Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from February, 2026 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:11 pm on February 17, 2026 Permalink  

  Howling Wind 

  The session in the studio went very well.  I don’t do a lot of sitting.  I bounce from the sewing machine to the ironing board to the cutting table.  When the furnace is running, the heat vent in the studio hits between the sewing machine and the ironing board from on top.  It doesn’t take long the hair on my head feels as if it has gone through a whirl wind. 

  Though I have several projects in the works right now, I really want to stay on top of getting the seven placemats bound.  I have two left.  Having gotten the knack of getting the binding joined cleanly with the 45 degree stitch, I’d like to see it through.  If the appliqueing of the snowflakes onto the placemats stalls, at least there would be seven placemats to use when and of the need would arise.  

  I do watch quite a bit of quilting via YouTube.  I am not in enamored by the print found on fabric right now.  The colors are loud and the designs on the fabric are huge.  That speaks to my age.  The fabrics in my stashes are easily paired as the colors are cohesive.  The matchie match is not trending right now.  That also speaks to clothing.  Putting stripes with plaids can be seen.  That is all fine with me.  I will keep my likes to myself as I am no longer in with the latest of the latest.

  Our crockpot meal of last night was a winner.  This evening’s fair is leftovers.  I chopped up the two leftover hamburger patties.  I used the gravy-like contents of the crockpot and mixed in the chopped meat.  Supper will be known as hamburger gravy over a batch of instant mashed potatoes with a side of the creamed cucumbers that were left.  Sweet indeed.

  We are prepared for a change in the weather.  Right now the howling wind can be heard from the southeast.  We had not put our shovel aside.  The leaf blower is still in the accessible if needed to blow ourselves out from the back door if incumbered with snow.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:12 pm on February 14, 2026 Permalink  

  Difficult Times 

  We are going to be in difficult times when winter pokes its head out again.   In the mean time, in between time, I am enjoying this spell of spring-time temps.

  Shh.  I did not tell Dennis I left a window cracked open over-night in the bathroom.  There was no wind to speak of that would have given me away with a curtain flying. 

  Our GE stackable laundry set-up got a good work out today.  As the loads were swapped out via Dennis, I was in the folding venue.  All is tidied up and put where it belongs.  A great feeling. I went down into the studio to bring up some paper products from the cistern closet.  I got way-laid.

  I couldn’t help but sit at the sewing machine.  Before long, I had a dust brush under the hood.  Cleaning the machine is the best way to be able to do what is wanted or needed without any problems.  Putting in a new needle is a smart thing to do . . . often.  My thread of choice and color are locked and loaded.  I am hoping Monday will be a stitching day.

  For the rest of this Saturday, I am perched in the cherry red chair with either stitching or reading on either side.  Dennis has decided that Maria’s pot-pies are going to be for supper.  Sounds good to me.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:39 pm on February 11, 2026 Permalink  

  Geez 

  Geez, I hate updates when I least expect them.  So needed perhaps.  Well, I don’t know about that.  What was usual and customary now resembles someone else’s laptop.  Enough about that.

  I was slow out of the gate this morning.  I have a 4″ x 8″ date book that I have lots of web sites that I frequent and with them perhaps a sign-in and password.  The book is from 2002.  This morning as I was looking through the hen-scratching for a certain site, I thought enough was enough.  As passwords had needed to be up-dated, I scratched them through for the next newest one.  On and on.

  I didn’t get through all the pages.  Those that I did, I didn’t throw the old pages away until I know I copied them correctly.  Accountability is paramount if for some reason someone else needs to have the information.  Hmm.

  Dennis remains under the weather.  He was so close to getting through this winter with no issues.  I know he wouldn’t and didn’t believe me when I gave him a Lena tip.  Sitting directly in front of the fan from a heat source is just as bad as sitting directly in front of an air conditioning unit.  Kevin found that out when he was taking care of a pet rodent type rat, for the life of me I can’t remember what they are called.  It was white and I think it had the name of Sniffy.  It was hot and the little cage was put in front of a fan for comfort only to find the little fur-ball had passed away when Kevin checked on it in the morning.  Anyway, I digress.  The garage’s furnace vent flows right on one of Dennis’ favorite perches.  Who knows.  I could be all wet about how he came to have this horrible cold.

