Cat Paw Prints Through The Paint

Went to a friend's home today. Everyone there was doing some sort of quilting project. I was knitting on my 5th baby afghan. I have set up a schedule for myself of how much I need to accomplish each day so that I'm done with the blanket by the beginning of Sept. I did keep to the schedule today. I may travel to Mom's tomorrow. I will bring a painting project to work on while I'm there. There will be no cats to interfere with my painting and so there will not be any painted paw prints on everything since the cats won't be around to walk through the paint. If I get a lot done, I may leave the project and come back to work on it there another day.

Rediscovering A Book

Yesterday I got out a book I've attempted to read before. It's called "the not so big life" by Sarah Susanka. It has more meaning for me now. The premise of the book is 'making room for what really matters'. For years I have led an extremely busy life and haven't always felt fulfilled by the business. That's changed more recently due to a turn in the economy and my willingness to do certain things. I canceled a vacation this summer because it wasn't in my budget, for instance. I no longer will "shop til I drop" , so to speak, either. Accumulating things, although filling up my condo, didn't fill my spirit or soul. For the past 8 months or so I have been leading a slower life and enjoying it more. I don't feel the need to be "out and about" every day. I enjoy staying home more and doing things at home. Sandy and Coco are my companions unless I invite a friend over now and then. I still talk on the phone to keep up with people I don't see, or I may use email to keep in touch. I'm not "out of the loop". I'm just not overly busy and wondering why I'm not enjoying my life. I'm hoping that I'm making room for thing that really matter.

A New Baby

It's a girl! She was born today. She weighes 9lbs, 12 oz. and is 21 inches long. They named her Bethany Grace. The pink afghan is done and waiting to give to her. I will also send a doll which is dressed all in pink. It's part of my doll collection and has been sitting on a shelf just waiting for this day. Congratulations to the proud Mom and Dad. I now have 2 great nieces and 4 great nephews. Mother and baby are doing fine.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Today is a real dog day of summer. The temps reached 90 at least. Tomorrow will be the same. As a matter of fact it'll be hot all week. We've had a kind of strange summer in the weather department. I guess that August is going to end like a normal August. I did my "duty" today by grocery shopping for Mom. Next weekend I'm hoping that my sister will visit her as she said she'd be down there the last week in August. I plan to stay home next weekend. Tomorrow I'll do some laundry and some cleaning. I'm also hoping to get a call from my sister-in-law telling me that the newest member of the family has been born. I wish Mom and baby good health.

Art Lessons On TV

Today I watched a station which carries Art classes. I watched 2 shows. One was a plein air painting of the Italian Riviera, the other was a studio painting of a snow scene. They were both very interesting to watch. I especially enjoyed the plein air painter. He was quite informative about painting outdoors. I have never tried to paint outdoors, but got some good ideas about doing so if I ever choose to do so. This weekend I plan to get back to painting my pink rose picture which I started some time ago. I'll be using oil paints which I haven't used in quite a while. I hope that I can create something I'd be proud to hang on a wall or to give to someone as a gift. I'll let you know how I do when the weekend is over.
I hope that I can catch the "Passport and Palette" painting show on the PBS station that I watched today sometime soon. It was a valuable learning experience. I'd like to see another scene painted and another after that. It's something I can't get enough of at this point. That's how exciting watching the master artist was today. He made it look sooo easy. Of course, it isn't so for me, but we all have to start somewhere. I'm starting from scratch.

A Sleepy Day

Today was a sleepy day. I didn't accomplish very much. I did knit on the baby afghan which I hope to finish by Friday. I have the white yarn to start the next one for a friend's grandson. I need to finish that afghan before September 13th which is the baby's Christening day. I'm hoping to get back to quilting by the middle of September. I have a quilt to finish for a Christmas present for my sister. In between quilting I'll be knitting another afghan for a friend's daughter who is having a baby in December. The year 2009 has really been a year for babies. In 2010, if I have baby afghans to knit, I'm going to switch to a different pattern just for a little variety. However, I'd really like to get back into my quilting mode for the coming year.

A Busy Day

It was a busy day. It was a bit nerve racking in the beginning, but ended very nicely. I discovered a new way of relaxing, watching a beautiful baby sleeping. Every once in a while, a smile would appear on the face of the sleeping baby like it was having a wonderful, happy dream. What a calming effect it has when you're focused on the sleeping baby. I enjoyed the afternoon with friends, their daughter and her new twins. I highly recommend being around babies for bringing joy into ones life. Thank you, S., S., and S.

My Birthday

Went down to Mom's on my birthday. E. brought a cake and a lasagna. We had a nice visit. I read at mass in the morning and was wished a Happy Birthday by the woman lighting the candles. It seem that (birthday) was printed next to my name in the sign in book. I can't believe that the person who does the schedule did that. It felt good to be at mass. It brought me peace. I have a health scare and needed to be at peace. I'll find out more about that later in the week. When I returned from Mom's and checked my messages, I had a Happy Birthday song on the machine from my great nephew, Jackson (5) and his sister, Martina (3) on the answering machine. It was so cute. It did make me Happy.

My Day

I have a cat on my lap as I type. Coco can't stand to see me on the computer. I stayed at home all day today. Got a lot of knitting done. Tomorrow I'm reading at church then picking up E. and D. and we're headed to Mom's to celebrate my birthday. E. is bringing the cake and a lasagna. Hope that a good time is had by all. We'll return later in the day.
I had a good laugh when I asked what song I could sing tomorrow. My brother, on fb, named several Beatle songs which would be appropriate. The only one he decided wasn't relevant is "I'm a Walrus". Another friend suggested "With A Little Help From My Friends", I could sing that song every day because I do "get by with a little help from my friends". Thank God for friends!

