Keeping Busy

Since being out of work, I have been using my free time to go through this house and do some sorting and de-cluttering.   I need to make room  in case my dad should be moving in.   I took two lots of clothing to a consignment shop after going through each bedroom closet and I put a cardboard box in the garage for donation items that I find while I’m doing household chores.  Having the donation box in the garage and out of sight prevents me from having second thoughts after I’ve made the decision to let something go, but if I really have separation anxiety after a day or two or if I can re-home items with someone I know,  I can still retrieve them.   My decisions are based on the “the one-year rule” .   If I didn’t wear it or use in in the last twelve months and have no known use for it in the next twelve months, then it needs to go.   Sometimes I make exceptions to this rule for gifts I’ve received from family members and close friends.   

Next, I decided to confront my basement sewing room and the UFO’s and stash fabric that lurks there in the dark where no one is  the wiser but me. (insert scary music here).   I eliminated five boxes of scraps which were really just fabric “crumbs” and   I merged two boxes of strings into one mixed box of neutrals and colors  and kept only strings that were at least 1” wide by 6” long.   From now on I only plan to keep fabric scraps that have at least three square inches of usable area.   Don’t worry, even with these new restrictions I still have plenty of scraps left!

After that I listed all of my UFO’s and made a calendar item for my iPhone and laptop so I get a daily reminder about the next project on the list till it’s completed.  So far I’ve completed nine of my UFO Projects in the last month and a half.  The only problem is that I have twenty-five more to go! 

 

Baby Quilt for my neice’s baby shower—now it’s a 1st birthday quilt!

(my first attempt at a scalloped border too)

 

Flannel Self-binding receiving blanketsfor friend’s new grandson.

 

New micro-fleece kitty cushions for Ernie.

 

Patchabilities Kit (Monthly Mini #7, Set 3) purchased in 2010

 

 

More pics to come—the other projects were on the previous laptop.

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately—how about you ?   

Gail

Phew!

My new laptop came with Windows 8.1 and it has been a bit of a technology culture shock. Even though I own a “smart phone”,  it just seems crazy to have a touch screen on a computer.  I feel like I have walked into an unfamiliar room.   I was extremely happy with Windows 7 but I guess Microsoft has to make more money and in order to do that the tech buyers have to be kept interested.

One thing about 8.1 is that it does not come with Windows Live Writer.  It has to be downloaded separately.  I panicked a little when I did not see it  in the preloaded “apps” (programs are no longer called programs?) but after some web searching, I did find it and was able to download it as a separate “app”.  

I now feel just a teeny bit more comfortable with this new set up. 

Change is good, it stretches our limits and challenges our resources, but sometimes you just need to find a familiar space.

 

 

Gail :)

Positive Thinking

It's been two weeks now since the disappearance of MA flight # 370.   Two hundred and thirty nine souls were on board but there are five times as many anguished parents, relatives and friends on the ground waiting and hoping for news.

I have been praying each day since the flight went missing for a miracle--that some group will come forward claiming responsibility for hi-jacking Flight 370 and are now demanding ransom for the safe return of the passengers and crew.

As time goes on that scenario seems less and less likely but it is still possible.  I believe in miracles. We see them everyday and often don't even realize it.

I know the power of positive thinking--in my own life I have seen it work--just imagine what our combined powers are if we all send out positive thoughts into the universe that this flight is found and that there are survivors and even if the outcome is not what we hope, finding this missing plane and knowing it's fate will bring some solace and closure to those left behind. 

Life is miraculous!

Gail :)

Lessons Learned

I haven't posted  this month but a lot has been going on.  I have been searching for a job and have gotten some good feedback and interested queries about my resume.  It seems to me that the job market is much better than even a year ago, though I know there are still many who are out of work.   I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though that I can find something close to my dad's house, which would make it possible for me to stay there during the week.   .  

Since my last post, he has had two trips to the ER.  The first was after a middle of the night call that his BP was very high.  I raced down to take him and we sat around for 5 hours waiting to be seen.  Turns out he has not been taking the new meds that were prescribed for him because he read the enclosed contraindication statement--didn't like what it said and threw out the pills!

The second trip to the ER I was there.  He had taken the barrels to the curb for rubbish pick up day and slipped on ice and fell.   Luckily there were no breaks, but he managed to debrade the skin off of his left hand and needed stitches. 

Because of these two ER visits and on the recommendation of the Visiting Nurses, my sister and I have been told that he must see a neuro-psychologist for an evaluation or he can be removed from the home as "a senior at risk".   Well we have the appointment, now comes the task at hand of telling my dad and getting him to keep it.  We have learned that it's best to wait till the last minute.    So far he has cancelled all of the social services we have tried to arrange for him--meals on wheels, visiting nurses, home aid!

So what other new things have I learned lately--well, most of you probably have the good sense to know this, but living on the edge as I tend to, I learned a very costly lesson this week about drinking hot tea in close proximity to an electronic device!  [Sigh].  As a result, I'm writing this post from the replacement device sans any beverages!

But in spite of everything that has been going on, I have still managed to complete a few projects which I'll share pics of soon.  I'm also planning a virtual yard sale HERE on my blog!   I've gone through my stash of fabrics and patterns and have a pile of items that I need to rehome. 

More soon--once I get the hang of Windows 8.

Gail :)