daily life · dogs

What’s Your Homepage?


A little “just for fun” post this Friday morning, as I sit drinking my coffee and getting geared up to get myself out the door to work.  When you first log on to the internet, what is on your homepage? At work, mine is on msn.com.  But here at home, every morning, I am greeted by a new face from www.dogoftheday.com.  I love this website.  It’s been my homepage for a few years now.  Today’s pic and story are a perfect example of why I enjoy it so much.  I love happy endings. 

My friend’s (who is also my coworker) husband got put in the hospital yesterday.  He tested positive for “the flu” and has fluid in one side of his chest.  I have been feeling like I’m coming down with some upper respiratory something or another for the last couple days.  So I am hitting the Mucinex to see if I can fend it off.  Yuk! My hubby was coughing a lot this morning, too.  And he is wanting to leave Sunday for another week long fishing trip.  I told him he can’t go if he’s getting the same crap our friend Brad has.  Brad, by the way, is not only my friend’s husband, he is my husband’s friend. He also works at our shop on his days off from his regular job, for some extra $$.  And my son is friend’s with their oldest son.  So we all spend a lot of time together, in one way or another.  And now I’ve digressed from my original “homepage” topic, lol. Gotta go anyway! TGIF!!!

daily life · quilting

Tuesday Tidbits


Sunday night the weather began changing.  The wind was picking up.  This triggered a headache for me, by Monday morning.  Not a whopping, huge headache, but enough to make me feel yucky all day.  The wind yesterday was blowing from the south, and it gusted up to 62 mph! YUCK! A neighbor, two houses down, returned one of my birdfeeders to me this afternoon.  Two coworkers and myself had to go drive to Borger in that yuckiness, to attend the funeral of one of our coworkers from that office.  It was sad, she was only 57 years old. Cancer.

Today, I woke up feeling quite a lot better, but the wind was still blowing, only this morning, it was from the north, and had snow in it. By this afternoon, the sun was shining again, the wind had calmed down, and all was well with the world. 

I really, really dislike wind like that.  It unsettles me for some reason.  There was so much dirt in the air Monday.  The sky was brown.

With the funeral, and the way I was already feeling, I didn’t get diddly squat accomplished yesterday.  Today, after work, I managed to get my workout done, and cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, and am about to turn in for a night of TV.  I hope to finish the prayer shawl I’m knitting.  I did cut up some more of my fabric scraps into leader/ender squares, during my lunch break.  That’s all the “quiltiness” that has been done since Sunday.  I have been doodling some designs in preparation for a kingsize customer top that is supposed to be coming.  It will be custom, and I’m actually pretty excited about doing it.  I’m feeling confident, for a change 🙂

Time for the Biggest Loser! TTYL!

daily life · longarm quilting · quilting · weight

Off to a Great Start Today!


My son feels fabulous today…not even in pain.  He’s just doing amazingly well.  I flipped on Fons & Porter on PBS, as I was getting dressed this morning, and Marilyn Badger was on, and it was an episode I hadn’t seen.  I love that they are doing some longarm episodes.  So I quickly dressed and hopped on the Treadclimber while I watched.  Boy did that workout fly by quickly, as I had something worthwhile to watch.  After that, I decided to try on a pair of Nike windpants that I couldn’t wear two weeks ago, and they fit again! Yeehaw! Now, what to do with the rest of this fabulous day…..work on my EB quilts, or throw something on the longarm and play….hmmm…..

daily life

Reporting in!


My patient is doing well! The oral surgery to remove the wisdom teeth went perfectly.  He was really cute & funny coming out from under the anesthesia.  He is only just now starting to feel a little pain, and took one of his pain pills.  Hopefully it won’t make him sick.  Thanks so much for all the prayers and well wishes!

daily life · health

Just a Midweek Check-in


I’ve barely had time to stay up with reading some of my favorite blogs and message boards this week, let alone post anything.  I’m having a good week, though.  I’ve kept up with my Flylady missions, and my exercise. 

Today, the weather is horrible here.  Right now the wind is HOWLING.  Plus, we’ve dropped from the 50’s & 60’s back to the 20’s.  The windchill is supposed to be below 0 at some point.  Maybe right now, I haven’t been out yet.  Then there is supposed to be some snow, with practically no visibility due to the wind.  Needless to say, I am not going to the doctor in Amarillo today.  We postponed that a couple of weeks. 

