Day 31

FEBRUARY IS ALMOST HERE

After church I worked on a couple of things simultaneously. I was in my sewing room putting together my latest PatchAbilities hanging for February and I would go back and forth from the scanner on Dave's desk area to my computer room so I could scan some photos. I discovered many photos that I hadn't sent out to be scanned onto a disc. Oops. Since they are a wide variety of sizes, some from my parents stash and some from our early years together, I decided to just do a small portion at a time. Today I accomplished a bunch of random photos and I will be working on this throughout the year I suppose. It is rather fun to look at some of these oldies but goodies.

Here is today's photo of the monthly hanging. I did not buy the February pattern, but copied something I had seen in a quilt and did my own thing. I like it!

Day 30

ORGANIZING LIBRARY BOOKS

What an afternoon! Ardis, Patti and I spent 4 hours alphabetizing and organizing the books in our community library. Some of the alphabetizing had been done but we have book shelves in 3 different rooms, so it was quite a big job today! We did it! We were doubtful that the books would all be able to be shelved, but lo and behold every book has a spot and there is no space leftover except the spaces we intentionally left on the shelves for room for new ones. One of our newest residents owned an antique shop and donated lots of new fiction books. We have a much more dynamic offering for our residents. We three were very tired when we left. I suspect we will all be dreaming about correctly alphabetizing books!! 

Isn't that terrible looking?? I should have take a photo of how this section looked after we finished. No books laying flat. Everything neat and tidy and in alphabetical order!! YEA!

Day 29

COFFEE KLATCH

I had invited 8 ladies to come for coffee/tea today from one until three. They all live here in our community and I wanted to introduce a new resident to some other Christian women, who attend a variety of different churches. One couldn't attend, but what a fun time the rest of us had! We went a bit longer than 3....We began breaking up at 4 but by the time the last two left it was 4:30. I would say all in all it was a success. We found so many common denominators. Several have lived in Renton for 40+ years so it was fun to talk a bit about old schools, restaurants, stores, etc that have come and  gone. From family to driving to shopping to knitting to sewing to book recommendations to Hillary Clinton (UGH! We all agreed how bad she is!) to husbands, widowhood, etc. etc.etc. Everyone wants to do this again. And I think we will!! Here is a photo of some of the ladies.

Day 28

SICK DAY

This morning after breakfast I had this urge to...you know...vomit. Ugg. My stomach was rocking and rolling and I felt terrible. I managed to keep my cookies in place, but decided I should just rest in bed for awhile. First I watched a couple of episodes of House Hunters International until I couldn't handle any more TV. I napped for a few minutes until I finally decided to grab my Kindle (LOVE MY KINDLE) and try to finish my current book, "Welcome to the World Baby Girl," by Fannie Flagg. I LOVE her books. By 1 pm I was feeling good enough to get out of bed. Tummy still rumbling a bit, but the worst is over.

Day 27

THE FIVE

Every week day, with a miss now and again, Dave and I watch The Five on FOX. Four conservatives and one liberal with a good dose of humor thrown in the political talk. Of course, right now, it is mostly about the upcoming debate tomorrow.

Day 26

IN TODAY'S MAIL

Dave and I were once again reminded of the reality of our friends not living here on earth as long as we would like. This lovely card arrived in our mailbox from the wife of a couple we had met 15 years ago on a cruise. Bus and Laura live in Manhattan and we had an immediate connection with them that has lasted throughout the years with phone calls and cards. Laura wrote to tell us that Bus had passed away and she is still living in the same apartment with caregivers to oversee her needs. We had always talked about going back for a visit but just kept putting it off. We will cherish our memories of that 17 day cruise and the many loving and fun conversations we have had on the phone. Bus had a great sense of humor and he and Dave just clicked. This is a reminder to not put off doing things until it is too late.

Day 25

THE BEST THING ABOUT GOLF TODAY

was that we got to see a blue heron hanging out by the 13th hole at Maplewood Golf Course. I couldn't grab my camera in time to take the photo I really wanted. There were several red-winged blackbirds sitting on the tops of cattails, all in a row, by the pond also on #13.

Actually the heron was the 2nd best. The BEST thing was going home! Really. My knee was clunking, I was out of energy by #14 and feet were hurting. I discovered a blood blister on the bottom of one of my toes which explains some of my pain. Not to mention how poorly I played. Getting in the shower was pretty sweet!

