The Lady is Buggie

Cool Ties Are Hot This Summer

2011-08-01T11:19:00.006-05:00

Since the beginning of June I have sold thirty-three cool ties! The orders ranged from several singles to a priority order for six for a camping trip. My boss even bought some for friends. :o)

I list my ties in groups of six or seven fabrics. They've been going so fast I haven't been able to update the listings fast enough! On June 4, I listed two new sets and within five days I'd sold out of two fabrics. Since then I've sold out of several more fabrics, some permanently. :o( I just finished a batch of nearly 40 ties, half of them repeats, and listed the new ones.

Miscellania

2011-04-27T11:48:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted, mainly because I would think of topics but forget them when I got online. So here's a short synopsis of the last few months.

January: Had a sinus infection and went a little crazy winding balls of yarn with my nostepinnes. Joined Ravelry.com and listed a few of my yarn projects.

February: Gah, what did I do in February other than not get to work as much as I'd like? I know I spent a lot of time at the Unofficial Etsy Forums, which has now been reborn as Creative Breakroom. Oh yeah, I made three baby blankets for my sister to give to new moms. And I sold several items from my destash shop, including one that went to Spain!

March: We celebrated my mother's birthday by going out to breakfast. I finished up some cool ties that had been half done for months, and bound three toddler aprons. I made sales to England and Greece, and a few here at home. Otherwise, mostly wished for more hours and worked on the computer.

April: I was cleaning out a closet and found 15 more doll dress panels and listed them. So far, I've sold almost all the Daisy Kingdom ones. I also found some vests that I plan to list. We did a major housecleaning and cleaned the carpets, so that disorganized my business area. A couple of my sisters came in to help. In the process we filled up a 6 cubic yard dumpster and still have more junk to get rid of -- not surprising when you live in a house for 50 years. My parents celebrated 61 years of marriage last week (63 if you count from the day they met). In the not-so-happy department, we got a call that an old friend died yesterday. They were friends for 60 years, meeting a few months after my parents were married. The month's not quite over, so who knows what might still happen.

Hey look! I've got my own nostepinnes!

2011-01-22T17:43:00.011-06:00

Well, ok, they're not your regular nostepinnes. Actually, they're wooden spinning mill bobbins that have been repurposed. These are longer than most nostepinnes, which is good if you're trying to wind up a skein of chunky yarn (i.e., most of my stash).

A few years ago I started to make a sweater in Antique Homespun, but got stuck. Since then it's been sitting in my stash waiting for me to frog it and start over. I kept putting it off because winding a pull ball by hand was such a chore. Then I heard about nostepinnes and watched a video. I searched on Etsy and found these. They were longer than any others I found (7.5" - 10.5"), and a much better price. It took me a few months. . . ok, several months. . . to get around to ordering them, but I finally did it. Two days later (!!!!) they arrived and I've been playing with them for the last couple days.

My first attempt looks rather like a corny dog. It didn't help that the ball I was trying to work from was still attached to the sweater panel, so I got to fight multiple twisting strands. Unwind from one ball, wind, onto the noste, disentangle, repeat. Over and over and over.

For my second try I grabbed a hard ball of Bernat's Boa in Bluebird. Let's just say that things did not go well. It looked like I had a very small, very hard, dark blue feathery lollipop.

So today I found a small odds and ends ball of Homespun in Tudor that I could play with, and went back to the video. This time I watched it as I wound my yarn, pausing it at times to catch up. And voila! I have my first fairly flat-ended ball that will pull from the center without rolling everywhere. Yay!

Tomorrow I plan to take a shot of the sweater panel before I frog it (so I can post it on Ravelry.com), and then I'm going to try again to wind a bigger ball. I just hope it doesn't turn into a giant bagel. LOL

Phooey on Futons!

2010-11-21T16:18:00.003-06:00

Last weekend I spent two nights at my sister's house while I attended a craft show. I was given my niece's old room, complete with a futon bed. I (almost) wish I'd slept on the floor instead.

First problem: height. The damn thing was too low, even as a couch. It was lower than my knees, making it difficult to get up and down. I don't know how my niece does it, especially since she's at least 6" taller than I am.

Next, the mattress. Or rather, the lack of one. Even with the addition of a padded mattress pad, the featherbed was not much better than a couple of folded blankets.

It was marginally more comfortable than the last time I slept on it, mainly because they'd added some plywood so guests couldn't feel the slats through the featherbed. On the other hand, I ended up sleeping on it as a couch the second night because as a bed the only semi-comfortable spot was right in the middle between the plywood panels. (Which led to another problem: having to roll over to get close enough to the edge to get up.) It felt like old times: I used to stay with them regularly, and I always slept across the middle of the sofabed to avoid having a steel bar in my back. At least in the couch configuration I was resting on the most padded part of my anatomy. LOL

If we stay there again, I think I'll bring a camp mattress and sleep on the floor.

Phooey on futons.

I want to meet you at the Fall Craft Show!

2010-11-11T18:53:00.005-06:00

This Saturday I'll be attending the Fall Arts & Craft Show at the First Church of the Nazarene near Ft. Worth, Texas, along with my sister Joy. If you're in the area, come on by to see all my baby things and more for yourself. And don't forget to check out Joy's beautiful jewelry right next door.

The church is located at 2001 E. Main Street in Crowley. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more info, including directions, go here.

Hope to see you there!

The Friday 56 -- The Best of Jim Baen's Universe

2010-10-29T07:59:00.001-05:00

A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog or (if you don't have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. * Post a link along with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week's book is The Best of Jim Baen's Universe, edited by Eric Flint. It's a compendium of sci-fi and fantasy stories drawn from the online magazine. The quote comes from a tale called "Bow Shock" by Gregory Benford. I went with the fifth line, since it has some very short sentences at the top.

"Andy pretty well showed there was no pulsar beam," Harkin said helpfully, "so . . . ?"

How I spent my day; or, the never-empty dresser.

2010-09-16T18:19:00.009-05:00

I cleaned off one of my dressers today.

I wasn’t planning to, I just wanted to find a particular item. But as I kept searching, I ended up with more and more stuff on my bed and it turned into a monster cleaning session. Finally, I was left with an empty dresser scarf.

Well, ALMOST empty. Let me tell you, if you feel like using a vacuum on your dresser scarf, you’ve left it waaaaaaay too long. ;P

I finally found what I was looking for, but along the way I also found all of this: 2 emptied giftcards, an immodium packet, a small can of baby powder, ribbon holder with umpteen ribbons, 2 fabric scraps, old caladryl bottle, ladybug trinket box, lots and lots and lots of long hairpins, old ponytail bands on caladryl, heart trinket box, 2 price tags, card case, little chest, deposit receipt from ‘98, pocket bandaid case, basket, 2 pairs earrings (never worn because my ears closed up), 2 combs, yellow tray, a pair of nylon footies, 2 brushes, 3 hair scrunchies, trim scraps brought home from work, pocket comb, deodorant, a small lego block, a steel crochet hook, assorted business cards, mini screwdriver set (incomplete), 2000 datebook, old watch, wallet insert with old family pix, 12+ paperclips, 6 good rubber bands, lots and lots of barrettes, empty pinbox, 2 pieces fabric, train ticket, 2 packets hairnets, assorted sm. plastic bags, empty card box, 2 snoods (one too stretched out to use), several craft instruction sheets, spring barrette still on card, an unused giftcard to JoAnn Fabrics (!), 2 bookmarks, throat drops, instructions for walkman & headset, a miraculous medal, 4 extra shirt buttons, 43 receipts from as far back as ‘05, and enough dust for a respectably-sized dust bunny. LOL

(By now you're probably thinking I'm a packrat.)

Wait, there's more! The yellow tray contained a 7 day pill box, exacto knife, more old ponytail bands, spring barrette, assorted scraps of paper, a recipe written on printer tape, more long hairpins, an inexpensive green rosary, 3 loose large barrettes, 3 large barrettes still on the card, 3 holy cards, a Happy Easter paper basket with a lot of small hair clips and the ponytail bands I actually use, and a checkbook box containing EVEN MORE long hairpins, a box of oldfashioned hairpins, 5 screwhooks, a rubber ball with colored swirl, a few small bobby pins, old single ball ponytail bands, an ancient pair of small barrettes with bluebirds, 3 God Bless You Dad cards, and 2 more extra shirt buttons.

(And a magpie.)

Hey, where are you going? You haven't heard about the basket that holds 2 claw clips, 1 mini claw, 1 butterfly clip, a spring barrette with a bow, 7 other spring barrettes, a french twist doodad, a magic bun doodad, yet another unidentified hair doodad, 3 terry hairbands, a tiny dolled wrapped in a ribbon, a banana clip, a packet of french hook earring keepers,2 pens, a really old pantliner sample, and an old deodorant container kept so I can color-match the lid for paint. Or the little chest, which only has 6 pins, 5 pendants, 4 rings, 5 pretty stones, 2 small safety pins, a crystal on a string, 2 pairs of earrings, my grandmother’s pearls, a wooden cross necklace, a gold butterfly slide, a long black ribbon, a silver ankh on a chain, another chain with 2 more pendants, a silver tone bangle, a gold/pearl necklace, a multi-strand seed bead necklace, a tarnished silver puff heart necklace, a cloisonné pendant from Greece, a turquoise and silver necklace, and a set of HB 0.5 mm pencil leads.

(And you'd be right. LOL)

I can see your eyes glazing over, but there's just a little more: a heart-shaped trinket box with a pink butterfly pin,a silver angel pin, a gold circle scarf pin, and a pair of small safety pins; and last but not least, the object of my original search, a ladybug trinket box containing an old watch face and a pin and coin from Russia.

(I was looking for the box, not the contents.)

While I was sorting all the junk out, I washed the dresser scarf and most of my ribbon collection. Then I relocated a lot of stuff and threw quite a bit out or collected it to give away. Here’s an “after” shot of the newly clean and organized dresser. It’s not empty by any means, but at least now I can not only SEE the scarf, I can even tell what color it’s supposed to be. LOL

Maybe next week I’ll tackle the other dresser.

Then again, maybe not. ;P

I'm gonna wash that dye right off of my fingernails . . . . .

2010-08-21T13:22:00.014-05:00

Yesterday I finished the last of the pew drapes ordered by my brother's parish -- 40 in all. Hurray!!!!

What a relief! It took all summer to get these finished, what with work and health problems and more work. I don't even want to see this fabric again for a loooooong time. . . . . well, at least outside of work. ;P

The pile may not be very tall, but it weighs a ton -- it took 7 1/2 yards of drapery weight suedecloth, four rolls of stabilizer, and three spools of embroidery thread. And the dye kept crocking off the back onto my clothes and hands. My fingernails have been pinkish for weeks!

