Mission Accomplished

It's been a very long weekend for Laurie. But she has once again done a beautiful job. We spent a good part of yesterday afternoon hanging the new light fixture. It was quite a challenge but it is just beautiful. Laurie picked out a great color and we both think the kitchen actually looks bigger. I guess the yellow closed it in. My idea for the window treatment went ny the wayside but we went shopping in the sewing room and created a nice valence. I need a new wall molley and right now it
is up by a lick and a promise. Tomorrow is another day. The stove was delivered and I guess I will have to get an electrician because the recepatacle is in the wrong spot on the wall, so the stove doesn't go all the way back. I tried it out last night and made a potroast for my girl and today I made brownies!! The new dishwasher is currently sitting in the garage. The installer is on vacation. I an wait-the old one still works.

Taking care of myself for Christmas

My personal painter and her assistant are coming this morning to paint my kitchen. When I bought this house in 2001, I fell in love with the sunflower yellow kitchen. But now after 6 years, I am sick of it. This Christmas Laurie gave me paint and a painter (Ms MBA) as my Christmas present. And today is the day!!! Now you ask about her assistant...that would be Bailey, the wonder-pup(my sometime roommate).

So yesterday after work, I stopped at Lowe's (go Jimmy Johnson-no Homey Depot and Mr. doesn't like to shave for me). I picked up the misc. stuff we needed for painting and then I strolled over to the kitchen appliances. Long story short-I bought myself a new stove and dishwasher!

Now the brain is going and I am thinking about the window treatment near the table end of the kitchen. I want to do a plain valence with quilt blocks as a border on it. I have to do the math to figure it out.

I think I will attempt to take a before picture and then and after.

Christmas 2007

I looked at all my pictures and realized I have pictures of Sarah and Emma and assorted pets-Ayla, Gunner, Jade and Lanie. Somehow missing: Tyler. The pictures of Rob that I have are just bad. Since I value my relationship with my son-in-law, I chose not to put them on the blog. Rob-you owe me!!

Next year I will have to focus on Tyler as well. Laurie only had one good picture as well.

Actually I am glad that Christmas rush is over. Now I can sit and relax. I wonder if I can get Sarah to come undecorate the house. (Like that is really going to happen!)

The food was delish as Rachel would say. I loved the rasmosas. The chocolate martinis will have to wait until my painter arrives. Laurie-we paint first then imbibe! And Bailey needs to celebrate Christmas as well!

Christmas 2007

Christmasn survived

Twas the day before Chrsitmas....

I have finished shopping and wrapping!!!!!

Twas a very busy weekend. Friday was Stone Mountain with Sarah and a sleepover
Saturday afternoon, Emma came over for a sleepover too! How many times can you watch Dora and her kidnapped map?? Saturday evening we watched a lot of movies from my collection. I don't have many "grown up" movies but lots of stuff for kids. Clifford is always good!
The gingerbread house went well. I told Sue I found a really good one for her to do next year.....heehee
Last night Laur, Sue, Sarah and I went to the "fabulous Fox" and saw the Nutcracker. Somehow they managed to have it snow in a theater at the end of the first act. I really enjoyed the ballet. And I have made it ITP(inside the perimeter for non-Atlantans) twice in a matter of 8 days-a record!

Now it is on to the kitchen to start the Swedish coffee cake and meatballs.
This afternoon is the Christmas pageant at church and the on to Casa de Reynolds! Have to be up early to be down at the Frieds for the Santa fest.

Sarah at Stone Mountain

Decorating for Christmas with the little Natzi

Yesterday I took Sarah to Stone Mountain for the Christmas experience and then brought her back to my house for a sleepover. Just Sarah and me...Emma stayed home with mommy and daddy. Neeless to say, she was not too happy about that! Stone Mountain was very pretty but crowded. Sarah was more interested in shopping than the Chrsitmas stuff. She did not want to ride on the train or do the Polar Express thing.
Saturday morning and it is time to decorate Meena's house. I was trying to avoid all this decorating stuff and now my kitchen is full of boxes of years of decorations. Sarah has decided that I need to have both of the little trees up and decorated. Who is going to put all this stuff away in a couple of weeks.

We still have to do some wrapping and mommy sent the dreaded gingerbread house kit over to be done too! The Christmas natzi is going full steam now!

Meanwhile, I haven't finished Christmas shopping. I guess that happens tomorrow after church. Also the Swedish coffeecake needs to be made. And I wonder if I can figure out an easy way to do the Swedish meatballs.

Henry is now in one of the empty Christmas tree boxes and I rescued Spiff from the garage.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on Morning Dew Place despite Ms. Grinch!

