Quilting update

Whew I finally finished the pink quilt top. These pics aren't the best - the dark colour isn't really that red looking - it is more of a wine/burgundy colour. I was aiming to make it for a single bed, but it seems to fit a double just fine.



I have several of the assorted center pink squares - I think I will be making a matching or at least similar lap quilt.

Below is my second crazy quilt block - I haven't yet finished the embelishments - but I have done most of the embroidery.




I am really enjoying this!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - batch cooking soups

This is my first posting to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays over at Tammy's Recipes, but I have been reading them for ages.

My tip is probably not new to most of you but if bears repeating anyway.

I make a large batch of soup - I can never manage to make a small batch - even though it is often only me eating it (DH & DS aren't big soup eaters).

But now instead of trying to eat soup for four days running until it is finished or gets thrown out, I package the soup into individual sized tupperware-like containers and freeze.

When I am working, I grab one of these out of the freezer int he morning and pop it into my lunch bag - it serves as an icepack and the soup is mostly thawed by lunch time- of course I have access to a mircowave to warm it up.

These are also good for those - don't know what we want-don't feel like cooking nights.

Crazy quilt update

I have finished my 1st crazy quilt block and started another - they will be two wall hangings - I do not have enough of the same fabrics to make an entire quilt.

Here is the first one finished - with decorative stitching, laces added, ribbons, buttons etc... (I made a quick trip to Dollarama today for bits & bobs.

Various close-ups

I'll add pictures of the the 2nd block when I finish it - probably tomorrow.

Let me know what you think!

My latest addiction - oh my!

I recently found Allie's blog all about Crazy quilting - I honestly don't remember how I found her - but I spent a couple days perusing her site and checking out all the beautiful work she has done.

It got my creative juices flowing. I decided to try crazy quilting.

I created this in about 3 hours last night - I really didn't want to stop.

Set on my black chair for contrast.

This type of quilting is just my style - no rules! Anything goes! I am definitely a "No rules" kindo gal.

I can be messy and it works - the seams can be uneven and it works!

Oh I love crazy quilting I tell you!

I have now started adding some embroidery to my crazy quilt block - I haven't really done any embroidery before but that is ok - because with crazy quilts - Anything goes!

I can see this really becoming a problem for me - oh and did I mention - it uses scraps! Yes! Because I have put myself on a fabric diet - no more buying until I use up some of my stash. (I have a fabric stash - how cool is that!)

Oh and buttons - which I have a bunch of - oh and remember all that lace I got at Value Village? I can use that too - oh and beads - which I don't have, but can get a wide assortment of at Dollarama (so not to expensive).

I can add all kinds of things. Silk flowers. All types of fabrics.

I mostly have only cotton right now - I think another trip to Value Village to get some cheap old silk type clothes to cut up.

I think I will turn this block into a wall hanging for my office/sewing room.

I had so many ideas last night - I just couldn't sleep! I will make crazy quilt blocks and then cut them down to 2 inch by 5 inch strips, add a back and quilt them - Bookmarks!

I have a bunch of canvas totes that I would love to recover with crazy quilt blocks! So many ideas!

Can I make a living at this? Anyone know how? Because I can't see myself stopping any time soon. This is way too much fun - it is torture just to put it down to write this post.

Ok back to it - I will post more pictures as I progress. Fun fun fun! At least it is not fattening right?!

Warranty has expired

Don't turn 40! unless you already have...

Hmmm I turned 40 this summer and everything is just going to hell!

Just before Christmas one night I went to bed and got this pain in my lower left back - near where my kidney should be - it hurt pretty bad all night but I was able to get some sleep.

In the morning I took a couple Aspirin and it helped. Then when I went to the bathroom I noticed my pee was pink - just a little. So I did what I always do when I don't know something - I checked the Internet!

It sounds very much like I had a kidney stone and managed to pass it on my own, which is good because if I hadn't I would still be in pain and would have had to go to the hospital.

So that was that - it hasn't happened again since.

And then on New Year's day I had my attack.

Today I had my abdominal CT scan to see if the attack really was caused by gallstones.

