Almost Ready For Takeoff...

Monarch Front

I've finally released the butterfly from its hoop. First I used an awl to open small holes so I could insert each wing part. 

After each wing section was inserted, I turned to hoop over and stitched the wires to the back side of the body. I added a small bend near the end of the wire and continued to secure them so the wings couldn't be pulled out. I repeated this four times, securing all wing sections.

Monarch Back

Once the wings were attached, I cut the fabric away from the hoop, leaving enough extra to wrap around and secure the new body form inside. 

This photo shows the back after I finished sewing the fabric around the form. I'm a bit chuffed that the stitching on the back of my wings mirrors the front, making the wings look more realistic.

Closeup of Monarch Body

As you can see in this closeup, I haven't stitched the back of the body detail to cover all the fabric yet. It's really fiddly to hold the body in my hand while I complete this embroidery phase, so I admit, once I enclosed the body form, I took a break for the rest of the day.

All I have left to do is that detail stitching, and adding the legs! I'll share photographs once my Monarch is ready for takeoff!

A Lost Day...

All my Monarch supplies are still waiting for me. We had a family emergency today that completely derailed my stitching plans.

I won't go into details because we want to honor our family member's privacy, but I can tell you that Handsome and I are fine. This will be ongoing for the foreseeable future, but I should be able to get some more work done today. 

My first job will be to remake the body form slightly bigger. Once that's finished I'll be inserting the wings onto the stitched body and securing them to the back. Then I can remove the body from my hoop and begin encasing the form with the stitched body. These steps will take a while, but I'll make sure there are photographs to share  

Thanks for any prayers you may want to lift for my very vague family member's healing. God will know who you're talking about. Big hugs for all of you from me.

 

Beauty In A Jar...

These tomatoes were so tasty! I turned nine pounds of them, along with half a pound of green peppers and six ounces of sweet onion into these three gorgeous quarts and one pint of stewed tomatoes. 

The jars all sealed, are cleaned, labeled and in the pantry already. I'm looking forward to more tomatoes when they're ready to make more of this scarlet-colored goodness. 

Today is my first day of my new early morning shift. I'll be done by 10:30 am and will have the rest of the day ahead of me. It's going to be interesting to see how this night owl adjusts. We'll see. 

Veggie Days...

I received this beautiful box of goodness from Dawn and Pete yesterday and will be processing them into stewed tomatoes (with the addition of onions and fresh basil. The gorgeous green peppers are from Shelly. Why the delay?

Because I received nearly forty ears of fresh-off-the plants sweet corn from our neighbor Earl on Saturday. Handsome helped me shuck most of it, while I stripped the golden goodness off the cobs.

By late afternoon, we had fifteen pints cooling (with lids popping) on the counter. Of course, we had fresh corn on the cob with dinner both Saturday and Sunday nights, too. There's really nothing better.

Of course, no money changes hands.  I'll be taking fresh-baked pecan rolls to both of them during the week. That's how it's done between neighbors in farming country.

Happy Monday, friends!

 

Sunday Scripture...

Galatians 6:9

 

Never Goodbye...

Friday Crew. Front: Isobel, Ashley, Molly, Kim, Tina
Back: Max, Chloe, me, Brandon.(missing: MJ) 

Yesterday was my boss, Kim's last day at our station. She received a great offer from a large chain of stations and decided to take it.

I've known Kim since she was six, and I love her dearly. I originally started working at the station to help her out when she was short staffed. I said I'd stay on until she could get reliable help. That was two and a half years ago.

Now she's on to a new adventure and I'm still there. I'm going to stay to help Mona who was there before Kim or I. Mona worked for the previous owners, but she doesn't want to be a manager. Even so, she knows all the workings of the job and she's really indispensable. I'm changing my work schedule at her request to help with some of her duties and her fall schedule.

I'll be having my second knee replacement in October, and will be off until I've finished another round of physical therapy. Until then, I'll do my best to help Mona until a new manager is hired. 

I know Kim and I will keep in touch. Her folks are friends of Handsome and me, and we've all been friends outside this job. While everyone else was tearful and saying their goodbyes, I was the one hugging Kim and cheering her on.

This is an exciting new chapter for her. I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

Almost Ready To Fly...

Notice Bella in the background. She's always close when I'm stitching. 🖤

I spent hours at my needlework stand yesterday, and got quite a bit accomplished. I started by cutting and covering the antennae and legs. 

They were a lot less fun than I remembered. This task requires wrapping a single strand of silk thread (78" long) around a thin 6-1/4" length of wire. My fingers aren't as nimble as they were in 2019, which means it just took a bit longer than last time.