  The studio work is going well.  The sewing machine gave no problems.  Tomorrow it will be time to put in a new needle and give it a shot or two of oil.

  Dennis willingly took a hot bowl of oatmeal for supper last night.  Now you all know how punk he is feeling.

  Yesterday the state of Minnesota lobbed onto our checking account for the funds we owed for our 2025 income tax returns.  Greedy little bastards.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 3:15 pm on February 5, 2026 Permalink  

  Mud Puddles 

  With mud puddles abound, I am thankful that Dennis has concrete to get from his patio porch to the house and back.  The nice weather did prompt him to go uptown and get his pickup washed.

  I had a great forenoon doing what makes me content and happy.  The studio . . . what can I say.  There are enough resources down there for my life expectancy.  Grant it, at one time or another I purchased those resources perhaps not knowing what I would do with them.  Now as I look at this or that I am coming up with ideas I never dreamt of before.  Sweet. 

  I don’t walk for the exercise as I had in the past.  I feel steady on my feet in the studio and am on my feet sometimes for two hours at a stretch.  I found walking outside of my home, the walking cane is a must.  If I walked on Stauffer Avenue, I would need both of the walking canes.  And then, guess what . . . gripping the canes was not easy on my hands.  Those self same hands I need to cherish for more uses in our home and for myself than I can count.  Yup, there is always a trade-off.

  Dennis rarely comes down to the studio.  The steps are steep.  His interest in threads and fuzz only gets his attention if it is the flannel sheets on his bed.  Just saying.

  We got a letter in the mail from the city.  Our acre is now in a portfolio created by the city of lots to share with developers, builders and other interested parties.  This is great.  It beats purchasing “For Sale” signs to promote it.  Over the last several years by keeping the acre trimmed and mowed, the good grass has really stooled out.  We had Spring Touch treat it once last year for weed control and we will do it again in 2026.

  Soup and grilled cheese for supper.  The waffles last night were yummy.

  With that I will take my leave. ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:39 pm on February 4, 2026 Permalink  

  Gray Skies 

  I am not bothered by what the skies are doing.  Past are the decades that mandated how I needed to be aware.

  I clocked into the studio at 9:30 this morning.  KNUJ had an interesting visit from New Ulm’s City librarian.  It doesn’t matter if you want to learn how to play chess or if you want bring your stitching along and visit with those of like interests.  Very informative.

  With the steam iron just a cooking, I got the 194 inches of binding folded, pressed and wound around some stiff cardboard for the six placemats I am putzing with.  I fought with fabric to get the salvage cut off before I went on to cut the sizes I need for the additional placemats.  Nothing pressing.  Perhaps just something prepared to share with someone that happens to stop in for a visit.  What used to be fusible foam and now is not has also been cut.  That about did the rotary cutting arm in.   

  Twelve noon and the remaining morning coffee was enjoyed.  I had had an avocado for breakfast with a slice of buttered toast.  There is nothing like a cookie to have with a cup or two of said coffee.  The cookies had been as hard as a brick.  Yesterday when I had had an apple, I put a wedge of my apple into the cookie jar.  Yup, success!  The cookies were now tender to the point of being enjoyable to nibble on.  Thanks for the tip Lena.  That tip had taken Dennis daughter, Sandy, by surprise. 

  Dennis went to the assisted living unit here in town to visit with his literally, life-long friend, Lyle Grove.  Lyle is several months older than Dennis but has not fared as well.  He is very hard of hearing and nearly blind.  The hearing challenges in that era of time when he was young were not taken to heart for help.  Dennis did a good deed.

  We have decided on the Ego Fluffy Waffles and sausages for supper.  Our four slice toaster does its magic and two waffles each works.  Unfortunately, the waffles come six to the box.  I buy two boxes at a time guaranteeing that sometime down the road there are two additional meals ready for us.

  The book I am reading is The Tin Man, one of the free books from the library.  I can pick up the threads in the story line very easily, so I am not fussy.

  With that I will take my leave.

