More Deep Cleaning

Believe it or not I spent 5 hours cleaning this morning. I have to say that this was fueled by 3 cups of tea and trying to get one last good load off to Goodwill this year. I also have to give credit to my new arthritis medicine. Not to say that I was not sore by lunch time, but I had to work very hard to get sore.

Eric's aide Nikki wanted to learn how to make my style of bed quilt for her boys, so we collaborated on a second big quilt for Eric today.  We are telling Eric that this is his holiday gift from Nikki. I must say that I am really liking the cotton batting. It is easy on my hands and sews up like a dream.

I also think that I have way too many projects in progress. Although now that I am feeling better they are getting finished at a faster pace. I also found my watch at the bottom of you guessed it a knitting bag. It is time to see if I can finish one more project tonight and give John the computer chair so he can change colors on the printer.

Triple Chocolate Haystacks

I had enough energy to make my triple chocolate haystacks for tomorrow's party. The chocolate mixture came out very smooth. John was nice enough to clean up the double boiler. I was surprised that John knew what a hot water bath was. It must be because he likes to watch Chef  Gordon Ramsay on the Food Network. I also made fresh bread for dinner.

Now if we could just get Eric to sleep through the night.

Blankets and Watches

It is no secret that the kids are getting blankets this year. So Eric’s twin size quilt is almost done. Teri’ queen size blanket is hand knit on U.S. size seven knitting needles in a modular pattern. I have about 2 1/2 rows of modular knitting plus the I-cord boarder. I am really stumped on what to make Tej. I am also wondering since Teri’s blanket is so big if they could share the blanket. So many things to think about while I am waiting for Eric to fall asleep.

I am sad that my new watch died after less than a week. I have to return it and pick out another watch. I would not have to do this if my 10 year old watch did not sprout legs and walk away. So much bother.

Early December

Eric is just getting over the cold that he has had since last Thursday. John and I are very tired and trying to get too many things done at once. Can someone invent a 48 hour day for me please?

Holiday presents are going slower than I would like. I wanted to be done with a few more than none by this point. It did not help that my body needed rest today. Hopefully I will make progress tomorrow.

Deep cleaning has kicked up to high gear again. It's not like I have the time, but with itemized deductions disappearing next year it has to be done by December 31st. We filled the recycle bin to the point that it needed to be stuffed down yesterday. So that is some slow progress.  All the quilting batts have left the house and freed up some much needed room. Fifty percent of that is filled already. I also need to clean up a desk to turn it into an electronic work station for John. You did not think that I was going to play with the electronics did you? The electronic equipment has started to arrive. So I guess that I am way behind on that too.. I wonder how many drawers will need to be emptied?

Well tomorrow is almost here so it is time to call it a day.

Cyber Monday

Dear Marketing Executive,

I had really planned on shopping this Cyber Monday. I had a list of things I was going to buy. The perks for the most part were very nice. The prices were reasonable. Not having to brave the crowded malls or stores was a plus.

Here is were my plans to shop went by the wayside.  It was simply an overload of emails sent to my in box. Some of you got the jump on Friday reminding me of your sales on Monday. Then there were two to three emails from the same companies on Saturday and Sunday. Today though takes the cake. Some of you sent me emails hourly starting at midnight. This came across in two ways. First, is that you were desperate for sales and this left me wondering if: A. You had enough stock on hand. B. Could your shipping department handle what you wanted to sell. C. Could your servers handle the mess you were creating. D. Are you filing bankruptcy on Tuesday morning and not planning on sending anything out? Second it came across as annoying, Do you know how many emails I got today? I have no idea either because as soon as I deleted one email from you another popped up. My tablet inbox was full all day, it holds just about 200 emails and they were ALL from today. There were too many to open let alone read.  I spent the time I would have been shopping at your site deleting emails from you and your fellow marketing executive's so I could see if something I needed to respond to came through. 

If you were using snail mail you would have sent me only one or two adverts period. Maybe that would be an idea for next year. Remember sometimes "Less is more", less emails gives me more time to read the emails and shop.

A Blanket and Zenning

Today I started a new blanket for Eric. All I have left to do is pin and quilt it tomorrow. It was nice to get a blanket started this year. I used two twin sheets to make the blanket. It really feels good to have enough energy to get projects completed. Finished projects equal less clutter. 

I have decided to switch from polyester batting, the only batting that was available when I started quilting so last century to cotton batting. The polyester batting is a little rough on my hands and I can not pin or use the sewing machine with gloves on. I have ordered the two cotton batts that I need to finish two more blankets this year. The remaining polyester batting will be give to friends. This has freed a lot of space for yarn storage. This will let me get a bit more organized.  

Thanksgiving Dinner

After more than a few years, I actually have Thanksgiving Dinner for 2 down pat. The secret is to make fewer side dishes. Today I made 1/2 of a turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce and green beans. We skipped the candied sweet potatoes , rolls and the second vegetable. We used luncheon plates instead of dinner plates and dinner was perfect. We were comfortable after dinner and not in a food coma. I think that this is my new game plan.

Did I mention that I was the one to spill cranberry sauce on the pale green damask table cloth. I sprayed it with Tide stain remover to pre treat and washed it as soon as the table was cleared. I would like to say thank you to the people at Procter and Gamble for making Tide. The cranberry sauce stain came out in the wash. The paper napkin that I forgot to take off the tablecloth did not fare as well.

I have got to make a list of fiber and art projects that need to be finished before the end of the year. It occurred to me today that the holidays are really here. I have enough projects to keep me busy until mid December. So if I am not on Facebook or Twitter I will be sewing, knitting, quilting and making jewelry for presents. I think I might just try to wrap things as I go. At least my sewing machine just had a tune up.

Well it's time to get back to some knitting. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.