Saturday-2pm

Good afternoon!

We actually received a reported 3 1/2 inches of snow a few days ago.

Actually looked like winter and there was just enough for plowing and shoveling. 

I've still been up before the sun sometimes.  

Just been off kilter lately. 

We've seen some blue skies, but it's been cold.  Was 17 below a few mornings ago and 11 below this morning. 

Not warm enough to melt the snow or ice, but windy as all get out. 

Enough to blow some of the snow away--LOL! 

I forgot to show you these little OliClip magnets I ordered for my planners. 

I saw them on youtube and actually bought them from The Needle Nook online.  They use these for holding instruction booklets or something--not really sure.  But they are strong little magnets and can hold quite a few pages together easily as bookmarks.  I am loving them!

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They came wrapped up in a crinkly pretty paper that Karma immediately claimed, of course, and has loved ever since.  

My new sewing machine needles arrived.  Now I have regular, jersey ball point, microtex (for suede and silk it said), and denim. 

I made patterns and did some cutting of fabric for the trial pads. 

Am saving all the cool squishy scraps.  I thought if I chop it up I could maybe use it for the stuffing in a stuffed toy.  ;)

Well, I am learning as I go.  Definitely need more than 1/4 inch seam allowance--LOL!  I could barely turn under the fabric to sew closed the turning hole (which I shouldn't have left on the wing because it was harder to sew and warped the shape of the wing).  I didn't need as many rows of stitches to attach the core...suede cloth is slipperier than I thought...and I don't know if our idea of having the core come around the sides of the wings a bit is going to work well or be necessary.  We already have waterproof PUL fabric inside the wings, anyways.  Yup--learning as we go.  :) 

I didn't add the snap yet.  Planning to haul these over to McFamily's tomorrow to have another sewing confab with Leah.  Will probably tweak the pieces I already cut for the other two trial pads before I sew those and then remake the patterns with some final adjustments.  Once we get the final decisions made, though, it will be mass-production, assembly-line sewing over here.  These are so soft!  Going to really like them, I think.  

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The last of my February orders have trickled in.  My new hook for the bathroom hand towel and washcloth--for when my new spacesaver gets together and installed.  

A laminator!  I bought a box of sheets for it, too.  I can make my own dividers for my planners, bookmarks, and other stuff.  Cool! 

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Okay--I have mentioned how I haven't been doing as well...actually since last fall.  I know I have fibro (plus arthritis and other assorted goodies) and I'm used to dealing with the constant pain...but I am not used to dealing for months with the more severe chronic fatigue that can go along with it.  A day or two here and there--or even a week at a time occasionally--but it's been a long time since it has lingered on and on and on.  :(

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  I call them my noodle days.  You know how when you are really sick with the flu or something and you feel just sooo weak all over--like you hardly have the energy to lift your arm or move at all?  That's what it is like.  Eyelids are stuck at half mast.  You take your temperature to double-check to see if you really do have the flu because, after all, you ache everywhere all the time and have IBS so it's kinda hard to tell--LOL! 

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Anyways, this is how weak I've been...

and how weird Karma is...

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  When I got the new end tables I shifted things around my chair.   

I moved my lapdesk to behind the end table to my right because I now wanted to have two pillows available, which I put to the left side, for helping to hold Ian when he's over.   

Why do I need all those pillows?  Well, I need a pillow to put under the lapdesk to get it up high enough for me to write in my chair (very nearsighted) and I also need a pillow if Karma wants to climb up on me for a cuddle.  She knows this and politely waits for me to get the pillow.  Why?  Because it hurts for her to step on me.  When I say I hurt all over...I really mean I hurt all over.  Anywhere you'd say poke me even gently with a finger...raw.  Karma knows I need a pillow for my protection. 

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What has this got to do with the carpet and my silly cat?  

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Well, I have felt sooo weak that I knocked over my red thermos of coffee onto the floor just being unable to lift the lapdesk up and over the cup to put it back behind the end table...twice in three days!!  The lapdesk is not that heavy, folks!  And that is my good arm!!  *sigh*  I made an attempt to clean it up with a bucket and rag...but just managed to spread the mess around.  Hard to do when you can't get down on your knees, either--LOL!  So I am going to borrow McFamily's SpotBot tomorrow so I can clean up the huge mess I made.  

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Meanwhile, Karma has claimed the biggest, darkest, brown coffee spot (was fuller that time) on the carpet!?!  Do you believe it?  Silly goose!  Now we have proof that she will claim absolutely anything on the carpet!

I moved the lapdesk back to its old spot on the left hand side of my chair...

...and put the big red pillow behind that end table, too--LOL!  No more knocking over my favorite cup!  (Good thing it's not glass, eh?)

Oh, and in case you're wondering what those black stripes are on my lapdesk--another little thing to help my bum arm.  Velcro.  I have the coordinating velcro strips on the back of my clipboard so that I can write letters without the paper sliding around because my left arm goes weak and starts to hurt from holding the paper still--LOL!   

Oh, the myriad of little limitations in my life--ROFL!

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Anyways, the last order arrived today.  Tracking said that this package had been at the Fargo post office since Monday and yet wasn't delivered until today.  Out post office has gotten very slow lately (my Netflix DVDs are normally a day or two late the past month or so), but this was extra slow even for them.  

I got these fineline applicator bottles.  I've seen people use them to apply paint (can even write with them) and gel medium (for gluing in small spaces). 

The thing I love about them is that they have this pin built into the cover that fits inside the narrow metal tip and that is supposed to prevent them from clogging!!  Whoohoo!   

Also got this Heidi Swapp craft mat--specifically because people complained in reviews on Amazon that it was too thick and heavy to roll up and take with when they traveled.  

I have been using oven liners.  They're heat resistant, good sized, and 20% off at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  But the oven liners are so lightweight that they slide all over the place on the glass tabletop when I am working on the art journals.  So I thought I'd try something thicker and a little heavier...and this new one is heat resistant, too.  We'll see how it cleans up.  I do like the light turquoise color!  Hey--I just realized it matches the floor lamp I have over there.

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Oh--before I forget and say goodbye--there's new troubles with Blogger/Google.  Apparently when people make blog comments who don't have a gmail account--those comment alerts are not sent to my gmail.  They are still posted on my blog, but if I don't get the email alert then I can't reply via email.  At least I think that's what's going on.  So, if you don't hear back from me when you comment...that may be the reason.  More Google shenanigans!  May or may not be fixed.  And I am not sure if that is exactly what is happening or why--but I know I am not getting all my email notifications as of a few days ago and they are not in spam and that is what I have heard through the grapevine.  In the meantime, if you really miss chatting with me--drop me an email.  :)

soulcomfort@gmail.com

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  Have a great rest of the weekend!

Hugs!!  :):)

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"People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within."

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross