What a Week!

Its been a very busy week.  With Bob in quarantine, and whining about how hard it is, I've been doing everything else and I mean everything else:  cooking, cleaning, dog duty, Christmas stuff, making all the decisions mostly because he just doesn't like tto do it.  Humphf!!!

Trying to figure out what fabric to use with Martha Dawson 1832.  The recommended is Pearl Barley.  I thought I had a little piece but, didn't.  Tried to find the DMC match on the Lakeside Linens website.  The website said 3872.  Guess what? There is no DMC 3872!  The first attempt to find it on 123 Stitch was fruitless but then I tried again today and found it!  The DMC match is 842.  I have all this lovely VMSS 40 count linen I want to use.  Before, I found the DMC match, another recommended fabric was Corn Tassel.  I just got a piece of that for another project so I compared it.  

The first one is the pretty close match to 842                This is the one that is close to Corn Tassel

or the Pearl Barley

 

I am leaning to the one closer to Pearl Barley.  The threads on on both pieces of .  

This SAL starts January 1 and I am nearly ready to go.  Just have to cut the fabric and fray check the edges   

Then I have the fabric, not the exact red for A Starry Christmas Eve or Night (not sure and too lazy to go and check).  The fibers are silk or DMC.  I pulled all the DMC and then converted it to over dyes and pretty happy with my choice.  Don't know if I'm really going to get this started.  Using the DMC for his face.  

Just a great picture of Henry Ford wore out from running around with Bob yesterday at camp.  Bob has four more days to quarantine and no symptoms!!!  Hooray!  Fingers crossed it stays that way.  If you don't believe in the power of masks, this will hopefully be proof.....I will let you know in four days.  

I do want to get my Red and Green Carnation Samper part of my Country Samplers School Girl Sampler club.  This looks super fun!

I finished part four Dairy Darlin' from LHN Farmhouse Christmas.  I don't know if I'm going to finish the whole piece now.  I really want to start the Carnations.  

Just Bob and I for Thanksgiving.  I did bring a plate of food (and a whopping plate it was) to Ed.  He was working that day.  Just a quicky selfie with our masks on.  He does come up to eat but, we are 8-10 feet apart.  

 Hope you had good Thanksgiving!  Wear your masks, social distance, wash your hands.  Keep a positive attitude!

Keep on Stitching

Monica

We Got the Dreaded Call

Bob's mom lives in an Assisted Living and is 91.  She has macular degeneration, blind in one eye, very hard of hearing, Afib, Diabetes and Dementia. They tested everyone at the assisted living.   She had a doctors appointment on Thursday, Bob met her at the doctor's office because someone had to be there.  Not sure what the purpose of the appt was other than to check her blood sugar.  She is checked daily by the nursing staff.  He was in the exam room with her for an 1-1.5 hours.  She pretty much slept th entire time and generally didn't look good.  The appointment probably should have been postponed.  She didn't really interact with him, the doctor and he wasn't exactly sure she knew who he was.  

While we were cleaning yesterday, he got the call from the nurse at the Assisted living, letting him know she tested positive.  That means, he had a pretty good exposure.  He is now on quarantine and in the basement rec room.  There is a full bath down there.  He has to call his doctor's office tomorrow to find out when to get tested.  This also means he can't go for therapy on his shoulder this week.  

He comes upstairs to get food until, God forbid, he starts with symptoms.  Keeping our fingers crossed and praying for the best.  UGH!!!

Can't really show too much of what I'm working on since much of what I am working on are Christmas presents  

I have been working on a pair of socks.  This is the pair that flared up my elbow last weekend.  The elbow is doing much better.  Just can't knit for too long.  

I don't know if it was the wind or a neighborhood buck that has been beating up on our light up Christmas buck.  We have found it tipped over twice.  Ed was overy on Saturday to get the recliner Bob has been sleeping in since he had his Rotator Cuff repair.  Before he left, we got the deer back up but,one of the legs was not right.  We decided to move it closer to the house, on a flatter surface and then got some supports to help hold it up.  It was still standing today. It is looking good.  

When my mom was still alive and thinking pretty well, she let us know what she wanted us to have.  She gave me and my sisters her jewelry and her favorite things.  She insisted I have her Christmas dishes.  I have Lennox China:  bone china with a gold rim and I have some serving pieces in the Lennox Christmas pattern.  I really didn't think I needed her Christmas Pfaltzgraff but, like I said, she was very insistent.  I have it in the bottom of my china cabinet.  No one wants china or china cabinets these days.  We have my mother in laws china in the basement along with her Waterford cyrstal because my bother in law and his wife don't want that either.   I hate to get rid of it.  I am hoping a grandchild wants it.  I digress.  

