Saturday, July 30, 2011

How Did This Happen?

Well, it's like this, Doc, I was standing at the kitchen counter finishing up dinner and told Aud to come get her plate fixed. 


Aud walks into kitchen and begins to fill her plate and I hear "oops" and then I feel pain!

For some reason, not sure why, she has a sharp 8" long knife on her plate and it has slipped off, and landed point down in my foot!!!!!   Who walks approximately 8 feet with a sharp knife on one edge of a plate?  Beware of mothers!  They can always find a way to get to you!

I had sharpened 2 knives about 30 minutes prior to this so we could use them to cut the pork chops I had grilled and to cut cantelope.  Since she was coming into the kitchen to get the porkchop I knew she hadn't cut that yet.  What are you doing with the knife on your plate?  Cutting my cantelope.  Well, great, cantelope juice in my foot, whoopee!!!

My foot is bleeding like a stuck pig.  I have a kleenex on it pressing down to try to stop the bleeding, and  I am thinking when is the last time I had a tetanus shot and I cannot believe this.  I sit there for a few minutes and the bleeding hasn't stopped so I hobble into the bathroom, get some hydrogen peroxide, lift my foot up to the sink (that was a sight to behold, let me tell you) pour half the bottle of peroxide over it, grab a washcloth and hold it on the foot.

It quits bleeding in a few minutes,  and I get up to go find the tetanus shot record that I need, and it starts bleeding again.  Great!  I finally get it under control enough to go get the shot record, and hobble back into the living room and call the local clinic to see if I need to get another one because it has been 6 years since I had one.  (the one I had to get when I sewed a needle through a finger, talk about fun!)

No, you don't need another one for another year or so, but you need to come in if the bleeding doesn't stop or you need stitches.

Stiches?  OMG, hadn't thought of that.   It is 7 pm and they close at 8, so if I am going to do something I have to do it now.  I have put Neosporin on it and covered it with a bandage and taped it good, but haven't checked to see how deep it is.  Yuk, this thing is going to need stitches.

Hobbling to the car with a houseshoe on the affected foot and a sandal on the other, I drive myself to the local clinic, about 2 miles away.

Get there, fill out paperwork, and don't have to wait but perhaps 5 minutes and this sweet young man comes to get me and takes me to a small room to take my vitals.  125 over 85 bp, heart rate 106, oxygen 95, ok, I can live with that.  bp a little high for me, but not to shabby considering.  Then he has me stand on the scales and gets my weight, we are not going there, and takes my height.  I have not removed my shoes but figure that won't matter.

By the way, what is my height?  5'3".....WHAT???  Last time I checked I was 5'5" without shoes!
I have shrunk over 2 inches!  No wonder my pants are so long!

I get taken to another room, wait for doctor.....

Hello, how are you?
Great!  I am bleeding from a knife wound and I am 2 inches shorter than I was!
Well, hop up here and let's look at that foot!
Hmm,  how did you do this?  ( see above)
you are going to need 2 stitches in here.
Oh wonderful!  I hate needles.
Well, I can put 2 sticks in your foot to deaden or 4 sticks in your foot for the stitches
Ok, I guess I would prefer just 2 sticks.  OW!  Hurts!
So I have two beautiful little stitches in my foot, it is covered with this flesh colored bandage, and I am not to get it wet or remove bandage for 24 hours.
Go home and prop your foot up and come back it if starts bleeding, and so on and so on.
See you in 7 to 10 days to have the stitches removed.

Add another adventure to the road of life.

Hope your weekend is going smoothly.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

You Bid Three With Those Points?

Back in another time in a galaxy evidently far far away from reality I played duplicate bridge; was fortunate enough to have good teachers and partners, and traveled to several states in search of the elusive master points that are used to establish your place in the bridge world pecking order.

I absolutely loved to play and I got to be pretty good at it for a few years, and then life stepped in and said that's enough of that, and I had to quit playing.

When I first moved to Oklahoma, I played a couple of times but couldn't seem to find a partner that I thought I would enjoy playing with, so I didn't pursue it.  Time passed, and about 3 years ago I played a couple of games, and got kind of interested, but that didn't pan out so I had not played again until last month when one of my old bridge partners came to town.  We didn't do very well, but it sure did rev up my "bridge playing" need.

My daughter Summer texted me (we do better if we don't talk to each other in person, lol) and told me she had an old friend she had run across that used to play bridge and thought the two of us might enjoy playing.  Would I be interested?

Sure

Ok, John (the friend) comes over Thursday night to "discuss" our bridge game.  When you are playing duplicate bridge, it is a little more complicated than regular bridge, and there are lots of rules and conventions, etc, that can "enhance" or "screw up" your bridge game big time.

We agreed to see if we can play together and made plans to play last Saturday afternoon.   I have quite a few Master Points so we have to play in a higher category than he would if he was playing with someone on his level.  That sounds conceited, but I didn't make the rules.  He said he wouldn't mind playing at a higher level, and I assured him I didn't play real well because I had forgotten a bunch and had no memory.

Oh, I also have no tact at all anymore, never had much, but none at all now it seems.

Ok.  Scene set......