However, I found some online articles yesterday that I found very interesting, and I hope that I am finally finding some answers to my shoulder & back issues. The articles were on myofascial pain syndrome and trigger points.  I found an article with diagrams, showing common trigger points in the back and neck muscles, and where the referred pain locations are on the body.  They described what I am experiencing exactly.  They also show stretches for those muscles.  They said it’s better to treat the trigger points, with pressure, before stretching, but me, being impatient, went ahead and tried out some of the stretches.  I did this while sitting at my desk, waiting for my afternoon appts. to finish coming in, and they made me feel better.  I’ve been complaining that the pain goes right down the back of my right arm.  That area was really bothering me yesterday.  I did the stretching exercise for one of the muscle groups that it showed to refer pain to that area, and I kid you not, immediately, my arm quit hurting.  And it hasn’t started again, yet.  I’m trying not to get my hopes up that it is going to turn out to be something this easy….I’ll keep you posted.  BTW, the article on the trigger points can be found here, http://www.pressurepointer.com/BookOne1.pdf

Of course, they are trying to sell a product, too, but the stretches are fantastic.  This link will take you to the Mayo Clinic site, and their description of mayofascial pain syndrome.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/myofascial-pain-syndrome/DS01042

Now I better get up from here and get ready to go to work.

daily life

Thursday Thumper


I want to play Kay’s “Thursday Thumper” today.  Junk mail.  I think junk mail deserves a Thursday Thumper! I wish I could have back all the time I have spent in my life sorting through and shredding junk mail, junk mail that I never wanted in the first flippin’ place.  I wish I would never get another piece of junk mail so that I don’t have to spend any more time ever on it, ever, ever, ever.  Thump, thump, thump.

daily life · health · longarm quilting · quilting · weight

Scattered Saturday Thoughts


This post is just some random musings going through my head.

Slow down. Quit rushing through projects.  Take my time, enjoy the process.  Keep it fun and relaxing. Don’t feel guilty about telling someone “no, I’m not interested in taking that project on”, or “this is my price, take it or leave it”, because I will not GIVE my time away.  My time is valuable.  I would rather not do any quilting for money, than do it for less than it’s worth.  To do that, makes me resent the project. I have plenty of my own projects to work on, which make me happy. My quilting must continue to be one of “my happy places”.  This is not negotiable.

Set smaller goals.  This really goes along with slowing down.  Why do I put so much pressure on my self to finish, finish, finish? This is hard to explain, but I’m sure others of you will grasp what I’m trying to say.  I think I have so many projects that I hope to make, and I start feeling like…I don’t know…the world might end, or I might die, or some other such catastrophe will occur…before I get to them. I need to get over this one.  There will ALWAYS be projects coming along that I want to do, that list will never get smaller, I will never come to the end, I WILL die, or the world will end, or some other catastrophe will happen before I make EVERYTHING, or accomplish everything I want to accomplish.  Anyone else relate to this crazy thinking????

So, like for example, this week, my quilting goal is ONLY to finish the nine patches for my 9P & stripe quilts.  That is 88 9P’s.  I’m almost done, so by the end of this day, I fully expect to meet that goal.  Then next week, my goal will be to have the stripe blocks completed. 

The Biggest Loser. I love this reality show.  I am not obese, but I am now struggling with my weight, which has been gradually creeping up, up, up ever since my hyster, almost 3 yrs ago.  I know it’s partly my age, 41, but I think also in part to the estrogen replacement I’m taking.  Maybe that’s just a cop-out, denial on my part, too.  I don’t really know.  However, since a new season of The Biggest Loser has started, so has a new try on my part to get those numbers going back in the right direction.  So, I will also start posting a weekly weigh-in on my blog.  If those contestants can be brave enough to stand up before the world and weigh-in, so can I.  Maybe knowing that I will be putting it here for you all to see will help keep me accountable and motivated.  My starting weight is 154.  Ouch! I don’t like that number.  My first official weigh-in will be tomorrow.  I will try to remember to do that on Sundays.  Sunday is the day I view as the first day of each new week.  I’m just barely, maybe even a smidge under, 5’5″.  So that weight is at least 25 lbs more than I should be for my frame. And the majority of it goes south of the waistline.  If I could redirect it to my boobs, all would be well…LOL.  My exercise goal is not less than three times per week. 