Last year, I decided I should get some coffee mugs since my mom didn't have the Winterberry cups.  She had collected a variety of Christmas mugs.  I was going to order some but, decided to wait.  I remembered I wanted to do that so I ordered eight mugs from Amazon.  They came this week.  I was so excited.  They don't scream Christmas and can be used or a while this winter.  Bob warned me when I got home, the box didn't sound good......

Half the cups were busted.  One was pretty much completely destroyed.  There was no bubble wrap, cushion or anything.  I called Amazon and have four more coming.  I hope they make it here in one piece.  

Getting ready for a New Year SAL.  The 100/3 silks are coming for Martha Dawson 1832.  I think this is going to be very fun.  I am really looking forward to it.  I love the verse:  

I crave not Riches Norvet Length of Days. Lord give me Wisdom to Direct my Way.

 

The good thing this week is that I took the whole week off.  I thought Katy and Steve were going to be there but, with the state of the Covid world, it wasn't in the books.  I decided to still take the week off.  Now it looks like that was probably a very good idea.  I am hoping to get a lot of Christmas stuff done.  Will wait to see what happens to decide whether to put of the tree this week or wait.  I am hoping to get some final finishing on some Christmas presents.  Not sure if we will exchange with the stitching group since we have been meeting virtually since September when the numbers started increasing.  

Well that about sums it up. 

Hope you had a good week without bad surprises.  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

Stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands and socially distance  

Keep on Stithcing 

Monica

Hot Ulnar Nerve and Stitching

When you hit your funny bone, you are hitting your Ulnar nerve.  Its the nerve that provides the sensation to the ring and little finger.  The muscles that bend fingers and wrist attach in the area of the Ulnar nerve.  This nerve today has been very angry with me I think because I have been knitting and stitching too much.  Just trying to get things done.  I think what really did me in was knitting yesterday morning for a couple of hours and talking to my daughter.  This morning after stitching for a short time the ring and little finger on the left side (the hand that holds my linen) were just hot, buzzy and angry.  I have been very careful the rest of the day and doing some ulnar and median (carpal tunnel nerve) nerve gliding.  I'm just doing position 1 and 2

and I've been doing the top set of median nerve.  

There, you just got about $50 worth of therapy, FOR FREE!!

I am nearly done with Block 12 of Autumn in Hawk Run Hollow.  If that pesky nerve wasn't an issue, I was going to finish that today.  I have the wagon to finish and the grass.  I really could have gotten in done today.  😞😞

I got some happy mail this week.  From 123 Stitch I got The Scarlett House Elizabeth Hunter 1853 and some of the overdyes I knew I didn't have, La-D-Da A Merry Christmas Sampler and some floss for With Thy Needle and Thread Winter Rose Manor.  I couldn't get all I needed for that.  Fortunately, I was able to get what I needed from The Stitching Bee along with the Fall and Winter/Christmas Prim Stitching and Punchneedle.  I'm not sure I will get any more of those unless I start doing Punchneedle.   

The boys went to the groomers this week and got all handsomed up.  Henry even smelled good for a couple of days.  He really doesn't normally smell bad anyway.  He just smelled especially good and looked particularly floofy.  The groomer has the front area gated off with a typical latch but, Henry had to be on the stairs going to the second floor behind another gate because he was able to open the first gate.  I think only because he is tall.  Oh Henroo!

Buster, also looks spectacular and even more dapper in a new sweater.  He doesn't really like having his picture taken.  

 Michiganders are being asked by Governor Whitmer to try and restrict behaviors that accelerate the spread of Covid 19 for the next three weeks.  Being a healthcare provider, I think this is really relevent and important.  Our hospital is in peril at times:  full and staff is getting sick too, making staffing tenuous.  The progression of the disease needs to be slowed.  We are not the only ones in this situation,many.  I have clients that are getting sick and I know people who have died from Covid as I'm sure many of you have too.  

Hope you have had a good weekend.  On the upside, we got the outdoor Christmas decorating done and it looks wonderful.  

Stay safe everyone, social distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.  

Keep Stitching!

Monica

Baby It’s Warm Outside

It has been unseasonably warm here.  The daily lows for the last five days has been warmer than our usual highs at this time.  

