February Take It Further Challenge

Well, I've turned into a procrastinator! This postcard has been sitting around, the design done since the middle of February. In my own defense - it's been a heck of a two weeks! Still fighting the knee - and it's been fighting back! We're getting ready to have the bedroom level redone - paint and carpeting. That's 2 guestrooms and the sewing room. OYE VAY! So I have been cleaning out and reorganizing and of course, it looks worse than ever! I go back to work part time next week and I'm not even half way thru the list of things I was going to get done! I have been know to be over-optimistic about what I'll get done. But still!

The TIF challenge was "what I'm old enough to remember". I'm pretty old! But the biggest change I think has happened is 'kids in summer.' I remember the endless summers and all the free time we had. We got up in the morning, did some chores and then we were literally thrown out of the house for the day! Told to "go play!" We did have lunch, of course, but no matter how much we begged to play inside during the HOT afternoons - nope, we were told to sit on the cool garage floor and play cards!

Here's what I remember about those glorious - unplanned - summers: riding bikes everywhere. building forts in hedges; under the slide; in a fence corner. Setting up elaborate doll villages and playing there all day. Climbing the apple tree and sitting up there discussing the world as we knew it! Laying on the side of the hill, watching the clouds and making up pictures we saw. The summer reading program that we finished in 2 weeks - not 6! Neighborhood vacation bible schools - everyone wanted to take a friend or two - we probably went to 2 or 3! Summer playground at our school with four-square; arts and crafts and that stick hockey game in the wooden frame! Swim lessons and how cold the pool was the first week. Outdoor movie theatres and cook outs. Playing jacks on the garage floor. Hours of "Authors" or "Old Maid" card games in that same garage. Clover necklaces. Lightening bug rings [ick] Gunny sack swings. (softer than a tire swing and not as hot!) After dinner games of hide and go seek in the dark. Even the smell on your clothes after a long hot day outside! A cool bath before bedtime and we got to do it all over again the next day!

Yes, we have 3 Pay It Forward winners!

Just waiting for the snail mail addies at this point. Thanks! It's safe to comment now!!!

Ran into yet another knee problem-blip on the road to recovery - and I'd so counted on this knee going smoother!!! Won't bore you with the details - I'll just let you know when it's solved!!! But it makes for one cranky doni - who doesn't blog unless she can "not whine!" And I'm pushing that limit right now. :> What I really need is quality time in the sewing room - wish I felt like it.

Spring MUST be coming - please!- Yesterday birds woke me up. They were just grackles - not pretty bird song, but still - it's a first. DH said they were yelling at each other about who's bright idea was it to come north this early! And it does kind-of sound like that!

Been working on postcards lately - something to do with my attention span! But when friends were visiting this weekend I made them help me frame and pin baste a small wall quilt. My designated UFO for March! Now it's ready to quilt at will!

Finishing up my Take it Further challenge this week. Hope to have pictures for you this weekend. I loved this theme - "what are you old enough to remember?"

I'm old enough to remember:
black and white television and it took FOREVER to warm up!
watching American Bandstand and being my teenage sister's practice partner!
TV test patterns - yep, there used to be hours in the night that nothing was on tv!
the FIRST MacDonalds built in Lincoln - 4 blocks away from my house
Penny candy at the stores
The first manned space shot - we watched it in the auditorium at school
Cars without air conditioning - they had vents!
Walking home from school for lunch
and lots more that "I remember" but just not this minute!!!

My TIF piece is about what I remember about summers. Coming soon - watch this space!!!

Pay It Forward Contest

Paula [Thanks again, Sweet P!] sent me a Pay It Forward package while I've been recouping and it's time to - you know - pay it forward. Everyone who comments or emails me this week will be eligible. I have no cute pets to pick three names - but I'll pick names on Saturday. Paula made a darling little homemade bag - no guarantees of something homemade from me. But I have lots of sewing doodads and kits. Also let me know if you'd be interested in a year's worth of QNM or an old unopened Quilt Engagement Calendar or nickel squares. The catch is that you will then have to Pay it Forward to 3 other people.

I love Pay it Forward. The book is awesome - the movie with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey is good - but the book is better! If you haven't read it yet - look for it.

I got to play babies this weekend. G's daughter just had Miss V 11 days ago. Well, yesterday Miss V came by to introduce herself! Boy, you forget they come that little! Holding a 10 day old baby is definitely good for what ails you! The little funny faces and stretches ... the cuddling into your body. What fun! Thanks S & C for your visit - I loved it.

