Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 4:23 pm on March 3, 2026 Permalink  

  Tuesday the 3rd of March 

   A morning in the studio as everything went according to plan.  Such a good feeling.

  The next step was to take out my favorite quilt pattern:  the log cabin.  I have made that pattern often, but never using the same color-way.  One was for Carrie using appliqued snowflakes as well.  One was for Kevin using a twist for a red, white and blue theme.  I checked and checked, there was nothing of enough yardage or color-way.  Not to worry.  There is no time crunch.

  When Dennis came in at noon, he asked if I would take a road trip with him.  We were going to go looking at chairs for me that would fit my criteria.  Away we went.  I had my phone and extra catheters and Dennis had his wallet, as he was buying.  Couldn’t beat that!

  When we got to the furniture store, Dennis found a comfortable chair while the sales gal, took me by the arm.  I sat in many chairs of all shapes, sizes and colors.  My main concern was that I could get out of the chair without using my shoulders.  The next concern was that my neck would not be thrust foreword as I leaned back into the chair.  I didn’t care if the chair was a recliner or not as I knew I wouldn’t be able to use the lever towards the bottom on the righthand side.  I didn’t need a chair that had huge armrests.  Trial and error. 

  It was down to two.  The chair that fit my needs the best, happens to be an electric chair with buttons just below the right hand side of the armrest to raise the feet.  The contour of the back of the chair by my neck did not change as the foot rest went up.  Dennis bought Grammie a chair!!

  This will be the first chair of comfort for me, picked out by me . . . ever.  Sweet.

  The chair will be delivered sometime either late this week or next.

  To celebrate we are having Subway for supper.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:31 pm on March 2, 2026 Permalink  

  The Secret 

  The secret for me getting up before eight in the morning, is to drink a glass of water when I do a bathroom call at three in the morning.  I do enjoy getting up earlier than eight, but it just feels so comfy, I can look out the window and the evergreen boughs lull me back to snoozing.

  All of the laundry was done by noon.  In between swapping out loads, I filled the last of my mini pillows with crushed walnut shells and glued the openings shut.  What remains is a bit of trim around all sides.  My mini pillow phase is nearing an end.

  The next chapter in the studio is going to be a quilt.  I know just what box to take off of the west shelves in the studio.  I am seeking orange fabric and that which may be companion hues or colors.  Orange is the color of Nicholas’ University of Tennessee.   I have researched the motto.  This project may well keep me out of trouble for some time. 

  This evening we are having the remaining Manwich meat with the remaining beans, mixing both together for a supper with some spinach dip and chips.  Kind of like a home on the range supper. 

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 4:03 pm on March 1, 2026 Permalink  

  Hello Sunday 

  This scattered winter has moved right on into March 1st.

  Though nothing earth shattering occurred this winter, I feel as if the time has gone swiftly.  When I look about there have been quite a few finished stitched items hanging about.  They have been completed by one “x” at a time. 

  Dennis brought up the idea of us going back to The Furniture Mart in Sleepy Eye for a new chair for me.  I have him on pause with that.  Dennis’ Lazy Boy recliner . . . I cannot sit in, as I cannot get myself up and out of it independently.  Secondly, the head rest is puffy enough that it tilts my neck forward just enough to cause a headache.  

  There are two items my chair must insure:  I can get out of it and having the neck support.  In thinking, the chair need not be a recliner.  A soft chair with a high enough padded back that I could lean my head back and have it fit my neck.  That spurred on an experiment.  My teak rocker’s seat is the perfect height for me to sit down on and get up from.  Truth to tell, I didn’t sit in it for any length of time as a headache took over.  I dug out two of those support bands that medical people use to stabilize patients.  Dennis worked the buckles while I held a stuffed small pillow in the area of a head rest.  Trial and error we got the fit right . . . for now.  As I use the rocker with the captured pillow, time will tell.

  Calvin called this afternoon.  Nothing exciting for either of us to report, just a good old catching up.  Eric, now a widower, left for a job trip down to the southern states.  I know his job has something to do with hard metal detection and he travels a lot.

  We are doing Manwich’s and beans for supper.  I browned the hamburger, added the can of sauce and put the kettle in the oven at 250.  It is a way for flavors to really get co-mingled without scorching the kettle as it would on the stovetop.  The gas flame doesn’t like such a low setting.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:25 pm on February 28, 2026 Permalink  

  And Then —- 

  And then it was totally white.  At a bit after four this morning when I got up to use the bathroom, there was no snow.  It really packed in fast after that.  It’s a very wet snow, nothing that a snow blower would be happy with.  Our leaf blower came in very handy today.  Our cement is wet but bare of snow.  Our streets are a slushy mess.  What a difference a day makes . . . I can hear that tune in my mind.

