Wow! Wednesday already! It's all downhill from here - tomorrow's payday and Friday is jeans day at work (or scruffy day as Michael calls it).
Michael and I didn't get much sleep last night - no, not THAT (get your mind outta the gutter!) It was so windy last night, the windows were rattling. We've been in our house for 3 and 1/2 years now and last night was the first night I could hear the wind from our bedroom. With so many big trees around our property, a windy evening can be frightening. The first spring in the house, we had an tree surgeon cut down eight trees and specifically spared a younger tree in the back yard. The very next day, it got quite windy and rainy and the pardoned tree fell on its own - smack into the wooden fence and into the neighbors' yard.
That former co-worker that I mentioned in yesterday's blog contacted me again. This time, the e-mail wasn't so cordial. She stated that if I ignored the subpoena, it's jail time for me! Ouch! Our corporate attorney got in touch with me and asked me to inform this "friend" that all further communications should go to the company's lawyer. My boss is being quite supportive too. It's odd, but only two of us here have received these e-mails. The former associate's boss and the co-workers in her department have not been contacted by anybody. Let's hope this is the end of it. Michael is of the mind that this is a scare tactic - meant to get some sort of compensation out of the company. Well, she might as well kick herself now. I'm small beans in this company.
OK - quilting. That's what this blog is SUPPOSED to be about, right? I sewed four rows of the Stash Pot pie quilt last night. Aching to see what it'll look like, I sewed two panels together and am amazed how nice it looks - pattern-wise. Hoping to get all eight panels sewn together tonight and then it will be ready for class, the second Saturday in February. During Biggest Loser, I ironed all the little patches that are going into Lizzy's quilt. I'm trying to find ways I can enhance my quilting time by doing ironing, basting, etc in the family room whilst we all watch television at night. My sewing room is at the other end of the house and I sort of miss out on family time if I sew too long at night.
Once I get Lizzy's quilt pieced, I really need to start quilting some of these projects. I have top after top done, but stop at the quilting bit. I shouldn't have any trepidation about it since I have the Juki and the Grace frame. It's probably that I enjoy piecing so much.
Michael's been told by his therapist that he needs to go on a diet! GASP! He said it's the first time anybody has told him that he has to lose his paunch. I reminded him that I've been after him for YEARS about it. He corrected himself and said it was the first time a medical professional had told him that. I don't think that's accurate either. Perhaps it's the first time he's LISTENED. Now, he claims he's not going to go on an organized diet plan of any sort, that he's going to cut this out and cut that out. But, what did I find him doing at 8:30 last night - eating handfuls of dry-roasted peanuts. Why he doesn't want to try Weight Watchers with me is a mystery. He may not want anybody telling him how much and what he can eat. His therapist also gave him instructions to start working out at home.
The sun's out, but it's bitter cold again. One more day to January, folks. Spring's coming.
Hugs and love,
Cathy
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I want to stay home and sew
I suppose the title says it all! LOL. It's a dreary, damp day in southwest Ohio. I'm here at the office, but obviously not working. Michael has the day off, so when I left for work he was still sound asleep. I think I'll have some fun and phone in a few minutes to wake him! (I'm so wicked!)
Real productive night in the sewing room last night. I have ten more blocks to sew and I'll have the required 48 for the Stash Pot Pie quilt. Could have had them all done, but for some strange reason I wanted to watch the President's State of the Union speech on television. Should have stayed in the sewing room since I fell asleep during the speech. Suppose it wasn't that rousing a talk! Soooooooooo, I'm hoping to get the blocks all done and start to stitch them together - that's the truly exciting part of making a quilt - seeing it all come together.
Another interesting thing that happened yesterday. I received an e-mail from a former co-worker (she was fired last fall) informing me that I was going to receive a subpoena to testify in her wrongful dismissal case. Talk about the LAST thing I want to do! I knew this woman and had lunch with her from time to time, but she worked in an area that had some interaction with mine. I can't really attest to whether or not she did or work in an accurate and timely manner. My boss recommended that I advise our corporate attorneys about this, which I've done. Yet to hear back from them. In the meantime, I e-mailed the former co-worker and told her I was real uncomfortable doing what she's asking. Stay tuned.......
No plans for this evening other than to sew and take care of this rotten cold that I've acquired. Michael has pulmonary therapy again this afternoon, so I'm sure I'll hear all about that at dinner-time.
Don't know about everybody else, but I will be so very glad to flip the calendar to February. Keeping my fingers crossed that Phil doesn't see his shadow on the 2nd!
Hugs and love,
Cathy
Real productive night in the sewing room last night. I have ten more blocks to sew and I'll have the required 48 for the Stash Pot Pie quilt. Could have had them all done, but for some strange reason I wanted to watch the President's State of the Union speech on television. Should have stayed in the sewing room since I fell asleep during the speech. Suppose it wasn't that rousing a talk! Soooooooooo, I'm hoping to get the blocks all done and start to stitch them together - that's the truly exciting part of making a quilt - seeing it all come together.
Another interesting thing that happened yesterday. I received an e-mail from a former co-worker (she was fired last fall) informing me that I was going to receive a subpoena to testify in her wrongful dismissal case. Talk about the LAST thing I want to do! I knew this woman and had lunch with her from time to time, but she worked in an area that had some interaction with mine. I can't really attest to whether or not she did or work in an accurate and timely manner. My boss recommended that I advise our corporate attorneys about this, which I've done. Yet to hear back from them. In the meantime, I e-mailed the former co-worker and told her I was real uncomfortable doing what she's asking. Stay tuned.......
No plans for this evening other than to sew and take care of this rotten cold that I've acquired. Michael has pulmonary therapy again this afternoon, so I'm sure I'll hear all about that at dinner-time.