So I got up early and ready to go - we left the house at around 8am - my appt was for 10:30am but I had to arrive 2 hours early to have dye injected or something. So K drops me off at 8ish.
I have been fasting since the night before - only had a couple sips of water this morning. My stomach is growling.
I get checked in to the CT scan place - there is a sign stating if you have a cough you must use the hand sanitizer and wear a mask - I immediately start to fight the urge to cough.

Two other people waiting - guy who checked us in comes out after about 20 mins and says that the tech is having a bit of difficulty with the machine this morning - there may be a delay. But then 10 min later all is fine and the lady before me gets called in. 5 mins late I too am called in.

I have to drink 1.5 litres (6 glasses) of this orange tangish liquid. First taste isn't too bad but it has a horrible aftertaste. The lady brought in before me is in the same little waiting room with me also drinking this vile mixture. She offers that she has just been diagnosed with lung cancer - I don't know what to say - I lost my mother to lung cancer but it doesn't seem a good idea to mention that. She doesn't look like a smoker.

Luckily, while drinking the tang-crap we are allowed to go to the washroom - the lady and I take turns, as soon as she is back I need to go, as soon as I get back she has to go again and so on.

On one of my trips to the bathroom, I get up wrong or something, I pull something in my lower left back - just above my butt - a muscle I guess - hurts like hell! How do you pull a muscle getting up to pee?

After we have finished the vile-tang and have had at least 20 trips to the washroom - she is called away. About 5 mins later it is my turn. I am asked to remove my bra as it has metal in it.

They insert an IV into my arm - I have to first sign a waiver that I understand that there is the possibility of complications from the dye they inject - including stroke or death - nice - love how they leave that info until you are minutes from having the procedure. The nurse assures me it is only people with severe food allergies who ever have reactions. I don't have any food allergies - So I feel a bit better. But I will feel a warming sensation and have a strange taste in my mouth. Great.

I am asked to drink yet another cup of tang-crap. Then I am taken into the CT scan room. I am told to lie down facing the machine - last time I was here for a head CT scan I faced the opposite direction. I lie down then they move me into position, I close my eyes, I am more comfortable this way - the table moving me feels strange - kind of like being on a swaying ship - I don't want to get seasick. They are going to take a scan before they insert the dye - the machine tells me to take a deep breath and hold it - a few seconds later it tells me to breathe.

The tech then asks me if my pants have a zipper - umm sure does. I am told to pull my pants down out of the way - they bring me a sheet to cover up with - lovely.

They redo the scan. All is well now.

The tech then comes in and insert the tube with the dye into the IV in my arm - she again tells me that I will have an odd taste in my mouth and a warm feeling all over, kind of like a hot flash (haven't had one of those yet - knock on wood!), this warm feeling will go all the way down to my nether regions - I may feel like I am peeing she tells me - oh more loveliness.

Recap - I am lying on a CT scan table with my pants around my knees and I am about to feel like I have wet myself - can this get any better?

So away we go - yup there is the weird taste and yup warm feeling starting, I haven't recently peed myself so not sure that this is what is feels like but definitely warm. She tells me to take a deep breathe and the feeling starts to recede. She then does the scan again - the machine again tells me when to hold my breathe and when I can breathe again.

I am done - I gracefully (ya right) hike my drawers up and do them up. I sit up and am told to have a seat in the hall.

After a few minutes, the nurse who inserted the IV comes to ask how I am - I am fine - have to pee again though - she removes the IV and I am told I can redress (my bra) and leave. It is now 11am.

It is blisteringly windy and cold today so I called a cab to take me the 3km drive home.

Once home, I am starving so I cook up an egg, some ham and a piece of toast. I feel better now.

I have however ...TMI (too much info) coming...had diarrhea and a bubbly stomach the rest of the day - I guess from having my stomach completely empty for so long or maybe from the dye, who knows.

I still have to endure the ultrasound on Saturday.

Everything is just falling to pieces I tell ya! Don't get old! (writing this as I sit with a heating pad against my pulled muscle) Blah.

2008 goals

Man doncha just hate this time of year? It is a great time to wipe the slate clean and plan your goals for the coming year - but then if they are the same goals as last year - well that can be a downer.

Doesn't matter - I'm going to make my goals anyway.

In no particular order.

