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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Slow Progress

Progress in my recovery does seem to be slow or I'm just more careful that I don't overdo it. I vowed yesterday since we didn't have anywhere to go that it would be an easy day of knitting. I felt good after a good night - a little more sleep but I'm not there yet. I went outside and walked to the mailbox for the mail and then one more time to the middle of the neighbor's yard. I must have looked strange out there inching along like I had lost something but I made it. Other than that and a little cleaning, laundry and watching a movie, it was an easy day but full of things I needed to do. I've decided there will be no napping during the day and by 7 last night it was getting tough. I still rested but didn't recline. The only problem is that after seeing me like that my husband gets the impression I'm back and nothing could be further from the truth. I also realized yesterday that I made the right decision in choosing the mechanical valve because I would never, ever redo this surgery. The inconvenience of bloodwork and regulating my coumadin is nothing compared to the exhaustion I feel after open heart surgery.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Little bit of sleep

Last night was a little better in the sleep department. I kept my bra on to help hold everything in and what a difference it made. I bought a couple front closure bras for my recovery and just hate wearing them. They have no support but basically just keep everything front and center. And besides I looked forward to the freedom of not having it on at night along with the fact they wanted my incisions open to the air. But things were difficult at night in bed so I left it on. I didn't feel that tugging and didn't find myself trying to squeeze the pillow in every nook and cranny. I actually got a little sleep and didn't take a pain pill. Tonight I thing I will sleep in another bedroom just so I can move around a little more, maybe with some more pillows. Braden was right when he said "Rest makes you gooder!"

Monday, March 28, 2011

New Journey

It's been awhile I know and here's the explanation as quickly as I can. Three years ago during and EKG for a gall bladder procedure, I found out that I needed a new aortic valve. I've had yearly visits with the cardiologist since then and this Jan., he decided it was time. Of course nothing goes as planned and the same held through for this. On Mar. 14, I went to Cleveland Clinic for a series of pre-op tests and they asked me to stay and have the surgery, that was scheduled for the end of the week, the next day. I was a little relieved to be getting it over with even though I still had things planned to do. The surgery and ICU stay were not without their complications but all in all I guess I came out pretty well. In addition to a new mechanical valve, I now have a pacemaker built into my shoulder. So this new journey of mine is really just beginning with building my strength up, managing my coumadin use and resuming my life. I am in a much better place now than I thought I would be - moving around on my own, feeling no pain, eating whatever I want (and all that goes along with it) and working on easy projects that I've saved for this time. The one thing that has got me stumped and has me stymied until I overcome it is not being able to sleep. I might doze off a little here and there but absolutely no real sleep. It is not good for physical and emotional stamina in the least which has me concerned. But I will continue this quest and report my progress.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Quilting Twist

I know I mentioned before about wanting to make a Garden Twist quilt with those floral prints I have. I even bought my two shades of green so I have everything I need for the top of it, but I might have bit off more than I could chew. I haven't even started it but I've been going online looking for the pattern or at least a good picture of it to use. I felt a little like trying to get it on the quilting black market because everyone is selling it, even ebay. I found a good picture plus the yardage requirements but I want something, at least for my first real quilt, that I can make very defined square blocks and this doesn't have it. So, I've decided to work on other blocks and improve my piecing technique first. Of course the easiest is the log cabin block which I want to use in my cabin quilt anyway, so that's what I've been doing. I've made 4 already, most of which I'm using those fabrics that were in the books from Padden's so I feel good about using those up. They are very rich looking fabrics and they do up very nicely in the log cabin blocks. I have a good idea of what blocks I want to put in this quilt such as a cabin, sun, star, bear paw block, pine tree block, fish and other animal blocks and now the log cabin blocks. When I was shopping the other day, we found a little quilt shop and I picked up some fat quarters in different shades and prints of pinks for a quilt I have in mind. I think I'll have some others in mind for my next trip.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Sex Talk on Glee

I was very impressed with Glee last night - no, not about the whole sexy subject but the sex talk that Kurt's dad had with him. I think it should be used as an instructional video for all parents. I think that's one of the things that freaks parents out the most so we usually leave it to the so-called professionals at school. Well, they're not doing it either. Kurt's dad is one of my favorite characters on the show anyway, but this sealed the deal. It's bad enough talking to a straight kid but to a gay kid is a whole different story line. He gave him some brochures on the technical aspects, which was pretty easy, but then he went further and talked about emotions. I remember in one of my kiddy lit classes at Edinboro we read Forever by Judy Blum and that was another one I thought should be on the required reading list for adults and teens. I know there was alot of controversy surrounding it and I myself hid it in the cupboard for fear of it getting into the wrong hands. Of course, I remember the Penney's catalog, the bra section to be exact, getting into the wrong hands once, too. I think we're all searching for information of all sorts and at all ages.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Girls Having Fun in Airport

