Progress

Lots of progress this week in the bathroom project - carpenters are great.

Fresh Start

I'm painting the interior of our house this weekend. Well, a portion. Yesterday I trimed and painted the first coat in the kitchen. Seems like a lot more work than got done on account of all the taping and small portions of wall. Today I hope to get the second coat on all that and a couple walls in the living room. There is no stopping point, so someday in the future I will be suspending myself from the rafters to get our stairwell. Anyone want to come help?

toe waving!

I went kayaking this morning. It was not Lake of the Woods, but so nice to be out on the water.

It was a guided trip, with only 4 of us, no real wildlife or fish today, but clear water and sunshine. I could have paddled more and talked less, but that's what you get with 4 women. (Didnt need the internet dating discussion)

Life without fiber-optics

Do you remember life before computers?

When I went to college a computer was a HUGE piece of equipment that needed a room all to itself to live in. I'm not really sure how it worked but when we registered for classes we stood in a line to pick punch cards that had the class of choice information on it. You would then turn in the batch of cards you selected and from this get your classes assigned. I also had a class in computers but now have no idea what it taught me.

Now the world is run by computers that are tiny. We take it for granted until there is no internet. No internet? Well all of Cook County survived most of a day without communication from the outside world. A fiber-optics cable was cut in Duluth - I bet that worker said - Of Shit! We did not have long distance phone, 911, cell phones or internet. Kelly was totally lost - she has had internet most of her life and a cell phone with plenty of minutes so has never thought about the cost of a long distance call. She survived, barely.

JP

rain, rain, go away!

 I want to use my new skis! After 14 years of using my trusty, rusty race skis, I finally have new ones! They are curvy and pink! Now about this weather...

Bathroom Makeover

Say goodbye to the seventies gold and gross bathroom. The carpenters are coming tomorrow!

Stayed tuned for progress updates on the makeover of the bathroom.

A Plan

I am ready for a challenge. Anyone else? I know there are people moving to Florida and renovating bathrooms out there, but I'm organizing a quilting beee. Sew, Mama, Sew let me know about the Wrap Them in Love project, and I'm going to start a quilt to donate. I may not make the end of January deadline, but I'm going to do the best I can. Anyone want to join in?

Best Christmas gifts of 09

Our gift list is small compared to most peoples. Maybe this is one of the reasons that I like Christmas shopping. I didnt even have to mail any packages this year. That takes a lot of stress out of shopping.
Now that the festivities are all over, I can reflect on three of the Best gifts of the season. Two of them were From ME!
I bought an expensive golf club for Butch. He liked it, but his favorite gift was the video that I made of photos taken of us this past year, set to music, with effects; all done from a program on my computer.
My other winner was a calendar that I made for Mom. It has family photos, many from her 90th birthday party, also included are birthdays.
She has taken it to "coffee" for show and tell, and today I had to hang it just below her clock, so she could look at it every day.
The third special gift was opened Christmas day in our family grab bag exchange. It was three hand embroidered dish towels made by my mother. Once you open a gift, it can be stolen by someone else, and we were way more excited to land those towels than all of the soaps and scarves and bath products.
Gifts from the heart, those were the best.
Who knows, maybe next year, a writer, or a welder can top my gifts of this year.

Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours

Merry Christmas!

We are grateful to be together but miss the rest of the family too- Marie and Brandon arrived on Wednesday to beat the storm and it'swonderful that Kelly has the weekend off.

Christmas Eve was church and then dinner and the family photo. In the middle of the sermon in church the priests cell phone rang - and then again with a message.

The house is decked with trimmings, mimosas for brunch, gifts unwrapped and even a game to play. The "blizzard" has turned to rain - we are going to curl this afternoon.

Photo Fabric

This is fabric! I made it today.

I went to BenF's looking for fabric that screamed Mn, like paulbunyan, and the sales clerk showed me pillows that a local woman is making from a PB photo. I bought the "paper" and then went to the water front and took a picture of Paul and Babe and emailed it to me from my phone. Printed it off at home on my printer and sewed it to a bag! The picture doesnt quite fit the bag pattern, so I will tweek that idea. But what fun, just when my sewing room was all cleaned up, I destroyed it again.

I am making bags to hold a pound of wild rice to bring to Fl for gifts.

I'm there

Right about now my lovely sister in landing in Florida. Yesterday, I got an invitation (that I had to decline) to hang out in Vegas next week. The snowbirds are leaving, the cold has arrived and I REALLY need a vacation. For now, I'll just have to dream of a deck chair with sun. Come the New Year, I'll get serious - Meet you at the beach?

crud #/:#*

There is something that I really dislike about winter.
Dirty Cars!
You know, that greasy, grey brown film that adheres to your vehicle as soon as it snows and they throw a little salt down. Then you rub your sleeve in it as you unload your groceries. If you are looking for your car in the full Christmas parking lots , all the cars are now the same color!
That's it, I'm going to Florida where all the cars are clean and shiny.

Vegas, Fog, Skin Glue & Turkey

We had a long weekend trip to Las Vegas for our anniversary. Beatles Love, Santana and a time share were the highlights. It took an extra day to get back because of fog in Duluth - airports when you don't leave are really a drag.

Then there was a trip to the ER to get skin glue for my dish washing accident - the lady in the next bed was also walking wounded from the kitchen.

Turkey day came quickly with David and family as guests - great fun.

My Haiku;my secret

I can RUN two miles

Even in the cold I RAN.

Am I a RUNNER?

Snow Wishing (a hiku)

 rain drips on my lens

looking up at the bare branches

i wish it was snow

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

It's a day to be Thankful for all the good things - mostly for our wonderful family. Missing Marie and Brandon and all in Bemidji, Kalona, and Toms family in the cities but knowing our hearts are with all of you. We will enjoy our turkey dinner with Kelly and David's family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Facelift

Oh, those big unruly pillows that are part of the couch that no one ever uses have just become Christmas pillows.

I just zipped off the cover, found some shiny green "Anderson fabric" in my stash, added some felt, some quilting fabric, some buttons and bells and launched my living room into the holidays. I didn't bother to put zippers in them, just slipped stitched them up.

(Who knows, i might not like them next year.)

Quilt Exhibit

From November 20Th to January 3rd there is a Quilt Exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post with local quilters handiwork's on display and sale.

These are some of my entries - except the coasters closest to the lamp - I'm keeping that set.

I've made 10 sets of coasters in the last month - some have been gifts and 4 sets are at the sale.

Start Decorating!

This is my creation from the woods. Princess pine, a foam ring, plus a few sparkly "this and thats" from Joann fabrics.

The pine grows just in our back woods, what a bargain!

Tomorrow, more pine, stuck into a cone shape and decorated, makes a very cute tree.

My fantacy world..........

I knew the last entry would spur rebuttal!
Certainly, I can sympathize with anyone who complains that 6 months of winter is TOO much. The problem lies in the transition from fall to winter, and winter to spring. I get impatient, I get excited.
If we lived in a perfect world, I would have winter in November and December, then go south for three months, and come home to spring; like with flowers blooming and trees budding, and golf courses open!
I want it all. "We're here for a good time, not a long time"