How do you spell relief?

Three very long days are over!!!!
No more having to go to work at dark thirty!!!
The State has come and gone....the ordeal is over for another year. And they manged not to ruin the Christmas holiday. They will have to do a revisit but hopefully that won't happen until the end of January. Those who don't know what the whole routine is probably would not believe it. It is a good process but is really hard on all of the staff involved. The rules and regulations that a SNF is held accountable for is really lengthy. They really had to dig to find infractions in the facility which is a good thing. Yeah..it is over .....and now I am going to get a glass of wind and go to bed!!!

"the state" and Laurie-separate thoughts

After many anxious days waiting, the state finally arrived today for our annual survey at "the home". It brings mixed feelings of course because the next 3 days will be stressful because "big brother" is watching....but then it will be over, for awhile. Since we have been waiting since the beginning of November for their arrival, I'm glad it is an actuality. And now I won't have to go to work at dark thirty anymore and Christmas won't be spoiled with the thought of them coming in during the holidays. I'm also glad it is this week instead of last as I felt like death warmed over then.

On a much happier note-we celebrated Laurie's graduation yesterday. It's official- she has her MBA. And I finally got to see the inside of the Georgia Dome. (Don't get around much anymore)!

Christmas Carols

I love Christmas music....but listening to it on the radio all the time-gets a little old. The same songs are played over and over again-sung by a lot of dead people! How long haves Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole been dead? Still I guess it is nice to hear them once a year.

Maybe this weekend, I will get some more spirit for the holidays..if it cools off (just a little bit, please) I am not asking for snow or even cold weather. They can keep that up north thank you very much. I went shopping for Emma this week and found the sweetest little doll. It looks like her. I had to remove all of the dolls from the shelf to find just the right one. Can't believe that Baby Alive is back again. I passed on her when the girls were little. One more foray out to the stores and I should be finished with Christmas shopping. My plan is to keep it simple. I still have not done anything further about decorating inside the house. The little trees on the porch remain naked as well. If I delay just a little bit longer, it will be time to put the decorations away for another year.

Did we move???

So it is the first-no second weekend in December. I decided I would have a "green Christmas" and not illuminate the house. Truthof the matter is that I just didn't feel like dealing with all of the stuff. However, the decoration natzi AKA Sarah does not agree and she told her Mom that she needed to see Meena's reindeer. Being the mush that I am regarding my granddaughters, this morning I went about getting the reindeer set up in the front yard. If they were real, and if they had a brain that could reason, I am sure they would be wondering when we relocated to a warmer climate. I am out there bonding with my white wire reindeer and it is downright warm. I can decorate the outside and work on my tan at the same time!

Ho ho ho.....so the snowmen and santa are out there and dripping and sweating respectively. I have the little trees on the porch but right now it is just too warm to fix them..later for you guys.

I guess I need to think about the inside now. Drat.......or better yet, I will save that for another day......

Maybe I'm not losing it....

This was one of those days when I put my brain some place for safe keeping and forgot where I put it!

Today was Sticthin' Sisters and so I got up early to do the usual Saturday stuff before heading out. So far, so good.
I start to collect my supplies to head off to the shop......can not find my forked pins. I KNOW I had them last week when I put the Honeybee quilt together-but now they are nowhere to be found. Of course, the sewing room is now beyond disaster, so trying to find anything in there is a challenge. I even moved the couch in the living room thinking that perhaps one of the guys decided to play with the box. No forked pins to be found. They are not anywhere!!!!

Now using plain old pins will work but it is just the principle!

I had a good day at the shop and was able to make good progress in knocking off the remaining blocks for the project under construction. Then this afternoon, one of the blocks is missing. I counted the block three times and came up with a total of 47. Maybe it is at home-hiding with the forked pins. Back at home, I again search. The block remains MIA......BUT I found those silly little forked pins. Imagine that-right behind the sewing machine! I got busy and cut out pieces for another block. Later on, Karen from the store called and let me know that a block that looks like mine turned up.....so now I have 49 blocks. And more importantly, my mind!!

Blahs......that is what I feel like when I think about the upcoming holidays. Don't feel like going out to the garage and going through all that crap to find some decorations.. I need someone to decorate for me...and then they had better come back and take all the stuff down.....or I can just not bother with decorations this year.
There is always this weekend if it is warm....otherwise the reindeer will remain grazing in the garage!

Ny roommate....

I guess there is something to be said about a roommate

I have my part-time roomate-part-time dog...... So she is only here for the weekend (this makes Spiff and Henry happy. I haven't even found where Spooky is hiding-he will come out when Bailey goes to bed).

