What a year!

I am sending good wishes for a wonderful New Year to all of you and your families. Keeping positive thoughts for 2020.
This has been a tough year for me... I did not want to admit that I was depressed but finally a melt down and there it is. I began to feel better once I started a med and then....and then along came Murphy. He has been like a whirlwind of love. Murphy and I walk 3 times a day and Alan added the pedometer app to my phone and I track my steps. We walk a quarter mile each time out... it certainly adds up. I am wearing slacks that I could not wear...so loosing some ponds is good. Murphy stays with me at night and we are sleeping much better. My blood [pressure is slowly coming down. Having Alan and Lisa here has also been great. We have melded our home décor and this year Lisa put her ornaments on the tree...here are a few...

This gal needs a new hairdo

This one is looking for a modeling job

Poor gal is missing an eye

We had fun adding and sharing memories for each one

Last night we went out for pre NY Eve dinner...

The Angry Crab just opened a few miles from us...Alan ordered the Boiled in a bag and served in a bucket, Alaskan King Crab.... he ate it all. The food was delicious... the appetizers were great. A new place for us to go often.

Lisa and I picked out the fabric for the French Roses runner.... as soon as we put away Christmas stuff which we will start in a few days we will start it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated New Year's Eve safely. We are staying in...shrimp is just out of the boil and cooling! Champagne has already been poured. I hardly think I will see midnight! Tomorrow will be a stay at home relaxing day...the first day of a new year and new beginnings. Murphy met Dianna and Bobby when they stopped by yesterday. A sad note; Bobby's cat of 16 years, Moochie,  passed away. She was a one person cat and that person was Bobby. He is missing her sitting with him in the morning and greeting him when he comes in from work. Keep a special thought for my dear friend. I am happy to say that Murphy brought out a smile from Bobby!

Glad you took time to visit. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

The day after......

The Brother Alan and I had a wonderful relaxing couple of days. For him it was back to work today. Just me and Murphy here. A package just arrived from Dear friend LuLu

He is tearing the box apart. The little reindeer is his newest toy and he loves whipping it around to hear the bell inside jingle. Right now the box is a better toy.

Thank you Lu for the Ana Lee Santa who stands 16 inches high!

Thank you Vickie for the pieced quilted tree ornament 

Thank you sis Lynowl for the Crockpot

Thank you Glenda for the beautiful glass window ornament.

Thank you Debbie for this cute Hummingbird swing and the delicious chocolates that Alan and I are enjoying and.....

and this wonderful sounding Dragonfly chime that Alan is looking for a spot to hang it.

All of my gifts have been sent or given with just one waiting to go to it's person. A nice Christmas. It was  the first time in 15 years that Alan and I spent together  for Christmas. Although we had rain for 2 days, Murphy did not mind walking at all. He did have an issue with my carrying an umbrella.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

Message from Murphy!~

Good morning. It was bound to happen. She said it was my fault for sneaking up behind her but I say she needs to look. She fell in the kitchen. Now don't worry, she only has a bruise on her bad knee and a small mark on the other knee and her hand and wrist hurt a little. Actually I thought she was on the floor to play so I jumped on her and pulled on her robe...she was not amused.

Murphy sure is keeping me busy. I am sore but nothing broke so that is a plus. He is so quiet when he moves around that I really should look before moving! We are walking at least 3 times a day and it is about a quarter of a mile. The bunnies drive him crazy as does everything else. If a leaf blows we chase it, if a car drives by we stop to stare and the birds are an interruption. 

Glenda stopped by for tea the other morning. Murphy was delighted to have a visitor. She and Don are doing well.

The quilt shop called to let me know that my pattern arrived sooner than they thought. I plan to make a runner and maybe placemats. Who knows, someday maybe a quilt for my bed.

Even though I have plenty of fabric for the project, I bought this 5 inch charm pack by Moda called Painted Meadow to supplement. There are 42 squares with an assortment of prints. I plan to start after Christmas when Lisa returns. Lisa has been sick while away. Keep her in your thoughts that she starts to feel better. Nothing worse than having to fly while not feeling good.

