cramerk

Long day, survived the university person who is in charge of our masters coming to observe me. It always stresses me out. Then a meeting on a student and store, post office, home, shower, and sitting here drinking my latte. Don't plan on moving. Since we are on TMI, I'll add my 2 bits. My prolapse is hanging way low again. Having difficulty urinating and the icepick in the bladder every time a take a step is getting old. If never use to 'jolt' when I walked and now it does. I guess when the pain gets bad enough I'll finally go to the doctor. About the only 'correction' left is to use a peccuary. Now I couldn't use tampons, who thinks I can live with a device wedged up there? Okay, sorry, long day!

Got a hold of my DD that is the PA and she said the same thing. Thank you for the prayers, it will help and to know that she has a good chance for a longer life!

Just got a phone call from one of my quilting friends...one of our quilting ladies has been rapidly loosing weight and we have been really worried, nagging her to go to the doctor. She was put in the hospital last week and they found nothing. Finally had some more tests...she has lymphoma..in the back and abdomen, plus Graves disease. This is a death sentence and it is going to happen soon. This sucks, she is in her 50's, so ladies, live life to the fullest. I am done with would haves & should haves. I am going to grab each day. I don't want to watch her die. And her husband is an a--hole. Has cheated on her for years. Was going to leave, but the kids through a fit, so as a good catholic girl, she stayed and her life has been miserable. I hate this...she is an awesome artist and quilter. She was always going to paint a portrait of my girls.

Steph, make it with 3 layers, 2 pretty flannel and the middle, white flannel. Diaper flannel works great for the white. Your quilt will be fabulous. Protein smoothies my dear. make one and split it in 2 and have 1/2 ever 2 hours. Freeze it so it is like a milk shake. Just some thoughts. Also, I'm sure that your mom would rather see you be able to eat, so think about the revision, but I understand. I hate owing people $$. However, if you aren't able to eat, your band is worthless. Okay, so let's think of some good health foods...try some Laughing Cow light on your apple. I love it. I prefer the lite original over any of the flavors. Peanut or almond butter. I love almond butter, but have to be careful that it doesn't stick, I get it at CostCo. How about stew blended? Things that are warm usually keep me full longer, the whole comfort thing. Nibble nibble, but on healthy things. Step away from the chocolate!!!! Did you know a fun sized snickers bar is 85 calories! Yeah, don't ask how I know.

You tell her Janet!! Half the reason I don't tell anyone that I have one. It does tick me off when people think it is easy because you have a band!!! I can't wait until summer, when I don't have stress of school. I have absolutely no problem keeping to planned food.

Kari, good luck with the antibiotics, hope all goes well. Thanks everyone for the support. Late post, came home with a headache, so came home and took a nap with s heating pad on my face. It did help. Then dinner, show, finally sitting down. Food mainly good today, not as good as over the weekend. Candice thanks for the list, I'm printing it and putting it on the fridge. Thanks!

Steph here is a link to a video to make the ragtime. This is the starting point, the next steps are listed to the right. good luck

Steph, here are some basic directions, it is called a rag time or rag quilt. VERY EASY. Most rag time quilts have you make a sandwich of flannel, batting, flannel. The one you are looking at is a sandwich of all flannel, printed flannel, white flannel, printed flannel. I cut mine in 6 in blocks because that is what my rotary ruler is, but any size work. Make your sandwich of 3 flannels and sew an X on it, corner to corner. To assemble, use a 1/2 inch seam and sew blocks together to make a row, lets say 6 blocks, then sew your rows together. The big difference on a rag time quilt is that you sew blocks 'back to back' so the seam sticks up on the front. After you have it all assembled, you cut your seam allowance just short of your sewing line multiple times, this is the fringy part about every 1/2 to 1 inch. Then you wash & dry, stop your drier part way through and clean out the lint trap, the first time you wash it there will be lots of lint. Let me know if you need help, I could email you more detailed directions or talk you through it on the phone. The quilt is a cutie. Oh by the way, I am at an all time low, I'm going to break the 170 pound mark!!!! I haven't weighed this in 15 years!!!!

Heck Janet, if you can get someone to do it for a reasonable price, I'd go for it. I can't afford it so the next best thing is a machine. You REALLY have to suck up the water with the rugdoc, I've rented them before, and the weight is just a killer.

Janet, I have a Hoover SpinScrub. I love it, this is my 2nd, gave the previous one to an elderly lady who really needed one and I had borrowed a friends before that. It is a great machine for the $$ about $150. It is light weight and easy fill and dump. Has an apholstery brush and straight head. It is great for sucking up the water. My carpets are dry within hours, and that is even during the winter. I would love a Spotbot, for puppy accidents, but it isn't in the budget. Candice, I hate restraunts that are cold! I like chinese, but when I go out, I want a hunk of flesh! Only have 1/2 a row to do and then binding on DD#1's whole cloth quilt. I can't believe after 2 1/2 years I will actually finish it. My biggest fear is when I wash out the stencil that it will fall apart. I am going to insure (sp) the sucker for $1000.00 when I ship it to her. I'd actually like to make one for myself, but I think I will just do a pieces quilt of ivory and machine quilt it. I'd like to have something that is neutral on my bed and then I can throw and colorful small quilt on top. By the way, have you ever Crazy Quilted...I'm thinking I want to do one before I die, just to say I did. Well back to the quilt !!

Slow morning for everyone. Shoveled, cleaned kitchen, now doing laundry and ready to sit and quilt for awhile. Janet, how was dinner? Candice, did you dance all night. Excellent food day yesterday: BF: blueberries, yogurt, Kashi Snack: Orange Dinner: 3 oz salmon, 1/2 c brocolli salad, 1/3 c pasta I didn't have trouble until bed time and then I wanted carbs, but went to bed instead, tossed & turned all night wanting those carbs, grrrrrrrr Today, BF: blueberries, yogurt, kashi Planned snack: apple with laughing cow, or just an apple Dinner: Pork Lion, brocolli salad, little potatoes, Check in later, TTFN

Janet, it's all about showing the house. Normally, I clean carpet twice a year. But when I'm settled, I ripping every carpet out and putting in wood/lamenet floor. Tear out a carpet once and you'll never buy one again. AND the one I replaced with lamenet was only 3 years old. Dinner in the oven, salmon, brocolli salad, and pasta. Tried to take a nap, but bark bark bark....grrr. I could just debox them once in a while. Sitting here drinking a latte, getting ready to quilt, whowho. Janet, enjoy your Bday dinner. Candice go out and dance!

Candice you are quilting...I'll be there soon, just need to finish the carpets!!! Food good today AND it will stay that way, skipping lunch, way too many calories this week. If I get really hungry I will have some fruit. Dinner tonight is Salmon, so that will be good. It is the after dinner that is a problem. Popcorn just hasn't been doing it and I know it is totally stress eating. But today is a new day...

Candice, you won't be alone in Penance. I'm right beside you. I actually am caught up on my masters work and school work. I think I will get my DD#1's whole cloth hand quilted quilt done this weekend. Have my 'eye' on some wool scraps on ebay. Been battling a headache all day so I think I will go to bed early. Tomorrow I need to shampoo carpets. Next week is going to be pretty crazy. I'm on campus for 2 days, the head of the masters program is scheduled to observe me on Wednesday. Candice, strange request, by chance do you have a golf club cover pattern? I want to make a couple of my daughters a set and the pattern they like is discontinued.

My laptop has a webcam, but NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE is going to see me use it. I look bad enough with out the distortion. food was horrid this last few days, so this weekend I am going to be extra careful. I'm such an addict!! I did get some good news, the CPA finished my taxes and no only do I get a refund, I get a hell of a refund. Enough to pay OFF my credit card and my Duke Medical bill from 2002!! AND a small amount to live off of while I wait for the house to sell. So if all goes well and the house sells I'm going to be there in July!!! I am going to have to wait to commit until I sell, so keep your fingers crossed! I am also applying for a summer fellowship, Teacher At Sea, IF I get it, I will be working on a research vessel for 8 weeks this summer. Doing REAL marine research, it has always been a dream of mine. It starts in July, so it will depend upon exactly when it starts. Janet, happy birthday, hope you enjoyed the day. So where is Candice?

Morning ladies!!! It's Friday! So Janet is sleeping in enjoying her furlough Friday! Steph, there is nothing I can say that will make things better, other than I love you. It isn't unusual and not even 'fair' that Michael wants to know 'who' he is. You are a braver soul than I. I don't know whether I could have hunted down his dad. Naturally he is going to play the saint and 'ride' in to 'save' Michael. Michael will eventually see who he is, for the good and the bad. No one can hide their true self for long. If all else fails, play the child support card, assuming he has not supported Michael financially in any way. If he plays Michael too hard, file for back support. He'll run then. Phyl, enjoy the cruise, think of us northerns freezing our butts in the snow! Candice what are you quilting on? Still the 'blocks' you hate? I'll check in tonigh, TTFN

Steph, so sorry for what is going on in your community. This time of year is always hard on everyone, and the economy doesn't help! Old wives tale says that these thing come in threes. Phyl have a glorious time on your cruise. Heck I'd have a carryon just for meds, makeup and hair equipment. Then shoes...that is another suitcase by itself. I've been know to pack 7 pairs of shoes for just a few days...I'm much better now! Buy a suitcase and call it Janet, I'm envious of your fill! I need one despretly, we won't talk about food... Survived night 1 of parent conferences, only one night left. Realized last night that I have an assignment due TODAY for the master's program, crap!!! Won't get home until 7:30 or 8. Going to try to get it done during school. I just want the weekend...I'm tired. Janet, glad you got 'tipped' off about LBTing during work. Everyone does that type of thing, but it is the one thing that can be used 'against you". Our school records every key strock and keeps a record for 3 years. I am VERY careful. Some people forward jokes all day long. I'm too much of a woosie. I hope to come home, take a bath and go to bed, don't even care about eating tonight. Well best go, I'm sitting here trying to doze off, and THAT isn't a good idea!

