Working on my mess

Slowly putting things back into the room. I am sure things will be changed again, but it is start.

I think I have to do a little more consolidating. I have several things I do not know why I ever kept them, but they are in the pile to go to the garbage. Some other things I have consolidated into tubs so they are all together. 

Only part of the closet has been filled. I have more tubs to go in there, but took a break to eat lunch and post this. I really need to consider my plan for the closet. It isn't working as good as I thought it would. So plan B needs to be formed and work on it that way. 

I said something about adding another block to my 16-patches. I have it drawn out on paper, but not cut or constructed. Hopefully I can get to that tonight. Chris

Unspoken words over written words

This is some crazy/crumb blocks I made in the past. They seem to blend into a interesting block. It looks like they were meant to be this way.

As a family you all fit into you family dynamics. Brothers and sisters and parents all are different, but they come from the same nucleus. Family as we grow up seems like it should be there forever.

As many of you know the family can fall apart when family members pass away or move on to leave members for their own lives. I am sure you all have experienced this or know others that have.

I have learned the hard way not everything is the way I believed it is from our impressions as children. Blaming any one thing for the family to fall apart isn't good. It has many things that make for difficult times. In my family we are all aging and we don't live close so things are strained.

We have talked in the past of the written word sometimes is cold and not sure what it means. We can read may things into the written word. Texting to have a conversation isn't always understood as the spoken word.

Hopefully my written word isn't disturbing to any of you. I know I have upset a few in the past and most of those are members of my family.

I hope we all are a family as quilters and if I have said or wrote something upsetting you would let me know. I am not perfect, I do make mistakes. Chris

One leads to another

One leads to another. Then another. It was suppose to be a leader and enders project. Well the fun was I just got to sew. But I didn't get anything else put back in the sewing room. About the time I carried a pile in to sort my Grandchildren showed up. I fixed a hook and eye on the prom dress that my Granddaughter is wearing next weekend. 

So today I got up and as I said one leads to another. I just kept sewing. I have 17 blocks made so far. I have a drawing of what I want this to look like when another block is added to the mix. Maybe tomorrow after I get some more moving done I can do some cutting to make the other block so you can see where this is going.

Today is suppose to be 80 degrees out. The sun is out and the sky is beautiful enjoy your day. Chris  

Some more sewing

I had done as much moving as my back would withstand last night so I sat and did some sewing. It had been three weeks since I sat at the sewing machine.

This was a tub with 2 inch squares that were cut up. So why not sew them up. I started running them through the machine and got lost in the TV show I was watching. 

Before you know it I had several 16-patches done. In my mind I have a plan for them, but I need to draw it out on paper and see if a secondary block shows up with what I am thinking. So today I will try and get some more of the different things done in the room. I have some very big contractor garbage bags I am going to place the left over batting pieces in until I can get them sewn into larger pieces. That will take a lot of the loose stuff off the extra bed.

Then there is extra pieces of backing fabric that need to be placed into a tote or placed back on a shelf. All of it takes time. Then there is the totes that go into the closet. They need to be consolidated. Some are only half full. Can't take up that much space with out being used properly. HAHA!

Well need to stay motivated today. suppose to be nice out. Chris

Sorting and moving things back

I started and got some main things moved back. Still have lots more to do. I got the fabric tubs out of my room and got them back in the sewing room next to the table. This table I will cut at and makes sense to have fabric close by.

I even got to sew for 20 minutes. Nothing big just some 9-patches that I had laying on the desk. Have more to sort through to clear it off better. 

I did get the TV hooked up and also the machine with the power strips and also the cable for the TV. This makes me very happy. When we had our antenna worked on the guy said he didn't think he hooked up the cable for this room. So we tried it and sure enough it worked. So I have my network channels I can watch plus I have a Roku for Hulu and Netflix so I am good to go. The bathroom is close. I just need a coffeemaker and a small fridge. No I am not going that far. My house isn't that big and the house is on one floor.

I am so happy with the floor. I now have to slow down some because the window still has to have trim put on it. That will happen in the next few days. Then the rest of the tubs can come back in the room after they are sorted.

This has been a long 7 months to get our house to this point. Not totally completed, but it is getting closer all the time. Still have the three windows to complete and then we have painting to be done. If that doesn't get done until Fall I will be ok with that.