Don't know about everybody else, but I will be so very glad to flip the calendar to February. Keeping my fingers crossed that Phil doesn't see his shadow on the 2nd!
Hugs and love,
Cathy
Monday, January 28, 2008
Productive weekend and warmer temperatures
Despite what I predicted on Friday, the weekend was enjoyable. We had a terrific meal at Outback on Friday night with my mother and her husband. I lost 1.4 at WI on Saturday morning, so I'm back to my pre-holidays level! Mom and I bought curtains and rods for Andrea's room. (Must hide price from Michael - he was upset over them being $100. If he only knew all the materials cost $200! Thank heavens for Mom's discount or else it would have been worse.) I managed to avoid making any purchases at Karen's Pampered Chef party. Andrea and I won a couple of small prizes though. The meal at Karen and Jimmy's was interesting. Karen didn't fix nearly enough food for the meal and the meat was cold when it was served. Michael moaned about it continuously when we got home and yesterday. As if he couldn't afford to miss a meal or two!
Yesterday was a quiet day spent mostly in the sewing room putting together the strips for the Stash Pot Pie quilt. I'm very pleased with how it's coming together. I had my doubts at first, but now that I have a few blocks put together, it's looking fine. I should be able to finish it by this weekend and start working again on Lizzie's quilt.
Which is another thing that is concerning me - this wedding in England coming up. Over the weekend, Michael got an e-mail from Leah basically telling him the price she and Margaret are paying for Lizzie's wedding dress. Michael immediately went into guilt-mode and said we need to help pay for the dress, etc.....I'm not happy to hear that. For one thing, we're spending $1,700 in airfare just to get there. Wouldn't you think that was enough for anybody in that family? They obviously think we're made of money, which couldn't be further from the truth! I can't talk to him about it since he doesn't think there's a problem with it. Now, he is mentioning that he's going to list some things on his model railroad forum for sale and use the money from that to help with the wedding. That's fine, and that is his choice, but it just burns my behind that we're supporting (indirectly) some function that is going to last five minutes in a judge's office for a couple who has lived together for five years and who refuse to work to support themselves. They have part time jobs and live off the government's dole. When they do have money, they buy pet rats, rabbits and gaming crap for their computer. Why everybody else, in particular Michael, supports this is beyond me. I'm not personally paying for dime one more of anything to do with that function except a new dress for myself.
OK, I'm off my protest box now. We did get the quilt back that was held up in English customs. That'll be packed in the bags for England and if anybody asks me, it's to help keep me warm in the damp cold air!
I made an appointment with Dr. Peerless for this coming Thursday. I think my blood pressure is getting a bit too high again. It was doing OK without medication when I lost some weight, but for some reason, the diastolic number is creeping up. Here again, I should keep this from Michael. But, I told him about it and mentioned I didn't want him stressing out over it or stopping his medical treatments because of it.
Isn't it bad to keep things from one's spouse? I feel bad about it, but it is for his own good, don't you think?
Danny told me his Tae Kwon Do master wants him to teach classes at several locations for pay! Danny is ecstatic about it. I'm so very glad he got back in to Tae Kwon Do and the people who are active with that sport - they're a good influence. He said he's preparing for his temporary second degree black belt test and will tell me when that is so I can go see him test.
Well, back to the regular Monday stuff.
Hope we all have a great, quilty week!
Hugs,
Cathy
Yesterday was a quiet day spent mostly in the sewing room putting together the strips for the Stash Pot Pie quilt. I'm very pleased with how it's coming together. I had my doubts at first, but now that I have a few blocks put together, it's looking fine. I should be able to finish it by this weekend and start working again on Lizzie's quilt.
Which is another thing that is concerning me - this wedding in England coming up. Over the weekend, Michael got an e-mail from Leah basically telling him the price she and Margaret are paying for Lizzie's wedding dress. Michael immediately went into guilt-mode and said we need to help pay for the dress, etc.....I'm not happy to hear that. For one thing, we're spending $1,700 in airfare just to get there. Wouldn't you think that was enough for anybody in that family? They obviously think we're made of money, which couldn't be further from the truth! I can't talk to him about it since he doesn't think there's a problem with it. Now, he is mentioning that he's going to list some things on his model railroad forum for sale and use the money from that to help with the wedding. That's fine, and that is his choice, but it just burns my behind that we're supporting (indirectly) some function that is going to last five minutes in a judge's office for a couple who has lived together for five years and who refuse to work to support themselves. They have part time jobs and live off the government's dole. When they do have money, they buy pet rats, rabbits and gaming crap for their computer. Why everybody else, in particular Michael, supports this is beyond me. I'm not personally paying for dime one more of anything to do with that function except a new dress for myself.
OK, I'm off my protest box now. We did get the quilt back that was held up in English customs. That'll be packed in the bags for England and if anybody asks me, it's to help keep me warm in the damp cold air!
I made an appointment with Dr. Peerless for this coming Thursday. I think my blood pressure is getting a bit too high again. It was doing OK without medication when I lost some weight, but for some reason, the diastolic number is creeping up. Here again, I should keep this from Michael. But, I told him about it and mentioned I didn't want him stressing out over it or stopping his medical treatments because of it.
Isn't it bad to keep things from one's spouse? I feel bad about it, but it is for his own good, don't you think?
Danny told me his Tae Kwon Do master wants him to teach classes at several locations for pay! Danny is ecstatic about it. I'm so very glad he got back in to Tae Kwon Do and the people who are active with that sport - they're a good influence. He said he's preparing for his temporary second degree black belt test and will tell me when that is so I can go see him test.
