wall now.

Later . . .

Quilt Progress & Weekend

2009-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

I finished my quilt top by adding the borders and I am liking it (except that the quilt is almost square and I am not that fond of square quilts). I will have to pay more attention the next time and add a row on the bottom to make it a rectangle. Looking at the top it is going to be a real challenge to quilt it, but I am looking forward to giving it a try - must do some practice before I tackle that job.

Kathy wanted to do some practice embroidery so she brought her machine over and while Max and Paul were tying flies, I helped her with the above project. She wants to add some more snowflakes and she now knows how to do it. The whole embroidery process can be a bit intimidating until you have done it a few times. We had a great day working on projects and then after dinner we all shared playing Rock Band. It was a blast and Mike was "rocking out" on the drums.

We have been having a terrible time with our DSL connection and have not been able to get on the internet - except by chance every once in a while. I called AT&T and they seem to think it is in our line and were suppose to check it out today. For whatever reason it has been connecting with a strong signal this AM - so I am hoping they did their thing - "between 8 and 5". At first I thought it was my modem that was going out, but we could not connect even when we plugged straight in with the DSL cable. It has been frustrating, but it does seem to be working now.

Later . . .

Check it out . . .

2009-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the quilt top - except I still have to add a couple of borders. What a challenge and what fun. This is the first time I have ever done sashing strips, but it seemed to work out okay. I am anxious to see what it will look like with the borders. I am going to do different shades of pink (picture will come when I am finished).

Kathy and Paul are coming over today to "play". Max and Paul are going to tie flies and Kathy wants to do some embroidery. We are going to have some pulled pork I bought at Costco and Paul is making coleslaw. I am also hoping I might convince them to play a little Rock Band after dinner.

Later . . .

Struggling along . . .

2009-02-04T09:30:00.001-08:00

I am working on a new quilt project, which I must say is quite the challenge. I am just using some scraps of fabric and can only hope it will turn out okay. At least it will give me something to put on my quilting machine. I started to put a "cheater" quilt on my frame to do some practice, but I was having a horrible time trying to get the thing square. It appears the print on the material is not straight. I may go ahead and put it on the machine just to get some practice. I have not had anything on the frame since before Christmas and I need to get in the grove again. At this point I can't even remember how to thread the thing.

I am having great fun with my new Macbook, but I am faced with a new operating system which is just a bit different from my iMac - I am still learning Tiger and now I am running Leopard. I guess I need to face the fact I have too many things with which I am still smack in the middle of the learning curve.

We had a good weekend. Kathy, Max and I went to Volcano to work on Max's mom's components and DVR as well as hook up the Rock Band that they just got. We accomplished the task and they were playing Rock Band by the time we left. Max's mom made a delicious chicken and dumplings along with a wonderful chocolate cake for a late birthday celebration for me. We watched the Super Bowl with Kathy, Paul and Michael on Sunday.

I had to have my Vue towed to the dealer yesterday as the battery was DEAD! They checked it out and all is well except for the fact the battery just failed. They put a new on in and I will get my car back today.

Later . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNA

2009-01-30T09:39:00.001-08:00

So OMG how lucky am I??????????? Max took me to Monterey yesterday for my birthday and we had a really great time. Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, Lover's Point, Asilomar - just all over the area. I love Monterey and it was really fun to check it out again. We had fish and chips for lunch after I sampled EVERY clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf. Max bought me the above cozy sweatshirt on the wharf. We also went to one of my old favorite places for dessert and had a "black bottom cup cake". I had mine heated with ice cream and it was very tasty, but Max was not impressed cause as it turned out everything in the place was really "health food" based and without the ice cream it was not that tasty. I forgot that was back in my "healthy era". Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. The Mac book, mouse and carry case was a present from a stop at Fry's on the way home. I am blown away with the new Mac book - and yes I am SPOILED, but loving every little minute of it.

Later . . .

Back to sewing

2009-01-24T13:36:00.001-08:00

I am back to my embroidery since I took my machine back and they gave me a new one. I was having TONS of problems with my Creative Vision and I finally just snapped and called my dealer and said it needed to go back to Pfaff because it was basically a piece of crap. She was very good about it and took a brand new one out of the box and gave it to me. Needless to say I am sewing and happy once again. I was doing an embroidery for the holidays and OMG it was the most disastrous project. I finally managed to get it done where the front look pretty good, but the back of the design was crap. Anyway, I have been wanting to do some bags for Max's light stands and I finally found a decent camera design (as luck would have it on sale for $1). I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what I wanted to do. I am very proud of myself for the way the bags turned out - I have some things I will change when I do the next ones. I did two sets of bags and she wants four. Duane would like to have some too - he thought the idea was awesome.

I am working on a quilt top and am dying to get back to my quilting machine. The holidays forced a long break from quilting, but I am ready to jump back in now.

We had a nice time with the kids for the belated Christmas celebration (picture on Duane's blog). They are growing up so quickly and Deanna is at a GREAT age right now.

Can't say I will keep posting, but I will give it a try. I should be doing this and posting pictures so Debby can access it from Iraq. We are having the family over for dinner tonight as it is Max's mom's 70th BD. Decided to do a little celebration. I did an embroidery for her on a shirt because she is a scrap book person.

Later . . .

Catching up...

2009-01-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

I am not sure why it seems so darn hard for me to address this blog. I just can't see to get around to doing it, but I will keep trying.

The Holidays went off well. We had a really nice Christmas with the Lawson clan. Max fixed some tri-tips and a ham with all the fixings and it was an excellent dinner. Jesse's kids had a great Christmas at our house - they have to split families between their mom and dad. The whole family had a good time playing Rock Band (go figure what a fun interactive game that seems to be).

Max and I went to Monterey for New Year's with her parents. We stayed in a condo in Marina and had a really nice time there too. We walked on the beach and played dominoes and Uno until all hours.

We came home on Friday and took down the lights and got busy fixing up my new "quilting room". It is ready to go and I was going to do some quilting today, but it has been soooooooo long that I could not remember how to thread the machine. I decided that I would just put it off until next week and start "new". We are heading to do our Christmas with the grandkids this weekend - which we are really looking forward to. I also have to take my sewing machine into the shop AGAIN. This time she is just taking it back and sending it back to Pfaff. I have been having WAY to many problems with it and I am generally pissed about the whole matter. I talked to my dealer and she told me it was not a problem that she would send it back to Pfaff and told me I would go home with a working machine. I cannot even sew on it right now for fear of ruining whatever I try.