Lose weight - ya ya I know - this one has been on the list for several years running now - but with the latest development of a gallbladder attack (or at least that is what we think it was - will know more after U/S and CT), I really need to get working on this one seriously.

Get a job - or win the lottery, that is always a possibility. Funds are beginning to run low and I had expected to be back to work by now. Submitted to a few jobs this morning.

Get debt down - really only a Visa and the mortgage but still - need to get as much as possible paid to both.

Keep regular expenses down - utilities, food costs etc...got the electric bill for the past 3 months - wasn't quite as bad as I expected ($340 for 3 mths) but it could be better (if FIL turned off lights!) and when I get back to work it will be even lower.

Spend more time on my many craft/sewing/art projects and actually finish some of them. I have been doing better at this actually.

Spend more quality time with K & J - we need to plan more family activities - we spend too much time on our own PCs or doing our own things that we don't talk too much - need to think on this one more.

Cooking from scratch and cooking ahead - both tie into the weight loss and food budget too. I am home now - it is the time to get things int he freezer for those busy nights when I don't feel like doing anything but order pizza.

I think that is good enough for now - I am sure there are several other areas I could improve on - but I think keeping things simple will make them more attainable.

What are your goals for the new year?

What a way to start the new year!

So we had friends over on New Years eve to play cards and eat junk food and have a generally good time - which we did.

I was determined to rid the house of all junk type food so I cooked up chicken nuggets, chicken wings, sausage rolls, made plates of cheese & crackers, had lots of bowls of chips and brought out every single chocolate or cookie I could find in the house (and there were plenty!). I also put out baby carrots and dip to make it seem like we had veggies too but I don't think anyone even ate them.

Well....the next day when I dragged my butt out of bed around 10am - I didn't much feel like eating (since I had only stopped eating a few hours before!).

Around noon, my stomach started hurting so I figured maybe I was hungry - I grabbed a piece of deli ham from the fridge. It didn't sit well with me - I didn't feel hungry but I was still getting cramps. This went on for several hours - I would get intermittent cramps high in my stomach, some quite bad, most lasting a couple seconds to a minute or two then they would go away. I also had diarrhea. I had a bit of yogurt later in the day and 2 soda biscuits.

We had had plans to go to friends for dinner - I called them and let them know that only K & J would be coming. I sent them off at around 4pm.

At about 5:30pm the cramps got so bad and started to creep up my chest that I called K to take me to the hospital (luckily he was just down the street). He came and drove me there.

Once there the Dr said it sounded like gallbladder problems and ordered blood-work to be done. Once it was done, I sent K home as they told me it would be about an hour until results would be back and I was feeling better.

That didn't last - about 15 mins after K left I suddenly felt very dizzy and nauseous, I grabbed the bedpan thingie and then as I began to feel like I may pass out, I asked a man there with his wife to get me a nurse. I vomited a couple times and clung to the bed rail, sure I was going to faint.

The nurse came in, I told her my hands were starting to go numb, she told me it was because I was hyperventilating and I had to calm my breathing down.

My hands began to spasm and twist into unnatural shapes - I couldn't move them, unclench them at all. They hurt like H$ll! I told her this and she kept telling me to slow my breathing down - they way my hands were killing me it was difficult to do. This pain was worst then anything I had experienced that day. After about 5 minutes (that felt like hours) I managed to get my breathing under control and the vice -like grip on my hands released.

Around that time the Dr came back to say the blood-work all came back normal - but that it was still probably my gallbladder and he would order an ultrasound (update: scheduled for Jan 12th) and an abdominal CT scan (no appt yet) for me. The nurse gave me a shot of Gravol for the nausea they said I could call K to come get me. I didn't have many more cramps after that but was so tired and weak from not eating all day.

K drove me to our friend's to pick up J and then we came home - I came home and went to bed.

I haven't had any cramps since - I have been being careful about what I do eat - I researched gallbladder diets online and got conflicting info - but all say lowfat - so I will be avoiding fat as much as possible, some say high-fibre, others say low-fibre. I will play around and see what happens - hopefully without triggering another attack.

The only good thing to come out of all that was I lost 5 lbs! Way to start a diet!

So how did you spend New Years day?