Tomorrow my brother will pick them up (and even more importantly, pay me!!!), and then I can concentrate on getting the dye off my hands, my fingernails, my machines, my iron, my tools . . . . . . . . . . .

If I ever work with this stuff again I should be certified.

Update: no money yet, but soon. :o( My brother had to submit the invoice to the parish board.

It's bedtime -- someone turn off the blankety-blank light!

2010-08-02T21:48:00.006-05:00

I can sleep with the light on if I have to, but I'd really rather not. My mother, on the other hand, likes to go to sleep with the lamp on, especially if she's sick. And she turns the bathroom light on in the middle of the night, instead of relying on the nightlight.

Personally, I like my room to be almost pitch black when I go to bed. I keep my door open a few inches (I can't stand having it closed at night), and the dim glow from the bathroom nightlight twenty feet down the hall is all I can bear. All three windows have room-darkening shades, which don't always suffice when my neighbor has the kitchen light on all night (what the heck is she doing in there at two in the morning, hmm?)

A few years ago I bought a clock with big green numbers so my near-sighted self could read the clock in the middle of the night. It wasn't the best choice I could have made. Yes, I can tell the time at 3:00 a.m., but those green lights give off about a hundred times more light than the red ones. It's so bright I can do shadow puppets on the wall. :o( For the last 5? 6? years, I've put a triple-folded piece of paper over the clockface every night so I can get to sleep.

When I do end up having to sleep with the light on, I tend to turn away to face the wall if possible. Failing that, I pull the covers over my head, making sure to create an airway that I can see out of (yeah, I know it's for air, not sight. So sue me.).

So, what's your opinion on the subject?

P.S. Don't forget to turn out the light!

Moving Right Along

2010-07-26T16:01:00.006-05:00

I know, I know, it's been over two months since I last posted here. Two months filled with tendonitis and steroid shots, short work hours, and a nasty stomach bug that I'm still not completely recovered from. And waaaay too many viewings of Sister Act 2 in an effort to boost my spirits.

Moving right along, let me show what I was working on when I felt fairly decent -- pew drapes for my brother's church.

I now have 23 of the desired 40 drapes finished and ready to box up. Tomorrow I plan to start embroidering the rest of them.

Where does the time go?

2010-05-11T13:24:00.004-05:00

It's been nearly a month since my last entry. In that time, I've been occupied with the following:

work
six houseguests, 4 of them preteen/teen boys
migraines
work
starting a major embroidery project, involving seven and a half yards of drapery weight suedecloth
trying to salvage seriously broken nails
work
taking pictures of rainbows and roses
general laziness
more work
waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many sessions of playing games on POGO.com

I kept trying to think of something to write about with no luck. I composed a lot of posts, but I never remembered them when I woke up in the morning. ;P

This morning I started cutting pieces of the suedecloth, but stopped when I decided I needed a different quilting ruler -- one that's longer than the blocks of fabric I'm using. I'm going to to be making 40 (or more, counting mistakes) doohickeys to lay over the back of pews to mark them as reserved. Each doohickey has to be embroidered on both ends, so that's 80 renditions of the same design, and then I have to sew them together. I'll post pix when I get a few done.

Auf wiedersehen. A bientot. Ciao.

The Friday 56 -- The Far Traveller

2010-04-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog or (if you don't have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. * Post a link along with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week's book is The Far Traveller by Manning Coles. Most of what he wrote were mysteries (or "intrigues", as they were known at the time), bu this is one of a handful of fun -- and funny -- ghost stories he wrote. It was included in an edition of Doubleday Best in Books in the 50s, and I read it frequently growing up. Nearly 20 years I found a copy, complete with dust jacket (where that is now, I have no idea), for next to nothing at a used bookstore in Virginia while visiting my sister. (Yes, I visit bookstores on my vacation, don't you?) Anyway, here's the fifth sentence from page 56:

"Three marks and seventy-five pfennigs."

I have a new shop!

2010-03-15T22:54:00.008-05:00

Last night I opened a new shop on Etsy.com to sell my destash items. In keeping with my ladybug theme, it's called Buggies Destash. Right now I just have cross stitch kits I'll never get to and doll dress panels, but I'll be adding excess yarn and fabric and other extraneous crafty things that are taking up space.

I listed one item last night, and three today. Then I went off to work. Imagine my glee when I came home to not one, but two sales! Both the doll panels I'd listed were bought by the same person. I hope she has a little girl who will enjoy them.

The Friday 56 -- Mountain Wild

2010-02-19T13:00:00.003-06:00

"With that, she took a bite."

Friday Morning

2010-02-12T12:02:00.013-06:00

I took my camera when I went out to get the paper. Have a look.

There's a driveway in there somewhere, I swear.

You'd never guess that Dad beat all the snow off the oleander yesterday evening. And at the top of the photo is a live oak branch just waiting to fall into the street. I just hope it doesn't hit a car.

This is the street we generally use to get out of our neighborhood. Hope a lot of the snow has fallen off by this afternoon when I go to work.

Here's what left of a tree in my neighbor's front yard. Luckily the branches fell across the lawn, and not on our garage or their house.

See more snow pix on my flickrpage.

It's Snowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-11T12:33:00.006-06:00

We woke up this morning to a world of white. It was coming straight down, lightly but steadily. It thickened up for a while, but when I went out to take pictures it had lightened up a little. Even on the sidewalk it was still just snow, not ice, so walking was easy.

There was no one around -- in 15 minutes I saw exactly two cars go by. It was almost eerily quiet -- no dogs, no people, no traffic. The only thing I heard was a bird high up in a tree.

It's a winter wonderland.

Update: it's snowed for over 15 hours. We have about 6" of snow over the Metroplex, which shatters the old record for this date of 1"+. The streets haven't been too bad since there's been enough traffic to keep it slushy, but tomorrow morning will be a different story.

Our neighbors are trying to clear their driveway -- they couldn't get up the slope tonight. As I was watching Mac use a flat rake to scrape the icy bottom layer, a small branch fell off a tree across the street. My neighbor promptly moved both cars several yards down the street to a treeless spot.

It's Super Bowl Sunday . . . . and I don't care.

2010-02-07T10:16:00.004-06:00

Millions of people across the country are preparing to hunker down in front of their tvs tonight to watch the Super Bowl. Some will be having big parties, some will watch with just their families, but all of them will be rooting for the Saints or the Colts, and groaning every time their team gets a penalty.

Me? I don't give a rat's ass about who wins some stupid football game. It was never my favorite sport, and after Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry, it lacked any appeal at all. Okay, if forced to choose I'd watch football over curling (which is about as exciting as watching paint dry), but only if I can turn the sound off.

So tonight while everyone's cheering and groaning and spilling food on the carpet, I'll be under a blanket working on an afghan and watching something from Netflix.

And counting the days until the Olympics.

Aggie Pride Meets a Kitty with a Camera

2010-01-24T14:58:00.006-06:00

My latest commission involved a couple of quilt squares for a member of the Dallas County Aggie Moms. Due to various problems, she needed the squares tout de suite, as her contribution to a memory quilt was already late.

On one of the squares she wanted a pair of Aggie boots. She'd found a good photo on Wikipedia, but had no idea how to get them embroidered. I have a digitizing program that will convert artwork to embroidery designs, but no way to remove all the extraneous elements of the photo. My solution? I called on CameraforKitty!

Kitty's a friend of mine on Etsy who goes by many names there, and she's a wizard with Photoshop and a lot more. I sent her the photo of the boots, and she removed the background and the excess reflections with lightning-speed. Thanks to her, I was able to get the embroidery done quickly, and my customer loved the results!

Gig 'em Aggies!

Check out Kitty's other shops: The Jewelry :Ninja and The Plushie Foundry.

Addendum: Blogger is having issues, so I was unable to post pix of the squares. Here are the links to them on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybuggz/4274100411/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybuggz/4269626453/.

The Friday 56 -- At All Costs

2010-01-22T15:15:00.004-06:00

A Mountain of Books

2010-01-01T18:30:00.005-06:00

Every Christmas I get giftcards for HalfPrice Books from my relatives, sometimes as many as three or four. This year I got one, last year I got three, the year before I got at least two, etc. I try to use up as much as I can at the after-Christmas sale, but there's always some left over for another day.

I keep the unused cards in my good purse (I use it to go book shopping because it's small and compact), and over time they build up. Every time I reach into the inner pocket, I have to push aside giftcards: HalfPrice giftcard, lipstick, rosary, another HalfPrice giftcard, barrette, old candy, *bad words* yet another HalfPrice giftcard, aha! pen! When I went to the sale this year, I had an apparent $75 in giftcards in my purse. Turns out one was half-used, but I still had at least $65 in there.

Lots of years I kind of strike out on getting wished-for books -- I tend to want books that other people want to hang onto. LOL But this year I hit the bulls-eye -- I came home with seven of the books on my list! Of course, this means I need to find another series of books to fall in love with, but that's never been a problem for me. :o)

Here's this year's Christmas haul.

You might notice that there are more than seven books in this mountain. The three on top are a gift from my brother. The others are my bookstore finds. As you can tell, I've got a crush on David Weber's Honor Harrington series. Between these and the ones I already had, I now possess all but one of the main series rubs hands in glee and can now concentrate on the anthologies and spinoffs.

The only downside to all this largesse?

It cost less than $28, so I still have over $40 rattling around in my purse!!

Look what I got today!

2009-12-21T22:12:00.004-06:00

For the last year I've been thinking about learning to knit socks, since it's almost impossible for me to find kneesocks that fit. (I want some to wear to church in the winter, because stockings are just too thin to keep me warm.)

Last week I finally bit the bullet and ordered some sock yarn, along with various needles, from Knitpicks. I've eagerly awaiting my package, and it came today!

I got 4 skeins of a cotton/wool/elastic yarn called Risata in Cocoa, some double-pointed needles, and a couple circular needles in different sizes for various projects. The yarn is very soft, and is so yummy looking. I might not need all of it for my socks, but I can always make another pair. :o)

There's a method of knitting socks called the Magic Loop that I'm going to try -- it allows you to make two socks on one long circular needle. Hope I can figure it out!

The Friday 56 -- Incredible Tales

2009-12-11T20:51:00.003-06:00

A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends.

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog or (if you don't have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. * Post a link along with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week's book is Incredible Tales, a group of short stories by Saki. I'm not really sure what it's about, but it's got a really cool cover. :o)

"How you shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death," said Miss Mebbin, with her disagreeably pleasant laugh.

The Friday 56 -- Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar

2009-12-04T18:26:00.007-06:00

A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends.

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog or (if you don't have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
* Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This is my first chance to participate, since I usually don't have a book near my computer. My first book is Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey. It's an anthology of short stories set in Lackey's Valdemar. It's not my favorite of the anthologies, but there are some good stories in it.

"Gah!" he exclaimed, his eyes narrowed. "The stench!"

