Today Bill and I went to town to meet a friend of ours. I had made Shrimp Creole last night and wanted to share some with him. We met for coffee at a local restaurant. When he left we walked over to say hello to some other friends of ours at another table. About an hour later they asked us if we would like to join them for lunch at yet another restaurant in another town. Since we were still sore and tired from what we had been doing we said yes. The restaurant is actually in TN, but not too far away from where we live. We had a nice visit, good meal and lots of leftovers. I ordered the chef salad, because I wasn't real hungry, but knew I needed to eat. It came to me on a 10" plate, filled edge to edge and it was about 6" high in the center. It had lettuce, mushrooms, celery, onions, peppers, hard cooked eggs, ham, bacon and grated cheese on top. I brought at least 2/3rd's of it home along with part of a steak and a chicken plank other had leftover. My salad cost $5.50. There is enough left over for Bill and I to share for lunch tomorrow if we desire.
When we got home we put more of the flooring down. We have a partial plank to put down to get to the door. I am not sure we will actually put it down, or leave it for Bill's son when he comes down. We (mostly I) need to clean out the other room, remove the carpet, wash the walls down, prim and paint. Unfortunately we still need to paint the trim, but the weather is windy, cold and a bit damp. Maybe we can get the other room cleaned out and paint them in there.
I really won't get my sewing room set up until after the Thanksgiving. Extra stuff will need to be stored in the sewing room until the new bedroom is done.
I did a bit of sewing tonight. I hemmed a pair of my Dad's sleep pants and made a velcro opening in the front of a T-shirt. He has problems putting clothing over his head, so he wanted to try a velcro opening down the front. I hope it works for him, because he needs the extra warmth now that the weather has changed.
Catch you later!
Peggy
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Today's Progress
To catch up with what has been happening here I need to go back to Saturday. Bill, Dad and I went to Paducah to return some items and do a little shopping. After returning the items at Home Depot we were going to look at shelving for my Sewing Studio. Would you believe all of their free standing shelving was in storage....nothing on display! So we moved on down the road to Lowes. The one we had picked out in Murray, but they didn't have it in stock, were not available in Paducah. I had also been looking at some chrome shelves, but was not sure I wanted to pay $89. each for shelving I am not sure will work the way I want it to work. So we decided to just go on to Aldi's to do some grocery shopping.
While at Aldi's we picked up some fresh vegetables and a few other items. We didn't need much, but on the way out Bill spotted some chrome shelves that looked like the ones I wanted. The specs were exactly the same and they were on closeout sale for $30. each. I was able to get two silver and one black.
We decided to put a wall paper border at the top of the wall so I didn't need to try to paint the wall without getting paint on the ceiling tile. I can't put it up until we put up the corner trim. That won't happen until the flooring is down and the trim is painted. Wouldn't you know the weather was damp and windy so we could not work outside painting the trim. We have no place to paint it inside. I did get a second coat of paint on the walls "early Monday" morning. Then I went to bed.
Monday again the weather was windy and damp working on being cold, so Bill and I went to town to get new fluorescent tubes and a new shop light. We thought we would start the flooring in the afternoon, but that did not happen. We were both exhausted plus I was making lasagna for dinner. So now you are caught up.
Today we laid enough of the flooring so the bed could be moved on top of the new flooring. It looks nice. We only worked about 2 1/2 hours, but we were cutting in the upper part of the garage. So Dad and I did the cutting. Bill leg has been bothering him, so he just snapped the flooring in place. Here is what the flooring looks like. Not really much different in color from the plywood under it, but much easier to clean.
Notice my Quilting Square up Ruler at the side by the wall. I use it to mark the line for cutting. It is difficult to see, but there are 1/4" spacers along the wall. This flooring floats. It locks together with a tongue and groove system and is held in place with the trim.
Oh I also changed the fluorescent tube in the light that was already in the room. We still need to put the new light in, but I want to decide where every thing will be placed so the light will be in the correct place.
Peggy
While at Aldi's we picked up some fresh vegetables and a few other items. We didn't need much, but on the way out Bill spotted some chrome shelves that looked like the ones I wanted. The specs were exactly the same and they were on closeout sale for $30. each. I was able to get two silver and one black.
We decided to put a wall paper border at the top of the wall so I didn't need to try to paint the wall without getting paint on the ceiling tile. I can't put it up until we put up the corner trim. That won't happen until the flooring is down and the trim is painted. Wouldn't you know the weather was damp and windy so we could not work outside painting the trim. We have no place to paint it inside. I did get a second coat of paint on the walls "early Monday" morning. Then I went to bed.
