Kitchen Stuff

Over the past few days I've been spending some time cleaning out the kitchen pantry and some of the cupboards. Keeping things organized and tidy is a chore that requires frequent monitoring. The problem is that I have more *stuff* than I have storage space ... and I don't wish to eliminate anything as I have done that previously. What I have I use, even if some of the dishes and serving pieces not so very often. In my mind I have a fantasy home in which there is more-than-enough storage space for everything that I could possibly own or wish-to-own. In the fantasy storage there would be so much space that I could find anything-and-everything without difficulty. Things would be categorized, clean, organized, bright, and pretty, like when walking into a kitchen store. Then there would be a fantasy laundry room, so large that there would be storage for everything, an ample folding table, lots of bins for sorting the soiled laundry, an ironing area, and a place for line-drying. What does your fantasy house have?

Yesterday I was out doing the long list of errands since more snow was in the forecast. While I was at the discount store I browsed through the kitchen stuff and bought these jars for storing flour (three kinds). Yep, I'm taking this cooking thing seriously. Gotta' have flour for this and flour for that. I haven't baked bread or rolls or cakes from scratch in a long, long time but I'm going to give it a try. The P-Touch label maker that The Doc gave me one Christmas will be great for labeling the jars.

Luckily, we got only a few inches of snow. I may continue working in the kitchen today, or just see what the day brings. Whatever it is, I don't plan to go out. I guess I should get busy and do something! Bye-eee for now, have a wonderful day.

Abby's Completed Quilt

I'm happy to show you Abby with her completed quilt.

She came over on Saturday to hand sew the binding.

She made this quilt (almost) completely by herself.

I rotary cut the black binding and sashings and I machine

sewed the binding. She did everything else.

Abby is in the sixth grade and is eleven years old.

