Day 926

I don't even have the kids' quilts in the mail yet and I'm already starting on the next project.

Last year I used up every piece of Christmas fabric I had and sent in over 200 Christmas stockings to the Stockings for Soldiers organization. (That's the group that sends stockings and goodies to soldiers in the remotest regions of Afghanistan.) This year I'm planning on surpassing it on nothing but donated fabrics. Hubby started collecting from the staff at his school (that's today's picture). Next week I'll be getting donated fabric from the staff at my school. My deadline is mid-October so I have to get moving on this.

Anyone out there want to join in and be part of an especially special project? As long as I have fabric, I'll keep a-sewing! Can you imagine if we had 400 Christmas stockings headed to the Stockings for Soldiers organization this year, all thanks to everyone's generosity? I would love to have you be part of this.

Who's in?

Day 925

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? Not me. Seven complete.

Day 924

If anyone can shove a bunch of things into a short amount of time it seems to be me. I think it comes from still not having the stamina to make it a full day. I'm getting pretty good at sucking the marrow for only a few hours at a time.

The rest of the quilts done, school work. Lunch with daughter and her fiancé.

Shared cheese and bacon covered waffle fries. Not as good as they sounded. They wound up taking them home.

Shared desserts of chocolate chip skillet and brownie skillet. Even better than they look.

Kiddo and her guy taking me to Whole Foods for my first visit ever. Just as cool as I've heard.

A trip with them to the rose garden in Boise. Just as pretty as ever.

And the sign about the sprinklers? Ask me how I know that one is true. Actually the sprinkler surprise was quite refreshing on this hot day.

Day 923

This I know for sure:
Doing for others will make your own life better.

(Also - knowing you have these kinds of projects to come home to makes a day full of meetings not so bad.)

Day 922

I say I don't know. Hubby says praying mantis. What do you say?

UPDATE: My boss says Katydid. Guess that's why he's the boss and I'm not...

Day 921

Hubby always says "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades". I have to add something else to that.

Close also counts in quilts for kids. After a marathon weekend I came so very close to being finished. All but the bindings. Just look at that stack!

Day 920

The quilt-making machine called Deb is continuing.

And the countdown to the end of the Alejandra's menu is continuing. Steak con Camarones or Camarones a la Mexicana, the one described as having a chef's special sauce? Best sauce ever!

Day 919

I am planning on doing nothing but one thing this weekend. Today's picture is a clue.

Day 918

Good thing for phones with Internet access. The power has been out for a long stretch tonight (from the big storm that passed through, I imagine) and I have no computer and no wireless. But thank you phone (and rain) for giving me this picture to share. Taken with the phone, blog posted with the phone. Technology CAN be used for a good purpose.

Day 917

What do you think I kept repeating today?

I can do this...I can do this...I can do this... OR

I can't do this...I can't do this...I can't do this...

Both answers are correct. It changed throughout the day, even changed within a few seconds of each other depending on the task at hand. The task at hand being walking, that is. I'm about to give up and just make the scooter a 24/7 way of life. But I haven't given up yet. Hence today's pictures.

Just roses from the garden. Because of you, Linda, I am appreciating the beauty in my backyard.

Day 916

It's hard to get out of bed.
It's hard to get dressed.
It's next to impossible to get shoes on.
Walking is a chore. Breathing is a chore. Moving is a chore.
Thinking is muddled.
The knee is shot. The lungs are shot. The whole body is shot.

I'm tired of dragging myself around, pulling myself through the day. Despite the numerous times I rubbed the tattoo, you can live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... you can live deep and suck out all the marrow of life and the repetition - sometimes aloud of  I choose joy today...I choose joy today. it didn't change things. So what's left? Put a smile on my face and be ever-so-thankful for those around me. Thankful for my boss who is so understanding (I know you're reading this). And thankful for daughter and future son-in-law for the work they did in our gardens today.

They turned this:

into this:

And this:

 into this:

And this:

into this:

Thank heaven for little girls and for the guys who want to marry them!

Day 915

So I guess I didn't think this Facebook thing through all the way. I've made sure not to have ads (with the exception of my book) on the blog. If Facebook means I have to have ads on it I may need to pass on it. A question for those with Facebook experience- is there a way to block them?

Speaking of advertising...did you notice a new book cover up at the top right of this page? The Living Life One Picture at a Time book? The plan is to use the first 365 days of the blog and turn it into a book. A book about surviving, inspiring, service to others. I'm not quite sure what the marketing slant will be, but it'll reflect what happened to me when I started taking a picture every day. I'm hoping to get the Kindle version up in the next month as soon as I get the tedious job of editing it out of the way.

And speaking of tedious...can you imagine how tedious grocery shop would be with these kinds of shoes on? I never take pictures of strangers but these shoes in the grocery store made an impression on me. Impressed on me to never own shoes like these. (Apologies to anyone who does.)

Day 914

Welcome to the new look of my blog. You can tell something is up. It is.

I've made a decision. 86 days left. The blog stops at 1000 days.

When I first started here my goal was to get through a day. Hopefully string enough of those days to get to an entire year. And I did - and then some. And then some more. But it's about time for it to end.

My daughter wants me to try out Facebook. So I guess when 1000 days rolls around - I think that'll be right before Thanksgiving - I'll be making the shift.

Not yet though. I've got lots more to prove to myself before then.

Like being able to do for others with the completion of a colorful quilt top for a little girl in Alaska.

Day 913

There are so many things I love about my life. One of my most favorite is the time I get to spend working on charity quilts for kids. It always makes me thankful for my circumstances.

Joy is a choice.

Day 912

Today found us sleeping too late to see the balloons over Boise. Strawberry pancakes. A cold french dip sandwich. A training at school. Melted then frozen miniature candy bars. Receipt of a chastising email. A late afternoon-evening nap.