Phyl, I want to be you when I grow up!!! You just glow, and that is even without the wine. You enjoy every moment!!! Some day.... Janet, excellent job on the cals...I'm with you, you are a gonner...if the puppy made it into the house, it isn't leaving, of course, I'm a softy myself. Steph, things with Michael will work out. Remember, it took a lifetime to get where he is, it's not going to be fixed in a few months, keep plugging along! Tax stuff is almost done, I wouldn't be getting it together, but DD#4 & #5 have to do their FAFSA for college funding AND I need my rebate ASAP to beat back the credit card balance. The realtor sent out a really nice promo of my house. So hopefully we haved some showings, none so far this week. I probably won't be in tonight, I have parent teacher conferences.TTFN

Thanks everyone, I needed that. Janet, I will work on FINDING that muscle, then I can work on strengthening it! Payday, I'm looking for that book, sounds fabulous. Semi normal day today, then the week goes to heck, but at least my grades are done. All of my classes have MAPS testing (type of achievement tests) off and on all week. Unfortunately it is never the ENTIRE class, they test alphabetically by grade level, so the students move in and out of your class. But I'm just going to go with the flow. Going to sit down tonight and try to get all the tax stuff together, need to get it going so the kids can do the FAFSFA applications and I need the money back. Waiting on a W2, but I think I have most everything else. I had tax stuff. Should be more organized, I don't imagine the big box is considered a 'filing' system. Well best get going. Here's good food choices to everyone!

Steph, I don't bind until I am totally done, incase I have to reposition. however with the size you are working with it should be okay. I ate carbs today, so I feel like crap, it just ticks me off when i do that. I was going along fine and then looked at the clock, I had 45 minutes to grade a stack of papers, post grades, verify grades...lost it and ate crap. I had the whole day's food planned, lots of fruit, protein, brocolli salad. but heck no, I eat crap!!! My dad wasn't able to have chemo today, he is too weak. He is only walking from the bed to the dinning table to his recliner to the bathroom and to bed. Nothing else. I am frustrated in that I know if he moved more he would have more strength. NOW they think mom might be having mini strokes, ah hell, can I just run away! At least my brother went and drove them to dad's dr. appt. They got almost 2 feet of snow. Half of me thinks that mom is just putting it 'on' because she can't handle the attention not being on her. Then I feel guilty. I don't know what I'm going to do when she tries to move in with me. I can kiss my life (what little I have) Goodbye! Now I sound selfish. sorry, tired I guess. Check in later

Steph, first pin all your layers together, smoothing, etc. Then starting on left side, roll the quilt to the middle block like a tortilla. Then roll the right side to the middle block. Think of you quilt now as having 4 quadrants, upper left, upper right, lower right, and lower left. Here is a website that shows you how to make a jelly roll: Machine Quilting Tips and Tricks - For Dummies Quilting: machine quilting, connie hester, feed dogs These links will give you some ideas. Starting at the top between the 2 rolls, slide your quilt under the foot until you are in the middle. Moving from the inside to the outside, quilt the lower right quadrant, unrolling the right side as you go. Reroll right side and then quilt the upper right quadrant. Flip quilt and slide under the foot as before to do the last 2 quadrants. If I had my quilting machine and frame up and not in storage, I'd offer to do it for you. Well, best get going, long week. Check in later tonight, TTFN

Janet, I'm sorry for the hassle with the house. At least you fed the bird. If he doesn't come and take stuff, take the bird to the animal shelter and the other to Goodwill. You gave him a warning. Some people are just disrespectful. Hang in there. Busy day today, grading papers, cleaning, laundry, dyeing DD#4's hair, so won't be in much. Have a great day TTFN

Thanks for letting me know you were okay. I don't know my geography well. But very glad you all are okay. Running behind this morning, suppose to be heading into town already, oh well, it is Saturday and don't really have time schedule to follow. Hope you all have a good one. TTFN

Janet & Phyl, are you guys near the mudslides?

Sorry, I'm a little swamped right now, and feeling bloated. Probably too much salt lately, plus it is time for my shot. Last day of the quarter today, so I have a 10 inch pile of papers to grade. So I won't be in much this weekend. I have the monthly grocery shopping to do tomorrow then back to grade papers. TTFN