1. Connie will be having arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on January 6 – she’ll feel like a new woman when her knee doesn’t hurt any more BUT she’s been getting acupuncture treatments and they have really helped with the pain. Isn’t that remarkable?
2. I had my 6 week appointment today and all is well and I had hoped to schedule the surgery for my other knee BUT my doctor took up skiing 3 years ago at age 52 and now he takes all of his vacation in the winter so he can go skiing. He will check his skiing schedule and call me.
3. I have hired a trouble shooter for my blog problems! Hallelujah! Here’s the deal in a nutshell – I guess everybody has problems like I’m having BUT I am taking it personally. Ha! I guess I should quit worrying so much.
4. If for some reason, and nobody will know why, you see that you’re not receiving blog posts by email, try to sign up again. If it doesn’t work immediately, keep up online with the blog posts and try again in a week or so.
5. If you have questions about the ads, your subscription, your pictures, the free patterns, feel free to email me at marye@ncn.net.
6. I did the afternoon chores today and couldn’t resist a picture of the tribe under the heat bulb.
7. Someone asked how far the quilt shop is from the house – how far I have to walk outside when the weather is bad. Here’s a picture from the garage with the door open and you can see the shop just beyond.
8. I went through all my wonderful cards, transferred the addresses to my book and then sorted them out to find all the animal cards.
I loved receiving all these cards! And now I’m going to pass them on to Aidan, Lucy and Owen to cut and paste the cute pictures of the dogs and cats. Good idea, right?
9. My new jacket – have you ever thought about living in a cold weather area and how many jackets/coats/shawls/ponchos/coverups you need? I have more coats than should be allowed but we wear coats many months of the year. Here is my newest down jacket that I have gotten so many compliments on – my right hand is playing with Betty in this picture taken at Connie’s house.
I think I’ve covered it all except for one thing – Connie and I will be doing a book signing and trunk show at The Quilters Window in New Hampton, IA, next Thursday, December 12 from 5-7:30. It’s Ladies Night Out and we’re joining the fun – will YOU come and see us? We’d love to meet you!
Love your new jacket! It looks like you!
I like your jacket very much also. I’m glad to see prints on down or warm jackets and coats. I saw one out here and it was so pretty. Glad to see the tribe all warm and cozy. Hope your doctor doesn’t break something skiing so you can get your other knee done.
Martha – HOLY SMOKES! I never thought of that – now I’ll be worried!
Beautiful Jacket!! Good Luck to Connie and you look wonderful.
Sheila
Snazzy jacket there Mary! Love it. You know how you go into a store and husband goes one way and you go another and you say, meet me in the front of the store in half an hour? Well you stand waiting by the checkouts for him and everyone wears a plain dark jacket on with nothing to distinguish it, they all have gray hair walking towards you and for the life of you, no one stands out. Yours would make me smile and comment how wonderful it looks on you.
It looks great on you.
Thanks for the update on Connie. Is her surgery performed differently than yours or the same? Glad you feel confident to go ahead with the other knee and get it all behind you this winter.
Kathy In western NY – Connie will be having outpatient surgery and the torn piece will be removed and she’ll be good to go. She will not be having a knee replacement that requires months of recovery time. Hopefully she’s a few years away from that.
Thanks for explaining the procedure Connie is having. I am not real familiar with joint replacements, recoveries and options for knee pain so learning a lot on what’s available.
Mary – It’s so good to see you up and about! I think that’s a great idea for the kids to design new art with the animal cards. I wanted to share that my son had 14 hens that are finally laying! He had 2 blue eggs this morning and 1 olive one. Glad you have hired someone to help you with your computer/blog issues. Stay warm! Love the jacket!
Love your new jacket!! I, too, am a woman of many jackets (and many bags!!!)!
Your tribe looks warm and cozy under the heat lamp. Glad you are getting out and about!
My OB/GYN was a skier too. Had to Jenica’s birth around his heli-skiing trips way back when. He is retired now and my kids are adults!
Good luck to Connie on her upcoming surgery! And you on scheduling your next knee!
I head home to Colorado in the morning—hope to make it all the way in one day so I can pick up the girls on Sunday. I sure miss them! Anxious to get back to see what my DD is for this month!!
Sorry—had to schedule Jenica’s birth around my doc’s heli-skiing trips. Autocorrect, ugh!!
That coat is fabulous! And your smile matches.
I wish I were in Iowa and could go to the book signing..love to meet you in person too.
I’m glad you found a troubleshooter for the blog. When I have computer issues, it drive me out of my mine. Even the language makes me crazy.
Have fun next week.
Cute jacket! Where did you get it? I was having trouble getting the current posts when I went directly to the blog. I like the emails, then I can just click-in! Glad you had a good check!
Love your jacket Mary, looks good on you. I also have several jackets for several seasons. Your look warm & cozy.
Meant to say your brood look warm & cozy!!
