It's Finished! Next Project?

The "has been in the closet for years" project is now finished!  I love the border.  You chose yellow for the last round.  It has been washed and is drying to pack up for the next grand child.  It was a fun pattern to do, but a long project.  I am just glad it's done and off the "unfinished" list.

Daughter K picked this yarn out for a house warming gift (full size blanket).  I'm not sure her boyfriend will like it, but ha!  I will need to go back to the store for more, but first need to calculate how much will be needed.

I think I will also buy them a wine rack and some wine.  I have some time to think about it, but the blanket must get started now, as we are heading into the garden season next.

I have a lot to knock off the to-do list, but first outside stuff.  Rain is on the way, and in a bad way.  We  need to cut more wood and get it split, and I promised to cook dinner tonight. 

There is literally so much going on in our minds, we are mentally overloaded.  I wrote down "notepad" on my shopping list, so keep in my purse.  I went to the store and did not mark it off the list, went home without it, and wrote it down again.

I need paper and pen in my purse when visiting Mom.  That way I can write down what she wants to eat if the nursing home doesn't have it.  She has been very nauseated lately. Yes, I know I can put a reminder note or whatnot on my phone, but I forget that it's on the phone.  I'm old school I guess, when it comes to note taking.

 

Small Crocheted Hearts

Valentine's Day did not go by without making something special.  I whipped up some crocheted hanging hearts, in two different colors.  I put them on the bulletin board in Mom's nursing home room.  She loves hearts.  The quick pattern is on this blogspot:  http://threadbarecreations.blogspot.com/2021/01/easy-crochet-heart.html

Happy Homemaker Monday

There's nothing funnier, than my husband walking down the hallway and saying, "Babe?  Where are you?" and me popping my head inside the door at 6am.  I was outside in my PJ's trying to get a photo of the moon, but my camera was acting up.  Maybe it was the operator.  The pole light was on and my camera was just not getting the usual detail close up photo.

Bummed I could not get the very close up typical photo, I was back inside sipping hot coffee and stoking the fire.   My husband just shook his head side to side and mumbled something, ha ha!

I finally got a good shipping offer, and my yarn order has been placed.  I got 14% off and $.14 shipping.  Good deal, and yarn is on the way for the finishing of my current blanket, and other unfinished projects.  I want to get them done before garden season.

Today I am joining Sandra with Happy Homemaker at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  

I'll link up when she posts.  

The weather . . .

9°F and possible dusting of snow.

How I am feeling this morning . . .

I slept better last night anyway.  My husband is home, because he had booked the B & B for us, he has today off (we had to cancel the stay for now).

On the breakfast plate . . .

French toast, blueberry sausages and scrambled eggs.  Oh, and lots of coffee.

On my reading pile . . .

On my TV . . .

Movies - St. Vincent, I Want you Back, and The Kindness of Strangers

On the menu this week  . . .

-Burgers, macaroni salad
-spaghetti, veggie
-chicken with mushroom sauce, veggie

From the camera . . .

Nothing special on the camera, but this.  Daughter K and I made a quick trip into the Dollar Tree during our last visit to town.  Everything is now $1.25.  I found crafting clamps.  I have really tiny clamps, but these are perfect size.

Looking around the house . . .

It's a hot mess.  We come home from the nursing home, and there is so much to do, that the dishes get left.  We have to let the dogs out, stoke the fire, tend the hens, get the mail.....we can't leave the dogs out of their kennels with the wood stove going.  There is dog toy fluff all over my house, that Daughter K needs to clean up.

The to-do list . . .

-dishes
-vacuum

-laundry

-master bath

-floors

-muck chicken coop

-split wood

Prayers . . .

Mom.  

Slush to Ice. . .

 

Yesterday's rain turned everything to slush, which froze over last night.  It's a sheet of ice out there now.  I warned our daughter before taking the dogs out this morning.  

We had a visit with Mom, and will be visiting again today.  My younger brother took one of her cats into her room for her to see.

Daughter E surprised us with a visit last night, and just in time for dinner.  Daughter K made us chicken alfredo last night for dinner and it was delicious.  I was thrilled she offered to cook, and she said she needs to do it more to prepare moving out with her boyfriend.

Daughter E tried on her halter top I crocheted and it fits.  She was tickled pink to take leftovers home with her. I was happy to see her and the fact I didn't have to cook dinner.