A very happy quilter

Hand sewing the binding

... almost finished

... the front

... and the back

~~~~~

When Abby was age nine she wanted to make a quilt for a school project.

I taught her to make a friendship star block and

she assembled it into a small quilt.

Later I gave her some Wizard of Oz charm squares and she wanted to make a quilt.

I let her do it her way and taught her to quilt it on the longarm.

I am so proud of my little quilter - granddaughter!

Thursday Quilters ~ February 2010

I've got a little show & tell for you today from the

Thursday Quilters when we met.

This small star quilt is one that Kathy is hand quilting.


Kathy made this child's quilt from a panel and had it machine quilted.
The backing fabric was just perfect for it.


This large flimsy belongs to Pam (left) and that's Gloria looking on.
Pam made it from jelly rolls.

Gloria is holding up a flannel quilt she made.

The blue blocks are what Phyllis was working on.

Bonnie received birthday gifts from us.

Gloria made this pretty wool bag for Bonnie.

She used recycled wool from old clothing that Bonnie had given her.

It was a wonderful surprise gift and the bag was beautiful.

Opening another gift

Lunchtime ...

Kathy baked this red velvet cake

which was perfect for a birthday and for February.

... and it was sooooo good

~

I just looked outside to see if we did get some snow and there's a little.

My brother lives in the 'burbs of Washington, DC so he's getting a lot of snow.

I'm glad we didn't get very much.

~

Happy Saturday ~ thanks for stopping by.

Announcing The Giveaway Winner

Yesterday at Thursday Quilters I asked Kathy to help with the drawing.

The entries were added to the basket ...

Kathy drew one piece of paper ...

and the winner is HAPPY COTTAGE QUILTER

Congratulations on your win ~ please email me with your mailing address

and I will send your prize.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

I will post some pix of Thursday Quilters next time.

Boeuf Bourguignon ~ My Attempt at Julia's Way

Yesterday I had my first Julia experience.

~

After having eaten this at my son's home recently

... and after having watched the movie

... and having studied the cookbook

I felt I was ready to go for it ...

and so I did.

~

I shopped for the ingredients the day before

and that evening I typed out the recipe so I wouldn't get my cookbook all messy.

~

Here we go ...

The beef was to be cut into 2" cubes ... I did my best

I then sliced one carrot and one onion, as directed

(next time I plan to add another carrot or two, simply because I like them ...

I hope that doesn't affect the way the stew cooks & tastes)
~

(Oops, I forgot to snap pictures of preparing the bacon which is another step)
~

... next came sauteing the meat in oil & butter
(and I didn't take pictures of sauteing the carrot & onion after the meat)

... finally, it is ready to go into the oven for a few hours

... and in it she goes

While the stew cooks, I first saute, and then simmer in liquid, the pearl onions ...

I had fun peeling these little things ~ NOT,

so I did them under running water and my tears subsided ...

(they were not nearly as strong as larger onions)

... and while the onions simmered, I sauteed the mushrooms

It is done ~ just removed from the oven

... the aroma was divine!

... and dinner is served

... the stew is on a bed of buttered noodles

... I prepared peas with butter sauce on the side,

and some cheesy oven-toasted bread

***

... it was wonderful, yes it was

... The Doc and I both loved, loved, loved it

(I don't like mushrooms so I didn't have them)

(and please excuse the wrinkles in the tablecloth which I used very last-minute)

***

... I'll be making this again, absolutely will, oh yes

~

... the best thing is I have leftovers for dinner tonight,

which will be nice because I'm going to Thursday Quilters today

... and I'll be drawing the giveaway name there

... so stay tuned

Friends Having Lunch

Last week I met two friends for lunch.

The food was great.

Me, JoAnne, Suzie

One ordered this ...

... and one ordered this ...

... and I, the pasta lover, ordered this ...

... and I had this for dessert ... can you say Yum?

***

Before I had even heard of the movie "Julie & Julia" I was interested in

trying to learn some new cooking skills.

Over a year ago I posted about my newly purchased Le Creuset pot.

Just recently I purchased Julia Child's cookbook and have been reading it.

Then on Sunday I watched "Julie & Julia" on DVD which my grandson Rich gave me for Christmas.

For me the movie was inspirational to not only want to go somewhere for a great dinner out but to also cook.

***

The past few days I've had my nose to the grindstone doing bookkeeping.

Today I'm focusing on getting the ironing finished.

I have a bad habit of procrastinating on the ironing,

then I have to just make myself do it.

This evening I hope to go to knitting group.

I miss more times than I attend.

***

About the giveaway ~ The drawing will be on Thursday.

The deadline to enter the drawing is midnight tonight,

my local time.

To enter, scroll down to the post below this one and leave a comment.

***

That's it for today. My ironing is calling me ...

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely day.

Giveaway ~ 3 Years of Blogging

I'm having a blog-versary giveaway.

~

Three years ago yesterday I started my first blog.

~

It was called "Simply Quilted" and after a year-and-a-half I ended it.

~

I then started a new blog "Cootie Bug".

~

On that blog I kept having problems with the layout so

I started this blog "Cootie Bug 2".

~

Now three years later I'm still blogging and I decided to have a giveaway for my readers.

To enter the drawing for the above prize, leave a comment on THIS POST only.

~

Anyone may enter but if you don't leave info so that I can contact you, you will be disqualified.

~

When it's time for the drawing, I will post the giveaway closing first.

Thank you for your visits and another thank you to my Followers and Subscribers.

Good luck!

The Giveaway is closed and no more comments accepted.

The drawing will be Thursday, February 4.

Thank you to all who left comments.

My Gee's Bend Quilt Kit

Kathy who owns the Quilts 'N Bloom quilt shop ordered some of the Gee's Bend quilt kits and had this one saved back for me. When Abby and I visited her on Saturday I finally picked it up.

It comes in a cloth bag, tied with a piece of rope.

Here's a look at the fabrics.

Pre-washing and line-drying is recommended.

I won't be starting on this kit for a little while.

