Quilters Thread

[cj59]

Hi busybee - Hope you are having a nice day and good weather. It's another pretty day here, I really need to get outside for a little bit and enjoy it.

This morning I sewed together the first 5 rows of the Bitty Houses quilt, and these are all the houses I have made. I have a tree block in each row and also one house with gray skies in each row. I'm hoping to get a bunch of roofs made and the sides of the houses ready so all I'll need to do is cut 77 house pieces. I'm hoping I can find enough fabric of my own to do that.

I'd like to get some of that Big Stitch quilting done this afternoon. I had half of one block done so at least I could finish that. This is another project I'd really like to have done before the end of the year. I'm attaching some pictures of things I finished this week.

Hope you are able to work on your quilt too. Take care

[busybee]

Hi CJ: We're having blustery weather out here - not cold though - in the 60s still. But intermittent rain and occasional strong gusts scattering the leaves off of the trees. This kind of weather is a little early for us - as it's more often the case in November - but with cooler temps then.

Yesterday, the weather was once again in the 60s - not even requiring coats - but jackets were fine. And my DD and I traveled to the Slavic Women's event smoothly - and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I told the crowd that it was my very first public social event since Covid began - they applauded me. The venue was a country club situated on a hill with lovely vistas of trees and lawns. The food was delicious - hot and cold hor'doeuvres, wine/soft drinks, coffee, and desserts.

The Chair went on to acknowledge the work of this 53-year-old club over the years, and called out various outstanding occasions - and she also acknowledged my work on the cookbook (3 printings) to applause. Then, the entertainment consisted of a well-known quartet of tamburitza and accordion musicians who played all of our traditional favorite songs and dances. The traditional dances of the former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, & Macedonia) are rich in circle formations (kolo) and the women, holding hands, have always formed large circles and danced enthusiastically. I no longer can do that - as I would need a very strong hand and arm to keep me upright - but I did stand up holding on to a chair back, and do all the steps in place. My DD joined in the circle. We received lavish favors to take home - and I had wonderful catch-up conversations with many of the women. It was like I was re-born - having taken 2 Tylenol before I left home, I was able to walk in with my DD using only my cane - did not bring my rollator at all. And I would even walk around the room without my cane - stopping to hold on to a chair back here & there. I kept saying that it's amazing what a couple of Tylenol can do. However, it must also have been because of the adrenaline pumping through me - because of the excitement of the occasion. And - I was hugged so many times - and I hugged back - and now time will tell if I contracted any viruses from all that personal contact. (But I think it would be worth it!)

I stayed in bed and enjoyed a long night's sleep after all my exertions. Just getting ready was exhausting! But I managed - and was so thankful that I was well enough to go. Sadly, another long-time friend, younger than me, attended with her daughter - with her rollator at her side - and unable to maintain a coherent conversation due to dementia. That was sad. 

Your quilts are lovely - especially love the little houses - you sure have managed to find a wide variety of fabrics to differentiate each one of them. I also like the trees interspersed here and there. No working on my quilt today - but I do occasionally sit and work out the design, interchanging the blocks as I try to find the best fit.

Glad you're having nice weather. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[busybee]

Hi CJ: It was a rainy day today - in the higher 50s. However, the rain was intermittent, so we didn't have any downpour while driving. We went to Seattle UW Dental Clinic today for my extraction.

My appointment lasted 2 hours - it was a difficult extraction - but I'm home now and resting and icing my left lower jaw. Soft foods for a few days. I had some melted ice cream when I got home and a nutritional protein drink.

No quilting today or anything else either. I made sure that I made enough dinner last night for DH to have plenty for his dinner tonight. I may have some noodles - depends on how I'm feeling.     

I'm interested to hear what you plan to do after your extraction. Will you be getting an implant?

[cj59]

Hi busybee - I'm glad you are finished with the extraction, sorry it took so long! (I hope mine doesn't take that long ) I hope you heal soon and that you are feeling better today.

My extraction is a wisdom tooth, so I don't need to have it replaced. I've never had an implant but have several bridges and crowns. I'll be glad to get this over with since the pain has been worse the last few days.

