Tuesday: Mammogram Appointment and Tomato Harvest

I should have known that taking a 4-hour nap, yesterday afternoon, was not conducive to falling asleep at a decent hour at night!  I didn't fall asleep till after 2:00 a.m., last night and even then, I kept waking every so often.  But I couldn't sleep in because I had an early morning meeting at the office that I had to attend.  So, when the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I got up, had a cup of tea, showered and dressed, took the lunch I had packed the night before, and left the house a little after 7:00 a.m..  I was in the office by 8:00 a.m., in good time for the morning meeting, which was delayed by almost half an hour because the person who called the meeting was delayed!  But, the meeting wasn't delayed due to me being late, so I was happy. 

There were actually two meetings, in the morning, one after the other!  So the morning went by very quickly.

There was an event at the office, so lunch was provided!  Even though I had taken a packed lunch to work, I decided to eat the lunch that the office provided, and brought home the lunch I had packed, and had it for my dinner, instead.   

When I came home, there was a message from the oncologist's office saying that my mammogram has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon!  That is quick!  I already have an appointment with the radiation oncologist earlier in the afternoon, on Thursday; the mammogram is scheduled for a couple of hours after that earlier appointment.  It's convenient as the hospital is adjoining the clinic.   Things are moving quickly!

Tomatoes on the Vine

My poor tomato plant is all but dead, but there are a few tomatoes on it, including a few that were ripe!

Ripe Tomatoes

This evening, I picked the ones that were ripe.  They are not very big, but, I am happy to have them:

My Tomato Harvest!

There are about 5 or 6 green tomatoes still on the vine.  I'll give them a few more days to see if they'll ripen. 

I brought in the trash cans, spoke with my aunt and cousin and a friend who called, video chatted with my daughter, and washed the dishes. 

I don't know where the rest of the evening went!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to wake up, this morning.
- Getting to the office on time.
- Free lunch at the office.
- Mammogram has been scheduled.
- My tomato harvest!

How was your Tuesday?  What are you grateful for, today? 

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday - Sunday - I had a quiet morning and afternoon.  I didn't go to sleep until after 4:00 a.m., so I slept in until around 10:00 a.m.  One of my aunts called in the morning to invite me to the monthly prayer meeting that she was hosting, next weekend.  Later, I chatted with a friend who called and my neighbor who also called.  Then, I went over the baby quilt with a lint roller to remove any stray cat fur (cousin reassured me that her daughter and son-in-law have a cat of their own and are used to cat fur) and found a big enough gift bag in my stash to put it into.

In the afternoon, I cut out and started to sew another tote bag with fabric a friend had given me.  I didn't finish sewing it, though.

One of my other cousins had offered me a ride to see the baby as she and her daughter were also going.  I was dressed and ready when she called to let me know they were on their way to pick me up.  I didn't realize it, but apparently, my cousin (baby's grandmother) was expecting quite a few people and what I thought would be a short visit over perhaps a cup of tea turned out to be a longer visit over dinner!  She had ordered Thai food, which was delivered to her house, and my other cousin and I helped her to dish out everything and serve the dinner.   The baby was very cute and friendly, not at all bothered by the fact that he was being passed from hand to hand and not fussing about so many strangers.  His parents were very impressed with the quilt and thanked me for it. 

After I came home, I video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I went to my appointment with the oncologist, in the morning.  We went over the results of the ultrasound, which showed that it wasn't a fluid-filled cyst, but a mass with smooth margins which seems to be a type of tumor.  Further diagnosis is needed before they can say for certain if it is benign or not, but I was told that the smooth margin is a good sign, as most cancers have irregular margins.  So, we are waiting for the mammogram to be scheduled.  According to the nurse practitioner, the diagnostic mammogram has been authorized; her office tried to call the hospital's radiology department to schedule the appointment while I was there, but couldn't get through.  She told me they will try to call and schedule it and will call me with the information.  I will be calling them back to find out what is happening, if I don't hear from them within a day or two. 

I also had my port catheter flushed while I was at the clinic and I have a follow up appointment in one month's time.  Once I have the mammogram done, I am also to make an appointment to see my surgeon to see if further surgery is required.  

