This May Be the End.........

Help! While signing into blogger this morning (for some reason, I have to sign in more than not lately - I don't ever "sign out" - sooooo??????), I was taken to a funky Google site.  Everything has changed.  I don't like the new "Post" page.  I think I'm now hooked up to "You Tube".  They have most of the blogs I follow, but also some blogs I deleted a very long time ago!

Does anyone know what is going on?  Am I in the right place?  Did Blogger get all mixed up with Google now?  I have to go through all of Google's sites? 

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me out here.  I do not like a lot of Google sites and don't want to be permanently linked to them by default.  If that's the case, then it's "Goodbye"  from "Sheepishly Speaking".  It was nice while it lasted.

Rollercoaster........

Yes. It's April.  The weather is a rollercoaster ride.  70's, 80's then 20's, 40's; back up to 50's, 60's; down to 30's, 40's........you get the picture.  Mixed with  sun-filled days, beautiful evenings.....to tornado-like winds, torrential rains, cold/damp temps, and now....we've had a bit of a snowstorm overnight.  Yes.  Snow.  Not to mention the winds are blowing about 40 mph from the NE.  And then it's supposed to be in the mid 40's today.

Saturday we visited our elderly friends.  I made an apple coffee cake the night before for the occasion.  We got to their home about 10:00am and ate, drank coffee and talked for 2 hours.   The husband will be going to the VA Retirement Home within the month.  His health has been declining for a couple of years, but seems to have hit the gas pedal this past year.  He can barely walk, doesn't know anyone but his wife, not even their 3 daughters.  So sad.  He used to be the most active person we knew.  He was the realtor who sold us our house.  He has no idea who we are - or that we bought the house from his client.  He will be 84 next month.

She, of course, is worn to a frazzle.  She rarely sleeps.  She needs to be ever on alert for him.  She was telling us that she can barely get out of the house to take care of business because he can make it to Senior Day Care only 2 days a week now instead of 5 days.  He's generally too weak.  She will be 78 in the Fall.  

And there go we but for the grace of God.  God bless them both and give them peace.

Wednesday I have to go to daughter's.  She has her annual re-certification for her apartment. Gotta gather all the financial records.  Then on Thursday we have the semi-annual meeting with the Independent Living group.  Geezz, I hate meetings.

So I'll stay overnight at her apartment Wednesday.  I'm taking some upholstery material.  We're going to recover the seats on her kitchen chairs.  Maybe I'll get her curtains washed and ironed, windows washed and blinds cleaned.

Did I mention I've been spinning a raspberry colored Shetland roving?  No?  Well, yep, I have.  And it's been going very. very. slow.  What the heck is up with processed wool having all this VM and grit running through it???  This is the 4th batch of Shetland (different providers, different years) like this.  I can't believe it!  It's very aggravating.  Not to mention is does nothing for the mojo.

Started the second sleeve of the denim blue sweater.  I was tempted to attach the finished sleeve, but talked myself out of it.  Because that would be inviting trouble --- of course, one sleeve would wind up bigger/smaller than the other.  The Fair Isle patterning looks pretty good; I hope the sleeve matches with the patterning on the yoke.  I'm kinda making this up as I go along.  So if it turns out I'll be one ecstatic knitter!!  If not, it'll get put away until I can find the heart and energy to rip it.

I intentionally made the sweater smaller than I've ever made any sweater.  I like 'em BIG!  I hate tight fitting shirts and sweaters.   But I really have to start thinking "small".  Or at least "small-er".  BH has been after me to sell my handknits next Fall.  So I need to start knitting for the small to average size person.  Not just for my own size.  Which will not be discussed right now.  Just think "Big".

And for the no-brainer knitting, there's a pair of socks in the works.  Actually, the cuff of the first of the pair is being worked on.  This is what will go with me to daughter's.  Just in case we decide not to do any cleaning til next time.  After we get the chairs re-covered.  Maybe when we come back from eating supper somewhere.

You gotta have a "Plan B".

A Happy Blessed Easter To All

Another Holiday......Must be Time to Clean the House........

So Easter is upon us.....I guess the house should be cleaned.  I can't be emphatic enough about how I hate housecleaning.  Been doing it for 50 years (no joke!).....egads, that sounds horrible.....50 years.

Yes, that was the foray into womanhood....learning to clean house and it becoming a regular chore by the age of 12. (no joke!).  Laundry was learned at 9 yrs. of age....from my grandmother....who thought it was time I learned the how-to's of the washing machine......while my mother was in the hospital, having just given birth to my 5th sibling.  But I digress........

Holidays are getting to be a pain in the arse.  Sorry.  But they are.  Besides getting the house ready, there's the menu to plan, groceries to be bought (which one meal's worth equals the grocery bill for a month), cooking, baking and clean up.  Then, of course, there's the "purgatory" of not knowing who's going to show up because no one can get their act together to give you a definite "yes" or "no".

Ahhh, but this holiday, there's only 1 kid coming for dinner.....I think.  And if he doesn't make it, then it'll be just BH and me.  With a full course meal I didn't want to make in the first place and my dream of going out to dinner and taking a lovely ride through the country, making a nice relaxing day of it, just the 2 of us,... shattered.......again.

Used to be when the grandkids were small that I really looked forward to holidays like this.  Easter was the full course meal with a special dessert, baskets made for all and an Easter egg hunt, which thrilled the kids because the eggs were filled with money.

