Monday, November 16, 2020

November 16, 2020 Monday--noon

 On the cusp of the day, I guess, when I started.  
Blogger did not allow one single comment to my email box this week.  I do comment on your blogs, though, when I can and read every one of your comments before I post them.  This may be the way it is from now on, I guess.  Also the videos seem to be smaller in size no matter what I do.  Oh well.  Adjustments and adaptations are forced upon us.  Nothing much we can do about it.  
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Well, we had a dusting of snow early in the week.  So windy that it blew the dry snow down into the grass and caught it along the edges.
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Big news!  Caroline is going to a new job with a different company come the new year.  Since she has two jobs at her present company (office and cleaner) she is asking if she can keep me as a cleaning client.  After she was promoted, they kind of bent the rules and let her keep a couple of clients she had for personal help visits.  But they might not let her keep me when she leaves her main job there.  Both Leah and I wrote letters asking to keep her, but who knows?  She's been with me since around 2006!  She'll let me know as soon as she hears something.
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Annie doesn't like any visitors whatsoever so she doesn't care.
I do, though.
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Partridges were coming regularly, but visits have dropped way down the past several days and I have no clue why.  

They should be here more often as it has been so cold.  Maybe because I have been gone a bit I just haven't seen them...I hope.
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I've been working on Christmas cards the past week.  It's taking me longer than normal as I have had some really sharp back pains--kinks, I call them.  So I work a while and rest a while.  My back is the boss of me.
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I started out trying the circular die we wanted for the fronts of the cards...but it was really hard to get it out of the die...even using waxed paper.
So I switched up to another Merry Christmas die that was much easier to pop out and will be easier to glue, too, because the font is wider.
That's been my big project for this week.  
The Vagabond has been getting a good working out--LOL!
Got 80 out of 100 of them cut out so far.
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On Thursday I went for my first bubble visit in 5 1/2 weeks!  Ian was still working on my surprise.  I took a short video.
Gramma usually uses the recliner when I am visiting.
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Mama put a halt to the masking tape beginning platform--this was plenty--LOL!  
BTW--Ian bundles up all the used tape into a ball and uses it to aim at a masking tape target he made on the wall.  Always thinking of something!
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Ian showed me his big drawing of all the characters from Guess How Much I Love You that he made!
Wanted me to be sure and get the whole thing in the picture.  It's four sheets taped together to make a kind of mural.
And you can see, that's exactly what we were watching--LOL!
I also got to be there for a second Halloween!  Due to USPS being slow with the mail lately half the sugar free candies hadn't arrived in time so the boys got to have a second candy search in the dark with flashlights and glow sticks.  Then it was time to divide the goodies evenly.
Ian was in such a generous mood!  He gave Gramma a peanut butter cup right off the bat!  And he shared with Mama and Daddy...and even Ian got an extra goodie--LOL!
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Annie wants me to settle down in my chair ASAP when I have been gone.  Follows me around until I do and then hops up between my legs to sleep.  Here she wondered what the heck I was doing, though, taking her picture.  She was worried I wanted to get up again--LOL!
Otherwise, did the usual--laundry and cooking and such.  Back has been in a really bitchy mood lately...so instead of finishing the die cutting I sat and cut down the front papers that were bad.
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I think I showed you how only some of the fronts I had pre-taped the backs with the double-sided tape (last year, I think) had the glue soak through to the front side.  Yuck!
So I had to cut them down--30 of them.
So 70 of them will look like this.  The Merry Christmas isn't glued down but other wise these are done.
And 30 of them will look like this.
I cut down, creased, and folded the green card bases.  Still have to put double-sided tape on the back of the front background paper and tape them down...and we need to glue down the 100 die cuts on the fronts, too.  So a ways to go.
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Luckily, Leah is planning to come over on Tuesday night for a Craft Night!!  The first in months and months!  I hope to get done enough that all we have to do is glue on the die cuts to them all.  They won't all match this year, but them's the breaks--LOL!  ;)
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I went back for another bubble visit yesterday so I could spend time with the boys while Dagan and Leah worked on stuff.  Liam and Ian were supposed to work on making paper turkeys from their handprints, color them, and then Ian cut them out.  Liam didn't last long after the hand tracing.  He always seems to need to go find Mama, so I wasn't able to keep him out of their hair the whole time when they were working upstairs.  (Sorry, guys!)
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But Ian worked on the turkeys, finished them, and then did a little writing on and signing his name to the cards.  They were making cards to thank Uncle Aaron and his Great Grandma and Grandpa for all quarantining for two weeks so they could come over for Thanksgiving...and plus a hope you have a good Thanksgiving card for his cousin's family since they can't come (because they can't quarantine for two weeks as they teach school).  
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Yes, I forgot to take pictures.  
We were so busy.  ;)
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This afternoon Leah is picking up Cashwise groceries--and not only some for me, but her grandparents and brother so they can stay quarantined till Thanksgiving.  She does the drive up thing where they just stick it in the trunk.  I'm meeting her at my garage because I have a couple things to bring out anyways and I try to leave the apartment as little as possible.  Two birds with one stone.  We do masks, etc.  Leah washes up well when she gets home--me, too, after I put my groceries away.  Life is just like this now.  It is routine.  :)
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Woke up to a little more snow again.  It's 24 degrees right now (-4.4 C just asked Alexa) and supposed to get down to 16 tonight (-8.9 C).
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Three residents and one employee have tested positive where Mom lives now.  That's the most residents there have been.  I hope they nip it in the bud again.  They've been so strict there, but the virus is running rampant everywhere.  Fingers crossed and saying a prayer.
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Meanwhile...I shall be working on the Christmas cards and looking forward to a Craft Night with Leah tomorrow!  Stay safe everyone!  :)
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"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs."
Charlotte Bronte

13 comments:

Rita said...

