NATURE AT IT'S BEST--

 

Did not make it outside again--so went back in --time--to June and July of 2018-

I must of been on a butterfly hunt--cause there is 3 different ones here--

Pretty sure these were done with my big Canon camera--

Maybe next week--I will make it outside--then again--who knows what the weather will be like next week???  Ok--the real reason I did make it outside today--I got busy sewing!!!

HAVE A GOOD WEEK WITH SOME NATURE BREAKS--

HUGS, DI

SENIOR LIFE--FLU TIME

 

It is that time of the year---

and ever since Covid--'that time of the year' can be all 12 months of the year!!!

Here is some of the things I do and keep on hand--

For a good 6 months now--

when I make my green tea in the afternoon--I add one small clove to the tea strainer--it adds a nice 'touch' to my tea and is very very good for you--some people chew on a clove every day--I like mine in my tea--they say you will not get sick if you have a clove a day--soooo!!

I take my vitamins every day--

I have had to take the Vit D3 for the last 30 years--as my body will not absorb it from my food-- and I just recently discovered the Women's 50 muli-vitamin and really like this one (much better than the old one I was taking) and I discovered this liquid form of B-12 and take small dose each day and do feel the difference--

And since the beginning of covid--6 years ago--

I suck on one of these each morning--for my Zinc--

Before I leave my apartment--even to go down for mail--or to pick up a package--

I apply this silver gel around my nose and on my hands--silver kills germs and it last for about 4 hours of protection---and I wear this small air purifier-- this cleans the air around me--I have had to wear one of these devices for the last 26 years--they really work--some of the smells in the stores are so bad that I could not go in them without one on--and they kill germs in air around me too--

and a new thing I do--started about 6 months ago--I add a 'clove'  to my green tea each day--in my cup in the afternoon--it adds a nice bit of flavor--but I have also heard that a clove a day will keep you healthy all the time--most chew the clove-I'd rather put it in the little strainer with my tea!!!!--make sure you order--organic cloves!

I keep these couple of items on hand all the time--

I found this cough syrup the first time I got this terrible flu( have had a cold 3 times in the last 6 years--before that I rarely had a cold or the flu) --I now keep the nighttime one and the daytime on in the cabinet--it really works really well if you have a constant cough--!!!!

And you always need to keep--

Soup--gotta keep soup in the cupboard keep it healthy and spicy--eat lots of spicy things--spices seem to kill the germs within you--  and yogurt for the finishing touch!!!!

So here is hoping none of you need any advice on what to do to not get sick--

 WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP FROM GETTING ILL--

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DO GET ILL????

HOPE EVERYONE IS STAYING WELL AND SEWING UP A 'STORM'!!!!!!!!

HUGS, DI

MY BUSY JANUARY--

 I have had a very busy first 17 days of January--plus the week between Christmas and New Years--so I need a vacation!!!

I still had some cleaning and organizing chores to do at the end of December and then on Jan 2 the tree came down and packed away--for another year--

Then it was time to really get into sewing up some small ufo's and starting some new projects--

The UFO"s were some old and some new Winter type embroideries--

two pf these are newly done at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026--the 2 on the right--Melisa's Winter piece with the jolly snowman, and I am not sure who is the designer on the 'Let it"

the Winter one in the back is from Joy's blog site a couple years ago and has been waiting to be finished, and Magic hat is my own design--so now that these are sewn together it means--

I have to open this bag and begin stuffing these---they are all pillows--

and I am almost done with the hand quilting on the blue heart quilt behind it--just one more border to do!!!

and in the cross stitching--Mrs. Claus

Has come out of 'time out' a couple times--I am so happy to get her face in--and so is she!!!!  But boy does she have 'a lot' of hair on her head--!!!!

These are why she has been in and out of time out--

I believe both of these are Melisa's designs--I have wanted to do the chubby snowman for awhile now--and the little blue house is called a 'tiny house' and Melisa plans to design us a tiny house for each month this year--these both need a bit of stuffing too--and I have some display plans for the tiny houses--so keep a watch on this site!!!!!

I, also spent, alot of afternoons and evening appliqueing these blue hearts--

I am sending these to my friend in NY--Anne for her hospice quilts--and look they are blue--which is this color for the month!!

And I have wanted to do a red and white quilt for a long time--sooo--

I got some more prepped this morning--

And these finally got all their detail embroidery done on them--

Now I need to decide how I want to finish time into a quilt top?????

Plus another blue project--

This is the last sweater from 2 packages of all cotton yarn a friend here in the building found on a give away table and she thought of me--there was 24 skeins total--this little sweater used up all the odds and ends from the skeins--

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL EMBROIDERY MONTH--

and for about 6 years the owner of Crabapple Hill designed a small wall hanging for us where we did one area each day--but we also knew that she closed her shop  2 years ago--last year I did still work on some of her patterns during the month--but this year--

I am going to do 28-30 of these tiny designs--one each day--

I am using Osnaburg fabric for the stitching--I love this fabric and I started using it back in the mid 70's to make my doll, rabbit, and geese babies with for my craft shows--I was one of the first to use this--at least in my area--soon everybody was using it--I have wanted to make something with it for  a couple years now--(and yes--I bought some a couple years before Joann's closed)--I will be doing the hexagon shapes and probably finish it  off like Kathys--

She always uses Valdani threads--I already had a start on her colors--but--I really needed a couple more--oh my gosh--how did the price go from $3.95 a spool to $6.99 each--ouch ouch ouch--I did do some looking around and did find a company that had it for $6.29 so did go with them--!!!