Stay on track with my Flylady routines.  Hit a lick at a snake.  Remember that even housework done incorrectly still blesses my family, and me. 

If I continue to have problems with my shoulder, back, neck, etc., to the point that I have been, and it continues to interfere with my life as it has been, I will find the courage to go back to my family doctor (I’m currently seeing only my chiro for this, and some days it’s better, most days not) and be insistent with him that he look into it further, or send me on to someone else who can & will get to the bottom of what is causing it.  WHY am I getting so much inflammation, irritation, pain….??? Why do all my upper body bones pop & creak, and feel like they are grinding against each other with movement, or just changing positions, such as simple rolling over in bed? But on the other hand, I’m terrified of any kind of surgery….waaa, waaa…I know…I just get so frustrated with doctors kind of throwing their hands up and acting like I’m making too much out of it, because they can’t see anything significant on an Xray.  This pain is not normal. And I would skip over my family doctor, but my insurance requires a referral from him, so this requires me to be more insistent and forceful, which for some reason, I find hard to do when dealing with health care professionals.  I turn into a wimp around them.  I let them completely intimidate me. 

Ok, was this too much rambling for you…? Flylady just asked “where is your laundry?”, so I guess I best get up and put some in the washing machine…lol.  And I have some 9P’s to finish, and some treadclimbing to do, therefore the rambling must come to an end….

art · daily life · favorite things

Show and Tell Friday


Kelli, over at There Is No Place Like Home, hosts this neat Show and Tell Friday, every Friday.  I would like to participate this week by sharing a special piece of artwork.  A few years ago, I found this painting tucked away in my Mom’s closet. It didn’t even have a frame on it.  I asked where she got it.  She told me that it had been painted by her cousin, Mickie.  Mom didn’t really know what to do with it.  I wanted it! All my Mom’s family is from Oklahoma, and this picture so perfectly depicts a part of my family’s roots.  It brings back fond memories of visits to my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ farms.  I thought that a simple barnwood frame was the perfect finishing touch.  I have it hanging on my bedroom wall, and I never get tired of seeing it.  I only wish my Mom’s cousin could have known how much this painting would mean to me, but she had already passed away from ovarian cancer when it came to live with me.  Thank you, Mickie, for this special piece of art.

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I think she did a wonderful job.  Thank you for stopping by to visit.  I hope you enjoyed  my Show and Tell Friday post.

daily life · nature · photos

This Morning’s Sunrise…


Looked so beautiful to me, that I had to share it with you, as best as I could. God’s handiwork is awesome.

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It also made me think of Gayle‘s & Judy’s & Vicki’s beautiful hand dyed fabrics.  I bet they could make some pretty ones with these colors. 

Christmas · crafts · daily life · food · quilting

Pumpkin Bread – Round 2


What? I baked two days in a row! That like never happens.  And while yesterday’s batch is tasty, it is not the pumpkin bread of my dreams.  But the recipe, for Lynn, is the one from my old Betty Crocker cookbook, and can be found here, http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=35695.  However, in my old cookbook, they used 2/3 cup shortening instead of oil. 

Today, I tried another recipe, found in a cookbook that was put together by my church for a fundraiser.  Again, it’s good, and it makes the house smell yummy delicious, but once again, not the pumpkin bread I’m dreaming of having.

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I’m also playing around with a fun project I found on Karyn’s blog. I found her blog through Kelli’s blog, which I found through Ruthann’s blog, which was posted on Judy’s blog. 🙂 These are all wonderful blogs, full of inspiration, and worth a visit.  You might want to make yourself a cup of tea beforehand. Anyway, back to the project in progress.  These are so much fun…almost addicting, so many different possibilities. Thanks for sharing it, Karyn.

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So what, you are wondering, is the pumpkin bread of my dreams?  My Mom’s!! And she is supposed to be copying the recipe for me. 🙂

Now I need to get back to something quilty.  I’ve been working on chopping up scrap pieces, according to Bonnie Hunter’s system.  More on that in my Sunday Stashbuster report later on today.