I am a retired 44-year veteran of the Real Estate Assessment field. As with real estate assessing and how it applies to real estate taxes, one can make many acquaintances, but not many real friends. It was a great career choice.
It has been nearly 10 years since I reclaimed my home and my real passions within my home. I enjoy it more each day and tip my hat to those who I left behind.
Each day I try to stretch myself with the use of my computer as it relates to this site and using it to print out labels for quilts for trying to incorporate photos into my sewing. Life is so full and I know that I have room for more.
I did quite a bit of embroidery this afternoon working on Josie’s quilt. Once the machine was set it gave me a chance to hike it up to the kitchen and get supper started in between the blocks that needed embroidering. This particular block gave me 10 minutes. It is amazing what you can get done in 10 minutes.
The lull in visiting my sewing studio didn’t last long. With the minus temps, I was thankful that the sun streamed into the windows down here. I do now feel that I am set up to use my new computer with total comfort down here with all the comforts of my life. The first step was getting a wireless mouse. The second step came in yesterday’s mail: a riser for my computer to set upon. Using a keyboard that is totally flat really makes the arthritis in the wrists buck. I resurrected a card table and found a spot for the computer that is totally out of the way of my Cricut, the cutting tables, the ironing board (which is a must for those who use a sewing machine), my Bernina sewing machine, my Sears sewing machine, the button tree and the DMC embroidery cabinets. This spot must still leave a huge walk through for all the necessary items in a normal basement for the home to run. One of the items I do not use often is the television.
It is not like I work in total silence. Heaven forbid. Our sump pump is running in this second week of January, much like it did in the spring times. Our air exchanger and dehumidifier are perking right along and who could take for granted the furnace? What is amazing is how we can learn to tune out usual and customary sounds and noises.
Dennis just made a run uptown, partially to get eggs, but I also suspect a bit of cabin fever. It’s hard to keep an ole cowboy in the bunkhouse for very long. I made use of some gray matter by getting the supplies and fabrics ready for Josie’s quilt top. Ironing on stabilizer is the extent of that for the day. After this project, the sole plate on my iron will need a good cleaning. Knit clothing with rubberized designs on it are not conducive to heat. I do know that and I plan for it, and before I realize it, I have swiped a bit of it. Knits that look pretty in baby and toddler clothing made of nylon also do not appreciate the iron while applying stabilizer. I dug out some legal pads that had quite a bit of age to them and allowed them to be the buffer between the iron and what needed to be done.
On a puzzling note: I have accessed various sites from this Windows 10 based computer. For some reason, it has told me that my e-mail address for receiving emails is not a valid address. Hmm. The sign in screen is identical to the laptop up in the living room, but it is a no-go. Oh well, as spoiled as I am down here, I do make contact with the first floor of our home on quite a few occasions.
Today definitely feels like winter. How blessed that it took until the second week into January rather than enduring this since Thanksgiving. With 15 minutes more of daylight as the days are getting longer, I would say it is all doable. I can imagine with the wind that is blowing, but it’s the highways that may be a bit tricky. Dennis and I have no need to be out and about in this cold. Let’s hear it for hermits.
I just finished vacuuming the basement sewing studio. Bella’s quilt top is finished and is joining Ava’s on the shelves. There will be a bit of a lull before I empty the next plastic Shopko bag of Josies’ baby clothes. Sewing knit clothes together is right up there with mending jeans. I know that after a day, the project will draw me downstairs, much like a moth to a flame.
We have had sweet, fine snow falling all day. Dennis and I did have the drive cleared off once, but I do believe I will hit it again after supper. It is so nice to have a clear driveway of snow and ice and once this arctic air hits this weekend, there won’t be another chance as nice as today with these mild temperatures.
I will add that Dennis’ supper last night was second to none. Just a sliver of ice cream on his baked squash desert was a home run. Tonight is my turn to cook supper and I have pork chops slowly frying. My lettuce salad is ready to go and there is sautéed celery and onions to add to the Stove Top Dressing. I like to add a bit of extra flavors.
The sewing studio is closed down for the day. Inch by inch, the project is coming together. It is down to adding sash and trimming, trimming, trimming. I know I am a bit overly concerned about corners meeting corners right on, but that is just how I like it.
Dennis told me he was going to be working in the kitchen today and gave me the day to pool my thoughts and my quilt blocks in the sewing studio. What a guy. I think I am really coming out way ahead as he ended up putting together a great turkey vegetable noodle hotdish. As a side dish there is a pan of baked squash dessert. All I will need to do for supper is make a lettuce salad to round things out. I do so appreciate my major elf.
The tan sashing will pull all the blocks together. The pink block was Dennis’ thought. I was short a block so he suggested taking the back of one of the sleepers and put a design on it and call it good – which I did.
The work on Bella’s quilt top is chugging right along. I now have enough blocks made to add to the background sashing. I think what made the day go well for me may be the extra treat I had this morning. Yesterday when we were in Sam’s Club I could not resist purchasing a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread they were featuring. Their newer products are right by the front door when you walk in. When I took a slice out this morning I could not believe how chock-full of raisins in that one slice. I could hardly wait for the toaster to pop that sucker up. It was yummy. I do keep special breads in the freezer and take out a slice when the need arises. It is actually safer for me that way. Out of sight, out of mind. Not to worry, Dennis hates raisins. That goes back to the Korea days and what they were given to eat. For Dennis, raisins fall in the same “yuk” as fruit cocktail.
Lot of thawing out today with gray skies. With all the fluorescent lights I have in the sewing studio, there is no chance of me suffering from SAD: seasonal affective disorder.
