2012 is here and the holidays are gone!

Now that the flurry of shopping for presents and decorating the house (although I hardly did any) and making cookies, now I can sit back and start to sew again. I have quilts to sew but haven't been able to get going on them. There are two things that I am interested in: Japanese Patchwork quilting and sewing small pocket bags. I saw the results of the Japanese patchwork on another blog and really liked it. I bought some books on it and am anxious to get started. I have included an example of it in the picture.


The other project that I am excited about is the pocket bags or small bags. I saw this on TV when Nancy from Nancy's Notions was showing how to make it. I now have the pattern and the zippers. I will put a picture of the purse when I finish. Wish me luck!

Off to get some Kielbasy!

Yesterday, My girlfriend, Toni, and I traveled to Shenadoah, PA to get some fresh Kielbasy. Here is the site www.kielbasy.net/. It was a beautiful ride up in the mountains. The town is a neat town in the Pennsylvania mountains. The houses are built into the mountains. We saw those great big wind turbines. They are lined up on the mountain ridges. We saw some that were lower - still high though - and it was so impressive!.

So we went to Kowalonek's to get fresh Kielbasy. There were so many people in the store, we couldn't believe it! We got number 48 and 49. They were on #20. We walked around the inside of the store and got some rye bread, nut rolls, pierogies, and Kielbasy dip while we waited. The people waiting were very friendly and were calm about waiting. Our numbers came up faster than we thought. There were many people working there and they were very helpful. 


I got 8 fresh Kielbasy sausages, 1 lb. Krowkaska lunchmeat, 1 smoked Kielbasy sausage, 4 jars red beet horseradish, and 1 jar white horseradish. Toni got some sausages and nut rolls. We asked the people waiting if there were any bakeries in town and they gave us directions. Everyone was so nice!


As we left, the line was now out the door into the parking lot. We got in our car and went to the bakery, It was in a house and the ladies there were very nice and helpful. I got iced raisin bread, some pastries, and directions to a good local restaurant to eat. We went to the restaurant. It was called Dutch Kitchen and was very nice. We had a cup of potato soup and the salad bar. The waitress was very nice. Then we headed home. 


It was a great day! We had a beautiful ride in the mountains, caught up on what me and my high school friend have been doing, met some friendly people, and got some very good Kielbasy and baked goods. 

Quilting blogs

I have been looking at quilting sites and blogs and I have found a great blog! Her blog is http://quiltworld2.blogspot.com/ and her name is Ulla. She is from Finland. Her work is beautiful and so well done!. Take a look at her craftsmanship and let me know what you think. The lady has so much talent!


Here are some of her creations:

Irene - we weathered the storm!

We had heavy rains and strong winds last night! Everything is OK. We have electric and our house is in 1 piece. Guess we are lucky. There are many people with no electricity or their houses are damaged. I feel for all of you!

Sounds I love to hear…

Today I was thinking of the sounds I love to hear.

• Birds singing in the morning - seems like they are so happy to be up early
• A train approaching from the distance - the sound of the train's warning whistle getting louder as the closer it gets
• Children laughing and playing outside - just enjoyment to my ears
• Babies giggling make me giggle, too.
• The ocean at night - you can hear the power of the waves yet it calms you to sleep
• "Gentlemen, start your engines!" - get ready!
• A dog barking in the distance - protecting its family
• The rustling of leaves on a tree moving to a summer breeze
• The ice cream truck music - Ice cream! Ice cream!
• A frog's mating call on a hot summer night -
• The bark of a puppy when playing - ready for the next move
• The sound of a marching band in a parade - wave a flag
• Echo of a cannon shot in the hills - how far can it be heard?
• The splash of a child jumping into a pool - hey Grandma, look!
• The squeaking of a swing when a child swings
• The startup of a lawnmower in the Spring
• Snow landing on the bushes and the ground - you have to be real quiet to hear it
• Happy Birthday!
• Congratulations!
• My granddaughter telling me "It's a beautiful day Grandma!"
• A gentle rain
• A cat's meow
• You are now pronounced man and wife!
• Christmas bells ringing
• Church bells ringing - what time is it?
• Fireworks!
• A flag flapping in the wind
• Tap dancing shoes
• "Are you ready for some football?"
• A cow bell ringing
• The clip-clop sound of a horse
• Someone playing an accordion
• Someone playing a harp - so peaceful
• A hiccup
• Christmas Carols being sung
• A child singing
• Taps being played
• Santa saying "Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
• The sound of a water fountain
• Your favorite song being played on the radio
• The honking of horns for a newly married couple
• A newborn baby's 1st cry - whew!
• School bell
• Goodnight John Boy
• Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
• Touchdown!
• Home Run!
• The playing of the Star Spangled banner at the Olympics Awards Ceremony
• Thank you!
• A rooster crowing in the morning

