Phantom Fans

Appearing at a quilt shop near you as soon as now....

Knock off the Old Quilt

Finally a quilt that might interest me....

I saw a pattern that I like. I drafted it in EQ. The quilt was scrappy, but my drafted quilt is all the same fabrics because I didn't want to spend the time making a bunch of block with different fabrics to set into the quilt.

The block could be drafted another way, but I just made it with HSTs.

The One and Only....

Too funny...

I've had a lot of fun over the years since IPods and ITunes adding favorite songs to my library, especially from my youth.

There has been one song that I check for everytime I remember that has been unavailable.  What should I check on today while downloading the Breaking Dawn Score....because if I'm going to buy something, I might as well buy more??????  Yes, The One and Only by Chesney Hawkes and woohoo, it was there!!!

Quiltless Christmas

Every year about this time I get this urge to make a last minute quilt for someone for christmas.

I don't have that urge this year.....

Maybe I'm cured?

Too Much to Say

Ever have too much say and are really just too lazy to take the time to type it all out?

Yep!  That's me.

Aren't y'all lucky that I'm that lazy?!

It's nothing that good anyway.....

I have been busy virtually quilting.  My sewing machine hasn't been on for at least a month, though.

http://www.twilightquilterscoven.com/

That's where I'll be for now....

Eager to be done with 2011!

I don't have much to say, but that.

I don't seem to be interested in regular quilting anymore.  I have started to go through all my fabric and will be taking it somewhere, donating it, or listing it on Craig's List.

I am eager to see the movie on 11/18.  I won't be going to a midnight showing for the first time.  I'm not eager to sit out in the cold for hours in line to get a good seat.  I may play hooky at some point on Friday to see it because I'll only be able to stand waiting that long.  I wish I had someone to share it with, but I don't.

I don't foresee getting anything done around the house to end my year, either.  I've pretty much given up caring for real, real about it.  Hey, it's less work for me.....  C is the only one who does her chores to get paid.  Z could get paid, but he doesn't care so he never does his chores.  S is all caught up in the fact that she doesn't like and want to do what I've suggested she do for chores and an allowance, nor does she think she would get paid enough so says what's the point.

Alex has been classified officially as "disabled" so that he can go down to the nurse's office everyday for uninterrupted bathroom time.  I think it's the silliest thing ever....

C is driving.....  I haven't had the pleasure of being a passenger.  M let her drive on an actual road the other day and about had heart failure after a couple of near misses.

We're done with soccer, but S is playing basketball.  C wants to play indoor, but we're having trouble finding a spot for her.  She is distraught at the thought of not playing.  I think she's addicted.

I had my three year anniversary at work.  I seem to be appreciated here with a nice raise as proof.  In this economy, I'm pretty lucky!

My mom's health is failing.  I'm scared @#$%less about that.

2012?  Bring it ON!!!

You know you're busy when...

You don't have time to think much about how things really are.

Life is keeping me super busy right now.  I wish I could say that I'm accomplishing a lot, but I can't.  All I do is run around from one activity to another, spend just enough time on housework to keep things semi-clean and everyone in clean clothes, and have just enough time to get the minimum amount of sleep required.

What can I tell you?!

C is changing schools for spring semester as mentioned.  M will take her to register on Thursday AND, if time, take her to get her driver's permit.  gasp!

We meet with A's school next week for his 504 meeting.  He has scheduled times during the day that he goes down to the nurse for private bathroom time.  Lord knows in this day and age he can't just do that, but has to be on a PLAN to protect his rights.  UGH.....  In addition to being an ILP kid, he'll now be a 504 kid.  Considering the fact that we aren't happy with Englewood Schools after elementary and will probably have all of them go to a different district from middle school on unless things drastically change, the labeling will make it that much harder to get him in an out of district school.  Although, I've heard that schools can extra money for certain things so maybe it could be to our benefit?!

I'll have 3 years at my job in November.  Thank you GOD!  M just had his one-year anniversary with his new company.  He is doing well.  KNOCK ON WOOD

Soccer season is almost over!  I'd like to take a break for awhile, but C wants to play indoor if she can find a team.  S and A want to play rec basketball.

I only have virtual quilting to report on.  I'm in a slump....or something.  I went through some EQ files last night.  I had EQ5 files on my laptop, that is on its last legs, and that we recovered from the old home pc that died months ago.  I even had EQ4 files.  I only saved about 20 and deleted the rest.  I didn't use the program for much quilt designing then, and not much now, and really only to print patterns.  I need to go through all the pictures and documents I have saved, but after spending too much time looking for a thumb drive and driving across town to get C from practice, I didn't have a lot of time to work.  I found some old New Moon Quilt stuff which still annoys me, but not the pattern I was really looking for.

