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Life in hyperdrive

Vicki5 Comments

Or maybe that’s HIP-perdrive… my hip replacement surgery date is looming and, apparently, I’m getting all my summertime stuff (and them some) done in June!

I’ve been trying to write a post about “last weekend,” which is actually the weekend-before-last because… HYPERDRIVE! Time is flying.

Rusty & I went to DC for a few days! We visited the Renwick Gallery & the National Gallery & ate some great food & relaxed. I have the first post started but it may sit in “drafts” for a while longer, as I realized that I’ll have a bit of time on my hands post-surgery & can maybe get caught up then. It was a great trip!

LAST weekend, I took all the kiddos to the Green Bay Blizzard game. The “Blizz” are part of the professional Indoor Football League and, wow, that was something else! Short field, barely any sideline, lots of action — a cross between football & rugby, with a Nerf-ish football, and extracurricular antics that rival those at a softball game. So.much.going.on! The kids all stayed overnight!

The next day, I dropped everyone at home except Malina. She & I headed to Green Bay where she took part in a Blizzard Youth Camp. I was stunned (still am) that of 70-ish participants, SHE WAS THE ONLY GIRL!! She did great, too, for the first half — the second half got a little too technical & overwhelming (it may have been different if she’d started at another “station”)… so we went shopping at the Packers Pro Shop (she wanted a jersey) (and also got a cap) & out to lunch & stopped for some glorpy cookies to bring home for dessert. Then I kept her for a solo overnight, which was long overdue — we watched movies, she helped with dinner, and just hung out. Rusty took her on a hike to the studio & a park on Sunday morning. Ali picked her up at 11 & shared a photo of Malina completely zonked out in the car on the way home… “safe to say she had a great time!”

THIS weekend, on Sunday, I’m swinging down through Madison to pick up Annie & heading off to Viroqua where we’re having ourselves a short “Sister Weekend”! It starts on Sunday, so it still counts as the weekend.

In between all of the above: dentist appointment, surgery prep call, pre-op doc appointment + labs, locating & gathering equipment (cane, walker, etc.), jury duty, a run to Door County, and all the usual stuff!

I have my surgery date & all the PT appointments set for July… I’ll be working hard on recovery! Hopefully, things will really start moving along in August. I’m getting a little anxious & nervous about it all, but the pain & discomfort are increasing (regularly interrupting sleep now), so I’m also looking forward to just getting it done. I really can’t imagine how shitty this summer would be if I’d stuck to my original plan to wait until September.

Anyway, I’ll check in when I can… I’m not saying I won’t be posting until after surgery, but it definitely looks like posts will be more sporadic than usual.

Weekending

Weekending

Vicki8 Comments

The weather could not have been better, and we have a few more days of stellar weather before there’s a change. It’s warm, sunny, low humidity & dew point — it’s just perfect. More, please!!

My main accomplishment over the weekend was getting the first border sewn to my quilt top!

A workspace displaying a pile of colorful striped fabric strips, a rotary cutter, and a cutting mat with a gray felt surface.

There was a lot of cutting, piecing, trimming & pressing to start!

Close-up of a colorful fabric patchwork featuring stripes in pink and orange, green polka dots on a purple background, and textured dark fabric.

That matching of the join at the border with the sashing/cornerstone seam could not have lined up better if I’d planned it. I’m not sure that I would have planned it, but since it happened organically, I let it be.

A woman smiling while holding a colorful quilt adorned with various patchwork designs, standing on a porch.

I look pretty pleased, don’t I? It’s a pretty accurate image.

Next up are some large, dotty flying geese blocks. I made a paper template to check the proportions & may modify my original plan… will need to look at it again.

Here’s a little nugget to start your week with a smile:

A young child with blond hair stands in front of a wooden door, playfully covering their mouth with both hands while wearing a light blue shirt, denim jeans, and shoes.
A young child stands in front of a wooden door, wearing a light blue t-shirt with a graphic design, blue jeans, and brown shoes, with a decorative belt buckle.
A young child stands in front of a wooden door, wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and a large belt buckle. The child has short hair and is playfully covering their mouth with one hand.

We’ve been noticing Davy’s style lately — he’s been showing up with his t-shirt tucked neatly into his jeans. The only thing missing was a belt, and Ali fixed that with this amazing Golden-D version… which Davy absolutely cannot stop looking at! He looks pretty pleased, too, doesn’t he? So adorable.