I texted Ed to see if he would help me with the outdoor Christmas decorating.  Usually we do it in the dark and when its cold and crummy.  He thought was a stellar idea.  

The other issue is, the bushes that were infront of the porch, were removed this summer.  We usually put lights on those.  The first thing Ed and I did was go to Home Depot and get some new decorations.  We threw out some things at the end of the year last year because they were just worn out.  

Buster the Supervisor

He was exhausted after following me around.

We got a new swag for the window and for the railing on the front porch to add a little more since the 

bushes are gone.  

Bob puts in stakes where the sprinkle heads are so we don't ruin them with the snowblower.  

Picked up the topiary at Home Depot and thought it might look nice on the front porch.  

Notice the Supervisor in the doorway.  

I really like being able to put some decorations on the patio but, its dangerous.  It can't be too far out because, when Bob blows a path for the boys, he runs over cords and messes up the snowblower.  We had a year when the last real tree we had fell over and demolished half our ornaments.  It was tragic, to say the least.  We got an artificial pre-lit tree and left the old lights and set it up on the patio that year.  It was pretty cool.  So I got a small artificial tree, put it in a planter and put a string of big lights on it.  Now, I'm just to get the timer to work the right way.  I can move it a little more to the patio door if I want and it shouldn't interfere with the snow blower.  

I have had some finishes.  It has been some of the goals I set last year with the March or May what ever.  I finished part three of LHN Farmhouse Christmas Grandpa's Pick-up.  

 I finished block 11 of Autumn at Hawk Run.  I have one more block to do and it is done.  I plan on starting that when I'm done with this.  

Turned the heel on a pair of socks I am making for Christmas.  Notice the Supervisor making sure I stick to the job by not letting me roam around the house. 

We have had a surge of Covid here.  The county population is about 25,000 and we have been averaging 20 new cases a day, probably five deaths a week.  The schools had gone vitual for two weeks then the health department said the positivity rate was going down (NOT) and re-opened them for four days and now back to vitual.  I understand the difficulty for working parents and I'm so glad I don't have to make those decisions.  The High school and the middle school went vitual on Friday because they didn't have enough subs.  The elementary school gowes vitual tomorrow.  The hospital keeps expanding the Covid unit.  We may be full now, I'm not sure.  I don't figure its going to get better anytime soon.  

Hope you are staying safe!

Wash your hands, socially distance, get enough sleep.

Boys Day Out

Bob has been getting antsy being at home and not able to drive. 

I took him to camp and we took both dogs. 

Henry goes more than I do but, it was the first time for Buster.  

Just the trip was an experience.  

We took the pickup truck and I have only driven it once before and its big.  

We had to take the little cooler and use it to block the path to the front seat to contain Buster.  

Then, as he looked out the window in the back seat, he triggered the window button and lowered the window.  

I'm going 55 mph and can't get the window back up because he is still standing on it. 

Both dogs have their heads out the window, freaking me out, worried the Shih Tzu is going out the window.....at 55 mph.  

He got off the button and I got it back up and was able to lock the control. 

The dogs sort of settled down and we eventually got to the property without any further incident.   

   Everyone super excited to be there.  

I brought my knitting, just in case.  

Buster wore the bell so we could keep track of where he is.  

Whenever he was smelling the ground, the bell was dragging.  

Usually, Henry wears the bell and Bob couldn't find the smaller one he has  

You can sort of see the bell.  

We took a walk, well Bob and I did.  

Henry went on a Zoom.  

Buster was interested in everything and would run ahead or straggled behind.  

Both dogs were definately smiling as they went.  
Bob  was smiling too!  I don't know which one of the boys was the happiest. 

    I did get some knitting time in after lunch .  

We brought a picnic with us and some treats for the furry boys. 

                       I'm way further than this but the picture didn't post on my google photo.  

I baked cookies today.  

There were sea salt caramel chips on sale 2 for $5 so, I got some to try  

The recipe was on the back of the chips for Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Chip cookies.  

They are the bomb.  

Hershey makes the chips and I highly recommend this recipe.  

 

I am nearly done with Block 11, the turkey of Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow.  

Don't forget to vote.  

I did in person just after Bob had his surgery.  

Keep wearing a mask, hand sanitize and socially distance.  

Waiting for Virus Hunter on Nat Geo to start. 

Have a great week and stay safe!

Keep on Stitching

Monica