So, yesterday, I was all proud of myself because I had finally managed to upload all of my completed scrapbook pages to Creative Memories, and was going to have them shipped to me.
Unfortunately, as soon as I finished posting yesterday, I got the notice that my order wouldn't ship to me until late November or early December. BUT, I could have the pages shipped early, if only I paid a "small" extra fee. That "small" fee brought the total for my pages up over $200... way up over $200.
That is unacceptable. I love scrapbooking the old fashioned way, with my pictures, scissors, tape, and a mess of paper all over the floor. Honestly, if you don't get to make a mess, why bother?
The only reason I had even considered doing this as a digital project was because I had begun it as a digital project- back when I was still a CM consultant.
Honestly, I really could have scrapped this album the old fashioned way faster than I am going to get it delivered to me.
Not wanting to lose the hours I spent on this project over the past few days, I decided to look around on the web.
I found a wonderful online print shop - http://www.persnicketyprints.com/ - that will allow me to upload my pages and then have them printed and shipped to me.
The only drawback was that I had to first save my completed pages as j-pegs.
Once I managed this feat, (Which again, took longer than it should have - my learning curve on this one is pretty high.) I managed to upload the images, and they will be printed as 12 x 12 pages, just as they would have done had I gone through Creative Memories.
Their processing time is phenomenal. It will take from 12-24 hours for them to process my order. The only potential delay will come with shipping - the items must ship from their Utah location to my house. Since I'm not willing to pay rush fees, I am curious to see how quickly everything will get to me. Unfortunately, I think every person in the United States who has ever used Creative Memories software is also processing prints, so I think it might take a little while longer to have this stuff shipped out to me!
Did I mention the pricing? I'm paying considerably LESS than $200. Their price points begin at $1.99 for a 12 x 12 print, and go up from there, depending upon whether you want it printed on a foam core board or not. (When I checked, there was no difference for Matte or Glossy finish. That could change, depending upon their circumstances.)
I'm not getting any money from Persnickety for this. I'm not being paid anything by them for this post. I just want to share what I found with other people who are searching for a way to print their scrapbook albums. I'll let you know about their quality when I get the prints back.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Scrapbook Frustrations
I love to scrapbook. Give me a table, a pile of photographs, and a pair of scissors, and I can easily keep myself amused for hours.
Years ago, I was a consultant for Creative Memories. I sold just enough product to pay for my own materials. (Support my habit.)
I haven't been a CM consultant for several years now, but I still order their product.
At the beginning of the month, I got a note from a friend who still is a consultant, letting me know that the company has filed for bankruptcy, and that they will stop selling product at the end of this month.
While I think I'm good to go with product, I had one... count it.... ONE... digital album from 2009. I had worked on this several years ago, but never got around to printing it out.
So, yesterday began the most frustrating experience I've ever had with digital scrapbooking, ever.
I keep all of my photos and scrapbooks stored on an external hard drive. The drive is next to the computer. The problem is, I spent longer than I should have trying to find the cables. How did the cables end up being removed from the hard drive, you ask? Good question, and one that I would dearly love to find the answer to!
Finally found the cables, and got everything up and running.
Next problem, CM refused to recognize my software. I had to go back and dig up the product codes in order to get the software up and running. At this point, I'd already spent an hour on the project, but had yet to OPEN the actual scrapbook.
Scrapbook opened, I found I had about 14 more pages I needed to assemble in order to finish the album. Two hours later, the album was finished, and I spent the next hour editing pictures, text, etc. to make certain that everything was spelled correctly and that the pictures were correctly centered.
At this point, I'd spent about 4 hours on the project, and was ready to order.
I began the upload... and the system crashed, dumped my project, and shut me out of the system. The error notification told me that I was on too slow of a connection, but I am on a broadband connection, and I'm on the computer that is directly attached to the internet with a cable... I'm not on a wireless connection.
So, the process began again. The preview of the pages. Uploading the pages... and DUMP....
I tried uploading in smaller batches. Again... DUMP....
Finally, after 4 more hours of on and off attempts, I gave up the madness and quit.
I spoke with my friend late last night about my frustrations.
"Oh," she said. "There are a whole bunch of product codes that are expiring tonight. The system might be overwhelmed."
And there you go. This morning, in the time it has taken me to write this post, my pages have uploaded, and they have been ordered.
Less than an hour.
Still, in the time it took me to put the album together, and attempt to upload the photos, again, and again, and again, I could have finished the scrapbook by hand.
There would be a terrific mess all over the floor, and I would feel as if I have accomplished something other than sitting on my behind in front of a computer for most of a day.
Even if I do have a completed scrapbook being shipped out to me sometime in the next few months,
I think I like the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies the old fashioned way a little bit more.
Years ago, I was a consultant for Creative Memories. I sold just enough product to pay for my own materials. (Support my habit.)
I haven't been a CM consultant for several years now, but I still order their product.
At the beginning of the month, I got a note from a friend who still is a consultant, letting me know that the company has filed for bankruptcy, and that they will stop selling product at the end of this month.
While I think I'm good to go with product, I had one... count it.... ONE... digital album from 2009. I had worked on this several years ago, but never got around to printing it out.
So, yesterday began the most frustrating experience I've ever had with digital scrapbooking, ever.
I keep all of my photos and scrapbooks stored on an external hard drive. The drive is next to the computer. The problem is, I spent longer than I should have trying to find the cables. How did the cables end up being removed from the hard drive, you ask? Good question, and one that I would dearly love to find the answer to!
Finally found the cables, and got everything up and running.
Next problem, CM refused to recognize my software. I had to go back and dig up the product codes in order to get the software up and running. At this point, I'd already spent an hour on the project, but had yet to OPEN the actual scrapbook.
Scrapbook opened, I found I had about 14 more pages I needed to assemble in order to finish the album. Two hours later, the album was finished, and I spent the next hour editing pictures, text, etc. to make certain that everything was spelled correctly and that the pictures were correctly centered.
At this point, I'd spent about 4 hours on the project, and was ready to order.
I began the upload... and the system crashed, dumped my project, and shut me out of the system. The error notification told me that I was on too slow of a connection, but I am on a broadband connection, and I'm on the computer that is directly attached to the internet with a cable... I'm not on a wireless connection.
So, the process began again. The preview of the pages. Uploading the pages... and DUMP....
I tried uploading in smaller batches. Again... DUMP....
Finally, after 4 more hours of on and off attempts, I gave up the madness and quit.
I spoke with my friend late last night about my frustrations.
"Oh," she said. "There are a whole bunch of product codes that are expiring tonight. The system might be overwhelmed."
And there you go. This morning, in the time it has taken me to write this post, my pages have uploaded, and they have been ordered.
Less than an hour.
Still, in the time it took me to put the album together, and attempt to upload the photos, again, and again, and again, I could have finished the scrapbook by hand.
There would be a terrific mess all over the floor, and I would feel as if I have accomplished something other than sitting on my behind in front of a computer for most of a day.
Even if I do have a completed scrapbook being shipped out to me sometime in the next few months,
I think I like the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies the old fashioned way a little bit more.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
My Frugal Accomplishments
My favorite black-belt tightwad, Amy Dacycyn, says that it is the attention to the small details that add up to great savings over time. So, here is my list of small things:
1) We changed the filter on the air conditioner.
2) We took the cats to the vet, they had their shots updated, and were checked for worms. Not exactly cheap, but it is in the long run it is money well spent.
3) Checked the air pressure in the tires in both cars.
4) Replaced the tire on the riding lawn mower with a new tire. It's a 30 year old mower. This is the second tire we've had to replace this summer. Still, at $40 a tire, we're saving considerable money over buying a new lawn mower. ($1800 mower - $80 tires = $1720 savings)
5) During the heat wave last week, we did no indoor cooking. We either grilled out our made salads to avoid heating up the house.
6) Cut up a large branch that fell off of one of the trees in the back yard and added it to the woodpile.
7) We had two take out dinners this week. Our anniversary and my birthday were this week, so we brought home take out for those two events. We did go out last night... we went to the coffee house at the church and had a wonderful evening with friends.
8) Went to the library, checked out two new books and the third series of Dr. Who on DVD.
9) Took the 6 bags of clothing and 2 old bridesmaid dresses to Goodwill. They are out of my house, and we have a receipt for our income taxes.
10) Replaced the outdoor clothesline with a new rope. The old rope was so loose, I'd had to tie giant loops in it to keep it taught. When I put a load of towels out to dry... snap... the entire thing broke. (Cost of a new rope.. $1.50 ... much cheaper than drying a load of laundry in the dryer!)
What small things did you do this week?
1) We changed the filter on the air conditioner.
2) We took the cats to the vet, they had their shots updated, and were checked for worms. Not exactly cheap, but it is in the long run it is money well spent.
3) Checked the air pressure in the tires in both cars.
4) Replaced the tire on the riding lawn mower with a new tire. It's a 30 year old mower. This is the second tire we've had to replace this summer. Still, at $40 a tire, we're saving considerable money over buying a new lawn mower. ($1800 mower - $80 tires = $1720 savings)
5) During the heat wave last week, we did no indoor cooking. We either grilled out our made salads to avoid heating up the house.
6) Cut up a large branch that fell off of one of the trees in the back yard and added it to the woodpile.
7) We had two take out dinners this week. Our anniversary and my birthday were this week, so we brought home take out for those two events. We did go out last night... we went to the coffee house at the church and had a wonderful evening with friends.
8) Went to the library, checked out two new books and the third series of Dr. Who on DVD.
9) Took the 6 bags of clothing and 2 old bridesmaid dresses to Goodwill. They are out of my house, and we have a receipt for our income taxes.
10) Replaced the outdoor clothesline with a new rope. The old rope was so loose, I'd had to tie giant loops in it to keep it taught. When I put a load of towels out to dry... snap... the entire thing broke. (Cost of a new rope.. $1.50 ... much cheaper than drying a load of laundry in the dryer!)
What small things did you do this week?
Friday, July 26, 2013
I'm 36.... AGAIN!!!
Today is my 12th annual 36th birthday. Yes, for 12 years now, I have been celebrating my 36th birthday.
My friends and family harass me a lot about deciding to stop at my 36th birthday. My 20 year old especially gives me a hard time. "Mom, do you honestly want people thinking that you had me when you were in high school?"
"Give it time son, and they'll think I had you when I was in kindergarten."
It has become some what of a family joke. Last year, my cake had candle numbers for 36 on it, and then 11 additional candles. I figure I am doing everyone a favor. If we were to actually put 48 candles on a cake, the chances that the entire thing would go up in flames is pretty big. I am saving the environment.
Two years ago, my kids decided to announce during the "Joys and Concerns" part of the church service a "Joy and Concern"... Joy that I was celebrating a birthday, and a Concern that it was my 10th annual time of celebrating my 36th birthday. Thanks, guys! Nothing like announcing that to the entire church. Actually, it was pretty funny... you could see everyone in the congregation trying to add the numbers in their head. I think I enjoyed that the most. After the service, I did have several people come up to me and tentatively ask: "So, you're 45 years old?" "Sure", I said. "45." Hey- I'll take it any way I can get it!
Seriously, though. The year I turned 36 was a world changing and shaking year. It was 2001.
My children were still cute and adorable, and their world revolved around their family. They were 8, 6, and 4. They played hard, they loved to sit on the floor around me and listen to stories before bedtime every night, and they still played with trains.
My Father was still alive. A little over a year later, his health began to rapidly decline. He had COPD, and the disease took a terrible toll on him.
My Aunts, the women who guided me to become the woman I am; all of them were still with us. Aunt Rosie, Aunt Joyce, and Aunt Marion. All 3 were my Dad's sisters. Amazing, strong, imaginative and successful women. I miss them all. Aunt Rosie's husband, Russell, was still alive. He was a kind and gentle soul. A farmer, he always took the time to point out the beauty in the world around us.
Within the year, Aunt Joyce and Uncle Russell were gone. A major part of the adults that formed my world had left me, and it was never quite the same again.
9-11 happened just weeks after my birthday. The world changed forever that day. So many lives lost, gone forever. The world as we knew it changed forever, and it's never been quite the same since.
I acknowledge that life has gone on in the 12 years since then. My Dad and all of his sisters have passed on. We've moved houses, and had two children go to college. I've faced some pretty intense personal crises, and I've finished a Master's Degree and attempted to find a job. I've watched all 3 of my children grow and thrive, and I am so proud of them, I could just bust.
But still, I like to hark back to the summer of 2001. A perfect summer, when the world was, in my mind, a perfect place to be. Don't mistake me, the summer of 2013 is pretty amazing too, but, my kids are grown now. One of them lives in his own apartment and is working full time on campus. Another one is working at a residential camp this summer. My awesome and amazing mother is still with us. My husband is healthy, even if he can be infuriating at times. I have friends who are there for me, no matter where the wind blows, or what happens. Most of all, our amazing world is still here, a beautiful place to live, full of joy, beauty, and challenges each and every day.