I am looking forward to coming home next week and having the time to settle into sewing and quilting. I have a quilt top that I want to make from a special tool I bought at the quilt show. Maybe if I am successful doing some projects I will have some pictures to post and be more enthused about the blog.

Later . . .

Cruise and Kitchen Cabinets

2008-12-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Well I have to say that cruising was fun, but it was not exactly what I expected. But actually I am not sure what I expected. The ship was beautiful and it was very relaxing. It was totally cool to be able to have room service any time you wanted it and be able to get food 24/7. We watched some good movies and caught a couple of comedy shows. We had some really fabulous dinners. One disappointment was a lot of the desserts were soaked, drenched, coated or otherwise alcohol laden. But not to worry, we did manage to have some great desserts. It was a blast to have a five course meal every evening. The way were were eating I was sure I was going to gain 10 pounds, but we did a lot of walking and used the stairs when we could. I only gained a pound for the trip. I also think one of the big factors was portions. The portions were small, but you could have seconds, thirds or fourths and no one cared. A couple of times we had dinner and if the dessert was especially good we would go back later for coffee and another dessert. I did have some problems with motion sickness, but I had medication and bought some ginger pills and some of those wrist bands which seemed to do the trick. Initially, the movement got to me because I was looking out the window of our cabin and but when I turned away I could see it in the mirror. Therefore, we kept the curtains closed most of the time. We spent time out on the decks and that did not seem to bother me. We had some really rough water in the Sea of Cortez, but it was at night and I managed to sleep well. I think maybe if we cruise again we will get a balcony - some fresh air would have been nice. We went ashore a couple of times and it was fun, but depressing because Mexico is so dirty and poor. I did buy a really cool wooden domino set that started at $38 and and I paid $25.

Our new kitchen cabinets are AWESOME. They did an excellent job and I am very pleased. We changed to a microwave over the stove top and it is really nice. I just finished putting everything back in the cabinets - but I am sure I will be changing things around for days. I just needed to get things put together before Christmas. We have pull out shelves in all the cabinets except one. We had planned to get a lazy susan, but the cabinet did not go back far enough - so just shelves. They will be mainly used for storing things we don't use often.

Anyway, I know I am really bad about keeping the blog updated and I am considering not doing it at all. Not sure if I will stop - probably not. I just am not going to be hard on myself if I don't post.

Later . . .

Time passing . . .

2008-11-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that the time has passed and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are all looking forward to Max's arrival for the day - some more than others I am sure:) Devin continues to do well and is more accepting of his limitations as time passes. It is difficult to be dependent on someone else to help with all the basic needs. He is spending more time interacting with the family and using his wheelchair. He cannot really manage to get around the house because it is a tricky trip because of the extended front for his legs.

I have totally enjoyed my time bonding with Deanna. She is talking up a storm and it is a trip interacting with her. She is one BUSY little girl. Unlike the other two she LOVES to be outside and plays in the dirt and just is always on the go. If there is no TV or movie to watch she immediately makes herself busy. She has a great imagination too.

Denise bought Devin the new Star Wars video game which is keeping him very occupied (perhaps too much). The teachers at school have gotten together and given him a basket of presents so that each day he has a new present to open - something to look forward to. Very sweet thought and most of the things are something that he can do sitting either on the couch, in his chair or in bed. I have found an interest in Denise's DS and have been playing a "find the hidden object game".

Max has informed me Darci is mopping around the house and missing me. She may be thinking that I made the same trip Kodi made and am not coming back. I have talked to her on the phone, which seems to help. I am sure she will be very glad to see me when we get home.

Later . . .

2008-11-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Devin is making great progress and handling it as well as anyone could expect - actually better than some would handle it I am sure. He does not seem to be in any more pain, which is really nice. Of course being off the medication brings on the problem of not being able to sleep. Hopefully it will all even out soon. His body seems to be recovering and getting back to some normal functioning. His appetite is picking up and his strength is coming back - wish I could say that my appetite was letting down while my strength was picking up. I am doing amazingly well with the lifting. He has to be lifted from the bed to the wheel chair and then to the couch if he wants to go there. He also has to be lifted from the bed or wheel chair to the potty when he needs to go. He has a urinal which he can use for that purpose. I am trying really hard to protect my back and lift with my legs, but my knee is giving me some problems in that area. Overall I am doing well considering the up and down connected with Devin and then also the stairs for the trailer and just generally keeping up with Deanna is a task in itself.

I am really looking forward to Max coming down on Thursday for Thanksgiving. I have been gone from home and am missing her - not to mention missing my home and the dogs. Living in a family with three kids is a BIG change from what I am used to. Anyway, she will be here for Thanksgiving and then we will be heading home on Saturday. Denise's niece is coming to stay and help her with Devin after I am gone. She needs someone to help her with the lifting during the day while Duane is at work and when Desirae goes back to school.

Later . . .

I did it again . . .

2008-11-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

Crap - one more time I have neglected the blog. I am beginning to think I just might stop doing one (I will have to give it some serious thought). I am not sure where to even start to catch up.

I am at Duane and Denise's with the girls while Devin has his surgery in LA. The surgery was yesterday afternoon and the doctor said it went very well. Unfortunately, poor little Devin is in major pain and not a happy boy. I am not sure when he will be released from the hospital and they will stay down in LA until he is released. I am getting Desirae back and forth to school and taking care of Deanna. Believe me this is not something I am used to doing. I did it back when Denise's dad passed and she and Duane were gone for a week, but I am thinking I am much older now (that would be about a year or so). I have not spoken to anyone for an update on the surgery and the only information is from Duane's blog last night.

Joy did come up on the train for a week's visit and we had a good time. She taught me how to cut out a pattern and sew an item of clothing. I have to say that I am not that excited about the clothes sewing, but I did make a fleece top that turned out really nice. I taught her how to use the quilting machine and she had a great time practicing. We packed up the machine and headed down to Ventura and we had a good time there too. I managed to get some amazing material for an amazing price because a quilt store was going out of business (pricey but well worth it for quality fabric @ $2 a yard). Joy and I cut out some patterns that we both plan to sew later (fleece tops). She hemmed and put snaps on two bathrobes she made me and cut out a nightgown pattern to check on style and size. We got the quilt machine set up for her and James wired lights. By the time I left on Sunday afternoon, she was quilting. She is doing quite well and will pick it up fast (I wish I would have had someone to help me when I started, but I feel I am really getting there now).

Later . . .

Spending Money - Economy Be Damned!

