Updates:

1. No lambs yet....I can only conclude that when I put Andy in with the girls in October they were not as eager to have him as he was to have them.... BUT they all are very pregnant so I just wait and watch.

Hair All Gone!!

My hair dresser was still in the hospital today but one of the gals in my senior bridge group was a retired beautician and I threw myself on her mercy and I think she did a great job. I do need to get to a store and buy some mousse. I was home about 45 minutes when HWCH* finally said "Did you do something to your hair?" Well yeah!!!

Miss Molly loves it...it's a girl thing!


*handsome, witty, charming husband

My comments on comments!

The first thing I do in the morning is to check if there are any comments. I think everyone who does a blog loves to get comments. In fact Robin said at our class this fall she used to live for comments and I thought that she would have more comments than she could even read...

But comments are an odd thing as I started looking at other blogs. Some bloggers' style seem to invite comments and also there doesn't seem to be a lot of correlation on the size of readership and amount of comments. I read Allison Aller's blog every time she writes (on Thursdays) and I'm sure at least a thousand other people do but I noticed her comments average only 15-20 a day. Hers is really an instructive and sharing blog and is wonderful but doesn't need interaction necessarily. Other bloggers have a very personal conversational style to which folks comment readily.

So where am I?....not sure but I cherish all comments I get. But on the other hand I do have a counter for my blog so I know you're out there even if you're not commenting. The hits on my blog are averaging about 4500-5000 a month... Divide that by 30 days and I expect that I have about 150+ regulars. One month I had 7500 hits and I went over that month to see if I had been particularly witty or cogent...but not! People must have been a little bored that month and tuned in.

I love to write and the joy for me is that there is somebody out there actually reading it whether they comment or not. I posted over 350 times last year...almost daily. The posts about my lovely hair were personal and got a lot of comments but the post about Alaska got none. But I would venture a guess that most readers enjoyed the Alaska post... So I'll keep writing as long as you all keep reading and remember a comment now and then does lift my spirits!!!!

Hair Despair!!!!

When I got up this morning I was having second thoughts about the big hair cut. So to prevent myself from backing out I took the kitchen shears and hacked off about 10". Now the hair dresser just called and she is in the hospital and I look like a shaggy dog.

Back in business....

Well I couldn't exactly fix it but I can work around it... Whenever I indicate new post the "edit Html" tab and format are on view without tools. Why, I have no idea but all I have to do is hit the "compose" tab and all the old tools appear including the spell check...

Bits of totally extraneous info.

I have been expecting packages...some books, antique buttons, and some new bras but I definitely wasn't expecting the package that arrived yesterday. It was a Christmas cracker I mailed to Maria in Portugal about Nov. 22. I had made an error on the address so this poor package has been to Portugal and back. I reboxed it and it will go out again today along with packages to Ritva in Finland and RoseAnne in Canada.

Then there's just who reads this blog??? Sometimes I'm surprised. I was visiting with my son on the phone and he said my granddaughter in Scotsdale AR had been reading my blog. She was the very LAST person who I would have thought had time to read it. She's busy with college and a job and I'm sure a busy social life.

Then there's the hair thing. I have a special friend whose younger and busy with two jobs and all kinds of other activities. She was coming on the 14th to do jewelry with me and I was going to surprise her with my new haircut... Well this morning there was an email from her saying "I can't believe you are going to cut your hair" so obviously she had read the blog also...

There's truth in that statement about not being able to go back. I didn't like the new blogger editor because it didn't have spell check and I couldn't cut and paste. I decided to go back to the old editor and only part of the tools appeared and photos came up in HTML... Now I can't get the new editor to work properly. Not the best way to start the day...

Every Quarter Century

I can only remember cutting my hair twice in my life..  Once when I had my first child and once 25 years ago.  It's not that I had this wonderful hair...in fact it is "hair from hell"...  It is fine, fragile, and impossible.  I never even wore it down. When I was young and taught school I mostly wore it in a long braid and as I matured I wrapped it at the back of my head with a clip.  I only have this one picture in the 70s with it untethered. I thought long hair was incredibly easy...you just braid it or wrap it and forget it...very low maintenance..  I've never owned a curling iron, curlers, or even a hair dryer.  Think of all the money and time I've saved not going to hair salons the last 50 years.

Twenty-five years ago I had it cut and permed..and liked it for about two days but it was a disaster. The perm began to dry and frizz and split and break off.  I mostly wore a scarf on my head until it grew out and was finally long again. 