Tonight is an easy supper. Hamburgers on the grill and a salad. I will have more pictures tomorrow. Chris

Going to work in here today

Yesterday before everything got a permanent home in the sewing room we talked about the chair rail we were going to put up. It was decided that it needed to go up before things got moved back in. 

When the room is painted at a later date the chair rail will get painted the room color. It is the left over trim from around the doors that he replaced in the kitchen. It is in good shape other than it was a cheap trim with the wood design painted on cheaper wood trim. Painted it will be perfect and keep furniture from actually hitting the walls. 

This is a forever placement for this chest. It was my MIL's and it has WIP and UFO's in it. This way we have a clearer path into the sewing room. Today the sewing desk will get centered on the wall and things plugged into the wall sockets and also the power strips I use. 

The next step is a table will be placed across the room from the desk and it will be a cutting and pressing station. As you can see the shelves on the walls need an overhaul also. They have become really messy and it all needs a good cleaning while in the process. 

I have the little vacuum in the room and it will get dusted and sorted to be more efficient working space. It is going to take some time and I plan on trying to get back to some piecing off and on besides. 

The sewing desk is piled high and it needs to be cleaned off and find space for the mess that is there. If you look on the right side of the chest there is a calander there and I noticed it is from 2014. Does that say anything???

No I wasn't always good about keeping up. I hope with this improvement it will be a positive move to being more productive. Time will tell. Chris

Allergies turn to a nasty virus

I can't win for loosing. Still all stopped up and blowing my nose now. The coughing has quit. Maybe bu the Fourth of July I will be better.

I could go to a walk in clinic, but they will tell me to do as I am doing. So I will save my money. I am not running a fever at all.

I wanted to work in my sewing room today and he had to put up a chair rail so that took most of the morning. Haven't felt that good this afternoon. I will and can get back to sorting tomorrow.

We have rain coming. You can smell the rain in the air. The temp has dropped and the wind is blowing. We had over a half an inch over 36 hours. We were three inches behind already this year.

Leftovers for supper which is fine with me. Less dishes and cleanup for me. Chris

Several things going on

This is Katie. She is a stinker and she makes no bones about telling you about it. Attitude for sure.

This is a picture of me at 2 years old. We never really knew who she looked like. The nose and the checks almost a dead ringer. Poor kid. My Stepson thought she looked like my Mother, but I guess they never saw this picture. 

The floor is complete. The closet and all the quarter round got put down today. I can't wait to get the room back in order. I will do some tonight, but I will try and sort and make sense of the stuff that goes back. 

The office chair works well on it and the ability to clean it is some much nicer than that old ugly carpet. I will have almost as much counter space, but I will not be able to pile like before. Which is a good thing.  

I will be able to have the ironing board back up and also another table for cutting. I kept all the shelves that were mounted on the upper part of the walls. So I really didn't loose any storage space. I do have more floor space with the plan I have to move it back into the room. 

It is gray day out. It has rained a little off and on. I did lay down for a bit, but I didn't really sleep. Jeff was using the air nailer and the compressor was going off and on. I relaxed. so I need to go to town and get some breakfast cereal and also something for supper. We are wore out with all we have done in the last couple days plus having the two little ones today also. Chris

Excited beyond belief

So excited. It is really going well. My husband was wore out last night, but he has the outside edge of the room and the closet to do yet. We tore carpet out yesterday and he got this far over the course of the day. The dark blue carpet was depressing to me so this has lightened up the room and I think it was a very good choice. 

The sewing desk and this chest of drawers have changed walls in this room. It opens up the room more and makes a better floor pattern for me anyway. We finally got the wire fished back up through the floor and it is all hooked back up. That was the worst thing that happened yesterday.

As he is going he is putting the quarter round down so that wall is complete. This is the last of the uncovered floor that goes into the closet.

I just can't hardly wait until it is done. We have some wall repair to do, but that won't take long. We had some heavy counter tops in the room and they scarred the walls. But eventually the walls will get painted also. I have so much to place back in the room and get sorted through.

I am sure lots will get sorted completely out of the room and out of the house. I have a lot of leftover batting pieces that need pieced together and almost 30 quilts that need quilting.

The window still needs trim work to get it completely done. I got to thinking this morning every room in my house has had something done to it since last September. All had windows and one bathroom had a skylight. All main rooms have had carpeting or flooring and then the trim on all the windows and the wallpaper in the kitchen.

