It's in the Bag

Aunt Flo is visiting this week my house this week for all the girls.  S started the other day.  She's only 10!  She's not ready.....  I'm not ready.....  Granted, we're not talking a rushing river, but we are talking a bout of major emotions!  She was very weepy last night over the whole experience and the other changes she's experiencing.  We knew it was coming--maybe not this soon as C didn't start until she was 14--and have talked, but it's not real until it happens.  I tried to be as supportive as I could be and I challenged C to be the best big sis there is because of the fragility.

I'm not feeling all that well myself.  My associated anxiety that I always experience at this time of the month has hit once again.  Paired with the fact that payday is still days away and I'm a basket case.  Oh, and I can't wait to see the quilting on the CU Boyfriend quilt and am praying that the quilter can work a miracle and get it back to me....like tomorrow.

I put on a positive face and lied through my teeth put a positive spin on things during our little pep talk.

There's a pill for that.  (I wish.  I haven't found a really good one.)

You may feel like crap, but activity is the best way to chase the pain away.  (Sure, there are days when you just want to lie in bed for one reason or another.)

It's no big thing to deal with at school.

S has insisted that I make her a bag for school.  I just wanted to buy her a backpack, but NO!  I've decided to go ahead because it may be the pick me up she needs.  I have a couple of free patterns bookmarked but, of course, I'm thinking of modifying them for size, handles, and technique.

I know I'll regret it.  I'll be telling MYSELF, I told you so!  On the other hand, I keep insisting that I'm an experienced enough sewer to be able to do it, right?  I am going to put something down on paper first and try to be organized.

Quilting All-Nighters

I'm a zombie today after being up all night finishing the quilt.  My butt was glued to my sewing chair for most of the night.  (A sad state since I was even too lazy/involved to changed the channel on the T.V. and ended up watching Borat while M snored away on the couch.)  My body is a mess of aches and pains.  My brain is mush.

I dropped it off at Creative Needle for Top Quilters--a whole 'nother story that I don't want to get into right now.

The polka dots won.  The quilter is just going to have to deal with 5ish" on all sides for the backing instead of the six requested.  She's usually pretty quick and I called ahead so she's expecting it.  I had hoped to deliver it to CN by Sunday, but.....well, you know!

C says she loves it!

I forgot to laugh when M said that she'll probably break up with him as soon as she gives it to him.

It's a good thing I'm so tired or I'd bore you with more critique of my work.  I like the buffalo--I just wish I'd have planned better and it could have been bigger.  I used the Upside Down Applique method which I love!

Comedy of Errors

I've made my last quilt......JUST KIDDING!

I'm almost done with the CU Boyfriend Quilt.  I can't finish it soon enough.  With the amount of mistakes I've made, unsewing, and resewing....I could have made two quilts by now.

WHY o WHY can't I be more organized?

I started with a bit of a plan.  I drafted the quilt in EQ7, but I strayed from the design for some reason trying to make the quilt bigger.  However, I bought fabric based upon the design so I ended up going back to original width but adding an extra row in length.  The two rows I had added two extra blocks to had to be taken apart which created more problems.....

I didn't have a pressing plan in the beginning.  I did one after piecing the first row where it didn't matter, but it still wasn't right and I also got confused by sewing the block parts together in the wrong order.

We added the diamond blocks, but I printed the patterns the wrong size....and pieced them.  This error was a result of me not wanting to spend the money to print the patterns the full size at Kinkos.

I have one more row to piece and the darn buffalo to make which I have to fudge because I screwed up the diamonds.

With all this how does the quilt look?  Not bad except for the thread mess of fraying blocks on the back.  All those seams of the plaid pattern intersected!!!!

Have I learned my lesson?  Probably not.....

Why do I quilt again?

We didn't buy fabric for the back.  I don't have much yardage in my stash except for black with white polka dots or spiders on silver webs.  I don't have time to piece a back at this point.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

I was standing at my sink at 2 am last night doing dishes.....when a mouse ran from one side of my kitchen counter along the space between the sink and the window to back behind my microwave and I assume into my stove.  Right in front of me!  I think I must have scared it out of its hiding place by being awake at that hour and running the disposal.  I let out a scream and M got up off the couch where he was sleeping to investigate.  He turned on the oven and we think the mouse ran out along the baseboard and into the space between the dishwasher and the under the sink cupboard.

