Controversy

I’m finally to the quilting step of the quilt I’m making for a christmas gift.  I was originally going to do quilts for 2 people, but seeing as I’m moving at the speed of molasses on the first one, I’m guessing the second one will be for a Christmas gift next year.  Apparently, I’m quilting with both polyester and cotton.  I don’t remember if I knew that when I bought the thread or not, and I’m sure some of you are probably cringing right now.  I claim ignorance.  And yes, I’m quilting with Gutermann.  If I should know better, please educate me.  I don’t know what else to use, or where to get it.  And please don’t say Mettler.  Mettler and my machine are not friends.  Not even frenemies.  They flat out hate each other, and don’t care who knows it.  I try to stay out of the line of fire on that one…

I’m Running Out of Titles

Well I’m about 90% healed, and I’ve actually gotten a few things done.

Remember the awfully ugly, but hugely sentimental quilt I took a vote on recently?  About whether to leave it as is, or cut it up and sash it?  Most people said not to cut it, so I left it whole and tied it.  It was sort of a disaster, but it’s done.  The original construction, done circa 1997, was so horrible it was hard to salvage anything remotely correct about it. 

I understand the idea that it’s important to keep it intact, for all those reasons yall gave.  But to be honest, in hindsight, I wish I had cut it up into blocks, sashed it, and put it back together.  I think it could have made a neat looking quilt.  But, it’s all done, and that was my main goal.  Perhaps someday, far in the future, I’ll rip it all apart and do that, but for now, it’s crossed off the list.  I do have to say though, even though it’s really ugly, it’s the coziest quilt I’ve done so far.  I think it must be the tying that had that effect.  And I can cuddle up in it all the time, and not be afraid to spill anything on it.  I like that about it too. 

I got the binding stitched to the front of the chubby chicks quilt, and it’s off to my grandma’s to whipstitch it to the back.  Thanks grandma!  I forgot to take a picture of it, but I’ll put some up when I get it back.  I had pieced the back together in all the bright colors from the front, and it turned out pretty neat.  When I send it to Randi to long-arm, I have to add quite a few inches to all the edges so she can load it on her machine.  This time, I cut off those excess edges and turned it into binding.  Since it was already pieced from the back, it turned into a really cute, really quick, 430 inches of binding for some future brightly colored pieced quilt. 

I got a few more things done, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with my productiveness.   I’ll leave you with a picture of some cute Christmas fabric I got recently.  I’m slowly collecting some vintage looking christmas prints, and I just fell in love with these. 

 

Odds and Ends

Well, I’m on day 5 of being sicker than I’ve been in a long time. I think I’ve only been outside once in these past 5 days, and have pretty much stayed in the recliner, or in bed. I don’t know which I hate worse, the being sick, or feeling too crappy to get anything done. I’m very much a stay-busy kind of person, so I hate doing nothing productive for this long.  I did get a good book read, and 3 cute movies watched, so it hasn’t been a total waste, I guess.  But enough about that.

I got sick before I was able to get to JoAnn’s to get an iron, so I don’t have anything to report about that.  But thanks to everyone for the comments about what you like.  Next time I catch one on sale, I’ll know better what to get.

I have several HUGE thank you’s to say…

Thanks to Courtney for the adorable quilting rubber ducky she sent me. 

She told me ever since I posted about starting a rubber ducky collection, (which I now see I’ve been spelling incorrectly all along) she’s had her eye out for me.  SO thoughtful, Courtney, and I really, really appreciate it. 

They’re now a happy family of 3.  That’s my very favorite turquoise mug that I’m drinking hot cider out of, appropriately on my rubber ducky coaster, made by the equally sweet Cathy.

Another BIG thank you to Randi.  She long-armed my chubby chicks quilt, and I received it back in the mail a few days ago.  I haven’t had the energy to unpack it yet, but I saw how amazing it is from the pictures on her blog.  She also sent me this really cute shopping list, and she already filled in the first page for me.

How well she knows me!  I think the S S on the jeans pockets must be for Summer Sadie   Thanks Randi!! 