48 years of this amazing life. I really can't complain! It's been an awesome 48 years! I hope that I am given at least another 48 more to enjoy!
My friends and family harass me a lot about deciding to stop at my 36th birthday. My 20 year old especially gives me a hard time. "Mom, do you honestly want people thinking that you had me when you were in high school?"
"Give it time son, and they'll think I had you when I was in kindergarten."
It has become some what of a family joke. Last year, my cake had candle numbers for 36 on it, and then 11 additional candles. I figure I am doing everyone a favor. If we were to actually put 48 candles on a cake, the chances that the entire thing would go up in flames is pretty big. I am saving the environment.
Two years ago, my kids decided to announce during the "Joys and Concerns" part of the church service a "Joy and Concern"... Joy that I was celebrating a birthday, and a Concern that it was my 10th annual time of celebrating my 36th birthday. Thanks, guys! Nothing like announcing that to the entire church. Actually, it was pretty funny... you could see everyone in the congregation trying to add the numbers in their head. I think I enjoyed that the most. After the service, I did have several people come up to me and tentatively ask: "So, you're 45 years old?" "Sure", I said. "45." Hey- I'll take it any way I can get it!
Seriously, though. The year I turned 36 was a world changing and shaking year. It was 2001.
My children were still cute and adorable, and their world revolved around their family. They were 8, 6, and 4. They played hard, they loved to sit on the floor around me and listen to stories before bedtime every night, and they still played with trains.
My Father was still alive. A little over a year later, his health began to rapidly decline. He had COPD, and the disease took a terrible toll on him.
My Aunts, the women who guided me to become the woman I am; all of them were still with us. Aunt Rosie, Aunt Joyce, and Aunt Marion. All 3 were my Dad's sisters. Amazing, strong, imaginative and successful women. I miss them all. Aunt Rosie's husband, Russell, was still alive. He was a kind and gentle soul. A farmer, he always took the time to point out the beauty in the world around us.
Within the year, Aunt Joyce and Uncle Russell were gone. A major part of the adults that formed my world had left me, and it was never quite the same again.
9-11 happened just weeks after my birthday. The world changed forever that day. So many lives lost, gone forever. The world as we knew it changed forever, and it's never been quite the same since.
I acknowledge that life has gone on in the 12 years since then. My Dad and all of his sisters have passed on. We've moved houses, and had two children go to college. I've faced some pretty intense personal crises, and I've finished a Master's Degree and attempted to find a job. I've watched all 3 of my children grow and thrive, and I am so proud of them, I could just bust.
But still, I like to hark back to the summer of 2001. A perfect summer, when the world was, in my mind, a perfect place to be. Don't mistake me, the summer of 2013 is pretty amazing too, but, my kids are grown now. One of them lives in his own apartment and is working full time on campus. Another one is working at a residential camp this summer. My awesome and amazing mother is still with us. My husband is healthy, even if he can be infuriating at times. I have friends who are there for me, no matter where the wind blows, or what happens. Most of all, our amazing world is still here, a beautiful place to live, full of joy, beauty, and challenges each and every day.
48 years of this amazing life. I really can't complain! It's been an awesome 48 years! I hope that I am given at least another 48 more to enjoy!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
A Message from the Cat
Unspeakable horrors!
Yes, I have been subject to unspeakable horrors! This is Luna, the cat, and I have been subjected to the VET!
Yesterday, the humans... I hesitate to even call the one who feeds us and gives us water "MOM" did the worst thing, ever.
She gave me and Tiger treats, and then cooed to us while stroking our fur. She then put us into our horrid boxes...with lids.
Tiger just sits in his box. He is resigned to his fate. He's older too, 11 years old, and I think he's just lost his sparkle and his spunk.
"MOM" put me in my box and put me in the car. She then went back in to get Tiger's box. Silly mistake on her part. I managed to pop the lid open on my box and was halfway out before she got back out to the car. "MOM" shoved me back down into the box, and then she tied the lid closed!!! Can you believe it? She used a shoelace to tie the lid closed, and then she dangled the shoelace inside of the box for me, as if that would distract me from my horrible fate.
I wasn't sure where we were going until she pulled us out of the car. I could hear the dogs barking inside, and I could smell the stink of... of... of... the VET'S office.
"TRAITOR" I howled, but "MOM" just kept walking into the building, first bringing in me, and then Tiger.
When the Vet took us back into the office, I continued to howl "TRAITOR" the entire time. For some reason, she took Tiger out of his box first! Tiger sat there with a dignified stoicism, allowing the Vet to poke and prod at him. He hissed once or twice when the Vet went beyond the bounds of decency, but he was back in his box within 10 minutes.
I tell you, that cat is old, and he has lost his spunk.
When the Vet got to my box, I was determined to make this into an ordeal she wouldn't forget.
"And now, for the princess" she began.
My voice was a little hoarse from all of the howling I had done, so I decided to show her my nice, pointy fangs. Can you believe that she had the nerve to laugh at me?
And then, oh, I can't even begin to tell you what she did to me. She put a thermometer... no, no, I just can't say it.
She poked me. She checked me all over. She looked in my mouth. She looked in my ears. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her in no uncertain terms what I thought of her and her entire profession.
So, I got my revenge.
As soon as she released me and told "MOM" that I could go back in my box, I knew I had my opening. While that wimp, Tiger, had jumped immediately into his box and hunkered down in the back corner, I wanted to let her know in no uncertain terms what I thought of her.
So, when "MOM" turned around to pick my box up off of the floor, I did a quick squat and peed all over the exam table.
HAH!! I have now claimed that table to be mine!!!
Every cat who comes in after me will know that the incomparable Princess Luna has been here!
And then, while I was daintily walking back into my box, the Vet just kept laughing. She couldn't stop. As we were walking out of the room, she was spraying down my wonderful scent with some noxious potion that was labeled "B-L-E-A-C-H".
The indignity of it all.
I punished my humans by hiding under the bed all afternoon. I even turned up my nose at my favorite bedtime treat. (Don't tell MOM, but I ate it as soon as she turned out the lights and left the room. And then I ate Tiger's treat, too.)
Hardly the kind of day that a Princess likes or should be subjected to. Hmph.
Yes, I have been subject to unspeakable horrors! This is Luna, the cat, and I have been subjected to the VET!
Yesterday, the humans... I hesitate to even call the one who feeds us and gives us water "MOM" did the worst thing, ever.
She gave me and Tiger treats, and then cooed to us while stroking our fur. She then put us into our horrid boxes...with lids.
Tiger just sits in his box. He is resigned to his fate. He's older too, 11 years old, and I think he's just lost his sparkle and his spunk.
"MOM" put me in my box and put me in the car. She then went back in to get Tiger's box. Silly mistake on her part. I managed to pop the lid open on my box and was halfway out before she got back out to the car. "MOM" shoved me back down into the box, and then she tied the lid closed!!! Can you believe it? She used a shoelace to tie the lid closed, and then she dangled the shoelace inside of the box for me, as if that would distract me from my horrible fate.
I wasn't sure where we were going until she pulled us out of the car. I could hear the dogs barking inside, and I could smell the stink of... of... of... the VET'S office.
"TRAITOR" I howled, but "MOM" just kept walking into the building, first bringing in me, and then Tiger.
When the Vet took us back into the office, I continued to howl "TRAITOR" the entire time. For some reason, she took Tiger out of his box first! Tiger sat there with a dignified stoicism, allowing the Vet to poke and prod at him. He hissed once or twice when the Vet went beyond the bounds of decency, but he was back in his box within 10 minutes.
I tell you, that cat is old, and he has lost his spunk.
When the Vet got to my box, I was determined to make this into an ordeal she wouldn't forget.
"And now, for the princess" she began.
My voice was a little hoarse from all of the howling I had done, so I decided to show her my nice, pointy fangs. Can you believe that she had the nerve to laugh at me?
And then, oh, I can't even begin to tell you what she did to me. She put a thermometer... no, no, I just can't say it.
She poked me. She checked me all over. She looked in my mouth. She looked in my ears. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her in no uncertain terms what I thought of her and her entire profession.
So, I got my revenge.
As soon as she released me and told "MOM" that I could go back in my box, I knew I had my opening. While that wimp, Tiger, had jumped immediately into his box and hunkered down in the back corner, I wanted to let her know in no uncertain terms what I thought of her.
So, when "MOM" turned around to pick my box up off of the floor, I did a quick squat and peed all over the exam table.
HAH!! I have now claimed that table to be mine!!!
 |
| Tiger outside, Luna inside. |
And then, while I was daintily walking back into my box, the Vet just kept laughing. She couldn't stop. As we were walking out of the room, she was spraying down my wonderful scent with some noxious potion that was labeled "B-L-E-A-C-H".
The indignity of it all.
I punished my humans by hiding under the bed all afternoon. I even turned up my nose at my favorite bedtime treat. (Don't tell MOM, but I ate it as soon as she turned out the lights and left the room. And then I ate Tiger's treat, too.)
Hardly the kind of day that a Princess likes or should be subjected to. Hmph.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Who-Vians
I love Dr. Who. The BBC series began a long, long, long time ago (In 1963).
The series is about a time traveling time lord who journeys through space, time, and universes, righting wrongs, and saving humanity from extinction.
What makes this series so wonderful, and long running, is that the Doctor himself regenerates. Whenever the actor wants to leave the series, the Doctor is put into a death situation, where the only choice he has to continue living is to regenerate into a new form. (Actor).
So, since the series began, there have been 10 doctors. Matt Smith is the current doctor, and he is number 11. He will be leaving the series on Christmas day, and a new Doctor will be coming to town. Questions and speculation are already abounding over who the next Doctor will be. To some of us, this is a more important question that the name of the new royal baby.
I became hooked on Dr. Who in 1985, while I was in college. My room-mate hooked me on the Doctor, and we would sit down and watch it on Saturday afternoons. (In our college town, it aired on PBS. I think it was 2 years behind what was actually airing in Britain at the time, but who cares?)
I lost track of the Doctor once I graduated, began working and had a family.
And then, oldest child came home from college for his first break, raving about "The Doctor". I questioned him at length and found out that this was the same series I had followed in college, but that the actors were different, the writing and imagination were stupendous, and the special effects were vastly improved.
We went to the library, checked out a DVD, and I was immediately re-hooked.
Okay, it probably doesn't hurt that we were watching one of the episodes with the 10th doctor- David Tennant - and I think he is one of the best looking doctors that we have been offered to date. No mistake, Matt Smith is a good looking Doctor, but David Tennant is by far, my favorite.
So, I'm about to engage in some Doctor Who silliness....
David Tennant decided he wanted to become an actor at the tender age of 4 after watching an episode of Dr. Who.
One of the many episodes from the 4th series is entitled "The Doctor's Daughter", where the Doctor's DNA is used to make a new human, Jenny. Jenny is played by Georgia Moffat, the real life daughter of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson.
David Tennant, (the 10th Doctor) is married to Georgia Moffat. So... he has a Doctor-in-Law?
(Yes, I did just write an entire post with the hopes of getting someone to smile at David Tennant having a Doctor in Law instead of a Father in Law. I really need to have school start up again so I can start subbing!)
Anyway, for your Wednesday entertainment, I've included a couple of links for the Whovians amongst us:
1) The link to the official BBC Dr. Who web page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/
This page contains links to almost everything Dr. Who.
2) This is my favorite link. It is a skit done by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. (One of the doctor's companions, Donna Noble.) for Comic Relief:
The series is about a time traveling time lord who journeys through space, time, and universes, righting wrongs, and saving humanity from extinction.
What makes this series so wonderful, and long running, is that the Doctor himself regenerates. Whenever the actor wants to leave the series, the Doctor is put into a death situation, where the only choice he has to continue living is to regenerate into a new form. (Actor).
So, since the series began, there have been 10 doctors. Matt Smith is the current doctor, and he is number 11. He will be leaving the series on Christmas day, and a new Doctor will be coming to town. Questions and speculation are already abounding over who the next Doctor will be. To some of us, this is a more important question that the name of the new royal baby.
I became hooked on Dr. Who in 1985, while I was in college. My room-mate hooked me on the Doctor, and we would sit down and watch it on Saturday afternoons. (In our college town, it aired on PBS. I think it was 2 years behind what was actually airing in Britain at the time, but who cares?)
I lost track of the Doctor once I graduated, began working and had a family.
And then, oldest child came home from college for his first break, raving about "The Doctor". I questioned him at length and found out that this was the same series I had followed in college, but that the actors were different, the writing and imagination were stupendous, and the special effects were vastly improved.
We went to the library, checked out a DVD, and I was immediately re-hooked.