   
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  Noreen 3:25 pm on January 31, 2026 Permalink  

  Icicles 

  Small icicles are forming off of the awning on the west side of our home.  The sun has the power to make it seem as if spring were right on our door-steps.  The mention of icicles brings to mind the amount of ice that can quickly build up from the furnace vent on the outside of the home.  Several years ago we had Watson’s bring the vent from the north side of the house to the south.  For two winters thereafter we never needed to pay attention to it.  Not so much this year.  Dennis has repeatedly commented during the sub-zero weather how quickly the ice wants to rise to meet the vent itself.  It was one of the wisest, safest things that we have had done.

  Even the studio was impressed with the sun coming through the south windows and no wind-chill to speak of.  With my project of doing some placemats, I did the worst of it today.  My goal is to do six placemats.  With the two of them as quilted guidelines, I figured out what length in the binding of six of them I would need.  964 inches was the calculation.  I went about cutting the 2.5 width of strips I would need.  This process is the most disgusting.  I cut the strips from the length of the fabric, the warp.  The weft has a slight stretch to it.  When sewing on bindings, the last thing desired is to have it wonky and wavy as the binding is turned over from the backing to the front.  That was the extent of the studio work.  I had put in a new blade into the rotary cutter, but the pressure on the shoulder after staying with it over a period of time needs to be honored.  

  KNUJ is not much fun on a Saturday as it entails the athletes being interviewed from various sports.  The individual announcer asks all the questions and the athlete gives either a “yes” or a “no” for response.  Boring!

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
• 

  Noreen 4:05 pm on January 30, 2026 Permalink  

  Snow? 

  An inch or so would be great to cover up the dirt-encrusted snow that is remaining

  For some reason the studio felt cooler to downright feeling cold.  I did have an agenda.  I kept moving.  Yes, the fusible foam did remain fused using the Best Press spray of yesterday.  The sample piece of yesterday was put to the test.  I wanted to see if I quilted the placemat every three inches apart doing a cross-hatch, would the friction cause the two layers to move, null and voiding the fused aspect.  No!  It held tight.  I went on to quilt the top and bottom together of one of the placemats.  I did lay out the second placemat using the same painter’s tape concept for accuracy, but it was just not in the cards.  There is no way the thermostat on the furnace could be high enough to allow the studio to be comfortabe.

  I do feel good that the bundle of foam that I have will be usable by activating the fuse it was meant to have.

  The small pillow filled with crushed walnuts did get hand stitched shut.  Hard to believe that hand stitching with a small sharp needle and a single thread used to come so easily.  Now, the hand stitching that I do is done with a #26 tapestry needle and 2 ply embroidery floss.  That’s ok.  I like what I can do. 

  Yes, there is a covering of snow forecast.  This afternoon was the perfect time to make a trip to the grocery store.  The north wind was raw, but new snow and cold temps was more than I was willing to do.  Having concrete dry and bare under the feet is the ultimate.  A little variety in the kitchen goes a long way taking the edge off of meal preparation.  Besides I was out of apples and avocados.

  After the store we swung around town and we have a 12″ tuna sub on cheese bread for our evening meal.  The dressing of choice is ranch.  Green peppers, onions, lettuce, shredded cheese and olives rounds out the food group.  Sweet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:53 pm on January 29, 2026 Permalink  

  Let the Sunshine In 

  “OH . . . Let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.  Frowners never win, smilers never loose.”

  So goes this day on Stauffer Avenue.  Enough challenge in my projects to keep me humble.  Two placemats in progress. The two-sided foam that I had used years ago making items for Carrie, Kersten and several others has been tucked away, safe from harm.  I decided to take a few scraps of which I have many and check out how hot the iron would need to be set at if using it.  There was zero cooperation.  I even went online to query the lifespan of said fusibility.  There was the answer.  The surface dissipates.

  Hell’s bells.  With not much to lose, out came more scraps.  I decided to use Best Press.  It is a light starch spray that I had on hand.  One piece of fabric down with a piece of foam down and then the topper of the fabric, much like the sandwich I would be using in making a placemat.  The moisture did activate the fusible to the topper fabric.  I made sure to let it dry.  I then turned it over and did like-wise with bottom fabric and the foam.  It seems as if I have a solution.  I put both objects, soon to be placemats, on the church tables to let them thoroughly dry.  When next I visit the studio, I will see if all stayed stuck together.

