Fidgets

 Something weird about me, I fidget when I am stressed. I would crack my knuckles when I studied for school, which drove my mom absolutely nuts. So I started tippy tapping my fingers annoyingly, even annoying myself. Then I began clicking the back of the remote on off on off on off on off, and that explains why my Fire remote has a cover on it now.

I have found more productive ways to occupy my hands.

This is just a handful of the projects I have done in the past year and half.

Do you think that I might be a little stressed?

Do Something

Make America Normal Again

 I'm a 37 year old suburban, registered *Republican, white woman. And if Kamala Harris thinks I'll vote for her?!? Well, I already did.

*This will be the last election I will vote as a registered Republican. I would have changed my affiliation to Independent/Unaffiliated sooner, but I'm stubborn. I will see this election through as a Patriot.

Jamm'n Challenge!!!

Ah, summer. It comes every year.The birds chirping(not going to mention that crow). The smell of freshly mowed grass in the air. Mom chasing Thumps out of the garden(poor thing is sooo confused. She said not to eat the strawberries, now she is saying stay away from her lettuce and eat the strawberries). Itchy eyes, stuffy noses and all around itchiness from the strawberries on the counter. Guess it's time to make that jam we bought them for.

This is my little buddy.  He's so big because last spring he ate all of mom's newly planted strawberries.

Now comes the point that mom and I cant agree on which recipe to use. LIGHT BULB!!! We each make a recipe since there's more than enough strawberries, (that's what happens when mom tells me to pick out some strawberries since they were on sale, so I picked out 4 pounds)

Maybe I have been watching too many cop shows but man does this look like a murder scene.

I have helped mom out in the past but never all on my own. So here's what happened. After putting on some Jammin tunes for us to work to we got to work.

Mom's Jam

My Jam

Some how I ended up with over a jar less of jam than mom. Mine took half the time though. In the end we were both successful. Although I am fighting the urge to go and buy more strawberries for more jam!!!

On There...Two words I wish I could hear again

It's been a while, I know.  Things happen and things change.    Several months ago I started a Saturday sampler that I wanted to make for my grandma.  I had just learned to machine applique, and my first  project was a flower dog.  It looks a lot like Sassy, my grandparents' dog way, way, way back when I was little (Okay, okay. I still am little. I meant way, way, way back when I was young).

Last month Grandma passed.  She never got to see the quilt I was making for her.  She didn't even know about it.  Now it is a quilt in honor and memory of her.  I changed my ideas for it, and have decided to make it the most intense quilt I have ever done.

Here is the main part of Sassafras...

Each of the eight blocks under it will have to do with dogs or with Sassy, in particular.

Here is Block 1 of 8...

I miss my grandparents very much.  I never got to meet my mom's dad.  I lost my Grandpa when I was 12.  Now I have lost both my grandmothers within 6 months of each other.  This quilt will channel my grief in a productive manner and hopefully be as beautiful as all my grandparents deserve.

Kindred Spirit

Nona, I am happy you are in a better place.

I love you so much.

You will always be in my heart.

I will miss seeing your smile and miss hearing your stories.

Most of all I wish you all the peace you can find.

guest blogger

Melissa is still on the Injured Reserve list for FNSI and i told her that i would type up a post for her ... so ... prepare yourself for minimal punctuation, missing capital letters, slang, and sentences ending with prepositions...

i started by asking her exactly what it was that she was doing last night whilst Sven Thorson and i were slaving away on the OTR trees ... ahem ... after coming down from her high horse, she showed me the stack of presents that she wrapped with absolutely no help from me...

wait for it...

think these will fit in Santa's sleigh?!?
aren't those just the cutest things?!? she wrapped each present that she and i are giving this year to resemble Santa's middle ... the pictures don't do them justice ... and you can't see the big blue tote that is filled with smaller presents ... lots of them ... i humbly bow to her present-wrapping prowess ... i am a present-wrapping slacker ... i used to love to wrap gifts in red foil paper with huge white satin bows and hand-made ornaments adorning them ... but then crankiness set in and now people are lucky if i remember to take off the price tag before i shove whatever the gift is back into the store's bag and throw it at them ... after all, it's the thought that counts, innit?!?

she also worked on some scrapbook pages, but i am not allowed to see them cuz they are surprises for my plentieth birthday ... sheesh

well ... i guess that's all i have to say about that
xoxo,
dianne
i dunno ... do you think she will ever ask me to post for her again?!?

FNSI Injury Report...

Yet again FNSI has taken a turn for the bloody for me. This time it was in the form of a severe, vicious, malicious, heinous, cruel paper cut.

I decided to get to work on the ONE thing mom asked for for her birthday. A scrapbook. Scrapbooking sounded harmless enough and I was ready to get my butt in gear. Just after finishing the first page the curse of FNSI struck me yet again with a very deep blood-pouring paper cut on my left ring finger.

Tombstone's Doc Holiday played by LuLu!!!
I was actually watching the very bloody scene when Morgan dies when the injury occurred.

I bandaged myself up and got back to work. After all, it was just a flesh wound. All in all, I got 9 pages done and in her book. Just 2 more and I am good to go.

On a lighter note I would like to relate a nice little story that happened today. Mom and I were out shopping. We were paying for our stuff when an Eagles Christmas song came on the speakers.

Hey mom - it's the Eagles!

No, it's not.

Yes, it is. It's Don singing. Ya know - the drummer.

How do you know this stuff?!? You're just weird.