A Cool Scene for a Hot Day

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We had another day and when I looked through my photos to choose one for tonight's blog! I saw this photo taken at the Butchart Gardens and it just made me feel cooler!  Supposedly the heat advisory ends in less than an hour…we will see what tomorrow's temperatures bring!

I had a nice visit with Melany, Wade, and Erin today.  I was hoping that Erin would feel like coming with them.  I thought she might come since it could be a shorter visit.  Melany brought her stitched Christmas stocking and we visited for a while.  Then Wade went to pick up lunch.  He got Piggy's Place barbecue.  This is a local barbecue restaurant.  Woody worked with one of the original owners so we used to get it more than we have lately.  Piggy's Place had a special part in Melany and Wade's Wedding celebration.  Their rehearsal dinner was held there.  So we shared some memories with Erin today.  We sat around for a while after lunch and talked.  One of the things we talked about were things we can remember where we were when something in history happened.  What started that train of thought was that Dolly Parton died on Erin's birthday.  I told Erin that I would remember the date Dolly died because of it being Erin's birthday.  Then we went on to remember where we were when other things happened…like the day Elvis died…Woody, Melany, Nathan and I were visiting in Massachusetts.  We were sitting at he dinner table when my Uncle Don casually dropped that piece of information…well, my cousin, Sue, was one of the biggest fans of Elvis…I think we went into mourning for most of the rest of the trip!  We remembered about: where we were when the Challenger Shuttle exploded;  our location on September 11, 2001; where we were when the assassination attempt happened for President Regan.  Erin, of course, didn’t remember most of those.  And, I shared where I was when I learned that President Kennedy was assassinated.  And, one very random one…when Marilyn Monroe's death was reported…Daddy, Mother, Cheryl and I were visiting San Francisco.  I’m thinking that maybe I heard that news called out from a newsstand…not absolutely sure about that…but I know we were walking along a San Fran street when I found out…and in those days we wouldn't have anything with us that would give us news when out walking!  I just looked that date up for Marilyn Monroe's death and it was announced on August 5, 1962…so I was 14 and my sister was 7…I doubt that Cheryl remembers that.  Funny the things that stick in your mind.  But that was the direction that our memories ran this afternoon.  

I’m settled in for the night.  I haven’t done any stitching today.  Maybe I’ll stitch in a while…not sure I feel like stitching tonight! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Friday…Again!

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It seems like all I have to do is blink and another Friday has rolled around.  Today I chose not to go to the grocery store…I really didn't need anything, at least as far as I know…now.  Another reason to skip grocery shopping today is the fact that it is Labor Day weekend and I’m sure that more than usual would have been at the store getting ready for cookouts, etc. Pretty hot for cookouts, though!  Our heat advisory has been extended until tomorrow evening.  I think most of us are ready for a break in this heatwave. Once again, today, I stayed inside keeping out of the heat…so thankful for a comfortable air conditioned house!

I have done more puttering around doing a little of this and a little of that.  I did get a bit more physical and actually vacuumed…finished vacuuming downstairs and then have started upstairs.  I plugged in the vacuum in my bedroom…vacuumed in there and then as far as the cord would let me vacuum…the bedroom, the sewing room, half the hallway, halfway down the stairs, and just through the doorway into Melany's former bedroom.  I’ll hopefully do the rest of the upstairs tomorrow morning…or when I plug the vacuum in next!  I have the downstairs vacuum parked next to the stairs to vacuum the other half of the stairway…I will definitely do that in the morning so I can put away the vacuum.  I did do a lick and a promise with dusting downstairs.  I will be doing a better job dusting when I get underway with my Fall decorating.  

Melany and Wade and maybe Erin are coming for a visit tomorrow.  Melany is bringing the Christmas stocking she has cross stitched so I can make it into a stocking.  She brought it once before, but I suggested that she do a little more stitching at the top of the stocking that the pattern didn't say to do. I think it will make the stocking top more stable.  She has finished doing that extra stitching and is bringing it back tomorrow.  And, we'll get to visit for a while, too. 

I managed to do some stitching today, too, so I am closer to a finish on it.  I think that I will work more on it this evening…ready to rest from the more vigorous efforts that I have done around the house today!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

It's Mighty Hot in TN

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This is one of the hottest looking photos that I found in my Alaska/Canada photos.  This was taken in The Butterfly Gardens that we visited n Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  And, I will say that it was very hot inside this building…they definitely had it at a tropical temperature.  And, most of us had on jackets due to cooler temps outside.  

