January 25 Stash Report
Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards
Fabric Used this Week: 3.5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 5 yards
Lots of life drama going on here, but little quilting.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Day of Service & I have HEAT
What else can a quilter do on a national Day of Service but work on quilts?
Having had no heat for four days and nights brought home in so many ways how what we do matters. Regardless of how many layers of clothes I had to wear, or the number of quilts that kept me warm, I was thankful every day that I had those means of keeping warmer and a home to be shielded from the elements.
We take so much for granted, and one of my Action goals for the year is to find something to be grateful for in every negative situation. That does not include "adding the word positive to a negative sentence," like my co-worker Mary says when I tell her to be positive. LOL
Although I had to work most of the day, then scooted out early to meet the furnace repairman. I finished the binding on one quilt while watching TV in the evening and then moved on to creating more red-centered blocks to supplement those previously sent for assembly into Heartstrings quilts.
Tonight is a CPR class after work and then home to bake an apple pie for the boss's birthday lunch tomorrow.
Having had no heat for four days and nights brought home in so many ways how what we do matters. Regardless of how many layers of clothes I had to wear, or the number of quilts that kept me warm, I was thankful every day that I had those means of keeping warmer and a home to be shielded from the elements.
We take so much for granted, and one of my Action goals for the year is to find something to be grateful for in every negative situation. That does not include "adding the word positive to a negative sentence," like my co-worker Mary says when I tell her to be positive. LOL
Although I had to work most of the day, then scooted out early to meet the furnace repairman. I finished the binding on one quilt while watching TV in the evening and then moved on to creating more red-centered blocks to supplement those previously sent for assembly into Heartstrings quilts.
Tonight is a CPR class after work and then home to bake an apple pie for the boss's birthday lunch tomorrow.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday Weigh-in
This week: -1.8
YTD: -1.8
Not my goal for the week, but I'll take it after the week I've had.
YTD: -1.8
Not my goal for the week, but I'll take it after the week I've had.
Sunday Stash Report (on Monday)
January 18 Stash Report
Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards
Fabric Used this Week: 1.0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 1.5 yards
Bindings are the only thing accomplished in quilting this week (again!) But that means I got my sewing machine back. Hallelujah.
Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards
Fabric Used this Week: 1.0 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 1.5 yards
Bindings are the only thing accomplished in quilting this week (again!) But that means I got my sewing machine back. Hallelujah.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My Plate
I have not officially joined Sharon's weight loss challenge, but I'm playing along in spirit. There will be no 'before' pictures of me. The weight I want to lose is significant at more than 100 pounds, but this is my year for Action, and I believe in myself.
I don't remember how I heard of this a couple of weeks ago, but I signed up for a free tool called The Daily Plate, which is now a part of Live Strong. For me, it is great to track the foods I eat and to easily see at a glance the content of the foods I'm eating and where I stand for the day. It also has a graphing function that allows you to watch the fluctuations in, say, sodium or carb intake for the week. It has thousands of commercial & fast food meals in the database, you can add your foods individually, or you can make your own meals for food you always eat together. My big one for last week was 15-bean soup with ham & cornbread.
I did have a slip-up day yesterday, but today I'm back on track. I really, really need to increase my vegetables from none, don't you think?
I don't remember how I heard of this a couple of weeks ago, but I signed up for a free tool called The Daily Plate, which is now a part of Live Strong. For me, it is great to track the foods I eat and to easily see at a glance the content of the foods I'm eating and where I stand for the day. It also has a graphing function that allows you to watch the fluctuations in, say, sodium or carb intake for the week. It has thousands of commercial & fast food meals in the database, you can add your foods individually, or you can make your own meals for food you always eat together. My big one for last week was 15-bean soup with ham & cornbread.
I did have a slip-up day yesterday, but today I'm back on track. I really, really need to increase my vegetables from none, don't you think?
Brrrrrrrrrr
It's been a chilly few days here at Chez Sheila. I woke up 3:30 Friday morning to -13deg temps outside and NO HEAT. Called the landlord's contracted company at 5:30AM and received a return call at 8:45AM. The repairman finally showed up at 4:18PM and within 11 minutes told me my furnace needed a part replaced and the parts shop closed at 4:30. Would he be back on Saturday? No. Not until Monday. No heat for 4 days and nights. I was furious, but now I'm just resigned to the fact.
