Done Just in Time!

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

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!

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

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 . . .

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

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!

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.