End of the Year already???

Oh My Gosh! Where did 2008 go??

I was noticing that I only had one entry in December too, man the last part of the year just flew right past me!

To update: The longarm had tension problems starting in December that I was unable to rectify, she had to go to Gammill to be repaired. Luckily, it was an overnight adventure-- she caught a ride with a dealer from Ohio heading out for his monthly trip there. So she got home last night and I'll put her on the rails tonight and see how she does. They added an intermittant tensioner and even got the onboard bobbin winder working, wow!

In the mean time, I grabbed up a fabulous sewing machine on Ebay. Don't you just love it when sellers forget to put important words in the title, so that folks who are just searching keywords like "Husqvarna sewing machine" can't find it??? Tee hee hee hee! Lucky me picked up a Viking/Husqvarna Lily 555 -- YIPPEE!! It has the blanket/buttonhole stitch for applique that looks so awesome -- but is a pain in the butt to do by hand! Since the LA was down, I had a few weeks to play with the new machine and practice all that blanket stitching on several pieces of applique stuff that were all fused and ready. It does look super cool! And, I keep the machine's back facing Tim while I work, so he hasn't caught on that this is not the usual machine that I'm sewing with - it pays to stick to the same brand, they look very similar ;)

Yes, Marci did get crutches from Santa - and in her defense, she is still hobbling all over the house on them! None of us get the fun of it, but she does, and again, when you can make a kid happy for $4.99, well, that's just priceless!!

Work is fine, boring but fine. The boss is off all week, so it is pretty quiet around here. There was a stray calico kitten outside the door yesterday. So of course, I brought her in and put her on my lap for some snuggling!! Oh, and Bear who has been missing and presumed dead for about 3 weeks around home was found yesterday -- Tim almost stepped in him yesterday in the barn. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So glad I was at work! By the time I got home he'd been bagged up and buried. Although the girls were more than a bit peeved that proper reverance was not paid to our passed on friend! I believe the quote from Ellen was (and must be said in a sad sobbing voice to get the full effect) "He didn't even smooth out the dirt when he was done or say any nice words!"

I did finally get my sad little dresser delivered last week from the used furniture place. It is going to be beautiful once it's refinished! It's very solid and made of walnut wood. The best part is, I'm not living partially out of laundry baskets anymore -- all my clothes can be put away. And on that front, it's been a whole year since I cleaned my room, and I can report that it stay really clean for the first half of the year, kinda got a little iffy over the summer, but got back in shape again once school started and has stayed clean for the most part ever since! Only those who know who FLY Lady is can truly appreciate the awesomeness of this achievement!!

Let see, for the holidays we were able to have the Whipkers and the Stiers over. We had great food both times, and awesome card playing with my side of the family. I had a wonderful Pinocle hand, and got to play it too!! Only one jack shy of a double sequence -- woo and hoo!!

Now that all the hoopla of the holidays is done, I'm heading home tonight to make some potato soup for dinner, clean the kitchen and dining room up and then I plan to sew to my heart's content for a few days! I have tomorrow off from work and took a vacation day Friday -- don't have to report back here until next Tuesday. Perhaps I'll share some pix then of holiday stuff and my clean room ;)

What do 10 year olds want for Christmas??

Make sure you are sitting down, don't read this in a meeting where you should be paying attention because - I'm warning you fair and square: you will actually, and really LAUGH OUT LOUD soon. . . . . . . .

Marci wants, crutches for Christmas.

Yeah, I know. Pretty wierd. Even for her!

Nope, no reason. She just thinks they would be fun to play with.





Guess what?






I found a pair of wooden crutches at Goodwill last week for $5.






Ok, sing song along with me now:
"Marci's gettin' crutches for Christmas! Marci's gettin' crutches for Christmas!" Come on, get into it everybody!!!




ah, yes, and you wonder why the Dr. has me on drugs ;o)

Lot's more quilting~

Well, the quilting mojo kicked in over the weekend! I finished two quilts and loaded a third. I'll start on it tonight. One of the finished ones was delivered (and paid :) Saturday, the other is picking up (and bringing cash!!) tonight -- yippee!!

Of course, as quickly as the money comes in, it trickles out LOL! Tim found an old radio at the used furniture store yesterday and I bought it for him. It is the antique tube-style and the tubes are all in there and working! It looks cool in the living room (and heck, for $40 it was worth it just to look nice in the living room, even if it didn't work!) And I finally found an old laptop computer for Ellen on ebay today - and paid for it out of the quilting $$. If it is what she wants, it will be the best $50 I've spent! She has wanted this for ages, now she can sit in her bed and write the great American novel ;0)

The next quilt is loaded on the frame, and it intimidates me a bit. But I'm going to tackle it tonight. The hard part for me is that she doesn't want really dense quilting, and that is where I tend to go - so I may put a sticky note on the front of the machine to remind me "light and open!"

Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to go deliver the quilt Saturday, I didn't get any pix ;*( It was awfully pretty, and my first ruler work too, bummer! The one I'm delivering tonight isn't all that pretty - it's a memory quilt out of a guy's plaid shirts -- with pink sashing. But it will remind the family of him and the wife will be thrilled with the suprise her daughter has created for her!

Well, all out of time for today, off I scoot home to get quilting!!

Time for some quilting~

Seems like the ole' blog's been a bit heavy on parenting~life~work lately, so let's switch to the fun gear and catch up on some quilty stuff ;o)

I finished the last of the doll quilts that I donate each year to the Edna Martin Christian Center in Indy (where "Emmy" came from in the first place!) I didn't get pix of the two batches that I sent up there already this year *bummer!* but these are the latest.

The first four are blocks from a swap with an online group of friends. I slapped on some borders and called it a day. I knew I'd never get around to setting them into a quilt top - so this got them used, and off the UFO pile. Hey, it's a win-win! There are two of each one you see for a total of 8, and I made little pillows to go with the pink ones, but not the purple ones ~ not on purpose, it just worked out that way, LOL!

This next one is my favorite ;o) This is a string quilt with the technique I learned in a Gwen Mariston class. The pix doesn't do the colors justice, the pinks are so sweet. And it has a matching pillow too.

The last two pix are some 4 patches, another string quilt (for you American Girl Doll fans, the girls at my house decided this one was very "Kirsten-y" LOL) and one from a book about doll quilts. Again, half of these had pillows to go with, and half don't.

They were all sent on their way and should make it to some little girls for Christmas this year - hurray! And then I can start all over for next year.

On the frame right now is a "Country Lanes" quilt for the teacher at the LQS. She needs it for Christmas, but it is going well. It's all ruler work, no feathers ~ how will I make it through?? LOL! I'm trying my first SID work and it's actually going great! I have a ruler that looks a bit like a puzzle piece and is the size of my palm or so. It is perfect for this. Of course, it's an Eleanor Burns pattern so it tells you how to press your seams each time, and the instructor made it so she likely followed the directions quite well -- the result is, her seams don't flip flop much and the ditch is easy to find, and easier to stay in (most of the time!) Check back with me on the SID issue after I've tried it on a wonky one!!