Happy Monday! Happy June 1st!!

Quilting · Unraveled Wednesday / Knit & Read

Unraveled Wednesday: Summer Launch

Vicki7 Comments

I had a wonderfully long weekend with just the right amount of busy-ness, socializing, and rest.

A woman and two young girls lying in bed, smiling and posing for a selfie among pillows.

Taking a quick nap w/the girls… though I’m the only one who actually napped.

The weather was pretty great, too.

Close-up of a s'more featuring a broken piece of Hershey's chocolate and graham crackers, with a blurred background.

Ann, Brian & Addie came up for a quick visit Sunday-Monday, Ali & fam were in/out a few times, we made some yummy food, and had fun making s’mores.

I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday!

KNITTING:

I’m closing in on the back of Farfalle!

A knitted fabric in brown with colorful geometric patterns, laid out on a table.

I’m continuing the motif all the way up the back, though the designer has that stopping at some point and continuing with just the mosaic garter stitch. I have plenty of the Noro yarn… and I like how it looks. Two fronts shall soon(-ish) commence!

READING:

John of John for as long as I can keep my eyes open every night. I think I’m also going to start listening to it.

QUILTING:

I found some clear stacking drawer units & spent some time folding & organizing my fabric stash. I really need to see things, so this works for me!

Stacked clear storage boxes containing various colorful fabric pieces organized by pattern and color.
A clear storage container filled with neatly folded pieces of colorful fabric, displaying various patterns including polka dots, stripes, and floral designs.

The two drawers on top are all fat quarters, with just a few fat eighths & a couple of larger cuts. The middle drawer (with all the dots lined up on the left) is all Kaffe Fassett/Collective, and the top drawer is everything else I’ve collected over the years. There’s an old Craftsy kit occupying the bottom drawer right now (including a jelly roll & a thread collection), but that will likely find another spot as I think all my larger cuts of fabric (mostly Kaffe) will get folded & stored in there. I’m trying to make some room for actual sewing!!

I got together last night with The Tuesday Quilters — everyone in last winter’s sampler class has been itching to get together & work on a new project! I know, I know… there’s still a long way to go on my original project, but I’m really glad I went! One of the women in the group was 2.5 weeks out from hip replacement & doing great — using a cane, off of the hard drugs & even driving. It really made me feel good to see that.

We chose a project, will meet once a month instead of weekly (so it’ll be a little less hectic), and we’ll learn a few new things (hello, curves & strip piecing). Though I love & am tempted by all the colorful fabrics in that middle drawer, I think I might swing the other way for the new project… all those black & white fabrics, perhaps with a bit of red. And I’ll probably stick to “throw” size rather than going off the deep end again. haha.

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Touchdown!

Vicki4 Comments

Touchdown #1. Rusty didn’t waste any time getting to the beach yesterday; it’s only about a :10 minute walk from his Airbnb, and he said that it’s a really nice neighborhood. The Airbnb looked cute, too.

A pair of feet resting on sandy beach with ocean waves in the background and a clear blue sky.

He’s heading to old haunts in the Seal Beach area today, hopefully doing some visiting, definitely some sketching.

(Seeing those toes in the sand would make me feel pretty jealous if we weren’t heading to DC for a long weekend in a couple of weeks!)

Touchdown #2. A perk of one of my credit cards is an InstaCart credit, which I don’t always take advantage of, but sometimes…

An oval-shaped rug designed to resemble a football field, featuring yard markings, a large football at the center, and stadium outlines along the edges.

…the right thing comes along at the right time! It just so happens that I’m taking all the kids to a Green Bay Blizzard (indoor arena) football game in mid-June. And the next day, Malina will be attending their youth camp (she was the only one really interested). We sometimes refer to her as “Sporty Spice.” (And she’s in it for the fashion as much as anything else. haha.) Anyway, you can hardly live in NE Wisconsin and avoid football, but in reality — even though they’re aware, none of the kids really know how it works. ALDI just happened to have this amazing stadium rug yesterday, and I’ve been talking about getting out my mom’s “cheat sheet” football recipe cards… I just need to fashion some “players” and we’ll be ready for our own little training camp!