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 |  All about my thoughts. Be afraid! |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I know I look a bit scary, but I don't bite, much  This is my blog. A place to torture people I don't know with rants, opinoins and just plain babbling so I can keep a few friends in the real world. If you like torture, come join me. Fix a cup of tea or coffee and sit back while I tell you about the time when.... |
| I seems to be riding miles and miles, but getting nowhere.... sort of. A few weeks ago, I pulled my stationary bike -- well, had my son and his friend Kevin, pull it out from the basement. I cleaned the whole thing, even flipping it over to remove cobwebs and who knows what else from the bottom. Then I rode it once and left it set for another week or two. (Time has very little relevance to me as I can't follow it well) Last Monday I had a doctor's appointment and I wanted to try and lower my blood sugar for it. I took my blood sugar reading and it was around 200. I climbed on the bike for about an hour and when I tested again, my blood sugar was at 98. That would have been perfect, but I turned around and ate something unhealthy raising my blood sugar back up  Still, the next morning I felt a little better than I have most mornings. So, started my bike riding to nowhere.I still ache in the mornings when I wake up, but it is less. I went through two days of lower back pain, but that could have been from my hips re-aligning as much as from my riding the bike. Many athletes talk about 'the burn' and the high they get from running. I am finding myself experiencing the same thing. The first five to ten minutes are a struggle, then I can usually go the rest of the time feeling really good. The best part, my sugar are a little lower and though I haven't lost weight yet, I feel better over all. (Ayron says I am building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat-- I know these things or did at one time) What makes me happy is that unlike running, I can multi task while riding stationary. I can crochet, watch TV and ride at the same time. Part of my issue with exercising in the past has been that I have to stop what I am doing and exercise. With the stationary bike that hasn't been an issue. Now that I have bored you with my 'great' discovery, I will move on to a new topic. The crocheted baby dress that I am making is near complete. I am having some difficulties making the arms, but since I am doing this without a written pattern, that is to be expected. I think I finally got the shoulders right and next I add the sleeves and collar and I should be done and able to add this to my crochet picture collection. I know it is my work, but I think it is turning out great. Then I will go back to making little bags for Jamie. I only have 90 more to go. After that or between sittings I have Ayron's quilt to make and his new afghan to replace the ancient under blanket he has been using for so many years that it more little threat balls than blanket any more. After that, I will have to come up with new projects to do. Maybe it will be time to get back to writing. I Hope so. I want to write, but I am just not there yet. Even though, I have gotten some great ideas out of the books I have read. Well, I am off to see what I should do before going to work this afternoon. Hugs Auntynae  |
| I think that instead of saying Crap happens when something goes wrong, we should say change happens. Please understand that intellectually, I understand that change has to occur or life becomes completely stale, but for the most part I am not fond of change. Like here in Blogsville. Change has occurred in the form of many people leaving and some new people coming in. I miss the people who left. I was comfortable with them and had given many of them homes in my heart. To me an amazing thing had happened. I had reached out and connected with other people I could relate too. Now many of them are gone and I don't know where. Others I have found and still visit off site, but I miss them being here. In real life changes are happening also. And as I, the broken record have said, I don't like change. I had the coolest of bosses where I work, but change occurred and she felt she needed to ease up on her work load and we got a new boss. I don't like how things are going with the new boss. It is reaching the point that I am considering leaving my job. Don't worry, it won't happen immediately. I would have to find a new job that I can do before leaving this one and who knows maybe with a little more time, things will improve, but after two months of waiting, I am beginning to feel that maybe they won't... In other news: I thought of a new short story to write. I think I shall try to write a descriptive story of how I found Tibbles in the Walmart parking lot. I will call it the Walmart Kitten It is such an obvious story to tell that I don't know why writing it down before hadn't come to me. As I am reading about description and setting this seems like the perfect idea. Hopefully I can get to the story in the near future, now that I know I want to write it. I realize I haven't said much tonight, but once again my muscle relaxer is kicking in and I am feeling my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. May all of you have wonderful dreams. I know I plan too. Oh, and just so I can look back and know this. I road my stationary bike for and hour and a half tonight. My blood sugars were a beautiful 120 and I felt invigorated for all of 15 minutes before exhaustion kicked in. LOL Night |