Once I completed the stitching on the butterfly's body, I attached the antennae to the head portion of the body. I realized at this point that the spare body from my red spotted purple is probably a bit small for the slightly larger monarch. I'll need to make a new one that fits.

Then I released the wing parts from the ground fabric and trimmed everything as close as I could without cutting into my needlework. That part of my task alone took a couple hours. 

When our class made our red spotted purple butterflies, Owen told us that we could take a dark marker to the trimmed edges if the light fabric showed. I used a fine tip Micron pen, and carefully moved around each wing part. Now the backs of the wings match the fronts. (I'll share photos of that in another post.)

So here's the list showing my progress, with one addition. I'll be attaching the wings today, and make the new body insert so I can prepare to close the fabric to form the body.

I'll be sliding into a new weekend by getting close to the finish line. I'll have new update photos soon.

 

This Is The Day...

Today's the day! I'm pulling out all the stops. Tomorrow you'll see real progress on my Monarch butterfly. 

No excuses today. I'll be cutting out wings; covering wires; and finishing the work on the body, so it can be cut out, too.

See you tomorrow!

 

Salad For Breakfast...

This is how we "roll" around here. Sorry. I couldn't resist. Work was a chore yesterday, so I really took it easy last night. I'm going to try to get back to normal today, and I'll let you know how it goes. 

Doing My Part...

Handsome drove me to my appointment at the blood bank yesterday. We went to the drive-in near home on the way back, too. After donating a pint, I needed something to eat, and he was ready for a meal, too.

The cool part is that when we stopped at the drive-in, we ran into the friend for whom I made the directed blood donation! He told me more than once how much he appreciated that I'd done that for him. Handsome and I have been friends with him and his family for about forty five years. There was never a question that I would help if I could.

When we got home, I drank lots of water to "refill my tank", and I was really tired, so I went upstairs and took what turned into a four hour nap. I didn't fight it either, knowing I work again today.

We're going to vote in our Wisconsin primary before my shift begins, and then I'll be on my feet for most of the next six hours. I'm pretty sure I'll be zonked out in my chair within an hour of getting out of my work duds and into something more comfy. I'm actually looking forward to it.

What's on your agenda today? 

I Baked...

The weather was mild, the breezes came through the open windows of the farmhouse, and it was a perfect day to bake. 

I made six loaves of bread, and sixteen more caramel pecan rolls. Fear not. Most of them left the farmhouse late yesterday to share with our neighbors. A few remained - to be enjoyed judiciously.

After all the dishes were washed and put away (thank you, Handsome), I pulled a jar of chicken soup/pot pie filling I canned a few months ago. I thickened it with my homemade chicken gravy mix, and made a crust specifically developed for meat pies. We had a homemade chicken pot pie for dinner. I do love having simple and tasty options at the end of a busy day. 

Today, I'm going to the blood bank to donate for a friend who needs a transfusion. Did you know you're allowed to request donations for upcoming procedures? All you need to do is plan ahead so the donations are received within a time frame that keeps them viable for the date of your procedure.

As I'm a "universal donor", they asked if I'd help by making a donation. I haven't donated since we lived in Florida, and I was happy to help, so off I go this morning to do my part.

I'll have the rest of the day to do as I please, plus Handsome has rehearsal tonight. I may even work on the monarch again!

 

Sunday Scripture...

Proverbs 16:7

Saturday Silliness...

Works for me, Steve!

That's Me...

If you could see my garden right now, you'd understand. We never planted anything this year, so my garden beds have completely run amok. Perhaps I'll be able to clean them out soon, looking forward to next year's planting.

I work tonight, and we've finally had enough rain that we can mow the yard again. I'll be avoiding a few previously clipped areas, because the chickory, clover and Queen Anne's lace have taken up residence. I love them more than grass, so I'll go around them so we can enjoy the color they provide a bit longer. I don't consider them weeds, and truthfully would prefer a yard filled with that over tamed grass any day. So I guess today's image is more appropriate than I originally thought. 

I hope you have a wonderful Friday, and I'll see you again tomorrow.

Well 'ello, 'arry Potter!...

Jan gave me a gift last time we were together. It's a Harry Potter crochet kit! This one includes the patterns and materials to make my very own Harry Potter!

According to the back of the box (I haven't opened it yet), also included are instructions and materials for Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Voldemort, Ginny, Dobby the house elf, The Sorting Hat, Hedwig, Norbert the Dragon, and student robes/scarves.

I admit I'm only slightly disappointed that the crochet hook doesn't resemble a wand, but I'm sure these will be fun when I get to them.

There's a 30% off sticker on the front of the box from Target, so my keen deductive mind is going to conclude that's where Jan found this gift (in case any of my crochet friends want a set for themselves).

