Monday, October 14, 2024
Yes, It has been a long time!
Monday, August 15, 2022
August 15, 2022
A Hitch in my Get-Along
Well in another week it will be a year since I last
posted. You would not believe all that
happened. Whew, it is something isn’t it
how quickly time can go and get away from us?
I am an irregular blogger to be sure, but a couple weeks
from the time I last wrote I had an “event” we’ll say that didn’t bother me so
much as the doctor when I described it.
I felt no different, but apparently, I needed tests done, and NOW! After a few echocardiograms, I was diagnosed
with a congenital heart defect. Imagine
at my age finding out I have had this since birth? Why did I not know
sooner? And this is a common heart
defect. When I was born the hole in
which my mother fed me during gestation did not close automatically when I was
born. This is called a PFO. (Just look it up, I cannot even pronounce it.) As I aged, the whole grew larger, and a microscopic piece, possibly, of blood
trash did not get cleaned up and caused me to have what appeared to be a
stroke. Honestly, I am not sure as it
was so minor, but the doctors were being cautious.
Fast forward to 25 doctor visits, all kinds of them, pick a specialty.
In January, the hole was closed. I was all fixed. Except for a stint in the ER. Wow, that was scary, I thought “the plug”
had become dislodged, but no. Just a fault in the electricity of the heart
beats.
On July 5th, I got my 6-month
check-up and am all wonderful and perfect again.
I was homesick and wanted to get back to my family and old
friends. We made plans, ready to list the
house when I got out of the hospital, to hopefully move back to my hometown. The areas which we were considering had grown
so expensive that it did not make sense to make the move. All the work that one
does to put a house on the market now had to be reversed. The unwinding and redefining what life looks
like going forward has taken extra time, too.
The Queen size bed is stacked under, over, and around. |
And in the bathroom and excess in another room, embarrassing. |
I now have boxes stored in the guest room. However, there is a silver lining. I have a closet upstairs that the original
owner had finished from an attic area. It
is a good 12 X 12 feet on the floor, but the room is not quite 8’ tall. As we speak my painter extraordinaire,
Justin is repairing the walls and repainting.
If all goes well, new shelves are being installed this week. I am excited to get my hoarded, stashed,
stock, yes stock put away and organized in a room of its own. I shall call it my stockroom. Stocking supplies sounds so much better than
hoarding, doesn’t it?
I shall share the progress with you. I hear from my husband that I am lacking in
making decisions. I never knew that about
myself, I thought I was quite a decisive person. I have purged until there is only the best
left, and by looks, it appears there is more of that to be done. No doubt, sad face, I will need to gift and
donate some more.
I will be posting more blog entries as I have not been a
sloth while healing! I will share things
I have done, and outfits completed soon.
Have Fun!
Kathi
Thursday, August 26, 2021
August 26, 2021
When I last posted I was showing that there had been great
progress on completing the “Knight to Remember” Dress. This was an Alice Leverette workshop at St.
Simons Island. It was a full workshop
with about 30 participants. Due to me
being in the sponsoring club, I also had work assignments for the weekend and
managed to not complete the garment and allowed it to sit for quite some time.
But alas with some perseverance, the dress was
complete. All the beading and flowers have
been added.
It was time to add some jewels. Here you see a necklace being made, and the earrings to match.
Progression of making the necklace. |
Jewels are just right!
Perfect additions! |
She needed some pretty flowers for her hair. Alas, totally complete.
Pretty floral coronet |
How about a fan!
What dance is complete with a fan? Beautiful! |
Friday, August 20, 2021
August 20, 2021
I reported before that I was trying to complete an
unfinished project a month until I seemed to be caught up. I completed this project in May. The workshop is called Knight to Remember,
St. Simons Island, 2013. This was the
inspiration picture for the project:
My partially completed project had languished for quite some
time. Pulling the contents, I reviewed the directions and discerned the kit was complete. However, I needed to start over as I had skipped around in the making of the pieces. The skirt was completed but as memory served the ruffle was giving me fits. And true it was only pinned in places and basted incorrectly in others. The main portion of the bodice was complete but I was stopped in the middle of decorating and attaching the sleeves. The sleeves were being worked one at a time, so one sleeve was flat and unworked the other nearly completed. I will add, at the time, I was a
member of the club sponsoring the workshop and I had other duties to perform
during the groups’ visit.
Here we are with a slip and ready to go. |
This reckoning with what I had done and had not done was confusing at first. Here the sleeves are partially completed. |
Thursday, July 29, 2021
July 29, 2021
Things are catching up a bit around here, but not so you could really tell. It has been a lot of work, but I am still working on the dining room table. I don't know if I am blaming the slowness of my purging and organizing, or if I just like working downstairs where there is more life and sunlight. Perhaps a bit of both.
I would be
remiss before going forward on my projects if I didn’t talk a little about my
Ultimate Fashion Doll. I had named her
Molly after my grandmother Mary Lee. All
her life her nickname was Molly, and we the grandchildren were born, we called
her Grandmolly. Family quirks. As many use French girl’s names for their
French Fashion, my doll had arrived in the USA and Mary became Molly, and that
was it.
I had Molly for quite some years, she’s been in pictures on
the blog with her cousin Emilie Claire. One of her dresses was featured here in 2009, I think.
May I interject here, in spite of the levity which I write, I was devastated. My friend, Gillian, was quite dejected and
did not want to give me the bad news. I
was literally sick to my stomach, and for a little white depressed about the
whole thing. Gillian was to photograph
our “girls” together and then take my doll to an Alice Leverett workshop she
was attending to deliver her to Alice for a little tightening and refurbishment. The doll would be returned as Gillian got home.
The stars did not align. We set upon the process of making a claim for the doll. I had paid for an additional $1000.00 of insurance. After about 6 weeks, the claim was denied at the post office. I had according to instructions provided proof of value by suing several sold auctions in lieu of an original receipt. But they wanted the original. Alice worked diligently to get
the original receipt, as I had lost or misplaced mine, I mean three moves since
the purchase of the doll, and she produced one for me and even set aside a
replacement head at the same time. It took 3 months to file a claim, have the claim turned down, and then fight for it. Finally, 6 months later, I was rewarded with
about $695.00 on a thousand-dollar claim. But we were allowed to salvage the body, so all was not lost. Later, I received devastating
news. The replacement head was broken in
a small household accident and the doll was not to be produced any longer. I had a body and no head!
I explored the idea of joining Emilie Claire's head to Molly's body. Emilie's body was not well done (I made her). But Gillian had other ideas. Her friend Lynn would make me a new doll
head. The next hurdle, she only had a head for a doll face that was not a
particular favorite of mine. More months
passed while I pouted and thought. I was
convinced to examine it first and make a decision when I had compared the
heads. So this is what I did.
What I received was a beautiful face on a Smiling Bru
reproduction head. Emilie’s head was a
bit too large for the doll, so I grudgingly place the Smiling Bru on the UFD
body. May I say, after 2 years of hedging and grumbling
and fighting it, yea, two years, I now have a new and favorite doll. It was as if it was meant to be. I have considered naming her Eugenie after
the French Empress, Napoleon III’s wife, or name her after the two ladies whose
patience and persistence to replace the lost Molly. She remains nameless today,
three years later. One day I will
settle the doll name issue.
Until then I thought would introduce you to my newly refurbished French Fashion Ultimate Fashion Doll, body by Alice Leverett, head by Lynn S. (I did not ask permission to reveal her name.) But kudos to Lynn and Gillian. Thank you. She is just so beautiful.
More about her burgeoning wardrobe as we go along.
I am having fun!
Kathi