It's my birthday . . .

2009-11-11T22:31:00.002-06:00

and I'll have diarrhea if I want to. (Or even if I don't, as the case may be.)

It didn't spoil my birthday dinner out, but it was a close-run thing.

'Nuff said.

Hip hip hooray, Halloween is finally over!

2009-11-01T22:41:00.003-06:00

You might have noticed that I haven't posted anything for the past month. It's not because I haven't wanted to, but because I've been too tired from work.

This is my 15th Halloween at my job, and it has never been this crazy. For the last two weeks it's been an absolute madhouse. Everyone has been working all the hours they can, and it wasn't enough. The store is a near-total mess. Certain areas look like there's been an explosion or eruption because we haven't had the staff or the time to tidy them each day -- when you've got non-stop customers until closing, all you can do is put stuff back in the approximate location.

A friend of mine opined that all these people were trying to save money by making their costumes. It doesn't really work out that way, since most people spent more money on supplies than our readymade costumes cost at full price (and they've been on sale all month). Be that as it may, I think I've spent most of the last month putting fabric away. And putting more fabric away. And putting even more fabric away. Of course, that's only when I wasn't cutting fabric until my hands ached, or running the register for hours on end.

Maybe I'll take next October off.

Avoiding a Charred Sweetie and other miscellania

2009-10-01T18:21:00.005-05:00

I just finished a reserved listing for Artikaur. Her boyfriend's birthday is coming up and she wanted to get him something for the kitchen. He likes to cook, so she decided on these because she doesn't "want my sweetie having charred hands when he's cooking for me". :O) (If her bf is reading, don't click! You'll spoil the surprise!)

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For about a week I was unable to view my blog when using Firefox. I could log in to my dashboard, and view other Blogger blogs, but not mine. I had to resort to using my old Netscape or (shudder) IE if I wanted to see my blog or a couple other sites. I finally figured out that it had something to do with my McAfee updates. They screw up my registry. After I get updated, I have to run my registry cleaner if I want to see my blog. Think I'll change security programs.

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My brother-in-law Dan and his 80+ mother Irene went to Turkey a few weeks ago. He's working on a book and wanted to see some of the places he's writing about. (My sis didn't go because any flight over 3 hours is too much for her.) Anyway, last week Irene fell down some stairs and broke her hip and ankle. Dan had some connections, due to having a Turkish intern at work whose dad is a doctor, and she got really good treatment. Yesterday the world travelers returned from their "whirlwind tour of foreign medical facilities", and Irene will see her doctor tomorrow. For the time being she'll be staying with Joy and Dan.

There is no joy in Kaufman . . . .

2009-09-20T18:53:00.006-05:00

Well, the venue I went to yesterday was pretty much a bust. My sister and I have had booths at this parish carnival for several years, and have always done okay. Even last year, we did all right. Joy couldn't go this year, so I took some of her jewelry to sell along with my baby things and micromitts and cool ties.

This year she sold one pair of earrings. No rosaries (usually a good seller), no bracelets, no necklaces. Just one lonely pair of earrings.

I had a little better luck -- 7 cool ties, a onesie, a pair of mitts, and an apron. I made my rent twice, but that's it. I was glad to see the apron go -- we've had it for a couple years and no one wanted it, but this lady really liked it. But nobody bought any of the new mitts I spent so much time on in the last 2 weeks. :o( I happen to think they're great. Check them out on my Flickr.

It was sunny (a great relief after a week of steady rain), but so humid the sweat just rolled down my legs. All the music was in Spanish (and it all sounded the same to me), but the only decent group was the mariachis late in the afternoon. And all of it suffered from a bad sound system, which did absolutely nothing for my headache. My mother kept joking about paying some kid to unplug the amps.

I don't think I'm going back there next year.

2 days and counting . . . .

2009-09-16T21:02:00.002-05:00

I have 10 new pairs of micromitts made and 5 blankets almost done, and Ma is working on a couple aprons. I've done a complete inventory and know exactly what I have in stock, and tonight my nephew will deliver some of my sister's jewelry for me to flog for her. (She has a wedding to attend.)

Tomorrow I'll finish the blankets, and hopefully do up a few out-of-stock cool ties, before I go to work. Friday I have to pack everything in my boxes, get all the necessities like tablecloths and hangers together, and pack it all in the car (along with the tables and displays) ready to leave Saturday around 7:45.

Oh, and I want to take pix of all my new stuff as well, so I can show off the fruits of my labor. With any luck, I'll post them here and/or on Flickr on Friday. If not, I'll do it Sunday and tell you what sold.

I have to say, it felt strange last year. It was the first year we didn't go early and stay at the rectory, as my brother was transferred last spring. No more private bathroom or easy access to water -- we had to muck in with everyone else at the public restroom. Believe me, you don't drink as much when you can't just go in the house as needed. LOL

Going Quietly Crazy, Continued

2009-09-10T23:49:00.002-05:00

I have 4 pairs of mitts almost finished, and 5 about a third done. I seamed up a bunch of cool ties today (more left to do), but I'm not really stressing about those. I've got a lot in stock, so if they don't get done too bad, so sad.

I still need to work on the blankets, and I'd like to do some embroidery, but I doubt I'll have time for it. This week's schedule was great for getting my sewing done, but next week I work 6 days straight, mostly day shifts. This means I have to try to sew a little before work, then go back to the machine at night. I truly hate sewing at night -- I'm tired, and there's never enough light. Trying to do embroidery at night is even worse. I always do my worst work then. :o(

Tomorrow I'm off, so I think I'll take a little time to do a complete inventory of my finished stock -- no use wasting time on something I've already got plenty of.

Then it's back to being a regular sew-and-sew.

Going Quietly Crazy

2009-09-06T21:27:00.003-05:00

I am going to a craft fair on the 19th, and I'm about to go crazy.

In 12 days I need to finish 9 pairs of mitts, several blankets, a couple dozen cool ties, and anything else I have time for, on top of working at my regular job. Is it any wonder that I'm about to go nuts?

The one bright spot is that most of this week I work in the evening, which means I can get in several hours of sewing in the morning and early afternoon. When I work earlier, I have no time to sew before work and am too tired to sew when I get home.

I hope to post some pix before the fair.

Meanwhile, it's time for my daily time-is-running-out freakout.

Wandering in Postal Limbo

2009-08-18T16:04:00.005-05:00

A week ago I sent off 141 cool ties for a local marching band, having managed to turn, press, fill, and sew them all in a week. (Yes, one week!!!!) Along the way, I had to buy more fabric and remake 3 ties after they got damaged while trimming threads. My dad got them in the mail right before the post office closed, unaware that he was consigning them to . . . . . .

POSTAL LIMBO!

I finished the last ties late Saturday morning as my mother was trying to sort them by color and cram them into a large flat rate box. (And I do mean cram. My last order of 100 barely fit the same size box. This time around we ended up using rubber bands to compress the darn things so they'd all fit! These ties only weigh about half an ounce apiece, but it's amazing how heavy they can be en masse. According to the postal receipt, the whole package weighed almost 9 pounds!)

Since I had to go to work, my dad took the package to the post office for me. Sometime after I'd gone to work, my mother looked at the receipt and realized that it said the wrong destination. Turns out my customer mistyped her zip code when she gave me her address! She realized it and sent an email with the correct one, but I was in such a swivet about getting them out that day that I didn't check my email that morning. :o( I never knew about her note until I got home from work after 10 p.m., and by then it was too late. They were in . . . . . .

POSTAL LIMBO!

I spent five days emailing my customer and using track & confirm in an effort to find out where my package was. (Thank God I paid extra for delivery confirmation.) Most of the time it seemed to be floating in the postal ether for all I could tell. I don't know whether it was the form Dad filed down at the main post office, or whether somebody just bothered to LOOK and noticed that the zip and town didn't match, but they finally showed up on Thursday. She told me she bagged them up and handed them out that night. :o)

Moral of the story:

1) Always spring for delivery confirmation so you have some idea where your package has been. And most important of all,

2) No matter how rushed you are, recheck the address before you make the label. Otherwise your package may be the one wandering around in . . . . .

POSTAL LIMBO!

I pressed 70 ties today,

2009-08-01T17:41:00.005-05:00

28 yesterday, and 43 on Thursday, and I think I'm about to die. I'm tired and my ankle is swollen from sitting too long at the ironing board. :o(

But I have found an easier way to do the first pressing. I've been using a mini crafter's iron to open the seam, then using my big steam iron to set the seam. This time I tried using our travel iron -- it's got steam and weight but it's a lot lighter than the big iron, and I only have to make one pass across each tie. It worked like a dream. Yay! The only drawback is the small water reservoir -- I had to refill it quite a few times, but the decrease in time, weight, and effort is worth it.

Now I've got my feet up (sort of) and have started turning the ties. I should probably get them done tonight, so tomorrow I will probably start doing the second pressing. Yippee-skippie.

I'm in cool tie purgatory

2009-07-30T23:25:00.004-05:00

It's not quite hell yet. That comes next week as I try to finish quickly.

In the last week and a half I've cut out and seamed 141 more cool ties. I've done the first pressing on about half of them and gotten most of those turned in the last two days (when I wasn't typing up a newsletter for my dad). Still to come -- pressing and turning the other half, then doing the final pressing. Then I can finally start sewing and filling the ties.

I can say right now, if I never see another bright yellow, lime green, or red tie after this order, it will be much too soon.

Bye-bye carshow, hello marching band

2009-07-25T21:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I sent off the cool ties for the carshow. Each tie weighs hardly anything, but it's amazing how heavy 100 of them are.

Monday I started sewing the ties for the high school band. So far I've gotten 98 seamed and ready for the first pressing. I'm making 141 altogether -- 123 for the band, 8 for the directors, and 10 more just for extras when kids forget to bring their own.

If the thought of sewing yet another tie doesn't make me run screaming into the night when I finish these, I might sew up the leftover fabric and send them to the band boosters who are buying these for the kids. But then again, by that time I might want to amuse myself by destroying all the evidence. LOL

97, 98, 99, . . . . 100!!!!

2009-07-16T14:34:00.002-05:00

I finished sewing the last ties yesterday before work. Yay!!!!

I still have to trim threads on this batch, and then I have to print and attach the labels. But I should be able to get them in the mail early next week.

Next up: 137 or so ties for a local highschool marching band.

75 ties done, only 25 left!!

2009-07-08T16:42:00.003-05:00

Today I finished the third batch of ties for my big order. All that's left is to trim the threads and fold them before they go into the box.

That just leaves 25 left to do. I just might get them done by Friday. :o)

Here's what they look like.

Halfway there

2009-07-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

Yay!!! I have 50 ties completely finished.

After I did the 50th tie, I went ahead and seamed the other 50 in one looooooooong session, and after lunch I pressed and turned the next 25 ties. So I'm actually about 2/3 of the way through.