Ok, now we are up to date on quilty news -- time to get back to the other part-time job and finish the newsletter and bulletin on my desk here at work ;o)

Just random stuff on a Thursday

The election is over, and that's good. We have rabbit ears on our tv, no cable. Some of our stations are from Louisville, KY and some are Indianapolis, IN. So we've been "treated" to a double dose of political ads as both areas have some hotly contested races. With a sigh of relief, those are now done . . . . . till next time!

Gee, the house got cluttered up fast. I've got sewing stuff all over the dining room table. It happens like that each month on Quilt guild day. I come home all energized after seeing what everyone else is working on, and I just want to piece like crazy. So, I drag a bunch of fabric out, make a big mess, and accomplish very little. By bedtime, I'm just tired and worn out. You think I'd learn ;0)

Work has been easy this week. I was here on Tuesday, off on Wednesday for quilt guild, here today, and I'll be off tomorrow for a funeral out of town. All I have to do is get the bulletin done and I'm good to go for the week - woo hoo. (so WHY am I here posting? um, I plead guilty to procrastination!)

Today I go to Max's school conferences. I expect them to go like this:

me: Hi Mr./Ms. teacher. I'm Max's mom. I know he is not doing his best work. I want you to know that we are involved and trying to get him to do and turn in his homework. Humble goals, we know, but harder than you might think to achieve.

teacher: That Max is so smart. If he'd only turn in his homework he'd have great grades.

me: Tim & I agree. We have been working on this issue for several years with Max, and we are open to any ideas you might have.

teacher: Have you tried ________ (fill in the blank)

me: Why yes, we have done that, it didn't work.

Repeat last two exchanges as needed until teacher runs out of ideas. Then add a few that we have tried and teacher didn't think of.

teacher: It's frustrating, because he's a great kid.

me: we agree *sigh loudly*

Ah, the teenage years. . . . such fun (insert sarcasm here!)

November, Already????

Where has the year gone? I'm at work today, filling out next year's calendars. Putting in all the standing meetings and events. Seems like I just did this for 2008. I bought a couple of Christmas gifts yesterday with my groceries too. Wow!

The new furnace is wonderful. It has a programable thermostat and, get this feature: an OFF button! Before, we had to go to the basement to flip a switch on the furnace if we wanted it off. I feel like we are in the lap of luxury! And of course, Murphy's law being what it is, we have had 70 degree days since Friday, LOL!

Aunt Dee's quilt is finished and looks nice. I'll put it in the mail tomorrow and can't wait to hear what she thinks of it. I called one customer who was tentative for November and let her know I can't squeeze her in. Left a message with another to call me, I'll try to reschedule her 3 quilts for January. This "getting busy" thing is kinda cool, but kinda scary too ;) I did get a couple of doll quilts bound while I was at the auto shop yesterday. Brakes are out again. Tim will work on it later this week (if and when we can find a day for me to park it while he tears it apart). But tomorrow is quilt guild and Friday I have to go to Millhousen for a funeral. So it might have to wait until the weekend.

At work it is time to work on the budget for next year. I may be dropping down to three days next year - Wed. through Fri. That would actually be cool. For now, I'm to cut two hours a week when I am not too busy. Every little bit helps, and in this "business" personel is one of the largest items in the budget - so it is one of the few places we can trim and make a difference.

The house looks good. I helped Max clean most of his room last night. He'll do beside and under his bed tonight - then it's all done. Ellen has impressed me by being the only one of the three kids to actually clean up her room on her own, I'm just really wowed by her doing this. And I made sure to tell her and make a big fuss about it too! Marci and I worked on hers Friday and some Saturday and it looks better. We'll moved a larger bookcase into Marci's room and one into Max's room to help them control their books, games, puzzles, etc. tonight. Ellen already has one and it has helped a lot.

Now I have to finish my work so I can go vote!

We have confirmation!

Yes, I received a call from home and we have "furnace guy" on site - furnace is being installed as I type.

(and it's 60 degrees today, so we don't really need it, ironic, yes?)

Could it be????

Now, I haven't been home to verify with my own eyes, but . . . . . "furnace guy" should be at my house this very minute installing a new Tempstar furnace!!!! We might actually be WARM when we get up tomorrow morning - Whhhooooo Hooooooo!!!!

More news and updates as they become available :0)

Hey baby, it's c-c-c-cold in here!

Ok, 10 days later . . . . still no furnace.

Just talked to "furnace guy" he says they'll be here tomorrow. They'll be putting the furnace in where the old one was for now, and coming back later to put it where we want it (up off the floor so it won't get hit in the flood again.) At least we'll have heat. Last night I gave up and went to bed after Oprah! Yes, that's 5pm around here. I put dinner on the counter, announced it was ready and hit the sheets. Watched some tv, read a book that wasn't that good, and snuggled up with my blankets and quilts. Ellen & Marci ended up in my bed too. After Tim went to work, we spread out a little and Marci even went back to her own bed. She had a cat in there to keep her feet warm (ssshhhh! Don't tell Tim!!).

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" Yes,well, other than that, everything is going well.

At work, the newsletter got done and went into the mail- yeah! Quilting is progressing. I have Aunt Dee's quilt back on the frame to finish the centers of her Dresden Plates. I was pondering what to do in there for weeks, and I've decided to crosshatch (with help from my MQResource gals who pointed me in the right direction- thanks ladies!) And it should be done and in the mail by Monday.

I have an appointment on Wednesday to take in a memory quilt. It should be some simple quilting and go pretty fast. The next three quilts in line are applique and will need light custom work and ruler work too, so that will take some time (but make some good $$ too ;).

Max & Ellen both have done their kitchen chores with such a nice attitude this week! I can't wait to give them a bonus when I pay commissions on Saturday because of it. They'll be suprised that I noticed I bet ;o) School is going ok for all of them. Max is down to only 4 classes. We pulled him out of Spanish after that lovely 40% F for the last quarter - no sense wasting anyone's time there! He has two assigned study halls and one assigned resource (like a study hall). The resource time is with a great guy - 20 years retired military, former Army Ranger, and takes no silly crap from anyone. "I dunno" is not an answer when he wants to know what is going on with your grades, homework, or life! He meets with Max the last period of each day and checks to see that he is on task with the day's homework (it should be done with all those study halls) and doing well in the classes. I'm hoping that this will become a mentoring thing between them. Max could use a good role model in his life, someone besides mom and dad who, of course, know nothing by virtue of us being mom and dad.

Oh yeah, and I've been sneaking a cat in the house. I'm a bad, bad girl. And I ordered a headboard for our bed. We've never had one, just always had the bed up against the wall. So I'm going to call this a gift for our recent 18th Wedding Anniversary - see, then I don't have to feel so bad about it, LOL! Plus it was on SALE bigtime!!! And it will look great in our room. Ok, all rationalized. I feel better ;)

Um, can we get some heat around here?

Hey, it's like, almost the end of October and we are still waiting on our furnace to be installed (after it was ruined in the flood this summer). Now, admittedly, the DH & I do enjoy a little game we play each year called "see how long we can go before breaking down and turning on the furnace." And the record is Nov. 1st one year, I think. But somehow, it was a more fun game, when we COULD turn on the furnace -- being forced by karma, or the evil God of flash flood to play the game is not the same, and simply not as fun!