Monday again the weather was windy and damp working on being cold, so Bill and I went to town to get new fluorescent tubes and a new shop light. We thought we would start the flooring in the afternoon, but that did not happen. We were both exhausted plus I was making lasagna for dinner. So now you are caught up.
Today we laid enough of the flooring so the bed could be moved on top of the new flooring. It looks nice. We only worked about 2 1/2 hours, but we were cutting in the upper part of the garage. So Dad and I did the cutting. Bill leg has been bothering him, so he just snapped the flooring in place. Here is what the flooring looks like. Not really much different in color from the plywood under it, but much easier to clean.
Notice my Quilting Square up Ruler at the side by the wall. I use it to mark the line for cutting. It is difficult to see, but there are 1/4" spacers along the wall. This flooring floats. It locks together with a tongue and groove system and is held in place with the trim. Oh I also changed the fluorescent tube in the light that was already in the room. We still need to put the new light in, but I want to decide where every thing will be placed so the light will be in the correct place.
Peggy
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Making of a Sewing Studio
After much delay Bill and I are making progress with creating a Sewing Studio for me. This involves the transformation of the largest of the bedrooms in our area of the house. It had a carpet on the floor, but that has been removed and we are now down to the subfloor of plywood.
Exciting right! Well eventually that will be covered with a light wood laminate. But before we can lay that the walls had to be painted. The original walls were a medium color wood paneling. This is a basement room with no windows. At best it is dark and the paneling in the picture makes it even darker.
So the next step was to paint the paneling. We both hate painting. Plus painting over paneling is tricky. It is easy to not get the paint into the grooves or have the paint slid right off the panel, because of it's slick finish. So the first step was to put on a primer that is designed to use on paneling and in areas that could harbor moisture. Believe it or not that went rather quickly. I did the edges and Bill rolled on the rest of the wall. We didn't need to worry about trim, because other then the door trim that is already attached the rest will be added after the floor is in place.
So this is the results of the primer.
We painted this first thing this morning. Just that little bit of light color paint on the walls made a big difference in the room. We have overhead lights in this room, which has two 4 foot fluorescent tubes. The tubes are the soft white, so they don't offer much light. We are going to have Bill's son (He is coming Thanksgiving weekend to help.) add another light the same size plus we will change the tubes so they are the brighter, day light type tubes.The next step for us today was to paint the walls with the main color. We bought this paint at least two years ago and it is an aqua color. I tried to stir the paint, but I must not have done a good job. When I started to so the trimming at the top of the wall the paint ran like water. I had a new roller, but was using the
same brush I had used this morning. I don't think it was completely dry , but I really don't think that was the total problem. I think I just didn't get the paint mixed well. If I do something in the afternoon and things don't go well I get frustrated. I had more paint on the floor and me then on the walls. So I put my paint back in the can and stirred some more. Bill didn't seem to have trouble, but I basically was done for the day. He has his part done, but I still need to paint the top of the wall and the trim around the door. At least I have the whole weekend to get this done as Bill is taking the weekend off. Here is a picture of Bill after he was finished and had come in for being outside. The aqua color don't show up well, but it is a pretty and light color. Perfect for a background for the Sewing Studio.Keep watching the blog for updates. It will take a long time, because we are also doing the other small room that will become our bedroom. I will be happy if we get it all done and I get the stuff sorted and in place by the end of the year.
Peggy
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Back from our Quick Trip
We are now home!
Well actually we have been back for a while, but it seems like we just returned. I guess it was because we were tired when we returned and then we had to deal with time change. I was discussing with a friend today that I was having a difficult time adjusting to the time change this fall. Normally I don't have a problem, but I did feel better when she told me she and her husband had discussed the same problem
This year I became more aware of my need to eat at a certain time. When time changed my body started giving me singles about needing something to eat, but it wasn't meal time. I can just ignore hunger, but when I start to get the feeling of relaxing from the head down, I know I am in trouble. I know it will only be about 15 minutes and I will have the shakes in my hands and my brain won't allow me to think logically. I also become very sensitive to temperatures or lack of circulation. I have a Dr's appointment next month, so this is on my list of things to discuss with her. I have thought for years I am Hypoglycemic, but she doesn't think that is the problem. She did find a thyroid problem and I am on medications for that situation.
Our trip to MO and AR was nice, but much too short. You would not believe the number of Quilt Shops we went by, but they were closed. Most of them were closed due to the day of our passing by, but also because of the hour we passed them. I don't understand why they were not open at 7am. I didn't open my shop until 10am, so I know why they were not open. Next year I hope to plan better so I can at least go to one shop.