Cool ties are getting hot!

2009-07-01T14:00:00.004-05:00

Since I started working on this big order of cool ties, I've had three cool ties sales on Etsy, each for 4 ties! I also may have the opportunity to do 100+ ties for a local high school marching band -- band camp starts in late July and it's always really hot.

If things keep on like this, my inventory might get down to the point I actually have to make some more ties. LOL

-----------------------------------
Addendum: It was 14 ties, not 12 -- one customer added 2 more to her order. Not sure if I can't count, or I'm just losing my memory! LOL

25 down, 75 left to go

2009-06-26T23:43:00.003-05:00

Last night I finished the first batch of 25 ties -- 5 of each print. Now I'm sitting here surfing the web and trimming all the threads before I fold them up. Tomorrow I plan to seam the next batch. Hopefully I'll have the next 25 done by next Friday. Then I'll have half of them done!

Making progress . . .

2009-06-25T14:14:00.001-05:00

i finished 10 ties this morning, and got another 10 ready for filling. By this evening I'll have 1/4 of the ties finished!

5 down, only 95 to go

2009-06-24T20:36:00.003-05:00

Today I got the first five ties finished. That's either 1/20 of the whole, or 1/5 of the first batch. I think I prefer the latter description . . . . .

I have 10 more ready for filling tomorrow. I'd do them tonight, but my back is sore from bending over the computer and sewing machine all day.

Instead, I'm going to trim threads from the finished ties while I surf the web. :o)

100 cool ties in a month !!!!!

2009-06-16T23:35:00.004-05:00

This past week I got an order for 100 cool ties!!!!!

When Larry and Carol of Custom Shirts by Carol decided they couldn't fill a request, they referred the customer to me after seeing my shop on Etsy. We emailed back and forth, and Friday the deal was struck. Thanks, Larry and Carol.

Today I pressed 14+ yards of car-themed fabric and cut out all 100 ties. (Actually, I cut 102, but the rotary cutter got a little distracted on two of them. LOL) Now all I have to do is sew, press, turn, press, sew, fill, sew, sew, and sew some more in order to have them delivered by August 15.

When I get a few made up, I'll post them here.

It took me long enough!

2009-05-30T12:09:00.012-05:00

8 or 9 months ago, an Etsy friend of mine came home from vacation to find that a pipe had broken and flooded the house. There was water and mold everywhere, and the lower half of the house had to be torn out and replaced. Gini and Jeff lost a lot of stuff, including all of the shoes she left at home. She's a shoe hound, so that was a loooooooooooooooooooooot of shoes!

The Etsy Hussies got together to send a care package to help Gini through the first shock. Some sent fun gifts, some sent money toward a gift card. I planned to make something but ran out of time, so just donated money at the time.

I didn't forget about my project. Slowly but surely I picked out a design and a form. I bought the necessary fabric and supplies bit by bit. Along the way I got sidetracked by work, craft fairs, work, Halloween, work, tendonitis, work, Christmas, work, commissions, work, . . . . . . um, did I mention work yet?

About two weeks ago, I finally got everything done and sent it off to Gini. Today I got a note to say she loved it, so it's finally safe to show off my handiwork. :o)

Who knows where the time goes . . . . . ?

2009-05-16T20:44:00.006-05:00

It just doesn't seem like nearly 23 years since we welcomed my eldest niece into the world with a giant fireworks display (she was born on July 4th).

20 years ago I babysat Anna while her parents were at work. 16 years ago I picked her up after a skateboard wipeout, and a few months later watched as she made her First Communion. 7 years ago (or was it only 6?), I watched her graduate early from high school.

And last night she graduated summa cum laude from college.

Where does the time go?

I don't know why she did it . . . . . . .

2009-05-07T23:51:00.005-05:00

One of my coworkers was arrested tonight.

A few weeks ago there was a notice on the breakroom board that we'd had some discrepancies, and a reminder to count change carefully. It stayed up for a couple weeks, so there's no way she could have missed it. I don't know if she stopped for a while, or just ignored the warning. All I know is that I had to watch as a good worker who I'd come to care about was led out in handcuffs.

The internal auditor was here all day, going over things with Cindy, who was the acting manager for the last two months. He went in and out a couple times. Late this evening, he came back in with two police officers. A while later, they came out with Sara.

In the thirteen years I've worked there, this is the third time we've had a problem. The first time, the woman had problems with medical bills. She took a little here, a little there, until one day she snapped and took a couple hundred and got caught. I don't think we pressed charges as long as she made restituiton -- I think she was her mother's sole support.

A couple years ago, a pregnant teenager we had got caught doing credit card fraud. It came out when a woman was charged for a gift card that she hadn't bought and called about it. I guess Destiny's destiny was to have her baby in jail.

The girl tonight is a single mother who's been working two jobs to make ends meet, and hoping to regain custody of her little daughter. Being arrested is not going to make the latter happen anytime soon, if ever.

Why did you do it, Sara? Why?

Look what the cat wouldn't drag in

2009-05-01T21:15:00.004-05:00

After 5 busy days in a row, 2 of which we were understaffed and 3 without getting a break, I was so tired when I got home that I started crying. I just lay there in my room waiting for my feet to stop throbbing. :o(

I was supposed to be off last night, but the girl scheduled couldn't work due to her mother's surgery. I don't blame her, but I wish my boss had read the calendar right when she did the schedule last week.

The week isn't over yet. I still have to work tomorrow night (setting the new ad) and Sunday. I swear, if my boss calls me Monday I will scream!

No self-respecting cat would bother dragging me anywhere.

Happy Anniversary to My Parents (and Other Calamities)

2009-04-22T21:53:00.004-05:00

Today my parents celebrated 59 years of marriage, and 61 years since they met. They raised 7 kids and sent us all to 12 years of private school on one salary. That would be impossible these days due to the skyrocketing cost of tuition.

The day started out good. They got up early and went to Mass, and they went out for lunch. Then the trouble started. Dad had to take the car in for service and ended up having to get a rental --- the oxygen sensor is bad, and probably something else too. As he was starting home, a car backed into the door of the car, so he had to go back to the rental place and get a different car, plus fill out a bunch of stuff (and probably will have to pay more). It's a nice enough car for a two-door, but you have to climb through the seatbelt assembly to get in the back seat. And getting out of the seat is even worse because of the strange design -- the actual seat is deeper at the back and you have to haul yourself up to the edge before you can try to get out of the car.

When he got home, the garage door wouldn't open. Turns out the spring is broken and the wires have jumped their rails. So tomorrow we have to call someone to come out and replace the opener. More $$$ going out.

All we can do now is hope the weather stays good, so we don't have to clamber in and out of the car in the rain.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T10:25:00.005-05:00

Even though it's chilly and stormy, the Easter Bunny made an appearance here with lots of goodies. All "bunny assistants" managed to find chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs, which are much enjoyed at this home, plus assorted sweets.

We were very surprised at Mass this morning. Most Sundays the 7:30 Mass has about 300 people. Today we had around 900! (Guess we had a lot of "Easter Catholics", as well as those who wanted to have the rest of the day clear for family get-togethers.) Getting out of church was difficult, not just because of the larger-than-usual attendance, but also all the people trying to come in for the next Mass before it started raining again. :o)

I don't have to work today -- Easter is one of the three days a year we're closed (the others are Thanksgiving and Christmas). My manager is really happy, because it's the first real day off she's had since our former manager resigned. She's looking forward to having a new manager named so she can go back to being the assistant manager.

Have a hoppy Easter!

The best-laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley

2009-04-06T17:56:00.004-05:00

Robert Burns

So it was with my plans for my days off. I planned to do a lot of things these two days --- do some embroidery, make a pillow, do some sewing, and a few other personal things --- but I was derailed by a migraine. Instead of doing any of them, I took a pill and went back to bed. :o(

I felt enough better later to watch the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians 9-1 on opening day, but then the headache struck again. I'm just glad I was off --- I couldn't have worked today, and we're shorthanded.

Here's hoping the migraine disappears and I can tackle some of my plans tomorrow.

Life Bites . . . . . .

2009-04-01T20:41:00.004-05:00

. . . . staying at work late three days in a row because it's so busy . . . . . getting called in on my days off . . . . . being so tired i can hardly think when I get home . . . . . . trying to put a newsletter together in just a few days . . . . . needing to make a couple blocks for a baby quilt . . . . having to cancel a sale due to non-payment . . . . . . seems like my life is rush rush rush these days.

I've been so busy with work, work, and more work, as well as the project in my last post, that I haven't even touched my sewing machine for at least 3 weeks. I've got 2 skirts and a nightgown waiting to be put together, but I just haven't had the time, inclination, and energy all at once. And I don't know when I will.

Done Just in Time!

2009-03-23T21:30:00.005-05:00

I got a commission to embroider 11 beach towels for a bachelorette party (oh, how I hate that phrase). The customer wanted the names 2" high, with "Mexico 2009" underneath. And she needed them by March 24 at the latest -- they're leaving on the 25th!

These are really bright towels. The striped ones made my eyes hurt. I decided to wash them first -- good idea, since some of them shrank noticeably. I ended up with several filter screen "blankets" of orange and green lint.

It took me a week and a half of trial and error to get the names the right size, and 3 full days of embroidering, but I got them done with a few days to spare. :o)

Celebratory pizza and other ramblings

2009-03-13T23:30:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday the repairman came and replaced our wonky control board on the oven. While he was at it, he replaced the thermal sensor. To celebrate the oven's rebirth, we had pizza for lunch. :o)

Right now I'm so tired from work I can hardly stand it. (Or is it, can hardly stand?) The company keeps cutting our weekly allotment of hours, but wants us to keep the store looking perfect. Sorry, ain't gonna happen. We can do a lot, but we're not miracle workers. When you only have 2 people on at night, especially when it's busy, there's no way to get everything put away before going home. And forget about making things look nice -- we don't have time for that kind of luxury, even if the big boss IS coming to visit.

This week I have to buckle down and get 11 beach towels embroidered. I wanted to do the names really big, but I can't manage to work it out with my software. I'll have to do it letter by letter on the machine, as big as possible. Oh well, c'est la guerre.

Charcoal rolls, yum!

2009-03-03T17:47:00.005-06:00

Last week we had Sears out to check out all our appliances -- stove, dishwasher, two fridges and a freezer, and the washer/dryer. They sent 3 different servicemen -- one for the washer, one for the fridges and freezer, and a third guy for the dishwasher and stove. Everything checked out okay, even the 18 year old washer/dryer combo.

