At Last

Tuesday was an off day......... I just didn't feel up to much of anything............ I did get upstairs long enough to finish my second little cross stitch.......... I even found some fabric for the pillow....


Wednesday morning I put the remains of my little pot roast in my small crock pot. It is just a one quart but is perfect for making soup for two................. I added chicken broth, a can of mixed vegetables and some barley............. It was delicious for lunch today.



Then I started decorating the living room................ The pillow by the lamp ended up being moved as you will see later.

I also finally realized (just where was my brain) that the curtain covered the heat vent. No wonder that room was always so cold. I tied one side back and it did feel warmer last night.

I stitched ribbons to the back of two placemats and tied them to the chairs.

The wreath is light and is being held in place with double face tape....... The Angel from Christmas has become a cupid for Valentine's Day.



A candle in the red vase with white hearts and you can see the small pillow here instead of on the table........


My vase of snowdrops with a red candle.....


and a heart place mat on each end table..............





I was blessed to have Vickie drop in for tea.......... She brought along the whale quilt she is making for her grandson. How nice to have such creative friends......... some of it rubs off on occasion.........



She also gave me a Mug Rug that she had made.......................


I thought it too nice to put a mug on.......... It might get dirty so I put a small candle on it instead.



It looks lovely on the space between the office and the kitchen..........


Today I was Susan Good Wife till noon and then I came upstairs to catch up with my blogging friends and perhaps even to finish my second pillow.

Isn't this fabric just perfect for my Valentine pillow with the birds on the front?


Bias cut for the trim.................


Backing all cut and ready.................


And here we have the little pillow.............. Well, that is a finish..... Not from the list but still a finish....................

And What To Do Next?

I did finish a couple of things on New Years Day but never paused long enough to take a picture. These were finished some time last year but as usual I did not run the threads so they remained in the UFO list. Now that is done and I have another pair of socks for warm tootsies.


This is a dog coat I made last year but here again I did not run the threads. I just don't like that job at all but it is necessary. Coat does not fit wade so I will send it to Rebekah for TJ.


Now I have 3 hours to play.............. What to do?

Finish making the tea towels?


Add a few hexagons to my dresser scarf?


Finish the sachets I started last month?



Put together another block for my Yellow Quilt?



Work on the Buckshot pincushions started in 2009 (that are actually on the UFO list)?



Of course not........... I found these free patterns here at Primitive Betty's and I am after all in a holiday decorating mood these days.........


Sew I began something new that I hope will become a little pillow with some sachet inside.

Just 24 hours ago I came upstairs to spend the morning sewing........ What a joke that turned out to be.........

Lem called to make an appointment for Wade Hamilton to get a haircut (sorely needed) and Paula said she could see him at 11:30. I read a few more blogs and then we left to take him Chatham............ She said that she would be done by 1:00 (he is a wiggle worm and is difficult to trim.. at least he has quit being nippy)

While he got his haircut we did the weekly grocery shop................

Doesn't he look so much better now?



I decided to do the rest of the errands alone....... We went home, put away the groceries and I fixed a bit of lunch. It was about 2:00 PM by the time all that was done so I headed out once more.

My first stop was the Saint Joan of Arc Thrift Shop. I was looking for a few things to decorate for Valentines day......


This was my first find..........


Three boxes and all for $2.50


$1.50 gave me this chrystal vase....... I rather liked it and I know it will serve for several holidays. Now to find something to put in it...........


These two containers for the small sum of $1.00 each.........


And two acorns........ Yes, I do know they are not for Valentines day but when I did the fall decorating I was looking for something like these so I snapped them up for the total cost of $3.00 for both.

Then to Staples for some copies, to turn in two empty cartridges (they will send me a coupon for them) and to use the coupon I got for the last ones I dropped off.


This is what I got with my coupon. A container for my hexagons or any other small carry with you project and five small pens to put in such boxes along with a few index cards for notes.


Rite Aid was next. No pictures of the vitamins I purchased but I did use a $5.00 coupon so that paid for half of the vitamins.



The Hope Chest is one of my favorite places. It is a step up from the Thrift Shop and their prices reflect that. They even have furniture and clothing. I sure hope I find a place like this when we move.



This little tea bag holder came home with me .........
As did the red plate in the background of this picture.........



After that I went to the Christmas Tree Shop. That is where you buy things you really don't need for near to nothing......



There I found two tea towels for $1.00 each.....




Four heart shaped quilted placemats for $1.50 each



A few odds and ends to fill in when I decorate.............



$4.99 got me a table runner.........


$3.99 for a wreath........



and a couple of plate holders............




Then a stop at the local deli for meats for next week......

I loved the summer rental sign on this building. In about 4 weeks people will be starting to call for their summer reservations................



I didn't get home again till 4:00.......... So much for a day spent sewing..............

I am still trying out different schedules to see which is the most productive. So far I have spent too much time downstairs being Susan Good Wife and not enough upstairs sewing......... That also meant NO time on the computer since it is upstairs in the studio.........

I did manage to get a dozen blue tea towels cut out and the scallop edge marked.


I still need to turn the scallop and stitch the other three sides.......... Then I can cut out the dozen white tea towels that I bought fabric for....................