Well, back to the regular Monday stuff.
Hope we all have a great, quilty week!
Hugs,
Cathy
Friday, January 25, 2008
A Very Cold TGIF
Well, at least it didn't snow last night, but it was bone-chilling cold here this morning. Cold enough to make me wonder if my poor car is going to start despite being in the garage all night. Yes, it did and I made it into work. (Can't use THAT excuse this time!) We got a dusting of snow on Wednesday night and Andrea's school was on a two-hour delay. I got to sleep an hour longer yesterday and nobody at work fussed about me being late. Although, I almost 100 percent certain one of my co-workers would grumble that Andrea's old enough to get herself off to school, etc.....
Absolutely, positively no cutting or sewing last night or the night before. Mom phoned and said she and Ken would like to visit us this weekend. So, the last two nights were spent doing laundry, cleaning and general tidying. Hey, that is a treadmill under all those clothes! Our guests should arrive this afternoon and have promised to treat us to dinner at Outback, one of Michael's favorite places to eat. I've already planned what I'm going to have for dinner, so I'm not breaking my points for the day on the day before WI.
Saturday should be a fun day. NOT! I suppose WI will be the most enjoyable thing about it. My SIL is having a Pampered Chef party. One would have thought that Mom was smart enough to stay far away from southwestern Ohio on the weekend that Karen is hosting one of those. But, no we're going to the sily thing. Plus, Karen is preparing dinner for all of us on Saturday night. Michael's less than enthusiastic about that, let me tell you. If he thinks my cooking is horrendous, then Karen's fare is on the par with death camp cuisine. It's usually edible, but it's "out there" - meaning it's something she learned in an exotic cooking class and we're the guinea pigs to try it. I don't mind since it affords me an opportunity to try something new which I can't get much at home thanks to Andrea and Michael. But, I have to endure Michael's caustic remarks. He's loathe to try anything new, has the same thing every time we go out to eat, and generally has this lack of respect for poor Karen. She tries real hard to impress people, usually throwing away a lot of money in the process. She's had more than one home improvement project that Michael could have done for her for pennies on the dollar, but she hired expensive contractors instead of asking Michael. And that doesn't sit well with him at all. He feels snubbed and dislikes wasting money, even if it isn't his to waste.
At least we get a night of Mom and Ken at our house and Michael does enjoy their company.
So, it won't be a typical weekend for us until Sunday. Guess I'll have to cram all my sewing into that one day.
Trying to stay warm,
Cathy
Absolutely, positively no cutting or sewing last night or the night before. Mom phoned and said she and Ken would like to visit us this weekend. So, the last two nights were spent doing laundry, cleaning and general tidying. Hey, that is a treadmill under all those clothes! Our guests should arrive this afternoon and have promised to treat us to dinner at Outback, one of Michael's favorite places to eat. I've already planned what I'm going to have for dinner, so I'm not breaking my points for the day on the day before WI.
Saturday should be a fun day. NOT! I suppose WI will be the most enjoyable thing about it. My SIL is having a Pampered Chef party. One would have thought that Mom was smart enough to stay far away from southwestern Ohio on the weekend that Karen is hosting one of those. But, no we're going to the sily thing. Plus, Karen is preparing dinner for all of us on Saturday night. Michael's less than enthusiastic about that, let me tell you. If he thinks my cooking is horrendous, then Karen's fare is on the par with death camp cuisine. It's usually edible, but it's "out there" - meaning it's something she learned in an exotic cooking class and we're the guinea pigs to try it. I don't mind since it affords me an opportunity to try something new which I can't get much at home thanks to Andrea and Michael. But, I have to endure Michael's caustic remarks. He's loathe to try anything new, has the same thing every time we go out to eat, and generally has this lack of respect for poor Karen. She tries real hard to impress people, usually throwing away a lot of money in the process. She's had more than one home improvement project that Michael could have done for her for pennies on the dollar, but she hired expensive contractors instead of asking Michael. And that doesn't sit well with him at all. He feels snubbed and dislikes wasting money, even if it isn't his to waste.
At least we get a night of Mom and Ken at our house and Michael does enjoy their company.
So, it won't be a typical weekend for us until Sunday. Guess I'll have to cram all my sewing into that one day.
Trying to stay warm,
Cathy
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Cut,cut,cut,cut......
480 pieces! And that's just the coloured bits! For the first Stash Pot Pie quilt, that is. I may have to introduce different shades of the red and not just the brights ones since I need 240 of the little 3" squares in red. Haven't even started to slice up the greys yet.
And, why am I working on that instead of the Lizzie quilt??? I guess I'm not inspired to work on that wedding quilt. The clock's ticking........But the Pot Pie quilt top has to be finished in a few weeks. I have until mid March to finish the Lizzie quilt.
Michael's first pulmonary rehab therapy went OK, according to him. He had to use oxygen whilst he was on the machines - I think that bothered him. But, he did admit it was lot easier once he was on oxygen. The therapist stated that when he gets puffed out, he is to stop what's he's doing and recover. He does that already for the most part. He's not griping about going back to therapy either. I think it's finally sinking into him that he has to take better care of himself. The pulmonologist wants Michael to write down everything he eats. A ha! A diet plan in the works for Michael? That'll be a challenge! I've tried to get him to stop eating after 8 pm each night, and trust me - that's a struggle I'm losing. He doesn't remember hearing the therapist say not to eat within three hours of bedtime. But, I DO!
Other than that, the same ol' routine with school, work, getting up when it's dark, etc. No wonder people get so down this time of year.
Hugs,
Cathy
And, why am I working on that instead of the Lizzie quilt??? I guess I'm not inspired to work on that wedding quilt. The clock's ticking........But the Pot Pie quilt top has to be finished in a few weeks. I have until mid March to finish the Lizzie quilt.