Today is a cool and cloudy day. It is suppose to rain tomorrow and Christmas day. Not a problem as Alan and I have no outdoor plans. It will be the first for Murphy to walk in the rain however. Should be interesting. He loves when Alan uses the garden hose.

In case I do not get back here before, I wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Kwanza and what ever you do celebrate. Thank you for visiting and for your kind words and friendship. 

New house schedule

What a week. My new schedule, well....it is what it is...Murphy.
Lisa is back in RI to spend Christmas with her mom and siblings... and she is sick! Most likely hanging around the airport in New Jersey for a flight delay and who knows who around her was sick. She is missing  us....
How about an update on Murphy? If not, best end your visit here......
We nopw have a routine, me and Murphy. We go out very early and then after breakfast we go for a walk. Alan put an app on my phone so now we know how many steps/how far we walk. This morning it w2as quarter mile and 658 steps.

He is adorable even when he is causing havoc.... he likes to sleep on the coffee table shelf. Everyone comments on how cute he is...the following pictures will show you the puppy side...

Why eat out of the bowl when you can just turn it over and spread it out.

He loves being in the garden...this is just what he has brought in last week … he is a collector! Loves to play with rocks, broken pots and of course twigs. I had to move my tea pots on the lower shelf of my bakers rack because he kept taking the lids off the pots.

The Penstemon is growing wonderfully... that is until Murphy decided to do some pruning... he loves to prune and help Alan keep the garden looking good.

He does a great job, right down to removing the roots. There was a plant by the back gate...key word is was. He still is drinking from the fountain.... how do I know? His beard is always dripping … and yes, there is plenty of water inside.

Do you see the twiggy branch in the tree? Murphy kept bringing it inside so I guess he wanted to help decorate so it is high up where he can not get it. As a matter of fact, he does not touch anything on the tree. So he did pull out the pretty red scarf that Lisa added to the tree skirt. It was not his fault. His tennis ball rolled under and.....

We love this adorable little devil.... he has given me so much at a time where I really needed him. He has lifted my spirits!

Thank you for visiting today. Thank you for the kind words and for your friendship. 

Advent Blog Hop

Good morning...is it still morning? I am running late...having a puppy is exhausting. Last evening was shall I say nuts! mischief! naughty! and more. Today, however, is starting out wonderful. The sun is bright and Murphy is being good.
Today is Jo's Advent Blog Hop. We post a picture of something Christmas and then answer her question.

Here is the Santa I finished... from one of my favorite designers...Mill Hill Kits. This is Southwest Santa the second that I made and will soon order the next one. These blog hops are always fun an we learn new things from our fellow bloggers. Be sure to click the link and treat yourself to other Christmas memories. This yea Jo asked what our favorite Christmas movie is...Mine is The Shop Around the Corner and I am sure to watch it each year and just did so a week or so ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6OaK2-pwRE
I hope this link works.... if not you should google it and watch a clip if you are not familiar with it.  lovely story of 2 people who think they do not like one another.. here is a link to the story line. I hope you like it .
I am soy I am late with the post for the other bloggers...but mornings are a bit busy lately with the little devil! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words and friendship.

Sunday Stars.....

The humidity continues and will  until September.... so my days a slow and indoors. I really miss sitting in the garden. I miss having a clean garden! Last Thursday I decided to clip just some of the Fountain grass which was falling all over the place and then toss out the trash for Friday pick-up. I took just a few minutes but spent the next couple of days in total body itch. No matter what I used to wash and shampoo, I wanted to climb out of my skin. I think the heat was the problem.... this is a grass that has been in the garden for many years so it is unlikely that I am allergic to it. So, for now all is a mess out there and will remain so. They say a cool down is coming next week... below 100!

Although this season the heat is bothering me most days, I did make  more Origami Christmas stars. Where the other 4 are more simple and plain, these fabrics have more shine to them. The picture does not really show how the gold looks. Pretty for sure. My gift pod is finished and today I think I will work on the Mill Hill Southwest Santa. This will be the second one to my collection. I also have another special gift ornament to make.... just not sure how I want to do it. Fabric is sitting on my work table waiting for inspiration. This heat does not speak Christmas!

