It Looks Like Spring!

A few days ago when DH and I were coming in from the hot tub, I looked over at the huge oak tree and lo and behold... the daffodils were blooming! I grabbed my camera and ran to take some pics, but they came out terrible. This morning I went out and took some more.

Then I opened the front door to see if just perhaps..maybe... Fed Ex had delivered my 2 Elizabeth Zimmerman books that I ordered from Amazon a week ago.. (they hadn't..sigh).. and I saw the weigela blooming in all it's glory!

While I was taking the pics of the weigela, I noticed the nandina...lol

I know we have several more weeks before we can count on the weather staying warm...but I love this time of year when the colors begin to show and the spirits begin to lift from the dull winter "browns" .. as opposed to the dull winter "blues". ;O)

The Simple Woman's Daybook 02/09/2009

For today: February 9, 2009

Outside my window: the rain has slowed, but with the coming of the sun the watery drops glisten on the twigs of DH's favorite tree. I can almost smell the rain from in here.

I am thankful for: the immediacy of the internet. It's very good to be able to click on a blog and make sure a friend from as far away as Australia is ok during this horrible time of raging fires that burning entire villages. My heart breaks, but I am thankful that Linda B. has only had soot and chaff falling around them up until now. She does beautiful embroidery work.. Chloe's Place and is working to find a way to accept any help we might want to send to the many who have lost their homes and all of their belongings in the coming months. If you would like to help, check her blog.

From the kitchen: comes only the wonders of every day cooking. I made pumpkin bread a couple of weeks ago and wound up eating almost every bite by myself. I won't make that mistake again any time soon!

I am wearing: one of my favorite house dresses that I bought on sale at Dillard's about 3 years ago. It's dark blue with pale blue and gold vines woven into it.

I am reading: The Alpine Quilt by Mary Daheim. When I first began to read her books, I was a little underwhelmed...and couldn't figure out why I kept reading it..lol Her heroine is somewhere in her 50's and the setting is a small village in Washington State... I guess I just felt a bit of kinship with the ordinariness of the people and place.... Anyway, she seems to have clutched onto me as this is the second book of hers that I am reading...

I am hoping: that our grandson who has been in the Army now for a couple of weeks is doing well. This makes 3 grandsons in the Army and one son in the Marines.

I am creating: more dishtowels on my Kromski Harp loom. I do love this loom. But there have been many things in the works this week. They will be chronicled in my post to Fabric Follies Two this morning. I finished my knitted scarf last night, so the evening "watching tv" craft will have to be something new now. I will be starting a new small quilt for new grand daughter Hannah this morning.

Around the house: we are enjoying the new tile floors in the den, hall and office. Sure saves the nerves when the coffee droplets are noticed on the floor...lol It was a real pain in the pazooza while going down, but soooo worth it.

One of my favorite things: is feeling my DH put his arm around me and give me small kisses on the back as we turn to go to sleep at night.

I am hearing: the whir of the computer. I remember the first computer I ever sat down and used... at my oldest son's ... a few (ok...more than a few) years ago... I was amazed then and have never gotten over it.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:

Time does pass... even as we don't notice...

Pumpkin Bread....

When the kids were small I would make pumpkin bread and it never lasted out the day...lol Last week I made some and without them around, it still would not have lasted out the day if I hadn't finally just made myself stuff it in the freezer... Do love that stuff... However, this is a rare occurence since DH has diabetes.

The weather is warming up and that's good. It's off to McKinney this morning to the allergist and I'm hoping we can stop off at the Londoner for lunch...but not holding my breath.

I've been working on this take-off of the basketweave stitch scarf for a couple of days. It is 100% Merino/Romney X handspun. It's turning out well. I found a site that talks about an abacus you wear on your wrist... so, I had to try to make one...

And what does this have to do with the basketweave scarf...

I am forever having to stop and count rows.. and then I miss every now and then and wind up with uneven basketweaves. Believe it or not, this really works. I must work on this some more and come up with a better one or find someone who makes them. This is great. And it would be wonderful for card/tabletweaving also to count the turning of the cards.

The Simple Woman's Daybook 02/02/2009

For today: February 2, 2009

Outside my window: the sun is shining and it is 50 degrees. This is Texas weather and by tonight it could be either 70F or 20F. Changeable...that's us. But the squirrels that I watch through the window each day don't mind either way. They just love to play on the 8 foot tall tree stump that we planted the trumpet vine around.

I am thankful for: the ease of internet shopping. A week or two ago I did my first shopping through Amazon.com and ordered a spinning book and a rigid heddle loom book. Today it was Elizabeth Zimmermann... didn't have to go out, rain or shine to the book stores that don't carry them here in our little city anyway. Love that.

From the kitchen: has come the sound of my wonderful DH cooking for me after the latest cardiac cath last week. Yummm Good!

I am wearing: Stretch green/khaki pants with a Donkenny ... can we say washes and dries like a dream... red/black/green khaki print blouse.

I am reading: Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving by Betty Davenport and The Alpine Quilt by Mary Daheim

I am hoping: that this black, horrible feeling of dispair about the state of our country will pass soon....

