It's good to hear from all of you, and I hear you about not knowing what the spring/summer will bring for those who are lacking in moisture this winter. I grew up in the prairies in Saskatchewan, and that winter snow was essential for growing crops! Fingers crossed that any further snow that wishes to fall will fall in your area, not ours! I'm done with shoveling!
Although the anal part of me was out with a shovel yesterday, tidying up parts of the driveway. I know -- I must look crazy, but I hate when the snow encroaches on the sidewalk, and I hadn't cleared the entire patio area of the front step. As we get some melt from the glorious sun, I'll be out there to continue my quest to have a super clear and dry driveway.
What amazes me is that most people don't care about that. As long as the snow is packed down. I don't get that, but then we are all different. And while snow blowers are great, they do NOT clear down to the pavement, unlike shoveling by hand.
And NO Shirley -- those Quilts of Valour quilts are not UFOs!!!
I cannot count! I was thinking I had to make twenty blocks, but alas, I need twenty-four! Good grief -- how does one make a mistake like that? Anyway, there are six blocks left to assemble. And this is all I can show you.
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| Blue and green scraps from making blocks |
Lots of green and blue scraps! Take a big piece of fabric and chop it up! That's what it looks like, and there are larger pieces of green and blue by the sewing machine! It's an unusual quilt design, but I like it, and I'll certainly use it when it's made! I can't wait to take this one off the visual "to-do" list!
That quilt has to be my priority today, and should have been yesterday, but the sun was too enticing, so I sat in the living room with DH and the girls and read and napped for part of the afternoon! Today, even though I think we are getting sunshine again, I have no choice. I'd really like to have the top together by tonight!
The clock is ticking, and I have all-day meetings on Monday and Tuesday!
In preparation for our last session later this week to finish our haunted houses, I needed to rinse all of the pieces to remove the water-soluble stabilizer. I was going to be gentle about it, but then I just dunked the whole lot in a sink of hot water, and within seconds, the water-soluble stabilizer was gone. Don't worry -- I cut most of it away, so there was very little goopy stuff left in the water.
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| The house pieces are almost ready to assemble |
Even though this was vinyl with foam, they dried pretty quickly, and now all that's left is to punch holes and cut slots, and it's ready to assemble! If you are wondering about the piece at the front that looks unfinished, it got thrown into the water by accident. I had to redo that piece because something happened, and I abandoned it. I must find some battery tea lights before Thursday!
Well, you all know that kitchen duty is not my thing. I was making soup the other day when, for some reason, I burned the onions in my frying pan, and it was bad!! The onions were OK, but the pan was a big mess. I tried soaking it in water and soap, but it did little to help. So I asked Google what to do.
Step one was to boil water and vinegar, which I did.
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| Boiling water and vinegar |
And then you add baking soda. Oh my --- I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of that chemical reaction, but it was neat to see. Here's a little bit of the action that was left when I could grab my camera!
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| The remainder of the chemical reaction |
So that did remove some of the burnt marks, but not all. So the pan has sat with a paste of baking soda and water, and I'll see what happens. The worst case is that I need to buy a new pan. I'm sure it will be fine the way it is. GASP --- I really don't care. My mother still uses the same cast-iron frying pan she's used forever! Over 70 years and it's fine! I do not fuss about stuff like that.
While digging through the papers in the filing cabinet, I came across M's birth certificate and the official Statement of Birth application, which the parents must complete. I remember that day - I was at our first check-up at the doctor's, and they handed me this form. I was in so much pain from the delivery - lots of pushing and stretched/strained tendons in my pelvic area - I needed a walker to walk. It was interesting!
Anyway, I'm sitting there with this form and trying to fill it out. All I see on it is scratch, scratch as I tried to spell M's middle name! My handwriting has always sucked!
I'm surprised that she even got a name. DH and I could NOT agree on a name. I don't know why he was so fussy! I like Mikeala, but he did not. So we eventually put together a list of 10 names each, and one by one, they got rejected. Madeline was the last name on the list. That's totally insane! And then he wanted a middle name. I wasn't going through that same business for a middle name, so I told him if he wanted her to have a middle name, he would have to pick it, and Frances it was.
It still makes me smile whenever I see it, but it's now time to pass it along to her. She will need it more than I, and especially her birth certificate.
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| Murphy entertained by her bone |
By the way -- that painting over the fireplace was done by Cynthis Frenette, whom I mentioned yesterday, who had done the artwork for a new jigsaw puzzle out. She painted a picture of our previous girls and included Lexi as well. That was before Murphy came along. And the trees are painted from photos of the forest!!!! She is a very cool artist!!!