Great jacket. Glad you are doing well with the new knee. I also hope the Dr. doesn’t break anything while he is enjoying his sport. Did you get your beautiful Christmas quilts out yet? It will be nice on Sat. and then comes the snow Sun. about midnight, also below zero next week. We will need a jacket like yours!!!
Kathy Schwartz – it is so much work to change out quilts and decorate and I may skip it all this year.
Love your jacket! The “tribe” looks cozy too. I saw that you were going to be at Quilter’s Window and I was so hoping to come however, our friend who is in a nursing home has invited us to their Christmas party that afternoon into the evening and I just can’t disappoint her. I was looking forward to seeing you and Connie but…
I have the books and am enjoying them so much, look at them a lot and want to start something from them
The sew-along is fun, had too many things to finish but will have to finish that project soon. I am making it 1/2 size as a table mat. It is a fun project. Have fun in New Hampton, I will be thinking of you!
Kathy Hanson – well, shoot! Wish you were coming but your friend will love to have you at her party!
Mary, you look like yo feel so much better!! Bet your barn babies were glad to see you!! I can’t believe how big the tribe has gotten, WOW!
I will watch the weather and see about Thursday. I will talk to my cousin’s wife and see if she would come too, then I would go there (Liscomb) and then to New Hampton. I think it is relatively close if the weather and roads aren’t bad.
I love down jackets! I have never seen a print one before, I love it! I like them because they are light weight, heavy jackets hurt my shoulders and I have trouble getting them on…arthritis in my arms and shoulders. I ordered one from Costco last weekend, hope to have it soon, there was trouble getting it so will ship next week. It is just a navy jacket/coat. I have a black one and love it…it is long enough to really keep the wind off.
I hope to see you Thursday!
I ❤️ your jacket !!! I understand the need for many types of outerwear, living in Alaska 🥶! So glad to hear all the GOOD news today and fingers crossed it continues!
Mary, today’s picture of you is the best one I’ve seen of you in a long while. You look lovely in your new coat and I’m very happy that you have found someone to help you with your blog. You have bore the frustrations of those problems too long.
I would love to meet you too …. if only I lived a bit closer! Lovely jacket. Where did you find such a beauty? I have lots of coats/jackets too because I walk my dog eery day come rain, snow, sleet, wind … you get the idea. We go on avg about 2 miles each day. Glad your knee is healing so well!!
Love your new jacket!! I’ve never seen a down print before. So happy your feeling better and you had a good checkup at your doctor’s. Busy with errands today and sending things off at the post office. HoHoHo.
So glad to hear you’re feeling better already. I know how hard it is for a busy lady to sit still to mend properly! Be careful this winter on the ice and snow!!!
Your jacket is just lovely on you! I have signed up again to receive the blog via email, if that doesn’t occur it’s okay; you’re worth searching for. I love the idea for recycling the cards, I used to do that with the grandchildren, they made placemats by “trapping” their picture collages between clear contact paper.
I would love to come to the book signing, but you are 4 hours away! Yikes! I do love your coat! Your little chickens look so cozy! Stay warm! Tell Connie we are thinking of her!
You’re standing! You’re smiling! You’re getting out! Hurrah! Merry ho ho!
Mary, your jacket is you:) Love it. It is so good to see you up and around and doing so well. I had the same surgery that Connie will have. 8 months later I climbed up 596 steps to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London AND back down. I hope hers works as well as mine did. Good luck.
ADVICE FROM THE DOUBLE KNEE GUY HERE–Mary, it is good your surgeon is skiing. I had both of my knees replaced within 8 weeks and that is too close together. Let your first one become completely healed and then schedule the second one. Diane’s “better half”–ha.
To Kathy Hanson, I love your description of husbands in a store. Mine is 6’5″ or I’d lose him all the time–lol.
Diane – so many friends and/or acquaintances have actually had both knees done at the same time – I did not want that but I was hoping by Christmas and/ or early January that I’d be done with surgery completely! I want to be ready to work this spring! The only reason I didn’t let him do both knees in October was that I needed my right foot for the pedal on the right when I played for cantata.
So many good news! You rock that jacket, very cute! It is nice to see the tribe all together and growing. Say hello to Connie and good luck with her surgery. Happy Sunday.
Love your new jacket! If I saw this near me, I would definitely pick it up! Glad you are feeling better.
I live in Texas and have a LOT of coats!! I often think the same thing..I have way more than I need. I really should donate some but I don’t. I think you’re probably good! HA
Love all your news as always Mary.
And thank you for giving me permission (sort of) to own so many coats! One can never have enough in the Midwest. When I figured it out we only had 5 months between snowfalls.
Glad to hear your knee is good and the other will soon be good. Say hi to Connie and good luck to her too.
Enjoy your December.
I’ll try to run over and see you on Thursday!! Sounds fun. Jo
Jo Kramer – oh, that would be fun, Jo! If it’s just too cold, we will understand!