Keeping busy but not out of trouble!

 The one thing that is a daily must for me is being at my sewing/craft table. I am very fortunate that I can. Time is mine for the doing.So, let me start with pictures and brief note....

Felt Tea pot with Teddy bear and Mouse

Sam and Sue Frog with their friend dressed in pink

Learning Sashiko stitching

Clamshell applique... no idea what it will be when finished!

Origami Triangle Box

So, that is some of what I am doing....learning.....trying. Dear friend Debbie (in Canada) do not let distance (1315.5 miles) interfere with our needles. We constantly share what we find and want to make. We usually make them at the same time...great moral support. What ? Guess I should explain.

                                                 

I was chopping aunt Aunt Cassy's Date Balls.....YUM... anyway, instead of using the knife that I always use, I decided to use the vegetable cleaver. Did I mention that it is very very sharp? Well all of a sudden there was blood bubbling out of my finger. Rushed to the bathroom to clean and wrap it. Back to the kitchen only to find more blood on my hand. Inspection showed the other cut finger.  Back to the bathroom!Actually I sliced off a piece of skin from each cut. Of course, I had to clean the cutting board and toss out the dates on it.I was prepared for Alan when he arrived home to lecture me. He just informed me that I should not be using that knife. I am almost healed. That is what has been happening here. Happy to visit with you as always. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

A cousin, gladiolas and cooking~~~~

I cannot believe that I actually have the front door and kitchen slider open! I better enjoy because in a few hours it will be back to the AC. Just to let you know, the recent quakes in California have not affected me here in the Arizona Valley.... but, to the West of me some have felt the shaking. We are however in the mist of several wildfires none of which are in my direct area. Thank you for caring enough  to ask.

I am half way through my 2nd Pod taco. I was sooooo busy cooking yesterday that this was put aside. Yes, I was cooking for hours. Initially I did not think that I would do much of anything but all of a sudden I found myself in the kitchen. There was bread in the machine, beef stew cooking and pasta and beef in tomato and Black Cherry Jell-O setting up, hard cooked eggs in the steamer followed by rice in the steamer..... all the same time.  There was no time for beading~! I will finish the pod today.

I love the gentle shade of these apricot gladiolas. I bought them this weekend to add brightness to the abode. As much as they did and still do, the brightness came with a phone call.

This is cousin Maria. She is the daughter of my late uncle John, dad's older brother. It has been some time since we were together..... back in Rhode Island.  No matter how much time passes we pick up as if it was just yesterday. Most of our time is laughing. So many memories we share from our childhood. She probably does not remember  (she freely admits to not remembering some things!) to some of my memories.... like the first time I had French toast her mom (auntie Lena) made it for me. Going to dances at LaSalle Academy with her late brother Rocco. This sweet gal always has a smile and gentleness in her voice. Whether it is a handwritten letter or a phone call, her name and voice bring happiness. I love you dearest Maria.

Glad you stopped  by today to chat. Thank you for your caring and kind words and for your friendship.

Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments.... and memories.

Gotowy and a birthday

Gotowy...that's Polski for finished. The dark of the early morning and it is so quiet.....

When I left off yesterday there were about 10 beads to add to the second half of the pair and the ear wires. These are with silver and a darker red. Now that I have it figured out they are much easier to make and quicker too. Although beading with Delicas is fiddley, they look lovely and uniform in the design. What next? A couple more pairs for sure. As I have sent away 2 pair of Santa's and have only 2 left maybe a few more of them also. Maybe a wreath pair?
I used my new Grille last evening...

Hamburger with cheese and onions and peppers in a Naan bread panini sandwich. It was quick and delicious. The side is cucumber and tomato on butter lettuce with couscous and spinach....all premade from AJs Fine Foods deli. I plan a relaxed quiet day..... no errands... no doing much of anything...I am taking a day off. Well, there is one thing, I forgot to buy milk yesterday so that will be the only necessity for today.
Wow, what a response to my new haircut! Just wanted a change and I am very pleased. Thank you for making me feel so special!

 Today is The Brother Alan's birthday....we will celebrate when he is back here in just 24 days. The city slicker turned part-time cowboy is also counting the days! One of these days he will be here full time and I am certainly looking forward to that. We usually go for a wonderful dinner to celebrate Lisa's bday (April) and mine (February) during the September visits. Actually we just celebrate the whole week for any reason.
Right now however, I need a cup of coffee and some toast.....glad to chat with you today. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.
Sis Lynowl is still not feeling well so please keep her in your thoughts for a speedy healing.