The leaves this year are showing wonderful colors. They were trying their best to hang onto the limbs and let us enjoy their grander, but yesterday many trees just let them drift to the ground. Today is was like a shower of leaves as we were driving into town. I noticed tonight we have little piles of leaves on the deck. We will need to start pushing the lovely leaves over the hill before too much of the woods decides to land near the house. It is a pain to go out nearly everyday to remove the leaves, but if we don't they can get so deep it is difficult to even pick them up.
This is the quilt that I made for Quilting Treasure's to show off there new line of Currier & Ives Sailing fabric.
The pattern will be available soon on this
web site with the fabric being delivered to
your local quilt shop in Dec. This quilt is not hard to make and would make a prefect gift for the favorite man in your life. The first pieced border from the center panel is a variation of a block called Attic Window. I thought of the women who might be looking out to sea waiting for their husbands return home from a long voyage. I combined many of the small squares that would normally be in the blocks into rectangles. So the piecing of that border is minimal. I also used an easy to piece flying geese instead of using two half square triangles to make the points.
Get out and enjoy what is left of fall. Winter will be here before we know it...as some places have already had snow. I wonder if they were snowing leaves at the same time as they were snowing the white stuff?????? Maybe someone will let us know.
Peggy
Well actually we have been back for a while, but it seems like we just returned. I guess it was because we were tired when we returned and then we had to deal with time change. I was discussing with a friend today that I was having a difficult time adjusting to the time change this fall. Normally I don't have a problem, but I did feel better when she told me she and her husband had discussed the same problem
This year I became more aware of my need to eat at a certain time. When time changed my body started giving me singles about needing something to eat, but it wasn't meal time. I can just ignore hunger, but when I start to get the feeling of relaxing from the head down, I know I am in trouble. I know it will only be about 15 minutes and I will have the shakes in my hands and my brain won't allow me to think logically. I also become very sensitive to temperatures or lack of circulation. I have a Dr's appointment next month, so this is on my list of things to discuss with her. I have thought for years I am Hypoglycemic, but she doesn't think that is the problem. She did find a thyroid problem and I am on medications for that situation.
Our trip to MO and AR was nice, but much too short. You would not believe the number of Quilt Shops we went by, but they were closed. Most of them were closed due to the day of our passing by, but also because of the hour we passed them. I don't understand why they were not open at 7am. I didn't open my shop until 10am, so I know why they were not open. Next year I hope to plan better so I can at least go to one shop.
The leaves this year are showing wonderful colors. They were trying their best to hang onto the limbs and let us enjoy their grander, but yesterday many trees just let them drift to the ground. Today is was like a shower of leaves as we were driving into town. I noticed tonight we have little piles of leaves on the deck. We will need to start pushing the lovely leaves over the hill before too much of the woods decides to land near the house. It is a pain to go out nearly everyday to remove the leaves, but if we don't they can get so deep it is difficult to even pick them up.
This is the quilt that I made for Quilting Treasure's to show off there new line of Currier & Ives Sailing fabric.
The pattern will be available soon on this
web site with the fabric being delivered to
your local quilt shop in Dec. This quilt is not hard to make and would make a prefect gift for the favorite man in your life. The first pieced border from the center panel is a variation of a block called Attic Window. I thought of the women who might be looking out to sea waiting for their husbands return home from a long voyage. I combined many of the small squares that would normally be in the blocks into rectangles. So the piecing of that border is minimal. I also used an easy to piece flying geese instead of using two half square triangles to make the points.
Get out and enjoy what is left of fall. Winter will be here before we know it...as some places have already had snow. I wonder if they were snowing leaves at the same time as they were snowing the white stuff?????? Maybe someone will let us know.
Peggy
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Taking a short trip
In the morning Bill and I will be leaving for Branson, MO. We have two free nights there thanks to a local promotion. This is actually not a pleasure trip, but a visit to our, for now, neurologist. Dr. Gus, as we call him, moved his practice last year to Ft. Smith Ark. When he move it left Murray with no neurologist, now we have two. They both moved in after we had our appointment. Since they are specialist we need a referrals to be able to see the new DR. So since we will be in Branson we will continue on to Ft. Smith to see Dr Gus.
We noticed today that the leaves are really changing colors, so it should be a pretty trip.
I will post again when we get back
Peggy
We noticed today that the leaves are really changing colors, so it should be a pretty trip.
