What's Been Happening?

I finally finished reading The DiVinci Code by Dan Brown. It was an interesting book, and I enjoyed it very much. I still have five books from my summer of '06 reading list to read. It became my '07 reading list and will become my '08 reading list if I don't get them read in time. I've read numerous books, just not the ones on this particular list. Most of them have been legal studies books, and soon will be nursing books.

I still need to become a notary public and now I want to get MDS (Minimum Data Set--a form reguired by the government on every nursing home resident.) certified. Neither of these will take very long. I just need to have time to take care of it.


Here are the colors for April from the Take It Forward Challenge, and the challenge topic this month is how do you see change? Even though they are pretty, they aren't "my" colors,. They are my Mom's colors. She loved greens, oranges, browns, yellows, the warmer colors. I'm going to use these colors and use silk ribbon embroidery and make a crazy quilt stitched heart as a tiny memorial to her.

Last month I got the fat quarters to make a quilt block (which will be part of a wall hanging). Got the pattern, called Celtic Sunrise. It even has some of March's colors in it! I traced the pattern, cut the strips and went to press the strips....my iron died. It was just a cheapie from Wal-Mart, but I expected it to last for more than a couple of months.

I was going to get a nice new iron last year, but due to not working, and budgeting, it wasn't a high priority. Hence....the cheapie from Wal-Mart. Last week I ordered this baby and this ironing "board".
The iron came on Wednesday and the "board" on Friday, except my ex was sleeping and didn't hear the UPS guy, so I have to wait until tomorrow to get it, and next weekend to set it up, due to working long hours this week. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I also ordered, and received (yesterday) Collage Unleashed by Traci Bautista. I haven't had a chance to look through it yet. Maybe I will find time this afternoon. I still have a lot to do this weekend.

Weekends

Today is the seven year anniversary of my son's death. I miss him terribly. Not a day goes by that I do not think of him, wish I could hear his voice, hold him and tell him I love him and how proud I am of him. He was only 28. I watched a Dr. Phil episode I had recorded last week. It reminded me of something I always try to do. That is, honor his life, and not dwell on the day of his death. He didn't want people crying that he was gone, but smiling and laughing that he had shared time with us, short as it was. He was truly a remarkable young man.






Currently, I'm working in a position I used to work at over a year ago. My, my, my, have things changed at this nursing home, even in the past month. I had worked there for 3 weeks (in a different position), left, and now I'm back. Anyway....I have every weekend off! woohoo!!!!

Per my usual Saturday morning schedule, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting at 10:00. Then I proceeded to Joann’s to use my coupon and get patterns (if they are on sale). I did a few errands, I took my ipod to Best Buy for repair. I went to Wally World and then Sweet Bay. Last stop was Panchero’s for lunch. I ALWAYS have the burrito bowl with a tortilla on the side. I usually blow my weekly points there, but it’s worth it! mmmmm mmmmm! LOL

The Take it Further challenge for March color scheme is:

and the challenge concept is “to pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger.” We don’t have to match the colors exactly, but as close as we can. So, I got these fat quarters at Joann’s.

I’m planning to make a quilt block if I can find one that I really like enough to do it in a much smaller size.





Friday’s picture is one of my favorite things: Pepsi One. I never liked diet sodas. But. a few years ago, I needed to cut back on calories and didn’t want to give up soda. I tried Pepsi One and liked it immediately. It doesn’t leave a nasty aftertaste like some of the other diet sodas do. When I went off the diet, I continued to drink Pepsi One.




Saturday’s picture is Bear, my ex’s black lab. She is about 13 years old. We got her from the SPCA in 2000, I think. She was to be a companion dog to Pongo our Dalmatian. Here’s a question for ya. We all know that the male dog’s name in 101 Dalmatians was Pongo. What was the female dog’s name? I dunno. I had to go look it up! Her name is Perdita or Perdy for short… Back to Bear. I swear sometimes that this dog tried to kill me. She had a habit of sneaking up behind me, lying on the floor, and when I turned around I usually tripped over her. More often than not it happened late at night when there were no lights on. When we first got her Walt took a week off from work to help her get accustomed to Pongo and our house. She's a sweet dog now but old and decrepit, all white faced and pawed. She won't be with us much longer. She has cataracts and arthritis, but doesn't seem to be in pain.