Fast forward to Sunday night. Dad put a porterhouse steak in to broil. Halfway through, the stove started beeping and flashing "F1". I dashed for the manual (in the drawer with the single-edge razor blades, mug rugs, and table butler) and learned that it was an error code. Something had malfunctioned. :o( We followed the directions to reset, and it seemed to work okay. Having decided to finish the steak in a skillet, Dad set the oven to bake and soon put the bread in and set the timer. Right before it could ring off, he checked on the rolls and found they were not so much browned, as blackened. (We saved some to show the repairman.) And the damn display was flashing that damned error code at us again.

First thing yesterday we called Sears for service. It took Ma half an hour on the automated line just to get a number to call for service! Then she's told that the earliest they can show up is Wednesday. grrrrrr

Hopefully, when i get home tomorrow we'll have a working oven.

************************************************

Update: The guy came out this morning, and our wonderful electronically controlled oven has a wonky control board. He ordered it, but it'll be next week before we get it replaced. :o(

So much for the apple pie Dad planned to make today.

Here a phone, there a phone, everywhere a cellphone

2009-02-20T17:34:00.004-06:00

I fought long and valiantly against it, but I have finally joined the ranks of the bephoned. Basically, my parents (also known as "landlords") decided it was time for me to have my own phone, rather than borrowing my mother's when I went to the dentist and doctor and library and . . . . . . .

I'm not planning on being a phonehead. I hate the people who walk around with phones glued to their ears and talk at the top of their voices wherever they are. I really hate it when they come up to the register and cutting table and can't be bothered to pause their conversation long enough to speak to me in words instead of gestures. My phone will probably spend much of its time in my purse or on the counter, and will frequently be off, since it's more of an emergency aid.

To keep costs down, I went with a TracFone -- no contract, no monthly bills. I got a really good deal on the M376g (upper right) --- less than $35 total for a camera phone, and it came with double minutes for life and free shipping. I ordered it Tuesday night and got it today! After I activated it and got my number I had to buy some airtime (always useful ;p), and then I emailed my family with my number. I still have to put everyone's numbers in the phonebook -- all 3 million and 6 of them. (I don't really have that many relatives, it just feels that way. But I do have 6 siblings and numerous nieces, nephews, and assorted other relatives.)

Now I'm just waiting for the calls to come rolling in. :o)

Ok, so I'm a grammar nerd . . .

2009-02-08T09:50:00.004-06:00

Very little irritates me as much as misspelled words and misplaced punctuation. In school I was known as "the walking dictionary" by my classmates because I usually knew (or could figure out) the correct spelling of obscure words. It just came naturally -- in my family, you were considered strange if you didn't read the dictionary and encyclopedia for fun.

I have always hated reading things with poor grammar. In college I had classes where we had to read each others' papers. Some of them had so many errors I could only get through by editing as I read. One was so bad that I was convinced the guy turned in his first typed draft without proofreading. Grrrrrr.

Even online, typos (such as "int he") don't bother me nearly as much as misspellings. A lot of people misspell "definite" and "separate" these days, usually as "definate" and "seperate", and it drives me crazy!!! I want to reach into the internet and make those people spell it right!

Signs and publications are the worst offenders. Several years ago I was reading an article about needles, and they misspelled "needle"!! I used to love Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but I finally got fed up when they would print articles with poor grammar.

A few years ago I came across a book which struck a chord with me : "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation", by Lynne Truss. This morning I was introduced to two great blogs on the subject. The first is The Grammar Vandal, whose author carries a sharpie and stick-on commas to fix broken signs. :o) The other is The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. Both are good for a giggle, even if you're not an unredeemed grammar nerd.

Giftcards Galore

2009-01-27T20:50:00.003-06:00

Several months ago a friend on Etsy was making things from used-up giftcards. i offered to collect them at work for her. I'd mark them as void and put them in my apron pocket to bring home. After I sent her a couple batches she seemed to lose interest, but I kept on collecting the cards. And collecting and collecting . . . . .

Last week another Etsyian showed off the earrings she'd made with cards from Michael's, so I asked if she'd like some more. When KatieAnnCreations said sure, I started rounding up the cards I'd brought home. At first, I thought I'd have six or seven. Then it was 10. The final total is 15! Needless to say, most of them are from work. :o)

I've got several Christmas designs, including 5 of the blue bow. Then there are the year-round designs, like these. (I love the yarn cones design.) I even brought home a couple of the cards we use for no-receipt returns! LOL

Finally, I have some cards from bookstores. I got them for Christmas, but I guess they were out of everything but the birthday cards at Barnes & Noble.

Tomorrow morning I'll send this batch out to Katie, and start replenishing my stock, ready for the next inventive Etsyian. ;p

Just Added --- More Marvelous MicroMitts!

2009-01-22T23:18:00.007-06:00

Tonight I listed 2 more pairs of micromitts, in a yellow floral and a blue check. The plan was for the blue check set to be "manly man-sized", but I didn't allow enough fabric :o( so they're the regular size.

I did list another pair of man-sized mitts the other day, though. The fabric of these blue agate mitts reminds me of the blue enamel cookware that's been around forever.

The Missing Seconds

2009-01-20T21:44:00.005-06:00

Ever notice that when you copy music to your computer, the tracks rarely end up the same length as on the cds?

I got several giftcards for Christmas and decided to splurge on books and movies and cds. Everything I got is an old favorite, just right for enjoying again and again, especially the cds. My original cassette tapes are over 20 years old and beginning to wow just a bit.

I put all of the cds on my computer so I could enjoy them while I'm online. As I was naming the tracks, I noticed that very few had the same time listed on the cd label. Some were a few seconds longer, some a bit shorter. And then there was the final track on one album, that was 30 seconds shorter.

That's right. Not 2 or 3 or even 5 seconds, but 30 seconds.

What I'd like to know is, where did all that time go? Is it being recycled to provide extra space for the occasional long-winded classical piece I copy? Is it going to add to the total run-time for my computer before it dies of obsolescence?

Or did it just get sucked into a musical black hole in the space-time continuum?

And yes, the answer is 42.

Repeal the CPSIA!

2009-01-13T17:04:00.004-06:00

The CPSIA was created to protect children from lead in toys, but the lawmakers went too far in their regulations. Thousands of small business owners will be forced to close because they cannot afford to have EVERY COMPONENT of their handcrafted items tested. Most of these components are items that have already been certified by the manufacturers, but the law assumes that everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

Download this PDF about the consequences of the CPSIA, click on the links provided, and sign this petition to change or repeal this legislation. Don't let the handcrafting industry go the way of the dodo!

A Cough-less New Year's Eve Night and a Happy New Year

2009-01-01T10:18:00.003-06:00

I don't know about anyone else, but my New Year started out happy. For the first time in days I slept for 6 hours without having a monstrous coughing fit every two hours! (Take that, bronchitis!) It's so nice to be (nearly) fully rested. I've been like a zombie the last few days from lack of deep sleep.

I've coughed since I got up, but it's been a) minor and b) extremely productive –– lots and lots of gunk is no longer clogging my lungs and nasal passages. I know there's lots more to come, but right now I don't care! o)

Wow, I got the coughing cr*p for Christmas!

2008-12-29T18:43:00.004-06:00

When I went to bed on Christmas Eve I felt okay. Really really tired, but okay. Six hours later I got up with a nagging dry cough. I coughed all day on and off. No drainage, no gunk, just coughing and general malaise. Friday morning I couldn't talk and my throat felt like I'd swallowed glass. Plus the cough, of course. I felt absolutely rotten, my temp was going up, and the doctor was closed. :o(

Over the weekend it escalated. Saturday: disappearing voice, glass throat, runny nose, and fairly constant coughing that rarely produced anything (and nothing bigger than my fingernail). Oh, and my ear started aching a bit too. Just so much fun. ;p Sunday: all of the above, plus massive coughing fits that wouldn't let me sleep in any position until I'd run into the bathroom and spat huge amounts of saliva (not much gunk, just saliva) into the toilet. I felt like I was going to throw up, but nothing came. However, the throat pain did ease off a bit, except when I coughed it raw.

This morning I saw the doc. Diagnosis: my second bacterial infection in a month. Lovely. The only good thing was that he gave me samples of a once-a-day high-powered antibiotic. I think I've had this one before, and it was not cheap, so that helps. I suddenly seem to remember I didn't like this stuff, but who knows. Anyway, I've taken one dose and think I feel a little better. A very little.

Oh, and my temp at the doctor's? A whopping 97.8 Yep, just a roaring fever there.

With any luck I'll feel like working on Wednesday. So far I've lost three days' pay to this crap; I can't afford to lose any more.

Soooo, what did you get for Christmas?

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2008-12-24T16:25:00.008-06:00

I haven't taken any pictures of this year's tree yet, so here's one from a few years ago. It was the second Christmas that I had my digital camera. Notice the gift on the right, stylishly wrapped in a Container Store bag.

This year Christmas is at our house, after two years at my sister's in Ft. Worth. Hosting a holiday dinner has its good and bad points. Bad -- having to cook and clean up (especially cleaning up the house beforehand!). Good -- you don't have to drive home when you're tired and stuffed to the gills. :o)

Late tonight I have to put out the stockings on the livingroom furniture so one or more of Santa's helpers can fill them. This particular elf didn't have a chance to get much this year, so I hope the other elves who live here did better.

Merry Christmas to all!

My latest creation -- manly man-sized micromitts

2008-12-20T00:23:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I finished my first pair of "manly man-sized" micromitts, as suggested to me by SurrenderDorothy, aka HerRoyalMajestyBags.

They are 1" longer and wider than my regular micromitts, to accomodate the larger hands of most men. I listed them late last night after I got home from work and posted the link in a few threads on Etsy.

Tonight when I got online after dinner, I got a note to say that they'd been sold! Yippeeeeee! Not only that, they went to a friend. :o)

I finished another pair today, but haven't had time to do photos yet. Maybe tomorrow. :-o)

Somebody save the cashews!

2008-12-13T01:14:00.003-06:00

I love cashews. I mean, I LOVE them. So much so that I haven't bought any in years because I can't keep my hands off them and they're a lot worse for you than peanuts (which I also love, especially the roasted in the shell kind).

Today I bought a jar, and within an hour of opening it the jar was 1/3 gone. I started by picking out all the broken pieces, and then graduated to wholesale munching. Now it's half gone, and even though I put the lid on I can still hear the cashews' siren song:

EEEEEEEEEEEEEat meeeee! EEEEEEEEEEEEat meeeee! EEEEEEEEEEEat meeeeee!

I think it's time for a cashew intervention. LOL

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I woke up this morning feeling fairly rotten. And I'm sure at least part of that is due to eating 6 ounces of cashews yesterday. :o)

Soooo, I've put the cashews out of sight for the time being. Hopefully, I won't forget where I stashed them!

Micromitts are Hot!

2008-12-11T23:32:00.009-06:00

Since my last post I've sold the mitts/heartpads special order, the custom mitts, and two more pairs!

Yoboseiyo of Etsy ordered this set for a friend. The heartpads each reverse to the other fabric.

