Dress Breakdown: Lauren

I said that Sarah's pattern is one I would happily make again and again. Lauren's is not. Lauren's pattern is one that I will happily tear up into little pieces. And burn. Seriously, I've never had a pattern make me cry before.

Lauren chose McCall 5742, and we even got the exact fabric that was on the pattern envelope. I didn't realize it until I was in the store that the fabric is flocked--an off white smooth background with black velvety pattern on it. I've never worked with flocked fabric before, but since I could see it finished on the pattern, I knew it would work and look OK.

As a rule, I read through all the pattern instructions before I make a single cut. Sometimes, I get to a part that I don't understand--I can't visualize it. When that happens, I think to myself, "Once is see it in the fabric, I'll see how it goes together." And that generally does work. It's like a puzzle for me, and once I get the pieces together, I can get them to fit. This dress, not only did I put it together wrong, I couldn't figure out what I'd done that was wrong. This was where the tears came in. Frustration, stress, and being really tired didn't help. So I put it down and went to bed. Even before I went to sleep, I started to realize what the problem was, and the next morning, I carefully took the pieces apart and fixed them. (I'd been worried that I'd need to buy more fabric.)

My goal for this Christmas' dresses was for them to be really well made, well finished. Although I think they look nice enough from a distance, I as more than a little disappointed in the quality of my work. I just think I could have done so much better.

Dress Breakdown: Sarah

For Sarah's dress, she picked Simplicity 3546 and a deep red crepe-backed satin. Looking at the front of the pattern, she wanted the one on the far right down at the bottom.

At first, I thought the fabric looked a little bathrobe-y, but in the end, I liked how it turned out quite a bit. My biggest concern was that I might snag it, so I bought new needles.

I had some trouble with the facings (as usual), and it was a little bulkier/not as sleek as I anticipated, but this is a pattern I will probably make again and again. I'm thinking that by summer, she'll have at least three more of these, probably in cotton, and maybe I'll be able to talk her into the contrast midriff and hem bands.

My sister in law commented that it's a more mature dress, not so much for a little girl, but it's not inappropriate at all.

I'm still alive

Here's why I haven't been posting much/at all lately:

Ready to Roll

This is the view as I left the basement 5 minutes ago (it's time to make lunch). Man, I had forgotten how much fabric I have! Lots of it is "inherited," and I don't know what to do with it. I'm hoping to make lots of totes and storage containers (for CDs, etc.) and use a lot of it up. There is a "shopping night" at our homeschool group meeting next Monday night, so hopefully some of it will sell. I'm also thinking about opening up an Etsy store, although I'm more likely to just give it away for Christmas of whatever.

Projects currently on the table are a mini messenger bag made from the leg of an old pair of jeans, and a grocery-style tote bag. Pictures will go up as things get finished.

Progress

So! The table is cleared off, and I've got some of the stuff out from under it as well. The carpet padding that was on the left is in the garbage pile by the stairs, waiting for Jeff to feel well enough to take it upstairs. The carpet remnants are over on the right, waiting for me to clear enough floor space to lay them out. I still need to get the TV and other assorted large boxes out of the way, and there's a table in another part of the basement that I need to clear off so I can use it to hold my sewing machines and other various items. And the laundry seems to have grown by a fair bit, but at this point, I'm just chucking it in the washer arbitrarily. Oh, and everything needs to be washed down--it's cobwebby and buggy and nasty.

As for the plan to put the tools on the shelves, some of them did make it over there, but most of the small miscellaneous stuff is in paper tote bags on the floor to the left. It's going to be even more difficult to get to those shelves soon, because that open area is going to be for the other big boxes and such.

But I see progress, and even a light at the end of the tunnel. At this rate, I feel confident that I'll be able to start sewing in earnest by Monday. Yay!

Frustration

I'm planning on doing a lot of sewing for Christmas this year. I mean, a LOT of sewing. And I'm really excited about getting started.

I use my dining room table to sew. And therein lies the issue. We use the dining room table for meals, and Jeff uses it in the evenings when he plays his online game. I have room for the sewing machine while he's playing, but it's loud, so it's hard for him to hear, and of course I can't do anything big like lay out fabric. Also, constantly setting up and taking down is tiresome and inefficient.

So a while ago, I decided to make a space in the basement to be a full time sewing area. I knew it would take a while to get stuff cleaned out, but the girls and I started working on it. We made some good progress, but then I ignored it for a week or two, so of course the mess crept back.

I started back on it yesterday, and again we made some progress. We already have a table in a corner of the basement that is right by an outlet and has great light (seriously, this bulb is amazing--it was in the house when we bought it, and it's like looking at the sun, it's so bright).

Here's the problem:
All the crap that is still ON the table. Pay no attention to the laundry--that's where the laundry chute dumps (have I ever mentioned how much I love having a laundry chute? The only thing that would be better would be a dumb waiter, so I could send stuff back up the same way.) so things tend to pile up. But the rest of the stuff . . . I don't even know if that TV works, the ceiling fan doesn't work, and then there's all the tools.

The "plan" was to move all the stuff on and under the table over to a shelf unit on the other side of the basement. Here's the problem with that:

I can't even get to the shelves. Yes, there is a bit of clear floor--that's the progress I made yesterday. Still, it's going to take considerable time to be able to get to the shelves, to clear them off so there is room for the tools, and then to move the tools themselves. I look at the whole thing and get so overwhelmed that I just don't know how to start.

I know, I know. Just start. But it's incredibly frustrating to still be so far from actually being able to get started on what I really want to do, which is sew. It's kind of like driving home from Florida, and you finally hit the Michigan border. You think, "Yes! We're almost home!" And then you drive for two more hours.

I even dreamed about it last night. I dreamed that Jeff went down there and cleaned up. I mean, there were boxes stacked neatly against one wall, but other than that, it was empty. It looked like we had just moved in! And I was so happy, because it meant I could get right to work. When I woke up, it took me a second to realize that it was only a dream.

