Comments, answers, and frustrations

Good morning to you all! I'm sitting here at the computer, still in my pajamas, slippers and bathrobe. I must have done several things over the last week or so to re-aggravate the pinched nerve in my back. It's been all I could do to teach the classes I've had scheduled at work. I tried - unsuccessfully - to sit at my desk to work on Wednesday afternoon, but the pain was too distracting so I went home to apply ice for some relief. Thursday and Friday I didn't even try to work after I finished teaching - I just headed straight home. Things are pretty much under control with all my work projects - thank goodness! - and I'll start fresh when I return next Wednesday. In the meantime I had both a therapeutic massage and a trip to the chiropractor yesterday, and came home with strict instructions to take it easy. Believe me I am - I need this to go away!

I was becoming more and more frustrated at home too, because I was unable to put away the Christmas stuff like I usually do. Last night I asked my sweet husband to bring down all the tubs - hoping to find the energy to do it today. Bless his heart - he's already put away lots of it - the stuff he's comfortable packing. With his help I should be able to finish this afternoon and tomorrow. I'm going to get a pot of turkey soup going here soon - "turkey frame soup" from my Red and White Checkerboard cookbook (aka Better Homes and Gardens) is one of my favorites. I need to be able to sit up straight and think clearly by the time we head to the kids house tomorrow afternoon for our usual New Year's Eve game playing night. Thank goodness Rick is feeling and sounding like his old self now after being sick for over a week.

As nothing much is happening on the quilty front I thought I'd address comments and questions that have been left on my last few posts. So many of you are now switched to Beta - Blogger still won't let me switch - so your comments come through as anonymous. I know if I went through old stuff I could find your email addresses. I figured it was easier just to put replies in a single post. So here goes:

The book I'm currently reading is "Lovers Knot" by Emilie Richards. I loved the first two so asked for the third for Christmas. Rick and Rebecca got it for me, which surprised me a lot as their main gift to me is Rick putting up more shelving in my sewing room. This one is still in hardback only which is why I'd not gotten it for myself. This is the third book in her Shenandoah Valley series - I highly recommend all three of them.

As far as the new list on my sidebar and my quilting goals - I think I gave some of you the wrong idea. I listed everything I have so it would be out there staring me in the face daily instead of hidden in a computer spreadsheet that I don't look at all that much. I know there are WAY too many things to finish next year - I'm not even going to try. Notice in my goals I didn't list a number or a percentage or anything else - I'm going to be happy with whatever gets done. My true goal is just that the lists are shorter by the end of the year than they are now. Between our UFO challenge at North Star Quilters guild and the two challenges on the Stashbuster list I'm confident I can achieve that goal. The UFO queen list was just sent out this morning on Stashbuster, and I'm happy to report I'm way down near the bottom. Glad for that, as I can't do anything else until the two baby quilts are finished.

Juliann asked what a flimsy is. That's Norma's name for a finished top that isn't quilted. I like that name WAY better than UFO!

Forest Jane wanted to know how I could "force the dog to come back to bed". You gave me a great chuckle when you asked whether or not I was talking about the four legged dog or my husband! Shadow is now going on 16. He acts like a very young dog at times, but in many ways really shows his age. He won't jump onto the bed himself any more - he's missed too many times - and he won't jump down either. That makes it pretty easy to force him back to bed - usually. I just catch him as he comes in the door, wipe his feet, than bodily lift him back into bed with me. That time he settled back down right away and we both went back to sleep. If he keeps whining instead of settling down I just put him back on the floor and do my best to ignore him - though that usually doesn't work. This morning he ran in before I could catch him - at 5:20 a.m. - and then kept running away from me. Obviously ready to play! So I got a treat and bribed him back into the bed. Luckily once he ate the treat he decided to sleep again, and neither of us got up until after 9:30!

I'm glad you all enjoyed the Christmas card. I love Jacquie Lawson's cards! Here is a Happy New Year card for each of you. May your celebration be wonderful and safe at the same time.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1123574644897

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Gratitudes:
1. A wonderful husband
2. The beautiful paintings by Jack Frost all over our yard this morning
3. A heating pad with a vibrating motor
4. A reusable ice bag that doesn't leak
5. Four days off work!

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