It has been very hot here today.  Alexa just told me that our high today was 99° and the heat index reached 109°.  I can't say much about the heat, as I just stayed in today…I only went outside to check the mail and put something in the outside garbage can.  All I can say about that short trip out is that it made me glad that I had stayed in and just puttered around, again.  I did start my vacuuming downstairs and also mopped the kitchen floor.  I finished the ornament that I had been stitching and moved on to the next one.  I counted and I think that I have finished stitching 17 ornaments so far.  I checked on my list today to see how close I am to finishing and I am getting closer.  I think there are 6 ornaments so far 7 left to stitch for gifts…then there a couple that I want to stitch for myself…but those can wait! 

I pulled down a cookbook the other day that I am now enjoying going through and just reading about the recipes in it.  It is the 15th Anniversary edition of the Test Kitchen TV show…one that has every recipe that they cooked on their show in the years 2001-2015.  Woody gave me this cookbook, probably in 2015.  We used to look at the show together.  Now this is one very big and very heavy cookbook!  I have it stored with the rest of my cookbooks in the cabinet above the stove.  It is so heavy that I rarely get it out.  But I was looking for a recipe the other day and thought that there might be one in it so I got the stool out and got it down…very carefully!  I put it on the small section of counter next to the stove.  I looked up the recipe and then left it there on the counter to put up when I had the stool out the next time and when I had the energy to hoist it up there!  Well, I left it open and stopped when walking by and got to looking at some of the recipes…each recipe tells you why the recipe works…interesting in and of itself!  So I have been thumbing through it when I walk by and stop for a moment to read about another recipe.  So not cooking from this cookbook at the moment, but am enjoying perusing the recipes and information about the recipes…and enjoying it on the counter, since I don't have to feel the weight of it on my lap or in my arms. Maybe I’ll find a recipe I want to try!  Then, again, maybe I won't!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!  

Small Accomplishment = Good Day

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Tonight's photo shows that small accomplishment…are you laughing!?!  I took a picture of it on my cutting board that is marked in one-inch increments…so it is just a little over an inch in diameter.  I stitched this little acorn and fall leaves a year or more ago.  This morning, when I was shuffling through a pile of stitched projects, I found this tiny stitch.  I had it all ready to finish…even had the interfacing ironed on the back.  I got it ready last year when I was finishing Christmas ornaments.  Since it was past Fall, I set it aside to do some other time.  I ordered the covered button size that I needed at some point when ordering from Amazon…so had that on hand, too, as well as had already copied the circle size I needed to cut it our with.  So I decided that today was the day to finish this tiny stitch.  I will prop it in with other Fall decorations in my antique scoop. An accomplishment that made it a good day.

I spent more time in the sewing room today,  I did start getting all the things put back that I emptied from containers that I washed yesterday.  Still have to sort through pencils and pens.  I brought my needlework bag upstairs and neatened up the linen pieces by serging cut edges so they won't fray when I stitch on them.  These linen pieces were ones that I have stitched something on already, but there is still enough to use them to stitch something else on them.  I very much enjoyed my time in my sewing room…one of my favorite places in my home.  I just haven't spent much time there over the last years.  When Woody was so sick, it was just so hard to find blocks of time to be able to accomplish sewing tasks.  Plus the sewing room is upstairs so was farther away from him…couldn't hear him when I had the machine running.  So it was easier to do things downstairs…at that time or do stitching in my chair upstairs.  Stitching can be set aside more easily than sewing can!  I am hoping that what I am doing…organizing some of the sewing supplies…that I will be ready to get back to sewing an actual garment.  I have a top in mind that I want to make…I found the fabric online and ordered it when sitting at Vanderbilt, I believe during Woody's last inpatient stay there.  So the fabric has been hanging in my sewing closet for a little over two years, waiting for me to get back to sewing.  I’m getting closer to being ready to make it.

I went to Bible study this evening and am now home ready to sit and relax for the rest of the evening.  I plan to finish another ornament.  All I lack is a small portion of the border around the design.  The Christmas ornament stack is growing! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another Calendar Page Turned

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Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

How can it be September…already?!? Time is definitely flying.  Fall is just around the corner, but one wouldn!t know by our temperatures…today's high was 97° and the heat index climbed above 100°.  We have been issued a heat advisory from tomorrow morning through to Friday evening.  Heat index could get up to 109°.  I’m staying in unless I have to get out.  Today I waited till the sun went down to take the garbage can down to the road.  That's the only time that I stepped outside today.  I got my mail while I was out there.  Donna and I didn’t work in the library today.  

