Time for finishes

Last week, I felt a pressure to finish some things I had going on.  The holidays are approaching and things are changing around me and I had too many projects going on.  

I picked up my unfinished glove Saturday morning and decided I'd let it sit long enough.  I got bored with it when I was making the third one (first was too small and had to be taken apart), so I powered through and by mid-day, I had the last fingers knitted and the threads were tucked in.  They're okay.  They have a few problems, but they'll keep my hands warm.  I think gloves must take a lot of practice to get really good at and I'm not sure I want to put in that practice, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to make Rob another fingerless pair.  He loves the ones I made him a few years ago.  

I also pressed fast forward on the Christmas quilt border.  I am so close to the finish line on this one. Just a few more hours of hand quilting to go.  I'm around two sides of border and half way down the third side.  We'll see if I can push myself all the way to the end, or whether this one ends up having to "rest and sit a spell" before I can get to the end.  Hand quilting is "thinking" work.  I can try to watch TV, but mostly I'm looking at where the needle is going.  I can listen to a book, but my mind drifts.  I end up thinking...I've solved all the world's problems in the time it's taken me to quilt this little quilt.  I even solved a few of my own.  

I took off on Wednesday last week and am taking a couple days off this week.  I'm using that time productively around the house.  One of the projects I'd been gathering supplies for was a wind chime that a friend gave me more than 20 years ago.  The wood was dry and gray and in really bad shape and the chimes were spotted with something like rust, but not rust.  I sanded and added a couple coats of polyurethane to the wood parts, which brought out a beautiful walnut stain that I had forgotten was there.  I polished the chimes with steel wool and re-threaded the whole thing with a nice bright green nylon string.  It came out perfect.  Looks just like new.  I can't wait to hang them back in the yard so we can hear their soft melody again (I walk by and give them a tap every so often, just to hear them).

Friday was Syd's birthday.  She came for dinner.  I made pot roast.  Last Tuesday, she asked for a chocolate pie, so on Friday morning at 6am, I was rolling out a crust, then making the pudding from scratch using my Grandmother's recipe, and topped it with a perfect meringue.  She asked when chocolate pie came with meringue and I answered 'since my Grandmother made the first one for me back in 1969'.  She and Rob both said they didn't remember me putting meringue on pies.  I think they've both lost their memories.  Anyway, she took the meringue off her slice and I took it onto mine and enjoyed it twice as much.  She didn't take the leftovers home, maybe because of the meringue, which honestly fit me fine...I love chocolate pie.  I used to beg anybody that made a good one for a pie (no instant pudding for me).  I used to mow my Aunt Maxine's yard for a chocolate pie.  We ate the last slice last night and the crust wasn't even soggy.  It was a perfect pie.

We were invited by our neighbors to see their house post-remodel last night with some other neighbors.  We had drinks and appetizers and tons of laughs and conversation.  It was really nice.  We need to have people over, but we have to clean carpets first.  We're talking seriously about next projects now, and I realized I need to do whatever I'm going to do in the kitchen and then we can get new floors and I'm ready to get on that.  I love my kitchen and I love the way it's laid out and the only thing wrong is that I have too much stuff for my storage space.  But, I'm willing to consult with a professional kitchen designer and see if there's another configuration that would give me more room to work...but I'm afraid it means giving up the separate dining room and I'm having a little trouble doing that.  

Everybody have a great week!  If you're like me and in the mood to finish projects before end of year, then good luck!  Let's see how much we can bring to a conclusion before the year concludes.  

Lane

P.S. We watched Tom Hanks in Finch this weekend.  Great movie!  We enjoyed it so much, but be sure you have your tissues handy.  Pretty sure Tom Hanks can do anything.