31 March 2008

Where Have the Last 6 Months Gone???

I can't believe it's been 6 mos since I last entered something here. There's been a lot going on since then.



One goal I have is to be a better Blogger and keep up to try to do a better job at keeping up. I also want to make my look really fun with pictures and pretty backgrounds, like so many of yours. Do they give lessons for those of us that are Blog Challenged? Any suggestions, directions, volunteers would be greatly appreciated.



The sewing bug has bitten in a big way. Since my surgery, last December, I've been sewing up a storm. Michelle and Gina went through my fabric and got it all organized while I was recooperating and since I've been able to sit up to the sewing machine I don't think a days gone by that I haven't used it for something. I found a blog where a lady had made a quilt strictly from her stash where she shared the measurements and pics of all of her blocks. Well, now that my stash was in order, I had no trouble choosing fabrics to follow along with her challenge. I actually didn't start until she was done, but, I got all 12 squares made in about a week and a half and just have to put them together. After that, I thought, hummmmmm, if I can make a whole (twin size) quilt from my stast then what else might I be able to do with it. Well, most recently I've been making tote bags, all kinds of tote bags. I just finished one, for a girl at work, tonight. She requested green. Well, her bag is about 5 different green prints with lots of green metalic quilting on it. I also made a "tassel" out of several shades of green beads to add to the "bling" that she so dearly loves. She'll be so happy (I hope) to get tomorrow. I've also been doing a lot of quilt blocks, tried some crazy quilt blocks-fun and very creative, aprons, and pin cushions. I've made pillows and, of course, some clothes. In the two months I was off work I got a lot of things made, but have slowed down,, ever so slightly, since going back to work. When I figure out how to add pictures to my blog I'll share some with you of the fun I've been having.



We woke up to snow yesterday, after several days of nice weather. It was really icy when I went to work this AM. The first call I took was a lady asking if there had been any MVA's today??!!! Had she not been outside??? Cars were sliding all over the place, more than I'd seen all winter...I hope she found her friend, because he wasn't in our Emergency Department.



I can hardly wait for the tulips in the front yard to bloom. After adding a lot of amendments and working the soil in the front planters, I planted over 100 bulbs last Oct and it's great to see them all coming up. I scored last summer when I was at work and asked the head grounds keeper what they did with the bulbs after they had bloomed. He told me that they just pulled them up and tossed them, so I asked him if I could have them. He told me that if I wanted to dig them out I could have them, so I went to work early one day with turning fork and 5 gallon bucket in hand and dug them up. I left them in the bucket down in the basement, with stems and leaves on them until it was time to plant them last Fall.



To be honest, I'm quite suprized that anything grows in this soil. It's, in my opinion, being nice to refer to this stuff on the ground as soil. It, again in my opinion, is worse that dirt! I miss my California soil, but with a lot more work, rock removal, and a lot more trips to Home Depot/Lowes (my home away from home) to get more amendments I will get this "soil" into shape. Mike, one of the RN's I work with, volunteered his chicken manure. Never used it before, but I've been told that it's good for the soil. He even said that he'd deliver it! I might just have to take him up on that one.

Happy April to all!