Pretty Lap Quilt & More Kindnesses

This is an easy-peasy throw you can make from one of the fabrics you can't bear to cut up.

Use a nice solid on the back and it's reversible.

My favorite quilt block from the past several months.  Margaret sent me a fat quarter of the martini fabric for Christmas last year.  D'ya think she knows what I like?  The red print is from my trip to Japan in 2009.

I should charge these guys rent.

This week's kindnesses:

• a wonderful gift bag from my b.i.l and s.i.l.  This was totally unexpected since they live three hours away.
• a 'how're you doing?' phone call from a customer/friend.  I didn't realize I was moping around the house having a little pity party until after we hung up.  Then I noticed I was smiling.  Were you aware that you can feel it in your heart when you're smiling?
• last night at guild I got a bag of stuff from one of the members.  She broke her wrist last fall and has been through all the same experiences that I am having now.  In anticipation of the day when my cast will come off she brought me her soft removable splint.  Either she thinks like me, or she knows I like to save a dollar when I can.  Apparently these things are $28 at the drug store and the ortho doc has already told me I will need one for a while.
• dh washed the kitchen floor.  :-)

Yum.  Today's weather.  Sunny and warming up so much that the two inches of snow that was on the ground this morning is pretty much all gone.

More yum.  Geraniums blooming on the windowsill.

Bargello quilt and incarceration update

This is an incredible Bargello quilt.  The pics don't do it justice, unfortunately.

I am amazed at how the maker chose the fabrics.  There is stuff in there I would never have included, but the quilt is absolutely gorgeous.  Maybe I need to take some art classes.

Yesterday was another lovely afternoon at the fracture clinic.  My cast was removed, arm xrayed, TWO friggin' doctors come in and start poking around the breaks to see what hurts (assholes!!) then I was re-casted.  I need to stay in the cast for two weeks but the clinic is already fully booked so they can't release my arm until Feb. 14th. 

The good part about the new cast is extra maneuverability in my hand.  I CAN HOLD A ROTARY CUTTER.

On the personal improvement front, I'm up to the page 270's in my Seven Habits book.

As far as weight loss goes,... hmm.  It seems that I am not able to lose two pounds in one week unless I cut off one foot.  Or I could cut off the arm, which is mostly useless right now anyways.  I've been VERY GOOD about my daily hour of exercise, except for yesterday.  And today is still open for failure, but I plan to do at least half an hour.  Lunches this week have been salad, gussied up with feta cheese, cranberries and pecans, and dressed with my niece's very healthy dressing recipe.

On the personal amusement front, I've delved into PINTEREST.  It's a pinboard, so rather than bookmarking items on your computer, you can 'pin' them on to your boards.  Here is a link to my board, which may give you a better idea.  The pin is a photo of 'whatever', then you click on the photo to take you to the relevant webpage.  If your bookmarks are anything like mine it can take 10 minutes to scroll through them all.  I find the pins easier because they are much more visual.

Tonight there is a Kinsmen meeting here at the house.  Normally I would call a friend and make myself scarce, but the weather has turned to shit (rain/ice pellets).  So, I will stay home, lock myself in the living room behind the french doors, and cuddle up to the big-ass tv to watch a few episodes of Mad Men.

OK - off to hit the exercise bike.

Citrus in January, blessings from friends, and fitness commitment

This was a job from October. I loved the colour then, but I REALLY love the colour now that it's January.

Much of the quilting was s.i.d., but I love the challenge of quilting up the negative space without adversely affecting the block design.

The border was outline quilted to emphasize the motifs.

Mmm - lovin' the side-lit shadow effect.

And of course, my favorite part - the back.

I am currently limited to pantograph quilting until I get this friggin' cast off, so you may see a few more of last year's quilts while I'm healing.