I have puttered around the house today…doing little things…one task that I had told myself that I would was put away some clothes that I had stacked up on my sewing cutting table instead of getting them into the drawers where they belong.  That task got accomplished.  Since I am working up to getting back to sewing! I decided to go though some of my many sewing notions and put them in a better order.  Some of these notions reside in mugs.  I had noted the other day that these mugs had gathered quite a bit of dust inside of them.  So today I emptied the mugs of their contents: pencils, pens, rulers, glue pens, tweezers, etc., etc., etc! Amazing all the little things that I have to help me with sewing tasks.  I wrote with each pen to see if they worthy of saving.  Some of the unworthy ones got taken to the road inside the garbage can.  I put the mugs in the dishwasher to clean them up.  I have some flat pattern weights that are shaped like sewing items—scissors, ironing board top, sewing machine, an iron.  These are coated metal and they had for some time had a sticky feel to them.  I wipe them off from time to time, but doing that never seemed to cut the film that was on them.  Having put the mugs in the dishwasher, made me think that these could go in the dishwasher, too.  From there I found several other items that could benefit with a good washing so added them into the top rack of the dishwasher.  When the rack was full, I ran a cycle just doing the top rack.  So I have some sparkling clean items to store my notions in, as well as some non sticky pattern weights.  I will put things back into these tomorrow.  It is good or me to go through these items and remind myself about all the helps I have when I get back to my sewing.  I will admit that what I dealt with today is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg!  I have many, many sewing helps stored in one place or another.  Today's cleaning mainly dealt with things that I use when cutting out patterns.  

That puttering dealt with sewing.  I also spent some time puttering in the kitchen.  I did make fried rice to eat with some of my leftover cashew chicken for my lunch today.  The other fiddly/puttering task that I did in the kitchen that may sound as funny as me washing some of my sewing notions.  I attempted to get rid of the crystallized sugar inside my honey container.  I needed honey yesterday and discovered that it was crystallized.  So I heated it up so I could get the small amount I needed for my recipe.  I knew that if I didn't get rid of all the crystals of sugar that it would just all crystalize again.  So I reheated it and rolled it around in its container…reheated it several times…and I have almost been successful, but guess I will reheat it again tomorrow to see if I can get all the crystals gone.  None of the jobs that I have done today are things that had to be done and wouldn't show if any of you came into my house…but I know that they are done and I’m glad that I puttered around and did them.

My latest cross stitch ornament is well underway and I am pleased with my progress and how it looks.  I plan to do more stitching on it this evening.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Bidding August Goodbye

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August is leaving on a hot note and it looks like September will be entering on that same hot note…predicted to be hotter.  I just got home from prayer meeting and the car's thermometer said that it was 91°.  I think our hi today was 94° and tomorrow's hi May get to 97°.  Oh, boy! 

Nathan, Isaac, and Joseph stopped by on their way home from the Motlow BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry).  Today was their first Monday lunch offered to the students and faculty, etc. for a minimal price.  It is a way that the BCM raise money for mission trips. Nathan called on their way home asking if my lawn needed mowing.  It has been so dry that the front yard hasn't grown much…pretty crunchy underfoot!  But the back yard had gotten long and it was getting difficult for me to walk to the compost pile because I couldn’t see what was underfoot…like mole hills and walnut shells, acorns, and other hazards for walking!  So he came and made a very dusty run with the lawnmower through my backyard.  The boys came in and worked on their schoolwork. 

Today was a day for me to get into the kitchen and do a little cooking.  I decided that I wanted to try my hand at a new recipe—Cashew Chicken.  I had had that at the Thai restaurant that Melany and Wade took me to a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like a recipe that I could replicate fairly easily and that I could make it a bit healthier than the one that I had a the restaurant…I adjusted the salt levels, but I think I will lower them some more the next time that I make it.  But it was very good.  Both Nathan and Joseph tried a little and gave their approval.  Isaac doesn't like nuts in things so this wasn't something that he wanted to try. I enjoyed it with some Jasmine rice. I think that I am going to make fried rice with some of the leftover rice…I think that fried rice would taste good with he cashew chicken,  

Yesterday I finished another Christmas ornament.  Today I told myself that I could stitch whatever I felt like since I had finished another Christmas ornament, but in the end a new Christmas ornament was what I chose to start stitching.  I'm going to continue stitching that ornament after I go out and wash the few cooking dishes that need to be hand washed.  The rest of the dishes are getting clean in the dishwasher…so glad that after really messing up the kitchen that I don't have to wash them all by hand!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite Alaska Photo

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Russian Orthodox Church in Sitka, Alaska