Add a Phantom to My Bucket List

I caught some of the Phantom of the Opera (Butler and Rossom movie version) last night.  I've never seen it before.  I've heard some of the music.  I was old enough for all its popularity, but I never got on board as a fan.

Wow!  I've been missing out!!



I would probably root for the Phantom......

I would love to see it on stage.  I've put doing so on my bucket list.

Green with Envy....Blue with Anxiety

It would seem that my family is ruled by their emotions.....

Pea green, kelly green, or lime green--pick your favorite shade.  C is green with envy.  A friend turned 16 last weekend and got C's current heart's desire:  an I-Phone.

How far we have come in such a short span of time.  I remember that cell phones had just become realistic for the common folk to have when I was pregnant with C sixteen years ago.  M was working for a delivery company at one point and I made sure he had a cell phone so that I could reach him.

Now, C thinks she needs to have a device that connects her to everything the Apple way.  I'm not knocking the device, but is it a need?  I think not.

Don't get me wrong....I would love to have one, too.  I don't think I need one, though.  I don't think the expense is one that we need....ever....either.  I do get a bit envious at times of all my friends who have smart phones, but I'm usually able to let it go.

I think it's only going to get worse after she changes schools after Christmas.  We'll have to start paying for her to play sports, drive to this school, and keep up with her wardrobe needs.  Remember how I said we were going to have extra money in a few months?  I should know better.

My life is typically chaotic.  I'm still trying to live with chaos and function.  It seems like the more I permit, though, that more and more is added.  I'm a bit blue with anxiety.  A vibrant shocking blue that stuns my senses.....

I did finish a quilt last weekend which was nice for me.  I'm now trying to figure out what to do for the back.  I find it hard to edit so I'm thinking about piecing some blocks for the back since I can't make them work for the front.  Crazy!

My apologies to those that have seen it on the other blog:

The quilt may look a little wonky....it's not!  I can never get a good picture and, therefore, I photo edited it to make it square so I could import it into EQ7 to doodle.

Quilter: Here and There

Setting triangles needed.  Tonight?  Nope....well, probably not....I'll be skating with the kids in support of a soccer fundraiser.

Soccer Parents @$#!

I've got two kids that play soccer and I'm glad because I don't think I could stand much more.  (We are trying to get A to play next season, but I'm almost questioning that?!)  I enjoy watching my kids play and I'm actually enjoying watching and learning the game--something I didn't think I would ever do.  I love sports as a rule, but I wasn't sure I'd ever really get into the game because I didn't think it would be that exciting considering typical low scores, etc.

The soccer parents I could do without....

Actually, I don't think it's just soccer parents.....  I think most sports parents are complete butt heads and make asses of themselves on a regular basis.  I even find myself going down the wrong road occasionally before I have to tell myself to zip it and zip it good.

I think we all on some level think our kids are the best players ever in their sport and that they can do no wrong...right?  I don't most of the time.  I'm uber supportive of C, especially, but I do always think that both girls could practice more and learn more so that they would play better.  C wants to be a soccer star in some form or another, but she only seems to put in so much time and I think it should be more since she's not a natural talent.  I will never question her effort during a game, although she probably has some games where she doesn't for whatever reason put in 100%,  because it always looks like she's playing all out.

We decided to let her play competitive soccer this season.  She'd played on rec leagues for a couple of years, but there is a distinct fall off in participation in rec leagues for her age.  A competitive team was an option so we went with that because of her professed desire to play more than just school ball, the crappy soccer situation at EHS, and more than one person advising us that she's more likely to get noticed playing for a club than at school.

She only tried out for one team....  She was pretty excited to have made the team and didn't think anything of not making the top level team in the club.  She was glad to have made the same team with her good friend and daughter of her old soccer coach.  We all were pretty naive to the whole thing, but boy did we learn a lot about the whole soccer club scene.  There are 17 girls on her team as one girl had to drop out because of illness.  The teams play with 11 on the field.  C's preferred position is Right Fullback, although she played a Mid position at high school.  Her coach has soccer experience having played himself through college and coached boys in some type of league, but this is his first time coaching girls.  C has played most of the minutes of her games as the team is light with defenders--everyone prefers the mid or forward positions.

C's team hasn't done very well.  They won one game in a tournament that they started their season with.  They've scored a a total of four or five goals in five regular games and six tournament games--if you don't count the one goal C scored--an own goal--last Friday night.  (Yes, she was devastated!)  C's trying to stay positive, but she's disappointed.  I don't blame her.