And cheerful fabrics in a quilt.

Day 911

If there was a messy way to decide on colors for a quilt, I think I found it. Lately it seems I pull all kinds of fabrics off the shelves and out of the drawers to make my decision. We'll see how many of these fabrics actually wind up in this next little girl's quilt.

Day 910

We've been skipping all over the menu to get finished up. This one is #20, Camarones al Mojo Ajo.

Day 909

Another little baby step on a quilt for a little guy in Alaska.

Day 908

Every day is a blessing. The universe works in my favor and knows what is best for me. It was confirmed again today.

I received an email this morning canceling a meeting that was scheduled at my second job (or is it my third?). That meant no driving, no dress clothes. A day in my home by myself, a day to work through infusion side effects. An unexpected semi-free time day.

It may have taken me forever to make tonight's dinner but I did it. If I didn't have today to myself I wouldn't have been able to pace myself like I did. The first meal I've cooked in ages. Oven baked chicken, homemade oven baked onion rings, some frozen veggies, and the easiest (and most delicious) homemade peach cobbler.

Day 907

When I dragged myself in the door yesterday I found that a new set of pictures came. Pictures from the military base in Alaska. Pictures of kids and dads and moms in the service. Pictures for me to put into quilts.

Then today I kept rubbing and reading my tattoo - a way to get myself out of bed, a way to motivate myself to try to overcome post-infusion side effects.

Put the two days together and I made it to the sewing room long enough to pick out some of the new fabrics to use in one of the new quilts.

Baby steps.

Day 906

I finally got proof that there is an owl close by. A single feather left on our patio.

Day 905

I wonder which picture would win a bizarre picture contest.

A close up of a drop of water on the tablecloth at today's meeting or the infusion I had after today's meeting.

Day 904

I got to kitty cat babysit at our place in Boise last night. While kiddo's kitty got in a bit of trouble by trying to jump on a kitchen counter during the night it sure is hard to scold her.

Just look at those eyes! Such a doll.

Day 903

While going to Boise for meetings isn't my favorite thing in the world, I do get a chance to spend time with my daughter. And today was a special shopping day. Me, kiddo, her fiancé, and her maid of honor. (I'm told it isn't all that unusual for fiancé to be part of this kind of shopping these days.)

Today was wedding dress shopping. Kiddo tried on several dresses, finding something good - and not so good - about each one. She's such a gorgeous girl they all looked great on her (yeah, that's a mom talking), but she easily narrowed it down to her favorite. While I'm forbidden to share her perfect choice she did give me permission to share some of other dresses she tried on.

Day 902

Selling on eBay is good because you make money off your clutter.

Selling on eBay is bad because you have to make frequent trips to the post office.

Making frequent trips to the post office is good because Alejandra's is about 10 steps away.

Being close to Alejandra's is bad because we're getting near the end of eating through the menu.

Being near the end of the menu is good because then we'll get to go back and eat some of the items that were our favorite.

Getting to eat some of the items that were our favorites is bad because there were too many to choose from.

Just look at today's choice. Fajita steak. Covered in peppers, onions, and melted cheese. Yum.

But look at that other picture that looks like a white rope. The bottom of the "rope" is the steak and the top of the "rope" is my fork. But it isn't a rope. It's the melted cheese. Have you ever seen anything like that?!

Day 901

You know dinner is going to be good when hubby says, "I was thinking Alejandra's."

Sizzling beef and shrimp fajitas for us to share. Just look at the bubbling hot concoction. Oh, yeah!

Day 900

No big excitement on this big day. 900 days of taking a picture a day. Who knew it would go so long? Certainly not me.

I guess there was some excitement. I had forgotten I bought a bag of cotton candy at the fair on Friday. It's been sitting in my car since. But today when I woke up from my nap and headed to my recliner hubby had taken out of the car and had put it in my chair.

It was like Christmas. (Or like day 900 I guess.) Who knows how long it would have stayed in that hot car before I remembered it!

Day 899

We love having a daughter who works at Macy's. While she doesn't get an employee discount (she'd have to have a store credit card and she stays away from those), she still knows when the good sales come on and which rack to find the best bargains. And with hubby needing new school pants and Macy's having a one day sale, today was right for a nice savings.

Just two pair of expensive pants for under forty dollars. How expensive? Take a look at how much we DIDN'T pay for them.

Day 898

I had a hard time settling on my pictures today. See, today for the first time since kiddo was in elementary school, we went to the Western Idaho Fair.

When junior high started she had volleyball practice. When high school started she had volleyball practice. When college started my knee was on the verge of replacement. When she left college the knee was finally replaced but then so many health issues arose for me I never could get back. Until today.

So thanks to scooter I went from one end of the fairgrounds to the other more than once. Kiddo, hubby, me.

Good food, good fun, great project ideas. Just look at this dollhouse that looks just like a quilt store! And for food, how about an ice cream potato? Vanilla ice cream rolled in cocoa powder to make it look like a potato. Cut it down the middle, add some whipped cream to mimic sour cream. Add Oreos and nuts. Oh, so tasty!

Day 897

It turned out better than I could ever have imagined.

Inside my arm, just above my left wrist. A constant reminder to me that despite all my health issues - all my pain, all my huffing and puffing and not being able to catch my breath, having to rely on a scooter to get around; despite the infusions and chemotherapy and all the side effects that go along with them - life is here to be lived.

And I intend to live it.

Day 896

After my meeting in Boise today I made a stop. The picture gives a big hint as to where I'll be spending some time tomorrow after my next meeting. I'm going for it!

Day 895

Kitty has the right idea. Sleep on top of the comforter. Don't forget to cover your eyes to block out the daylight!