It's still very long but now it has thinned terribly and become even wispier if that is possible and I can't imagine anyone trying to take care of me if I were ill and washing  and detangling all that hair...  I wear a hat  or headband almost all the time to keep it fronm flying everywhere..  

Well this morning I called the woman that cuts my husband's hair and made an appointment for 2 pm on Friday to cut it all off. If I don't like it this time, the next time twenty-five years rolls around I definitely won't cut it...  And  I do have a drawer full of  lovely hair clips that maybe I can repurpose into broaches or something useful.

Girl Talk!!!

Too my dismay the sport's bra I had worn and loved for years has been discontinued...so I have been trying out different brands... My first choice is to go braless but age and gravity have made that a unsightly option... I actually read the label on the latest and it said this bra has "bounce control"... Bounce control??? mine are likely to hit me in the chin if I bend over to fast...but bounce. This morning when I was doing chores I kept checking to see if I was bouncing....no... Asked my HWCH's opinion and he just rolled his eyes and shook his head....I don't think he even cares anymore if I'm bouncy!!!

Bib Aprons

When I used to do booths at garden shows one of my best sellers were aprons for women made from bib overalls like in photo on the left. I made one for Cathy (http://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.com/) and she has been making them not only for women but for girls also and adding clever twists of her own..

I used to buy the overalls in the winter on 99 cents days at thrift stores. Since I figured the thrift stores would be quiet with all the after holiday sales at Target, Shopco etc going on, I headed out to gather some bib overalls for Cathy... I hoped to get about a dozen but managed to find 22 pairs for 99 cents a pair.. Some very good brands also... BUM. Land's End, Tony Helfliger, Gitano, etc.

Socked it to me!!!!

My DIL Vivian, whom I adore, send me these fabulous socks she knitted... I have never had hand-knitted socks in my life and am so touched as I know the time it took to knit them.... As you can see they fit perfectly! I love the whimsey of the random stripes and colors. Certainly fits my quirky personality.... Our house is old (103 years), cold and drafty so these are toasty to wear with my slippers on winter mornings.... As we all know...something handmade is the best gift EVER!!!!!! Hugs and kisses to my Vivian....

Oops!

Not what you want to see across the intersection from you when you realize you have just turned the wrong way on a one-way street... Before the light changed he was was flashing his light... No ticket though...just a warning. I was hoping I looked like his aged grandmother...whom he adores.

Two doors close and one opens

My DIL needed some #1 knitting needles and I needed #15 beads. I had remembered a knitting shop in a tiny retail area in an old neighborhood on the northside of Spokane and there was a bead shop nearby.... but when we got there the bead shop had closed and the yarn shop had moved. But a block away in an old grocery store was a fabric shop called Sew EZ Too which we hoped might have knitting needles. From the outside it looked rather dubious.

To my total amazement they had a large area of wonderful knitting supplies and smaller areas of Edmar threads and beads and buttons and trims...and even a few FYI silk ribbons... It was an old building with lots nooks and crannies filled with surprises. They also had a large classroom and after the holidays I am going to approach them about CQ classes... Vivian found her needles and yarn and I found my #15 beads... It was nothing compared to the places in Colorado but for Spokane it is a treasure...

Taking a deep breath!!!

Thanksgiving is over, company is gone, I've finished my 2009 challenge block and my RRs are all caught up... I can think of starting some things new... First on the list is preparing a face for Rose Anne's face block...the ones in her packet did not fit what I wanted to do. Then I will make my DYOB blocks for the encrusted RR and also my block for 2010 challenge. They will be queen of hearts. By the end of the week I should have my first beaded embroidery finished early for the BJP... It's as close to being caught up as I've been for several months and it feels good.

But I'm starting on my winter list....

1. We have to reevaluate our spending and streamline our budget.. I found a free site, budgetsimple.com, which is supposed to be great so I will give it a try. I HATE budgeting and bookkeeping...

2. I have a couple dear friends that I used to see often and for different reasons we have drifted apart so I want to make an effort to get us back on track...

3. I have a disc of hundreds of photos to edit for my son.

4. I need to begin with at least one morning a week in the old tea room in the barn and get it sorted with stuff either donated, sold, or to the dump. If I can just discipline myself to a few hours a week...

5. I'm determined to make headway on numerous jewelry UFOs that have been around for years.

6. My packet for FeederWatch came and I want to get the tally sheets copied and start this week.

7. I want to do CQ projects for my granddaughters who will be graduating from college in 2010.

8. I need to find a spot to get a CQ group going even if I have to do the teaching and I think I may have found the spot but need to investigate it further.

I'm thinking, as I look at my list, I had better set my alarm for early tomorrow and get started...