We disturbed his rest so he carefully walked further away from us.

We had a college student join our threesome.

Day 24

FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS

and let the rest go!

I felt like I needed to do a craft project today, so I worked on my Art to the 5th project that I began sometime last year. I will get all the pages finished eventually. It is a good way to experiment and try new things. I bought myself a Gelli plate from a seller on Ebay to get a better price, but here is a link to them on Amazon. They come in several different sizes. Click here

I used gesso, acrylic paints, various pens and pencils, torn newspaper articles, glitter, matte medium,stencils and gold leaf. I have completed only 8 2-page spreads and have a LOT more to work on. My goal is to finish this book in 2016, including doing the cover. You probably want to know what the purpose of this is. The only purpose it serves is as a creative outlet and it is kinda neat to look back and see how I incorporated sayings, people, themes and ideas.

Day 23

BROTHERS

Dave and I visited Bob today. He was tired but happy to see us. We had a pleasant conversation about all sorts of things from the dogs we've owned (Animal Planet was on his TV with a program on dog breeds) to airplanes to his crazy dreams to his desire for more chocolate! All is good in Bobland!

Day 22

PINOCHLE DAY

This afternoon was our ladies pinochle day.There is a $1.50 buy in with 8 of us playing at 2 tables. Then the money is divided out between the biggest scorer, 2nd biggest, lowest score and the last pinochle. I didn't start out too well, but things picked up and I actually had the highest score so won $5.00. No one had a pinochle until my next to the last hand and my partner and I did it! We each got $2.00. So, I'm up $5.50! We always have dessert which allows us to sit and visit for 45 minutes to an hour until the first person gets up to leave. All in all it is a fun way to spend a drizzly afternoon. I skipped dessert. Sigh.

Day 21

13 HOURS

Dave and I went to see the movie 13 Hours at the Landing in Renton today. We don't go to the theater very often because we enjoy watching movies on our big screen TV and taking a break when we need to without missing anything. I highly recommend seeing this movie. It was very well done. There is no political "agenda" reflected in this movie, BUT you can't help but wonder where U.S. help was. There seemed to be plenty of time for air support to get there during some of the fighting.

Day 20

WHY I LOVE THRIFT STORES

Awhile back my 93 year old aunt asked me to look for a new comforter for her queen size bed when I go to the Goodwill. Today was the day I found the perfect thing! It's not a comforter but a quilt. It is beautiful! I was happy that it is in near perfect condition and it was 20% off for seniors today. I also found some skeins of 100% Peruvian Wool fingering weight yarn, so will be thinking about what I will create with it. I think the reason I like going to thrift stores is the thrill of the hunt! You never know what you might find. Last night I wore a Christine Alexander brand bejeweled jacket that I found months ago at Goodwill and everyone at Bunco oohed and awed over it! I ran into another lady from our community while I was in Goodwill today and this happens frequently. Some people wouldn't dream of shopping at thrift stores, but I think that when you can pay $12 for a lovely queen size quilt it makes it well worth my time and effort!

I also follow a blogger (ReFashionista) and you can find her link to the right. She gets clothing for $1 or $2 and cuts them apart and refashions them into other clothing items. She is inspiring! I seldom find anything marked that low at Goodwill unless I go on Mondays when things with a certain colored tag is marked down to $1.79 each. Still a great price but usually I can't find much that I want at that price.

Our bed is king size and the quilt is folded in half so this will fit Eileen's bed nicely. She is going to love it!

Day 19

TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Sewing and listening to music. The 6" wide stitched cardinal hanging was in process of hand sewing the binding and I needed a couple more grey branches in the lower left area with a few more red buttons. It represents the month of January. I have made three of these hangings so far.

And check out that BOSE speaker. I simply use bluetooth to connect Pandora from my cell phone to this speaker. It is portable and for that I am very thankful. It normally sits on its charger in the kitchen, but I can take it into my sewing room, office or out on the patio and listen to excellent quality music. My music of choice is Jimmy Buffett Radio on Pandora  I'm a country girl so I like Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney among others. Country music always takes me back to the hours I spent in the barn mucking stalls, grooming horses, etc. while listening to country music on the radio. Good times! They also play some Eagles which is a blast from the past. And Jimmy Buffett gets me that feeling of being in Key West, on the beach, soaking up some sun. All in all, it is good music for me to sew by. I am  happiest when I can get in the groove with music and work on some of my many sewing projects!