Your event on Saturday sounds like it was so nice, I'm happy for you that you were able to go to it and that you had a good time

I haven't done much quilting the last few days. Hopefully I'll be able to get the Pat Sloan blocks done later this week, or maybe even tomorrow when they come out. I figure I won't be doing much quilting for a few days after my extraction either.

Take care

[busybee]

Hi CJ: It's sunny and bright right now - with some wind - and in the mid 50s. No rain. I'm glad I'm looking at it from my warm cozy fireplace spot and not having to go out though.

I'm on Day 2 - and managed to somehow get some sleep last night. Intermittent ice packs (20 min on/20 min off) really helped, and Tylenol. I did have the noodles and broth - and more ice cream and the nutritional supplement shake (Walgreen's brand). I stayed in my recliner until 4:30 am when I had another dose of Tylenol and fell asleep, only to be awakened by the phone ringing at 8 am. Then I went to my bed. Had to have my pillows elevated, but somehow I once again fell asleep.

Stayed in bed until afternoon - and ate a pack of instant oatmeal laced with vanilla ice cream (LOL) - it was really good and some more shake. (Can't have anything real hot or spicy or certainly not crunchy/sticky/tough to chew.) I plan to make a meat loaf tomorrow - which is what I made for DH after his extraction. Today, he still has leftover Turkey Tetrazzini with noodles and I eat the noodles with broth. The problem is cleaning the mouth after eating - only a saline solution rinse for a while - not even brushing yet!

Getting my wisdom teeth extracted was a "piece of cake" compared to what I just went through. You'll have little trouble! But certain precautions still must be taken. Follow the after care precisely and you'll be fine. If the dentist takes it slow and easy, then the tooth comes out in one piece. That's the key. But my tooth had a chronic abscess and it was hard to get it deadened properly, Then, part of the root to my tooth broke off - that was most difficult to endure as he probed for it - even with 4 shots of novocain. Enough! I'm better today and DH is going to the grocery store and get just a few things - that I need especially - more vanilla ice cream (LOL) and instant oatmeal packets.

No sewing - no nothing for me - just rest - for 4 days afterwards. 

Stay well and hope you get to some of your projects soon.

[busybee]

Hi CJ: It's cold and rainy and in the lower 50s. DH went out to get our pumpkin - I couldn't go. He also got beets.

DH also went to the grocery store yesterday to get more vanilla ice cream and ground beef so I could make a meat loaf today - but I hate to think of doing that. I'll be ready for another Tylenol by 5 pm - so I'll cook after that takes effect.

I'm quite miserable - still having a lot of pain - couldn't sleep. And hate the thought of eating because then I have to rinse with salt water. I've just had some of the nutritional shake so far today. Woke at 7 am - about 4 hours sleep & haven't slept since.

I'm just daydreaming as I sit in my recliner - about fresh crisp salads and crisp apples!

Ice pack 20 minutes on and 20 off. I did find lots of quilting videos on our YouTube channel on our TV yesterday. So, that's fun to watch. I haven't turned on the TV yet. Maybe I will and possibly that will help me fall asleep.

Hope all is well with you.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - I'm sorry to hear you are dealing with all the pain and other problems from your tooth extraction I hope you improve as the days go on. I read up today on tooth extraction care and I'll definitely do all that and do what my oral surgeon says too. I'm hoping my extraction won't be bad.

The weather here has been nice, even though I haven't been out much. I did go out to an early dinner yesterday with a few family members, so that was a nice treat.

This afternoon I made this week's blocks for the Pat Sloan quilt along, so I'm glad to catch up with that since I might not feel like quilting for several days. The next thing I'll need to do is update my Temperature quilt block for the month of October, and that will be quick.

Take care of yourself and I hope you are feeling better soon

[busybee]

Hi CJ: It was a sunny day out here - in the mid 50s - but no rain or wind. DH and DS went out to the range again today and had lunch together. I was more than happy to stay home.

But I am managing my pain better now with keeping a regular schedule with the Tylenol tablets - every 6 hours.

I had instant oatmeal for my first meal of the day with a vanilla ice cream topping. Then, later I had a half cup of cottage cheese and diced peaches. We're having more of the meat loaf I made yesterday for our dinner tonight.

I'm still taking it easy and trying to remain calm and still. When I do too much walking around - or bending down- then I can feel the strain on my cavity. But I am encouraged that I am making good progress.