"Furnace Guy" as we call him, was supposed to be here last week. And when I called Friday, he said "middle of next week" (which, coincidentally had been his answer when I called the week before. . . . . hmmm .... sounding kinda fishy) But, I really like the guy. He's in business with his son, and likely they have just taken on more than they could keep up with (gee, like I do with my quilts?????? Maybe that's why I can easily cut him slack and be understanding.) And, for those who haven't lived in old, drafty farmhouses, let me add one other little detail to the mix: Plaster walls. They hold the cold. Great in warm weather -- not so good right now :(

Password does not match username

. . . . . .you know, sometimes I wonder what the heck I did to deserve such an awesome life. I promise you, it's nothing I remember -- that's for darn sure!

I was reading a friend's blog. She and I used to be close when our kids were little. Heck, Tim & I used to joke that she was his "other" wife. Well, she and her hubby are getting a divorce. That's not shocking news actually, they've toyed with this before, but always resolved to stay together. It just makes me sad. They are such a nice family. Yes, of course, I knew there were problems, frankly I picked them as the type to have dad live in one part of the house and mom in another "for the sake of the kids" rather than divorce -- they always maintained their friendship even when there were rough patches. No one cheated, they just grew in vastly different directions -- and not like one became a crackhead or anything, they are both really fine grownups -- just grownups who have their lives pointed in different, but perfectly acceptable, directions. It hit me when I used the wrong password to login today, "password does not match username" describes them. It used to work, but they don't fit together anymore.

And that brings me back to the question, how the heck did I get so lucky? I don't believe in soulmates -- I know, that is a shocking revelation for such a happy-go-lucky-romantic such as myself. But I really do not believe that there is one person out there meant for each of us. I think there are people who are willing to give 100 +% to making a marraige work, and if you are one of those people and get lucky enough to marry one of those people - barring any dealbreaking activities (the 3 A's as Dr. Laura says: alcohol, abuse, affair) you will have a successful marriage. Turns out, I am one of those, and so is Tim.

And maybe it also comes down to what you call a "successful marraige"? We are CONTENT. Not blissfully, lustfully hurtling through our days. But, gently savoring them and appreciating that we have a family, food on our table, a roof over our heads and beds to sleep in. Sure we play the "If we win the lottory" imagination game, and mentally lavish cars, furniture, and luxeries on ourselves and loved ones. But reality is, slowly, we make the roof and beds better, paint rooms in the home, upgrade appliances that die. At the end of the day, it is our nest and we feel comfortable there -- contentment cancells out restlessness, and restlessness makes you keep looking and searching for more. Restlessness might be the root of "I'll be happy when ________" fill in the blank. Well, contentment is when you look around and say, today I am fine, I am loved and for that I am humbled, suprised and so very grateful.

I finally painted a room in the house!

Yeah, it's only been FIVE years since we moved in, and I'm just now painting the third of 11 rooms! Ellen's got painted first, before we completely moved in. The downstairs bathroom got painted when we remodeled it, and now the foyer has been painted. I'd say it was worth the wait as it turned out fantastic! I love, love, love the deep blue color!

I purchased the small dresser/mirror at the local antique mall with mom. There was another table in here, but it went up to Ellen's room a few weeks ago in some major furniture swapping around.

Once I was excited about how the foyer turned out, I wanted to do more! What I always notice at other people's houses, is the open space. My rooms are just jam-packed with stuff. So I went on a mission to reduce the furniture in the rooms. The living room lost two couches, two book cases and some tables. It gained a piano, small cabinet behind the couch, and entertainment center.

The dining room lost the piano and gained a love seat, table, and chair. I was suprised at the open space created by moving the furniture this way. One wall has been painted so far, but I hope to finish the rest in the next few weeks.

And best of all, a call to the heating repair guy reveals that we are in line to get the new furnace installed next week-hurray! It's getting kinda coolish so we were starting to worry!!

Just gotta get this off my chest~

There must be a top 5 list somewhere of places NOT to answer your cell phone, right? Well yesterday while running my errands, I had to live through the #1 on the list. I'm in the potty at the store and the stall next to me rings. . . . . . . AND THE WOMAN ANSWERS IT!!!!!!!!!!! WTF?????????? She proceeds to have a conversation, setting an appointment, Doctor? Lawyer? Who knows. Then the woman on the other side stands up . . . . . . and you know those motion detector thingys??? Yup! Her potty flushes -- while woman #1 is still talking on the phone. But here's the kicker, when woman #1 finishes the call. Woman #2 says "Sorry" for the flushing.

OMG! Woman #1 should have said "Sorry" to all of us in the room for being stupid! but, I guess that didn't occur to her. I'm telling you, I wished I had DH or DD#1's skill at farting right about then. I'd have ripped some big ugly ones while she was having her conversation, ROFLMAO!!!

what? no posts??

that's cause the last month pretty much sucked rotten eggs!

Not sure if it's all the crap with Max, or not enough meds, or just what. But the last month has just been miserable. Don't even want to discuss it. Let's pretend it never happened.

I will however, sum up the situation with the 15 year old son: we have "taken our hands off the wheel" so to speak. After trying everything under the sun to get him to be responsible and do well in school and life. We are going to let him "run it in the ditch" on his own. Much like they say about alcoholics, if you can't help 'em up, then help 'em down. The idea is for Max to hit his own rock b0ttom of irresponsibility and THEN he will be ready and open to help. Until then, when our mouths are open, he just hears "wrrrraaaa wrraaaa wwrrrraaaa" like in the Peanuts' specials when the teacher would talk! The worst that will happen is when he fails classes this year, he will have to take them over. This will give him less free time at school next year, so it is not all bad. As long as he passes the state exam he took 2 weeks ago (and he's not ever failed the ISTEP in all these years, so we don't expect that to be a problem), and accumulates the credits needed to graduate, he will receive his diploma. He will then be able to enter the local community college if he chooses. We are not destroying his life by letting him make some big boo-boos here. He will be able to pick up the pieces and put together a plan. And he will likely care a lot more, because he will have to work for it.

'nuf said.

I'm a sucky parent!

All I want to do is put my head on my desk at work and cry.

Last night I discovered that Max has stolen $50 from our household money. We use the Dave Ramsey envelope system, and have money in envelopes in the cabinet for car insurance, weekly tithe, gas, food, kid's commission, etc. Max took all but $3 from the commission envelope. I found out at bedtime, and only had a short conversation - let him know he'll be paying it back for sure, and his dad and I need to calm down and discuss what an appropriate consequence would be.

Only today do I begin to wonder, what on earth he used $50 for? Tim said that when he got out his tithe money for church last Sunday, he had the commission envelope in his hand and it felt full. So, $50 in one week . . . . . for what? Buying a paper for a class, drugs, WHAT???????????????????

