A lifetime ago...

Well, it seems like it was a lifetime ago that I last posted. So much has happened. But as horrifying as it was to experience, the results have been astounding. My Dear Granddaughter was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor the size of a nickel. It was in the base of her cerebellum, and had also extended a "finger" down her brain stem. This was diagnosed at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, after 3 months of desperately searching for answers to her constipation, vomiting, pains in her stomach, stiff kneck, and headaches: All classic symptoms of this kind of tumor, but nobody here in Corning, NY seemed to realize that. She had surgery on the 20th, cam home the 27th, and is recouperating astoundingly well. As for her Grandmother, well, it's been slow to bounce back for me. We were all so scared. I believe she has a long road to go before it's all done: radiation, possible chemo, but with love and support we'll all get her thru it.

Went down to the camp and finally had a chance to see the exterior all done. Sigh... I so wish my Dad could see what we've done with it. So different from when he was last able to see it. But since I sincerely believe he whispered in my ear how to do it, I'm pretty sure he "sees" it now. :-)

The interior comes next, and that will be our job. No more contractors. lol Wayne is an electrician, I can do just about anything, Eric and family are all willing to help... It will be a true family adventure. And I've got the rest of my life to get it done! lol But it's sooo great to have nice windows and doors in it. We can even open the windows now! lol It will mean gutting the interior, installing natural gas and electricity. Got to have heat! lol Planning on putting a vented gas log in the fireplace. The new ones out now are just beautiful! You really have to look twice to realize they're not a true wood fire. The photo above doesn't show Pine Creek out beyond the camp, but it's a wonderful trout stream. This camp is located in an area outside of a village called Rexford. Great fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, and just being lazy! lol

In a couple of weeks I go to talk to a financial advisor about retirement. Pick the correct package for me and get out. With all that happened with Allie, I know now isn't the time to put it off anymore. Life is just too short and can change in the blink of an eye. I'm ready to live my life beyond these 12 hour shifts. It's time...

take care, and remember, live your life to the fullest...

It's Saturday...

It's Saturday!!! I'm here at work but it's sooo much quieter than the past two days have been. Even though I have a list of things to do as long as my arm, there will be no phones, no people, and hopefully no interruptions to get in the way of my getting them done.

Quirky asked what I'll do once I retire and I LOVE your idea of recouperating from working. lol Unless a person works a 12 hour swing shift, they have no idea what it's like. Well, maybe you do Kirsten. It's like having jetlag for all of your life. Knowing how you travel, I suspect you can put it into perspective. I will love not having to work nights, weekends, holidays. Heck, I'll love not working at all... lol I'm sure I'll be busy though. In the very new future my DH will be going in for knee surgery, my Mom will be going in for hernia surgery... I suspect I'll be busy being a nurse for family members. Then I'll be Gramma to three grandkids, and hopefully I can find a bit of time for myself! lol

Got a phone call from my contractor and he's put in all the new windows and doors at the camp. He's started on the soffet under the overhang, and soon will be the new siding. When all that's completed, the exterior will be done! After that comes the interior. We'll be doing all of that, from gutting it out, to installing electricity, natural gas, heat, and finishing. Tom also said he hung my porch swing out on the back porch that overlooks Pine Creek. I can't wait to go down and sit in it and watch the river go by! sigh... Here's a link to my webshots albums: http://community.webshots.com/user/syl1027

Please, go see from the very beginning all that we've gotten done. Wayne and I have Monday off together so will probably go down to see and take more photos. I'm so excited!!! lol

Take care and thanks so much for dropping in for a visit. I'm still trying to figure out how to do some things with this blog... like put in photos, etc. sylvia

Where do I start???

It's been a good few days off... only makes me want more. Spent the first day trying to get caught up on rest, laundry, dishes, picking up around the house, all that housewifely duties. lol Things that tend to get overlooked while running out the door to go to work, and stumbling back in to find the bed. Someday soon I'll be able to not have to do that. DH finally helped me get the last little bit of info I needed to take back into a financial advisor. I'll be ready soon to figure out which retirement package I'll choose, then from there, go in to work, post the last of my vacation, and BE RETIRED! Ahhhh, there will be such a sigh of relief. I've worked since I was 11. My first job was sweeping floors at the local high school, for 50 cents/hour. Lol, my how things have changed.

I did manage to spend an afternoon in my sewing room. DH was called out to work on Sunday because of all the severe thunderstorms in the area. Wreaks havoc on the pipeline he works on, and being the electrician, he gets called out a lot during these times. It left me with some alone time so I knew just where I was going to spend it. Managed to do some work on the project we'll be doing for Applique_University. This is the side group that Debbie started for her beginner appliquers from her origional Yahoo group called: Applique_Cafe. A nice group of people who are doing BOMs of all kinds. Up until I took my class with Sharon, I was really fumbling, but I feel now I'm making some pretty good strides with hand applique. We're using a Piece O Cake book to work from and using a lot of their techniques. I managed to get the blocks cut out for the backgrounds, did the vinyl overlays for positioning, and the templates for the applique pieces. I'm not all that certain I like this method, but I'm giving it a try. Always something new out there. I'll be "shopping my stash" as they say for this project. My background is a piece of unbleached quilter's muslin that was given to me by my Aunt who no longer sews. It's wonderful... why don't they make this kind of muslin anymore??? And for the applique pieces, I'll be picking thru my scrap bin. It will be a true test of values and colors for me. With my luck, I'll find the exact piece I need, but not enough of it! lol