Michael's first pulmonary rehab therapy went OK, according to him. He had to use oxygen whilst he was on the machines - I think that bothered him. But, he did admit it was lot easier once he was on oxygen. The therapist stated that when he gets puffed out, he is to stop what's he's doing and recover. He does that already for the most part. He's not griping about going back to therapy either. I think it's finally sinking into him that he has to take better care of himself. The pulmonologist wants Michael to write down everything he eats. A ha! A diet plan in the works for Michael? That'll be a challenge! I've tried to get him to stop eating after 8 pm each night, and trust me - that's a struggle I'm losing. He doesn't remember hearing the therapist say not to eat within three hours of bedtime. But, I DO!
Other than that, the same ol' routine with school, work, getting up when it's dark, etc. No wonder people get so down this time of year.
Hugs,
Cathy
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Finished the top! Now, it's back to work I go!
Despite the frigid weather, I had a very nice three days off. Very productive, I might add. I went to Jill's house for a few hours on Sunday for a "quilt-in". I brought along a new project - a freebie pattern from Thimbleberries. I managed to piece eight of the 12 star blocks in the pattern while eating and gabbing at Jill's. I knew my family was stressing about me not being home, so I left around 4 - wish I could have stayed for a few more hours. Yesterday, I picked up where I left off and finished the top by 3 in the afternoon! I'm very pleased with it. Once I figure out how to post photos, I'll make sure to get one on the blog. Michael even liked it - and that's saying something!
We made our airplane reservations for our trip to England on Saturday night. We'll be flying on March 22 and returning on the 31st. I'm taking two days off after our return home - the last two times we've been to England, I've had a horrible time for a few days after our return getting used to our time again. Now, I have to work on the Lizzie quilt in earnest - I could have done this weekend, but I wanted to work on something for myself. Selfish, eh? LOL.
Andrea and I treated ourselves to a Taco Bell lunch yesterday. (Her choice, not mine) Andrea's latest obsession is the "Sweeney Todd" movie. She convinced Michael and I to take her to see it again last night. If it wasn't for the blood and graphic throat slashings, I would have really enjoyed that film. Of course, I was familiar with the music after hearing it over and over again from Andrea's stereo ever since Christmas.
Driving to work this morning was a real treat, let me tell you. I'd sure like to know why every time it's snowed this winter, it's chosen to start snowing right before rush hour???!! Any more, I don't care - just take my time and I'll be here when I can.
Michael has his first pulmonary therapy session this afternoon. I know he's stressing out about it - he mentioned that it's going to "corpse" him. I reminded him that his therapist won't let that happen. He stated AGAIN that he's going only for me. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! I wish I could go with him, but I've taken enough time off work for his medical issues. My co-workers will soon turn from sympathetic to ganging up on me.
Mom's surgery is scheduled for February 20. She's going to have a thyroidectomy and only be kept at the hospital one night. She and Ken will probably be driving down here for a short visit before then since she won't be able to travel for six weeks after the surgery. They're not driving here this coming weekend to purposely avoid Karen's Pampered Chef party. Smart move! It would be nice if I could finish the placemats for Mom before her visit. Note to self- get them done!
Keep warm!
Hugs,
Cathy
We made our airplane reservations for our trip to England on Saturday night. We'll be flying on March 22 and returning on the 31st. I'm taking two days off after our return home - the last two times we've been to England, I've had a horrible time for a few days after our return getting used to our time again. Now, I have to work on the Lizzie quilt in earnest - I could have done this weekend, but I wanted to work on something for myself. Selfish, eh? LOL.
Andrea and I treated ourselves to a Taco Bell lunch yesterday. (Her choice, not mine) Andrea's latest obsession is the "Sweeney Todd" movie. She convinced Michael and I to take her to see it again last night. If it wasn't for the blood and graphic throat slashings, I would have really enjoyed that film. Of course, I was familiar with the music after hearing it over and over again from Andrea's stereo ever since Christmas.
Driving to work this morning was a real treat, let me tell you. I'd sure like to know why every time it's snowed this winter, it's chosen to start snowing right before rush hour???!! Any more, I don't care - just take my time and I'll be here when I can.
Michael has his first pulmonary therapy session this afternoon. I know he's stressing out about it - he mentioned that it's going to "corpse" him. I reminded him that his therapist won't let that happen. He stated AGAIN that he's going only for me. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! I wish I could go with him, but I've taken enough time off work for his medical issues. My co-workers will soon turn from sympathetic to ganging up on me.
Mom's surgery is scheduled for February 20. She's going to have a thyroidectomy and only be kept at the hospital one night. She and Ken will probably be driving down here for a short visit before then since she won't be able to travel for six weeks after the surgery. They're not driving here this coming weekend to purposely avoid Karen's Pampered Chef party. Smart move! It would be nice if I could finish the placemats for Mom before her visit. Note to self- get them done!
Keep warm!
Hugs,
Cathy
Friday, January 18, 2008
TGIF - Big Time TGIF
I was soooooooooooooo glad to get out of that office at 4:30 this afternoon. After missing a few hours yesterday, there was a huge stack of files waiting for me. Somehow, I managed to get the pile down to a respectable size by the time I left. So, right now, Andrea's getting ready to go out for another movie, Michael's watching the usual Friday night shows on BBC America and I'm debating whether or not I should get some sewing done. I just got off the treadmill - 30 minutes- cooling off a bit by writing.
Today's lunch hour was spent at a fabric store picking up a few odds and ends I NEED for the class quilt and a Thimblerries pattern for our bedroom. Don't you think it's about time I made some quilts for us? I used the last of my gift card and part of the money I earned stitching small gifts for the kids' Christmas party at work. Can't complain about the price, eh?