I had taken the rest of the day off from work and I am glad I did so.  I had planned to spend the afternoon sewing.  Instead, I came home, had some lunch, and took a nap as I could barely keep my eyes open!  I took a 4 hour nap, so I guess I was really tired.

After I woke up and had a cup of tea, I exchanged emails with a friend, spoke with my aunt who called to find out how my appointment went, put water to the garden, took the recycling out, took the trash cans to the curb, cleaned out the fridge, did the dishes, and cooked rice and green beans for dinner, and made a cucumber salad.

After dinner, I video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Smooth margins on the mass
- The mammogram seems to have been authorized
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- A long nap
- Emails, phone calls, and video chats

I am, as you can imagine, feeling rather stressed by this whole thing.  I am trying not to overthink things, or worry too much, but it's not easy.  I need to regain my serenity.

How was your day?  

Spoilt Kitty!

OK, it is official - I am a crazy cat lady and Dancer is a Very Spoilt Kitty!

Last night, I removed the baby quilt from the dining table and put it away.  A short while later, Dancer jumped on the dining table, expecting the quilt to be there, and when he realized it was no longer on the table, he walked around the table looking for it!  Then he looked at me as if to say, "What happened to my quilt?" and he lay down looking resigned to having lost his quilt.

And I felt sorry for him.

Which is why, at 3:45 a.m. this morning, I sandwiched the pieces of leftover batting I had from earlier projects between two pieces of scrap fabric from the stash and ran a couple of quick, long basting stitches to hold the fabric in place.  He sat and watched while I assembled the "quilt" and the minute I finished it, lay down on it!  It was too small for him to stretch out as he did with the other quilt, but he made himself fit.

This picture was taken a few minutes later, at 3:52 a.m.:

Spoilt Kitty on His New Quilt!

 
I guess I'll be buying another yard of quilt batting, soon!  :D

The Disappearing Yellow Block Quilt

On Saturday, I continued to sew the crib quilt.  The big dining table wasn't wide enough to measure the backing (I wanted to bring it to the front to form the binding, as well), so I spread it out on my bed.  I had barely done so, before I had help:

"I'll hold it down for you, Mummy"

Since the quilt top was a square and I wanted to make it a rectangle, I had to made a wider border at the top and the bottom.   I cut the backing fabric so that it extended 2 inches out at either side and 5 inches at the top and bottom. 

"What do you mean I'm messing it up?"

While I waited for him to get off the quilt, I did a load of laundry and hung it up to dry! And I chatted with one of my aunts who called to say that maybe she and my cousin might visit me in the evening.  She called me later to say she's unable to come as my cousin was working till late.

Eventually, I cut out the backing, lint rolled the quilt top to remove Dancer fur, and pinned everything in place.  I brought the edges of the backing to the front to form a second border and the binding, and hand-sewed it down.  I had just enough of blue thread to finish it!  There was about an 18-inch piece of thread left!

 

Just Enough Blue Thread!

Sewing the binding down took most of the afternoon.   After that, I tried to do some "in the ditch" quilting in the machine, but my machine was having a hard time with the thickness of the batting (I just have a very basic sewing machine bought for under $100).  So, I unpicked the bit that I did and decided to tie the quilt, instead.  I couldn't find the blue yarn I know I have (it's probably in one of the bags with one of the in-progress knitting projects).  So, I decided to use 4 strands of pearl cotton in various shades of blue, instead.

The Ties

Each knot is tied twice and each bow is tied twice, too, to make it difficult for little fingers to untie the knots.  

I had tied most of the quilt when I decided to take a break for dinner.  I left the quilt top on the table and this is what happened:

Product Testing!

 I chased him off and finished tying the quilt.  Now I'll have to lint roll it, all over again!

The Finished Quilt

The problem with using the yellow fabric for the border is, it makes the yellow squares along the edges disappear!  The same problem would have happened if I had used the red or the blue, too.  What I needed was a border of a different fabric color, such as green.  Oh, well.  You've no doubt heard of various quilt patterns called the disappearing nine patch and disappearing four patch, etc.  We shall call this the Disappearing Yellow Blocks quilt! 

