Drought, but still blooming!

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How, during one of the worst droughts in South Texas history, can this beautiful Amaryllid be blooming right outside our front door? We haven't been watering that much. I guess it is just a hardier species than most. It has two beautiful blooms on it and will soon have two more.




The drought has destroyed any plants I put in my cement urn near the front porch. I finally gave up and put in some artificial plants to at least give us some color. It almost looks natural--it might fool people who don't realize that nothing else is in this kind of shape.

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I had a stack of 4.5"' squares that I had cut out for some I Spy baby quilts. I finally got around to making two quilts, and didn't have enough left over for another. So I used them for these little things. They are only 14" square, not counting the ribbons. I've heard them called "church quilts," "woobies" or "bankies" according to how juvenile the person is who describes them. Babies seem to like all the ribbon tags around the edges.


Some people are afraid that babies might get their fingers caught in the ribbon loops. These loops are 4" pieces folded in half, so they are really too big to get fingers caught, and too small to get a little fist through. If the mother has a worry about it, she can always just snip open the loops at the fold.

These quilts and "woobies" are not for any particular baby; I just wanted to have some baby gifts ready to go when another baby comes along. I have a large extended family so there will always be another baby eventually. I have the larger quilt tops done but I haven't sandwiched them or quilted them yet.



I need to make some gifts for the weddings that will be coming along, too. That's a project for later, though. I have a list of projects I want to do first. Isn't that always the case?

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Hubby's new baby

Hubby just got a new toy for his birthday! He just picked it up today. He's just as proud as Punch. He is selling his Suzuki to our youngest son, since his car wasn't worth repairing. The truck has a really smooth ride, and all the bells and whistles.

I'm down to using a cane now instead of crutches. I'm a little nervous of losing my balance still. By Monday I hope to be walking normally.

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New sewing project

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Copper loves to go "walkies." I went looking for a new harness for him, but the only ones I could find at the pet supply stores looked very uncomfortable, and when he walks with just his collar, he ends up choking himself by pulling too hard. He really needed a good, comfortable harness.

So I went looking on the internet, thinking someone must have copied one of those new "safe" harnesses they advertise on TV. No such luck--but I found a good tutorial for a really cute vest-type harness that I felt I could adapt a bit.

The original tutorial was posted by Erin Erickson here:

http://www.erinerickson.com/2010/11/little-dog-harness-tutorial/

Her dog is such a cute model! The harness is designed to close with Velcro, but I prefer to use something a little more secure since Copper pulls a lot. So I used the "Loki Harness" pattern on the same PDF, shortened the belly straps a couple of inches, and inserted a snap-buckle and straps on each side. I kept the neck the same but overlapped it with a button and buttonhole. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!


It was really easy to make, even with the changes I made. I think it took less than an hour. Erin also has some other really cute dog accessories with tutorials.


Copper seems to like it. He loves being fussed over! It certainly looks a lot more comfortable than the store-bought harnesses. There's a D-ring on the back for his leash to hook onto.

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This is my fat knee without the bandages on. Two small puncture wounds with a single stitch in each. It is a little swollen and bruised yet. It is very sore, but that's probably because I've been putting more weight on it today. I'm looking forward to walking without pain very soon.

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Hobbling along

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I finally had my knee arthroscopy on Friday, and am hobbling around on crutches for the next day or two. The pain was pretty bad on Saturday, less on Sunday, and today I can put most of my weight on it without difficulty. The crutches are just to keep me steady at this point. By this weekend I hope to be walking normally again.

My son borrowed my car while his is in the shop, which came at a good time since I'm not using it anyway. I'm not supposed to drive for the rest of this week. (Husband's orders, not the doctors'!)

Hubby has been watching me like a hawk. As a retired rehab nurse, he helps me with my crutch technique, etc. He fetches and carries for me, too. It's great to have a private nurse!

My bandage comes off today and I can finally shower. I'm curious as to what the incisions look like.

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Meanwhile, I found these aprons in my MIL's things and thought they were very cute.

a plain, full skirted half-apron

a half-apron with scalloped hem, two pockets, and rick-rack trim


a really cute hostess apron with fish pocket

I'm into aprons right now. I've spent a couple of days at the computer downloading free apron patterns and believe me, there are a lot of cute ones out there. I'm thinking about making some of the free-domain ones to sell at a fair in Arkansas next year. I have plenty of fabric and lots of free time right now. If I do make some, I'll try to post some pics.

It is interesting that aprons kind of fell out of favor for 30 years, but now are considered retro-chic! A lot of the free patterns on the web are put there by young women who are probably riding the crest of the "newest wave." I have several in my kitchen linen stash, but rarely wear one myself. That may change if I really get into this.

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