Waiting For The Coffee To Perk Sunday. 2 December 2018.

Woke up early this morning. Sometime around 4 a.m. ...

Couldn't get back to sleep right away, but the sandman finally arrived around the time the alarm would normally chime. Eventually, Bandit jingled his collar (and jingled his collar, and jingled his collar) to let me know it was time for a W-A-L-K.

Shock! 6:40 a.m.! That makes two days in a row these lazy bones have stayed abed past time to rise.

As you can see by the photo snapped on our W-A-L-K, green grass has taken over some of the neighborhood. There's still a lot of snow. There's even more mud. An unusually warm December day with a high of around 50 degrees is expected. Unfortunately, a cold front is making its way and should hit sometime tomorrow. Then temperatures are expected to be mostly in the 20s. Brrrr.

Green grass in December feels like a WIN though, doesn't it?!

By the way: Happy December!

Now's the time of year to start decorating for Christmas. Haven't been able to do that since Henrietta came into the household. Might try to make a small display on top of the china cabinet; the only place she can't reach. Wish me luck.

Haven't worked on the Matryoshka ornaments at all this week. Have been trying to figure out what to do with the crazy quilt squares sewn last Winter. Below is all I've come up with so far. The handle/gusset is a re-purposed silk tie.

The coffee is ready, so I must bid you a fond farewell.

Until next time: Count your blessings.

Rainy Monday. Post-Thanksgiving Post. 26 November 2018. SAD.

Matryoshka Bodies and Heads

Yesterday was a hard day. Spent way too much time crying because it was Mom's birthday and I miss her so very much. Every day.

Add to that the fact that I'm one of the six percent of Americans who suffer from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Mine kicks off emotionally mid-September and runs through February/March. September is Sister's birth AND death days. October's gray skies flow into November - Mom's birth month - and December: Mom's death month. Being alone for the holidays doesn't help.

During the Winter, I try to get outside as much as possible to get a little exposure to natural vitamin D. Of course, diet is supplemented with a double dose of D. Some say taking Vitamin D doesn't help with this type of depression, but it sure seems to help me. If I could, I would try to get some time in the tanning booth for good measure.

Have added St. John's Wort to the list of daily supplements. It's supposed to support emotional health. Hey - will try anything once. So far not much has changed.

Winter's rough on my back, hips, neck and foot as well. The cold and damp seems to seep right into my bones. Will be glad to see Spring again.

Being single means that Thanksgiving was quiet in this household. Regardless, a huge meal was cooked. Roast pork loin instead of turkey, candied sweet potatoes, chestnut stuffing, baked white potatoes, pumpkin pie with cool whip, corn. Leftovers were eaten during the course of the week and divided up into freezer TV dinners.

Was going to make either rolls or bread but figured there was already way too much carbohydrates for one person to consume. Plus, the Sourdough Starter I've been feeding smelled like it had gone past it's peak (think stale beer), so it was tossed and a new batch is on the cupboard fermenting. Am still learning the ins-and-outs of working with the starter. Don't know what I'd do without the internet as a research tool.

Spoke with Auntie and Daughter and Son on Thanksgiving day. Was happy to hear from them all and to share a little laughter.

Matryoshka Lining

Decided to try to shave some time off production of the Matryoshka ornaments.  Spent some time cutting felt for more. They may not look like much, but they take a lot of work. Felt has to be cut for the body, face and hair. Then two layers of low loft quilt batting gets cut for each. Not to mention the embroidery and beading. I will put the hanging threads on them all at once.

Anyway... enough sets were cut to make forty-eight ornaments.

In case you're wondering, the batting gives them a bit of shape and a more finished look than simply allowing the wool felt to lie flat.

Sometimes, the hardest part is deciding what color floss or beads or sequins or ribbon to use. So many possibilities.

The assembly line is working out pretty well. Still, with physical limitations, it's hard to make very many per day. Am striving (struggling) to reach a goal of three per day.

Scroll to the next page to see the few that are ready.

Sleepy Sunday. 18 November 2018

Author's note: Can't believe I didn't post this yesterday. Whiney-boy felt an urgent need to go O-U-T. Here's a snapshot of him actually looking at me while he's off-leash on one of the many oil roads that criss-cross through and around these rocky Allegheny mountains. A day late post follows.

Today has been cold and overcast. No surprise there - it IS Winter in what I used to fondly refer to as The Great Northern Wasteland. Glad that's no longer my opinion. Sometimes you have to move away from home for a while to appreciate it's good qualities. A thirty year absence is sure to change one's perspective, eh?

The first few snows of winter bring such joy to our eyes. Some are like the angels above floated feathers of confectioner sugar over only the tops of trees. Some leave the tree branches bent with the weight of water. Other storms are rain turning into ice as the sun sets and reflects in rainbow patterns off icicle decorated branches. Then there are the storms that bring on six to ten inches of the white stuff in one day. Or last for days until you can feel the wind chill you to the very bones.