I will post again when we get back
Peggy
Monday, September 29, 2008
Vacation was great!
Bill and I went on vacation for 10 days. We went to Wisconsin hoping for cool weather. In fact we both took sweatshirts and insulated shirts that never made it out of the suit case or off the hangers.
We were very busy the whole time we were gone, yet because it was a change of pace it was relaxing. I think Friday was the only day we were not with relatives of Bill's. We were with Bill's son, daughter-in-law and grandson the most. We also saw a niece, nephew and girlfriend, great nephew, sisters, brother-in-law, boy friend of a sister, cousins and a lot of good friends. We played cards, watched 10 year old's play football, talked, ate meals together and just enjoyed our time in WI.
We were staying in a Condo Vacation Community in Wisconsin Dells. We took Devin our 10 year old grandson fishing at the small lake on the grounds. He caught lots of little bluegill and was perfectly happy until I stopped taking them off the hook for him. He has learned how to put the worm on the hook, catch the fish but he doesn't want to take the fish off the hook. Well that is all part of fishing, just like us quilters sometimes need to frog stitch (take out stitches) even if we don't like the process.
Bill and I also went to the casino once.....for about 10 minutes. We had set a limit of spending $20.00. Bill spent and lost his ten in nothing flat. I changed $5.00 into $12. on one machine and my other $5.00 into $80.00 on another machine. I told Bill let's cash in and go back to the Condo to watch the ball game. It took us longer to walk from the parking lot to the casino and back then we were actually in the casino. I thought we might go back again, but we just didn't have time.
While Bill was watching Devin's football team play I was playing also. I did manage to go to three quilt shops (one twice) and get some supplies I needed for making samples for my new patterns.
I bought some black and white fabric's, mostly from Mark Lipinski's Califon collection, and some 1800's reproductions to fill out my collection. It was difficult to decide what collections I wanted use, but my stash at home needs to be reduced so I tried to get fabric that could be used as focal fabrics.
On the last Saturday we were there I call Trish P, a gal from the Pickle Road yahoo group I belong to and she was available to meet me at The Mill House Quilt Shop in Waunakee. Prior to her arriving I asked a clerk to cut 12 of the Califon black and whites . When Trish arrived we started talking quilts, fabric, health and many other things and the next thing I knew she asked if I wanted to go to the quilt shop in her town. Naturally I said yes and out the door we went. Guess who forgot her fabric. The bad part was I had not paid for it! So one of the clerks managed to catch me before I started my van to ask me if I still wanted my fabric. I was embarrassed, but they saved me a trip back to their shop as I really wanted the Califon black and white collection. So I paid for my fabric and we went to Village Creek, LLC in Lodi. The shop was about the size of my former shop with most of the fabric being reproductions. Their was also some Bali's, but I was not interested in them. It was a fun time looking and buying....now it is time for the making.
First I need to make a quilt for Quilting Treasures. The fabric arrived from them while we were gone. It is very nice, but I must keep the style, designer and pattern I designed a secret until Quilt Market opens at the end of October. I love the pattern I designed as it is simple, but has lots of movement. Look for my quilt if you go to market.
One thing I forgot to tell you is we now have two new lazy boy chairs for our living room. Bill's sister Donna gave them to us. One is leather and the other is plush in deep red and deep rose. We are waiting until Thursday to bring them into the house, because our kitten has an appointment that day to be fixed and claws removed.
We also brought back some meats that we can not buy in KY, potatoes that were at least $3.00 cheaper per bag and some good northern apples. Our van was loaded when we left WI.
We stopped to see out friends Beverly and Len in IL and they gave us 6 dozen farm fresh eggs. Oh and I forgot the breads I bought at the bakery in Bloomington, WI. They make a wonderful multigrain bread that I just love toasted. After visiting with Beverly and Len and enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a piece of delicious chocolate cake we looked for a motel room so we could rest for the night. We had already checked Tuscola, Arcola and then we checked a couple of other small towns on our way down the road. One clerk told us they have been booked since May. Later we found a room in Effingham and discovered it was Parents Weekend at Eastern IL University. I think every parent of students attending EIU were visiting.
Bill and I slept in late and took out time making our last day of vacation last as long as we could. Mom and Dad cried when we arrived home, because they were so happy to see us. We had friends and neighbors check on them while we were gone, but they had to do their own cooking etc.
Now it is back to normal, cooking, cleaning, figuring out bills and yes sewing those quilts.
Have a good one!