NEW MILESTONES

• doing up my bra without (very lengthy) assistance
• risky, but I have applied mascara twice now
• pinning quilts on the frame all by myself
• zipping up my winter coat - painful to watch for bystanders, but it gives me a feeling of independence
• very excited the morning I made myself scrambled eggs AND buttered toast.  The dirty frying pan, thankfully, was not my problem.

THIS WEEK'S BLESSINGS
This is the wonderful set of mitts & hat made for me by my friend Sue.  The mitt for the right hand is woefully lonely, as it has to stay at home for another three weeks.

 Last night we had dinner at a friend's house, and I was given this super thoughtful Get Well basket.  How great - it includes FOOD and ALCOHOL - two of my very favorite things.  And it will give dh a welcome break from my incessant demands for nutritious food.

 Now - a lament about my fitness/weight loss commitment.  I stuck to the daily hour of exercise, mostly.  The first two days I was 10 minutes shy of an hour, and Thursday I was supposed to be bowling (hmm, yes, with a broken arm in a cast) with the Red Hats.  But a winter storm blew in while we were enjoying our lunch at the local restaurant, so we cancelled bowling, and I never did my bike workout.  The remaining four days I stuck with the program and did a full hour, split between the exercise bike and walking.  So this morning I get on the scale to enjoy the number which SHOULD be two pounds less than last week.  Um, hello... wadda ya mean two pounds more?  Huh?  Impossible.  I got off the scale (which I tried three times, getting the same result each time) and exfoliated my heels.  Somehow that added another half pound.  WTF?  I am totally blaming this on last nights Chinese food at Martina's house and assuming that it is all still in my digestive system.  I will try that damned scale again tomorrow and hope for a better result.

THINK ABOUT YOUR FOOD CANADA

scrappy quilt love & self improvement

 i love working on scrappy quilts.  little bursts of joy when some of the wonderful prints catch my eye.

day 18 of my broken arm  i read the seven habits book during morning bath time.  i'm up to page 121 today.  currently, i am supposed to be paying strict attention to things for 30 days, to determine what is within my control, and what is not, and how i react to both situations.  the lesson, and hopefully a new habit, will be to take a chill pill if i have no control over something.  this is such a sensible thing that a lot of  us would do well to remember.

the bathroom scale is something i do have some control over.  like, i could lean on the bathroom counter to disappear a few pounds...  Today dh and i have committed to ONE HOUR OF EXERCISE, DAILY for the next week.  our goals are to drop two pounds (me) and three pounds (him) by next sunday. in the past 18 days i have managed to add 2.5 lbs to my frame with inactivity, chocolates, and wine (not necessarily in that order).  if we meet our targets i hope we'll repeat the commitment next week.  i would, ideally, like to lose 20 pounds to get back to my weight of 10 years ago.  today's exercise target is already a distant memory - my butt was on the bike for 40 minutes (2 x 20 minute sessions) and i think i'm done for the day.  my arm is feeling very cranky, since i quilted a quilt and pinned another one on the frame.  hmm - maybe i'll try another 10 minutes.

appendages & quilt of valour & stash report

It seems I neglected to post a pic of my pretty pink cast. It is very light, made with a fibreglass (?) tape.  The stuff comes prepasted, like wallpaper.  The doc soaks the roll in water for a couple of minutes, then wraps away.  It is still water soluble though, and can't go for a shower.  I had my choice of several colours, which is apparently the new norm.

This may look like my toes, but it is actually one of the many kindnesses I have received since my, um, incident.  Once a month I go to the Personal Care Clinic for torture electrolysis on my steel wool chin hairs.  The clinic also offers foot care, and is where I brought mom when she was still living on her own.  When I explained to Laurie (the owner), about dh's aversion to trimming my nails, she gave me the full treatment on the house.

