REINDEER AGAIN

 First up for the day...

Walk around the lake with Lacy, or not.  Depends what she is doing.

Then I'll come home and work on these:

ABOVE: Two ready for stitching and titivating.

I'm enjoying doing Reindeer again.  They are happy runners.

I am hoping to get 3 Reindeer Runners done before the next Market, and 3 Fish ones as well.  I have three weeks until our next market, which is in Woodlands, Gordonton.

Plenty of time to get 6 runners done I think.

Last night Stew did some work in the 'gym' room... I'd asked him to move the treadmill and Cross Trainer around for me.

I wanted the Cross Trainer in the middle of the room, instead of the treadmill.

ABOVE:  The Cross Trainer used to be hard up against the wall, and I didn't like using it.  I felt like I was going to smack me elbow into the wall every time I used it, so now it's in a better position for me.

I hope by using it more often I will start to tone my upper body.

Walking is taking care of the lower half!  lol

Very cold and blustery today, but Lacy and I still took ourselves off to the lake...

ABOVE:  A bit slower walk today, as the wind was fierce!  And I had a headache.  So not so chipper.  It's still a decent time.

ABOVE:  A nesting Pukeko.  

ABOVE: Random photo, cos we were sitting taking a little break.

ABOVE:  Bundled up against the cold... she had like 4 layers on top!  Me?  One.

After our walk, I went to Spotlight for some plain black buttons for Reindeer's eyes.  Would you believe they had very few to choose from, and those that would have worked were $3 EACH!

Like hell was I paying $3 for a simple button.

So I went to David's Emporium in town...

ABOVE:  I was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY with the selection there!  OMG!  Walls of buttons.

And HEAPS of black ones to choose from.

I found exactly what I needed.  And they were 50 cents each.

SCORE.

Just goes to show it pays to shop around.

ABOVE:  I also found some Kiwiana fabric that I use a lot, it was $22.50 a metre, compared to Spotlight's $35 a metre.

I think I shall be getting all my Kiwiana fabrics from David's Emporium from now on.

They don't have a vast selection of quilting fabrics, but what they do have is amazingly priced.

ABOVE: When I arrived home there was a little fabric parcel on my doorstep?  I didn't remember ordering anything???

Upon opening I remembered.  A Kiwiana Panel from Grandmother's Garden.  Although they are now shut down, they still do online orders of what they have left in the shop.

Guess what?

I bought that panel for ME.  I fell in love with it and will be using it for a wall hanging or quilt for my home.

It's not very often I buy or make something for myself I must say.

I'm heading out again soon.  Steve needs a ride to and from the Hospital today.  He's got a medical procedure today, and can't drive afterwards.

So Mum to the rescue.   

Fingers crossed all goes well.  He's having lots of tests done to see if he can go on a Clinical Trial for his Pancolitis & Crohn's Disease. 

1.15 pm:  and Steve is safely at the hospital for the next few hours.

There is a fabric shop right opposite the hospital:

ABOVE:  I have been in it only once before, as parking is next to impossible to find.  Today I parked down by the lake and walked back to it.

It's only about a kilometre or so.

The other reason I've not visited it after my first time was the condition inside.

SHAMBOLIC is about the best way to describe it.

Fabrics piled up in such a way it's near impossible to look through it.  Shelves of fabric blocked from view by others things.  A rabbit warren of jumbled up bits 'n' bobs, no order,  just a general mess.

Today, sadly, was no different.

ABOVE: There wasn't a large selection of fabrics.  MOST were off the bolt, suggesting she buys up ends of bolts elsewhere and sells it on.

If you really wanted to look at what was piled up on the fabric shelves, you needed to move boxes and mannikins and god knows what else.  I didn't bother.

ABOVE:  The owner of this shop has NO IDEA how to display a bloody thing!

And her prices were top end.  I spied a skull fabric I'd seen at David's Emporium this morning.  It was $12.50 a metre there.

At this shop?  $35 a metre!

Needless to say, I will never go there again.

OH yes!  

The lady asked my what sort of sewing machine I had?

I replied "A Brother Dreamweaver".

She said "Oh that's sad.  But we service all machines here".

Like... really?  Another nail in her coffin.

They sell Bernina sewing machines.

So anyway, obviously I'm back home.  Wondering if I should start sewing, or just wait till after I pick Steve up and take him home? 

Decisions.

Might have lunch...

Well it's now after 6 pm, I had me lunch, then around 2.30 I picked Steve up from the Hospital.

He was OK, just sore and ready to go home and rest.

Hopefully he will get on this Clinical Trial and the new drug will make a huge difference to his condition.  

Worst case scenario, he's given the PLACEBO and he continues to get worse.  IF that happens, they won't let him deteriorate too much before actually giving him the drug.

Or at least put him back on the drugs he was already on.

He's a bit of a worry to us.  Just wish he was well again.

After I dropped him home, I got home myself and started sewing the first of those two Reindeer Runners.

Happy to say I got quite a bit done.

But now, Stew is home and I'm inside the house, ready for a nice, quiet evening.

Catch ya tomorrow.

DAY 40 DONE AND DUSTED

40 down, 33 to go!  Well on the downward slope.

I walked past two people eating pies today.  I had to look away!  Just remembering it makes me drool!

Staying strong.  Committed. Motivated to DO IT.