  Dennis had company in the patio porch.  Neighbor Randy and Dennis solved all the world’s issues.  Randy has been retired from John Deere for two years.  

  Yesterday I had stayed on our first floor.  Not so much today.  I feel more settled if I stick to my schedule of having diverse tasks.  I like being among my threads and fuzz.   

  Dennis and I had a coffee date this afternoon.  A small piece of pumpkin pie and coffee.  Good company and a tasty break.  Our supper is going to be ham and bean soup with a half fried egg sandwich.  Perfect for a no account day.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥ 

   

   

   
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  Noreen 3:23 pm on February 27, 2026 Permalink  

  Friday the 27th 

  Not much doing here on Stauffer Avenue on this Friday.

  Nothing worse than getting a bill in the post that has already been paid by a check that has already been cleared by our bank.  Never can you take your household accounts for granted.

  Dennis used the leaf blower to clear leaves, twigs, and pine cones away from the back door this noon before we get snow to muck up the mix.  Right after that the wind came up from the northwest much like a dry blizzard.  It didn’t keep up with that velocity, but it hasn’t simmered down either.  Dennis might tell me when he comes in this afternoon that it has all blown back into the back door area.

  I didn’t leave our first floor today.  Completed projects brought about contemplation.  Now that I know Nicholas will be attending the University of Tennessee, I will soon be starting a quilt for him as I did when Megan was at that point.  Mulling things over.  Making good plans and not rushing into anything.

  With that plan in the mix, I am going to make an appointment to take my sewing machine in for its yearly checkup.  It has actually been a bit over a year.  I checked and Creative Stitches is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the month of March.  I will give Kelly and Amanda a call on Tuesday to set something up.  My machine has given me zero problems and I would like to leave it that way.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:38 pm on February 26, 2026 Permalink  

  Thursday the 26th 

  We are rounding down on the shortest month of our year.  A month of some cold interspersed with unusual warmth.  Today there is a patch of snow no larger that six inches square on our front yard.  Even where snow had been pushed and piled . . . there is nothing.  How blessed we are.

  I have resources in the studio that serve me well.  Older picture frames that I had hung on a nail in the cistern closet.  I re-measured my stitched design that was inline to be stretched and pinned.  Short memory that got a jog.  It measures 14.50 x 10.50.  After stretching and pinning, I have a scant quarter inch showing of the width of the base fabric and a half inch on the length showing.  I am very happy with that.  There was a piece of foam board that was cut to put on the back.  The frame that I used already had the saw-tooth metal hanger on the frame.  Hmm.  Above the thermostat in the living room was a nail.  I feared the length of the frame needed more room than there was.  Nope, there is even a few inches to spare.  Everything fell into place.

  This newly hung project is the second such project that took months to stitch.  I did enjoy doing them.  It brought great satisfaction that I could manage getting them from a wrinkled finished stitched piece to a framed addition to our home.  

  I know I will have a new stitched design in place before long.  My break of doing heavy duty stitching, brought about mini pillows that are also finished.  Having items finished is important to me.  Going forward it will be more difficult throwing out finished items than a wrinkled mess with frayed edges. 

  All of my endeavors are about keeping me content with having something to show for my days.  My grandmother, Laura Wendlandt, who lived her days of 90 plus while being wheelchair bound, always, yes always, stressed to me that if God gave you a day, you had to show something for that gift.  As she dispensed her wisdom she would be rolling back and forth just by inches in her wheelchair.  I cherished her.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 2:51 pm on February 25, 2026 Permalink  

  Night’s Rest 

  A good night’s rest brought kitchen duty for tidy, tidy.  Our preferred method of cooking is either via the crock pot or the oven.  We do however use our cook top.  This morning it was bubbles and elbow movement.   Dennis needs to stand against something solid to get his jacket zipped up to head out to the patio porch for his breakfast routine.  It works to prevent falls.  This morning I surrendered.  All of the remaining items left on the front of the refrigerator after a goodly amount hit the floor as Dennis and his jacket swiped on by.

  The best way to allow safety is to have nothing on the front of the refrigerator to be swiped or pushed off.  It was also a way for me to do a full frontal cleaning of our Samsung stainless steel refrigerator.  The surface is streak prof.  All of the removed items are in a far, far better place.

