Sunday, April 20, 2008

Lazy Sunday & Easy Project!



This has been the first wekend that we didn't work on or in the garage since August. the only time we DIDN'T work on the garage is if the weather prohibited it or we had a function we couldn't get out of......

Saturday I went to the Race Track w/ DH & helped him put out trash cans. That's putting it real simple because the trash cans were great big 8 yard dumpsters. There were about 85 of them. give or take 10. All of them had to have plugs screwed in (my job) and stickers put on (my job again). We got done around 2PM - came home & went to sleep...
Sunday we spent a lazy day. I slept in until around 8:30 & then got up & went to the store. It was still early & not crowded yet. When I got home I put everything away & them took a nap. It's the first Sunday that I have done that in AGES....I got up & my sinuses have been giving me a fit over the past week. Every outside surface is yellow from the pollen....my head has felt ike it's swelled as big as a basketball! If I take sinus med, I get medicine head...so I suffer.
I had originally decided that I was going to spend Saturday & part of Sunday quilting, but went to the track w/ DH instead. Sort of our quality time.....but Sunday I was feeling sort of creative & I etched my name in a glass baking dish. It was a neat little project & I think I impressed DH! the top photo looks the best, I couldn't find anything or anywhere to prop it up so that it would show up really well. You get the idea, I am sure. Really simple, really fast (well fast if your name isn't super long. Good thing it's not Messerschmidt or something....) I let the etching cream sit on the glass while I cleaned up the kitchen from dinner this evening. This baking ids is one that I had in the cabinet. I don't think I have used it much. It's by Anchor Hocking. I looked at the "Pyrex" dishes @ Wal Mart but they had SO MUCH raised printing. The etching cream that I have WILL etch the raised printing, but the Anchor brand had LESS than the Pyrex brand. So I used the Anchor dish that I had for ME & then I'll make 2 for a wedding & a going away gift for fellow employees in May.
Maybe DD#1 & DD#2 would like to have baking dishes with thier names etched in them too?
It was a fun project, THANK YOU JOAN for the link & the idea.
Well DH has to be in Nashville at a big meeting , which means he cant' wear jeans....So I have to pack good clothes for the week. And I still have laundry to fold & put away. Since the house is up for sale, i can't leave anythign stitting out. it all has to be folded, put away & everything put back. i hate laundry!!
Gotta Go
Sam

Saturday, April 12, 2008

The *NEW* House in Burns, TN





DH & I went house-hunting AGAIN in TN on April 4th & 5th. We looked at nearly 11 houses in 2 days. We chose this one & put in an offer. We low-balled it & the seller countered, then we countered. The seller accepted our counter - so after all the paperwork & escrow & inspections & legal-ease stuff that goes along with buying a house gets done - we can move in After 6PM on May 26th.
This house sits on 1.58 acres (.40 acres less than we do now & no lake at the new house) It has 2700 square feet {500 square feet larger than our current house....}. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. All bedrooms & bathrooms are on the same floor. It has a HUGE basement. Something like 38 X 52 and that includes a 2 car parking area. There is also a separate area in the basement that is a storm shelter. Storm shelters are a very useful commodity in TN !
It also has a bonus room upstairs. 30 x 30 is what the bonus room is, I think. And there are 2 areas on each side of the bonus room that are unfinished. Maybe a future bathroom & storage area??? Who knows at this moment?
There is a formal dining room & an area in the kitchen that you can eat in too. The kitchen is much smaller than mine in AL but it DOES have a very large pantry - that's it's only saving grace....and all the appliances are black. i didn't think I'd like that, but it looks really elegant.
The back yard is situated so that fencing it will be an easy thing to do. i like the driveway, and I like the walkway & porch. I dont' feel like we "settled", I think we moved up the "socio-economic" ladder, as far as neighborhoods are concerned.....housewise - the house in AL is larger in the kitchen, the formal dining room & the master bedrooms. The house in TN has a larger living room - but it also has a bonus room & the basement - we wanted those too
SO? All we lack doing is paperwork, paperwork & more PAPER WORK !!! Then the movers come.
By the way...I have a house in AL for sale.....if you know someone that's looking !
Sam

The Nolting is UP! - Soon to be DOWN



On Wednesday while I was off, I decided I would do some long arm quilting. that is what i always do on Wednesday - just not normally AT HOME. I have Donna's quilt that i REALLY, REALLY need to get done & honestly it's up after this one. I was afraid to put a "customer" quilt on the rails since I had never used this machine before - I needed to get a "feel" for it!


The little quilt in this photo is a lap size that I made with leftovers from the quilt I made that is on our bed. (If you look at earlier posts, you can see the BIG one) I thought that if I didn't get the "feel" for the machine right away and I made mistakes, that the mistakes should be on something that was mine & something that didn't matter if I frog-stitched.....so i loaded this little beauty.
First off, the machine performed beautifully. Secondly - I did something with THIS little quilt that I have NEVER done before. I used a sheet for the backing & polyester batting! the sheet was old, old, old - i didn't figure the weave of the sheet was going to be too tight after all these years! WHY? did I do that? Well because I didn't have any backing & batting. Not at the house! It's all packed up. I (probably) have enough backings for 10 quilts & batting for twice that many...but none when I needed it......so I did "no-no's" and it came out alright. No skipped stitches or anything.
So ? Now I am ready to really get busy.
I officially have less than 6 weeks before we move to TN
The Nolting is set up in my STUDIO (AKA: the garage) Isn't that nice inside? Nice paint, nice lights, nice fans.....I need a radio & I think I'm SET.
Gotta go.
Sam

Update - Chelsea's Buttons


This photo was taken on Wednesday 4/09/2008. I had the favorite fat dog to the vet & he said that her ear is healing very well - but since they don't seem to be bothering/hindering her & the top ear is still a little loose that he wants to leave them in an additional week. So we go back again next week.
Fat Dog was sunbathing while I practiced on the long arm. Wednesday was a gorgeous day - i wore shorts. yes the same as last year - they STILL fit, thank you ...........
Sam

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Blah , Blah, Blog

it's been nearly 2 weeks since I posted. So much has happened & so much has passed that I am never going to stay awake long enough to get anything posted. DH & I have been to TN to house hunt AGAIN. We looked at 10 homes & settled on one specific house but we have a backup in case this doesn't work out. We put in an offer - the seller counter offered - and we have countered his. i am not too worried about him refusing our counter offer, I am just worried about having the $$ to buy the house when it comes time to "close". I have never bought anything that cost this much & I sure never thought it would be a house like this one. A little on the upscale side of the neighborhood, if you know what I mean. DEALING with the paperwork is plain irksome, for sure. Thank goodness for email & adobe ! What a life saver that has proved to be. Once the seller has accepted our counter offer, I'll get some photos posted. Don't want to jinx the deal.

DD#@ had a car accident. She hit a parked car. DH is fuming.....this realy couldn't happen at a worse time! she isn't hurt, she' s just not paying attention. I don't even want to talk about it.

got the Nolting put up in the garage...I know, I know...it will have to come down in another month! SO WHAT? I'm going to use it & quilt on it until I can't do it anymore. The FIRST quilt that I am goign to quilt is for my buddy Donna in CA. She's waited long enough, my time has been elsewhere committed & I have had her beautiful quilt since BEFORE Christmas. She must think horrible thoughts about my ability to get ANYTHING done. she made this particular quilt from her Father's shirts. He died last year. i think it so sweet & sentimental & i feel like a HEEL for having it SO long!

That's an update on the trials & tribulations of my life. I can't wait until everything is back to normal. Wha't snormal anyway? Been so long since I seen it, i couldn't recognize it!

Sam