~~~~~~~~~

Old Man Winter left his calling card.

The newspaper delivery person left footprints.

I'm wondering if Sharon got enough snow in Missouri to make her snow angel?

Colder weather is coming and possibly snow on Thursday-Friday.

I'm not complaining, I do like winter and I do like snow.

But, I'm more of an indoor type girl so I like it when it's not a big inconvenience.

I think I prefer snow in small amounts that melts quicker.

I don't like it when once it's a dirty, wet mess everywhere, nope I don't.

~~~~~

Happy Australia Day to my bloggy friends & readers down under!

It's Quilted!

Here's Abby with her finished quilt.

She decided she was ready to proceed yesterday after

another practice session.

She had it finished in short order.

I will trim it and machine sew the binding for her,

then she wishes to do the hand sewing to finish it.

She wasn't at all intimidated by the machine.

I showed her how to operate the stitch-regulator and the "go" button.

She was ready to quilt!

The very last stitches ~ finish line reached!

We're removing it from the machine here.

She helped me take out all the pins.

I love having an assistant ~ I should hire her to be my helper, ya' think?

~~~~~

We had a great time.

Next time she comes over we're going to continue with her tote bag.

She finished piecing one side and it looks super.

~~~

Next post I'll have a show & tell of some of my quilt shop purchases from Saturday.

Have a great day!

Abby Learning To Use The Longarm

What a fun day Abby and I had yesterday as she had her first lesson with using the longarm. We pinned a practice muslin sandwich on the side and she practiced some stitches and discovered guiding the large machine wasn't as easy as it looked. She decided to not proceed with the Wizard of Oz quilt until after having more time to practice but she did discover that she prefers a loopy design to basic meander/stipple at this time. Making those curves was a bit of a challenge but she will soon have the hang of it. When I bought my first longarm I went through a long learning curve until I found my stitches satisfactory and I know the feeling of not seeing exactly what one has in mind.

So here she is just messing around and practicing on the muslin.

There was already some stitching on it and I let her quilt over mine with brightly colored thread.

The bright lights built in to the machine interfere with the photography.

We decided we needed to go see what's happening at the quilt shop so off we went.

When we got home Abby couldn't wait to begin sewing some charm squares.

She is making a tote bag.

Abby with her purchases at the quilt shop.
~~~

My son Matt (Abby's dad) invited us to supper last evening and he made a fabulous Beef Bourguignonne and homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. I don't have photos (I wish I had been thinking and taken some) but it was something special, I'm just sayin'. Abby came home with us to spend the night so we can continue some sewing / longarm quilting this morning. If she wants to, I will let her do a guest post on my blog. She has her own blog so she may post about longarming on there too, up to her.

This crazy weather ... I woke up to hearing thunder during the night. It's already 50 degrees here before 8:00. I'm happy with it, anything is preferable to that horrible ice storm of a year ago. I hope to never, ever experience that again.

Enjoy your Sunday! Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday Plans

Some time ago I posted some pictures of Abby as she made a quilt using Wizard of Oz charm squares. She did all the sewing herself. Well, this morning she's coming over and we are loading it up on the longarm. If she feels comfortable using the machine she can do the quilting if she chooses. She's a sixth grader, and petite, so the only problem may be that she's not quite tall enough. Whether she quilts it, or I, we're getting started and hope to finish it so we can also sew on the binding. Now that I have located my camera, I can take some photos for show & tell soon. Excuse me now as I have a cup of coffee before she arrives. Happy Saturday to you.

