April 14-15, 2012 Weekend, Finished Project, Cutting Down a White Pine, I’m OK in Wichita, and Crocheting Shoes

Friday started off with the weather authorities warning Wichita that our weather for the weekend was going to be favorable for tornadoes. They said that the tornadoes that would be forming would have the capabilities of mass destruction.

Sooooo my Saturday consisted of listening to the weather reports by radio while I finished up a purse embellishing project that I started several years ago. At first as I was sewing on the leaves I thought that finishing it would be doable. As I started sewing down each one of the petals on the blue and green daisies I remembered why I had put it down several years ago and almost put it back into the container that I took it from, but I forged on and I’m so glad that I finally finished it and I’m very happy with how it turned out. This purse will be one of the one-of-a-kind things that I’ll be selling at the Outdoor Market on May 5^th.

I also had time to launder some of the sweaters that I upcylced with a little crochet.

Then I made 2 pairs of pink Mary Jane shoes, a headband,

and a pair of Boot-Scoot-n-Boots before John came home from running errands. When John arrived home he told me that our nephew Jarred and his friend James would be over to cut down our dead white pine tree in the backyard. I was a little surprised to find this out since I knew the weather was going to be turning bad soon, plus the wind was blowing pretty hard.

Before I knew it I heard a chainsaw start up and I grabbed my camera to get photos of the occasion. Jarred started taking limbs off and as he cut them off James and John picked them up and carried them to Jarred’s big flatbed truck.

He cut all the limbs down that he could reach from an 8’ stepladder and then he laid a 40’ extension ladder up against the tree and started removing limbs until he couldn’t reach any higher.

Then he cut halfway through the tree and tied a rope above the cut. He then climbed down the ladder and removed the ladder from the tree. James, Jarred, and John rocked and pulled on the rope until that part of the tree came crashing down.

Then Jarred again placed the ladder up to the trunk of the tree and made another cut halfway through the tree and again tied the rope above the cut. He again climbed down and removed the ladder. James pulled on the rope all by himself and that section of the tree came crashing down. Then Jarred made the last cut and shoved the tree over by himself.

With John’s instructions, Jarred left just enough of the stump for John to create a little stool for hisself. All in all it took them about an hour and a half. Thank you so-o-o-o much Jarred and James for coming to my house and cutting our tree down. Since they wouldn’t take any money for their work I will be making tacos for them next month.

All the while a storm south of our city was brewing and moving straight towards the city of Wichita. I went into the house to listen to the weather and to carry a few things down into the basement. I carried down the things that I had made for the Outdoor Market, my computer, external hard drive with tons of photos on it, box of pictures of Jennifer and Megan, my crochet bag, and patterns to keep me busy. Once I got into the basement I was so scared that I couldn’t get comfortable enough to crochet, and I sent John back upstairs for other items; medications, shoes, 2 photo albums of Joshua as a baby, and my school yearbooks. I was freaking out knowing that a tornado was heading directly in the path of our house and no matter what I had in the basement with me it would probably get sucked up along with everything in the upstairs of my house. To say the least we were spared this time and the tornado took a different route, I was very relieved and happy. But at the same time I feel so bad for the people who live in the southeast sections of Wichita that weren’t as lucky. I want to say Thank you to the people who have called or sent me messages worried about how me and my family have fared through the storm. I do appreciate all the concern and want to assure you that we are fine.

Sunday morning the storms had passed and I was able to make 2 more pairs of Mary Jane shoes and decided to give covered button making a try. After I tried to remember how to make them and kind of remembering that the round plastic discs that I found in the covered button kit are used to make them with, but not sure how since I no longer had the instructions. I googled “How to make covered buttons” and watched a video on it and after John told me that I had tried to install the back of the covered button upside down,

I managed to make 3 little red polka dotted buttons.

I’m not sure how many more I’ll make but I think I know what these cute little squares of fabric will be used for; if and when I make more covered buttons. Ha! Ha!

I also had to get ready for our monthly KS My Stitch crochet guild meeting by finishing up a handmade name tag that I had started many years ago. We will be voting on which one we like the best. So how was your weekend?