At this point, I don't even know if I should keep working on it right now, or just cut bait and deal with working on the dining room table. If I did that, I could start right away, but I'd have to deal with making sure everything gets put away all the time and not being able to work whenever I want. If I go full bore on the basement, I might be able to get up and running by Monday.

Yeah, the pull of a dedicated sewing area is just too strong. I'll keep taking pictures and posting about my progress.

School Pictures

#0257

I decided to go vote early, to get it done. Jeff has the day off, so I didn't worry about taking the kids. I got up at 7:22, and was there by about 8:45. As I was getting close, I saw that there were a LOT more cars than usual parked along the street. When I got there, the line came out of the building, and snaked down the sidewalk to the parking lot (our polling station is at a local church).

So I got in line and started moving. Moving slowly, but still moving. Then not moving. I heard someone say that the machine that tabulates the votes wasn't working. So we waited some more. The woman behind me had her daughter with her, and even though she was only five, I was impressed at how patient she was.

Finally, we started moving again--the machine had been fixed. We moved slowly but steadily after that. By the time I got into the building, it was about 9:40. The line then broke in two, splitting the alphabet down the middle. This didn't work as well as I would have thought. My line moved much more slowly than the other; people who were well behind me in line outside ended up voting before I did, which was a little frustrating.

Finally, I got my ballot (I had to point my name out on the list), voted, and got out of there around 10:15. Jeff left when I got home and was back within the hour. Yeah, great idea I had to go early. :)

But now I've voted, and I need to run a couple other errands (and get my free coffee from Starbucks!) before I go to work. Then "my teen" is coming over to work on German, and I'm going to watch the election results. Should be an interesting night!

Happy Halloween!

Health

Of the two girls, Lauren is generally more prone to sickness. She has allergies, so it seems that for at least 6 months of the year, her nose is running almost constantly. When I realize that it's "that time" again, I try to make sure we've got Claritin stocked up so I can give her some every day. But I don't want to give it to her if she doesn't need it, so it can be a fine balancing act.

A few days ago, the runny nose started. The runny nose is usually accompanied by coughing at night--a result of post nasal drip, fairly easily solved by making sure she sleeps sitting up and maybe gets a shot of medicine, if she hasn't already had a dose.

This week seemed no different, until last night. Then, the coughing was much rougher, and she was breathing very fast, very shallow. I thought it might be bronchitis, so I canceled my classes today and made a doctor's appointment.

Nope. Not bronchitis.

We can't be sure until we see how she responds to treatment, but the doc is pretty sure it's asthma. In hindsight, it's obvious--that was classic "wheezing." I was surprised when the doc got her on a nebulizer almost immediately for a breathing treatment, though; that particular possibility hadn't occured to me.

That first treatment helped, but it's only a start. We have a month's rental on a nebulizer, and prescriptions for Prednisone (a steroid to help reduce the inflammation in her lungs) and Abuterol (the stuff that goes in the nebulizer). We're also getting the industrial sized Claritin, because it seems that the key to managing this is the preventive measures: keep the allergies under control, keep sudden cold air out of her lungs, and try to prevent colds as much as possible. Hopefully we won't ever need an inhaler.

Chinese Girls

What a Witch!

Heh.
(happier now?)

Ladies Who Lunch

Yes, these are the people I hang out with. The people I met at the library, no less.

Blame it on the Babysitter

Yeah, it washed out . . .

Flashbacks

Tonight, I went to a dance club for a friend's birthday. It's been forever since I was at a club, and maybe that's why I was having flashbacks all night. Or maybe it was just the music.

When we got an order of fried mushrooms, I flashed back to '86, when my boyfriend and I would get pitchers of beer and fried mushrooms or fried oysters at this little dive bar. Yummmmm.

When they played "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," I flashed back to '87. I can't stand that song, mostly because one of my friends played it over and over. And over.

When they played Modern English's "Melt with You," I flashed back to '90, and missed my friend Pat more than ever, sniff.

I also flashed back to pretty much ever bar I've ever been in, because I couldn't hear a damn thing anyone was saying to me. God only knows what I was agreeing with . . .

Just Deal

That's my motto right now. That, or "Suck it up and deal." Whaddya think?

Sarah & I were supposed to go on a sleepover with her Girl Scout Troop this weekend. It wasn't an official Scout thing, just a fun get together for us. We were both really looking forward to it. I missed her meeting this week because I was working (Jeff picked her up), so last night I called to get the final scoop on how much it was going to cost and what to bring from the mom who was doing the bulk of the planning. She said, "they didn't call you?" Well, you know good news isn't going to follow that.

Apparently, they canceled it because no one can afford it. She said that the troop leaders were basically talking everyone out of it. She offered to call me, but they said they'd take care of telling everyone. Yeah, except not. I went in to tell Sarah, who was already in bed, and she was really upset.

So I was pissed last night. Not only do they wait until the last minute to cancel, I was completely out of the loop. I feel like this happens because we homeschool, and since Sarah isn't in class with the other girls, I miss out. I'm pretty much over it now; this morning, while I was talking about it with a friend, Sarah overheard me and said, "What's done is done."

I also realized that I need to stop complaining, even to myself, about my job. I'm teaching Windows Vista to senior citizens. It's at three different facilities, and I have to schlep five laptop computers around. Also, I'll be bringing them in the house at night so they don't stay in the trunk overnight. It's a hassle, but you know what? They're paying me really well for these classes. For what I'm getting, I can deal with a fairly small amount of hassle.

I need to remember that I have a lot of good things in my life, and focus more on all those positive things.

Not so crabby

Just busy.

Got the car fixed. It cost $200, which isn't great, but still a lot better than $500.

Had a very nice lunch date with Jeff. We actually talked about things other than the kids!

Got most of Lauren's costume done. Hoping to finish it today and Sarah's tomorrow.

Working tonight.

Crabby

I'm having a crabby week.

Monday was a true Monday. The girls had to have cavities filled, Sarah required nitrous, the bill was about double what I expected, because I forgot about the sealants for Lauren.