Another BIG belated thank you to Teresa.  She sent me a bloggy award a few weeks ago. 

It’s the Blog De Oro award.  I’m supposed to pick 10 bloggers to pass it on to, but I just can’t.  I’ve been so overwhelmed by all the kind words and thoughts in the last couple of months, I couldn’t limit it to just 10.  So all who come to read this post, consider yourself the newest recipient of this award. 

And last, but certainly not least, a BIG thank you to my beloved husband who has waited on me hand and foot for the last 5 days I’ve been sick.  I don’t know what I did to deserve him, but I couldn’t have asked for a better husband.  Thank you sweetheart!! 

Hopefully I’ll be back in a few days and be able to report I’ve actually accomplished something…

Irons

Irons are 30% off at JoAnn’s right now, and I really need a new iron.  What kind should I get?

Hands

After I worked on getting my CD’s onto my computer until my ears bled yesterday, I figured it was time to do some sewing.  I wanted to get the back finished on my Christmas gift quilt, and get it basted.  So I went and got batting, and then came home and got all my stuff layed out.  I had pieced the center of the back, but then ordered 2 1/8 yards of a specific print to make 2 solid strips down the sides.  2 1/8 was very important.  When I ordered the fabric from the Fabric Shack, I stressed how important it was in the ’special instructions’ section, and that if they didn’t have the entire piece of 2 1/8 yards, to please let me know so that I could pick a different one, because 2 1/8 was very important.  When I went to lay it out last night, I didn’t have 2 1/8 yards, I had 1 1/2 yards.  ***Update***  I emailed Fabric Shack about the issue, and they’re sending me out the 2 1/8 yard piece today.*** 

So, since I couldn’t work on that, I went back to the tying.  The first tying session was awful.  Miserable.  But last night wasn’t so bad.  A different needle made a world of difference.  Plus I had help.  My Mom and I tag-teamed it.

These are her hands.  I love these hands.  

These are the same hands. 

Anyway, the company also made all the difference in the world, and we made a good dent in it.  I think I’ll listen to my iPod and tie today.  If you need me, that’s where I’ll be.

I Have Arrived

So I need to lose 10 pounds.  For a lot of reasons.  I’ve actually known I needed to lose 10 pounds for awhile, and have already lost 4, but they don’t count because I wasn’t really trying.  But now I’m really going to bite the bullet and try to lose 10 more.  But I hate working out, I get really bored.  So I decided to buy an iPod so that I could listen to music, and then hopefully not get as bored.  Plus, all these new cars have iPod docking stations, so I figured I needed to get one so that I could fully appreciate that little feature. 

So I got the iPod Shuffle.  It’s the smallest version, because really, I don’t know how much I’ll use it.  I don’t even turn the radio on in the car.  I love music, but I don’t like listening to CD’s because I usually only like one or two songs, and then you’re messing with changing CD’s every few mintues.  And I don’t like all the commercials in radio.  So hopefully this’ll be better.  I was so excited because normally they’re $80, and I got this one for $34.  Isn’t that a great deal?!  I think I’ll celebrate all the money I saved by having a root beer float.  (Can I celebrate getting a deal on something that’s supposed to help me lose weight by having ice cream and root beer?  I thought so, too).  Anyway, then I had to download something called iTunes, so that I could put all my CD’s onto the Shuffle.  I got tickled at this, thinking I was so ‘techy’ now.  My husband told me I was about as techy as a 12 year old, but I take that as a compliment, cuz those kids these days are pretty savvy about this stuff.

It’s so tiny, but it has a clip on the back to attach to your shirt while you’re running.  Not that I’ll be running.  I don’t run.  But while I’m walking, I’ll be able to listen to all my music.  So instead of doing all this sewing I was going to do today, I’ll have to be uploading CD’s.  And that’ll take all day, so I won’t be able to start my working out until tomorrow.  Except that tomorrow I’ll have to catch up on the sewing I didn’t do today, and then I have to work all weekend.  So I guess the working out will have to wait until next week.