I learned one thing I will never tackle every room again at one time. It is overwhelming.  The nice thing it will eventually be done for awhile.

It is suppose to rain again today so I have some errands to do away from the house today and that will take about an hours. So after businesses open I will get that done and be home to do some more work. Chris

Allergy recover and still digging

Allergies are better, but it is raining today so it will calm the pollen count down. We finally got the mess moved in the sewing room so he can start. I took two car loads of carpet and things I was throwing away. We vacuumed the subflooring and he is going to get started.  

This is the extra bedroom with all the stuff we moved out of the sewing room. I never got a sewing machine out to sew on. I have been so worn out trying to move everything and being under the weather hasn't helped any. We are eliminating a couple counter tops that ended up just being piled up with crap.

The fun has begun. He is going to get the first few pieces cut in. The telephone connection for that room is through the floor so he has to notch around it. That is where my computer connection is also for my WiFi.

It is a gray rainy day. Glad we got the worst of the hauling and clean up done. I can't hardly wait to get the big pieces back where I want them in the room and organize around them.

He still has to do three windows of trim work, but he is doing that as he completes the rooms he is working in. Maybe by Mother's day he will be closer to getting it all done.

He was all afraid he lost the WiFi because a wire slipped down through the floor. This says I still have it as I type. We will see. When I go and post this. Chris Well he has to crawl under the house and fix it. Never fails to come up with obsticles.

Nothing going on

I am sick again. I think it is allergies, but it has wiped me out. I really not an unhealthy person normally.

I wanted to wrap up cleaning out the sewing room instead went to the store and almost passed out when going out. I sat in the car about ten minutes than got it together enough to drive home. I did take a nap and did pick up a few things here and there and sit for a long while before I do anything else.

I sat on the porch in the sunlight for a bit thought it might help. Still coughing and  trying to shake this.

Pollen count is really high with the trees blooming. Hope everyone is feeling far better than I do. Chris

Thanks

The encouragement is very heartfelt. I really get discouraged at times. As Teresa says isolation I think is the big thing.

I will never have a career with quilting, but I sure do like the process.

I will work at getting a better schedule and also a better view of what I am going to do long term. For now it will stay.

Not everyone has the same feelings, but there are a few of you that really make a difference in my quilting quest.

We will try and all do better and hopefully some one will learn something or enjoy our journey. Chris

Things upset me.

As of late I have been on the computer more lurking on blogs and reading posts from other quilters.
I noticed tonight one of the blogs I usually read everyday is running so slow.

I think the thing  that upsets me the most is they want you to follow them, but they have so many ads on their blogs it takes forever to load.

I know they say they have to pay for the space they have in the archives. The cost is something that they try to cover with the ads.

I am not in this to make money this is just journal for myself. I have toyed with the idea of letting my blog go and just not blog. Some days it is hard to find something to talk about because I am just sewing on 4-patches. If you know what I mean.

The fun of blogging has left and I have noticed several I use to read on a regular basis are drifting off the blog roles. Others are like me that an everyday post is hard to do. Sometimes Life just gets in the way.

I get up in the morning and read the few that post everyday and a few once a week and some once a month, but I feel like I stay connected. With being a care giver I don't get out to guild meetings or even frequent the quilt shops.

Most weeks I am lucky to get to the store for groceries and buy gas for the car. The magazines come and they are the same old patterns in different settings or colorways so I have quit that expenditure.

I still love to sew and quilt. I still try and dream of different quilts to get my juices going. By the end of the month I will try and get my mind made up.

I am sure having not sewn for over a week has jaded my opinion of this process. Tomorrow we will be outside to try and clean up the yard again. I have some grass seed to distribute, but it is too cold to do that yet. Suppose to get below freezing here tonight.

Hopefully You all have a good evening. Chris

Things are getting finished

This is the last of the back splash work. It is all installed now. I really like it.

This is hard to see, but he has put quarter round down along the floor. It is a floating floor and needs to be stablized. The idea is not to be able to see it and I think it worked

This is closer and you can see the quarter round better. I have some things to put back up on the walls and counters to make sure aren't all junked up with things that don't get put away. I am a piler and it gets overwhelming at times. 

The pollen count is very high today and I have really suffered with it. Elm and Maple pollen are really high right now. 

