Tuesday, January 10, 2012

First cold of the new year...

It's 2 pm and I am still in my nightgown and knitted socks, alternating between being under the bedcovers and on top of them, depending on how chilled or hot I feel.  I spent part of the morning in a zipped sweatshirt and slippers downstairs with Skye while she was up, but her cold too is kicking her lil butt and she went down for a nap about 2.5 hours ago. Dan just brought me a cup of tea, which I am grateful for, and I should really be finishing up my homework instead of blogging.

I have been trying to complete the Christmas gift crafts from 2011, and am now finally seeing an end insight. I spent a relaxing 8 hours at my embroidery machine and completed some lovely objects I was excited to make; I also finished both quilts, a pair of warm woolen socks, completed (almost) clue two for the January SKA challenge, and plan to devote some tv time to working on finishing the December pair. I also got some rubbing alcohol to use to remove (I hope) the gel pen ink from my Misty Morning Vineyard cross-stitch project (silk threads, linen hand-dyed fabric), but haven't gotten up the gumption to attempt it yet.

My getting sick was payback I think for being so smug about being healthy while the rest of the household was sick...  It just took me longer to succumb to it.  My poor nose is red and raw from being blown, and my chest and head is all congested.  Blech! No rest for the wicked though' so I am alternating resting to the best of my ability with meeting my obligations. Eric was home yesterday on a sick day, missing school both Friday (when he started coming down with it) thru last night.  He is on the back side of it now, so I can hope I am heading there too. 

I got my new serger all set up on Sunday afternoon and spent some time playing on it.  I am so excited to have a working serger again I can't stop smiling! I put a "collapseable" table (like church social tables) perpendicular to my butcher block table the embroidery machine is on, so all I need to do to serge things is swivel 45 degrees to the left.  My ironing board is 45 degrees to my right (although it currently is at full height instead of level with the table).  I feel so productive and professional!  What they say about using good quality tools is true: it makes the experience so much more pleasurable, and it makes the finished product so much nicer.  I am starting to really find my pace with some of these things, and it makes me happy.  I will be posting pictures eventually of all I have made once they get sent to their recipients (so I don't blow any surprises).

We have all noted in the past few weeks that Skye no longer looks like a "baby."  She has truly acheived toddler status.  Her little round belly is firmer, her muscles are stronger, and she climbs like a champ (esp. when you don't want her to!) Her hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are developing at a rapid pace, and she figures things out--I alway said she was a problem solver.  She is becoming more and more frustrated with her inability to communicate her feelings verbally, and has started biting, scratching, and hitting when frustrated, along with this shrill, ear-piercing screech, but I am doing my best to give her the words to help her understand and express herself.  She says a very few words right now, but she knows how to communicate really well with her non-verbals.  What a little munchkin!

My tea is here, and my head is bothering me, so I think I will close here and start reading the rest of my research articles.  Happy January!

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