Visit to the Local Goodwill paid off

I told you all in my last post I was shopping til I dropped, I've been trying lamp after lamp on my loom, near my loom and on my loom and it kept falling off and I wasn't satisfied....there is a plug in the ceiling that I could very well use some track lighting, but I'm still not sure I don't want to move my loom further against the wall...so I've tried every lamp to see what would fit....the Ott light is too short,and I like using it for my spinning wheel and like to keep it near it..... the other lamp I like to sit near the book case and read by it, I can't attach a fluorescent light, my loom wouldn't fit one...so it seemed I was always looking for the lamp that would "fit just right"...We stopped at a good will, and if it were a snake it would have bit me, Cecil , bless his little heart spied the lamp and "Ginny did you see this?" No I hadn't seen it, there was an unsavory character standing behind it and I didn't want any confrontation with asking him to move, so I walked away from the area, thereby missing the lamp!...it must have been meant for me, it was only $15. and that price was just right :o)..the lamp would be in the $150-$175. range all I needed was some bulbs, at first I bought the wrong ones and the first picture shows why...I didn't bother to read the instructions on the inside... I'll fix that today, Wasn't that just the perfect blessing meant for me...There are some good bargains in Goodwill if your not too proud or what we call "uppity". Just remember "one mans junk is anothe mans treasure"...

Where I have been? and what I've been up too!

I've been to Hell and back!!! with a toenail that decided to grow away from the cuticle...I have been worried sick about it and finally got some verbal relief today from the Podiatrist< He says it's a natural thing !! What! it wasn't something natural to me, I thought I was going to lose my toe, (being a diabetic,I wasn't sure how that would start and stop) I've had patients that first lost the toe and then the foot and it kept going until they lost more and then their lives....You all know how I love to cook (and eat). well, thank God that hell is over. and I'm back amongst the blogging world....I didn't think you all would like a picture of my toe hehehe , I sure was tempted to show it to you, but was afraid you might faint :o)...Anyway the nail bed has been clipped and sanded down and it's not as bad as I worried!...I'm making sure my shoes are comfortable, I want no stress with my feet.
Now what I've been up to....SHOPPING! until I dropped from being weary...it has taken a week to purchase just a few necessities for a coming trip...my Granddaughter is getting married and that means new stuff even for this fat lady..I'm going to stop calling myself fat...I'm a sturdy size :o) Would you believe I walked into a store and found just what I was looking for!! that was a trip within itself it surprised me to no end....I found a pair of shoes like that too (twice).
Even Cecil had good luck with his attire...and the alterations took little time...He looked real handsome...maybe I'll have to slap him silly before it's all over.You know how men are..if a young women smiles at them they begin to think they are all that and a bag of chips....I have to remind him, his bag of chips have gone to crumbs... I will be posting a few more times before my trip...but not to worry I'm okay and I thank all those who took the time to ask about my well being....!!Maybe tomorrow I'll have something better to share....

Dish Cloths all decked out in a row

Here are the results of continued learning....The mistakes in this project doesn't really matter... it's going to be used and greatly appreciated by the user. :o) One thing they are 100% Cotton, so easy to wash and I can use Bleach on them..So while I learned I earned :o) (in other words I learned something and it wasn't a waste after I learned from it)...Don't know why I always have to explain myself twice...guess I feel like I don't do a good job the first time :o(
At first they looked like crap to me! but after doing the snipping here and there and cleaning them up a bit, they really look nice :o)

Today was a busy day for me , following the busy one I had yesterday....
It takes as much time to take fabric off a loom almost as long as warping it..
I had a slight mess to clean off my reeds yesterday...my cotton threads seem to have made a little mess from the threads being shaved off a little as I beat the warp, well I wondered what affect the smaller reed would have compared to the larger (for those who don't know a size 10 reed has wider space than the size 12) I used the size 12 and the size 10 would have been the better one to use for this project.
Sometimes you don't learn it all in school, you also learn best by doing ...mistakes are the best teachers...
After taking the fabric off the loom , I then had to plan most of it's separation, I thought I was doing a good job as I worked, but I see not that wasn't good enough! I made out okay with separating , but next time I'll use a better method, sometimes as it was going good I just kept working ....have to remember how I want the colors to work...but after separating and making the fringes , the product looks pretty good, in fact I'd go as far to say they are the best darn dish cloths I've ever had , besides the ones I knitted! Cecil is excited about them, he likes that they are real thick, I must keep him happy with the new bargain since my back surgery, I cook and he does the dishes, We have a dish washer, but he likes to use it sparingly.Okay with me :o)....

dish cloths patterns and colors

I tried hard to put the cloths in a flattering position, but it seems I was just too tired to get the best view ....and my arranging skills seem to fly the brain for now :o(...a closer look shows up more detail....they aren't too bad! just wish I could have used more patterns, I feel like I've missed something I get the pattern going > or < but I'd like them to meet all across like this <> I'm looking at patterns to find what I really want...

"Aunt Fannie's Dandelion Wine"

I'm surprised at so many people that was born and raised in the South not knowing about the custom "If a Man Calls or visits your home on New Years Day, it's good luck...and the man of the house is to offer the man visitor a drink ", I remember that custom being done when I was a child (a very long time ago)....here is a funny story for you...I had an Aunt Fannie(who was straight from Texas) who made "Dandelion Wine" every Spring ( I have the recipe direct from her).Anyway, our first year living in NJ , Cecil was practicing the custom by visiting family, he visited Aunt Fannie and she gave him a glass of the Dandelion wine...Cecil thought to himself, (What does she know about making wine strong enough like most Southerns who knew how to make "Moonshine" it was bound to be weak as a kitten...so he took a big gulp!(Dummy) He almost had to be carried home it made such a wallop! :o), I made the wine one year and he politely said "No Thank You" Guess that was the end of making "Aunt Fannie's Dandelion Wine" ( This was a true story, Cecil was teased about it for years and now has the greatest respect when Aunt Fannie's name is mentioned.:o)

Happy New Year's Day Meal"

I promised myself that today I would spend the time in the Studio with my weaving! Well that's the first resolve I've broken, instead I spent the day cooking! One thing led to another and in between cooking I watched CSI < all of it intriguing :o)
Anyway , Cecil made all his morning calls (an old fashioned custom, if a man enters or calls your home first thing it brings your home good luck all year) We can all use some good luck!.....
I made the traditional Black eye peas, Pork Chops smothered in gravy, some rice, of course some bitter turnip greens from the freezer, and Cornbread to go with that ...and some rutabaga turnips....I won't have to cook for a couple of days....I kept feeling someone was coming and I didn't want there not to be plenty! Cecil and I do pretty good eating,for two older adults. Maybe tomorrow or the next day I'll get back to my weaving.....