There's Good news and Bad news...

The bad news is, I have slowed down tremendously on my handi-crafts. The good news, well there are two good news. One is that the reason I have slowed down on my crafts is that I have a new computer at home! No internet access, but since I don't have a phone that is no big deal, obviously. The second good news is that I actually accomplished some cleaning last night. Now I just have to go home and clean up the mess I made cleaning.... this pile of papers needs to be filed, this needs to go in the desk drawer (which already needs cleaning, dangnab it), and these boxes need to go to the basement. And these huge mounds need to go to the laundrymat.... and then the clothes in the bathtub need to be rinsed and hung outside to dry.... and the dishes need to be washed.... and isn't it totally astounding that with five people in the house, no one else is capable of doing squat diddley to help. Although the little guy is very good at UNhelping, this morning he was "playing" the piano. He is definitely not Liberace... Daddy has an excuse, since his mini stroke a few months ago he can only walk with a cane, and if he tries to bend over to pick something up -- well, then *I* am picking *HIM* up. But my brother came over Thursday for Thanksgiving, and stayed to help me out with all the lifting. Good kid, Chris... too bad we spent Friday resting up from all the food.... missed a garbage pickup! OOPS!! Well, there is one more on Tuesday, so guess the trashcan will be sitting full for a couple more days...

Ooooh, another miracle: Ruthi started cleaning her room. She lost her glasses in her sleep one night, and I guess she finally got tired of squinting all the time. Plus I bribed her that if she cleans enough, I will give her the extra printer that I have, for her computer. Not much of a bribe, though, since she needs a power strip first. Santa, are you listening?

Liam is doing *SOOOOO* great in school, I could just hop. Well, a few steps before I fall on my face.... have been having a lot of issues with dizziness and stumbling almost as much as DH, since I fell off the ladder a few weeks ago. Chiropractor appointment in the extreme near future!!! Would like to be able to turn my head to make sure traffic is clear before I try to cross the street!!! He is on a new dose of the medication, and this is the email I got from his Special Ed teacher this week:
"Liam did a great job doing his work in the am on all three days. I don't know about the pm for Tues. I do know, Liam did a great job in reading groups on Monday for Mrs. Mead. We were concerned about him participating within groups staying in the classroom. Eventually, it looks like we will pull the LRE aide. If he can succeed without one, it would be awesome. Think about his initial label. CI????? He is not any where near that, is he? Let's continue to observe Liam's progress for the next two weeks. He seems pretty quiet but not "doped". He is doing very well. I appreciate the note and am so proud of Liam's progress. Donna "
HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!?!? To paraphrase my new favorite celebrity, Rachael Ray... I finally figured out why I like her show so much: she cooks like my grandma did. Measuring cup? What's that? And she's just so darn perky, but I like her anyway. {HA}

Wish that DiTro would get her own show, or get that darn book finished so that I have something to look forward to! (She used to be DiMi, but now that she is married I felt the need to change her nickname. But she will always be Sweetheart to me....giggle ha ha) Want to get to know DiTro better? Check out her blog here... Now! What are you waiting for, Christmas? We do Yule here, thank you..... Why are you still here? Go to Dusty's site!!! (a/k/a DiTro)....

This Week's Achievements

Wow, what a week.

I am in the process of finishing a fullsize bedspread I started crocheting for my friend Rick last year (too hot to work on in the summer), only twenty more rows to go. Thanks to John, for buying me a skein of yarn when I ran out unexpectedly! Even got it off the top shelf at the store, as I am not supposed to do any lifting over my head, with my dumb shoulder being still messed up. I am also crocheting a scrap afghan, Jeweled Granny Squares, just to have a project to work on while riding in cars or waiting in doctor offices. I have also started a baby afghan for Alanda's art teacher (also Ruthi's Spanish teacher), granny squares of primary colors and secondary colors. Another travel-project! My final travel-bag is Granny Square Tree Ornaments (and bookmarks, and hairties, and whatever else I decide to make them into). Then today I started the fulfillment of my promise to my son Liam, to knit him a hat for the winter.

Recent accomplishments in the creative arena: a floorlength cloak for Alanda, a waistlength cape for Ruthi, a Space Alien costume for Liam -and a trick or treat bag, a shirt for Alanda, a Medieval dress for Alanda for homecoming Theme day, and two new sets of quilt squares started. The quilt squares are because, while the BORROWED sewing machine sat on my kitchen table after Liam's costume, the machine started talking to me. My computer used to do that, before he died on me recently; I would be walking past all innocent and that voice would call out "Turn me on, use me!" Now the Singer is doing it instead. So dug into the fabric stash and started cutting and sewing. Now George is cutting pieces for me from his stash, and whining because I put the machine up (moment of willpower) and haven't sewn for two days. Well, technically one day because today isn't up yet and I may give in and unleash the monster tonight....

Big accomplishment (for me) in the decluttering habit attempt: while cutting fabrics for all these projects, I was able to take the small scraps and THROW THEM DIRECTLY INTO THE TRASH CAN WHILE I CUT. Of course, any scrap actually big enough to use in a quilt was used, in fact, immediately cut and sewn together. Avoid the Procrastination! I was so proud of myself!!! (And then had to explain to DH why I was throwing away "perfectly good scraps..."--- I just can't win sometimes...) A smaller but still excellent achievement was that I took a full grocery bag stuffed with sewing patterns that I no longer or never have used, and donated them to the local thrift shop. I am so proud of myself!!! And I am going through other sewing patterns later (really) and minimizing them as well. And explaining again to DH why I am getting rid of this stuff. He is a worse packrat than I ever have been; if he ever finds out that in cleaning his dresser drawer I threw away rent receipts from 30 years ago, I will never hear the end of it. Oh well, they are gone now and they ain't coming back! I have two boxes of clothes and knick-knacks to take to the thrift shop; but as I am still a pedestrian I can only take one at a time when I walk to town. Unless I get in gear and get a few more boxes together and dig out the wagon, which is a possibility. I just hate walking in this nasty cold weather; and it isn't even real winter yet. But anything below 70 is vile to me. Why do I live in Michigan???? Oh, yeah, because I can't afford financially to move, and I don't want to uproot the kids. And, to be honest, I dread the idea of packing and moving all this s**t!!! Just the thought of it sends me into a quilt and cocoa!

Another achievement on my Things To Do List: I got some of Alanda's senior pictures printed at WalMart (thanks Mom for paying) so she has some to hand out. Grandma got to pick which pose she wanted, Uncle Chris picked his favorite, and Grandpa and Aunt Dawn got the poses that Grandma chose for them. Now if she could only choose which one to use in the yearbook...

This is the one she did choose, very artsy-fartsy, the yearbook advisor doesn't like for the yearbook. A good photo, just not yearbook material... NO COMMENT! Looks pretty cool in blue graphic-pen, too... So, she will go through the choices AGAIN and pick one for the yearbook publication. Maybe we can talk the advisor into using the first photo somewhere else in the yearbook, as a candid shot. If not, well, it's the yearbook's loss. (Opinionated much, Lyn???)

Dang, time to log off already. On to the pharmacy to pick up DH's phenobarb, then home to clean and cook... yay joy. Then I can CREATE!!!!! YAY!!!!!