I'm Going to Try to be Better

Well there are so many things I want to be better at but one of the things I want to do more is to make sure that I blog more and read my friends blogs more often! I feel like with the holidays and now this cold that I just don't write as often and I fell behind reading others blogs. I also want to learn how to be a better blogger!

Any suggestions?

I also want to get a better camera than the one I have and learn to post pictures. That way I will feel like posting pictures.

I also need to be better at weight loss...I want to be able to do weight watchers and follow though. I hope it will be alright if I blog about this as they say it takes 21 days to form a new habit...right now I am working on decreasing the amount of chocolate that I eat.

I also want to finish work on my quilt room and get it to the point I can go in there work in the room. I have a radio that I can move in there and depending on the amount of room I have left, my husband is talking about moving my treadle machine upstairs instead of in the living room. We will have to see ... I think I have something for every space once I get the storage stuff that I want. I am hoping we can go to the Home Depot this weekend for shelves and some other stuff....hopefully I will get that done soon.

Winter Colds - Yuck

Who cares what time of year it is...I do not like colds. This may actually be a sinus infection but who knows. My fever was 100 degrees when I came home from work. You can ask why I went in the first place and it is just me being me. Cathy, one of the women I work with, asked if she should call off the amounts that we were comparing as my throat sounded bad. I told her that it doesn't hurt it just sounds bad. Wasn't that nice of her though!

This afternoon I decided I was on fire - as I had a temp. and should come home. It is unusual that I take my temperature but I knew the doctor's office was calling and I wanted to be prepared for their favorite question. Anyways, the doctor called herself and checked on me. She said this could be a sinus infection but after talking to me we decided to wait a few days to see if it is a cold or an infection. I'm thinking cold. She said I sounded very congested over the phone - which was true and I told her I am taking DayQuil and NyQuil. When I am not at work - no DayQuil instead Tylenol. I have been drinking OJ and water so I'm resting and drinking fluids. I am sick of being sick. This started Saturday so I am only three days into a cold that people at work have told me lasts several weeks. I am just waiting to not be contagious.

Okay here is my whole problem...normally I go to help Block of the Month packets with three other people and Wendy, who is an incredible quilter and pattern designer, anyways as I am sick I can not be there to help...what help would I be if everyone else got this cold but I love to help! This stinks...I was so looking forward to going and being with friends and cutting fabric for the packets! Why!?!?!?!!?!??! Okay I think I have ranted enough. Obviously if I have been sleeping and resting since Saturday I did not get anything done quilting wise. I am going to work with Jen on developing a Quilting Plan/List like she has on her blog. Check it out....http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/

Thanks for "listening" to me rant about my cold! I hope no one gets it and everyone stays healthy!

Happy New Year and All that Jazz!!!

Wow it's the New Year....where did the last one go? I think I blinked and it was Christmas. I also looked at so many of my friends blogs and could not believe how much they got done in one month...I am a lazy quilter! I am also having a pity party for myself today as I have a cold.

I was fine last night and woke up with a full blown cold...I was going to go to Weight Watcher (one of my promises to myself is this year I will eat better!) WW is not a diet - I know it works I lost 30 lbs. My problem is I gained all 30 back when I went off of WW because I love food. I like to think I have a relationship with food - crazy but true. I am going to try not to be an emotional eater. Okay so I got up and went into the ladies room...Emma the crazy dog went up on the dresser next to my bed and took my roll of Vitamin C tablets and took off. I was in the process of washing my hands so I took off after her. By the time I got downstairs well she had the packaging ripped apart and one Vitamin C tablet on the floor ready for hoovering! So I have to stick my hand in her mouth to remove said hoovered tablet as I don't want her eating it....well out comes the tablet and the rest of the roll that are still in her mouth. I wash my hands AGAIN and now I have to give her, her morning pill. Okay I think to myself this is doable. Now I give her her pill which is the size of a quarter and I have to push it to the back of her throat so she must swallow it! Okay AGAIN I wash my hands. Now I go get dressed and come downstairs with my pillow - I think I slept for 5 hours total on and off. I have a head cold and my brain is killing me...my sinus is sore and my ears well my ears hurt as does my throat. My lunch was some Chicken and Wild Rice Soup...soothing yes, filling not so much!

Since then I have gone on some websites and read my e-mail. Tracy from Sewthankful has a Blog called Let's get sewing (http://www.sewthankful.com/blog/) and her latest post is titled My New Motto and Challenge: Be Great in 2008! What a great idea! It is to be great at whatever you want.

Let's see what else...ohh yeah Emma is fine the little bit of Vitamin C tablet she ate did nothing to her...she is fine in fact when our mail carrier came she felt right as rain...she was ready to bark and carry on as if she would kill him the whole time wagging her little stump of a tail. What can I say Miss Emma was going to protect me from the postal carrier! I should probably sleep some more or I might watch Harry Potter movies. I tried to read but just couldn't concentrate. Also when I was typing a response on Jen's blog http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/ I was having a hard time typing Plastic Shoe Boxes instead I wrote shoe box plastic is what I kept my scraps in! Okay I know when I should stop and I am about there! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!

