Showing posts with label Family Heirlooms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Heirlooms. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

WIP Wednesday

I tried to get to the edging on Dayflower Dreaming.  Sadly, there is five more rows to go.


Even though there is about ten more rows added, it looks the same so no new picture.  The problem with letting a WIP languish too long, I forgot why I was making this.  I have no idea what to do with it once I'm finished, other than block it, fold it up and put it someplace safe.  I think I might have wanted to use it on one of those small round decorator tables, however that no longer interests me.  Too far into this to rip it out and re-use the yarn.


Same progress on Villa Mirabilia as I posted on Saturday.  This was started before the above project and I still have the same plan to frame it and hang in the living room.



After I posted on Sunday, Duane went in to assemble his pizza.  I wasn't able to get into the kitchen until around eight that night and by that time I was too tired to mess with the cake like I said I was going to. Monday, I felt fluish with body and head aches.




That's ok, his pizza was delicious.  The crust was so buttery and yummy it could have just had melted cheese on it and it would have been wonderful.  The beef brisket was tender and tangy with his homemade sauce.



I made the Black Forest cake tonight while watching Fried Green Tomatoes for the third time in a week.  It was the only thing on tv those nights.  My kitchen is about as big as a postage stamp.  The top layer of the cake broke in three pieces when I placed it on top.  Chocolate ganache then a layer of cherries.



Heavy whipping cream was on sale, so I got that.  While whipping it up, I thought how did they whip cream before electricity.  Those women must have had one heck of an arm.  I just put a few dollaps on the cake because there wouldn't be any room for the cake in the dollhouse sized refrigerator.  Postage stamp kitchen, dollhouse refrigerator and an oven the size of an Easy Bake. (sigh)



It didn't matter to Duane that my sad cake looked so pathetic.  He said it tasted better than the Sara Lee version.  He even sat in here and watched some of Fried Green Tomatoes with me while he ate it.  It was the part where Idgy and Ruth get into a food fight.  I was thinking about that scene while I was whipping cream and thought about coming in the bedroom and tossing a spoonful at someone.  Just to be funny.  He said, that would be better than a glass of water.

Speaking of Duane, he wrote two new posts on his blog.  One is his progress and the other is his cheesecake recipe that I posted a picture here.  Stop over and ask him for that great pizza crust recipe.  I can't rave enough about that crust.



It's late Tuesday night here, and no call back about the job. I had a feeling the lady before me would get the job as she knew other people in the facility.  I'm feeling a bit depressed and disappointed.  Every morning I still continue to fill out at least 5 applications a day. Today, I spent eight or more hours sending resumes and applications.  I'm down to grocery stores, fast-food restaurants, housekeeping, laundry and convenience stores. I don't care what it is, as long as it's something I can do.  I just need a job.  I know there's nothing you can do unless you know an employer in Tucson and call them up say give that lady a job and send positive thoughts.  It's just so disheartening.

We made a decision last month. It will be awhile, but we plan on moving to Fresno, Ca.  I've made a few really good friends here, but I'm just not happy with Arizona. If you have first hand experince of Fresno, give me a shout.  I've been doing a ton of research online.  There seem to be more jobs listings in Fresno and I was attempted to apply to some, except I have no way to get there.  Until then I will dream of the day I can ramble on.




Monday, March 07, 2011

It's A Fine Line


The French lady across the way has been watering my plants for me.  The petunias mostly died in the hard freeze we had.  Love that deep purple of my pansies.

Actually, I had another title planned, but I forgot to bring my camera for the proper pictures.  Tomorrow.

Not much knitting accomplished yesterday.  D wanted me to just hold his hand, so that's what I did. The window in his room has a wonderful view of the mountains, but it is behind his head.  So, I turned my chair towards him and watched the sunset on the mountains.

His nurse yesterday was great.  We made a pretty good team trying to keep D comfortable, figuring out the right yes/no questions.  That's all I ask for is a nurse I can work with.  Not one that runs in and cranks up the propofol the minute he gets antsy.  When I called up at 8am this morning and found out we had her again, I did a happy dance in the middle of the living room.  Totally freaked out the cats.

My favorite receptionist was back this morning.  She asked me for an update on his progress over the weekend.  I just love her.  She makes me smile for real every morning when she is there. (some sort of miracle worker.)  Then when I said a cheerful good morning to D, he raised the corners of his mouth in attempt to smile.  Only imagine what he is thinking.  First time in nine years she's saying good morning with a smile instead of the usual grunt and frown.

