New to me

Don't you just love color? I do. Well anyway, I have discovered batik. Of course I've seen it for years, and paid no attention. Now batik has caught my eye and I'm in love. I haven't been able to find a lot of clothes I love. I am in need of color in my life and the tops I have aren't doing it for me. So I'm cranking up the old sewing machine. I've been inspired by a lot of things I've seen. A lot of posts from advanced style, many decorative items, and most of all by the fact that I don't want to look like anyone else. I think I finally have the nerve to start designing the clothes I want for me. The top piece of fabric is full of color. I don't need to have such colorful pieces but I'm very impressed by the combinations of color. So I've ordered 3 pieces of fabric. I'll start with simple tops, etc. I think I may also try to embellish things I have. What fun I'll have. I find that a lot of batiks are sold as options for quilting. So I should be able to get fabrics around home.

At the same time I'm seeing the colorful batiks, I'm seeing some new pieces of jewelry. I am including a piece I love. I don't remember where I saw it. But I love it. A lot. I am going to try to coordinate some of my jewelry with the fabrics I use for sewing. I'm in need of  space in the studio. So maybe selling some of my least favorite pieces of jewelry on ebay will be a good idea. Now to figure out how to photograph it.

As you can tell, the ideas about the fabric are exciting me. I am finally finding enough energy to move about some more. I have been way too tired to do much but the exercise at the therapy center is helping. So maybe I can straighten or organize part of the studio and get some of these things done. Wish me luck.

Hello everyone

I have been tired the last week. Aching tired. I've been doing water exercises at therapy and they have the pool at 94 degrees. That is so warm it wears me out to be in it. But I do need to improve my stamina and I'm working on the back and knee problems. The top pic is how I would love to look. But the second is how I feel like I look. In addition to the problem of water that is too warm for me, I have gotten a haircut. I'm sure I have make clear previously the problem a bad hair day presents for me. Well, I had decided to grow out my hair but I wanted it layered in the back so it didn't hang funny. The first haircut had grown out some and I wanted more layering in the back. Now I love my stylist. I mean she is sweet, pretty, and talented. But somehow the wires got crossed and I am shorn. Really shorn. I really really really don't like it. I was already not liking the color and now the cut. I am ready to start wearing hats and I don't like them either.

Now to continue the complaints, I just am beside myself with anger at my sugar addictions and cravings. I don't seem to get through the day without wanting sweets. I know I am the only one who can handle the situation and turn it around. But I find myself eating sweets and hardly being aware of it. I think a good portion of my eating is sort of below the radar. I am now angry at myself because of it. So maybe I can use that to force a change. Hope so.

Devil Dog continues to be interesting. She has developed a love for carpet. Eating it that is. I got some nasty tasting spray at Petsmart. Yeah, right. She seems not to even notice. I know she is a chewer. So I'm in the market for other ideas. I got a bunch of rawhides. And I'm going to look for things that she can chew safely. I've never had a dog like this. My poodle was so smart if I said don't, she didn't. This one remembers don't about 3 seconds and then back to the carpet.

 I'm trying to increase the amount of activity I do every day. I have always been a low energy person. I'm hoping to build stamina more quickly than I have been. There are so many things I want to do. I need energy!!!!!!!!!

I have a huge window

I had two windows removed and one big window put in last year. And a new deck. So of course we added some bird feeders and some plants. Then I discovered that there is a huge difference in bird seeds. I'd been using a cheap seed from the dollar store or from the grocery store. I  went to Lowe's and bought a bag while I was there. Now the birds are all over it. Tons of different kinds of birds. And then, this. I am sure he knew I was there because he watched me. He's been back several times.

Having trouble with blog

I am having trouble with the blog. I try to follow a new blog and there is no button to allow it. Instead of Follow at the top of the blog there is share. Not what I want. I've tried logging in every way I can think of. I am so tired of seeing blogs I want to follow and can't. Just fussin.

I went to Kohls

Cheyenne, with the Cody

I still miss Shadow. But I am beginning to appreciate my other 2 dogs a lot. Cheyenne is my dog and Cody is Brian's. Except when one of us pets one of the dogs. Then they both want in on the loving no matter who it's coming from. Cheyenne is almost 7 months old. She is still completely nuts sometimes. Keeps me ducking.

