Embroidery

 Embroidery is sometimes challenging, but I have managed to get a few more towels done.

#6 of 10 projects

The funny little bird that makes me smile.

I decided it was a Bluebird:)

I had an eye Doctor appointment yesterday which resulted in just one more appointment.

So it goes.

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Another blue blanket

 I finished the blanket that was in my work basket. 

I needed a new project to put in my work basket. 

I fussed and fussed with a new pattern to begin a new project...it was colored hearts...it looked better on paper than it did in reality. The back of that project was so messy looking I would never give it to anyone.  So I frogged it ( ripped it apart).

It is cold here again. 

Minnesota weather: High 18F or -8C  Low was 13F or -11C eh!  We have a wind/blowing snow/ice advisory for Tuesday morning.

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Egg Coffee

 Egg Coffee is a Scandinavian thing... it is Church Basement Coffee.

Egg Coffee

Boil 9 cups of water in a coffee pot on top of the stove.  In a bowl mix an entire egg (Yes you can use the shell too if you wish) into 3/4 cup of coffee grounds with 1/4 cup of water.  Drop the egg and coffee mixture into the pot and let is simmer a bit then add a cup of cold water to help settle the grounds a bit, use a coffee strainer to strain into a cup and enjoy!

Most likely the best coffee ever!  Our neighbor Arvilla made egg coffee all the time.

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Sad News

 My sister's husband Dean died yesterday while shoveling snow/ helping to get a car unstuck. Please pray for the family.  Sudden unexpected deaths are just hard to accept. 

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A first

 I enjoyed a first.  I know everyone has most likely done this before.

I do not drink coffee.  However I do drink hot chocolate!  The Eye Doctor that we go to has a Starbucks machine...who knew. 

The hot chocolate was really good.  Yes there is a Starbucks in town but I have never been there...who needs one when you can just go to the eye Doctor!

Now if Starbucks had good old egg coffee I might be tempted to go there.  I gave up coffee when my blood pressure when out of whack and to avoid the medications... it worked for a few years until it didn't.

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More snow

 We had more snow overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday...about 10 inches total.   The roads are fair for driving conditions on snowy icy roads.  A few days of sunshine will help melt the roads. 

I took Far Guy to his Infusion appointment, I waited in the parking lot while Far Guy had his infusion.

I am feeling less pain after my back injection...fingers and toes crossed that it will be helpful for a while.

Suppers lately...hamburgers and French fries, chicken and wild rice soup with Gluten Free Red Lobster Biscuits and tonight is tacos and Far Guy's dip:)

I watched Song Sung Blue on Peacock TV and really enjoyed it...in fact I may watch it again.

Friday is a day off of medical appointments!!  

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Cute designs

 Some of the dish towels have cute designs. 

Finishes # 4 and # 5. 

I had a procedure yesterday and must take it easy for a little bit. I had injections into my back that were not without pain.   Far Guy and Jen are taking good care of me. 

We got about 6 inches of snow after a hard rain. 

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Threads

 Embroidery threads are part of my recent days.  

I brought ten dish towels with me to be embroidered over the Winter.  Five are done...so I am making progress.  Slow but sure.  

Far Guy is doing good...he is back on the treadmill and doing at least 5,000 steps a day.  He has his sense of humor back and that is a relief.  We are waiting for the genetic testing to come back on his Thyroid Nodule biopsy.  He has two nodules inside his Thyroid...one is benign and the other is questionable hence the extra testing that takes weeks.  

We had breakfast for supper..we all cooked!  

Minnesota weather: High 42F or 6C  Low was 32F or 0C eh!

Winter Storm for Wednesday and Thursday

Description

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation and areas of blowing snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 10 inches with locally higher amounts. Ice accumulations of a glaze. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to midnight CST Wednesday Night. * IMPACTS...Travel will be very difficult. Falling and blowing snow will lead to areas of quick and sudden reductions to visibility, making travel difficult, especially in rural areas that are prone to blowing snow. The hazardous conditions will impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.

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Roses

 Andy gave Jen roses for Valentine's Day!

They are lovely and smell good too.

Monday appointments are done, I had a recheck with my Primary Care Dr and then in the afternoon I saw the Pain Management Doctor.  They want to try one more injection in my back before trying a implantable device.  

What ever lets just get this show on the road.  FYI it was a two month wait just to get to see the Pain Management Doctor.

I have one more appointment this week and Far Guy has two.  

We have wicked weather coming in soon.  I suspect our February thaw and nice weather with bearable temperatures is over. 

