The first one for the books

The memorial quilt is done. Hopefully it will be mailed out by the first of the week. This quilt had is hanging sleeve hand sewn on. Boy oh boy how time consuming! In the future I will plan a border big enough to have the sleeve machine sewn to the back in that area. At least the sleeve hides nicely. Can you see it?
This is the update on my knitting. I'm onto the last ball and it is 52" with a goal of 58"+, not much longer now. I hope you can see better this time. Once again length does not include the tassels. I have also been working on blocks for my Springtime 2009 Sampler. It's fun picking patterns. I have a pile of fabrics that match my "main" theme fabric, so when ever the mood strikes I pull out a pattern and pull out my fabric and away we go. The photo above is Churn Dash, with Jessica hollering in my ear this one didn't turn out as great as I would have liked but the embroidery I'd done before Christmas as a trial stitch out, worked here beautifully. This one is my favorite. It is called cactus basket, but I've also heard it called many other things. The basket went together beautifully, and the "flowers" in the basket are my main inspiration print. This one is called Anvil. I like it as once again I was able to use an old stitch out test. The light color is swapped with the dark one in order to use that center to it's best advantage so the directions were backwards, but I got through it.

Currently DH is off for a meet and greet for a little pt job at a big chain. Hopefully he will get it. Having him unemployed since June (father's day) has been really hard.

A word from one who knows, do not sew to the elastic all the way around the waist, if you do you end up with more of a waist band than a stretchy waist. So nearly as soon as I'd made Jessica a skirt she out grew it. Yesterday I decided I would remake her skirt. This time I used Red polka dots complete Minnie Mouse style. Here was the final outfit. I liked it enough to make the skirt long so she can wear it for a long time, perhaps even next Halloween. Can you see my trademark tail feather? Jessica on the other hand wasn't interested. Silly girl, doesn't know what she's missing. I'm certain a real Minnie outfit would be over $50.

Pizza and details

Tonight DH made pizza, it was the second dinner he cooked, seems he forgot I promised Jessica pizza this morning. Now I would never make my husband cook a second dinner, but he did it while I was busy quilting, and what is a gal to do, by the time I knew it was nearly done. Oh and what a yummy pizza it was too!!! Better than mine for sure. This is a bit of nontraditional hand quilting. What appears to be a sketch is actually the real quilt lines. Rob drew it on the quilt for me and I quilted over his lines this afternoon. The lines are long gone with nothing but the quilting detail remains. I tie it up, and loop around in the back so the back is nearly as nice and the front.

Weight

I'm feeling a bit restless tonight. For the past three nights I've had nightmares from the time my head hits the pillow until I open my eyes. It has not done well for providing rest or for helping me want to sleep tonight. Perhaps I will ask the sewing machine to provide comfort and solace this evening.

It seems that you can't be straight Medicaid, so I've spent the past two days trying to find some plan any plan that lets the members of my family continue to see the doctors they've been seeing. DH's PCP is out. DD's PCP is only on one of the plans so I have to try and get her into that one Monday, and of course I'm up the creek. The doctor I've been seeing for my foot is not on any list except straight medicaid at least as far as I can tell, and the woman he referred me to who now has all my records is on two different plan options, but when I accidentally came up for the reviews online for her as a doctor, well let's just say they are bad really bad. So I am beside myself. I can't imagine trying to have everyone in my family on different medical plans. It's a great worry for me.

Oh the good front Kitty's neck is healing beautifully, nothing but a little scab now. I've never seen anyone ever heal as fast as she has. It's like she has a new lease on life. I keep telling her it was a double or nothing deal and now she's stuck with us for another 9 years. Yep Kitty just turned 9 at the first of this year, how about that. Tomorrow marks the day we picked her up from the ASPCA eight years ago. Right this moment she is content to sleep at my feet, and her large bulk and desire to be with us more and more has DH planning a stepping platform to help her get on the bed with us. Perhaps a bad idea, but she is so funny, she will walk into the room and look for me, if she can't find me she will walk to DH's side of the bed, and then back to where she expects me to be, and back and fourth until one of us helps her. She is such a shy cat if you lean to quickly or the bed creaks to much she runs like a crazy cat. You honestly wouldn't believe a cat as large as she is (18 pounds) could run like she does. She will knock you off your feet to stay away from the vacuum! If you have been watching my to do list you have seen a Memorial quilt there. It has been a joy to work on, and now the top is completed. This is my only eye candy for the evening, I hope you enjoy.