Whew! A day in the big town can wear me out. I must say the customer service at Best Buy was terrific. I know some people have had less than good luck, but come on. These people can dig into anything, and perhaps the answer given is not appreciated, but I sure don’t plan on boning up on the nuts and bolts of computers when there is a service such as Best Buy available. I was in and out in just a short time. I did pick up a wireless mouse for my new computer as there are some days that fingers need some time off to deal with the arthritis.
It was quite nice to fatten up the larder in the basement storage. Dennis and I are quite spoiled by having enough of a supply of what we use on a regular basis, that running to the store often is not needed.
Dennis had a great meeting with his fellows at the Korean Veterans meeting and lunch. His charter group is named the Frozen Chosin. There was a huge land mark in Korea that the fellows fought for and secured. Chosin was the name of the landmark.
It is time for a bit of crocheting to keep my fingers and wrists in the best condition possible.
Today was a day for puzzles in my sewing studio. As I had mentioned in prior blogs: Dennis’ granddaughter from Silver Bay has asked me to make individual pieced quilt tops for each of her three girls using their baby to toddler clothing within the project. The catch is, doing a 1/3 of the top of what will be a full sized quilt. Myself and two other grandmothers will be adding to it by each doing a third of the top, thus making a full sized quilt top in total.
Dennis has ask me, “What are the other grandmas doing for their one third?” I have no idea. I was given a bag of clothing from each of the girls’ and that is what I have to work with.
Sample of the blocks for Ava’s quilt top. They have all since been put together, and now I am on to Bella’s.
Most of the clothing is knit and I have been going through stabilizer like crazy for it to conform to straight stitching right along with the cotton fabric that is also being used to put it all together. Ava’s third is complete. Her favorite color was given to me as blue and that is what I found for a blue print background color. I had pulled out yellow print for Bella until a late Tex was received that her favorite color is purple. Scratch the yellow. I began pulling out scraps, but nothing of any great amount in yardage. The blocks placed on purple will be pieced together with a beige printed fabric. Right on the spot I did ask about Josie’s quilt top. Lordy, Lordy, I won out big on that one as it will be yellow. I will add that I am not purchasing any new fabric. It all has to come out of my stashes.
I will say the new sewing machine has been a wonder. It travels over the knit onto the cotton without a hic-up. Some of the options have limits and adding a bit of sewn patches using my embroidery options has added a bit of whimsical additions.
I just turned the lights off in the sewing studio and I am on to making Dennis’s favorite supper: chicken titties. aka: chicken breasts with a tossed salad to go with it. I have had a great day. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Mankato for Dennis to attend the Korean Veterans meeting and I will be hitting JoAnn Fabric for stabilizer as well as visiting Best Buy with my new computer to check on some anti-virus for it. Big day in the big town.
Though the sun was not out immediately, I still thought the frost was beautiful. I did spend some time loading drivers onto the HP Notebook for my Canon camera. Finding the image resizer took a bit of head scratching to load. Publishing photos for the blog needs the resizer. Thus, I needed to take a photo this morning to prove to myself, I had all that was needed to store pictures on the new computer and get them in the right format for the blog. Windows 10 is quite a bit different than my laptop, which is Windows 7. Yup, I think this ole gal is going to figure out, step by step, all that this computer has to offer . . . in time — one challenge at a time.
This has been a very quiet day for me. Even a busy body such as me needs that once in awhile.
Last night I watched an old episode of The Antique Road Show and they were featuring quilts. It drove home the point that we are germaphobs. In the world today we believe everything needs to be sterilized and cleaned so much more than necessary. The beautiful hand-me-downs of quilts would never be here to tell the story of times past if our grandmothers and great grandmothers had treated these treasures so carelessly.
I do know that my mom, Lena, would take the quilts outside on a bright spring day and choose the lushest green grass possible to spread the quilts upon after the dew had passed for the sun to do its job. If that did not seem wise at the time, she would spread the quilt over multiple clothes lines as to not put too much weight on the fabrics hanging from just one line.
The quilts of early days were made of used garments, feed sack fabric and the most conservatory priced fabric that Ben Franklin sold. It is amazing how well these quilts endured. My sister, Elvera, has a quilt that is entitled “Postage Stamp.” You’ve got it. The size of the patchwork pieces are just that small. This quilt belonged to our great grandmother. Laundering this quilt has been done on rare occasions. More than likely, while it was spread on the lawn, oatmeal may have been spread on the quilt and gently brushed over small areas until the entire top and bottom was so cleaned. Oatmeal took off the body oils from the daily use, remembering that bathing was on a Saturday night from the galvanized oblong tub.
Today the fabrics are loomed with 120 or 240 thread count, many times over what my Mom had to work with. We bath and shower daily. Is it any wonder why there are hundreds of products for dry skin. Do we have any body oils left?
I am fortunate that I still do have clothes lines. Looking over my neighborhood, they are a rarity. I do put our quilts out several times a year and allow the breeze to do a great job of freshening them. Nothing smells as good as a quilt after being outside. Now that winter is here, the clothes lines are under snow.
Some of the quilts in use today are for queen and king sized beds. The second best thing to freshen up the large quilts is to put them in a clothes dryer with the setting on cool or warm, with a quite damp towel and a pair of shoes, clean soles, of course. The tumbling does its job of freshening them, less the clean air smell. We have a stackable washer and dryer. None of our quilts would benefit from being tumbled in our small dryer. Actually, a queen or king size quilt would not be benefited in even a usual sized dryer unit. As luck would have it, we have a good laundromat in town. Dennis and I do a tag team effort in the winter to take the quilts and his three yard polar fleece blanket for a tumble at least once during the winter. There is no stress on fabric or seams and a fluffed up quilt is always warmer.
I would have posted a photo or two of some of my older quilts that have been handed down, but baby steps with the new computer. As yet, no photos have been downloaded. Always a new challenge for another day.