Life Improvements

These two pictures are of some fabric sets I bought on eBay. They are Gypsy Song by Susan Winget for Benartex. The top photo is of 40 --5" squares. The second is of 40 --2.5" strips x 44" long. Together they should make up a nice wallhanging or lap quilt. I love the color combination.


This is a photo of 36--4" squares. I'll add these to the other squares I've received to make something, although I don't have anything in mind yet.

Tomorrow I have to make up about 12 cups of party mix for my quilt group meeting. I have a new recipe for it that I got from Taste of Home magazine; it uses ranch dressing mix to flavor it. I hope it turns out well--I really shouldn't use a recipe for a group until I've tried it out first, but this once I'll give it a try.

Things are just teetering on the cusp of some major improvements in our finances, etc. DH checked on his SS payments--they should start on the first of next month. His Medicare letter and cards are supposed to arrive by the end of the month. He also went to the Naval Base to see what he needed to do to sign up for TriCare. They informed him that he has been covered by TriCare Standard for the last 5 years!!! It would have been nice if they had sent him some cards or some kind of welcome packet. 5 years!!! during which I had multiple major surgery, he had major surgery, and we both incurred thousands of dollars worth of medical bills and pharmacy bills which were only partially covered by BCBS, and would have been covered by TriCare. The lady at the base said it would be almost impossible to recoup any of that at this point, that the paperwork would drag on for years and we would probably only get a fraction of it in return. Oh, well--water under the bridge. On the first of the month he will be eligible for TriCare for Life, and I will be eligible for TriCare Prime. We will be able to keep our present physicians, and we only live about 4-5 miles from the base.

He also discovered that he might be able to get a part-time job as a civilian worker at the base, which he would love to do. He is not happy at his present job, but after 26 years as a Hospital Corpsman he would easily qualify to work as a nurse at the base hospital (he has been an RN for about 34 years.) I would really love for him to do that, as the stress has really been tough on him lately. Stress on him translates into stress on me.

All in all, the first of next month should mark the dawn of a new period of our lives, with more income, fewer expenses, and less stress. Other than winning the state lottery, I couldn't ask for anything better!