And, I'm typing this post on a laptop my nephew loaned me for the duration of my incarceration, which he kindly loaded up with wifi, google, and facebook.  On Wednesday, Reverend Ann chauffeured me to guild, even though she is currently battling her own health issues.  On Tuesday, Sue took me on a field trip to Cherished Pieces in Tillsonberg.  The Kinsmen Club brought a huge bunch of carnations over to cheer me up.  Two gals from the guild took Quilts of Valour home for binding, since I can't do that part.  And I already showed you the gift basket from my longarm buddies.  And I would be remiss if I didn't thank dh for the day in, day out, all-day-long stuff he's been taking care of.  (although, right now i would KILL for a washed kitchen floor.  sheesh, some women are never satisfied.)

This is the backing for today's Quilt of Valour.  Um hellooo.... pins???

And, here we have the same issue with the quilt top.  To put a POSITIVE spin on this, I turned on the sewing machine and fixed these all by myself.  Yay me.

It looks to me like this quiltmaker's iron went on vacation along with the pins.  oh, bad helen-mary, bad.

Well, I've done my good deed for the next few months, now that I've quilted three of these QOVs.  However, if you've got a top and backing ready that you are willing to donate to a wounded military serviceman/woman, bring it on over.  The quilting is my donation to the cause.

STASH REPORT Dec. 31/11

used this month   15.6 m
used ytd     94.75
added this month   3.7
added ytd  47.7
net 2011 yay - net fabric loss (-47.05 m)

scrappy quilt and a gift basket

hey - we did it. this is a scrappy UFO quilt of mine, pieced by thelma.

dh pinned it on for me. not to make fun of his chubby man-hands, but it was pretty amusing. he did not appreciate me laughing when he stabbed himself and started dancing around in pain. the new computer drive for my quilting machine is officially a Godsend. i can thread the needle left handed, although loading and changing the bobbin one handed is a challenge.  i will improve as the discomfort in my fingers improves.

a few of my longarm friends have taken pity on me. deb came for a visit yesterday bearing gifts from the beach day group.  when i got to the pad of sticky notes i lifted my eyebrow, then laughed at the explanation.  they go with the cookbook - i am supposed to mark the recipe i want dh to cook every day.  then, i assume, i should pour a glass of wine and prepare to thank him for yet another meal of frozen pizza.  oh, bad wife, bad! 

he has actually been cooking very nutritious meals for me.  steel cut oats, salmon sandwiches, homemade veggie soup and biscuits, tuna casserole with peanuts (they add a nice chewy texture - put me in mind of water chestnuts, which i also love).

things that are a distant memory:

• mascara
• lace-up shoes
• blow dried hair
• a clean right eardrum
• two shaved armpits
• plucked eyebrows
• taking myself for a drive

christmas gift & broken arm

learning how to play the piano has always been on my bucket list, and this year dh called me on it.  during my six week layup i will amuse myself by learning how to read music again.  you can learn anything on youtube, right?  i've also started to read steven covey's "seven habits of highly effective people".  I checked that book out of the library and renewed it so many times i embarrassed myself, so i finally bought my own copy.  haven't picked it up in... two years (?).  after i delicately lower myself in the tub (since i can't shower) i read a bunch.  yaay me!

i forced myself to get on the exercise bike for ten minutes today.  two days ago in the pantry i found the bag of anise Christmas cookies that were left at our last guild meeting.  twenty minutes later the bag was more than half empty, even though i was being GOOD and limiting myself to the broken cookies.  yesterday i tried to be better, eating only the tree shaped cookies.  but since there weren't very many of those i allowed myself anything that was not round, which opened up the field to the stocking shapes and the candle shapes and the ornament shapes.  any idea what shape my ass will be soon?

dh & i are getting into an uneasy routine... he won't heat up my oatmeal on the stove, i think so he can avoid another dirty pot, using the microwave instead.  he grimaced when he had to trim my nails (what's that all about?), and makes me apply deodorant myself.  for some reason though, he willingly and with cheerful abandon comes to assist with my bra.  it could be a looong six weeks.  hopfully at the fracture clinic tomorrow they will tell me someone made a terrible mistake and my arm isn't broken at all.  ha ha.  then they will tell me the tooth fairy is real, too.