The thing I'm most disturbed about and is so deflating are the parents.  I'm going to say that many of them are really obnoxious.  After just the first game, I figure out there were people I couldn't stand to sit by.  This far into the season, we've taken to sitting by ourselves....or with C's old coach if she's there.  The tournament last weekend was the worst.  Parents questioning quite vocally ref calls (as if that will get you anywhere besides sitting in your car), coaching from the sidelines, and all out bad mouthing their own kids!!!  We sat in front of one mom on Saturday and couldn't believe how awful she was.  On Sunday, I got situated and then realized she was sitting behind me so I moved down by myself on the sidelines since M and the coach friend couldn't come.  All the other parents sat up on the hill.  As I was yelling Go, Blue and being positive these parents moaning, groaning, and all out criticizing.

Awful!  The worst mom at one point was yelling at her daughter to get off the field and that she was a waste of space.  Are you kidding me?  The ref came over and warned all the parents to be quiet or else previously, but she still kept talking.  At this comment, the step dad of one of the girls finally looked at her and told her that she didn't know what the hell she was talking about and to shut up.

This is what I was told as I missed all the drama since I wasn't sitting with them.  My friend called later that night to ask about all the drama.  I'm not sorry I missed it.

C says the girls on the field really can't hear the parents.  I would hope not.  I hope this woman's daughter can't, but can you imagine what she's like at home?!

Epic

C follows Epic Tweets....

Epic is right!

One from today

A person hates you for three reasons:

1) They want to be you

2) They don't like themselves

3) They feel threatened by you

We got C's accepantance letter to her new high school today.  She will start spring sememster.  We're relieved!  M only turned her paperwork Thursday.  M was pretty confident that she would get in based on his conversation with the registrar because of C's academic record, attendance, and excellent behavior.  I was surprised by the quick turnaround, though.  She is so happy!

Retail Therapy

If you need some retail therapy, buy something you've been lusting needing for a long time....within reason, of course!

I bought the download of Maria Elkins Making Faces video today and I'm so glad.  I watched the Beginner section and I think I can do it!

The next thing I need is Photoshop Elements.  It's on my Christmas list along with a pair of black Fat Baby boots.  Hey, it's almost October so it's not too early for a Christmas list.

A Case of the Can'ts

I don't say I can't a lot, but I sure do think it!

Do You Want to Be Immortal?

I've always had a thing for vampires even before my Twilight obsession....

Romances with vampires as the part of the story are a guilty pleasure.

I had to chuckle, though, when I started seeing Immortal..............Cash commercials this week.

Immortal Cash

 

Colorado Lottery Immortal Cash from Cactus on Vimeo.

You know my name, not my story. You've heard what I've done but not what I have been through....


Perfect!

2012

I don't think it's too early to start looking forward to the new year?  Isn't the world supposed to end in 2012?  I hope not because I'm certainly looking forward to it.

I'll be 42.  Well, I'm not looking forward to that.  There is no avoiding it, though, so I best just make the most of it.

I'm most excited about the fact that we hope to be that much closer some financial breathing room.

Let's all knock on wood while I'm writing and anyone that is reading, shall we?!

We have two more payments on the mini van.  Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm going to drive that thing until it dies or it makes more sense to get a newer car than repair it.  It's got 130,000 miles on it right now so who knows?!I'd like to put toward something else even if its into savings for emergencies.  M pays that payment so who knows what he will do.  I'm hoping he puts at least part of it towards another one of his bills or some of mine.

I'll be clear of a big bill in two months, too.  I'll be able to breathe a little easier and not have to ask M for money all the time.  Some of it will have to be put towards some other bills, but not all of it!

Have I learned my lesson?  I hope so!!!

Money flies out the door.  C's soccer has to be paid for.  We've been advised that she has a better chance playing club soccer than just high school.  She gets more instruction there and more chance to be noticed for college.  S started violin this week.  The boys are pretty quiet, but we'd like to get them more involved in some activities of their choice.

I have aspirations, too.  Don't we all?

Quilter

I have been working on a quilt....

Contention

Headed off to the Rockies game tonight....  club seats!!!!

We're all going.  Yes, the entire family.  It ought to be interesting.  The boys are excited.  The girls are hating on each other more than ever right now.  They got into a physical confrontation yesterday afternoon and S's phone is broken--it works for calls but the screen is cracked.  Who ever heard of a baseball game being punishment?  They think it is!

We probably wouldn't have gotten the seats had the Rockies not been totally out of the pennant race.  M was gifted to tickets through a work contact.

Yay!  Some things you just have to go and do even if you would rather stay home......

The game starts at 6:10.  We'll probably miss an inning or two.

I'm bring my camera.  I hope to get some pics to share.

Happy Anniversary

17 years!

A couple of anniversaries this weekend.  9/11.....  and M and I on 9/10.

I'll let all the media outlets help us remember 9/11.

M and I met in college in an accounting class.  I remember that we just clicked.  He was the first male that seemed to be interested in me beyond the superficial.  I hadn't dated much at all up to that point.

I think we were both looking for that special connection.

The bottom line will always be that I love him.

I have to remind myself that all the time.

I'm sure he has to do the same.