I also managed to redo another flower bed. Ugh!!! I have lots of perennial beds that are in desperate need of complete redos. Digging out the plants, rototilling some new compost in, dividing the perennials, and replanting, all with mulch on the top. It took me one day to do one bed along the back of the house. This is the sunny side, and usually the first to show growth in the spring. Whew... I've only got 6 more beds to go all of various sizes. Hmmm, me thinks some will be left over for next year.

Tomorrow I want to take my two grandsons school clothes shopping. THAT will be quite a day. It reminds me of something a lady once told me years ago. I asked her how she never seemed to age. She looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and said, "being around all these young people has kept me young... but trying to keep up with them, made me old!!!" LOL

Well, that's it for now. Take care, take time for yourself, and enjoy the ride!

Some time off...

Finally! I'll be having some time off. 48 hours of nightshift is plenty. :-)

During that time I hope to find some "me" time, and get into the sewing room. I'd really like to practice the machine quilting lesson I took with Sue. As I said in previous post, I'd like to unlearn some bad habits.

Something I've done on my evening shift while relaxing a bit was to take a pencil and paper and practice the micro stipple she showed us. It's a really nice accent to machine quilting feathers. If you stipple right up to the feather outline, it pops those feathers out, almost like trapunto. I've gotten a bit jerkey in my stippling over the years. Not smooth and round like she teaches. This pencil on paper practice has helped me a lot to learn new designs. Seems to train my brain! lol Once I practice this a bit, I'll work on the lovely project she sent home with us. It'll be a small wholecloth quilt done with feathers and stippling. Perhaps once I get it done, I'll figure out how to include some photos. lol

I'd also like to work on another block on my heirloom quilt. This is the one I am doing by machine, using a lot of Martha Pullen's techniques. It's what those fancy stitches are for on your sewing machines!!! lol

If the weather holds, I'd also like to work in some flower beds. With all the rain we've had, the weeds are running rampant. Up until the time I had to work all of the overtime for 2 months, I had gotten 3 beds completely tore out and replanted. They're all perennial beds. I've been doing some rearranging of my perennials, and dividing them too. So while I'm tearing out one bed, I'm robbing out others to make them a tiny bit more organized. It would be nice to get a couple more beds done.

You know, I should just retire!!! lol Then I'd have lots of time to garden, and sew, and whatnot.

Take care, and remember to look around you for the beauty in this world. Till next time, take care...

2 days in a ROW!!! lol

OMGoodness, I had a comment on my first blog. How did you find me so fast Quirky!!! lol You ask where I live. I am just south of Corning, NY in a little town called Lindley. And I don't even live in town. I live on the end of a bad dead end dirt road. But I LOVE it! :-)

The first class was with Sharon Stroud, my favorite teacher of all time. It was "All Curves" and "All Points" hand applique classes. I posted photos in my webshots albums. Hmmm, now how do I link that to my blog? lol This thing can become addicting. Back to her class. Sharon just has a knack at teaching hand sewing techniques that I enjoy and learn easily. She teaches at a LQS in Watkins Glen, NY, which is only about an hour away from me. The name of it is O'Susannah's Quilt Shop. Sharon's applique techniques were pure needleturn. Simple, easy, and loved it.

The second class was at a different LQS in Big Flats, NY which is only about a half an hour or less away from me, called Village Sampler. The teacher's name escapes me right now, but will post it at a later date. Her hand applique class was with freezer paper on top, needleturn. I did not care for it at all. I just didn't care for all that FP, and pins, and such in my hands. Yes, it may be slightly easier to turn the edge, but so much fussing with that fp to keep it on the material.

The third class was at a LQS about an hour and a half away, in Dansville, NY, called Material Rewards. Another wonderful shop. I am truly blessed with a plethora of great quilting shops here in my area. Just off the top of my head I can count 6 or 7 all within 50 miles or so. But back to this class: it was a machine quilting class with Sue Nickels, a national teacher of wonderful artistry and talent! She's taught all over the world. Our class consisted of feathers and stippling. I loved her style and technique. And hope to Unlearn some bad habits I've picked up in my 25+ years of machine quilting.

That's it for today. Hope life is good for you!

How on earth do you do this??? lol

Well, here it is, my very first post. I'm determined to learn how to do this! lol

Life has been very hectic lately. Most of it in a good way. I have had three quilting classes in two weeks. One on machine quilting feathers and stippling with Sue Nickels, and two on hand applique. I'm learning lots in my old age. lol

We spent some time down at the camp cleaning inside and out. Burnt up all of the old door and window trims that Leah and I had removed last month.

But then it's back to work. :-( Sure hope that will be ending soon.

take care, sylvia