Wow I was productive

Well my mom and I made 7 batches of cookies today...2 batches of Spritz, and one batch Double Chocolate Kiss Cookies, Raspberry Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Bars, and Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I still have two gifts to wrap for tomorrow. I have to go to Fashion Bug to exchange a new pair of pants I bought that are too big...oops. I want to wear them tomorrow. I would also like to make a little purse for my niece. I haven't even started. I also have a table runner that I want to finish for Christmas Eve. I have it all pieced and I have the backing but I would have to put it together and quilt it...Ohh we will see. I am planning on going to bed in about 15 to 20 minutes from now....we will see. I will keep you updated.

It's Getting Closer to Christmas

Well I have half of the presents we are giving all wrapped! Today I made a new Christmas Cookie called Saltine Toffee Cookies. I never would have thought these would taste good but one of the ladies at work made them and I had to have the recipe.

Saltine Toffee Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Saltine Crackers (about one sleeve)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.
Pour butter and brown sugar over saltines that have been placed on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 4 - 5 minutes.
Pour chocolate chips on top.
The woman who made them puts them in the freezer for awhile and then she keeps them in the refrigerator.

Tomorrow I will be going over to my Mom's house to make Christmas cookes...this has been an annual tradition since I was a small girl.

This will be a fun day for me...I really enjoy it. Tomorrow night I am going to make a cheese ball to take over to my Mom's on Christmas Eve and one for when we go to Mark's parents. I am also going to a 7-layer salad. I am a little nervous as I am not good at making bacon. I know that sounds silly but that is what is making me nervous.

It's beginning to look like Christmas

Well tonight did not turn out the way I anticipated but it was a good night. Well I did sew but not the kind we all like to do.....I was sewing Emma's toys back together. I had to do surgery on three of her stuffed animals. I did this while I watched some TV on the computer. While I did that I opened some Jim Shore items that I have for Christmas...two angels, a polar bear and penguin, and Santa, sleigh and reindeer. While I was putting them out Mark went and pulled out our 4 1/2 foot Christmas tree from our first Christmas together. I cleaned off a glass table and put the tree up. I am thinking of confiscating a red, green and black blanket to put around the bottom of the tree and cover the stand. Tomorrow night I hope to put ornaments on. I did just bring some up and I did just put the blanket around the bottom of the tree and it looks great. My tree skirt would have been too big so I am happy with this for this year.

For a cheap tree - it looks okay right now. I do have to fix some branches and I did bring up a box of ornaments. I may quick put them on so that I feel like I got something done. I was going to take my clear coat off and replace it but I don't think that will happen right now. Maybe in about 10 minutes or so...I don't know if I will get a chance to put a new coat on before tomorrow...which is our Section Christmas luncheon at work. I am bringing mini meatballs and mini hot dogs in a sauce. It should be a good time.

Yeah for me...I am getting some Christmas stuff up and I won't feel like I didn't do anything this year. :-)

Emma just got a little piece of chocolate...I dropped one the size of two plain M&M's. I hope she will be okay. I had a beagle lab mix that could eat chocolate and be okay. I guess I'll stay up a little later to keep an eye on her.

Again....Snow, Snow and More Snow!

Okay I think we got six more inches or more yesterday and last night! It is definitely a day to stay inside and warm, even the pooch agrees. Emma is sitting right next to me on the couch and she is yawning and her head is dropping and her eyes are drooping...get the picture. Now both of us stayed in bed late today...I slept even latter...she came in and woke me up - pretty sad that I could go back to sleep.

Mark raked our roof last night...for those of you who do not know that is a very long metal pole with a metal "blade" on the end and you pull your snow off the roof. I bought this way back when we first owned the house and I worked at a local hardware store that is located in the Midwest. Anyways, while he is outside working on the roof I see a story about a local store having to evacuate because there was so much snow on the roof they were worried about it collapsing. I was paying a little attention but did not catch the name of the store.

Well I tried something new this morning, I entered a HTML button for people to join Wendy's Quilters if they belong to the group. I tried it and it appears to work....YEAH! Jen you should be sooo proud of me.

I need to get to both the grocery store and the other stores as I need to do some Christmas Shopping. I finished part of it yesterday and now I have 8 more people to finish....I really do put this off each year. I used to be done by the beginning of December and have everything wrapped and under the tree....ohh yeah the tree was up...as we won't be entertaining this year I think I am going to skip the tree. I did this one other year and ended up putting a tree up Christmas Eve or the day before. I thought the tree in the church where our apartment was would work for me but no I needed one in out apartment. You see my husband was the care taker of a church downtown and we lived there for caretaker duties and security. So I guess I better get up soon and get started.

Happy Holidays!