2008-10-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

I need to be careful about saying we are going to watch what we spend and no major purchased until after the first of the year. Economy be damned - new toys! I found myself knee deep in trouble when I attended the Quilt Show last weekend. I was having a good time and minding my own business when I started trying out the long arm quilting machines. Yikes! Now that I actually know how to machine quilt I could REALLY see the difference between the long arms and my Grand Quilter. Sooooooooooo I now am the proud owner of a Tin Lizzie 18 LS. It has so many advanced features compared to my old set up. 18 inches of throat space and the ratchet system to advance and retract the material is MUCH better. It actually has a larger bobbin! Not to mention that another bobbin winds while you are sewing so you are ready for a change when you run out (no loading a bunch of bobbins in advance and then not needing all of them). I am one VERY happy camper. I have been practicing with it and I am doing quite well. I think because I have been quilting it is coming easier to me, but I actually did a couple of pantograph patterns that turned out well using the laser. There is one small problem with the new set up and that is that it is bigger (deep) than my other one and space is a bit cramped in the garage. The plan at this time is to move the bed out of the extra bedroom and take off the closet doors and that will end up being my quilting room. It will also be nice to have the machine in the house and not have to deal with the heat in the garage. I don't seem to mind the cold, but the heat just makes it miserable. I was very reluctant to give up the day bed, but since we really do not have that much company, it is kind of pointless to not use the space (considering it will be something that will be used a LOT).

THEN . . . Max bought the new Sony notebook that just came out with the 19" screen and a screaming graphics and video card. The color and picture is amazing! She was thinking about the 20" Wacom and debating on the purchase of a Mac and ended up with this one. The new Sony actually has a better everything inside than the new MacPro. After much discussion and investigation, it would appear that 4 or 5 years ago the Mac would have been the best way to go to do photography stuff, but since the Mac's and PC's are both running the same stuff it has become somewhat of a "moo" point (as Joey would say). Interestingly, the new Sony can run all the different operating systems if one wanted to add them. Needless to say, now Max is a very happy camper.

We also just finished getting an estimate for new kitchen cabinets and we are going to have them installed just before Christmas. They will be a medium dark oak. We are getting pull out shelves in some and a lazy susan in the corner to utilize the space that is essentially wasted because you cannot reach back there without taking everything else out. We will have the little pull out drawer in front of the sink and also one in front of the stove (not sure what will go there).

Once we get the kitchen cabinets the only project left will be fine tuning the back yard and getting that extra step out of there. We still need to find the matching bricks to finish off the flower beds. We do need to purchase a new hot tub cover and that will be coming in the next couple of weeks. It needs to be replaced before the rain starts.

Sorry I have been so bad at keeping the blog updated - I just seem to loose track of the time and at the same time I am staying pretty busy.

Later . . .

FINALLY!!!

2008-10-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

THANK GOD and WOO HOO! Max was officially hired as a full-time career employee today. The stress of it all is finally over. I had conviction that it would happen, but Max has been stressing about it since they started laying people off. Now we can pretty much start looking forward to retirement. Since the Lab went private, job security is not what it used to be, but it sure beats the hell out of knowing come December 1st she was out the door. This means she is eligible for full medical benefits for both of us when she retires - which means a lot! We went out to dinner at the Fondue Place for dinner tonight to celebrate. We have been wanting to go there since it opened and it was GREAT! Way, way, way too much food, but we did the whole thing - salad, cheese fondue, meat/chicken fondue and chocolate fondue. It was amazing, but no way would I ever do it again - just plain too much food for one sitting.

We were in Cal City over the weekend to visit with the grandkids and family. We had the opporunity to watch one of Desirae's soccer games in which she made her first goal. It was COLD and the wind was blowing like crazy for her 8:00 A.M. game. We had a nice weekend and did a little family "Rock Band" which was fun.

Max took pictures, but Duane posted some shots on SmugMug. Check out his blog for a picture link.

CONGRATULATIONS MAX - WAY TO GO!

Later . . .

Made it to the laundromat

2008-09-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

I managed to get to the laundromat yesterday and get the bedspread and the above coasters washed and dried. I went ahead and posted them for sale on Etsy, but I am not sure I will continue with that. It only costs .20 per item to list with them and they take 3.5% of the sale. So it was not a big investment to give it a try and I can always use them for the holidays myself!

We finished painting the kitchen today - so the kitchen project is basically complete. There is some touching up that has to be done on the black wood for the pots and pans rack, but it really looks good and I am very happy with it.

Later . . .

Finished Halloween Bags

2008-09-26T10:22:00.001-07:00

So that is accomplished! I think the bags are really cute and I hope the kids will like them. Above in red for Deanna and below in pink for Desirae - same material for both the girls. I think I still like Devin's the best.
Now it is back to quilt making. I am headed off to do some errands and the laundromat.

Later . . .

More Embroidery

2008-09-24T18:40:00.001-07:00

I have been working on Halloween bags for the grand kids and the above are the finished embroidery patterns. They were long and tedious designs, but I think they turned out really cute. I have finished Devin's bag and I really like it. Devin's bag has different material than the girls and I really like the way it blends. His lettering is green, which also goes really well with the material. I think I might have bought the wrong "pet mesh" because I am having a really terrible time with it unraveling. The stuff I used before was what my sister, Joy, gave me and it did not unravel like this stuff is doing. It makes it hard to work with because the more you more it around (and there is a lot of that) the more it unravels and the more I have to keep trimming off. Maybe there are different brands or I just happened to purchase one that was not coated well.

Once I get the bags completed, I will finish Chloe's dog quilt. Considering I want the kids to have the bags for Halloween and we are planning a visit the first part of October, getting the bags completed was kind of time sensitive. I still need to make a trip to the laundromat to deal with the coasters I made - simply too many projects and not enough time.

Later . . .

Keeping Busy

2008-09-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

I certainly have been keeping busy doing embroidery. Above are the latest sets of four coasters that I have done. I have them all sewn together and just need to make a trip to the laundromat to get they frayed. I have done some in my own washing machine and it is just such a hassle to clean up the mess. I need to wash my frayed bedspread and I will just do them all at once. I cannot even get the bedspread in my washing machine. I did list the other patriotic red white and blue coaster on Etsy. I now have a "shop" so check it out. I plan to put some more coasters up for sale. I will probably put up some of the left over scarves that I did last year. I really don't like the idea of doing stuff for sale because it then adds the pressure factor and I really like doing things for pleasure. I like to do them for myself and friends and family. So the whole selling thing will probably be very short lived. It would be nice to get a little money to replace materials, but I actually have plenty of material to last for a long while (the thread does go quickly when doing a lot of embroidery).

