Needles and Pens

Two pounds down, ten pounds to go! I can't believe how slowly these last pounds come off, but sure enough, they are coming, so I really can't complain. It's especially comforting to know that I'm still losing, even though I've had a lot of diet indiscretions these past few weeks. Broke down and went to the doctor on Friday, only to find out that I'm going through the same virus as so many others right now, and there is nothing to do but wait it out. My doctor did recommend I take Sudafed and Robitussin DM and those have helped immensely with the congestion and coughing. Last night I had my first good night's sleep in a week, so I'm feeling much better. So much better, in fact, that I had my kitchen wiped down and floor scrubbed before 6:30 this morning. LoL Besides me, three of the four kids have been sick with various symptoms. Emily is home from school today after throwing up all day yesterday. I have that feeling I want to soak my whole house down in ...

Still nursing this cold/flu/whatever crud, and getting very little done this week (which is driving me crazy!) Nevertheless, thought I should post today just to say that I'm still alive and kickin' -- but if I'm not feeling better by Monday, I'm off to the doctor. Seriously. So here is a bit of the very little I've accomplished this week. I found these two finished schoolhouses among my orphan blocks and want to make ten more for a quilt to give to a special teacher this year. Though it has taken me three days, I did get the cutting done for the ten blocks. I'm pretty sure that's all I'll manage for sewing this week. Between this nasty bug requiring periodic naps and my kids being home for spring break, it's been a challenge just checking my email each day... ...and speaking of naps... ...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

For some reason, holidays always seem to make me sick. Not after the holiday is over, but just before it starts. On Saturday, I came down with the crud, a sore throat, earache, and stuffed up sinuses, with a nasty cough thrown in for good measure. But we did manage to have a nice Easter anyway. Busy, but nice. I felt awful, but pacified myself by eating anything and everything that looked vaguely enticing. Therefore, I had a one pound gain to face this week for my Monday weigh-in. Today, I'm fighting the temptation to crawl in to bed and stay there indefinitely. I hope things are looking up by this time next week!

It's " Tackle it Tuesday " at Five Minutes for Mom, and since I've been so busy with my office project, I've let a lot of other things slide. My tackle for today is in two parts; first, a major cleanup of my living and dining rooms, second, I think it's time I pulled out the Easter decorations. I can't believe it's only four days away! I don't have a "before" picture taken yet, but I wanted to get this down in writing before I changed my mind. So, I'll be back later with an update AND pictures. Update - 5:30 p.m. Okay, this is embarrassing... but then, it could be worse. I do remember the "wall-to-wall toys" days. Anyway, here's the promised "before" picture of my living/dining room. My daughter was home sick today, so I had to sort of work around her on the couch: Phase one, the clean sweep, clearing out the clutter, removing a thick layer of dust from every surface and vacuuming probably a pound of dirt and c...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Guess I had a little "luck o' the Irish" today for my weigh-in, because I managed to drop two more pounds, despite being less-than-perfect about my diet again. Attitude-wise, I'm doing much better than a week ago. Of course, actually losing some weight didn't hurt. lol

Smorgasbord Overflowing bins Stacked high, in lofty towers Behind closet doors Multi-colored piles Yellow and green, red and blue Which shade do I feel? Pattern in my hand Motivation in my heart Now, a choice to make Satin, flannel, fleece, Cotton, velvet, corduroy Denim, woolen, knit A color, a cut, One must be chosen from this Fabric smorgasbord. Heather Haapoja © 2008

In honor of National Quilting Day today, I decided that no matter what the Photo Hunt theme, I was going to make today's post pertain to quilting in some way. Well, the Photo Hunt theme is "I Spy," and oddly enough, there is such a thing as an I Spy quilt. Basically, it's a quilt that involves fussy-cutting small pictures from various novelty prints and working them into your quilt design. If you want to know more about I Spy quilts, check out this article at About.com . Unfortunately, I have never made an "I Spy" quilt, so I don't have an original photo of one to share. I have, however, made a few quilts with a lot going on, visually, so I guess they'll have to do. I spy a button and a gingerbread man... I spy a teapot and a house on a stand... I spy... a leaf, and the house that Jack built... And since today is Quilting Day... I really should go quilt! Happy Quilting Day, all -- and Happy Photo Hunting !