Also, I notice that he is emailing the neighborhood girl we don't like. In the old days we'd have called her "fast and loose." I think Sarah, who we do like, is distancing herself from Max. He is going off campus, even though we forbid it and she wouldn't do that. He also goes up to the third floor before the bell rings, a no-no that she won't do, and I think he might have teased her about it or something once. So basically she's seeing behaviors that she doesn't like, so she's not going to be hanging out with him. I hate to see this because she had the potential to be a really good influence on him and they did have a lot of their geeky qualities in common - not an easy thing to find ;)

time will tell, in the meantime, I'll just put my head on my desk and cry again, no, it doesn't seem to be helping, but it's just a shade better then doing nothing.

Ahhhh, big exhale

Ok, life seems to be settling down some, getting back to some sense of normalacy -- although, I did forget a meeting at church (church-church, as opposed to work-church) last night-- oops!

All three kids seem to have adjusted to school. And really, I think all three are loving the fact that they no longer have a sibling at their school. It will be like this for two years, one at the grade school, one at middle school/jr. high, and one in high school. If I could get them all on seperate busses their lives would be utter bliss I'm sure! Ellen has a low grade or two, but nothing to panick about yet, at least she's doing her homework and turning it in. Marci is doing great. Needs to read more and take her AR tests each week, and that's all she is not up to par on. Max, well, what to say about Max and school. The 57% in Spanish is up to a whopping 68%. There is no grade for an oral presentation from last week, I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a zero, as in, didn't do it, like the first oral presentation. Also, the 112% in Science has plummetted to a 42% YIKES!!!!!!! The high grade was the result of only one assignment, he got a 17/24 but then he did 10 pts. extra credit. So now, he has a zero on 2 assignments in there. I'm almost glad, because his counselor called me back last week and seemed very laid back about Max's grades. Mr. Counselor's position was, Gee, Max is doing great in the other classes, and only has a problem in Spanish, I think he's on track. I'll check his grades each week and if we really need to do something down the road we'll see.

OK, DR. MOORE..........whattdayathinkaboutitnow????????????

*SIGH* putting head on desk for a bit *SIGH AGAIN*

In better news, I have a new customer coming today at 3 pm. Not sure what she is bringing but I'm excited to see! I did show my wholecloth from the fair at Quilt Guild yesterday and the other longarmers looked at it and gave me compliments. And by looked at it, I mean they took it in their hands and examined my stitches - yikes! Talk about nervous!! The "really good" lady even said "Wow" and complimented my even stitches. I floated all the way home on a compliment induced high, LOL!! I need to finish rebinding it (had to undo the binding to block the quilt and get it squared up and hanging straight before the guild's quilt show) and tack down the bottom part of the sleeve and it's ready to go off to the show. I've decided to enter it, and to redo the celtic heart trapunto table runner for my other entry. I think I can do that trapunto better, snipping batting closer and snipping less holes in the quilt top. I have the 16 oz. batting that is reccomended for trapunto this time, not two layers of so-so 6 oz. stuff.

And, I did get the linen closet tidied. I feel so in control of everything now, LOL! Unfortunately, the school supplies don't fit in there so I REALLY need to find a good home for them. I stock up when they are on sale at the beginning of the school year and then when the kids need anything, I'm ready. But the box is pretty big, and very in the way around the desk area. Maybe I need to rethink what it is stored in? A wicker hamper with a lid might be ok and could stay on top of the desk?? We'll see.

all for now.

Um, remember the new Rx the Dr. put me on?

OMG!! Can you say.....withdrawl symtoms?????!!!?!?!?!?!?!?

Seems that the end of last week was a bit crazy, and I forgot to take my meds. Not sure when I started forgetting, maybe Wed., maybe Thurs. who knows (I mean really, if I knew I was forgetting, I'd have taken them, so how can I know WHEN I started forgetting?? A whole new Chicken and Egg thing to ponder)

ANYWAY, Friday I was a little jittery at work, and sometimes a spell of dizziness would strike. Saturday, it felt like I might have a bad ear infection coming on - when there was a loud noise, I'd feel like I was losing my balance and going to fall. So I asked Tim to drive for the few errands we had (and I NEVER do that!) and when we got home I went to bed. By nightfall, I was in bed feeling dizzy just watching Ellen walk to me. So my dear auntie Karin looked up my new med when I called and asked her to, and recited some terrible withdrawl symptoms to me. "Brain Shivers" as one person coined it, pretty much described my problem. I took my pill before bed (yeah, the one I should have taken Saturday AM) then got back on track Sunday AM, now I'm mostly better, but do feel a little funny in my head now and then. Sure hope it clears up all the way soon (also hoping nothing permanent was damaged, LOL, I need all the brain cells I can get some days!)

The weekend went well otherwise. Marci enjoyed her trip and we got her home safe and sound. There was lots of fussing and bickering at bedtime last night - a sure sign that kids were tired from a long weekend of not being on a regular schedule! So back to normal we go ;)

a little better, not much, but a little ;0)

We took away Max's tv privleges, and I spoke with his counselor at school. Mr. Moore will be checking with Max's teachers and doing some closer looking at his grades this week, then have a talk with Max by Friday. Max should be in a really good mood that day! Perhaps, a new voice saying all the things that mom and dad have been saying for years will get his attention? We certainly hope.

There's a chicken in my crockpot at home, and I even remembered to turn it on - whoohoo! So dinner is a cinch. Ellen has dishes tonight (she didn't do them last night, uh-oh, now she has two night's worth - that'll be a fight!) And I plan to finish some laundry and if it isn't too hot, I'll be cleaning out the linen closet while Marci packs for her trip to Michigan on Friday. The linen closet is right outside her room, so the location couldn't be better for both of us to get something accomplished and be close enough to answer questions too! The closet situation is the only thing I really hate about our house. We moved from a little house - 1500 sq. ft. that had FIVE hall closets!!!!!! It was homemaker heaven I tell ya! In addition, the bedrooms had sliding door closets that were huge too! There were also built in shelves in the one large bedroom, floor to ceiling and double wide - we had storage out the waaaazoooooo! But here, ONE little, ole' closet for the whole house. No coat closet by the front door (we had 2 before) no closest in the utility room (one big one before) and one measley hall closet (we had two big ones before - it had been one and could have been a tiny room for goodness sake, tiny but a room none the less). SO, needless to say, my hall closet (upstairs even, ugh.) is stuffed with linens, discared electrical stuff, lightbulbs, wrapping paper, stashed gifts and who knows what else. But tonight, I will bring it back to peace and harmony.

wish me luck, and if you don't hear from me in days, please come find me in the dinky closet and pull me out!

Are you SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?

for crying out loud! I haven't been able to get the "parent connect" to work this school year. It's a fabulous thing on the school's websight that let's me check my kids grades. I can see what they received on each assignment, if they are not turning things in, their current grade in a class, and tons more. But for some reason it just hasn't been working for me this school year. I called the tech lady Friday and she said she'd look into it.

So, last night at home, I log in and presto! It's working. And then BAM! my heart sinks to my feet. We are only 8 days into the school year and Max already has a 57% in Spanish II. Now, I'd be more sympathetic if it was because there's only one grade so far and he didn't do well on that assignment. But this is Max. So of course that's not the case. He is missing THREE FREAKING ASSIGNMENTS!!!!!!!! THREE, ALREADY!!!!!! AGAIN, IT'S ONLY BEEN 8 DAYS!