Max and Kathy went up to her mom's for a couple days of doing chores. Max is doing some plumbing work and Kathy is assisting. I decided to stay at home cause I was not feeling all that well. I worked in my sewing room a bit and just kind of relaxed.

Later . . .

Productive Day

2008-09-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

We had a productive day today - in the kitchen and in my sewing room. Max made herself a little plastic bubble and sanded, primed, textured, primed and painted the kitchen ceiling while I squared Chole's quilt and added the border and got the binding ready. We made a Lowes run for the moulding (which will be put up on Monday with the help of Kathy).

Max hung the ceiling fan and it actually looks really nice - cute little thing. Must say Max is an expert ceiling fan hanger! It is black and chrome which matches our appliances and cookware really well. It puts out more light than we expected it would, but we still will probably replace the bulbs with some floursecent ones to get a brighter white light.

Later . . .

That time of year again . . . Hatch Chilies

2008-09-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again for New Mexico's great Hatch Chilies. We ordered 50 pounds and Kathy and Paul ordered 25 pounds and we had a chili roast over at Debby's (she is not home but she is the only one with a Weber - the gas grills just take too long to get hot enough to do a good job). Of course I forgot my camera, hence the picture of the chilies bagged and in the freezer. We ordered from a different company this year and have not eaten any chilies yet, but they did come from the same place.

The plans for this weekend are to keep working on the kitchen and hopefully make some progress. It is coming along great and I think will look really nice when it is completed. We picked out a really cool ceiling fan, but have not picked out the molding yet.

I have been working on Holiday themed coasters on my embroidery machine. I just was a bit tired of quilting and wanted to do some embroidery. I have the top for Chloe's quilt done and I just have to square it and then cut the border and binding. I want to get it done so I can get it quilted and on her bed. The dogs are getting along really well and playing and keeping each other company. Darci finally has someone who will actually sleep nest to her and their bodies can actually touch (Kodi was NOT a snuggle guy except with me).

Later . . .

Celebrating 21 Years of Sobriety and Working on the Kitchen

2008-09-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

First off it amazes me that I have gone 21 years without a drink and 19 years without a smoke. Life is good and it is a direct result of taking that first big step. Max bought me a Garmin Nuvi 770 (which I have been wanting for the longest time). It is totally cool and will come in handy for many things (especially finding my way home when the traffic comes to a stand still). It also gives you the freedom to explore without the fear of being hopelessly lost.

Our latest project is changing the lighting in the kitchen. We used to have the dropped ceiling with fluorescent lighting and we are opening up the space and putting in a ceiling fan. The kitchen is always really hot and opening up the ceiling will give the appearance of more space. Once the sheet rock is up, tapped, mudded, textured, painted and ceiling fan hung, we will then finish it off with molding around the bottom and top. I think it is going to look really nice and I know that it will help keep the kitchen cooler. The above picture is Kathy and Max patching the ceiling where Max had to extend the wiring to accommodate the new ceiling fan (Max did not hit Kathy with the hammer - she was just goofing around - per usual).

Nothing much new on our front - Hot/Hot/Hot weather.

Later . . .

Finally!

2008-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Now this is what I call VACATIONING! The weather was beautiful - not too hot and not too cold. Floating around on a pristine lake up in the mountains where you can smell the pine trees and feel the cool breeze. Even if I did not catch any fish (which I did) it is a great way to relax.

I cannot believe how unbelievably busy I was before we left for vacation and seems like I have been pretty much the same since we got back. Part of the business has been spending time with Debby before she left for Iraq. She has actually been deployed, but will be in Washington preparing for a while.

We had a really GREAT time in Arnold at the Mountain Retreat. We had great chats, great food, great fishing, some special occasions and an all around very relaxing time. I was able to get the bindings sewn on both the dogs quilts for Wanda and also my "Wild Woman" quilt. We also had a good game of poker and a night out at the local Pub for Debby's birthday. I also almost completed the binding for a table topper that Joy gave me. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to be close to a 400 pound Mama brown bear and her two cubs. Thankfully we did not have an encounter with 800 pound Daddy. We had the opportunity watching the Mom and her cubs having dinner in the trash bins at the complex. That is Debby's Toyota that you can see in the right corner of this shot. I was really amazed that Mom would get so close to humans with her cubs, but let me tell you she keep a good watch. Every time someone moved she truly shot them the evil eye until they stood still! There were some beautiful lakes in the area and we had a great time using our float tubes. Max and Paul did some fly fishing in the river and they both managed to hook some up. We were not that successful fishing the lakes, but we did manage to hook up some beautiful trout, but we did not keep any.

The following is a shot of Utica Lake, which was one of the most peaceful, serene and awesomely beautiful places I have ever seen and one we will always hold near and dear to our hearts! This vacation will be one we will remember for a lifetime! I will try to get more of the photos posted on Shutterfly - it is just so hard to add photos to really let people see where we were and what we were doing.Later . . .

Ready for Vacation

2008-08-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well the dog quilts are ready to make the trip! I finally got the binding on and the labels made. I am hoping to be able to do the hand stitching of the binding during down time relaxing at the condo. We have had a busy week since the kids went home. Our gardener just stopped showing up so I am doing the yards now. Got the yards done, pool drained and the slip and slide deflated and put away. I then tackled the quilts to have them ready to take with me. Michael had his 25th BD party last night - everyone went to a Karaoke Bar. Max and I left before the "real" singing got started (she had to work today). We are very much looking forward to doing some fishing and spending some time with Debby before she leaves for Iraq. I am not taking a computer with me, but I will have my cell phone (providing we get service up there in the mountains).

Later . . .

Quiet House

2008-08-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

We took the kids home Saturday and came back Sunday. Unfortunately we forgot the "warning" Denise gave us about not letting Deanna drink any milk 1 - 1 1/2 hours before putting her in the car. She had milk with lunch and fell asleep immediately when we started driving. The mistake we made was stopping at McDonalds in Bakersfield for dinner and she had milk with her Happy Meal. Shortly before we were about to make the turn off for Cal City, she got sick. Hard to believe someone so little could puke that much. OMG it was everywhere and there was no place to pull off the road for a couple of miles. We thought for sure the other kids were going to get sick just for being next to Deanna in the car. Poor Desirae ended up with it on her and she was trying her hardest not to puke herself. So when we finally pulled over we took the car seat out of the car and got Deanna changed and then proceeded to try to figure out how to take the cover off the seat because there was NO WAY we were going to be able to clean it there. Mission accomplished and we were back on the road and you would never know that Deanna had been sick - kids are amazing!