Thanks for your kind comments. You're observing a good test case of what to do after an extraction. Managing the pain is the key - don't get behind.

Hope you get to work on your temperature quilt today. Stay well.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - Hope you are doing well today and your mouth is getting better. I'm glad you've been able to eat a bit more too.

I had my wisdom tooth pulled yesterday morning and the extraction went well, the doctor said it was easy. Per their instructions I only did the ice pack yesterday, so far today there is no swelling. Today I'm doing the salt water rinses.

I did have a bad headache and nausea in the afternoon yesterday and into early evening, I just sat on the couch and didn't move around since I wasn't sure what to take for that. It seemed to go away by the evening. I've still been having to take the antibiotic I started and that is taken every 6 hours and then you have to not lay down for 30 minutes after taking it. So my sleep scheduled has been a mess for several days. I finally went to bed around 2:00 A.M. this morning after taking a dose of that.

I hardly ate anything yesterday, but today I'm having some chicken noodle soup with crackers that I crumbled in it and waited until it was softened and just warm. I needed something stronger in my stomach than just applesauce. I'll try some yogurt and pudding later and maybe some mashed potatoes. I'm hoping by this weekend I can have some more protein.

I did still have some blood in my saliva even today, but they said I might have a little bit so hopefully that is normal. I just worry about getting dry socket, so I'll keep a look out for any signs of that. I took a Tylenol this morning, but so far I haven't had any bad pain compared to how I felt before. I'll take pain over nausea any day though.

I'm going to try to update my Temperature quilt today, I have most of the half square triangles ready to sew together. Can't believe there is less than a week left in October. The trees have gotten really pretty around here and the temperature has been nice.

Take care and have a good weekend

[busybee]

Hi CJ: A little warmer today - no rain or wind. Just lots of cloudy skies. It's a normal fall day - stronger winds are expected tonight - so we'll probably have lots of leaves covering the ground tomorrow.

I'm surprised you already had your extraction. Glad you've come through relatively well. Staying calm and not moving around really helps. And glad you could eat something. Crumbling crackers in the soup is a good idea - I'll have to try that too. Avoiding "dry socket" is imperative. Our DD developed that condition long ago, and she had a terrible time. My cavity has the collagen insert and stitches - so no problems so far - except the pain.

It's interesting how one's interest in food changes depending on what's going on - like tooth extractions, blood, and pain. I did make some instant vanilla pudding last night since I didn't have any more yogurt. So far today, I've only had the oatmeal and ice cream topping. I'm going to try the crackers in soup next I think. The protein nutritional shakes are a good way to get protein. I bought the Walgreen's brand, which is on sale right now, and it's really good - chocolate flavor.

Just writing checks today - and making a Costco order. We will have the last of the meat loaf for dinner tonight - and I've got salmon thawing for our meal tomorrow. Can hardly wait for the salmon!

I just got a nice fat issue of McCall's Quilting magazine with lots of beautiful ideas for holiday quilts - which I won't be doing. But it's fun to see the colorful designs.

Hope you continue to heal and feel better.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - I'm glad to hear you've had some fairly nice weather. It's been nice here, today it's in the 60s and we haven't had rain for a week or so.

I'm going to do all I can to get healed up from this extraction. It's been a relief to be done with that pain I was having. The only thing I'm dealing with is my sleep is so broken up by having to take the antibiotic every 6 hours and after taking it not to lie down for 30 minutes. So I try to take a dose at midnight and then sit on the couch for 30 minutes. I fell asleep there last night and woke up at 1:30 then couldn't get back to sleep for awhile, then I had to wake up at 6:00 to take it again, but I did get back to sleep again for a few hours. It's a small irritation that I can deal with

I've always liked crackers in soup, so that has worked well for me with how I need to eat right now. I've been having pudding and yogurt too and last night I had mashed potatoes and some gravy. I think I'm going to try some macaroni and cheese today. I hope to be able to eat some protein in a few days, maybe tuna fish. I hope you enjoy your salmon

I finished updating the Temperature quilt yesterday and also did some of the big stitch quilting on that quilt I want to finish that I started last year. I was supposed to work on that this morning, but still haven't started I really need to push myself to get this done. I'm glad you have a magazine to enjoy.