On the way to the dentist, the "low coolant" light came on. After skating (which was immediately after the dentist), I took it to the shop. An hour and a half later, the verdict came back: a leak in the intake, which will require $500 to fix. You know, I've loved this car. It was a gift that meant more to me than I can ever say. But I am ready to be done with it and get rid of it. I feel like I'm throwing money down a hole. That said, we'll spend the $$$ again to get it fixed. Again.

Monday afternoon, the kids said that there was water in the basement. We had a lot of rain a couple weeks ago, but anything from the storm drains should have come up then. Ha--it wasn't from the drain, but from the wall. Super. We mopped it up; the silver lining there is that we cleaned up a huge pile of crap from that side of the wall, throwing most of it away. Yay, a large pile of crap gone! There was a little more water yesterday, which I again mopped up, and Sarah says that there is a little more today.

So putting the computer in the basement = maybe not the best idea. However, I'm more committed than ever to cleaning it out, getting rid of ALL the crap, and getting the rest in plastic storage tubs and on shelves. There's still an enormous amount of work to be done, and although Purple Heart just came yesterday, I'm planning on having a lot more for them soon.

Yesterday was somewhat better--we went on a field trip and saw a bald eagle, which was cool. Today is Lauren's first Daisy Girl Scout meeting of the semester, and she's super excited. I'm less excited, because for some reason, I'm going to be a co-leader, so I have to stick around instead of dropping her off.

"Luckily," the Youth German class didn't get enough kids, so it's not running. Too bad about the lack of $, but good on the time that I don't have to spend on it.

There is absolutely nothing on our plate tomorrow, so maybe I can finally get sewing, or at least buy the fabric. Friday, Jeff has the day off work, so we're hoping to go on a date. Hopefully, I'll have a more cheerful post by the weekend!

Pendulum

I have two modes to my life:

1. no spare time because I'm working so much, but financially comfortable
2. no money because I'm not working. At all.

Seriously, there seems to be almost no middle ground at all. Last spring, I was crazy. Things dropped off severely in July, I worked exactly two hours in August, and I've had nothing this month. I was fairly confident that new classes would start again eventually, but no money right now is frustrating.

Finally, yesterday, I got the call about the senior computer classes. That was the call I'd been waiting for; it pays the best and it's pretty fun to teach. And instead of the three hours a week I was counting on, they need instructors for more of the classes, so I picked up nine hours a week. Happily, it's two afternoons and two evenings. I really hate being gone more than two evenings a week, and during the day, I should be able to get the grandparents to babysit.

At this point, that's "enough." I have no idea if the Youth German class I'm offering through our local community center will run. Last time I checked, only one kid had signed up. If I don't get at least four kids, it's not worth it to me to run it. If that class doesn't run, then I'll be disappointed, but also a little relieved. I don't know if the German class I was teaching in the mornings last spring will start up again. They indicated interest, but I don't know if there was enough interest there, or if they managed to get funding.

So my October schedule is looking pretty packed, between ice skating, Scouts, dance, co-op, library time, and work. I'm thinking I need to start my Halloween sewing NOW. In fact, I might need to start my Christmas sewing!

The only thing I'd change about my wedding

Note--it's not my (11th) anniversary for a few more months; I was just thinking about weddings today!

I loved my wedding. I loved my dress. I loved the location. I loved the reception--although, now that I think about it, there is a second thing I would change. When the food people told me that the first course, a cranberry sherbet-y thing, had melted, I would not have said, "Well, scoop out new servings!" I would have said, "Oh, well! Move on!" In hindsight, that delay was rather substantial, and slowed things down too much.

(We now resume the fluffy bunny portion of our show.) I loved the flowers. I loved that my bridesmaids all wore different dresses, and that they all loved their dresses.

One thing I didn't love was my shoes. I chose a sensible heel, but the vamp cut straight across my instep. They were painful before the night was done, and I was limping on the way in to the hotel, because I had forgotten spares. Given my choice today, I would wear these:

I do love red shoes, and I think these would have been a fun, unexpected pop to peek out from under the lace that edged my gown. Maybe a lower heel. Maybe not, though.



And then there's this: best part of the wedding, duh.

Greetings from Holland, MI

Really, I will post more. Soon.

Greetings from Myrtle Beach

Good trip. Tired. Write more tomorrow.

Week #3

Baby Blanket

Last spring, I made my first baby blanket for Jeff's cousin (the baby shower at the spa). I liked how it turned out, and when I heard that a former coworker was having a baby, I decided to make one for her. This time, I decided to take pictures as I went, and write up a real tutorial.

Warning: this is going to be a long post. All times are approximate, and seem way too long, but things always take longer than they should!

#1: Buy fabric. 1 1/2 yards each of a flannel (yellow print) and a flat cotton (solid purple). Last time, I made the blanket with flannel on both sides, and although it was nicely cushy, I like the contrast of textures better. Don't forget thread.

#2 Cut the main panels of fabric. A rotary cutter and straight edge really help here. I think I cut out 24" by 46", though that seems like an odd size. I tried to make it about crib sized. Time: 15 minutes

#3 Cut 4" squares out of both fabrics. Precise cutting makes a big difference. The first time I made a blanket like this, I cut the squares with scissors, while sitting on the couch. Did you know that a square that isn't square will not fold into a proper triangle? The cutting goes faster if you cut strips, then stack a few strips to cut the squares. Time: 45 minutes

#4 Iron the squares into triangles, wrong sides together, then into triangles again. Time: 45 minutes

#5 Sew the triangles together in a chain, alternating fabrics. Each one should overlap the other by about half. These are called Prairie Points. Time: 30 minutes
#5.1 Get distracted by younger daughter, who wants to make blankets for her dolls and Webkinz. Time: 15 minutes

5.2 Realize that you didn't cut enough fabric squares, and don't have enough Prairie Points to go around the fabric. Cut, iron and attach more. Time: 15 minutes

#6 Sew the chain of Prairie Points to the right side of one of the pieces of fabric. Pin very thoroughly. When you get to the end, the open end of the last point should fit over the closed end of the first one. You'll probably have to fiddle with it to get it to come out perfectly. Time: 30 minutes
#7 Sew the other piece of fabric to the side with the Prairie Points, right sides together. Be sure to leave an opening for turning. Time: 30 minutes

#7.1 Hunt for the batting that you know is somewhere in the house--I mean, you used it for that last blanket, so you know it's around somewhere, right? Time: 5 days

#8 Cut the batting to the same size as the fabric. Attach it, but don't sew all the way around--you still have to leave the opening to turn it right side out. I used a zigzag stitch for this. Trim the extra fabric close to the edges. Time: 30 minutes
NOTE: yeah, you could just layer the fabric, points, other piece of fabric, and batting together and sew it all together in one step. I'm paranoid and wanted to do each layer one at a time, so I could see it more easily.

