Best/Worse/What did I learn today?Chat with friends old/new

Pat, it's been a long road for you, I'm getting exciting and I'm not even there. Lol
What made you think you need changes?

"M" you must be feeling better, look how energetic you are.

I'm sewing away, thought I'd make a pumpkin throw for Paul's wife seeing I'm going there on the weekend. Drats tempted to jump in the car and shuffle off to buffalo..Joann's has a 40% off
On fabric and then tomorrow is seniors day

Big sigh

Betty, sounds like a ROAD TRIP!! Go... go quickly before something stops you! LOL

I've had the semi-circle staked out so it's obvious where I want gravel and don't. I've been USING the semi-circle and discovered that my plan to have it a complete island, parking between it and the road as well as drive around was not practical. It cut into the parking because of the turn. So I'm moving it completely against the road. Which means digging 2 more trenches for irrigation and redigging my island boundary. Part of me is ticked that all the work I did this weekend was for naught, I can't use the boundary I already dug. A smarter part of me is reminding myself over and over again that finding the error now was a WONDERFUL blessing and it gives me the opportunity to fix while it's a relatively "easy" fix.

M, how often do you have to make the dog food? Do you freeze it, or how do you store it until all gone?

Gotta get showered and go to the office job. Notice, that is a job, not WORK! LOL This other work may kill me if I don't get it done before long!

I've been trying to say away from Joan's and focus on using what I have and all the outside work but I'm sure eager to get back to sewing again soon. My sister, Dad and BIL all have work they need done was well!! Hem this, hem that, alter, replace draw string, their list goes on and on as well!

There you go Pat, edging me on to go stateside. Lol

Yep, better now to find out then after you've put all the $$$ into this project

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the pictures of the twins. Made my day.

I need to call for the surgery appointment, after which I'll know if I CAN GO HOME BEOFRE IT HAPPENS. hAD A cT SCAN ON sUNDAY AND AM WAITING FOR RESULTS. pAIN IS BAD AND I've BEEN MOSTLY SLEEPING.

vAN CAMPING HAS BEEN VERY SAFE HERE. pLEASE DON'T WORRY.

oops, hit cap lock by mistake..

Anxcious for plans and results but things are going as well as possible. Like Marilynne, I put one foot in front of the other or just stand still and know that all is Ok, just not much fun right now,

hugs, katie

Thanks for checking in Katie, sending lots of prayers y our way! Hope they can find the problem that is causing you pain and get it fixed soon!

Wow ,, aren;t we ALL in 'flux' ..

Katie .. what exactly is it you are waiting for? The breats biopsy or the kidney stone ..
I apologize from the heart, but, sometimes I just miss something ..
I am EVER so happy to know YOU are safe in that van ..

Betty .. would you travel over the border alone? Time alone would be SO nice for you .. just BE with YOU .. you are such an amazing lady ..

Pat .. the driveway sounds lovley .. can almost picture it .. but.. the PRE finishing stuff can give ya a huge headache !!!
Our dog food it half and half .. we BUY flash frozen meat from a kennel ... either venison, bison or chicken .. usually in big 'squares that we divie out into portions .. along with .. veggies we mostly buy (frozen) and add fresh to .. and grind .. then .. we ziplock scoops of veggies and cubes of meat together and freeze them .. we take them out the night before and refrigerate them .. by the time 'MAGIC TIMe' happens (Supper) they just need a bit of a microwave warming and, WOLF IT DOWN LoL

Supper is almost ready
Off I go

~M~

I'm waiting on two fronts which is why this is confusing. First, I need to have a lumpectomy. Just found out the surgery is scheduled for Sept 25, a Friday. I've had the EKG, blood tests, and have met the surgeon and support staff so I'm good to go on that. Will not know until after the surgery if I need radiation or other follow-up or if I'll be able to go home soon after. Time will tell.

The second thing is waiting for the results of a CT scan to see if a kidney stone is causing the back pain.

I'm currently double-stressed. Nervous about the surgery though it is as good as it could be, I'm told. But also in a lot of pain from the kidney stone or whatever is going on in my back.

I take my pain meds and take each step as I am able. Can you all all how much I am leaning on you? I hope so. you are my rocks of support.

hugs, katie

Katie sending you hugs . Wow i can't imagine going through all that. Stay strong girl, you got this.
cute pics of the children ... so cute.
well while at the gym today. Tiffany my trainer had me do squating jump up. squat and touch the ground and jump back up. wellllllll. my butt cheeks flapped together and made a slapping noise as i went back up.... both of us hysterical on the floor of her gym...... good god. Hearing my butt cheeks slap together was just horrifying !!!! i mean really ??? !!! what gives ? it just ain't right
well getting the freezer stocked up again, got most of the junk in the carport out. found a hole of a critter lets hope its not a skunk

Katie .. we're always here .. support is just a 'type' away .. as long as you have access, and, when you don't. we're all thinking of you ..

Sue .. I needed that 'visual and laugh' LoL .. gotta HATE noisy butt cheeks !!
Mine are SUPER tight right now due to the allergic rash I have been enduring .. feel like sandpaper even with creams .. that makes the puppies 'tight in the blanket' hahahahaah

Gonna be an early night tonight as DH and i are out tomorrow to get fixins to make that salsa ..
Prolly do breakfast first at a little 'Retro Restaurant' (Finnish of course)

TOODLES

~M~

PS .. LindaKay .. how's yer Dad ??

Hugs from all of us Katie, sure wish you weren't all alone. Our cyber hugs will have to do.

Katie, best news right now is you are safe!!
Guess its hard to be patient when there. Is so much that needs to be addressed and right now.
Along with the others I'm sending the biggest armwraps as Judy would say and with that prayers, never enought of those

Sue it could only happen to you. What a girl. Lol

Smelled a skunk the other morning. Hesitated letting missy out

Ohhh did I forget to tell you I ran away today with Linda?

"M" Dad is doing good. Thanks for asking.

Katie, we are all here for you. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

Betty, what did you buy on your trip?

When I bend just right I get this lovely farting noise from the tummy flap. Too many tummy surgeries and weight loss leaves me with this disgusting mess! Add to it the sound effects and you can imagine I prefer to garden alone. My knee caps are shot so I do everything bent way over, never kneeling or on the ground. I have a little tan strip across my waist where the shirt rides up on the back when I bend over. At least I KNOW I don't have *utt crack showing!!

Katie you are trooper, you are in our thoughts and prayers. Sometimes the only choice is be strong.

Betty, glad to hear you got out with a friend.

M, is that dinner for you or the dogs that is ready???

karen, thanks again for sharing the quilt pattern.

LindaK, glad to hear your Dad is hanging in there. I understand the concerns. Everyday is a gift with my Dad.

Sept. 9 is FASD. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Day. This affects our family directly. It never gets better, it never goes away. A beautiful child is forever damaged.

Yes, I have a nephew that was raised by his Aunt/ my SIL. He will live with his mother's choices forever.

Wide awake

Big shopping for fabric at Joann's today, was at Christmas tree, bought black sheer curtains for galloween for front window...design is pumpkins and bats in deeper patterned mesh that lights up and a few goodies for mel

Home later this aft

Pat with your health issues you are doing far too much

Rita's daughter Crissy had a 9.5 lb boy, named carter...mom, babe and grandmother doing ok

Hokey doodle .. that's a good sized baby .. WELCOME to Carter , and congrats to all!!

LOL Pat, the dogs eat at 4 -4:15pm each day, we eat at 6pm, so, virtually NO begging going on ..
I can actually get on my knees, proved it this past weekend when I fell in the garage, it isn't comfortable, but, it is DOABLE in a pinch ..
I ahve just started to be able to pick something flat (like a piece of paper) from the floor .. has taken a year since my hip replacement .. a bit tricky, but, I stick with it ..

Betty .. sounds like a good trip, and, the sheers sound pretty ..
We get no one out here for hallowe'en .. but, I still stick stuff on the windows, and, MIGHT do the property entrance way .. put a bale of hay there 3 years ago with some corn stalks, either a moose/deer or bear or horse ate'em !!

FASD has made great strides as far as coming to light here in the north of Canada .. LARGE native population with an increased incidence of it ..

SALSA day .. DH and i are going to do a marathon .. we may even still be married after LoL
Lorna is staying home from work, it is POURING, and, the furnace is on!!!
She had a real bad night with phantom pain last night ..

Best go and check out my Scrabble games ^_^

Hi to all .. Katie, Dianne, Mary, Marion ..putting my MAGIC MIRROR away now !!

TOODLES

~M~

Sending prayers Katie for your comfort and prayers that this will soon be all behind you. We are all "with you" no matter where you are and here we will stay. Friends are like that you know!!!!

Funny story Sue!!!! I'm trying to "hear" the sound!!! LOL

Hope the driveway turns out to be great Pat. Just take it as easy as you can....Loved the pictures of your yard and all the changes you have made. Now for the front to be what you want.....

I too, know of a child who has paid for her mother's negligence. FAS is so preventable.