Okay, it probably doesn't hurt that we were watching one of the episodes with the 10th doctor- David Tennant - and I think he is one of the best looking doctors that we have been offered to date. No mistake, Matt Smith is a good looking Doctor, but David Tennant is by far, my favorite.
So, I'm about to engage in some Doctor Who silliness....
David Tennant decided he wanted to become an actor at the tender age of 4 after watching an episode of Dr. Who.
One of the many episodes from the 4th series is entitled "The Doctor's Daughter", where the Doctor's DNA is used to make a new human, Jenny. Jenny is played by Georgia Moffat, the real life daughter of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson.
David Tennant, (the 10th Doctor) is married to Georgia Moffat. So... he has a Doctor-in-Law?
(Yes, I did just write an entire post with the hopes of getting someone to smile at David Tennant having a Doctor in Law instead of a Father in Law. I really need to have school start up again so I can start subbing!)
Anyway, for your Wednesday entertainment, I've included a couple of links for the Whovians amongst us:
1) The link to the official BBC Dr. Who web page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/
This page contains links to almost everything Dr. Who.
2) This is my favorite link. It is a skit done by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. (One of the doctor's companions, Donna Noble.) for Comic Relief:
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Mom's Eyes
Let me start with a little backstory here: My Mom is 82 awesome and very stubborn years old. About a month ago, she began having problems with her vision. She was seeing a red haze. She was convinced it was cataracts, but from everything I've heard, cataracts don't make everything look red, they make everything darker, and harder to see.
My sister finally convinced her to go to the doctor's office two weeks ago. Her primary care looked in her eyes, and referred her to an optometrist. The optometrist looked in her eyes, and referred her to an ophthalmologist.
She visited the ophthalmologist yesterday.
It turns out that she's got something going on behind her retina. The vein leading into her eyes has greater pressure than the vein leading out. As a result, the blood is leaking out into the space behind her retina. It's not glaucoma.
For now, Mom is to rest, take it easy, and wait. One month from now, she will go back. If the pooling or swelling is worse, the doctor will give her a shot in her eye, which should help break up some of the fluid. If there is no change, or it goes down, then they will leave it alone.
"Above all else," said the doctor, "You must control your blood pressure."
"My blood pressure is fine." Said my Mom. "It dropped so much that I quit taking my blood pressure medicine a few months ago."
The ophthalmologist stared at my Mom for quite some time, measuring out his response.
"Does your primary care doctor know you stopped taking your blood pressure medicine?"
"I think so," said my Mom.
I wasn't present for this appointment. I get the next one. I know the last time my Mom was with her primary care doctor, my sister went to the appointment. I told her to make certain that her PCP knew she had given up her blood pressure meds, but I'm not sure she did.
Mom and I had an argument 3 months ago. She told me that she had given up her blood pressure meds because she didn't like the side effects, and because her blood pressure was already low enough. "I take my blood pressure first thing in the morning before I get out of bed, and it's at 119".
I asked if she had talked to her doctor. I told her that not taking her blood pressure meds could cause some serious health issues.
"I'm not afraid of dying" she told me. "I'm 82. I've lived a great life."
"It's not the dying part that worries me," I retorted. "It's the 'what if you don't die' part. Uncontrolled high blood pressure causes some ugly consequences in your body."
She promptly threw me out of her house. Told me I wasn't supportive. Told me to mind my own business, and told me those wonderful words: You're a teacher, not a doctor. You don't know anything.
And then yesterday, she had the appointment with the eye specialist. I looked up the official diagnosis on WebMD after I talked with my sister. Sure enough, the major cause of her condition is uncontrolled high blood pressure.
And now, I'm worried. If this is the first manifestation of uncontrolled high blood pressure, what else is going on inside of her body? Can the consequences be reversed? I was looking through the list of problems caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure, and the list is ugly. It's a scary list.
High blood pressure is called the silent killer for a reason. Frequently, there are no symptoms until it is too late.
Anyway, the long term consequence of this particular event is that even if the haze clears out and goes away, her vision will not ever be the same again. It will be worse. The chance of this happening again in the same eye or the other eye is very high.
My Mom's highly prized and coveted independence will most likely be coming to an end. She is not allowed to drive anymore. She is only able to run errands when either my sister or I can be there for a day to take her out and about. It's a hard reality check for someone who worked full time until she was 80 years old.
My sister finally convinced her to go to the doctor's office two weeks ago. Her primary care looked in her eyes, and referred her to an optometrist. The optometrist looked in her eyes, and referred her to an ophthalmologist.
She visited the ophthalmologist yesterday.
It turns out that she's got something going on behind her retina. The vein leading into her eyes has greater pressure than the vein leading out. As a result, the blood is leaking out into the space behind her retina. It's not glaucoma.
For now, Mom is to rest, take it easy, and wait. One month from now, she will go back. If the pooling or swelling is worse, the doctor will give her a shot in her eye, which should help break up some of the fluid. If there is no change, or it goes down, then they will leave it alone.
"Above all else," said the doctor, "You must control your blood pressure."
"My blood pressure is fine." Said my Mom. "It dropped so much that I quit taking my blood pressure medicine a few months ago."
The ophthalmologist stared at my Mom for quite some time, measuring out his response.
"Does your primary care doctor know you stopped taking your blood pressure medicine?"
"I think so," said my Mom.
I wasn't present for this appointment. I get the next one. I know the last time my Mom was with her primary care doctor, my sister went to the appointment. I told her to make certain that her PCP knew she had given up her blood pressure meds, but I'm not sure she did.
Mom and I had an argument 3 months ago. She told me that she had given up her blood pressure meds because she didn't like the side effects, and because her blood pressure was already low enough. "I take my blood pressure first thing in the morning before I get out of bed, and it's at 119".
I asked if she had talked to her doctor. I told her that not taking her blood pressure meds could cause some serious health issues.
"I'm not afraid of dying" she told me. "I'm 82. I've lived a great life."
"It's not the dying part that worries me," I retorted. "It's the 'what if you don't die' part. Uncontrolled high blood pressure causes some ugly consequences in your body."
She promptly threw me out of her house. Told me I wasn't supportive. Told me to mind my own business, and told me those wonderful words: You're a teacher, not a doctor. You don't know anything.
And then yesterday, she had the appointment with the eye specialist. I looked up the official diagnosis on WebMD after I talked with my sister. Sure enough, the major cause of her condition is uncontrolled high blood pressure.
And now, I'm worried. If this is the first manifestation of uncontrolled high blood pressure, what else is going on inside of her body? Can the consequences be reversed? I was looking through the list of problems caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure, and the list is ugly. It's a scary list.
High blood pressure is called the silent killer for a reason. Frequently, there are no symptoms until it is too late.
Anyway, the long term consequence of this particular event is that even if the haze clears out and goes away, her vision will not ever be the same again. It will be worse. The chance of this happening again in the same eye or the other eye is very high.
My Mom's highly prized and coveted independence will most likely be coming to an end. She is not allowed to drive anymore. She is only able to run errands when either my sister or I can be there for a day to take her out and about. It's a hard reality check for someone who worked full time until she was 80 years old.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Cleaning my Closet
Two weeks ago, the inevitable happened. I opened my closet doors, and the pile fell out and I couldn't push it all back in, no matter how hard I tried.
So, I succumbed to pressure. (Hah! Get it? Pressure- couldn't get the door closed? Hah! Okay, maybe it wasn't really that funny...)
I pulled everything out of the closet, and I determined that I was going to sort it all out, throw stuff out, give stuff away, and make that closet a thing of beauty.
When I pulled everything out, I was appalled. This is NOT a walk-in closet. It's a fairly smallish closet, about 4' deep and 6' long. As I pulled stuff out, the crap became an avalanche that made a pile that was 3' deep, and covered the entire area between our bed and the closet- about 24 square feet of space. How on earth did I ever get that much crap in my closet? (For the math geeks, that's about 72 cubic feet of crap.)
I've sorted out two bags of trash. I pulled out old clothes, and I have bagged them up to take to Goodwill. 6 bags of clothing. SIX!!! I found clothes in that closet that were out of style in 1980. I found clothes in there that I kept "just in case" I ever lost enough weight to fit back into them. The more I looked at them, the more I realized that if I ever managed to lose enough weight to fit back into a size 10, I would buy NEW clothes to celebrate the new figure. So, out they went.
I think the biggest surprise were the other things that had worked their way into my closet:
Brio train tracks. Honestly? The kids are 20, 18, and 16, and they were done playing with trains when we moved in here 8 years ago.
Hammers. I found 4 hammers. I handed them off to DH, who got this very confused look on his face and said "Where did these come from?" Even stranger, all of his hammers were accounted for.
Belts. 10 belts. 2 of those belts were mine. 1 belonged to daughter, and no one has claimed the other 7 belts.
Addressed envelopes. I found envelopes- stuffed with Christmas Cards, from 3 of the last 5 years. No stamps on the envelopes, but they were addressed.
I believe I have found the other end of one of those mysterious black holes where everything disappears. It's in my closet.
And then, stuffed into the back of the closet, I found these two items:
And then, there's this green dress.
I wore this to a wedding in 1995.
I have had this dress in my closet for twice as long as the
couple was actually married.
My daughter looked at the dresses and said "Mom, the 80's called. They want their clothes back."
These dresses are headed off to Goodwill, along with the other 6 bags of clothing later on this morning.
As you can see from the picture, the closet doors now close!
I still have two more plastic storage boxes to buy to store blankets in and then I will declare my closet to be officially clean!
Two weeks of pretty solid work, and my closet is finally clean! I tell you, I'd forgotten how nice it is to open a closet, be able to hang up clothes, or to be able to FIND something clean to wear.
I just wish I'd found a winning lottery ticket, or maybe a couple thousand dollars hiding out in there!
So, I succumbed to pressure. (Hah! Get it? Pressure- couldn't get the door closed? Hah! Okay, maybe it wasn't really that funny...)
I pulled everything out of the closet, and I determined that I was going to sort it all out, throw stuff out, give stuff away, and make that closet a thing of beauty.
When I pulled everything out, I was appalled. This is NOT a walk-in closet. It's a fairly smallish closet, about 4' deep and 6' long. As I pulled stuff out, the crap became an avalanche that made a pile that was 3' deep, and covered the entire area between our bed and the closet- about 24 square feet of space. How on earth did I ever get that much crap in my closet? (For the math geeks, that's about 72 cubic feet of crap.)
I've sorted out two bags of trash. I pulled out old clothes, and I have bagged them up to take to Goodwill. 6 bags of clothing. SIX!!! I found clothes in that closet that were out of style in 1980. I found clothes in there that I kept "just in case" I ever lost enough weight to fit back into them. The more I looked at them, the more I realized that if I ever managed to lose enough weight to fit back into a size 10, I would buy NEW clothes to celebrate the new figure. So, out they went.
I think the biggest surprise were the other things that had worked their way into my closet:
Brio train tracks. Honestly? The kids are 20, 18, and 16, and they were done playing with trains when we moved in here 8 years ago.
Hammers. I found 4 hammers. I handed them off to DH, who got this very confused look on his face and said "Where did these come from?" Even stranger, all of his hammers were accounted for.
Belts. 10 belts. 2 of those belts were mine. 1 belonged to daughter, and no one has claimed the other 7 belts.
Addressed envelopes. I found envelopes- stuffed with Christmas Cards, from 3 of the last 5 years. No stamps on the envelopes, but they were addressed.
I believe I have found the other end of one of those mysterious black holes where everything disappears. It's in my closet.
And then, stuffed into the back of the closet, I found these two items:
I wore this dress to a wedding back in the early 1990's.
Take a look at the back of this dress. Yes, this a bow on the butt.
Just what every bridesmaid wants: A big satin bow on their butt, while
standing in front of a congregation, facing AWAY from the congregation.
And then, there's this green dress.
I wore this to a wedding in 1995.I have had this dress in my closet for twice as long as the
couple was actually married.
My daughter looked at the dresses and said "Mom, the 80's called. They want their clothes back."
These dresses are headed off to Goodwill, along with the other 6 bags of clothing later on this morning.
As you can see from the picture, the closet doors now close!
I still have two more plastic storage boxes to buy to store blankets in and then I will declare my closet to be officially clean!
Two weeks of pretty solid work, and my closet is finally clean! I tell you, I'd forgotten how nice it is to open a closet, be able to hang up clothes, or to be able to FIND something clean to wear.
I just wish I'd found a winning lottery ticket, or maybe a couple thousand dollars hiding out in there!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Random Pictures
Some Random pictures from this week:
My Day Lilies are finally up!
They're late this year. They usually come out the last week in July,
but it had been really wet.
The view out of the front window of my van. This is the final road, coming into the final turn at the camp where my son works.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, during the National Anthem. O it's a beautiful thing!
This is the t-shirt quilt top, finished. I picked out the backing fabric yesterday.