During rounds the attending said, it would take 3 or 4 days for the ENT team to make an assessment, then maybe later this week or next week for the trach.  Imagine my surprise when the nurse said she got an order to hold his tube feed.  Then the chief of the ENT came to talk to me and had me sign the papers.  If they can manage it with the OR schedule they will do the trach today.  Definitely, sometime early tomorrow.

 This should make it easier for D move around, I'm told.  Which is good as he is much more alert and wanting to sit way up high in bed.  He's tall with a longer in the torso than most people.  Anything made for short people like me, makes his back hurt.  A random nurse, came in while I was trying to make him comfortable and knew just how to arrange the bed so he's sitting right up, and helped me reposition him.  I wanted to take her name down.  If only I were a billionaire and could go to the hospital and say in exchange for this rather large donation, we want these nurses.  Not that some others don't have his best interest at heart, it's just some work better with us than others.  Nothing personal.

He's making twice as much urine today.  So his kidneys are trying to regain function.  His potassium and other blood levels are still high, so they will do dialysis today.  I'm sitting here laughing at that.  What other circumstance would anyone blog about their SO's urine output.  I don't know, the thought of it, sends me into a fit of giggles.

I'm bringing both the laptop and camera with me this evening.  He wants to see pictures of the fur/feather kids.  The nurse said, I could just leave my laptop there, that it would be safe.  Yeah, it's not like I can replace it and don't want to take that big of chance.  She said patients families bring in all kinds of electronics into the rooms.  They spend night, some practically move right into the room.  Imagine that.  My back and sanity wouldn't let me do the move right in thing.

  Almost 30 years ago, I went through a similar situation with my late ex-mil and only immediate family could visit 2 at a time for 10 minutes every hour.  Otherwise, we had to sit way down the hall in the waiting room.  They wouldn't get you if something happened, you just walked in for the next visit and the shock.  I remember when fil had a cerebral hemmorage, they didn't come tell her, just popped him on life support and she was shocked when she went in for her 10 minute visit.

Making more bird videos, so I can show D.  Have some paperwork to do. Thanks for stopping by,  see you tomorrow. Still trying to catch up or keep up on you between all the busy.  Pray that his trach operation goes smoothly.

Friday, January 14, 2011

FO Friday

Some of you may not consider this to be an FO.  Depending on whether it decides what it wants to be, it just might be an FO in it's current state.  Sometimes after I finish spinning or dying a yarn it stops there.  The yarn doesn't seem to want to be anything more than what it is.  Often times, I will then give it away, others I let stay for awhile longer.


Last night, I finished Navajo plying the BFL from last month, so I could have my third bobbin free.  I dyed this a couple years ago, with rose pink, lavender, and Copenhagen blue with long stretches of color.


From Knitting Kitties
From Knitting Kitties


This still needs to be soaked and thwacked to set the twist.  Unless I plan to use the yarn right away, I let my spun yarn pile up for awhile.  For those times people stress me out and I could use a good thwacking session to let me frustrations out.  Heaven help the person that put me in such a state if they interrupt me, or they might find themselves being thwacked with the yarn.  (Thwacking is the process of setting and smoothing the twist by smacking the wet yarn against a smooth hard surface.)


From Knitting Kitties


This is the skeins older brother that I spun a couple years ago.  I'm thinking about pairing them with a semi-solid for some fair isle.  They think they might want to go with the BFL/silk I'm currently spinning.  The BFL/silk says it's not too sure about that right now.  The natural colored fiber could be a snob, it might be the silk.

Being that as time goes on this year, FO's are going to be scarcer on this blog.  I'm a process person so I like long entailed projects as they give me the most bang for my buck.  I've been thinking about doing a Family Heirloom Friday postings.  To show the things that haven't made it to the blog or so long ago many of you haven't seen them.  There many things I hope to become family heirlooms.  I don't know if they will, as I'm still alive and I don't know if future generations will treasure what I made or not.

To start, I'll show you a true family heirloom I found in one of my totes.  My mother gave me some of my grandmother's linens after she passed. To keep them safe, I stuffed them into one of my many project totes and sadly forgot about them.


From Knitting Kitties


She must have made these before I was born.  I don't remember her doing embroidery except to teach me.  Her crocheting at that time was sweaters, afghans, hats and scarfs for the family.  This one has some spots that I will have to look up on how to properly treat them.


From Knitting Kitties


Such delicate crochet.  It looks like she used size 20 or 30 crochet cotton.

The birdies aren't looking much different today.  Most of the growth seems to be in making feathers.  I'll lock up the cats and take them all out for a photo shoot tomorrow.  So, I'll leave you with a picture of Herbie dozing with his head by the doorway after his morning outing.


From Knitting Kitties