Speaking of quilts, Michael's middle daughter sent us a lovely note thanking me for the quilt. She's thrilled with it. Jenny also sent photos of their new dog, Sweety, a cross between a mini-dachshund and a Jack Russell. Really cute thing.
The best bit about today - it leads into a three day weekend!!!!!!! Tomorrow's WI (ugh), grocery shopping, my son and his girlfriend are here for dinner. Sunday is a stitch in at Jill's house. Monday -nothing planned until after dinner - the first church quilt group meeting of the year. I think a friend from WW is going with me. I'll know for sure when I see Sue at WI in the morning. I'm REALLY looking forward to sleeping in. It's supposed to be frightenly cold this weekend. That's something Michael has to be careful about, according to the pulmonary therapist. He should cover his mouth and nose with a scarf or tissue when he's outside and it's so cold.
I'm optimistic that this therapy is going to help him, but he's already antsy about the work-outs. He remembers the time he was on the treadmill at the cardiologist's when they worked him to get his heart rate higher. He said it practically corpsed him. I reminded him tonight that they're not going to do that with the rehab, the therapist told him so and he saw how the others in the room were working out. It's like anything new with him. He's real hesitant to try at first. It's a wonder he ever flew over to the states to meet me!
Well, my son just popped in to visit, so I'll close for now.
Stay warm, y'all.
Cathy
Today's lunch hour was spent at a fabric store picking up a few odds and ends I NEED for the class quilt and a Thimblerries pattern for our bedroom. Don't you think it's about time I made some quilts for us? I used the last of my gift card and part of the money I earned stitching small gifts for the kids' Christmas party at work. Can't complain about the price, eh?
Speaking of quilts, Michael's middle daughter sent us a lovely note thanking me for the quilt. She's thrilled with it. Jenny also sent photos of their new dog, Sweety, a cross between a mini-dachshund and a Jack Russell. Really cute thing.
The best bit about today - it leads into a three day weekend!!!!!!! Tomorrow's WI (ugh), grocery shopping, my son and his girlfriend are here for dinner. Sunday is a stitch in at Jill's house. Monday -nothing planned until after dinner - the first church quilt group meeting of the year. I think a friend from WW is going with me. I'll know for sure when I see Sue at WI in the morning. I'm REALLY looking forward to sleeping in. It's supposed to be frightenly cold this weekend. That's something Michael has to be careful about, according to the pulmonary therapist. He should cover his mouth and nose with a scarf or tissue when he's outside and it's so cold.
I'm optimistic that this therapy is going to help him, but he's already antsy about the work-outs. He remembers the time he was on the treadmill at the cardiologist's when they worked him to get his heart rate higher. He said it practically corpsed him. I reminded him tonight that they're not going to do that with the rehab, the therapist told him so and he saw how the others in the room were working out. It's like anything new with him. He's real hesitant to try at first. It's a wonder he ever flew over to the states to meet me!
Well, my son just popped in to visit, so I'll close for now.
Stay warm, y'all.
Cathy
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Feeling better
Despite Michael's ranting and raving last night about medical expenses, he has decided to start pulmonary rehab. After seeing the facility and speaking with the therapist, I believe both he and I were feeling better about everything. In fact, I had to turn away from him when we were leaving the building because I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes. I'm so much more hopeful now. The therapist just about had him convinced to get a flu shot as well. We'll still work on him about that.....
I'm going to Jill's house on Sunday for a stitch-in session. Really looking forward to meeting her two doggies and getting to know my fellow quilters even more. Just hope the weather's not bad - it's supposed to get ugly cold here this weekend.
Hope to get some sewing in tonight , at least cut some fabric.
Hugs,
Cathy
I'm going to Jill's house on Sunday for a stitch-in session. Really looking forward to meeting her two doggies and getting to know my fellow quilters even more. Just hope the weather's not bad - it's supposed to get ugly cold here this weekend.
Hope to get some sewing in tonight , at least cut some fabric.
Hugs,
Cathy
No sewing, but a valuable lesson learned
Not a stitch last night, but I learned the hard way that there are some things it's best that Michael not know about.
We're starting to get the EOBs from our insurance company for all the tests and office visits forDecember. The lung biopsy alone was quite expensive, but I was pleased that our share of it was $679. That's a heck of a lot more manageable than $5,000! So, I reasoned that my mad dash to get all of this done in '07 before the plans changed was worth it. I shared the information with Michael and he promptly blew up! He yelled that it was not worth it, he's not getting anything else done, do you know what this would have cost in England, etc......then the topper - we could have given that money to Lizzie for a wedding present. I'm paying nearly $1,700 to fly to England for this girl's wedding, making her a quilt that's going to be valuable, not to mention the expenses we're going to incur over there and he wants to GIVE her money on top of all that????!!! AND it won't even be appreciated. OK - off the soap box. In the future, I am not sharing this sort of information with him, just deal with it on my own.
I'm really looking forward to the quilt retreat in April - sure could have used it right now!
Will blog more later tonight after Michael's first pulmonary rehab appointment.
We're starting to get the EOBs from our insurance company for all the tests and office visits forDecember. The lung biopsy alone was quite expensive, but I was pleased that our share of it was $679. That's a heck of a lot more manageable than $5,000! So, I reasoned that my mad dash to get all of this done in '07 before the plans changed was worth it. I shared the information with Michael and he promptly blew up! He yelled that it was not worth it, he's not getting anything else done, do you know what this would have cost in England, etc......then the topper - we could have given that money to Lizzie for a wedding present. I'm paying nearly $1,700 to fly to England for this girl's wedding, making her a quilt that's going to be valuable, not to mention the expenses we're going to incur over there and he wants to GIVE her money on top of all that????!!! AND it won't even be appreciated. OK - off the soap box. In the future, I am not sharing this sort of information with him, just deal with it on my own.