I'll get to work on this sometime next week.
Fireworks at Camden Yards, immediately after the game.
Stunning display, set to music from the 80's.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Friday, July 19, 2013
It's a sub job... what can go wrong?
When I sub, I normally only sub in grades K-3. I'm certified to teach K-3, and when I was teaching, I taught K-3. It's the group that I am most comfortable with, and am the best at teaching. However, as the year comes to a close, I stop being so picky and take just about any job I can find. I think it's that motivation that says "You won't be getting a paycheck in June, July, and August" that makes me be less picky.
One day in late May, I took a job entitled "Supplementary". These jobs are the grab bag of the substitute world. You don't know what you're getting into until you walk in the door of the building that morning. Surprise!!
This particular day, I was assigned to 2nd grade in the morning and 5th grade in the afternoon. The 2nd grade class was a hoot, and I spent a wonderful time with a great class of kids, and had an awesome set of lesson plans to follow. I enjoyed myself no end.
The afternoon with 5th grade was particularly memorable. The teacher had left us with a DVD to watch, and had trained one child how to turn it on and get it to go. The movie was in her laptop, and it was to be projected from her laptop onto the white board in front of the room. Her final words to me before she left were "YOU don't touch anything. Only SHE does." (Pointing to a child in the class.) Okie Dokie!
We finished up the lesson she had left, and then SHE attempted to start the movie. Nothing happened. The girl tried, again, and nothing happened. The kids became very, very helpful. (Overly helpful, even.) Yet still, nothing happened. I called down to the main office, and they sent an Assistant Principal down to "show us" how to make it work. He ended up calling the media specialist, who then ended up calling the technology guy from the county who was in the building working on the network.
So, while all of the great minds were working on getting the DVD to run, what were the kids doing? We started playing "Simon Says". Twenty minutes later, the crew of four adults looked at me and said "It's not working." (Insert evil teacher/mom glare here.) I asked, "So, what do I do?"
"Oh," said the Assistant Principal, "You follow the plans she left you." I handed them the plans that said: "Watch the movie. The kids know how to turn it on. YOU don't touch the laptop. Only the trained student may start the DVD. Dismissal begins at 3:15." He gave me a blank stare, and you could see the same panic I was feeling beginning to build behind his eyes.
Thankfully, at that minute, the teacher next door stuck her head around the corner and said "Hey, do you want to join us? I'm just about to start the movie. The kids are welcome to come over and sit on the floor!"
At least I didn't touch the laptop!!
One day in late May, I took a job entitled "Supplementary". These jobs are the grab bag of the substitute world. You don't know what you're getting into until you walk in the door of the building that morning. Surprise!!
This particular day, I was assigned to 2nd grade in the morning and 5th grade in the afternoon. The 2nd grade class was a hoot, and I spent a wonderful time with a great class of kids, and had an awesome set of lesson plans to follow. I enjoyed myself no end.
The afternoon with 5th grade was particularly memorable. The teacher had left us with a DVD to watch, and had trained one child how to turn it on and get it to go. The movie was in her laptop, and it was to be projected from her laptop onto the white board in front of the room. Her final words to me before she left were "YOU don't touch anything. Only SHE does." (Pointing to a child in the class.) Okie Dokie!
We finished up the lesson she had left, and then SHE attempted to start the movie. Nothing happened. The girl tried, again, and nothing happened. The kids became very, very helpful. (Overly helpful, even.) Yet still, nothing happened. I called down to the main office, and they sent an Assistant Principal down to "show us" how to make it work. He ended up calling the media specialist, who then ended up calling the technology guy from the county who was in the building working on the network.
So, while all of the great minds were working on getting the DVD to run, what were the kids doing? We started playing "Simon Says". Twenty minutes later, the crew of four adults looked at me and said "It's not working." (Insert evil teacher/mom glare here.) I asked, "So, what do I do?"
"Oh," said the Assistant Principal, "You follow the plans she left you." I handed them the plans that said: "Watch the movie. The kids know how to turn it on. YOU don't touch the laptop. Only the trained student may start the DVD. Dismissal begins at 3:15." He gave me a blank stare, and you could see the same panic I was feeling beginning to build behind his eyes.
Thankfully, at that minute, the teacher next door stuck her head around the corner and said "Hey, do you want to join us? I'm just about to start the movie. The kids are welcome to come over and sit on the floor!"
At least I didn't touch the laptop!!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Three Years Ago Today
Three years ago today, I was sitting in the sanctuary at church just after the VBS opening ceremonies when I got a very strange phone call from my mother in law.
"Hello? Bob went to the hospital this morning and he's not back yet. Should I be worried?"
"What?" I stupidly blundered.
"This morning, the doctor called the house and told Bob to go to the emergency room immediately. I told him not to bother going because you know, doctors always exaggerate things. He went, but I stayed home to teach him a lesson."
"Which hospital?" I asked. She told me, I phoned the hospital and talked to the admitting desk, who connected me to the staff nurse on duty.
It turns out my Father in Law was in renal failure. He had been to see his primary care doctor the day before, and they drew blood as a matter of course. When the doctor read his test results the next morning, he called Bob and told him to go immediately to the hospital, as he was in mortal danger. When he got to the hospital, he passed out as he walked in the front doors. Bob had to drive himself in to the hospital, since my mother in law wouldn't go with him. To this day, I am so thankful that he was able to make it safely to the hospital and didn't pass out behind the wheel of the car on his way there.
When I spoke to the nurse, they had him on fluids, and had scheduled him for surgery first thing in the morning.
I called my mother in law back, and relayed the information. Her response? "Doctors overreact about everything. This is just a way to scam the insurance company." In all my years, I've never yet heard of a doctor admitting a patient because of an overreaction.
I showed up at the hospital early the next morning, but my father in law was already in surgery, having emergency stents put in for dialysis.
At this point in time, my mother-in-law still hadn't been to the hospital.
I was there when he came out of surgery, there when the doctors said "You've had an unusual test result come back. We need to do an MRI, and we need to run a few more tests," and I was there when they wheeled him out for his first dialysis treatment.
I showed up again early the next morning, and my mother in law finally decided that "maybe she should visit the hospital and see what was going on." The doctors came in and asked permission to run one more test. She told me "I don't think they know what they're doing."
"No," I responded "I think they know exactly what they are doing, and they know exactly what they are looking for. I think they are making certain their diagnosis is correct because they don't want to get sued if they are wrong. They would have already told us if there was nothing to be concerned about."
So, the time line here: He is admitted to the hospital. The next day is our 20th wedding anniversary.
5 days later is my birthday.
On my birthday, a team of doctors somberly filed into Bob's room. They made certain that everyone in the room was family, and asked him if we were allowed to stay, or if he wanted anyone to leave. I offered to leave, since I was only a daughter in law, but he insisted that I stay.
With a sinking heart, I listened as the lead doctor began to speak: "Sir, you were admitted with a dangerously high levels (of something) in your blood. When you were admitted, your kidneys were shutting down. Kidneys don't just shut down. There has to be a reason. Unfortunately, we have found the reason. I am sorry, sir. You have stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It has spread to your kidneys and to your liver. You have a spot on your heart, and several spots on your lungs. I wish there was something that we could do for you."
Never missing a beat, my father in law said "I still need to get to Alaska and Hawaii. Will I have enough time to do that?"
The lead doctor smiled. "I don't know, sir, but you can try."
Sadly, the cancer was too widespread. He wasn't able to make the trip to Alaska or Hawaii. Less than 3 months after he was diagnosed, he passed away.
Time passes us by too quickly. We often don't take the time to stop and look at the blooming flowers, watch a child dance in the rain, or catch a snow flake on our tongue. We don't remember to hug the ones we love most, thinking to ourselves "I'll catch them tonight when I get home" or "I'm sure he knows I love him".
I will always remember my father in law's zest for life. I remember catching him jumping in mud puddles with the kids when they were little, hopping in a car to chase a rainbow to it's end, and sitting in the church narthex, long after church was over, listening to the stories that the older people in church had to tell, laughing with them, and then driving them home. He would then carefully record their stories in his journal, so that sometime, somewhere, someone else would be able to laugh at the magic memories of a time long past.
Why am I dwelling on this today, of all days? Well, the fatal phone call was 3 years ago, on a Tuesday evening. Our anniversary is coming up this weekend. My Mother is having eye surgery this next week, on the day after our anniversary. Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but....
While you've got the time, make sure you hug the ones you love the most. Make sure that they know just how much you love them. Tell them in words. Life really does just whiz by too quickly.
"Hello? Bob went to the hospital this morning and he's not back yet. Should I be worried?"
"What?" I stupidly blundered.
"This morning, the doctor called the house and told Bob to go to the emergency room immediately. I told him not to bother going because you know, doctors always exaggerate things. He went, but I stayed home to teach him a lesson."
"Which hospital?" I asked. She told me, I phoned the hospital and talked to the admitting desk, who connected me to the staff nurse on duty.
It turns out my Father in Law was in renal failure. He had been to see his primary care doctor the day before, and they drew blood as a matter of course. When the doctor read his test results the next morning, he called Bob and told him to go immediately to the hospital, as he was in mortal danger. When he got to the hospital, he passed out as he walked in the front doors. Bob had to drive himself in to the hospital, since my mother in law wouldn't go with him. To this day, I am so thankful that he was able to make it safely to the hospital and didn't pass out behind the wheel of the car on his way there.
When I spoke to the nurse, they had him on fluids, and had scheduled him for surgery first thing in the morning.
I called my mother in law back, and relayed the information. Her response? "Doctors overreact about everything. This is just a way to scam the insurance company." In all my years, I've never yet heard of a doctor admitting a patient because of an overreaction.
I showed up at the hospital early the next morning, but my father in law was already in surgery, having emergency stents put in for dialysis.
At this point in time, my mother-in-law still hadn't been to the hospital.
I was there when he came out of surgery, there when the doctors said "You've had an unusual test result come back. We need to do an MRI, and we need to run a few more tests," and I was there when they wheeled him out for his first dialysis treatment.
I showed up again early the next morning, and my mother in law finally decided that "maybe she should visit the hospital and see what was going on." The doctors came in and asked permission to run one more test. She told me "I don't think they know what they're doing."
"No," I responded "I think they know exactly what they are doing, and they know exactly what they are looking for. I think they are making certain their diagnosis is correct because they don't want to get sued if they are wrong. They would have already told us if there was nothing to be concerned about."
So, the time line here: He is admitted to the hospital. The next day is our 20th wedding anniversary.
5 days later is my birthday.
On my birthday, a team of doctors somberly filed into Bob's room. They made certain that everyone in the room was family, and asked him if we were allowed to stay, or if he wanted anyone to leave. I offered to leave, since I was only a daughter in law, but he insisted that I stay.
With a sinking heart, I listened as the lead doctor began to speak: "Sir, you were admitted with a dangerously high levels (of something) in your blood. When you were admitted, your kidneys were shutting down. Kidneys don't just shut down. There has to be a reason. Unfortunately, we have found the reason. I am sorry, sir. You have stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It has spread to your kidneys and to your liver. You have a spot on your heart, and several spots on your lungs. I wish there was something that we could do for you."
Never missing a beat, my father in law said "I still need to get to Alaska and Hawaii. Will I have enough time to do that?"
The lead doctor smiled. "I don't know, sir, but you can try."
Sadly, the cancer was too widespread. He wasn't able to make the trip to Alaska or Hawaii. Less than 3 months after he was diagnosed, he passed away.
Time passes us by too quickly. We often don't take the time to stop and look at the blooming flowers, watch a child dance in the rain, or catch a snow flake on our tongue. We don't remember to hug the ones we love most, thinking to ourselves "I'll catch them tonight when I get home" or "I'm sure he knows I love him".
I will always remember my father in law's zest for life. I remember catching him jumping in mud puddles with the kids when they were little, hopping in a car to chase a rainbow to it's end, and sitting in the church narthex, long after church was over, listening to the stories that the older people in church had to tell, laughing with them, and then driving them home. He would then carefully record their stories in his journal, so that sometime, somewhere, someone else would be able to laugh at the magic memories of a time long past.
Why am I dwelling on this today, of all days? Well, the fatal phone call was 3 years ago, on a Tuesday evening. Our anniversary is coming up this weekend. My Mother is having eye surgery this next week, on the day after our anniversary. Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but....
While you've got the time, make sure you hug the ones you love the most. Make sure that they know just how much you love them. Tell them in words. Life really does just whiz by too quickly.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Just Another Day in Paradise
I spent an interesting morning in the doctor's office. My DH had to have an MRI, and while I was waiting for him to finish, I spent half an hour in the waiting room, where the real action was taking place.