The novelty of Winter hasn't worn off for me yet this season. While being cold doesn't appeal, the birds gathered in the trees and by the feeder bring a bit of color and light into an otherwise drab, grey backdrop.

Haven't accomplished much craft-wise this week. Poor Bandit cut his paw pad on our morning walk on Tuesday and had me playing Doctor the rest of the week. Gauze pads, three-in-one antibiotic salve, taped-on white socks and forced rest. Poor pup. Kept him in the yard even for his constitutional. He finally feels well enough today to play with his toys. Am still not sure how he got cut, but will keep him at heel on the part of the trail where he got hurt. He's such a good boy.

Made a few more matryoska ornaments. My favorite is the light blue one. Which do you like?

Going to take Bandit for a walk before it gets to be full dark.

Y'all have a great evening and a Wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember to count your blessings.

Snowy Sunday. 11 November 2018

This is a brooch made for my little cousin, Carlie for her third birthday (coming up real soon).

The broken tooth turned mentioned in the last post turned out to be a nightmare (kinda-sorta). Couldn't get into the dentist until Tuesday. Unfortunately, while trying to repair the tooth a nerve was exposed and a choice was made to pull the tooth rather than go through a root canal.

By Thursday, I was experiencing fever/chills, nausea and dizziness. Not good. Based on past dental experience, my mind was whispering "sepsis". After trying to get in to see my Primary Care Physician and a failed attempt at tele-medicine, I made the trip to the ER where the usual pokes and prods were tolerated. The worst part (for me) was not being able to get warm.  Four hours and several vials of blood for testing, the diagnosis was Stomach Flu.

Needless to say, the following week was total down time as the fever ranged from 97 degrees to 102 degrees. No fun at all.

Thank goodness THAT is over.

Pulled out the felt and made a couple ornaments. Not sure how many I'll make. Simply happy to be able to do something besides lie on the couch and try to get warm/cold.

Here's hoping y'all stay healthy all Winter, dear Reader.

Blessed be.

Sunday, Sunday - Not So Good To Me. Greeting Cards.

Here's one of the greeting cards I've learned to make via YouTube. 

There's so much to learn! And it's FUN!

Here are a few more that I've made since starting down this greeting card lane. Some are more complex than others. 

Have been re-organizing the workroom to make it more efficient for work. Sacrificed a bookshelf to use for some of the stamp sets. Rigged up a ribbon dispenser. Learning what stamps and greetings are on hand is a daunting task. So many beautiful stamps and sentiments. 

Will try to make my Mom in Heaven proud.

Sorry so short. Broke a tooth today and am feeling rather peckish. 

Y'all have a blessed day.

Click on the next page to see more created greeting cards. 

Apples, Apples, and More Apples OR The Answer To "Why Don't You Write?"

Look at the size of those apples! Organic gardening and pruning certainly pays off. This is the first year the apple trees have produced more than a couple small apples and they have been bountiful! Two of the trees yielded over six bushels of fruit. The neighbors are always thrilled to take a bag or two off my hands.

The garden doesn't stop growing and needing tending simply because the weather is rainy and cold. Finally had a sunny day and a friend dropped by and helped pick the last of the Gala Apples. Between the raindrops over the next few days the Granny Smith apples will be harvested and cleaned up.

I'm such a wimp these days that ladders frighten me. Too many people fall off them and are seriously injured. I'd like to live to fight another day, so a "spotter" is a necessity. 

Will have too many apples to store over the winter without a cold cellar. These are primarily cooking apples so I plan on putting together some pies for the freezer. A few will be made into applesauce. Some might even make it into either apple crisp or baked along with some pork chops. Will be putting a mixed bag into the Blessing Box in town.

Have you heard about Blessing Boxes? They're little food pantries that communities have started putting in public spaces. The idea is to help folks who are having a hard time making ends meet and are food insecure. If you have more than you need, you can donate to the pantry. If you are in need, you can take from the pantry.

Want to learn more about starting a Blessing Box in your community? Click here.

Sunday Fun Day, 7 October 2018. Between the raindrops...

Between the raindrops over the last week, the purple beans were pulled from the raised bed at the center of the split rail fence.

The four o'clock flowers had taken over most of the bed, but there were quite a few spaces and on the whole rather raggedy looking. To complement the fall hill colors and fill in the gaps, the coleus was moved from the front foundation bed.

Then, to fill in the gaps left by the transplanted coleus, yellow and orange marigolds were moved from the back garden beds to the front foundation.

Thank goodness the foundation bed was laid right and started with landscaping cloth. Makes it easy to transplant and weed (like that ever gets done - lol).

With all the exercise and damp weather I'm rather sore again today, so I'm off to put some heat on the sore spots.

Y'all have a great day.

p.s. (The cardinal is still on the worktable. Perhaps it will be finished this next week.)