I Used to Love January, even February...

Hello, hello, friends. It's been a week of ups and downs, hasn't it. Downers: news is appalling, it's terrible cold, I had a post-flu doctor appointment. And on the quilt front--yeesh. Good news is I got the deck door open almost two weeks after the storm. Mo was so happy. He rolled in the snow and did zoomies. then had a happy nap, warming his butt on the radiator while we wait for the spa van.

He's also slowly accepting his bed moved away from the frigid window wall in the bedroom/

January is when I start my indoor bulb garden. First the paperwhites, around Jan 15. New varieties, not real pleased. 

Nice large firm bulbs, but...? zzzzzz....no action.

Choosing the containers. 

I know I'll regret the tureen, but I ve wanted to try it for years. If the bulbs grow they'll flop over badly.

 

A pretty little red transferware bowl, also a floppy in waiting.

The Costco glass bulb vase and scary prongs insert should be more stable. And a lavender glass canning jar, dump dug by my dad.

So far, three weeks later.

Only a couple bulbs are growing and show buds. Still, I'm thrilled to see that.

Then the other day I finally planted the poor sad amaryllis bulbs.

You may recall I usually have the ammies grow outdoors til November--fed, watered, nurtured with love, before a couple months of darkened dry rest. But last summer, mid-July I rescued them from the brick repair men, so destructive. The bulbs are small and dry, but worth a try. This would have been Big Red's 9th year.

Nothing happeningg yet.

......

Grey Baskets:

Let's choose a border. [my floor is not dirty, just weathered, bleached.]

aqua seaweed

red and blue confetti dots

Deep slate grey ribbons

Which one do you think I 'll use? (took me three weeks to decide, hahah). 

The pansies will be the backing probably.

.......................................................

And then Noah's Ark. One great big hassle and disappointment. It oughta go in Julierose's bad project time out closet for a few years.

1- Too big. [1-A wrong color]

2-The plaid fabrics are too old [recycled shirts] and too flimsy. My temperamental machine chews the old plaids up and spits them out. What a job, not fun at all.

3-the doves are too pale. 

4-But the worst part is the horizontal top border's background fabric is too dark. What was I thinking? It makes  the quilt too vertical yet top heavy, a glaring mistake. Must be picked out [remember how hard it was to sew the plaids!) and redone.

IThe quilt also needs, if possible, to be widened, so it is not a long rectangle. Maybe sawtooth edges? A scrappy strips border? I should be enjoying the challenge but instead am just bored, frustrated, discouraged. Mo agrees, he hates it. lol. But is lured into the sewing room with TJ turkey meatballs anyway.

And it's gonna snow again tomorrow, plus wind chills in sub-zeros range, like -15*F. So strange--I have always loved winter. But this cold, this year? Nope.

Hope you all have a warm cozy weekend! Or a cool sunny weekend of you're one of the lucky southern hemi folks.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Pretending Spring Will Come [Old Red Baskets Restyled]

 

Hello, hello! Last week's snowstorm has lingered as temps ''plummeted'' and remain in single digits. There's mini glaciers everywhere, might not melt til, um, spring aka June.

My tulips from @hollandridgefarms have lasted all week.

So I was inspired to challenge myself to style Old Red Baskets, a very autumn quilt/ table runner into a spring like look.

So fun! I love it. No one but me will see the acorns and autumn leaves, right?

Came across these cuties as I was tidying  on a did-nothing day.

I've enjoyed using old saved blocks so much recently with Blue Baskets and Old Red Baskets--I  started on the neutral set of four. Sort of mourning prints but also 'don't show stains" apron prints maybe.

And a funny accidental shot of the little sewing room, making it look very
big and wide open. Hahaha. I so want a rug to make it warmer and prettier, but the bare floors clean up so easily. On that right wall, w my work baskets, I d like to maybe hang Bramble Berries someday. The room faces north so less sun fade.

Some low energy  spring cleaning has begun, as I wash a stack of the yellow ware bowls now and then.

First big effort cooking since flu began 6 weeks ago now. A str fry in my new Christmas gift braiser pan/ wok. I was so tired standing , prepping the vegs. Need to get out again and recapture walking and standing strength. But frostbite isn't appealing either, so I do my little Justin Agustin moves for now. @justinagustin here 

Mo saw the vet today, ears are badly infected again. vet: "We can just make him comfortable.." He is almost 12 now. It breaks my heart to think he is in constant pain, though he doesn't usually seem to be.

Hope your week is good. Oh have you seen the Walk for Peace Buddhist monks' story. They radiate such calm and peace. I am a bit dreading if they arrive at The White House though. May they be greeted with respect.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

I Did Nothing This Week

 

I did nothing This week. I really didn't. Seems like we've been waiting for this stupid storm to arrive for like, forever. More than a week for sure. So slow. If not for internet nonsense we'd just see a 

moderately snowy day and a sudden list of school closures. 

edit/ next day 1/25: snowing finally...//Update Monday: I m pretty sure this is wrong, but my area is the final almost 16".

It was so cold last night, I couldn't keep my drafty bedroom warm. I slept in my daytime clothes [sweatpants and two tee shirts, socks] and huddled in my new Pottery Barn sherpa throw, getting up each hour to check on Mo. He insisted on sleeping in his usual ''nook''...the floor was outdoor temps cold. He's not a fan of covers so  every hour I d find something new to wrap hm in. We survived, [He sleeps in his bed, my bed is too high for a senior pug to jump or fall from. He doesn't like to cuddle anyway.]

I did see the doctor this week . A friend went with me bec this doctor is not the best communicator. I babble to his unresponsive back as he rereads my computerized chart. I mumbled at one point, "am I talking to myself here?'' and he turned briefly and motioned me to go on. Bottom line he Rxed steroids and antibiotics for post-flu lung inflammation. My cough had almost entirely subsided, but seems to be be returning as as Rx is tapered off?

Ordered tulips, how pretty.

Tulips box of two colors, ten stems each, from local NJ grower @hollandridgefarms . They do a great shipping service, twenty stems/ free shipping. The tulips arrive pristine and tightly budded, bloom overnight. Usually you get whatever colors they have that day but I asked for red or red stripey and they came through for me. Such a cheery self-gift in the dark of January. [They ship all over US, very easy to use website ordering! Reel w details HERE].

Worked on a few just for me hearts. I wanted blue to add to my brown collection. I am just not a brown fabric  person.

On IG there's been amusing to me tutorials on How to Make Your Own heart template. LOL. The brown one is my oldie, cut freehand, usually filled with lavender or herbs; the white one is the circle template and ruler version via IG. Soooo close.

I don't have a good selection of repro blues, isn't that odd?

Used these from my favorite fabric basket. 

The toadstool maybe  doesn't fit in, but I love it.

Cooking now but why? If the power goes we'd have to leave; if the power stays on we can cook. sigh I used to love winter. Day two, now I'm making biscuits and roasted apple slices. To use the oven for additional warmth. The apples smell lovely.

This is my teatime real book for this winter. The header pic above is page one. I can't tell yet if I like it, the print is so tiny, I really can't read it, not even just enough to see if I want a readable Kindle version. Disappointing.

Mo is baffled by staying in now that the snow happened. There's a huge chest high drift against the deck door and outer front door too. Dogwalker cancelled, of course. But ''stay in / stay safe '' is not Mo's mindset. 

Back soon with more, some quilty thoughts are emerging.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

today's beach in the snow, photo from a friend....