Baby vs Blanket

Working hard to get this done. The new parents will be in Helena Saturday for a pow wow. I want to meet them there and give them the blanket. She will be induced on the 8th, not sure I'd want to be so far from home, but there are hospitals all along the way. They'll be about 7 hours from home.

This is my first post from my new Kindle Fire HD. I couldn't post at all on my old Fire, so this is very cool!

Something New!

I have never seen anything like this!  Our ornamental crabapple tree is blooming, in September!  The only thing we can come up with is either the bad July hailstorm traumatized it, or the extra hot late summer weather.  Pretty cool, though!

Proof that it's on the same tree with the ripening apples.

I tried to get my camera set so the date stamp would be on the picture but I failed.  You'll just have to take my word that it's blooming on September 5, 2013!

Getting Back my Mojo

My sewing has been nonexistent all summer.  Don't believe I sewed the entire months of June and July.  Of course most of that was spent chasing grandkids and making my heart behave.  Now that it's acting better, thanks to my acupuncturist, my nutritionist, and my own persistence I feel like doing something again.  I'm walking with the dogs about 1 1/4 miles a day, which they absolutely love!  Yesterday I walked uptown to the post office and the coffee shop and they glared at me all day because they couldn't go!  I'm down to 1/2 a dose of my beta blocker, thought I'd do that for two weeks.  Then to 1/4, then off altogether!  I will be so glad, it really messes with my asthma and walking is not easy when you can't breathe.  My body still isn't sure what to do with all that adrenaline that the beta blocker was telling it to ignore.  Been cutting back on stimulants, which helps.

This cute little skirt is from a panel I got off a Jo-Ann's clearance table.  The ruffles are pre-sewn and all you have to do is get a length just a little shorter than the waist measurement and sew up the back.  Grace loved it, but she is hunting for a top to wear with it since everything she owns is either pink or purple!  Might have to do a bit more sewing!  Do you see Chloe's ears?  She is such a ham, anytime the camera comes out she is there!

I really wanted to freshen my top collection, so I did this top.  It's a New Look pattern, but the sleeves are from my tee pattern.  The original pattern is either sleeveless or has fluttery sleeves.  Ladies with chubby arms ought not wear fluttery sleeves!  This is the third time I've made the pattern and it goes together pretty well.

I made another tee, forgot to take a picture of it.  I also made a floaty jacket, something to wear over tanks, I have to get it back to the sewing room so I can photograph it on Alice.  Sigh, Alice has a better shape than I do!

Need to get shots of the baby blanket too.  The baby is due anytime so I'm really trying to make an effort to get it done.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Lots of stuff going on, not sure why it's so busy but here we are at the end of summer.  How did that happen?

I took Sam to Starbucks for his birthday coffee.  He's playing a game on my Kindle.

Started a pair of socks to keep in the car.  It's been just too hot to knit something big, even though I should be. 

I love the colorway in this yarn.  I love this yarn, it's 50% Merino wool, 25% nylon and 25% bamboo.  Soft as a baby's bottom!

The blanket is growing.  I decided to make it for a friend who is due to have a baby next month.  Except she told me that she's been having contractions all day.  I might have to burn some midnight oil!

It's so cool how you just pick up the stitches instead of sewing the squares together.  I think I'd like to make one in two colors and do an even pattern instead of the random I'm doing here.  Gotta get this one done, first!

Still going back and forth to the doctor, but I think I'm on my way to recovery.  By replenishing my potassium I've pretty much stopped the afib and SVT.  But I was having a hard time finding a blood pressure drug that didn't have terrible side effects.  Gotta love allergies!  Anyway, I decided to completely wean myself off all blood pressure meds and control it with diet and exercise, with the blessing of my doctor.  It seems to be going well, it's only been a couple of days but I'm okay.  The doctor prescribed a pill that is half the dose of my current one, so when I started cutting it would be easier.  They are triangular shaped and halving them is fine, but quartering them makes crumbs.  The half dose will cut just fine and will be the equivalent of a quarter of the larger pill.  My acupuncturist is working to help the transition too, and has ordered some Chinese herbs to go along with his work.

I am starting to feel great, so grateful for that!

Another Party

Sam will be 8 on Tuesday.  This weekend his birthday wish was an overnight camping trip.  Then today we joined them for his family party.

Is he growing up or what?!!

Sydney got his cars out and he and Gracie spent a long time building a city under the picnic table.  Can we say, filthy kids?

Beautiful evening and the weather was perfect-low 80's.  The kids played and played while the adults chatted.  Grace even talked me into climbing down to the creek.  What a lot of fun!

Sad Day

I was in Bozeman when I heard there was a terrible storm warning for Manhattan.  I called Stan and he said he thought it would go around.  Well, it didn't.

Nice little pile up against the door!

My kale!

And Stan's tomatoes!

These leaves blew all the way over the house onto the truck.  The whole town is carpeted with leaves and branches.

Gardeners all over town are sobbing and fingering shredded bean plants.  Usually the storms go around Manhattan but not this time.  Other towns in Montana got it even worse-one town had many trees blown down and the last I heard they still didn't have power because of downed power lines.

Isn't this Cute?

Stopped by one of my favorite coffee shops today.  They've remodeled, including the bathroom.  Isn't this a cute idea for a light fixture?

I'm doing better-got on a more compatible blood pressure medication.  Found out I shouldn't have been taking the one I was.  Very dangerous for people with asthma!  I couldn't figure out why my asthma was getting worse and it was so hard to breathe-now I know!  I'm already breathing better and am walking all over the place!  The pharmacist asked if I had tapered off the old pill.  "No," I said, "They told me I could just quit."  No, I should have tapered-I've had a few problems, but nothing dangerous, and I'm almost to the other side.  I truly believe that if I stick to the new pill and the supplements for the heart I will be totally well in no time!  No more emergency rooms for me!

Anyway, if you want a light like that, buy some jars and pebbles and get a drill.  They really are cute!