We will enjoy the peace and quiet for a few days and then start terribly missing them. Once again I will mention that it is really sad that they live so far away, but at least they are close enough to make the drive in one day.

Now we start preparing for our fishing trip with Max's family. Debby will be leaving for Iraq the end of the month so it will be a good time to have everyone together for the week.

Later . . .

Added Note . . .

2008-08-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention Thursday night at dinner all the kids were droppey eyed and yawning and Desirae looked at me and said, "Nana, what are you doing to us"? It was very cute and I had to explain that they were outside in the sun and fresh air and expending a LOT of energy playing in the pool and it was natural that they were all tired. It was funny cause you would think I was working them to death or something. She had such a serious look on her face. At least we will be sending them home with nice color. While packing up their stuff and getting ready to take them home, Max and I are both already sad to see them go and will miss them a lot. If we did not have plans it would be nice to keep them longer. They are all very precious children (spoken like a true Nana)!

Later . . .

Last Day

2008-08-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that the week has gone by so quickly. We went to the movie this afternoon (WALLE) and Max and the kids are now making ice cream cone cup cakes (which are yummy). The movie was not what I expected, but the kids seem to like it and that is what counts. We have not been to a movie since they were here the last time and it is hard to believe that for a matinee it costs $6.50 per person. Popcorn, candy and drinks is something I don't even want to discuss! Now I know why we stay home and watch DVD's.

I will say I accomplished a BUNCH of yard work that I have been wanting to do. Deanna is the greatest little helper and I do mean that she helps. The kids have been in the pool everyday and that has given me the opportunity to work in the yard. We have had some great weather - around 80 - 85. Hot enough to be outside and in the pool, but not so hot I don't want to be doing yard work. The one thing I did not get done was mowing the lawns (I guess our gardener quit as he just stopped showing up).

It will be silent and a bit sad around the house next week, but at least I should be able to get my dog quilts done and be able to take them with me on our trip to Arnold. I should have them completed except for the hand sewing of the binding. I am looking forward to the trip and Max is dying to go fishing. We have not been fishing at all this year. She might be able to do some stream fly fishing with Paul and we are taking our float tubes for the lakes.

Later . . .

I guess I am staying BUSY!

2008-08-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been weeks since I posted. No need to ask me what I have been doing cause I really have no idea why I have not been on my computer. I did manage to embroider a shirt for Denise that she has been wanting (spinning wheel on the back and knitting basket over the pocket on the front). I am slowly trying to get the dog quilts done, but I have been having issues. One would think that all Pfaff machines would load the bobbin the same way and insert the needles the same. IF that were the case I might not have had such a hassle with thread breakage - check the manual, Donna! Max and I did the Reno trip for a few days and had a really good time. We gambled most of the time and I actually came back with more money than I started with (not much, but that is so cool in my book). Max had a great birthday and we hit some really good cards and had a really nice birthday dinner (the buffets are amazing). We came home to greet Denise and the kids. She brought them down for their week stay and was here when we got home. Having three kids in the house is definitely not something I am used to. I can't believe these little people eat breakfast, lunch and dinner - not to mention snacks and dessert! We are having a good time spending most of the time in the back yard in the blow up pool we have for them. We also bought a slip and slide, but it requires more energy than I can muster to help Devin be able to use it. We played on it for an hour or so and have not set it back up since (believe me it is hell getting old and having arthritis). Having them around is a real treat. We miss not seeing them often. I have taken some pictures, but not as many as I would like and Max has not gotten her camera out. With Max working all day we both seem to be ready for bed when the kids are. We will be taking them home this weekend. Kathy, Paul, Michael and Debby are coming over for dinner tomorrow night.

Later . . .

Keeping Busy

2008-07-22T08:27:00.001-07:00

Loading my quilt frame is not an easy task and putting two different quilts on at the same time was a challenge. I think it will work out well and in the long run save me some time and effort. Once the quilts were ready to go I then wound 27 bobbins (that was the number I had with no thread on them). It takes around 15 bobbins for each quilt - give or take. I like to get bobbins wound before I start quilting so I don't have to do it in the middle of quilting. Changing bobbins is a pain and at least I have them ready. One would think someone would come up with a large capacity bobbin for quilting machines!

Later . . .

Embroidery

2008-07-19T18:20:00.001-07:00

So this is what had me distracted. I wanted to see what the flowers would look like and the Lady is a new design I got. It was in black and I decided to see what it would look like in red. I actually think it would look good in any solid color. I had a chambray shirt laying around and thus the distraction. I ramble about from craft to craft. I suppose that is the curse of having so many crafts and projects to choose from and work on. Added to the distraction I started reading a Dean Koontz book; which I just finished. I love to read, but when I am reading the book seems to just call to me. I try to get my reading done before I fall asleep, but sometimes I just have to read during the day.

Ahhhhhh well such is my life.

Oh BTW we have borrowed Debby's dog Chloe to see how she and Darci will interact while Debby is in Iraq. They seem to be getting along pretty well - Chloe is adjusting to the new environment and we are hoping that Debby will just let us keep her; considering Debby will be leaving the end of August anyway. Last night they did the bed switch - so I think they are getting comfortable with each other. Max gave them both a bath (shower) today and they are shiny, sweet smelling girls.

Later . . .

Catching up . . .

2008-07-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the borders for the dog quilts. I have the batting and backing cut out and ready to load everything on my quilt frame, but I somehow keep getting side tracked. I guess it will get done when it gets done.

Later . . .

Birthday presents for Max

2008-07-19T17:55:00.001-07:00

Max made out her wish list for her birthday and I went ahead and ordered the stuff from B&H. She got that mondo macro lens and we were looking at Paul's eyelashes through it - what a trip. OMG it gets close up. Then she also got the extender for her other lens and we were reading the print on a piece of paper attached to one of the trellises in the backyard. She also got a set of glass lens filters. Needless to say she was and is a happy camper. I am also taking her to Reno for her birthday. We are running up there for a couple of days before we get the grandkids for a week.

Later . . .

Making Progress

2008-07-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

I finished the other dog quilt top and have the borders and binding cut out and ready to sew together. I am hoping to get both the quilts on my frame next week. It has been so darn hot around here working in the garage during the day is not an option. Early morning hours is not so bad, but a couple of days it did not even cool down at night. I am getting out of bed a bit earlier these days so I think it will be workable. I did not take any pictures, but will post when the borders are on and perhaps when I get them both on the frame (I am hoping that is a doable thing).