So I put my head in my arms on the kitchen counter and cried. Lord knows nothing else has worked, so crying seemed like the only option. I thought this year would be better. I thought the girlfriend thing would help. She's #2 in their class, I thought he might make an effort to get good grades and impress her. I thought,
I thought,
I thought,
I was wrong.

I dare you to give me a suggestion that we haven't tried.

• Go to Jr. High everyday for one semester and meet with the teachers to confirm homework for the day - taking care to appear in the hallway before the last bell rings to achieve maximum embarrassment, done it.
• Take away all electronic games, etc. until grades are acceptable, done it.
• Scream and yell, done it, done it, done it!
• Sit with him and go over homework each night, done it.
• Team meeting with all his teachers, the principal, parents and Max all together, done it.
• Special program to scare him straight, done it (and THAT would be when the FBI called for him at 1:30am!!!!!)
  

He's smart. Really smart. This is not a kid who is uncapable of doing the work. This is a kid who is simply not doing the work, again. The Dr. just changed my depression meds, but I'm thinking it won't be helping with this. It's just so defeating. And so damn tiring. I ask if he has homework and he lies. He's a sophomore in High School, how the hell much more hand-holding can I do?? At what point is he going to GET IT?

IS he going to get it? I just don't know. All I know is that I'm sitting at work and ready to put my head in my arms on the desk and cry some more. Hey, nothing else is working. I've been fighting this very same battle for 4 or 5 years and I'm worn out. I just wish I could pinpoint when we lost him. At some point Max went completely in the ditch and his whole life got derailed. Maybe if I could find that point, I could back up and get the wheels onto blacktop again, keep him between the white lines and get him to the finish line.

If only.

all together now, singsong with me . . . .

max has a girlfriend . . . max has a girlfriend . . . LOL!

Ah yes, the joys of sophomore year in High School ;0) Max liked a girl in his spanish class last year. It began to be like around April or so?? Anyway, they emailed a bit over the summer and now officially "Like" each other. The kids these days don't do "going steady" or anything, they just ARE boyfriend and girlfriend (sheeshh! I feel old just writing that, LOL) So he asked her if she liked him and he told her he liked here and . . . . they are boyfriend and girlfriend. The best part is she is really bright and ranked very high in their class, so maybe she can be a good influence and some study habits might rub off on him. They have lunch together and every three days they have a resource (study hall) together. I kid you not, he got up this morning and said "It's a good day, I'm happy" I asked why, his repsonse "Sarah & I have resource together 3rd mod (class period) today!" Isn't first love grand :)

I did finally finish the quilt that's been on the frame for three weeks! It's just been sitting there, I've had no mojo to go in there and work on it. I think it's because if I finish it, then I'd have to work on something of mine for my guild's quilt show and that intimidates me. There is no catagory for whole cloth, or two person work - where I'm not the piecer - so I have to piece and quilt something. I'm a better quilter than piecer, so that doesn't excite me.

Tomorrow my littlest one turns 10. We have a pool party planned at the house. Crossing my fingers that the rain holds off until after the girls all leave. It is supposed to be in the low 90's so it would be a great day for swimming - especially since the city pools have all closed already when school started.

I guess that's all the news from my life right now, kinda boring.
I'll work on that ;0)

OMG What a night!!!

Wow! Did we ever pick the right night to go see a drum corps show! It was AWESOME! The weather was beautiful, not too hot at all. My corps managed to have a horn player fall down - I have never seen that happen! I'm sure he was one embarrassed guy (or gal, LOL). And I was disappointed that my corps had a lot of equipment drops too - come on rifle line, get with it :( The top 5 corps were breathtaking and we were on our feet screaming madly at the end of each of their shows. Phantom Regiment edged out the Blue Devils - and I agreed with that finish. The only change I would have made was to drop Blue Devils to third and place the Cavaliers second - they were fantastic. I can't wait until next year! And yes, I got a t-shirt ;)




these are my Blue Knights getting set to start. It was an unusual beginning - I thought - but then another corps started in a bunch like this too ? ! ?


This was the final retreat, waiting for scores. 1st from the left are the Madison Scouts, then Boston Crusaders, Blue Stars, Santa Clara Vanguard and Carolina Crown.

This is a great shot of most of the corps. The white corps in the middle is Phantom Regiment, then Blue Devils (hot pink color guard).



The last few corps are the Cavaliers, Cadets, Blue Coats, Blue Knights and far right are The Glassmen -- the ones that stayed in Columbus.

Wow! It was simply spectacular!!

DCI - IN MY TOWN!!

Ok, if you don't know what DCI is, no need to read on ;0)

However, if Drum Corps has rocked your world at some point, then guess what? I have a corps staying in my town RIGHT NOW! Ok, it's not MY corps, but at least it's a top 10 corps.
In my younger years, I was in Drum Corps. The Blue Knights of Colorado to be specific. Yes, I toured and it was awesome, oh the stories, oh the sillyness, and oh man, the long hours of practice! But it was wonderful!! It kinda never leaves your system, sort of like lupus . . . . it's in there dormant and then something happens and whoooosh! It comes back to life!!! So, DCI championships are in Bloomington, just a 45 minute drive away, and The Glassman are at North High School. And I'm trying to figure out who I know that would want to pop over there for the championships on Saturday? A DCI contest was the first big outing for me without baby Max ;) He was all of 3 months old, and my dad & I went over to Bloomington for a big contest (not championships, they just moved here this year, they were still in Madison, WI back then.) Aunt Colleen watched baby Max and he wore her out, tee hee. Dad was my biggest fan when I marched, and it was a great evening for just the two of us to enjoy an old love together! SO, I'm thinking 15 year old Max may be just the person to tag along with me this time! Now, off I go to see how much tickets will set me back, and of course, save some moolah for a t-shirt, maybe a new silk for my flag, ooooh the souvenier shopping will be fabulous!!

Sad for my girls

It's been a rough week for the dd's. Ellen's friend Miranda lost her mom to breast cancer, and Marci's friend Ashley was in a wreck and is in critical condition up at Riley Children's Hosp. in Indy. Ellen is having some anxiety about "what if you and daddy get cancer and die too??" and no amount of reassurance will suffice. Marci is worried for Ashley and of course there's nothing we can do but send cards and keep the families in our prayers. I was touched by someone I've never met caring about this situation. I posted a prayer request on the quilt forum I frequent and one of the ladies wants to send Miranda a quilt to comfort her -- WOW! Quilters are the greatest!!

There has also been upheaval in the child labor crisis at our house ;0)
Yesterday brought bickering and fighting between the dishwashing person and the dish drying person = enough to push mommy over the edge. So, the system has been changed. Now ONE kid does the whole kitchen (gee, I bet those three smaller jobs it was broken into are lookin' pretty good about now, eh kids??) Max took the first night, Ellen is up tonight, and in a move sure to spark rioting through the yard -- Marci has no kitchen duty. She was moved to bathrooms. It occured to me, Max & Ellen only started serious chores lately, at 15 and 13. Marci is 9. At her age, we were still living in the little house and I was doing all the chores. Besides, Max & Ellen can reach the sink standing on their feet, Marci needs a stepstool, a sure sign that she doesn't qualify for the job yet, LOL!