We are playing along and seem to be doing ok.   I bid by the seat of my pants and gut instinct a lot because I do have good card sense most of the time.

We have a couple of missteps, my bidding, his defense, I point out my own really stupid mistakes and the ones he hasn't played long enough to correct, lol. He takes it all very well.

Add to this "trying to be a good partner and have some patience" and "keep from screwing up", I have this horrible, raging headache from hell that is making me dizzy and nauseous, and I am so not really together.

Up comes a hand that he opens, I make a bid, he makes another bid (which he has to do under the conventions we are using) and I make the bid of 3 hearts.  It goes pass, pass, pass.

His hand comes down, I take one look at it and say
I can't believe you bid three hearts with that!
Perry, I didn't bid three hearts, you did!
Oh, lol, good thing I made contract,  isn't it!

You probably had to have been there to appreciate the humor?

Did we do well? no
Is there a promise of having a good partnership?  yes
Are we going to play again?  yes  
This coming weekend.

Pray for John.

Me, I don't think it will help at all, unless you pray that I am in this galaxy and in the state of Oklahoma next weekend when the games are going on, lol.

Will let you know how it goes.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Aud Tales

Haven't posted too much about Miss Aud lately.  She has had some rough patches the last few months, and I have had some too, and we just haven't done a lot of "fun" things.

However, wherever she is, there is always something going on. lol.

The last part of May I was somewhere and someone asked me if I had a blue rinse in my hair, you know, like the old ladies wear.  I had to laugh because they were talking about the purple streaks in my hair. I have had purple streaks in my hair for several years, but since my thyroid is finally straightened out, my hair doesn't seem to keep the purple in.

When Aud and I were at Shelva's (hairdresser to Perry and Aud) in June, she put purple in my hair and I was letting it set while she did Aud's and Aud says,
I want pink in my hair today.
Mother, please don't
Yes, I want some pink in my hair.
If I had known that I wouldn't have put purple in mine. Please don't.

Well, of course she did, which did not set well with me.  Why?
How would you like to go somewhere with your almost 95 year old mother and people ask you if you were sisters?
lol, happens every time we both have colored streaks in our hair.

So, I decided this month, I would put no purple in my hair.  It was all gone from June by the time we went to Shelva's last week anyway.

No purple for me today.
You don't need it, Perry, says hairdresser to Perry and Aud, your hair looks like it has a purple tint to it anyway and it is a different color than it was last month.
Great!  I look like a little old lady with a blue wash, is that what you are saying?
Hah, Hah, says the hairdresser to Perry and Aud. No, but I think secretly she is telling me a white lie.

Put pink in mine today says Aud.
Here are pics of Aud with her pink hair.

Typical of the conversations we seem to be having these days:

Why did you buy Neosporin for me, I have plenty.
Because you put it on the grocery list.
No I did not, I put campho phonique (sp, too lazy to go look) on there.
No you didn't.
Where is the grocery list?
Well, I threw it away, (bad words!)
Well, it said camphor phonique.
No, it didn't
Yes it did.
I will NEVER through another grocery list away again.
So, put it on the grocery list.....this was 2 days ago
Guess who finally put it on the grocery list today?  Me of course.

------
I need to go close the garage doors, it is dark. (me)
You have already locked up the garage. (Aud)
No, I haven't.  I have been asleep.  (trouble with vicious migraines lately)
Well, I didn't lock the door.
Must have been the resident ghost again, huh?  Gee, we haven't seen him for awhile.

I think the trouble comes from her being the youngest of 5 children and since I am an only child I must be older than she is, right?  Makes perfect sense to me. 
-------------

Visit to Doc's office on Friday.  
Doc says..your blood pressure is a little higher than usual.  You need to get rid of all stress.
Aud says...well, i just hate to shoot her….

---------------------

Look up severe headaches in Google.....stress is one of the main causes .......Hah!


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I Just Love Gadgets!

Ever so often (seems like every other day, lol) I find a notion or a "gadget" that I just "have to have".  A friend of mine has one of these
The Little Red Craft Iron



So, why do you have this iron? asked the Little Red Hen
Why the better to iron my appliqué when I am prepping it, She replied.
And where can I buy this?  asked the Little Red Hen
Why, here, of course.

Well, this is the site of Bunny Hill Designs, says the Little Red Hen
Yes, says my friend.
Well, what else can I find at this site that I will just love?

Why, this of course.

Oh, will this teach me how to do the wonderful kind of applique that I see on Bunny Hill Designs?
Why, yes it will!  If any thing can help you learn to do beautiful needler turn applique, it will be this CD.

I think she may be right, too.  I bought the CD, I have watched it, fallen in love with the method, and as soon as I can get all the "stuff" caught up a bit, I intend to try to do some of it.  It is just beautiful and looks so simple!  There will be more later on this I hope.

Then, I was looking at Fat Quarter Shop and found something that is the perfect answer for me to the problem I have about taking "just a few pins" somewhere.  They always fall out of the little plastic containers and I have tried several homemade objects to stick them in, and nothing compares to this.
Is this neat looking or what?