#9 Turn the blanket right side out. Time: 5 minutes

#10 Now it's time to close up the opening. Turn the raw edges in, press them well, then top stitch about a quarter of an inch from the edge all the way around. Run out of thread 16 inches from the end, because you did everything in separate layers in steps 6, 7, and 8. Curse profusely, go to the store, and buy more thread. Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

#11 Tie ribbon through all thicknesses to keep the batting from shifting. I used an embroidery needle for this, because the eye is very large, which makes it easy to thread the ribbon through. I only did five of these, but that should be plenty. All I used was a simple square knot. Time: 15 minutes
Done! Total time: One Month

Here's the finished product, or at least a corner so the print is easier to see:
I'd love to be able to make money by sewing cute/fun stuff like this, but I think I'll stick to gifts for the time being. I don't know how Katie Fleck does it. It really was fun, and I think if I had all my crap together, I could do one easily in a day, as long as I didn't have anything else going on that day.

Did not see that coming.

The director for senior activities called me back just now. Apparently, they had computer classes for seniors in the past. Until some people started looking at porn, that is. She ended up pulling the Internet off the computers, which ended up causing issues with their phone lines, and she's not willing to put the 'net back on, because kids do use the computers sometimes.

So. That's the end of that avenue. She personally is interested in German, though, so that may open up something else.

That still leaves me with no income until October. Not acceptable. Time to go to Plan B.

I Think I Made It

. . . if only by the skin of my teeth.

A few months ago, I hit on the great idea of offering German classes through our Community Center. I picked up the submission forms, and promptly lost them. I also got very bogged down in trying to pick and choose materials, especially for upper elementary grades. Jeff finally talked me down by reminding me that I don't have to act on every single idea I get immediately. In other words, ditch the upper elementary for right now, and focus on lower elementary and high school classes.

I had kind of dismissed to CC idea, and was just going to do classes here at home, even though it would be a lot more hassle. When I mentioned that at dinner last night, Jeff voiced concern about having a bunch of unknown people in our house.

So I figured I needed to give it my last best shot. I called the CC and asked when the deadline to get new classes in the brochure was. The deadline is tomorrow, so I printed my resume, and hauled myself down there to fill out the forms. It was no big deal, although I'm charging less that I originally anticipated, but as long as I get the minimum # of students, I'll still be making $20/hour, which I can live with. I also discovered that the CC does have a computer lab and projector, so in an hour or so, I'm going to call the senior director and see if she is interested in offering any computer classes. I've been teaching computers to seniors for about four years now, and it's usually gone pretty well.

So although I'm still in limbo, and likely won't start pulling in a regular paycheck again until October, I have considerably more hope that I will get regular work again.

More Jammin'

So when I left off, I had made my first batch of sour cherry jam, and it was awesome.

Having been bitten by the berry bug (yes, I know cherries aren't berries, but I wanted to get some alliteration going on), I decided that blueberries were next on the list.

We went with some friends to a local orchard, and spent an afternoon in the orchards. While we were there, I saw that they not only had a section for "pie cherries," they had a pitting machine. Cherry jam without having to pit them myself? I was so there!!!

Once we got home with our loot, I got to work (yeah, ok . . . it was the next night by the time I got started). I made another batch of cherry jam, which also turned out wonderfully, although the pitting machine had left a few pits.

A few days later, I turned to the blueberries. I had let the kids eat some of them plain, but most of that afternoon's work went into a pot with pectin and sugar. And that jam turned out . . . not so well. It tastes ok, but the texture leaves something to be desired. It's not that it's grainy, like the sugar didn't dissolve. But it isn't smooth, either. In a word, it is disappointing.

I don't know if I'll try blueberry jam again next year, because that was an awful lot to "waste." Not that we can't eat it, but it just isn't as good. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered with making jam, but frozen all of them to use in pancakes and ice cream toppings for the rest of the year.

"Mystery" Post, Week 2

Didn't make a lot of progress this week . . .

So cool!

Check out Zazzle to design your own Keds! You can use their templates, or upload your own pictures! Not cheap--$50 for kids, $60 for adults' sizes--but a lot of fun to play with!

"Already I am zee (hic!) pickled."

Another confluence of events happened this week.

• I brought the jar of kosher dill pickles to the table for dinner only to discover that there were two left. It wasn't a big jar, but Jeff hadn't had a chance to have any, and I don't like dill pickles, so my two lovelies must have been inhaling them.
• We got a bunch of smallish cucumbers from our neighbor (hi, Kelsey!).
  
• I saw this blog post.

Well, obviously I'm going to make some pickles! I got some mustard seed from the store, and some dill from a friend who has it growing in her back yard (hi, Meagan!). I cleaned out a good sized Rubbermaid container, cut up the cukes, and followed the directions.

As I said before, I generally don't care for dill pickles. My Grandma's bread and butter pickles are a different story--now that's a recipe I need! But as I was cutting up the dill and garlic, and putting it all together, it all smelled so good! I thought, "Mmmm, I'm going to have to try these!"

The whole thing also reminded me of one of my favorite Bug Bunny cartoons, quoted in the title here. It's on YouTube, and still as much fun to watch now as when I was a kid. And I know I'd love to have the recipe for Louisiana Back Bay Bayou Bunny Bordelais' ala Antoine.