Happy Mother's Day

Mistake

I was about to make a huge mistake. After my knee surgery I had decided I didn't need to go to physical therapy. I went after my previous knee surgery and at that time I did have the spinal stenosis but the therapy didn't seem to do much. So I was not going back. But... and this is a big BUT, I was in such pain and it was getting worse. So I took the doctor's advice and called for an appt. I had seen the therapist work at another place and he seemed to know what he was doing. Also, he had his own therapy center and the doctor who did the surgery highly recommended it. So on Thursday I went.

I don't know how any 2 initial visits to a therapy center could be more different. This time the therapist, a really good one, was thorough in his evaluation of my problems and immediately came up with some good things to do about them. One thing he said was that my kneecap had become loosened and was migrating to the left causing all sorts of havoc with the other structures of the knee. It made the knee swell a lot, causing pain. It made me walk differently than usual causing the back to hurt and more pain in the knee. He applied tape in a certain way to keep the kneecap where it is supposed to be and lo and behold this morning, my knee is less swollen and less painful. I think it feels better than it has since the surgery. Of course, I will continue to monitor the progress. Monday I am to take a water exercise class at the therapy center. And I am looking forward to it. I feel as if things are finally on the right track.

And to think I almost made the mistake of thinking that all therapy folks would do the same things. That would have been a big mistake.

Spring hasn't sprung yet

In some ways it looks like Spring has sprung. But yesterday we woke to a warm wind. A lot of warm wind. And as soon as it calmed a bit I was outside taking pics. Since I had my surgery I'm slower to do my laundry.(Brian does his own, always has). So I am digging into my closet for things to wear that I might not have worn. Anyway, I'm pleased with the top and pants, slinky, ebay and hsn. And the necklace, ebay, and the shoes, ebay.

Then it rained, and rained, and rained. We are 5 and a half inches above average for the year. And the temp dropped, and dropped, and dropped. So around 40 this morning. Up to 63 today. This up and down really screws with the clothing planning and also the nasal cavaties, and the back and knee.

Speaking of the back and knee, I'm really struggling here. The knee still hurts a lot and the sciatic nerve is talking back to it. So I'm having trouble getting up and around. So losing weight has not been part of the program. Being in pain is very tiring. I know I need to walk. And I don't know what to do about it. I need to be able to sit sometimes. So today I'm going to the mall(indoor) and buy some walking shoes. And I'm going to walk the mall. They have benches. I will say a prayer for my bank account before leaving home.

Wish me luck and have a super day.

She wiggled out

Gone is the cone of shame for my sweet Cheyenne. I have added another name to her list of aliases. Because of the super ability to chew up toys, She is also Anubis, Egyptian God of the Afterlife, The Dead. After she wiggled out of her cone, I purchased toys because she is more playful. Now I need to replace parts of half of the six(on sale) that I bought for her. It took 2 days. Hence Anubis.

OOTD for retired person at home

Turquoise--- is there any color more versatile? I haven't found a color it doesn't look good with. Anyway, I have not got a lot of short sleeved summery shirts. And I don't have a lot of money. Fixed income  you know. And I do have a lot of black. and I have always loved black and turquoise. Evidently Avon does too so they have several turquoise pieces now and some are with black. The earrings I'm wearing are Avon. I usually don't wear much silver but the offerings right now at Avon are so pretty I couldn't pass them up.

Today I heard about bin Laden. I am usually a total wimp when it comes to condemning someone to death. I think as a mother I could totally go after anyone who hurts my kids even though they are grown and gone. But I really believe myself to be a peaceful person. Except that, given the opportunity, I would have cheerfully ended his atrocities.

The weather here continues to waver. Yesterday B and I went to his mom's house to see the damage caused by the hailstorm that hit here. She has vinyl siding. There were holes all over the house. The hailstones had hit inside her gutters and there were nubs where it was dented from the inside. And luckily the window screens kept her windows from being broken. Many a car in this area is dented all over. I am grateful that our hail was a lot smaller. And that we didn't have a tornado here. I'm really proud of the way many people are pulling together to help those made homeless or with lots of damage.

I continue to be really grateful for the generosity of the bloggers.