SO WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING ON STITCHING FOR EMBROIDERY MONTH???????

I READ THAT ALOT OF YOU ARE COLD AND ARE GETTING SNOW--WE ARE COLD HERE--THOUGH NO SNOW--BUT THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA DID GET SOME AND IN THE UPPER COUNTIES IT GOT DOWN TO BELOW 32 THE OTHER NIGHT!!!!  GOTTA KEEP WARM----- QUILTING    --

HUGS, DI

NATURE WEDNESDAY-JAN 14TH

 Oh dear--this Wednesday it was windy and chilly--and I had to go on the bus to Publix for a water run--

So I did take a photo of part of the inside of the bus--as I was lucky today and not many were on the bus--sometimes it is full, and then some--this is just part of the front of the bus --for us  Seniors, and the those with walkers, wheel chairs and electric cart--

While waiting for the bus I did take 3 outside photos --

This huge flowering bush is just on the other side of the driveway--and these flowers are darker than the photo shows--I always stop to admire them--

and I noticed this vine that looks like Fall colors to me--along side the driveway--behind the bushes--

And this tree with alot of spanish moss this year is on the other side of our patio--I noticed some trees down the street are really loaded with moss--we'll see how next Wednesday weather is for a walk in that direction!!

and this bushy plant is all along the sidewalk when we get off the bus to go to the plaza--it has the bushy pink shoots and little white flowers on it at different times of the year!!

DID YOU GET OUT AND ENJOY SOME NATURE THIS PAST WEEK--WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE THIS COMING WEEK???

HUGS, DI

SENIOR LIFE #2

 There is times when this sign is my thinking--

I moved into a Senior/disabled housing apartment building when I was only 57--I was next to the youngest one there--so they called me the 'baby' of the building-I was working on my disability case at the time--which took me 10 years to win--I was 62 by then--!!!

The point is--I have been living with Seniors for over 20 years, in 3 different Senior apartment complex's--and I still don't know everything there is to know about 'senior living'!!! With the exception, that most all seniors are unhappy, grumpy, complaining old souls, at least the ones who live in these faculties !!!!!!

So many times I wished there was a 'normal' person who understood how to actually live a good senior life--cause all these 'young' doctors and RN's really have 'no' idea what we need or how to give us advice--have learned the most from trial and error--and watching other seniors, I guess--??

One of the main issues is the shopping and I want to thank the gals who commented last week--it helps to know  others struggle too--with the same problems--

As for shopping-for groceries--I have learned, like I said, I need to do it in the mornings--I always go with a list--handwritten-haven't gotten into the making a list on the cell phone--in fact--I still wear a watch as we only have an hour to shop each Monday morning so I need to keep track of the time and getting my cell phone in and out of my purse takes too long--and if I had my list on the phone--I know I would be sitting it down on the shelf while I look at something and then would walk off and forget it--!! Some times I think we need to realize--that the 'old' methods are easier for us, and not always be in hurry to involve ourselves with all the new gadgets!!  And I love the grocery store tote bags--they are so much easier to have the clerk put my items in them and then into the cart for getting things to the Van or a car--and for here I have found a folding cart on wheels is greet for unloading when I get back home and to get my bags back to the apartment--!!  I also find  that when I get home--I only unpack the refrigerated items and the frozen items--and save the rest to do a bit later--!!

So what system have you worked out--any thing you can share that might help one of us do it better, safer or with less strain on our bodies--(besides online shopping and delivery--which does cost more)

What have you worked out to make your shopping easier and safe--??

HAPPY SENIOR LIVING WEEK-

HUGS, DI

 

NATURE WEDNESDAY--#1

 I might have my day wrong--but I was thinking some of you did 'nature' photos on Wednesdays but as of this writing--I did not find any--but that is OK--I am hoping that on Wednesdays I can post some nature photos that I have collected --either during the week or on a walk on Wednesdays--

This Wednesday finds me showing you some photos I took on Monday--as today I am still in the rearranging mod inside--hope to be done with this project soon--

On Mondays --you probably remember that I go on a Van shopping--and this Monday we went to Walmart--outside of Walmart there is a little garden area with a couple benches and a couple big trees--and always lots of big black loud birds--as I was standing there visiting with a couple of the other ladies who finished shopping early--I looked up and could not believe my eyes---

Take a look at this tree--it has 2 eyes and a mouth and even could say that dark area between the eye branches are his nose!!!!

