Not much progress.

 Well, the girl was picked up this morning from school around 7:30 AM. I got her home in time to refill the coffee in my travel mug and bring the boy to school. A stop at the Market of Marion and Dunkin on the way home and it was 9:30 and time to log into work for the day. The school is 20 minutes away without traffic. I picked up some nice produce - some plums, fresh tomatoes, zucchini, a pepper, cukes since the ones in the store are terrible and these taste like they should! A huge Nappa cabbage and some kale. Emily already made some Kale chips and they turned out pretty good. I'll use a bunch of the cabbage in the veggie lo mein tonight. I'm also going to pop my Prime Rib in the oven this afternoon. My Dr. did say my iron was low =). I love that it is 5.99 a pound right now at Publix so I got a nearly 9 pounder and after cooking I seal a meal slices and pop in the freezer. I pull it out for adding to my lunch salads during the week. I might go pick up another one... you just can't beat that price and I obviously need some iron in my diet! That anemia might explain the constant tiredness and cold hands and feet. I need to grab a multiviatmin as well.

I attempted to pin the 16 patch quilt twice yesterday and took it out both times. Something is off but I can't figure it out. I tried laying out on the floor and that was not working so I rolled it onto the boards. Still off. I think I'll pull everything off, iron it and reroll and see if that helps. It got put into a time out last night so after picking up Aidan at school for 6PM, getting home and warming up some leftovers for dinner I just sat and rewatched F1 race 2 of the 2021 season with him. I do hope to get this guy successfully pinned, quilted and bound this month so I can get it to it's new owner.

Peanut is happy it is a working day and is taking a break from bugging me at my desk to watch some birds outside the window.

I've noticed a few blog posts listing favorite Christmas things. I have a few songs that I always love hearing this time of year. First is  Belleau Woods by Garth Brooks.  Another song is I'll be Home for Christmas. Finally, The Christmas Shoes. 

Mid week check in

 Long time no post. Just not much to share on the quilting front. Lets see - we left off last Thursday. There was no pinning of the quilt. It is still waiting. Friday was a double kid pick up in the afternoon as Emily had marching band practice after school. By the time we got home and ate... I think it was a movie night. I took the dog with me to pick up Emily from school.

Saturday - was early horses, lunch and then we got to the school right at 2PM for the parade that night. I think we left school around 2:30 and the parade started around 5:30. Lots of waiting in the prep queue as this was a very big parade with lots of entries - close to 200 I think, and it was a 2.5 mile parade route. We were #90 I think. Yes, I was a parent helper walking along side and passing water to the kids marching in the band and checking on them. Happy to report I did not get hit by a baton being thrown or get mixed up with the band in their little sway marching beat! I call that a win. We even had the correct number of kids back on the bus to school at the end. I think we returned around 8PM. 

Sunday I got a wake up by the girl at 7:55 AM. Oops, her alarm did not go off and she needed to feed the chapter animals before 9AM. The school is 20 minutes away. We got home around 10 and she then asked about walking the dog. Um... nope let me drink my coffee please! The boy headed to Grandma's and Emily did laundry and packed for her school trip to DC. Lots of last minute things and Greg took her for the afternoon feeding and then to Publix to get a sub for lunch Monday and snacks for the week. I got the 45 minute trip to Grandma's to pick up Aidan. 

Monday was an early morning as the girl had to be at school for 5:30 AM so a 5AM leave the house. Greg drove her and I might have crawled back into bed for a couple of hours! I took the boy to school as Greg crawled into bed after returning from dropping Emily. Sometime during the day, Greg managed to tweak his back. I got a little extra working in as I have late pickups this week with the boy getting some volunteer hours in at the middle school after school program. Dinner was potato leek soup - something Aidan loves and Emily dislikes. 

Tuesday the Hubbys back is not better. Heat, ice and Icy hot have been tried. Not helping, unfortunately and the doctor has been consulted. Dinner is Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and Naan. I made it in advance, and it was turned on to warm right before we got home. Then the boy needed to go Christmas shopping, so I took him to get his people covered. He spent the rest of the evening wrapping his gifts. 

Wednesday - frustration at work finally got resolved after lunch. A call to chat with Mom in the afternoon as I knew I was off the hook for dinner. The dog got exercised in the back yard and then I picked up the boy and headed to Moes to pick up dinner. Chasing the dog in the dark back yard to get energy out and then the boy is watching an old F1 race tonight. He has one exam left tomorrow in math and then an easy day on Friday before they are off on Winter break for a couple of weeks. 

Emily has been texting me a bit this week with her travels. They are in Williamsburg VA and have been visiting around the area and will finish off in the rain tomorrow before heading for the overnight ride home for a Friday morning pick up. I am hoping I can drop one and pick up in the same trip on Friday morning. I'm happy their walking tours in DC today were rain free so they just have rain tomorrow. It was looking like 2 days of walking in the rain. She is having fun and I'm sure we will hear all about her adventures on Friday when she returns. They are excused from school after being on the bus all night, so she was really done for the semester last week. 