A couple came in, sat down next to me, and began listening to the story on Cory Monteith's early and unexpected passing. The husband said to the lady "That's so sad. When you have demons like that, it's difficult to experience sudden fame. I wish he'd been able to get counseling when he first started having problems, maybe he'd still be with us." The wife began to speak, but she was interrupted by an elderly gentleman who came in hauling an oxygen tank behind him, and pushing a walker in front of him.
He sat down in a seat and heaved a deep sigh. "That's a he** of a long walk from the parking lot into here. Old man like me, I could die taking a walk like that."
We smiled at him, and his wife bustled in....
"Have you checked in yet?" she asked.
"What? I can't hear you! I almost died walking across that lobby! I had to take the elevator by myself."
She got up and checked the sheet to make certain that he had signed in, and she began fussing over him, straightening his walker, and moving it out of the path. As soon as she turned her back, he moved the walker directly back into the place she had moved it out of.
He moved her purse from the chair that she had placed it on over to the other side of himself. When she looked confused and asked where her purse had gone he said "It's right over here where you left it. I think you're getting the Alzheimer's."
The rest of us watched this interesting tango in a fascinated silence. He would continually undo anything she had done, move her purse, and be as querulous as possible.
After 10 minutes of this, she looked at him in exasperation.
"Did you bring the insurance cards?" she asked.
"Insurance cards? No, I left them with the lady at the desk downstairs."
Muttering under her breath, she stormed out of the waiting room.
The old gentleman proudly looked around the waiting room, and held up a plastic card. "Insurance Card!" He gloated, laughing a crazy high pitched laugh.
Anyway, DH came out at the moment in time. As we were walking through the lobby, we saw his wife, muttering under her breath and fit to be tied, heading back towards the elevators.
If this is what the Golden Years look like, I'm not sure I want to go there.
Good thing I'm still only 36 years old...
A couple came in, sat down next to me, and began listening to the story on Cory Monteith's early and unexpected passing. The husband said to the lady "That's so sad. When you have demons like that, it's difficult to experience sudden fame. I wish he'd been able to get counseling when he first started having problems, maybe he'd still be with us." The wife began to speak, but she was interrupted by an elderly gentleman who came in hauling an oxygen tank behind him, and pushing a walker in front of him.
He sat down in a seat and heaved a deep sigh. "That's a he** of a long walk from the parking lot into here. Old man like me, I could die taking a walk like that."
We smiled at him, and his wife bustled in....
"Have you checked in yet?" she asked.
"What? I can't hear you! I almost died walking across that lobby! I had to take the elevator by myself."
She got up and checked the sheet to make certain that he had signed in, and she began fussing over him, straightening his walker, and moving it out of the path. As soon as she turned her back, he moved the walker directly back into the place she had moved it out of.
He moved her purse from the chair that she had placed it on over to the other side of himself. When she looked confused and asked where her purse had gone he said "It's right over here where you left it. I think you're getting the Alzheimer's."
The rest of us watched this interesting tango in a fascinated silence. He would continually undo anything she had done, move her purse, and be as querulous as possible.
After 10 minutes of this, she looked at him in exasperation.
"Did you bring the insurance cards?" she asked.
"Insurance cards? No, I left them with the lady at the desk downstairs."
Muttering under her breath, she stormed out of the waiting room.
The old gentleman proudly looked around the waiting room, and held up a plastic card. "Insurance Card!" He gloated, laughing a crazy high pitched laugh.
Anyway, DH came out at the moment in time. As we were walking through the lobby, we saw his wife, muttering under her breath and fit to be tied, heading back towards the elevators.
If this is what the Golden Years look like, I'm not sure I want to go there.
Good thing I'm still only 36 years old...
Saturday, July 13, 2013
My Frugal Accomplishments
I forgot about this last week, so I have two weeks to cover today!
1) We had 4 vegetarian dinners. Meatless meals are significantly healthier and less expensive than meals with meat.
2) I spent $2.50 on enough tomatoes from the Farmer's Market to make a roasted tomato salad, bruschetta, and a pot of sauce. There was enough sauce that I was able to freeze the leftovers, and will have enough for dinner another night.
3) I made another batch of turkey bullion. 48 more cubes. I think I have enough to get me through for a while now!
4) We went to an Oriole's game. We paid $6/ticket for really nice seats! How? We went with the church, which got the discounts for being a non-profit and a large group. If you want to go to a ball game, it is worth the effort of finding friends to meet the minimum number of people to qualify as a group sale. Not only are you sitting with friends, it also means you are less likely to be sitting in the middle of a crowd of heavy drinkers. (Unless if that is where you want to be sitting!)
5) We had the van tuned up, oil changed, tire pressure checked. My dad always taught me that when a car is regularly maintained, it will last longer and there will be fewer maintenance issues. Proof: The first Honda Civic I bought out of college? I traded it in at 175,000 miles for a new Honda Civic. I got a very nice trade in on that car because it was running so well. Our current (2002) Honda Civic has 172,000 miles. The car still runs as well as the day we drove it off the lot. We want to see if we can take that car up to 200,000 miles before we trade it in.
6) I line dried 4 loads of laundry.
7) I bought bed sheets, a pillow, towels, and a laundry basket for the child heading off to college in the fall. I found a sale on linens and towels, and combined it with a coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase.
8) I spent $20 on produce at the Farmer's Market, met several friends while I was there, and asked my favorite farmer if she could get me a bushel of "second" tomatoes for canning. She promised to call me and let me know when the crop came in enough for her to set them aside for me.
9) I made home-made tortillas. Quick and easy, and cooking them doesn't heat the house up very much!
10) We cooked 5 meals outside on the grill- once again keeping the heat level in the house down.
So, what did you do this week to save money?
1) We had 4 vegetarian dinners. Meatless meals are significantly healthier and less expensive than meals with meat.
2) I spent $2.50 on enough tomatoes from the Farmer's Market to make a roasted tomato salad, bruschetta, and a pot of sauce. There was enough sauce that I was able to freeze the leftovers, and will have enough for dinner another night.
3) I made another batch of turkey bullion. 48 more cubes. I think I have enough to get me through for a while now!
4) We went to an Oriole's game. We paid $6/ticket for really nice seats! How? We went with the church, which got the discounts for being a non-profit and a large group. If you want to go to a ball game, it is worth the effort of finding friends to meet the minimum number of people to qualify as a group sale. Not only are you sitting with friends, it also means you are less likely to be sitting in the middle of a crowd of heavy drinkers. (Unless if that is where you want to be sitting!)
5) We had the van tuned up, oil changed, tire pressure checked. My dad always taught me that when a car is regularly maintained, it will last longer and there will be fewer maintenance issues. Proof: The first Honda Civic I bought out of college? I traded it in at 175,000 miles for a new Honda Civic. I got a very nice trade in on that car because it was running so well. Our current (2002) Honda Civic has 172,000 miles. The car still runs as well as the day we drove it off the lot. We want to see if we can take that car up to 200,000 miles before we trade it in.
6) I line dried 4 loads of laundry.
7) I bought bed sheets, a pillow, towels, and a laundry basket for the child heading off to college in the fall. I found a sale on linens and towels, and combined it with a coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase.
8) I spent $20 on produce at the Farmer's Market, met several friends while I was there, and asked my favorite farmer if she could get me a bushel of "second" tomatoes for canning. She promised to call me and let me know when the crop came in enough for her to set them aside for me.
9) I made home-made tortillas. Quick and easy, and cooking them doesn't heat the house up very much!
10) We cooked 5 meals outside on the grill- once again keeping the heat level in the house down.
So, what did you do this week to save money?
Friday, July 12, 2013
Random Pictures
A few random pictures from the past few weeks:
I found this beautiful door and wreath on a Catholic Church in downtown Baltimore. Look at that beautiful iron scrollwork! The church itself is over 200 years old. The iron work is original to the building. I am not positive that the wood in that door is over 200 years old. It looks a little too "new" to be that old. (If you know what I mean). I love the wreath, too!
I found this lovely little corner of tranquility in downtown Baltimore. Isn't it beautiful?
Luminaries on the track at the high school during Relay for Life.
Look at this mirror. It's a mosaic on a mirror. It graces the wall of one of the most unique little restaurants I've seen in quite some time.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Affording College, Part 3
529 Savings Plans
If you have more than 5 years before your child enters college, now is the time to look into a 529 savings plan. 529 Savings Plans are a wonder when your child goes to college. There are several kinds of 529 plans available. A Pre-Paid College Trust allows you to lock in tuition at today's rate. You will pay the college tuition, and it will cover the cost of tuition when your child goes to school, even if tuition rates rise. But be careful here. Many 529 plans are tied to the stock market. The state of Maryland offers a pre-paid college trust that is backed by a legislative guarantee. Now keep in mind, the Maryland plan only covers tuition for the flagship university for the state. (The University of Maryland). YOU are responsible for any fees above and beyond that point. Other 529 plans allow you to set aside money, and then you use it at your discretion when your child enters college. All 529 plans are investments, so take your time evaluating what is right for your family, and what works best for your financial situation. This really is a great time to sit down and talk with a financial planner.
Community College
These amazing two year institutions are at the cutting edge of saving money. If your child isn't sure what to major in, is short of money, or that they are ready for the rigor of college level course work then your local community college is the answer for you. C.C.'s offer college level course work with smaller class sizes, teachers who have real world experience in their fields, extra help and tutoring, and significantly lower tuition costs. Most CC's offer a 2 year ready for college track, that offers the basic, core required courses that are required by 4 year schools. (Usually in-state schools will allow a one time transfer from a CC into their program with all credits counting. Make sure you research this reciprocity BEFORE you accept an admission offer from a 4 year school.
Another plus to time in the CC is that your child will be living at home. (Okay, maybe that is a minus, and not a plus!) They will not be paying room and board, and most likely, they will be able to find a part-time job to help them cover their expenses and books.
One last note here, many CC's offer scholarships to top students. These scholar programs will cover a portion of the expenses. If you are seriously looking at the CC, look into the programs early. Admission is competitive and the deadlines are also early.
In-State Schools
Everyone has heard of those wonderful, big name private schools. Harvard, Yale, MIT. But, have you looked at the bottom line on the annual tuition at those schools? $40,000+ a year for tuition and fees. With both of our boys, we looked at public and private schools. We took a close look at class size and the overall size of the student body.
I honestly couldn't see where a degree from Princeton would offer any significant advantage over a degree from Maryland or Virginia Tech. But, when you begin looking at out of state tuition rates, in state schools begin to look better and better! At the un-named public school that our sons attend, tuition and fees are less than $20,000/year. The school has a world class reputation, and offers a strong internship program that gets the kids real world experience before they graduate from college.
Scholarships
I remember sitting next to a soccer field when the kids were in first grade, listening to a mother plan out how her sons were going to get soccer scholarships when they went to college. Twelve years later, with thousands of dollars spent on travel soccer, soccer teams, uniforms, and camps, her boys entered college in the fall with partial scholarships - $5,000/ year off of a $40,000/year tuition.
Most schools offer some form of scholarships. Merit Based Scholarships and Athletic Scholarships are offered at a liberal rate at many schools. Private schools offer big scholarships, Public schools offer big scholarships. BUT, all are tied into your student's grade point average. 3.75 is a frequent required GPA, and some are out there for a 3.5 GPA. If you have an athletic scholarship, not only is your money tied into your GPA, the money is tied into your child making the sports team, and remaining on that team.
Our boys were both offered scholarships. When the offers were made, we sat down and figured out what tuition we could afford if they were to lose the scholarships because of a bad grade. We want to think our kids will keep their scholarships, but we need to be prepared for the fact that they might not... so we looked closely at the tuition and fees for all of the schools and had conversations with the boys about which school would best meet their needs, and which one we thought we could afford if they were to lose their scholarships.
(One lesson we've learned is that the scholarship is for a set amount of money. If tuition rises while your kids are in school, YOU will be responsible for the difference between the scholarship and the new tuition rates.)
Co-Op Work or Internships
Wonder of wonder, and miracle of miracles, many employers pay - and pay well - for students who are willing to co-op or intern during college. Not all internships are paid, but all Co-Op experiences are. Co-Op experiences require 5 years for a student to graduate. The student will spend their first year on campus, and then will alternate a semester of classes with a semester of full time work in their field.
Not only are students paid, but many of them will be offered jobs by the companies they worked for upon graduation.
My husband went through the Co-Op Program while he was in college. We can't speak highly enough of the program.
Government Financial Aid
Then, there are those horrid FAFSA forms. Fill them out. It is possible that your child is eligible for some extra money. The school will offer you a package once they review your FAFSA. Many of these offers consist of Student Loans. I would stay away from the loans, if it were me. However, many of these packages offer grants and work-study aid. Work study is wonderful- work on campus and earn money. NO LOANS are involved in work study or grants. It is worth looking into. You are not obligated to take out student loans, but it is worth seeing what else is available.
