I started another quilt on a whim this past week. One minute I'm cutting up a laundry basket full of solid colored scrubs and the next I decide to just start sewing some of the strips together.
Since I had the scissors in hand, I thought I'd shoot for a free-pieced, Gee's Bend style "Housetop" quilt, using just my scissors and eyeballing it, no ruler, no rotary cutter, no pins.
A while later, I had this. A little wonky and bowed in places, to be expected, but all in all, not bad!
Decided to make it more rectangular, and I had two good sized pieces from a pair of scrub pants that worked well for that.
I think it might be hard to part with this one as a kennel quilt. I really like it!
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My dad had surgery this past week to fix the multiple fractures in his ankle, foot and lower leg from falling on the ice. Four hours, five plates, and forty-two screws later, it was done. His surgeon said it was the worst break he had seen in his entire career. Dad had some tremendous pain after surgery, as you can imagine, but it seems better controlled now. Now we wait for the bones to mend and healing to take place while he stays off it for a few months.
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I was pretty frustrated this past week with trying to maintain a low-FODMAP diet yet things still not sitting well. I'd had a streak of good days and then it seemed that no matter what, things turned to crap. It's been a month of watching and journaling and limiting and testing, and yesterday I was having a "forget it" moment. And by "forget it," I totally mean the other f-word.
So I thought: If eating right isn't working, try...drinking?
And boy, did it taste fantastic!
Just one, though. I'm a lightweight like that.
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Of course, laughter is the best medicine. I am binge-watching Schitt's Creek on Netflix and laughing out loud! I am loving the entire cast, but Eugene Levy playing it straight is a complete hoot, and his real son, Dan Levy, plays his son on the series and is equally hilarious.
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With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I gave in to my sweet tooth today and tried out a new (gluten-free, dairy-free, low-FODMAP) recipe.
Brownie bites with peppermint frosting. Thumbs up! This one's a keeper. Oh, and Norm too. ;)
Superbowl Sunday Sundry might be an alternate title for this post, but I really don't follow football all that much, the fourth quarter of any Green Bay Packers game excepted. I'm pretty consistent about catching at least the final quarter if the Pack is playing. But I actually had to ask someone who was playing in the Superbowl, that's how much I (don't) know. So "GO _______!" [insert your team of choice], and enjoy the game today. I might catch a few commercials and most definitely the halftime show!
I've been a little scattered this past month. My dad slipped on some ice outside his house in the middle of January and shattered his ankle. He's had one surgery to put an external fixation contraption on the left lower leg. This coming week he'll have a second surgery for internal fixation, involving the installation of other hardware. This has meant quite the change in lifestyle, as you can imagine, but he manages to maintain a positive attitude. I really admire that.
Still keeping up with the Solstice Challenge quilt-along, making one block per week. Here are weeks 4, 5, and 6. Later today, I'll tackle Block 7. Football pun, anyone?
Right now I've got some low-FODMAP chicken stock simmering away in the slow cooker. The other thing I've been dealing with is my persnickety gut. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I already eat gluten-free and mostly dairy-free, and have done that for 10 years now. Things got out of whack somehow this past year, and especially after the holidays, which had me searching for other dietary culprits.
Enter FODMAPs. If you don't know what a FODMAP is, well, neither did my primary care physician. But she did hook me up with a gastroenterologist that I'll be seeing in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, I've delved into the subject online, and just looking at the list of high FODMAP foods had me muttering, "Yep, yep, uh-huh, oh yes..." to the list of gastric offenders.
So now I'm journaling my food intake and reactions, and what fun that is, lemme tell ya. But I am seeing a definite improvement by cutting back on the FODs and other changes I've made. Bummer that the onions and garlic have had to go (and apples and asparagus and avocados...oh my), but there are work-arounds for flavor (chives, the green leafy of green onions, garlic-infused oil). And the chicken stock does smell wonderful!
Speaking of reactions, I put my usual tinted moisturizer on yesterday and yowza! Instead of giving me an overall even skin tone, my face went bright red, hot, and tingly. Not exactly the effect I was looking for. So off came the makeup, on went a fragrance-free moisturizer with aloe, and in went an antihistamine tablet. I think it's one of the sunscreen ingredients that I reacted to. Why now, all of a sudden, I don't know. I've used that Olay product for years. Now it's been tossed and I'll be going commando, facially speaking, for a while. Please don't tell me I look tired.
In the sewing room, I've got a quilt basted and ready to go, a kennel quilt made from old scrubs.
Not fancy but functional. Kind of like I feel lately.
P.S. - Is it spring yet? I'm dreaming of an herb garden...