Day 18

Men, Weight and Atkins

My husband had gained 3 pounds. THREE mind you. So what does he do? He cuts out evening snacks and does the Atkins thing. You know....meat, eggs, cheese and more meat.

Last night's meal was no exception. Fried hamburger patties with garlic salt, liquid smoke and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Fried in a cast iron pan. I must admit, it was tasty. But look at that frypan. The burgers were dripping in fat. Once again, they were really tasty.

And yes...three days later and Dave is back to his ideal weight. Sigh.....

Day 17

SHAUNA'S HOME

I drove to Pete and Shauna's at 10 pm to watch over the girls who were in bed so Pete could go to the airport to pick up Shauna. Unfortunately the teams' luggage didn't make it onto the plane because their flight from Paris was delayed which threw things off in New York. Needless to say I am happy she is back home and all went well in Sierra Leone.

Day 16

I FORGOT

Oh my...I forgot to snap a photo on Saturday. HOWEVER, my phone didn't forget. I don't know how I managed to take this "oops" photo, but here is Saturday's picture.

Taken from my desktop to the ceiling. How did my phone know I needed a picture?

Day 15

MY LEFT EYE

I've said it before and I will say it again....."I HATE THE AGING PROCESS!" So, last night at about 8:30 I began seeing flashes of light raining down my left eye. Uh Oh. I've known those who have had detached retinas and that is no fun! After doing a bit of research on the internet and calling both the consulting nurse and our friend, DL, who is a retired optometrist, we determined we could wait until morning but that I would have to go in to get it looked at.

Long story short, I do not have a detached retina but rather the viscous gel in my left eye is pulling on the retina. CAUSE: advancing years. Ugh. I need to keep on "eye" on it and if I get floaters or a "veil" of cloudiness then I need to get back to see an ophthalmologist and quickly! Otherwise, wait 2 weeks and go back in to get it checked to make sure it has resolved itself.

After that I needed to get an xray of my knee. My bad knee, or my good knee depending on how you look at things. My left knee is the one I had the total knee replacement on over a year ago. You guessed it. I've been having pain in that knee. Why? Who knows. I thought it was the changing weather, but I couldn't make a clear connection. So I will wait until Monday or Tuesday to hear back from the surgeon as to how things look (I'm assuming everything is fine) BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THIS PAIN IS ALL ABOUT. It hurts SOMETIMES when I walk or stand, but not when seated or lying down. I am so tired of all these little nickel and dime problems that keep creeping up. One thing for sure....I'm HEALTHY!! Blood pressure is great, no other serious problems. I'm doing GOOD! In light of the 2 people who were formerly on staff at church who both had alzheimers (both younger than me!) One died 2 weeks ago and the other is very near the end. I need to quit complaining and just adjust to the fact that I'm nearing 70. Goodness!! How did that happen???

Bottom line: If you get some weird things going on in one of your eyes, get in to see your optometrist and get it looked at right away. My doctor was pleased that I came in soon. Some people wait a couple of days and by then the retina can detach and then it requires surgery. If my situation doesn't heal on its own, I may need a laser treatment to reconnect things. Much more simple than if I had not gotten it checked and it got worse. It is always something!!

Selfie of my eye, which is not easy and a bit of Photoshopping

Day 14

Dirty, Dirty Car

Another packed day! After Pete left this morning to drop Hailey off at school and go on to work, Charlotte and I had a little time to do some coloring together. Then it was time to get in the car and head out to take my 94 year old aunt to her doctor appointment. I had to leave her there since she had 3 different appointments, so Charlotte and I purchased the things Aunt Eileen needed at 2 different stores. After we got home, it was soon time to prepare some lunch and take Charlotte to school. Lucky for me both girls are going home with friends so I have the rest of the day to myself. 

Well, not totally to myself! I had to get gas for the car and then go to Group Health to be with my aunt for one of her appointments with her doctor. Wouldn't you know they were short-handed in the pharmacy so it took another half an hour to get her prescription filled. I really wanted to take a photo of the little boy who was sitting in the pharmacy with his dad. The boy was 6 years old, reading a book as he petted his pet rabbit who was sitting on his lap just as nicely as can be. SO CUTE!! But, I thought maybe I shouldn't put his photo on my blog for privacy reasons. So instead, you get a photo of the windshield as I drove through the carwash after I got my aunt and all her goodies delivered back to her home. 