The visit so far....

Well hello friends. No I am not among the missing....just having a good time. Alan and Lisa arrived on Tuesday. I received an email very early from him saying they missed the flight!~ Luckily they were able to catch the very next one and honestly they still arrived around the same time....and of course missed the East Coast storm. Now we hear there may be a new storm brewing for Monday/Tuesday....gee, they may have to stay another day longer...awwww.
Wednesday was our day trip into Scottsdale and yesterday we visited the Botanical Garden.

This is a Chihuly sculpture as you enter the garden. There were many more pictures taken but this will do for now.
Did I mention that on the first evening here Alan and Lisa and I went to Best Buy

I am now in the correct century with my cell phone! Going from the old flip no test to a Samsung yes I can text you now has been fun. I am all set up and since it is very much like my tablet I know lots of the in and outs.
Today I will be relaxing while they go horseback riding. I also will be making bread for us to have with the beef stew that I am also making for tonight. Alan cooked Shrimp Mozambique...delicious.
So that will be it for now as I have a few things to do like packing them a small cooler with extra water. The temp will be around 80 today. Glad you stopped by and thank you for your kind words and always for your friendship. You will no doubt be hearing from Alan soon.

A garden walk and tatting

Well it did rain and is still drying out. Since it is still dark outside I can only tell you that the air is nippy. I have been watching the Olympics and did a bit of tatting

 The basic ice drop with a heart border.... but Olympic Curling got in the way....
I baked a basic bread late yesterday to have with my Penne and Shrimp bake dinner.... very good if I say so myself. I have enjoyed trying new recipes. I would like to show you the view out of my kitchen window....

This is what is left of my tomato plant and of course the "alien" Snail Vine.  It truly grows before my eyes!

If you really look closely in the center of the picture you will see that it is now growing toward each side! As soon as I can use the step ladder I will attempt to bundle it up to the top of the arbor....before you can not longer walk beneath it. And such delicate blooms...

They are unique in how they curl around itself and such pretty shades of lavender. Soon I will be showing you my lavender blooms that are getting ready.

this little bundle of cherry tomatoes may be the last that I get. I will just leave the plant which is right next to the "alien" and on the other side of this is

the Red Lips Salvia. The hummer visits it daily and it is a lovely bright spot to see out the kitchen window. It probably would do better in the ground but for now this is where it grows.
Across the garden is

Fairy Duster....which has doubled in size and doing well. These feathery blooms do not last long but are so bright and fluffy. I am enjoying taking care of this garden which my Denny established and loved so much. I know he would approve of my additions.
Thanks to Don for helping me to install all the drip lines, my watering is now self care and makes it much easier for me to enjoy what work I need to do out there.
Today the plan is to attach the doll's head so she can think and help me pick out clothing fabric! I think I will carefully bring the bin into the house so I do not have to stand in the garage choosing it all. My restrictions will probably be lifted once I see the doctor on Tuesday. Hopefully my right leg will start to feel better too. Hope you enjoyed the garden walk. Thank you for your caring emails and encouragement and kind words. You are wonderful friends...thank you for your friendship. You have helped me immensely these last 8 months. 

A brisk windy day...

I did hear some racket out in the darkness of the garden in the wee hours this morning but did not check until it was light out. I had no plans to open the doors and meander out in the dark windy night. One umbrella fell over, some pots rolled around and the glider cover found it's way out from the potting shelf. All is secure now and I will be staying indoors. The temps are expected to be in the normal for this time of year which has not happened at all. Rain forecast for parts of the week!

There was some pink thread left on the shuttle so I tatted another of Gloria Nelson's With all my Heart. This time I added gold and a pearl beads. These are quick to do and a good way to use up left over shuttle thread. I think there is a shuttle with some lavender....

Remember the little white chair I bought? Well Hannah is sitting waiting for Easter with some potted tatted Easter eggs.  Once March arrives the eggs will hang on the Snowflake branch and they will find another spot to rest. I got lazy yesterday and did not work on anything. Truth be told, my leg was bothering me. Just so you do not think I am a cry-baby...well, maybe a little....

This is my right leg...bruised, swollen and very sore. Glenda stopped by to bring me her delicious homemade salsa yesterday and suggested that I remove the ace wrap and drop the stocking for a bit...it did relieve some of the pain and last night I was able to sleep without both of them. Still very sore and sleep was not the best. Tomorrow we get to bruise up the left leg.
Laundry #2 is fluffing in the dryer and I will soon begin making chicken soup with escarole. I am not sure how ambitious  I will be later but I do want some Pizzelles. We will see.
Glad to have time to chat with you. Thank you for your kind words and thank you for your friendship.
I am counting...The Brother will be here March 6th....