Nice to have you stop by and visit. The late post is due to the computer keyboard still typing as it sees fit...even when I type so slow and deliberate! Anyway, thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. Seems to be an iced water kind of day.

No, I am not flipping you off

Oh my... I thought my hand was sore … then the surgeon gave me an injection.

Although he froze the area the medication going in stung... really stung.  Most likely the bruise will be larger and be very sore. It will take a couple of days before I can really use the hand. In the meantime, I cannot bend the middle finger, so.... I will be careful not to offend anyone.
Also... of course you did not think this was it!

The area that is red and swollen and very sore is from the arthritis in the thumb and wrist. I had an injection when I had the surgery in February so I can not have another … yet. When I return in 4 weeks he will assess the situation. Heat is what he told me to do. I have been soaking the hand in hot water and he thought that would be fine as well as massaging and  exercising.

The top of my had is not too pretty either and of course a little sore. I am just falling apart. I did explain how I need this hand to bead with...He has a very nice smile!
I did start a pod for a gift...

This is the only picture until after Christmas🎄. Hopefully I will get back to it real soon.
Monday night the Monsson decided to visit. There was the wind of course and then light rain and yes, some lightning. Happily it did not last very long. When I woke yesterday there was no evidence of the storm... well, the debris around the garden was and still is there. I am trying to ignore it and so far so good. This early morning  is with the sounds of singing chimes...windy out there I the dark.
Well this typing is taking forever using one hand! Thank goodness for spell check...except when it decides to type a unknown word!
I will return soon. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

Seeing stars

Since the 115 temp day recently,  we are in a cool down....now the temp is in the mid 100s. Still hot and it will be until September-ish. Not to worry about me because sensibly I am remaining indoors venturing out when I must. I can always find something to keep me busy...

Four Origami Christmas Stars made. Although they are usually not embellished, I think some gold threads are in order... I will experiment. Before I know it I will be making my August star.
I was a little careless while assembling the stars....

I nipped my finger while trimming with the tip of my very sharp fabric scissors. Happily I did not bleed on my star, but I did see stars! Amazing how these small cuts can sting and bleed. Today I have a sore finger but the stars got finished! Now to decide on the next project. I am thinking maybe cat or dog themed stars... or maybe....? Choice of fabrics is endless.
Today I will be just relaxing. Reading is a good option.... or maybe a movie or two. Ahh, the life of a retired gal.
Whatever your plans for today, be sure to take time to relax. It has been so nice chatting with you. Thank you for your kind and caring words. Thank you especially for your friendship.

When I think of Robert Frost's poems, like The Road Not Taken, I feel the support of someone who  understands that life's choices are like, someone who says, "I've been there, and it's okay to go on."

From the book, The world According to Mr Rogers, chapter, The Courage to be Yourself.

What a difference a day can make....

~~~~~24 little hours~~~~
Yesterday the temp reached 115, the hottest day of 2019---so far. Today we are I a cool down and it should only reach 109. Here it is 10:0 and it is already 11. I really did not care what the temp was yesterday as I spent most of the day in bed--- with a headache. Thankfully it was not a migraine; but I cannot remember when I last had one that held me down like that. Lots of dinking, unfortunately it was water not wine! Minimal food intake. Today I am out of bed and moving slowly but moving. Now before you ask, when it is this hot I stay in just as when I lived in Rhode Island and it was a frigid snowy winter day, I stayed in. However, then I was a working gal and now I am retired so staying put is easy.

Four Origami Star strips ready for pressing and folding.... tomorrow not today. There is plenty more fabric to choose from if I need to make more. My goal is to get my Christmas mailing stuff ready early.... especially packages that need to travel a distance, like out of the US. The goal is November 1st. Key word is goal.
Today I will still be taking it easy... no chores. Dinner tonight will be simply fixed chicken cutlet and mashed potato. The chef called out sick so me myself and I will handle it.
Okay friends, time for another tall glass of iced water ad my feet up. Glad to chat with you. Thank you for your kind and caring words. thank you most of all for your friendship.