  The studio went well.  Working with crushed walnut shells and glue in somewhat of the same vicinity can be problematic.  My fingers could resemble a suet treat.  As of today, all of my small pillows have reached the finish line.  The WIPS:  works in progress: mission completion.  My next course of action is to stretch and pin the last stitched design that measures 10.75 x 5.75.  I have my foam board for the design to be pinned onto, to fit a frame I have saved.  That will be a slow process.  Two pins on all four sides and then adding more pins on all four sides.  Let the stretching begin!

  I am fixing baked porkchops for supper.  Two boneless chops, I couldn’t believe how thick they were, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 package of Lipton’s dry soup mix.  I did brown the chops in the fry pan a bit.  I am also using some heavy cream into the combination for baking.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 3:03 pm on February 24, 2026 Permalink  

  Warm Up 

  Warm up . . . but not by much.  The strong winds again from the northwest didn’t let the 39 degrees feel its best.

  I went out to Lewis Drug to pick up several prescriptions and I made my way carefully through the wind gusts hitting the sidewalk.

  My enjoyment of KNUJ was cut short as they broadcast the Twin’s game at one this afternoon.  That worked out fine as I needed to concentrate on my task.  The task was filling up my small pillows with crushed walnut shells.  A steady hand.  It can also be a messy task.  It doesn’t take much of the coloring of the shells to get onto your hands and then get transferred to where you for sure don’t want it.  After the fill-up was done, I carefully glued shut the tiny opening that was left.  The Wonder Clips secured the opening with the least amount of the fabric caught in the clips.  Tomorrow may see some trim put around the edges of them.

  I came up from the studio for a snack.  I have enjoyed the Golden Delicious that I core and slice.  With just a dab of peanut butter on each slice.  Yum.  I will have one avocado ready to enjoy for tomorrow’ snack.

  Last night we had a can of Progresso’s creamy chicken with broccoli and brown rice.  That with a half sandwich hit the spot.  It was the first time we had tried that flavor of soup.  We will do it again some time. 

  Dennis is hard at work in the garage fixing something that has taken him to Fleet/Farm several times.  Good to keep the economy going.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥

   
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  Noreen 6:06 pm on February 23, 2026 Permalink  

  That’s a Wrap 

  When Dennis gets to be out and about in his little red pickup it’s so good . . . it’s a wrap.  Great times for a Monday.

  I found all I needed at the grocery store this afternoon.  Nobody on Stauffer Avenue will be going hungry.  I popped a pumpkin pie into the oven when I got home and I am quite sure it will be sampled about nine.

  This was the way a new week should start.  

  Tomorrow may bring a studio day.  Have to love that!

  A short and sweet blog posting to make up for some of my lengthier dribbles.

  With that I will take my leave.♥

   
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  Noreen 3:07 pm on February 22, 2026 Permalink  

  Finagling 

  When in my studio, sometimes the finagling could dumfound the average crafter.  Small narrow 2.5 x 7 inch double sided projects that need to be turned with right sides together takes patience.  Slow and steady.  It all brings me contentment.  I Actually had seven such little weasels to turn inside out.  Some were machine embroidered designs and some were hand stitched designs.  A good knitting needle helps to poke out the corners, but not so much poking that the fabric is punched through.  Giving them a good pressing afterwards tidies them up a lot from being crumpled.

  The next item on the agenda was to glue enough of the opening shut so I have just enough to wedge my little plastic funnel into it for the crushed walnuts to fill them.  After the gluing, the studio lights were shut off.  Enough is enough.

  I was surprised when I came upstairs that we were having snow flurries that were being blown around by the 25 mph northwest wind.  The wind does not cease.

  Our small flag on the end of our front step never gets a chance to rest.  In times past we would purchase the little flags in a big-box store that were imprinted with the stars and strips.  In short order they were shredded.  This last spring I ordered two via Amazon that could be stripped onto our steel electric fence type rod.  Each faction of the flag was double sewn.  I put the cap of a Sharpie on top of the rough rod.  One of my quilter’s Wonder Clips held the width of the flag tight onto the rod.  Both the top cap and the clip has held tight throughout this entire windy winter with no signs of wear.  Our history with those little flags had not been great so I had ordered two.  The second one is still in its wrapper.

  Dennis had called me up at noon to have a sandwich with him.  We had hot bacon sandwiches.  Yum.  We haven’s discussed supper yet.

  With that I will take my leave.  ♥