Yellow and Gray

The best helping hand that you will ever receive is the one at the end of your own arm. 

~Fred Dehner

I had a very quiet weekend.  There was no running errands and basically no meal preparation.  My DH was away on a boys racing weekend, something he has done for the last few years with his brother and best friend.  I'm glad that he is able to have this time away, some time with the guys - it gives him a break from taking care of me.  During my quiet time I was able to get in some sewing which I rarely do on the weekends.  And, of course, I did some stitching too.  The only downside was the dogs thinking every car they heard go down the street "Dad's home!".  There were many trips made to the front door and then the return of sad little faces when they realized he wasn't coming up the front step.  Needless to say, they were two over joyed pups when DH did walk in the door Sunday evening.  Even I had a big smile on my face.  How was your weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Shark

Another nightmare producing creature from the depths of the ocean.  No, I don't know why I've been thinking about the ocean and what lives there.  Maybe it's the cool waters, maybe I am thirsty, who knows - lol!  Here are some interesting facts about sharks:

* The first sharks lived more than 400 million years ago—200 million years before the first dinosaurs. They have changed very little over the eons.

* Because sharks very rarely get cancer, scientists study their cartilage in the hopes of finding a cure for the disease.

* The first written account of a shark attack is found in Herodotus’ (c. 484–425 B.C.) description of hordes of “monsters” devouring the shipwrecked sailors of the Persian fleet.

* When a shark eats food that it can’t digest (like a turtle shell or tin can), it can vomit by thrusting its stomach out its mouth then pulling it back in (GROSS!)

* Before sandpaper was invented, people used the rough skin of sharks, called shagreen, to smooth and polish wood. Japanese warriors wrapped the skin around the handles of their swords to keep the swords from slipping out of their hands.

*Sharks don’t get cavities probably because they are constantly shedding teeth. Sharks have 40-45 teeth, with up to seven rows of replacement teeth behind them. When a front tooth breaks or falls out, it takes only about one day for a replacement tooth to move forward to the front row. Sharks can go through more than 30,000 teeth in a lifetime.

* As long as a shark’s back is mostly under water, it can swim easily. A nine-foot-long bull shark can swim in just two feet of water. About two-thirds of shark attacks on humans have taken place in water less than six feet deep

* When it comes time to give birth, the female shark loses her appetite so she won’t be tempted to eat her own pups.

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OOPS!

Last week I worked on a block for my September Block Swap Adventure swap partner, Nancy.  Nancy requested a star block, yellow and gray with yellow being the primary.

This block is called New Star.  This is where the "oops" comes in.  It ended up much larger than the 12" block it was supposed to be.  This was a great paper piecing project but I missed one thing.  I forgot to check the 1" square on the printout before I began.  I always check that and usually make sure that my printer is set at 'actual size' before printing any paper piecing project.  But, obviously, not this time! The block ended up being 13 1/4 inches square.  

So, to remedy my error, I made this eight point star.  I'm really happy with how all of my points met in the center - that's what's nice about the precision of paper piecing.  

Nancy will be receiving both blocks.  Maybe she can make a pillow or something out of the larger one.  I'm letting this be a lesson well learned.

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FINAL THOUGHT