Thursday, January 10, 2013

Been holed up here at home most of the time for the past several days because of the flu situation going on in our area.  I've not been able to accept any sub teacher assignments for fear of what I might bring home with me as a gift from the little kids.  And I'm sure they would not want me to teach wearing a mask...which is what I must do right now if I go out.  The one day I ventured out to Walmart to pick up a site-to-store package, I had to not take a shower or wash my hair because I couldn't go out in the weather afterward.  So, I bundled up, took hand sanitizer with me, wore my mask, picked up the package and other things I needed and scurried home.  I haven't been out since.  Ken has been kind enough to stop after work to pick up things from the store if needed.  

I have a lunch date with a friend tomorrow.  Hubby and I have discussed it - may not be the best idea for me to do that but I am going to go.  We are going to an Asian restaurant in her area.  I also need to pick up a sewing machine from her as well as doll clothes patterns and a Scentsy order I purchased back in August!!!

While here in my exile I have continued to try to clear some things out of the house.  I sold two more of my vintage dolls and those have been shipped off...to Maine of all places.  I hope they love the babies and take care of them.  I also managed to make myself throw out some old books from when my own children were very young.  I've been hanging on to them because I can't bear to throw out anything that were remotely connected to my children.  But, I'm determined.  And the books were in really bad shape - written and colored in, dog eared, much loved.  They had seen much better days.  I still have many toys to go through.  I'm quite sure my children do not want any of these old toys.  

At the quilting bee on Sunday I started squaring up some blocks that I had fussy cut from some licensed Disney princess fabric - pink of course.  I'm bordering them with a couple of different pink fabrics, making them come out to 12 inch finished blocks.  At least one of them will be turned on point because the way the princess was cut from the fabric she is corner to corner rather than from top to bottom.  I checked out the internet to see how to calculate the size triangles to cut to make the block on point, and it is relatively simple.  It takes two blocks of the border fabric cut the same size as the center block that will be bordered.  Those border blocks are then cut diagonally across to make two triangles and then sewn onto the center block.  I'll try to remember to post a separate blog showing the process.  

Other than that, I had a couple of over-ripe bananas hanging out in the kitchen so I made a banana cake today and iced it with cream cheese icing -- all from scratch!  Yea, I really can do this!  And it's a dang layer cake, not a sheath cake.  Then, in keeping with our plan to use up what we have and clean out things, I pan fried beef patties for supper, topping each of them with a square of cheese.  I also found a bag of sweet potato fries in the freezer so oven cooked those.  I nuked a can of Ranch Style beans to go with the patties and fries and called it supper.  Kinda hillbilly/redneck, but I am NOT going to the grocery store right now.  I want the refrigerator and freezer cleaned out before we go again.  And that dang pantry.  Ken keeps buying crap food and then doesn't eat it.  I've threatened him and made him promise that from now on if he puts it in the grocery cart he has to eat it.  I'm tired of throwing out food.  

For the past year I've been hanging out at home in my sleep shirt all day because I have no "retiree" clothes.  And I am just not comfortable in jeans.  So, I ordered a pair of those dang pajama jeans.  That's the package I picked up at Walmart.  I haven't tried them on yet - hoping they fit.  I also bought two pairs of cute flannel jammy bottoms, some sport bras, and some leggings.  Now what I need are some shirts/tops.  I didn't see anything at Walmart that I liked - I don't like sweatshirts, can't stand that tightness up around my neck.  I'm probably going to have to go to either Catherine's, Dillards, or Macy's to pick up some shirts.  I'm still looking for some pink shirts as well as some yellow and some blue ones.  

I got the compression socks - they help so much.  I've learned my legs feel so much better when I wear them.  I also got new house shoes.  Cheap ones, but they fit my feet and I can keep them on! I can't wear slip ons, they kick off.  So these are a shoe type.  They feel so good on my stone cold feet.  

That's about it - I've rambled on much more than I planned.  Love to all -  and to my children and grandchildren, you are always on my mind.