Ick!

I hate mice in my kitchen.  It grosses me out!  We keep everything really clean and my counters clear as to not to invite any pests, but we still get an occasional uninvited guest.  The cat usually gets them before they get into the house.  She's not too good at catching them inside.

I can only imagine that it didn't expect anyone to be up at that hour and came out to look for food, thinking the coast was clear.

It's hard to put a peanut butter baited trap down on the floor because the dogs always find it and set it off before having a chance to catch the mouse.

One more instance that I wish I had a door on my kitchen or no dogs.....

Oh, What a Savings!

Since I can't give up certain things, I just have to find cheaper things or way to do things.

I have to have my breakfast in the morning.  I can't get going in the morning unless I have a McD's $1 Sausage Burrito and Vanilla Iced Coffee or Vanilla Latte, but at $3++ a day, I've had to figure out alternatives.  (It's not only an eating thing, but a mental health thing!)  I've taken to making my version of the Iced Coffee at home and then stopping by and getting my $1 burrito on the way to work.  (I could make these at home, too, but I'm just not there yet.)  I've had to work with my recipe, but I've figured it out enough to be satisfied.  M's Keurig makes things easier and I've figured out which setting to use to make the coffee strong enough since it gets watered down by the ice.  (It's the only coffee maker we have so I know those K Cups are more expensive per serving, but at least we can get them at CostCo.)  I use Half and Half and I've found that for cheap using WalMart's brand.  I'll be looking for cheaper syrup options, maybe even making my own, but for now I'm working on a bottle of Torani Vanilla Syrup because I found that at WalMart, too.  I stole S's Starbucks cup with straw and have been using that.  (I love it because it's double layered and doesn't sweat.)

The only thing is that I feel the need to fill the cup up and I'm drinking more coffee per day if I would buy because I usually only got the Medium.

I'll be making a poor woman's latte when the weather turns cooler......

I figure I'm saving a $1+ a day which will add up, right?

I'm making progress....  I used to be a Starbuck's girl, having to get a latte and pastry there every morning at $5.50 a pop years ago.

How do you save money without giving something up entirely?

Driver's Ed

C talked her dad into registering and paying for an online driver's ed class.  She will take the class and then test at the DMV for her permit.  Yeah, she IS 15 years and 3 months.

Wow!

Timing is everything.  M is sweating the increase in our insurance.  We barely can keep up with him driving.  We just received notice that our insurance is going up $600.00/year because of the $15,000 settlement in addition to car repairs, etc. our insurance paid to the driver he rear ended in the spring.  Maybe we should see if he can take a class?!

(It's a good thing he can't be bothered to read my blog!)

I'm a tad annoyed about the increase for a number of reasons.  He never followed through against the driver who hit him last fall in the awful accident that totalled his truck, severely bruised his ribs, and broke his glasses.  (The woman that hit him ran a red light and about took off the front of his truck.)  He got his totalled truck replaced, but he never pursued medical or pain and suffering.  He still has discomfort.

If he had, we might have come out even.  But, what do I know?!

His answer?  "Well, the guy I hit got a lawyer and the lawyer will take about half of the settlement."

What is half of $15,000?





And Then You Go and Do Something Nice...

My sewing machine pedal has been acting up and with 48 more block parts to go, I was freaking out a bit a bunch.  48 more block parts and 24 blocks to assemble....gah!

My sewing machine is old.  I toy with the idea of replacing it when I have money again, but then I ask myself Why?  I love my Pfaff.  I would just end up getting another Pfaff and probably a lesser model.  I've not taken very good care of it.  It's never been serviced.  M has fixed the cords a couple of time when dogs have chewed them.  I've replaced the power card for the same reason.  I can still wind bobbins, but I have to watch it and stop it from winding when it gets too full because a little piece is broken.  I don't oil it enough.....

Saturday night I was trying to sew.  I had to jimmy the foot pedal after every block and I was getting frustrated so I started stomping on it.  Temper!  M took it from me to try and fix it.  It was touch and go for awhile, especially after a tiny piece fell on the floor and was lost for awhile.  I started hyper-ventilating because I'm right in the middle of a project.

He's a genius, though, and fixed it.

It's moments like those when I think about....things.  We can both be real poop heads to each other sometimes, but we still try and do nice things for each other every once and awhile.