| The Yawn, Passed on and on. Sleep beckoning, The muscle relaxer's reckoning. Heavy eyes, Dip and rise. Just one more hour. Before the covers, me, devour. Then I will cave, To exhaustion's wave... Um, If that was in any way confusing, I am tired. I finally went and got the muscle relaxer's that the doctore prescribed for me to try for my hip pain. The pill didn't really take away the pain, but it sure made my eyes droop. I may even be too tired to do my half hour on the exercise bike which is extra sad because the hubby brought home cookies for me to eat this evening. In semi good news, the nurse called me back today and I do not have the indicators of an ulcer. All my tests came back negative. That does, however, leave me wondering what is causing the flair ups and what can I do to keep them at bay? Everyone have a good night. AND if you didn't see it yesterday, check out my blog from then. I have pictures up so there isn't a lot of reading. LOL. Hugs and god night. |
| I have talked about projects and said I would add pictures and never got around to it. Today is a picture catch up day. Let's start with the second quilt I made for Jamie and Wesley. I personalized it for them. Jamie love's cats and Wesley loves pirates. So, if this seems like an odd quilt, it may be. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I hand tied the quilt instead of the other way because that is how I remember Grandma Cragg making quilts. I like the results and so does Jamie. The quilt was supposed to be a secret, but I gave up the ghost when Jamie and I had a big blow out. But I will have the last laugh. I made another quilt before that one and it is a larger one for their bed. Now both Wesley and Jamie will have a quilt to use. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Recently I babbled about joining a quilting class. I made the first square for that class this weekend. But because I was given very little material and I feared that I would mess up, I did a practice square first. This is the picture of the results. The square on the left is the practice square and the one on the right is the one I will be turning in on the first weekend of September. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The last picture in my arsenal for this week is that of my husband wearing the chainmail thingy that he has been working on for months. We don't think that he could make a living out of making these, but it seems like an interesting hobby for him to have. He is talking about buying an anvil next. That aught to be interesting. I am all for it so long as he doesn't try to bring it in the house. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Auntynae |
| I have always suspected that sometimes teachers teach bunk. (I am not out to offend, however...) In tenth grade, I began to suspect that sometimes teachers put their own twists on subjects. A perfect example would be the home ec teacher that tried to tell the class that girls who dressed less modestly were more likely to be raped than other girls. I stood up and told her that I knew she was lieing. I wasn't one of the less modestly dressed girls, I just felt outraged that she thought it okay to scare girls with non truths in school. School was where we went to learn and were supposed to be safe in trusting the adults. I had issues with trust so, catching her in that lie was in its way devestating. Not that I understood all that at the time. Anyway, that was just one of the untruths to surface. My tenth grade English teacher was fresh out of college and let loose with her beliefs on us unsuspecting teenagers. I won't say I was great at English, I still have problems figuring out all the parts to a sentence and I could not do one of those strange charts we used to do with sentences as children if you paid me, but I passed with As and Bs and felt I held my own pretty well. So, in comes this wet behind the ears teacher, who thinks she knows everything and slams us with a poem about airplanes and then proceeds to say it is all about abortion. I didn't see that and said so. She acted like I was the denses person on the planet. I think that was the beginnig of the year and things went downward from there. See I was one of those weird kids that actually liked school and liked to participate in school. I didn't do sports or othe extra activities, but I liked to learn -- still do. As the year moved onward we were often told what this writer or that one 'meant' by their writing. Before I gave up on that her and that class I asked how she knew these things. It seemed like a fairl question. She took offense and told me that such and such a book told her so. Being determined, I wanted to know did the writer say that is what that meant. Well, know, but smarter people than I had studied the work and knew better. Hmph!!! I began to suspect that she may have studied English and been raised by Professors, but she wasn't as smart as she thought she was when she looked at the work I did for my first ever research paper and told me I wouldn't get an A with it, but