My comment to get your comments.
Wishful thinking? ;)

Anvilcloud said...

You put a lot of effort into your cards, and I am sure that it gives you joy and is appreciated by the recipients.

As for the partridges, I am thinking that you don't have any pear trees, to which they are apparently drawn at this season. (I am a bit of a kidder.)

Bonnie said...

You are making great progress on your Christmas cards and I love the design! I enjoyed seeing the pictures and videos of the boys. How wonderful you got to visit them again. Annie reminds me of our cats the way she wants you to sit down in your chair and hold her. Our cats want both of us to sit in our chairs in the living room and if we get up they will try to lead us back to our chairs. I'm pretty sure they see us as their pets! Take care and have a good week Rita!

Juli said...

Bloggers driving me bonkers lately. I try to add new peeps into my sidebar, it works and the it doesn't save. Frustrating, for sure!

LOVE the cards. Some much time and effort. I love doing those things, but mass production is not my thing. I'd be better just sending out 10 or 15.

Cases are on the rise everywhere, but I did hear that the Dakotas are the highest in the nation right now, so please take care of yourself. (Still waiting on the Hub's test results, fingers crossed)

Maybe some of the partridges and already sitting in the pear trees. :)

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Your cards are awesome I wish I could do such work, I am busy trying to get mine ready to send out

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Your Christmas cards are so beautiful! I hope the partridges come back for you and Annie. I'm sure they provide a lot of entertainment for her during the day. Ian's mural is very creative. I can tell he has learned a lot from you and Leah. Enjoy craft night tomorrow!

Lady Fi said...

Lovely cards! Hope you get to keep Caroline...

DJan said...

Your post didn't show up in my news feed until this morning (Wednesday), but I still enjoyed it very much. I hope your back gets over its little tiff and gives you a break. Loved the pictures!

Jon said...

I always enjoy seeing how content Annie is and how much she enjoys being with you. And I'm glad the partridges have decent meal in the cold weather! The Christmas cards are beautiful - a lot of creativity and hard work goes into them, but it's obviously a labor of love.

Divers and Sundry said...

I hope you get to keep your same cleaner. Y'all get on so well, and not everyone suits. I love your Christmas cards :) How exciting to be able to visit in person. I hope where your mom lives is able to stop the spread. This virus is a bad spreader :(

Far Side of Fifty said...

I hope you get to keep Caroline! It would bad to train someone new. I have used that same Merry Christmas die...I have a fancy poker outer (is that even a word) it makes a difference.
Stay safe! :)

Serena Lewis said...

Sorry you're still having comment issues with Blogger. I've been lucky so far. I'm not a fan of the new Blogger. I guess at some point we will get used to it but there were a lot of people having a lot of glitches with their side-bars...not being able to add blogs to their Blog Lists, missing icons on said lists, issue with post editing, etc. Again, I was lucky but I totally understand the frustration.

I hope you will be able to keep Caroline. Fourteen years is a long time to have someone visiting and helping out. Friendships form and I can imagine it would be sad to lose her.

Annie looks so cute beside her spinner toy. Awww, she definitely misses you when you go out.

OH no...I hope the partridges return soon and haven't come to harm.

My back and hip like to rule me too. I hate those sharp pains which are usually indicative of a nerve being pressed on from inflammation, maybe even a bulging disc. Hope it settles down soon for you. I find I can only sit for a certain length of time too.

Those die cutouts are so nice and the cards look great! I'm sure you will love having Craft Night again with Leah.

Ian's masking tape path is hilarious! He did get a little carried away with it, didn't he? lol He has an active mind for sure. I LOVE his big drawing even though I don't know the characters. And what a lovely idea to make Thank You cards for family who quarantined for two weeks.

Covid times are scary and I wonder if we will ever go back to pre-Covid days. I worry for America. Over 250,000 Covid-related deaths is huge! :'(

You're getting colder there while we get hotter. We've used our new air-con TWICE! It's like heaven....YAY!

I hope your Mum stays safe. It's such a worry.

Stay safe and well, my friend. xo

Dee said...

Dear Rita, what a blessing Liam and Ian are to you and you to them. The two videos give such a sense of the happiness both boys feel in your presence. I'd say that your time with them was your Thanksgiving!

And thanks for the Bronte quote. So apt right especially. Hope all is well and that the back "kinks" resolve themselves soon. Peace.