Tomorrow I have a video telehealth as I guess my doctor is out on medical leave but she is doing the video call? It is just a follow up on my lab work from last week on my thyroid meds. It should be a quick call.  I changed horses to 1PM. We are getting that cold front tomorrow afternoon so it will be interesting on the timing of that. I think I might actually get some sewing time in! I'd love to get that quilt pinned and maybe start the Chilhowie mystery. I am printing off the clues.

We were planning to do a family fishing charter trip in the Gulf next week, but we cancelled that with Greg's back pain. I'll take the kids to explore a nearby area instead on my day off. I still need to set up a Medieval Times night over the break as well. Unfortunately, I have a feeling it will just be me and the kids. 

Thursday?

 I admit, I really am lost on the day of the week but I know I did not log into work today and the kids are at school, so it must be Thursday.

I had routine bloodwork this morning, so Hubby got to take the kids to school. I got home for a nice breakfast and then headed to horses to ride Prism. For some reason, my right ankle was hurting on the posting so I just walked him around and was steering a horse that had a mind of his own today. 

I had remeasured the quilt top I am working on again this morning and did not find anything big enough in the stash for a backing. You know what that means.... I headed to Joann's after horses. I got a backing and picked some pretty green and reds from the Christmas area to supplement the stash a bit as those areas are lacking. Emily has a couple of diamond prints so I picked up a small one to try it out at half off. It is a pretty hummingbird. I also grabbed some floss for the Frosty's. Two Christmas light necklaces were purchased as well for the Parade Saturday.

A stop at an overrun by people Sam's to pick up 4 things and then it was home for a late lunch. I took the dog out back to get some energy out and noticed the pool I warned hubby was turning 2 days ago had not gotten attention. So, I dumped chlorine in, hit the quick clean button on the pump and then found the brush in the shed and went to work brushing the pool. I have the area I can't reach from the pool deck to go, but I'll hit that after I return with the kids. I'm 5'2" and that is difficult to do from the ground so I might have hubby or the kids handle that part. 

Sigh, and that was my day off! Gas got put in the car, but it still needs an oil change and a good cleaning. There are only so many hours in the day.... and tonight is sewing room time to prep and pin a quilt!

Off to pick up the kids.

Weekend Roundup.

For the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I got these sewn together and added a border to make it a little bit bigger. Now to get it pinned, quilted and bound.           It is 57x72 right now for size.                                                                      

I started off Saturday with Emilys riding lesson at 11. Tacking up Marshmallow.

 It seems the wrong bit was used and he got spooked a few times.... or his mouth hurt. Well, she got tossed while cantering and is fine. She wanted to get back on but the fill in trainer didn't want to risk it since the horse was still spooked. They had not figured out the bit issue yet. She didn't want to get on the other lesson horses (and an emotional girl took a bit to calm down and me to figure out what the problem was!). She wanted back on that horse.... but I asked her if not him, who would she be ok with. I mentioned Lance - a thoroughbred she rode about a year ago. I sent a text and yup, she was good to pop on him to get back in the saddle so we headed back down the drive to the barn.

 I learned she prefers big horses (16+ hands) that are challenging and medium really challenging horses which Marshmallow is. She just likes tall horses! She got Lance to behave (he was being a bit finicky) and cantered for a bit so we were at the barn for a few hours by the time she got her confidence back and got quite the workout.

Once we finally got home and had a very late lunch, I had to pack for the drive in campout. Emily opted not to go since she has a parade Sunday and it is part of her Advanced Band grade. Movies played from 6PM until 4AM! Yes, I was pretty much up all night. The girls were good, but the other chaperones daughter got sick in the middle of the night and after doing cleanup, I checked with the adults in charge and we shifted my second adult to one of them if I needed help. Must have 2 non-related, background checked adults for the 6 girls we had attending. There were lots of adults there and there was only 4 hours left. The girls dismantled the tents and packed up their things after hitting bathrooms and the breakfast line. I notified the parents on our closed group FB page, and they were all picked up by 8:30! I got home at a reasonable time and have had a nice coffee. Things are out of the car - the tent needs to get set up and aired out and the moving blanket I had on the ground and the tarp need to get all the sand shaken off and dried. It got a wee bit chilly and damp at 57 degrees overnight. I have the 2 quilts I was bundled up in - the damp is very cold - and those are in the washer now. My Hugs and Kisses quilt 

and a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt - Celtic Solstice.

Greg is going to drop her off at the parade and I'll head over in a couple of hours when the parade is starting and will pick her up at the end. 

Might I get a little slow stitching in later tonight with my feet up? They are going to need it as I can feel my Achilles on my left foot this morning. Resting it this week will be top of the list and I'll find my ankle bandage to apply some compression.