A Cool Day

What a nice cool day! It's been an atypical summer. Feels like September today. I'll be spending the day knitting. I want to finish the pink afghan and start the white one next week. Tomorrow I read at the 8:30am mass at my church. I'll head down the shore afterwards. Will probably pick up D. and E. and bring them along. I'll be back home later that day. Need to buy more yarn, maybe tomorrow. I received a birthday discount postcard from 2 quilt shops and the yarn shop. They only problem with that is: You have to have money to save money. Make any sense?
I had a good night's sleep last night. I had at least 8 hours of sleep which is a record for me. I feel much better today. Well, I'll get to my knitting now. Have a nice day, everyone.

Guess What Song I Can Sing In Two Days?

In 2 days I will be __. Guess which Beatle song I can start singing? You guessed it, friends. "When I'm 64". Thank you all for the birthday cards and good wishes. On Sunday I'll be having a minor celebration with family. I told them that I just want a cake and some ice cream for my birthday. (But if they want to give me $$, I'll accept cash). That's hard to come by.
I had dinner at a friend's home last night. I did some knitting and we watched "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid". It was an enjoyable movie to watch after so many years. I left her place at about 12:30am and arrived home later than usual because of road construction on the highway. The next time I'll use the country roads and I'll get home faster. There will be less traffic. I'll just need to be on the look-out for DEER. They're everywhere.

I'm Tired

I had an enjoyable day today with 5 friends. We went out to lunch at an Italian restaurant in Rancocas. The 5 of us had worked together for years but don't see one another on a regular basis. It was fun to catch up on everyone's news. I did the driving today as I felt it was my turn. It took us an hour to reach our destination and another hour to get back home. I can't believe how tired I am so I'll probably go to bed earlier tonight than I usually do.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

The chores are done for the day, including putting the new sheets on the bed. It looks very inviting. I hope that the cats let me sleep throught the night. I'm not ready to turn in yet. I plan to knit for another hour or so. I have been listening to the Solid Gold Oldies and the Easy Listening channels. Couldn't find anything on TV which would hold my interest. I should have popped a DVD in. Oh, well, maybe the next time.

Almost Done

Today was a cleaning day. I postponed it for a few days. It was a bit cooler today so I shut off the AC and opened the doors and put the ceiling fan on. I actually was able to enjoy summer weather. I did all the floors and the 2 bathrooms. Did a load of laundry and emptied the dishwasher. I've decided that that's enough cleaning for one day so I'm going to do the surfaces in the LR/DR tomorrow. I will also do the kitchen counters tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to just relax by either listening to music or watching something entertaining on the tube. I will also give myself some time to knit. Before I go to bed I'll probably put the AC back on, especially if it gets hot when I close the doors. I need to put the fresh linens on the bed before "lights out". If I get that done, I'll jump into the shower before calling it a day. I'm hoping to get some energy back and not fall asleep while I'm knitting or watching TV. It's so easy to do as the evening draws near especially after getting up as early as I do. Here's to a pleasant evening with Coco and Sandy and me.

Raindrops, So Many Raindrops

The raindrops are coming down in buckets. I went to mass this morning. When mass was over it was pouring outside. Thankfully, there was only a bit of thunder in the distance. Coco doesn't like it. She hides when she hears it. Sandy is a bit more brave when it's far away.
There are so many choices of things to do today. I will read the NY Times, knit for awhile, and send some birthday cards for next week. I could clean, but decided not to on a Sunday. It's a day of rest. I need a rest. Tomorrow, I'll catch up with what needs to be done. I also have a doctor appointment in the morning. I have to remember to fast tonight so I can have blood drawn. After the appointment I'll do some grocery shopping. I have nothing in the house to eat for next week. Oh, bother!
I played with makeup while getting ready for church this morning, even put on a foundation which I usually only do for special occasions. Put on eyeshadow, used my new eyeliner pencil, tried a different blush and also tried a lighter pink lipstick. I tend to wear brighter pinks or mauves. I have so much of this stuff I might as well play once and awhile. It's fun if I'm in the mood to do so. Will also do my fingernails later tonight, maybe even the toenails. TMI. Remember how much fun it was to "play" with this makeup stuff when we were younger? Somewhere along the line it becomes more of a chore than fun. Probably because we're all so busy and can't take the time to "play". Well, for the next few days, I'm taking the time. I deserve it. Hopefully, there will not be any urgent things which come up to take the "time" away from me. Here's hoping for a peaceful, restful and funfilled week ahead.

An Exhausting Day

Today was an exhausting day. I'm glad to be home from doing errands for Mom. Tomorrow I shall go to mass and relax at home for the rest of the day. I'm in a bit of pain because I fell into some furniture yesterday and hurt my shoulder. Luckily, I don't think anything is broken, including the furniture. Two Advil before bedtime should help stiffle the pain.
They say it might rain again tomorrow. I hope we don't have a soggy August.
I need to get out to buy birthday cards tomorrow. I'm a bit late at doing that. I'm really looking forward to a quiet, relaxing day with Coco and Sandy tomorrow. I have 3 papers to read and knitting to do. It'll be a good day.