Friends and Followers

When my laptop started having problems I thought perhaps it might be a virus(es) that were the cause. Through the process of elimination, I deleted some things from my blog, mostly the little add-ons, the cute little glitter things, and so forth. I did something (unintentional) to my blog list because many of the blogs I like disappeared from the list. I've been working on all these things and trying to get things replaced, including tracking down the missing blog links, and it has been a chore. Since I have no printed list, I've nothing to refresh my memory, so when I follow trails, some of these blogs are found and I can then add them back to my list. I feel so stupid, for I don't know to this day how I got things so messed up! Whatever I did, I apologize to my blog friends whose blogs were there one day, gone the next. And some of you I'm still looking for. Arghhh! I just want you to know that you weren't deliberately removed from the list. I'm still working on it.

Well, my missing camera has been found. It wasn't lost after all, just hiding ... exactly where I had put it ... so it wouldn't get lost. Another arghhh. What's with this lost and found thing, it is just me, or do you notice you do that too? I blame it on aging, or perhaps being a dingbat. ;)

I haven't sewed much since Christmas. One of my DILs wanted a tote bag for Christmas so I made one for her (I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!) so I made that, and that was after I sewed that dress for Abby. I think it's time for some sewing to take place and get that longarm back into use. It has been sitting there, lonely, for too long. I've got that star quilt that needs quilted but it's not quite ready because I want to add a border (so what am I waiting for?) ... I need to get busy!

I don't know why, but once the holidays are over, I feel worn out and just like to take some time off. I've already confessed to some extra TV time but what else is using up my time? I am still knitting away on that orange wool shawl / wrap that was supposed to be finished for wearing in the fall of 2009. I'm approximately 2/3 finished. It's just a lot of knitting and I can only knit for so long before the muscles begin to complain. Also I'm still reading Little Dorrit. What a long book. I read and read but there's still more to read. Next book will be a shorter one, I think, before I begin another Dickens.

So what's on your agenda today? It's rainy here, but warmer. It's a good day for staying in and doing something, whether it be sewing, knitting, or reading, or even a combination. So I say tootles for now and wish you a good day, or evening, and hope that all is well in your corner of the world.

What's On Your TV?

During the recent bitter cold weather I found myself often snuggled under a quilt, watching more television than usual. The British series Cranford, and then the sequel Return to Cranford, were most enjoyable. I love British period novels and movies and can't seem to get enough. For a completely different type of entertainment there is The Middle which is a sit-com about a family that lives in a fictitious town in Indiana called "Orson". The humor is silly, the characters a bit over-the-top, and it makes me laugh. Among the house and garden programs offered I like the ones that let us view the houses that are on the market. On the spiritual side, I watch Precepts for Life and a few others. Having a DVR, I can set it to record and watch whenever ... a feature that has me hooked.

It's foggy again this morning and I can't see anything beyond the street in front of my house, but the severe cold weather is no longer with us. In fact, today it's supposedly to be in the upper 40s.

I seem to have misplaced my camera. We went to the Kentucky house over the weekend and my guess is I left it behind. I do have an older camera that still works so I have it for back-up until the other one is found.

Today is my dental check-up appointment, something I would rather not have on my schedule, but I'm ready to get it done and put behind me for another six months.

Thanks for your visit. As always, I enjoy hearing from you and having you stop by.

Computer ~ Good News, Bad News

Last Friday I picked up my Sony laptop. Two weeks before Christmas I had dropped it off at a local retailer and they sent it in for repairs. After bringing it home I didn't immediately see the crack in the monitor but it didn't take me long to discover it. It was not only visual, I could run my fingernail along it and feel the break. Oh my. On one hand I was happy that the computer was operating normally but I wasn't happy to find screen damage. Back to square one. I made the necessary phone call to the extended warranty number and arranged to take it back so it could be sent in for another repair. I am disappointed, but with the new computer that Doc gave me for Christmas, I'm not dependent upon the Sony. Here's hoping that when it's again returned there will be no further surprises.