No quilting has occured for way too many days. I plan (key word: PLAN) to go home and finish the one customer quilt on the frame so I can deliver it (and get paid) Saturday. I should have another coming in this weekend. And there are 4 QoV's to get to as well. Hopefully I'll have some time since Mom and Jim are coming to town and plan to take Max for 2--3 days, and Ellen for an overnight. Don't worry, Marci has a trip later to her Godmother's in Michigan for a long weekend, so she's not left out.

Guess that's all for now. Hopefully the weekend will be enjoyable and have no trauma - that seems like a simple enough wish ;)

just some thinking

I was reading a friend's blog reacently and she spoke of her battle with depression. First, I had no idea that she was fighting this monster everyday, I was suprised. She also has anxiety attacks. Double whammy! She made some good points about how our society still has a stigma attached to Depression, and taking medication to heal it.

So, I did some thinking and replaying the last couple of months and it seems my depression meds aren't working as well as in the past. My Dr. has given me some markers to look for and when they get worse I know I'm in trouble. In reviewing this summer, I could see red flags everywhere. What's really funny is when I mentioned to Tim that I made an appointment to change my Rx because my depression was getting to me again -- he didn't bat an eye. His non-response was a clear "YES IT IS" ;)

The Dr. changed me to a new med. It seems to be working well - hurray! But silly me made the mistake of going off caffiene. After a week of nearly falling asleep at my desk, no inertia to do anything and trouble sleeping at night, and gaining a few pounds even- I decided that I'd rather not be that healthy! For me, it seems caffiene might be an important part of having a good life (and a really important part of those around me enjoying my having my good life, tee hee.)

Now, I'm 3 days back on caffiene and all is right with the world. I've gotten tons accomplished at home and work this week. If feel great and I'm back to losing some weight too. Remind me if I get the crazy notion to be healthy and drink water instead of Diet Coke what a miserable idea that is indeed!!!

Have I offended God or something????

Ok class, let's recap.

March, windstorm, damage includes 1. tree takes out deck 2. outhouse tipped over 3. soffets and gutters blown off all over house.

Then, June 7th flood. 3 feet of water in the basement sends stuff floating. We lose the water heater and furnace.

And last night, a thunderstorm blew down part of three trees. The insurance company had just finished the gutters a week ago and the boom lift was parked in the yard. They'll be glad to know it got missed. Tim's truck was not so lucky.

So I have to ask, did I do something to you God and you're not happy with me?? Seriously. We've had homeowner's insurance for 17 years and never made a claim until this year, and today is claim #3 in the space of 6 months. Suffice it to say, I'll not be purchasing any lotto tickets any time soon ;) !

Ah, Friday ;)

Well, the week is about over, and man am I ready for a weekend, sort of. Ellen has a friend spending the night tonight. We'll pick her up later and then go rent a movie for them. Probably do pizza for dinner. The hard part will be keeping Marci out of their way. Ellen & Marci are getting very territorial about their friends, to put it mildly. So, we'll see how it goes.

Ellen, Hannah, & Candice at the Band Concert in May. Candice is the one spending the night tonight.

I think we'll put the DVR player downstairs in the living room and the two slumber girls can veg out there with their movie and then cuddle up on the couches to sleep if they want. Max will have to watch his cartoons elsewhere in the AM. Maybe Max, Marci & I can play cards up in my room to stay out of the slumber girls way?? Sounds like an almost plan, and in between hands I can fold and sort laundry - aha! I've planned the evening ;) Now I just have to put the plan into action, LOL.

found the camera - added pix to posts!

Yippee! I found the camera (yep, right where I'd looked a gazillion times, *sheesh*) So I went back and added some pictures to previous posts ~ ENJOY!!

7th Inning Stretch!

OH YEAH!! Ellen's room is done, come on now, do the Snoopy happy dance with me . . . . . ;) ALL 3 KIDS ROOMS ARE DONE -- I'm one seriously happy momma!

So really it's like a 7th innning stretch - the kids rooms are done, now we might as well spring clean the rest of the house (please, don't tell me that spring was months ago, I'd rather live in my happy little world!) We'll lay off the cleaning tonight (I have quilting to do anyway) and then finish up on Saturday. That will let us bask in the glow of accomplishment all day Sunday.

For the details on Ellen's room: we moved her bed in front of her big window and it looks beautiful - and we took out a total of 3 1/2 bags of trash over the two days of cleaning *sheesh* And she's already washed, folded and put away 3 loads of laundry.

Max pulled out two HUGE totes of Legos last night, and when I came downstairs about 9pm - he was asleep in bed, all Legos put away where they belong, today's clothes in the hamper, and not a single thing out of place - wow!

Marci tidied her room before bed and with a little prodding, got everything where it went and snuggled in bed for some Gameboy time before lights out.

BUT, the camera is lost in my quilting room, so no pix of any of these miraculous rooms yet. I promise some as soon as I find the darn thing. Cause it's an awesome sight to behold. Of course, I can barely bend over due to all the bending and squatting over the last few days picking stuff up of their floors, LOL.

Now to claim victory over the rest of the house, Off I Go!



AHA! Found the camera, enjoy the pix ;) First Ellen's:





then Marci's:

2 down, the big one to go!

Max's room is done - hurray! All clean, new closet system installed (and a fair amount of my stored crap thrown out!), the desk moved to where it should have been in the first place *finally*, and new shelves on one wall. He can play his XBox from a sprawled out place in bed - he's the king and lovin' it!

SO, tonight . . . . . .it's Ellen's room or bust :) I did a little in there last night, but seriously, she just has soooooooo mucccchhhhhh crap. And the tiny pieces of paper??? What on earth does she do in there, chew up paper like a squirrel and then spit it out and hide it all over the floor??????? I have no idea, but each time I clean her room I find tons of meaningless scraps of paper. Maybe she was a hamster in a previous life?? Hey, it's better than any other explanation I can find, LOL! Anyway, wish me luck, I'll need it. I'll stop and pick up some extra Diet Coke on the way home to sustain me in my cleaning frenzy. There is a bag of Andes mints stashed in the bottom drawer of the fridge as my reward when all 3 kids' rooms are done :)

The plan is to try to post some pix tomorrow (especially since my posts have been lacking pix for many, many moons). Off I go into battle - of sorts, LOL~

kids cleaning their rooms - the never ending battle!

Ah, the always present, messy kid room. The bane of all mother's exsistance. I'm wondering if cavekids had messy rooms too, you know, a pile of leaves under their sleeping mat, some old animal bones strewn across the floor like prehistoric Legos?? Anyway, silly me, I tried to tame the messy kid rooms in my house, what was I thinking?

We were at the library and Marci wanted to check out a movie. "Fine, but you have to clean your room before you watch it." Ok, and into the check-out pile it goes. Max comes up with a movie and gets the same response, he promptly turns on his heel and puts the movie back on the shelf! Ellen never even tried, she knows better.