But they're all grown up now and the families have their own agendas.  Not to mention that most of them live 3 hours away (that's 6 hours of driving here and home), and Monday is a work day for them.  So forget about staying here overnight.

Oh the Easter candy is still purchased.  BH loves his Easter basket!!  Looks forward to it every year.  The good thing is......it used to cost at least $50 for everyone's candy.  Now I can get away with $20!!  He's definitely worth $20.    But there are no dozens of colored eggs....6 will do just fine.

So today will  be house cleaning.   Because.....well, just because.....it's the Easter holiday.

Wishing you all a very blessed and peaceful Easter!

What's with the New Layout????

Hey Blogspot!!  Hey Google!!  Don't like the new tool bar.  Where's the option for font size????  Whassup with the "normal", "subheading" , "minor heading", "heading" ???  This is ridiculous; not helpful at all!!  I would prefer the old numerical choices!!!

Please reconsider and return the tool bar to the previous one.

Thank you.

Energy Abounds!!!..........

Yep...I got into Spring cleaning!!  Got the curtains and shades done in the dining room, as well as wiping down picture frames, furniture, etc. Really not bad since heavy cleaning was just done in the Fall.  Did the kitchen cupboards yesterday - a job I absolutely hate .  Today it's very cloudy, gray with rain off and on.  Good day for baking.

So....there are 3 apple streudels in the oven and 3 loaves of bread rising on the cupboard for baking this afternoon.

Tomorrow may be cleaning the spare room - washing curtains, cleaning out the closet, reorganizing.  Then on to the utility room.  Gotta paint the inside window frames, clean out and wipe down the storage cabinets (another job that gets put off as long as possible).

Or if it rains ---- more Fasnaugts and more caramel pull-apart bread.

Got daughter's taxes done last night; hopefully tackle ours before the week is out. 

My son in NY has been laid up with a bad knee for a couple of weeks now.  I'm thinking of sending him a streudel, some Fasnaugts and a pan of pull-aparts.  Hey, if he can't go to work, he can enjoy some goodies while sitting in the recliner.

So, did regular weekly cleaning on Sunday (actually, regular "whenever the mood hits me" cleaning); laundry is caught up, spinning is coming along and I started on the front panel of the cardigan.

Boy, I hope this burst of energy doesn't fade away any time too soon.  I'm actually kind of enjoying this!  Being busy every day, getting caught up and not just sitting on my arse, watching the idiot box and feeling dumpy.  I just might get used to this busy bee thing!!

Hope you all have a great week and weekend filled with lots of sunshine, warmth and enjoyable projects!

It's Here!!!....It's Finally Here!!!.........

Holy crap!!  55 degrees yesterday and possibly 58 today!!  All high 40's, low 50's next week.  This really gets the adrenalin boosted.  The snow is melting fast...so fast that our driveway and the road look like something from an old western movie.  You know, where the mud is so thick that wagons get stuck and women's ankle length dresses have a 6" border of mud along the bottom.   Well, ya gotta take the good with the bad, I guess.

So, I've been spinning like a mad woman.  BH tells me "Spin.  Spin like the wind!"    Ehhh, yah.  If only it were that easy.  But progress is being made.

Got tired of the white BFL; had 4 bobbins of 3 ply fingerweight. Wanted something thicker for the patterning on the blue sweater, so I cabled it.  Now to skein and wash. Decided to move on to the grey Shetland that was dyed some time ago.  Working on the dark green/grey heather.  It's very pretty; love the color.  But the Shetland......jeeesh! Lots of VM, knots, bumps and something that feels like gravel.  It's a slow process, but I know how this Shetland feels and acts as yarn, so it's worth the trouble.

A couple (few?) weeks ago, I plied the leftover denim blue and navy blue.  Couldn't figure out why they weren't done before when all the other blues were being plied.   Well, on the second bobbin it occured to me........because they're all Superwash Merino.  Ohhhh Crap!!!  I've had one really bad experience with that yarn and swore I would never make it again!  I use Superwash (because I love the softness of it) only as a plying single.

Anywho, what's done is done.  5 skeins of it.  Thank goodness there's a nice shawl pattern waiting.

3 of the 5 skeins:

It plied beautifully

Here is the sweater up to the armholes.  The front opening is pinned together while the back is being knitted.

The pattern didn't come out clearly, but it's the "Waffle".

The white cabled yarn.  There is irridescent Firestar blended in.

And on Friday, I got up the energy to make 2 apple struedels.  I have been dieing for apple struedel!!  So...one for now; one in the freezer.  There is still a gallon and 1/2 freezer bags of our apples left.  I think I'm going to make 2 more struedels next week.  Yummmyyy!!

Pictures were taken before the confectioner's glaze was swirled on.

So, all the housework is done for today.  Grandson is visiting and helping Grandpa split wood.  He'll stay for supper -- fried chicken!! but has to leave at 5:30 for bowling.  We love having him here; wish he would come more often.  But he is 14!  I know they have places to go, people to see, things to do.  He'll be 15 in a couple of months.  I guess we should be thankful for the time we'll have with him -- while he still wants to come and visit with the old grandfolks!!  I'm getting veklempt.

Well, I'm going back to the spinning.  OMG -- it's just about noon!!  The day is shooting by.  Have you ever noticed that when the time gets moved ahead, for the first week or 2 it seems like the days just fly by!  Yikes.  I gotta get myself in gear here.

Wishing everyone pleasant Spring days!