It's pretty pathetic....

I have a list of service people that I have a close personal relationship with.. My favorite is my plumber Bill. It tooks years and years to find a competent plumber and if I send for him I immediately start baking him something to take home along with salmon from the freezer. When you live in a 104 year old house a good plumber is a godsend...
Next on my list is AAA. I've been a member since I started driving and they've come to my aid sooooo many times... It's pretty pathetic when you shut the motor off but leave the ignition on ALL NIGHT! It's even more pathetic when you live way out in the country and the AAA man can find it because he's been there before for the same thing....

It's always when I'm loading or unloading my car that I do either this or else lock my keys in the car... I started carrying an extra key in my purse and then started to lock both my keys and my purse in the car...I even locked them both in the truck one time. I did try the magnetic key thingy but it keeps disappearing...


Anyway my AAA man (Tows to Go) went home yesterday chuckling and with a loaf of pumpkin bread with cream cheese filling...

HCWH (handsome, charming, witty husband)

My DH always refers to himself as my HCWH (handsome, charming, witty husband) which he is most definitely.... What he NOT is my CHFH (clever, handy, fix-it husband) and he will be the first to admit it.

But it occurred to me today that he will quite willingly do chores that involves the creation of piles. In the spring I put ribbons on all things that needs to be pruned and he happily whacks away creating huge piles of "clean green" he can haul away in his little truck.

In the fall he rakes up leaves into piles the size of small mountains which he puts in the forest. Last week we had 1 1/2 cords of firewood dumped in the driveway and the last two days he has been diligently making tidy piles of it in the wood shed...

In the mean time I am still setting aside money for a HFHH ( Handy Fix-it Hired Hand) in the spring...

Funny image!

I finally am getting close to sorting all I brought back from the retreat, Among my treasures was a CD of images shared by Lauri. There are some fabulous ones and some really humorous ones but the one that gave me the giggles I'm sure was not meant to be funny but erotic...

In fact I'm sure it was taken by some photographer who had a fetish with underarm hair..or natural body odors. I can see this as an ad for deodorant but the poor girl is sooooooooooooooo thin... Just look at those arms... I MUST do some photo editing with this shot...

Love my featherweight!!!

All this work on my featherweight cover has me really focused on it and was delighted to find this repro tin with a featherweight on it... It is 5"x5"x7"....perfect for carrying my lunch to activities at the senior center...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I am thinking I'll have a fire in the fireplace tonight. It got down to 19 degree F.
(-7 C) last night and is supposed to get to 13 degrees tonight. I'm so glad that I got all the pipe heaters, tank heaters, hoses coiled, etc etc. all done.... Even tho I love winter, I hate frozen pipes of any kind and we've had a few in this old house over the years.... I do love the clean bracing air in the winter tho and being outside is so invigorating.

Hosted a bridge round robin yesterday. One woman was a slight acquaintance and first time at my house. She was aghast we would drive 400 miles to get a "used" dog and obviously not a dog lover as she said she'd rather have 4 more kids than a dog.... I can't see she and I becoming close bosom buddies anytime soon!

This is a Christmas DYB block I did last year for Debbie S..

New number

Anyone struggling with weight knows the joy of reaching a new number that is a goal. I saw it yesterday and it was still there today so now I can set a new goal...

I never had a problem with weight gain until I had an hysterectomy at 39. From then on I was like an old spade cat and just got rounded and rounded. Years of dieting and exercise were so depressing . A couple years ago I decided to eat what I liked but focus on smaller portions and just 2 meals a day. Slowly, oh so slowly, it has worked but took 2 years to take off twenty pounds. But yesterday I saw the number that was my goal. Now I can set a new number and keep going... By the time I'm 80 I should be a decent weight....but's that OK....

It would be much easier if:

• I didn't love to cook


• Have a husband that craves sweets and loves to eat and of course he has no weight problem...


• And the fact our social life revolves around entertaining and food.....
  

Lazy rainy day for Miss Molly and me

Got up at 5 a.m. to get DH off for a 3-day tour and it was pouring rain. This will give me a chance to finish unpacking and get acquainted with Molly again. The first thing we did was jump back into bed for a snooze and proper cuddle.... She's such a sweet dog and we can't figure out why she was rejected from 2 homes before us. She is absolutely DH's dog and never leaves his side, cries when he leaves and goes ballistic with joy when he returns....... so I am happy to have these 3 days to do some bonding of my own with her...

I am just dying to try my new threads but MUST get everything in order, pay bills, dig beets, and get sheep sorted. etc..