Then, when, we got back here and I was walking down the hall way on the first floor--again--for some reason--I looked up--

And here is this giant dragonfly sitting on the ceiling--he was hanging down and it looked like his feet were stuck in the tile-but later when I went down,  he had moved to the other side of hallway-so he was alive!!!

And while waiting for the Van in the morning--I had fun watching these birds--White Ibis--in our ditch across the driveway by our patio--

It started with one--then another and another came --

Until there was 6 and then a couple more joined in--must of been something really 'yummy' there for so many to join in????

TAKE TIME TO SPOT SOMETHING IN NATURE THIS WEEK--

HUGS, DI

SENIOR LIFE--

 I was thinking about all the 'trials' that us seniors have in life--this past week--and I noticed that most of the blogs I read--well--alot of you 'fall' into this part of your life, too!!

Some of those trials are good--some are bad-- and some are just plain --pain the body--challenges!!!

When we are growing up--our bodies went through alot of changes--but we barely notice them--we are too busy thinking about the next play date, or adventure, or how much trouble we could get into--!!!!

Then we show up -- into adulthood all excited about finally being on our own--to do and to go where ever we want to --

And then one day we wake up to a whole new set of  'life' challenges and this one is called--unfortunately--

OLD AGE--the term--SENIOR--and we are no longer that young 'dreamer' and we have a whole set of 'life' things to figure out--

So --my aim for this next year is to on Mondays, start a new sets of posts called--Senior Life--and we can address all the 'challenges' we face -- and how we are handling those challenges or can someone help us with this newest challenge in our life--?????

This can become a weekly--every other week or a monthly--thing???

What is your thoughts????

I will start this 'new' idea with my thoughts on shopping--

As you probably remember I am a in charge of scheduling a Monday morning Van service here at this senior living place--and today's trip was to Walmart--

Year's ago --when I used to take my Mother shopping--(she passed away in 1995)--she would get out of the car and say to me--"I am tireder than if I had cleaned house all day!!!"   At the time I did not really understand what she meant--well --now I do--I love to go shopping--even for groceries--BUT--by the time I get home--I am exhausted--I go in the mornings when my 'brain' is the sharpest--but by the time I get home--my whole body feels like I have run a 10K race-- and forget how the brain feels at this point--I could really go curl up in bed and take a good nap--but I don't--!!  I still want to get something accomplished--so- I  just sit in my rocker and hand stitch the rest of the day--but I keep on keeping on!!

So maybe this month's challenge posts can be--all the challenges Seniors face doing their shopping??

Let me know if you are interested in this topic and what are your thoughts--

HAPPY NEW YEAR--AND WELCOME TO--2026

THE SNOWMAN MONTH--AS LEAST THIS IS WHAT I DECORATE WITH DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY--WHAT DO YOU DECORATE WITH???

AND  HOW MANY NEW STITCHING PROJECTS ARE YOU PLANNING FOR 2026???

HUGS, DI

MORE FINISHES FOR 2025

 First up is --

I got the Crow Cross stitching piece--that I started in Dec of 2024--

 totally finished piece--I even had the red and white braid that they used on the model piece in the pattern--that doesn't happen very often--I even had the little snowflake button that is on the big red package that the mouse is sitting on in my button box, too!!!!

Two--not just one--but two more wall hanging sized quilts where totally finished this week--

this is my bright colored paper piecing set of Hexies-

And this heart one is all hand quilted and ready to enjoy--had a real hard time finding something in my stash for the binding--this is as close as I could get to the colors in the border--it was/is an odd color of pink--!!!!

And this table cloth--

I did not embroider this one--can't remember if someone gave it to me to finish or if it was a thrift store find--but I have had it for years--yep--for years now--it needed to be hemmed--you have NO idea how many times I have laid it on the ironing board to be finished and then it would get put away--before I did anything with it--well--yesterday it was on the ironing board--once again--and I wanted to clean and move that area around--but I made myself sit at the machine and finish this--it took less that 20 minutes, I believe, and now it can be used after a washing--  I also hemmed a new pair of flannel pj bottoms that was on the ironing board--so good for me--I guess!!!  

And I did get the moving and sorting of the sewing area finished--though I still need to do some 'setting' up yet there--but today's job was hauling out all the craft totes from the clothes closet and going through all that and mopping the closet floor--got that done just before lunch--so when I get done here--it has to get put back into the closet!!!

And one more little baby sweater has been finished and added to the bag--that bag that I  collect the finished sweaters in is nearly full--won't be long now and they will all need their buttons and get sent off to World Vision--

And who turned the heat down so low for Florida?????  it was only 39 this morning at 7am!!!  and a high of only 58 here today--OUCH!!!  but good cleaning out closet weather!!!!

WELL--HERE IS GOOD-BYE TO 2025 IN A FEW HOURS--

AND A HELLO TO--

FOR 2026----

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR--HUGS, AND BLESSINGS, DI

 

TODAY IS THE DAY------

 Merry Holiday to each and everyone who reads this post and my regular posts--

A special wish for each of you--remembrance of why we celebrate today--

Blessings, Di