I let them sit for just a day before I decided to see how they were. I was just about to leave for work (hi, Jill!), and I fished one out of the brine and took a bite.

O.M.G.

It was disgusting! Salty and garlicky and nasty! On a chance, I offered the rest to Sarah. "Yummy!" she said, popping it in her mouth as she ran out the door. Since I didn't hear any exclamations of revulsion, I paused. Maybe they aren't terrible. Maybe it's just me. Then the babysitter came over (hi again, Kelsey!) and I told her about them. She took a bite and as her eyes rolled back in her head, she said, "These are amazing! I have more cucumbers; will you make some for me, too?"

So . . . just me, then. I'm glad, but also kind of let down. I was really looking forward to those pickles, but at least I know someone likes them and I don't have to throw away the whole container.

Meant to Be

Last week, I got an email coupon from Borders for 30% off any item over $10, and $5 Bonus Bucks. The Bonus Bucks are good all month, but the coupon expired Saturday. I couldn't decide what to use it for: more German stuff for the kids, homeschool resources for me, or a cookbook. I was leaning toward the cookbook, but didn't get it in time, and the coupon expired.

Sunday, I got another Borders email coupon, this time for 40% off an item over $20; it expired Tuesday. By then, I was really leaning toward the cookbook, even though I usually get most of my recipes off the Internet, and I also like checking cookbooks out of the library, because it is really good--I've already used a couple recipes from it. But finances started to mount when I realized that there were a couple bills I hadn't accounted for, and I dropped $50 for my first month of Weight Watchers. Also, the dryer has stopped working, so that will be a few bucks. So I regretfully let the coupon expire.

Then last night, as I was checking email before bed, I saw that I got a special offer from America's Test Kitchen. The book that I wanted, for 50% off. This coupon lasts until the 15th, and since I'll get paid before then, I'll definitely get the book.

It feels like I'm really supposed to have it, and who am I to argue?

Mystery Post, Week #1

Not a great picture, but it gets the point across. It's going to take quite a while to finish, so I'm planning to post a picture every Monday of my progress. Yes, I know today is Tuesday. I took the picture last night, which works for me, thanks.

Jammin'

Back in 2003, we first picked cherries from our neighbor's tree. That day got me one of my favorite pictures of the girls ever.

I love the expression on Sarah's face, and that the colors really pop. Lauren is just being cute. Sadly, this scanned image doesn't really show the crystal clarity of the prints.

That first year, we took all the cherries and made a pie. And that was one tasty pie. But eight servings later, it was gone. No more delicious cherry goodness. There was much sadness.

Last year, we picked cherries again (if they don't get the net on the tree soon enough, the birds devour the cherries in no time flat). I knew I didn't want to do a pie, but I didn't know what I did want to do with them. So I froze them. Sadly, most of them are still in the freezer. Sure, some of them made fabulous cherry lemonade slushies, and I wanted to do muffins with some, but I never got to them.

This year, I had a plan. I wanted to make jam. So the kids and I went over and picked for a while. It was difficult, getting around under the net, and it was hot. Sadly, I didn't get any classic pictures that will go down in my memory as Top 10, but we did get a fair number of cherries.

After picking, the cherries had to be pitted. And, since I didn't get to them that very same day, or even the next day, they had to be sorted to get rid of the ones that had gone bad. That was absolutely the most tiresome, annoying part of the whole process. I don't have a pitter, so I used a paring knife, and ended up giving my thumb some shallow cuts in the process.

Once that was done, I mashed them up a bit, threw them in a big saucepan, added some pectin, and brought it up to a boil. Then I added the sugar, let it boil again, and ladled it into the (already prepared) jars. Hot water bath was after that. The cooking part of it didn't take that long, and wasn't hard at all, but was really hot from the steam.

The next day, I tried some of the jam. Heaven! It was SO good, I couldn't believe it. Sweet and tart, clear gel with chunks of whole cherries floating in it. I have one of the jars to our neighbor (I'm not even sure if they got any of the cherries themselves).

To be continued tomorrow . . .

Update

Wow; it has been over a month. I really didn't realize it had been so long!

The month blazed by, but I didn't get nearly the stuff done I wanted to. Shrug. There's plenty for me to work toward in August!

I do have some specific things to blog about, so I can promise with certainty that it will not be a month before I blog again!

Goals

Summer is almost a third over. I don't care that the calendar says that summer starts June 21. Summer = June, July, August. Now that most of my classes are done, and dance is done, I'm going to be home a lot more. I'm planning to take it as an opportunity to get a lot done around.

Big, Vague, Long-Term Goals:

• sew
• websites
• clean house
• clean out basement
• Community Center classes
• walk
• school

Goals for this week:

• sew summer outfits for the girls (had the patterns & fabrics for weeks)
• get the Bathliners website posted; develop price/service list for other potential clients
  
• thoroughly clean out one of the three bedrooms
• spend half an hour every day working on the basement
• set up a meeting with the CC people about classes (develop class list)
• walk half an hour every morning
• get back on track with Science, Spelling, Social Studies, Math and Reading schoolwork
  

Opportunity + Nerves = Excitement

My crazy schedule is about to slow down to almost a complete halt. Two of my classes finish this week, along with dance. My last class will continue for 4 - 6 more weeks, but sporadically. This is good, because I'll have more time. But the other side of that coin is that I'll be bringing in less money.

I've been trying to figure out how to generate other income streams. One way (that will hopefully pay for our vacation in September) is to create small, basic web sites for local businesses. No e-commerce, no inventory. Just basic, informational sites that don't need frequent upgrades. I've been working on one for quite a while, but there have been a few hang ups. Hopefully it will be ready to go live soon. Then I'll be able to use that as an example of what I can do. If I can get five clients, that should cover us.

The other thing I've been giving a lot of thought to is classes through our community center. I'd like to do German, Computers, and seminars for parents who are interested in improving their kids' educational experiences. I've also thought about Reading classes, but those are a much larger amount of work.

