GOODBYE JANUARY, WELCOME FEBRUARY

Hello, friends!  Yes, it's me again and I am posting two days in a row.  I am feeling so much better.  I didn't call the doctor yesterday because I was feeling better, but this morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. really sick.  I decided that enough is enough and I am not taking any more of the new medication.  I am going back to the old one.  Even though I have reactions to it, it is not as bad as the new one.  Since I took a dose of the old medication and went back to sleep for a couple of hours, I am feeling so good.  I made myself bacon and eggs for breakfast.  Then Joe came downstairs and I made him breakfast too.  I emptied the dishwasher and halfway filled it up again.  Joe and Rick are going out witnessing this afternoon and if I still feel this good, I am going to work on cleaning off my coffee table which is in sad shape while they are gone.

Last night I felt well enough to make some sugar cookies.  Admittedly it was the Pillsbury slice and bake, but a few days ago I couldn't do even that.  I put some pink and red sugar on the top.  They are so good and I know because I've been eating them.

Do any of you use a silpat when you bake?  Those rubber sheets are great when doing cookies.  I couldn't afford the real thing, but around Christmas I was at Target and saw their brand of baking sheets.  Joe bought me two of them.  They are wonderful.  I just put them on my cookie sheets and nothing sticks.  The cookies turn out well too.

I've been doing a lot of knitting this past month.  And I'm so excited to show you my new temperature blanket for 2020.  As I said earlier, I wasn't going to do one this year.  But when I saw this yarn, I really wanted to do it.  I have only four colors, so I am doing 20 degrees for each color.  Dark blue is 30*F and below.  Light blue is 40*F and 50*F.  Brown is 60*F and 70*F.  Tan is 80*F and 90*F.  The blues are baby yarn with a silver thread running through it so that it sparkles.  The browns are homespun.  I thought it would be fun to use different textures and weights and do a garter stitch (all knit) this year.  I am using another yarn I found that is variegated brown, tan and white to separate the months.  I guess you want to see it, so here's a photo I took last night.

I'm also still working on my scarf.  I have three sections finished.  Here is a closeup of the third section.  Sorry it's a little dark.  I love the cables that I was able to put in it.

For the past few days, I have been working on part four.  I will probably finish it today.  I have no idea how far the yarn I have will go so we'll see just how big this scarf gets.  If nothing else, I will use it on a table.

As we head into February, let's see just what went on last month.  Most of it was just being sick.  Very sick.  From hospital to stomach virus to bladder infection to bronchitis to blood pressure which put me in the hospital in the first place.  I feel so much better now and really think I am on the mend.  A little coughing and blowing the nose, but otherwise I'm doing good.

New Year's Day was not the joyous celebration it usually is.  I didn't even watch the parade and you know I'm sick if I'm not watching the Mummers.  In fact, they marched down the street just two blocks from me.  Joe opened the door and said, "Let's go see them."  I laid on the sofa moaning and said, "Go without me."  That is definitely not me!

I did enjoy that few days of 70*F weather we had a few weeks back.  That was nice.  And there is a warm up coming this week too.

I missed three Sundays at church and that is definitely not me.  I am so glad to be back with my church family.

I've been doing a lot of knitting this month.  It was something I could do when I felt a little better, but could put down and take a nap when I needed to.

Cleaning, laundry, dishes, cooking -- they all went by the wayside.

I didn't get to celebrate Chinese New Year the way I usually do either.  But I will make it up during the year.  The White Metal Rat year.

And that's about it.  Let me show you my calendar page for last month.  I never got to do that.  I'm glad we didn't get this much snow.  If we had, I would have had to get a horse and sleigh to get around just like the one in the picture.

And now let's flip the page to February.

This month's calendar page is so pretty.  I love the sunset.  Well, I love sunrises and sunsets in general.  But this looks so cozy with the horse and buggy about to go across the bridge and head toward the church with the light shining in the window.  So welcoming.  The sunset reflected in the little stream is so pretty too.  And the cardinals on the bush in the forefront are so perfect.  A flash of red and a pop of brown in the white snow.

I used to show a new calendar page on the first of every month.  It had fallen by the wayside the past few years, but I am reviving it this year.  Hope you like it.

And with that I am going to get going.  I want to throw some wash in while I am still feeling good.  I have a feeling I am going to crash this afternoon.  Hope you all have a good day.

Kathy