Returning to Normal

Phew!  After several weeks (12+) it seems that life at Casa Nana may be returning to 'normal'.  Now I'm not sure exactly what that means but, it needs to be time for a new normal.  So I'm learning lots of new skills and hopefully will be able to hold onto those.  My days in cardio-rehab are over - at the hospital gym and Superfluity (rummage sale) is over.  So, for me it means some more time to be doing some of the things that I really love.

Had a family birthday party for DD,

How can she be that age, when I haven't aged more than a few months?  The two youngest grands were pretty cute, sitting together,

And now I've even been able to sew a little bit,

Spring fabrics using the little twister tool.  Makes a cute small table runner.

Last week I did sneak in a quick trip to the fabric store and bought myself two yards of background.  I just love it,

I have had this pattern for literally years.  It was a 12 month, block a month quilt.  And so at long last, I will actually get to make it.  Other than my background, it is all from my stash.  Yeah!  Use up those 30's reproductions, fat eighths.

Dare I say that it may be pretty darn cute?

Back at it!  I'm a happy girl.

Preliminary results

The preliminary results are something over $32,000.  Not bad for distributing folks "stuff".

The Big Superfluity Sale starts tonight

This is a major undertaking - and thank goodness I'm not in charge.  But this is the 50th annual church rummage sale.  I am working in the Book Department, for the 3rd or 4th year - maybe longer, I can't remember.

Tonight is the "paid" preview night and in our department it is over-run with book dealers.  Who knew there were so many.  Frankly I hate tonight, so I avoid working.  It is just too crazy.  However, our department does earn a lot of money from all those dealers.  I will attend the last "tidy up" session this afternoon and then return tomorrow morning for the regular sale.  All the hardbound books are $1.50, the larger paper books are $1.00 and the paperbacks are $.75.  You really outta come.  We have been sorting books since February, so you have many choices - all sorts of genres.  We run out of room on the tabletops, so just have boxes full of books underneath each section, as well. 

We don't have clothes and furniture, but linens, housewares, decor, jewelry, children's and a whole room full of 'treasures'.  Come check us out.

Just starting to unload housewares

Electronic do-dads

Well, we're keeping busy.  Maybe back to my sweet (quiet) sewing machine next week.  :-)

Thursday update

I have a neighbor who is bored with retirement and always says oh, oh, find lots of things to do.  Yeah, right!  I hardly have time to think about finding things to do - I have too much to do.  Whine, whine.  No really, I am very happy with my life, but it does get a bit hectic some weeks (months?) but that's OK.  No sitting around getting bored.  So after that intro, this week we had the regular Wednesday sorting of books for the big rummage sale, "Superfluity".  One fellow arrived at 2pm, just as we were trying to leave and wanted to whine when we told him we were finished for the day.  Honestly!  The big sale is next week and one of the challenges is figuring out when I can be at the church.  Monday through Thursday is getting everything set up - no mean feat.  The actual sale begins on Thursday evening.  I don't "do" that time slot.  I am not at all comfortable with the chaos of multitudes of book dealers, but some folks aren't bothered.  So that is their time.  I will return on Friday, 11am to 6pm.  Then in the evening I have a "date" with my oldest granddaughter to attend the Seattle Children's Theater presentation of "HELP".  Hmmmm.  We shall see.  Saturday the sale is from 9 until 1pm.  I think perhaps at that time I can relax, guilt free, at least for a while.  Sunday we are having a bit of cake and ice cream to celebrate my daughter's birthday.  How do our kids get so old, when we are not aging a bit?  But that is all jumping ahead a bit into next week.

This week I have to run errands today and shop for groceries for the week-end camping trip.  Not sure what that will include.  Last night I worked on my faux log cabin and got 6 of the 12 big blocks done.  I really like this pattern.

If I get busy, I can perhaps finish the other 6 today.  I have some of almost all these fabrics left, so can choose one for a border.  The pattern calls for a 2 inch border, but not sure if I think that's large enough with these big squares.  Hmmmmm.  Opinions?  Suggestions?

Hope you are having a blooming spring at your house.

Happy Easter to you!

It turned out to be a very pleasant day, today.  Not exactly fully sunny but much. much improved on some of our more recent days.  So good, in fact, that yesterday the backyard got some needed attention - weeding, edging, dandelions, and a bit of pruning.  Yeah all the plants cried in unison.  A couple of shots of the yard,

I know lots of folks just love the fall, but I'm a spring girl, myself.  Just my most favorite time of the year.

But I also have been doing a bit of sewing, so to bring you up to date,

I do love these blocks, but somehow they are so challenging for me.  So I have cut some new strips and squares and now put it away.  For both of us to rest for a bit before soldiering on.

Added more blocks, as my friend Ronda recommended.  A cute print.

As we don't know the gender of this baby, I'll just choose one of the colors for a border and ba-boom.  I'll just buy a copy of the story and one baby gift ready to go!

And then I got on a roll yesterday and started on the high school graduation quilt.  Oh - I'm liking this pattern and it is so blessedly simple.  Thank you Billie Lauder.

Sew into strips and cross cut to get the logs

These are the fabrics I'm using.  She likes blues and green.  The asian print is actually a very dark blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like this faux log cabin layout.

Time to put the ham in oven.  Happy day, one and all.

Volunteering

For the past few years I have volunteered to help with the church's big rummage sale.  Big, as in more than $31,000 raised, all for various mission projects.  It feels good and it's really quite fun.  We started sorting in early February and will continue until the sale in mid April.  I'm a book sorter:

Folks bring in bags and bags and boxes filled with their excess books.  Lots and lots of different topics.  We don't go so far as to sort by author, alphabetically, but figure we do fairly well sorting by topic.

At least we alphabetized the boxes by topic, so they are easier to find for our sorting.  So far we have just about already fill up one storage closet and are starting on the second one:

This does mean that I can get reading material to last me until next year.  Good fun for some good causes.