Final Thoughts
I've mentioned before that I didn't take out loans through college. I was studying to be a teacher, so no co-op positions were available for teachers, and student teaching pays nothing. I was fortunate enough to have a work-study position on campus, where I worked the maximum amount of hours I was allowed to work during the school year. During the summers, I worked in food service. My parents didn't help me with college expenses. My parents were divorced, my Mom was struggling to make her own ends meet, and Dad refused to pay for my expenses because he thought I should join the military, and let the military pay for my degree.
It's not easy, but it shouldn't be. College isn't for everyone. I know some amazing people who don't have a college degree and are thriving with their own businesses. I know a couple of self-made millionaires who never went to college. I personally know teachers, doctors, and university professors who began their college experience at the community college because they wanted to keep their expenses as low as possible. I firmly believe that if you have to earn some (or all) of the money that goes into that college degree, then you will work hard and value that degree all the more. The key is your willingness to work, and work hard.
Many people will enter the work force straight out of high school and earn the money to pay for their degree before they go to school. Others will join the military.
College is a learning experience. Not only learning from coursework, but also learning responsibility in paying for your own expenses, helping to cover your own tuition, and accepting responsibility for your actions. If you can manage to get through a 4 year degree without accumulating thousands of dollars in debt, I believe you have learned a valuable lesson about life.
When you look at the current rate of consumer debt in this country today, I believe that the lessons learned about financial responsibility, paying your own way as you go, and not over-extending yourself to get to your goal is a life lesson that will hold our kids through the rest of their lives.
If you have more than 5 years before your child enters college, now is the time to look into a 529 savings plan. 529 Savings Plans are a wonder when your child goes to college. There are several kinds of 529 plans available. A Pre-Paid College Trust allows you to lock in tuition at today's rate. You will pay the college tuition, and it will cover the cost of tuition when your child goes to school, even if tuition rates rise. But be careful here. Many 529 plans are tied to the stock market. The state of Maryland offers a pre-paid college trust that is backed by a legislative guarantee. Now keep in mind, the Maryland plan only covers tuition for the flagship university for the state. (The University of Maryland). YOU are responsible for any fees above and beyond that point. Other 529 plans allow you to set aside money, and then you use it at your discretion when your child enters college. All 529 plans are investments, so take your time evaluating what is right for your family, and what works best for your financial situation. This really is a great time to sit down and talk with a financial planner.
Community College
These amazing two year institutions are at the cutting edge of saving money. If your child isn't sure what to major in, is short of money, or that they are ready for the rigor of college level course work then your local community college is the answer for you. C.C.'s offer college level course work with smaller class sizes, teachers who have real world experience in their fields, extra help and tutoring, and significantly lower tuition costs. Most CC's offer a 2 year ready for college track, that offers the basic, core required courses that are required by 4 year schools. (Usually in-state schools will allow a one time transfer from a CC into their program with all credits counting. Make sure you research this reciprocity BEFORE you accept an admission offer from a 4 year school.
Another plus to time in the CC is that your child will be living at home. (Okay, maybe that is a minus, and not a plus!) They will not be paying room and board, and most likely, they will be able to find a part-time job to help them cover their expenses and books.
One last note here, many CC's offer scholarships to top students. These scholar programs will cover a portion of the expenses. If you are seriously looking at the CC, look into the programs early. Admission is competitive and the deadlines are also early.
In-State Schools
Everyone has heard of those wonderful, big name private schools. Harvard, Yale, MIT. But, have you looked at the bottom line on the annual tuition at those schools? $40,000+ a year for tuition and fees. With both of our boys, we looked at public and private schools. We took a close look at class size and the overall size of the student body.
I honestly couldn't see where a degree from Princeton would offer any significant advantage over a degree from Maryland or Virginia Tech. But, when you begin looking at out of state tuition rates, in state schools begin to look better and better! At the un-named public school that our sons attend, tuition and fees are less than $20,000/year. The school has a world class reputation, and offers a strong internship program that gets the kids real world experience before they graduate from college.
Scholarships
I remember sitting next to a soccer field when the kids were in first grade, listening to a mother plan out how her sons were going to get soccer scholarships when they went to college. Twelve years later, with thousands of dollars spent on travel soccer, soccer teams, uniforms, and camps, her boys entered college in the fall with partial scholarships - $5,000/ year off of a $40,000/year tuition.
Most schools offer some form of scholarships. Merit Based Scholarships and Athletic Scholarships are offered at a liberal rate at many schools. Private schools offer big scholarships, Public schools offer big scholarships. BUT, all are tied into your student's grade point average. 3.75 is a frequent required GPA, and some are out there for a 3.5 GPA. If you have an athletic scholarship, not only is your money tied into your GPA, the money is tied into your child making the sports team, and remaining on that team.
Our boys were both offered scholarships. When the offers were made, we sat down and figured out what tuition we could afford if they were to lose the scholarships because of a bad grade. We want to think our kids will keep their scholarships, but we need to be prepared for the fact that they might not... so we looked closely at the tuition and fees for all of the schools and had conversations with the boys about which school would best meet their needs, and which one we thought we could afford if they were to lose their scholarships.
(One lesson we've learned is that the scholarship is for a set amount of money. If tuition rises while your kids are in school, YOU will be responsible for the difference between the scholarship and the new tuition rates.)
Co-Op Work or Internships
Wonder of wonder, and miracle of miracles, many employers pay - and pay well - for students who are willing to co-op or intern during college. Not all internships are paid, but all Co-Op experiences are. Co-Op experiences require 5 years for a student to graduate. The student will spend their first year on campus, and then will alternate a semester of classes with a semester of full time work in their field.
Not only are students paid, but many of them will be offered jobs by the companies they worked for upon graduation.
My husband went through the Co-Op Program while he was in college. We can't speak highly enough of the program.
Government Financial Aid
Then, there are those horrid FAFSA forms. Fill them out. It is possible that your child is eligible for some extra money. The school will offer you a package once they review your FAFSA. Many of these offers consist of Student Loans. I would stay away from the loans, if it were me. However, many of these packages offer grants and work-study aid. Work study is wonderful- work on campus and earn money. NO LOANS are involved in work study or grants. It is worth looking into. You are not obligated to take out student loans, but it is worth seeing what else is available.
Final Thoughts
I've mentioned before that I didn't take out loans through college. I was studying to be a teacher, so no co-op positions were available for teachers, and student teaching pays nothing. I was fortunate enough to have a work-study position on campus, where I worked the maximum amount of hours I was allowed to work during the school year. During the summers, I worked in food service. My parents didn't help me with college expenses. My parents were divorced, my Mom was struggling to make her own ends meet, and Dad refused to pay for my expenses because he thought I should join the military, and let the military pay for my degree.
It's not easy, but it shouldn't be. College isn't for everyone. I know some amazing people who don't have a college degree and are thriving with their own businesses. I know a couple of self-made millionaires who never went to college. I personally know teachers, doctors, and university professors who began their college experience at the community college because they wanted to keep their expenses as low as possible. I firmly believe that if you have to earn some (or all) of the money that goes into that college degree, then you will work hard and value that degree all the more. The key is your willingness to work, and work hard.
Many people will enter the work force straight out of high school and earn the money to pay for their degree before they go to school. Others will join the military.
College is a learning experience. Not only learning from coursework, but also learning responsibility in paying for your own expenses, helping to cover your own tuition, and accepting responsibility for your actions. If you can manage to get through a 4 year degree without accumulating thousands of dollars in debt, I believe you have learned a valuable lesson about life.
When you look at the current rate of consumer debt in this country today, I believe that the lessons learned about financial responsibility, paying your own way as you go, and not over-extending yourself to get to your goal is a life lesson that will hold our kids through the rest of their lives.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
T-Shirt Quilt - Part 3
I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for my middle son to take off to college with him in the fall. You can see my progress here: T-Shirt Quilt Part 2 and here: T-Shirt Quilt Part 1.
In Part 1, I cut up the t-shirts into squares.
In Part 2, I backed the squares with interfacing and cut the fabric squares to alternate with the t-shirts.
Now, I'm getting ready to pin everything together to make the quilt top.
First, I found a large, clear space on the floor of the living room and laid the squares out in the pattern I wanted for the finished product. I played around with the squares a lot before I finally found a layout I was happy with.
Then, I began sewing the first row across. I took the first two squares, and pinned them, right sides together. Then, using a 1/2" seam, I sewed the blocks together.
Now comes the fun part. Pinning the rows together. If you look in the picture above, you'll see that I've pinned two rows together. All of the seams on all of the blocks were pressed open as I finished each row.
Again, time is your friend when you do this step. Make certain that you take your time, line up your blocks, and make certain that the print is facing the correct direction. Then, I flip the top row directly over the bottom row and start pinning the rows right side together. Think of the edge as hinged... when you pin it, before you sew it, check again to make certain the patterns are facing the same direction. I am not dyslexic, but this step makes me feel dyslexic, as I try and make certain that my blocks - when pinned - are facing the way so that they will end up right side up when finished. They aren't facing the same direction when I pin them!
This step gets harder the more rows you pin on. Take your time to make certain that you are pinning the correct way, and that your rows are lined up correctly before you pin them and again before you sew them together. If you didn't want to spend time with a seam ripper when one block was out of alignment, you definitely don't want to spend time with a seam ripper when an entire row is out of alignment!
The rows are aligned, ready to pin. If you can see it in the photo above, the top row of shirts appears to be upside down, and the row underneath is right side up. I pinned along the edge at the top of the photos..
I don't know how well you can see this in the picture above. I pinned the fabric strip onto the outside edge of the quilt top. I only pinned one side at a time. Then, I sewed the strip onto the quilt top.
In Part 1, I cut up the t-shirts into squares.
In Part 2, I backed the squares with interfacing and cut the fabric squares to alternate with the t-shirts.
Now, I'm getting ready to pin everything together to make the quilt top.
First, I found a large, clear space on the floor of the living room and laid the squares out in the pattern I wanted for the finished product. I played around with the squares a lot before I finally found a layout I was happy with.
Then, I began sewing the first row across. I took the first two squares, and pinned them, right sides together. Then, using a 1/2" seam, I sewed the blocks together.
Here are the first two blocks, pinned together and ready to go through the sewing machine.
After you finish sewing blocks together, press the seams open with the iron, and then pin the next block onto the first one. Actually, this step is trickier than it sounds. Take the time to lay your sewed row out, to make certain that you are pinning the next block onto the side that you want it to go onto, AND make certain that the print is facing the correct direction. (Sad life experience here. No one really wants to spend that much time with a seam ripper once they finish a row, take a look, and realize that the block in the middle is upside down...)
Once you've verified that the new block is in the correct place, flip the right side of this block on top of the block next to it. (Again, I always verify that the print is facing the correct direction again, after I pin it but before I sew it.) Always keep the same size seam allowance. I used a 1/2" seam allowance, because I am more comfortable with a wider seam. Quilts usually call for a 1/4" seam allowance.
Continue in this process until you finish all of the rows. Sew the rows across first - or up and down first, but be consistent about how you sew.
Now comes the fun part. Pinning the rows together. If you look in the picture above, you'll see that I've pinned two rows together. All of the seams on all of the blocks were pressed open as I finished each row.
Again, time is your friend when you do this step. Make certain that you take your time, line up your blocks, and make certain that the print is facing the correct direction. Then, I flip the top row directly over the bottom row and start pinning the rows right side together. Think of the edge as hinged... when you pin it, before you sew it, check again to make certain the patterns are facing the same direction. I am not dyslexic, but this step makes me feel dyslexic, as I try and make certain that my blocks - when pinned - are facing the way so that they will end up right side up when finished. They aren't facing the same direction when I pin them!
This step gets harder the more rows you pin on. Take your time to make certain that you are pinning the correct way, and that your rows are lined up correctly before you pin them and again before you sew them together. If you didn't want to spend time with a seam ripper when one block was out of alignment, you definitely don't want to spend time with a seam ripper when an entire row is out of alignment!
The rows are aligned, ready to pin. If you can see it in the photo above, the top row of shirts appears to be upside down, and the row underneath is right side up. I pinned along the edge at the top of the photos..
All sewed together, pins removed, and seams pressed open, here are the rows, sewn together.
Continue on, pinning the rows together and sewing until all of your rows are finished. This step takes an incredible amount of patience, making certain that your blocks are lined up correctly before you sew. Think of it as an investment in your time. The extra couple of minutes you spend checking and double checking before you sew is significantly less time than the 30 or more minutes you will spend with a seam ripper, ripping out the row, and then re-pinning everything and sewing it again. (Not that I would know that from life experiences or anything....)
Once I finished the entire top, I worked on the outside edge. This will "frame" all of the blocks together and tie them in and make the quilt look finished.