The issue right now is that the community center doesn't have much of a computer lab. The computer classes that I'm teaching right now (through a community center for a neighboring suburb) got a grant, and they have a very nice computer lab, even though there isn't a projector, with does make things more difficult. Anyway, I saw in the paper that Jenny Jones (of talk show fame) was giving out grants of $25K each. That would definitely be enough to outfit a rockin' computer lab, as well as pay for a Nerd Herd guy to do maintenance, and an instructor or two. I have a feeling that free computer classes (for kids and adults) would fill up pretty quickly, you know?

I'd still have to charge for German and anything else I wanted (unless I could get another grant, hmmm).

I still need to talk to the community center some more about my plans and ideas, but I think this could be a really good fit for me. Now I just need to make it happen.

Dance Preview

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

They look way too old to be my children.








By the way, the car is going to cost $800 to fix. Don't know that it's worth it to get the insurance company involved.

Not the worst Father's Day Ever

That honor, of course, still goes to 2006.

2008 is now #2.

It's a tradition with us to go to a baseball game on Father's Day. If we can't get Tigers tickets, we go to Lansing or Toledo. This year, we headed south of the border. On our way there, the hood of our Corolla, which has been rusty for a long time, but getting much worse lately, unlatched in the wind and blew back up in front of the windshield. Luckily, there wasn't tons of traffic, and Jeff was able to get us to the side of the highway. It blew back so hard that it cracked the windshield and even dented the roof a little bit. Also, the hood itself has been dented/popped out (kind of like an umbrella).

We called his parents, and while we waited, talked about what we were going to do. Should we have it towed someplace close by, or pay extra to have it towed closer to home?

Luckily, we called Jeff's dad instead of my dad, because when he showed up, he got out some tools and took the hood right off. No tow truck needed! He drove our car home, and we took his Durango the rest of the way to Toledo. We saw the second half of the game (Mudhens lost to the Syracuse Chiefs, 5-3), then came home.

I have no idea how much all of this is going to cost, and thinking about it tires me out. But no one was hurt, so this falls into the category of "expensive inconvenience" instead of anything worse.

Know what these are?

These are pictures of my babies breaking boards. The one of Lauren is really blurry, but I only got one chance--that's why I don't have actual video up.

Friday was their last night of karate, and they tested for their first belts: white with a yellow stripe. Jeff said he was a little worried about them making it, but--cynical me--I told him that it was in the teachers' best interests that the kids be successful, so they'd want to continue. And of course, they all were successful, both with the test for the belt and breaking the board. Still, the looks on every child's face was a priceless, "Wow, I really did it!"

During the class, the instructors passed out information about the school itself. The classes we've been taking are an introductory thing through our rec center. They're very cheap: $40 per kid for 8 weeks. Continuing on at the dojeng (it's Korean karate, so not a dojo) is considerably more expensive: $80/month for 1 child, but $140/month for 2 or more.

Both girls have liked karate, although Sarah is a lot more focused and generally does better. Jeff said that if they wanted to continue, he'd do whatever he had to in order to make that happen. While I applauded his commitment, I can't conjure up and extra $140 a month. I said that we'd see just how interested they were before committing to anything more.

As it turns out, they're both more interested in gymnastics. There is a summer intro program, again offered through Parks & Rec, but our summer is plenty busy already. Scouts is almost over, but we won't be done with dance for a few more weeks. Golf starts for Sarah in a few weeks, and we're already starting to think about swimming. VBS is in July, and I'm still working a fair bit, at least for the rest of this month.

Although the intro stuff would probably be cheaper through P&R, I think we'll wait and sign up in the fall with our homeschool athletic program. It'll probably be a little more expensive, but it'll be during the day, so it'll fit better into our schedule. Part of me wishes they'd find/pick one thing to love and stick with it (they're both in their third year of dance, but that's as much my choice as theirs), but I'm glad they're dabbling in lots of different things, to see what suits them best.

This is them with their teacher, holding their boards back together.

I Can't Drive 55

Twice a week, I have to drive about 75 miles (almost all highway) round trip for a class. It generally takes about 45 minutes each way, and easily a quarter of a tank of gas. It's costing about $60 to top up the tank these days, so the extra money that I'm getting paid for a class that's outside of my usual range isn't going as far as I'd hoped.

I usually set my cruise control to 70, and don't mind when I get passed, which is pretty often. I've been reading a lot about how lower speeds can improve mpg, so I decided to slow down even more. Yesterday, I set the cruise for 65 for most of each way.

It's hard to tell if I did save much/any gas, but I was getting passed even more than before, if that's possible. If I'd tried to go 55, I'd probably get in an accident. I remember back in the 70's, when Carter first established the 55/hour speed limit, it was to save gas, not lives. Saving lives was just a bonus. I read about one guy who went 45 on the highway, and got truly phenomenal mileage, but he said that he didn't recommend it.

Even with gas prices going crazy, I don't see a lot of people slowing down, and I wonder why that is. Habit? Time being more valuable than money?

We're planning on driving to Florida in the fall, and going straight through instead of stopping half way, as we did the past two times. I'm wondering about the value of getting there as quickly as we can versus saving some money. We'll have to see what the situation is like in a few months.

Boycotting Subway

This just doesn't make sense to me.

Subway is having a "Every Sandwich Tells a Story" contest. Yeah, that part I get.

At the bottom is the disclaimer.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted.

No home schools? Why not? I'm going to email them and ask why, but until then, no Subway for us! Quizno's, here we come!

Update: apparently, the grand prize is $5,000 worth of sports equipment for the winner's school. They don't want to award all that equipment to an individual family, which I understand. But even though we don't have a school to give the equipment to, we do have our co-op, as well as our Homeschool Athletic League. Either would be thrilled with a donation like that. Though some homeschoolers do operate totally independently, there are many of us who are part of various programs.