I have done a pretty good job at training Bailey's mother too. I was pleased to find goodies to make the dog happy until her mother returns on Sunday. Although, I did save some gravy to put on her food-just in case!

Right now she is waiting for me to sit down on the couch. I know what happens next. She needs to take a nap because since I got home from work, she has been sniffing the carpeting. I think all those cat hairs must be tickling her nose. I knew there was a reason I had not taken the vacuum out of the closet. It will really be needed when Bailey goes home!

Rushing the Season

Okay, so I just ignored the decorations put on the light poles in Snellville a couple of weeks ago. At least, they did not turn them on. Then the other day, they decorated the town hall and put up the Christmas tree.

On the way to work this morning, I heard on the radio station that starting tomorrow-all holiday songs all the time.....:(
AND I noticed decorations on front lawns too....the lighted see-thru reindeer have arrived from where ever they spend the rest of the year. Mine are "alive" and well in the garage. I guess soon I will have to think about my decorations,....but not yet thank you very much!

Then I thought about the Walsh's back in Mahopac. Their tradition was to turn on the Christmas lights that were on their house Thanksgiving night. Red and green lights all around. I remember calling Linda when the lights went on and how we both laughed!

Merry Christmas!!

twas the night before......

Well actually it is not the night before....it is the night before the night before and it is not Christmas but Thanksgiving.

I checked out the bag of stuffing. I hope one bag is enough but then I could always get another one...

Getting up at the butt crack of dawn is getting really old fast. I surely hope the state decides to grace us with their presence next week. The only good thing about the early days is that I get to leave early.

Back to the holiday. I guess I really need to do some serious thinking about Christmas..
The problem is I don't know what to get most of the people. Sarah and Kris are done. I haven't got a clue about the boys (or for that matter, the rest of the girls)! I guess I will thinl about it tomorrow or maybe the next day...

Honeyberries and Spiff

nothing important to say...

Half way through another month..next week is Thanksgiving. I must think about preparing the stuffing and opening the gravy!
The cold front came through during the night...no rain and now the temperature is dropping and it is feeling like Fall. Despite the lack of rain, the leaves have really put on a show in the last few days.

This afternoon I stopped at the library and picked up the reserved books. I love this system. I go on line and reserve and they email me when the books have arrived at my library. Automated checkout-don't even have to talk to a librarian! Then on to the post office to mail the quilt top up to Jacky. Would you believe automation there too? Laur would be so proud of her mother hitting button on the computer. So now you don't have to wait on line to mail a package!

I broke down and put the heat on to get the chill out of the house. I'm thinking..curl up on the couch with one of the books and get toasty under a quilt! I think I should try out the one I finished sewing on the binding this morning...if I can wrestle it away from Spiff. It is a pattern called Honeyberries. I think I want to make another one because it just makes me happy to look at it.

Why do they make it so hard..the sequel

All I wanted to do was post a picture of Jacky's quilt top. Easy...not so much. I think maybe I have done it but then again.......
It was easier to figure out the quilt pattern than to get it onto the blog site.

Why do they make it so hard?

Quilter,yes..computer, no!

Trick or Treat

You know that it is Fall, when the witches start flying! You know it is Fall when the Hersey kisses are orange and brown. So tonight the little beasts will be about begging candy. I will do my usual-hide in the bedroom with the door closed! Who says the Grinch only comes at Christmas.

I did my duty for the old people today and wore a mask and wings at work. What was I? Damned if I know-I went for cheap. I got me some red wings that I kept poking people with and a cat mask. I had a collar with bells on it but that would not stay on. The mask was short lived too since I could not see very well with it on. Tripping over wheelchairs is not a good thing!

And now with this dastardly day just about over, we can start thinking about the upcoming months. Thanksgiving dinner and who is cooking what. Surely Laur will be doing "puff". She needs to do corn casserole too:) yum! For my part, I have already purchased the gravy from Williams-Sonoma and Mr. Peppridge should be already working on the stuffing. Yeah-done

In another moment of sheer insanity I agreed to walk again on turkey day. What was I thinking??? I will have the advil in the car to consume on the ride back home. Maybe it will rain...probably not oh well.

The Christmas card is ordered, am I efficient or what.....time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. For those of you who know who you are....please supply your suggestions!

Sometimes I amaze me..

Every now and then, I amaze myself! Yesterday the wedding book arrived that Sue helped me work on last weekend. I decided that I should put together a book about my vacation last Spring. And after a few false starts, I think I did it! Karin...arrives in the 21st century! So with this publishing feat in mind, I tackled the Christmas card. My plans for this year's card have been percolating since the Spring as well. I think I am going to be able to pull this one off all by myself. Or I will have one peculiar Christmas card this year. Merry Christmas from the weirdo.

