Saturday, May 21, 2011

Beautiful Saturday

According to some, the world was supposed to come to an end today.  Actually, at 6:30.  It is now 7:18.  Ok, well, I'm still here.  How about you?

Today was a perfect weather day.  I was just outside walking the dogs around, and got bitten by a mosquito.  Ick.   

I had a good day.  I've had a really good week.  A quiet birthday - the big 55.  Yep, the speed limit.  Haha.

I got some weaving done.  It felt really good to get it done.

I talked to hubby about another loom.  I think I want another 4 harness because I've decided I don't want an 8 harness.  Nope.  The more complicated the weave design, the less fun I'm having.  

I'm going to sell my rigid heddle loom.  I don't have fun weaving on it.  

So a smaller floor loom.  Yep.  One I can take to workshops if they come up.  Or to a friends' house to weave together.  :-)

Got to talk to my sister-in-law today.  Spoke to a couple of friends this week.  It's good to have friends.

I've decided this year I'm going to spend more time at home.  I'm going to stop filling my days with running here and there.  I'll spend some quality time with good friends.  I'll spend some good time improving my home.  Weaving.  Getting things organized.  Liking where I live.  

Life is VERY good, and I for one, am very glad it didn't end today.  

I hope you are enjoying your life, as much as I'm enjoying mine. 

I'm one lucky ducky.  :-)

Or licky chicky? 

Or old fuddy duddy?

Smile.  Life is GOOD.

Martha

Friday, May 20, 2011

Where does time go?????

Seriously - does it fly for you, as fast as it seems to for me?  Yikes.
Yesterday was my birthday.  I can now order from the Senior menu at IHop.  I can get discounts at some stores on their Senior Day shopping days.  I'm the speed limit in most places.  The big 55.  Hmmmmm......

This week I got to see my granddaughter.  I love that child.  I just can't explain it.  She is so stinking sweet.  I hope she never changes.  I love the way she looks at me and smiles......I hope that never changes!

I went shopping yesterday and found a frame for my poster, finally.  Almost perfect.  At least I didn't have to cut any of the poster.

We also went to lunch at IHop, but I didn't order off the Senior menu.  LoL.  I just don't know if I'm ready for that.......

Today I went to lunch with my friend Rita.  Tonight, she is supposed to be meeting with a new Real Estate Agent.  I hope this one is a real go-getter and will sell this house of Rita's once and for all.  It's a GREAT house.  I will miss having Rita so close.  She won't move far, but she won't be driving past my house to get home anymore, once she moves, either.  I will miss that.  

I got some weaving done.  Not a lot.  But some.  I'm working on it.  I need to get moving on this warp.  I want to move on.  I don't know to what.

Don't tell hubby but I'm looking for another loom.  I think it's time to try a smaller loom and see if I like it better.  I would like to join a different guild as the one we joined, is spinning and weaving and all kinds of fiber....not really what I was hoping to find.  This other guild is probably just as far away, meets on Sunday afternoons once a month, and focuses on weaving.  That is exactly what I've been wanting. 


I'm also thinking that I may not want to concentrate on complicated weaving.  At one point, I thought I wanted an 8 shaft loom instead of a 4 shaft loom.  Now, though, I have decided I am fine with a 4 shaft loom, and that I wouldn't mind doing more plain weave (easy treadling and could actually be done on a 2 shaft loom) and using more expressive colors and types of yarns.  There is a lot I want to explore.

I still haven't cut my strips for rug weaving.  I have to order a shuttle to use for rug weaving and haven't wanted to spend the money on that.  I keep hoping for a sale!  I guess I'm going to have to break down, and just find the least expensive one, and buy it.  I do want to get started with that.  I want to at least give it a try before I give up on this big loom totally.  I could do some rug weaving on a smaller loom.  But the looms that fold and are transportable - which I think is what I want to have - aren't heavy duty enough to do them a lot.  I would have to decide if I would keep the big loom, or sell it to be able to buy the smaller loom.  Hard to decide......

Anyway, I'm hoping to find one at a decent price and close by.  One that isn't abused, and won't need a bunch of new parts to it.  

Off I go to spend Friday night with the dogs, cat and hubby. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!


Martha

Monday, May 16, 2011

A new week

Life is sure interesting............isn't it?
I got a lot done the last week, but I don't feel like I got a lot done.  Why?
The bathroom is finished.  
Work in progress photos:


As you can see, tons of spackle had to be put up.  Impatience during wall paper removal = not good.

Here are the after photos:



These photos were taken in the early morning with natural light.  The walls look a lot lighter than they do in person.
I'm still getting used to them.  In the last photo, you can see the edge of the bathtub wall - it looks a lot darker now than it did against white walls.  Still not sure I'm going to keep this color........I'm just so used to white.  I know, bland.  But we'll see.  
The bathroom floor needs replacing, but, that'll have to be done at a later time when I can get the $ to do it.


Meanwhile, yesterday, I finally got back upstairs to weave.  I was weaving a complicated treadling sequence and I didn't feel I could do it when I was tired.  Weaving is still too new to me.  
Here is the treadling sequence.  4 5 6 3 4 1 5 6 3 4 5 2 6 3 4 5 6 1 3 4 5 6 3 2
Each treadle had two shafts tied up to it.
I don't think I'll ever do that treadling sequence again. 
I like easy weaving.  I like easy treadling.
I may just start doing more plain weave.
I also want to start cutting the fabric I have, into strips, to use for rugs and bags.  I want to see how I like doing that.  


I am also still searching for the yarn I want, to go with the yarn I already have, to make my shawl, or mobius scarf, or, whatever piece of clothing I'm going to make with it.  I have a feeling, that's not going to happen right away.  It's going to have to be the perfect accompaniment to the variegated yarn.  The next fiber festivals I'll be attending aren't until Sept and Oct respectively.  Whether I can find anything I love before that, I don't know.  I don't think it'll be anything I can find in a store.  But ya never know!


A busier week this week with schedule.  I have plans today (farrier for horses - they are barefoot so no shoes, just trims).  Tuesday is babysitting day.  Wednesday is volunteering at the hospital with Evan.  It's been awhile!  He'll be happy to go.  Thursday, well, Thursday is my birthday. I have to admit, this is the first year I haven't been excited by it.  I usually love my birthday.  Things are different this year.  No excitement.  Not planning anything special.  When hubby asked what I wanted, I said, nothing.  I get to order what I want (within reason) during the year, so I don't need anything.  It's not really how I feel, but it's the right answer.
Friday I've been invited out to lunch by best friend.  We celebrate each others' birthdays with lunch out.  We go out to lunch a lot together.  But, we pay for each other on our birthdays.  We're silly, but it beats trying to find a gift. 
That's it for my plans.  I have really cut back on what I'm doing.  I stopped going to dog classes.  I think Evan really misses it, but he wasn't having a great time there.  He's not much for the other dogs, and stopped enjoying the agility so I decide that the $75 per 4 weeks just was going to go elsewhere.


That's my week in review.  Or preview I guess.
Have yourself a great week - only YOU can decide if you're life is great, or if it isn't.  If it isn't, you're the only one that can decide to change that!


Martha

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Score!

This past weekend, on Saturday, I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival.  I had never been before.  I wasn't sure of what exactly to expect - but I had a BLAST.  It was the BEST weather - 72 and sunny and a breeze.  If I weighed less and I didn't hurt so much, I'd have stayed for another 3 hours and looked more.  Oh, and I was with a friend, and she was driving.....so I had to leave when she left.  Hehe.

I picked up some Bamboo yarn.  I LOVE this yarn, and I want to make a piece of cloth that will turn into a jacket/top for myself.  It's the variegated yarn at the bottom of the photo. 




















 Also pictured is a new boat shuttle, and some white eyelash yarn that I just could NOT walk away without........there are 2 shanks of it.  3 of the variegated bamboo.  And a poster!  I also got a t-shirt but it went into the laundry and isn't washed yet.  I'll get a pic of that later.

I had a very good time.  I can hardly wait for the next one in September (Berryville, VA) and then in October is the annual festival at Montpelier VA.  

I'm going to be saving my dollar bills, change, anything I can sneak away into my can for spending on fibers............

Right now, I have some towels on the loom. I haven't been able to get to the weaving in about a week.  Last Friday I decided I had to get one of my home improvement projects started.  I started stripping the wall paper in the bathroom. I've detested the wall paper for the entire 6 years we've lived in this house.  One of the things that inspired me to get this started was that I was researching homes for sale for my friend, and I actually got excited about the prospect of moving...........still down this way, but not so far out of the city.  I really hate that it takes between 30 and 45 minutes to get anywhere decent.  Not to mention, it takes that extra 45 minutes to get here once we are off the interstate coming back from visiting the kids up North.  I'd love to scratch off the 45 minutes.............

It won't happen any time soon, but, I figure, why not start now to improve the house, and I'll be able to have it up to snuff when we can put it on the market.  I still have a 5 year plan, and I am going to stick to it.  We are half way thru year one, and I want to have this house ready to put on the market in 5 years.  In 5 years, hubby and I will be 60.  YIKES!  I want to be closer to the city, to the hospital, to the interstate, to the grand baby!  Who doesn't want to be closer to this?
 I mean, really??????????  She's so adorable, and the happiest little one ever. I get a smile like this every time I get there. She's amazing!  And smart.  Yikes.  Are her mommy and daddy in BIG trouble!  hehe

Can you believe she's only 4 months old in this photo????

Oh, back to the story........sorry, I get easily side-tracked!  Hehe
So, I started stripping wall paper on Friday, then left on Saturday to go the MDS&W festival.  I came home, and most of the wall paper was off.  Well, most of the front of the wall paper was off.  My wonderful, impatient hubby decided he'd do it.  Problem is, he did it fast, and it left a TON of the backing of the wall paper behind.  With the glue.  Well, it took a TON of scraping to get that all off, which in turn, made a lot of gouges in the walls.  So, I had to spackle everything.  Got that done yesterday.  It needed 24 hours to dry.  Today I sanded, wiped it down, and tomorrow I will paint with primer.  That will dry overnight and the next day as Thursday will be baby sitting day for grand baby!  
Maybe I'll purchase the paint either tomorrow or Thursday on the way home from baby sitting.  
Friday, I'll get to paint.  Saturday, we'll get to put up the new fixtures.  We will have our bathroom back!  Yay!  This is taking place in the Master Bath.

It's not everything I want to improve in that bath, because the floor needs to be replaced - there are stains on the floor that can't be removed.  So yeah, that'll have to wait because that's more money, and work.  My body is already fighting with me about the climbing up and down ladders and standing on the tub edge to do what I've done.  My knee is killing me.  Not good.  Again, a weight issue.  Gotta get serious and do something about this issue...........anyone got any motivation????

K, so that's about it for this post.  I'll be posting again soon.  I am going to take photos of the unfinished bathroom.  I didn't take "before" photos - I didn't want any reminders of the ugly!  It'll look so much nicer afterward.  :-)

Martha