PS…Can I just tell you that spell-check doesn’t recognize the word ‘bored’, but it did tell me how to correctly write iPod and iTunes?  How crazy is that?!

Thank You

Thank you for all the thoughtful comments and emails I’ve received, I truly appreciate every word.  Such sweet souls I’ve met through this blog.  I should probably write a post about what’s going on….writing is therapeutic for me and I’m sure I’d get many encouraging stories from people who have experienced similar things….but I’m just not ready yet.  Soon, maybe.  

I wasn’t quite as productive today as I wanted to be, but I did get the back finished for the Halloween quilt.  I pieced it from leftover scraps and extra blocks I have, and it took a whopping 8 hours to do!  I was so relieved when it was done, that I totally forgot to take a picture.  So this is a no picture post again, sorry.  Yesterday I got all the housework done, including 7 loads of laundry, so it’s nothing but sewing for the next couple of days.  Maybe I’ll remember to take some pictures…

A Heavy Heart

“Wait for the Lord:  Be strong, and let your heart take courage;  Yes, wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14 (NASB)

“But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.”  Romans 8:25 (The Living Bible)

“Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act!  Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing…” (Psalm 37:34 (TLB)

“The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him, to those who seek for Him.”  Lamentations 3:25 (TLB)

“…If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.  Just be patient!  They will not be overdue a single day!”  Habakkuk 2:3B (TLB)

\ˈfrü-gəl\

I wouldn’t call myself ‘cheap’, exactly, but I have been described as ‘frugal’.  Dictionary.com defines frugal as, “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful”.  I’m okay with that.  I’d say it’s pretty accurate.  Except when it comes to fabric shopping, then that all goes out the window, but that’s a whole other issue.  But I would say that, in general, I’m very careful with money.  It’s a topic that stresses me out in general.  I tend to want to plan for the future, but sometimes I try to do that to a fault.  I’ve been thinking about all these things in regards to buying a car.  For example, The Ford Edge would be a better decision for the long-term, but not so good short-term.  It’s got plenty of room to grow into, and it would be all the car we would forseeably need for the next 10 years.  But on the flip side, it’s much more expensive which would mean a much bigger car payment for the next 5 years,  and it’s really much more space then what we need right now.  The  Nissan Cube on the other hand, is a better decision short-term, but not so much long-term.  We would potentially grow-out of it before 10 years is up, but the payments are much more affordable.  And really, it has plenty of space for what we need right now, and even forseeably into the next few years.  So what’s the better decision?  My natural inclination is to go for what’s better long-term.  I’m a planner, through and through.  But I’m also naturally frugal, if you will, which makes me lean more towards the smaller car payments.  Especially considering that we haven’t had a car payment since we’ve been married, it’ll be a big pill to swallow.  So I’m torn.  I go back and forth on any given day.

Having said all that, I’ve eliminated the Edge.  It’s just too expensive, and really more car then what we need right now.  But I have added for consideration the Nissan Rogue.                                                                         

    

We had one of these a rental a while back when the car was in the shop.  I don’t remember specifics about it, but I don’t remember really disliking it.  And I’m still considering the Mazda cx-7, although I haven’t test driven it yet.  Both are realistically a better size, and price point, for our current circumstances.  I’m trying to find a happy medium between living in the moment, and planning for the future.  Besides, God forbid this should happen…

it really doesn’t matter whether the vehicle would be good for us in 10 years or not.

So, don’t think this is turning into a car blog, instead of a crafty one.  These are just the things I’ve been contemplating recently.  I’m going to try to take inspiration from Flossy “The Machine” Blossy, and get some serious progress made on my to-do list this week.  I want to get 1. a christmas gift quilt back made and the whole thing basted, and maybe even start quilting  2.  Halloween quilt back done 3.  memory quilt completely finished being tied, and bound. 4.  CW quilt back done and mailed to Randi to be long-armed, plus all the regular household stuff that needs to be done.  The laundry is overflowing the basket, so I think I’ll start there.  Yall keep me accountable to not be lazy this week.

