Thur May 16: More FMQing

I did more work on the top - now about half done with the FMQing.

When I did the second quarter I started to think I should vary the stitching so I put in some stippling, swirls, and what not.  It looks better I think keeping the consist design - except maybe the inner border could be different.

I am enjoying doing the stitching.  The machine is working like a dream - it would be better if I had a drop in table to put it in, but the pinmoors that I got from Leah Day are working like a charm.  They make it so much easier than safety pins or thread for basting!

I do notice the little bubbles of fabric, mainly on the back.  I put so many pinmoors in I'm surprised there are any, but it still will be a nice quilt for someone to have.

So today I just stayed inside until the evening.  Watching TV and FMQing.  It was a nice day.

I'm not liking the quilt itself though - I'm looking forward to being done and being able to work on projects that I can keep or give to my family.

I called the people who prepared my mom's advanced healthcare directive as the dates are not the same on the different pages - hospice noticed this.  The lady on the phone said she would send the correct pages via email.  When we had the documents drawn up they put the pages in the binder - I didn't notice the date discrepancy.  I am not pleased that after all my mom's efforts that there was a mess up - hope they will just send the file and that will be that (that they do not charge for this!).

The tab on the back of my fitbit broke a few days ago.  I have been able to collect the tip and squeeze it back on, but tonight I pulled it off to compare my steps with my DH and the tip flipped off and I can't find it.  It scratches the material I pin it on when I wear it so I wrote to them to ask for a new cover piece.  I don't want to wreck my clothes with the fitbit  It's different than the one I first had, bu this one has lasted only five months so that's not a very good piece of equipment.   I have had several problems with this fitbit - not synching correctly or at all - not holding a charge.  But fitbit would not send me a new one so I have to charge it a few times a week and have to put up with having the website and phone updated when it feels like it rather than when I am near the computer or turn on the iPhone app.  It's a drag. It's fun to know how many steps I take so I hope they will hurry with sending me a replacement.

Tue May 14: FMQing

Beginning FMQing on the charity quilt.

Today, finally, I FMQed!  It was my first time here in Cambridge.  I have the sewing machine on the dining room table - I'm unable to do the large stippling that I had planned on doing, but instead I did the sort of woven design in larger than usual size.

I'm not sure how much time what I got done took me.  I bent one needle very early on but that is the only needle trouble.

Had to refill a bobbin - put it in the holder the wrong way.  It was easy to correct and to rip the bad stitched out.

I think tomorrow I will finish this, and will place the design so it fits in the smaller squares.

Watercolor demo

I walked to Central Square and picked up two watercolor brushes and the paint I needed for the class - then I walked on to the library and the class.  There were not enough desks for the number of students that were there.  I wasn't inspired by the demo - so after it was done, I returned to the art supply store to return the items I had purchased today and the watercolor paper that I got a few weeks ago.  There was no trouble with doing that at all as I had the receipts.  I bought a pad of thick paper and a drawing pen to practice Zendoodling.  DS told me he had purchased a  workbook for me on this, I will ask him to look for it and send to me, but even if he can not do that I can practice from website sites!

I called DH to let him know I was not staying at the class and found out he had rented a zipcar to pick up a monitor - so I was able to meet up with him and go to Brighton to pick that up.  It's in Boston - pretty close though.  Very nice neighborhood.

Received: Fresh Off the Spool Winnings!

Danielle was very quick with sending my winnings!  What a wonderful selection of items - I'll start using them tomorrow!  Thank you so much!

http://quiltquest.blogspot.com/2013/05/winner-of-drawing-fresh-off-spool.html

Mon May 13: Nothing done

Today all I did was sleep and watch TV.

Oh well.

Sun May 12: Legal Seafood

We got Zip Car and met Joe and Barbara and Legal Seafood for Mother's Day Dinner.  Great company - fabulous food.

28 oz steak

Grilled Shrimp

Nut Crusted Salmon and Mushroom Ravioli

Sat May 11: Salad, Bridge and Large Projection TV

Pink Snow -
Tree petals after
wind and rain

Today I woke late again - so after phone calls and emails there was only enough time for me to go to Live Alive to pick up salad for tonight - then I met DH at bus and we went to Wincester to friends'.

White Lilacs

We practiced a few hands of bridge - it was more fun just to do with the four of us without the teacher who really wasn't a good teacher but really knows bridge.  We missed his knowledge, but had more fun and practice on our own.

Then we had stuffed peppers and salad for dinner.

Whole wall TV

Then watched The Forbidden Planet on their whole wall projection TV.

