Let the Countdown Begin!!!

Well, I'm back to work on nightshift. And the schedule shows that I've only got 4 more night shifts, and two more day shifts to go! Yipee!!! Lol The paperwork came in the mail for me today so I'll have to give my advisor a call about having taxes withheld and all that good stuff. I'm ready. And I'm incredibly relieved to have made this decision. Lol I'll have the entire month of October off using up vacation, personal time, and a holiday. What a way to ease into retirement on the first of November! lol

I purchased Elly S.'s dvd on beginning applique. I enjoyed watching it. Not sure I like her applique stitch, although she does the first part exactly like my teacher Sharon Stroud taught. But unlike Sharon, Elly brings her needle out into the front of the applique piece, thereby not being invisible. Sharon brings the needle out into the knife edge of the applique fold, making the stitch very invisible. Elly teaches a lot of other things that I enjoyed and I highly recommend this dvd for a beginner.

I've posted some new photos to my webshots albums. Some of my "Waiting Room" blocks are done and in there. :-) I've really gotten a lot of this quilt done a lot faster than I expected. Soooooo, I bought a new book and am planning my next hand applique project. It's "Baltimore's Country Cousins" by Susan McKelvey. I fell in love with this. It's like a Baltimore album quilt, but not quite as formal... more my style! :-) I also ordered a fat quarter of each fabric in a collection from Connecting Threads. I might even have a background to use already! lol I sure hope I live long enough to finish all my projects! :-)

OOOOH, my Mom didn't have her surgery last week. It seems the preoperative testing showed she's had a heart attack in the recent past... She was soooo relieved to not have to have the surgery that she raced off to play Bingo at the Sr. Citizen's center, not even giving any thought to the possibility of a heart attack!!! Only my MOM! She has to go have a "chemical" stress test on the 28th of this month. I suppose it will be the difinitive test as to "did she or didn't she" and how bad is it!? sigh...

Wayne worked down at the cabin last weekend. He ripped up the awful orange rug in the big room, fixed another spot in the floor that had a register in it that we knew nothing about, then started sheeting it with plywood. His thoughts are once we start ripping down the ceiling, all the "STUFF" up there that will fall down, will be easier to sweep up on the plywood. I think he may be right. Once we get the floor done, and ceiling up with insulation, then I can look into getting the gas log installed in the fireplace. HEAT!!! Lol I'm so excited about the idea of just going down there and staying and puttering at our own pace.

Allie is having a difficult time getting off the steroids. Each time they get her almost weaned off, she spikes a fever and they have to put her back on it. Dr.s told them it's a syndrome and it could be another month before her body adapts to not having them. I hope it does. She was supposed to start radiation on October 5th, but they told them it could be earlier.

Took Hollie out for a "big girl's" night. We had dinner and a drink, window shopped, and saw the movie, "Julie and Julia." We both enjoyed it a lot. Very good, lighthearted comedy. I highly recommend it.

Take care and I hope your days are filled with laughter and sunshine. It's been beautiful fall weather here, BUT Wayne and I both noticed the song birds have gone. The humming birds are gone... guess they knew it was time to get out of Dodge!!! lol Cold weather will be coming before we know it.

Hugs, sylvia