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Blessings

 We are blessed with a great family.  Those who could come came to wish Far Guy a Happy Birthday.  We ate lunch and then an early supper.  Every one was here except for our oldest daughter Trica, youngest Grandson Adam, Paige’s husband Cole and Noah’s wife Hanna.

  

The Great Grands made birthday cards!

Fun to see and hug everyone! 

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76

 Happy Birthday Far Guy!   You have had a tough year but you have survived to celebrate another birthday here with me!  I am thankful for the Doctors and Nurses that helped you get through the year. 

AND Sadie she helped you too!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

 Hope you all have a wonderful Valentines's Day spent with those you love!

I sent bags with heart shaped boxes of candy and other treats for the Great Grandchildren.  Their Valentine boxes went to their Daycare, at school everyone makes their own Valentine boxes. 

Minnesota weather on Friday: Partly cloudy  High was 37F or 3C  the Low was 25 or -3C eh!  

We ventured out to return an item to wally world and to pick up the last of the snapshots I ordered for the Photo Album Project for 2026!

Supper was no cooking only warming up leftovers! 

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Nice day

 We had a nice sunny day here..just about half the air temperature of Belize.

Jen sent this photo from the resort in Belize.

Thursday Far Guy had his weekly infusion, I went to Walmart Pickup, Aldi and Hobby Lobby and still waited for him in the parking lot.  All four medical appointments are done for the week...Friday is our day off! Next week we have four appointments...mostly me for a change of pace.  Taking turns I guess.

I am tweeking the last of the photographs to be printed for the photo albums I have been working on...I can see the end in sight! 

Happy Birthday today to our nieces Katie and Bethany! 

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The eyes have it

 Cats...or Cataracts, Far Guy has them and surgeries have been scheduled.  He is a bit bummed out that one appointment yielded five more appointments.  Can't say I blame him but I know he will be happier when he can see clearly again!

We had lunch with my other baby brother and she who sees robins first as they were passing through town to visit Katie for her upcoming 44th birthday in Western North Dakota. Happy Birthday Katie!

Minnesota weather: High 30F or -1C Low was 21F or -6C. Partly cloudy day. 

3D print of a cat for Cee Cee's Valentine box. I painted the eyes and put a bit of color on the nose and the inside of the ears.  Andy will put it all together..the cat will be peeking out of a cardboard box. It is amazing what that 3D printer can do!

Here is the completed Valentine box. The heart is also a 3 D print.

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Quiet Day

 Tuesdays are usually quiet days as Sadie is in Doggie Daycare.  She was happy to see us when she came home. 

Far Guy drove me to the grocery store, we picked up a prescription, got gas and a car wash.  The car looks blue again instead of a grey blue.

We made pork chops, rice and green beans for supper.  We made the green beans with bacon and a bit of vinegar just the way the guys will eat them.

Far Guy was a bit hoarse yesterday from the biopsy on Monday.  He says it hurts a bit too.

This is Great Granddaughter Peach's Valentine box. She is going to love it...probably she will jump up and down many times in her excitement!

Minnesota weather: Partly sunny High was 32F or 0C  low was 16F or -9C. 

Relaxing moment yesterday...waiting for a train and admiring the art work on the boxcars.

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report

Not much snow in the fields between Grand Forks and Fargo.  The West side of the road has drifts of black soil.  We were thankful for no blowing snow this time around...not that there is too much to blow around. 

Gas prices are fluctuating from $2.29 to $2.49  and we saw one station today that was $2.23

 The sun was out for part of the day then it got gloomy.  Far Guy took a photo for me. 

Far Guy had a number of biopsies of the two nodules inside his Thyroid gland...results may take up to a week.  Now we wait.

I made chili for supper and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The guys did all the dishes.  Jen is on Vacation in Belize.

Minnesota weather: High was 39 F or 4C  Low was 23F or -5C eh!  Nice weather for February!

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a taco

 Creativity is alive and well this Valentine's week!  Jen helps the Great grandchildren with Valentine boxes every year.   They choose their own design and help with some of the design pieces. 

There was lots of paper crimping going on the night they visited here.  I helped to put Hey Mikey's Valentine box together. 

Interesting what can be made out of a cardboard box, tissue paper and crimped paper.  There is slot at the top amongst the dollops of sour cream!

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Weekend Finish

 I finished the two dish towels my Mom left for me to do. I started on some of my own stamped designs that have been languishing in my embroidery box for a while.

Nice to have some completed projects. 

We had a quiet day, in the afternoon we watched Flipped it was a good movie.   Toward evening the Great Grandchildren were here to liven up the place! Andy made loaded nachos for supper. 

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Book Club 2026: February

 The February read was a good one. Recommended by my daughter Jen.  I give it an almost perfect score of 9.75  I would have given it a 10 but it is a very loooong book. 

