Several busy days...

Well, usually I am hibernating these days.  I wake up as late as I can, snuggle in my recliner, cover up with a lovely quilt and watch TV, surf the Internet and enjoy hot beverages while enjoying the warmth of the propane heater filling the upstairs with wonderful warmth and keeping my furnace from running and wasting oil.  Not for the last week.

Last Friday and Saturday I was working on embroidery.  I had a couple of projects/jobs that were overdue and needed to get finished.  One was a set of shirts that had been provided by the client.  I really hate doing embroidery on something that someone brings in on their own.  I

 had been given a coat once, at the beginning of spring, and I finally got around to working with it this past fall.  The design was already done and was... just as the shirts... only lettering.  I had not looked closely at the coat until I was ready to do the job.  Yikes!!  It was a beautiful, heavy coat and very well made.  It had inside pockets and outside pockets and outside blocks and plackets.  It would give the wearer lots of places to carry things like wallets, keys, cell phones, etc and look very fashionable.  But for embroidery, it sucked.  I only had one small area on the left-side of the breast where I would not be sewing a pocket closed.  I have a wide variety of hoops, including a special, very strong magnetic system for difficult hoopings.  Because it was a very insulated coat for very cold weather the batting was thick and the lining was also thick.  This made the seams very, very, very thick.  I needed to hoop over a couple of seams and a zipper in order to center the design where it would look good.  None of my hoops would close the design area in tightly enough to even attempt it.

These shirts were western, with snaps, a pointed, placket from the shoulder to the middle of the design area and there was also a pocket.  The material was thinner than I like to use and the design was a lightly developed plaid... so lines in the fabric that had to be lined up.  I am afraid that once these lovely shirts are washed, that the simple design is still going to curl.  As a result, and since the client had not given me a time table.... I kept putting off doing them.  But I now felt that I had to get it dome so I could concentrate on my sewing and using my beautiful new sewing room.  So I had to tweak the design and then, holding my breath, stitching them out.  I have to admit, they came out looking very good.  I boxed them up and mailed them on Tuesday (Monday being Martin Luther King Day).  The other job was also completed and delivered.  The other couple of things are just donations I am planning to make so I am now free to enjoy the sewing room.

Well, not exactly free.

Sunday I served as Secretary for the congregational meeting that was held after church services.  I missed Sunday School as the weather was very dicey when I woke up.  It was raining but the surfaces were cold and the rain was freezing on contact making the roads very slippery.  Penn DOT was out salting and by church service time, I was brave enough to drive the quick 2 mile distance to the church.  So I was able to take notes at the meeting, something that everyone seemed to appreciate.  I find it amazing that they are allowing me to do this since I am not an official member of the church.  But they have always treated me as a member and I guess after going regularly for close to 3 years, they trust me.

This week is the third session of GriefShare and the semi-monthly meeting of the Lions Club  for which I am also secretary.  So Sunday afternoon, I transcribed the minutes of the last meeting for the Lions and put together the agenda.  Please keep in mind that I am not President, but I get no input for the agenda, so I do the best I can to set it up.  I got  call from the President (which surprised me) stating that he had spoke to the lady who has been catering our meals and she had agreed to let us have our meeting in the market if we have fewer than the 10 people that she needs to cater.  Now I had to wait until Monday to talk to her and find out what had been discussed.  The President made it sound like we were moving the meetings there.

Then I switched to GriefShare.  This year we are doing Object Lessons for first time.  It is a way to have the participants get involved with the sessions being talked about that day.  I had gathered all of the odd items that are not in our homes so that we had what we needed for the remainder of the year.  This week was rubber band balls, so I read the suggested activity and made sure that the tiny balss I had purchased on Amazon would work.

Monday I met with the owner of Seawell's Market, Carol Seawell) and clarified what she had explained to him.  I also went to the Dollar General store and got a couple of things I wanted to get.  Came home and emailed all of the Lions and then I baked a cake.

I have not baked a cake since Rudy died.  I used to bake one every so often and then Rudy and I would enjoy a bedtime snack. I was afraid that I would just indulge or over-indulge but I really have had a hankering for cake.  I used my lovely Kitchenaid and finally realized that I had not properly locked the bowl in since I have used the machine.  I was always upset but the way the beaters or hooks clunked against the back of the bowl.  Seems that there was a small latch at the back that I was not securing correctly.  Once it is locked in place, the beaters/hooks do not hit anything.  I now love my mixer!

Tuesday was split with Lions, getting the count for dinner thus determining where we would be eating.  The rest of the time was running errands and preparing for GriefShare.  Winston got to go on the errands.  I needed to deposit a check in the bank, mail the shirts and then a quick trip to the grocery to pick up decaf coffee for GriefShare.  So, since the sun was not out and it was cool but not cold, I invited Winston along.  He was once again the smiley, happy dog.  Made it tough last night when I headed to GriefShare as when he goes once, he thinks he should go all of the time.

So, today, I brought in the trash can and got the mail.  I am catching up on several things and then... off to the sewing room to prepare for a fun Saturday with my OBX ladies... weather permitting.  Snow coming this afternoon.  And a possible BIG storm on Saturday.  Did I say... I hate winter!!!