Snow ... It's forecast to arrive tonight

It seems many of the states are in the deep freeze and have snow or will be getting some. The local weather forecasts snow to arrive sometime late tonight with perhaps up to 5" of the fluffy, powdery type, and tomorrow strong winds which will blow it and make the very cold temperatures feel even colder. I stopped playing in the snow and making a snowman many years ago but I have a childhood photo of a snowman made by my dad to share with you. The boy standing beside me is my uncle and the girl on the right is my older sister. This was taken in front of my Grandma Smith's home when I was, I think, four or five years of age. I remember the snowman and having this photo taken quite well. My dad is quite artistic and he carved away on the snowman until it had legs and feet, arms, and a shaped head. Back in the early 1950s, when this was taken, little girls wore snowsuits which were wool coats, matching hats, and also matching leggings because we wore dresses. The leggings had straps under the shoes and zipped to help getting them on. Our little dresses were tucked down inside. It must have taken our mom a while to get us dressed each time we went out.


Grandma's house was torn down after her death but I have memories of this and other good times tucked down in my heart. I miss her and wish I could go back in time and see her again and tell her I love her. She was a wonderful Grandma and is missed by all of her many grandchildren. I will share a photo of her soon.

My blog reader friend Sue sent me an email telling me how hot it is where she lives in Australia. If it were possible, I would do a swap again with her, only this time it would be a weather swap. I'd share some of our cold if she would share some of her hot.

Wherever you live, whether in the cold or in the hot, take care and be safe. And thanks for your visits and comments. Blessings to you.

I've Got Mail ~ Part 2

This is the package I received from my blogger-friend Nika who lives in Russia.

She sent me this little package "just because".

How clever to recycle a food carton as packaging material.

A scripture card and a bookmark

Chocolate!
Isn't the wrapper interesting.

Tea that I will soon be enjoying

Thank you, Nika, for your thoughtfulness.

***

This morning I took down the Christmas trees and packed up the lights & ornaments.
Then I went out to do my errands. The stores were busy. There is some snow forecast for Thursday so I guess people are stocking up.
It's cold still and I'm happy to be staying home and keeping warm the rest of the day.
Time to prepare supper ... something simple.
'Til next time ...

I've Got Mail ~ Part 1

This past fall one of my blog readers and I agreed to do a swap and a few days ago my package arrived with all these lovely gifts enclosed.

My friend Sue from Australia (no blog) found the no-longer-available Moda Swell fabrics on eBay. I love this fabric!

I may store my crochet hooks in this sweet little red roll-up container.

The measuring tape in its own little tin is so cute.

Sue knew from reading my blog that I'm a coffee lover and chose these cute kitchen towels.

~~~

Sue, thank you so much for these gifts which are special to me.

I hope that I am a good girl and get the stocking made for next Christmas.

(I hate to admit what a procrastinator I am.)

Tomorrow I will share another package that I just received from Russia.

Our Holidays, Part 2

Brrrr, it's cold in SW Indiana today and at 12:30 as I write this it is 18 degrees F. We have another bitter cold night in the forecast. It's a good day for staying snuggly warm inside. I have more of the holiday photos today.

This hangs on the wall at my sister's house

Owen told me this was his best Christmas ever at my house because he got Legos.

Sam was resting on the sofa at my sister's for a few minutes.

Lily & Abby ~ two granddaughters loving their dolls

Sam & Max asked for this castle as a shared gift and were so happy to open it.

Mark and Lily ~ she loves castles

My brother-in-law David

My oldest grandson, Rich

Two sleepy-heads ~ Doc & Will

Doc, Elaina, Me, Lily, Mark, Will

Matt & Carrie, Emily & Wyatt (my nephew and his wife) who were playing a game

Karen, Lily, Will, Mark

Owen, Carrie, Elaina

Linda & Jan, my younger sisters

My niece Emily (who is expecting next summer), her brother Ben and his wife Johanna who is holding my great-niece Brynna (Wyatt & Emily's baby)

***

Thank you for the visits and comments and emails during the holiday season. I didn't get replies sent but I am thankful for all of them. I will try harder this year to be prompt in that regard. Have a great day.

Welcome 2010 ~ Happy New Year Wishes To All

A new year begins ... Did you stay awake until the new year arrived? I went to bed and was watching TV, half-asleep, but I heard the midnight fireworks going off somewhere.

No new year resolutions to mention this year. I'm still working on last year's. I have some goals that perhaps I will meet ... time will tell.

I hope that your New Year's Day is safe and that wherever you are and that you are content and have joy in your heart.

I will be back soon with Part 2 of our holiday photos. Enjoy your day / evening. TTFN.

Our Holidays, Part 1

The past several days have been busy ones and finding time to spend on the computer has been close to nil, other than checking emails. We have enjoyed time with family during our various times together and then the past few days we had visitors from the Chicago area; Doc's daughter and her family were here. Today, New Year's Eve, my house is quiet once again and I wanted to post some of the photos taken of our December events.

The first three photos are of Abby at the Titanic luncheon at one of her school classes. She's wearing the dress that I made for her. She and a teacher played two duets on their violins.