 I believe I can move the hoop and continue quilting on the Bear Paw Quilt today.

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Slow Sunday Stitching. I hope to visit links Sunday night while relaxing.

 

Thursday?

 I am really not sure where the week has gone. No stitching so far. Hubby must have had a flu bug since Friday as he has been zero energy and sleeping a lot. He is finally feeling a little better the last 2 days. That has left me to do all the running, and there has been a lot of running. 

Before I get into that, lets take a little look at what I will work on shortly. 

The top and the pink fabric needs pressing and cutting for a border on the 16 patch stars. Look who is ignoring his name and won't turn around for a photo! Peanut.

Fine Mom, I'll turn around for a photo if you'll stop telling me to turn around! Oh, the green monster needs a sewing fix so it can go back to the dog.

 First I need to relocate Peanut and get both the top and the fabric pressed. This one will go to a girl scout I know, asked for by her Mom. It will be appreciated by both of them so, this one needs to get finished off ASAP. It did not get finished in November, but I am hopeful for December!

Feel free to stop reading here... just my crazy week to tire you out!

Monday was crazy - 2 pick up times for the kids and both had something in the evening at different locations. I decided Em could use the home time for a night and took Aidan to guitar... and scouts ended up being cancelled at the last minute when I told them I was not able to go. So, I was pretty much in the car from 3PM when I got off work until 8PM that night. Tuesday was lots of meetings at work, normal pickup with tacos for dinner and then Emily wanted to bake off the sugar cookie dough I made Sunday. A quick run out to get gas in the car ($2.87 a gallon!) and some produce from Aldi's. Wow... the price of things keeps rising like crazy!

Wednesday was a late pickup for both, and I decided to work the extra hour since this pay period has very little hours worked with the holiday last week. The disadvantage of being an hourly worker... you don't get holidays or vacation. Picked up the kids and hubby was kind enough to pop dinner in the oven for me so it was ready 3 minutes after we got home. 

Thursday - technically my day off. It was a 2 kid drop off this morning and thank goodness hubby is better since he takes the early one - leaving the house at 7:05. I got the later leave at 8:15. Then a quick walk for the dog who has not had a good walk in a week, and a quick shower. Then off to horses to ride Prism for my 30 minute workout. I am going to feel my inner thighs' tomorrow from all the trotting and posting. A stop to grab a prescription and then home. We had to return something to Lowes and hubby needed lifting help. We ordered a new toilet that came in 2 sections. There are cracks in the porcelain one the boys installed about 5 years ago. No leaking though, thank goodness. The top part arrived fine early last week. The second part, arrived in pieces! We called and they sent another one.... to our old address in Vermont from 12 years ago! I'll bet they were surprised with that box! Another call and we had them ship it to the store for pickup and it was retrieved today and no jingling when we moved the box so it should be in one piece. We picked up subs from Publix on the way home for our late lunch, and some chicken for dinner since the kids are a late pickup with Emily's band practice for the concert next Tuesday and Aidan is working some volunteer hours at the middle school. Tomorrow, she has marching band practice for a couple of hours after school, so it will be a 2 kid pickup. 

This weekend might do me in, but we will hope for the best. I had agreed to be the second adult for the troop at the Drive in Campout Saturday night to Sunday morning. It is a fun event and we have been to every one so far. There are close to 600 girl scouts attending the event for movie watching on the big screen, smores at the bonfire, camping out in tents and generally having a good time. Sunday at noon, Emily has a parade for the band that is part of her grade. I might have said I could chaperone it and walk the route with them since she was having issues getting volunteers. I know, I'm nuts. So... if you don't hear from me until next weekend.... I'm still recovering from this coming weekend! When I agreed to the drive in, I was thinking the parade was Saturday from 12-4, not Sunday 12-4. Must check dates closer next time!

OMG - progress

 Progress was made on my One Monthly Goal, but it is not a quilt yet. Good thing there are a few more days in the month. Might there be more progress made before December? We will see. 

The tree also got trimmed on Saturday evening. We got a new tree this year, as my last one was over 20 years old and needed to be retired. This one is 9 feet tall, and yes the angel is leaning. I can't reach up there to fix it so we will just assume she is a little tipsy and landed a little off kilter!

November Table Scrap Challenge

 I went into the sewing room planning to finish off the black star block. Alas, I left the black fabrics on the cutting table 3 weeks ago and 'someone' showed his displeasure with my lack of sewing time this month on it. It has now been through the wash twice and dried... so I cut and made the brown star block I needed.

While there, I had these bits of Kansas Troubles fabrics on the cutting board, so I sewed them together and got this 6 x 6.5 inch little mug rug. Instead of a binding, I did the easy turn method.

Emily got me this mug for Christmas a couple of years ago. 

Linking up with Angela and the RSC and Joy and the Table Scrap Challenge.