I'm really looking forward to the quilt retreat in April - sure could have used it right now!
Will blog more later tonight after Michael's first pulmonary rehab appointment.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Keeping my eyes on the goals,resolution update
The treadmills in the office work-out room were both occupied when I arrived for my lunch break walk yesterday. So, I got on the eliptical machine. I "lasted" ten minutes and happily got off that thing when the treadmill was open. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't sore or stiff last night or this morning. Despite my moaning about the eliptical being the evil instrument of the devil, I think I'll get back on it today. I feel like a combination of the two gave me more "bang" for my 30 minutes. Goal for 2008 - get and stay healthy through a combination of Weight Watchers' eating guidelines and exercise.
My second goal - to sew more for my family and myself. To that end, I worked on the Lizzie quilt - got all the half triangle pieces trimmed and ready to stitch to the solid squares. I thought I would have gotten more accomplished last night, but when I got home I discovered we were out of bread and low on milk and the cat had no food. By the time I shopped, prepared dinner and cleaned up, it was 7:30. The one show I watch on a weekly basis is "Biggest Loser" and that was on at 8, so I had no chance to get any sewing done. I trimmed the triangle pieces whilst watching television - something Liz Porter said she does. I'm trying to use other quilter's time saving techniques - doing something small like that whilst watching television is a good use of time. It must have taken me 30 minutes of solid snipping time to trim all those pieces last night. So, if you're reading this blog, what is YOUR favorite time-saving idea?
Ok, the one firm resolution I had for 2008 was to not purchase any fabric unless I had a specific pattern or purpose in mind. Sixteen days into the new year and I'm holding fast to my pledge. I bought a piece of black fabric for the Lizzie quilt and a piece of white for the Stash Pot Pie quilt last week, but those purchases were immune from the resolution - they had PURPOSE. Plus, they didn't cost me one bean since I used a gift card my brother gave me for Christmas.
The Valentines' Day decorations are up at the office already, which made me think about a wall hanging I made in class two years ago. It's still hanging in my sewing room closet, waiting to be quilted. Perhaps I should finish that......
Hugs,
Cathy
My second goal - to sew more for my family and myself. To that end, I worked on the Lizzie quilt - got all the half triangle pieces trimmed and ready to stitch to the solid squares. I thought I would have gotten more accomplished last night, but when I got home I discovered we were out of bread and low on milk and the cat had no food. By the time I shopped, prepared dinner and cleaned up, it was 7:30. The one show I watch on a weekly basis is "Biggest Loser" and that was on at 8, so I had no chance to get any sewing done. I trimmed the triangle pieces whilst watching television - something Liz Porter said she does. I'm trying to use other quilter's time saving techniques - doing something small like that whilst watching television is a good use of time. It must have taken me 30 minutes of solid snipping time to trim all those pieces last night. So, if you're reading this blog, what is YOUR favorite time-saving idea?
Ok, the one firm resolution I had for 2008 was to not purchase any fabric unless I had a specific pattern or purpose in mind. Sixteen days into the new year and I'm holding fast to my pledge. I bought a piece of black fabric for the Lizzie quilt and a piece of white for the Stash Pot Pie quilt last week, but those purchases were immune from the resolution - they had PURPOSE. Plus, they didn't cost me one bean since I used a gift card my brother gave me for Christmas.
The Valentines' Day decorations are up at the office already, which made me think about a wall hanging I made in class two years ago. It's still hanging in my sewing room closet, waiting to be quilted. Perhaps I should finish that......
Hugs,
Cathy
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tuesday morning random rambling thoughts
It snowed a little last night and one would think southwestern Ohio got hit with a blizzard. Now, I'm just as bad as everyone else about freaking out when it comes to driving in winter weather, but the hype over this dusting was silly. Stupid cold weather! I'm so glad I insisted that Michael keep the heat lamp in our bathroom when he remodeled it last year.
The excuses had ran out - I HAD to get back on the treadmill for a brief work-out yesterday. You know what though? I had so much more energy last night than I've had any night the last month or so.
With all that energy, I managed to finish piecing all the half-triangles for Lizzie's quilt. I'll get them pressed tonight and start cutting the fabric for the solid squares. Hoping to get some of the 96 units constructed tonight. I'd like to have that quilt pieced by the end of Saturday. Then, it's on to the Stash Pot Pie quilt for my class assignment.
Hey, the sun's out and it's looking better!
Hugs,
Cathy
The excuses had ran out - I HAD to get back on the treadmill for a brief work-out yesterday. You know what though? I had so much more energy last night than I've had any night the last month or so.
With all that energy, I managed to finish piecing all the half-triangles for Lizzie's quilt. I'll get them pressed tonight and start cutting the fabric for the solid squares. Hoping to get some of the 96 units constructed tonight. I'd like to have that quilt pieced by the end of Saturday. Then, it's on to the Stash Pot Pie quilt for my class assignment.
Hey, the sun's out and it's looking better!
Hugs,
Cathy
Monday, January 14, 2008
I'm famous for the wrong reason!