~~~

This next photo below was taken on the night of the violin class recital. Owen and Abby both played solos. Flash photography isn't permitted during the concert so I didn't take pictures but their dad gave me a copy of the video that he took.

~~~

Below are photos of our Kentucky grandkids opening their gifts.

J.C. is two and Jameson is 4. J.C. danced with her Dancing Dora doll.

~~~

We hosted a noon lunch for Doc's office staff and the manager. Kim's daughter Marisa who is enjoying a break from college classes came too and helped me in the kitchen. What a luxury to have her help - thank you, Marisa.

(L-R) Nancy, Office Manager, Marisa, Brenda, Office Nurse

(L-R) Doc, Kim, Receptionist, Marisa

~~~

As I had hoped, I finished reading both of the Elm Creek Quilters novels during December and enjoyed them very much. Of the two, I preferred the last one set during contemporary times, A Quilter's Holiday, over the historical one, The Lost Quilter, although I did find them both to be very good stories. I also read Kate Jacobs' newest knitting novel Knit the Season. I am now reading Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. I asked Doc to give me Dickens novels for Christmas and I now have a huge stack of new reading material.

~~~

Do you have special plans for celebrating New Year's Eve? We are meeting people for supper this evening and then will be returning home for a quiet evening. If I can stay awake, I will stay up late to watch a movie or read until the new year moment arrives. Food for tomorrow has been taken from the freezer and then I won't have to spend all the day in the kitchen cooking. After all the hustle and bustle of the month of December I'm ready for a day off. I wish you and your family a safe, happy new year, and may 2010 be filled with good things. Best wishes to you all.

The Day After Christmas

Good morning to my bloggy friends from here in the USA and all around the world. I hope you had a good Christmas. Here at Chez Cootie Bug we have enjoyed being with family and also having some quiet hours. I will be returning soon with some holiday photos now that I have a brand new laptop, courtesy of The Doc, my Christmas gift. I opened it on Christmas Eve and I love it. Thank you, Dear Doc! On Christmas Eve night my sons and their families joined us for the evening. Watching my grandkids open their gifts is always the highlight for me. Sadly, several of them have a 'bug' and were hoarse and coughing but they did not let that stop the fun. Yesterday on Christmas morning my oldest grandson was here for a visit. He lives in St. Louis, MO, so I don't see him as often as I would like to. While he was here he shared photos of his recent vacation to Scotland. Now today we will attend the BIG family gathering at the home of one of my sisters. It is always a big day with lots and lots of people, and lots of food, and all that goes with a big family celebration. If I have time before we leave, I may get some of the photos posted, and if not, I'll be back. It's so wonderful to have a computer that works, Yippee!