couldn't tell me what I was doing wrong.... I was desperate, kind of, to figure out what I was doing wrong. I went to another teacher and told him that she said I wouldn't get an A. He thought that was wrong of her, but he was too busy to actually help me. Eventually, I don't know how or why, one of my friend's parents took some time to help me with my paper. Guess what grade I got on it? An A. My English teacher told me that most of what I wrote was bull, but it was well written. Actually, not having done deeper research into Shakespear since I wrote the paper, I have no reason to believe I was any less wrong about what I said than she was in telling me a poem about an airplane had anything to do with abortion. Why babble about this now. I am reading a book about setting and description and just came across a passage about symbolism. The author said that it is not wise to set out to create symbols because it could adversely affect your writing and leave your character two dementional. Instead work towards writing a good book and let outhers find symbolism where they will.... Reading that brought back my arguement with that teacher and makes me even more sure of my belief that she didn't know any more positively than I did what the writers actually meant. Yes, she might have had a better chance at an educated guess, but it was still a guess.... I wonder if she remembers me in any way... as the annoying student that asked questions she had a hard time answering? Well, it is getting close to bedtime. I think I will try to beat the Mah jong puzzle I am on and go to bed. Hugs |
| This morning started early for me. I know that 8:00 isn't early for most people, but for me it is early. I am a night owl most of the time. I wouldn't mind getting back into a schedule where I got up earlier and went to bed earlier, but my body can't seem to adjust to that schedule and stick to it. Anyway I dragged myself out of bed this morning and prepared for my weekly chiropractor visit. I was happy to tell him that my hip only ached slightly this week. We have decided to switch me to every two weeks and see if I can make it that long. I am okay with that, but I haven't forgotten when I skipped a week a while back and ended up missing work because my leg wanted to give out. We will try it and I will keep my fingers crossed. I got back home and had just heated up the last of the left over tuna noodle caserole when my eldest son came down and informed me that it was time for us to head to Esterville to check out the building Jamie wantst to have her wedding in. After viewing the building, I am glad that Jamie's mom has taken it on herself to make the arranagements and set things up. I just have to make a bunch of little crocheted bags and pay for the rehearsal dinner. Well, Ayron and I have to pay.... After a delicious lunch at a cute little Mexican resteraunt everyone parted ways. I headed to Spirit Lake in search of a new air conditioner. There was non. I did buy a few things that were needed around the house and drove home wishing my cars fan would start working again. Alas that is not to be. Thankfully the house was relatively cool when I got back. I spent some time enjoying that before I gave myself a good kick as a reminder my poor girls were out in that weather and probably needed fresh food and water. And if I didn't collect the eggs they would cook in their shells! So, back out into the heat I wandered. Through the humid haze surrounding my house, I ambled till I caught site of the chicken coop hidden among the weeds that have taken over my garden. I forced my way through to the coop door and provided the girls with some fresh food. Their water is still full and not green yet so, I shall wait till tonight to freshen it. On my way out of the garden something red caught my eye. Fighting weeds every step of the way, I reached a tomato plant that held a hidden gem, a ripe tomatoe at its base that the deer had not discovered an eaten. When I checked there were even some fresh cuccumbers on the vine to be collected. I did so and now I can make a tomatoe and cuccumber salad tonight if I wish. I hope that anyone who reads this is heading into a pleasant weekend. Hugs |
| I would completely understand if people skipped reading this entry as I am going to complain about being sick again. I jokingly call what is most likely an ulcer my squiggly pooch (yes a reference from Invader Zim). Back, I don't know how many, years ago I had my gallbladder out by a rather unpleasant doctor. Ever since I have had at least some pain eminating from my mid back on the right side. Most of the time it is very mild and I can ignore it, but there have been flare ups. Yesterday I had the worst flare up so far. By the time I got home from work at noon, I had decided I have cancer, a kidney infection and my ulcer had finally eaten its way half way through my back. (I am only a slight hypocondriac) I was ready to go see any doctor available. First I decided I needed to take some Fast acting Antiacid swill from the dollar store and lay down because it hurt so much. I dutifully IMed my husband to complain and went to bed. Miracle of miracle when I got up the pain was gone. Let me describe the pain... It usually feels like something is trying to drill out of my back, but yesterday it just hurt really really