Oh, I still wasn't finished with my adventures, because I had such a badly broken fingernail that I HAD to stop and get a fresh coat of paint on my nails and had them clipped down way shorter than I had intended. They were super long and I was having trouble pushing the keypad at the cash machine, my cell phone and credit card machines. But I will have to post a photo anyway.

I don't see a Brown Bear!

YUP....both hands.......GO HAWKS!!!

Day 13

Afternoon with Hailey

I had been looking forward to the afternoon with Hailey today because I wanted to take her to the Issaquah Coffee House for some one-on-one time and the girls' favorite banana bread. However, when I arrived at their home I discovered that Miss Hailey had a tummy ache and would be staying home from school. Phooey! As the morning progressed it seemed that Hailey was doing much better. It was supposed to be a half day for her anyway. The girls played mine-craft on XBox for awhile and I was able to advance a bit in my latest Fannie Flagg novel. After I fed them lunch, we took Charlotte to school and Hailey and I came back to their house. We played a very long game of Monopoly. I washed a couple loads of clothes for the girls and before long it was time to go get Charlotte.

By the time we got home from getting Charlotte, they played a bit and I got them some dinner it was time to head out the door for Hailey's "new to her" pre-team gymnastics class. She was selected to try this pre-team class because she shows lots of potential, so it will be interesting to see if she does indeed have the inborn talent that we all see. Pete arrived just before Hailey's class began and I stayed for about a half an hour to watch the girls go through their paces. I can tell this is a more advanced class because they now meet in the building across the street which is where the bigger/better kids go and some of the older girls are really good! Hailey had a BIG smile on her face for the whole time I was there and she was really focused and tried her best to do just what was asked of her. She is super flexible and was the only one of the 7 in her class who can do the splits both facing her front foot and facing forward with her legs perfectly split and on the floor. All in all it was another fun day with the girls, however I was beat by the time I got home at 6:45 pm!

I think she wants you to see those missing teeth!

Day 12

Charlotte and Grandma

This morning I packed a lunch for Charlotte and we drove to Issaquah for a little one on one shopping adventure. First we stopped at Issaquah Coffee because Charlotte wanted a piece of their gluten-free banana bread. I thought it would be a good idea to document this but Charlotte has a way of always turning her head, hiding her face or climbing under the table to avoid having her photo taken. These are the best I could get:

Then we were off to Value Village. Charlotte picked out 4 dresses and of course when she tried them on she wanted all of them. There was a matching dress in Hailey's size for one of her choices, so we had to get that as well. I also sprang for some books for her. What's a gramma to do??

I wanted to stop at Gossypium Quilt Shop to see what new items they have in stock and Charlotte liked lots of the fabrics and patterns. I had the clerk order a kit that looks interesting to me. It seems like when ever a store puts something already made up on display the item sells out quickly. The kit includes a pattern and the fabric for a gorgeous orange/red fox on a teal background. It will be fast and easy to make since it is a wall hanging. I really enjoy doing that size project. Charlotte ate her lunch in the backseat as we drove to school. All in all a fun time with this little munchkin.

Day 11

Today's Auto Lesson

As I was dropping Charlotte off for her preschool class at 12:30, another mom asked if anyone had jumper cables. So, of course I said "I do. I've jumped lots of cars." Out we went into the rain. I happened to be parked right next to her car and after pointing my front end toward her hood, I began looking for a latch or button to open my hood. I had to get out the manual. Lesson #1, LEARN WHERE YOUR HOOD LATCH IS! 

It didn't take long to find the latch with my fingers under the hood, enabling me to lift the hood. No problem there. THEN I looked at the engine....for the first time! Oh my, where is the battery??? I could see the red plastic cover showing the positive post but still....where is the battery? And where is the negative post!! Out came the manual and after looking at the picture of the engine compartment it appeared that the negative post was this little "thing" sticking up on the left. But there was no negative symbol there to prove it to me, so I decided we should find someone with a normal battery and hookup. Lesson #2 GET FAMILIAR WITH YOUR ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND KNOW HOW TO USE THE JUMPER CABLES THAT YOU MUST HAVE IN YOUR TRUNK.