So, Monday Marci asked for my help cleaning her room. I really would rather help and then I know that all the trash is actually thrown away and items are really put away. We pitched in and by nightfall her room was spic and span and rearranged to her liking. Several loads of laundry to do, but for the most part it's DONE! Max tackled his too and it is way better, but still has some clutter to pick up/throw away/put away, and a load or two of laundry. But Ellen, oh my sweet little Ellen . . . . she spent more than an hour sorting out tons of little Polly Pocket purses, shoes and tiny accesories!!!!! Her room is still a pig pen, but she wants me to be all excited about her "progress" . . . . . . . seriously! I helped some yesterday and got more done in an hour than she has in two days. Her version of cleaning is to move stuff in piles on her floor, over to the other side of the room, but still in piles on the floor. I guess the concept of put away does not exsist in her creative little world *sigh*. Us working together in her room always ends in bickering and fighting and tears on her part. So an hour is about all we're good for. Maybe tonight's hour will be even more productive - perhaps we can find her bed ;)

Yippee! Another ribbon ;)

WOW!! I went to the fair and checked out my quilt -- it had a purple "Champion" ribbon on it, WooHoo! And the blue ribbon on it had a star on it as well, which those who know about fair ribbons tell me is extra good!! YIPPEE YIPPEE YIPPEE!! I won my own ribbon for my own quilt, how cool. Here are some pix: the first one still has my design marked on it, the second is after dunking it to remove the marks, but before binding it and then blocking it to lie flat.

OK, just a little excited there ;) But it was a terrific surprise.

The fourth of July holiday was really nice at our house. We cooked out and even broke out the deep fryer. Tim had a big unhealthy feast in mind, that's for sure. The kids and I went to the fair in the evening (it was $15 bracelet night for rides, can't miss that, it's the only way you can afford to ride the rides, LOL!) But we were back home by 8:30 - in time for fireworks. Tim's mom came over and brought even more fireworks, so the kids had a grand time. I called it a night early and was in bed after only 15 minutes of fireworks or so. And I think one of the girls was right behind me, tee hee. Some of us may never adjust to Daylight Savings Time!! All in all, it was a lovely day.

Didn't get much quilting done. I do have a QoV on the frame and hope to finish it up tonight. Then there is a T-shirt quilt for a customer to do. I'm looking at more stencils today for a large wholecloth quilt. I have the bug and want to try more ;) Off I go to lose some money ;)

More Trapunto

Oh my! The purple shadow coloring on the latest trapunto piece was hard to achieve. I began to question whether it was even possible, but finally, after buying half-yards of 6 different purples - I found the ONE! It was a satin, instead of cotton quilting fabric and worked great. I can't post pictures yet because it is a gift and I wouldn't want to spoil it.

The 4-H fair starts Friday, and I turned in a small wholecloth quilt in the misc. catagory. The ladies checking items in suggested that catagory instead of the baby quilt because mine is more formal, and not really baby-ish, although it is that size. I hope, hope, hope, that it does well. The kids want to go to the fair on Friday so maybe I can find out how it did then???

On the home front, the kids are just certain that Tim & I are breaking some kind of child labor laws because we are making them do the dishes and tidy the kitchen nightly. We divided it into three parts 1. wash dishes 2. dry dishes & vaccuum kitchen 3. tidy kitchen & dining room. Now, I'm really proud of myself for figuring out that the worst scenerio for the dish washer is to find dishes left over from last night, right? So the dish washer is the tidy-upper on the night before they wash - - are you with me?? That way if THEY overlook something in their clearing off the table or cleaning up the kitchen, it's their own fault and they deserve to wash it! I bet $20 bucks they don't overlook much after it happens once! So, tonight is Ellen on dishes, Max on tidying, and Marci on drying. Hopefully there will be less whining, but I'm not betting the farm on it, LOL!

Breaking News - First Ribbon!

I misplaced my cell phone over the last few days. It beeped last night about 11:30 pm to let me know it's battery was dead. I had just enough charge to check my messages and lo & behold - Alice called Friday to let me know that her quilt took the first place ribbon for Machine Quilting at their guild's challenge on Thursday! WOW! I'm "an award winning quilter" (ok, let's not get hung up on technicalities . . . . . that it's a tiny guild in a tiny town and may not even actually hand out REAL ribbons ~ let's just enjoy the moment, LOL)




















Yikes! Can't figure out how to turn the picture of Alice's whole quilt, I guess we'll have to tip our heads to see it, sorry ;)

Also, the trapunto wall hanging is done. I am already working on ideas for the next one. It was fun, but a lot of work too. I spoke too soon in the earlier post, by the time all was said and done, I'd snipped the top at least a dozen times -- a couple of them were doozies too! I used "liquid stitch" to repair most of them, only a few still show. I dunked it last night to remove the blue marking and the disolveable thread. I actually have it here at work finishing drying - I couldn't bear to leave it at home ;) I can see lots of areas to improve on the next one. I need to trim the batting even closer ~ and yet, not snip the top so much, sheesh! That will be a task. The shadow coloring worked out wonderfully. I used a hot pink cotton fabric and it shows up as a light rasberry on the top - too cool. I plan to show it at guild next Wednesday (unless I finish the next one first, it will look better!)


Work is fine. Pastor John took this week off for vacation and told me on Tuesday. So we'll have to send the July newsletter out a little late. I'm sure he forgot that I won't be here on Wednesday (quilt guild) so that will push the newsletter back another day . . . . . maybe we should just send postcards that say, "not much news, watch for the August newsletter" lol!

Ok, off to get some work done, while I daydream about my next project (it will have purple for its' shadow coloring, and should be easier to trim!)

Quilt stuff

Ok, on the quilting front, no quilts were ruined in the flood :)
I finished the last quilt in house yesterday. It was for Alice, the lady who did some ripping out for me. I do still have over a dozen baby quilts and 5-7 QoV's, etc. to do for charity. And, the LQS has two T-shirt quilts for me to come get this weekend, or early next week.

I took advantage of the lull and worked on my little Trapunto wall hanging. This was a technique I learned in the class with Karen McTavish. I have chosen a celtic interlocking heart border. I marked and quilted it with the vanish thread last night. I did some of the trimming away, but have way more to do. They say this is the most laborious part of Trapunto. So far, no snips to the quilt top - yeah!!

I'm hoping to get this done in time to show at Quilt Guild next month during Show & Tell. It will be my first Show and Tell, cross your fingers!!

first the flooding

Wow! Columbus flooded last weekend - and it got us! I'll look for some pics, but it was just astounding. Many, Many people lost everything, and these were home not in flood plains - thus - no flood insurance. You know it's bad when there is a FEMA assistance center set up in your town!

