No Excuses

It has been an interesting fall for us, with ups and downs. I cannot deny that the grueling, unrelenting specter of this pandemic has sapped my desire to add to my blog. But it is December 31 and I have promised myself to record our autumn events, since I have so much to be thankful for.

In September I came across this little Bernina 215 sewing machine. This is a basic model without decorative stitches but it sews so beautifully that I am happy to add it to my craft room. I immediately stitched up a padded pouch to hold accessories. And when my main machine is in for maintenance I will now have a way to sew. 

I found this fabric with phoenixes all over it and had to make a dress for granddaughter Jillian. She told me “Grandma, phoenixes are my favorite mythical creature!”

I also made up a couple of quilted wall hangings. Now, I love to quilt, but I have no wall space or bed space for a quilt. These are 6” wide and 12” or 18” long so I can find a spot for them. I do enjoy changing out decor seasonally.

This past year I have found Fabrics-store.com and their beautiful linen fabrics, so I sewed myself some kitchen towels, using decorative stitches on my Bernina 480 machine as accents. 

I showed Bob some photos of turned gnomes and he immediately started making me some. Here’s a tiny one that I keep in my kitchen… and here’s a Viking gnome for the living room. I just love these!

On the “Weaving in the Saori Way” group on Ravelry we were challenged to weave something for the home. I wove up some coasters using a warp I already had on my 9.5” 8S Leclerc Voyageur table loom. A quick and fun project.

Bob and I weren’t the only ones having fun in October. Auggie dressed as a taco and won second prize in the doggie Halloween contest. Yes, that is definitely a happy look on his face—he loves wearing costumes and enjoys the attention he gets from it.

The best time we had in October, though, was when two of my sisters flew out for a long weekend. Cher (from Florida) and Gail (from Texas) made the trip and stayed in our motorhome which we took out of storage for the occasion. We had so much fun shopping and hanging out (and of course enjoying homemade margaritas!) What a joy to see them.

In November Bob and I went to a couple of interesting places. One of my friends belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and she told us about the Mesa Arizona Temple, just up the road from us. Apparently few people ever get to see inside (not even people of that faith) yet it was opening for two weeks for tours so she urged us to go see it while we could. It was a pretty amazing place. Unfortunately we could not take any photos inside but we could photograph the outside. We brought some friends with us and we all enjoyed the tour.

For my birthday Bob took my to Taliesin West, a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Phoenix. This was our third FLW house and as always we were blown away by the genius of this architect. Afterwards we ate lunch at Giving Tree Cafe, a vegan restaurant in Phoenix, and had a yummy meal. We enjoyed a vegan Thanksgiving (“Thanks-living”) as well, purchasing a takeout feast from Green New American Restaurant in Tempe, as we had in 2020.

We aren’t getting any younger, though, and in October I had an episode of a-fib so my doctor sent me to a cardiologist. After six long weeks of testing (and then waiting for a report) I learned that I am fine. Whew! That was a scary couple of months. Then in December I experienced my first, and hopefully last, kidney stone. I am now drinking lots of water faithfully and will never allow myself to be dehydrated again.

Bob decorated our house again for Christmas, adding an angel to our star decoration on the side of our carport. The angel was made by a fellow woodworker who passed away a year or so ago.

Wishing all of my blog readers health, peace, and a very happy New Year.