Tuesday noon

Well, coughing still continues but I can live with it most of the time.  It will get better eventually.  Who knows when eventually will happen?  Singing in the choir is almost impossible.  But that's the way it is.  I'm staying out of the outdoors.  I think that is making a big difference and today that's easy.  It's on the gloomy side with a little rain spitting down.  A couple of weeks ago Andrew found caterpillars in the garden.  He took them home and now they have emerged into Black Swallowtails bringing a lot of excitement for Andrew and us as well.  He named all of the caterpillars and now Charlie is flying around in the back yard on sunny days.  This afternoon Andrew will bring another one to join Charlie although Charlie is no where to be found because of the cool weather.  Yesterday Noah was here for a big part of the day.  What fun.  I can see so much of Eric when I see Noah. 

I've been using Jo's fabrics and now have another quilt, Humpty Dumpty, bibs and burp cloths set.  So...there is one for Grace and I will probably donate the other set to the Umoja project.  There is a big sale at Sec. Presb church in November and Umoja has been given space to sell stuff.  I'm ready to move on to sewing something a little more difficult. 

Crock Pot is busy again.  So easy to use and so nice to have supper ready with not much help from me.  It's pork chops with pineapple/and barb. sauce. 

Sarah Ellen and Joe arrive this week.  Wed. evening...hope to see her Friday and then they are off to the beach house for two weeks.  Back here and then back to Wake Forest for college reunions and then back to Kenya. 

So much better

That's right.  Lungs are better.  Not perfect but much better.  Medicine is working well.  I think it will be sometime before I can say that lungs are clearer but and I can breath and sleep and cough with ease.  I'm just not working outside.  That's not a very good place to be at this point but I'm sure with more time that will change also.  So..the sewing machine has been busy.  Woo, woo.  Jo P. gave me a ton of left over wonderful quilt fabric and I'm using some to make a baby gift for Grace...at church.  It's a Humpty Dumpty wall hanging, baby crib quilt, 2 bibs and 2 burp shoulder cloths.  All of this is in coral and green colors.  It's been fun.  Today is work at the church front desk in the morning and bells tonight.  As usual tomorrow is soup kitchen and choir.  Two busy days for sure.  I'm into crock pot season.  Great lentil soup last night.  It surprised me as to how good it was.  Found the idea in a library book.  A few weeks ago I filled 12 pints with beans and recipe to give to folks and I decided that one was meant for me.  Yum, yum.  Crock pot makes a whole lot more than we can eat so I'm taking some to church today for Nancy.  My good old teaching friends each got a pint yesterday when we went out to lunch together and a few were sold at the Kenya Carnival.  So on to what's up for Wed. the 19th. 

New tricks

The new tricks are working but I'm also staying inside most of the day.  Outside just doesn't work well yet.  I slept in BED last night with coughing on the decrease.  Will try the same tonight.  Doctors do make a difference.  I'm also noticing that my brain is starting on occasion to say...do something.  That part of my brain went to sleep for a few days so I worked on a pillow top today.  I also took garden stuff to church for Sunday morning altar flowers.  Humm...hope they last till then.  The weather is getting cooler.  Some leaves are turning but not to many at this point. 

Thursday

Still Ucking around.  Went to the doc this morning and have a few new tricks to try.  There are not a lot of them so I need to be patient I guess.  I'm staying home tonight...Doug's at choir so the only person to hear me cough is me.  Guess we can call Uck...asthma for sure.  I think getting this under control is going to take some time.  What a bummer.   

Uck

That's right...Uck.  I have developed the mother of all coughs.  Could be asthma, could be allergies, could be a cold.  But ...it 's miserable.  I'm on my wonderful asthma inhaler for one thing.  And it's helping a bit, I think.  I had that inhaler since spring and haven't used it once until Sunday afternoon.  At night sleeping in all parts of the house is happening or awake in all parts of the house one might say.    This thing is just the biggest waste of time.  I'll head on to the doc tomorrow if things don't improve and will probably be told...hang in there although I do have a wonderful doctor.  He's the best.  Other than that Uck...working at the church desk two days this week.  That's easy with just telephone calls.  Kids came for Monday supper.  That's about it. 

Almost another week.