We sat on our just completed deck and watched the water all Saturday evening. By 3:30 am Tim and I were walking down the street to check the levels on a stop sign, and having the "well, do we stay or do we go?" conversation. Never thought that would happen. We stayed and by morning, the water was in our yard, it got into the barn some and we had at least 3 feet in the basement. Had to unplug the freezer and fridge down there. By Sunday evening, the fridge had tipped over in the water and was floating on its' back - seriously spooky looking! At least the freezer and fridge were mostly empty due to losing everything in both of them and cleaning them out only a week before. Only the hamburgers for the church picnic that was to happen Sunday were in the freezer, all 120 of them ;) I'll get to dispose of rotten hamburger , ugh! But at least it's not CHICKEN, ask me how I know which is worse ;)

Now it is 10 days later and we are still pumping a few inches out of the basement several times a day. The ground is so saturated that the pressure is forcing water into the basement. Until the water table drops this will be a problem (translation: please God, no more rain!) We have to replace the water heater for sure, most likely the furnace too. Tim hauled off two truckloads of drywall & debris.

We are just grateful it's not worse. As close as we live to the river, it certainly could have been. I've marked the flood line in Sharpie marker and it is officially worse than the last "big one" in 1913 - wow.

Leaving for Ohio today ;)

I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve! Tomorrow is my class with Karen McTavish and I get to leave straight from work today. All that stands between me and freedom is: The June newsletter, Sunday's bulletin, the program for Sunday's Community Sing, & filling out my timecard! You can bet I have those four things on a post-it note and I'm checking them off as I polish them off!!! Problem is: I've had too much caffeine and add that to all this excitement -- man, I'm like a ticking time bomb!! Jittery, forgetful, and just YOWSA!!! I'm hoping I don't seem too "groupy-ish" if I ask to have my picture taken with Ms. Mctavish - I'll post it here if I'm successful in getting one without seeming like a total geek :)

I've been very unmotivated and blah for the last week or two (yep, mom, I'm forgetting to take my meds!) and I'm hoping this will envigorate me some. There's also classes next week with my local quilt guild. They are bringing in Gwen Marston to teach two classes. So hopefully these, these will kickstart me.

So, back to the real job I go, to get myself off to the fun job's classes ;)

My poor little kitty!

Poor little Scarlett had to be shaved at the groomer's over the weekend. She's one who was dumped on us, under that big invisible "Dump Cats HERE" sign on our porch. All our cats are outdoor kitties, and it seems that Scarlett's long hair got super-matted over the winter. She pulled one big mat out and that left a bare skin patch the size of my open hand, awwww, poor thing! Saturday I held her and tried to use our clippers and did make a little progress, but called a groomer for an appointment.

When the groomer called back, she said she normally doesn't do cats, but if I'd come and hold Scarlett (and get scratched as much as the groomer, LOL) she'd give it a try. Bless the kitty's little heart, she actually purred through the whole thing! What a sweet little baby!! BUT, now she looks like this:

more kittens!

Well, the little calico cat in the neighborhood had her batch of kitttens last night - 4, all black - when I left. It looked like she might have one more, her tummy wasn't gone yet. She did a great job and is quite the mom even though she's practically a kid herself still! All three of my kids had to go over to the neighbor's for a peek before bed (they get it from their mom, LOL).

Got some quilting done too. The pretty stained glass - looking quilt, I'm putting spirals on it with the EZ boards. It's going really well, even offsetting each row so the spirals will nest right. I'll tackle the same customer's Block of the Month sampler next. It will also be pretty easy -- probably a Baptist Fan with EZ boards and something in the border. Got a call from the LQS asking me to think about a low rate for those who just want it meandered and done - really don't care about how it looks (*sigh* how sad, but that's another post!) She had a customer who was ready to mail one out of town because she had a 20% off coupon from that quilter. So I worked up the estimate and gave her 20% off and she decided to leave it for me instead - yippee! Told her I can't get to it until June though. I have 4 more to finish in May before I go to Ohio at the end of the month, plus any charity ones I can squeeze in. Luckily I think I'm down to a box of baby quilts (about 17 I think), 3 Quilts of Valor, and 2 quilts for the Foster Home. Not too bad, and certainly should be able to finish them all by July. I need to sit down then and figure out what I can reasonably do in charity work each month. It's just so hard to turn it away though . . . . . and unfortunatly, plenty of charities know how hard it is for me to say "no", LOL!

all for now, time to get back to the "real" job ;)

Great stuff to report! I get to take a class with Karen McTavish at the end of the month - WOW! She's a longarm quilting rock star and I am unbelievably excited about this opportunity. The class is about 4 hours away, in Zanesville OH. The drive home will be crazy, my head will be swimming with so much stuff that I learned - and no one in the car with me to talk to . . . . . . ;)

I had a really neat custom quilt at the first of the month. It was for a local school's auction and this was made by the second graders. The lady called at the last minute and I was able to take the quilt in on Friday night and return it to her finished Saturday afternoon. I loved the center medallian and had a real blast detailing it. I haven't heard how it did at the auction, but I'll call her and find out.

and even MORE busy!

First off, where the heck did the month of April go????? Sheesh! It has been flat out nuts this month. So much to do, and I feel like I'm chasing my tail and not getting anywhere.

Quilting has been good. I got calls yesterday and three more quilts will be coming in this weekend. I have one on the machine now and it will be finished tonight, she'll pick it up this weekend. What's funny is, I've already made more quilting this month, than I will make all month at my regular job ;) Tim is starting to take some notice, LOL!

Speaking of our head of household, he was laid off for 3 weeks recently, but has been back to work for a couple of weeks now. YEAH! Laid off is no fun for the budget guru, that's for sure. We did fine (thank you Dave Ramsey - check out his websight, you'll change your life!).

The house is busy, the workers are there repairing the damage from the storm many weeks ago. The soffits are nearly all installed and some new gutters in a few places. Monday they'll start the new deck! I'm way more excited than I should be, but I've never had something like this "all new, built just for me" before!! With the pretty weather the last few days, we have the balcony door open. We usually open it in April and close it in late September or early October. Shadow the cat is thrilled that it's "open window" time too, she can sneak in the house because none of the second story windows have screens. She climbs a tree, hops over to the roof, walks around until she finds an opening (or meows at the balcony door until I give up) and comes on in. It was great to have a cat snuggling in bed last night!

In case my mom is reading this, yes, my room is still clean, and so is the van - I've obviously been abducted by aliens and they left behind a more responsible version of me, tee hee!

And let's see, the kids are, well . . . .the kids! Max is really trying to get/keep his grades up. It's a shame to see him work so hard because he's very smart, if he'd just be more responsible (like, TURNING IN homework, instead of wadding it and putting it in his backpack!) it would be easy for him to have great grades. Ellen is getting more hormonal and teenager-y by the day! We had a two hour melt-down over the weekend. Yes, two hours of her in her room yelling and crying. Something about how it's so unfair, Marci gets everything, everyone's life is better than Ellen's, etc. I'm sure you've heard it if you have a 12 year old! Marci had a virus over the weekend and felt like crud. She finally is doing better, but still has barf-breath no matter how much she brushes - UGH! That's one seriously upset tummy.

And the van is at the shop getting brakes, oil leak, transmission fluid leak, (and hopefully the backup lights) repaired. I know where all of the quilt money in April is going . . . . . . . .LOL! You know what though, that van gets 23 miles to the gallon consistantly, so if this keeps her on the road for a couple more years, it will be worth it. I'm driving Tim's truck today, a little S10-type pickup with a stick shift.

That's all from my corner of the world for today.