Shauna's sister-in-law, Kim, and friend Brea, were both driving European made cars and Kim said European cars were not straightforward engine compartment-wise. On they drove. We found someone with a Honda SUV and after the mom who owned it opened her door and searched around for the latch to open the hood (she had never opened her hood either,) we discovered the battery was actually visible! On with the cables and VOILA......Mom #1 had a car that was now running.

Lesson #3, WHEN YOU GET A NEW CAR OR ONE NEW TO YOU GET TO KNOW IT! How do you fill the windshield washer fluid. Does it need antifreeze? Where in the world is the maintenance information in my manual?? Oh, the car tells me what it needs and when it needs it. We've had our BMW for over a year and we haven't taken it in for a tune up. What is that about?? Can I trust my car's brain?? Where is your spare tire or do you even have one? Our new BMW doesn't have one! It has something called "run flat tires." I guess it will go until I make it to a gas station. What if I were out in the desert?? I think I better go learn what to do if I get a flat tire, although I don't plan on heading out to the desert anytime soon. But you never know.....

The battery is actually in the trunk. Who knew??

Day 10

Relaxing and Sewing

I didn't do much sewing today, just stitching up that yellowish leotard. It turned out great. BUT since Hailey really wants a multi-color stripe leotard, I cut out the pattern pieces that I printed on the computer and taped them together. Now I need to measure Hailey to make sure I cut it to the correct size. Not all patterns size things the same, so let's get some measurements tomorrow and stitch it up for her class on Wednesday. I got down on the floor of my sewing room to accomplish my task. AND I can still get up from the floor! Just not as quickly as in my younger days.

Day 9

GETTING ORGANIZED!

I spent much of today getting organized. I should have taken a photo of Charlotte helping me yesterday color sort my fabrics. I know she loved working on that with me and she kept saying "Is this a scrap?" and I would say "Yes, you can have it." She had a nice little pile of fabric to take home and work with. Of course, I would give just about any of my fabric to my granddaughters if they express interest in sewing! I have worked with Annika on my sewing machine, but she doesn't have access to a machine at home. That needs to change! In time I'm sure it will. Shauna has my mom's New Home sewing machine which will be a treat for her girls to use when the time is right. The little ones are interested in sewing with a needle and thread so that is what I worked on last week when they were here. It is so cute to have them realize that they can SEW!

I moved much of my paper crafting stuff into my "office" room and I want to weep when I remember all that I had and wish I still had! But, I do have lots to work with and I'm having fun learning new techniques with paint, markers, pencils and paper. I need creative outlets in my life. I know some people think they can't do crafts or be creative, but everyone could do something if they really wanted to! I'm not particularly artistic....not at all :(  but I like to keep trying! Here is today's photo. My newly organized paper craft center, right next to my computer desk.

Day 8

Shauna Heads to Sierra Leone

I rolled out of bed this morning at 4:25 to transport my darling daughter to the airport for her 10 day mission trip to Sierra Leone, which is on the west coast of Africa. Her friend, Hannah, is waiting to meet up with her inside. They are on different flights just 5 minutes apart. The team will meet up at the airport in Paris and fly the rest of the way together. This will be a long day for Shauna! On the other hand, I will be going back to Pete and Shauna's house and have girl duty. Charlotte, who doesn't have preschool today, will be with me all day and I will pick Hailey up from school this afternoon. I hope that I have the energy to do this all next week!

I drove her to the airport this morning. 

Here is another photo from 1990 of Shauna helping her dad clean up the huge amount of leaves that accumulated each year.

Day 7

Leotards

A few days ago I made a leotard for granddaughter Hailey. Uhhhh, it sure looks tiny! SO today I cut out another one making it a bit bigger. It looks like it might actually fit. I have enough of each of these fabrics to make another leotard should I need to! I used my very old Kwik Sew pattern #1378 that is probably 35 years old and had to modify it a bit. The pattern instructions that you see in the photo are for something I got online for $6. The only problem is that I now have to cut  the pieces out (I already printed the 15 pages of instructions and 16 pages of pattern pieces) and then tape everything together. I know I really didn't need a pattern, but since the multi-colored leotard is the one Hailey really wants I went for it. Now I'm just sort of trying to get the sizing correct. It should be so simple! Of course the leg and arm holes "itch" when Hailey wears the store bought type, I used double folded elastic on my first attempt. I have ordered a plush elastic that I am hoping will solve this problem. Anyway, this is today's photo.