S l o o o w day

Such a slow day this morning...hard to get going even if there really is no place to be going. Not a good sleep night with my leg so sore. Once I get up for the ice pack then I am awake for some time and then it starts over again! Okay, no complaining!
The sun is bright and the garden is full of color and the little waterfall is sounding lovely...but the doors are not yet open as it is still a bit nippy out there. The coffee just finished brewing so I will enjoy it while it is hot.

These are 2 of my favorite cook books....I bought these both when Denny and I married in 1970. I drove him crazy with the Jell-O and pudding recipes in the books. Stained from so much use, I think I will look up a few recipes to make. I made lots of tilted Jell-O cups and whipped Jell-O too.

This is a Holiday Tree that Denny bought late 2016 and so far it is still growing new shoots. I would like to move it to another spot but not sure how it would adapt. So for now I shall be careful not to brush by the very sharp needles.

In just a few days the alien Snail Vine is attempting to take over my globe....not going to happen. I must remember to clip it.
Did anyone watch the Olympics last evening? I did for just a short time. My stomach did flip-flops seeing the skiers go down and flip and twist and turn. I saw a little of the skating too. Will see if I am interested enough to watch this evening.
In the meantime, coffee, ice and hopefully I will do something constructive today. Thank you for the caring emails. Thank you for the kind words and most of all your friendship.
Did I mention The Brother Alan and Lisa are coming...25 more days.

It's Saturday????

I woke this morning and thought it was Sunday. I woke and saw a very dreary sky. The sun has decided not to come out and shine but the garden is still busy with the Hummer sitting by the pond and the White-Crowned Sparrow bathing in the pond and of course the Residents lounging around.

It appears they, the Dove couple, are working...... very slowly I might add....on their home. The temp is around 54 this morning and the forecast is 40% rain...which means a couple of drops may fall.
The package I sent last week, was suppose to arrive at it's destination yesterday... of course did not. Today is the day tracking says it will. My replacement book form Shutterfly was suppose to arrive yesterday not they say next week. Snafus everywhere.
So glad I went to market yesterday so I do not need to go out into this windy day. I plan to make my individual pot pies, Denny's Beef stew and Breakfast Egg cups this weekend and that will be some meals this coming week.  Along the way the bread machine will make some bread....just a plain loaf to enjoy with these meals will do.

In between these projects I will sew on the doll and maybe fit in another snowflake.  I am most relaxed when my hands are creating something. I learned to sew when I was just a girl of maybe 8 or 9 years old. Still enjoy the process of cutting and putting together pieces of cloth. Sounds ambitious right? Now if you paid attention, I said plan.
With all that I  plan to do I think I should get a move on. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Most of all thank you for your friendship. 

They really are bagals!

Just poking around today. Yesterday I made bagels....taste okay but let me tell you, they could never make the "nice looking" part of the bake-off.

Entirely my fault as I did not form the dough smoothly. Next time...if I do this again, they will look better. Some with sesame seed and others with poppy seed topping.
I also finally understand and think I can manage Cluny tatting.

The first one on the left is perfect, the one on the right, let's just say it is almost right....by that I will say I did not count the wraps just the process so in that case it is acceptable as a learning piece. Practice will get me there. I also need to practice Josephine Knots. When I learned to make them some years ago they wee good but when I do not do them they now need practice. So in between tatting I will practice both of these.

My latest snowflake is complete and just needs starching. It is the same as the last only doing the first half this time. I like some different looks. The next one I try will have beads. I love tatting. Before you ask, I have not given up on my other needle work, just need to change for a time. For now, it is tatting and sewing. Today is definitely cut out doll morning. Also a trip to the post office to get my package mailed.
The Doves were here earlier, resting on the wall at the gate. Until the nest is complete they will come and go as they please. Dennis loved having the nesting birds here.
Today will be a salad with tomato and beans form my garden along with Romaine and cucumbers from the market for lunch. Think I will add a bit of Provolone cheese. I like to try to plan ahead so I am not hungry and trying to find something to eat. With that said and laundry ready to hang, I think I will plan dinner too. So nice to chat with you. Thank you for your kind words and most of all your friendship. 