Another customer wanted a set in black, white, and red, and this is what I came up with. She loves them. :o)

One of my first pairs sold -- the Aqua Dotty mitts. Unfortunately, I don't have any more of this fabric. :o(

And Tuesday night I listed these Star of David mitts, and someone snapped them up within an hour or so!

I listed 3 more pairs of holiday mitts last night, and I have 3 pairs of "manly man-sized" mitts to cut out and assemble tomorrow so I can list them Saturday. They're about 1" wider and 1/2--1" longer than my regular mitts -- great for guys who survive by nuking takeout. ;P

3 sales in 2 days!!!!

2008-12-04T23:29:00.009-06:00

This has been my best week ever here on
Etsy. Friday afternoon my Autumn Leaves micromitts were snapped
up by the first person to view them.

Saturday a friend bagged the Golden Leaves mitts and a baby blanket.

And on Sunday morning another friend purchased her special order, two matching pairs of mitts for her and a friend.

I'm also working on three commissions -- mitts and heartpads for an Etsy friend, and two local embroidery orders -- and I have another Etsy commission to accept for more mitts!

So far I've sold 8 pairs of micromitts on Etsy, and 4 pairs locally (plus the two orders!). Looks like I've found a previously unfilled need with my marvelous micro mitts. :o)

More newness!

2008-11-29T00:49:00.013-06:00

I finished listing all my micromitts; at least, all that
are completed. I've got several more in various stages of completion, waiting for my next day off. Here's what I listed today and tonight.

This morning I listed the mitts
in my last post as well as two more:
Golden Leaves and Happy Hanukkah.

Then tonight I added three more sets. First, the Turkey Harvest mitts. I know, I know, Thanksgiving's over, but you could always get a head start for next year! :o)

Next, the Happy Holly Holiday mitts.
Believe me, they're not nearly as eye-poppingly bright in person.

Finally, the Autumn Winds mitts.
I love this fabric, and if they don't sell quickly I might just have to confiscate these for my own use. :o)

Update Saturday: the Golden Leaves just sold!!!! Yay!!! That makes 2 pairs sold in 2 days!!!!!

Quickest Sale Ever!!!!!

2008-11-28T13:23:00.005-06:00

Last week my sister took some of my stuff to a show she did. Unfortunately, neither of us sold anything. :o( Yesterday she returned my stock, and this morning I photographed and listed several items.

I went and caught up on several threads, and decided to show my newest listings to my friends. Imagine my surprise when one of them had already sold, half an hour after it was listed!!

Here it is : Autumn Leaves Marvelous MicroMitts.

Marvelous Mitts for a Delightful Duckie

2008-11-25T18:03:00.004-06:00

Today I finished a special order for a friend on Etsy. Duckie (of Circleinthesand) ordered two matching pairs of marvelous microwave mitts for herself and a friend, and here they are.

Duckie picked the fabric from several I have posted here in my Flickr. If you're interested, there are lots more fabrics there to choose from, and several pairs already made in my shop.

Freezing down here in Texas

2008-11-21T20:41:00.004-06:00

The weather update on my computer says it's 44, but both of our outdoor thermometers say it's in the mid-30s. All I really know is, I'm about to freeze!

Early last month we had our window frames painted, and to do it the guys had to take off the storm windows. The weather was decent, so it wasn't a real problem. Then my dad decided he wanted to get new film on the windows (what!! the film's only about 30 years old, it's good for years yet ;p), so he didn't put them back on. The place he used originally doesn't do that anymore, and so far he hasn't found anyone else.

It's been a bit cool, but the house stayed warm enough. BUT this week we've been having a real cold snap and the lack of that second pane of glass has made itself known. The only way to get warm is to stand over the air vent, but a) you can't stay there all day and b) even if you could, the heater doesn't stay on all day. (Okay, I could stay in bed, but then I wouldn't get any sewing done. No sewing, no money.)

Right now I'm sitting here in my nightgown and flannel robe, with a crocheted shrug over that, and fuzzy socks, and an afghan over my lap, and I'M STILL COLD!!!!!!!!!! When my hands get cold I can put them under my arms, but neither the robe nor the shrug nor the afghan do anything to keep my nose warm.

I need to crochet myself a nose-warmer. Maybe if I wore that around the house, my dad would put the storm windows back up. :o)

My nose is froze. And my toes is froze. And my feet is froze. And my tail --- um, no, I don't have a tail to freeze.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

2008-11-15T23:58:00.004-06:00

Today I planned to cut out mitts, zigzag them, mark 3 fabrics for bias tape and possibly start cutting the tape out. All I got done was cutting out the mitts. :o(

I woke up not feeling too wonderful. After breakfast all I really wanted to do was go back to bed, but I sat down and cut out the mitts. Then I pulled a blanket over me and dozed for at least an hour. Then came lunch, a little time on the computer, and another nap before work. It's a good thing I had those naps -- it was after 10:30 when we left and there's still stuff left to put away.

I don't work tomorrow (yay! I hate working on Sunday), so I should be able to work on the bias tape. I have to get these mitts made up by Wednesday. I want to send them off with my nephew to a craft show my sister's attending next weekend. Hope I feel better tomorrow.

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that besides the tendonitis in my shoulder, the doc said the occasional pain in my elbow is tennis elbow. I've never played tennis, but I have to have my arm in an odd position to use my mouse on this laptop. Guess you could say I have "mouse elbow". ;p

Not enough hours in the day

2008-11-15T00:03:00.004-06:00

So far today (November 14), I have done the following, post-breakfast: visited the orthopedist and get another shot, this time in the front of my shoulder; dropped by the library to pick up a requested book (and have nearly finished it!); made 6 more fabric and insulbright sandwiches to quilt for mitts (to go with the 2 already made); eaten lunch; gone to JoAnn's and spent a pile of money on fabric and notions, but saved a lot since it was the last employee double discount day of the year; run two loads of fabric through the laundry; opened a birthday goodie bag from Jaymie of WhiteStoneStitchery; quilted 4 of the aforementioned fabric sandwiches; ate dinner; ironed 5 yards of various fabrics for bias tape; had another piece of my birthday cake from Tuesday (can't let it go stale, can I? ;p) and outlined 4 sets of mitts, ready to cut out tomorrow, at which point I said enough was enough and quit for the day. Whew!

Tomorrow, I have to cut out the mitts and mark fabric for bias tape, at which point it will be almost time to go to work.

I might actually get these done for my nephew to take home with him on Thursday so my sister can try to sell them at the show next weekend.

"Unfinished" should be my middle name

2008-11-12T21:05:00.003-06:00

Tonight I picked up a shrug I started crocheting last winter. I had one side almost finished when I stopped. Don't really remember why I stopped, I just did. This got me thinking about projects that I've "abandoned" midway through. There are more than I like to think about. ;p

There was the dresser scarf I ignored for several years. I finally finished it, but only after having to scrub off the cork stain from the metal hoop I used originally.

In college I started a quilt, possibly for my parents. I haven't worked on it in 13 years, since I started working. It's nicely folded away in large plastic bags in a box in my overstuffed closet. Someday soon I plan on getting it out and finishing it for me, since the quilt I made for myself 20 years ago is about ready for the cedar chest (or the rubbish bin!).

About 4 years ago I put down an extremely involved counted cross-stitch project because my eyes were bothering me. It's still sitting where I left it, still in its hoop, on the shelf of the table between the recliners.

My first knitted project, a baby hoodie, is sitting in a box in my room, waiting for me to block and seam it and add the finishing touches --- three years after I last worked on it.

More recently, I started crocheting a helmetliner for the troops last winter (after I abandoned the shrug). So far I've gotten the top of it done, and that's all --- not even down to the eyeholes. :o(

And I've got a ziploc bag in my room with what will someday, some century, be a sweater vest. It's about 3" high after too many years to count.

I'm not even counting the half dozen baby blankets I haven't put tape on. I pull threads on them when I'm bored so they make up quicker when we need to restock.

I do eventually finish things, like the dresser scarf I mentioned. There's a baby blanket that took me several years to crochet, since I only worked on it at craft shows, but it is finished.

Better get back to this shrug. If I work at it, I can have it done in time for next winter . . . . . . or maybe the winter after that. :o)

Aren't these cute?

2008-11-08T13:04:00.003-06:00

When my eldest sister was here last month she ordered two sets of micromitts. I just finished them yesterday. The purple set is for her daughter-in-law, and the yellow set is for her own kitchen (she loves red and yellow).

Wouldn't you love a set for your very own?

"I'm Sorry, You've Got A Bad Case of Faucet-Nose"

2008-11-08T12:14:00.004-06:00

This has just not been my week. On top of the persistent tendonitis, over the last few days my nose has decided that it would rather be a faucet than a working body part. :o( I can't begin to count the number of tissues I've gone through since Wednesday. It's so bad I took a plastic bag to work to collect my used tissues and keep them out of the general trash. I even took a box of kleenex with me! That's the only high point, since I discovered they were the ultra soft kind. At least my nose isn't as sore as it could be.

Back to my shoulder woes. Monday was not a good day in shoulder city, nor was Friday. My shoulder joint hurts when I cough, when I sneeze, when I breathe deeply. And my thumb is still kind of numb. When I squeeze the thumb joint I can feel it in my shoulder, so I'm pretty sure I have a pinched nerve. Unfortunately, my chiropractor died a few months ago, so to get this taken care of I have to find a new practioner. :o( That'll be a lot of fun, I don't think.

drip. . . drip. . . drip. . . I think I need a plumber for my nose.

My arm! My arm! I can move my arm!

2008-11-02T11:20:00.003-06:00

After a week and a half of assorted anti-inflammatory drugs, including one that I can only take once a day (it must be really good; I didn't take it this morning and I'm regretting it just a bit), I can now move my arm without wanting to either scream or cry for a large part of the day. That's not to say it doesn't still hurt, but I don't feel like curling into a ball and sobbing in pain. :o)

Anyway, I've been working up a list of things I can now do if I'm careful (in no particular order):

1. Wash my hair. I've got a lot of it and the job requires a working shoulder.

2. Change my sheets. My bed is in a corner so it's a bear of a job on a good day; with a bad shoulder it was out of the question.

3. Get stuff out of the washer and dryer. We have a stacking set, and getting stuff out has always been a stretch for little old me. It's either past my reach (washer) or over my head (dryer).

4. Get out and put away the cereal. We keep it on a high shelf, and even though it slides out it's hard to get to when it hurts to move your hand past your shoulder, let alone over your head. I could just barely get the box out from the bottom, but putting it away was impossible.

5. Pick up a glass with one hand while sitting at the table. The action involved awkward, painful movements, so for several days I reverted to childhood and used both hands. ;P

6. Cutting my own meat. The back-and-forth motion put too much stress on my shoulder, so I've mainly been eating fairly soft foods, or at least ones that didn't take any cutting.