WISH ME LUCK!

Day 6

Bubble and Squeak

Have you ever heard of this? I hadn't until I found it in my new spice cookbook. That is what we are having to eat tonight. It is a dish made with leftovers in England, but I made it from scratch. Hmmm. It smells delish. Even Dave is anxious to try it. He doesn't know that it has brussel sprouts and leeks in it! Haha. He is in for an experience. This is meatless. IF I do it again, I may add some type of meat to it. The name of it in the cookbook is Bubble and Squeak with Poudre De Colombo. That there is a spice combination! It has cloves, cumin seed, coriander seed, black pepper, fenugreek seed, black musdtard seed, ground turmeric and uncooked rice. I've tasted this as it is cooking and I like it. I will finish this report after it finishes cooking and we eat it!

Yum Yum! Dinner is finished. Dave liked it! Amazing!! I asked if he wanted to know what was in it, he said "No, why ruin a good thing!" I am pleased. Love using my new spices and trying new recipes. I am sure I will be making this dish again. You can really use any vegetables in it. The carrots weren't in the original recipe but I thought it needed some color. And YES. I selected this recipe because of the crazy name.

Day 5 Photo

January 5, 2016

Remember last January when I began my Art Journaling project? Well, one year later and I decided to get back to it. I had to stop in the middle of my creation and go to the dentist, but I finished it up after dinner.  I also went back to JoAnn Fabrics and purchased yet another rolling cart to store some of my art supplies in so they are at hand here at my desk instead of in my sewing/craft room. This has been one of my biggest regrets in downsizing. There is no room in my sewing room to actually work on craft projects and it is pretty tight here at my computer desk. But then, I know I've been spoiled with lots of room and "stuff" so I am trying to just make it work and be thankful. I'm pretty pleased with the way these pages came out.

Day 4 Photo

January 4, 2016

Monday - Finally got all the Christmas things boxed up and put away. I'm making Baked Chicken with Tikka Masala Sauce for our dinner tonight and it smells amazing! I am using the World Spice at Home cookbook that I received for Christmas as well as one of the 16 interesting spices included! I am blessed!  I also decided to make some super yummy Blue Berry Muffins to take over to Ed's for Bible Study this evening. Here is a photo of the process.

Muffins are out of the oven and the marinated chicken pieces are broiling in the oven. I will be making this meal again!

One Month (or maybe one year) of daily photos

Here it is. Already January 3rd and I haven't posted anything from one of my newest projects. "Photo A Day." I have taken three pictures so far so I'm on track that way. I have wanted to focus just a little bit on my phone camera for quite some time and I guess now is better than never! Besides, I have made my New Year's Resolutions (Suggestions) and things are going fairly well. I actually look at my daily schedule which has 14 categories, from taking my vitamins to daily devotions to sewing to walking. I hope to be posting a new photo each day. Not for art sake, but just to use my phone camera more and record my daily life. So here goes:

January 1, 2016

It was Friday, January 1st, and I spent a good bit of time at my computer "taking care of business." It was time for a nice cup of hot lemon water with a touch of Splenda. That is a good way to begin dieting and trying to rid my body of the extra pounds I gained over the holidays.

January 2, 2016

This is granddaughter Charlotte. She is rather camera shy so I was happy to capture this shot as she sat at the piano and very studiously and carefully used the keys. She has taught herself a couple of simply songs (Twinkle, Twinkle is one.) I had the joy of babysitting Hailey and Charlotte for several hours (Saturday) and we played Monopoly (kids version) and Chinese Checkers.

January 3, 2016

Today is Sunday. I still haven't put away the Christmas decorations. Here is some of the stuff. Tree is still up. I haven't felt the urge to go out to the shed and bring in the tubs and such to get things put away. I did go to JoAnn Fabrics and found a canvas bag on sale in which to store our Christmas tree. I also got some lycra fabric to make leotards for Hailey to wear during gymnastics classes. You can see the cutting mat on the kitchen table. Maybe tomorrow I will get the tree down and decorations put away.