A more seasonal temperature finally

Well, today is really more "normal" for October finally and the month is over! There is a nip in this mornings air and today should be in the high 80s. I have doctor appointment this morning but I just may get to sit outside this afternoon.
Decided to try to make dinner rolls yesterday....

and it was easy and they were very good...okay, they were not uniform in size but hey, I did not divvy the dough evenly. In the end it was the taste that was good. Just as I had put them to rise and wondering what to enjoy for dinner with them, the back bell rang and special delivery from Keith and Al

a small casserole dish of lasagna. So, I had a great made from scratch dinner. Keith and Al live in the next courtyard over and I affectionately refer to them as Honey (Keith) who is my computer pal and Dear (Al). They have been very good friends before and since Denny's passing. When the roll were hot from the oven I delivered some to them as well as Glenda and Don to try.  We are a sharing group of friends!
Yesterday I dug into my fabric stash to look for some material to start the Swaddled Baby pattern. Mimi uses wool but I have some lovely cotton

Freshly washed and dried,  waiting to be pressed, these are the four I will start with.  I love how she made the dolls but I always like to put my own spin on things.  Still have to get to Joann's for some stuff but I am hoping to start them this week.  Easy enough to make 4 at once as it is to make one---right?
With the weather cooling now I will be able to dig out the area of the irrigation leak and see where the pipe is most likely broken. Then get it fixed...oh I understand how to do it but I know that I cannot myself fix it.  Never ending.
Now, off to finally have my first coffee of the day and then get things done around the house before my morning appointment. Always nice to chat with you and thank you for the kind words and for your friendship.

I do wish everyone who leaves a comment also leaves a way to contact for response. Note to Kris from yesterday.....I think you misread my wording. The Pizzelles are indeed made with a special maker. The are not bread. The bread  I was making was referring to the rolls. There are no bread Pizzelles.

Mr H Day 2 update

Yesterday was not a good day. Oh Dennis is as he was----- it was the phone call from him at 7 AM that started the day. He had a migraine from Friday night and they had not yet given him an Imitrex.  Well, now that will not do. So dressed and off to see what happened. When he was admitted they took the list of his medications so why is this a problem? The admitting doctor did not sign off on the Imitrex. I stood at the nursing station and insisted that they call the doctor to get it sign off....after a few calls it was and then Dennis finally received the med. Okay let's move on. The roommate that he had...key word here is had.....seemed nice but never spoke to us. When sharing a room you really need to be considerate. Sharing space is suppose to be just that, shared space. It means your TV or radio should be at a quiet level, talking on the phone should be  not a loud conversation and oh yes, you and your wife do not need to each be on your separate phones having loud conversations at the same time for an hour. The man was in for a kidney stone which was removed on Friday night and was feeling, in his words, really good. Here we have Denny not feeling good at all. I spoke to the RN.   As I was standing there with the RN, a transporter arrived and said he was there to escort Denny for tests.....to Cardiovascular Ultrasound. The nurse said he did not have an order for this so as he was checking it popped up in the computer. Darrel arrived that quickly. I joined in and one half hour later back to the room. They found a Critical DVT..... a blood clot behind his left knee. A new concern to deal with. The RN came in to explain about the injection and before I could faint (did I mention I do not like needles) he gave Denny an injection in the abdomen. My poor guy never flinched and stated he could do this if need be when he went home. I asked the RN and CNA to stop by the room on my way out to hear for themselves B bed and his choice of evening  telecast and they understood. Well, off I go to come home to do laundry and eat when the phone rings. The hospital calling to say they have moved Denny off the unit to private room. The floor he was on does not have private rooms. Who knew? Okay...so now can I eat? Goodness me, what do I find in the fridge but a lovely piece of steak that I had put on the bottom of the fridge to thaw on Friday morning! Now what? This is something that Mr H always cooks. After some fretting and then remembering how he does cook our steak, I pan seared it and then into the oven and it was delicious. Getting into the swing of cooking I am. Pat my back I did! Off to bed early I went and now here it is 3 AM and I am up and needing a cup of tea. I tried tatting yesterday so that did not work well with all the interruptions, so today it will be cross stitch. I really want to say thank you for the love and caring words for Denny and me. My long time friend and RN, Diane D in Rhode Island, is an Oncology nurse and is helping to explain things as I need. Long distance but nevertheless, there for the help. We have known one another since 1979 or so....long time indeed. What will today, day 3 hold? Whatever it is, I am ready and with all the love and encouragement Denny and I will handle it. One step at a time. I will be there to run interference and to ask questions and to reach out for those hugs and support when I need to. Thank you my dear friends for all the hugs because we do feel them. Thank you too for your opinions and encouragement because I really appreciate you. Maybe there will be a stitching picture soon....maybe.