I wasted time in the morning on a Freecycle problem.  Yesterday evening I had seen a notice for some assorted fabric scraps, beads and embroidery thread and had written the guy to say I was interested.  In his reply he gave his address and said it was now in two large trader joe's bags and he was including sewing patterns.  I checked google and saw it was 40 minutes for me to walk to his place.  So I said I could put what I could in my back pack but couldn't carry something that was heavy or bulky for that far.  He wrote that the deal was to take it all and I would need to get a ride to pick it up and take all or to tell him it was off and he would re-post it.  (This was all within a few minutes so I don't know what he meant about reposting it but maybe there is something I don't know about.)  So I wrote he should re-post it and thank you for using free cycle.  Then I reread the notes and wrote again as I wanted him to know that even though I mainly was interested in the fabric I would have taken it all as agreed and freecycled myself the left overs but that I didn't realize there would be so much stuff and so far away.

So this morning I get an email from him telling me to stop spamming him and how clear he had been on the amount of stuff that I clearly wasn't a decent person! So that was a kick in the gut. I reread his original post and did see that I had missed in the title that it was 4-5 bags of stuff - but the size of the stuff was not clear and since he was talking about beads and embroidery thread I guess I was thinking little bags.  Anyway, after thinking about it I decide to just erase all the emails and to hope he had a successful pick up with someone else, and I would be a more careful reader of details on the postings.  I've burned his name in my memory though so I don't respond to any of his postings again!  According to Seth Godin I should have perhaps tried again to fix the miscommunication, but calling me 'not decent' put an end to thinking about about how to do that.

From:  http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/05/miscommunication.html

The hospice intake case worker did a really good job of communicating this evening - she was working late to finish up the paperwork.  It would be nice to have email or fax communication so I would be more sure to remember everything, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.

Boy, I really appreciate the time my friend Ci in spending with mom during this time.

Tues May 7: Avoiding, Then Finishing

No it wasn't sewing today either.

First I opened the email to find that two of the faxes I sent last night didn't arrive, but the nurse had written to say it was okay for me to send as attachment - so I did that.

Ja wrote and said it was okay for mom to have that hospice provider after all - so spent time notifying people of that. 

Then what I was avoiding was reading applications submitted for an award my organization is giving.

I went walking to a new to us cafe for a sandwich - delicious Cuban roasted pork.  We'll be back to that place for sure!

A few more emails for mom when I returned, then finally to the applications.  I printed out the list of people, read all the entries and wrote notes on each one.  I hadn't been told to do more - so that is what I did.  After three hours I clicked to submit my rankings and ratings for the top three.  It will be interesting to see if my choices overlap at all with anyone else's.

We walked to get some Indian to split for dinner - nice.  I had a pineapple lassi - didn't know that existed!  Yummy.

I tried again to get the presser foot to fit but can't - so I will need to take it to a shop I think to figure things out.

About the sewing machine:

The machine manual says
there could be screw-on
presser feet for this machine.

Shows the general foot disconnected
and the new one ready to be installed
- but I can't make it fit

Manual showing the two
types of presser feet possible
for the machine.

Mon May 6: Tied to the Phone

Well, not just the phone but the computer for emails and faxes.

A long day - that of course ended with stress.

So first I got a fax with consent forms to sign for hospice.  I printed that and read it and sent email questions to the email on the fax.  Got some answers via email, wrote more questions.

Then called the doctor to verify what mom's terminal illness is that qualifies her for hospice.  It's dementia with age - there was a fancier name I should have written it down.  The doctor was very nice with taking time to discuss with me.

I didn't write down the order of remaining calls/emails.

The case manager at the rehab center called and said mom had a new splint that was more secure, and she was eating okay.  She said I think that she had spoken with Lu to notify her of the day of discharge and everything was okay.  She is going to check to see if transportation should be in wheelchair or flat - and will call back.

I guess I wrote so many questions about the form they had a person call me and walk me thru my questions and how to fill out the form.  She said after 90-days they have to write  report to get funding, then after another 90-days it's the same, then it goes to every 60-days.  That nothing would change for mom or for me if things were the same with mom.  The broken leg made this apparent to them, but didn't cause it.  So the original insurance will still be used for the non hospice things.  She has ordered items to be delivered to VLM for mom.  Mom's primary care doctor agreed with arrangements and would stay with her as doctor.  After the call I thought I had a clearer idea of how things were set up.

But then Ci sent me email that Lu had called and said they usually worked with a different hospice.  Someone from that company called while Ci was busy and she didn't get their name or number.  As soon as she could she called the insurance hospice to verify they worked with VLM. They said they did and it was up to the family what hospice service they used.  After all these hours on the phone, reading, verifying - what a monkey wrench Lu has thrown in.  I have worked to develop a relationship with her doctors and don't want to do anything to jeopardise that.