When I was at the cash register at my LQS on Saturday, the clerk asked me how my finger was healing (I cut 1/4" off the tip of one finger accidentally last month with my rotary cutter). Really well, thanks for asking, I replied. A lady at the other end of the counter said, "Oh, so you're the ONE!" So, I'm now part of the quilting "lore" of southwestern Ohio. LOL
I thoroughly enjoyed the class on Saturday at Best Friends - picked up a handful of tips and more importantly, the desire to start a new project. It's too bad that shop isn't closer to my house - it takes a good 30 minutes to get there. Jill, Judy and Jeanette were already there when I arrived at 10, but fortunately Jill had saved me a spot. The class was close to being full and the shop owners created a second session in the afternoon - good thing to know just in case I run out of time one Saturday morning. The class is going to be held one Saturday each month, so at the end of the year, if I stick to the plan, I should have an amazing selection of quilts.
WI on Saturday morning was less than a success - up .6. I need to track things better and get back to basics - no more guessing and no more brownie bran things - I ate two or three of them at a time last week and I'm sure they were not zero points! I'm trying to psych myself up to work out at lunchtime as opposed to going to Joann Fabrics.
I had to make a fabric run yesterday afternoon. The black fabric I selected for Lizzie's quilt was not working - it shrank after cutting, didn't hold a shape despite starching and was throwing the whole block off. I was having fits trying to make the seams line up. Didn't want the whole quilt to be put together with such frustration, so I decided to get another piece of better quality black fabric. What a difference! I have 2/3 of the triangles done for the quilt already. Learned my lesson about buying cheap fabric. I'll keep that cheapo crap for some Halloween decor or a costume.
I was so proud of having all the fabric sorted and packed in containers. Michael, however, showed me that I still have three drawers full of fabric in his model railroad room! I forgot about those! Well, more stash to sort through - no problemo.
Speaking of Michael - he says that he's feeling better - the inhaler is helping him. He's not convinced that the diagnosis the pulmonologist gave him is accurate. He claims he's had this lung issue for more than 20 years. Well, if that's the case he should have been dead for a long time by now with the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Had a good long chat with my brother on the phone on Friday night. Jimmy used to be a respiratory therapist before he got into nursing - CRNA. He's going to put out some feelers and see if he can find a good pulmonologist who can give us a second opinion. My frustration was/is that we've been given this "diagnosis" and cast out to sea - so to speak. No guidance from the physician about support or answering questions. In fact, I was the one who brought up pulmonary rehab - not the doc. That's why Michael is questioning the need for it. And the snotty response I got from his office manager was intolerable - we don't know what the medication prices are. Well, excuse me, shouldn't you, especially if you're dealing with folks on a fixed budget with limited insurance????!!!
We had a fun evening with Bev and Martin in Norwood. Their house is lovely, but it's uncomfortable - no where to really sit and chat as a group. When there's six of us, the men go downstairs and the wives are upstairs. At least my home is comfortable - it may be messy, but at least it's comfy.
Despite it being Monday, my mood is infinitely better than it was on Friday. Things may not be as bleak as I thought.
Hugs,Cathy
I thoroughly enjoyed the class on Saturday at Best Friends - picked up a handful of tips and more importantly, the desire to start a new project. It's too bad that shop isn't closer to my house - it takes a good 30 minutes to get there. Jill, Judy and Jeanette were already there when I arrived at 10, but fortunately Jill had saved me a spot. The class was close to being full and the shop owners created a second session in the afternoon - good thing to know just in case I run out of time one Saturday morning. The class is going to be held one Saturday each month, so at the end of the year, if I stick to the plan, I should have an amazing selection of quilts.
WI on Saturday morning was less than a success - up .6. I need to track things better and get back to basics - no more guessing and no more brownie bran things - I ate two or three of them at a time last week and I'm sure they were not zero points! I'm trying to psych myself up to work out at lunchtime as opposed to going to Joann Fabrics.
I had to make a fabric run yesterday afternoon. The black fabric I selected for Lizzie's quilt was not working - it shrank after cutting, didn't hold a shape despite starching and was throwing the whole block off. I was having fits trying to make the seams line up. Didn't want the whole quilt to be put together with such frustration, so I decided to get another piece of better quality black fabric. What a difference! I have 2/3 of the triangles done for the quilt already. Learned my lesson about buying cheap fabric. I'll keep that cheapo crap for some Halloween decor or a costume.
I was so proud of having all the fabric sorted and packed in containers. Michael, however, showed me that I still have three drawers full of fabric in his model railroad room! I forgot about those! Well, more stash to sort through - no problemo.
Speaking of Michael - he says that he's feeling better - the inhaler is helping him. He's not convinced that the diagnosis the pulmonologist gave him is accurate. He claims he's had this lung issue for more than 20 years. Well, if that's the case he should have been dead for a long time by now with the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Had a good long chat with my brother on the phone on Friday night. Jimmy used to be a respiratory therapist before he got into nursing - CRNA. He's going to put out some feelers and see if he can find a good pulmonologist who can give us a second opinion. My frustration was/is that we've been given this "diagnosis" and cast out to sea - so to speak. No guidance from the physician about support or answering questions. In fact, I was the one who brought up pulmonary rehab - not the doc. That's why Michael is questioning the need for it. And the snotty response I got from his office manager was intolerable - we don't know what the medication prices are. Well, excuse me, shouldn't you, especially if you're dealing with folks on a fixed budget with limited insurance????!!!
We had a fun evening with Bev and Martin in Norwood. Their house is lovely, but it's uncomfortable - no where to really sit and chat as a group. When there's six of us, the men go downstairs and the wives are upstairs. At least my home is comfortable - it may be messy, but at least it's comfy.
Despite it being Monday, my mood is infinitely better than it was on Friday. Things may not be as bleak as I thought.