I plan on getting more done tonight in the sewing room. Keep plugging away at it. Chris  

Back Splashes

This is what my counter tops looked like. The back splash is very easily damaged by water. I had a coffee maker leak and caused a wavy back splash.

This is the correction we made for now. The main part of the counter tops are  still in good shape. 

It is the same kind of wood we used on the window and door trim and the same finish. It has a little ledge on the top profile. Small details, but no one else will have anything like it. He is putting the pieces behind the kitchen sink now.

I will have to clean off the other counters so he can work on them. Then my Kitchen will be complete.

Still working on the sewing room and realized I needed to clean out more than I thought because the shelves are sitting on the top of the carpet. So more lugging will have to happen. He told me today it maybe will be over a week in the works to get it done. So longer than what I thought, but will give me a couple days off to recover my aching body from all of this work.

Have a good one. I need to move more of the stuff around. Chris

Big goal today

The back of the closet. I finally found it. I still have more to pick up and get rid of or move to the other room to be consolidated with other things that will go back into the space. The shelf is going out. I have another one going in that will work better for the space. 

This is a shelving unit by the window that has to be emptied. It is sitting on the carpet so it will have to be moved to do the floor. That won't take to long to do. 

There is a dresser to the left of the plastic bins it will stay in the room, but on a different wall when the room is done. The sewing desk is a mess and it needs cleaning off. It will go where the dresser is. It was put on this wall when we moved it here with minimal amount of moving things in the room. It doesn't work well there so we have measured and have the floor plan figured out. 

Today I am focused to doing the best I can with getting this done. There might be a few things at the last minute we need to move or change, but the plan is all made as to how this is going to go. 

We bought the quarter round yesterday to work in this room and around the floor in the kitchen. So that is ready to place down when the floor is all done. 

I am getting anxious to get back into the room and keep my momentum going on sewing. It has been a long dry spell and it is really bothering me. 

Today also I need to get some 1.5 inch strips cut for more on my hexie hand sewing. So before I bury all my things with the room clean out I will cut some strips and put into my to go back for a quick grab and stitch. I thought maybe I would get that done first. 

The first of the week we have some outside work to do and I want the inside work ready for him to get the urge to start working on this room. 

Have a good one. Chris 

Wind Wind Blow Away

Yes it has been windy for days. 35-50 mph gusts of wind all day long. I have horrible allergies and I am just miserable.

The wind still hasn't blown everything out of the sewing room. I moved a few things today, but nothing significant. Still have more to do. We are going to rearrange differently when it all goes back into the space.

Just looked out the window and it is still blowing. The pollen count was super high for the last couple days and it has worked it's evil on my sinuses.

I still haven't sewn anything. I have had severe withdrawals. I thought why don't you get some handwork out and then my husband needed me for an extra pair of hands holding something so nothing got done.

Then a neighbor I haven't talked to all winter called and she was lonely and wanted to talk. 1.5 hours later I told her I had to help my husband. Which was a little white lie, but I needed to get something done.

I plan on getting more done tomorrow and then I will be ready for him to remove carpet this next week. He measured today so I can plan on the move going smoothly.

Today I made another step to get the door shut on my Mother's affairs. Within the next month it will be done. I made up my mind today to get the next step over with and it was a glancing blow, but it has to be done.

I just want to be done with this move of the sewing room and get onto being productive. Have a Good One. Chris

More reno going on

This is the counter top in my kitchen. The back splash got damaged from a coffeemaker that leaked and it made the laminate wavy. The rest of the counter top is fine.

So my husband is making a cover for the back splash with the same wood that we used on the trim around the windows and doors in the kitchen. It will be stained and varnished the same. I think it will be a good fix for this issue. 

So around all my counter tops we will have this wood back splash. So we still are working on the kitchen. 

Snow and rain mix off and on today. The wind is howling though. Chris ps. Still cleaning out sewing room. Having withdraws from the lack of sewing time. 

Oh my.... Oh my.....

I couldn't bare to take a picture of what I am doing. Yes it is a real ugly digging out of the closet.
I found a huge tub with not yardage, but scraps in it. Yes it all needs to be sorted and sized up to put in my tubs of scraps.

What was I thinking? It is the largest tub I have. Sadly it shouldn't have every gotten to this stage. I think I know when the stuffing of the tub happened.