It's been 3 weeks since my knee replacement. I'm happy to say that the pain relief pill switch has finally kicked in - much better. But a 2 am DVD is now in my routine! Something in the middle of the night gets me up and down to the recliner to get comfortable ... I can't sleep there - but have been watching DVDs from my extensive collection! This week end I watched "Deep Impact", "Dave", "In Good Company" and "Pretty Woman". Those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head!

Can we talk about how it is possible for a woman alone in a king-size bed to run out of room? LOL! Well, this has been recovery central for the last 3 weeks - let's take a look at what I'm sharing this space with.

Well, right now there is a digital camera and case and the laptop computer and icy knee wrap. But they're only on the bed when I'm actually using them. PS - I'm NOT listing what's on the bedside table!

In bed with me is: 6 pillows; sheets; 3 quilts; 6 quilt magazines or books; tin of Ritz crackers; box of Puffs; sweatshirt (okay - I just finally warmed up today); 7 get well cards(!); 3 fabric post cards; approximately a 3 inch stack of pages torn from Quilters Newsletter Magazines; a sewing basket that I put peppermints in; 4 fiction books; cordless phone; red canvas belt for exercises; new Lands End catalog; spare glasses; box of papers that I sorted from the sewing room; breathing exercise thingie from hospital; I can't look any further! Let's hope I get this mess organized or else there will be no space for me and my new knee!

February's Take it Further Challenge

Sharon has come up with another winner for February. For the whole challenge explanation go here.

The question is "what are you old enough to remember?" Of course, there is a problem, as we get older - we remember less??? Or maybe that's just recent stuff we can't remember.

I'm old enough to remember summers filled with "play without appointments". Yep, you heard it here. Our mothers used to get us up, feed us breakfast, make us do chores, and then shoo us out of the house to "go play". We weren't supposed to come back (bother her) until suppertime!!! Okay, we were allowed to have lunch at home, but generally, we took turns eating lunch together at each other's houses.

It was really fun. We climbed trees, played with Barbies, rode our bikes, skated (with clamp-on skates with skate keys!) When it was too hot to move, we'd come back home and BEG to come into the air conditioning. NOPE! So lots of afternoons we sat on the cement garage floor and played Authors! It was surprisingly cooler - although harder - to sit on the cement. And after dinner we all met again to play Hide and Go Seek until bed time! WOW! Those WERE the days!

In winter I remember being so proud of ourselves! We stood on the bus stop corner and "smoked" candy cigarettes! By the time we got home, someone had already reported me to my mom!!!! SCORE! It didn't take much to convince her I wasn't really smoking! We were so excited that we tried it again and again - but the neighbors were in on our game by then! But still!

Hmmm - post card size isn't going to hold all these memories! I'll have to pick my favorites!

Week TWO after knee surgery

Bleah! That is definitely the word of the week. Still not sleeping; no energy and brother - tired of it. Enuf!

I did manage to bind "Starry Starry Nights". Finishing just under the deadline of Jan 31st! Very glad I had that ready to go - because I still have not spent as much time in the sewing room as I'd hoped I'd have energy for.

Starry Starry Nights may be one of my oldest UFO! I found it listed on a "to do" list from 1997 and it had been transferred from an earlier list! I had the stars all lined up like little soldiers and a quilting friend MJ reached over and twisted one! Well, that was a new concept! It sure did make the stars twinkle! SSN is about 45 inches square. Machine pieced and handquilted.

During recovery, I have been going thru old Quilters Newsletter Magazines. I have them all since the 80s! Can definitely see cycles of quilt styles. Scrap has been promoted for years and rightfully so!

Some good friends from work and quilting groups have been sending me FQs for my recovery! Thanks everyone! Wow - do they know what I like! It's been great getting squishies in the mail and visits between PT appointments. I'm looking forward to working with all these fabrics! And meanwhile I find myself patting each one and resorting them in their stacks! Great therapy for me - thinking ahead!

Also pictured above is my winter wonderland post card. The fabric itself did all the work - isn't it cool? Not my usual style at all. I was afraid that people would be disappointed with just fabric so I actually beaded alittle on each card. I can see how this could become addictive ... but hopefully I'll be able to keep it in check!