7. Taking off my bra. There were a couple nights I just couldn't get my hand back there and had to get help.

8. Taking off my sweater. I usually meet my hands behind my back and pull the cuffs off, but that was not possible this past week or so. And you don't remember how painful it was last time until you do it again. (ow! ow!)

9. Sleep! I've had to sleep sitting as straight up as possible to ease the pressure on the shoulder, but last night I slept in something approaching my normal posture. :o)

If I think of any more, I'll let you know. :o)

The Terrors of Tendonitis

2008-10-29T20:23:00.004-05:00

Last week I woke up feeling like someone was sticking ice picks in my right shoulder. This did not bode well for spending two hours in the dentist's chair (see my last post). I couldn't get an appointment with the orthopedist until Tuesday, so I ended up at the ER. I got a shot of some painkiller that's supposed to be 10x stronger than morphine and prescriptions for megavicodin and a steroid 6-day pack.

After the shot wore off, I found that I had to take the vicodin strictly on schedule. If I didn't, I turned into a crying, screaming meemie. It took half an hour to work out the least unpainful position for my arm at night, and everytime I woke up in pain I had to start all over again. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep a night. :o(

I hurt in the shoulder joint, the elbow, and the wrist. After a few days, my wrist stopped hurting, but my thumb went kind of numb. All I wanted to do was sleep, but it was too painful to try more than once a day.

All of this was occurring while I worked the Halloween rush, with all sorts of crazy (and crazed) people coming in for stuff to make their costumes. I couldn't do much other than run the register -- you can't cut fabric if you can't use your arm. We didn't get out before 10 any night, and usually it was later. Much later.

Yesterday I went to the doctor, who confirmed my self-diagnosis of tendonitis. (I had it in my left shoulder four years ago.) This time I got a shot of cortisone and a script for mobic once a day (a once-a-day pain pill? how's that supposed to work?).

24 hours later, I can report that both seem to be working. Despite working last night, I was able to fall asleep quickly and slept SEVEN hours!!!!!! All right, I woke up once, but it was to answer a call of nature, NOT because of the pain. :o) My shoulder still hurts, but not as badly. My elbow doesn't hurt at all. My thumb's still a bit numb, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have a pinched nerve as well.

Crowns, cleanings, and crappy insurance

2008-10-22T16:26:00.005-05:00

I got my third permanent crown this morning. He had to test fit it several times to get it the right depth (even my teeth are short!), but all in all it went pretty quickly. No shots, no drill, no problem. Next came a full set of xrays -- uncomfortable, but not truly painful. I've got a couple of spots that will need a little work, but all things considered, I'm in pretty decent shape.

Then came the real fun --- a thorough cleaning. :o(.

I have always hated having my teeth cleaned. He was lucky to get me in once a year for the torture session. It's been several years since my last one (yeah, I know, I'm a very baaaaad girl), so it was definitely NOT a fun experience. I think he probably rinsed my mouth at least 20 times to get rid of the blood and the "boulders" of plaque (his word, not mine). He would like to do a follow-up cleaning in a month or so, but my insurance says 6 months, not just twice a year. Which leads me to my next topic, my crappy dental insurance.

It apparently doesn't pay for crowns. I mean zip, nothing, nada. On my urgent visit in June (diagnosis: abscess/infection and root canal required), it paid exactly $23. And when I had my root canal, it only paid about $150. I pay for my (extremely) minimal dental/vision coverage through payroll deductions, and I'm seriously contemplating dropping it during the next adjustment period. Since virtually all of this is coming out of my pocket anyway, I might as well put the extra money in the bank for the next round of dental bills.

I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
(I'd write this 100 times, but that would make this post waaaaaaaay too long.)

Cross my heart and hope to spit.

Halloween Micromitts!!!!!!!

2008-10-17T16:29:00.005-05:00

I finally got the mitts finished, photographed, and listed today. One of my sisters is visiting for her high school reunion, so I got her to help with the photos --- it's a lot easier to take a photo of someone else's hand than your own. LOL Anyway, here they are.

Halloween Hearts!

2008-10-17T00:02:00.005-05:00

I made some of my heartpads in cute Halloween fabrics! They protect your whole hand from burns and spills. I sure hope someone likes them as much as I do! :o)

I'm working on some matching micromitts, like these. Since I don't have to work tomorrow (what! a day off this week?) I should have some of them finished and listed by tomorrow night.

Follow me!

2008-10-11T23:51:00.002-05:00

I just added the Followers widget to my blog. If you like what you read here, sign up to be a follower and you'll be notified when I update my blog. It's very easy; just click on Follow this blog and follow the instructions. :o)

All my sales should be this easy . . . . . . .

2008-10-11T23:33:00.006-05:00

My eldest sister came to visit for the weekend. She always ends up buying something, and this time was no exception. She bought this walker bag (before I'd even listed it!), and ordered two sets of micromitts for herself and her daughter-in-law. :o)

Mama mentioned to her that my uncle had recently left some hand-turned pens with me to see if they would sell on Etsy, and she ended up buying 6 of those for various family members. I'll add a photo later of what she got. This bodes well for listing them. :-)

Crown and carnival

2008-10-01T14:50:00.004-05:00

I went to the dentist today to start work on the crown on the tooth I had a root canal in. It wasn't too bad, except for the nasty taste of the pre-numbing medicine, and the shot to deaden my palate. The main problem was the temperature --- it was freezing! He ended up putting the lead apron on my legs to warm me up a little. At least it kept the AC from blowing on my legs. When I go back to get the permanent crown I'm wearing a sweater and taking a blanket!

*******************************************

The carnival at Kaufman went okay. We could have done better, but we've done a lot worse. It felt odd not being able to pop into the rectory to use the bathroom or get a glass of water. And it was really odd not staying the night and packing up on Sunday. By the time we got home and unpacked the car it was almost 9, and 10 before I got some supper.

I was sooooooooo tired on Sunday. I went to bed by 12:30 Saturday night, and got up at 6:30. After Mass I went back to bed for 3 hours (!!), had some lunch, and took another 1 1/2 hour nap. Sunday night I could not keep my eyes open. So I went to bed at 11:30 and didn't get up until 8:00! I had about 18 hours of sleep in a day and a half, and I was still kind of tired on Monday. The last time I did anything like that I was fighting some kind of infection.

Tagged!

2008-09-26T23:18:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by Here in this Diary. So here are seven things not everyone knows.

1. I've never seen/read a slasher/horror flick or novel, and I never plan to. Buckets of blood and gore and stupid teenagers screaming are just not my cup of tea.

2. I like to read Regency romances, especially Georgette Heyer. I'd like to live then, except for the lack of modern conveniences like flush toilets, electric lights, cars, radio, . . . . . . hmmmmm, on the other hand, maybe not.

3. I have nearly every Harlequin Romance written by Betty Neels and Essie Summers, and I don't care who knows it!

4. The only place I'm ticklish is the soles of my feet. I used to have tickle wars with my college roommate and I always won because she couldn't get me off my feet.

5. I don't like the Rolling Stones. The occasional song, yes; the band, no. Looking at Mick Jagger makes me sick.

6. I have 21 first cousins on my mother's side, including 6 double cousins (Mama's sister married Dad's brother). There were 23, but 2 have died.

7. My favorite candy flavors are (in no particular order) grape, orange, and lemon. I love lemon-lime Tootsie Pops, but they're almost impossible to find. :o(

All right, now you know seven random facts about me. I've tagged the following:

GirlSavage
Right As Rain Creations
Pandy's of Lake Sunapee
TeeGee Studio
Krazy Kates Krazy Days
It's My Life
Dateline . . . . . My Floor

Now it's your turn to post 7 random facts about yourself, and then tag 7 other people. :o)

Here we go again

2008-09-26T12:00:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we set up shop at another carnival. This time it's at my brother's former parish in Kaufman, St. Ann. I think this is the 5th year we've done it. So we know the people, we know where things are (like the all-important little crafter's room), we know the traffic patterns (most people have to pass the crafts at some point). :o) The downside is that since Joseph has been moved, we can't spend the night Friday and get our booth up as early as previously. :o( We'll have to drive 40 miles tomorrow morning (and evening) before we start. However, things start later than last week (and we know where we're going!), so that's an advantage.

I embroidered two more aprons this week and sewed another walker bag, and filled 3 black baddana cool ties --- I sold the only one in stock last week. :o) Mama's finishing a couple of aprons, and that should be it for restock. I'm thinking about sewing bias tape on a couple blanket pieces I have ready this afternoon, but I haven't decided yet.

Here's hoping it's nice and warm so my cool ties sell as well as usual --- one year I sold 23 of them!

Wish me luck.

My late lamented thumbnail

2008-09-23T19:10:00.005-05:00

A week ago I was trying to hoop a recalcitrant towel when I ripped part of my right thumbnail. I slathered it with clear polish and went on with my work. I almost forgot about it being ripped, until I was washing my hair. LOL

On Saturday as we were coming home from the show, my thumbnail gave up the ghost. Luckily it followed the curve of the quick so it didn't really hurt. I saved the nail (yes, I'm weird), and took pictures when I got home (make that extremely weird).

I know it could have been a lot worse (and it has been in the past), but it's really a pain in the left ventricle not having any nail on my right thumb. To pick up a pair of embroidery scissors I have to slide one fingerloop over the edge of the table since there's no nail to lift it up. Using the touch screen on the handhelds at work is awkward --- my other nails are too short to use without hitting 2 spots at once. I don't understand how people manage with really short nails. I relied on that nail for a lot of things, and it'll be at least 2 months before I have any decent length to it. :o(

The show was okay but slow. I didn't have a huge number of customers, but the last one made up for the whole day. She came up as we were starting to pack up, and bought $64(!!!!) worth of stuff --- 2 blankets, a burpcloth, a set of mitts, a toddler apron, and a bookcover without trying to haggle. Now I have to restock a few items, and then I'll be set for this weekend.

St. Anthony, here I come

2008-09-19T15:37:00.004-05:00

Well, tomorrow's the big day. I have nearly everything packed --- baby things, bookcovers, cool ties, etc., as well as the money, and other supplies. The only things left are 2 aprons that my mother will finish today. The tent, tables, chairs, and displays are in the trunk. I want to finish packing the car tonight since we have to leave about 7:00 in the morning. It always takes us forever to get going, so anything that will speed us up tomorrow is a good idea.

Mama and I will be joined by my sister Joy. I have some of her jewelry listed in my shop. We like to have adjoining spaces so we can keep an eye out for the other. It also gives us a little more flexibility in our displays.

Tonight I have to put my entire Etsy shop in edit mode. A lot of my stuff is one of a kind, and I don't want to sell something twice when I've only got one! (Yeah, right, that is sooooooooooooooooo going to happen. ;p)

If you're near Wylie, Texas, on September 20, come see us! We'll be at St. Anthony Catholic Church for their carnival and 150th anniversary celebration.