Chris Whitaker is the author of All the Colors of the Dark

Is is a historical crime mystery with a touch of hope ...that is the best way I can describe it. 

Far Guy had his stress test yesterday...it was a three hour appointment...it must have went well as they released him to come home.  I came back to Andy and Jens and caught up with laundry and cleaned a bathroom while he was at the hospital. 

Supper is Salmon for Far Guy and vegetable soup for me. 

Minnesota weather:  Sunny but not as warm as yesterday. 

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Old project

 My Mom left me two of her old projects.  I have been carting them around in my embroidery box for almost two years. 

Time to BE busy!

Mom made many of these embroidered dish towels...designs were apples, peaches and cherries.  These were stamped but not embroidered...so it was on my list of things to do this Winter. 

Minnesota weather: Sunny then partly cloudy and warm!  High was 39F or 4C  the low was 13F or -11C eh!  It was a nice snow melting day!  

Far Guy and I went out for lupper after his infusion...and we had bacon, eggs and hash browns:)

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Friends without benefits

 Sadie had a dog over for playtime.  Her name was Penny...she was a Bulldog with lots of wrinkles on her face and she sounded funny...all in the snout.  They got along fine for a little while...then they fought over a bone so all bone type chew toys were taken out of the toy basket.  Later in the day they got into it again....in retaliation Penny peed on Sadie's dog bed.  Uffda. 

Sadie was missing her bed. 

Far Guy and I ventured out to Hobby Lobby and there were dog beds there and one hopped in my cart along with some yarn!

She likes her new bed just fine...I wish it was a darker color but we can cover it with her old dog bed cover as it was washable. 

She had to smell it all over and then turn around about six times and settled down with a sigh. 

Then she had a long nap!

Minnesota weather: High 30F or -1C Low was 26F or -3C  Mostly cloudy day.

Supper: Pizza using the Pillsbury pizza crust topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni and cheese. 

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Little Things

 My Physical Therapist was ever so kind yesterday and I got an ultrasound treatment, scraping and tape.  So good to feel so much better.  The flare I have been is has been horrid.  In the afternoon I tried to watch a movie but fell asleep.

Jen made me a bookmark...cute as it can be!

I smile every time I use it!  Jen is making some awesome things with her 3 D printer. 

Supper was spaghetti, meatballs and french bread.  I had cheese on my noodles as I am not fond of spaghetti sauce.

Minnesota weather: It was a nice above zero day and the sun was shinning!

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Monday stuff

 I finished a baby blanket over the weekend.  Another blue one.  I have no babies in mind for any of the blankets I have been doing.  Just getting ready...to BE prepared!   I have enough of this yarn left to make another baby blanket....in fact I already started it.

We had no plans/appointments on Monday ...so what do we do?  Made two appointments!  The first was for Far Guy's Indefinite Updated Military ID...it seems the Government changed a few things so off we went.  Interesting fact is that they couldn't get fingerprints from him as his ridges are all worn off.   The next appointment was at the Eye Clinic...Jen had recommended her Eye Dr and she had an afternoon opening... Far Guy needs Cataract Surgery on both eyes.  Far Guy said "I am blind as a bat"  He has a referral and will be seen for the initial cataract consult next week.  The Surgery will be scheduled.

Now for the rest of the week...only three appointments.  Practically a week off.

Minnesota weather: Mostly cloudy  High 6F or -14C  Low was -16F or  -27C eh!

Supper: Steak sandwiches, twice baked potato and green beans.  It is just the menfolk and me this week as Jen is off to Puerto Rico for some time in the sun.

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Long time ago

 I had fun recalling good times.  These photos were taken in the Winter of 1991.

Snow, Far Guy’s birthday, our daughters, me dressed for the Minnesota weather and a Sheltie showing off her one skill.

The dog is G’day Mate. She would carry a message in the luggage tag attached to a scarf around her neck. Far Guy knew if she showed up in the woods with her scarf on that she was carrying a message. She was a very independent dog but we loved her still the same.  We called her Mate.

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Cards

 I finally finished the cards I use at Christmas for the Grands and Greats.  We gave up Christmas shopping a long time ago...all the kids like cash...no problems no returns!

I have plenty now for the next couple of years!   BE prepared!

It was a hard day on Saturday...we had a low pressure system that moved on in that made my RA go crazy.  I did what my Primary Care Doctor has suggested...have a THC Gummy and have a nap.  I felt much better after a nap...a little high but much better! 

Supper was Jen's scrambled eggs, Far Guy's fried potatoes and fruit.  

Minnesota weather: High 19F or -7C  Low was 17F or -8C eh!  Snowy and windy.

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