Thought you’d like a peek of four projects I am working on (and they look like something so I won’t be contradicting myself from an earlier post. The two on the top have deadlines!

Top left:RR a seaside inn from a Charles Wysocki leaflet (you should see all the fabric tucked under this one!), then the little Love Quilts bear with package (about 75% complete), then Walk in the Woods ‘ABCs’ by Cross-eyed Cricket (don’t cringe about the size of the fabric on this or) Giggles in the Snow, little boy on the fabric with the woven silver metallic threads for the Mirabilia stitch-along. As you can see, I like to start at the top.

All I wanted for Christmas…well almost, was a pair of the awesome wool slipper socks that I found in a shoe store a few years ago. I bought the first pair and fell in love with them. They are not itchy. They keep your piggies warm as toast, as a matter of fact. So Brian worked near another one of the same shoe stores and got me another pair! But low and behold, they are getting shaggy and pilled. He went back to the store last month, no luck. I am looking on the web, there are some like them, but close and no cigar! And expensive. I need to learn how to knit socks. My feet were like ice today, I got my woolies on, and I was happy.

Taken last week at Longwood Gardens

I was going through my desk and found a note from my late grandmother dated 10-8-81. I had asked her to share some family history in a previous note.
She said her maiden name Kuykendall was Holland Dutch and the family came to New York from New Amsterdam. Their name was Jacobson Van Kuykendall and dropped the first two parts of the name later. My great grandfather was finishing med school after my grandmom was born and only practiced medicine for two years before enlisting in World War I. He died in France while waiting to come home. His father was also a doctor and with another doctor, started the Eugene Hospital in Oregon.
Her forefathers came to Oregon from Monroe, Wisconsin in April, 1852. My grandmom’s mom came from Galesburg, Ill in 1851 (The Hadleys). I also have relatives from Kentucky (Withers). Her mom’s people raised horses and cattle while her dad’s family were professionals like doctors and lawyers.
That’s all she wrote, but isn’t it neat info? Gee, maybe I’ll find some long lost relatives. : )

My Uncle Don, age 82.5, fainted today in the bathroom. Luckily some guy was out raking leaves or cleaning his yard and his stepdaughter were there, but they had to get an ambulance to take him to the hospital. The only thing I know is that his heart is ok but he can’t walk. This is my only uncle, so I am praying his spunk will get him up and moving. It looks like it may be wise to have him and his older wife in an assisted living facility until he (hopefully) is on his feet again.
Lots of ‘stuff’ hitting the fan, but I won’t go into it as I think I’m being stalked on my own blog. Don’t worry, I think everything is ok as I have been told by a number of regular eBay users that what I’m doing is fine.

~Update-Uncle Don is being watched in the hospital (the same one that two of my brothers and I were born in). He’s got a bit of a fever, is weak, but ate some spaghetti and something else starchy for dinner. I’ll give him a call tomorrow.

Sean went back to Penn State today and was home by 1:00. He has three classes on Tuesday and Thursday,(only two today). He ordered his books online so he can pick them up tomorrow. Isn’t that the life? I remember standing in line for eternity at the bookstore in my younger days. The loan gave him just the right amount of money, so he has like $10 left for binders. We also got a repayment schedule for the loan. I guess they do that if they don’t think you are going to use them for the remainder of the student’s schooling. I can see Brian freaking. I just thought about it a little and came to that conclusion. I don’t remember paying back loans until I graduated. Brian never had a school loan. Nice, huh?
I listed a few things on eBay today. That one seller who is keeping it up with the feedback I left her has taken some of the fun out of it for me. I thumb my nose at her and I bought a few more things today to try and sell. My friend Karin told me to ‘stick to my guns’ and don’t give into pressure to take away the ‘bland’ negative feedback I left her. In fact, I thank my readers here and on my eBay group for reassuring me about that too.
It’s in the high 50s today! I am really tired from taking down the tree and decorations, though I am not finished yet. I wanted to support my mom when she went to a nerve specialist today, but I wasn’t up to driving 45 minutes (one way) and I figured it was mostly a consultation. Mom liked the doctor. He said that her scars from shingles were some of the worse he’s since. He said she looks good for her age (didn’t mention how thin she is at around 113). The nerves are damaged and that can’t be reversed. Mom seemed better from going as she has been apprehensive about this visit.

I know, I know…Memorex is audio and these are visual…
The first two are cakes! (I need to find the link).
The second two are murals. Enjoy!

(It looked like this one from the 20s, but not as in good shape)

I have a respect for old furniture. I have a few ‘rescued’ pieces in my home. My great aunt’s opened shelf hutch, an old child’s desk, a few wooden kiddie chairs and my grandmom’s Martha Washington sewing cabinet. I can’t forget the 1900 dresser with the beveled oval mirror in the guest room.
My only consolation was I had about a 10 pd bag of coins from a combo of what Sean had squirreled away and what I had. I must have been standing at the Coinstar machine for 5+minutes (yeah they take 8%, but that’s many hours of wrapping coins that I didn’t have to do) and we ended up getting $97! Yippee.
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Later today, I guess we’ll say ‘bye bye’ to the pretty Christmas tree. It’s been a joy to look at this year. Only wish my mom and other family members could have gotten to see it. My brother and his family were at Longwood Gardens (where Sean and I went last night) on New Year’s Day and didn’t stop by. We are only 10 minutes away. Guess it was getting late or they had other people with them. They didn’t say.

My mom had viewed a special called Kristi Yamaguchi and Friends on New Year’s Day and was telling me about how all the popular ice skaters now have children, including Kristi herself (she has two little girls). Last night I got to see an hour of the show!
Scott Hamilton has a look-alike little boy (so glad as he had had cancer); Kurt Browning has a little boy; Nancy Kerrigan has two little boys and one of my favorite ice skaters-Ekaterina Gordeeva has two daughters by two different Olympic skaters. She lost her first husband Sergei back in ’95 when he suffered a massive heart attack at age 28. Their daughter Daria is now 13 and the splitting image of her dad. Guess who Katia is skating with now? Yep, lovely ‘Dasha’. It brought tears to my eyes.

Daria ‘Dasha’ Grinkova