Friday Off

Every other Friday, Aaron has a day off kindgarten and yesterday was his Friday off.  I always enjoy an outing with him during his off Fridays, and we headed to Bellevue for lunch at Twisted Sister.  When we were almost there, he spotted Subway and decided on that instead. 

This is a really nice Subway, shared with a Burger King, with large windows and a view of Cincinnati across the way.  He opted out of the library and aquarium and the dollar store, some of our favorite haunts, in favor spending the afternoon at my house.  I know that the day will come when he will declare that my house is b-o-r-i-n-g, so I treasure time spent at home now.

We battled with light sabers, a lot, and Aaron played Kindle games, with light sabers, and we watched several Peanuts videos.  There was a bit of play with Legos, but not much, and the art box wasn't requested this time.  At the end of the afternoon, his mom stopped to pick him up and he took the leftovers from his Subway sandwich to eat on the way home.   

Big Stockings, Big Font

Big stockings, big font.  Fifty-point Curlew.  My daughter got the stockings for 75% off after Christmas.  These stockings are big enough for a pack of markers or a little notebook or other bulky little stuffers.

I think I sewed too close to bed time last night and dreamed about sewing several times.  Not that such dreaming is necessarily all bad, but I think I'll shut it down earlier tonight.

Yesterday I watched most of The Butler with my neighbor.  It's a glimpse of the personal and professional life of a White House butler over several administrations.  Fascinating to me because I can remember much of the history as a young adult.  I didn't get to watch the end of it, but I'll borrow her DVD today when I go out to clean the walks.  If I can talk myself into it - five degreees.  Every time I look it's a little colder so I'm not looking any more.

Thread Doesn't Count

One of my goals for this year, same as last year, is to have the same or less amount of fabric at the end of the year than when the year started.  I'm pretty sure that's what happened last year, although I didn't actually keep a running tally, which I am this year.  So far, so good, I've used more than I've purchased.  What I've purchased has been in the form of some fat quarter packs and small pieces, but that all counts.

Thread, however, doesn't count.  (Neither does fabric that people give me.  The rules according to me.)  So yesterday at work, when we got in lots of new Robison Anton embroidery colors, I got lots.  Robison Anton is my favorite, I like the smoothness of the thread and the large quantity of thread on the spools.  I didn't duplicate any of the colors I already have, and I'm using one new color today.

Lots of snow yesterday, and a slow morning commute.  I only work at the store a couple of days a month, and it was just my bad luck that the weather was bad yesterday morning.  By the evening, though, the roads were clear and it was very cold.  My windshield washers froze up again.  Today, it's even colder, up to 0 now.

Sleepover at My House

No school today because of the Martin Luthur King holiday, so last night the grands and their mom had a sleepover.  Very fun.

Now they've gone on their own way to the Museum Center and I headed for Baby Quilt Group, a return at Target, and now back home.  I think the thing to do is start on my sewing.  In the early January days I hoped that no new sewing jobs would appear from customers so I could do some catch up.  That happened, and now suddenly there are repairs and curtains and hemming.  Maybe I can do one job, then a quilt block, then another job followed by a quilt block.  It's no wonder that the jobs take awhile.

Loaves of Bread

This morning I got a phone called from Aaron.  "Gran B, I can't wait to come to your house tonight."  Well, Aaron, I can't wait either. 

In preparation for dinner, I made oatmeal bread from the More With Less cookbook.  My mother bought me that cookbook, and she has been gone for a long time, maybe 25 years ago, I'm not good with dates.  The oatmeal bread is by far my favorite recipe in the book, and I've made it over and over again.  Probably hundreds of loaves.

Aaron also informed me that he is bringing applesauce made in the crockpot.  With apples, sugar, cinnamon, and water.  His kindergarten class made it around Thanksgiving and he was impressed with the process.  That boy is a lover of homemade applesauce.

We're also having roast pork, scalloped potatoes, cooked carrots, brownies.  Tomorrow is a day off school to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, so there will be a sleepover too.

Caught Up Again

Thanks to Ginny, who gave the each member of the baby quilt group three pieces of fabric for this month's quilt.  Of course it will be interesting to see how the quilts look alike (the fabric) and how they differ.  After some thought, I went with my default improvisational method.  I never know quite what it will look like but I'm never disappointed.

All OK

 

First of all, the Lucy update:  her doggie tummy is fine, no trace of the corn cob.  Sarah and Winnie are relieved.

 



About a year ago my friend Carrye and I went to Cabin Arts in Burlington and we both got some of this fabric with the trees and skaters.  I used most of mine for a baby quilt for my friend Bev's new grandbaby, but there was a bit left, and I LOVE that fabric.

So, it shows up again in this month's premmie quilt, the very last of it - I was saving it for winter.  I like to do my quilting pretty tight, about 1/2" apart, but in the interest of getting finished I did this one about 1" apart.  I really had to talk to myself and give myself permission to do that.  I like to think that the premmie quilts are just as nice as the ones I give my friends and relations.  Once I finished it, though, I realized that it actually makes no difference.  It's just as nice, just has a different look.