Take care

[busybee]

Hi CJ: We had lots of rain last night - but it's quiet now - cloudy skies - at 58 degrees. More rain is expected later this afternoon.

Sorry to hear about your pain medication schedule and loss of sleep. Though I'm only taking Tylenol, I, too, have had sleep issues with scheduling the Tylenol. Now, I'm just skipping one dose and taking 2 tablets, 3 times a day. I guess that's progress! But I am sleeping better and not waking up due to excessive pain. 

I'm tired of the whole ordeal. After every meal, the salt water rinsing and brushing is tedious - and time-consuming - and just aggravates the wound all over again. Hate to eat "almost," because I know what I must do afterwards.

No sewing/quilting. Did watch some of the World Series game #2 between NY Yankees and LA Dodgers in LA, which LA won the first 2 games. Tomorrow, they'll be in New York for 2 games. The winner will need to take 4 of 7 possible games, or whoever wins the first 4 games. Though we are American League fans (NYY), this time we are rooting for the West Coast team, the Dodgers (National League), in memory of their long-time rivalry with the Yankees, when the Dodgers were based in Brooklyn.

The salmon was wonderful - I still have enough left for one serving - but I may eat that for lunch today. I'm making a ground turkey and macaroni casserole for dinner today. I'll cook it extra long so everything is tender and soft. 

Sunday chores await me - but I also have a new book to enjoy - so I'll be doing some of both. I also do the Sunday crossword - so that takes time.

Hope your recovery continues smoothly - the Mac and cheese sounds perfect, by the way. Last night I made a cheese sauce for adding to some baked potato and CA style frozen veggies - which we both liked.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - Hope you are doing well today. Do you need the rain in your area? I remember you had a drought earlier this year I think? It's been very dry here, but I like the cool, sunny days.

I agree with you that this is getting tiring and inconvenient. But I guess it's what we have to do so our mouths heal. I'm still worried about getting dry socket or some other problem, so I'm going to keep doing the salt water rinses through this Friday when I finish with my antibiotic. I'm sure the week will go by quickly. I do need to add in some protein this week.

I'm glad you've found some foods to eat that are good, I'm still mostly doing the soups, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. I was wondering about some vegetables and something I read online mentioned canned carrots. I hadn't thought about how soft those are, so I'm going to have some of them with my dinner.

I got a lot of the big stitch quilting done yesterday and only have one block left to stitch, which should take around 2 hours. I WILL get this done before the end of October so I can meet my goal to have it finished Then maybe I can concentrate on the rest of the Bitty House blocks in November. I'd just love to have these two 2023 projects finished this year.

Take care

[busybee]

Hi CJ: It's a cloudy start to the day, with some intermittent breaks in the clouds for a few sun rays to peek through. But rain is on its way; the rain is welcome - as you mentioned - we were quite low on our usual rain totals - especially in the eastern part of the state - but out here too. And it's a bit cooler today - in the low 50s.

Glad to hear that you're still following all the protocols for the best outcome for your extraction site. I am too - though, I'm still having pain - but the Tylenol does help. I like your idea of using canned carrots - that's an easy way of getting softer veggies. I do cook the CA style frozen veggies, which include broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots - and I just cook it a long time to soften all of them. And sweet potatoes are another good veggie that cooks up to a soft consistency. I also used a can of creamed corn which was quite tasty and we both liked it.

I did not make the casserole I had planned yesterday. Instead, I cooked a Bertolli packaged frozen meal which has bow tie pasta, chicken cubes, and spinach in a light sauce. I added some side broccoli, and we liked that. I'll make the casserole tonight. I found a recipe for cooking everything, including the shell pasta, in the same skillet with the ground meat.

Today, our neighbor came over to drop off a copy of The NY Times which she had saved for us and we visited a long while. She invited us to their home for an election night get-together with another close-by neighbor for food, drinks, and commiseration - or celebration - whichever - it will be nice to be together. It's the very first invitation we've accepted to a home that's not from a relative, since Covid began.

Stay well and enjoy your projects.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - Hope you are doing well today and the weather is alright. It's a really pretty Fall day here, but we're supposed to get some hot days later this week.

How nice of your neighbor to invite you over on election night, I hope that you will get to go and that you enjoy yourself.