Next week we'll be at the carnival at St. Ann Church in Kaufman, Texas. Join us for the fun.

Now, if I can just keep from gnawing my fingers off in nervous anticipation, I'll be fine. :-)

Anyone got a valium?

Man, my knuckles hurt!

2008-09-15T22:59:00.005-05:00

It's from all the pinning and pinning and pinning of these darned hotpads. Also from clutching the wheel on the sewing machine and "encouraging" the needle to penetrate up to 8 layers of tough bias tape, plus the 7 layers involved in the hotpads. Last night I had to put Ben-Gay on my hands to ease the pain, and I have to pop my knuckles more frequently than usual.

Anyway, here they are in all their relative glory.

I finished the last one this afternoon. And I got the embroidery for the "wedding bibs" done today. Tomorrow I'll cut them out and bind them in the tape I pressed tonight. Then I can finally get rid of them all and finish getting ready for the carnival this weekend.

Let's see, all I need to do is embroider 3 toddler aprons, bind a few blankets, make a couple of walkermate bags, sort out my stock, pack the car, clean up the house . . . . . . . .

A One-Ladybug Sweatshop

2008-09-12T23:49:00.002-05:00

My one-ladybug sweatshop has been going full speed since Monday, and my legs are getting tired. ;o) I've finished the pillowcases and hotpads that were in progress as of my last post. I'm now about halfway through with the 4 sets of hotpads and mitts that Olga ordered on Tuesday, and have planned out the embroidery for her original project.

However, this still leaves 2 hotpads to do (replacements for those she bought), as well as everything else I mentioned --- embroidery, blankets, toddler aprons, etc., etc., etc..

Plus, before the carnival I need to inventory everything, "freshen up" all my old stock (AND the drawers it's stored in), send out an Etsy order, pack everything up, write a list of what I'm taking, and clean up the living room, the den, my room . . . . . . . . .

Oh yeah, I need to go to Target sometime this week, too ---- if the remnants of Hurricane Ike don't blow us away.

I'm a glutton for punishment

2008-09-09T21:50:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready for two carnivals in the next two weeks. I have 4 half-done potholders at the sewing machine, I have to put collars on at least 3 toddler aprons, and I need to embroider a few more items as well. Oh, and I'd like to bind a couple more blankets as well. Plus, I have five little pillowcases to finish sewing by Saturday for a regular client.

But apparently that isn't enough work for me. Oh, no, not me.

Yesterday a lady called about embroidering some "wedding bibs". (Yeah, yeah, I've never heard of them before either.) I quoted her $20. Today she came by to drop them off, and I end up agreeing to cut out and bind the darn things for another $10 (I should have said $15). Anyway, my mother got in the act and told her about my micro mitts and my newest item, heart-shaped hotpads. I showed them to her and she loved them, so much that she left with two hearts and these mitts.

She was so taken with them that she ordered two sets of each.

To be done by next Wednesday, before she goes out of town on Friday.

With all that I have to do in the next week and a bit, why oh why did I agree to make 8 more hotpads on top of the "bibs"?

All together now:

because I'm a glutton for punishment!

Lean Cuisine ruined my lasagna :o(

2008-09-02T23:17:00.004-05:00

I've been buying Lean Cuisine's lasagna with meat sauce for several years. It reminded me of the lasagna I'd get at Olive Garden --- mildly spicy without large chunks of tomatoes and plenty of meat. A few weeks ago I tried another brand and didn't like it as much -- it tasted strange. Tonight I had a LC lasagna, and guess what? They've apparently changed to the same recipe as the other brand. Ugh.

There wasn't much meat in the sauce; hell, there wasn't much sauce! I found several tomato chunks the size of a small grape, and I truly hate chomping down on stewed tomatoes! The worst part was when I bit down on something that tasted kind of like licorice --- it might have been caraway. Now, I don't like the taste of licorice anyway, but I sure didn't expect to find it in my lasagna! It's been an hour and I still haven't managed to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. :o(

Why do companies do this? It seems like they play with recipes just because they can. The box says "new recipe" (which I wish I'd noticed when I bought it), but has nothing to indicate they changed it to reduce calories or sodium or for any other healthful reason. It used to have plenty of cheese; now the cheese is nearly nonexistent. My advice to them is CHANGE IT BACK!!!!!

I've got another one in the freezer, but it will be a while before I can bring myself to eat it. First I have to forget the way it tasted!

Jewelry fit for a Snow Queen

2008-08-25T23:30:00.002-05:00

Tonight I listed this gorgeous citrine and quartz set made by my talented sister Joy. It has a choker, bracelet, and matching earrings. The way the light reflects off the quartz is really neat -- makes it look like ice crystals.I was really having trouble coming up with a decent description and pricing of this set. I sew and crochet and have no idea of what's reasonable for beautiful jewelry. Luckily, my friend Yoboseiyo at Jewelry Ninja! helped me out. :o) Check out her shop for all sorts of innovative jewelry designs.

O Frabjous Day!

2008-08-17T10:01:00.003-05:00

For the last several years we've prayed every Sunday for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially from our parish. Today Fr. John announced that five people from our parish are committing themselves to trying their vocations. Two young men will be studying for the priesthood for our diocese, and one for another diocese. A fourth man will be taking his first vows as a Cistercian monk, and a young woman will be starting a life with the Dominican nuns.

This is truly wonderful! Over my lifetime we've had three priests from our parish: my brother Joseph, Msgr. Robert Coerver, and Michael Duca, the new Bishop of Shreveport. There have been a couple other men ordained, but they ended up leaving the priesthood for various reasons. We've also had at least two women become nuns. The older sister of a schoolmate has been in the convent for twenty years or so, and comes home every year for a few weeks. Sister Carol, the former music teacher at my parish school, also grew up here. However, she left the convent after about 15 years. She's been out 20+ years and I still don't know how to address her! LOL To me she'll always be Sister Carol, who taught me piano for one year (we agreed that piano was not for me), music for 8, and was my choir director for 3.

We must continue to pray for vocations. There is a serious shortage of priests in America, and the only way we will get more is by praying. You never know who will hear God's call and take heed -- it might be you!

WalkerMates listed at last!

2008-08-12T17:22:00.004-05:00

Today I listed my newest creations, a couple of WalkerMates bags. They're great for carrying all the little things you can't handle when using a walker. I plan to tweak the patterns a little, and try some other designs as well.

The floral one is for ladies, and the blue one for men. The latter includes two elastic straps on the back for holding a magazine or newspaper, or other bulky items.

I'm hoping they'll just walk right out of my shop. :o)

Root Canal Day

2008-08-08T23:38:00.003-05:00

Today I had my root canal, and it was a lot easier than I expected. In fact, in some respects it was easier than having a tooth filled. The doc didn't start til I was well numbed, even though he had to wait a bit to give me a second shot. And because of the "rubber raincoat" they put on, I didn't have to worry about keeping my tongue out of the way or swallowing some of the debris. :-)

In 10 days I go back for the finishing touches. The doc will replace my temporary "Blue Velvet" filling (I'm not kidding, that's the name) with a permanent one. Then it's off to the dentist for my third crown.

On the other hand, that rubber raincoat was attached to a torture device. True, it kept my mouth open without work, but it was rather painful going on and gave me a real ache in my jaw which I still have 14 hours later. :-(

The other painful part of the procedure was the price. My insurance plan will only cover about $150, and I get to pay the rest of the $1350 myself. OUCH! They don't normally do payment plans, but since I have to come back, I was able to pay only half today.

I'll probably have to have another root canal done, but it will have to wait for a year or two while I save up for it.

I took the plunge

2008-08-06T23:11:00.003-05:00

I listed the fabric in my previous post. It's here in my Etsy shop. Now I have to wait to see if anyone is just so wild about it that they want the whole piece.

Destashing Fabric . . . . and I'm Stumped

2008-08-05T19:06:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago my mother and I were going through some of our boxes looking for certain materials, and we came across this piece.

It's very pretty, but we have absolutely no use for it. The little girls in our family are all too old for it now, either as dresses or curtains. I want to list it for sale on Etsy, but I'm completely stumped as to price.

The piece is 2.75 yards long by a true 45" wide, with a single 2.5" border. Any suggestions, whether for price or description, would be deeply appreciated.

Too Many Gadgets

2008-08-01T22:49:00.014-05:00

About 5 years ago I bought a simple Babylock embroidery machine, very similar to this Simplicity machine, and this PED Basic card reader/writer device to download designs from the internet.
Unfortunately, machine embroidery software is only available for Windows, so I had to buy a PC and a printer.And a hub, since my laptop only has 2 USB ports. :-(Then I messed up and bought a pack of designs on a disk instead of a card, so I had to buy a disk drive for my laptop. It's been 3 years and I've used it exactly once, to read that disk. LOLMy next purchase was a digital camera, so I could take pictures to list items on Ebay. Before I could list anything, I learned about Etsy.com, a much better place to sell handmade items. :-) This one is similar to mine (it's hard to take a camera's picture ;p).After I started to sell things on Etsy, I signed up for Stamps.com and got this digital scale. It only weighs up to 5 lbs., but it's fine since my stuff is all very light.Earlier this week I got tired of changing camera batteries all the time and bought myself a card reader. I'd have preferred green, but the choice was black or blue. :-( so I got blue. The only downside is the cable's fairly short.And of course, there's the nearly 20-yr. old dual tapedeck/radio that I listen to while on the computer!
As I've been sitting here tonight, I've realized two things. One, I have too many gadgets. And two, I have too much time on my hands when I start taking pictures of everything I own. :o)

More Mitts in production

2008-08-01T18:29:00.004-05:00

I've gotten lots of comments on my first set of micro mitts. Some were simply on the lines of "neat idea", but others were more "ooh, I want a set!" So I picked out some fabrics and dug out the Insul-Bright yesterday and got started.

Here's what I got done today:

The red's a bit darker than it shows, and the rooster fabric is a little lighter. (I never can get that red to photograph properly.)

I marked, quilted, cut out, and edge-finished these three sets. Whew! What a job! Tomorrow I'll get to do the easier part, binding and assembling the sets. Then it's time for a photo op before I list them in my shop. Hopefully, they'll sell as fast as the first set. :-)

More Mitts

2008-07-29T23:35:00.008-05:00

Tonight I finished my second set
of micro mitts while listening to the Rangers beat the Mariners in a hard-fought game. This pair is blue-green with yellowish dots . I haven't listed them yet, as I'm waiting to hear from someone who likes blue-green items and thinks the mitts are great.

And yes, these have been "in production" for a couple years as well. :-) The next set I'll have to make from scratch, and I want to do it soon -- I've got several people who were disappointed that the first set sold today.