What does tick me off is that after my Fall inspection in November my landlord was to have been notified that this part needed replaced... badly. Someone dropped the ball, obviously. Either he knew and didn't authorize the repair or he wasn't told. The landlord is also not returning my phone calls or email.
It's amazing how cold it can feel inside with no heat, and despite four layers of clothing. Luckily the kids had a space heater to lend me and brought it over Friday night. It works nicely in a closed room, so I move it from the bedroom to the computer/sewing room as needed and pretty much avoid the large open area of LR/DR/Kitchen. The kids offered to let me use the futon in their basement to sleep, but with no bathroom on that level it just wouldn't work for someone who has URGENT needs 2-3 times a night!
I'm grateful as well that the outside temps have risen... it was 30 when I woke up this morning and it's 20 now. It's been snowing most of the day, but there's not the wind of the past few days. I've chosen to stay in most of these days because it takes so darn long to warm up from the outside, and with no heat it's even worse. At least I have four walls and a roof.
What does tick me off is that after my Fall inspection in November my landlord was to have been notified that this part needed replaced... badly. Someone dropped the ball, obviously. Either he knew and didn't authorize the repair or he wasn't told. The landlord is also not returning my phone calls or email.
It's amazing how cold it can feel inside with no heat, and despite four layers of clothing. Luckily the kids had a space heater to lend me and brought it over Friday night. It works nicely in a closed room, so I move it from the bedroom to the computer/sewing room as needed and pretty much avoid the large open area of LR/DR/Kitchen. The kids offered to let me use the futon in their basement to sleep, but with no bathroom on that level it just wouldn't work for someone who has URGENT needs 2-3 times a night!
I'm grateful as well that the outside temps have risen... it was 30 when I woke up this morning and it's 20 now. It's been snowing most of the day, but there's not the wind of the past few days. I've chosen to stay in most of these days because it takes so darn long to warm up from the outside, and with no heat it's even worse. At least I have four walls and a roof.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I almost forgot!
I got the great news yesterday that my sewing machine is done. He actually thought it was unfixable as he's found a pin in a drive shaft has fallen out. He's pretty sure he could not fix it and it would cost $$hundreds to have the manufacturer do so. Sorry... I don't love this machine that much and would rather put $$hundreds to a new one. But then he decided to SuperGlue it! Can you imagine? He claims it works better, smoother, and quieter, has a perfect straight stitch, and will still do freemotion quilting. For now I can live with that, because there is no money in the budget for a new machine... although I'd probably do without groceries or something to make it happen because this past week or so has just been killing me.
Do you have a ‘word’ for 2009?
I am a huge fan of Christine Kane’s blog, which I’ve been reading since probably Dec07. She shares things learned from her own life about how to resolve internal issues and how to guide our lives with intention.
Each December Christine encourages her readers to choose a word that will guide his/her life through the coming year. I’ve struggled with a word this year… I mean, it’s already January 14th! I considered Passion… Encouragement... Gratitude… Calmness… Positivity, and a slew of others. But as I considered each one, I felt limited--felt that I hadn’t yet discovered how to incorporate it into some areas of my life, and I didn't want to do this half-way.
Yesterday I finally settled on Action as my word for the year. Action from me for me that will benefit me emotionally, physically, and spiritually AND will allow good things to radiate to others. I firmly believe that if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we cannot give 100% to anything else we do. I've already spent too much of my life thinking about how I want life and not doing anything about it. In 2009 I will act.
get moving Act.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Donation quilts
These are two of the quilts I managed to get sent out last week. They went to Cricket in MA for her homeless shelter projects.
This rail fence is the one that killed my machine. I tried to do Terry Twist thingys in the blocks. It turned out okay, but after the binding went on (by machine, a first) the ol' Janome died. Hopefully all it needs is a cleaning; I'm still waiting to hear.
This blue-ish quilt is the pattern Tea Party from the book More! Laps from Fats. It was originally for a friend, but after I saw I wasn't going to be able to complete another quilt I'd promised Cricket, I released it. It only needed the binding sewn down on one side. I practiced a meander on this, using the HQ16 rental at a local shop.
Stash Report
I'm a week behind in getting this set up, but still nothing much to report:
January 11 Stash Report
Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 0 yards
Fabric Used this Week: 0.5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 0.5 yards
The sewing machine is out of commission so binding is all I have... and 0.5 yard is stretching the count.
Sticking toes in the water
Chronicling life from the penthouse.... quilts, grandkids, knitting, reading, & cooking. Okay, so it's only the second story.
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