I found this lovely brown with black material at the quilt shop when I found the black for the blocks. I especially like the fact that it's a little brighter than the black, but that the black pattern running through the fabric carries the black out into the frame.
I used my rotary cutter and cut strips for the framing. All told, I think I cut 12 strips.
Here, I've pinned the right sides together and sewn the narrow edge together to make a very long strip. Once again, make sure you press the seams open.
(Have I ever mentioned how much I hate ironing? I despise it. And yet, every time I sew, the iron comes out and receives almost constant use.)
I don't know how well you can see this in the picture above. I pinned the fabric strip onto the outside edge of the quilt top. I only pinned one side at a time. Then, I sewed the strip onto the quilt top.
When I finished a side, I'd remove the pins, and cut the long edge of the strip of edging even with the bottom of the quilt. Then, you guessed it, I pressed the seam open!
Taking the strip, I'd pin it along the edge of the quilt, making certain that the new brown strip covers the entire side - including the brown strip I just sewed on - and sew it on.
Remember that the brown strip needs to be a frame. So, you are going to pin it all along the finished edge - including the brown frame part that you have already sewed on, so that this is a completely finished product, framed by the outside strip.
I will post a picture of the finished top tomorrow. I want to hang it outside on the clothesline so that you can see all of it, but it is raining outside!
There's still a little more to do with this quilt: I need to find the backing (fabric) and batting, pin it together, and quilt it. I will also need to find binding to tie the edges together.
I'm going to take a break from this quilt for a week or so. I have the parts of another quilt that I cut out for oldest son 2 years ago when he earned his Eagle Scout, and I never put it together. I'm going to sew that together while I have the sewing machine out.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Affording College, Part 2
Start With a Plan
What should I major in? While some majors sound like a lot of fun... you seriously need to ask "What are the job opportunities in this field? How am I going to make a living in this field?" I firmly believe that if you are passionate about something, you will find a way to make a living in that field. But, before you invest thousands of dollars in an education, you will need to sit down and come up with a plan.
Those who major in healthcare, computer science, education, and the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math will have a fairly easy time finding jobs upon graduation.
But what about those who major in the humanities? Ah... this is where it begins to get tricky. This is where high school and college internships become crucial. The networking involved in these fields will be the determining factor in finding a full time job.
I'd like to give an example: My sister majored in English. Everyone told her she would never manage to find a job in her field. She received her BS in English, and went to work for a temp agency in Washington, D.C. She would temp within her field as much as possible. She would go anywhere within the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. Within six months of graduation, she had a job. She decided to leave her job when her children were born, and then she went back to school for her Master's degree, also in English. When she returned to the job market, she had a plan. She went to work as a Technical Writer, and began pursuing ACE certification for exercise. She was still doing her technical writing, but on the side, she was a personal trainer. She began writing freelance articles about exercise, health, and nutrition. Today, less than 10 years after she finished her Master's Degree, she owns her own freelance business. She writes extensively about health, nutrition and fitness, teaches English classes at the Community College, and is as happy as can be. I remember her mapping out her plan for how she was going to start her own business back when the kids were little. She also made a list of how she would make ends meet if times got financially tight while pursuing her dream. (Hence the time spent as a technical writer.)
You need a plan. Ask your child what they want to do with their degree, and how they plan to get there. Chances are, they have an idea of what they want to do at the end, but will need support in planning out how to get there.
We have helped our own kids map out their educational plans. Not only has this included "where are you going to school, and what are you majoring in", it began with... "What do you want to do? What do you love doing?"
We then found a list of schools that offered excellent programs in their fields AND offered the best internship programs. Believe it or not, one of the schools we visited said "We don't offer that many internships because we are so far away from everything. BUT, we are only half an hour from the beach!" What parent doesn't want to hear that on a college tour?
We sat down with them and planned out where they were going to find their first jobs. You can't expect much money from a first job, but the work experience is crucial. We looked into jobs that would offer work experience, but wouldn't interfere with school work.
Oldest son will be searching for Grad. Schools this fall. He is already searching for which schools will offer him the best opportunities for paid research within his field. He found an internship as a research assistant on campus this past year, and they have hired him on to work with them as a result of the internship. He's hoping he can use this job to find his next one.
Middle son is a lifeguard. He is planning on working as a lifeguard on campus this next school year, and has already put in his application. He is planning on returning to his current job next summer, but he will begin looking for internships his Sophomore year.
Daughter is planning on going into art. We are looking at how she will be able to support herself in a field that is highly competitive. She will be a Junior in high school this year, and is already looking into the internship program for her Senior year. She is hoping that an internship will give her a "foot in the door" for her to springboard off of through college. She has been exploring fields within art, and has begun narrowing down her options to what intrigues her the most.
Work on the plan. Look at their passions. Keep the end goal in mind while you are looking at schools, and make certain that those schools can help your child achieve those goals. Make certain they offer internships or co-op programs. Will they accept AP credits? How many AP credits will they accept? Will they accept credit from a Concurrent Enrollment Program at the Community College? You would be surprised at what some schools will and won't accept. Don't assume anything. ASK!! And, as my mother would say: "Get the answer in writing."
Look carefully at their teacher/student ratio. Look carefully at their teaching staff. Does the teaching staff have real world experience in the fields they are teaching? ASK colleges about their retention rate, and their 4 year graduation rate. Make certain they are accredited. If your child is planning on going into Graduate School, ask about the rate of undergraduates who apply and are accepted into graduate programs, and ask which schools they are accepted to for graduate work.
We looked at one school, with a $40,000/year price tag that got angry when a parent asked "How many of your entering Freshman graduate?" with a quick follow up of "What percentage of the entering Freshman finish AND graduate in 4 years?" I remember my son looking at me as the admissions officer was yelling "I don't see how this is relevant in choosing a quality education!". He whispered into my ear "Mark this one off the list. If they can't see how this is relevant, they aren't the ones for me!"
What should I major in? While some majors sound like a lot of fun... you seriously need to ask "What are the job opportunities in this field? How am I going to make a living in this field?" I firmly believe that if you are passionate about something, you will find a way to make a living in that field. But, before you invest thousands of dollars in an education, you will need to sit down and come up with a plan.
Those who major in healthcare, computer science, education, and the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math will have a fairly easy time finding jobs upon graduation.
But what about those who major in the humanities? Ah... this is where it begins to get tricky. This is where high school and college internships become crucial. The networking involved in these fields will be the determining factor in finding a full time job.
I'd like to give an example: My sister majored in English. Everyone told her she would never manage to find a job in her field. She received her BS in English, and went to work for a temp agency in Washington, D.C. She would temp within her field as much as possible. She would go anywhere within the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. Within six months of graduation, she had a job. She decided to leave her job when her children were born, and then she went back to school for her Master's degree, also in English. When she returned to the job market, she had a plan. She went to work as a Technical Writer, and began pursuing ACE certification for exercise. She was still doing her technical writing, but on the side, she was a personal trainer. She began writing freelance articles about exercise, health, and nutrition. Today, less than 10 years after she finished her Master's Degree, she owns her own freelance business. She writes extensively about health, nutrition and fitness, teaches English classes at the Community College, and is as happy as can be. I remember her mapping out her plan for how she was going to start her own business back when the kids were little. She also made a list of how she would make ends meet if times got financially tight while pursuing her dream. (Hence the time spent as a technical writer.)
You need a plan. Ask your child what they want to do with their degree, and how they plan to get there. Chances are, they have an idea of what they want to do at the end, but will need support in planning out how to get there.
We have helped our own kids map out their educational plans. Not only has this included "where are you going to school, and what are you majoring in", it began with... "What do you want to do? What do you love doing?"
We then found a list of schools that offered excellent programs in their fields AND offered the best internship programs. Believe it or not, one of the schools we visited said "We don't offer that many internships because we are so far away from everything. BUT, we are only half an hour from the beach!" What parent doesn't want to hear that on a college tour?
We sat down with them and planned out where they were going to find their first jobs. You can't expect much money from a first job, but the work experience is crucial. We looked into jobs that would offer work experience, but wouldn't interfere with school work.
Oldest son will be searching for Grad. Schools this fall. He is already searching for which schools will offer him the best opportunities for paid research within his field. He found an internship as a research assistant on campus this past year, and they have hired him on to work with them as a result of the internship. He's hoping he can use this job to find his next one.
Middle son is a lifeguard. He is planning on working as a lifeguard on campus this next school year, and has already put in his application. He is planning on returning to his current job next summer, but he will begin looking for internships his Sophomore year.
Daughter is planning on going into art. We are looking at how she will be able to support herself in a field that is highly competitive. She will be a Junior in high school this year, and is already looking into the internship program for her Senior year. She is hoping that an internship will give her a "foot in the door" for her to springboard off of through college. She has been exploring fields within art, and has begun narrowing down her options to what intrigues her the most.
Work on the plan. Look at their passions. Keep the end goal in mind while you are looking at schools, and make certain that those schools can help your child achieve those goals. Make certain they offer internships or co-op programs. Will they accept AP credits? How many AP credits will they accept? Will they accept credit from a Concurrent Enrollment Program at the Community College? You would be surprised at what some schools will and won't accept. Don't assume anything. ASK!! And, as my mother would say: "Get the answer in writing."
Look carefully at their teacher/student ratio. Look carefully at their teaching staff. Does the teaching staff have real world experience in the fields they are teaching? ASK colleges about their retention rate, and their 4 year graduation rate. Make certain they are accredited. If your child is planning on going into Graduate School, ask about the rate of undergraduates who apply and are accepted into graduate programs, and ask which schools they are accepted to for graduate work.
We looked at one school, with a $40,000/year price tag that got angry when a parent asked "How many of your entering Freshman graduate?" with a quick follow up of "What percentage of the entering Freshman finish AND graduate in 4 years?" I remember my son looking at me as the admissions officer was yelling "I don't see how this is relevant in choosing a quality education!". He whispered into my ear "Mark this one off the list. If they can't see how this is relevant, they aren't the ones for me!"
Friday, July 5, 2013
letters from the cat
My name is Luna, and I am the ruler of this house. I was a rescue kitten, adopted from a shelter three years ago, and when I finally came out from under the sofa, I declared that there was a new sheriff in town, and that sheriff was me!
I rule this house with lots of fur and an iron paw.
There was another cat here when I moved in - his name is Tiger. But, he scorned my attempts to make nice with him. I tried to snuggle up to him. I tried to share his food dish with him, but he was having none of that.
I spend most of my days sitting in the large front window, watching the bees and birds flit by.
On school days, I hear the bus at the end of the street, and I start howling for my human the minute I hear the air brakes.
I am an indoor cat. I do not like the outdoors. It is very messy, and my fur gets dirty.
Tiger is an indoor/outdoor cat.
He loves the outdoors, and loves nothing more than to roll in the concrete in the car port. He gets out there, rolls around in ecstasy, and when he comes in, he is all covered with dust, dirt, and leaves.
But, I am smitten with Tiger. He is such a tom cat. I have to tell you what he did for our humans this morning. Ungrateful wretches, they didn't appreciate it at all.
He brought a live gopher into the house and dropped it at Mom's feet. Everyone is home for the weekend, and he thought this would be a great opportunity to teach these helpless humans how to hunt for their own food.
But did they appreciate his hard work? NO!!!
Mom screamed. The boys closed the kitchen doors so the gopher would stay in the kitchen (taking all of the fun out of a room by room safari-style search through the house) and the girl climbed up on the kitchen table and yelled "Get it! OH, don't hurt it! It's under the computer table! No, it's under the buffet, OH, don't hurt it!"
Mom finally got a broom and while the one boy held the door open, and the other boy held a box between the end of the counter and the wall, Mom swept the gopher out towards the door.
What a waste! I was looking forward to some nice, steamed gopher, with a sauce of minced garlic and onions, with a few capers, and here they were, tossing a perfectly decent lunch right back out the door!
You might ask where I was while all of this was going on? After all, I have claws and could have caught the gopher myself. Right? Wrong! I am a princess, and catching a gopher would have gotten my paws dirty! I climbed up on the kitchen counter when the gopher was released so that I could better watch the "action".
Once the gopher was back outside, Tiger stared at Mom and the young humans. He shook himself all over, and turned and went back outside.
I know he was thinking that he had lost a perfectly good lunch in an ill-fated attempt to teach our humans how to hunt.
What are we going to do with these people?
I rule this house with lots of fur and an iron paw.
There was another cat here when I moved in - his name is Tiger. But, he scorned my attempts to make nice with him. I tried to snuggle up to him. I tried to share his food dish with him, but he was having none of that.
I spend most of my days sitting in the large front window, watching the bees and birds flit by.
On school days, I hear the bus at the end of the street, and I start howling for my human the minute I hear the air brakes.
I am an indoor cat. I do not like the outdoors. It is very messy, and my fur gets dirty.
Tiger is an indoor/outdoor cat.