I will need to cook this weekend though.  Not sure what yet, but first I need to wake up with some coffee.  We all slept in this morning.

Oh, while shopping at Wal-mart the other day, I checked the yarn aisle for a hook I needed and lost.  Daughter K picked up some yarn. in what I call, hippie colors.  She wants a baby blanket made with it.  I told her we'd talk later about my next project, when the current project is finished.  I told her by the time she has kids she may change her mind on those colors.  She is insisting that she'll love the colors, so we'll see if it happens. 

Just the Bits. . .

My husband, the sweet man that he is, secretly booked a B & B for the night prior to Valentine's Day.  Yesterday morning he canceled it in lieu of the updates regarding Mom's health.  They were very kind, and did not charge a fee to cancel.  We will re-book in the future.

Daughter K and I went to visit Mom (Gram) at the nursing home.  My heart breaks for Mom right now.  It took every millimeter in my body not to cry in front of her. 

We had to get nurses to help her with something, and I have to say that they are so nice.  They came in the room ASAP and helped Mom with getting her comfortable.  Just a really good staff to have for her right now.

We were so emotionally exhausted arriving home, that I sent a text to my husband begging him to bring home dinner.  I was in no condition to cook dinner.  I was literally in PJ's by 3:30pm, fired stoked, chickens tended, mail brought in, and by 4:00pm, had an adult drinky drink in my hands.

After updating my husband, we retired early, and not one of us remembered to stoke the fire. 

We woke up to a stone cold (gulp) wood stove this morning.  I can hear the blustery winds outside, but last I heard, we are expecting rain.  Not sure yet.  It's still pitch dark, and I haven't checked weather.

While in town I stopped at Wal-mart to buy small "S" hooks.  They had zero.  I need 8 of them to hang new grow lights for my seed starts. I plan to stop at Home Depot today, when I got back to town to visit Mom.  A new doctor is going to visit Mom today.  There is no way to sugar-coat this, but the doctor is evaluating Mom in regards to hospice care.  

Tidbit Thursday

Yesterday's challenge?  Walk to where we dump the ash pail without having to walk miles around more drifts left from the storm.

(Old Photo)

I know Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, but the football game will be on for sure.  I think this is the first year I have not been motivated to create nor start a Valentine's Day crochet project.  Mom's favorite items are heart shaped and made with mostly pink yarns.  I'm just emotionally spent this season. Are you creating anything for the holiday?

Our friends continue to ask us to join them again for a trip to Daytona Bike Week.  We have told them no.  One, Mom's health is not good, and two I personally didn't want to go (two times was enough for me).  I guess a few people have backed out on the trip, leaving rooms available to fill, so hopefully they will find someone else to go.  They are all flying this year, and one person is trailering the bikes. 

Speaking of Mom, she was given an antibiotic for pneumonia, but I haven't heard if it was confirmed she had it.  I talked to her on the phone, but she was so out of breath during the short conversation.  

All seeds (that need started indoors) for the garden have been planted in starter trays.  I have two extra trays, so if I think of anything I can add to it.  We are expanding the asparagus bed this year, so I have 72 plant starts.  Those were fun to plant.  The seed is black.  I just thought putting in plant starts would be much easier weeding-wise, than to start from seed.  It'll be a few years before we will be able to harvest, but I'm glad I'm expanding this year (looking forward to freezing a lot more of it in the years to come).

A Day of Sunshine

 Making things easier, I decided on a steel cut oats breakfast (crock pot) recipe.  I had apples and raisins and all the other ingredients needed.   I also made a pan of kamut flake bars for snacking (recipe is online with the Kamut brand).  Once that was checked off the list, housework resumed.

We had a full day of beautiful sunshine.  It felt great to be out in it.  I however, forgot to take my camera.  I did snap a photo of the early sunrise.

I lied about the baby blanket border.  After finishing round 1, I looked at the pattern and saw that it has 4 rounds.  It's been the longest baby blanket project, but will be able to soon say I finished it.  I'm on round 3 right now.  

I'm trying to decide what color of baby blanket to gift our grand-niece.  I have a baby green one done, and a light purple one.  I'll check on what color booties I already have, but I think I depleted the supply (lots of babies this year).

We ran out of leftovers, so it's back to the kitchen in regards to a dinner.   We are also needing to split wood tonight.  I better get my husband's breakfast, lunch and coffee packed.  He needs to leave for work soon.