Back to work!

It's been a busy time - physical therapy, Ocean City Streetrod show, and going back to work. I am glad that I have 3 days off this weekend! The streetrod show was great! The weather was perfect. I even ot a sunburn! We ate at Bon Fire twice. The first time there were 35 people with us. Most of them were with the car club.

My foot is getting better but just not 100%. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week. The doctor gave me a gel to put on the ankle. It is called Arnica Gel Plus. It is suppose to reduce the swelling and pain. It is a herbal method that goes back thousand of years. Hope it helps.

We have a new granddaughter. Her name is Carissa Peyton and she made her debut on 5/4/11. She is really cute! I even made her a quilt.

Went back to work on 5/23. It was nice seeing everyone again. Now I have to catch up with everything. By the end of the week I was tired!

Next weekend is the NSRA Nationals at York. Denny will be taking his '54 Chevy pickup. It is a nice event. Many of our friends go there.

Well, gotta get going to Ariana's birthday party. She is 7.

Healing...learning to walk again...

Last week the doctor told me to stop using the walker and take the boot off. That was so hard!!! My foot, ankle, and leg became swollen. I could only use a cane for support. It just hurt so much to even try to walk. I went to physical therapy on Tuesday and Brian said that my leg was used to being straight and not bendable. He said to go back to using the walker to learn to bend my leg when I walked. It is getting better. I just want to be able to walk without pain.

I have been able to get a chocheted blanket for the new baby coming. I also crocheted a blanket for Olivia. Next step is to make the baby quilt.

Foot surgery went well!

On February 24th I had foot surgery at York Hospital. Everything went well. I have cast on my right foot from below my knee to my toes. The doctor said that I cannot put weight on the foot for 5 weeks and then partial weight on it for 3 weeks. Physical therapy follows that.

I think that they should give pre-surgery instructions about how you will be getting around and that you should be building up your upper body strength. I have no upper body strength and cannot use the crutches or walker. Guess I am not a good hopper ;-).

I know this is a temporary situation and will pass. Can't wait until I can put weight on my foot and can drive!

Snow on the ground and thinking Spring - where is it?

Last week we had some warm weather and then it snowed again. So now I look out the window and see snow on the round but keep thinking of Spring. Looking forward to warm days, flowers sprouting, birds singing, people cutting their grass! I love the smell of cut grass especially in the spring.

I have started 2 projects. One is a crocheted baby afghan and the other is a baby quilt. I started the afghan using light yellow baby yarn. I plan to add pink and a light green, too. Then I will put a ruffle around it.

For the quilt, I bought some embroidered quilt blocks on EBay and will sew it together with pink fabric. The quilt blocks are white background and the embroidery is various baby girl blocks. It will look good with the pink fabric around the white blocks. Now I have to get going. The grandbaby is due in May.

Getting ready for Christmas & Thanksgiving!

I started shopping for Christmas presents. I ordered some from Amazon.com. I love that sight. It just makes it so easy to shop and they ship it right to your door. Love it!

Today I went to Kohl's and got some great deals! The store was packed but they seemed to handle it pretty well. I really didn't have to wait in line very long.

We have 9 grandchildren between the two of us. There is another grandchild on the way (next May). So there are a lot of gifts to get.

I also need to start shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. I want to get a 30 pound fresh turkey for the group we will have. I just love Thanksgiving! The family gets together and everyone sits at the table to eat. You try to catch up in what each person has been doing but sometimes you just run out of time. It is just great day!