Today’s picture is of a new (to me) product I found a couple of weeks ago. It’s a body wash made by Olay. It leaves my skin soft and silky. I sound like a commercial! LOL. But seriously, it’s fa-bu-lous stuff. and it’s pretty too!






We should have no regrets. The past is finished. There is nothing to be gained by going over it. Whatever it gave us in the experiences it brought us was something we had to know. Rebecca Beard

February's challenge

Our Take it Further Challenge for February, as set up and posed to us by Sharon Boggin, is about memory...what are we old enough to remember? My early memories come in bits and pieces, more like snapshots than flowing like a movie. Fuzzy stills frozen in time.

My earliest memory is of a Christmas. I must have been two or three. I remember waking up and hearing my parents talking in the kitchen. Too excited to stay in bed any longer I slipped out of the toasty warm bed and felt the icy cold wooden floor beneath my feet. I quickly found my pink house slippers and robe and put them on. I couldn’t wait to see what Santa had brought me!

My Mother took me straight to the living room and held me up so I could see out the window. There our front yard was covered in a layer of pristine white snow! It was a Christmas scene out of the movies.

That is where my memory stops. I think I got a child’s kitchen set and iron and ironing board. I have a memory of playing with them that is close to the same time as the Christmas memory.

I have good memories and bad memories just as everyone does. All those memories are a part of what makes me me. My personal history. No one else has lived it.

As for the color challenge, here are the colors. I’ve thought about doing a small quilted piece, maybe in the form of crazy quilting or perhaps a mandala. Still not sure yet.


Butterick has new spring patterns out. Out of the big four, Butterick is my favorite. I’ll be buying these during the next sale at Joann’s. Butterick


5173, (This is a Maggie London pattern. I LOVE most of her designs.)














5185,















and 5188.















Today is the first day in a long time that I've actually had time and motivation to sew something. I've had a pair of UFO boxers for Walt lying in my sewing basket for three or four months. I just need to hem them and put in the elastic. Today, I basted the hems. Wasn't much, but it felt good to accomplish something.

Looking back

I had planned on posting New Year’s eve, but I was sick with a flu bug. I woke up long enough to see the ball fall in Times Square, and then back to sleep!

Looking back over 2007, I accomplished many things that I had listed as goals. (I don’t make “resolutions” as they just beg to be broken and forgotten.) I graduated from the paralegal class with a 3.97. In January I left a job that I despised. (due to unforeseen circumstances I went back to work there this past Wednesday night, but that’s a whole ‘nother post. At least it’s a different position.) I was also able to cross several things off my 101 Things list.

My major goals for this year is to get my RN license, or at least be very close to sitting for state boards by December 31st. (that license will open a lot of different doors) I need to get my notary license and get certified in Microsoft office. I also want to get the advanced paralegal certification. Minor goals include finishing my 101 Things. I will be working on needlepoint and painting projects, along with making doll clothes and teddy bears. I also plan to reach my goal weight so I can start fitting and making clothes for myself again.


I’ll also be participating in the Take It Further Challenge, details can be found here. Details for January’s challenge can be found here. We have three options for the challenge. First, we can take the monthly challenge concept develop it into an idea and design and work it in whatever media we choose. Second, if we don't like the concept we can take the monthly challenge color scheme and work a design from it. Third, we can use both the concept and work the design in the color scheme.

I am slowly working on the concept involving the color scheme in ATCs. The concept this month is a feeling of admiration for another. Since my BD is falling on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's day this year, and since I did and still do admire him, I will use him.

This is a smocking sampler I did many years ago. Another goal is to make a smocked dress for AG Molly and my size two walker doll.

You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.
Darwin P. Kingsley