I wish she had mentioned something way back the first time I had called her. But then in retrospect she never called me, I just heard she had called or other people had called her. I always asked to be sure they consulted her...

So the day ends with stress again.

I wasn't even able to do any stress releasing FMQing as it turns out I bought the wrong foot for this machine. Ugh!

I don't see what difference it makes with which hospice service works with mom - they only work with one person at a time anyway.

I'm missing something.  Hope it isn't sleep!

So I'm just waiting now to have Lu's son email or text me with what to do.

Sunday May 5: Harvard Mayfair

This morning we got a pretty early start (for us) and stopped by Harvard Square to see the Mayfair.  It was a massive collection of a variety of booths - food, crafts, businesses, fun!  The roads were closed off and the streets were lined with the booths.  So many things to see and buy and eat and think about.

DH was intrigued with a folding wooden chair that provided extra support for his back - I was interested in food!  We shared a plate of Korean food Bulgoki YUM! from Takemura on 18 Eliot Street. YUM!  It's a Japanese restaurant with Korean food too - anyway I'll have to go there and eat sometime soon!  Their dinner menu has pretty high prices - I got rice, cabbage, onion and half beef and half spicy pork bulgoki for $7 at Mayfair. That is closer to their lunch prices...  We also had a plate on Indian food that was very good too - from a restaurant on Newbury Street.

Then it was off to the T to go to Davis Square!  There was an open house for a nice place - problem was it was right next to an apartment and parking lot - probably too close to the city part of things.

After that we went to an art gallery with a twist - it was fiber art.  Fun food made of yarn - and other things.  They are having an event in August that DH said he would enter - something to do with maps.  So that was fun.  We stopped at Goodwill and I found a super little shirt for my son's friend - then we went to Dunkin Doughnuts for a regular iced coffee - it was delicious!  The coffee cake muffin is very good - DH gets those and they are always better than the doughnut I get.  This time I didn't bother eating it all....

Then instead of going on the T right away we went out a different door and walked along a parkway - a bikeway built on top of the T line.  Beautiful trees, benches, it was very nice and made us realize we liked this part of the city too.

Sometimes it's Cambridge, sometimes it's Sommerville...  We made it to Mass Avenue then saw sign for a garden to be open - it was an oasis in the city - so restful.  Water, chimes, rustling leaves and a few flowers too.

Davis T Art

We made our way back to Davis and took the T to Harvard so DH could get his chair - and I got him a grilled sausage sandwich.  He took the bus back while I walked and enjoyed the last of the sunshine for the day.

We watched an episode of The Tutors.  I made phone calls to check on mom and other things - now he is listening to a podcast and I am not sure what I am going to do now.  It's dark, a  little chilly but I think I'd like to walk some more.  The light in the dining/sewing room isn't very good at night time.  I could set up the machine but don't think I should sew now....

 

The people at hospice seem very organized and nice - seems things are covered pretty much under Medicare Part A - there will still be some medications we get thru Secure Horizons but they will write the prescriptions, etc.  They will fax a form for me to sign and return - seems the only remaining things are the doctor to okay the SDSU students to do upper body exercises and to get the okay to transport her back to VLM in our van.

Winner of Drawing: Fresh Off the Spool

I got email from gmail that my mail box was too full again - something made me look at the headers of emails in my SPAM folder and I found that I had received an email last week that I had won a really nice drawing - the first by Danielle of Fresh off the Spool.  Her email asked me to reply by Friday - but I didn't read until this morning so we'll see if being one day late means I don't win her wonderful selection of things.  It's the ruler that I can immediately use - but since I'll be binding soon too those clips sure would be nice too.

But in any case, I'm glad I found her blog and hope you will visit it to see all the interesting projects she is working on.

These are the items in the drawing:

• Clover Wonder Clips-I love these and use them all the time! They are great for binding. No more pins sticking me!!
• OLFA non-slip Frosted Ruler- I love this ruler because the frost makes it easier to see light and dark fabric no matter what color your cutting mat is. I also love the very thin lines on it to make more accurate cutting.
• True Grips non-slip adhesive rings- This will help with the ruler. Although the ruler says non-slip, it does. If you add these rings, or even the dots in the rings, believe me, it ain't going anywhere!
• Clover Seam Ripper- Clover has a few different styled ones. I love this because of the very small blade, and the handle is so comfortable
• Schmetz sharp needles- I just like these best.

Update! I wrote Danielle before she drew names again so she will be sending me all these useful things!  Good way to start the day.  : )