We are off to Max's mom's today to do some chores (fixing and painting her bathroom) and will be back Saturday afternoon/evening. Darci has been having a bit of a bad week (missing her brother I am guessing) and I hate to leave her home alone, but she needs to get used to it. I had to do a bunch of running around the other day and I think that is what kicked off her loneliness. Kathy and Debby will probably visit, but essentially we will only be gone overnight (which we have done many times in the past, but she always had Kodi for company).

Later . . .

Finished Bags

2008-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Joy is a much faster sewer than I am (that would be because she has made MANY of the bags that she was teaching me how to make) so she finished both bags when she got home and emailed me the following pictures. She wanted to have the bags done to take to her sewing group on Thursday. I knew the they would both turn out great and they certainly did.I have not done any more sewing on the dog quilts, but I did try to make the labels and ended up with a design that just did not work. I hate that when it happens, but I usually do not want to do an entire design just to check to see if it will work. If I was putting something on an expensive article of clothing or something like that I would do a test, but when I am working on material I don't see the point. So I guess I did a test design that sucked and I am back to the drawing board. I have all the squares sewn together in rows and just need to attach them. I hope to get the borders and binding cut out tomorrow and hopefully by next week I can have them on the quilting frame.

It is HOT HOT HOT here and is going to be hotter tomorrow. Good day to stay in the house in my sewing room and work on quilts or embroidery.

Later . . .

Catching up . . .

2008-07-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

First piece of good news - Darci did not dig in the yard while she was left home alone. I think maybe she has grown up and does not have all that excess energy that she used to have. She has taken to going around the house and sleeping in the spot that Kodi used to sleep in all the time. I guess she is trying to take over for him - she is still a bit on the skiddish side, but is improving.

Joy did come back with me and she was teaching me how to make tote bags. When we were at the sewing machine shop we saw embroidery on pet mesh and decided we needed to give that a try. We started one at her house and brought it with us, but she did not cut enough material so she had to take it back with her to finish. It was on the black pet mesh and the embroidery was white dragon flies - it was really pretty, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I made the above bag (with her direction) and it turned out really pretty. I wrote down the instructions as I went and then made another bag "all by myself". The below bag is made with material instead of the pet mesh. I like the pet mesh, but I am not sure I want to buy the mesh - it only comes it rolls and I don't know that I would use it all - unless I try to sell some, but there is a lot of time that goes into doing the embroidery and sewing the bag. I really love the one below (pretty girlie bag).

Then we were cruising through some of my designs and she found a design that she wanted on a bag for herself. We prepared the material and I did the embroidery, but there was just not enough time to complete the bag. She had to take it home and will finish it there. Both the above bags have the same design on both sides, but the one I did for Joy (below) will only be on one side cause I just did not have the time to get it on both sides before she had to leave. She went home on Amtrak Friday morning.

We had a good time sewing, but the trip to her house was short and her stay here was kind of short.

Max and I went to Debby's for an early afternoon 4th celebration , but were home early and just hung out around the house. I managed to get some little chores accomplished and we "heard" the fireworks, but we did not see anything.

We are off to Stockton to a birthday party for Jesse's son this afternoon and hopefully we will spend a relaxed quiet day around the house tomorrow. Seems like we have been really busy and pressed for time the last couple of weeks.

Later . . .

Quick Trip

2008-06-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

I am running down to Ventura today with the hopes of bringing my sister back with me. I need to take my sewing machine in for service and the dealer is in Palmdale (about an hour drive from Joy's). My expensive embroidery machine is having some problems and needs to be serviced and have some adjustments along with the bobbin winder is broken. I also want to get my Grand Quilter serviced. I know that I am going to have to start taking my machines to San Jose because making the trip to Palmdale is just not realistic. It is a good reason to visit Joy, but not so workable when we visit Duane and family cause we usually are there on the weekends. Anyway - there will be no posts for a few days (I am coming back on Saturday).

This will be Darci's first time being left alone without her brother. It will be interesting to see if there will be any excavation happening in the bad yard (she used to dig when she was bored).

Later . . .

One top down and three to go . . .

2008-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

I had a good day sewing today and put together one quilt top. I am making dog quilts for Wanda's dogs and then I am also going to make a couple extra and see if I might be able to sell them. I purchased enough material to do four - so I am on my way. I want to get Wanda's finished first, but they go together pretty easily (they are not that big). The borders are easy, but the actual quilting and then binding it is the real time consuming part. But I am having fun and that is THE name of the game! I think I am going to try to put two quilts on my frame and see if I can quilt two at the same time. They are small enough that it should work and if that is the case it would be much easier for me.

We are having a lazy weekend staying inside with the air conditioner. We did venture out for hair cuts this afternoon. I am very happy with mine and Max is not so happy with hers (I personally think hers looks really cute). For the first time she thinks her hair is too short in the back. It is shorter than before, but I think it looks nice. Now if I could get her to let me take a picture I could post it - but I don't think that is going to happen. Tomorrow with be another lazy day of movie watching, video gaming and relaxing. God I love the weekends!

Later . . .

Getting Back to Normal

2008-06-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have started sewing and quilting again. Since Kodi's departure it has been kind of weird around the house. Unfortunately, Darci is really having a difficult time without her brother. He has basically been with her all her life and he was not only her companion, but he was her back up. She is a little on the skiddish side right now. She still barks and such, but she will not go to the door without someone going with her - she just looks at you to be her back up. It is sad and at the same time a little amusing. The sad part is when she eats - she just looks at where Kodi's bowl used to be. I am sure she will come around (without the kitten Max thinks will cheer her up). It has turned really hot around here and I am ready to finish the binding on my "Wild Woman" quilt, but I really do not want to do it while it is so hot. Any quilting on my frame will have to be done EARLY in the morning cause the garage just gets too hot. The weather is suppose to cool down this coming week so perhaps it will not be so hot in the garage.

Later . . .

FAREWELL BIG GUY . . .

2008-06-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

It was with the deepest sadness that on June 13th we had to let Kodi go. He was getting progressively worse and after extensive testing the option that remained was that he had a brain tumor. Max, Darci and I gave Kodi a farewell pizza and ice cream party; which he enjoyed with great pleasure and enthusiasm. I made the decision on the 10th and had some great time with him before he left. I cried my heart out most of the week (and am still having a difficult time) but I knew it was the right thing to do - he was miserable and in pain. His ashes will be spread in the hills of Napa Valley, which is the resting place for many other canine pals. He was the greatest dog and will be missed terribly by everyone who knew and loved him.

Later . . .