And finally, I’ll leave you with a picture of this little guy we found enjoying the nice weather last week at the Farmer’s Market.

The Crazy Cube Lady

I think I’m probably going to have to get a new car within the next 6-ish months.  I’m not thrilled about it, but the things wear out.  I do have to say that I’m a one-car kind of woman.  I want a car that will last a really long time, I’m not the type that wants to trade-in for something new every couple of years.  This is ole’ red.

(Okay, I can’t actually find a picture, so just get a mental image of an old busted up red car)

I drove her for almost 11 years.  She was ‘totaled’ in 2008, although the damage was just cosmetic, so I kept on driving her.  She had well over 100K miles.  The windows no longer worked and were wired shut, the seats didn’t move, the dash and window plastic was all warped up, the upholstery was hanging from the roof, the trunk was no longer waterproof, the sun visors were broken, and I could go on.  But I loved her.  Then earlier this year, she needed some very expensive repairs, and I just couldn’t justify putting any more money into her.  So we sent her away to car heaven.  That put us down to one vehicle, and my MIL graciously gave us her old truck.  Which meant that I started driving my husband’s old car.  A Saturn POC that is also 10 years old, has over 100K miles, and has to have something expensive repaired every few months.  The difference is that I’m not attached to the Saturn like I was to ole’ red.  So, while I’m not looking forward to having a car payment, I am looking forward to having something shiny and new, for the first time ever. 

I had had my heart set on a Murano.  I want a small SUV, and I thought they were really pretty.  I like the curviness of them.  But then I actually sat in one, and felt a little swallowed up.  It was too big.  And too expensive.  Plus, I felt the back glass was a little small, like I couldn’t see anything.  So I marked it off my list.

So yesterday we went car browsing just for fun.  Because it was beautiful outside and we wanted to walk around.  And car shopping is one of the Mr’s favorite things to do.  Plus, I’d like to have an idea what I want to buy when it actually gets down to time. 

First we saw this one, a Mazda CX-7.

Much more budget friendly than the Murano.  I didn’t actually get to sit in this one, so I don’t know how big it really felt, but it looked very roomy.  By this point in the outing I was very ho-hum.  I just don’t get as excited about these things as the Mr, who by the way, wants a Jetta Wolfsburg turbo thing.

Anyway, the next one I liked was the Ford Edge.

Still pretty, with that same curvy look that I love.  I was a bit overwhelmed sitting in it, but not terrible.  It’s much bigger than the little cars I’m used to, but I’m sure I’d get used to it, and become less intimidated by it.  I wouldn’t want anything bigger, for sure, but this was nice.  I really liked it.  By this time, I’m completely ‘over’ the car shopping thing, ready to go home.  But we made one last stop at another Nissan dealership.  As we were driving up and down the aisles, I spotted this one, The Cube.

My first thought was, “That’s the ugliest car I’ve ever seen!”  And then I fell in love with it.  I love the uniqueness of it.  I love the asymmetry of it.

The Mr. thinks it’s atrocious, and said he wouldn’t be caught dead driving it.  I like it because it’s the underdog of the car world, I’m sure all the other cars make fun of it.  I like the wraparound glass, the visibility is amazing.   I like that it’s bigger than a car, but not super big.  I don’t feel overwhelmed sitting in it.  And I really love the price tag, and it gets really good gas mileage.  I was definitely not ho-hum about this car.  I got all excited, jumping up and down waiting for the guy to unlock it.  I rarely get that excited about things (besides Phantom of the Opera on Broadway things).  I never get excited about a car.  Still not convinced?  Look at it again…

Is it growing on you yet?  I like it best in the ‘bitter chocolate’ color.  

 

Now granted, I still have to test drive all 3, but if I had to buy a car today, these would be my 3 options.  The Mazda CX-7, Ford Edge, or Nissan Cube.  What do you think?  You can tell me the Cube is ugly, you won’t hurt my feelings.  Do any of you have any personal experience with any of these cars or car brands?  Do you think I would get tired of being called the Crazy Cube Lady?