Friday, July 21, 2017

Layout #1 Wins the Vote!

Layout #1
It seems that Layout #1 was the favorite among all who expressed an opinion!  It was my number 1 choice, too (and the one I had sketched out when envisioning the quilt).  Thank you all for participating.  I enjoyed seeing what you all picked.

Today, was my father's death anniversary.  54 years since he died.  It's been a long time, but I still remember the events like it was yesterday.

I went to the office in the morning and had a productive day.  I debated whether to go to the Farmers Market or not, but decided not to.  Treats stop being treats when they are had more or less every week.

On my way home from work, I put gas to the car; $30 worth of gas, which was selling for $2.63 per gallon. 

After that, I went to the pharmacy to pick up another medication refill (I had received a text saying it was ready for pick up, in the morning).  When I collected it, I made it a point to open the vial to check on the contents; I asked the sales clerk how many pills I was supposed to have (90) and reminded her of the previous visit, when I received only 30.  She offered to put the pill through their pill counter to double check the number of pills and recounted them for me.  She verified there were 90 pills.  I accepted her word for it, but came home and recounted them to make sure.

After the pharmacy, I decided to go to the dollar store next door for a few items:

July 20 Groceries
bananas, $.49/lb = $.61
2 mangoes = $2.00
1 can of low fat condensed milk = $1.00 ($2.59 at the ethnic store; $1.69 at the grocery store)
1 box flan mix = $1.00
Total = $4.61


July 20 Grocery Receipt

Amount spent on groceries so far in July = $34.21 + $2.59 + $35.43 + $14.30 + $4.61 = $91.14

Amount left in the July grocery budget = $103.82 - $91.14 =  $12.68





I went to the regular grocery store, too, but for something non-grocery, so didn't include that in my grocery budget.

Someone came to see what I was doing, when I was taking pictures of the groceries:

"Whatcha doing, Mummy?"


After I came home and had my tea, I sat down to sew my quilt.   The squares are kept right sides together and sewn with a 1/4 inch seam:

The First Two Squares Sewn Together

Row by row, they are sewn and the seams are ironed:


The First Row Started




I sewed the rows and attached four of them together:


Partially Sewn
I was getting tired by this time and I know that I usually make mistakes when I am tired.  So, I stopped sewing for the evening.  I didn't want to make a mistake and have to unpick anything.  I will finish sewing the top, tomorrow.

Plans for tomorrow include going to the lab for my blood test and a trip to the fabric store for the quilt batting. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- All of you participating and letting me know which is your favorite layout!
- A productive day at the office
- A safe drive home
- Gas for the car
- The correct number of pills!

How was your Thursday?  Isn't it funny how we all tended to favor the same layout? 

14 comments:

  1. It's a lovely quilt layout Bless. I would have voted for that one too but my internet connection has been hit and miss for the last couple of days so I couldn't leave a comment. I hope I manage this time. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. Sorry you've been having internet problems. Hope all is well now.

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  2. You have made a nice start on the baby quilt. I like that you went with layout 1 so easy on the eye.

    Good for you on asking about the number of pills in your RX.

    How amazing that you remember in detail the day your father died. You must not have been ver old.

    Take care.

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. Layout #1 was my first choice, too, but I wanted to see what others thought.