bad and became sharper and more painful if I moved. It also raidiated out across my back just below where my bra strap is. (surprise, surprise, taking Ibeprofen didn't help -- it makes it worse) After I woke up I did an internet search to verify that it wasn't somehow my kidneys. I looked up pictures to see where the kidneys are on the body. I knew they were on the back somewhere. It turns out they are in the small of the back, quite a bit down from my pain. Then I looked up ulcers again to verify that it seemed the right problem. And sure enough, my symptoms match up to a T. (This is where I will tell you that I have been treated for an ulcer once before several years ago...At the time I couldn't believe that an ulcer could be the only reason for my pain) So, all I have to do is survive till Monday and get my doctor to add a ulcer medicine to my regimen and I will be good to go for a while. Getting my ulcer fixed may also help with my weight loss because one of the things some people do is eat to ease the discomfort thinking they are hungry when in fact it is a symptom from the ulcer. Okay, now that I got the cranks about being in pain out of my system... I did do some produtive things yesterday. I made four of the 100 little bags Jamie and I are working on for the wedding. With the one she made we have only 95 more to make. Do not think I am putting Jamie down for making only one so far. She had major surgery on her arm a couple of months ago and though she is basically healed, she has to build her stamina back up yet when it comes to crocheting and things like that. I am worried that if I don't start early and make many I will not meet my quota for the bags. I can't speak for how Jamie will go about making her 50 or if I will make more than 50. I just know I want us to do this because it is something she wants for the wedding. Tomorrow she and Wesley are going to look at the site of the wedding and I am invited to go along if I am feeling well enough. I want to be feeling well enough, but as most of this blog has shown, that is up in the air. I have finsihed chapter two in the book I am reading. So far, it isn't thrilling me as much as the book on Plot and Structure. Hopefully as I get farther in, things will become more interesting. Finally, that is about all I have to say today. hugs |
| As I look out into my weed riddled garden, I am amazed and disappointed that another weekend has come and gone. Time seems to be flying swiftly past these days. I have a theory that time speeds up as we get older. Maybe that is because we are no longer waiting for something. As children we anxiously await the time when we will be adults and free of our parents -- at least I did. In the early adult years we anxiously await the first child, their first steps and so on so life still feels slow. But as the children grow and leave the house it seems there is are less things to wait for. Yes, I know weddings and the first grandchild, but that is secondhand waiting. Maybe I am being melancholy because of late it has been too hot to work in the garden and the weather changes have left me extra achy. It could be the drama queen in me surfacing to reming us that she still exists. It could just be Tuesday... Theories in time aside. Yesterday I drove my son to Albert Lee, about and hour and a half from where I live, to see a dermatologist for issues with his hands and acne on his legs. For some reason, not yet known, Kyle has a moderate case of psirosis on his hands and hands alone. He also has a moderate case of keratosis pilaris on his legs and back end. I had to look up the name again just now. Anyway, we came home with about six different things that Kyle either has to take as in the anitbiotics for the infections in the zits on his legs or put on himself like the topical antibiotics he was given and the zinc soap. He also got a steroid cream for his hands and a new lotion he is to put on at least twice a day called gloves in a bottle. A hundred dollar run between co-pays and prescriptions, but if it clears most of this up, I will be thrilled. While we were at the dermatologist he started looking at Kyle's skin and found five moles that we are to go back in two weeks to have removed. Three of them were so small that even though they were on Kyle's face, I had never noticed them. The other two were on his arm and back and because he always wears shirts, I hadn't noticed them either. The doctor pulled out scary words;-- precancerous. So, I quickly agreed to bring Kyle back in two weeks to have them removed. Kyle is only sixteen and doesn't spend too much time in the sun, but his dad has many moles and so, apparently does my uncle. I guess it is better to have them removed than not. And all of them are small enough to leave almost no scars -- if we wait that could change. In craft news: On Saturday I made it to Esterville, IA, to the Wooden Thimble to start my quilting class. It wasn't much of a class this month, which was just as well as I arrived late, but in time to see my coworker and her friend. I received three of the quilt block patterns at $5 a pattern. If I bring in my completed quilt block pattern next month, then I get the next pattern free. I am just paying to catch up. I may even purchase the rest of the patterns next month so I can finish my quilt with the class. I had planned to hang around and go to Corn Days, but because I had to get up at 6:30 to take Kyle to Lakefield to catch a but to Valley Fair then turn around and go all the way to Esterville, I was whiped by 10 am. So, I drove home where the husband and I decided that we would rather take a nap in a cool house than to go back out in the heat, even for corn. (I love corn on the cob). Did I mention that I had also been very sick since Wednesday and was afraid to eat my beloved corn on the cob?  