Weekend

2008-06-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Summer Special Olympics watching Micahel play Volleyball. His team won a set and lost a set on Saturday, but ended up with a Silver Medal on Sunday! After his games we (Kathy, Paul, Carl, Nancy [Paul's parents], Max and I) roamed Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley checking out the vendors and having lunch. It was a really nice day as I had not been over there in years. We grabbed a SUPER chocolate/banana/strawberry/whip cream crepe on the way back to the car and finished our Berkeley experience. Later in the afternoon Max staked the tomato plants in the back yard and I washed our cars. I had MANY dead bugs on the grill and Max's car was just plain dirty. Max also fixed the hose as it had sprung many leaks, but there was plenty to cut off the leaking part and still have a good long hose.

BTW - my thumb is recovering pretty well. It still has some pain right in the joint, but I am getting much more pain free movement out of it. I have not played any video games or guitar hero - I am sticking to the mouse on my Mac for any game playing. I have also started using Alleve and it seems to do a bit better job than Advil or Tylenol.

Today has been a typical Sunday of relaxation - if you can call listening to your dog pant and cry and drool rivers around the house relaxing. I am afraid to report that Kodi is not getting any better. The vet called yesterday to say his urine test came back fine - so there is no indication that he has Cushings. Unfortunately, there is SOMETHING wrong with him and we don't know what that something is. I was hoping the pain medication would give him some relief, but it does not seem to be doing anything. His feet are clearing up with the medication and antibiotics, but he is still experiencing a lot of discomfort and he is still ravenously hungry. Needless to say, he is breaking my heart with every pant and whine.

Later . . .

Update

2008-06-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

Took Kodi's urine sample in to the vet this AM, but have not gotten any results on the testing. I stopped by the pet store and bought a sweet little toy for the cat Kodi traumatized and took it as a peace offering. They were very appreciative and thought it was a really sweet thing for "Kodi" to do. I also requested some pain mediation for Kodi to relieve some of his suffering - his feet just look painful! He was so out of it on the pain medication that he did not even care when the camera came out. The credit card was hit for $350 today because that included the cost for the x-rays and such from yesterday that I did not pay at the time. Kodi has cost us over $500 this week and he still is having problems and we don't have the answer. He is still one HUNGRY dog.

I finished the quilting on my "Wild Woman" quilt and I must say I am pleased with the outcome. I was a bit concerned when Max and Joy convinced me to use black thread on the front and red on the back, but it looks really nice. Max was VERY impressed and was surprised at how well it turned out - considering it was VERY loud to start with she did not see how it could possibly look good. Kathy had pretty much the same reaction - and I knew it was going to be awesome from the gate!

Later . . .

More Kodi Information

2008-06-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Had to take Kodi in to the vet this morning for x-rays. He got stellar treatment because everyone there loves him - nail trim and teeth cleaned with no charge just because he was there. After all he weighs over 100 pounds and they prefer to just leave him on the table between x-rays and someone has to stay with him anyway. The vet got to take a look at his feet and put him on antibiotics AGAIN. All was well until it was time to leave and pay the bill; which, at that time, Kodi decided to have a Kodi snack and MUNCHED the vet's cat! OMG what a scene that was! The cat hissed at him and the fight was on. Kodi ended up with the cat's head in his mouth and REFUSED to let it go. Thank God it looked worse than it was. They had to pry Kodi's mouth open with a broom handle and whisked the cat away. I left to let them tend to the cat and they called me later to let me know there was no serious injury. No puncture wounds, no internal injuries, no broken bones/neck or back. All in all the vet said the cat was really bruised and sore but doing okay (kind of suffering from whip lash). She was actually amazed that Kodi did not do more damage, but he has never hurt a cat before and he just went into paralyze mode when people started screaming and pulling at him. I am very glad the cat is okay and I wonder if they will all continue to love him like before. I know one thing for sure - he will not have any give on his leash from now on. I just did not see the cat around the corner from where I was standing to pay my bill.

I have to get another urine sample first thing in the morning for Kodi because the x-rays did not show anything. It is pretty confusing to not know what the heck is going on with him and this hunger issue. I am used to the feet problems, but this whole business is difficult. He is also having some urinating accidents in the house which has never happened before.

The saga continues and I will keep posting what I find out.

Later . . .

Kodi Update

2008-06-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

The vet finally called yesterday afternoon and all Kodi's lab tests DO NOT point to Cushings! He has something going on with his urine and she wants to do an x-ray of his stomach to check for "bladder stones". His blood work indicated that his thyroid level is low and we will have to adjust that medication. She thinks "perhaps" if he has bladder stones that might cause the excess drinking and urinating, but it does not explain his hunger. I did shave his feet and he had a lot more sores than could be seen through all that hair. I think his crying might have been more connected to the pain in his feet and "maybe" he just happened to be laying in front of his food dish. I think that is really stretching it, because last night he was rummaging in the trash which is something he has NEVER done! I had just opened a package of pill pockets and thrown the package in the trash because I put the pill pockets in a plastic container. Maybe Kodi is like me and eats for comfort????????? When I don't feel good I usually want something to eat! I have to call and make an appointment for the x-ray and perhaps start him on some antibiotics to help clear up his feet (which I will continue to shave so we can at least see what the hell is going on).

Other than that - I am still quilting and staying away from video games. My thumb is less painful than it was before, but it still pains me in different positions and pinching stuff is not working so well for me. Now I am turning to my Mac for some game playing - I seem to be the time wasting queen right now - motivation is not oozing out of me at the moment. I need to make a "to do" list because that usually will get me moving in the right direction.

Later . . .

Kodi

2008-06-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well I took Kodi to the vet this AM and we are awaiting the results of $200 worth of blood and urine work. It appears that he might have Cushings Disease The vet said she might have the results this evening, but we have not received a phone call. He fits the symptoms pretty well and this could also be contributing to his feet problems and infections. Poor guy - I certainly hope we can pin down what is going on with him. It certainly has come on suddenly if this is the problem, but his behavior is like nothing I have ever seen before. Kodi is such a mild mannered, kind and gentle guy and he has turned into this food crazed FEED ME monster. He steals Darci's food and wants to be fed all day. Poor baby lays in front of his food dish and cries. It is really just too hard not to give him some food when he is crying and he has gained like 7 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I also am going to just have to bite the bullet and go ahead and shave all the hair from his massive manly feet. I keep the hair on the bottom and between the pads shaved, but I just need to have better access for applying his medication.

I will post when I hear from the vet - there are more tests that will need to be run if he has the indications in this work that it is Cushings.

Later . . .

My Bad!

2008-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Whew - where does the time go? I cannot believe it has been weeks since I have posted. Things have happened and I guess I just have not taken the time to sit down at the computer and share.