 

Close Up of the Ties

The finished quilt measures 36 inches by 48 inches, which is the size of the piece of quilt batting I bought.

Tomorrow, I will go over it with the lint roller, again, to remove any fur I might have missed tonight, before wrapping it up and putting it into a gift bag.  I am planning to visit my cousin in the evening to give the quilt to the baby.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to play with fabric the whole day.
- Having everything I needed for the quilt, other than the quilt batting, in my stash.
- My stash is now lighter by two pieces of fabric.
- There was just enough blue thread to sew down the binding.
- Getting my quilt "fix"!

 How was your Saturday? 

Friday

I had planned to go for the lab tests in the morning, but I received an email from a colleague and I ended up working from home, all morning.  As a result, I didn't go for my lab tests until early afternoon.  But, according to the technician, it was for the best.  She said the morning had been very busy and I would have had a long wait.

After the lab tests were done, I went to the fabric store and bought the quilt batting.  The pre-cut packaged crib size batting (regular price: $9.99; on sale for 40% off) was more expensive than the batting being sold by the yard (regular price: $5.99; on sale for 40% off), so I bought one yard of the cheaper batting.  It was manufactured by the same company and it was thicker, too.  With tax, it came to $3.93.

Receipt for Quilt Batting

I looked around the store a bit, but didn't buy anything else!  I still have too much fabric in my stash.  I am determined not to buy anything unless I need it for a project.

I was hungry when I came home (I had eaten only a banana in the morning).  I cooked a meatball curry using a bag of frozen meatballs and sauted some okra.  I ate it with rice I had cooked earlier, and had a slice of papaya for dessert. 

Later in the evening, I sat down to sew my quilt and I got the top finished:

The Quilt Top

Then, I couldn't decide what color I should use for the border.  I considered using the blue, but I was going to use it for the back, as well as the binding, and I wanted something different.  Eventually, I decided to use the rest of the yellow fabric for the border.  There was only about 1 yard of yellow fabric, to begin with; but there was just enough for the borders.

Then, I basted the edges of the top to the quilt batting.  

Dancer gives his seal of approval!

All I have to do now is attach the backing and either quilt it a little bit or tie it with some yarn.

Today, I am grateful for: 
- Being able to work from home
- Friendly staff at the lab
- Quilt batting being on sale
- Not breaking my fabric diet!
- A long phone chat with my aunt

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?  

Dancer loving the quilt!

 

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? 

Playing with Layouts

Initial Sketch

On Wednesday, I went to the office in the morning and had a productive day.  Since it was National Hot Dog Day, I went to my favorite hot dog place on my way home from work and bought chili dogs for dinner!  After I came home, I ate a chili dog and had a cup of tea.

Then, I sketched out my initial layout idea for the baby quilt and cut out my quilt squares: 18 from the teddy bear patterned fabric and 6 each of the solid colored fabric.  I made each square 5 1/2 inches which includes 1/4 inch sewing allowances.  The finished square will be 5 inches. I didn't have enough of the teddy bear patterned fabric to cut 18 complete squares; I had to patch two of the squares, but I don't think it makes a big difference.

Then, I had some fun trying out different layouts:

Layout #1

Layout #1 is similar to the sketch, except I have a different order of solid colors and the diagonal lines are going in a different direction.

Layout #2

Layout #2 has the solid colors in columns (or rows, depending on how one looks at the quilt top). 
The patterned squares still form diagonal rows.

Layout #3

I tried to mix up the solid colors a little more, but daughter pointed out that the blue squares are still in columns.  I needed to mix up the colors a little more.

Layout #4

Layout #4 has the solid colors mixed up a little more. 

I still don't know which layout I like the best, although there are two that I like better than the others.  So, I am opening it out for a vote!  Which one is your favorite? 

Today, I am grateful for:
- A productive day at the office
- An evening spent playing with fabric
- Video chatting with my daughter
- Phone call from my friend
- Emails from another friend

How was your Wednesday?  Did you celebrate National Hot Dog Day?  Which is your favorite layout of the ones shown above?  Can you suggest a different layout?