  I went on to work with two embroidered designs that will be small pillows.  They will be about 5-6 inches square . . . or smaller.  With stabilizer on the back of the embroidered designs and then sandwiching it to a backing and machine stitching around it, leaving an opening to turn it right-side out. It does make for a good workout with the fingers.  I managed to fill the projects with crushed walnut shells without making a mess . . . like in missing the target and getting them all over the church tables.  I have the openings pined, capturing the crushed walnut shells.  Tomorrow with a fine tipped needle I will hand-sew the opening shut.

  That was about all I could handle today.  The lights went out in the studio.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:22 pm on January 28, 2026 Permalink  

  Quiet 

  What’s not to like about a space that eludes quiet.  Dennis was out to his patio porch with his breakfast box in one hand, his thermos coffee cup stuck in his jacket pocket and the walking cane . . . ever forward!  I didn’t put the radio on in the studio this forenoon.  The quiet spoke to me.  The quiet allowed my thoughts to swirl at will.  You know how it goes, “peace on earth, goodwill to men.”

  As I turned on the lights that hang over the church tables, one glance told me the fabric choices and color-ways I had chosen yesterday were keepers.  Going forward, bright fabrics will be turned into several placemats with snowflake appliques onto the upper right-hand corners.  I went further and pulled out the lightweight foam to sandwich in between tops and bottoms.  Plans are in place . . . for another day.

  I have the latest hand stitched design blocked.  Several layers of the thick cardboard grided multi-folded design mats on the church tables allows for poster pins to hold down the design using the printed measurements for accuracy.  Kersten had found two such tools to add to the original mat that had been found at Good Will.  I have a previously used frame on top of the design to get a feel for it.  The color is a good fit.  The finished design is about an inch lacking on all four sides.  It will stay pinned down while I think through as to what my options might be.  An inch is not going to be the death of using this frame.

  With the extended cold that we have had, there is no grace of previous warm temps on the concrete in the studio of the walls or of the floor.  The cold has wormed its way through and through.  Staying in the studio for several hours at a stretch is all I am doing.  The small ceramic electric heater that I have in the studio does a good job . . . if I stay sitting in front of it or stay standing in front of it. No, several hours is enough to break up my days.  My bedroom porch offers the balance of my interests.  The powerful sun, streaming in from the south windows, doesn’t hurt either.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:10 pm on January 27, 2026 Permalink  

  A Day 

  The sun is bright and our small flag by the front door doesn’t get a break from being whipped by the north wind.

  I was in the studio by 10:30 this forenoon.  Dennis’ cousin Bruce was visiting in the patio porch.

  I have pulled together some fabric for a “maybe” type of project.  As I was in the studio, I would do a quick “look see” to nail down my choices.  A quick glance is all it takes to assure the sewist that the wisest possible choice has been made.  When I come into the studio tomorrow forenoon and see the choice on the church tables . . . that will be the rest of the story. 

  Last year when Sadie had brought over her huge pile of t-shirts for her quilt, I knew I needed to call in the cavalry.  I ordered the Worx Zip Snip electric scissors to hep cut up the shirts.  It has since had a center spot in the studio.  It comes in handy to cut apart or to open products that are sealed in heavy see-through plastic.  Fingers could be lost trying to get that plastic apart.  Cutting down carboard for recycling is a breeze.

  Late yesterday, I decided it was time to pull out a book to while away some time reading.  Both Carrie and Kevin know I cannot hold a book for the enjoyment of reading.  Both of the kids also know I found a solution for myself.  The hard cover “free books” from the retired bin in our library soon get their hard covers taken off.  Yup, the Zip Snip makes fast work of that.  I have a holder to prop up said book and I read one page at a time.  When that one page has been read, both sides, it is torn off and put in the recycling basket under my desk.  A solution for what I can handle.

  There is a new small stitching design on my desk here in the bedroom porch.  It will be done in monotone red.  It will be great to have it next to my laptop, joining my reading material.  Putting in some stitches while I have a YouTube or Hulu streaming in the evenings does a great job of winding me down for bedtime.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