I then picked up my One Hex on Wednesday and completed two of them........ But I did not get them posted on Wednesday. I have decided to make a dresser scarf for the master bedroom.... Years ago I purchased a three drawer chest at a yard sale for $10.00 (picture later). It was painted white but it seemed to be sturdy so I brought it home. I think it might be oak under all of that white paint so one day I hope to strip it and refinish it........ Right now it could use something to cover the top and these Hexagons are going to be just the thing.

Lem is working on a test so I am babysitting Wade Hamilton. He thinks he should sit on Lem's desk in front of the keyboard all the time and that makes it hard to work.

So far I have several things going on in the studio and none of them are on my 2011 UFO list.....Silly me...............

Design Wall Monday

On Monday, Judy at Patchwork Times encourages us to share what is on our design wall.

Mine has been the same for months but this weekend I managed to get six blocks cut out for my Yellow quilt. It is supposed to be monochromatic but mine is yellow and white. I have so a small amount of yellow in my fabrics that I had to ask Peg for some of hers.......... Nancy and Joan and Barbara are giving me more on Wednesday.

I got six blocks cut out. Four partially assembled and two completed.......................

Go on over to Patchwork Times and see what everyone else is working on......... Inspiration awaits.

You Know What They Say

About best laid plans...............

I did try but it was just not to be. Tuesday went well.......... I did home making duties till after lunch and then came upstairs to sew. But my Nemesis came to visit so it was a wee toes up I had instead............

I did manage to finish one of the two mug mats I wanted to make that day...........





I have also been knitting along each evening and I now have three pairs of socks completed. One pair was half done at the beginning of the year but the other two were made this year. Too bad that only one pair is on my list of projects to finish for this year. That would be the bottom pair. They will go well with a quilted sweatshirt I made several years ago. It is finished but I am not happy with the way I finished the neck so I will be re-making it at some point.


Today it is off to work again......... Oh well, maybe tomorrow I will get some fun time in.........

Today is the first day of my new at home time............ I wonder just how much I will actually accomplish. My goal is to work in the bathroom and two bedrooms between 10:00 AM and Noon.

Right now the Lem and Wade Hamilton are asleep and I came upstairs to get some stitching done before they get up.

The first thing I need to do is finish the decorative stitching on my last two tea towels. These are the ones that I think are a bit smaller than I like. Yesterday I got more fabric to make more blanks for stitching. I am going to try a scallop edge on the next 1/2 dozen.

Whew.... That's Done

I haven't been near the computer for a week now.

This past week did not go at all as planned................

I was supposed to work everyday and get the product unpacked and organized and get the office set up again.

All would have worked well if VERIZON had done their job correctly. If you or a member of your family works for Verizon I am sure they are among the 5 percent that I spoke with that were capable and courteous................. No rave reviews on the rest of them however..........

Monday I started unpacking. The phone seemed to work and I got quite a bit done. About lunch time I checked to see if the recording that VERIZON had promised (and that I would be charged for) was actually working.............. No it was not. I called VERIZON and was told that they would fix it............... By end of business that day........... Remember this was supposed to have been done the Thursday before but I suppose they had a problem.

Tuesday when I got to work I continued my organizing efforts. After all the Tim with Cape Cod Computer could not get there till Thursday morning to set up the computer network. I planned to spend my time getting everything ready to go by the time he arrived.

Lem called me on my cell phone to tell me that the office phone was not working. I could call out but it would not receive calls. Once more I called VERIZON.............. It takes about 20 minutes to get to a live person and their hold music is abysmal at best.......... Oh yes she says.......... They can get that fixed by end of business................

Wednesday........ I printed the orders that I had received and went to work. Thought I could at least get them packaged up and ready. Then when the credit card machine went in I could run the charges and get them in the mail............... Would you believe that I still did not have a correctly working phone? Once more I call VERIZON.................Well, I am told, they have checked their system and it must be inside the office. They charge for that you know.... Fine I tell him..... I need this to work so send someone to get it fixed. Well they were too busy on Wednesday but could be there on Thursday............ Fine.........Just get it done. I really wanted all of the phone problems solved before Tim showed up so his work could go seamlessly.

Tim arrived on time Thursday morning. VERIZON showed up about an hour later to fix the problem that must be inside.........After all they had checked their system.

Hmmm..... 30 minutes later he comes back to announce that it is not inside after all........Surprise... He will begin to backtrack and find the problem and fix it. Should not take more than one hour............ Would you believe he calls me 3 hours later to tell me that it is a bad card in the Brewster office and the only person that can fix it is on break but she can get it fixed by .............. Yes, you guessed it...........End of business today................

Tim finished his work and we both hoped that when VERIZON got their problems solved I could get things accomplished................... This was not to be............ Tim had to come again on Friday to get the DSL line to work correctly........... It was not till after 3:00 that we finally got the internet working................

All of the added problems were tiring. I came home every day too weary to even think much less come upstairs and play.........

Today I am catching up on my Blog friends and getting some much needed rest......... Maybe I can get something finished later to show you.

Cheddar Stuffed Crusty Loaves

When I made bread yesterday I noticed this on the back of the bag of King Arthur Flour...... It looked just delicious so I thought I would give it a try.

I mixed the starter before I went to bed last night............


This morning I was all ready............


I made the dough and let it rise while I went on to other tasks................

And after it was baked this is what 1/2 half of it looked like. I gave the other half to our neighbors.............