This week at work has flown fast. No "state" yet. I guess they thought we thought they were coming this week, so they didn't. It has taken me the better part of two years to sleep until at least six before dragging the body out of bed. Now I find myself awake before the rooster next door. I went to work in the dark two days this week to be ready for them. I will have to do that again next Monday. The good part about going in early, is I get to leave early. The bad part is I can't stay awake after eight o'clock at night. Meena is in bed before the girls.

time flies when you're having fun

The week flew by and still we anxiously await state survey. While part of me does not want to deal with that, I am rapidly reaching the point when I hope they show up so we can get this over with and administrative anxiety will go down! Maybe Monday or Tuesday will be the day.

I managed to stay awake last night to see the 9PM show that I wanted to watch-in it's entirety! Last week I missed the beginning and the end but the middle seemed good. Since I have read the books, I was interested to see how close the show would follow. The time constraint does effect the character development. It will be interesting to see how they allow these women to interact with each other. I liked the book series but we will see!

I have been thinking about turkey gravy this week! I have to call Williams-Sonoma to see if the gravy base is available. Last year I missed it. Might just have to take a road trip today if it is available!

This weekend's sewing project is in question. I have 2 tops that need to have borders applied. I also have to really attack the quilt for the red hat club at work. Stitch 'N'Quilt called yesterday and the top I left there is ready to be picked up. I didn't check the answering machine until I got ready to jump into bed. I guess I really should check that a little bit more often. I'm just not good with electronics!

Things done and left undone....

The weekend is winding down and soon it will be time to get ready for another fun-filled week at work.

So what did I get accomplished this weekend.
-lanudry and changed the bed
-broke out the vacuum and did a quick spin around the rooms
-paid bills
-got a pedicure
-tanning
-went to Stitch 'N Quilt for block of the month and picked up my autographed copy of Peggy's book
-hit Publix for a few items
-made substantial progress on Jacky's quilt
-finished a Patterson book and started the next one
-hung out with Sue while Sarah went to Sunday School
-took 2 showers in one day-there goes my quota...story about that is tried a new lotion at the tanning place and could not stand the smell when I got home!

Things left undone...

So the sewing room is still looking mighty bad. I have no idea what is in some of the piles. When I met Sharon today at the quilt store, we were talking about our stashes. She thinks we all should have a record of whose got what. She is still lusitng after Emma's quilt. It is a good thing Emma is just a baby or I think the quilt would be in Stone Mountain!

I guess I should put my stash in my will. Who will get all my wonderful fabric??? Maybe Sarah will start to sew and then it can all go to her house! Won't that make the son-in-law happy.

friday..friday

Friday is my favorite day of the week. I love Friday night because I know I am looking forward to the next two days away from work. The weather is beautiful-although not a hint of rain which is not a good thing. We are drying up!!

The question is-what will I do to fill up my weekend. What I should do is clean the house, especially the sewing room. I am not sure there is a floor in there anymore. The ktchen and bathroom floors are in need too. How did Bailey get her dog fur in my bathroom? WonderPup is just that! Now I know in my heart of hearts that the cleaning thing is just not going to happen. I suppose I will run the vacuum and clean up the fur in the living room. Beyond that......

Sunday is ssecond Sunday and day to pick up the next block for block of the month. Also Peggy is going to be at Stitch to sign her book. I must have a copy even if I never make one of her quilts. I still have the one from the cruise that I have not touched since March. Pretty sure it is somewhere in the sewing room!

The projects are calling my name but I don't seem to get much done. Poor Laur has been waiting for over a year for the French fabric one. The top is done-somewhere in the sewing room. Do you see a pattern developing? Now if I were to win the lottery, all the quilt tops would go to the longarmer and I could start over.

I am half way through the Patterson book and anxious to see what diabolical thing will happen in this book. San Francisco does not seem like such a nice place despite the pretty pictures Laur took.

I guess I will just sit back and see what happens next.........

Weather

Many years ago I remember the gas shortage and waiting in line to buy gas. So now we have a water shortage and there are rumblings of water rationing. I wonder if we are going to have to line up to take a shower? You may shower once a week and flush the toilet once a day. Yuck...we are going to experience new odors!

Meanwhile, it is cool this morning and maybe we will begin to experience some fall weather. Hopefully it will make me think a little bit about some quilting projects that are long overdue. After months of looking at a box of fabric sent down from NY, I have finally figured out what pattern I will do. Jacky will be so surprized when she finally gets it back!