Trying to Do It All

We've been here before . . .
My work schedule currently:

• Monday & Wednesday: German; 5 - 7; 45 minute drive (ends no later than August, possibly sooner)
• Tuesday & Thursday: German; 7 - 9; 30 minute drive (ends in June, but might be extended)
  
• Wednesday & Friday: Computers; 11:45 - 3:15; 15 minute drive (ends June 4)
• Tuesday & Thursday: Computers; 6:30 - 8:00; 30 minute drive (starts next week, ends June 19)

I also have an ESL student two or three times a month,but nothing regular.

This takes me to 18 hours a week at least (including drive time, it's 27 hours out of the house). That's a lot for me. But it will get better in June, and a lot better in July, and after August, the only class that I am likely to have will be the T/Th nights.

So when I got the email this morning that there's another German class open, of course it's tempting me. I feel like I have to enjoy this summer bounty while it lasts, because--like tomatoes--they won't be around forever.

This class isn't so far away--about 30 minutes--but the pay rate is less than the other German classes. After taxes, paying the babysitter (she's saving for a car and is happy to come over as much as I want, and the kids love her to bits), and the extra gas for the car, I'd bring home about an extra $50 a week.

I don't know if that's worthwhile. Yeah, over the course of the summer it would add up, and German classes are generally easy and fun, but it's still time out of my life. I actually found myself thinking, "Are you sure Sarah isn't old enough to watch herself and Lauren for a couple hours?" before NO came crashing in. She isn't. If I want the class, I'll pay for babysitting. In a few more years, it won't be an issue, but not now.

The question is, do I want it. We always need the money. I already have too much to do and can't keep my life straight. That's really what it always comes down to: Time vs. Money. Too Much Time = Not Enough Money. Plenty of Money = Not Enough Time.

Obviously, I have no idea what I'm going to do. Again. As usual.

Edit: That was almost too obvious. While I was talking to Jeff, I realized that although I can't take on anything else right now, once the afternoon computer classes are over, I'll have a little more time again. The question now is whether the student is willing to wait three more weeks for class to start, or if they can find another instructor who can start sooner. Either way, I'm satisfied with the outcome.

My Jalopy

Thanks to Pez for reminding me of this great word.

We have two cars; one (Buick) is primarily for whoever is driving the kids, and the other (Corolla) is mostly for whoever is driving solo. Originally, I drove the Buick only in the summer, when my MIL was driving her cute little convertible. That freedom was a wonderful thing. In the winter, if I needed the car, I had to drive Jeff to work, which was about 45 minutes each way. That meant that the kids and I would spend three hours in the car just getting him to & from work, never mind the actual errands we had to run. So a second car really made a big difference to me.

Eventually, after she and my FIL retired, they sold us ($1) the Buick. Now I had year round freedom! When Jeff asked what kind of car I would want if we got a new one, I told him that I wanted the exact same kind.

That was a few years ago, and I have to admit that I haven't done all I could to take care of it, largely because I wasn't working much since last spring and we didn't have the money. I knew the struts would need to be replaced, for instance.

This spring, I've been working a lot more, maybe 15 hours a week. Getting the car back in shape was a high priority for us, partly because the car was stalling out sometimes. It always started right back up again, but it's very unnerving to be driving along and have the car just die!

We found out back in February that the issue there was the EGR valve, but that the rear brakes were a higher priority. So we got those fixed (along with a couple other things), to the tune of $700.

Last month, I heard a squeaking sound coming from the back. That was the struts, which couldn't be put off any longer. $500 there.

This month, we were going to get the EGR valve fixed properly instead of a temp fix. Also, the front passenger door hasn't opened from the outside for about two years. It's inconvenient, but only when we're all in the car, which is about once a week on average. Oh, and I'd noticed a couple of weeks ago that the alignment was a little off.

Well, the rear driver's side tire has had a slow leak for a while. I've been adding air to it periodically, but knew it would need to be repaired or replaced. Last night, after a birthday part about 45 minutes away from home, it was again a little low, so I put some more air in it. As I was putting the hose away, I could actually hear air coming out of the tire! Holy cow, was I nervous on that drive home. Once we got back, the tire looked maybe a little lower, but this morning, it was flat as a pancake. Jeff put on the spare, and we got it to the garage.

I told the guy that I'd like to get the EGR valve, the tire, the alignment, and the door fixed, but this month's car budget was only $500. He said he'd see what he could do.

When he called me back, he said that the rear trailing arms were also really rusty, and were a higher priority than the EGR valve. In order to stay on budget, the EGR valve & door will have to wait until next month. The tire, alignment, and rear trailing arms will be fixed.

I told him that I was worried about the car being a money pit. Honestly, I love that car, but the money I'm sinking into it is frustrating. He reminded me that I'd put a lot of this off for too long, and that it's still cheaper than a new car. He said that with a little more preventive maintenance, I should be able to get two more winters out of this car.

That's good--it gives me a goal to shoot for. Still, I hate the thought of a new car.

And then there's the Corolla, which is also a jalopy and needs a fair bit of work as well. Um, I'll think about that tomorrow.

Edit: I got out for $400 today, and next month will be about $300. Apparently, the EGR valve is lower priority than I realized, though there are other things to do in order to get it to last the two years.

Sewing Starts

Got the Serger back, yay!

I've made a reasonable start--I sewed the patches on Lauren's Daisy tunic, fixed a zipper on Sarah's 2006 Easter dress, and made these:
I didn't finish the hems other than to serge them, and they're considerably shorter and less baggy than regular karate pants, but they'll do just fine.)

Top of the list

Counting Beanbags

My nephew's 2nd birthday is coming up, and I think I'm going to make these. The hardest part will be finding little print/animal fabrics to use for the counting appliqué fronts.

That, and explaining to the girls why their karate pants still aren't done. Official word is that I'm waiting for my Serger to come back from the shop. Unofficial word is that I try to do too much at once.

Forgot these . . .

• CD holder
• Insulated Water Bottle Holder
• Criss Cross Coasters

Jonesin' for Sewing

There are so many sewing projects I'd love to be working on right now.

• Cloth napkins. I hate going through paper napkins so quickly. This would be a fast, easy, useful project, and I think I have fabric I could use already.
• Little Boxy Pouch. So cute! Looks quick and easy to make. I have plenty of fabric, but don't think I have any extra zippers. Also, I have no idea what I would do with it once it was done. Suggestions?
  