Peggy
We were very busy the whole time we were gone, yet because it was a change of pace it was relaxing. I think Friday was the only day we were not with relatives of Bill's. We were with Bill's son, daughter-in-law and grandson the most. We also saw a niece, nephew and girlfriend, great nephew, sisters, brother-in-law, boy friend of a sister, cousins and a lot of good friends. We played cards, watched 10 year old's play football, talked, ate meals together and just enjoyed our time in WI.
We were staying in a Condo Vacation Community in Wisconsin Dells. We took Devin our 10 year old grandson fishing at the small lake on the grounds. He caught lots of little bluegill and was perfectly happy until I stopped taking them off the hook for him. He has learned how to put the worm on the hook, catch the fish but he doesn't want to take the fish off the hook. Well that is all part of fishing, just like us quilters sometimes need to frog stitch (take out stitches) even if we don't like the process.
Bill and I also went to the casino once.....for about 10 minutes. We had set a limit of spending $20.00. Bill spent and lost his ten in nothing flat. I changed $5.00 into $12. on one machine and my other $5.00 into $80.00 on another machine. I told Bill let's cash in and go back to the Condo to watch the ball game. It took us longer to walk from the parking lot to the casino and back then we were actually in the casino. I thought we might go back again, but we just didn't have time.
While Bill was watching Devin's football team play I was playing also. I did manage to go to three quilt shops (one twice) and get some supplies I needed for making samples for my new patterns.
I bought some black and white fabric's, mostly from Mark Lipinski's Califon collection, and some 1800's reproductions to fill out my collection. It was difficult to decide what collections I wanted use, but my stash at home needs to be reduced so I tried to get fabric that could be used as focal fabrics.
On the last Saturday we were there I call Trish P, a gal from the Pickle Road yahoo group I belong to and she was available to meet me at The Mill House Quilt Shop in Waunakee. Prior to her arriving I asked a clerk to cut 12 of the Califon black and whites . When Trish arrived we started talking quilts, fabric, health and many other things and the next thing I knew she asked if I wanted to go to the quilt shop in her town. Naturally I said yes and out the door we went. Guess who forgot her fabric. The bad part was I had not paid for it! So one of the clerks managed to catch me before I started my van to ask me if I still wanted my fabric. I was embarrassed, but they saved me a trip back to their shop as I really wanted the Califon black and white collection. So I paid for my fabric and we went to Village Creek, LLC in Lodi. The shop was about the size of my former shop with most of the fabric being reproductions. Their was also some Bali's, but I was not interested in them. It was a fun time looking and buying....now it is time for the making.
First I need to make a quilt for Quilting Treasures. The fabric arrived from them while we were gone. It is very nice, but I must keep the style, designer and pattern I designed a secret until Quilt Market opens at the end of October. I love the pattern I designed as it is simple, but has lots of movement. Look for my quilt if you go to market.
One thing I forgot to tell you is we now have two new lazy boy chairs for our living room. Bill's sister Donna gave them to us. One is leather and the other is plush in deep red and deep rose. We are waiting until Thursday to bring them into the house, because our kitten has an appointment that day to be fixed and claws removed.
We also brought back some meats that we can not buy in KY, potatoes that were at least $3.00 cheaper per bag and some good northern apples. Our van was loaded when we left WI.
We stopped to see out friends Beverly and Len in IL and they gave us 6 dozen farm fresh eggs. Oh and I forgot the breads I bought at the bakery in Bloomington, WI. They make a wonderful multigrain bread that I just love toasted. After visiting with Beverly and Len and enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a piece of delicious chocolate cake we looked for a motel room so we could rest for the night. We had already checked Tuscola, Arcola and then we checked a couple of other small towns on our way down the road. One clerk told us they have been booked since May. Later we found a room in Effingham and discovered it was Parents Weekend at Eastern IL University. I think every parent of students attending EIU were visiting.
Bill and I slept in late and took out time making our last day of vacation last as long as we could. Mom and Dad cried when we arrived home, because they were so happy to see us. We had friends and neighbors check on them while we were gone, but they had to do their own cooking etc.
Now it is back to normal, cooking, cleaning, figuring out bills and yes sewing those quilts.
Have a good one!
Peggy
Monday, September 15, 2008
Me again
Wow! Being without electric yesterday and today I had not seen the pictures of what happen when hurricane Ike hit Texas and other areas of the south. What devastation. I was familiar with many of the areas due to a trip to Houston and the surrounding areas last year. I'm sure some of the restaurants we ate at and places we shopped at are now just sticks. So sad.
Go down and read about our experiences with "Ike"!
Go down and read about our experiences with "Ike"!
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