Chatbug Karen

I have not set foot outside today. My husband tells me it is really hot and I believe him. Our son lives near St. Louis where the temperature was 106! We live in the mid-west not the desert! What is happening with our weather.

We are eating leftovers from the grilling my hubby did this weekend. I think it is time to buy him an electric grill. He was burning the grease off the grates in his gas grill and caught the whole thing on fire! Flames were shooting out the sides and top of the grill. Thankfully, he was able to put the fire out but his grill looks really bad. He won’t let me show you a picture.

Today is my son and daughter in-laws second wedding anniversary. Where has the time gone? It seems like we were just getting things organized and enjoying the festivities of the wedding. Hubby and I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary on Wednesday so I know that time truly flies!

My sister lives in Dallas. It has snowed twice since she moved there. I think she brought the snow from Illinois when she moved there.

We are having such unusual weather all over the United States. Those who previously had cool weather and called that winter, are experiencing snow. They are not equipped for such conditions. Mom’s are unable to take their infants for walks even if they have the best bob revolution duallie available. For one thing, most people who live in the south do not have heavy coats and gloves. They probably don’t own a snow shovel either. The road maintenance crews don’t have snow removal equipment.

It is snowing again today in Indiana. Some of our schools are closed for the day. Our local schools are open. I don’t plan on going anywhere until the roads are cleared. Snow plows are passing by our home in a regular manner. They have a plan because this happens every year in our area.

I feel so bad for the southern states who are paralyzed when it snows.

Hallelujah! My husband is going to the mall. If you have read this blog for a while, you know that my husband is not a shopper. Well, we arrived in Texas last night and it is hot. We both brought long sleeved clothes and jeans. Yes, my sister told me to bring shorts and sleeveless tops but I didn’t listen. Now we are on a mission to find men’s clothing, sandals and bathing suits. LOL

I think I may have died and gone to heaven.

There is just something about Friday that makes the whole week worth going through. I guess it is knowing that tomorrow is Saturday and I can sleep in. I never sleep in though, no matter how hard I try. I start to think of all the things I want to accomplish for the day and jump out of bed. Um, I should say drag myself out of bed. After coffee, I can get busy.

Today’s weather is so nice! We have had so many hot, sultry days that take one’s breath away. It has not been a very enjoyable summer. I have been miserable wearing protective clothing as I crawl under our pine trees in search of poison ivy. My dogs rub up against the poison ivy plants and then I get it because I love to nuzzle in their necks and give them love. This cool weather will make getting some outdoor jobs completed so much easier.

I spent all day yesterday making a purse from a pattern that said it could be done in 2 hours. Shea, right. It is a cute little tulip bag. It was easy so maybe the next one will only take 2 hours.

Today, I need to catch up on our business’s paper work. All play could get me fired! Have a great Friday everyone.

I am not going to complain about the hot weather. I had cabin fever after so many dreary days this winter and spring that I thought I would go crazy. The thing about hot weather is that when you take care of the yard you really get a work out. OMG! Someone get a spirometer and check my lung capacity. My face is beet red! My husband mows two and a half acres of our yard and while he is away on a fishing trip, I thought I would surprise him and have the yard mowed so he wouldn’t have a big mess to come home to mow.

I have recovered and am ready to go a quilt guild meeting tonight. Our speaker is Cindy Claycamp, the president of our state guild. She is a Hoosier quilt historian and will be giving a discussion geared to the home care & display of heirloom quilts. Claycamp is one of fewer than 100 certified quilt appraisers approved by the American Quilt Society in the United States. She has been quilting 35 years and has owned antique and fabric shops for many years.

I hope my friends in the southern states are safe. I read at CNN online that they are having severe storms. A tornado touched down at a mall near St. Louis today. I haven’t heard from my son to find out if the mall was near where he and his wife live. I will be glad when he calls me. A mother never stops worrying does she? I just watched a documentary about Kaskachia, Illinois and how it survived flood after flood. Not a good show to watch when worrying.

I am happy to say that I got most of a quilt machine quilted last night, ripped out mistakes and am ready to finish quilting it. I am a novice at machine quilting so it is rare that I am satisfied with my work. I made a lot of progress and am getting better at making flowers with dark circles and swirls. The more I made, the better they looked, imo. I did tire of working on it and cut fabric to make another quilt top. You can see the fabric at Kreated by Karen. It is an easy pattern to sew and I can’t wait to finish cutting and pressing. I like the sewing part!

The weatherman said it was going to rain all week so those of us with snow grit and salt on our cars have been waiting to wash our cars. I for one, hoped the rain would wash all the crud from my car so I could wash it without all that dirt ending up on the garage floor. I got a surprise yesterday when I got the oil changed in my car. Not only was my oil change free because I had reached that magic number on my kiosk card but after the oil was changed, the dealership washed my car! It wasn’t a great job but at least all the caked on stuff is on their garage floor instead of mine.

And! Guess what I got to do today?

Yes, the weather is so nice today that I got to hang out my bed sheets. Sorry Corrin. I know you hate the smell of line dried sheets. Anyway, I am so happy to be able to hang them out and pretty soon will be hanging my hip hop clothing for all the neighbors to gawk at! LOL

Spring weather just makes me feel better. I have more energy and motivation. I think I’ll go cut some fabric.

My sister thought the days of snow might be over once she and her family moved to Dallas, Texas. Not to be! They have had enough snow that she and her daughter built a snowman. LOL Here is a picture of our tree and the cold sky here in Indiana, where we expect cold temperatures, wrinkle eye cream and snow. Does that look cold or what?!

Hubby and I are ready for the big snow storm we are supposed to receive during the night. We have plenty of groceries in the house and I am smack dab in the middle of putting a quilt together. I would love nothing more than to be stuck in front of my sewing machine while watching the snow build up on the ground outside. I have heard that people complain of cabin fever. I am not experiencing that at all.

I feel bad for the people who have to travel long distances to work. If they don’t work, they don’t get paid. They have to get out on the dangerous roads no matter the danger. I feel bad for the animals. I wonder if deer get cold. Do ground hogs get crabby when the weather freezes their whiskers? We have gold fish in our pond that survive each winter. We have pond fountains that run to keep the water from freezing but still keep a cattle type heater in the water too. Our fish don’t even require food during the winter months. They must live off the algae because they are always there come summer. It amazes me that they survive through the winter.

I understand that there are areas of the US that are receiving snow that are not used to that type of weather. It sounds like they enjoy getting a bit of snow for the first time in years. Now, they can get that cozy, stay at home feeling that I enjoy. Cabin fever? It hasn’t bitten me.

This is going to be a quiet weekend. The roads are too icy and make traveling a bit treacherous. I don’t want to chance going into the ditch even though I am anxious to get to a fabric store and search for some purple and green fabric. Hubby said he saw a truck owned by our utility company in the ditch. Seeing that big truck laying on it side would put me in need of an AED aka automated external defibrillator. I don’t need that much excitement.

I have been catching up on quilt blocks for our local quilt guild meetings. I love making each block to see how it turns out. My last block turned out a bit darker than the 11 other blocks but I think it will be alright. I hope it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Can you tell which block I am talking about?