The casserole sounds good, I have to confess I'm getting tired of these bland, soft foods but I know I can't complain since I the tooth is gone. I was having more pain last night and this morning, more like in my cheek area which I guess is where they put all the novacaine shots. I might try some tuna fish today, I'm just really needing some protein. I can't wait to finish the antibiotic on Friday too. Hope we are both back to normal soon.

I never did do any stitching yesterday, I ended up taking care of business things on my computer. This morning I went out and ran a bunch of errands and picked some things up that were on sale. I hope I'll feel like doing some stitching later, but we'll see - going out and shopping seems to drain me.

Take care and have a good day

[busybee]

Hi CJ: More rain today and gray skies - par for the course. But it got lots colder last night - into the lower 40s and it's at 49 today at 4pm. Forecasts include snow in the mountains - so our weather pattern is definitely heading into fall and winter.

We enjoyed the casserole - it was soft enough to chew on one side - my dentist told me that if you can cut the food with a "fork," then it's soft enough. And I made applesauce with whatever apples I had on hand, mostly Honey crisp. And it turned out so good - I used a little maple syrup as a sweetener. I haven't made applesauce in years - so this was a huge treat. Now, if I can just keep my DH from "hogging" it all. LOL

I still have pain - especially after eating and before I use the salt water rinse. But not so much pain that it interferes with my sleep. So, that's very good.

I still haven't gone back to the sewing room. And today is "clearing day" for the cleaners coming tomorrow. 

We still have leftover casserole for our dinner and I've got codfish for dinner tomorrow night. Fish is a good choice for a soft diet - including canned tuna. Hope you were able to enjoy the tuna.

DH got out yesterday to rake up some of the leaves and seeds on the driveway - which can get slippery when it gets rained on. I picked up a grocery order yesterday also and got it put away. I'm still dreaming of having a nice crisp green salad -but not sure that I'm ready for that just yet.

Hoping that we both can get back to normal soon.

[cj59]

Hi busybee - Guess you are starting to get your fall weather. It was almost 80 degrees here today! I actually turned on the AC for a bit too cool the house off.

I hope your mouth will be all healed up soon. As of yesterday most of my soreness was gone. I finish my antibiotic tomorrow but I'm going to keep up the warm salt water rinses for a few more days just to be safe. I'm just thankful everything with this has gone well so far.

I've been eating some more solid food, but chewing on the other side like you. I'm looking forward to having my daily cup of hot tea again, but I think I'll hold off until next week for that. Several things I read said hot drinks and the caffeine aren't good for healing. Hope you can start eating more foods soon

I finished the big stitch quilting yesterday and I trimmed the quilt and made the binding today. I hope to sew it on tomorrow. I also made my two blocks for this week's quilt along, it was a log cabin block. It was a bit challenging figuring out fabric selection since I'm only using a few fabrics in each quilt, but I'm pretty satisfied with how they turned out. Next week is the last block.

www.ilovetomakequilts.com/2024/10/block-wed-1.html

I hope to update my Temperature quilt tomorrow too and finish the month of October, can't believe there are only two months left!

Take care

[busybee]

Happy Halloween! No rain today but cloudy skies - some sunshine earlier in the day - and it reached 50. So, today gave us a respite from too much rain. But lots of snow is falling in the high mountain areas.

We're ready for Trick or Treaters but we seldom get any. We did have high school kids collect canned food on th 29th for the needy. They were members of the Drama Club of the high school just up the block from us and they announced their food drive with a flyer. So, we were ready and I offered them candy too.

Cleaners here today - so I'm sleep deprived as I get up so much earlier for their arrival. We've also had a Comcast Technician here for a couple of hours working on our security system - which was not operating properly. We now have an upgraded system. But we were without internet for a couple of hours too.

I haven't had a cup of coffee since my extraction either - no hot liquids or foods - I let everything cool down before I eat.

The best food I've had so far is my own applesauce - and I did make Jello instant vanilla pudding. I was surprised how tasty it was. But I've been eating soft foods I've prepared for both of us. I'm not making the fish tonight - but a frozen meal instead. The kitchen is so shiny clean that I don't want to mess it up right away with cooking fish. LOL

You've made good progress on your quilt-along. Yes, finding the "just right" fabric is always a challenge.

And enjoy your tropical weather - wow! It's definitely fall here - with appropriate temperatures so far.