      I was 7 when my father died. My father had been in hospital for several weeks if not months. I remember one of my aunts coming home to collect me to take me to the hospital (I was the only child in the house at the time, all the others were already at the hospital). I didn't quite hear what she told my maid and no body actually told me anything (after all, I was just a child, why should anything be explained to a child?), but my maid started to cry and from that, I knew my father had died. I remember seeing my half-sister and mother seated outside the hospital room where my father was, and other relatives gathered, there. My sister was seated on the lap of one of her brothers; he was holding her - I didn't realize it at the time, but I guess he was restraining her? She started to cry out my name when she saw me and I remember my mother trying to hush her. Then, I was taken into the hospital room to see my father, who was already dead. I remember seeing his toes tied together and a bandage around his face. I wondered about it at the time, but I learned later that it was to keep his feet and jaw in position while rigor mortise set in. Is that too much information? I remember feeling sorry for my youngest half-brother, who was 15 at the time, because now he was an orphan; I, at least, had my mother. After that, I was taken home and I watched people taking down pictures and decorations. I didn't quite know why, so I asked my mother, who was getting dressed in a white sari (our color of mourning) what was going on and she explained that father will be brought home in something that looked like a doll's box - that's how she described a coffin to me. We didn't have funeral homes at the time; coffins were brought home, we kept vigil, there was someone seated by the coffin 24 hours of the day, the front door had to be kept open for the duration and lights were never turned off at night. One didn't cook in the house, either - food was brought. I was kept home from school and the next day, several of my teachers came to see me and I remember feeling very shy. My father's was the first funeral I had been to. Before that, I was considered too young to attend funerals. :)

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    2. Goodness me your experience as a 7 year old was quite traumatic. Did it frighten you? Feeling sad for your 15 year old half brother shows how kind and caring you were even at such a young age. Thank you fir sharing your memories.

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    3. Sandy, at the time, I didn't think I was frightened. I just accepted it. I didn't cry and one of my aunts commented on it, saying I didn't understand, and I remember thinking, "I understand but crying won't bring him back"! I was a very wise old woman in a child's body!

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  3. I do agree with you that treats are not treats if we have them constantly. I feel so sorry for the youngsters of today who take for granted special candies or cakes that we would have been so excited about because they were only given to us for special occasions. I think they are deprived by excess!

    Thursday was hot, but those mosquitoes are still around even in the sunshine! We used to have breakfast, lunch and supper on the deck around this time of year, but not this year. I have to do a repair on the screening of the gazebo down in the yard so we can enjoy it. It is further away, so more effort to take breakfast out there when I'm still trying to get my wits about me, but good for a simple lunch.

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    1. Bushlady, I like that phrase, "deprived by excess"!

      Sorry the mosquitoes are still there to bother you! Hope you are able to fix the gazebo screening so you can enjoy some meals out there. Hopefully, you won't get stung on the way to the gazebo and back!

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  4. Treats stop being treats when they are had more or less every week Very wise words and I need to remember this when I crave more macarons from Trader Joe's :)

    Yum I love flan. Was that a Dollar Tree store you went to by any chance? I need to check ours to see if they have any flan mix.

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    1. Nathalie, I went to a store called the 99Cents Store. We have Dollar Trees, as well, but I haven't looked for the flan mix there. The grocery stores also carry the flan mix, but it is a little more expensive there.

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  5. The quilt is looking lovely. I can fully understand you remembering the day your father died. Even at such a young age, I imagine the memories of where you were and what you were doing stay with you. I can remember the day Dad died very clearly and that was 23 years ago, although I was a lot older than you in my 20's.

    You are so right about treats. I've eaten so many chocolates lately and thoroughly enjoyed doing so, but I'm not buying any more for a while. xx

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. I bought the quilt batting, today, so it is coming along nicely.

      It's funny what we can remember and can't, isn't it? I barely remember what happened yesterday, but I can so clearly recall events that happened more than 50 years ago!

      Yes, I've been indulging in treats a bit too much since my taste buds returned. It was OK for a while, to make up for what I had missed. But now, it is time to cut back and be more restrained. Treats must be something to look forward to, anticipate, and savor. :)

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  6. Your quilt is going to be so cute.. Look forward to seeing your progress.
    The memories of our parents death anniversary is always so sad.. Sorry you lost your dad so long ago.. my husband loss his dad , when hubby was 19..It was so sad for him, and even though it has been a long time, that day is always hard.. My dad died 13 yrs ago, and it was on St. Patrick's Day.. I always dread when the stores start putting out those decorations.. No way to forget the day.. My mom is still living, but, she has dementia which is so terribly sad.. I can talk to her, and she most of the time, can't remember it.. She is not even like the Mama I know..
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Dementia is such a cruel illness, isn't it? It takes our family away from us even before they die. (((HUGS)))

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