Sounds like you are having a great time Betty. How is Linda feeling?

good morning. oh its to early for this isn't it
off to get kids to school.
my hands hurt and i have to clean and prep the apple pressing room . busy busy day . it may rain today. i sure hope so. my gardens are looking very dry.
have a great day everyone

Now I can finish my post. Had to run to the loo.....
I saw my cardiologist yesterday. I've been feeling very sluggish and have put on a few pounds (only 5) but he thinks it may be water retention. So I will start on a mild water pill and hope it works!!!!! I just don't like the feeling of no "get up and go".

Sounds like the pups eat quite well "M". And I'm so sorry that Lorna had such a bad time with phantom pain. I have heard of it before but only knew one who suffered from it. My ex SIL had a foot lost to diabetes and she always complained about still having pain there.

Off to do my nebulizer for the morning. Hope all have a great day.....~~~~~

Several years ago I heard that grape extract would help for phantom pain so I bought some for my husband. It has been VERY helpful. He also was prescribed Gabapentin which has been a help. When the barometric pressure falls, or when he eats too many carbohydrates or comes down sick (especially ANY kind of infection) he increases his frequency and severity of the pains.

It's 4 AM, I'm going TRY to get back to sleep. Thanks for keeping me company!

Goodness, look at all the early risers!

Morning everyone!

Betty, how is your BIL, the one that fell off the roof?

Katie, sending thoughts, hugs and prayers from this house also.

I have been busy getting some things finished and so wishing I could say it was my yard. Not!

Kim had a couple of cake orders back to back so I have been busy using the new oven.......I bake the layers and she does all the decorating at night.

Waving to everyone....got to make a trip into town today...ugh! I think I am getting so I am content to just be at my little spot on the lake.

When my daughter was first making cake, I used to do the baking for her as she was in school full time. I bought some strips, they were about 2" wide, silver fabric on one side, batting in middle and muslin on back and quilted. These would be run under the faucet to wet and then wrapped around the pan with cake batter. As the cake baked, they kept the outer edge of the pan a tad cooler so the cake baked perfectly level with no hump in the center. DD has all the baking stuff now, don't know if she still uses them. But I was just thinking how easy they would be to make, the darn things were expensive to buy.

Just poppin on for a sec.
Home from a SUPER SHOP, in a darned BIG BOX store, side to side, ened to end .. after an hour I was ready to EXPLODE.
Anyway, BETTY, I got home and there was a Mary Maxim book in my mailbox
website is ... www.marymaxim.ca
There are about 5-6 pages of Xmas crafts in there .. really nice things, I would hope they'll show up on the site perhaps under 'Christmas Crafts' ?

Off to SALSA .. OLE LoL

~M~

I used to love going to Mary Maxim a couple times a year. My mom and I used to make the sweater jackets all the time. In fact the sweater jacket were the very first things I ever made. They are still floating around the family somewhere. Imagine greats are wearing them.

The store is a great day trip..Betty.. in Port Huron

Just noticed yours said marymaxim.ca. Is there a store in Canada? I couldn't find an address.

This message was edited Sep 10, 2014 1:01 PM

Yep .. the store is in Paris ON
Cust service # 1-888-442-2266
Toll free order # 1-888-442-2266
75 Scott Avenue

I had a sweater with a figure skater on it as a young gurl .. and I worked with 2 nurses who I swear could whip a sweater together in a weekend !!
When you see them now, you KNOW they were made with love for that someone special.
The catalogue is FILLED with other neat stuff though, puzzles and games and all that bric a brac stuff you see advertised on TV
LOTS of craft items though ..

Salsa is made ,, was supposed to have had help, but, DH begged off with a sore throat, guess I dragged him around too much today ^_^

Cemetery phoned and has asked Lorna to stay on into October .. they ARE going to let her drive the machines .. silly them not letting her all summer .. :-(
She'll need time off though when her folks come, I looked after them once already, nice people, love 'em, but, they hardly got to see Lorna ..
Not sure when DH tonsilectomy will be .. early October I'm thinking, poor guy .. he is nervous fer sure ..

Pat, does the 'grape extract' come in capsule form .
ANYTHING that'll help her .. she is maxed on Gabapentin .. last night she said it was nerve pain in her stump as well, I finally gave her a valium .. settled things down ..

Furnace is still coming on !!!
Only about 54F

SIGH


~M~

I looked it up"M" just out of curiosity. Not too far for you Betty. They do have lovely fabrics too.