I did finish my quilt from my quilt class. I am very pleased and happy with it. I am working on the other one, but I am also quilting my large "wild woman" quilt. Unfortunately, I can see the need to do some time management and scheduling if I am ever going to get some of the projects I want to do completed. It certainly is a good thing that I am retired - I just don't know what I do to waste so much time.

Max's mom and dad came down for Memorial weekend and we did a photo shoot and did some crafts. Debby and friend came over for dinner and we all played a little guitar hero. Unfortunately, my guitar hero days are done for a while. I went to the doctor regarding my thumb and his serious recommendation was to have surgery. I decided to have another cortisone shot and see if that could give me some relief for a while. It seems to be working, but I am not going to do any video games of any kind that might aggravate it. I am actually saddened by that because I was really having some fun with guitar hero and was progressing nicely at the medium level. I went bad and picked up 5's on all the easy ones (with the exception of Raining Blood which is just a stupid HARD song). I suppose down the road I may be able to play again with LIMITATIONS; which seems to be hard for me to do - moderation is not one of my strong suits.

This last weekend we had Max's family over for dinner and enjoyed a relaxing weekend. Next weekend is Summer Special Olympics in Berkeley and Michael will be playing volleyball. We will be going and it will give Max a chance to try out her new super duper sports lens!

Kodi is sick again and has a vet appointment tomorrow AM. Not sure what is going on with him. He is hungry ALL the time and that is not typical Kodi behavior. He is again having some feet problems and that may be causing him some pain. I try to the best of my ability to stay on top of the feet stuff, but this last bit of hot weather may have flared up some spots. He is becoming an old man and he worries me. I just hate having him be in pain and feeling so miserable. Perhaps he needs his thyroid meds adjusted. I think I will have them do a complete blood work while they are at it. He is crying a lot of the time and that is really hard to handle.

That could be all the news from around here, but I loose track of time so quickly it is hard to say.

Later . . .

Final Class

2008-05-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

My final class went well and I learned some good information regarding how to attach the binding and also an easier way to put my quilt label on the back. I did not get the binding completed, but when I do I will post a picture of the completed project. I have already started on the other quilt that I was making and had to put aside due to time constraints. I am looking forward to seeing how I do without any hands on help when I get confused. If the weather cools off I am ready to start some quilting on my machine in the garage - several for Joy and several for me.

Max and a buddy are going to go shoot at sunset and I will probably tag along. She wants to do some studio practice with me this afternoon before she does the thing for her friend next weekend. Other than that we don't really have much planned for the weekend except trying to stay cool and keep Kodi that way.

She has me convinced she needs that Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS L USM - I mean after all Canon has a $125 rebate going right now and how could we possibly pass that up!

Later . . .

Ready for final class

2008-05-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

I managed to get everything done for my class tonight. The actual quilting went well, except for a bit of unevenness on the bottom of the quilt. I had a really hard time getting my binding to come out straight until I walked away from the machine yesterday and came back today. I just could not seem to sew a straight diagonal line from corner to corner; however today it seems to work out just fine. I made the label for my quilt - so I am hoping I may be able to finish it tonight in class. If I don't get it finished tonight, it will not take much to sew the binding on.
I made myself a pin cushion out of a really pretty cup and saucer that I found at the thrift store along with a cup I found for my teacher. I like have a handle to move my pin cushion around and I think they are cute.

Later . . .

Cathing up . . .

2008-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been this long since I have updated my blog. We have been back from vacation for weeks! We did have a really relaxing and nice time (and that is what we were looking for). The internet connection dropped out and it was really hard to connect - so I just let it go. We did not take many pictures, but did have a nice visit with Joy and Jim and also Don.

We came home on Thursday in time for me to finish my quilt top. The left side of the picture is actually the top of the quilt (I could not get the entire quilt if I shot it upright). Then the class last week was canceled - so this coming Thursday is my last class. I have my quilt loaded on my frame to do the quilting and then we will apply the binding in class (I have to cut and sew that before the class). I also need to make a label for the quilt before the class. I have enjoyed the class and might consider taking another one. It has turned HOT around here and I am going to have to get up early to work on my quilt as the garage gets way to HOT in the afternoon.

Wanda came for a visit and I really enjoyed that. It gave us a chance to catch up on "stuff" and just hang out and visit. We did a lot of nothing - I got her addicted to a couple of video games that I had on my computer, but I could not get her interested in Guitar Hero. I did manage to get her to play a couple of PS2 games (she needs to know how it works cause they bought one for their grandkids). We went out for Sushi and Indian food and that was yummy.

Things are about the same around here. Max still has a job and will probably have one until December, but the morale at work SUCKS. Everyone is unhappy and waiting to find out who is staying and who is going - really a depressing place to be right now. It is hard not knowing if there will be a job or not and trying to decide if she should throw her 7 years away and start over or stay and wait and see. My vote is for the stay and wait and see, but there are some jobs she might apply for and then if she gets a job offer - make the decision at that time.

When we were in Santa Barbara Max was able to pick up a bunch of photography stuff she wanted and today she got her Multi-dome Soft Box (which came with some free online lighting lessons). She really has everything she needs now for a complete studio. She is going to take some studio shots of a co-workers daughter next weekend.

Later . . .

Avila Beach

2008-04-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

I did not get the chance to take a picture of my quilt after I did some sewing in my quilting class. I managed to get my flying geese sewn and the side borders attached. I need to get the flying geese squares sewn to the top and bottom borders and then I will be done with the top. Since we left for vacation Friday morning and are not returning until Thursday, I am not sure if I will be able to have the top completed for class. We are suppose to work on the quilt sandwich this coming Thursday, but I am not sure I will be able to have it done. I have not even picked out the backing material as yet, but I am sure I have enough batting. No worries - I can get it done before the last class (thankfully I do know how to put a quilt together). At least I will be there to see the demonstration she will give for spray adhesive and hand/machine quilting.

We are settled in our timeshare and relaxed in vacation mode. Don and Sharon are coming down for lunch tomorrow and we are going to Santa Barbara on Monday to Samys and then meeting Joy and Jim for lunch. This vacation is about just kicking back and relaxing and we don't have any real plans. OF COURSE because I am here, they are having a couple of their HOTTEST days ever for this time of year. God I hate the heat! We have a great view of the ocean and the air conditioning works just great!

I did not even bring my camera and Max really hasn't taken any pics to speak of. We are getting intermittent wireless connection, which allows us to get online. They have wireless connection here that you can pay for, but we are picking up a linksys connection that seems to be working good most of the time.

Later . . .