Hugs,Cathy
Friday, January 11, 2008
TGIF
This has probably been one of the more difficult weeks in my life with Michael being diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis on Tuesday. Last night, he asked me how long he had and I didn't have the heart to tell him what I'd read on the web about it. His response was that he'd better finish some books that he's writing and I asked him if that was what was truly important to him and he said yes. For some reason, that disappointed me. I suppose if he wants to leave some legacy to his children, those books would be it. I went to the pharmacy last night to pick up one of his prescriptions - $167!!!?? That's only for 1/2 a month. And Michael's not even sure that it's helping him. I didn't tell him how much it cost, because if I had, he would have told me not to get it. We also received the paperwork in the mail for pulmonary rehab - he's balking at that already. Stupid me - when we enrolled in our health care plans at work, I chose a plan with no co-pay or assistance until we've reached a per-person deductible of 2,500. That was before Michael's diagnosis. Had I known, of course the more expensive, co-pay plan would have been elected. Why on earth should people have to worry about health care expenses in a nation that's as well off as ours? Michael will refuse help and treatment because he doesn't want it to bankrupt me. And that will mean less time with him on this earth. It's not fair.
So, as you can tell, I'm in a bitter mood today. I apologize.
Last night I ironed some fabric in anticipation of working on a quilt for Michael's youngest daughter. She's getting married at the end of March. The pattern is so confusing, I took some scraps and practiced several of the units and figured it out. It may not be exactly what the authors intended, but it will work for me. I found the pattern for a string quilt on the web yesterday and the concept really intriques me. The person who devised the pattern used old white sheets for her pattern, but I wonder if muslin will work just as well since I have a ton of that stuff.
The quilt which was shipped to Michael's oldest daughter is still languishing in customs in England. Michael's son-in-law found out that the reason the tax is due is because the parcel was insured for $300?! Number one, I didn't insure it. Number two, all the quilts were marked with a value of $100 - there were two other quilts which were sent and received with no problem. Leah and her husband have decided to pay the $70 tax to get it out, but Leah's so busy she doesn't know when she'll be able to pick it up. They own a small restaurant and her goofy husband fell and broke his leg in three places several weeks before Christmas. Thus, she gets stuck not only taking care of him, but the business and their three children. We'll see Michael's family when we fly to England at the end of March for Lizzy's wedding.
It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. First is Weight Watcher's weigh in. I can't stick around for the meeting since I have a stash busting class at a quilt shop at 10. Then, Michael and I are going out to eat with some friends. Andrea is going to a movie tomorrow night with a group of friends too. She has a birthday party tonight at a recreation facility. Tonight, I'm just looking forward to sitting around and getting the materials ready for the class.
Hope we all have a pleasant weekend.
Hugs,
Cathy
So, as you can tell, I'm in a bitter mood today. I apologize.
Last night I ironed some fabric in anticipation of working on a quilt for Michael's youngest daughter. She's getting married at the end of March. The pattern is so confusing, I took some scraps and practiced several of the units and figured it out. It may not be exactly what the authors intended, but it will work for me. I found the pattern for a string quilt on the web yesterday and the concept really intriques me. The person who devised the pattern used old white sheets for her pattern, but I wonder if muslin will work just as well since I have a ton of that stuff.
The quilt which was shipped to Michael's oldest daughter is still languishing in customs in England. Michael's son-in-law found out that the reason the tax is due is because the parcel was insured for $300?! Number one, I didn't insure it. Number two, all the quilts were marked with a value of $100 - there were two other quilts which were sent and received with no problem. Leah and her husband have decided to pay the $70 tax to get it out, but Leah's so busy she doesn't know when she'll be able to pick it up. They own a small restaurant and her goofy husband fell and broke his leg in three places several weeks before Christmas. Thus, she gets stuck not only taking care of him, but the business and their three children. We'll see Michael's family when we fly to England at the end of March for Lizzy's wedding.
It's going to be a busy day tomorrow. First is Weight Watcher's weigh in. I can't stick around for the meeting since I have a stash busting class at a quilt shop at 10. Then, Michael and I are going out to eat with some friends. Andrea is going to a movie tomorrow night with a group of friends too. She has a birthday party tonight at a recreation facility. Tonight, I'm just looking forward to sitting around and getting the materials ready for the class.
Hope we all have a pleasant weekend.
Hugs,
Cathy
Thursday, January 10, 2008
New spot in the blog world
I was using another site for my qult blogging, but that has been down for a couple of days now - something anotherquilter told me was happening and that's why a lot of quilters migrated to this area. Well, here I am......
I've barely touched a sewing machine in days - just haven't had the gumption to start something new or finish a UFO. Perhaps that will change this weekend when I take a stash buster class at one of the local shops.
My spouse was just diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, so my blogs will be filled with news about that I am certain. From what I'm reading the life expectancy on PF is two to five years after diagnosis. Keep Michael in your prayers. We've been married almost six years and I wanted at least that many more.....
My project last week was to organize my sewing room. Two days, five hefty bags full of fabric to be donated to charity quilters, and numerous plastic storage containers later, it's done. Once I figure out how to post photos, I'll give y'all a peak at my hideaway.
talk with again soon.
Hugs,
Cathy
I've barely touched a sewing machine in days - just haven't had the gumption to start something new or finish a UFO. Perhaps that will change this weekend when I take a stash buster class at one of the local shops.
My spouse was just diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, so my blogs will be filled with news about that I am certain. From what I'm reading the life expectancy on PF is two to five years after diagnosis. Keep Michael in your prayers. We've been married almost six years and I wanted at least that many more.....
My project last week was to organize my sewing room. Two days, five hefty bags full of fabric to be donated to charity quilters, and numerous plastic storage containers later, it's done. Once I figure out how to post photos, I'll give y'all a peak at my hideaway.
talk with again soon.
Hugs,
Cathy
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