What's happening....

I got the binding sewn on my daughter's quilt...just the first round by machine, and have started the hand stitching part.  Normally I can whip through a full or queen in about 3 days, but have not touched this today.  And last night when I started it was no walk in the park.  the thread wanted to tangle, even after using beeswax on it.  It knotted up at every little stitch, and I even had to break it once, and take out stitches enough to thread the needle till I could finish off that bit of sewing till it would not come undone.

I got this fabric panel in the hopes it will inspire a baby quilt...  The way things are going, it is questionable whether I will get anything done any time soon.  but isn't it cute?

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I have been doing things in baby steps it seems.   Cannot seem to totally finish anything.  I got boxes broken down again...still have a few but they would not fit into the box I was using.   I  order some of the pet supplies from Chewy because it saves Roger and I from handling some of the heavier items so many times.   Then there are things we order from Amazon on a regular basis...so we always have quite a few boxes at the end of 4 or 5 months.

I have had to let the leaves go but today got a few more raked up.  Roger kept coming to check on me...it is too hard on him to try to help, but he feels guilty if he don't.  So all I did was 4 big bags.   The leaves were still damp from the snow, and still some snow on the ground out behind the garage because it doesn't get much sun.   We saw ice still on a couple roads today.  I could not believe there was any left any where.

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Roger went to bed with a headache...any time he has one it still scares me so bad.  Specially right at first.  I can usually talk to myself and remember that this is to be expected...but it takes a while to settle down and not be on edge.  Lately he stumbles so easily.  I cannot tell you how many times I have thought sure he was going to fall.  Oh, it may not be every day,  but it probably is every other day.  Besides the fall in the bedroom two or three weeks ago, I think he has only fallen twice...and one of those he fell back on the bed.  So in ways not a fall, but if the bed had not been there, he would have been on the floor.

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It is funny...at night, Bubbie always has to go over to him in his chair but he always comes back to me.  When he was young, Bubbie was all Roger's and our daughter's....I was only needed when he was hungry.  But boy has he changed to a mama's boy.

I guess I will hush for this night....I hope you all have a good week ahead...

memories....

I was washing dishes yesterday, and I got to thinking about my sister, Fran.  The above post card was one she sent in the 1960's...but that is not what I want to write about.  Though how I ended up with it is more than I know.  And it has been in my kitchen cabinet for a long time.  I get it out and touch it and read it every now and then.

Of our family, I think she was the favorite of us all.  Here is one story about her...and I thought I would share another story that again shows how she was.

For a few years when the kids were young, we were living pay check to pay check...I just had to plan every dollar.  Well, this one Christmas, I had to wait till the day before to buy groceries to do Christmas dinner.  I don't remember if I already had the ham or not, because I would buy it ahead if I could catch it on sale.  Well, Christmas Eve was my in-laws wedding anniversay and we had to go there to see them and take their anniversary gift.

I was thinking we could visit with them and run by Kroger's there near them to pick up groceries.  I don't remember if I actually went and left Roger there with the kids, or if I called, or how I found out, but Krogers was closed!  I called our local grocery here in our town, and they were open but would be closed before we could get home.  So I called my sister.

She made a list of what I needed and I told her how much I had to spend.  I don't remember the amount...but every penny was planned.  Well, we visit a bit more and then head home and stop by my sister's to pick up the groceries...I paid her the money and we loaded up and came on home.

My, oh, my what had she done!  I cannot remember what all there was extra...there were mixed nuts, there was ribbon candy, and I don't remember what all else was in the bags.  But she had probably come close to spending twice what I told her.  Just getting things she thought we would enjoy.   And would not think of letting me pay her.

Just such sweet memories.  I hope you have some to share...it would be fun to hear some good, heartwarming stories.

A little show and tell...

This shows the block before I totally finished the applique...  The black basting line is basting the leaf shape to the freezer paper base.  The white stitching stitches the shape to the background fabric.

Showing the stitching...the thread is more orange than it looks in the photo, but not as orange as I wish it were.

Here you see the stitches on the back of the block...

Above you see I have cut the background away from the behind the leaf and am removing the freezer paper.   One thing about this freezer paper, I don't think it is as good as what I used to get.  It does not feel as heavy and makes crinkling sounds.

And here is what it looks like after the basting is all removed and the freezer paper removed.

I have only finished the applique part of a few of them.  All the others I have finished still has the freezer paper and basting in them.  At the rate I am going, it is going to be a long time before I finish them all...have several things going and need to start another one...and yet I do so little.

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I raked a bunch of leaves yesterday...well, 8 big garbage bags stuffed full as I could stuff them.  But that is nothing to what I used to rake at one go.  I had raked 4 a few days ago.  I still have quite a few to go, and keep waiting for the rest of the leaves to fall from a neighbor's tulip poplar and another neighbor's maple tree.  Bubbie was my constant companion through it all.
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I think I am warming up leftover meatloaf for supper...we need to eat on it.  Seems like at times, I love meatloaf and will have made one that is on the small side.  Then I make one a bit bigger, and we don't seem to enjoy it as much.  Anyway, I need to get in there and at least set it out.  I will actually probably put it in the oven later and let it warm up that way.  Most of the time we just warm up what we eat in the microwave.

I should have been outside working in leaves...but I have sat here instead.  And I did sew a few stitches.

I don't know if it was real bad allergies or what, but was sick a couple days this past week...but it passed quickly.  My throat was sore and I blew and blew and blew my nose the first morn.  Normally, Roger never volunteers to stay home for breakfast, but he looked at me and said, 'We don't have to go anywhere this morn....don't even worry about it.'  I don't know if it was how I sounded or how I looked or both.  LOL  I always sound and feel worse early in the morn. 

I hope you all have a good week...I feel like I am forgetting something I wanted to ask but cannot think what it is for the life of me.