Taylor my Granddaughter helped me a few years ago and I wasn't feeling well, but she insisted in organizing. She was a big help at the time, but I didn't realize the things that were being put in this tub. There is two quilt tops in the tub also.

Getting to the bottom of the closet will be a big effort done. I have pulled out things that need sorting or pitched. I can see my efforts when this is all done will be to cut up as much of this overflow in scraps as I can.

It won't get used up sitting in a tub. Still raining.

A funny happened today. My three year old Granddaughter called me and chewed me out. I was at her house and she was napping. I got told I should have picked her up. I thought the nap was more important. She was really upset with me.

I am really blessed that my Grandchildren love coming to Grandma's and they never cry even as babies. Even the teenagers still come. They tell everyone they are spoiled, but they are just loved not spoiled.

Hope you have a great evening. Chris

Work and More Work

Got to the closet. This all needs to be emptied. I worked all day off and on yesterday to get this work to this point. I still need to purge a lot of stuff out of here. There is an old printer and a box of decorator tins that are old in there that have been packed for 13 years. I think they need to be sent to a thrift store. 

This is the extra bedroom where the mess is going until the floor is done. It will be worse when I get it done. There is a shelving unit in the sewing room that goes to the ceiling. It sits on the carpet so it will have to be emptied and come out.  

Jeff has been busy also. He is getting the trim work back up around the windows and doors. We made our own and he stained and varnished it to match the other windows. I just love it because the trim that was in the house wasn't real wood. Manufactured stuff. 

Here is the window trim. It looks really neat with the other wood in our house.

Today is errand day for me. I have some things to go to my son's house and a bank run. I let my supply of check dwindle before I realized I only had one left. I don't use many checks, but when you only have one it is critical to order some more.

Need to do some house chores and then off to do my running. I need bread, milk and a couple extra things from grocery.

We got a storm that came through at midnight last night and the light show was something else. At about 1:15 am there was a clap of thunder that rattled our cages. It made me jolt out of bed. Sounded like it was right over our house. We got 3/4 inch of rain over night. More to come today.

Well back to the work farm and get more done. Chris

Update: I found my little notebook. Laying out in plain sight. Go figure. CRW

I need a keeper.

I really need someone today to follow behind me and keep track of what I am doing.
I went thrift shopping and found the girls some more clothing to play in. But I drove all the way to the place and remembered I didn't have a lot of cash on me.

I stayed and got a few things for them.

Then this afternoon I wanted to access my bank account online. You know you have to have a password. I changed it last week it was time and wrote it down in a little notebook I keep for changes. I put it up before the kids came on Saturday and now I can't find it.

It took me awhile, but I finally was able access it. I had to jump through hoops to do it. I need to find my notebook. I think it is in some of the mess with the move. Yikes I will never find it.

I have done other things today, but no moving of my mess. I don't care for most of what is on TV on Monday nights or I can access it tomorrow so I guess tonight will be the night to get a chunk of it moved. If I don't work at it it will never get done in time.

No pictures because who wants to see my mess. I don't want to see it so why would anyone else. LOL

Cooked beef tips so plan on making beef and noodles for supper. All I have to do is cook the noodles and a side salad and that is done then. Chris

Not a very good blogger of late

I have been in a funk. I haven't gotten much done on anything.

I have to get the sewing room cleaned out this week. So today I need to get the whip out and make myself work. I started with good intentions and got side tracked with having the family come for a Birthday dinner.

We started outside work also. I have run to the hardware store several times to get supplies and still more trips to make.

Today I need to make some phone calls. I need to order medicine for my husband and get that process started.

Then the dreaded job of moving things out of the sewing room. I think I am going to set a sewing machine up to work off and on. I have a huge tub of mini scraps to make into crazy/crumb blocks. I think that would be a good project to get that tub cleaned out.

It may take a week to finish the room. We have window trim and flooring to get done in there. Then the organization to get it all back into the space when it is finished.

While I was out yesterday I saw pansies for sale, but it is just to early. I know they like cold weather, but I am not ready to cover plants every night. The weather is to up and down yet.

My husband has mowed twice now and we mowed a neighbor who is still wintering in Texas. They will be home in a couple weeks.

I need to get to the freezer and dig out something for supper tonight. So things are doing here, but no sewing. Chris