I have been busy with several small projects.  Maybe I will stretch this out and tell you about  them day by day. 

I have taken the hinges off the box, partly so I can paint it; partly because I want prettier ones; but mostly because I will turn the direction the lid opens. 

This is the first paint coat. 

The second coat of paint is on both the bottom and the top.  I have begun the next step on the top, sanding away on the top to create instant distress. 

Our weather has been fabulous for October.  The temperatures have been in the low to high 70's.   We might make the mistake of saying this is indian summer but we still have not had a killing frost.  We are preparing the gardens for winter and have begun taking out some of the plants and cutting back others.  We are leaving some of the annual flowers and plan to remove them after the first killing frost.  That little bit of color is extremely cheerful. 

We are supposed to have more normal temperatures beginning tomorrow plus a little rain.  I best not complain about the rain because we are behind on it. 

My friend passed on yesterday morning. 
Right now I am preparing a banner for a baptism this coming Sunday.  She stitched the banner except for the name and date, 
I have some, I am not certain they can be called cute but they are interesting, things that I want to show you.  I think I will begin doing that tomorrow. 
Our temperature is still warm.  The day is a good one to hang laundry outside.  There is a little wind with the warmer than usual temperature. 

I have a little update for you.  The four ornaments have been accepted as a donation to a charity Holiday auction.  They may not bring in big bucks but every little bit helps.

The last post, a rant, and this one are not characteristic of me.  My only excuse is that what has been going on in my life is hardly ordinary. 

A couple days ago, I visited a dear friend who is 90.  She is in hospice; she, my son, and I have struggled to come to terms with it.  The last time I visited, she sent me home with her stitching portfolio, project bags, and the last things that she had to stitch. 

In 2006, I made a small etui for her.  I embellished it with freshwater pearls.  When I gave it to her, I told her that if it wore out, she should remove the pearls.  When I took her things home with me, I knew that somewhere in the packets I would find the etui.  I did and her scissors too.  That made both my son and me tear up a little. 

After struggling through a sleepless night, I decided to go see my friend this afternoon.  My son accompanied me.  When we entered her room, we discovered that she is no longer lucid.  We greeted her and talked to her but I am fairly certain she did not know that we were there.  Her brother was keeping vigil at her side.  We talked a little.  We all hope and pray that she will not linger. 

When we returned home, I found that I was able to incorporate her stitching stash into mine.  I will always think of her when I see her scissors and etui. 

I had such good intentions for yesterday.
1.  Clean the bathroom
2.  Declutter my work table
3.  Paint my little box
4.  Organize and maybe stitch on the baptismal banners
5.  Stitch on a little project for one of my nieces

Such good intentions but that is not the way the day went. 
We found a sale on kitchen appliances so we went to check out the refrigerators.  The findings were not very good.  We knew that if the refrigerator had the same exterior dimensions as our present one, the capacity inside will be less.  It is just a given with the current energy efficiency standards. 

What we found out was not what we had expected.  Given the size of our family, the refrigerators that will fit into the space that is in our kitchen are now much too small inside.  There were a couple that we could manage to use based on their capacity but it turned out they would not work in our space even through they would "fit."  There is not enough clearance with the cabinets directly across for the refrigerator door to open. 

The three guys wanted to try the one with french doors and a bottom roll out freezer.  I am all in favor of bottom freezers, especially roll out ones.  What they guys did not realize and did not want to understand is that the doors will hold significantly less than the door of our current refrigerator and that we depend upon the door for storage of small things like condiments.  None of the three options that might be big enough inside has a meat drawer.  It is a "deli drawer".  It is high enough to hold yogurt containers, lunch meat packages, and cheese.  We could not put a chicken or roast in it. 

Because of issues with clearance for the door/s we think we could not remove the vegetable bins and deli draw to clean the refrigerator. 

The long and short of it all is that if we get a new refrigerator, we will first have to do some major remodeling in the kitchen.  At the very least, we would have to pull all the cabinets from one wall; make a place for the refrigerator where the wall oven and some cabinets are now.  Then make a place for the wall oven where the refrigerator is now and then try to add back as much of the cabinets as possible.  We would probably have to have some cabinets made because the sizes will not be standard. 

If we have to do that much, I think we would be ahead to completely remodel the kitchen.  Right now we are telling the refrigerator that it has to hold out for several more years.  As a preliminary step Dan, who does a lot of the food prep, and I need to sit down to determine what we think works in the kitchen and what we think does not work. 

This is very misleading because Roger still needs to finish the basement bathroom before he can finish the basement which he has to do before he can tear out the upstairs bathrooms to resolve a water problem which is imperative.  I really do not know how much of this we can feasibly do. 

So what did I accomplish yesterday? 
1.  I painted another coat on my little box. 
2.  I stitched a little on my project for one of my nieces.  Maybe I ought to take a picture of it so you can see it. 

Yes, the ornaments are completely finished with cording around them and extending for the hangers. 

Front and back of each of the four are now assembled.  The next step is to cut pearl cotton to make cording for the outside edge and hanger. 

I need strands of pearl cotton 60 inches long to make the cording.  I am not certain how many strands for each cord- three, maybe four.  To me, this seems like a lot of work; so much so, that it has become a major road block in my progress.  My progress has come to a screeching halt.  I want to regain my forward momentum. 

This little set of ornaments is ready to finish.  I have one mounted front and back and stitched together.  Just three more to go. 

Just a couple hummingbird sightings this week.  It looks like they may have left for the winter.  Their departure is supposed to be triggered by the length of the day.  We all know that in the northern hemisphere it is getting shorter. 

In the morning when I walk, the sun is not up yet when I get to the health club to clean up.  It is not even up when I put my gym bag back in the car.  This morning it was just barely light as we drove back home.