He loves the outdoors, and loves nothing more than to roll in the concrete in the car port. He gets out there, rolls around in ecstasy, and when he comes in, he is all covered with dust, dirt, and leaves.
But, I am smitten with Tiger. He is such a tom cat. I have to tell you what he did for our humans this morning. Ungrateful wretches, they didn't appreciate it at all.
He brought a live gopher into the house and dropped it at Mom's feet. Everyone is home for the weekend, and he thought this would be a great opportunity to teach these helpless humans how to hunt for their own food.
But did they appreciate his hard work? NO!!!
Mom screamed. The boys closed the kitchen doors so the gopher would stay in the kitchen (taking all of the fun out of a room by room safari-style search through the house) and the girl climbed up on the kitchen table and yelled "Get it! OH, don't hurt it! It's under the computer table! No, it's under the buffet, OH, don't hurt it!"
Mom finally got a broom and while the one boy held the door open, and the other boy held a box between the end of the counter and the wall, Mom swept the gopher out towards the door.
What a waste! I was looking forward to some nice, steamed gopher, with a sauce of minced garlic and onions, with a few capers, and here they were, tossing a perfectly decent lunch right back out the door!
You might ask where I was while all of this was going on? After all, I have claws and could have caught the gopher myself. Right? Wrong! I am a princess, and catching a gopher would have gotten my paws dirty! I climbed up on the kitchen counter when the gopher was released so that I could better watch the "action".
Once the gopher was back outside, Tiger stared at Mom and the young humans. He shook himself all over, and turned and went back outside.
I know he was thinking that he had lost a perfectly good lunch in an ill-fated attempt to teach our humans how to hunt.
What are we going to do with these people?
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Affording College, pt. 1
College expenses are astronomical. When I look at the student debt that kids are racking up, it breaks my heart. Kids are graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree and anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000 in debt at the tender age of 22. With their fancy degrees in minority studies, gender studies, and that ilk, they are having a difficult time finding a job.
We want our children to go to college. We want them to succeed and do well in life. But, the high cost of college education has many people questioning the merits of a college education.
We have one child in college, and a second going in the fall. I have some lessons learned that I'd like to share with you that we've learned, or our friends have recently learned along the way.
While we're talking about this, I'd like to say that I graduated from college without debt, and I paid my own way through. No help from Mom and Dad for me. Keep in mind, I graduated from college 25 years ago. Granted, college was "cheaper" then, but not when you compare the percentage of your income to the amount of money made. I did learn lessons from my own experience, which has helped our children tremendously.
The Journey Begins in High School.
1) Take advantage of AP Classes. These wonderful classes are offered by most high schools across the nation. Your child is taking a college level class, in high school. At the end of the year, students take the AP exam for that subject. A score of "3" is considered passing. "4" is great, and "5" is the best score. Colleges will look at these scores and many (but not ALL of them) will grant anywhere from 1 - 3 college credits, depending upon the score. Depending upon the college, these credits will either count as elective credits, or they will count for the class in that subject area.
2) Concurrent Enrollment. This is a program that is usually only offered in the Senior year of high school. Students are allowed to take classes at the community college - i.e.- COLLEGE CREDIT - at little or no expense to you. Be wary here. I have heard that if your child fails the class at the community college, YOU will be charged for the tuition for this class. There are many advantages to this program: The community college offers classes that the high schools don't. Again- depending upon the college- the college will accept that credit from the college when your child enters their school. Unlike the AP exam, they will take that full credit. So, where the AP U.S. History Exam with the score of a 5 might get your child a 3 credit elective, or maybe a 3 credit history elective, a 3 credit U.S. History class at the community college WILL give your child 3 college credits in U.S. History upon graduation.
My son's friends have taken advantage of this program by taking classes we can't find in our schools: programming, web design, CALC 3, etc. For these kids, the credits will be transferring directly.
3) Internships. Many high schools now offer internships. These programs offer kids the opportunity to work in their chosen career fields while still in high school. While these programs are not paid, your child finding out that their chosen career field is actually what they want to do BEFORE a fortune is invested in classwork is priceless. Many kids I know have interned for a year, been offered summer jobs from the internship, and then gone to work full-time for this company upon graduation from college. Look into it. I also know kids who discovered part-way into an internship that this field was definitely NOT for them!
4) Project Lead the Way. Do you have a child who wants to be an engineer? Project Lead the Way is offered in many school systems. In our school system, it is a highly competitive program that is offered through the Vo. Tech school. The kids are given a hands-on, project based education in engineering for their last two years of high school. Most colleges and universities will accept these two years of classes as the equivalent of the Engineering Fundamentals classes, and will grant acceptance and credit for students who successfully complete PLTW while in high school. I've heard from kids who did PLTW and those who did not and majored in engineering at the big name engineering schools on the east coast. They all struggled in college with classes (engineering classes are hard), but hands down, the PLTW kids were more prepared and were doing better in classes than their non-PLTW peers.
5) Extra Curricular Activities. National Art Honor Society. Drama Club. Band. Orchestra. Robotics Teams. Each one of these activities has something to say for it. You don't need to be involved in all of them. Pick your passion and stick with it. Enjoy the activity, and be a part of it. Involvement and leadership in the activity that you are passionate about will make a difference when you are applying for scholarships. This includes involvement with scouting, youth groups, and 4-H.
One last thing. I know a lot of people complain about the rigor of AP classes. They say they'd rather get an "A" in an honors class than a "B" in an AP class so that they can keep a straight A average. Here's the weird thing: colleges are looking for rigor. They like to see that your child challenged themselves in high school by taking harder classes.
Just some food for thought...
We want our children to go to college. We want them to succeed and do well in life. But, the high cost of college education has many people questioning the merits of a college education.
We have one child in college, and a second going in the fall. I have some lessons learned that I'd like to share with you that we've learned, or our friends have recently learned along the way.
While we're talking about this, I'd like to say that I graduated from college without debt, and I paid my own way through. No help from Mom and Dad for me. Keep in mind, I graduated from college 25 years ago. Granted, college was "cheaper" then, but not when you compare the percentage of your income to the amount of money made. I did learn lessons from my own experience, which has helped our children tremendously.
The Journey Begins in High School.
1) Take advantage of AP Classes. These wonderful classes are offered by most high schools across the nation. Your child is taking a college level class, in high school. At the end of the year, students take the AP exam for that subject. A score of "3" is considered passing. "4" is great, and "5" is the best score. Colleges will look at these scores and many (but not ALL of them) will grant anywhere from 1 - 3 college credits, depending upon the score. Depending upon the college, these credits will either count as elective credits, or they will count for the class in that subject area.
2) Concurrent Enrollment. This is a program that is usually only offered in the Senior year of high school. Students are allowed to take classes at the community college - i.e.- COLLEGE CREDIT - at little or no expense to you. Be wary here. I have heard that if your child fails the class at the community college, YOU will be charged for the tuition for this class. There are many advantages to this program: The community college offers classes that the high schools don't. Again- depending upon the college- the college will accept that credit from the college when your child enters their school. Unlike the AP exam, they will take that full credit. So, where the AP U.S. History Exam with the score of a 5 might get your child a 3 credit elective, or maybe a 3 credit history elective, a 3 credit U.S. History class at the community college WILL give your child 3 college credits in U.S. History upon graduation.
My son's friends have taken advantage of this program by taking classes we can't find in our schools: programming, web design, CALC 3, etc. For these kids, the credits will be transferring directly.
3) Internships. Many high schools now offer internships. These programs offer kids the opportunity to work in their chosen career fields while still in high school. While these programs are not paid, your child finding out that their chosen career field is actually what they want to do BEFORE a fortune is invested in classwork is priceless. Many kids I know have interned for a year, been offered summer jobs from the internship, and then gone to work full-time for this company upon graduation from college. Look into it. I also know kids who discovered part-way into an internship that this field was definitely NOT for them!
4) Project Lead the Way. Do you have a child who wants to be an engineer? Project Lead the Way is offered in many school systems. In our school system, it is a highly competitive program that is offered through the Vo. Tech school. The kids are given a hands-on, project based education in engineering for their last two years of high school. Most colleges and universities will accept these two years of classes as the equivalent of the Engineering Fundamentals classes, and will grant acceptance and credit for students who successfully complete PLTW while in high school. I've heard from kids who did PLTW and those who did not and majored in engineering at the big name engineering schools on the east coast. They all struggled in college with classes (engineering classes are hard), but hands down, the PLTW kids were more prepared and were doing better in classes than their non-PLTW peers.
5) Extra Curricular Activities. National Art Honor Society. Drama Club. Band. Orchestra. Robotics Teams. Each one of these activities has something to say for it. You don't need to be involved in all of them. Pick your passion and stick with it. Enjoy the activity, and be a part of it. Involvement and leadership in the activity that you are passionate about will make a difference when you are applying for scholarships. This includes involvement with scouting, youth groups, and 4-H.
One last thing. I know a lot of people complain about the rigor of AP classes. They say they'd rather get an "A" in an honors class than a "B" in an AP class so that they can keep a straight A average. Here's the weird thing: colleges are looking for rigor. They like to see that your child challenged themselves in high school by taking harder classes.
Just some food for thought...
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
"How My Dad Almost Killed a Cat"
I heard this story from one of my daughter's friends the other day, and I had to share it.
When this young woman's Dad was little, he lived next door to his best friend.
They rigged a pulley system up between their bedrooms, and would send messages and other things back and forth to each other through a bucket attached to the rope.
One day, they decided it might be a good idea to try to pass the cat over to the friends' house.
But, then they thought they should test their idea first to make certain that their pulley system could support the weight of the cat.
So, they figured out how much the cat weighed.
Then, they put the same weight of rocks into the bucket and began to send it across the pulley.
The bucket got halfway across when the line snapped, and the bucket, rocks and all, came swinging down from the second story, crashed through the dining room window, and smacked the mother on the side of the head.
The end of the story?
Mom had a huge bruise on her face for days.
The cat was fine, and was never, ever placed in the bucket to go visit the neighbor.
The pulley system was permanently dismantled.
When this young woman's Dad was little, he lived next door to his best friend.
They rigged a pulley system up between their bedrooms, and would send messages and other things back and forth to each other through a bucket attached to the rope.
One day, they decided it might be a good idea to try to pass the cat over to the friends' house.
But, then they thought they should test their idea first to make certain that their pulley system could support the weight of the cat.
So, they figured out how much the cat weighed.
Then, they put the same weight of rocks into the bucket and began to send it across the pulley.
The bucket got halfway across when the line snapped, and the bucket, rocks and all, came swinging down from the second story, crashed through the dining room window, and smacked the mother on the side of the head.
The end of the story?
Mom had a huge bruise on her face for days.
The cat was fine, and was never, ever placed in the bucket to go visit the neighbor.
The pulley system was permanently dismantled.
Monday, July 1, 2013
T-Shirt Quilt, Part 2
I'm continuing to work on Matt's t-shirt quilt. I first posted about it here: http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2013/06/t-shirt-quilt-part-1.html
These are the steps involved in getting the interface onto the quilt.
This is the last of the t-shirts. I'm ironing this down. This time, I have my rotary cutter and self-healing cutting mat. This is so much easier with the correct tools!
I don't think you can see the markings on the cutting mat, but I do have the left side lines up on the 0" mark, and I have cut along the right side on the 14" mark.
This is the interfacing. I wish I could tell you which kind to use. The truth of the matter is, I went to the quilt store, and asked what the best kind of interfacing is for the quilt. Each t-shirt square must be stabilized with the interfacing. Otherwise, the t-shirt will shift, and your quilt will end up being lopsided and out of shape, no matter how good a seamstress you are.
The final step - ironing on the interfacing. This is the last of my interfacing, and the very last square. Since I didn't want to go out and buy more interfacing, I pieced together what I had leftover for this last square. Waste not, want not! I followed the directions that came with the interfacing to bond this onto the back - or wrong side of the t-shirts.
This is the fabric that I had chosen for the alternating blocks. Somehow, the t-shirt material really needs to be blocked with cotton fabric to help stabilize the jersey fabric. I chose this lovely black color. I think it nicely complements all of the various color t-shirts that I used, it's the same size as the other t-shirt squares, so it will further stabilize the jersey squares. I know that some people choose to not do this step, or will argue that just the interfacing is enough, but I don't want to take any chances with this. I want the quilt to last at least through college, preferably longer! I ironed the squares first, and then cut them down to 14" squares using my rotary cutter, the self-healing mat, and my extra long - extra wide quilter's ruler. I must admit, this step was much easier when I was using the regular fabric as opposed to t-shirts! It took about half the time!
So, I stopped here with a big pile of squares. The last black square is a little wrinkled in the picture- the cat had been sleeping on it. I will iron everything again before I start the next step.
Next Up: sewing the blocks together, and the quilt top.
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