And when you open it up, there is a magnetic lining for pins and needles!  The best part about this is that the magnetic part is confined to the inside. When the lid is closed it does not magnetize on the outside.

You can find them in two "colors" here and here.  I think it is one of those "must haves".

Hope this week is going well for all of you!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Design Wall Monday

The beginning of Grace.  

I have all of the pieces cut out and am now starting on the assembly. Of course I have all of these stars to make, but the borders are cut out and ready to go on when I finish the stars.  I bought quite a bit of extra fabric for this quilt to make it "my size", so I will have enough squares left over for something else.  Not sure what, maybe another one of those table toppers I keep saying I am going to make, huh.

And then there is this.  Block two in my Kaffe Fassestt Flower Basket quest.  two down and several to go. 


Thanks to Judy for hosting Design Wall Mondays.  Be sure to check out the other beautiful projects that are always showing up over there.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I Have Quilts!

Finally, in spite of eye problems, etc, I have in my hot little hands, two quilts with binding finished, washed,  and ready to  use.


This is my Road to Oklahoma.  I have collected reds, blues and offwhites since I started quilting in 1999 and finally started a quilt out of them in 2007.  Now it is finally finished!  


This is my version of Diamond in the Rough, a pattern by Deborah Maddy.  I took a class at the local quiltstore taught by Marilyn Karper about 2008 because I figured that was the only way I would ever make a quilt with this block.  However, this is "my way".  I did the sashing and borders differently than the pattern calls for.  The fabric is all Thimbleberries except for the backgrounds, and they are just offwhite small prints. The back of the quilt is composed of large squares of the Thimbleberry fabrics I used in the quilts.

My Luna Notte is at the quilter's and it should be done in a couple of months.  I feel like I have some progress going on!!!


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Catching Up

If it gets any hotter up here I think I am going to hibernate until Winter and then I can grip about the cold.  It has been over a hundred every day for the last couple of weeks I think.  Feels like it anyway.

Was down in the bowels of Texas last weekend and it was hot down there too.  I was on I35 on a Sunday and, OMG!  Traffic was unreal, both lanes each way going 80 and motorcycles weaving in and out and cars cutting in front of anyone they could.  I think they were all sun crazed or thought they must be in LA or something.

I stopped somewhere, not sure where it was, just to get out of the fray for a while, and get some gas etc. in case there was a wreck and I was stuck for hours. I got back in the rat race and sure enough the traffic slowed to a crawl and this car besides me was honking and pointing to the back of my car and I looked out the rear view mirror, and lo and behold, I had left the gas cap off and the panel open.  Yuk!  So I pulled off the road, got out in the 100 degree heat with all these people staring at me, put on the gas cap, got back in the car, and a truck let me get back in, thank you very much trucker, if you read my blog.

I was so tired by the time I got to my cousin's she asked me if I wanted a margarita and I said yes!  So I had two of them, and promptly took a nap for about an hour, lol.  Had the most delicious meal and then I slept through a couple of tv shows and went to bed.

Monday, I got back on I35 and headed to OKC.  Put the car on cruise at 80 and said, I'm going home, don't care if I get a ticket, thank goodness I didn't, and got home in record time.  And it is nothing but hot up here!

Aud is doing pretty good.  She has her good days and bad days.  She did had a wonderful time while I was away.

A friend of mine stayed with her some and my grandson got her to go out to eat a couple of nights, and he took her to see his mother one day for a few hours.  She was worn out when I got home, but full of stories about the cake she and Jackson (grandson)made (it was not good, lol) and the pecan pie she took to Summer's (her granddaughter) house and the fact that my ex husband ate all but 2 pieces of it . Since Aud told them she had to bring a piece back for me, that left 1 piece for four people, lol.  Love it!

I went to the library a couple of days ago to pick up some new books and got her the new Nora Roberts , Amanda Quick, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  So she reads the Roberts, I read the Phillips, and then yesterday she starts reading the Phillips.  I go back to her room last night to check on her and see how she is enjoying the book, and she is reading Black Heels and Tractor Wheels by Pioneer Woman.

How did you like the Phillips book, Aud?   (assume she has read it since that was what was reading when last I saw her reading)
I haven't finished it.
What do you mean you haven't finished it.  If that is so, why are you reading the Pioneer Woman book?
I told you I haven't finished it.
Aud, this is not the Phillips book!
This is the one I am reading.
Ok, I get the Phillips book and show her where she has turned it over on a table, and,
Oh, I was reading that, wasn't I?
No wonder this wasn't making much sense but I think I have read it, talking about the Pioneer Woman
Yes, you read that a month or so ago.
Well I thought I remembered some of it.
So we laugh and I don't think anymore about it.
Today, guess what she is reading?
The rest of the Pioneer Woman book that she has already read.  :)

At least the TV is off for a while.

Me, I have been working on the Grace quilt kit I got from Fat Quarter Shop.  It must be sold out, couldn't find it on FQS site, but the pattern is  Lucky Stars by Atkinson Designs.  It is really going to be a beautiful quilt.  Hopefully it won't take me a year to get it done, lol.

I guess that catches me up for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and remembers why we are celebrating!