• Grocery Bags. I hate the mountains of plastic bags we go through. The pocket on the side also means that I could fold it up and keep a few in my purse or the car--less likely to forget them that way. Supplies: I'm sure I have appropriate fabric downstairs.
• Baby Quilts. I have no upcoming baby showers (though the girls' dance teacher is due with her second baby next fall), but I could always be a blanketeer. I don't currently have any appropriate fabric for this project, but supplies can be had for about $10 if I find a good sale.
  
• The Un-Paper Bag. I love the size and shape of this bag. I really love the leather handles. Maybe once a few more paychecks come in, and we get the car and oven fixed, I'll splurge on supplies for that one. A cute summer bag.
  
• Shoulder bag. Looks fun and practical, but a little slouchy. Not at the top of the list right now.
  
• Totes for the kids to take stuff to the pool this summer.
• Summer clothes for the kids. When we were looking for Easter dress fabric, they saw a lot of cute summery fabric (think bumblebees, watermelon, frogs, etc.), and I promised we'd make some sun dresses & other clothes.
  

So how many of these projects will be done soon, or even ever? That remains to be seen, but right now it's definitely just a wish list.

Easier Than Expected

I went in to talk to the principal this morning, and he pretty much agreed to exactly what I asked. So I'll be making about the same amount of money, but instead of being gone from 7:30 AM to 2PM, I'll be gone from 11:30 AM to 3PM. I'd much rather be gone in the afternoon than the morning, and mornings are when we get most of our schoolwork done, so I'm hoping it will be a better situation.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

Can't remember the last time . . .

I locked my keys in the car.

I was at my German class tonight, getting ready to leave, when I realized I'd locked the car door, then set the keys down, then looked at some paperwork, then got out of the car. Without the keys. So I had to call Jeff and get him to come unlock the car. No biggie, except that particular student lives 45 minutes away from us, and class wasn't over until 7. So the girls went to bed around quarter to ten tonight.

I'm still in limbo about my time at the school, but it should be resolved by Friday.

Go, Tigers!

What am I thinking?

Last week, I decided that working the two days at the school was taking too much out of me, and negatively affecting our school work. So I decided to quit. I didn't like it; I don't want to quit because something is hard. Also, I made a commitment, and they are counting on me. In spite of that, once I made the decision, I actually felt lighter. I felt so happy, it surprised me. But I also felt like that was an indicator that I'd made the right decision.

Yesterday morning, I called to see if the morning class was available, which she thought it was (my regular contact is on vacation and I talked to the woman covering for her). She had it listed as a Tuesday/Thursday class, which I'd originally said I couldn't do, because of our co-op. She said she'd see if they were willing to switch days, and I told her that if they weren't, I'd work it out for T/Th (there are only two more regular co-op days, and I could get a friend to drive the kids, then meet them up there a little late).

So. Then I started thinking. This is where the trouble started, of course.

"If I took this new morning class on T/Th, I could stay on at the school. Wow, that would take me up to 23 hours a week once the other night class starts. More if my ESL student can meet. That's nuts. But I don't want to leave the school in the lurch, and it's only two more months. And those classes really take a lot out of me. But it would be steady work again in the fall, when my other classes usually dry up." On and on, ad infinitum.

So here's what I've decided. I'm going to call the principal and tell him that I can't continue as before. I need at least a little more money, and I need the schedule to change. I appreciate that I'm getting paid for prep time, but I need those hours at home. The ball will be in his court, and I'll feel better about it. If I do continue there, the next two months would be really hard, but I'd get through it.

And the coats

I was nervous about the buttonholes, but they came out great!

Of Course

How could it possibly have been the other way around?

Stupid Conscience

I'm working quite a bit these days, and about to pick up two more evenings. When I got an email yesterday about an early morning class, I told my contact that I was swamped and couldn't take on anything more.

After classes today, I'm wishing I hadn't. I'd forgotten how exhausting teaching groups of school kids can be. And those classes run from 8 until 1:30. Not all of that is class time; some is prep, which I still get paid for, which does help. But it eats up pretty much my whole day, especially since dance and scouts (and more work) are in the afternoons and evenings.

The prospective class, in addition to being adults (who generally want to be there, or at least hide it pretty well if they don't), is from 7 to 9 AM. That time wouldn't eat into our school day very much at all.

Also, the pay rate is about 2 and a half times what I'm making now. I'd bring home about the same amount, but for four hours of work instead of eleven. (For a while, I was giving 40% of my take-home pay to a babysitter, but that issue is cleared up now, and I think our parents will be able to take care of it.)

So, let's sum up.

• Less stressful
• Better pay rate
• Better time of day

What's stopping me from switching? Oh, that's right. I made a commitment. Also, I'd feel super guilty, because they kids' old computer teacher left (I don't remember why), so they haven't had any consistent computer education.

Instead, I feel stressed and guilty because my own life is pretty much a shambles right now (our school work is really suffering right now, and the house is a wreck).

Guess

Guess which fabric goes with which girl's dress . . .

This week's goals

besides planning out my classes for work, I will complete a rough draft of the website I said I'd do, and finish these:

I need to fiddle with the collars, hem them, and do buttons /buttonholes. No telling if the clothes they'll wear under them at Easter will be made by me or not. I think they're turning out cute so far!

Noooooooo!

La Shish closes 11 metro eateries

My #1 favorite restaurant, gone!

Best Baby Shower EVER

I went to a baby shower today for one of Jeff's cousins. At a SPA. Sadly, the mother-to-be lives out of state and couldn't be there, so the grandmother-to-be opened the presents. We all got manicures & massages, had champagne, and Chicken Caesar Salad (or salmon) for lunch. Heaven!

I made my first baby blanket as part of our gift:It's cute, and wasn't very difficult or very expensive, but if I ever make another one, I will either find my quilting ruler or buy a new one. I am not precise enough with scissors to get really even squares, which are necessary for the "prairie points" around the outside.