Rick mentioned Naptown!  Well, no one is sleeping in this house in the town of Carmel.  Woo.  Life is full and lovin every minute.  Well, not this minute.  Colts are loosing.  Woo...Chicago is killing us.  This past week inches of rain fell.  The garden looks like a jungle and I've got to start to uncover it.  Well, I started with one 55 gal container filled and ready for the trash but there should be at least one more.  We'll see.  To much fun at the sewing machine again.  Added a bunch of sport decals to curtains for Andrew and Noah's bedroom curtain.  And I've finished a frontal for the communion table at church for WW Communion Sunday.  I had a pulpit hanging made while in Kenya a few years ago and brought home 3 extra yards of fabric which finally had a purpose for being.  Today we had CHURCH!  Darren is such a good preacher and the message was on our call one point being that we are called at our baptism.  Woo...a wonderful benediction at the baptism font.  He just can pull it all together.  Music was great with a brass group playing with Martin at the organ.  Today I put the binding on a blanket that Jim sent and now it needs to get in the mail back to Va.  Jo is sending more fabric my way.  She is a fine quilter and her fabric choices are the best.  I get her scraps.  Whoo...Whoo.  I also worked on 4 placemats that have a beautiful Christmas fabric with free style motion quilting on the sewing machine.  I started those a few years ago.  Now I need some binding tape to finish them.  Nothing new going on this week.  Working at the front desk at church two days this week, Bread and Bowl on Thursday as well and Bell practice is starting on Wed. and Chior Thursday night.  Nope...it's not Naptown at this house. 

Memory

Something tells me that I need to write more often because I'm forgetting stuff.  So...Sat. was the Carnival and Isaac came.  Bummer.  Raised about half the money that was needed so plan b is being hatched.  Isaac's rain just comes straight down for a long time.  There was a huge rainbow when we were leaving for home.  Beautiful, beautiful.  Then Doug and I went on to Panera's for Sun. morning hospitality.  Getting up Sunday was almost impossible but we made it.  Stayed for just part of second service but went home early and out for lunch  Rearranged the two Kenya suitcases getting stuff packed away again for another time and just did a bunch of sitting..  World Wide Communion is the first Sun. in Oct. and I want to use Kenya fabrics on our banner poles so I chose some nice lessos and got them hemmed for banner pole hanging.  Today Andrew and Noah came over.  Fun, fun.  But...I wish I had a mother's energy and not a grandmothers.  These two are so funny.  Their little brains are creating great conversation times.  I decided to take them to the neighborhood park in the wagon which is a little walk from our house.  And...wouldn't you know it.  Noah took a huge spill after tripping over a board and hit the ground FACE first with a huge nosebleed which also resulted in what I will think will be huge bruising on his cheek.  Well, of course I wasn't prepared for this so his shirt became the blood receiver.  We put him in the wagon which I told him was the ambulance and we headed back home with him lying down for a while.  Didn't want that nose to burst open again.  He has some great souvenirs for the day.  Then Andrew has learned to turn great somersaults and that resulted in one being taken where the cast iron scotty dog door stop was.  And...another big bruise on his back.  Woo...Stuff happens.  Today I'm also working on putting together banners for 3 more Umoja schools in Kenya.  The kids at the Carnival decorated the squares and now it's put together time.  Some are finished and more to do.  So...soon it's to bed time.  Another great weekend including crazy Monday. 

Good grief

What I thought was to be an easy week with not much on the calendar didn't turn out that way.  Life is full of surprises.  My friend Beth's mother died about two weeks ago and she needed to clean out her mother's apartment at the Forum.  And her mother was a sewer.  You guessed it.  Monday I went to the apartment and Beth said...take it all.  So I didn't take all but a lot of it.  Thread!  Fabric! and more of the same.  Monday afternoon and evening I spent going through bags and bags of stuff and making decisions.  Woo...wore me out.  Most of this is drapery fabric but not all.  So...I have some beautiful pillows finally on the couch.  Tuesday went to lunch with teacher friends.  Wed. got my three suitcases packed for the Kenya carnival today. Two are full of education things and the other is full of things that can be sold at the Kenya Store.  The plan is to come home with nothing in that suitcase.  Fingers crossed.  Thursday was b and b and also took Saloma to Walmart for another job interview and then on to Sec. Presb. for an Umoja meeting with a group of ladies who are working with ladies in Kenya who want to start a small business Things are moving right along.  It seems that raising onions is a big money maker.  Friday Doug and I finally folded up all the vacation tent stuff.  It's packed away for next year. 

And of course spending time wondering where Isaac is heading has been on the agenda.  Rain should arrive today and the Kenya Carnival is all set to be held inside Sec. Presb. church.  Should be an interesting day.  Sec. Presb. is huge and I'm sure it will be stuffed with people.  I'm leaving home around 10:30 and expect to get back here around 7.  A total of $35,000 is needed to support another year of activity and today's Carnival goal is at least $15,000.  Kids have worked all year on money projects.