Evening, just got home with a carload

White tone on tone white. 10 yds
Black 10 yds
Some no sew kits for me and Suzanne
Stop at Christmas tree again, more Halloween curtains. Lol

Bought at a boutique lovely pumpkin candles, look fantastic on pumpkin wine glasses, will have to take photo, just exactly perfect for all the sets


Two gorgeous tops, not often I buy red but did today

Needed new hair curler

Some vpcan trainers of ortho weed spray, had bough Greg containers last trip but he wanted more

Hmmm

Ohhhh and a pattern for a Jackie, the photo just doesn't do it justice, one in the store was done in black with rad of white, white tad of black, yellow/black..done with fat quarter, lapel type collar and best edges of sleeves and jacket almost look ragged

Have to see what fabric I have at home to make one...

Holy heck, anyone getting this storm
Trees in front of the house are almost bending in half,wind is sure strong, raining and dark..big sigh, more branches and tree limbs to pick up!

Be safe Betty

Betty!!!! You came to NY and didn't tell me!!! I have a mess of boxes in front hall for you.

Sad face.

Probably best because it seems 3 of us are sick with sore throat / ears / chest mess.

Pouty face

Oops! Poor Betty. Debbie is going to send you to the corner!

Hugs to you Katie. Wish you had someone there with you.

Yes, the grape extract comes in capsule form. It has been a big help to my husband. I hope Lorna benefits from it.

Sorry to hear you getting ANOTHER storm. Praying for good weather here for the work party on Saturday.

Hi all - typing from Wintery Calgary......... heavy wet snow - breaking trees, and bending others to the ground! Nasty, nasty, nasty driving to work - major highway (usually 20 min drive, but Monday was 50 min). Can't believe how many drivers don't have lights on........ about 30% of them. It was a whiteout going home.
Tues - roads were worse. Made it safely, no accidents on the roads, amazingly. snow was almost gone by time I went home............. wait for it.........
More snow on Wed - roads were clearer, but many more broken trees. Power out in a lot of homes, and businesses. Our internet and phones went out at work, but came back intermittently. Meeting we had at 9:30, I thought they'd cancel, but everyone came......

Betty - didn't take a lot of pictures camping, but did see a Whiskey Jack, and on the way home the highway at one spot was blocked by emergency crews checking a downed Cesna by the road. No injuries and no damage to the Cesna, so maybe just running out of fuel? About 5 rocky mountain sheep (babies and all) were in a ditch by the road, watching all the "interesting" goings on lol
It's the same place we go every year - Kananaskis.

Wow Susan, that is too early for snow! Sure hope you can keep your power on!

Snow this early??? Wow! The pictures on the TV show a real mess. Please be careful Susan.

I did a Mary Maxim sweater many many years ago. It was a horses head for Stacy when she was only four years old. She wore it to kindergarten one day and that was the last we saw of it. I was furious.......I'll need to request a catalog and see if they still have that pattern.

OHMIGOSH Barb .. how awful re the sweater .. they are coming back into style BIGTIME up here .. and, I often thought about the 'getting pinched' factor.
You're so right re the snow!! It is 34F here this morning :-(

Hope Betty looked at the Mary MAxim site though, there were such easy crafts to make, and not a lot of materials required ..

Susan, aren't thode 'Grey Jays/Whiskey Jacks' something to see .. almost like a huge Chick a Dee .. they come by here all too infrequently .. sometimes you'll get a pair that are not too timid ..
Sure do hope your snow flies away up into the Rockies !!
My friend in Calgary says it has been quite the challenge, lots of folks doing the 'slip and fall' :-(

Thanks again Pat for the info re the grape extract .. I'll put a Health food store on my list of places to go today ..
SAY .. did you kneo you can grow MORE Forsythis by just planting a stick of it in the ground ?
I'm going to try it out this weekend ..

WOnder how Dianne made out in the store with her furries .. I bought some treats at a pet store called 'Head to Tail' CALMING treats made with 'GOJI berries .. when the construction out front got unbearably loud, I gave each dog one, and, i did notice a diff with Lilly the 7 year old , she mellowed out a bit ..

Off for lunch today with my BFF .. she will no doubt FREAK when she sees the shape my skin is in :-(
Almost might want to wear gloves, the feet are hidden anyway, and, the torso just itches and flakes away when I change from one set od clothes into another .. I know, I know, not a pretty sight .. but, will be stuck with it for at least another month !!

Sending hugs to everyone, and keeping you all happy and safe in my thoughts

TOODLES

~M~

I know Forsythia will root in a vase in the spring as will a pussy willow. I have grown pussy willow by just sticking a twig in the ground in a moist area.