This week I am working on a crocheted pink thread dress with a multicolored border in it for a family member who is having a baby girl in a month or three. I am also trying to sew an underdress to go with it. I am basing the pattern off of the christening dress my grandmother Cragg made for me. It is such a beautiful dress that it deserves to be passed on in some form to other family members. I can't bear to part with the christening dress and to be truthful, it is slightly stained from age. I have also received my wedding chore, which is to help Jamie make 100 small black bags with green strings to hold a few gold foil wrapped chocolate coins in as a party favor for the reception. I have made 1 so far. LOL In all fairness, I have a two months to make them or my share of them which should be fifty. One a day and I will be fine. As it takes about an hour to make one, I should be able to do my share. In Writing: I finally finished the book "Plot and Structure" It was a very informative book that helped rev the imaginative engine. I have thought of a few new things that I need to do with my book, but if my blog for today doesn't make it seem so, I have been staying very busy with crafts and haven't found time as yet to sit and write. I know bad me. I am working on developing a better routine for everything. I just need a few more hours in the day.... I have moved on to the book "Description and Setting" by Ron Rozelle. My quote for the day from him is "My read has to be there too". He says I/we should post that on our monitor for when we write. Let me just say that if you are looking for a good read "Plot and Structure" by James Scott Bell is a good read. I enjoyed it very much, for a teaching book. The book held my attention and gave some really good advice. Well, I have been at this for a while and I have chores to do before work, so I had better head out. Write On!!! Hugs |
| I once made an afghan for a friend after she bought the material and pattern, but this is the first time I have made one for someone and had them buy it. I felt pretty good selling it. Now I am on to hemming a couple of pair of pants that I bought to cut into shorts. I will add a crocheted edging and have two new inexpensive pairs of knee length shorts to wear the rest of the summer at work. I have not started cutting the squares for the next quilt yet. I have been busy trying to figure out how to sew a baby dress together. As I said in the last blog, I still don't know how to put the thing completely together, so I plan to get a sewing book or two from the library tomorrow -- if I am not still sick and maybe even if I am. My body definitely knows it is female and acts accordingly. I do not think I have a 'bug' I think my body is just not happy about something and is saying so with nausea and other symptoms that go with that. My youngest son finally got a job. He is happy and I am thrilled for him too. We went to Wally World yesterday to pick up a white shirt and dress pants for him. He needs them for his job. Unfortunately we forgot the black thread so I could hem the pants. I will have to stop at the dollar store after work and get some. That or ask Ayron to pick some up tomorrow after work. Well, I am off to rest on the couch some more before I head in at 6 for the two hours I have to work. I called in and ask to only come in for Bingo tonight. If we weren't so tight on hours and people I would have asked off on that. Instead I shall take some stomach medicine and hope for the best. Be well. Hugs |
| I just finished another baby afgan yesterday and today I started on a a baby dress. I feel like someone who takes a car apart and then tries to put it back together only to find they have extra parts. I seem to have extra pieces left on the dress. Thankfully it will be a practice dress that I can give to someone for a doll. I have enough material to make two more dresses after this. I want to get them right because I want to send them to my niece for her newborn baby in September. I have learned a lot in the process of making the baby dress. So, I am pretty sure the next one will turn out a little better, not that this one is horrendous, it just isn't 100% right. Work is work and home is good. I had a couple of under the weather days, but they don't stick with me long and sometimes they icky feelings don't even last all day. The fair was in town this weekend, but I missed it because of the heat and work, more the heat than work. Next weekend I am going to Esterville in Iowa to the Wooden Thimble for my first quilting class and then I am sticking around for a while for corn days. Free corn on the cob is something I don't pass up. For now, though, I am off to bed because it is a little past my bedtime. Hope eveyone is well. Hugs. |
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