I think it might be fun to work on these when Handsome and I have another Potter marathon when I'm recuperating from my knee replacement this fall. Of course, not right away, as the meds might make for some deformed characters. (ya think?)

Nevertheless, I's a fun gift from one Potter fan to another, and it will be fun to work with yarn again. Thanks, sis!

My Current Mindset...

After a full day of (for me, arduous) work, this is where my mind is today. I got the dogs out for a bit of romping, made coffee, and Handsome and I are currently enjoying our morning cuppas.

My knee hurts. My shoulders are sore, and my mind is weary. I'd love to stay in bed and sleep, but I'm too achey to be comfortable. 

So instead, I'm going to sip my coffee with my feet up, be grateful for another day, and not complain. I'm going to simply "be" for a bit, and decide where the rest of this day will lead me.

If you're feeling the same, know you're not alone. You're never alone. Someone you may not even know loves and cares that you're here. It's okay to just "be". 

Have a blessed, peaceful day, my dears.

Baking For Barter...

Shelly and Andy gave us some beautiful eating cucumbers and a watermelon they grew next door, so I wanted to reciprocate to say thank you. For me, that means baking. I've made the same arrangement with my friends, Dawn and Pete.

I wanted to try adding a new ingredient to my cinnamon rolls, and then make caramel pecan rolls to add a new variety to my repertoire.

I made a sixteen rolls, sending half to Shelly and Andy and their grandsons who are visiting. The rest stayed her. (I have to test them, after all!) Sorry, I didn't stop for pictures until the big tray went next door.  

Handsome tried the pecan rolls, and allowed as how I could make them any time. Later I got a message from Shelly that they loved the new ones, too. That means now I can offer cinnamon rolls, caramel pecan rolls and/or farmhouse bread and hamburger buns to barter for fresh produce for eating and canning.. I feel really great about that.

I'm back to work today, but I wanted to tell you my schedule is changing. Beginning August 17th, I'll be working Mondays from 6 am until 10 am; Tuesdays from 6 am to 10 am (instead of  6 am until 4 pm or my previous 10 am to 4 pm); and then my regular Friday evenings from 4 pm until 6:30 or 7 pm. 

I'll have this schedule (by choice) until I have my knee surgery in October. I'll definitely need to get to bed early on the nights before my new work days! I'm looking forward to it, too!

I'd better get crackin' now, though. I still have two six-hour Tuesdays before I start the new schedule. I don't want to be late, so I'll see you tomorrow!

 

Pizza Sauce...

I had four quarts of tomatoes left in our freezer and decided to use them for homemade pizza sauce. I left them to thaw overnight, and yesterday morning, not only were they ready, but all the excess water from the tomatoes easily drained off.

I removed the cores and skins, and then put the tomato "meat" in my small electric roaster. I added chopped onion, and added garlic, fresh basil leaves, Italian seasoning, and two twelve ounce jars of my homemade Rotel to liven it up a bit.

Once in the roaster, I set the temperature and let it cook down for a couple hours. When it was ready, I put 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice in each jar and filled them with my pizza sauce. Into the water bath canner for twenty five minutes, once the water is at a hard boil, and it's shelf-stable until we need it.

Now, we have more pizza sauce to refill what we've been using. I'll share stitching progress photos tomorrow, but had to share these beautiful jars first.

 

Sunday Scripture...

Romans 12:18
(not Romantic. Thanks autocorrect! and Lois for catching the error) 12:18

Sharing A Skill...

It was so lovely spending part of my day with these ladies. My eldest niece (and goddaughter) and her youngest were visiting from out of state, and came to help me can thirteen pounds of pickles.

When my niece was little her mama (my sister who has passed)) canned pickles nearly every year. My niece and her sister were always tasked with scrubbing the cucumbers to prepare them.

Yesterday, my plan was to teach my now-adult niece and her daughter how to do one thing her mom loved to do. 

My great-niece did the scrubbing, but then I taught her to safely use my Cuisinart food processor to slice the veggies. It was so much easier than her mama and me hand slicing! Then I taught them how to fill the jars, clean the rims and seal them.

In the end, we had eight quarts of bread and butter pickles, and two quarts, plus two half pints of dill pickles. Of course, I sent them home with some. AND, I finished everything in time for me to sit down for an hour before I had to shower and be at work for my shift.

I will say I didn't stay up late last night. I crawled into bed early and was soon out like a light.

I'll wash and put away my jars this morning, and will put in a little time with my needlework this afternoon. It started raining last night, and continues today. It's just what we need, so it's a perfect day for hanging out indoors.

Welcome August!