I am creating: a knitted scarf with the tan homespun Romney/Merino X. I am trying to figure out how to come up with a better wrist abacus than the one I made yesterday. This one works, but I know I can do better if I just sit down and think about it..lol

Around the house: DH and I rearranged the kitchen cabinets a bit this morning. Makes for a much easier "get up" and "make coffee"... ;o)

One of my favorite things: is coming across an idea and then making it myself...love that.

I am hearing: the sound of the letter opener as DH opens the latest mail...the sound of the squeak as he leans back in his chair and the shuffle of the paper as he reads it. Life is good.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:

Where Were You?

Between fetching glasses of ice tea, I was on the sofa in East Dubuque, Illinois...snow knee deep outside and 19 years old. Two young sons ..ages 2 and 1 ... toddling around our new house that we had just moved into sometime around Christmas. The television was a portable on a stand...as opposed to a real piece of furniture television. There was not a party as they have today, but the excitement was there in our house just the same...lol

"Super Bowl"... what kind of name is that ... and why do they call it Super Bowl #1? Does that mean there will be another one?... lol... Ahhh..... The hubris of the young...

It Got Up to 45 Degrees Yesterday...Can You Tell?

DH came in yesterday from coffee and wanted the camera. I was a little startled since this is unusual for him, but I handed it to him. He came in with this pic... This is our meadow. The temp outside at the time was 45 degrees... I don't think the ice knew that...lol It looked like a winter wonderland with the sun glistening off all those branches of ice. It was beautiful.

Believe it or not, it still looks this way today...except for the fog. This morning is foggy and looks very cold out. 24 degrees I think it said on Yahoo.

Icy Roads and Home Again

It's cold outside! 21 degrees. Started dropping mist and light rain yesterday morning early, but had not frozen when we left at 6am to go to the hospital. It was still not bad when we came home about 3pm. But overnight everything froze. There has been very little traffic on the highway this morning. (I know, Phil.... this is like a heat wave...lol)

The cardiac cath went well. Did not have to have another stent. In fact, he said my heart is very strong...love that part...lol His immediate response to the "feels like a horse sitting on my chest" was hiatal hernia... I do have one, but it is supposedly very small. Anyway, I am home and all is well.

They're Here.. Cedar and Deer Antler Nalbinding Needles

They came in the mail a couple of days ago. I started this bag using them both..lol One is cedar and the other is deer antler and they both are comfortable and easy to use. Aunt Edna said Uncle Bobby had made about 9 of them so now she and the ladies at church want to learn to use them..grin And this is how the works of yesteryear are preserved...lol

I started the bag using the chocolate merino and the tan merino/romney x. This is my first 2 color work and the only problem I had was the beginning.. There is a little nipple of work at the beginning of the tan and at some point I will learn how to do it without that....

We got up early this morning and went to have all the pre-admission and lab work , etc..., done for the cardiac cath. I'm glad all that is done. Now all there is to do is wait for the call on Monday to tell us what time to be there on Tuesday. But they said to be prepared for it to be around 7am since I will be second in line. Yayyy...get it over and out of there...lol
I asked if there wasn't something I could do to keep from having this done every year... he said no... that some people just produce more scar tissue than others due to the stent being a foreign body ... That made me feel better. At least I know it's not something I'm doing that is causing all this...

No Weight Watchers, Stress Test, Grandson to the Army

I have decided not to do Weight Watchers. After considering that each meeting...once weekly, therefore at least 4 per month... costs $13.00 and that this adds up to $52.00 per month...and then adding in the one time costs of $20.00 here and there for cook books and meal plans and etc, and etc... I think not. This is not to say that it is not a healthy way to lose weight...it just means that I don't think I want to spend the money ...consistently ...and in perpetuity ...if you get my meaning.

Anyway... I have been having some heart issues more frequently over the last few weeks. There is an appointment for a chemical stress test on Monday and I am soooo ready to have that over and done with. The angina attacks are coming more frequently than they have since before the first cardiac cath, so they are making me a bit nervous.

Grandson Steven is leaving for basic training in the Army on the 19th (I think)... That will make 3 grandsons and 1 son in the armed forces during this war. His mother is not taking it too well, even tho she is very proud of him. It's always difficult when the first one leaves to go that far away... knowing that when he returns he will a totally different person... much more adult and having had experiences that you will never know about or be able to understand even if you knew about them.

Deer Antler Nalbinding Needles

Here we are on Friday... can't believe it's been a week.

Have I told you about my uncle who can whittle anything... and I mean anything... from wood just using his pocketknife. Well... he whittled a bas relief sculpture of his granddaughter from a piece of wood at least 8x10 and I think more like 11x14... Talk about being wowed.. I was! Anyway, I digress.

I sent an email to my Aunt Edna to see if Uncle Bobby might whittle me a nalbinding needle. She emailed back and said yes, he would and he was out looking for a piece of cedar. I spend the next couple of days thinking about how pretty the red color of the cedar would look in a needle... with the added plus of cedar needle stuck in wool... hmm.. no moths.. You can't imagine my surprise when I received this photo in my inbox of two deer antler needles... and asking me which one I would like to have!

I recall once upon a time in a land far away trying to whittle a bone... it was a stew bone and I wanted to try scrimshaw. I could not do it. Couldn't even make a scratch. And here he is ... made two needles in no time from deer antlers... I need lessons in whittling..obviously.

What a treasure this will be. I can hardly wait to hold it in my hand.