I got a kick out of the episode in the airport with Cyndi Lauper. What surprised me was the extent she went to in going incognito with the sunglasses and black hood up. She evidently didn't want people to recognize her and then she grabbed the mic and started singing. Could she not control herself or what. I'm sure she could have made it all through the airport had she not started singing. It makes you wonder about these celebrities and how much they like their audience. To me it's all about the public for them and some celebrities have even said that they are what they are because of their fans. They don't shy away from the cameras but give them a little dose anyway. That's really all they want. I know they are entitled to a private family life but they should realize that being in this career requires them to deal with a public. Of course, we as the public have to know when to stop, such as Charlie Sheen. We're just feeding him and promoting his behavior. Anyway, I'm not criticizing Cyndi but I wish Braden and I had been there to meet her.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Trip to Cleveland

Yesterday we headed over to Cleveland for the Quilt Show at Lake Farmpark. I was really looking forward to it and wasn't disappointed. There were beautiful quilts in all sizes and patterns, some I didn't personally care for but I still appreciated the workmanship put into them. I even saw the floral quilt I already talked about making myself, however the fact that I saw the exact same thing I wanted to make, bothered me. The pattern for it was not even in the magazine but they were offering a kit. I tend to think this was a kit because of the material that was used. I think if you're going to make a quilt that's been in a magazine then vary it enough so you can call it your own. That's one of the reasons I don't send recipes in to places because very few of them are what I would call original. At least the work going into the quilt would be hers, unless she had someone else quilt it, so I give her credit for that. Yesterday was also one of the vendor days so we got a chance to look at their stuff, too. We watched one demonstration for a rapid fire hunter's star quilt using a template made especially for this design. It was fascinating but at $24.95 I thought it was too much to pay for just one pattern that I probably would make only once, if at all. The one thing that disappointed me about the day was not finding anything good at Marc's. We picked up a few things but I noticed their prices have gone up just like every other place. Not finding a Goodwill was another downer for the day, but I'm not complaining.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Leftovers

I recent article in the paper got me thinking about leftovers and specifically how I've handled that over the years. When the kids were young I was always worried there would not be enough food so I did the food for the masses thing and if I didn't feel like cooking one night, then we raided the fridge for dinner. When we got Peaches and then Pumpkin, once again I was not worried about making too much because we could always give it to the dogs. We changed things a little with Pumpkin when we found out she had some sort of allergy and usually gave her regular dog food. As the kids started leaving, I found myself watching the amount of food I prepared. Some things lend itself better to reheating, thanks to the microwave, and others just sit in there until it's time to clean out the fridge. Now that there's just the husband and I, I really enjoy the toaster oven so serving size is already determined for me. One thing I always make more of is my chicken tenders. I know I can use them in salads and they're just as good the second time around. I still repurpose some foods such as sloppy joes. I usually have a tube of biscuits in the fridge so I make little pockets with the meat inside. I'm not sure why but that tastes so good. Unfortunately, none of this holds true for the cabin. I tend to put stuff in the freezer thinking it'll be a good, easy dinner for the next visit but we usually go out to eat. We are well stocked up with tv dinners that are available for anyone else that's down there - just so you know. I did pick up something that worked well for us the last time we were down. At Sharp Shopper we bought these frozen, fully-cooked hamburg patties that are microwaveable. Just a minute on each side and they're ready to eat and they were only $1.99 for 6 patties. So anymore when I shop I'm always trying to think serving size so we aren't saddled with all those leftovers.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

So Much Stuff

I've been seeing articles in the paper about how people reuse things and I realize I've been doing this forever. I think I've even written a blog about it before. At least when I save stuff I do have a purpose for it somewhere down the line. Take for instance the jeans and old flannel sheets that I made into my rag quilt. One of my next projects will be another quilt using floral prints. Years ago my sister-in-law picked up some of those free books at Padden's with wallpaper and upholstery prints in them and gave them to me. I used the paper for girl scouts and preschool but held on to the fabric knowing someday I would use it. Well, I finally have an idea for it - the floral quilt. As far as yarn goes, I'm not sure how or why I accumulated this much yarn but I hope most of it was on sale. I often think of Aunt Rita and what was going on in her mind with all the stuff she had. I know she was probably an impulse buyer and when she started a new project she bought a bunch of stuff and then got tired of it or moved on to the next project hence all the stuff. She was fairly organized with those bins of hers though, as I saw with all the rosary bead stuff in one. Maybe she just forgot what she had intended to do with all that stuff or else she would have given it away as she did with many things. One thing I was amazed at is how she knew about new crafts and ways to do things especially being kind of isolated at home. I wouldn't know about most of these things if it weren't for the internet. Let's just hope my mind stays good, at least until I finish up some of these projects.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Trip Around the World

Sorry about that, didn't realize one misplaced finger could do that much damage. This isn't about a trip but a quilt pattern. As I was looking at my rag quilt, I noticed the pattern I made on the back of of it that I had described before as other patterns. It turns out that it was the trip around the world pattern or a variation of. The traditional pattern is a concentric diamond shape pattern with each row a different fabric. My pattern starts in the middle with white but you can definitely see the diamond pattern if you step back. Every row isn't different which is why I didn't realize it at first. When I began my quilting I knew there were several patterns that I liked and wanted to incorporate them in my projects. This pattern was one of them. I even cut a magazine article out that showed the directions for a quilt and even one done in a crocheted pattern. I was beginning to wonder how I could get all my favorites accomplished with only so many beds to cover. Now I realize that there's two sides to every quilt and a little planning and I can get all my favorites in.

Trip