Christmas Greetings

Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas with your family

Cootie Bug and The Doc

Coffee Break

Hi, how is your day / evening going? It's only 10 days until Christmas Eve ... are you ready for the big holiday? If not, you'd better be getting busy! I'm doing the best I can, or at least that's what I tell myself. Most of the shopping is finished but none of the gift wrapping has even begun, a task I don't really enjoy. Thank goodness we have the option of shopping online or I would be way behind with that. I love it when with a few keyboard strokes I can shop and not leave the house. Not that I wouldn't support the local merchants if they had the items I ordered but most likely they wouldn't, and I'd have to drive to the larger city and fight the traffic and the crowds and the lines.

I finished Abby's dress yesterday afternoon. Even though I have sewed garments in the past, this pattern was not easy. First of all, the pattern was poorly written and the sketches were poor too. Then piecing the square yoke was no easy matter and I struggled with that. I had to zig-zag all the seams because the taffeta would ravel if I just looked at it. I had to take out the hem and do it over again because it was terribly uneven. After two fittings though I got the hem fixed up right and Abby now has the dress. She will get to wear it tomorrow at the school tea and I am invited as her guest. So that's when I'll take photos. Tonight I will be attending Owen and Abby's violin concert. It is always a joy to see all the violin students perform.

Well, coffee break is about over and I need to get myself changed so I can go. I'll try to post again soon so 'til then, tootles.

Dressmaking

Oh my, it's a chilly morning as I write, a very cold 16 degrees F. Watching the weather reports yesterday showed that many of you in the US were in the path of a winter blizzard. The snow didn't reach us but the strong winds did and they were fierce. My two bay windows on the front of the house are covered with bird droppings that blew against the glass and are a terrible mess. As soon as a warm enough day is here they must be washed, for they are terrible looking.

My laptop is still in the repair shop and I have no further news other than new restore disks have been ordered and we'll see if that gets it up and running, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't use this desktop computer any more than necessary and have fallen far behind in all things computer related, especially in reading blogs. I really miss my little laptop.

Actually the title of this post is about dressmaking. Before I became a quilter I did sew other things and occasionally I made garments. For my granddaughter Abby I am busy sewing a costume dress for a school function which she needs by next week. The fabric is a slick type, perhaps taffeta, and the yoke is a silky type. Yesterday I managed to get it all cut out and the interfacing is fused to the yoke and collar pieces. Today is sewing day. I am very out of practice with this type of sewing and especially with these fashion fabrics that are slippery. It took me a while to remember where I had put the tracing paper for marking darts and also the interfacing so twice I was interrupted so I could search (everywhere) for both. I hope that today the sewing is straightforward with no surprises!

Christmas shopping ... I'm getting that accomplished, happily, by doing nearly all of it online. I have made very few store purchases and have yet to make my first trip to the city to shop. Nothing is wrapped yet and I want to get that task done before the last minute as I do some years. Why does the time have to zip by so quickly!

Thank you all for your visits and your comments and emails. I do appreciate each one. Once the computer hassles are solved I hope to be back to reading and commenting as before. I wish you a good day.

Monday Morning

This morning when I woke up I saw our first snow of the season. There's not a lot but enough to cover the ground nicely. Above is the finished quilt which was previously on my blog. I am pleased with the way it turned out.

~~~

I want to thank you all for the comments left regarding my birthday post. This is my first opportunity to get back on the computer. After our quilting party on Thursday, The Doc and I went to the Kentucky house. While I was there I received a call from the computer tech with some not-so-good news regarding my laptop. Apparently it has some problems that cannot be easily solved. The computer's restore disks which I purchased from Circuit City are no good. And, according to Sony's help desk, the tech was told that the laptop's problems may be one of several causes and to find what it is involves some ruling-out which all cost $$, you see. At this time I'm weighing my options and doing a bit of research to determine if I wish to proceed with repairing it.

This is going to be a busy week and today I have a list of some To-Do things which means I must get busy. Looks like between now and Christmas life will continue to be busy. That seems to be the way life goes for all of us. I wish you a good Monday and a good week too. Take care.